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It took two hours to arrive at the docking bay of my father’s sphere-shaped onyx ship, the Peirc’s Triumph. The outer port of the ship vanished and we flew straight into the docking bay, which was a garage filled with different-sized transports. As soon as David parked our flyer, the ship sealed us in. I wasn’t surprised to see two five-feet-tall robots pushing a gurney into the docking bay. I couldn’t blame father for not wasting the effort to greet Jade himself. She wasn’t implanted with a Hyndroyl crystal, which meant that she had no abilities. What purpose did Jade serve? I couldn’t help but think that retrieving her was one big waste of time.
The side of the flyer vanished and David rushed over to Jade and unbuckled her. He carried her out of the flyer and gently placed her on the gurney. I joined David, who walked ahead so that he could press his palm on the wall in front of us. The wall vanished and we entered the main corridor of the space ship.
“I’m going to visit with my mother,” I told David in Nerth, the tongue spoken by all Nerethians. Those of us that were deemed useful were given a language implant that made it possible for us to speak Nerth. Father only wanted us speaking English when we were conversing with someone who didn’t have the implant.
“Tell Rose that I said hi,” David said. My brother was clearly troubled about something. I could see it in his expressive dark eyes. “I’ll follow Jade to the infirmary.” I nodded, and when we walked into the interior of the ship, I turned left while he turned right.
***
I arrived at the suite that was assigned to my mother and me and paused in the doorway. My mother was pressed against the wall, goose bumps forming on her naked flesh. Her face was tilted back in pleasure as my father’s face was pressed into her chest. I wanted to vomit on the hideous white metallic floor, but I didn’t. I backed out of the room, appalled that the door was wide open. I didn’t bother closing the door, since Father’s actions always had a purpose. I leaned against one of the onyx walls and took a breath. I kind of wished that I could center myself by looking at a painting or a decoration, but Father had no such things on his ship. In fact, all of the walls were painted onyx for a reason that I hadn’t cared to find out. Everything to my father was a game. And if he answered a question, he expected something in return. How had my mother been placed in such a humiliating position? Was she pleading with him to go easy on me in case I didn’t succeed?
“Who died?” Lena asked as she strolled out of her suite. My sister was beautiful, and resembled her twin, despite the fact that they were fraternal. But unlike Jade, she was strong, hard, and didn’t take crap from anyone.
“We found Jade,” I said, ready for her usual look of disapproval. She was one of the people that chose to rebel whenever she could. Lena rolled her eyes as moaning traveled into the hallway.
“Of course you kidnapped my twin like the obedient puppy you are,” she mocked, before storming off. She was the only motherless teen that lived among us useful Peirc siblings, and I didn’t understand why. She was moody, rude, and received the most light punishments out of all of us. I doubted that father was going to allow Lena to interact with Jade. He wouldn’t risk having Lena’s defiant nature rubbing off on her. Besides, it was doubtful that Lena would seek Jade out because, despite what she wanted us to believe, she also played the game. At the moment she was left to her own devices. But if she showed any weakness, Karen or Anastacia would find a way to bring her down.
When my mother’s screaming went to a crescendo, Karen exited her suite, a scowl on her face.
“What’s going on?” she questioned. I shook my head, not even wanting to peek in my father’s mind.
“It looks like they will be a while,” I groaned.
“They better not be,” Karen said, a threat clearly in her voice. “Just remember, Mom is his favorite.” I didn’t want to break it to Karen. My father didn’t love anyone but himself. Instead, I rubbed my face.
“I’m dying to take a nap,” I said.
“That bad? I don’t know why Father even bothered with that one. She doesn’t have a Hyndroyl crystal.” Karen sneered.
“I’m sure she’ll be married to some horrible lord by the end of it,” I suspected, and Karen nodded.
“I would much prefer Jade to marry a decrepit lord. I want someone young and rich. Gwen, you better tell your mother where she belongs,” Karen warned before strutting back into her room.
I didn’t enter the suite until my father sauntered out into the hallway. His green silks were in order, his black hair slightly messy. I bit down on a nasty retort. Instead, I took a deep breath.
“Did you tell my mother that we were successful?” I asked. Lord Peirc shook his head.
“Rose is much more willing to try certain things if she knows that her precious daughter’s life is in danger.” Hopefully, Mom remembered to take the pills that relaxed her after a tryst with my father. If not, she would be up all night, crying.
“Well, then, I’ll see you for dinner,” I responded. My father nodded.
“I have a meeting with the lady. You know I have to assure her that she is the only woman in my life that actually matters,” he mentally told me. I hated that he could push thoughts into my head, but I kept my expression neutral. It was a secret that the both of us shared. I wouldn’t risk Mother’s sanity by sharing it with her.
“Have a nice afternoon, Dad,” I said, knowing that Lord Peirc enjoyed the endearment.
