Autonomy: Book 2 in the Invasion Day series (15 page)

“General Millan is to stay here indefinitely. Her entire stay is at no cost to her, including any extra charges for food, amenities etc. is that understood?” he asked, and the girl nodded profusely, clearly feeling uncomfortable in his presence. Thrayke then took Kyra’s hand and lifted it into the microchip scanner, and she let him move her body without so much as a questioning gaze. She felt dead inside, and stood motionless, too lost in her own thoughts to care all that much about what was going on around her. Niceties and all thoughts of playing the game had left her, but so too had her strength and determination to succeed and survive.

She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. Somehow, she felt both numb and on fire at the same time. She was wracked with guilt, yet was trying her hardest to force all emotion away, and it was exhausting simply being in her own skin. Thrayke explained to the receptionist that Kyra was mute, and then he escorted her to her room, made sure she had her cell and a laptop ready for use, and turned to go.

Kyra knew she ought to be angry with him, if only she could find a way to care. Tears betrayed her icy façade by falling though, and her sniffles had him muttering beneath his breath about how she was going to be the death of him. He was about to cross the door’s threshold when he came to a sharp stop. Instead of leaving, Thrayke shut the door, came back over and then pulled her into a tight hug. She wrapped herself in him, pressing every inch of her body against his, and she wished she could stay there forever. Kyra wanted desperately to go back to the days when they were living and working at The Tower together. Back then, they were happy and as carefree as they could be with their secret relationship. It was preferable to this chaos, and she found she’d truly missed him.

Once her tears had stopped and it was time for him to go, Thrayke peered down into her face and smiled with genuine affection in his gaze. “Take care of yourself, Kyra. I’m going to miss you,” he said, and then kissed her lips as deeply as he had during their time spent in his bed overlooking London almost a year before. His passion and tenderness helped to fill some of the voids where her cracks had formed, and while the kiss was a shock at first, she let herself enjoy the familiar warmth of his lips against hers. Kyra kissed him back, and knew it was wrong to want him, but she craved at least one last kiss with the man who had given her so much.

When he pulled himself away, it was clearly by sheer force of will, and Kyra had to smile. She knew it might be the last smile she’d wear for a while, but let herself have just one more.

***

Kyra stayed in her room for days, living on room service while watching the world go by from her window. The depression she’d felt while staying in the same hotel the last time her world had fallen apart was nothing in comparison to what she felt now, and the despairing blackness that had a hold on her was impossible to shake. She ordered hard liquor to the room, rather than bothering with a trip to the bar, and then drank herself into a stupor each night. Every morning, she woke with a clear head, and cursed the serum and its affects on her metabolism and immunity to illness. She wanted to be sick, suffering with a hangover and a headache from hell, but no. The punishment for abusing her body was nothing more than a bright morning every time, and she hated it.

One such morning, Kyra got showered and dressed for the first time in over a week. She was ready to get out of the room at last, and headed down to the lobby in search of some inspiration. A team of policemen was at the desk talking with the receptionist, and for some strange reason, she panicked at seeing them there. Part of her wondered if they were about to demand she return to work or come and assist them on a mission. Nothing could make her want to go back into the fray, and she turned and walked back into the hallway, figuring she wasn’t ready to face the world after all.

Kyra was about to head back up in the elevator when she spotted a face she knew all to well across the lobby to her right. Blue, the bartender who’d kept her sane and watered during her last stay was still working behind the hotel bar just like he had before. When their eyes met, his face lit up, but his expression soon turned to that of concern when he took a proper look at her. He beckoned Kyra over, but she shook her head. For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to endure his questioning either, and she ran.

“Wait, Kyra!” he called after her, and she wordlessly cursed the slow elevator for not getting to her before he did. She hit the button again and again, and even began contemplating taking the stairs to get away from him. “What’s the matter? Why are you here?” he started throwing questions when he reached her, but she just shook her head.

Kyra lifted her hand to her throat and moved it in a swiping motion to indicate she couldn’t talk, and Blue immediately stopped his barrage of questions. She pointed to the scarred line on her chest, and he gasped. “What happened to you? Are you mute?” he asked in surprise, and she nodded. Without meeting his inquisitive gaze, she simply patted him on the shoulder before stepping into the elevator that’d finally made its appearance, and she then headed back up to her room. Kyra guessed she’d had enough excitement for one day, and she climbed back under her sheets—where she hid until the following morning when an insistent knock at the door forced her out of bed. She flung open the door in a huff, and scowled at the visitor standing on the other side.

