Page 4 of He Will Always Love Me

I’m definitely not in the casino anymore. Dull metal walls surround me, and I can tell by the motion underneath me that we’re moving through the air. It must be a spaceship. His spaceship? Where is he taking me?

I turn to face the two speakers, recognizing one as my kidnapper. He’s kneeling close, studying me with an almost eager expression on his face. The other one recoils with a sneer of disgust. He stares between me and my kidnapper and lets out an indignant huff.

“You’re making a mistake, Karvex. She’s going to ruin us. You should kill her while you still can.” Then he storms out of the room, leaving me alone with the one he called Karvex.

“He’s right. You should let me go while you can. I won’t say anything to anyone,” I offer.

His red eyes seem to be looking into my soul when he answers. It’s piercing and hollow, yet there’s something warm radiating distantly. It’s like standing far from a bonfire, but still being able to feel the licks of heat drifting from the flames. I want to get closer, to be wrapped in the scent and security the fire promises. Something in my heart is begging to be closer to him.

But I’m terrified of getting burned.

“I’ll do what I want with you. If you know anything about me, know that.”

I do know you. I want to tell him so badly. I swallow it down, feeling like something that used to be mine is now his, and I can still see it in his eyes.

CHAPTER 3

KARVEX

Tired of Renari scowling about the human I brought onto the ship, I decide to take her to an unused domicile. Not because I really care about her comfort, but there’s no reason to keep her out here in the midst of everything, being gawked at.

Despite what the others may think, I have no intention of letting the human go just yet. I can’t put my finger on it, but I think she’ll prove useful. And I’m the captain, so they can take their complaints and piss off.

That’s why, as soon as our spaceship and the rest of our stolen goods have left the casino as a distant memory, I toss her over my shoulder and carry her to a room of her own.

“Whoa, what are you doing?” she squawks when I hoist her up roughly.

“Whatever I want. You’ll save us a lot of time if you can get that through your head.” As if to prove my point, I shake her from side to side as she balances over my shoulder like a rolled up rug. She makes a stifled groaning noise but at least she seems to know enough to hold her tongue this time.

Maybe the human is trainable, after all.

Once we step inside the vacant dormitory I selected for her, I drop her roughly on the uncovered mattress. Her legs and arms are still bound in the hard nantium cuffs I put on her while she was passed out. I doubt she could get far in her condition, but for good measure, I affix the cuffs to a metal bar of the cot.

She just stares at me, looking more baffled than afraid. Something about her expression pisses me off. She’s too comfortable in my presence for a girl I just stole like she was a fancy vase.

“You’ll be staying here until I decide what use I have for you,” I explain. “And I wouldn’t get too relaxed. Killing you is still a use.”

It’s a bit of a lie. Not that I mind killing people, but some part of me already knows that won’t be her fate. I took her for a reason, even if I haven’t made up my mind just what it’s going to be yet.

The faintest smirk ghosts over her lips. As if this dainty and infuriating human has the nerve to call my bluff.

I growl. Her smirk is instantly wiped away. She nods with a nervous swallow.

That’s more like it.

“What’s your name, slave?” I ask.

“Alana,” she whispers softly.

“Alana, this is where lesser men might assure you that they are fair. That if you follow directions, you’ll be fine. You should notice that I’m making you no such assurances. You’ll do what you’re told when you’re told, or I’ll help you. You won’t like my help, I can promise you that. You should consider yourself fortunate if I chose to sell you so you never have to see me again.”

She presses her lips together, and I can tell she’s holding back the response she wants to give.

“What?” I snap.

“What, what?” she asks, sounding confused. “I didn’t say anything. Sir,” she adds. Her attempt at humoring me makes my skin crawl.

“You did that thing with your lips. You do that when you’re thinking something you don’t want to say.”

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