Page 7 of Seducing Jenny
“You don’t feed him?” My voice rose in outrage.
Our history books all told of a Credo Bateen who was kind and generous to his people, the absolute opposite of his son, Justice. When people spoke of him, they did it with reverence in their voice. He was a global treasure. To not feed him was cruel and unjust.
“How would we?” Petal said. “He can’t swallow. Can’t chew. If we fed him, he’d choke. We’ve tried. His body just won’t accept it.”
I could not make sense of it. “So he just lays there all day and night, doing nothing?”
“We do move him around, change his bedding and clothes, we bathe him.” Trunk sighed. “But if we tried to feed him, hewould likely die. We can sit him up, and he just stays in whatever position you put him in. His eyes don’t move anymore. We’re not sure if he can hear us.”
I was appalled at what I was hearing.
“Our boss has seen to all of his comforts,” Petal assured me. “We do everything for him. We talk to him, and we read to him. That’s why there are so many books. Sometimes, we set him in the mobile chair and take him to the beach. It’s as much of a life as he can have, given the circumstances.”
I still didn’t understand. “How does his body sustain itself?”
“No one knows.”
I stared at Credo’s still form. The mystery of it swirled in my head, but a selfish thought took over. “Why amIhere?”
They looked at each other, then Petal answered. “That part, we don’t know. You came on a ship, unconscious. All we were told was to put you in a bedroom and let you sleep off the drugs and answer all your questions. That, and to make sure you understood that you cannot leave the island.”
My jaw clenched. “So, I’m a prisoner.”
“None of us can leave the island of our own free will,” Trunk said. “Not just you. There is no communication. No signals in or out. You can’t even see land from here.”
I tried to wrap my brain around that, and couldn’t. “What about emergencies?”
“Then we handle it on our own. There’s no call button,” Trunk said in a joking tone. “Believe me, I’ve tried to find one. I’ve got another three months left in my shift and it’s starting to wear on me. But hey, at least something exciting finally happened.”
“And what’s that?”
“You’re here,” he said, grinning flirtatiously. “Whatever you want to know, we’ll tell you. We have no secrets to hide.”
I stared at the old man on the bed and took a deep breath, before I shifted my focus back to Petal and Trunk. “Good. Because I have a lot of questions. And I’m gonna need a drink.”
CHAPTER 3
Tiger
“I’ll let you use Mal’s onworlder to get to your ship at the city dump, if you swear you won’t go to the palace,” Discord said, fingers poised over her gauntlet driver.
I sighed. “Why would I go to the palace, Discord? Mal isn’t there.”
Her violet gaze narrowed on me suspiciously and her hand fell to her side as we walked the path in front of Mal’s mansion. The sunslight filtered through the trees, soft and golden, casting long shadows across the stone.
“Because you’re a hothead,” she said unapologetically. “And you need to yell at someone.”
I couldn’t help but laugh under my breath, because she wasn’t wrong. “How did you know I would—”
“We were on the mountain together,” she said simply. “Remember?”
How could I forget? She and I had been paired up during Illiapol. Sneaking, fighting, bleeding our way through the mountains to protect Jenny. And most importantly, we’d save each other’s lives.
“Okay, fine,” I admitted. “That does sound like me before. But I’ve had time to think. I’m certainly not taking Jenny to that wretched place. I want her as far from the palace as I can keep her.”
Discord looked away. Her jaw set in one of those more somber expressions that I was used to seeing on her face. Discord was dangerous, graceful, and composed. Always ready for battle or brunch, whichever came first. And yes, she was beautiful. Full lips. Sculpted cheekbones. Long lashes that shadowed those piercing purple eyes.
If I hadn’t already fallen for Jenny and Mal, maybe I’d have noticed her differently. But Discord radiated a “don’t fuck with me” energy that no one in their right mind would challenge. She was mesmerizing, yes, but also dangerous.