“General Millan, remember me?” a young policewoman Kyra recognized from the local precinct was stood staring back at her, and the woman smiled broadly in a clearly forced manner. Kyra nodded. “I know you’re mute, it says so on your records,” she added, and her attitude made Kyra want to punch her in the throat, but all in all she couldn’t be bothered with the hassle a fight would undoubtedly cause her.

Yes, she might hate being labeled mute, but what did it matter now that her life was empty and she had nothing to hold onto, not even the job she’d once loved? “We’re conducting a DNA profile, as per the worldwide agenda you may have seen on the news?” the woman carried on, and while she hadn’t even watched a single broadcast, Kyra had a pretty good idea of what she might be talking about, and nodded again. “We have yours on record already, but I am required to check your room to ensure you’re alone here. Would you mind?” she stepped forward regardless of whether Kyra minded or not and took a quick look around the small hotel room. Once she was satisfied, the woman left without another word, and Kyra was left wondering just what spin they’d put on the necessity of a worldwide DNA profile, so couldn’t resist checking out the news broadcasts.

“To ensure you and your family are counted and rewarded during the upcoming census, we require that everyone provides a DNA sample so we can keep a record of your whereabouts. Each and every human participant will be rewarded with a year’s worth of credits,” the Chief of Defense was saying into a camera on a pre-recorded loop, and Kyra laughed silently while shaking her head. People were idiots if they believed that, but then so was she to have believed all their previous lies, so she couldn’t judge her fellow humans too harshly.

She was about to switch off the television when King Kronus appeared on the screen. He looked tired and sad, but freshly shaven and with every one of his walls built so high she was surprised he’d ventured out of his seclusion at all. He was a shell, cold and empty, just like her. Fresh tears stung her eyes at seeing him again, but she couldn’t drag them away from his ashen face.

“Thank you all for your continued loyalty and service. Be sure to come forward for the census when called upon. Also, if you have any information regarding the whereabouts of any rebels, please take the opportunity to speak with the policeman or woman who comes to visit with you. Your cooperation is key to the survival of your race, and you will be well rewarded,” he said, and then stepped down from the podium and disappeared out of sight. She spotted Domo and Thrayke following close behind, and smiled to herself uncontrollably. How could she miss them all so much? They weren’t her people, nor had any of them come to check whether she was okay since having left them. She’d been tossed aside and forgotten, just like those bodies rotting in their mass graves in the arid lands to the south, and yet she still couldn’t bring herself to hate them.

Even though those dreadful thoughts plagued her, Kyra wasn’t angry with Kronus, or the others. After all, he was doing as she’d asked and had left her alone, but she wanted so badly for him to have chased after her regardless. If only he’d promised to defy his father so they could be together, they could’ve hidden away to ignite the flame that they’d both tried hard to diminish. Kyra knew it was a pointless dream, but it was one she still had trouble letting go of, and part of her wondered if she ever would.

That evening, she went back down into the lobby, and this time she headed straight for the bar. Blue gave her a wide smile, followed closely by a hug, and then he looked her over.

“You look good, but awful at the same time. How is that possible?” he asked, and Kyra shrugged. He waited a few seconds, and then added, “you’re really mute then, huh?” She swiped her wrist over the microchip reader on the bar, and he saw for himself what her records said. Blue didn’t make a fuss, he simply poured her a beer and put it on the bar with a smile. He then showed her the sign language symbol for thank you, and grinned infectiously. “I can teach you if you’d like? Not everyone will know it, but some will.”

Kyra nodded enthusiastically. She actually wished she’d stuck around the day before, but knew it was a ‘one step at a time,’ deal, so chose to enjoy his company rather than beat herself up over yet another mistake she’d made.

Blue evidently sensed her need for a distraction, and so started with some basics of sign language. He used a simple point and show method, but it worked, and by the end of his shift he’d taught her a decent amount of essential word signs. Kyra loved being around her fun and carefree friend again, and she watched him a smile as he tended the bar and saw to the handful of other patrons. They then chatted long into the night using sign language and her trusty cell.

