Diamond (9 page)

The man called Emerald was huge. But he had a gentle disposition. Nadya didn’t know how she knew, but she did. His face was covered with some sort of tribal markings. They were dark against his already deeply tanned skin. The markings traced his nose in a delicate but masculine pattern, sweeping down his cheeks and ending just beneath his jaw. There was a long scar on the left side of his face; however, it did not distract from his masculine beauty. His brows were furrowed as he looked her over. His eyes gave nothing away as he studied her. She couldn’t quite place the color of his eyes. They were a mixture. Gold swirls and bright blues mixed with a deep emerald green all came together to give off a color so stunning it stood out against his dark skin, drawing a person in. Nadya found herself leaning forward until she almost fell over. Hypnotizing eyes.

“You look tired, girl. You okay?”

“Yes…yes… I’m fine. Just hungry.” Her stomach rumbled as if to prove its point.

Emerald watched her a moment, his eyes searching hers. His stare seeking entrance. Nadya averted her gaze before he saw too much. She knew what was behind her eyes. Confusion. Emptiness. Anger. There were days when memories would float across her mind just beyond her reach, or days when she was content with what she didn’t know or remember, but today, just this once, she wanted to feel like her own self. Whoever that was.

“Get her some food out of the pantry, and have Lavarious put on a pot of hot water.”

Hearing the word “food” had her insides warming. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad, after all? Nadya needed to stay sharp
.
A little bit of kindness could lead to a whole lot of betrayal. It was one of the oldest tricks in the book. Diamond hadn’t agreed to anything. A tiny sliver of worry creased her forehead at the thought of having to travel outside the city walls. She didn’t worry for herself, but for her two traveling companions. Nadya didn’t know how she knew, but she knew she would be the only one to survive on the other side of the wall. Getting past the Mainlanders was one thing, crossing the dead zone was another thing entirely. And they’d have to cross the zone in order to get to…
Where? Get to where?
There it was again, a fleeting memory just out of reach.

“All right, Nadya. That’s your name, right?”

“Yes.”

A woman entered the room. She wore a see-through gauzy dress and sandals. Her hair was cut short, and her face was covered with the same material as her dress with only her nose and mouth showing. Black blood seeped into the gauze where her eyes were and ran down her chin into her dress; the material soaking up the fluid. A seer. Warning bells sounded in Nadya’s head. She couldn’t let the other woman touch her. She didn’t know how she knew, but she was sure if the woman even grazed her, all hell would break loose.

“Nadya, this is Marina, she’s Diamond’s seer. She’s here as a comfort.”

Marina didn’t say anything, and neither did Nadya. Seers could see into a person’s mind, but only through touch. Nadya wasn’t going anywhere near her, and if Diamond thought he could manipulate her this way, he was wrong.

Emerald turned his back to her, opened a bag he’d brought in with him, and rummaged through, setting items on the table. As he inspected the various items, he told her gently to take off her robe, lie back on the bed, and spread her legs. There wasn’t much else she could do but obey. She wanted this part to be over quickly. She took off the robe, got up on the bed, laid down, and spread her legs as directed. When he turned to look at her, it wasn’t with distaste or interest. It was cursory, like she was just another specimen under a microscope and it took him little to no effort or reflection to do what Diamond requested.

“The hot water is for me. I need to clean my hands, and this,” he held up a metal instrument that looked painful, “is called a speculum. I don’t have the use of a lubricant. I’m hoping the water will ease a bit of the pain. There are other ways I could get your insides slick and wet—” his eyes went to her chest then her mouth, “—but I think Lavarious would have a serious problem with my methods. And it might very well make you extremely uncomfortable. And I want you to like me, darling.” His voice was deep and smooth. Comforting as he spoke slowly and enunciated the word
darling
. It was his accent, she thought. He wasn’t a city native at all.

He wanted her to like him, but when he held up the monstrosity of the tool he intended to use on her, she doubted very much she’d like him once it was all said and done. What the hell was he going to use it for? Her mind scanned the dark recesses of her memory, trying to come up with anything that would help her understand. Surely he wasn’t going to pierce her with it. It wasn’t sharp enough. Something was pushing at the edge of her memory, something not good. Nadya bit her lip. She couldn’t place her finger on it, but she knew she wasn’t going to like what was about to happen.

“What does a speculum do exactly?” She’d seen a plastic one similar to the metal he held in his hand, but it was used for tilling the dirt.

“It’s a tool that will help me know the truth about you. This will hold you open while I inspect your hymen.”

Nadya coughed, and her stomach tightened. It was going to be bad.

“I don’t understand. What does a hymen have to do with anything?”

“You that far out in the outer edges of town, you haven’t been educated?”

Of course, she was educated. More so than him, she was sure of it. Her brain just wasn’t able to grasp the concept of the contraption he was holding, or what a hymen had to do with anything.

“I see you’re going to need schooling, too. Not much going on up there in that head of yours.”

“I know plenty.”

There was a lot going on in her head. Too much. Half the time, she didn’t know who she was or where she was from. Her life before now was a void. She had no use for things like a speculum. Her concern was for the safety of her family.

“When you live that far north, you don’t seek out a proper education. I know enough. More than enough by most standards. She downplayed her intelligence; she didn’t need them to think anything other than what she wanted them to know. “That I have no clue what a speculum is or what it does is not a testament to my ability to make clear and conscious decisions.”

His eyes snapped up to her face, and she could see the beginning of a grin.

“At least you have a bit of a bite,
kōtiro
.”

“What does
kōtiro
mean?”

“It means girl, it’s a term of endearment,
kōtiro ataahua.
That’s beautiful girl
,”
Emerald responded.

