Page 45 of Taming the Alien Outlaw
“Mak, no.” Olivia and I yell in unison, although mine is more commanding.
She rushes forward to try and stop the phinnek.
“Olivia!”
The stubborn female doesn’t listen, of course. Instead, she wraps her arms around Mak’s neck to hold her back as the guards latch onto me.
“Take the rebel to the pit,” Horek demands.
I stop fighting, because I don’t want any of the females to be hurt. The guards drag me away and I call over my shoulder. “Take care of Mak for me, please, Olivia.”
I’m pulled through the palace with my thoughts racing. What in the name of the gods happened? The attacks never should have occurred. At least not until tomorrow. Who gave the order?
We descend multiple staircases and the air grows colder the deeper into the ground we go. Rumors have abound at the bleak darkness that is the pit. Not a single drop of sunlight makes itway into the bowels of the mountain. It’s not the cell that causes madness, it’s the dark. The silence.
To center myself, I picture Olivia. Not the one upstairs who looked at me as though I truly am a monster, but on the Olivia who comforted me during the worst of my mating fever. The one who acted as if she cared despite the fact she saw herself as my prisoner instead of the honored guest I thought of her as. The female who does something to my heart. I don’t fear for me, but for her.
The darkness grows and is only broken by the faint light emitting from sconces on the walls. We arrive at a cell door. One of the guards without a death grip on me opens it and I’m shoved inside.
“Traitor.” The guard spits and slams the solid steel door closed enveloping me in complete and utter darkness.
Carefully, with my hands outstretched, I locate the wall and attempt to feel my way around the space. By the time I’ve finished making a circuit around the space I discover the cell is small and there’s a single bed. There are no cracks or crevices to scrape out even if I had more than just my claws. Each wall is utterly smooth. I couldn’t even feel a keyhole.
Time passes, but it’s impossible to measure its length. It could be only a few ticks or it could be an entire sun. My only wish is to know Olivia is safe. I can rest easy knowing that.
More time passes and I remain alone—in the dark—with nothing more than my thoughts. None of them are pleasant. Why did my mother let me believe taking the throne was nothing more than Alik abdicating? Does she not know that Queen Veroneek is the rightful ruler of Bohna until her death? Surely she did not expectme to murder the queen? Or did she plan on sending an assassin to do the job?
No answers come to me. All I can do is wait for someone to return. If they ever do. Perhaps I’ll be left in here to rot, forgotten and discarded like rubbish.
Chapter 19
Olivia
The room is in chaos. I’ve barely been able to restrain Mak ever since the guards took Janik. She lunges and snarls at anyone who approaches and for a minute I almost fear she’ll turn on me. Instead, she finally gives up, lies on the floor, and cries. She doesn’t stop, and my heart breaks with each whimper.
“What the fuck is happening?” Devon crouches next to me.
“Whatever it is, Janik doesn’t know either.”
She cocks her head. “You sound awfully sure about the guy who kidnapped you, held you captive, and dumped his pet off with you like he couldn’t be bothered.”
“It wasn’t like that.” I lay my cheek on Mak’s head. “She was the one who followed me when the rebel snuck me out of their camp. She also had a chance to go with Janik later that night. He was waiting outside the dormitory, hidden within the trees. She started toward him, but I think he communicated in some way that she needed to stay with me.”
“You have a lot of faith in a murderous criminal.”
“He’s not a murderer,” I snap.
Devon raises her palms in surrender. “Sorry, my mistake.”
“No, I’m sorry. You’re right to question things. I sure am.”
She squeezes my hand. “Are you finding any answers?”
I laugh, but none of this is funny. “Only more questions.”
“Olivia, Devon, we need to head to the safe room. Just until Horek and Alik say any danger has passed.”
I scramble up off the floor and Devon’s right behind me. I call for Mak, but she doesn’t move. I squat in front of her and cradle her snout. Animals have always been a mystery to me, but I know grief when I see it.
