Chapter Eight
The piercing wail of a siren pulled Lucy violently from her slumber. Before she could even process what was happening, she found herself being picked up and tossed onto a chair. She tried to sit up but was pressed back by the weight of Taryn’s body as he placed himself protectively over her. Outside of their cabin, a woman let out a blood-curdling shriek and was suddenly drowned out by a thunderous boom. The entire ship rocked and Lucy felt the seat juddering beneath her.
After what seemed a lifetime, the intense shaking settled. Everything became still, but Lucy could hear nothing, except for a ringing in her ears. Her heart galloped furiously as the realization struck her that there had been an explosion. She clung desperately to Taryn’s shirt, afraid that he might leave her there. In turn, he wrapped his arms around her and held onto her tightly, as though to reassure her that he was going nowhere.
“Are you alright?” Taryn asked as an eerie calm descended.
Unable to find her voice, Lucy nodded. The ringing in her ears had finally stopped and she felt fine, albeit a little detached from everything. Taryn helped her to her feet and held her out at arm’s length, scanning up and down her body as though checking for any signs of injury. She was unhurt and, from the look of it, Taryn was also completely unscathed. Whatever had happened, it had not had much impact on their private cabin either, as everything appeared to be intact. Perhaps it had not been anything serious. Lucy was still trying to convince herself that was the case when a different alarm began to sound.
“What now?” she cried out as she started to shake from head to foot. She really couldn’t take much more.
“It’s the evacuation signal,” Taryn told her. “We need to get off the shuttle.”
“Get off the shuttle?” Lucy parroted back at him. “We’re in the middle of space.”
Taryn gave her an indulgent smile that made her feel as though she’d just said something incredibly stupid.
“There are escape pods. We need to go through the main cabin to get to them.”
Lucy was astounded by his calm demeanor. If he felt even a quarter of the apprehension she did about what might lie beyond the safety of the cabin, he showed no outward sign of it. Seeming to sense her reluctance to move, he took her by the shoulders and bent down to look her in the eye.
“I will not allow any harm to come to you, Lucy,” he vowed. “I know you are afraid, but the life support systems on the shuttle may be under stress and we have to obey the signal to leave.”
Giving her no time to respond, he put his arm around Lucy and guided her toward the door. It was good that he was doing what came naturally and taking charge, because she felt at a complete loss about what to do. She had never been in a situation like this and if it was not for Taryn’s comforting presence, she might freeze completely.
As the door into the main cabin slid open and they were greeted by utter carnage, Taryn pulled her tight against his side.
“You might want to close your eyes, pet.” he said gently.
Lucy wished that she could but, the moment the door opened, she was greeted by a scene she could not possibly turn away from. There was such devastation, she could barely make sense of what she was seeing. Debris lay scattered about the place, twisted metal and charred seats. Personal belongings of the passengers were strewn everywhere. Some people appeared to have been injured, with nasty open wounds and blood-soaked clothing. Others were clearly dead, their limbs mangled and faces burned beyond recognition. Lucy would never be able to erase the horrific sight from her mind, but it was not that alone that made her shiver. Despite the pockets of fire that some of the Taar-Breckian men were busy putting out, the cabin was cold, freezing, in fact. The air felt dense and with acrid smoke drifting through the cabin, Lucy found herself struggling to breathe.
“Here, she will need this,” a female voice said.
Suddenly, Delina was in front of them, holding out an oxygen mask. Taryn took it and placed it over Lucy’s mouth, securing it in place. Fresh air instantly flowed to her lungs and she took several deep breaths that made her feel lightheaded, before steadying herself.
“You are unhurt?” Taryn asked the other woman.
“Yes, thank you, Lieutenant,” Delina confirmed. “All of our people are alive, though some are badly injured. Sadly, the humans who were on board have not fared so well.”
“Do you know what happened?”
“Only that we were fired upon,” Delina told Taryn and Lucy’s eyes widened. She had no idea who would dare to attack a Taar-Breckian shuttle. “A team is already on their way from the transport ship to assess the situation.”
“Good,” Taryn replied. Lucy had to admire the authority in his tone as he sought information about what had happened. “And the evacuation?”
“We are sending the injured in the escape pods and the rest will be picked up by rescue ships,” Delina said. She looked over at Lucy, concern etched on her face. “I think you should leave in the next pod. Your mate looks pale and I fear she will not last long in this environment.”
The words were blunt and made Lucy’s heart lurch, but she knew there was truth in what Delina had said. As the cold seemed to seep into her bones, she felt decidedly unsteady on her feet. She was struggling to cope with the shock of the devastation that lay around her. As Taryn began to guide her through the wreckage, toward the escape hatch, she felt her eyes roll back in her head. Intense fear spiked her blood. She gasped as her knees buckled and sudden darkness took her.
