Warriors of Phaeton: Paine and Rowe Read online

  “Are you still freaking out?”

  “Of course, I am,” Charlotte growled, her voice so hushed that Indigo almost couldn’t hear it through the door.

  The longer the couple—or non-couple, depending on who you listened to—continued to argue, the more fatigued Indigo felt. Sliding down the thick wooden door, she dropped her head into her hands. Her head was splitting, her stomach felt sour, and every muscle in her body ached.

  And that was only the physical shit storm she was feeling right now; the mental aspect was too much for her to even consider at this point.

  “This can’t be happening,” she said, rocking back and forth.

  “It’s happening.”

  Indigo frowned at the male voice that came from the other side of the barrier. “I don’t wanna hear from you, buddy! For all I know, you were part of the group that kidnapped us!”

  Even as she said it, Indigo knew that most likely wasn’t true. The more she remembered the kidnapping, the more she was sure she’d seen a Phaeton that night. The differences between Phaetons and the guy outside weren’t huge, but they were noticeable.

  “You may not want to listen, but everything you’ve been told is the truth. You can trust us. I’m one of the Djaromir that saved not only you,” he answered evenly, “but also Charlotte and the other brides. In turn, you may have actually saved us as well.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” she snapped. Her brain couldn’t handle him speaking in riddles right now.

  “It means that I need you to come out and be prepared to listen.”

  “To who?” Indigo stood back up, facing the door as if it were a person.

  “To our leader,” he answered. “K’hor, the warlord of this city, can explain everything. Just open the door and we’ll get you hydrated and fed before heading down to the dining hall. If you’re like the other women, I’m sure you feel incredibly thirsty right about now.”

  Indigo nodded even though he couldn’t see her, noting the uncomfortable dryness that was taking over her throat.

  She was really thirsty.

  “Charlotte?”

  “Indigo?” Charlotte called out. “You can trust Saber. I promise.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because when I woke up, I kneed him in the junk so hard I think I bruised my knee,” she answered plainly. “You know what he did?”

  “What?”

  “He asked me very nicely not to do that again.” Charlotte let out a small laugh. “That’s it. He didn’t yell or even for one moment act like he was going to retaliate. He didn’t even make a move to push me away. He literally said, ‘Please don’t do that again.’”

  Indigo snorted as she imagined the scene. There was a lot to be said for a guy that took a shot to the crotch and didn’t even make the gesture to fight back.

  “Okay.” Taking a deep breath, Indigo sent up a prayer hoping that she wasn’t going to get herself killed. “I’m coming out.”

  Opening the door, the first thing she saw was Saber standing all the way across the room. Next to him, almost shielded as if he were protecting her, was the woman he’d introduced as his before Indigo had lost her shit and panicked.

  Charlotte gave her a little wave before she elbowed her way from behind Saber and approached with a bottle of liquid in one hand. Holding it out, she gave Indigo a lopsided smile. “Drink all of it. When I first woke up, I had severe cotton mouth, and it’s going to take more than one of those to get rid of it.”

  “It didn’t stop you from yelling at me,” Saber interrupted, his eyes locked on Charlotte with a warmth that even Indigo could feel.

  “I didn’t yell at you,” Charlotte snapped, turning bright red. “And, if I did, I’m sure you deserved it.”

  “I’m sure I did too,” he agreed softly, his eyes never leaving her.

  Charlotte blinked at him a few times, her cheeks still blushing pink.

  Indigo cleared her throat, partly because she was a reluctant third wheel in whatever the hell these two had going on and partly because she really wanted the water bottle Charlotte was holding prisoner in her frozen grip.

  “Sorry.” Handing the liquid over, Charlotte made a funny face. “I’m still a little out of sorts. I’ve been awake since yesterday, and I think I’ve gone through pretty much every available emotion on the spectrum. Fear, anger, disgust, more anger, loathing, and a whole lot of confusion.”

