Woman Bewitched (5 page)

Resting his chin on the top of Marti’s head, Kyl conceded the notion that, like those whose lives they directed, the Fates had made mistakes.
At least they are attempting to correct them.

Marti sat on the defender’s lap as he comforted her. It wasn’t as though she had much of a choice, he was much stronger than she. Besides, she liked his warmth and the way he smelled.

Just the thought of his scent made Marti worry about her own smell. Her short bath the day before did nothing for her self-esteem, especially after trading her hard-won self-respect for her escape.

The memory of the guard touching her sent a shiver of revulsion through her that Kyl must have thought was a chill. He gathered her closer, his warmth seeping into her and making her perspire.

“What is your power?” she asked the crook of his neck.

“My power?” He pulled back to look at her, giving her room to breathe.

“Yes.” She tilted her head and bit her lip. “You know. Do you fly, have super strength? What is it?”

“I have a little bit of everything.” He smiled. “It’s not like your brother or most other’s powers. They all have the same abilities day in and day out.” He shrugged as he stared off into space. “With me, it’s more like my body somehow knows what strength I’m going to need for any given rescue.” He smiled down at her and winked. “It’s kind of like magic.”

I can believe that.
Marti could feel something different in him. It was almost as though he had some magic aura that drew her to him. She almost felt bewitched by his warmth. Energy radiated off him in waves, making her want to edge closer to him, even as she wanted to move away.

You’re cold, Marti. That’s all. Your body just wants to leach warmth off him. It’s nothing more.

Just keep telling yourself that, Marteeka. One day, you might believe that. However, that day will not be today.

Marti closed her eyes to the sound of that strange motherly voice in her head. Tears burned behind her lids as she wondered what it would have been like to have a mother’s love. Their father had always told them that it was a female’s lot in life to give birth and perhaps die in the process. He never apologized for not being able to save their mother from that fate.

Their mother, also named Marteeka, had loved their father even though she had never been his true mate. He had been content with her, but never truly happy. Marteeka had always wondered if the same fate awaited her and Artu. She glanced at her brother, happy that at least he was saved from that fate.

The servants had always said their mother had been the happiest woman alive. She had died giving birth to the defender’s children. Not many in this time knew that she and Artu were twins. Maybe
that
was why she, too, held a defender’s power. Right up until five years ago, that is.

Her womb clenched as she inhaled Kyl’s spicy scent and she knew she must talk about other things or she just might throw caution to the wind and snuggle up to the strange defender, for his scent as much as his delicious warmth.

“I went on holiday and decided to see what all the hype was about Katkari.” She shrugged. “It looked much like any other world, but the propaganda I saw made it look like some beautiful tropical paradise.” Marteeka didn’t know whether to laugh or cry about that part.

“One area of the planet was earmarked for the trap. It was a beautiful island with lush grasses and trees with the most succulent fruit.” She closed her eyes as she remembered the beautiful island and its equally beautiful men.

“The first night I was there, I met a man who swept me off my feet. He even asked me to marry him.” She laughed mirthlessly. “I knew he was only saying those things because it was his job. However, I didn’t know it was his job to get to know the lone women and mark them for abduction.”

Pausing, she took a drink of the delicious water before her and then continued. “I stayed for a week and then I left. My vacation over, I was headed home. I made a stop on the space station to try and get some of that almani butter that Artu likes so much. I had dinner there and that is the last thing I remember before waking up in a community cell filled with Katkari’s slaves.”

Marti shuddered when she thought about how lucky she was to have escaped. “Katkari is not a paradise. Its deepest darkest secret is its trade in human flesh.”

“How many women are slaves there?” Ga’briel asked. He’d slid forward and perched on the edge of his seat.

“How many of the women are slaves on that world?” Looking up, Marti met his gaze, barely able to believe he asked that question. “All of them.”

“We can’t leave them there,” Lena said to Artu.

She might not know the woman, but Marti loved her for that. Even knowing that the people had some way to steal their power, Lena refused to leave others in subjugation if she could do something to help. The woman might not have been born a defender, but she had the heart of one.

“No, we can’t, love,” Artu replied as Marti knew he would. He might not know what it was like, but her brother certainly knew right from wrong and slavery was always wrong. “We must do something to help the women on that world.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “The only question is what do we do to save them?”

Artu’s words haunted Marti as she sat on the comfortable bed in the huge room that Kylar had provided for her.

She looked around her, noting that the space was much larger than the cell she had shared with so many others on Katkari. The room was so big, she wasn’t certain she would be able to sleep here by herself.

Reaching up, she pulled the towel from her hair and rubbed it. It felt good to be clean again. It was always good to be able to bathe with the knowledge that there was no agenda for cleanliness other than comfort.

On Katkari, bathing was a gift, a privilege given to those who have either served their masters well, or for those slated to be the night’s sexual entertainment. After five years of avoiding soap and water, being clean felt wonderful. She gazed toward the bathroom, wondering just how long it would take for the hot water to replenish.

Marti knew that she had the tendency to be obsessive on occasion, but she didn’t think another shower would be excessive.
Would it?

Don’t be silly, girl. You’ve just escaped imprisonment. No one would blame you for wanting to scrub that horrible experience from your life.
The strange voice in Marti’s head seemed almost tender, motherly even.

“What do you know about it?” She couldn’t stop herself from asking the question, though she was relatively certain that she knew the answer.

I am Verdandi, Norn of the present. I have watched you over the years and I am pleased at how you accept your fate. You are not one to complain or rail at us about how unfair you think your lot in life. That is one of the reasons we have decided to help you.

Help me?
Marti frowned.
Where were they when I sacrificed my virtue and self-respect to make my escape last night?