“Will do,” he said before walking away. His confident stride pissed me off. But I forced the useless anger down, knowing that the emotion was only going to make me act rashly. Instead, I walked into the suite and glanced around. Our quarters consisted of a large room with two king-size beds, a massive closet, and an en-suite bathroom. Mother’s sobbing could be heard, even behind the closed bathroom door. In some ways I was impatient with the woman who gave me life, not understanding how someone could be so weak. She greatly missed the husband that father murdered. Thanks to her foolishness, the man had been decapitated two years ago. The image of his head resting on a silver platter in the dining room of our luxury apartment still featured in some of the worst of my nightmares. But I’d never let Lord Peirc know that his barbaric act affected me. I’d never express the anger that I felt toward Mom for marrying the kind, mild-mannered man. He had a daughter, Amber, a bright light who always smiled. I was pretty sure that Amber was plagued by daddy issues, since her father vanished long ago. She probably thought that Max García abandoned her for a life of luxury like every postcard Lord Peirc sent her suggested. He was strategic about it, only writing during special occasions. Then he did the whole skipping the occasional holiday act.
I liked Amber well enough, though she had quite a mouth on her. But my mother had doted on Amber, showering her with clothes and shoes. I warned her that Lord Peirc wouldn’t be happy about it. But she insisted, that he had given her his blessing. Well, that was a bald-faced lie. When he saw fit, the Nerethian lord struck. And ever since Mother and I had come home on Valentine’s Day to find the head on the dining room table, she had been a nervous wreck.
Sighing, I hurried over to the bathroom and knocked on the door. I wasn’t surprised that no one answered. It was more of a “I’m coming in” kind of gesture. Moments later, I turned the knob and walked in. Mom was sitting in the tub, tears streaming down her face. She lifted her head and the tears suddenly stopped.
“You were successful?” Mom softly asked, fear etched on her face.
“Sure was,” I responded. The regret in her dark brown eyes made me a bit uneasy. I didn’t desire to get into a pointless argument with Mom again.
“I feel bad for Jade,” Mom said. “But you did what you had to do.” I wish that Mom could understand that I obeyed Lord Peirc because I was trying to keep us both alive. The monster couldn’t live forever. I was biding my time, waiting for our circumstances to get better.
“Me too. I don’t think that she’s cut out for this kind of life,” I noted, annoyance in my gut. I knew that Jade Bane was going to be a hell of a lot of trouble for David. His harsh rhetoric back in Jade’s former home had all been talk. I knew that my noble brother would do anything to keep that fragile little thing safe. I’d do my best to keep her alive to prevent David from getting himself in trouble. But if I had to choose between keeping my mother safe and having Jade avoid a punishment, I’d choose Mom every time.
“I knew her mother,” my mother revealed. “We were best friends. Jade is only a month younger than you, Gwen.”
“You knew Nelly?” I squeaked, shocked that she hadn’t mentioned it before. “Did you know that she was going to try to hide her children from Dad?” My mother shook her head.
“No. By then, we weren’t talking to one another. Your father had been seeing us both in secret. And...”
“You both chased after a handsome man without caution,” I accused, which made my mother stiffen. She briefly closed her eyes before opening them.
“Gwen, I hope that one day you fall in love. I hope you know what it’s like to be loved for who you are, and not for what you can do for someone. I hope...” I held up my hand and she thankfully quieted.
“Mom, you know that I’m never going to have that kind of life. I am the daughter of a powerful lord. I’m sure once I marry, it will be to someone that can provide the Peirc house with assets. I know my place, Mother, and I’ve accepted it. I think that it’s time that you learn yours,” I lectured, not for the first time. I expected for her to launch into a speech about how her late husband had been the love of her life. I prepared for the unnecessary hysterics. But then, a defeated expression flew across her face.
“I was nothing like Nelly. She wasn’t foolish at all. She saw through your father, and tried warning me. But I tossed her out. Had I listened, you would still have a soul.” It took a moment for Mom’s words to register. She thought I had no soul? Was this woman kidding? After all I had done to ensure her safety, she dared to insult me? I was about to shout at her for the insult, when a punishment beam fell from the ceiling and crashed into my mother’s shoulder. She began to scream, her body thrashing, water splashing about. I couldn’t bear to watch the punishment, so I rushed out of the bathroom and collapsed onto my bed. The punishment light made the person being punished believe that they were suffering a terrible amount of pain. Once the light disappeared, mother would be fine.
***
“Oh my goodness, Gwen, you’re missing it,” my vapid sister, Anastacia, said. I had fallen asleep, exhausted from the day’s journey. I opened my eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall. Crap, it was nearing dinner. I had to get out of my Earth clothing and change into one of my gowns.
“I’m not missing dinner. It hasn’t started yet,” I protested as I slipped out of bed.
“No, silly, you’re missing out on the betting that’s going on. Dad is having one of his doctors implant Jade with a Hyndroyl crystal,” Anastacia reported as she fluffed her blue gown, which was complete with a corset. I highly doubted that Lena approved of her twin suffering through such danger. But I wasn’t going to worry about it. Lena wasn’t stupid enough to actually voice her opinion. Well, I hoped she wasn’t.
“What are the stakes?” I asked as I walked over to the closet.
“How many days it will take for Jade to die. The doctors told Dad that putting the Hyndroyl crystal in her body is detrimental to her health. But Dad doesn’t care. I’m guessing that he really wants to teach her a lesson,” Anastacia gossiped. I decided to shut the closet door to get dressed in a loose-fitting green gown. It was the quickest to put on. As I dressed, I couldn’t help but think that Father was very cruel. First, he snatched Jade from a loving home, murdered her foster parents, then was potentially killing her. And the worst part of it all was that some of my siblings were actually betting on whether she lived or died. Yeah, Mother, tell me who lacks a soul?