  “Really? Where are you now?” Indigo studied the other woman, taking note that she looked fairly sane and not at all like she was about to lose it.

  “Weirdly, I’m okay.” Charlotte’s brow furrowed as if she were trying to figure something out.

  Indigo followed her gaze to the large alien male stationed by the door.

  Interesting.

  “What happens now?” Indigo asked, interrupting the staring contest that had been happening between Saber and Charlotte.

  Since the first moment, even before he’d verbally “claimed” her, Indigo had sensed a link between the two. Honestly, it was so strong that she couldn’t ignore it even if she’d tried. He watched Charlotte as if he couldn’t handle her being out of his view, and she was constantly looking back to make sure he was still there.

  “The Phaetons figured out we were kidnapped not long before these guys saved us. Our government didn’t even realize we were missing until after the rescue.” Charlotte snorted, shaking her head.

  “But…how?” Indigo asked, a strange feeling settling in her chest at the idea that she hadn’t been missed. The hurt she felt was not something she’d expected. She knew she was all alone in the world, but when it was pointed out, it stung.

  “There was an explosion at the Intake Center around the time of your disappearance. The mess it created was enough to help conceal what your contact had done,” Saber supplied. “We would not have known your identity if not for the electronic medical files stored on the biocrates. After accessing them, we notified the Phaetons of your whereabouts.”

  “Medical files?”

  “They included the exams we took after applying for the Pact. They conveniently stored it in the care so our buyers had a certificate of authenticity,” Charlotte answered with a harsh laugh. Rubbing her arms, she looked down at the floor. “All of the information we’d provided at the Intake Center was there. The sizes we wear, any allergies we have, all of the things we’d filled out on our applications were listed. Everything down to the details of our menstrual cycles.”

  Charlotte’s hands shook as she nervously wrung them together.

  “You’re safe now, Red,” Saber whispered as he surrounded Charlotte in the circle of his arms. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

  Indigo looked away. She ached for a similar comfort but had no one to provide it.

  After a few whispers back and forth between Charlotte and Saber, she seemed to pull herself together.

  “I’m sorry,” Charlotte said.

  “No, don’t be sorry.” Indigo let out a sad laugh. “I know exactly how you’re feeling. I’m still trying to process all of this, so you’re totally cool.”

  Charlotte knuckled away a tear threatening to spill over and nodded. “Well, the Phaetons are on their way now. We just need to hang out here until they can come pick us up.”

  Indigo pretended not to hear the low growl that rumbled from Saber when Charlotte said “us.”

  “How soon is that going to happen?”

  “Around a month or so,” Charlotte said with a shrug. “The big guys said there is a static storm that makes it impossible for ships to land, so they have to wait for it to clear.”

  “Until then, you will be cared for,” Saber added.

  Rubbing her temples, Indigo breathed out in a steady whoosh. She had a million questions, but they were all twisted about in her head.

  “How many women did Eva kidnap?”

  “We rescued twenty-seven brides.”

  “There are twenty-seven of us?” Indigo asked, her
mouth falling open. She couldn’t fathom someone making that many people disappear in one swoop.

  “I know, right?” Charlotte whispered, her face grim.

  “The woman who worked as your liaison may have done this before. With no matches and no family, it was easy for her to pick the perfect targets. This was the first auction we’d been invited to, but that doesn’t mean it was the first that took place.”

  Saber’s words did nothing to make her feel even the slightest bit better. In fact, they made her feel worse.

  Auction.

  That one word hit her hard. She’d been auctioned off like an animal. They all had.

  Indigo took a few moments to let that nugget sink in. Just thinking about what could have happened made her skin crawl. Taking a moment to hopefully center herself, she closed her eyes.

  “Indigo,” Charlotte said, placing a comforting hand on her arm, “do you need to sit down for a moment?”

  “I’m okay.” Indigo waved her away and blinked back stinging tears. “It’s just a lot…you know.”

