Page 29 of Retribution
She stepped back and observed her appearance further. The clothing General Zamek had given her really did fit perfectly. With the slightly billowing sleeves and the empire cut of the gown, as well as the intricate white embroidery at the neckline, it looked like something an ancient Kall princess might’ve worn.
And he’d promised to replicate even more clothing for her. She could scarcely believe his kindness when just a few weeks ago she’d been so sure he would kill her.
In a few more weeks, they would reach planet Kall, where he would take her to his home in Sumlin District. He hadn’t told her outright that she would be a slave yet, but she could see no other alternative. Which was why the fancy dress and the promise of more didn’t quite make sense. A slave wouldn’t be given such fine items.
A disturbing thought came to her. What if he wanted to dress her up in Kall finery while she was aboard theTammushaand he visited her regularly to satiate his desires, only to strip her of everything once they reached his planet? Maybe he would take another lover and he would no longer have need of her. She would then spend her days cleaning his house and performing other manual labor that befitted a slave on the Kall homeworld. Her heart sank at the prospect.
God how she wished she could talk to Aunt Colleen just one more time. She missed her aunt’s advice and guidance, even if she’d sometimes felt it intrusive. Aunt Colleen had always tried to protect her and had only wanted the best for her.
Tears burned in her eyes.Aunt Colleen is gone. So is everyone else I ever cared about. Even if they’re still alive, they are gone to me, because I’ll never get the chance to speak with them again. I’m alone.
She swallowed hard and wiped away a lone tear that trickled down her cheek. The uncertainty of her status with General Zamek bothered her and she decided that she would summon her bravery and ask him to clarify what would happen to her once they reached planet Kall.
She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and then exited the bathroom, only to gasp and jump in place at the sight that greeted her.
General Zamek.
He was seated on her bed. All seven-plus feet of him.
He frowned and stood up quickly, eyeing her with worry.
“You’ve been crying.” Guilt shone in his expression and he hurried toward her.
Before she could ask what he was doing, he’d already pushed her onto the bed and was trying to pull down her leggings with one hand while he held a dermal regenerator in the other. She scrambled away, pulling up on her leggings.
“Please, General, stop.” She peered from him to the dermal regenerator. “What exactly are you trying to do?” She had an idea but wasn’t entirely certain.
“I caused you pain,” he said. “I made you cry. For that, I am sincerely sorry. I know I said I wanted to fuck you raw, but it was just an… expression. Please, allow me to heal you.” He held the medical device up and gave her an expectant look.
“I’m fine, General, really.” She held her dress over her leggings, lest he get it in his mind to try removing them again. “I-I wasn’t crying because you hurt me. You didn’t hurt me.” Oh crap. Now he would probably ask why she’d been crying. She exhaled a shuddering breath.
He tucked the dermal regenerator into his pocket and scooted closer, reaching for her face. He cupped her head in both hands, his manner gentle, as he stared down at her, his eyes gleaming with compassion. When he looked at her like this, it only made her want to cry again.
Though she soaked up his every comforting touch or gentle glance like the affection-starved mess that she was, his kindness was perhaps more dangerous than his earlier potential for violence. Because when they reached planet Kall and she officially became his slave and he ignored her for another, a female of his own kind, she would endure a broken heart.
“What has saddened you, human?” he finally asked, drawing his thumbs over her cheeks in a soothing caress. “What has caused you to cry?”
She shrugged one of her shoulders. “It’s no big deal. I-I was just thinking about my Aunt Colleen. She died in the war.”She died in the war and you could’ve been the one to kill her for all I know—or one of the warriors under your command.
“How did she die? Tell me exactly what happened.”
“She lived near a military base in Virginia that was under attack by Kall forces, and she refused to evacuate. I begged her to leave. I wanted so badly to go to her and get her out myself, but I was in a bunker beneath the White House and wasn’t permitted to leave. I-I hired private security to get her out, but by the time they reached her home, it was gone, and her body was found in the rubble. The war was still raging, so the soldiers buried her in the backyard. That happened a few months before Earth even surrendered.”
He wiped at the tears that escaped her eyes, softly drawing his thumbs over the moisture. Her throat burned and clogged with emotion. It had been a long time since she’d spoken of Aunt Colleen to anyone. She’d never even mentioned her aunt to Fiona.
“Sometimes I wish I hadn’t gone to the bunker with the other White House workers and their families. Sometimes I wish I’d just fled DC that day and went straight for her house. But Michael wouldn’t let me, and President Carson also begged me to stay. Michael said we needed to be smart and trust that my aunt would follow the evacuation orders.” She shook her head and finally admitted to a dark suspicion of hers. “Michael had never liked my aunt—you see, Aunt Colleen didn’t approve of our marriage—and there are times I wondered if he was relieved that she died, times I wondered if maybe he held me back from helping her because he didn’t care what happened to her.”
General Zamek’s frown deepened. He opened his mouth and drew in a deep breath, then said, “I am sorry for the loss of your aunt, human.”
Sorry. Since he’d entered her cell, he’d already said ‘sorry’ twice. Hearing that word from him—a proud Kall warrior and a decorated general at that—was truly shocking. But his eyes glimmered with sincerity. He meant it.
“I know your parents died when you were very young and that your aunt raised you. She must have meant a lot to you.”
“What? How-how do you know that?” She stared at him in confusion.
“I read about you.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then continued stroking his thumbs over her cheeks, as if waiting to catch any further tears.
“Read about me? Where? What do you mean?”
