Page 51 of Anna's Bounty
My mind jumps back to the cloaked soldiers. But why do humans need protection on an asylum planet? Unless…
Spinning around, I level a glare at Rovos. “What the fuck!” I hiss, slapping the back of my hand against his chest. “What is this place, and why am I here?”
Okay, so I can figure out the why. But I’m guessing at the what, so I want him to explain it to me.
Rovos opens his mouth, but before he can speak, a husky voice comes from the doorway. “We are a small faction of humans who have sought asylum here on Pamia.”
My spine goes stiff, and I turn to where an older woman is standing in the doorway. The lines on her face suggest a hard life rather than advanced age, but if I had to guess, I’d place her in her late fifties to early sixties. Her skin is a slightly darker shade of brown than Ravi’s, her hair, a mix of gray and chestnut that's braided into a long rope that hangs over her shoulder. She’s wearing something like my tunic, except in emerald, which brings out the flecks of green in her hazel eyes.
“You must be Deja,” I say.
She nods. “I am. And who might you be?”
“I’m still very confused.” I turn to frown at Rovos again.
Why didn’t Rovos tell me where we were going? And why does he look sick to his stomach now? He must still struggle with his decision to find somewhere safe for me. A small part of me had still hoped that after what we shared, he might have changed his mind.
“We’ve discussed this,” he growls in that deep voice of his, his jaw clenching until the muscle in his cheek twitches from the force.
“You’vediscussed this,” I growl right back. “Jesus Christ!A little warning would have been nice. And what happened to promising that you wouldn’t leave me unless you were sure I was safe?” I throw my arm out toward Deja, who is standing with her arms folded across her chest, quirking an eyebrow at our argument. “Dropping me off on the doorstep of afreaking resistance groupis not safe, Rovos!” I turn to Deja and add, “No offense.”
“None taken,” Deja says with an amused expression.
“They are your people—”
“No, they aren’t,” I cut him off. “Mypeople don’t believe aliens exist. Those who do are called crazy.Mypeople get excited when we find microbial life on other planets, and most of us believe we evolved from chimps.Mypeople do not believe that an ancient civilization seeded our planet.
“They,” I point to Deja again, “may be human, but they aren’tmy people.”
“If I may interrupt,” Deja speaks up, stepping away from the doorway. I expect to see anger or bitterness in her expression, but she’s smiling. “First, I wouldn’t call us aresistance group.We merely have the means and the desire to protect ourselves.” The way she says it suggests that they’ve had to use those means before. “And second, we may not be your people, but we are still the same species, which makes us family, in a way. If you’ll allow us to be, that is.”
My mouth opens to speak, but nothing comes out. Looking from Deja to Rovos, I shake my head. I don’t know what I want anymore. Does it even matter? Since everyone thinks they know what is best for me, with no consideration for my own feelings or for what I want.
“Come. Let’s find someplace quiet we can talk,” Deja suggests.
Rovos places his hand at the small of my back. When I look up at him, I find his eyes pleading. But pleading for what? Why can’t he just… tell me what he wants? I feel like I’m constantly having to guess, except I’m never sure if I’ve guessed correctly.
We follow Deja further into the compound, where all conversation stops, and everyone—even the children—turns to watch us.
“I can imagine you’ve been through a lot,” Deja says, completely unbothered that we are the center of attention. Her husky voice has a strange calming effect on me, and before I’m quite aware, she has her arm around my shoulders and is leading us to an alcove that’s tucked into the corner beside one of the windows, giving us a sense of privacy while still being open.
“You could say that.” I drop onto a ratty couch that sits against the wall. Deja sits at the other end, leaving enough room for Rovos to sit between us. Instead, he chooses to remain standing.
“Let me guess.” Deja gestures to Rovos. “Because of this strong, capable male, who has been protecting you, and whom you feel safe with, you’re leery of trusting anyone else.”
My eyes slide from Rovos to Deja. “Something like that.” I haven’t been given much reason to trust anyone besides Rovos. Except for maybe Igid.
Deja nods understandingly. “Let me tell you my story, about how I came here. Then you can decide if you’d like to tell me your story. I can already tell that we have quite a bit in common.”
My eyes dart to Rovos, who hasn’t moved from where he’s standing with his arms crossed. I haven’t known him for long, but it’s been long enough for me to learn that his emotions show through his eyes. Like when he’s pleasuring me, they glow golden. Or when he found me running from Volethos in the space station, they were the same vibrant green as they are now. Is he as leery of Deja as I am? Except for his eyes, he doesn’t show any signs that we’re in danger.
I focus on Deja once more. “I’m listening. “
Leaning back into the couch, she crosses one knee over the other and folds her hands demurely in her lap as her eyes take on a faraway look. “I was born on a minor planet, far from federation traffic and with no nearby neighbors. Ours was a young civilization, and we were only just beginning to look beyond our skies. I was not yet considered a woman when the slavers stole me.
“I’m sure you can imagine how I must have tried to wrap my head around the fact that there are other civilizations in the cosmos, and then I was auctioned and sold to a pleasure station. For many, many years, that was my life.” Her mouth twists with distaste, but otherwise, she doesn’t seem to dwell on that part of her life. “I learned from a customer that the slavers who took me had no idea that I was human when they stole me. However, when they realized their mistake—” She presses her lips tightly together for a moment. “They returned to my planet, again and again. Telling other slavers of the gold mine they'd found, until they picked it clean.”
My stomach drops. Could that happen to Earth? “How did you end up here?” I whisper.
