Chapter Twelve

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After the space jump takes them as close as safely possible, the remaining hours drag interminably by. While Malik, who believes he failed Dani, broods in a guilt-ridden silence, Jaylin couldn’t keep the scene where she’d been drugged and carried off from playing in his head. Imaging what occurred thereafter caused an icy fear to gnaw at his insides. They were both ready to tear both the planet and her father apart when they arrived on Earth.

Protocol required they deactivate their weapons before entering Earth’s orbital sector and docking at one of the spaceports—not a good experience for either man considering the outcome when they had done the same only two hours before. Once the Renegade had been secured, and both men passed through Global Security with the appropriate credentials and visas, they were allowed to shuttle down to the surface.

All went smoothly until they stepped off the small craft at the New York arrival center. A team of eight armed guards surrounded and arrested them. The bogus charge—kidnapping.

By a quirk of fate, Dani was still in processing at the center and witnessed it all.

“No, it’s a mistake,” she cried, struggling against the hard fingers banding her upper arms. “They didn’t kidnap me, they’re my rescuers. You’ve got the wrong men!”

No one listened, especially the police who slapped titanium shackles around their wrists, and, without a word to her of where they were taking them, hauled them away.

Daniel Alltryp’s hired man—yes, she’d been kidnapped by her own father—did much the same to her, minus the cuffs, dragging her off in the opposite direction.

***

After being shoved by her less-than-gentle, barely communicative captor into the back of an awaiting air glider, they’d merged into the crowded commuter traffic over the city, arriving at her father’s sprawling mansion overlooking Noyack Bay. She’d been taken straight to his office, rarely used in the almost twenty-five years Dani had lived there, except when she had a lecture coming, and when receiving orders or bad news.

Today, she expected all of the above.

She paced the thick, expensive rug in front of his desk, too anxious to sit down, wringing her hands with each agitated step. At the sound of the digital keypad beeping, the door swung inward and her father appeared, followed by a smaller, much slighter man, with blue-tinged skin.

Daniel Alltryp didn’t deign to look her way as he strode into the room. His guest did the opposite, staring down his blue nose at her as if she was filth stuck to the bottom of his shoe. She dismissed Prince Ivar and his rudeness, choosing to face off against her father instead.

Rushing to his desk, she gripped the edge with her trembling fingers while she demanded, “You have to drop these ridiculous charges against the Renegade’s captain and crew. You know they are untrue.”

“And how would I know that?” he drawled, still not looking at her as he unlocked a drawer. He withdrew a stack of papers and tossed them onto the empty desktop, sending them sliding across the shiny, polished wood. “This is the contract Sin-Naysir signed. You were due back days ago. When they didn’t show, with you, safe in hand, but were sighted at a spaceport on the other side of the galaxy, in their custody, what was I to think? Surely you didn’t break an engagement to the Prince and run off with those two mercenaries.”

“Doubtless you know pirates captured the Titan and kidnapped me when I left Elzor.”

“Yes, but the kidnappers’ ship exploded in space nearly two weeks ago. Plenty of time to complete their contract and return you, yet they didn’t for some odd reason. What did you offer them, girl?” Only then did his head come up, and he sent her a scathing look. “Your trust fund?”

She didn’t answer, but glanced at Ivar. “I refuse to marry the Prince, something you neglected to inform me I was being considered for when I left for Elzor. Information clarifying the reason behind why he would be interested had come to light. I will not be used to further line your pockets, Father, and marrying anyone for the sole purpose of begetting an heir is unacceptable.”

His fist came down on his desk with a loud bang. She didn’t jump, expecting his reaction. “What is unacceptable is you gallivanting across space with a known seducer. Everyone knows about Sin-Naysir and his twin. You spread your thighs for them both, didn’t you?”

She didn’t dignify his crude accusation with a response. Instead, she focused on one bizarre thing he’d said. “His twin?”

“Yes, girl. They are Trilorian. It’s a well-known fact the males come in pairs and they share everything—including their women. Being with them for an hour, much less alone for days, means your reputation is ruined.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Didn’t you pay attention during Universal Studies 101 in your damn women’s school? I know I paid good money for you to do so.”

She hesitated, a tumble of confused thoughts whirling in her head as she tried to jive what little Jaylin had told her with what bits and pieces she might have learned years ago.

“The planet is called Trilor, emphasis on Tri, for a reason.”

