Page 43 of Hunted

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After teleporting onto the ship, Cylex kissed his mate then returned to his duties.

Raina led Ansley to some unknown destination.

“Am I under arrest?” Ansley asked, her stomach starting to knot up. She really didn’t want to be locked up.

Raina shot her a sideways glance. “Why would we arrest you? You’re one of the victims. We are here to protect you.”

Protecting her was the responsibility of her mates. “I’m willingly courting Tandor and Jobek,” she stated firmly. “If I did nothing wrong, why was I taken away from them?”

“Your powers were activating when they found you, weren’t they?” Raina stopped walking and faced Ansley.

Shocked by Raina’s perceptiveness, Ansley felt even more defensive. “Why was that your first conclusion?”

“Something similar happened to me.” A slow smile crept across Raina’s lips as she admitted, “I was so desperate that I propositioned my kidnapper. Is that why you’re allowing Jobek and Tandor to court you?”

“It’s a lot more complicated than desperation.” Ansley had no intention of discussing the details of her sexual relationship with a stranger. “I am not a victim,” she stressed. “More important, Tandor and Jobek are not the ones who deserve to be punished.”

Raina’s brow creased and her eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about? I thought they were the only ones who had access to you.”

“I meant the founders, the people who took me from my home world as a child and taught me to believe their lies.”

“We have all six of them and they will be punished for everything they did on Earth and on Altor.” Raina resumed her trek down the narrow corridor. “How much did you know before Tandor and Jobek caught up with you?”

“I was an assistant to one of the founders, so I knew more than the others.” Raina shot her a disapproving glance and Ansley sighed. “I had no idea who they were at that point. I thought they ran a benevolent foundation that took care of orphans. I had no reason to doubt anything they told me.” That made her sound so ignorant, so foolish. It was hard to believe she’d ever been that naive. The passageway seemed to go on forever. Ansley had teleported onto the ship, so she hadn’t seen it from the outside. It must be massive. “How many people can this ship hold?”

“It’s designed for long distance voyages, so it can be configured in several ways. When it’s set up to transport passengers, maximum capacity is eleven hundred.”

“And how is it configured right now?”

“Defense, which cuts the capacity in half.”

Ansley looked at Raina, hoping she misunderstood the implication. “Are we still in danger? I thought we left all the other ships orbiting Earth.”

“Unclaimed conduits are always in danger.” Raina paused, giving Ansley a moment to absorb the importance of the statement. “That’s one of the reasons we need to help your friends find their mates as quickly as possible.”

“Will they be allowed to choose?” She didn’t try to conceal the hint of challenge that crept into her voice. “Who is in control of us now?”

“We’re heading to the Citadel, which puts everyone under President Zevon’s authority. He’s a good leader, strong but fair.” Raina paused in front of one of the doors that lined the endless hallway and met Ansley’s gaze. “My mates and I will not allow anyone to harm you or the other conduits.”

“Why do you give a damn? I know you were raised on Earth, but you don’t know me or my friends.”

Despite Ansley’s stubbornness, Raina’s expression remained friendly, her tone warm. “As you said, my cousins and I were raised on Earth, yet no one took our values into consideration. Because of the clash of cultures, the way we were treated when we first arrived seemed harsh and abusive. We were political pawns and no one let us forget it.”

Ansley was tired of being defensive with and suspicious of everyone she met. Raina knew more about the situation than anyone. Not only did she fully understand what it meant to be a conduit, but she also understood what it meant to be raised human. “Were your mates part of the abuse or did they rescue you from it?”

“Each of our stories is different, but all three of us are happily bonded now.” Raina reached over and touched Ansley’s forearm. “The only reason I brought all of this up was to explain that our mates have influence. Draven, one of my cousin’s mates, is on the board of governors.”

Ansley was impressed. According to her research, the board of governors had more power than the president. Their primary role was to advise him, but they could also overrule him.

Pressing her hand against a smooth panel, Raina waited as a beam of light passed over her palm. The door slid open and Raina motioned Ansley inside. Ansley stepped into the room and tentatively looked around.

“Everything’s going to be okay. I promise.” Raina waited until Ansley looked at her before she added, “Your friends are on their way. Make yourself at home.”

The room contained two round tables and a group of chairs angled toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. She had no idea what to call the area—private dining room, leisure space, lounge? Mesmerized by the view, she strolled closer. Another ship was centered in the display. It seemed smaller than this ship. Was that theMadelle? Beyond the ship Earth hung in the velvet black sky. She’d seen images taken from space, but she never dreamed she would see this in person.

Would she ever see Earth again once this ship took off?

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