Unleashed by the Defender (Brides of the Kindred #25) - Evangeline Anderson Page 0,34

right?” she asked, pointing to the image of J’are lying asleep or drugged in his cage with his long hair covering his eyes.

“Yeah, that’s me.” He grimaced. “She chained me up like a fucking animal. Used to braid pain receptors into my hair—I was glad when they shaved it off my first day in the hole.”

“It sounds like you’re remembering a little bit more,” Imani said cautiously.

He shrugged.

“Some. It’s like a few vivid images in a long stretch of black.”

“Can you remember if you were drugged that night?” Imani asked, pointing to the date signature on the bottom corner of the vid.

J’are frowned.

“I don’t know. I seem to remember my food tasting awful but then, it was never very good. Mistress Zangelo didn’t believe in rewarding bad bodyslaves with good food. I was more likely to get the pain prod for dessert than anything decent to eat when I was defying her.”

“What a horrible woman!” Imani burst out before she could stop herself. “I’m sorry,” she said, when J’are raised an eyebrow at her. “It’s just…I’m not from here. And it’s hard to understand how anyone could treat another person so horribly.”

“I take it you come from a more enlightened society?” J’are inquired.

Imani sighed.

“I’d like to think so but unfortunately, it’s not. I guess it’s just not as blatant as what goes on here in Yonnie Six—although it certainly was in the past.” She shook her head. “That’s one of the reasons I became a Councilor in the first place—to fight against injustice and inequality.”

“Well, I thank you for coming to fight for me, my Defender,” J’are said gravely. “I would have been executed if you hadn’t come.” He nodded at the vid, which Imani had paused. “Play the rest of that, would you? I want to see who framed me and put me in the hole.”

Imani unpaused the vid-clip and they watched together as the shadowy, cloaked figure came into the room and smeared blood all over J’are and his cage and the floor around it.

“Well, whoever they are, they certainly did a thorough job,” he muttered as they watched the shadowy figure slink away.

“So you don’t recognize anything about them?” Imani’s heart sank. “I realize it’s a long shot since the vid is so dark and they’re basically hiding their face but anything at all? The way they move? Something?”

“Sorry, no,” J’are said. He frowned, concentrating on the screen. “Though by the size, you can tell it was either a female or a very small male. And there aren’t many small males on Yonnie Six, since the Mistresses like their bodyslaves big and muscular as a sign of status.”

“Is that why your original Mistress picked you?” Imani asked curiously. “I mean, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” she added quickly. “I just thought—”

“No, it’s all right.” He shrugged, indicating that he didn’t mind talking. “I was only a young one of five or six cycles when old Mother Hownow came and took me away from the forests and jungles of my home world.”

“Mother Hownow?” Imani asked.

“That was what she wanted me to call her,” J’are told her. “I was an orphan and she wanted me to think of her as my mother.” He shrugged. “In time, I did. She was always very kind to me—she even wanted me to be her heir.”

“Yes, I heard that in court,” Imani said cautiously. “I understand that’s kind of a radical idea here on Yonnie Six. Having a male heir, I mean.”

“Radical?” He snorted. “Try insane. Saying you want a male heir makes everyone think you’re out of your fucking mind. But that was Mother Hownow. She was…eccentric to say the least.”

“It’s not crazy where I come from,” Imani told him. “In fact, in our not-too-distant past in a lot of places on Earth, it was women who weren’t allowed to inherit.”

“Role reversal. Interesting.” J’are nodded. “Well, Mother Hownow thought she could make a difference. Of course, she’d counted on having me Claimed by some understanding and loving Mistress before she died.” He swallowed hard and looked away. “That…didn’t happen. Unless…” He looked up at her and Imani felt again like those pale green eyes were piercing right through her.

“Yes, J’are?” she asked softly, her heart beating in her throat.

“Did you…Claim me last night? In the courtroom?” he asked hoarsely. “I know it sounds crazy since we just met but I have this persistent memory…”

“I guess I did. Or well, I sort of did.” Imani shook her