Chapter Five
The door to the Lord's chambers opened noiselessly as Renaya entered. With a bow, Ayana left them, closing the door behind her. The room was large, decorated in colors of white and gray. A desk with panels was on her left, while on her right, the wall was a huge screen.
Lord Aurzac sat on a chaise lounge, one leg across his knee, holding a glass of wine. He was seated in the far corner, partially hidden in shadows. He tilted his head as he took in the woman in front of him. She was petite, and the suit clung to her lithe body in a seductive way. Her lush hair flowed down her tiny waist. She was beautiful, he thought as his eyes rested on her softly rounded breasts. And then he caught her intoxicating scent. He inhaled deeply.
“Renaya,” he called in his deep voice. Her name sounded strange on his lips.
She felt her blood burn as his penetrating gaze seared through her. She was a bit surprised on hearing him say her name. She didn’t remember telling anyone her name. He sipped his wine and then stood up. He slowly strode towards her, stopping only inches away. He was too close. She could smell him, the heady scent of a man.
“How do you...?” she began, as her eyes swept over him. He wore a dark linen shirt that was open at the front, showing his muscular chest.
“Know your name? I know a lot about you, Renaya.” He pronounced her name with an unusual accent, which sounded oddly nice.
“Where did you get that?” he took her hand in his and felt the emerald ring on her finger as his steely gray gaze bore into her dark eyes. Again, she felt that weird sensation she had felt when she first saw him. His platinum blonde hair was tied at the nape of his neck and she noticed his ears. They were pointed, she observed. He reminded her of one of the Tolkien elves, Legolas.
“My grandmother gave it to me,” Renaya said, gazing at the beautiful ring. “Those monsters destroyed my home,” she continued in a voice ever so soft while she fought back tears. No, she didn’t want to cry in front of him. She wanted to show him that she was strong.
“Earth has survived. It's not in too good a condition, but it has survived,” Lord Aurzac replied, his voice nonchalant. And then his chest tightened as he saw her tear filled eyes. What was happening to him? He had never reacted this way to anyone, ever. Let alone a slave woman. Get a grip Aurzac, said the dark voice inside him. She’s nothing but a slave woman. Focus on what needs to be done.
“Really... it has? Are there any survivors?” she asked earnestly looking up to him, hungry for information.
“We don’t have much data on that yet. But we will soon.”
She seemed sad all of a sudden, as the light that had lit up her beautiful eyes went out. He noticed that her ears were different. They were rounded at the tip. Interesting, he thought.
“It’s true then... I am the last human,” Renaya said, her voice low.
“Maybe you are,” he answered, looking deep into her sad, sad eyes. And that makes you even more precious, he thought.
“From now on, you will work for me.” His tone turned serious.
“No. I will not work for you,” she said, challenging him.”Where I come from there are no slaves.”
“You dare defy me?” Lord Aurzac boomed, in a voice so cold it made her shudder. “You are in my world now. You are my slave and you will do as you are told.”
“I want my freedom!” she insisted, looking him in the eye. He would definitely kill her. But she had to take a chance. She knew how slaves were treated, the Zorg had taught her that.
Lord Aurzac raised a perfectly arched brow, eyes softening a bit. He was amused by her resilience. He took another sip and put the glass down.
“You don’t have a choice, woman.”
“Kill me then. I don’t care,” said Renaya, her dark eyes glinting. There, he could kill her now.
She disobeys and dares to dictate the powerful warlord? Kill her. She will bring nothing but trouble, his dark side whispered cynically.
“Oh, but that would be a waste. I could make better use of you,” he scoffed, ignoring the dark voice inside his head. There was something unusual about this woman. What was it about her that made him lose his strength? He needed to find out.
“You either set me free or kill me. I will not be your slave!” Renaya persisted, her voice almost choking. He should get it over with. What would be the point of staying alive anyway if she was the last living human and would be nothing but a slave?
“You want freedom? Well, there’s a way,” he mused, as his gray eyes darkened to a deeper gray. “But there will be conditions.”
“I’ll accept them if they are reasonable,” she gasped, blinking a few times.
“You will wear this, at all times,” he said, taking out a blood red teardrop stone pendant, hung by a delicate silver chain.
“It’s the Aramith, a rare sacred stone passed down from our ancestors. It’s been in the family for centuries,” said Lord Aurzac, his penetrating gaze heating her blood. “Do you agree to wear it and never take it off?”
She was confused. It was just a pendant. What was the fuss about not taking it off?
“I do,” she agreed, sounding a bit impatient. She would agree to anything that would set her free.
He put the necklace around her neck. The instant the stone touched her chest, it glowed bright red for a few seconds and then turned back to normal. She saw a smile tugging at his lips.
“And you agree to come with me, to my world. Forever.”
“Wh... What? Why...?” she asked.
In a swift move, his firm but rather gentle lips were on hers as his hand slid across her tiny waist. He pulled her close. Taken aback by his intensity, she gasped, her breasts pressed against his hard muscular torso. His lips were eager, gently prying hers apart. Then his tongue slid into her mouth, urgent, demanding, as she yielded and wrapped her arms around his strong neck. Desire set fire to her blood, which pooled deep inside her belly. Her heart racing, she pulled back for a second with a glazed look, catching her breath and saw the stormy shades of gray reflected in his eyes. With one hand he grabbed her behind, his hip grinding into hers and once again he kissed her deeply.
It was some time before they pulled apart. His softened gaze was so intense that tears welled up in her eyes. She shuddered and sobbed into his chest, clinging to him. He held her in his strong arms until the warmth of his body calmed her down. His fingers ran through her tangled hair as he took her face in his hands and wiped away the tears.
“Renaya, I have to go,” he said awkwardly. His expression was unreadable. “There is some business that I need to attend to. We will be landing in a day. If you need anything, Ayana will be at your service.”
Without another word, he pulled away and tapped his wrist twice. The door slid open and revealed Ayana standing there. Lord Aurzac took Renaya’s arm and led her outside. She followed Ayana back to her room, dazed, her emotions fluctuating.