The memory of what she had done, the price she paid for her freedom, made her skin crawl.

That was
your
choice, Marteeka. My sisters and I merely weave the threads of fate.
You
are the one who decides which threads to grasp.
She paused for a moment as though waiting for her words to sink in.
Life always gives you multiple choices. Each choice has a different outcome. You could have easily chosen to stay and marry the prince, or escape with the help of another slave, to hide until you could convince a visitor to take you with them when they left. There were, and always will be, endless choices. The avenue of the escape you chose reflects upon
you
as an individual.

“It reflects on me?” Marteeka thinned her lips. “In other words, I’m a slut and took the easy way out by bartering with my body.”

A lump formed in her throat as tears filled her eyes. What would Kylar think of her if he knew what she had done to escape? She dashed away the tears with the back of her hand. Why should she give a damn what he thought?

You care what he thinks because your heart and body recognize him as your soul mate. Besides, you did not do what you did because it is easy. Parting with your hard held virtue was not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. You did what you thought you must, because you knew the faster you left, the faster you could bring help to the others. Your thoughts were always of them, not of the ease of your escape. Kylar would
never
hold that against you.

Marti thought about Kyl for a moment, missing his warmth and addicting scent. Could Verdandi be right?

Of course I’m right, you silly girl. I’m a demi-god. I am one of the weavers of your fate. I weave your present and what I see is you searching out Kylar and allowing him to help you forget your night with the guard. Even Kylar will see that you used your influence with that man to help the others more than yourself.

Could she? Marti wasn’t certain that she
could
go to him and let him help her forget. Perhaps she’d left her courage on Katkari to keep her virtue company.

You won’t have to go to him. He approaches, even now. Don’t choose the wrong thread this time, Marteeka. I cannot see your future, but know this,
he
is your present. Grab onto this thread with him and hold on tight. There is not another.

Someone knocked on the door and Marti jumped. She grabbed the robe off the foot of the bed and covered her previously forgotten nakedness.

“Come in.” Her voice cracked and came out rather hoarse. Clearing her throat, she tried again, “Come in.”

Kyl stood on the other side of the door, wondering if he should be here. Everything within him told him this was
right
, that
she
was the one. As crazy as it seemed, even the voices in his head agreed.
That
didn’t make him feel any better. There was still a part of him that thought himself mad for hearing the voices. After all, one was taught that talking to one’s self led to madness.

You are
not
talking to yourself.
I
am talking to you. Just as I have spoken to Marteeka. She has invited you in. Open the door before she changes her mind, you fool.

She invited me in?
Swallowing thickly, Kyl reached for the door handle and wrapped his fingers around it.

“Come in.”

Kyl heard her muffled voice through the thick wooden door. She sounded close. Turning the handle, he opened the door. His mouth went dry at the vision before him.

Marti’s hair, now a beautiful silvery blonde, tumbled down to her waist in glorious waves. He’d known her hair was light, but not like this. The gleaming locks rivaled the very sun as she stood before him, wringing her hands.

“Did you need something?” A small line creased her brow. He wanted nothing more than to kiss it away.

You. I need you.
Kyl wondered where that thought came from as he shook his head. “I’m just checking to see if you’re comfortable.”

She smiled softly and his stomach clenched and he felt the wall around his heart melt just a bit.

“Very. I’m very comfortable. Thank you for asking.” She bit her lip. “It would be nice if I had more than a robe to wear.” She pulled the collar tighter around her neck. “It makes me feel—”

“Vulnerable?” he asked, interrupting her. Holding out his arm, he smiled and hoped he didn’t look intimidating. “If you would come with me, we could rectify that problem.”

Kyl watched the indecision chase across her face as she slowly reached up to place her hand on his arm.

“Where will you take me?”

“I will take you to one or more of the shops in this compound where we will search for something that gives you confidence.”

“I—I have no money.” Her step faltered as her face reddened and her gaze shifted toward her feet.

“Don’t worry about that. I will pay for whatever you need.”

“I’ll pay you back.” She raised her head to meet his gaze. “I swear I will.”

If things went the way he hoped they would, she wouldn’t need to pay him back. If what the Fates had told him was true, she was his mate and he would gladly pay for whatever she needed for the rest of her life.

“We’ll worry about that another time. Right now, I want nothing more than to see you comfortable.”

He led her down the stairs, through the courtyard and into the back door of the closest shop. If he could keep her near the dressing rooms, perhaps she wouldn’t feel so out of place while wearing nothing but the robe.

Challa, the sales clerk, looked up when they entered. “Hello, defender. How are you today?” she asked with a smile. Her expression cooled when she saw Marteeka on his arm in nothing but a robe.

“Hello, Challa.” He turned to Marteeka. “This is Marteeka. She is my guest. I would have you help dress her from the skin out if she likes what she sees here.” He turned when she released his arm, moving to sit on the bench seat where husbands and lovers sat to approve their women’s selections. “I’ll just sit here and watch, if you don’t mind.”

He would have left, but the calculating gleam in Challa’s eyes told him that the woman would choose the ugliest and most out of date clothing in which to dress his beautiful companion. He knew jealousy when he saw it.

* * * *

After an hour and seven outfits later, Marteeka had chosen three new jumpsuits and one evening gown. No one consulted him about the underwear or the nightgowns she chose.

It’s probably just as well,
a young-sounding voice whispered into his mind.
You know how you love surprises.

Kyl smiled. Whoever that voice belonged to was correct. He did love surprises. He also liked the anticipation of undressing a lover. It was very like unwrapping a gift.

Marti stepped out of the dressing room looking gorgeous in a white blouse and a short, short bright red skirt with matching high-heeled boots. His mouth went dry.
Holy hell! When did she try that on?
“I don’t remember that one.”