"Can you see where you're going?"
Krevan ignored her question.Ancelin pressed herself against the door, as far from him as the vehicle allowed without tumbling out.
The all-terrain vehicle lurched sideways off the dirt road, cutting across open pasture.The sudden movement threw Ancelin toward the center console, her thigh brushing against Krevan's.She jerked away as if burned.
"Where are we going?"she asked, breaking the deafening silence between them.
"To the properties.Yours and mine sit within view of each other, but there's no proper road to get there."Rain hammered the roof."We'll stop at my place first—I've got a garage.We can wait out the downpour before I take you to your house.Unless you prefer getting soaked to the bone."
Ancelin sat rigid, offering no response.Outside, the world had dissolved into sheets of water and darkness.
Krevan navigated with unnerving precision through the storm, his reflective eyes catching what little light remained."Having second thoughts, Earth girl?"His voice dropped low."You should be.You're stranded on this wild planet with an ex-con from Hellgate Prison as your only neighbor.Just you and a Triaxen male who could snap you in half without trying."His attention returned to driving."Bet you wish you'd listened to me now."
"Mr.Vallex, I understand the risks."Ancelin's voice was steady despite her white-knuckled grip on the door handle."But your warnings, considerate as they are, won't send me running back to Earth.If you're planning to intimidate me, I'd prefer you just get on with it.So far it’s not working."She pressed herself against the door panel, maintaining as much distance between them as the vehicle allowed.
"If intimidation were my goal, you'd know it."Krevan's eyes flashed in the darkness."I'm not sure what you're expecting, Ms.Trever," he said as they rounded a bend, revealing a sleek structure rising from the wild landscape.The house stood defiantly modern against its untamed surroundings, its clean lines and expansive windows reminiscent of the luxury estates in Earth's wealthiest districts.
"Ancelin."Krevan's voice dropped an octave as he emphasized her name, his reflective eyes fixed on hers while the vehicle halted before a row of garage doors."A female neighbor wasn't part of my agreement.When I'm...surprised, people tend to get hurt.But I can adapt."He gestured toward a distant shadow barely visible through the downpour."Your place is back there—two hundred-thirty meters.We'll wait out this deluge here, get some food.Better to reach your house in daylight anyway.That generator will need coaxing after sitting idle for so long."His finger jabbed a dashboard button, and one garage door lifted to reveal a meticulously organized space housing two other vehicles and a workshop area.The vehicle glided into place with practiced precision.As the engine died and the garage door sealed behind them with a mechanical thud, he added, "Grab what you need for the night.Clean clothes, maybe."Lightning illuminated his face through a small window as he stepped out."If this storm keeps building, we might be checking tomorrow whether your roof survived."Without waiting for her response, he moved to retrieve his belongings from the back.
Ancelin jumped out of her door and hurried to the back of the vehicle to confront him.“What do you mean whether my roof survives?Are you saying you sold me a house that's falling apart?”She was flustered, placing her hands on her hips and staring at him intensely.Her anxiety had been building, especially during the last two hours of their trip.
“No, Ancelin, it had a roof this morning.It is an old, weathered building, and Verrian storms are harsh.Remember, I sold it to you with an 'as is' clause.The house needs work.It's been vacant for about eight months since I moved into this house, and it needed repairs when I left.You did look at the pictures and read the description, right?”Krevan paused in unloading the vehicle to wait for her reply.
"Yes," Ancelin replied, her eyes dropping to her feet.
"Alright, what's got you so anxious?Grab your bag, and I'll let you into the house.I don't usually invite people in, but given the situation, I'll make an exception for you."Krevan studied her closely before turning to carry one of his boxes to the door.He punched a code into the keypad, and the door clicked and partially opened.
"Krevan," Ancelin called out softly, using his first name in a more gentle, persuasive tone."Could you help me with this bag, please?"
Krevan seemed to ignore her as he walked into his home.So Ancelin took hold of her bag and started dragging it towards the entrance.
"Hold on, young lady, I'll help you since you asked so nicely.But as I mentioned, you need to return home.You can stay here tonight, and we'll head back to catch the ship to Earth in the morning.Verrian is too dangerous for you to be here unprotected."
Without any effort, Krevan lifted her very heavy and cumbersome bag and carried it inside, with Ancelin following.Tears threatened to spill.Typically, she remained composed and distant with strangers, regardless of the circumstances, and would only break down in private.However, the past year had pushed Ancelin to live on the edge and adapt to a new set of rules.The ordeal she endured on Earth had transformed her.
"Lights on, set to low power," Krevan commanded the computer upon entering the house.The room was immediately bathed in a gentle glow.The interior was even more splendid than the exterior.The floors shone brilliantly, with the black tiles reflecting the light from above, allowing her to see her own reflection.Large windows lined the kitchen wall and extended across the far side of the living room, reflecting their images.
Occasional lightning illuminated the outside briefly.The interior was as modern as the exterior suggested, featuring a spacious, pristine living room with a large multimedia screen hanging near the far, windowless wall.The rooms were adorned with comfortable furniture in a minimalist style.The kitchen seemed to have leapt straight from the pages of a contemporary Earth home design magazine.
The inside of the house made Ancelin feel as if she were standing inside a fashionable home in a high-class neighborhood on Earth.The house was expensively decorated for total comfort and convenience in the middle of the underpopulated and unsophisticated world of Verrian.Ancelin’s mouth hung open in awe.“Wow, this is remarkable.You live very well here on Verrian.”Walking further into the house, Ancelin looked all around.
"This is where I ended up," Krevan said, running his hand along the polished countertop."Took me a year to build.Before that, I was in your place—the old house.Back on Triaxe..."His voice trailed off as he stared through the rain-streaked windows.He shook his head and turned to the sink."Hungry?I can make something."He gestured toward a hallway."The toilet is there if you need it."
The tension in his shoulders had eased since they'd arrived.He moved through his kitchen with practiced efficiency, fixing sandwiches for them.He slide a plate before her without ceremony.They ate without speaking, the storm filling the silence between them.When they finished, he helped her store her supplies in his cooling unit, his movements deliberate.
"Listen," he said finally, his voice low."Verrian isn't for you.The sooner you leave, the better."The words were gentler now, but the message hadn't changed.
"Well, I guess that’s up to me," Ancelin replied.
"Whatever," Krevan muttered with a shrug.
* * * *
After quickly tidying up the kitchen, Krevan showed Ancelin to her room and left in haste.He retreated to the privacy of his own room, eager to have her out of his house as soon as possible.She was already affecting him, stirring his long-dormant desires.Once fully awakened, it would spell trouble for both.There was something about her that aroused him like no other woman had before, eliciting from him a gentler response that surprised him.
Nevertheless, a sexually aroused Triaxen male who had been without female companionship for nearly seven years, including five in prison, could be unpredictable, and Ancelin seemed too innocent to handle his dominant nature.Krevan was certain she'd flee in terror if she encountered that side of him.She'd nearly choked at the sight of his reflective eyes; the full extent of his Triaxen traits might make him appear monstrous to her.Lying on his bed, he found sleep elusive.The rhythmic sound of rain pounding on the roof and tapping against the windows was soothing, yet he could hear Ancelin crying in her room.Her sobs were heart-wrenching.Surprisingly, he felt a strong urge to leave his room to comfort her or seek comfort from her, but he resisted.If he did, it would only give Ancelin more reason to cry.
Chapter 2