She shook her head, still not following.

“All Trilorian males are born as twins. The females are single births. This means the men on their planet outnumber the women by at least two to one. Because of this, marriages in their world are always between two males and one female. And over time, since they’ve been procreating this way as far back as any of ’em can remember, it’s become the only way they can conceive.”

“I didn’t know,” she murmured. “They never said.”

“What about all the head talking they do? As twins, the males have some kind of link. I’ve always found it disturbing. Didn’t you think it odd?”

All the times Jaylin and Malik had stared at one another as if silently communicating came back to her. “I can’t believe it.” But she did, remembering the Artruvian woman who had spoken in her head at the space mall. Malik hadn’t been shocked, not because it was common knowledge, because he had the ability, too. Dani knew what it was before he called it by name.

“They’re telepathic.”

It explained a lot, although not everything. “This is ridiculous. Jaylin didn’t have a twin on board. I would have known.”

“You're wrong. The police arrested Malik Sin-Naysir along with his older brother earlier today.”

No! It wasn’t possible. “It can’t be true. They look nothing alike!” Except the pieces of the puzzle all began to fit, and she couldn’t disbelieve her own denials.

“They wouldn’t. One is dark, the other light. Did you notice one was in charge, and dominated the other? The elder, whether light or dark, is always in charge. That makes Jaylin the alpha twin, and his younger brother, Malik, his beta.”

She began to feel sick.

“You act surprised.”

Unable to stand as the room spun, she lurched to a chair and sank into it.

“What were you thinking?”

“They said, or led me to believe, Malik was...”

“Was what?”

She shook her head.

His fist came crashing down again. “Answer me, dammit.”

“A cyborg,” she whispered.

Silence pervaded the room, until her father snickered. “Oh, that’s rich, and a new take on getting laid.” Then he burst into laughter, something he rarely did, yet the same high-pitched cackle was unforgettable and straight out of her nightmare. “And you fell for it. You’re a stupid bitch, just like your mother. So, did they fuck you? Both of them?” He shook his head. “Of course, they did, although it really doesn’t matter. Whether you did or not, after being alone with them on their ship, everyone thinks you’re a whore.” With the press of a button on his desk a monitor popped up. He touched an icon and angled it toward her, revealing an ugly headline in large print.

“Daniella Does It All-Tryp and All-Ways!”

He queued up another.

“Mogul’s Daughter Ménaged By Mercenaries.”

She breathed deeply in through her nose, fighting back tears.

“This one is my personal favorite.” He swiped the screen again and revealed another horrifying banner. “From Blue Prince to Interstellar Threesome, Dani Alltryp Gets Around.”

Silence enveloped the room again, her mind reeling as she tried to make sense of things. Why would they lie to her? She felt like such a fool. A dirty, slutty fool.

“Well, Ivar,” she heard him say around the pounding in her ears, “I’m guessing this nixes our arrangement.”

“You guess right, Daniel. I did stipulate a virgin bride. This is very inconvenient.” The prince’s voice was cold and brittle. “You’ll excuse me, but I must go send word of this to the king.” The door closed just shy of a slam as he left in a huff.

“Well, ain’t this fucking great. What am I supposed to do with you now?” Her father’s voice dripped with contempt.

The steadiness of her voice surprised her when she replied, “Ignore me, same as you’ve done most of my life. Soon, you won’t have to do anything with me, ever again.”

“It’s hard to ignore the millions of credits this is costing me.”

“Of course, your only concern is your greed and the balance in your bank account.”

“My greed has made it possible for you to live comfortably, to wear designer clothes, and get a fancy degree from a stick-up-their-ass, fancy university. Don’t be ungrateful.”

“Ungrateful?” she snapped. “Am I supposed to thank you for leaving me to grow up alone in this huge house, without family or friends, and the only people I had for any sort of companionship or the slightest bit of affection your paid servants?”

“Is that why you spread your legs the first chance you got because you were lonely? Pathetic. And to think, I spent a fortune keeping you intact for Ivar. What a waste.”

Chilled to the bone, she didn’t move, or react, or so much as look at him.

From the corner of her eye, she saw him signal to one of his guards. “I can’t stand looking at her. Take her to her room and keep her there until I decide what I’m going to do now.”

