Page 52 of Taming the Alien Outlaw
I head to my own room and step inside. The second I close the door, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. A glance around shows nothing out of place. Mak is as relaxed as always, so if there’s any kind of threat, she hasn’t caught wind of it. She’d know if someone was in here—someone who’s not supposed to be—wouldn’t she?
Just then, my eye catches on a small, black box sitting on the counter that wasn’t there before and definitely doesn’t belong to me. Carefully, I approach it, keeping my ears and eyes peeled for anything else out of the ordinary. I stare down at the object and realize it’s a communicator of some sort. There’s a button, and my first instinct is to press it. When a blinding light shoots out, I jump back. Mak growls and lowers herself into a defensive position. The light shifts and changes form until within the beam a person appears. Janik’s mother.
Her image flickers in and out and then her voice sounds.
“Human female,” she says and I can hear the disgust in the words. Beside me, Mak growls. “You will free my son by the end of tomorrow or more trade ships will be targeted and morelives lost. If he is not returned to our camp, Bohna and all of its citizens will suffer the consequences.”
As suddenly as the light appeared, it’s sucked back into the device and whatever just happened is over.
“Fuck.”
Chapter 22
Janik
The endless nothingness is the worst punishment a person can suffer. My only relief from it has been when food is delivered or when Horek checks in during his visits with Alik, who’s still under the throes of the mating fever.
My greatest shock, however, has been the queen’s presence. I’ve only seen her twice in the time I’ve been here, but the first time the door to my cell opened and she stood on the other side, I’d been taken aback.
“Olivia asked me to keep an eye on you and make sure you were well,” she said the first visit.
“Considering the circumstances, I’m a bit surprised you agreed.”
“Alik might be the face of royal rule, but that doesn’t mean I’m not fully aware of all that goes on here. I’m also a fair judge of character.”
The queen hadn’t remained after her remark, so I’d been left pondering her words. What did she see when she looked at me?
To break up the endless silence that is almost worse than the darkness, I hum the notes of the song that has been with me for as long as I can remember. My voice is loud to my ears after being locked up in here for so long. Although the exact length of time is unknown. Based on the number of times I’ve been fed, I suspect I’ve been here for three days. It feels like a lifetime. My only solace has been news that Olivia is well. I will suffer anything so long as she is protected.
The scraping sound of the lock being disengaged sounds, and I cease humming. The door opens and I blink against the blinding light that always accompanies it. I give myself a moment to adjust to the brightness before turning my attention to the threshold.
As if I conjured her with my thoughts, the very female I would have given anything to see walks into my cell. Certain Olivia is merely a figment of my imagination, I remain silent. If I don’t speak, I can’t disturb the vision of her.
“Are you just going to stand there staring?” The imaginary Olivia asks.
I blink, expecting her to disappear, but she’s still there.
“You’re real?”
“Last time I checked.”
To my great embarrassment, I nearly crumble at the sight of her. She jumps forward as if to catch me should I fall, and although I maintain my balance, I let her if only to feel her against me.
She wraps her arms around my waist and I hold her tightly, breathing in her clean, fresh scent. I press my lips to the top of her head and savor every tick that I’m allowed with her.
“I should have come sooner,” she says.
“You’re here now and that’s all the matters.” I stroke her hair, enjoying the softness of each strand as it threads through my fingers.
“Mak is well?”
Olivia nods against my chest. “She misses you terribly, but she’s doing okay. I left her with Quinn. Thought it might be too hard to see you and then have to leave you again. I didn’t want to do that to her or you.”
My mate has a soft heart. I draw slightly back. Not enough to release her, but enough that I can stare down at her and meet her gaze.
“Thank you. For everything.”
Olivia huffs out a short burst of sound. “I’m not sure what you’re thanking me for. I haven’t done anything.”
