Pria opened her eyes in alarm. The room was shaking, and there was nobody in sight to tell her what was going on. She tried to speak but couldn’t get any words out. Whatever she had been given was still working on her.
“It’s all right,” the same musical voice that had spoken to her before said soothingly. She felt a warm pressure on her shoulder that sent a jolt of longing through her, but the hand seemed far away, as if it weren’t really there at all. Or maybe it was an impression from a dream.
“I’ll keep you safe,” the mysterious stranger said. “There will be a few loud noises soon, but after that things will be back to normal. It’s just the engines. We have to pick up speed or we will all be in danger.”
Engines? Was she being transported in some kind of cargo train? What the hell was happening to her?
“Don’t try to move or talk, the danger will soon pass. Don’t be alarmed. We will make sure you’re all right. I have to stake my own life on yours, so trust me, you are precious and you can count on my utmost protection.”
The man’s words soothed her, and she turned her eyes up, squinting past the bright lights. She could make out his silhouette. He was tall; handsome and muscular. But there was something so strange about the way he looked. She wondered if maybe he had a deformity. Or maybe she was hallucinating from whatever drugs she had been pumped full of. Lord knew she felt a little sick to her stomach. There was no telling what was in her system.
But despite that, her eyes lingered hungrily on him. He was wearing a tight black suit that showed off the angles of his muscular body and the generous bulge near his groin. Not only was he handsome, but he was well-endowed. She made a note of this as she tried to force herself to remember anything from the time before she was sedated.
All that came back to her were confusing fragments, like those of a dream. Memories of her boyfriend Paul telling her that it was over, that he wanted to see other people. Things had been rocky for a while, and although he had been a bit abusive toward her, she had done her best to stick with him through thick and thin. They had been together since high school and she had helped to support him through college. But despite that, he still believed that he could do better than Pria and had been flirting with a woman from the grocery store for a few months before they broke up. She had been mildly tolerant of his obvious flirting, but when they broke up she realized that he had been serious and had the audacity to do it right in front of her. It was infuriating.
Had she killed him? Was that why she was being detained? Maybe in a fit of rage she had just blacked out and done the worst to him. Lord knew he deserved it. Or maybe she’d had a mental breakdown. She didn’t think she cared that much about him, but, frankly, her career was in the toilet as it was. She’d had to hold off on her own education to put Paul through school, and she had gone into debt to pay off his loans. It took everything she had to help him thrive, thinking that they would be able to live the rest of their lives out together as husband and wife. But he had never even mentioned proposing, and had probably just been using her from the start.
Pria groaned and leaned back on the pillow. It was exquisitely soft. She almost felt like a princess on it. Was she covered up? Was she tied down? Anything might give her a clue about her whereabouts. But still, her neck was paralyzed and she couldn’t see down to her body. All she could take in were the vague shapes around her peripheral vision, something like large machines, and the metallic ceiling. Maybe it really was some kind of armored car, taking her off to the psych ward or the police station.
Suddenly the whirring noise stopped and the room stopped rumbling.
“There, the ship has slowed down. You see? Nothing to be afraid of. It was just a little bump in the road so to speak.”
The man came into her sights again and flashed her a dashing smile. Something about his proportions…his mouth was a little too big, but that just seemed to make his smile all the more radiant. And his hairstyle was strange. Long black hair, but thin and intricate spiral designs were shaved into his head, showing smooth bald skin underneath. And those eyes. They seemed to see right through her.
She was trying so hard to move or speak, to fight off the sedation and regain some control over her situation. Finally, a squeak. He perked up upon hearing the noise and turned his intense gaze upon her, quirking one eyebrow as if he were listening intently. It was an expression no other man had ever given her before.
“Who are you?” she whispered. Finally, some control. She reveled in her victory for a moment as he gazed at her.
“Most people can’t speak for weeks after that,” he murmured to himself, shocked.
What did he mean by that? After what? She felt suddenly afraid.
He seemed to sense the fear in her and his face softened.
“No, it’s nothing bad. Well at least, I’m trying to compliment you. My name is Zander. I’m going to come back tonight and then we can see what we can do to get you to feeling a bit better and understand your situation.”
Zander nodded at her courteously and turned his back. Pria let her eyes roam his body greedily as he walked out of her range of vision. He moved gracefully, fluidly almost, as if he were from another world. His movement matched the musical sound of his voice, and he paused just as he was about to leave her peripheral vision, almost as if he could sense that she wanted just a few more precious moments with the graceful curve of his body as it moved away.