Page 76 of Escape Velocity

The head man looked toward the women’s area. “Camille will set you up for the night.” He snapped his fingers and the older woman came forward—acting like a slave when the head man summoned her. But Amber thought she was no slave. Not the way she carried herself with authority.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Max said. Everybody stood, and the older woman took a torch from one of the holders and gestured. “This way.”

As they exited the eating area, she could hear some of the men talking in low voices. Their tone worried her, and she wanted to stop and hear what they were saying. Instead she kept walking.

Night had fallen, and the sounds of the swamp were all around the camp now. She heard the low buzz of insects and the growls and calls of animals, some of which sounded quite large.

Rafe had joined them, and their guide led them to a part of the camp where most of the raised houses were located. She gestured to two of the small ones that were set a bit apart from the main group of buildings. Camille gestured with her torch. “This one is for the married couple. And this one for the single man.” She turned to Amber. “And we put some clothing in the room that you might find more comfortable for wear around the camp.”

“That was thoughtful. Thank you,” she answered.

Camille nodded and addressed the three of them. “You should use the washroom before you go to bed, since you might have trouble finding your way around in full dark. She gestured toward two low buildings with walls made of sturdy sticks like the fence around the camp. But mud had been smeared between the posts, providing privacy. Torches marked the entrance to each.

“This one is for women and this one for men,” Camille said.

Rafe and Max went into the men’s building, and Amber went to the other. It had several stalls inside, with wooden toilets set over a pit dug in the ground. They weren’t much different from the facilities at the training camp where Amber had been held back on Naxion. She used one of the toilets, then went to a counter with large pitchers of water, bowls, and soap. At one of the stations, towels had been laid out, and she assumed they were for her and that other women would bring their own.

She washed her hands and face, then took off her dress and quickly washed the rest of her body.

When she came back outside, she saw Rafe and Max waiting for her—talking quietly.

“I’m going to stretch my legs,” Rafe said.

She caught her breath, hoping Max didn’t have the same idea, and she let out a small sigh when he walked toward the guest house with her.

He was right behind her as she climbed the ladder, pulled aside a curtain, and stepped into a room lit by the warm glow of a small oil-filled lamp. She scanned the interior, which was furnished with a low bed, a chest, and a small table with two cushions set on either side. A flat woven rug covered the wood floor. A woven shade hung over the one window.

She took in the chamber in one sweeping glance, then turned to Max and reached for him with a trembling sigh. Too much had happened today, and she was thankful to finally be alone with him.

He pulled her into his arms, folding her close and swaying in the center of the room.

She had been holding herself rigid for hours. Now she slumped against him, willing some of the tension out of her body.

Max stroked his hands up and down her back, and she lowered her head to his shoulder. Since they’d arrived in this strange settlement, she’d been putting on a performance for the inhabitants, and at last she was free to be herself—whatever that was, because she wasn’t entirely sure anymore.

“I felt like every question they asked me was a trap,” she whispered.

“I know. That’s why I agreed to your singing—and why I said you were tired.”

“Thank you for getting me away from the table. I hope I gave the right answers.”

“Who the hell knows?”

“Were they just curious, or were they trying to see if I was lying.”

“Again, I wish I knew.”

She raised her head and gave him a questioning look. “Why did you say I was your wife?”

His explanation came quickly. “It seemed safer. If you are claimed, none of the men would go after you.”

She would have liked a more romantic answer, but she understood the practical one. To defuse the tension when they’d arrived, she’d given the Inheritors a sexy performance—even if it was supposed to be for selling clothing. But Max had read the men’s response, and he’d know it was better if these people thought she was unavailable.

“Thank you.”

He nodded and eased away. Sitting down on one of the cushions, he pulled off his boots. Without removing anything else, he turned the covers back on the bed and lay down.

She looked toward the clothing hanging on pegs on the wall. It looked rough and practical, and she might change into trousers and a shirt in the morning, but not now.

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