Page 4 of Freedom Mine
Chapter Two
KAYO
Stupid, shortsighted, impulsive.He’d made a mistake buying her. That became clear the moment he’d seen the invoice. But it was the only way to get her. If he hadn’t paid the exorbitant fee upfront and she’d gone to auction, he never would have been able to compete with the other slave owners. He cringed at the title. They had him down as a slave owner, because like it or not, that’s what he was.
Now, she stood in her dark gray smock that was little more than a grain sack with holes for her neck and arms waiting for his orders. Hells, he’d seen prisoners wearing better clothing. He didn’t have any clothing for her, so she’d have to make the most out of the dress for now. At least they’d given her something to protect her feet, though wearing sandals on Varkos was as useful as mining with a spoon.
She pushed the long locks of brown hair behind her ear, giving him a glimpse of her face before she lowered her head to stare at the ground, like an obedient slave. That simple action infuriated him.
Who’d ever expect that asshole Dardan would have a female slave up for auction? That was a first. The way she’d looked at Kayo, rather the fact that she hadlookedat him, had shocked, confused, and driven all common sense from him. Slaves never met the eyes of non-slaves. It called too much attention, invited punishment or worse. She had most definitely been looking right at him. And she hadn’t turned away when he’d noticed. That alone had decided her fate.
This looking down at the ground needed to end. With two fingers he tipped her head up. “You will look at me.”
The auction house had been dim, as had the back of his glider when he found that prick assaulting her. And he’d been distracted while piloting, adjusting for wind shear and thinking of what to say to put her at ease, to get a good look at her. He’d gone in intending to buy another slave, a male slave, to help in the mine.
Now, in the light of day, he could see he’d bought more than a female slave, he’d bought trouble. Silky dark brown hair, bright blue eyes with a tinge of gold around the center, and a rather curvy figure. . .utterly gorgeous. There would be trouble when the men got a look at her. Hells, some already had.
By nightfall, word would reach the men working in the mine. He’d have to be smart about how he integrated her into life here. What a fool he’d been to buy her, though he hadn’t exactly had a choice. If she’d gone to auction, someone like Garitt would have grabbed her up, or she could have been purchased by one of the pleasure houses at the port.
Maybe if he left her in that grubby dress of hers, the men wouldn’t bother her. Yeah, that would mean he was a fool twice over, three times for even having the thought. He couldn’t leave her like that. Gods, what was he going todowith her?
“Follow me,” he said, barely able to get the word out without growling. He needed a drink.
She stood outside of the landglider and didn’t move at his order. Not three minutes on the property and she was testing him. Strangely enough, that washed some of the stench of the day away. That fire he thought he’d seen in her was definitely there. Likely, she was either freshly enslaved or fairly new to the life. Either way, it would make his plans for her easier. The slaves that arrived here after too many years in the life had trouble adjusting.
As he walked back to her, her eyes lowered and she fell in step behind him. No, not new. She knew her place after all. Damn. With her trailing behind, he bounded up the steps of his porch and held the front door open for her. Her eyes tipped upward a moment, and then she entered. She waited inside the door, her eyes cast downward once again. Damn slavers.
Kayo slammed the front door shut and headed straight for the liquor cabinet in the dining room. He poured himself a Cadgian brandy and took a deep swig. He hadn’t thought it would be this hard buying a woman. Every time he looked at her he’d think about what she’d been through. He wasn’t sure he could handle that. He’d seen enough of it over the years, but this would be different. She’d be living here with him, in his house. He’d get to know her, and that would make everything he imagined a thousand times worse.
He headed back into the hallway and found her still standing by the door, where he’d left her. Not new, he reminded himself. He hated that she continued looking down, awaiting orders. She wouldn’t talk to him either, not without permission. Hells, he’d bought himself a damn slave. No, he couldn’t think like that. He’d bought a woman, one who had the nerve to look him in the eye earlier, despite the danger. She had a fire in her, one he wanted to see again.
“There are very few rules here.” Already he sounded like a slave owner. That was not how he’d pictured welcoming her. “Do your fair share, and we’ll get along fine. Do you have any skills?”
She shook her head.
“You can speak at will. In fact, you don’t need my permission for anything, but once you leave the property, you are subject to capture. You’re listed as my property, but that doesn’t mean someone won’t take you and try to resell you, or worse. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
“Look at me when I talk to you,” he said, wincing as he heard the order roll off his tongue.
Her head lifted, cautiously, but not completely submissive either. He’d been right about her.
“What’s your name?” he asked, trying to remove the underlying anger that crept into his voice every time he bought a slave.
She said nothing, but she lifted her chin and stared into his eyes, as if she could see the very fabric of his soul and was determined to defeat him. Something long dead in him stirred.
He stepped into his office, away from her. He needed to breathe, to think. Whatever he was feeling for her was a lie, nothing more than sympathy for a woman who’d been enslaved by the Althirans.
He’d train her with some skill she could use, and then in time let her go, like all the others. As Kayo re-entered the hallway, he took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and reminded himself of why he had bought her.
Hell. . . She’d moved, a whole two feet from the door, but she’d moved. Blue eyes caught him once more and that awful feeling returned, the one that reminded him he was in charge here and that she hated him because he’d bought her. Well, he wasn’t here to be liked, that was for damn sure. He had a job to do, and that now included getting her integrated into the routine.
“Since you won’t give me your name, I’ll give you one.” She deserved a name worthy of her, at least until she offered him her own. Her eyes, a beautiful, bright blue, and filled with defiance, defined her spirit.
“How about ‘Blue’?” Just like that, he’d done something he’d never done before, named a person as if she was his pet. This day kept getting worse and worse, but he had to call her something.
She said nothing, didn’t even nod or shake her head this time. His stomach twisted. She didn’t care about a name. Why should she? He was just another slave owner to her, and she had more important things to worry about. Survival. She’d be analyzing everything he said and did, determining how to survive. She’d probably suffered worse than the indignation of someone naming her.
