All this time. All this time they'd had her, and they'd looked the councilors of the UC in the eye and wrung their hands and said how it was all a mistake, when a whole team of scientists and doctors and military leaders had known Lucy Harris was right here in Fa'allen.
He straightened from his slouch. It would be his pleasure to rain down some retribution, diplomacy be damned.
Chapter 19
Dray Helvan looked like his head was about to explode.
Lucy eyed him warily as he turned toward a machine that let out another warble, and pulled out a cup of grinabo.
He handed it to her, and she took it gratefully, cupping her hands around it for the warmth, and sipping at the hot, fragrant liquid.
She watched him warily. He seemed even bigger in the sleek kitchen than he had before out on the streets of Fa'allen. His hair was short and stood on end, a rich brown tipped with burgundy. She wondered if it was natural, or if he did something to achieve the look.
The most delightful part of him was his ears; pointed and close to his head, they were evocative of elves and forests and longbows. They somehow softened the harsh lines of his face and the hard blue glitter of his eyes.
He stared back at her for a beat and then pointed to the table, on which he'd laid out a meal.
“Are you hungry?”
She was ravenous, but . . . “I can't eat most Tecran food.” She got to her feet and walked to the table, looking down at the offerings.
“What did they feed you?”
“Nutrient bars, mainly.” She heard the lack of enthusiasm in her own voice.
He glanced down at her and she saw worry in his gaze. “I don't want to give you anything that'll make you sick.”
“It's okay. I've tasted everything on the table.” She tried to make herself sound more enthusiastic. “It was almost a game at the facility. Who could find a new dish for me to try.” Her smile wobbled a little.
She sat down and looked at the food, and to her utter horror, a big, fat tear rolled down her cheek.
She used the back of her hand to brush it away, and caught sight of Dray's face.
“Don't mind me,” she told him. She hiccuped. “I'm just . . .”
What was she just? Wallowing? Yes. Having a pity party? Yes, again.
She stood up and turned away from him and the table, walked blindly out of the kitchen into the big lounge area.
Swirling white fog pressed up against the floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the sea.
Even though she couldn't see out, she walked up to them anyway, pressing a hand against the cold glass. No, not glass, but something like it. She didn't know what it was called. Didn't know how it was made. Didn't know shit.
She slammed both fists into the transparent wall.
A noise behind her had her looking over her shoulder.
Dray stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest.
Was that pity or condescension she saw in his gaze?
Either way, it pissed her off even more.
“I was on my way home from a quick grocery shop,” she said, voice far from even. “I had two bags of groceries in the back, bags I'd give a lot for right now. There was ice cream in one of them. And strawberries. And peaches. I was going to make peach pie! With ice cream. But instead of getting home, and making peach pie, the world went black. I woke up a few times, just little flashes of consciousness, but when I woke properly, I was in the facility. Over a month of time had passed, and I was on an alien planet.” She wanted to swear, but she didn't know how in Tecran, so she spoke in English, slowly enunciating each word. “A fucking alien planet.”
She held his gaze, boldly challenging him, and something in his eyes stared back at her. A predatory creature that would not back down.
That suited her. She wanted a fight.
“So how do you fucking explain that?” she asked, and slammed a fist backward so she hit the window again to punctuate the question. He was the advanced alien, let him figure out what she was saying.
He tilted his head to the side, and the look on his face said he thought he was dealing with a deranged lunatic.
So what? She felt deranged.
“What the actual fuck am I doing here?” She took a step toward him. She had asked this question so many times in the facility, and had been met with averted gazes, a change of topic, or had been straight up ignored. Maybe she could finally get an answer.
His eyes narrowed. “I can't speak your language, as you know. But Bane has translated for me. You are here because the Tecran wanted to be the strongest force on the United Council.”
She stared at him. “Are you saying this is all common-or-garden super villain stuff? I lost my family, my friends, my life because they wanted to rule the galaxy?”
He frowned in confusion. “They thought to use thinking systems to give them the power to be in command of the United Council. To take control.”
“And might it have worked?” she asked.
“If they had been able to keep me and my four brothers prisoner, yes.” Bane's voice was quiet in her ear. “But they could not, because they didn't understand thinking systems. And they didn't understand Earth women, either.”
“How was taking me part of their quest for domination?” She dismissed Dray, turning away from him, her conversation with Bane now.
“Part of their plan was to collect interesting species and technology from planets and systems the United Council hadn't discovered. To exploit those technologies and advantages before anyone else. Except, your fellow Earth women who were taken were their undoing instead.” There was deep satisfaction in his voice.
“Is Earth in danger?” she whispered. She hadn't thought about that until now. Of course, if they got her, they knew where it was. They could do this to others. Had done this to others. She'd seen the video of the women singing.
“No. Sazo deleted all maps to Earth as a favor to Rose McKenzie. And only four of the five of us ever went there. One is dead, one lost his ship, and as I said, Sazo deleted the files.”
“Did you go?” she asked him.
“No. I was the only one who didn't.”
She leaned against the window, arms tight around herself. “What happens now? Where do I fit in?” She was so angry. She had been angry for months, she realized now, but in the facility, she'd understood how vulnerable she was.
She had been an alien thing. A slightly dangerous performing monkey, who few had seen as an equal, or even in the same sentient category.
She'd made nice, to the scientists at least, if not the guards, let the insults and the condescension roll off her to survive, but now she was out of that and the fire of fury had roared to life.
She didn't think she could bank it any time soon.
Still . . .
“Sorry.” She turned back to Dray, saw he had moved from the doorway, was almost close enough to touch. She spoke in Tecran, rather than forcing Bane to translate her English. “I shouldn't have shouted at you. You're helping me.”
He gave a nod, and she was struck by the sheer beauty of him. There were elements of otherworldliness to him--the ears, the spiky hair--but even then, it was more sexy elf than alien.
After being the odd one out for months, she felt a sudden kinship to him so strong it was almost overwhelming.