Captives of New Pompeii (21 page)

“Then what’s wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with me?” She laughed and
opened her eyes. “I was snatched from my home without warning by
beings whose abilities rival the gods. I just found out the man who
abused me is not dead as I had thought, and I still don’t know what
you want with me.”

“Did you convince Thrax to hide you or was
he the aggressor?”

Xyell stood back while the prince asked the
questions. She kept her attention focused on Tarhee. “He claimed to
be an agent of Venus and I told him he was full of shit.” The
prince smiled, clearly approving of her spirit. “He asked for my
assistance with the orientations and I came to the conclusion that
assisting him was the best thing for my people.”

“Your people?” Xyell challenged. “I believe
the people of New Pompeii belong to us.”

She didn’t argue. Her first priority had to
be securing a place within the new community. She had to prove
herself valuable without posing too much of a threat. Aiden had
realized her presence gave instant credibility to his claims and
Xyell had proposed a similar arrangement. “I have been called to
serve these people. I am a true emissary of Venus.”

“Do you still believe in the gods?” The
prince moved closer, his gaze searching hers. “We allowed a few of
the gladiators to see Fedoros and it shook their belief system to
its foundation.”

“I am not so easily shaken. I know Venus is
real. How else do you explain my abilities?” She met his gaze
directly, allowing him to see nothing but determination.

“If you are a true emissary of Venus, then
you know we are not acting on her behalf. What is to keep you from
spreading dissent among your people?”

“It is better that they believe they have
been whisked away to a safe haven by a loving deity than to know
that they are being manipulated by greedy men.”

Another peal of laughter escaped Tarhee.
“You’re delightful. So fierce and feisty in the face of death.”

The subtle threat didn’t go unnoticed. “I
can help you. Aiden understood the advantage of my support. I can
offer you the same.”

“Aiden understood the advantage of your
tight little pussy,” Xyell countered. “Will you offer us the
same?”

Lust heated the prince’s gaze as they waited
for her answer. She had to stand up to them or she would be their
puppet for the rest of her life. More than her life hung in the
balance. She couldn’t leave her people unprotected. They had to
have an ambassador, someone to champion their cause and warn them
of danger. And there was nobody else.

“If you take me, it will be rape, and if you
rape me, I will not help you.”

Tarhee grasped her chin, tilting her face up
to his. “I think you’re dangerous. I say we enjoy you tonight and
dispose of you in the morning.”

“Your success depends upon the inadvertent
cooperation of your captives.” She spoke calmly, despite the
frantic pounding of her heart. “They will obey you if they believe
you are carrying out the will of their goddess. I can reinforce
this concept.”

“Or you could start a war,” the prince
drawled.

“We must give her a damn good reason not to
betray us,” Xyell suggested.

Releasing her chin, Tarhee looked at his
partner and asked, “Such as?”

“The handsome doctor of course. He offered
to join our staff so he could be with her in New Pompeii. I say we
let him.”

“He agreed to the ten-year commitment?”

“You don’t need to coerce me,” Felicia
insisted. “I’m freely offering my services.”

“We understand your offer,” the prince told
her. “We’re not convinced of your sincerity.”

Muffled shouts and crashes sounded in
another part of the palace. Footfalls echoed down the corridor and
then Aiden and Quade flew through the archway, followed immediately
by Laetif. Palace guards ran after them, armor rattling and swords
drawn.

“Halt,” Tarhee called. “Do not hurt
them.”

The uniformed guards slid to a halt then
took up posts on either side of the archway.

“What are you doing here?” Xyell asked his
wife.

“I have a message from my father,” she
sneered, holding out a datapad.

Xyell snatched it from her hand, his eyes
narrowed and hostile. “This has nothing to do with you.”

“I disagree. And so does my father.”

Silence fell over the room as Xyell read the
message. “You can’t be serious.”

“What does it say?” Tarhee asked.

“Our silent partner has decided to step out
of the shadows and exert his authority.”

“I have controlling interest,” Tarhee
reminded. “I can veto any of his dictates.”

