Captives of New Pompeii (15 page)

“This is being done on all the ships?”

“Of course. The process is identical and all
the info is uploaded to the same database.”

Felicia was unable to shake the feeling that
something nefarious was at work here. “What will be done with this
information?”

“As we update the master log, the Fedorans
match each refugee with a location in the new city. Those who owned
villas will be taken to a villa, shop owners will be given new
shops and so on. Each refugee will gently awaken in their new
home.”

She had wondered how offloading would be
accomplished without the refugees seeing too much. “What if the
refugee was a visitor to Pompeii? People travel to our city on
holiday all the time.”

“Those who were not a permanent resident of
the old city will be taken to the magistrate. He will determine how
to assimilate them into the new population. He is also responsible
for locating lost family members and so forth.”

“The magistrate is Fedoran?” Shika nodded,
so Felicia sat back in her chair and stared at the image floating
above the desktop. “I had not realized the process was so
involved.”

“Yep. Every person had to be chipped and
examined. That’s why we’ve been busting our butts since we left
Earth.”

“Chipped? What does this mean?”

Shika suddenly stood and moved her chair
back to the front of the desk. “Didn’t Doc explain it when he
injected you?”

To her knowledge the only thing Aiden had
injected her with was a vaccination and the mandatory contraceptive
compound. “He has explained so many things I must have forgotten.
What purpose does this chip serve?”

“It allows Fedorans to keep track of where
everyone is at any given time.”

“I have heard of this before. The all-seeing
machine that is known by letters.”

“GPS.” Shika relaxed enough to smile. “No
one is allowed on Fedoros without a GPS chip. No exceptions. It’s
the law.”

Shika returned to her work and Felicia
continued through the log, determined to locate her nemesis.

“Is Aiden around?”

She looked up and found Caleb lounging in
the doorway. It was easy to understand why Laetif was so taken with
him. “He is still in bed.”

“Without you? Silly him.”

“Do you need to speak with him, or should I
let him know you were looking for him?”

He shrugged then rolled his shoulders. “It’s
nothing important. We’d been fighting intermittent temperature
spikes in the…” He chuckled then shook his head. “Just tell him the
problem with the ship is resolved. I’ll talk to him later.”

“Have you been up all night?”

“Guilty.” He rubbed the back of his neck and
yawned. “I’m heading to bed now.” He surprised her with a playful
wink. “Don’t suppose you want to join me?”

She recognized his banter for what it
was—harmless flirtation. He had made it clear in the mess hall that
he would not touch her as long as she belonged to his brother. “No
Sir. I am more than happy with my situation.”

“Good to know he’s taking care of you.” He
waved then departed.

Was Laetif waiting in his bed, all warm and
sleepy? Would they enjoy a quick bout of love play before he joined
her in sleep? Felicia was not tempted by Caleb, but she longed for
the sort of freedom others enjoyed.

As Laetif predicted, Aiden was being patient
and tender, but the restlessness inside Felicia was growing. Would
surrendering to Aiden anchor her emotionally to this new reality,
or would it add to the conflict twisting through her soul?

She smiled and turned back to the list of
refugees. She’d never know the answer to those questions until
Aiden deemed her ready to learn.

And in the meantime, she had to locate her
enemy before her enemy found her.

“If half of what the priest told me is true,
it is imperative that we find this priestess,” Mikko stressed.

“But the master log has her listed among the
dead.” Prince Tarhee glanced up from his lavish breakfast as he
waited for Mikko to explain.

“I don’t believe it and neither does the
priest.”

Tarhee shrugged then continued eating. “My
people are searching the stacks and you notified the other ships.
There is nothing more to be done until she turns up. If she turns
up.”

Mikko clenched his fists so his face
remained calm. If they’d been in the same room, Mikko would have
taken the prince by the shoulders and shaken him until the ignorant
fool understood the urgency of the situation. “This woman is a
legitimate clairvoyant. The priest is in awe of her abilities and
he despises her.”