* * *
Taryn watched Lucy closely as she started to come around. Her pale skin looked a touch warmer now and the blue tinge that had colored her lips was gone. He felt a wave of relief wash over him. He had just been wondering whether he needed take her to the medical bay where he knew the staff were already overwhelmed dealing with the wounded from the shuttle. She had remained unconscious throughout the brief flight from the shuttle to the transport ship, but her breathing had been steady, so he’d just brought her to his chambers and laid her on the bed. As he received an update from the shuttle, she’d jerked a little as though she’d heard some of what was being said and had been disturbed by it.
As she slowly opened her eyes, Taryn took a seat on the bed, ready to give her whatever assurances she might need to convince her that she was safe now.
“Where am I?” she asked as she looked up at him, her beautiful blue eyes filled with trepidation.
“In my quarters,” Taryn told her. “We are on the military transport ship now.”
Lucy raised her eyebrows and her mouth formed a surprised ‘O.’
“Do you remember what happened on the shuttle?” Taryn asked.
He could see her struggle to remember etched into the deep lines that furrowed her brow. It took a moment before she nodded.
“Yes. There was an explosion.”
“That’s right.” It was a positive sign, Taryn thought, that she seemed quite clear about what had happened.
“People were hurt,” Lucy said, her mouth twisting in horror as she no doubt recalled what she’d seen. Although Taryn was used to such carnage, he realized it was not something Lucy would ever have experienced before. “Are many dead?”
“I am afraid there were some casualties,” Taryn replied. “Some of my people were injured, but none of the humans survived.”
Lucy’s face crumpled, and she started to cry. Taryn put his arm around her and held her close to his chest as she collapsed into great heaving sobs that seemed to shake her entire body. He had never had to deal with such an emotional outburst before. Unsure how to help, he simply ran his hand up and down Lucy’s back, making soothing noises that seemed to comfort her. Eventually, she managed to bring herself under control.
“What about the baby?” Lucy asked as she sat up straight.
The question took Taryn by surprise. Generally, small children did not travel between planets and he knew of no special arrangements that had been made for a baby to be allowed onto the transport ship. Although he was not commander of this vessel, his high status meant that he would normally be privy to information about unusual passengers. He had heard nothing to suggest an infant would be traveling with them. Perhaps Lucy was confused.
“There were no children on board,” he said.
“There was a baby,” Lucy insisted. “I saw Gerald and Lucinda Barron on the shuttle. They had a baby with them. I think they were trying to hide it.”
That made little sense to Taryn. He knew that the Barrons were a prominent New Cambridge family, which meant they could have obtained permission to travel with a child if they had wished to do so.
“You are sure of this?” he asked Lucy in a careful tone. He didn’t want to upset her by making her think he doubted her word.
“Of course I am.” Lucy’s voice rose to a higher pitch, signaling her growing agitation. “There was definitely a baby with them, a little girl.”
Taryn got to his feet. If Lucy was correct, then he needed to ensure that the rescue team was alerted to the presence of an infant. It seemed unlikely that the child would have survived the blast, but there was always a chance, he supposed.
“I will go and alert the search team,” he told her, “but do not get your hopes up.”
“I won’t,” Lucy promised, but Taryn could tell by the animated expression on her face that it was already too late. She was excited by the prospect of the child being found.
With a heavy sigh, he turned and left the room, wondering just how he was going to deal with Lucy’s emotions if there was not good news.
* * *
Lucy sat on the bed, fidgeting with the tail that was still inserted into her bottom as she waited for Taryn to return. He had not given her permission to move and she was starting to feel restless. She had no idea how long he had been gone for, but it had to be at least ten minutes so far. She glanced around the room and was disheartened by how starkly functional it was. The journey to Taar-Breck would take around two weeks and this room was not exactly designed for comfort. The bed beneath her was clearly intended for short naps only. She couldn’t imagine anyone passing a peaceful night on it. She could only hope that Taryn’s home on Taar-Breck would be a little less forbidding. Somehow, she doubted it would be. Her new mate did not seem the type to fuss over rugs and throw pillows. Come to think of it, did they have such things on his planet?
“Have you heard anything?” Lucy asked, her line of thought broken as Taryn came back into the room.
“Not yet,” he replied as he crossed over to the bed and sat down next to her. “I have asked to be kept informed.”
Lucy nodded. She shifted on the bed and winced as the firm mattress jolted the plug inside her bottom.
“You are uncomfortable?” Taryn guessed.
