Page 6 of Controlled

“I have other garments for you, but I want you to think about your attitude and what will happen if you do not follow my rules.”

Averting her face before she started glaring, she zipped up her jeans and fastened the waistband.

He led her from the cabin a few moments later and every step she took reinforced the lesson. If she spoke her mind, she would be punished. If she used profanity, she would be punished. If she refused to do something he told her to do, everything ended the same way. With her bent over and her pants around her ankles while he warmed her ass.

No wonder her mother and grandmother found Altor intolerable. What female wouldn’t?

They followed the raised hallway around to the other side of the gallery and Draven stepped in front of the scanner. The door didn’t open immediately as it had at his cabin. Apparently, the occupant had to approve their entry.

When the door slid open, Draven motioned her inside but he did not follow her into the cabin.

She stopped just inside, feeling intensely uncomfortable. The cabin was identical to Draven’s, bed on her left, living area on her right. Iris sat in one of the armless chairs and a male Flora did not recognize stood near her grandmother. He wore a black-on-black uniform that accented his pale skin. His hair was dark brown with just a hint of red. His features weren’t as angular as Draven’s, but he would have a hard time passing for human. Was this really her father? Her hair was closer to red than his, but both shades would be considered auburn. Their gazes locked and her heart missed a beat. She saw the same vivid green eyes staring back in the mirror every morning.

“My name is Azar Turin,” he introduced. “Despite what your mother told you, I am your father.” Without giving Flora a chance to respond, he looked at Iris. “You have ten minutes. Make the most of them.” And then he walked out of the cabin.

Stress and suppressed emotions burst from Flora like a volcano. She rushed across the room, not caring that every step hurt like hell. “What the actual fuck, Grandma! How could you lie to me like this? I don’t even know what species I am. How could you? How could Mom?” She hadn’t even realized she was crying until harsh sobs made it impossible to speak.

Iris stood and wrapped her arms around Flora. “We were trying to protect you. Protect you from exactly what’s happening right now. And you only understand a small portion of it.”

“How did they find us? We’ve been on Earth for two decades. What is different about now?”

“I’m not sure,” Iris admitted. “Have you felt a rush of energy or heard someone’s thoughts?”

The only unusual thing that had happened lately was those erotic dreams and she had no intention of discussing them with her grandmother. “Draven said Raina and Aspen aren’t my sisters. Is that true?”

“They are your cousins. Each of you was born to one of my daughters. They are in the same situation you’re in. That’s why we took them with us.”

Flora had so many questions. How could they possibly get through them in ten minutes? “Is my name different too? I have no idea who I am, do I?”

“You were named after the Altorian goddess of flowers. We just used the Earth equivalent.”

“Is this why you’ve been pressuring us to find ‘mates’?”

Iris nodded. “If you’d found a human husband, it would have invalidated the bonding contract your father established for you.”

Arranged marriages still existed in certain human societies, but she sure as hell didn’t belong to one. She shook away the distraction. Her father had given them ten minutes. She needed as much information as possible before he returned. Forcing her emotions back under control, Flora urged, “Tell me everything.”

“Let’s sit down.” Iris motioned toward the compact sofa against the wall.

“Go ahead. I’m too wound up to sit.” She wasn’t about to admit the truth.

A knowing look came over Iris’ features, but all she said was, “I see.” She went and sat down, then dove right into her explanation. “There are eleven planets in the Altorian star system. Eight are inhabitable, but only four have established populations. Altor and Torret have always been rivals. The rivalry became more contentious as both societies developed space travel and turned their sights toward colonization. Torret attacked an Altorian outpost, but Torret insisted that the moon was in one of the disputed zones so Altor didn’t have the right to be there.”

“All of this happened before you and Mom left?” Flora asked.

“Yes, about two years before. It was obvious that war was just a matter of time, which meant the power triads would become weapons again.”

“Power triads? I don’t know what that is.”

Iris nodded and paused to collect her thoughts. “Power triads were created centuries ago by a team of Altorian mystics and scientists. They found a way to combine the energy of three individuals into a nearly unstoppable force. A triad consists of a source, a conduit, and a controller.”

“Are you talking about technology or… magic?”

“Both, and neither.” She shook her head and sighed. “The development team used technology to edit the DNA of individuals with mystic abilities. Both magic and science were necessary. Does that make sense?”

“I understand the concept, but it is so far beyond human experience that I’m still struggling to understand any of it.”

“You’re not human, Flora. You’re Altorian. That’s the first thing you need to accept.”

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