“Sit. I’m taking you up on your offer of teaching me about your species.” He tilted his horns toward the chair next to him. I took the chair diagonal to him. His left wing twitched, but he didn’t comment on it.
“Start with your Consortium Military. Activities, training, anything and everything.”
I steeled my spine. “I want to see that Jaron and Tatiana are safe first.”
We stared each other down. I was all too aware of the power differential and hoped he wouldn’t be cruel.
“Come.” He stood abruptly and I scrambled to follow, jogging to keep up with his long strides. Junyv brought up the rear.
I watched the strong line of his back, the powerful branches of his wings, and wondered what his wings would feel like. He led me back across the archway, into a lower level of the mansion, through an airy room with a vast ceiling, decorated with stunning artwork, and then out to a circular, open-air courtyard. It was as though it was just another room in the building, but it had no ceiling and was filled with lush greenery. I couldn’t help but admire the architecture of this place.
On a bench in the shade of a wide-leafed tree were my brother and Tatiana. I surged past the Vorazyr, running to them. A guard I hadn’t noticed before stepped forward, but his eyes flicked behind me and he stepped back just as quickly.
“Jacqueline.” Jaron crushed me to him. “I’m so glad you’re ok. They wouldn’t tell us anything. I was so scared they’d hurt you.” Stress deepened the lines of his face when I tilted my head back to look at him.
“Areyouok?”I kept patting him, as if to assure myself he was here with me, unharmed.
“Yes. We’ve been locked in a house for the last four days.”
I turned and hugged Tatiana. “The house is a million times better than those ledges. They’ve even given us resources to learn the intergalactic language.” she told me.
“You being here means they’re letting you join us, right?” Jaron asked.
“I don’t know.” I stepped back, a hand on each of their arms, not wanting to lose contact with them again after the last terrifying few days.
The rumble of a deep voice behind me caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. “Unlike humans, I keep my word. Now that you see that, come and tell me what I want to know.”
Chapter 10
This time when he looked at the Vorazyr, Jaron wore a wary expression, so different from the glare he’d been shooting at him days prior.
“Are you really being treated all right?” I whispered.
Both of them confirmed they were. So far. I turned to the Vorazyr. “I’m ready.”
He jerked his head back the way we’d come, and I quickly hugged Jaron and Tatiana, not knowing when I’d see them again. There was a heavy stone in my heart as I turned away. Jaron grabbed my arm, alarm flashing across his face, and I had to gently pry myself loose.
“Don’t.” I said it softly, but sent him a warning look. I couldn’t have him getting into trouble because of me. Again. It was already my fault we were in this predicament. Everythingin me wished my arrogance hadn’t led me to accept this “field assignment.” As if.
This time Junyv didn’t come with us as I followed the Vorazyrback to the small house, which I now realized must be the one that my brother and Tatiana stayed in.
“Now speak,” he said cooly as soon as we were seated.
I took a breath, gathering my thoughts. I didn’t know much, and stating the little I knew wasn’t going to put anyone in danger. But how honest should I be?
“I will remind you that the safety of your brother and friend is determined entirely based on how truthful you are with me.”
“How do I know you won’t hurt or kill us after I tell you what I know?”
His eyes glittered and a humorless smile touched his lips. “You don’t. But at least there is a chance. If you don’t cooperate, there is no chance that they will remain alive and unharmed.”
I’d never been one to cry tears of frustration, but I was getting close. The only other times I’d felt this helpless were when my mom died, and when Jaron and I had been hiking and a small landslide had sent him tumbling over the edge of a cliff. He’d caught himself on a small boulder sticking out of the unstable mountain, but that was the only thing keeping him from a long drop. I’d gotten a rope around him and had anchored it to myself and another boulder I found.
Use your intellect and breathe.It wasn’t over yet.
Hours passed while I told him what I knew and told him that I didn’t know the details of what he was asking about more times than I could remember. He asked me the same question in different ways and I was so wound up by the time he sat back and finally took his intense gaze off me that I nearly slumped. Ididforce my shoulders down from where they’d been reaching for my ears.
He tapped his claws in a rhythm on the table, gaze out the open window. I watched him, studying the sharp lines of his face, wondering what he was thinking. My gaze wandered to his wings, where the gold lines were muted today. Did their colors change based on their mood? My gaze flicked back to his face and I started when I realized he was watching me.
