Page 87 of Taken By the Convicts
“I had three husbands on Baccula, Jayce. Namir, Tristen, and Patel. Though technically Tristen and Patel only touched me when Namir permitted it.”
“Not all men want to share.” Jayce nodded his head toward Crusher. Jayce hadn’t missed the man’s displeasure when anyone showed her affection.
“Namir didn’t mind sharing me. He gave me to his friends on numerous occasions.”
Jayce slammed to a halt, as did Crusher, whose attention now fell solely on her. “What do you meangave you?” Jayce asked.
She stared off in the distance, unable to face either of them. “Namir would hold a party and let whoever wanted me, have me for the night. Or if he owed a favor, he’d send me elsewhere with only one condition, that I’d be returned unmarked.”
“I’ve seen your back,” Jayce said, trying to hold in the anger. Her scars were as deliberate and as repulsive as his own, but he’d never tell her that. They couldn’t mar her beauty, even if that bastard had cut more than her back.
Her slender fingers moved her hair to dangle over her chest and then she pulled her coat and shirt collar away from the back of her neck, revealing the bar code two fingers high and twice as long tattooed there. The tattoo was large enough to be seen when her hair was up or pulled to the front, like now.
Jayce’s stomach twisted at the sight. Not because it marred her skin—nothing could dim her beauty—but because he knew why it had been placed there.
“The bastard put his information on you, didn’t he? So, there’d be no question that you were his mate.”
“Yes, instead of the traditional rings from him, Tristen, and Patel.”
“Was he afraid you’d remove his ring or just run?”
“Run? Oh, there was no way to run. Not from a man with Namir’s power. He’s COO of The Company on Baccula. He only answers to the CEO on Baccula and The Company, of course. As far as a ring, he didn’t think I was worthy. Traditionally, mating rings are fashioned from precious metals, such as platinum or white gold mirroring the stars that belong to the Gods and Goddesses watching over Baccula. I should have had three rings, one from each of my husbands, but Namir wouldn’t allow it.”
Reece shoved Jayce aside and pushed her collar down again, pointing at the tattoo.
“I saw it,” Jayce said, but Reece was agitated.
“He doesn’t understand, Reece,” she said, placing her hands on his chest, trying to calm him. “He’s not from Baccula,” she said as she continued walking.
This time, Jayce jumped in front of her, forcing her to stop. “Explain. Make me understand. I don’t care that you want to keep it private. Crusher wants me to know something. You’re his voice here. Don’t silence him.”
“Is that your curiosity talking or do you care about what Reece wants?”
“Crusher. . . Reece. . . has your heart and your devotion. I want you, Melina, and more than a quick fuck. It’s been a long time since I’ve cared about a woman, but I care about you. I don’t want to fuck this up. If that means taking advice from the big ape, then that’s what I’ll do. Now quit stalling and tell me what he wants me to know.”
She looked at him curiously and then nodded. She was giving him a chance, trusting him once again, damn it. He should run from her, from this entire situation, but he couldn’t.
“Tattoos are an affront to the gods,” she began. “It’s believed that each prick of the tattoo needle leaches a person’s soul. A person with a tattoo is an abomination on our world, an outcast. It’s how Namir held control over me, ultimately. He let me keep my hair long to hide the tattoo while I worked in The Company’s research lab. But he said if I ever tried to escape, he’d cut all of my hair off so my tattoo would be exposed. I’d be stoned in the streets.”
Jayce stood there stunned. He understood why Reece wanted him to know all of this. Melina had suffered, but she’d come out strong and whole. Jayce wished he could say the same about himself. Even Reece held a lot of anger inside of him, and no one knew his history, though they’d all seen the scars on his throat. He hadn’t always been mute.
Melina had survived and continued to fight for herself without all the anger. Maybe she’d show them how she did that.
When they reached the med-center, Melina leaned over and kissed his cheek. “This isn’t something I wanted to discuss, Jayce.”
“Then why did you?”
“You said you weren’t husband material. I thought perhaps you should have some perspective. I want to get to know you better, and I’d love to go on a date, but under one condition.”
“Anything.”
“If you want something, you ask for it, including sex. No more dealing or trading. I’ve been given and used enough in my life.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
MELINA
The underground cavern Jayce brought her to the next day for their date rendered her speechless. The passages glowed bright green where moss clung to the stone walls or ceiling. Using Jayce’s knife, she scraped a section of moss off. The moss stopped glowing as soon as it touched her hand. “I’ve never seen moss like this.”
