Page 11 of Rescuing Mara

I stumble once I am at the bar. I sway a little bit to make the barkeep arch an eyebrow at me.

“Drinks for my friends, barkeep!” I say loudly, and then I spin. “I think I will call it a night…”

I make a show of paying, then stagger towards the exit. As soon as the door to the bar closes, I rush over to a nearby alley. I hide and wait. When I am certain nobody is following me, I signal T’Rak. We meet around the corner and rush towards our ship.

CHAPTER8

Mara

There is something on the wall. It’s a weird black dot that creates a stark contrast to the white walls. I wonder what it could be. Dirt, maybe? Or could it be a space insect? I cock my head to study it a bit more. Nope, probably just a speck of dust. I sigh and wonder what it would be like to be a speck of dust. Free and almost invisible. Just floating in the air, going wherever the breeze takes me. I sigh again. That. Would. Be. Nice. No chores, nobody to boss me around all day, not to be beholden to anybody…

Exactly at that moment, Ananta’s face enters my vision. Staring at me angrily from across the chair I’m seated on.

“Mara! Mara! Are you listening to me?” Her harsh voice startles me back to the moment.

“Yes, Ananta. The Arracate Warrior says he is my mate, but I can’t trust him. He will only call me his mate, but in reality, Arracate are just looking for sex slaves they can manipulate into submission. The stories about them that they tell are lies to lure innocent females.”

“That is right,” she says smugly. “They are also very possessive, and they don’t want to share. And if they think of a female as theirs, they will move the stars to get to her.”

I have heard the story countless times over the last few days, but this part still puzzles me. “I am nobody,” I say in confusion.

“Exactly,” Ananta chuckles. “But this gives you the chance to do something for me in return for keeping you safe and for taking care of you all these years.”

I nod. She is right. She may not be easy to serve, but being hers certainly has protected me from a much worse fate. So, if there is anything I can do to pay her back, I will. I am, in the end, indebted to her.

“You are the only one I can trust,” I say out loud. Ananta nods approvingly, so I continue. “I do not, nor can I ever trust the Arracate warrior. He will just use and abuse me like all the others would have if you would not have been around.”

“Yes.” Ananta’s grin is downright feral when she continues. “So, what is our plan?”

“I am going to let him take me and play the role of willing mate.” I pause. Being Ananta’s personal servant has kept me untouched, and I have no desire to change that. “Do I really…”

“Yes,” Ananta interrupts me. “You have to have sex with him, and you have to let him believe that you are a willing mate.” She pauses, giving me a stern look. “When have I ever asked anything of you?”

Actually, she asks me a lot of things all the time, but that would not be the correct answer, so I peep out a meek “Never.”

“Exactly, you will do this for me,” she presses.

“I’m sorry.” I tremble all over as the words leave my mouth. “Of course I will do that for you. I won’t doubt you again.”

“See that you don’t,” she bites out, then looks at me expectantly.

“I will make sure the warrior thinks I am a willing mate. I will seduce him and get him to take me to their secret location. When we are there, I will activate the tracker you’ll give me so you can rescue me and take them down.”

Ananta beams at me with pride, and I feel a weird flutter in my stomach. She has never looked at me like this, and it makes me more confident in my daunting task. I am scared because I have never been away from her in the years since I was taken as a small girl. As uneven as our relationship is, she has always kept me safe.

“I will do this for you, Ananta,” I vow.

One more approving nod, and she turns around and leaves the room. I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. My eyes dart through the room to make sure I’m safe and alone. I find the speck of dust on the wall again. My breathing evens out as I focus on it. I can do this. Ananta will be back for me; having sex with the Warrior just has to be my sacrifice.

* * *

The soundof footsteps in the hallway snaps my brain back to attention. I guess my break is over. Voices follow the footsteps, and then the door opens. My hands get clammy, and I quickly push them under my legs to hide my anxiety from Ananta.

“It is time,” she declares as she steps over the threshold.

She strides towards me and hands me a small device. It’s round with little dents on top, and it looks like some sort of button. The center is slightly elevated, and if you look closely, you can see a very narrow seam.

“Push the middle to activate the tracker. You can keep this in your pocket. They will think it’s a button that has popped off.” Her stare is harsh, and I swallow because she is making me very uncomfortable.

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