Alien Conquest (Fated Mates of Xaensskar #2) - Jude Gray Page 0,6

He’d known a lot of sorrow in his short life.

I cleared my throat. “Your mother…”

“I have no mother,” he said stonily. “We won’t speak of her again.”

I only nodded. He’d learned a hard lesson.

“It’s cold, isn’t it?” he said, a few minutes later.

“Yes.” It was cold and would only get colder as the night dragged on, but there was nothing I could do about that. “Would you like me to sing to you to take your mind off the chill?” I asked, my teeth beginning to chatter. If we hadn’t been chained we could’ve gotten up and paced around the courtyard, which would’ve warmed us up somewhat. But we couldn’t move.

“Yes,” Vihn said. “Sing something, Kreia.”

I didn’t want to sing anything sad. I didn’t want to be melancholic. But when I tried to sing something uplifting, it didn’t work. It didn’t work at all. I sang it anyway, but after a while I had to stop because I was shivering so much from the insidious cold that my voice was too shaky.

I could hear occasional sounds from inside the house—though house seemed the wrong word for the huge monstrosity behind which we crouched, freezing and afraid—but they were odd sounds, like the clang of metal, once, and the sound of heavy wood being dragged over concrete. I also heard footsteps from high up, as though someone walked out onto one of the many balconies to peer down into the courtyard.

“Vihn?” I whispered, later. When he didn’t answer, I called his name again, louder.

“I’m alive,” he said.

Someone yanked open the heavy door to the courtyard and a guard stuck his head inside, then quickly withdrew.

“Wait,” I called. “Please.” Then, realizing I was sounding less like a male and more like a female, I remembered to deepen my voice and make my words less…girlie. “Tell Tavin we need a fire. We’re freezing our asses off out here.”

He laughed. “You say that like you think he gives a fuck if you die.”

“Just ask him.” I made my voice as scornful as possible, though what I really wanted to do was cry. My ass had gone numb as wetness seeped through my worn clothes, my entire body ached from the abuse the guards had heaped upon me, and the chains were heavy and bruising. The misery could be borne with a little heat, though. I really disliked the cold.

In a couple of hours, I might be a corpse, and though he was hardier than me—at least when it came to the weather—I didn’t expect Vihn to survive the elements either.

Tavin was a cruel man.

But the guard only laughed as he walked away. “It could be a lot worse for you boys. If the master allowed it, someone would be humping your asses right now.”

Though I agreed with him that it could definitely be worse—I’d rather die than be raped by a bunch of hairy four-armed half-Khorks and horned Hagrigas—I was finding it a little difficult to look on the bright side.

“Fucking cold,” I muttered.

Vihn managed a rusty chuckle. “You always did hate the cold.” Then, “I guess it’s better we die here than in prison.”

“We’re not dying anywhere,” I snapped. “A promise is a promise.” And then, my anger and outrage warming me, I began yelling as loud as I could for Dexx Tavin. I hollered his name until my throat hurt and my voice was hoarse. People came out onto balconies and to windows to order me to shut my mouth, but I refused.

Two of the guards returned, kicking open the heavy wooden door and trudging resentfully into the cold little courtyard.

“Fire?” I asked hopefully. “Did the cruel master of Eastmeadow relent?”

“The cruel master of Eastmeadow,” one of them growled, “isn’t listening, you fucking idiot.” Then he pulled his bludgeon and began grimly and with great satisfaction to beat the spirit right out of me.

He’d landed three blows before from somewhere high on the wall, a voice, grim and dark, floated down. “Stop.”

The guard paused with his arm lifted, then turned to peer up at one of the gently glowing windows. “Sir?”

“Build them a fucking fire.”

Then I heard his footsteps as he strode away, and I could only wonder how long he’d been standing there watching and listening.

And why, in the end, he’d softened enough to make sure we had some comfort during the cold, awful night.

Chapter Four

DEXX

I stood in the deep shadows outside my private quarters, listening to the two prisoners in the courtyard below. I’d come upstairs after burying Jula, my