Alien Mine (Zerconian Warriors Book 7) (3 page)

There was a long moment of silence. Finally, she gathered the courage to look up at him. “Does this disgust you?”

He blinked then shook his head. “Disgust me? No, of course not. But it is a lot to take in.”

“I know. I don’t normally tell people about my abilities. Not usually.”

“No one else knows this?”

“Rye does. As far as I know he has not told anyone else.” If he had, they hadn’t let on. But Rye told her he would keep her secret and he’d never once asked her to use her powers. She would have, because she owed him.

“So why are you telling me?” he asked.

Sometimes she wished she did have the ability to read minds. She’d really like to know what Thor was thinking right now. His face was impassive, his thoughts carefully hidden.

But it was too late to turn back now. If this turned out to be a bad decision, then she was certain Rye would take her somewhere else. He’d probably be happy to get rid of her.

“Because your people took me in. I have nothing to offer. No real skills or abilities. I don’t plan to ever mate one of you. There is no reason for your people to feed and clothe me. I’m a burden and burdens become tiresome very quickly. This is the only thing I have to offer.”

His eyes widened. “You believe that you must be useful or we will force you to leave?”

He looked so shocked that she second-guessed herself for a moment. But no matter how generous the Zerconians appeared there was always an ulterior motive. In this case, they wanted mates for their males. Something she would never be.

She could never trust someone enough to tie herself to them.

“That would never happen.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. I’m all I have. I have to protect myself. So I’m going to make myself useful. It’s not the only reason. You helped all of us. Saved us. I feel that I owe a debt. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to be a pawn to be used. I won’t be forced to do anything I don’t agree with. That’s non-negotiable.”

This was a big risk that she took. But she trusted Rye wouldn’t let anything terrible happen to her. Huh, maybe she wasn’t all alone. And she wasn’t the weak person she once was. She would stand up for herself. She would never go down without a fight.

Thor rubbed his head, looking tired. His communicator beeped and he glanced down. “I am due on the ship.”

“I’m ready to go.” She straightened her shoulders.

Thor just shook his head. “You cannot read or manipulate minds?”

She winced. “No.” Not everyone believed her. She had the scars as proof of their displeasure at her inability. “Are you disappointed?”

“What? No! No, I am relieved. That would be a burden I would not wish on you.”

“So will you talk to the Emperor or Darac. I am already packed. I can leave with you now.”

“No. No, you are not going anywhere.”

“She cannot come with us,” Thor stated firmly.

Darac gave him a curious look which he ignored. There was no way Lucy was coming on this mission with them.

“She can really do this?” Dex asked Rye, who leaned back against the wall. Thor had contacted them all and they were currently meeting in Dex’s office. Lucy was waiting outside.

Rye had his arms crossed over his chest, looking relaxed. But Thor sensed it was an act. “Track people?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you not tell us?” Darac frowned at his brother-in-law.

Rye shrugged. “Wasn’t my secret to tell. And if Lucy had come to me first, I’d have told her to keep her secret.”

“What? Why?” Dex paced back and forth. Lines had appeared around the corner of his eyes and mouth that hadn’t been there yesterday. “She could help find our people. Why would you not tell us about her ability?”

Thor was still getting his head around what Lucy had told him. He had met races with different powers, of course. Boris’ race could speak telepathically to each other. There were shifters who could morph into animals. Once he had even met a seer who claimed to be able to see into the future, although he had his doubts her claims held truth. She had claimed he would find a mate within a year and have five babies.

That was thirty years ago.

“Because Lucy has been used in the past by those she trusted, because of her abilities. She was forced to do things she did not wish to.”

He remembered her words about not being a pawn or forced to do things she didn’t agree with. Just what had she been through?

“And you believe we would do that?” Darac glowered. “You think so little of us?”

“Lucy is mine to protect.” Rye stood straight, his body tensing. “I promised her that.”

Thor tamped down on the urge to growl at Rye. He wanted to be the one to protect her. To stand between her and any danger or harm.

“And now she is mine to protect as well,” Dex stated.

Thor glared at his cousin. Why did everyone else believe they got to protect
his
mate?

Because she’s not yours yet.

Breathe in. Breathe out. He attempted to squelch the anger surging through his body. He could claim her. Declare that she was his mate. Then Dex would have to listen to him.

But he didn’t want to do that. Not yet. He risked scaring her. Pushing her away. So he kept quiet.