Once he was off the clock, Blue joined her for a drink, but she insisted on having something stronger than beer. He seemed surprised when she asked for a shot of neat vodka instead, but rather than question her motives, he chose to join her, and lined the bar with his own parade of whiskey shots.

Progress was slow, but by the end of the night they’d caught each other up on what’d been going on with them over the past few years. She told him as much as she could without giving away too much about her relationships with two of the most infamous Thrakorian men on the planet, and Kyra felt lighter than she had in weeks following her evening with the enigmatic barman. She said goodbye not long before dawn, and climbed into bed with a much clearer head despite the alcohol. It’d been a fun night, and she guessed the first of many steps on her road to recovery.

She dreamed of blissful nothingness, which was a welcome relief after all of her fretful nightmares of late, and Kyra knew she had Blue to thank for bringing her back up from her shame spiral.

Chapter Thirteen

Every evening afterwards, Kyra could be found propping up the bar with Blue and a glass of her favorite brand of Russian vodka for company. She saw the worry in his stare at how much she could put away, but like any good barman, he ignored her sadness and kept the drinks coming without questioning her reasons why. Rather than delve into the deep and meaningful, they worked on her use of sign language every night, and within a couple of weeks she was a pro. Blue would often insist they held their conversations entirely in sign, and eventually she asked him why it was he knew it.

My little sister’s deaf. We all learned so we could talk with her.

Poor thing,
she signed in reply.
I bet you’re a good big brother? Did you protect her growing up?

“Hell yeah!” he cried, and they both laughed at his outburst, but then he returned to his signing.
She’s the clever one, too. She’s just gone off to the army to become a nurse.

That’s great,
she replied, and then took her next shot. When she looked back, Blue was watching her inquisitively.

“Speaking of. Why aren’t you at work, Kyra? What happened to your voice?”

Far too much to ever tell you, and I don’t want to,
she replied, and scratched her chin. She realized she still did it when she was anxious, and hated how she’d taken on some of the mannerisms she’d once held so dear, and that they reminded her of the one guy she really didn’t want to be thinking about.
My world has turned to crap, and there’s nothing I can do to salvage it. Right now, all I’m trying to do is get through each day at a time, and when the world ends, I just hope it takes me with it.

“Whoa, that’s deep,” he groaned, and his brow furrowed in sad surprise. She hadn’t meant to be so honest, and regretted it instantly, but knew there was no taking it back so she didn’t bother apologizing or trying to explain herself. “Oh, hey. I forgot to tell you,” Blue then thankfully changed the subject, and the mood lightened in an instant. “I’ve been asked to go to see the big boss tomorrow. Apparently I’ve been performing well and am up for a promotion at long last,” he added with a satisfied smile, and while her first instinct was to be happy for him, she then went straight into panic mode. Kyra’s instincts instantly told her this wasn’t what he thought it was, and she stiffened.

Did you do a DNA sample a few weeks back?
she signed, and he nodded.
And now they’ve just told you to come in and get your promotion out of the blue?

“Yeah, why?” he asked, but Kyra was too panicked to answer him. She jumped up out of her seat and ran to the counter, where she nabbed the handheld device used to scan the microchips of the bar customers. She waved it across Blue’s arm and pulled up his information on the small screen, desperately searching for something she could use to look deeper into his file. She then hacked one of the firewalls and tried her hardest to get further into the network, but it was no use. The bar’s system simply didn’t hold the information she was after. Kyra knew she needed her laptop, and contemplated running up to her room to get it. “What are you doing?” Blue demanded, and he grabbed her by the wrist to pull her out from behind the bar.

Listen to me, you can’t go. Please tell me you won’t go?
she mouthed, and he frowned.

“Why not? Can’t I have something good happen to me for a change? Don’t I deserve a chance to further my own career after years and years of serving selfish know-it-alls like you and the other soldiers?” She knew he was confused by her behavior, but his cruel reply was uncalled for, and she cursed him as she yanked her arm away from his grasp.

You don’t understand. Things aren’t what they appear!
she signed, but he didn’t seem interested in her vague reasoning’s.

Kyra’s cell suddenly came to life. It vibrated and chirped loudly on the table before she could even begin to find a way to answer Blue’s justifiable questions, and she peered down at it in shock. It hadn’t rung once since she’d been given it, but she knew who had to be on the other end. She pressed the answer button and held it to her ear.