Movement on her other side made her look up. Barron, one of her father’s longtime goons, stepped toward her. The knowing glint in his eyes made her feel like the slut her father made her out to be. Or rather, what Jaylin and Malik had turned her into.

She stood to go with the guard, wanting out of there, to be alone to think, and plan her next move. “Before I go, answer one question. Were you aware of Elzor’s little problem? That they’re in need of an heir, and if I didn’t conceive within a year, they would have killed me like the others?”

“Those are rumors.”

Surprised, she challenged him. “You’re saying it’s not true?”

Unblinking, he stared at her, neither admitting nor denying the appalling claims, which to Dani was an admission.

She found him repugnant, but her father seemed amused and snorted a short laugh.

“Why do you hate me?”

He considered her for a moment, before waving off the guard. “Leave us.” He waited until the door closed behind him, then walked to the window. Pulling back the curtain, he let sunshine into the dark room. Crossing his hands over his protruding belly, he said absently, “I’ve mentioned you look like your mother.”

“Held it against me every day of my life is more like it.”

“Ella was a faithless bitch. Every time I look at you, I see her and am reminded of her betrayal.” Afraid he would stop talking and she wouldn’t learn what she’d waited a lifetime to know, she didn’t make a sound. “She was beautiful, like you. Auburn hair, delicate features, and curves to make a man drool.”

Okay, she didn’t need to hear that.

“I had to have her the moment I saw her, and she appeared to feel the same way. I was older, forty-five at the time with her not yet thirty. Like a fool, I fell in love with her. I should have known she only wanted my money and the power it would bring her. I allowed her to lead me around by my dick for years before I saw her true colors.” He paused for a moment, as if lost in memories. “I found her with my partner, humping like rabbits on my own goddamn couch. I asked why, as you did just now.” He let the curtain drop and turned back to her, his face stiff with fury over two decades in the making. “She laughed, called me the fool that I was for thinking someone so young and beautiful could ever love an old man like me. I threw her out, and kicked his traitorous ass out along with her.”

“I never knew you had a partner,” she stated inanely, finding it easier to focus on a man she didn’t know than her mother’s calculated behavior.

“You wouldn’t, since I bought him out, changed the company name, and erased any reminder he ever existed.”

Shocked, Dani covered her mouth with a trembling hand, wondering the full definition of erased. “And my mother? Didn’t she want to take me with her?”

He snorted. “Do you think she ever cared about you? She wanted to get rid of you from the beginning, afraid pregnancy would ruin her figure forever, but I wanted a little girl who looked like my Ella.” His heartless gaze met hers. “I told her she’d never see you again, or a single credit from me. We had a prenup, thank God. Except she got the last jab of the knife in before I got rid of her. You aren’t my daughter. She said so right to my face. And she didn’t have a clue, of the hundreds of men she fucked behind my back, which one impregnated her with you.”

“Oh my God.” As though he’d punched her, she bent forward, her arms enfolding her middle.

“Yes, you’re the daughter of a whore and an unidentified sperm donor. Consider yourself lucky I didn’t throw you out, too. I figured, one day, my sacrifice would pay off and you’d be of value to me. Now, after what you’ve done, I have to come up with a new plan to make my years of sacrifice worthwhile.”

“You are horrible,” she uttered, in a suffocated whisper.

“I didn’t sleep with two men while engaged to another.”

“I never consented. There was no engagement.”

“You didn’t have to consent. The trip, spending a week getting to know your prince and his family, all of it was a show for the media. Until you’re twenty-five, I decide. You could have sought emancipation if you’d gotten a job, moved out of my home, proved you were responsible, but you didn’t. You continued to leach off dear old Dad, for money, food, shelter, everything, so you are subject to my parental guidance under the law. Which means you will do as you’re told for three more days.”

“I won’t say yes.”

“A formality. On Elzor, the ceremony doesn’t even have ‘I dos’. It’s a moot point, however, unless I can convince the king and the prince to accept soiled goods.”

“Let me go. I’ll sign over my inheritance and never darken your door again.”

“Your paltry million credits are nothing compared to what I have to gain from your marriage to Ivar. My contract is running out. If you marry, they renew it. If you produce an heir, it continues without expiration. It’s a win-win for me. Your womb in exchange for unhindered access to the resource-rich north region.” He actually rubbed his hands together, giddy like a child on Christmas morning. “And, when the research pays off, and it will, we’re very close, the income the new energy will generate will be in the hundreds of billions.”

