Page 74 of Auctioned to the Convicts
Another shiver racked her body.
“Open your eyes, Princess,” he said as he stroked her cheek. So soft.
Slowly, her eyes opened, then widened as she recognized him. Tears filled her eyes as she cupped his injured cheek. “I thought you were. . . them.”
Them. Nameless men. She’d been attacked on the railcar and now at the house. It was us against them now, had been all along, except he hadn’t recognized that until now.
Dark green eyes stared at him.
“I promise you’re safe now.”
A shadow descended on them. Ren looked up. Ky’Li stood over them, silent. Then he reached down and petted her hair. “Sha’vi?”
It was one word. A single word. . . That’s all it took for Hannah to spring out of Ren’s lap and launch herself into Ky’Li’s arms. His arms wrapped around her, giving her the sense of safety only Ky’Li could give her, apparently.
Ren walked away. She was safe and with someone she cared about. That’s all that mattered, really. He’d never be that close to her, able to make her feel secure. That pang of jealously stabbing at his heart seemed out of place considering what had happened, what could have happened. Ren couldn’t even get mad at soldier-boy. The man had finished off the last intruders.
Ren walked outside to where Vaughn was treating Sersie. The chemist was sitting up with his back against the house. Bloody and bruised, Sersie stared out at the destruction beyond the fence. Neither he nor Vaughn said a word as Vaughn removed the wood shards that had impaled Sersie.
“Need any help?” Ren asked, his voice more robotic than anything. He felt so numb inside. He’d gone from feeling his heart stop when he couldn’t find Hannah to feeling alive again the moment she was in his arms. . . only to lose her to Ky’Li.
Vaughn eyed him. “You look pale. Is Hannah okay?”
“Scared, but fine. Ky’Li has her now.”
“Don’t take it personally, Ren. He’s been there for her from the start.”
Ren tuned Vaughn out as he walked the perimeter, assessing the damage and any repairs he might need to make. He only had a few weeks left on Narkos, but if he could fortify the structure before he left, he would. Then perhaps he wouldn’t feel so empty at the thought of leaving her—leaving all of them—behind.
Chapter Fourteen
HANNAH
The attack on the house and the miners’ attempt to steal Hannah had left her more shaken than Max’s attack. She knew without a doubt that if Sersie hadn’t been there to throw his homemade bombs, the miners would have made it over the fence. Once they had her, they would have kept her somewhere isolated, abusing her over and over and maybe kill her, eventually.
She owed her life to Sersie. His home-made chemical bombs had maimed and killed several miners—aside from the two Ky’Li had killed. They wouldn’t know how many others were involved for sure until Vaughn could see who ended up at the med-center for treatment.
Sersie had been knocked out by the force of the home-made bombs and suffered from an assortment of bruises, scrapes, and wood shrapnel from the trees and ladders. Vaughn treated him at home. She watched over Sersie as he slept. Ky’Li and Ren spent the remaining day clearing the other trees from near the fence, making it impossible to jump over the barrier.
No one spoke about the incident much, but it had affected all of them. The men had decided, once again without including her in the conversation, that she would take the rest of the week off before returning to work. She didn’t complain. The incident had shaken her, and she knew her unit would keep her safe.
Her unit. Being able to refer to the four men as one felt right. In the past few weeks, she had often doubted they’d ever reach this point. The two attacks on Hannah had brought the men closer together, at least to the point of starting to work on defensive strategies.
Making up their quotas would be a bitch, she suspected, but none of the men complained.
Dresden didn’t care which shifts a person worked as long as that individual’s quota was met. It’s the very reason Conway had her learning several tasks at the port.
She’d worked her entire adult life in inventory management, controlling the flow of goods to and from the ships at the port, but unlike on Argus, she had to learn all the functions at the port, including how to operate the cranes for unloading and loading product. There were enough workers to ensure no station went unmanned both at the port, in the mines, the water treatment facility, the labs, and all the positions in between.
As it turned out, it was easier for the men to cover her quota than it had been to cover Sersie’s. There were only a few botanists and chemists on the planet which meant an hour of Sersie’s time was worth much more than an hour of hers or Ky’Li’s. She hadn’t realized how hard it had been for Vaughn and Ren to fill in for the time Sersie had missed. Now, Ky’Li took extra hours to make up for her, since Vaughn and Ren had pulled extra shifts to cover Sersie.
She was both awed that the men had worked out the division of duties in the house too,withoutfighting. The last few days had been rather peaceful, though she still worried about Ky’Li. He had come to accept her relationship with Vaughn, but it still bothered him.
She’d nearly slept with Sersie too. How much could Ky’Li take before she hurt him, if she hadn’t already?
“Smells good,” Ren said as his hands rested on her shoulder.
“Is that why you’re smiling?” Hannah asked as she stirred the stew.
