Planet Athion: The Complete Series by Angel Lawson

34

Mercy

The instantI’m alone I break down, leaning my back against the door and sliding to the floor. I don’t want to. I want to get angry—beat my fists on the door, but I can’t. I’m too exhausted. Too overwhelmed. It feels like days since I was yanked out of my cell.

I think about what I’ve lost. My career. My mission, but most of all the three amazing men I’d just welcomed into my life. I knew we may be on borrowed time but I didn’t think it would end like this.

I talked a big game about them coming to look for me—they would, but I’d heard Dimka speak of the Master and the fact the Custo freed the slaves from the Pits but never caught him. He’s slippery. Two steps ahead. And now he’s my owner.

It’s the rumble of the ship that brings me from my despair. I’m used to being on something much larger—the kind of vessel that doesn’t tremble when the engines roar, but this ship shudders for a moment and I get off the floor and rush to the small window just in time to see us hover for a moment over the landing pad and then we’re off—enveloped in space.

Space scares me. It’s one thing to be on a planet—feet on the ground—or deep in the belly of a massive ship, but this? I’d been happy to sleep through the six-month journey from Earth to Athion. I turn away from the window and get a good look at the room for the first time.

Unlike the sparse, dreary cell on the auction ship, these “quarters” as Barron called them are an upgrade. There’s a single bed stabilized against the wall, a small table and chair. Drawers tuck into the side of the ship and when I open the closet, I discover clothing.

In my size.

The bathroom facilities are small but include not only a toilet, but a sink and shower. I press the lever and instantly hot water pours out. I touch another button and soap drizzles onto the counter.

What’s happening here? Does the Master treat all his slaves like this? And what does he expect in return?

I stare at my reflection in the mirror and determine that I don’t want him to expect for me to be handed over on a platter. I run my hands through my hair, shaking free the sexy style Rhise had given me, and I slowly peel off the slinky dress, leaving it in a pile on the floor. I turn on the shower and step inside, feeling the warm spray pound against my sore muscles. Then I scrub. It’s the second one of the day, but this one isn’t to remove dirt and grime—it’s to remove the makeup and perfume I’d been coated in to make me more appealing.

When I get out, I wrap myself in a white, soft robe and realize I’m going to have to wear some of the clothing from the closet. As I stare at the contents trying to force myself to concede to this world, I hear the lock unlatch on my door and slide open.

I clutch the front of my robe as if what I’m wearing is more revealing than the dress I had on earlier, and face Cassidy. I assess her long, straight dark hair and her sharp cheekbones. Back home she’d be considered a very beautiful woman—here? I think a valued commodity. Is that who I’ve become? A person that assesses humans by their value? Like the Trad?

She leans casually against the wall, hands tucked in her jumpsuit pockets.

“What do you want?” I ask.

“It’s dinner time.”

I frown. “What?”

“We eat dinner together every night. No exceptions.”

“You’re kidding. You want me to eat dinner with you?”

“Yes—well, I don’t particularly—but I was told to fetch you.”

Told by who?

“You have five minutes. I’ll wait outside.” She punches a button by the door and it slides shut.

I stand with my arms crossed defiantly for two of those minutes but then my stomach rumbles, reminding me that I am actually hungry. I also consider that Cassidy is a human—a female—that seems to work on this ship and that brings around a lot of questions. And eating together? That implies a level of camaraderie. Is Barron really a slave? He seemed authoritative when he walked up the ramp. What about Amias?

And if they’re slaves too, could they be my allies?

Curiosity gets the best of me, and in one of the drawers I find panties and bras. I slip them on and then grab a sweater and some leggings from the closet. There are shoes lined up on the floor and I pull on a pair of boots.

Perfect fit.

I don’t have time to brush my hair—something tells me Cassidy is serious about waiting for five minutes—so I run my fingers through the tangles and remind myself I don’t care what these people think.

I just need a way out of here.

Ready, I knock on the door—it’s locked from the inside—and it opens quietly. Cassidy leans against the wall, eyes focused on her data pad. Does that thing transmit out of here? Could I try to contact my Custo?

When she’s finished she looks up and skims my outfit. “Good. I was about to leave.”

I swallow back the flash of defiance. “Thank you for waiting.”

She starts down the hall. “Barron made it pretty clear you were to be at dinner.”

“Is he your boss?”

“He wishes,” she mutters.

“Can I ask a question?”

“Another one?”

I take a breath. “Yeah. I have a few.”

Cassidy shrugs. “Ask away. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Kane said Barron was taking me to his Master. Is he a slave?”

Her jaw tightens. “Barron is the captain of this ship. His relationship with the Master is none of my business.”