She would be his. He merely had to wait. Patience was not something he thought he lacked until he met Lucy. Waiting for her would test his limits.

“As all your people are,” Dex added.

Anger tightened Rye’s face as he stepped forward. Thor tensed, ready to protect his cousin. Not that Dex could not easily subdue the human, but he was now Emperor and it was Thor’s job to protect him at all costs.

“I did not bring them here so you could control them.”

“And I did not agree to allow them to live here to force them to do anything they do not wish to. But I will protect them now that they are here. As I protect all of my people. You know it can be no other way.”

Rye stared at him for a long moment. Would he argue back? Rye had led these people for a long time, could he work with Dex or would he insist on fighting against him?

Finally, Rye nodded. “I get it.”

“I want us to work together. Not against each other. That means full honesty.”

“Fine. I’ll work with you. So long as your decisions don’t go against their best interests. I don’t believe using Lucy’s abilities is in her best interests.”

“Why not?” Darac asked.

“Because if no one knows what she can do then she is safe. Once people learn of her abilities, they start to see ways to use her for their own gain. Suddenly she becomes an asset not a person. And assets are usually dispensable.”

Thor snarled, curling his hands into fists. “Lucy is not dispensable.”

“No, she is not.” Rye ran his hand over his head. “I’m surprised she told you. I thought that was a secret we’d both take to our grave.”

“She seemed to think that she had to be of some use or we would not allow her to stay,” Thor stated. “I do not know why she would believe that.”

“Lucy has had a hard life. She’s relied on only herself for survival since she was young. I should have guessed this might happen. But I believed she would not trust anyone with the knowledge of her abilities.” Rye gave him an assessing look.

Thor shrugged. “Perhaps she trusts me.”

Rye shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.”

That stung even though he knew it was only the truth. He had seen the mistrust in her gaze. Why had she come to him?

“She offered her assistance,” Dex said after a long moment. “I cannot see why we would not take her up on that.”

“She offered under duress,” Thor argued. “She believes she has to help.”

“So we will make it clear that there is no obligation. But should she still want to help, we will not say no,” Dex ordered.

He was the Emperor. Thor shouldn’t argue with him. But he was also his cousin and had been his best friend since they had been small.

“What about the danger? The Coizils could attack again. We do not know where our people are, they could be in trouble. We cannot take a female into that sort of danger.”

Dex frowned, appearing thoughtful.

“I am taking Willa,” Darac stated.

“That is your choice,” Thor replied tactfully.

Darac scowled. “You believe I knowingly take my mate into danger?”

“Willa is different. She is strong. A fighter. Lucy is weak and fragile. Unable to protect herself. She should be protected at all times, even against herself. She does not know the danger she could face.”

Rye snorted. “I’d like to be there when you tell her that. Lucy is tougher than she appears.”

“Yet you sought to protect her from us,” Thor pointed out.

Rye just shrugged. “I consider her a friend.”

That better be all he considered her to be. Because there would be nothing more between them.

“I will speak to her,” Dex told them. “Bring her in.”

Lucy’s stomach finally unravelled as Thor, Darac and Rye stepped out of the room. But the tension on Rye and Thor’s faces made her tense again.

“What’s wrong?”

“The Cr-err Emperor wishes to speak with you, Lucy,” Darac rumbled.

Rye nodded at her, clasping her shoulder and squeezing gently. She jumped as Thor growled.

“Let her go.”

Rye simply grinned at the other man. But his grin didn’t reach his eyes. She gave them both a look then stepped back. “You want to tell me what’s going on?”

“You better go in,” Rye told her. “Don’t want to keep the big chief waiting.”

“Behave,” she warned Rye as she stepped past. Thor was still glaring at the other man. She didn’t know what the hell was going on with the two of them, but right now she was too nervous to care.

Stomach knotted into a ball, she moved into Dex’s office. Floor to ceiling windows covered one wall. A sofa and a few chairs were placed down one end of the room, at the other end stood Dex. He faced a huge vid screen.

“Umm, you wanted to see me?” How did you address an Emperor? Did she call him Sir? Your highness? Oh God, she wasn’t made for this. Why hadn’t she just kept quiet? She could be back in her little house, minding her own business.

Worrying about how many lives would be lost. Maybe lives she could have saved.

Okay, so there was no backing out now. She just had to make the best of things. Dex turned then gestured to the sofa and chairs.

“Please, have a seat.”