He shouted for the guards.

“Take her away,” he ordered when Barron and another equally scary-looking man walked in. “She’s confined to her room. No one in or out without my express permission. I don’t care if the president himself summons her, or if the place is going up in flames, the bitch is not to leave her room.”

They didn’t flinch, only nodded. Daddy paid well. Then, with their hard fingers digging into her arms again, she was hauled away. This time she went without a struggle, moving as if she were numb, though eager to leave his presence, perhaps forever. After the revelations today, being a pawn for Ivar, someone who wanted something she could give him, rather than rued her very existence, didn’t seem all that bad.

***

The next twenty-four hours she spent as a prisoner in her room with a guard at her door. Despondent, she paced. Unable to eat, the latest tray of food sat undisturbed like the ones before it. Brought in by wide-eyed household staff, she hadn’t bothered to ask any of the unfamiliar workers for assistance. Paid well for their loyalty, it made sense to her now why there was constant turnover. She’d thought they left after short tenures because he was too critical and demanding. Now she knew why he rotated them through on a regular basis, none staying longer than a few months, a year at most. Because, heaven forbid, she developed a rapport or an attachment to any of them. Such an event would interfere with her father’s diabolical plan to keep her isolated, so no one would question when he finally used his pawn for his own gain.

No... Not her father.

Never would she think of Daniel Alltryp that way again. Cruel, heartless bastard suited him better. But as she thought it, tears threatened, since she was the real bastard in the equation. Born to a mother who didn’t want her, sired by God knows who, and raised by a man who despised her.

Heartsick, her stomach rolled every time she replayed their confrontation in his office, or thought of Ivar’s calculated plan to breed an heir upon her, or thought of Jaylin and Malik’s betrayal.

Was no man trustworthy?

Nusapphra, a world without lying, manipulative, selfish men, looked better with each agitated step she took.

She felt like such an idiot. To have so easily believed Malik was a cyborg, she had to be.

Though she’d had no experience with the human-like machines, she should have known by the way he argued with Jaylin, and his eyes flashed with emotion—no matter how fleeting. But even if she’d missed those clues, why hadn’t she guessed when he smiled at her, and she felt his touch, his kisses, and when she had taken him in her mouth... Was her desperation for affection the reason she hadn’t questioned an obvious flesh-and-bone man?

And Jaylin, her humiliation intensified when she thought of how readily she’d succumbed to his stunning good looks, his teasing grin, his charm. And, despite his volatile temper, how she had eagerly spread her legs and offered up her innocence like the slut she’d been accused of being. She wanted to kill him at the same time she wanted to curl up in a corner and cry. Because, worst of all, she’d fallen in love with the deceitful jerk.

When the door opened suddenly, and Daniel entered without knocking, she wiped her cheeks, not wanting him to see her weakness.

“Pack,” he ordered.

“Why?”

“You leave for Elzor within the hour.”

“No!”

Her denial went unheeded.

“You are going through with this marriage. Ivar and his family are so desperate for an heir, he’d breed with the town whore if she were compatible. The tests have been run; you’re a match. That’s all they care about at this point. You’ll have to be tested to prove you haven’t picked up something nasty from your Trilorian lover. Consider yourself lucky even the nastiest venereal diseases are curable these days.”

“I’ll refuse. I’ll never say yes.”

“As I’ve explained, you don’t have to,” he sneered. “You do as I say for two more days. And thankfully, afterward, I’ll never have to look at you and see your mother’s lying face ever again.”

He hated her, she’d always known it. Still, his blatant animosity no longer held in check, hit her like a slap in the face.

“I’m not going with Ivar. You can’t make me.”

His humorless laugh bounced off the walls. “You think not? Shall I have Barron fetch a tranquilizer? It worked well enough the last time.”

Reflexively, her hand rose to her throat. Her abductor hadn’t used a diffuser, and the spot where he’d jabbed her with a needle remained tender days later.

“What’s it to be? Conscious or unconscious? You’ve got three seconds to decide. I don’t have time to play your games.”

“Conscious,” she hissed. If she were to have any chance to escape, it was the only option. “I hate you,” she added, her voice shaking with emotion.

“The feeling is mutual, daughter.” The last word contained such malice, she flinched. The slamming door punctuated the end of her relationship with the only father she’d ever known.