“The message says if we don’t accept his
terms, he’ll withdraw our funding.” Tarhee shook his head. “He owns
the banks holding all but one of our loans.”

“What are his terms?”

“He has just sold me his shares in New
Pompeii, which guarantees me a seat on the board,” Laetif said with
a triumphant smile. “I’m to choose a location for a clinic and
outfit the temple according to Felicia’s specifications. Aiden has
agreed to sign our contract with the stipulation that he answers to
me. Felicia’s indenture is also to be transferred to me.” She
walked up to Xyell and added, “And I’m keeping Quade!”

Xyell clenched his fists and pulled back his
arm. Quade was there in an instant, hand clasping Xyell’s wrist.
“Don’t even think about it.”

“What’s your sudden interest in our
project?” Tarhee demanded.

“She’s fucking the other brother,” Xyell
snapped, twisting his arm out of Quade’s hand. “Aren’t you, little
whore?”

Quade shoved him away from Laetif, glaring
in silent warning.

To Felicia’s surprise Laetif shrugged off
the insult. “I’m no more a whore than you are,
husband
. But
this has nothing to do with my sex life. I honestly believe in the
concept of New Pompeii. If it is managed correctly, we are offering
thousands of people a second chance at life. But there must be some
form of checks and balances. You two cannot be allowed to run
amuck.”

“And you’re going to stop us?” Tarhee
laughed. “I’m not intimidated by your threats, Laetif. Bring it
on!”

“This is not a battle,” she insisted. “At
least it doesn’t have to be.”

“You want Quade?” Xyell asked. “Fine! I’ll
sign over his contract. But the priestess is mine.”

Laetif shook her head. “Not good enough.
Felicia is a valuable resource. I will not see her abilities
squandered.”

Felicia had never seen Laetif like this
before. She met their gazes without flinching and stated her case
with calm assurance.

“And I will not be dictated to by my wife!”
Xyell flared.

“You will if you want her father’s money.
And we all know that’s why you married me.”

Xyell didn’t argue. He looked at the prince
for support and suggestions, but Tarhee just shrugged. “Let her
play with the priestess. I see no real harm in it. There is one
thing that must be agreed to and it is nonnegotiable.”

“What’s that?” Laetif asked.

“The noninterference clause. Everyone must
adhere to the stipulation or all bets are off.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that,”
Aiden said. “I understand why technology must be curtailed, but
everyone will know I’m from beyond the barrier. Is there any harm
in utilizing medications they haven’t been exposed to before?”

Tarhee was silent for a moment, apparently
considering the options. “One fast-spreading virus could wipe out
the population. It’s in our best interest that the inhabitants be
as healthy as possible. That means medications and healing
compounds, no scanners or gadgetry.”

“I understand.”

“Then we are all in agreement?” Laetif
prompted.

Tarhee held out his hand toward Aiden,
cunning making his eyes gleam. “Welcome aboard. It’s sure to be a
bumpy ride.”

Xyell faced his wife and lowered his voice
to just above a whisper. “I know you, Laetif. Your soul is almost
as dark as mine. This place will change you, twist you until you
are every bit as jaded as we are.”

“Time will tell, I suppose.” She didn’t
sound concerned.

“You will remain in the villa and
appearances will be maintained.”

“Of course. My new interest in our project
just might strengthen our marriage.” Sarcasm cut through her soft
tone.

He snorted as he turned away. “Don’t count
on it.”

Caleb prowled beside the shuttle, wondering
what was taking them so long. Three times he tried to access
Aiden’s mind, but the energy barrier was preventing the connection.
He reached out again, anxious for any news regarding their
progress.

Relax, bro. We’re almost there. The plan
worked incredibly well.

Thank God!

Weapons weren’t allowed beyond the barrier,
so their options had been extremely limited. Ordinarily he would
have blasted the hell out of the enemy and flown away with the
girl. Unfortunately, his standard strategy had been useless in this
instance. The prince and Xyell were motivated by greed, so they’d
used their greed against them.

Aiden and Felicia emerged from the visitor’s
center first. Laetif and Quade followed a few minutes later. They
crossed the shuttle lot to where he stood and Felicia hugged
him.