The Emperor was probably considered an attractive man. But she was too scared to really admire him. She took a seat, mainly because her legs had turned to noodles. Last thing she needed was to faint dead away.

She clenched her hands in her lap as he moved over and took a seat next to her.

“There is no need to be nervous.”

She snorted. “Easy for you to say.” She slapped her hand over her mouth. “Umm, sorry, Emperor, Sir, Your Highness.”

Stop. Babbling.

He waved that off. “No need to apologize. And please, call me Dex. Being called Emperor will take some getting used to.” A sad look crossed his face, reminding her of the loss he’d recently experienced.

“I’m sorry about your dad. I know what it’s like to lose your parents.”

He studied her and she thought he was going to dismiss her comment or ignore it. “You have lost your parents?”

“Yeah. My dad died when I was seven. Eight years later, my mother died.” Why had she brought this up? She hated to think back on her parents.

“Fifteen? You were young. You lived with other family?”

“Something like that.” No way were they getting into her family history. “It was my father’s grandmother who was pure Vixxla. My father couldn’t read or manipulate minds, but he could track people. I can do the same.”

Dex nodded, appearing serious. “I believe you have offered to use your abilities to help find my missing warriors.”

“Yes.” She nodded, unsure why she felt so nervous. It wasn’t like she thought he’d suddenly let out a cackling, evil laugh and promise to use her to take over the world. Hell, he already ruled this world. He didn’t need her for that.

“I thank you for your offer. It is very generous. I am curious, though, as to why you offered your abilities, when you have kept it secret from nearly everyone.”

Had Thor not explained this?

“Thor told us that you believe you must make yourself useful in order to stay here.”

“Well, yeah, I guess that’s right. I mean, you’ve been really generous, opening up your planet, giving us shelter and food. But eventually we will all have to start paying our way, right? I don’t have any skills like some of the others. I can’t cook or clean. I don’t know anything about machinery or fighting. And I’m not going to be a mate. This is all I have.”

“Paying your way. That is an interesting expression. If I was concerned with credits or being rich, then I would not have offered all of you a place to live. I do not need cooks or cleaners or fighters. As to becoming a mate, I believe it was made clear no one would be forced to be a mate.”

“Good, because I can’t do that.” She resisted the urge to shift around uncomfortably on her seat.

“There were no conditions on my offer. You are welcome here for as long as you wish. With nothing expected in return, other than abiding by our rules and doing nothing to harm anyone who lives here.”

“That’s ridiculously generous.”

Dex raised his eyebrows.

Crap. Had she just called the Emperor ridiculous? Yep, pretty much.

Good one, Lucy.

“My mother said something similar. But I felt our ongoing war with the Coizils had a part to play in the destruction of your village.”

She shook her head. “Rye and the others for snuck past them to bring weapons to the Lilans. You guys were the ones who rescued them. We owe you. So you shouldn’t feel guilty.”

“Thank you. That is most gracious of you.” His lips twitched and she rolled her eyes as she went over what she just said. Best she just keep quiet now.

“It was not a decision based entirely on my guilt. Our people are dying. We need mates. Even if none of your people are mates, at least other humans will feel more comfortable knowing that you are here. That you are happy living here. Living here. I know my own mate longed for more humans to interact with. To be friends.”

“It’s hard to imagine anyone not wanting to be friends with the Crown Princess, oh I mean Empress.”

Dex’s face softened considerably. “I feel the same. Unfortunately, many of the females of my race did not welcome her as they should have. However, now she has friends. One of those friends could be in danger.”

“I know. I can help. If I have something of Mila’s then I can track her.”

“From this far away?” he asked.

“Yes. From this distance, though, I can only give a direction. The closer I am the more accurate I can pinpoint their location. If I am on the same planet, I can tell you exactly on a map where they are. I can also tell you how many people there are within a certain radius of my location.”

“Really? How big a radius?”

“Hmm, about thirty miles or so. It probably won’t help much in these circumstances. More useful if you’re fighting an enemy and you want to sense where they are.”

“Have you’re skills been used for that in the past?”

“Yes.” She really didn’t want to think about that, but she’d opened this door. She tensed, waiting for more questions.

“This mission could be dangerous,” he said, surprising her. “The unknown is always a risk.”

She swallowed. She was a wimp. She freely admitted it. She’d much rather be somewhere safe while others took all the risks. She knew a few protective moves, but she didn’t know how to fight. Her first instinct when faced with danger was to flee not fight.