Page 73 of The Warrior
“I know you could,” I said softly. “We’ve read your files and know that you are a fierce warrior.”
“That’s right.” He pushed his chest out.
“You’ll forgive us for being scared of you, but we need you to put on the thumb lock.”
The edges around Devlin’s eyes softened a bit. Maybe he understood what I was trying to do.
“Julia, honey, would you mind putting this stupid thing on me?”
Hans, who was still under the impression that Julia had been a hostage, warned her. “Don’t go near him, he has no power over you anymore.”
She ignored Hans and walked over to plant a big kiss on Devlin’s lips.
Hans reacted with the same amount of disbelief that I had. “What is going on here?”
Julia explained how they had met at the border and she had invited Devlin to come and stay with her.
“But he’s an Nman,” Hans protested.
“I know.” Julia put on the thumb lock, effectively tying Devlin’s arms behind his back.
“Could you write in your report that I went voluntarily?” Devlin asked me. “Maybe that will help when Julia applies to come and live with me.”
“You want to live in the Northlands?” Hans asked in a high-pitched tone of disbelief. “With him?”
“What’s so hard to believe about that?” Devlin asked. “Women like strong men. Maybe if you removed all that makeup and packed some muscle on that boyish body of yours, women would like you too.”
“I’ll have you know that I am very fashionable,” Hans defended himself. “The majority of women in this country would find someone like you grotesque and primitive.”
“Not me,” Julia assured Devlin. “I think you’re amazing.”
The two of them exchanged a heated glare.
“Ahh, yes,” Hans said in a dry voice. “There are a few confused women who seem to have lost their common sense. I suppose you are one of them, and I would strongly recommend that you spend some time in a place of reflection.”
I’d had enough of the pissing contest between Hans and Devlin. “We’ll need you to follow us outside.”
Julia was crying when we walked Devlin outside to one of the drones. Images of her being taken by force this morning had me frowning to myself. I stayed behind with Hans to take a report from her.
“How come you were dressed and awake at six a.m.?” Hans asked like he was some detective unraveling a mystery.
“Devlin is a light sleeper. He thought he heard a noise outside, but it was only a dog barking.”
“Then why didn’t you go back to sleep?”
“We made love instead.” Julia narrowed her eyes, showing she was tired and annoyed from Hans’ endless questions. “After that, we were hungry and got out of bed.”
When Hans kept pushing her to let us take her to a place of reflection, I intervened.
“If she doesn’t want to go, she shouldn’t have to.”
He pulled me aside. “Laura, you don’t understand. Something is wrong with her. I was looking around just now and found a sign in her bedroom. She has a fetish.”
“A fetish?”
“An Nman fetish.”
My lips pursed upward. “Is that a thing?”
