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Darcy didn’t pretend Nikol’s leaving didn’t bother her. She was jittery for obvious reasons. It helped that Cecilee and the other ladies tried to keep her distracted. They entertained her with stories that had them all laughing and stayed up late into the night when she couldn’t sleep for missing Nikol’s presence in bed beside her.
On the third day, Darcy found herself lounging outside in the garden listening to the flow of water from the stream. Amia came out and kneeled at her side. Not bothering to move from her prone position, Darcy offered up a smile.
“How are you feeling?” Amia asked.
Darcy shrugged. How was she supposed to feel? She was trapped on an alien world, living in a harem and was regarded as a possession. The slightest misstep could see her dead. Anyone had the right to touch her and she had no means of protecting herself.
Saying any of that to Amia could only lead to hurt feelings. They didn’t understand her resistance because they’d grown up in a society that taught them the way they were treated was the norm.
“I’m fine.”
Amia eyed her with a subtle twist to her lips. “Are you sure? You can talk to me.”
Darcy sighed and pushed up to a seated position, looping her arms around her folded knees. Listing all the reasons she had to be saddened wouldn’t change anything. Instead, Darcy rested her chin on her knees and said, “I guess I’m missing Nikol.”
Amia stroked a hand over Darcy’s loosened hair. “If I am not overstepping—you love the young master, don’t you?”
Love, love, love. The thought circled around Darcy’s head. She blew out a breath. “Yes. I love him.”
Saying it aloud made it real. Darcy bowed her head and picked at a blade of grass.
“Why does this make you sad?” Amia tugged on the ends of Darcy’s hair until she lifted her head.
She blinked back tears. “Not sad per se. I’m slowly realizing that my life has changed forever. All the dreams and plans I had...they’re just that. Dreams and plans that I’ll never achieve because of my circumstances.”
Amia tapped the bracelet hanging loose about Darcy’s wrist. The bracelet she rarely removed despite the holkom pieces she’d been receiving lately being more elaborate and undoubtedly more expensive.
She couldn’t explain why she was attached to it other than it belonged to Nikol’s mother and he’d given it to her long before they’d reached a compromise on their relationship.
“When you first came here two months ago, you mentioned wanting someone to love and having a family. Don’t you have that now?”
Darcy stared up at the sky. She had signed up to the Singles Program to meet a man she could love and who would love her in return. She loved Nikol and knew he cared about her. Did he love her?
She didn’t know. As to having a family, Darcy wasn’t sure she wanted to have kids and raise them on a world such as Marenia.
“This is different, Amia,” she finally managed.
Amia nodded. “I understand, but please know the other tutanis and I love you and consider you our family. I hope one day you will feel the same and accept what’s in our hearts. As for Nikol—” Her grin broke free. “We see the love he has for you.”
Darcy was stunned. Amia stood and smiled softly. “I will see you later Darcy from Earth.”
After Amia went inside, Darcy worked to wrap her head around the conversation. Not the part with Amia, Cecilee, Stasia and Tashire loving her. They’d been nothing but welcoming and very maternal toward her from the moment she’d been abducted and brought here.
That wasn’t what left Darcy short of breath. No, she was sitting here blown away because if Amia’s comment was to be believed, then it was obvious to all others that Nikol loved her. She’d shied away from studying the possibility too close for fear of being disappointed if she was wrong and now it was in her face and unavoidable.
The care, the concern and the worry for her safety. Could Nikol love her after all?
***
The report of the first explosion came in while Nikol was questioning the accounts from a prior auction.
“Phase one started.” Dain’s words came to him in the open line in his earbud.
Dain was with Nikol but waiting outside the building to prevent anyone from interrupting Nikol’s meeting to review the accounts with the Overseer. Nikol continued his conversation with the man across the desk from him. He was starting to feel the first stirrings of victory.
The Oversee nervously checked his data pad but had no answer. He shifted uncomfortably in the seat across from Nikol. “I’m sorry, Nikol. I don’t see how or why the credits on those slaves sold are not accounted for.”
Nikol slammed his palm on the desk and the Oversee jumped in his seat. “It’s simple enough. The merchandise came in and went out. Now I’m asking you where the credits went.”
“Another strike completed,” Dain muttered quietly.
Skin flushed, the Overseer was about to concoct a lie, no doubt, when a boom rocked the building they were in. The windows behind the desk Nikol was using shattered and burst inward.
Even expecting it, he was jolted. Then Nikol leaped to his feet and ducked across the room. Another blast hit, followed by a series of concussions. The floor vibrated and rocked, throwing the Oversee off balance and into the wall.
“What’s going on?” Nikol demanded though he knew.
The Oversee curled into a corner, hands over his head. “I don’t know. I don’t know.”
Empty cages rattled, their presence reminding Nikol why he was doing what he was doing. Smiling grimly, Nikol hit the comm on his wrist. “Dain, are you there?”
“Yes, there has been an attack on the auction. No signs of intruders but damage to the outer building and complete loss on the holding area. We’re lucky there was no merchandise in transit or on site.”
Because Nikol hadn’t wanted any avoidable casualties. There hadn’t been an auction scheduled in the last week and all prior ones had been routed to smaller hubs under their provision. “Yes, lucky.”
His comm vibrated with another incoming call. The ID reflected exactly who he expected. “Nikol here.”
“Where are you?” Lothar demanded, urgency and anger transmitting across his earbud.
“On Tua-20. I was about to contact you. It seems we’re under attack.”
Lothar let out a string of curses. “I’m on my way to you. Reports are coming in of two more attacks on our facilities. Complete destruction. My men gone.”
The intensity of these attacks had drawn him out. It was exactly as Nikol had hoped but didn’t expect without heavy convincing. Lothar rarely left Marenia unless in depth planning was done weeks in advance and had several guards to accompanying him.
Nikol eyed the Overseer, who watched his conversation. He had to tread carefully. “Wouldn’t it be best if I leave and meet you on Nzoni? It’s closer.”
“Nzoni was one of the targets hit. Don’t try to leave. The last messages that came in before we lost contact after the attack with them claimed all ships fleeing from Nzoni and Rhuttan were blown out of the sky.”
Lothar actually sounded worried for Nikol. He’d be impressed if he wasn’t aware the concern centered around blood line only and not on Nikol’s wellbeing. Nikol pretended outrage. “Two other auctions were hit?!”
“Yes,” Lothar snarled.
Nikol bit back a grin. “This isn’t random. It sounds like a planned attack. What do you need me to do?”
“Calix and I are on our way to you. It may be necessary to extract you undercover. Don’t worry, Nikol. We’ll find who did this and make sure they suffer.”
“It might be too dangerous. Dain and I can scout a way out. My ship will not easily be destroyed. It would be safer to meet you elsewhere.”
Lothar muttered under his breath. “Not worth the risk.”
Perhaps there was a small bit of concern on Lothar’s part for him. Not enough for Nikol to stop what he’d set in motion. “I’ll await your arrival.”
He ended the comm and faced the Overseer, who edged in his direction with a hopeful look in his eyes. “We might have a way out?”
“Not you,” Nikol said and withdrew his laser and shot him dead center of his chest. The man who’d taken particular delight in raping the male and female slaves before they were auctioned fell to the ground.
He was lucky he hadn’t touched Darcy or his death would have been much slower and far more painful. Nikol commed Dain. “All clear. We wait for Lothar’s arrival.”
“I’ll stay outside and make sure no one attempts to join you.”
Dain was excellent at what he did and Nikol trusted his friend was going to have a bit of fun eliminating the few others here with a reputation for being unnecessarily cruel to slaves and buyers alike.