  “I get it. I’d probably still be a crying mess if Saber hadn’t calmed me down.” Charlotte turned a little pink at the admission.

  “Whatever you need, Red.” Saber winked at Charlotte.

  Tears forgotten, Indigo couldn’t stop her eyebrow from shooting up at the exchange.

  “Whenever you need it,” he said, his voice low and obviously meant for Charlotte alone.

  Not low enough, dude.

  “Ahem,” Charlotte cleared her throat, giving him a flustered smile. “Aren’t we supposed to head to the dining hall?”

  “Yes. Warlord K’hor and Juniper will be on their way once she’s ready,” he said, moving to the door as he spoke.

  “Who’s that?” Indigo asked, following automatically.

  “He’s our leader.”

  “She’s his bride.”

  Indigo stopped abruptly, surprised at the synchronization of their response, and Charlotte ran right into her.

  “Sorry,” Charlotte said quickly, and held onto Indigo until both were steady. “Juniper is one of us. She was one of the last brides to wake up.”

  Indigo perked up at that bit of info and continued walking. If their destination was going to take her straight to their leader then she didn’t want to waste time. She had questions—many of them—and she needed answers.

  “How did we wake up? Was it automatic when that box opened? Smelling salts? Another shot?” Indigo winced even as she said the last one and rubbed at the spot on her neck where she had been painfully injected.

  “Opening the crate automatically turns off the stasis setting. Usually, it is only a few moments. But some, like yourself, have taken longer to completely wake.”

  “Is that bad?” Indigo asked, hoping the answer would be a resounding no.

  Saber gave her a gentle smile. “That’s not a bad thing at all. Our healers believe that whatever the Verge administered prior to entering the crates affected how strongly you went under. All of your vitals were stable. It just took you a bit more time to wake up. It’s not unheard of, especially considering how long you were contained.”

  “Wait.” Indigo grabbed his arm. “How long were we stuck in those things?”

  Her words echoed in the carved tunnel they’d been traveling down.

  Indigo looked around, just now seeing the proof that she wasn’t in Kansas anymore.

  “Holy wow,” she whispered. “Are those rocks that light up? How far underground are we? Is that why it was so cold before? Why does it feel like it’s getting warmer? Do the rocks heat when they light up?”

  Saber chuckled at the stream of off-topic questions that poured out of Indigo.

  “Yes, they are stones that illuminate, but no, they do not hold heat. We are quite deep underground, but it’s not as cold as usual because we’re close to the kitchens and the dining hall.” He pointed in the direction they’d been moving. “They’re not too far ahead, and when the ovens are fired, they heat a good portion of this area.”

  Indigo nodded. “Well, huh.” Turning around in the tunnel, she looked back the way they’d come. “That’s crazy.”

  “Not crazy,” Saber answered with a chuckle. “Just Djaromir.”

  “Forty-two days,” Charlotte said, startling Indigo.

  “Forty-two days, what?” she asked automatically.

  “We’ve been missing for forty-two days.”

  “Holy shit,” Indigo breathed as her stomach flipped at the news.

  Anything could have happened to them in that amount of time; death was not the worst she imagined. She’d been completely vulnerable and at the mercy of kidnappers for over a month. The thought made her feel sick to her stomach.

  Indigo closed her eyes and sent up a prayer of thanks to her family for watching over her. Her angels had to have had some hand in keeping her safe. There was no other excuse for how lucky she’d been.

  Now, she just needed to get home.

  Chapter Three

  Indigo tried to stay within her own little bubble once they’d made it to the dining hall. Saber and Charlotte offered to introduce her around, but she’d declined. The last thing she wanted to do was mingle and make friends. The seriousness of what had happened and, more importantly, what had almost happened had been like a bucket of water straight to the face.

  She’d signed up with the plan of taking the stipend and splitting. Karma had called her out on her choice and this was the fallout. Indigo needed to make this right. She wanted—no, needed to go home.