“Don’t do anything foolish, Kyra,” Thrayke’s voice came down the line, and a shiver cascaded down her spine at the sound. It felt good to hear his gravely tone, and she closed her eyes as it washed over her. “If you get in the way of this operation, you’ll be taken straight down to the nearest precinct and locked up until we’re done collecting our specimens. I know you care about him, but you need to let this go.”
Collecting specimens,
he’d called it. Kyra knew she was right about why people like Blue were being offered their so-called ‘promotions.’ They were being gathered up like the special variety of desirable cattle they were, and Thrayke wanted her to simply stand idly by and let it happen? Despite being glad to hear his voice, she hated his authoritative tone and damning words, and hung up on him.

Blue was clearly about to ask her for details they both knew she couldn’t, and wouldn’t, give him, when the cellphone rang again. She pressed her finger against the answer button so hard Kyra was surprised she didn’t break it, and she begrudgingly held the cell to her ear again. “Please. I made you a vow that I would keep you safe, and I’m keeping it now by warning you against acting out. Listen to me,” Thrayke implored her, and she hung her head, but tapped once on the speaker to tell him yes. “I can see you. I’ve always watched over you, kept you safe. Don’t you understand how much I care? I learned sign language right along with you, and I can read your lips. Sometimes I think you forget just how far I’m willing to go for you.”

Emotions welled inside and the elation at knowing he hadn’t abandoned her mixed with Kyra’s anger, but it was a concoction she found hard to deal with. She still adored Thrayke, and missed him as both a friend and lover. But, at the same time she hated his entire race for going ahead with their covert plan to syphon away their choice of strategically DNA profiled humans for their personal use. “Go to bed, Kyra. Say goodbye to your friend and walk away.”

Please make sure he isn’t harmed, or that it’s at least quick and painless?
she mouthed, and knew he was watching via some hidden camera somewhere when Thrayke agreed to do what he could.

Kyra hung up the phone and handed the chip reader back across the bar to the waitress on duty. She then ordered herself a bottle of vodka to go, and sat back down at the booth opposite her friend.
I’m sorry for how I reacted. You’re an amazing guy, Blue, and you deserve to go far. You’ll go down in history yet, I just know it,
she told him with a forced smile, and kissed his cheek. She then hugged him tight and went upstairs to her room before he could see the tears that were more than ready to fall down her cheeks.

In her room, Kyra switched on the TV news channel. She turned off the sound, and just watched as the images flashed across the screen. They were the powerful men whose faces she knew so well it hurt, and yet she couldn’t bring herself to look away. She sat on the end of her bed for hours, staring at the footage as it played on repeat while swigging from her bottle of vodka. She wished she could drink enough to numb the pain, but knew there’d never be enough liquor in the entire world to successfully do that.

When the early morning sunrise appeared out her window, she stared into the bright sky for so long her eyes grew sore. With one last sup, her bottle was dry, and she got her wish at last. A new day had begun and she was sick. Her head was pounding and her stomach wanted to heave up its heavy slosh of booze, but she welcomed every second of the wretchedness. Kyra felt she deserved the sweet agony of the hangover she’d evaded for weeks. She wanted every awful moment of it, and actually wished she could find some more alcohol to ply her body with so that she might successfully take herself over the edge and into complete and utter queasiness. Her ghosts hadn’t come to taunt her, thanks to the lack of sleep, but the pain had. It radiated outwards from her chest, and was a pain that had nothing to do with her old wounds. She felt like it was clawing at her from the inside, ready to come out, but she didn’t care. Nothing mattered anymore but the emptiness. The wonderful, freeing, numbing emptiness.

With her eyes on the sky, she failed to notice when the door of her room opened and a darkly dressed figure stepped inside. It was only when the figure was right next to her and he wrapped a hand around her throat that she gasped in shock at the presence, but even then the fight had left her. Kyra prayed to be released from this world, her torment, and her loneliness. She wished for the peaceful oblivion she’d tasted so many times in her pitiful life to return, but the relaxed grip on her neck told her that whomever had invaded her solace wasn’t there to kill her. She let her head get tilted back, and she peered up into Thrayke’s intense gaze without a care for what state he’d found her in.

