Page 91 of Seeded By Two

I got down on the floor and snapped the ankle cuffs on.

There was a hiss as the magnets engaged and the light blinked from red to green, matching the color of my wrist restraints.

The guard snorted, backed out of the room, and the door hissed shut.

I shuffled back on my elbows until my back rested against the wall.

I was in what appeared to be regular quarters for one of the transport ship’s employees.

It must have belonged to a member of the permanent staff as many of the items were things you would not bring with you if you were there on a short-term contractual basis.

There was exercise gear and a wardrobe full of clothes.

The door hung open, exposing the items as belonging to a female.

Holo-photos dotted the room, showcasing a past life that led up to this moment.

For all I knew, the occupant of this room was already dead.

It was only as I peered around the room that I noticed there was another figure sitting in the corner, arms resting on his tucked-in knees.

He looked almost comfortable.

I hadn’t noticed him because he hadn’t moved a single muscle.

But I could recognize him anywhere.

“Aslas?” I said.

He didn’t respond and just sat staring at his fingers.

I wriggled my shoulders and arms, working myself up into a standing position, and then shuffled forward.

Because it was too easy to fall over, I elected to hop toward him instead.

I hopped twice and bumped into the wall.

I immediately squatted down and turned so I could face him.

He didn’t appear to be injured.

My heart leapt at the sight of him, happy he appeared to be unharmed.

He was clearly distracted and lost in his own thoughts.

“You gave yourself up for us,” I said.

“Fat lot of good it did,” Aslas said, voice hollow with distance. “They don’t believe I’m the real prince.”

My instincts rang like an alarm bell.

There could only be one reason they would allow us to be put in a single room like this.

They were watching us.

They would have set up listening and watching equipment, spying on us every moment.

I peered about the room but couldn’t make out any of the devices.

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