“Perhaps he has exaggerated her usefulness
so you will be more motivated to find her. I have encountered
clairvoyants before. Their abilities have never impressed me.”

“She warned the priest and the governor that
Pompeii was about to be destroyed. If they had listened to her, we
would have been robbed of our cargo.”

Tarhee stroked his chin, smoothing his
close-cropped whiskers, apparently lost in thought. “Can she
endanger our position? You seem intrigued by this girl. Would we be
wiser to destroy her as soon as she’s located?”

“I want to interrogate her, determine the
extent of her abilities. If she can be controlled, such gifts could
be a real advantage.”

The prince scoffed. “That’s a big if.”

“I agree. She’ll be kept under lock and key
until I’m absolutely sure she’s no danger to us.”

“We’ve both invested too much into this
project to risk it on a woman. Our financial interests must come
before your pleasure.”

“I have not lost sight of our objective. New
Pompeii will be the most profitable venture on Fedoros within the
year.”

“Is she beautiful?” Tarhee’s lips bowed in a
lecherous smile. “Royal psychic has a rather nice ring to it, don’t
you think?”

“She’s mine.” Mikko moved closer to the
camera. Each of the priest’s wild stories had made him more
determined to find Felicia. According to the priest, she was
lovely, a willowy blonde with big blue eyes. The priest had tried
to tame her, but Perion obviously lacked the skill. Mikko would
train her slowly, bend her will without breaking her spirit. His
cock stirred just thinking about all the challenges she would
provide. “I learned of her existence and I’m conducting the search.
I will not back down on this. Felicia is mine.”

“You’ll get no argument from me. No woman is
worth compromising our partnership. Com me if you find her. But
remember, if she threatens our control over these people, she must
be destroyed.” Tarhee closed the comlink and Mikko sighed.

When push came to shove, Tarhee had
controlling interest in the city. Not to mention that he was the
emperor’s son. Anytime he chose to exert his authority, Mikko would
be forced to back down.

Refusing to dwell on the irritating detail,
Mikko sent a quick text to Quade, directing him to check in as soon
as possible. A few minutes later, Quade activated a private
link.

“You wanted to speak with me?”

“Did you fuck her?” Mikko cut right to the
chase.

His jaw clenched and defiance flashed in his
dark eyes, but finally he ground out, “Yes Sir.”

Mikko chuckled. “I obviously chose the right
man for the job.” He would have to make time in his busy schedule
to watch Quade in action. He’d expected Laetif to keep Quade
jumping through hoops for at least a week. “Keep her distracted. I
want her so caught up in you that my actions don’t even enter her
mind.”

“Is there anything else, Sir?”

The open hostility in Quade’s gaze concerned
Mikko. Quade had performed flawlessly, but his attitude continued
to hover on the verge of insubordination. No matter. Mikko held the
key to Quade’s cooperation. Let him stomp and snarl. He could
despise his orders all he liked. In the end he would always obey. A
father’s love for his daughter was such a marvelous motivator.

“Not right now, Quade. Carry on.”

Needing a few minutes away from Quade’s
captivating presences, Laetif took advantage of his momentary
distraction and darted from the cabin. She had no doubt Mikko had
comed her new bodyguard and Quade was updating his master on the
developments.

Yes Sir, I fucked your wife twice last
night. She came at least four times, so I’m confident we are
underway
. Quade’s report might not have been so detailed, but
the result was the same. She had foolishly succumbed to Mikko’s
spy, not once but twice. And it pissed her off to realize she was
such an easy mark.

Quade would catch up to her in no time, but
she had to clear her head and reassess her options.

The lift door slid open and she groaned.
Caleb stood there, gorgeous as ever, a predatory smile instantly
curving his lips. She turned, intending to wait for the next car,
but his hand closed around her upper arm and he pulled her into the
lift.

She moved as far away from him as the
confined space allowed. He immediately caged her with his body.
“Pause lift and lock out manual overrides, authorization, Thrax
one-two-nine.”

“Don’t do this, Caleb.” She turned her head,
unable to endure his penetrating stare.