Lip walked in with a bowl of steaming, water. It was in a clear bowl. Cloudless water.

Pure Wave. Nadya was visibly upset when Emerald plunged his hands into the water. Marina stood off to the side, her body turned towards both males. He was wasting perfectly good Wave. That quality of Wave would have seen her and her family through a Razor Winter easily. Pure Wave in the city was damn near non-existent. People like Diamond and other members of the five Towers would be the only ones to have it to waste. An entire month of warmth, food, and decent living accommodations, and he’d wasted it in a matter of minutes. He said some kind of prayer in another language and looked to Lip, who took the bowl and disappeared.

“You’re very wasteful.”

Emerald’s gaze swung her way. He had a crease in his forehead, and she wasn’t sure if he was angry or confused. This was the first time he’d looked at her and not through her. She was still naked, lying on the bed, her legs wide open as he’d instructed. Vulnerable and uncomfortable was how he made her feel. Emotions she wasn’t used to.

“If you must know, that wasn’t Wave, not even close. But to you it probably looked it because of its clarity. Don’t believe everything you see, girl. We all have our struggles. Never forgot, we’re all on the brink of starvation. All trying to pull our weight to survive. Never be fooled into thinking you’re safe. We’re all one step away from dying. Some are just better at hiding it than others.”

“If you say so. Doesn’t look as if anyone is starving here.”

Emerald turned back, grabbed the speculum and pulled her forward until her feet were hanging off the side of the bed. He walked around and grabbed a bench, pulling it forward. He sat on the seat and used the sides as a prop for her legs before bending his head and spreading her open with his fingers. He looked up briefly and explained that she’d feel some discomfort. He didn’t give her time to prepare. Nadya felt the pinch before he’d fully explained the procedure.

She sucked in a deep breath and tried to hold still.

“I said there would be some discomfort. Now try to breathe easy. This won’t take long.”

She tried but couldn’t seem to catch her breath. He was gentle, but the object was stretching her while he poked and prodded between her legs. The metal was cold and awkward. It was becoming something of a chore to try and stay still. When she would have moved back, Emerald removed the offending instrument and tapped her leg. Finally, it was over. What an archaic way to inspect a woman. Nadya turned her head and watched Marina from the corner of her eye. The other woman hadn’t moved. She’d stayed in the same position the entire time Nadya was being examined.

“Lavarious, can you come in here for a moment,” Emerald yelled. His voice loud and carrying across the room.

“Can I put the robe back on?”

“No, I have some suggestions I need to point out. You stay just like you are,
kōtiro
.”

Fine.

There was a warm smell coming from the open door. A smell that meant food, if her stomach growling was any indication.

Diamond strode in, the door banging against the wall as he came to a stop.

“Man, you couldn’t examine her ass on the floor or the lounge chair. You had to do that shit on my bed?”

Emerald smirked. “Chill, she’s totally clean. In every way.”

“No shit?” He looked to her then back to Emerald, a wide smile spreading across his dark face.

“No shit. I do have some suggestions.”

“Yeah, what’s that?”

“She needs to be shaved. And marked. I have the perfect idea for some ink. I think the clients will go for it, plus it will equally identify her as pure.”

Nadya looked between both males as they debated back and forth.

Diamond seemed to be considering Emerald’s idea. His eyes turned to Nadya and he swept over her entire body from head to toe like a dust storm, only his look was more cutting. If she were to get caught up in his gaze, Diamond could tear the flesh from her in sixty seconds or less. She almost felt her skin peeling as his eyes surveyed her form. The light shining in his eyes held something she couldn’t place. Reading him was hard.

“What kind of ink?”

“Left side, up her ribs, wrapping over to her right hip then down her thigh.

“I like it. I’ll have Lindy grab one of the girls to help with the removal of her body hair and find her more suitable attire. Then we can have the ink scanned on. I have a design in mind.”

“Don’t I get a say?” Nadya asked.

“No.”

“Why the hell not?” It was her body. This was not something she’d agreed to. She didn’t see any of the other girls lining up to get marked.

“Because, as of five seconds ago, you became my property.”

“We haven’t agreed to anything yet.” She grabbed the robe and yanked her arms through, ripping the shoulder in the process.

“You’re gonna pay for that, and yeah, we just did. Contract accepted.”

Emerald tried to break the tension. “Go eat your food,
kōtiro
. Someone will come for you.”

V

Diamond asked Lip to get one of the girls to prepare Nadya. She’d barely gotten to enjoy what little food had been brought up for her.

“I‘m thinking a tribal tattoo from my home would look really good on her. A message of her importance can be woven in, and if you want, we can even add your name.” Emerald looked his direction.

“I don’t want my name on her. Nadya’s not mine. She is in my employ, that’s all. I will auction her off to the highest bidder. I’ll get a fuck-ton of Wave and other goods we can use for trade in exchange. I need news of this to reach far and wide. I want it to reach the inner city and outside the wall. I can set it up so the top bidders have a go. If she doesn’t breed the first time around, we’ll use her for round two. Eventually, she’ll ripen with someone’s seed. I don’t want to waste a great opportunity.”

“All right, but you never know, Maddox or Martinez may answer the call.”

“Let them. Those two punks can’t afford her, let alone be her patron. I like the idea of using a tribal tattoo. I’m going to have her collared and tethered to me, for training purposes. I don’t want to fuck this up, and once the others hear about her status, that’s exactly what they’re going to try and do. Fuck shit up.”

Emerald wore a shit-eating grin.

“Seriously, people won’t piss without your permission. You think if you tell them Nadya is off limits they won’t listen?”

“Can’t take that chance.”