Chained Read online

  Her face fell. “You mean…”

  “The shortest route to the chasm is that way.” He pointed in the exact opposite direction she had. “But I’m afraid it leads through the prosti and porno district. I don’t think you’d be safe going by yourself, blondie.”

  “How do you even know all this? Yonnie Six isn’t your home planet, is it?”

  “No. But the Blood Circuit stops here. That’s how Lady Pope’nose saw me the first time. She watched me kill six males in a row in one match—it’s the reason she bought me.”

  “You killed…six men in a row?” Maggie’s voice was weak.

  Kor shrugged. “I killed for a living. I was a slave tied to the Circuit—winning matches made my master credit. Losing them meant losing my life. I wanted to survive.” He hoped she could understand but from the uncertain look on her face, she didn’t much like what she was hearing.

  “I—” she began but just then a voice interrupted.

  “Excuse me? Lady Pope’nose?” someone said.

  “What? Where?” Maggie looked around her wildly until Kor took her hand, more firmly this time, and whispered,

  “I think it’s talking to you.”

  “It?” She faced forward again and finally saw what he was talking about. “Oh,” she said weakly. “What is that?”

  “My apologies, Lady Pope’nose,” said the alien creature, coming forward. It had eight waving tentacles and a bulbous head covered in blue and green blotches. Its mouth appeared to be a shiny purple beak but it lacked a nose as far as Kor could tell. He couldn’t see its body very well because it was wearing a stiff black uniform with shiny gold buttons but it moved with the boneless ease of a creature more suited to water than land.

  “Uh…” Maggie’s eyes were still wide behind her oculars. “I’m not—”

  “You should apologize,” Kor cut in swiftly, putting himself between Maggie and the strange creature. “You startled my lady.”

  “I meant no disrespect.” The creature spoke in a strange, bubbling voice that made it sound like it was talking underwater. “I am Xilix—a Sporran. I have come to convey your lady to the Lo’thian spa and resort as she requested.” It peered around Kor, trying to see Maggie with its bulbous eyes. “You did request transport to the spa, did you not, my lady? As the spa is located on Twidal, Yonnie Six’s second moon, it is quite difficult to get there without a proper escort.”

  A light went off in Kor’s head. “Yes,” he said, answering for Maggie. “As a matter of fact, my lady did request transport to the spa. Lead the way.”

  “Oh, good. I am glad not to be mistaken.” The Sporran burbled happily and slithered down the sidewalk to a long black hovercoach which obviously had flight capabilities. “Please step inside and make yourselves comfortable,” it said, opening the door with one of its many tentacles. “Your luggage was sent days ago, as I am sure you remember, so there is nothing to do but enjoy your ride.”

  “Good.” Kor started to pull Maggie toward the hovercoach but she balked.

  “No,” she hissed at Kor, shaking her head. “No, I’m not going.”

  * * * * *

  “Why not?”

  Maggie had a feeling Kor was losing patience but he didn’t shout and more importantly, his eyes stayed a cool, pale blue. He simply stood there and looked at her in a way that made her squirm uncomfortably.

  “Why not?” he asked again.

  “Because. I told you I’m not going off planet with you,” she hissed. “I have a ship—”

  “Which you can call from the spa the minute we get there,” he said soothingly. “Look, this is the perfect opportunity to put at least a million miles between us and…” He cast a quick glance at the Sporran who was still holding the door and waiting politely, pretending not to hear. “And our problem” he finished in a low voice.

  “I don’t know…” Maggie’s insides felt all twisted up in knots. Somehow her initial action of freeing Kor kept getting blown further and further out of proportion. First she’d been forced to kiss him (well, not actually forced because to be honest, she’d kind of enjoyed it, but still…) And then she’d had to touch him intimately all over his body. Then she’d seen him blast a hole in solid stone with his eyes and now he wanted her to go off-planet with him, about a million miles from where she was supposed to be. Things were getting so out of control and she didn’t know how to stop them or even slow down a little.

  “I…I just don’t know,” she repeated. “This is all going so fast.”

  “Is there a problem?” The Sporran chose this moment to come forward, a look of uncertainty on its bulbous face. “Have you changed your mind about coming to the Lo’thian spa, my lady?”

  “My mistress is a little nervous about space flight, that’s all.” Kor shooed the alien away dismissively. “Give me a moment more to soothe her.”

  “Of course. Forgive my intrusion.” The Sporran retreated but it was still within hearing distance.

  “Mistress…” To Maggie’s astonishment, Kor dropped abruptly to one knee in front of her. “My lady, please get over your fear and come with me,” he said, loudly enough for the Sporran to catch each word. “Please.”

  “I…I…” Maggie felt tongue tied. He was so tall that they were almost eye to eye even with him kneeling—she’d always liked tall men. Also, he looked absolutely mouthwatering in those tight black leather pants and she could still taste his mouth on hers, could still feel the rock-hard planes of his big body under her hands…

  But he also had laser beams for eyes—or something like them, anyway. And despite her dreams, he was essentially a stranger. She’d been raised from childhood to never go anywhere with a strange man—not even around the corner, let alone to a far distant moon. There was also the fact that he was an avowed killer—he freaking murdered people for a living! Could there be a more dangerous person to run off with? Maggie didn’t think so.

  Not to mention you also have a fiancé, whispered a snarky little voice inside her head. I mean, as long as we’re listing pros and cons don’t forget about poor Donald.

  Maggie blushed when she realized she had almost forgotten him. How could she even be considering going off with some strange man when she’d been with her fiancé for five years?

  She opened her mouth to refuse but then Kor took her hands in his much larger ones and looked into her eyes.

  “I’m asking you nicely because our driver is watching,” he said in a low voice meant for her ears only. “I don’t want to scare you, Maggie, but it’s clear you won’t last a minute here alone and this is the best chance we’re going to get to leave the planet.”

  “What are you saying?” she demanded, keeping her voice low. “That you’ll sling me over your shoulder and carry me off?”

  “If I have to.” His eyes flashed red for a moment. “If it’s the only way to keep you safe. Do you know what will happen to you if you try to cross the prosti and porno district alone?”

  “Nothing, I’m sure.” She raised her chin. “After all, this is a female dominated society. So I’m sure if there are any prostitutes, they’re male.”

  “So they are.” His deep voice was grim. “Because the upper echelons of Yonnie Six are all female dominated. But what they don’t know—what they don’t want to know is that the lower echelons—the dregs of society and the poorest of the poor—are free males who hate the females who rule them. And the porno and prosti district is where they all congregate. If you go down there dressed like a rich mistress—even this time of day—they’ll tear you apart. After they rape you.” His deep voice was harsh.

  Maggie’s stomach did a slow, sick flip. “I…but I can go around that area then, can’t I?”

  He shook his head. “Walk leagues and leagues out of the way? In those shoes?” He nodded down at the ridiculously high green leather heels strapped to her feet. “I don’t think so, blondie. And if you have to run in them, which you will if you go down the wrong block by mistake…”

  “All right