“Don’t do what? Accept your offer? You all
but insisted I fuck you the other night, but I thought you weren’t
ready for that sort of emotional upheaval. I let you walk out of my
cabin while my balls turned blue.”

She understood his anger. He had been
gallant and understanding. “I’m sorry. Last night was unexpected. I
didn’t plan to…”

“Fuck the man who had you in tears the night
before?”

“I can’t explain it. I just—”

“Have you always been a tease?”

She gasped and glared into his eyes. “I am
not a tease! You dismissed me without fucking me. I had nothing to
do with that decision.”

He pushed off the wall and moved back to his
side of the car. “Then you’re finished with me? I cushioned your
fall, but now you’ve found a new cock to ride, so my services are
no longer needed?”

“It’s not like that.” Her argument sounded
pathetic and her conscience screamed that it had been exactly like
that. “I’m not like that.”

“What are you like, Laetif? Do you even know
who you are?” His anger ebbed, but his disappointment was even more
cutting. “I could have helped you find out. Do you really think
that Quade will satisfy you? He’s unimaginative and—”

“Oh my God! You watched us, didn’t you?” He
didn’t deny it and her temper flared. “How dare you invade my
privacy! If I chose to fuck every person on this ship, it is none
of your goddamn business!”

“You flew into my arms, hysterical because
your husband had dispatched one of his men to seduce you. I half
expected you to be waiting in my bed when I finally made my way
there this morning. But there was no you and not even a message!”
He took a deep breath and jerked down on the hem of his uniform
jacket. “I was understandably concerned, so I pinged your cabin but
you didn’t respond.”

“So you accessed the security feed?”

He confirmed with a stiff nod. “Imagine my
surprise when I found you in bed with the villain you were so
determined to escape. I watched long enough to be sure you were
willing and then I went to bed.”

She let out her breath in a ragged sigh and
looked away from his handsome face. “I don’t know what you want me
to say. I’m sorry.”

“He will never satisfy you.”

“He managed well enough last night,” she
muttered, just wanting the conversation over.

“You have a dark side, Laetif. I can sense
it because I’m just like you. If Quade can’t bring himself to hurt
you, he will never be enough for you.”

“You know nothing about him.” She squared
her shoulders and lifted her face.

“I saw all I needed to see last night.
You’ll be able to ignore the restlessness for a while, but you’ve
had a taste of what I can give you. The craving inside you will
grow. You’ll think about it until your thoughts fuel your dreams,
and then your dreams will lead you back to me. You won’t be able to
stop yourself.”

“Do you realize how arrogant that sounds? I
won’t be able to stop myself from crawling back to you?” She rolled
her eyes and ignored the strange ache pulsing deep inside her. She
did not need Caleb any more than she needed Quade! No man was
responsible for her happiness. Mikko had taught her to rely
entirely on herself. “You’re a self-absorbed prick with a massively
inflated ego.”

He chuckled and reactivated the lift. “Deny
it all you like. I’ll be waiting when you come to your senses.”

Quade strode down the corridor, frustration
speeding his steps. He’d spent the last five days with Laetif and
now the ambassador required an in-person update. Laetif knew he
regularly communicated with her…the fuckwad, but there wasn’t much
either of them could do about it.

Laetif was nothing like he’d expected. She
was warm and funny, almost painfully intelligent and undeniably
vulnerable. The combination appealed to him, made him eager to see
her smile and hear her gasps of pleasure. She made love with an
abandon that enthralled him, made him want more almost as soon as
he came inside her.

The scream was muffled, so distant he
wondered if he’d imagined the sound, until it came again.

He rushed to the interrogation room and
slapped his hand over the manual trigger. The door remained locked,
but a buzzer sounded inside the cabin.

“Do not disturb means do not disturb!”
Xyell’s angry voice came over the comlink.

“You paged me, Sir. Shall I come back
later?”
Please God, let him open the door
. Quade could not
stand having another battered woman on his conscience.

The door slid open and Xyell yanked him
inside the small cabin. “I paged you over an hour ago! Explain the
delay.”