Enslave Me Sweetly (Alien Huntress #2)(66)
Author: Gena Showalter

My boots bit into the dirt floor. Devyn stopped several times to speak with an acquaintance, and I used the time to search for EenLi. He was nowhere that I could see, and that caused shards of frustration to cut through me. What if he did not attend?

I was soon led to a group of folding chairs lined up in front of a scaffold. My heart thundered in my chest. Atop the scaffold were the “slaves.” Their hands were tied over their heads and anchored to a wooden beam. They wore gauzy white robes, easily parted and removable for viewing.

I saw the five women from the cell, and my knees almost buckled in relief. Their expressions were pale with fear, but they were alive. There were six other women, as well, but I didn’t recognize them. Nor did I recognize the strong, muscled men bound beside them. My gaze darted to the others, the ones in back, but I couldn’t see them all.Lucius, Lucius, my mind chanted as I searched for him, praying he was here. My muscles kept a viselike grip on my bones.

The Targon king claimed a seat on the first row. Recalling his words to me, I stiffly sank down at his feet. God, I didn’t want to. I wanted to stand, to scream, to act.Patience, I reminded myself.Patience.

He patted my head. “Good girl,” he said, obviously enjoying himself.

My new position did not change my actions. I continued to scan the slaves. The one at the end of the scaffold was partially hidden by shadows and the two men who were inspecting him. The slave’s legs were extended, his robe parted, and I could see his bronzed skin. For a minute, my lungs refused to draw in a breath.

I gulped, willing the men to move out of my line of vision. Sweat beaded on my forehead. My shaky hands clutched at the dirt beneath me.Move, my mind screamed. Patience proved too elusive, so I gave up the effort to find it.

Finally the men ambled off the scaffold, giving me a clear view of the slave.

My lungs jolted into motion, and at last I sucked in a breath. I nearly jumped to my feet and raced up those wooden stairs. He was here. Lucius was here. And he was alive. Relief and joy pounded through me so potently, I could have wept. His features were blank and pale; his fake scar was gone, and I was willing to bet his contacts had been removed. His robe covered his shoulder and chest, so I couldn’t see his wound. His clothes weren’t bloody, so that meant he’d been bandaged up.

“I told you he would be here,” Devyn said.

A woman approached Lucius, parted his robe, and gazed at his nakedness. Her large frame blocked my own viewing. Lucius passively accepted her perusal, which wasn’t like him. What was wrong with him?

I didn’t want to, but I switched my attention to Devyn. “See the woman at the end of the scaffold?”

Without looking down at me, he nodded.

“Get her to move. Please.”

In the next instant, the woman yelped and tumbled off the edge as if she’d been propelled by a great gust of wind. I jolted to my feet, hoping to gain Lucius’s attention.

His gaze was moving listlessly over the crowd, then…our eyes locked.

Relief, hope, joy, fury, all washed over his face—all the emotions I felt—and he snapped out of his passive haze. He jerked against the ties at his wrists, shaking the entire scaffold.

“Take me to him,” I whispered, looking down at Devyn. “Please.”

“Of course. A favor for a favor,” he said. He stood, eyes straight ahead. “You will follow me on your knees, slave.”

I bent down and crawled after him. Sand and rocks dug into my skin. I even crawled up the splintery steps. I endured it without comment, knowing where it was leading me.

When we reached Lucius, Devyn stopped and grinned over at him. “We’re going to buy you,” he said. “You will belong to us.”

Lucius had eyes only for me. “Is she—”

“She is fine.”

I nodded to let him know it was true.

“She has bargained much to get you free. I hope you appreciate her.”

Lucius’s brow wrinkled in curiosity, but Devyn didn’t explain. He walked away, back to his chair, and I had to follow him. I wanted to run back to Lucius, almost did in fact. Devyn sensed it and locked me in place with his mental shield. As my heart thumped and my blood rushed, I tried to tell Lucius with my eyes that everything really was going to be okay.

“Eden,” the Targon said suddenly, “my calves are aching from those stairs. Massage the muscles for me.”

I leveled him my deadliest glare. He gave an almost imperceptible nod to Lucius and released me from the frozen stun. Free to move, I began kneading my fingers into his calves. I used so much force, he hissed in a breath of pain that he tried to cover with a cough. “This isn’t a game,” I growled quietly.

Lucius looked at Devyn, then at me, and a light of understanding dawned in his eyes. Furious, he bucked against his chains, causing a trickle of blood to run down his arms.

“Put him to sleep,” I beseeched, stopping my massage and giving the Targon my full attention. “Please, put him to sleep like you did before. The guards will subdue him if this continues.”

With another stiff nod, he gazed over at Lucius, and within seconds Lucius’s muscles were relaxing. His head lolled forward as he sank into a deep slumber.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “Thank you.”

“Do you see? I’m not such a bad man, Eden.”

“Do I owe you another kiss?” I couldn’t keep the aggravation from my voice.

He frowned. “Iam capable of giving free gifts.”

Just then, the murmurs of the crowd quieted. The people began to part, and whispers of “EenLi” surfaced. My head whipped up, and I scanned the building. My eyes narrowed as deep-seated loathing filled me.

EenLi had just entered the warehouse.

Chapter 28

Everyone hurriedly claimed their seats while EenLi climbed the stairs and meandered his way to center stage. As he walked, he waved and winked at the crowd as if he were a superstar and everyone here was his devoted fan. Full cowboy regalia covered his thin Mec body. Cowboy hat, vest, chaps. He looked ridiculous. Smiling, he held up his hands in a gesture for utter silence.

My hatred grew and festered, bubbled over and spewed. I could throw my dagger at his throat, but I didn’t want a long-distance kill this time. I wanted up close and personal, so there would be no doubt of his death, no mistake.

“Can you put everyone to sleep?” I quietly asked Devyn. If the crowd, guards, and EenLi passed out cold, I would blithely walk onto the stage and stab EenLi in the heart. Not that he had one.