“Yes,” Lucy replied, deciding that there was no point in lying. Although it was the anal plug that had made her grimace, she really didn’t feel at home in these surroundings. “The room is a little, well, it’s really very masculine.”
“Is it?” Taryn looked around as though unsure whether to take that as some sort of insult. He turned back to her. “It suits me well enough.”
Yes, Lucy imagined it would. The room had the same forbidding air about it as Taryn seemed to carry much of the time. She had seen glimpses of a softer side of him, though, and hoped that might be reflected in his home on Taar-Breck.
“What’s it like where you live?” Lucy asked.
“It is comfortable,” Taryn said. “I do not spend much time there but now that I have you that may change. I have had a room prepared for you that will look much like your old bedroom.”
Skipping over the part where it sounded as though he’d had a separate room made ready for her, Lucy zeroed in on where he’d referred to her old bedroom.
“How do you know what my old bedroom looks like?”
“I have studied you for some weeks,” Taryn admitted without a trace of regret. “It was always intended that you would be mine.”
“What?” Lucy asked.
“You were allocated to me by your friend Caroline.”
Lucy’s brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of what he’d just said. If she’d understood his totally dispassionate words correctly, then she’d been given to him by one of her closest friends.
“Caroline Chatterton gave me to you?”
“Rossingham,” Taryn corrected as if that was important. “She is the bride of my commander, if you recall.”
Yes, Lucy remembered that perfectly well, but stating simple facts was not helpful.
“What exactly do you mean she allocated me to you? What has Caroline to do with anything?”
“Mrs. Rossingham was aware that the High Council posed a threat to her friends and asked that we rescue you. Several of the commander’s most trusted men have been tasked with taking the ladies as their mates. Mrs. Rossingham was very definite about who should mate with who.”
Lucy could hardly believe what she was hearing. It sounded as though Caroline had decided that Taryn was her ideal match. She wondered what that revealed about her friend’s opinion of her. Did she think Lucy was some sort of doormat, best suited to a man who would take control of every aspect of her life?
“So, when I came to ask for your help, you already knew that Caroline wanted you to look after me?” Lucy said accusingly.
“That’s right.”
There was not the merest hint of contrition in Taryn’s voice. As much as that annoyed her, she did not have the energy to challenge him any further.
“You mentioned Caroline’s friends,” Lucy said. “Who are the others? What’s happened to them?”
“Well, your friend Victoria has been taken by her mate and is safe and well.”
Lucy blew out a breath. There was no way her friend would be happy with an arrangement where her mate was selected for her. She’d been so angry about her stepbrother trying to organize a marriage for her. Having her friend interfering in her love life would make her totally livid.
“Several others are on a ship a few days ahead of us, on their way to Taar-Breck. They will be settled with their mates by the time they get there. We are having trouble locating your friend Charlotte Calder, who has been given to my comrade, Bryn.”
Lucy snorted. Locating her would be the least of Bryn’s problems. If he found her that was where his challenges would really begin. If Victoria was spirited, then Lottie was downright militant. She was the only member of the Hyde Ladies’ Circle whose views were so extreme, Lucy suspected she was also with the rebels.
“Who else?”
“We are looking for Elizabeth Chatterton, of course,” Taryn said. “I have not yet asked you if you know anything of her whereabouts.”
Lucy shook her head and then remembered what Zinnie had told her.
“I haven’t seen Lizzie since Caroline was arrested, but I heard she may have gone to the north of the city.”
“The north?” Taryn asked. “Might she have gone to the rebels?”
Lucy shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t even know that she was headed in that direction. It was just a rumor.”
“Still, it is better than nothing,” Taryn said. “I will pass the information to my commander and he can choose whether to follow it up.”
Just as he rose to his feet, a buzzer sounded in the other room. Taryn gestured to Lucy to stay put and went to respond to the incoming message. Lucy did not move. As much as she hated to be ordered around with nothing more than a casual hand signal, she really didn’t want to earn a spanking right now.
She sat impatiently drumming her fingers on her knee until Taryn returned just a few moments later.
“The child has been found,” he told her.
“Is she okay?”
“I have no details, other than that my colleague, Allik Loarn has retrieved the infant,” Taryn replied.
Lucy sighed. Why had he not asked for more information? Clearly, he didn’t understand how important it was to her to know that the child was alive and well. She watched as he walked over to the large cupboard on the far side of the room.
“We need to make you presentable,” Taryn said.
Lucy looked down at her clothing and realized she was grubby. She could probably use a quick wash as well. As Taryn returned to her with a white bodysuit and matching white tail, she sighed to herself. When he instructed her to undress, she made no complaint. Until she had the chance to work Taryn out and find a way to get him to change his mind, this would be her life. The best thing she could do was try to get used to it.