Page 100 of Star-Crossed Captive
Her heart leaped at the word. He must have seen the trepidation on her face, because he added, “It’s where we need to go to emancipate you officially. I want there to be no question you are free if someone were to happen upon you before you get on a transport.”
She nodded even though her stomach clenched and churned at the thought of leaving.
Mace tipped his head to the two men in front of them. “This is Spiro,” he said, indicating the one with the dark glasses who gave her a nod. “And Betel.” The other man only grunted. “You can trust them.” He turned to his friends. “Did Cache survive? Did she pick up the shuttle my sister tagged?”
“Cache is kicking,” Spiro said. “We know nothing of a shuttle.”
“Who’s planning the offensive?” Mace asked.
“Admiral Krispin,” Betel answered, his voice coming out like a scratchy bark.
“Good. There isn’t another I’d trust more with my life. What about the tyros? How are they doing?”
“Recovering,” Spiro answered, his mouth grim. “They weren’t ready for battle.”
“No,” Mace agreed.
Nia swallowed, remembered the young ages of Mace’s trainees.
“What of Lexi?” Spiro asked.
Tension snapped through his body. “A Guardian picked her up.”
Betel growled at the same time as Spiro cursed in Tellusian, making her jump. Mace gave her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder.
“We won’t rest until we get her back,” Mace said, his voice harder than she’d ever heard it.
The other two nodded their agreement.
“Let’s go,” he said to Nia, running his hand to her hip. She tucked herself into his side and headed out of the hangar.
Everything was quiet as they stepped into the corridor, like it was nighttime hours. They traveled in a strange formation, Mace at her side with Spiro in the front and Betel at the rear—like all three of them expected trouble on their own ship.
They didn’t encounter any as they took a lift downward. With Mace at her back and the other two in front, the lift felt incredibly small.
Processing had the same feel as it did onOrion, sterile and impersonal, a medicinal scent hovering over everything. A shiver of apprehension tickled her spine when the processor, a woman with long brown hair, took them into one of the small rooms. Nia sat at one side of the table, the processor on the other. The three warriors behind her formed a formidable wall, and the processor kept glancing at them as she went through the emancipation procedure.
Every so often, like when the processor asked her about her missing bonds, Mace would bark a response in Tellusian back at her. The tension in the room kept escalating, the processor’s expression more shuttered. Long minutes later, Nia was given a palette, a clean uniform marking her as a civilian, and an ID number attached to her one name.
It was over, she was free, a Tellusian citizen.
The processor scurried from the room like it held a plague.
Standing from the table, Nia turned and regarded the three warriors.
These were her people now.Until I reach home.
Swallowing the panicked feelings bubbling in her throat, Nia took Mace’s hand when he offered it and followed the other two out. They traveled to another deck, then the pair who’d met them at the hangar gave Mace a nod before leaving them in front of a door.
“These are my assigned quarters,” Mace said as he scanned his hand. “You’ll be safe here until your transport.”
The quarters were small, about the same size as the ones she’d had onElara Five. There was one narrow bed, a refrigeration unit, and a desk-type table and chair affixed to the bulkhead on the other side.
Tugging on her fingers, Mace sat on the bed, and pulled her between his legs. His hands stroked her arms when he spoke.
“Your transport leaves at oh-nine-hundred. Don’t leave this room until then. Go straight to the hangar, board using your new ID. Keep your palette close. You’ll need it to make your connections. Don’t talk to anyone. They’ll know your CORE right off from your accent, and they’ll expect bonds, or for you to speak Tellusian. They’ll test you if they’re suspicious. And if you’re put through the system again, the way I’ve gone about things to keep you safe, I don’t think they’d bother to contact me. Don’t get caught.”
She licked her dry lips. “What do you mean? What things?”