“Thank you.” She kissed him on the cheek
then went back to his brother.

“I’m just the getaway pilot. You owe your
rescue to Laetif.”

“She already thanked me,” Laetif assured.
“She hasn’t stopped thanking me.”

“I’ve never been that frightened in my
life,” Felicia told him. “I tried to talk my way out of it, but I
don’t think Tarhee was convinced.”

“You have a layer of protection now,” Caleb
said. “But I’d stay on my toes.”

“I intend to.”

He motioned her toward the open hatch.
“Where am I taking everyone?”

“Back to your ship, if that’s all right. We
have plans to make.”

“Plans? I thought our mission was saving
Felicia. What’s next on your agenda?”

“An exit strategy,” Laetif told him. They
piled onto the shuttle and he set course for the spaceport before
she continued. “This is just the beginning. Neither of those men is
the kind to forgive and forget. We threw down the gauntlet and we
are going to have to fight hard to stay one step ahead of
them.”

“I agree,” Aiden said. “I got the impression
they let us walk away because it suited their plans just as well as
it suited ours.”

“Right again. They’ll be watching Felicia
like a hawk. They know she’s dangerous.”

“They have no idea how dangerous,” Felicia
said with a weary smile. “My gift bombarded me with information
about Prince Tarhee. The images didn’t make sense to me, but I
suspect his father would know what it all meant.”

“That’s a card we hold on to until we’re
backed into a corner,” Quade suggested.

“Absolutely,” Laetif agreed.

Caleb activated autopilot then turned to
face the others. “So what’s the exit strategy?”

“You are,” Laetif told him. “You have to
stay on the outside and provide us with an avenue of escape.”

“Not just for us,” Felicia put in. “As we
find others who are threatened and need to escape, we’ll need you
to take them to safety.”

“And how do I pay my crew while I’m being
philanthropic?”

“You trade with the vendors setting up
businesses in New Pompeii,” Laetif suggested. “That will give you a
legitimate reason for coming in and out of the city.”

Caleb sighed. He wasn’t opposed to the idea.
Having access to Laetif was definitely appealing. It would keep him
in one place longer than he was accustomed to, but the supply runs
would feed his wanderlust. Still, it felt like they were empowering
the corruption rather than fighting against it. “Why don’t we just
take this to the emperor and ask him to shut them down?”

Laetif shook her head. “We’d have to give
him a better reason than ‘we think they’re corrupt monsters’.”

“What happened on the ship isn’t enough to
prove they’re vile?”

“You tell me. Did port authority seem
interested when you reported the incident?”

He cringed. “It was an utter waste of
time.”

“Everyone involved stands to earn a pile of
money once the city opens,” Laetif persisted. “All we can do is
keep our eyes and ears open and deal with each individual crisis as
we learn about it.”

“The plain truth is most of my people aren’t
ready for your world,” Felicia added. “They need to transition
gradually, be given options as their concept of reality expands and
matures.”

Aiden grinned. “She’s not only beautiful,
she brilliant.”

Caleb laughed as his gaze shifted to Laetif.
“How long do we go with the flow, putting out fires along the way?
A couple of months? A few years? How gradual does this transition
need to be?”

“We’ll know when the time is right for
liberation.” Laetif reached over and squeezed his hand. “Felicia
will sense it and we’ll all be there to back her play.”

He looked from one face to the other until
he’d made eye contact with each person on the shuttle. Then he
grinned and said, “Let the games begin.”

Felicia entwined her fingers with Aiden’s as
she moved on his cock. She liked this position best, straddling his
hips and riding him like a stallion. It gave her a sense of control
and kept the shadows at bay. He didn’t seem to mind. He had let her
set the pace, rolling her hips and moving her pussy up and down the
length of his shaft.

“You’re so beautiful.” His fingers squeezed
hers and he rolled his hips, pushing deeper with her next downward
thrust.

Her clit pressed against his pelvic bone and
sensations swirled up through her body. “Oh yes,” she breathed,
tightening her inner muscles.

“Yes, you’re beautiful?” he teased.