Page 45 of Hunted

“It’s the term they use. A team of males has thirty days to ‘court’ a potential mate. During the thirty days, other males are not allowed to approach the female or pressure her in any way.”

“And how many ways did your ‘mates’ pressure you?” Kendra’s brows arched dramatically. “I’ve never seen that dress before. What happened to your clothes?”

Ansley waved away her concern. “Raina already asked me all of those questions. Nothing happened that I didn’t allow. Jobek and Tandor were actually really nice, once I got beyond the—”

“Nice?” It was Kendra’s turn to laugh. “These males are exciting, ruggedly handsome, even sexy, but I’ve yet to meet one who was nice.”

Ansley saw no reason to argue with her. For the most part Kendra was right. Still, there had been moments during the past few days when the description fit. Of course, they had been trying to convince her that they were worthy mates so they would have done just about anything.

Hoping to get the conversation back on track, Ansley asked, “Have things been better since you guys were moved to Commander Cylex’s ship?”

“It’s been a lot quieter,” Eden admitted with a smile. “We were all offered private rooms if we wanted them, but most of us didn’t want to be alone. Kendra and I are roomies, but no one is sleeping in the top bunks. You’re welcome to join us.”

“I’d like that.” The last thing she needed was time alone with her thoughts. “You guys don’t have to stay in your rooms the entire time, do you?”

Eden shook her head. “We can go wherever we want within a certain section of the ship. There’s a gym with these simulators that will blow your mind.”

“They’ve given us access to the digital library, entertainment vids, and Raina has been present for every meal to answer questions or just talk,” Kendra added to Eden’s list.

“Has anyone else had their powers activate?” Ansley wanted to know. “And how is Jodi doing? Do the doctors still have her in a coma?”

“Jodi is up and around and feeling much better,” Eden assured her. “As for activation. We were all injected with a new suppressant that should keep our instincts from going haywire for a while anyway. The new doctor warned us that the suppressants are unnatural and our bodies will eventually find a way.”

Kendra made a face. “Yeah, nature is a bitch like that. She likes to have things her own way.”

When Ansley only nodded, Eden asked, “Will they let us make our own decisions or did we just trade the founders for whoever runs the Citadel?”

“Raina has powerful connections and she seems determined to be our advocate.” Ansley left her chair and walked over to where Eden stood. “However, we are conduits. We were not meant for true independence. We were genetically engineered to operate as part of a triad.”

“You’ve said those words before, but I have no idea what they mean.” Eden threw up her hands, clearly frustrated. “You’re the only one who has spent time with men from our star system. What are they like? Tell us about your mates.” The last word sounded mildly sarcastic, but her curiosity was genuine.

“I will, but let me take you through the past couple of days step by step. It’s the only way I’ll remember to tell you everything.” Kendra joined them at the windows so Ansley dove right in to her story. She explained that Mistress Neeva had given her a data crystal and told her to protect it with her life. She ran them through her intention to meet up with the supply boat and disappear into the human population until one of the founders, or someone sent by them, returned for her. “I spent the first night in the sea cave,” she explained. “I was able to elude Jobek and Tandor for a short time, but Tandor is a powerful psychic. He could sense my emotions and follow my energy trail so it didn’t take long for them to catch me.”

“Did they take you somewhere on Earth?” Eden asked. “Or were you on one of the ships this entire time?”

“They took me to an observation outpost in Canada.” Ansley hoped her casual tone would allow her to breeze by that term, but no such luck.

“Observation outpost?” Kendra asked. “Who was observing what?”

“Scientists from our star system have been studying humans because of the genetic similarities between our species.”

“Yeah, that’s not creepy at all,” Eden muttered but didn’t linger on the subject. “What happened next?”

“Wait, back up a bit. What happened to the data crystal? What was on it?”

Eden was a jump to the punchline sort of listener while Kendra needed to understand every detail. It was hard to find a pace that satisfied them both. “Jobek took it away from me, but it didn’t matter because everything the founders told us was bullshit.”

For the next hour, Ansley detailed all the ways the founders had deceived them. She told her friends about the founders’ attempted escape and the atrocities that Dr. Lorish had perpetuated on Altor. “They were not protecting us from the scientists that created us. They were waiting for our bodies to mature so we could be sold to the highest bidder. That’s what the data crystal was about. Neeva wanted to safeguard the information in case something happened to Dr. Lorish.”

Eden just stared at her in stunned silence, but Kendra moved right on to challenging what she’d been told. “How do you know that Jobek and Tandor aren’t the ones lying to you?”

“They showed me news feeds and video files.” Ansley knew them well enough to anticipate how they’d react. Eden internalized thought processes, working through most problems in reflective silence. Kendra was a talker, sorting through emotions and resolving conflicts verbally.

“But they could have—”

“It’s possible that they set up the media ahead of time.” Ansley easily anticipated what Kendra was going to say. “It’s possible, but not likely. Besides, the story Jobek and Tandor told me actually answered a bunch of questions I’ve had for a while now.”

“Like why the founders won’t let human males anywhere near us?” Eden muttered then looked at Kendra. “We’ve both wondered about that.”

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