He looked angry, but she couldn’t figure out why. After all, she’d let Blue go to his death without so much as another word to try and stop him, which was exactly what he’d ordered her to do. Thrayke watched her for a few seconds, and then leaned closer, folding his tall body so that his lips found her ear.

“Stay away, I told myself. Stay far, far away from her, and yet here I am,” he groaned, and his voice was almost a growl. “He left you to rot here like a discarded and unwanted pet, but I can’t do it. I had to see you, to tell you that no matter how bad you’re feeling, you did the right thing.” He slumped down on the bed and cradled her from behind, while Kyra remained motionless before him. Part of her wondered if she’d fallen asleep and that it might be a dream. She didn’t want to chase him away by moving or trying to converse with her vision like always seemed to happen in her dreams, so she remained perfectly still. His powerful words were a welcome rose among all the thorns that’d surrounded her, and she wanted to hear more. “You’re not a reject. You’re everything to me, and I need you to know it. Who was there for you when no one else was? Me. I protected you from Greegis, and I rescued you from Tuka. I brought you here to save you from yourself, but I can’t save you from me, Kyra. Do you understand?”

She nodded, and his grip around her neck tightened as he sucked in a hiss. Thrayke pressed his nose against her temple, and kissed the scar on her cheek. “I know you love him and not me. I have to accept it, but at the same time I hate you for letting him steal your heart when he doesn’t intend on keeping it. He’ll go home and never look back, while I’ll regret leaving you behind until my dying breath. I wish I could make you happy again before I go. I wish I could take your pain away and fix you. I wish you’d let me.”

Kyra clicked her tongue once in affirmation, and Thrayke sighed deeply.

I can’t,
she signed, and he watched from over her shoulder.
I just…can’t.

“I wish you wanted me like I want you,” Thrayke groaned, and Kyra could see from the corner of her eye that his face was knotted tightly in his angst. His pain made her feel better somehow, and she felt her passion for him begin to radiate from within again. She waited for a second, trying to think of all the reasons why she shouldn’t do this, but none of them were strong enough to stop her. Thrayke was right. Kronus had thrown her away and hadn’t fought for her when she’d needed him to, whereas Thrayke had always fought to keep her safe and in his life. He’d shown up out of the blue to tell her how he felt now, and her heart was telling her to go for it with every beat it gave.

She put her hand over the one still holding her neck, and he instantly loosened it. She knew he thought she didn’t want him to hold her, when it was just the opposite. Rather than pull it away, Kyra then slid his palm down over her breast and waist to rest on her thigh, and then turned to stare into the powerful blue eyes of his that were mere inches away from hers. She lost herself in his oceans, but somehow found herself there, too.

I do want you,
she mouthed.
I’ve always wanted you,
she added, and then leaned in to kiss him. Thrayke didn’t second-guess her or hold back for even a split-second. He pounced on her, and had Kyra seeing stars within minutes thanks to the lack of oxygen, but she didn’t care. She gave him everything he wanted, and unlike Kronus who’d pushed her away at every affectionate advance, Thrayke took all that she had to offer without question or any hesitation. He gave her the care and attention she’d craved and been denied. Together, they were as passionate as they’d once been, but also so much more. The past torment gave them each a new, darker need, and they explored it together willingly.

Thrayke worshipped her body and enjoyed her in ways his King had never known. The connection was their wonderful secret once again, and Kyra lost herself in him. What was left of her heart beat only for the merciful soldier who’d come to her in her darkest hour, and she let him consume her entirely. It was truly freeing to give herself over to him, and Thrayke helped heal her by tending to her needs in a way only a truly dedicated friend and lover could.

Only when the sun started to set again did they come down from their crazed high, and Kyra felt light and free at last. Before falling asleep, she tensed in panic, and Thrayke seemed to sense her unease without even having to ask.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he told her, and she then fell straight into an exhausted sleep wrapped in his warm and safe embrace.

***

The next morning, Thrayke ordered room service while Kyra soaked in a hot bath. Her hangover was long forgotten, but a blissful and euphoric emptiness lingered that was a welcome side effect of her day spent with her mighty lover, and if she could’ve groaned in delight she would have. When she finally emerged, a veritable banquet greeted her, and she grinned.