Page 27 of When Eden Falls

I held his turquoise gaze with a defiance Zamya would be proud of. Ruffled by my audacity, the Akquarian abruptly stood. He strutted down the steps in a fluent, flowing movement, his coral cape swishing in waves behind him. I caught sight of Rooke’s warning look in my peripheral vision, but I ignored it, still holding my nerve, watching the tall, lean Akquarian stalk dominantly towards me.

With his feet mere inches from my knees, he snatched my chin in his cold fingers, pulling my head back and to the side. Iheld my breath as he examined my profile, tracing his other hand down my neck and behind my ear. He seemed to hiss his disapproval and let go. “We honour our weaker sex by protecting them, keeping them safe. Maybe you don’t deserve that honour.”

Walking back to his throne, I looked at Rooke. His face was like that of an open book. He was beside himself, concerned, unnerved; heavily sighing with relief.

The Akquarian lounged in his throne again, deep in contemplation, stroking one of the glass arms. “I will help your fallen crewman,” he finally announced, “but there will be terms.”

Rooke swallowed hard and nodded, as if he had expected this. “And what are your terms?”

“You and your crew,” the Akquarian shot his eyes briefly to me, “are to remain here under my supervision. Which means you abide by my rules. And you will allow me to…what is the word? Yes, study you. We do not have visitors often, especially those from distant worlds.”

Rooke briefly glanced at me, before asking, “What do you mean by study?”

“I like knowledge, to be educated. I’m intrigued by you. I want to learn about you, your culture, your habits. I want to learn about your species.”

“So, nothing…intrusive? Nothing physical?”

The Akquarian mused for a moment, surveying the crowd. “Nothing physical, unless consented to by yourself.”

Rooke and I exchanged a look. My initial instinct was not to trust this male, but if it meant saving Oz’s life, then it was a risk I was willing to take.

“Do we have a deal?”

I nodded and Rooke answered, “As long as your studies of my crew are chaperoned by myself, then, yes, we have a deal.”

The Akquarian chuckled. “Oh, believe me, commander, you will always be chaperoned here.” He clicked his fingers and the guard at my back stepped around me, cutting the bonds around my wrists. He pulled me to my feet, and I realised the others had also been unshackled.

Looking over my shoulder, Oz was being transferred from the floor onto a wooden stretcher by several guards. I watched them carry him away as I scanned the remainder of the room. Other than myself, Cora, and Zamya, there were no females present. All the guards appeared to be male.

I glanced back at the dais, to where their leader was no longer visible. Now descending the steps was the blue caped, golden armoured soldier—his eyes on me.

“Come,” he said, his words spoken in a stronger accent than his leader. “I will show you to your rooms.”

My guard grabbed my arm tightly and coerced me to follow the blue caped male exiting the main doorway. Heavy steps resounded from behind, and Zamya’s hissing indicated I wasn’t alone. But it was several minutes later, after climbing three sets of claustrophobic stairwells, I realised Rooke and Kobe weren’t with us.

Walking along a wide hallway, I glanced at Cora and Zamya behind me, both being hauled along by tall, bare-chested Akquarians. “Where is Rooke?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Where is our commander?”

The blue caped soldier made no movement to acknowledge me, continuing to lead us down the hallway. I cursed under my breath. I couldn’t ignore the overzealous churning in the pit of my stomach. Everything about this situation felt wrong, horribly wrong.

The soldier eventually stopped and opened a door to our left. Watching us with scrutiny, he said, “Your commander and the other males are being escorted to their rooms. The first rule you must become accustomed to is males and females do not mix here. Unless they are escorted by an approved chaperon, or during the seasonal festivities.”

“Approved chaperon?” Zamya chided.

“Yes.” He glared at her. “Anyone with a blue cape or sash is an approved chaperon. You’ll do well to remember that.” He rested his gaze back on me. “Rule number two. You remain in yourrooms unless summoned. If you are found outside your rooms unauthorised, you will be reprimanded.”

Reprimanded? How severely reprimanded? I stared up at his tall stature. Judging by the emphasis in his crystal blue eyes and the hard expression chiselled onto his face, it was something I did not want to challenge. There was a brutal scar, bluish in colour, slashed across his chin. I considered asking him where he’d gotten it from? Was it a battle scar or merely an example of punishment?

He gestured with his hand to the open doorway leading into a bright room. I swallowed down the knot forming in my throat and reluctantly walked over the threshold.

The sight that met me stopped me in my tracks. The room was breath-taking, almost overwhelming. It was spacious and light with a marbled floor and rustic looking walls, that twinkled as if they were made of crystal. A large balcony lay on the far side, allowing sunlight to stream into the room, and a soft breeze played with the loose strands of my ponytail. Pale, smooth surfaced rocks jutted out of the floor. Each had an array of cushions and throws sprawled across them in shades of green and blue. A similar structure, in the shape of a table and dining chairs, stood in the corner. A large glass vase sat in the middle, displaying a cluster of unusual purple flowers.

“Wow,” gasped Cora, appearing next to me.

“I know,” I whispered back, my eyes still finding beauty in everything they looked upon.

We both jumped at the sound of the Akquarian soldier’s harsh voice behind us. “Your attendants will be along soon.” I turned to face him. “Enjoy your stay,” he said before pulling the door shut, sealing us inside.

“Attendants?” Zamya stared at the closed door. “Is this really a palace?”