  The sooner the better, she thought as she saw a few of the Djaromir men cast admiring glances her way. She was used to the attention, having been graced with her mom’s curvy Latina genes, but that was the last thing on her mind.

  Keep it moving, buddy.

  Indigo put on an air of polite indifference. They were hot and all, but she had no plans of falling into whatever trap snared Charlotte. There was no way that girl was going back to Earth—not with the way Saber watched her. There wasn’t a moment that Charlotte was out of his line of site. Even cuter, Indigo noted the way he stood taller when she was eying him back.

  She could have stood watching the pair dance around each other all night, if she hadn’t noticed the guy she assumed was the head honcho making his way through the center of the room. It wasn’t hard to guess he was their leader. The crowd split for him like the seas parting for Moses, and a few of the Djaromir even bowed as he walked past.

  “I’m Warlord K’hor, one of the three warlords that govern Djaromir.” His voice boomed out over the hushed room. “As many of you have heard, our shuttle rescued you from the Pleasure Sector. First, I want to assure you that you are safe.” K’hor held up his hands when the room filled with murmurs at his words. “You will be well cared for as we wait for the static storms to die down.”

  “How long will that be?” Indigo heard herself yell out the question before she could stop herself. Pasting a smile on her face, she faked a bravado she didn’t feel.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Indigo Marchant,” she answered, silently patting herself on the back when her voice didn’t waver.

  “Indigo like the color?” he asked with a smile that flashed her a dimple.

  She sucked in a breath at its appearance. She’d always had a thing for dimples. They were the equivalent to a cherry on top when it came to a sexy grin.

  And sexy grins made her act like an idiot.

  “Yes,” she nodded, smiling back stupidly.

  The warlord’s attention left her for a moment and focused on someone standing in the front row. Indigo looked over the crowd to see what had distracted him. Standing there staring directly back at her stood the bride he’d entered with.

  “Tiny,” K’hor called out as he held out his hand to the woman.

  If looks could kill, Indy would have been bleeding out on the floor.

  The woman frowned in her direction even as she moved to his side. Gripping his hand, t
here was no hesitation in her gestures as she took her place beside him. Little things like that were telling from where Indigo was standing. If she didn’t know they’d just met, she would have guessed they’d been together for a while.

  Kind of like Saber and Charlotte.

  When the big, strong warlord linked his fingers with Juniper’s, Indigo knew she’d guessed right.

  They were exactly like Saber and Charlotte.

  “As I was saying, while we wait for the solar storms to dissipate, there is no need for worry. A message from the Phaetons has been received alerting us to their arrival as soon as they are able to clear the weather around our planets.”

  “How long?” Indigo repeated, this time louder than before.

  “The storms generally run for a standard Earth month,” K’hor answered, nodding in her direction.

  Indigo cringed as the women around her erupted in protest.

  “There is—” K’hor tried to speak over the complaints, but it was lost among the noise filling the hall. He tried again. “Please—”

  From where Indigo was standing, she could see the woman next to him raise her fingers to her mouth. It took her less than a second to recognize the move, but it was long enough for her to act. Quickly sticking her fingers in her ears, Indigo barely avoided the sharp whistle that split the air.

  “Listen up, ladies!” Juniper yelled after the room had fallen silent. She bumped her arm into the obviously stunned leader beside her, knocking him out of his stupor.

  The warlord cleared his throat. “As I was saying, the Phaetons won’t be able to land until the storms clear. Once they arrive, you will be given a choice.”

  “A choice?” one of the females asked from the other side of the room. “What do you mean?”

  Juniper whispered something to the warlord before stepping forward.

  “Ummm…” Juniper cleared her throat. “Hi, I’m Juniper.” Nodding at the women, she gave a little wave to Charlotte who waved back at her. Clasping her hands at her waist, she started, her voice quiet in the large room. “I know everyone is confused right now, so I’m just gonna lay it all out, okay?”