5
Ruby couldn’t believe her luck. She had defeated one beast, and now she must slay a different one. There was no doubt that this was Drake’s personal quarters. The black silk bedding, the sparse decorating, not to mention the rich smell of sandalwood and musk that wafted through the air. A scent she would forever and always now associate with him. And only him.
As soon as she saw Drake, there was no need to say the words. She knew, just like she knew she was breathing, that he was the one her soul had always craved. The one that was created just for her to guide, to cherish, to aid, but most of all to love.
But he had brought her here. To his room. What did he expect her to do, lay down and give her best come-hither stare? What kind of a person did he think she was? What kind of person was he used to? Sure he was an Adonis, with his short dark mane of hair and broad shoulders. But he had no right to treat her this way!
His clothes were similar to hers, but there was a silver and crimson piping stitched around the neck and arms, which was different from anyone else she had encountered.
“I thought you were taking me to my room,” Ruby said, backing away from him.
He slowly raised his hands and motioned towards the table in the corner. It was set with all sorts of bread, cheeses, and meats. “I asked for the meal to be brought in here. It’s one of the few places on the ship that we can be free to talk without prying ears.” He walked to the right of his bed and placed his hand against the wall. Suddenly a door materialized, and he beckoned her to follow him.
Drake swept his arm. “This will be your room for the duration of your stay.”
The duration of my stay, Ruby repeated in her mind. Hmm. That sounded incredibly… non-committal. Not that she wanted to be committed to him or anything. She barely knew him. Not that she was repulsed by him, though. The way those arms felt around her. The strength, the warmth, the… Oh who was she kidding? She’d always been a sucker for the bad boys. And this muscular man with the dark eyes was definitely a bad alien boy. She was in trouble.
His molten eyes met hers and she blushed. She had been so caught up in him she had not taken in her surroundings at all. And they were stunning.
“Wow,” she whispered.
The bed was made up with lush plum colored sheets. It was sparsely decorated, with just a small desk, chair, and lamp in one corner. There was a small dresser and she walked over to pull out a drawer. One held some toiletry items, nothing looked as it did back home, but she could pretty well guess what everything was. The others held clothes like she was wearing, except all of these had the same color outline as Drake’s.
Ruby spotted a window on the other side of the bed and the view was breathtaking. An aurora was wafting before her, with giant boulders suspended throughout. The asteroids didn’t look anything like she’d ever seen before. They looked like mirrored diamonds shining impossibly bright. It was a beautiful.
“The Halcydian. Magnificent, isn’t it?” he asked, his voice low. “This is the place we escape to when times get tough. Fall into its orbit and the Da’Nesh can’t find us no matter how powerful their scanners.”
At the mention of the Da’Nesh again Ruby looked up at him. He must have seen the million questions in her eyes, because he backed away and motioned towards the door. Either that, or he’d heard her stomach growl. “Please, let us talk over dinner. You have to be hungry.”
She managed a small smile and passed back into his room. The door to hers immediately disappeared. He pulled back a chair for her at the table and sat down. Her mouth watered at the array of food. Considering she’d never had alien food before she hoped it tasted as good as it looked. And that the meat was from something normal and not some weird beast like she had killed in the arena.
Ruby was distinctly aware of Drake’s pinning gaze while she ate, but she tried to calm the flutters in her stomach. “So,” she tore up a piece of bread and popped it in her mouth. “I’m guessing the Da’Nesh aren’t the nice olive branch aliens that Earth thinks they are. Am I right?”
Drake’s gaze shifted to her mouth, then lazily back up to her flushed cheeks. His mouth was relaxed in a slight frown and Ruby wondered what it would be like to have it on her own. “That is correct. I’m afraid the Da’Nesh have manipulated your home planet. I’m not certain why, perhaps because of its resources. In any case they have decided it’s more worthwhile as it is.”
“And what about when it becomes not-so-worthwhile?”
Drake’s face went dark. “They will not stop until every person on your planet is dead.”
“Oh,” Ruby swallowed hard.
“Yes,” he let out a frustrated sigh. “But right now Earth isn’t what the Da’Nesh are after. Right now they are more concerned about killing me, apparently.”
She slowly nodded her head. “Yes, um, about that. I get the basic gist of this whole soul match thing. I think anyway,” she spoke hurriedly, and slightly breathless. “But what exactly does it mean? I mean I think I know what it means, I just don’t understand how they knew it was me. How did they know where I was? One second I was standing in line getting lunch, and the next I’m standing in a dirty cell on the other side of the universe with a dagger in my hand.”
Drake was silent so long Ruby wondered if he’d listened to a word she said. His brow furrowed. “The person who abducted you, and the other women, is called the General. He is the leader of the Da’Nesh. They use soul matches as a form of execution, because when one half of the whole is killed… the other will follow. One cannot be separated from the other for very long.”
Ruby shivered involuntarily. His words wrapped around her like cool silk. She continued eating, but a sick feeling began to grow in her stomach.
“How did they know it was you?” he repeated the question, almost as if he were asking himself. “It is in our DNA. Half of the equation is physical compatibility. The truth is the Da’Nesh killed everyone in my home system. The people on this ship are all that is left, and the General will stop at nothing to make sure we are ash like the rest of our family. So the first thing he must do is to get rid of the leader. He must have bribed someone here for a sample of my DNA. It’s the only way they could trace potential soul matches.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “You? You’re the leader? As in… King?” A wave of nausea washed over her, and she sipped some water. Now was not the time to get sick.
Sadness broke through his fierce mask, but only for a moment. “In Alium my father was King. But when he died our home planet and all in our system died with him. I am King of nothing. Royalty died with my father. I’m the leader for revenge.” His voice sounded like razors and Ruby realized he wasn’t looking at her anymore. He had a faraway expression that chilled her to the bone.
“And after the events of today, it is imperative that the Da’Nesh reign ends soon. The General will pay for what he has done.”
Ruby’s head felt like it was spinning. She tried to take small, shallow breaths. The nausea was getting worse. “I think… I think I need to…”
“Lie down,” he finished for her and caught Ruby in his arms just as she fell out of the chair. He lifted her up with one arm and pressed a hand against her cheek. “Gravity sickness. It must have hit you when you started eating. You need rest. There will be plenty of time for talking tomorrow.”
Ruby relaxed in his arms as he carried her to bed. Soon cool sheets fitted across her chest, covering her tightly and she burrowed down into the billowy mattress.
Warm breath caressed her face. “Sleep well.”
His lack of presence disconcerted her, and Ruby pried her eyes open to see him leaving the room. Her stomach was flipping so much it hurt. On a normal day she would have cringed at how pathetic she probably sounded. The feminist in her would kick and scream in rage. But right now she didn’t care.
“Drake,” she reached one hand out of the covers. “Please stay. I’m – I’m scared.”
She heard the soft hiss of the door closing and couldn’t open her eyes again. Lonely tears threatened to pour out, but she bit her lip to keep them back.
Then the bed sagged under the weight of someone else and fingers twined with her outstretched hand. She felt his warm lips on the back of her hand, and then warmth surrounded her.
“Sleep,” his voice implored softly. “You are safe with me, Ruby. I will not leave you.”
Ever, she finished for him. Or maybe he had really said it. Or maybe it was the sickness and exhaustion creeping up on her. It didn’t matter anyway.
She had a feeling she would never want him to leave.