“What about you? You’re human? How long have you been in space?”

“Eighteen months.”

Eighteen months. That means… “You were one of the first arrivals.” We approach a door and another question pops out. “When did you get taken? From where? And if the Master bought you, why aren’t you in the birthing rings or—”

“That’s enough.” Her tone is curt and the door opens, revealing a sparse but comfortable looking dining area. Barron and Amias are already at the table. Steaming food—meat, vegetables, and bread--sit on platters and my stomach rumbles again.

Cassidy takes her seat, leaving the remaining one for me. I glance at Amias. I have no doubt he’s a Trad and the idea of sharing a meal with him leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

Chill out, Mercy. Remember. Escape. That’s why you’re here. For information.

I pull out the chair across from Barron and sense his inspection as I slowly sit down and join them. They don’t hesitate to fill their plates—as though they are starving themselves. The platters are pushed in my direction and they’ve started eating before I’ve even lifted my fork.

“How’s our speed?” Amias asks.

Barron swallows and replies, “Good. We’re on track.”

“No hitchhikers?” Cassidy confirms.

“Nope. Everything went smoothly.”

“How long do you think it will take for them to notice?” Amias asks as he pulls apart a piece of bread and eats it slowly. “Tomorrow? The next day?”

Barron thinks on it. “If the cloaking device holds—”

“It will,” Cassidy says firmly.

“Then we may get to the outer ring before they figure it out.”

“And if it doesn’t?” Amias looks between the others. No one looks at me.

“Then we’ll deal with it at the time.”

I set my fork on my plate. “Would anyone care to tell me what’s going on? Who are you people? Where are we going? Who are you cloaking us from? And why the hell are we all sitting around the table like I wasn’t just sold like a pig at an auction a few hours ago?”

Quiet settles over the table and Amias stares at his plate while a thin smirk settles on Cassidy’s face. Barron leans back in his seat, his broad shoulders taking up too much space. I hate the way his green eyes focus on me, like they see beneath the surface. I hate it because I have no clue what’s going on in his mind and a surge of panic rolls over me.

“Whatever,” I say, standing and pushing back my chair. My appetite is gone—just like my will to do anything else. I get lost three times on my way back to my room, but I finally find it, punching the button to open the door.

I step inside and turn to shut it and realize I’m not alone.

Barron.

I cross my arms. “What do you want?”

His jaw tenses. “We need to talk.”

“Really? Now you want to talk? You’ve barely spoken a word to me since the auction. I know I’m nothing but property and that you probably have your orders from your 'Master',” yeah, I use air quotes, “but inviting me—no, forcing me—to dinner and then treating me like shit is just an asshole move.”

“Mercy…”

“You’re a human. Cassidy is a human and you’re eating dinner with a fucking Tradrych. I don’t know what the hell is going on here or where you’re taking me or what kind of life I’m being forced into, but don’t make me sit around and play nice with you.” I sniff. “That’s not fair.”

His large form blocks the door and I know he could stop me—do anything to me that he wanted—easily. But I push him with both hands anyway in an attempt to shove him out of the door. I want to be alone. I want to curl up on the bed and cry.

Barron doesn’t budge from my efforts—it’s not a surprise. His chest feels like a wall made of muscle. “Leave me alone,” I say, shoving him once more.

Something flickers on his face—an emotion—anger? I’m not sure, but he’s tired of my pathetic abuse and grabs my wrists and pushes me into the room. The door closes behind him.

And it’s just the two of us.

“You can’t hurt me.” I step backwards, knees banging into the edge of the bed. I fall back. “I don’t belong to you.”

“I know that,” he says through gritted teeth. “I knew the minute I saw you up on that auction block who you belong to. Mercy Ladd. Human. Midwife. Red hair, sexy ass, fiery green eyes.”

He rips off his data pad and tosses it into my lap. He bends down and his face is close to mine. I feel the heat of his breath but he just enters a password on the screen and the steps back. A video appears on the screen—a face.

Kai.

I clutch the pad as he begins speaking.

“Damon—I know you’re undercover and I know that it’s unlikely that you’ll get this message in time, but Mercy’s been taken. A Trad infiltrated the transition center. Somehow, he got her out of here, got her on a ship.

"We’ve determined that Kane was actually a Trad posing as a doctor on Athion for the last year, and is really a black market dealer, specializing in human acquisitions.” He pauses, as though he’s trying to maintain control. His voice is tight when he speaks again. “I have no proof, but I can only guess that he’s taking her to the auction block. Mercy’s smart. Skilled and beautiful. He’ll want her. He probably asked for her.”He stops and runs his hand over his face and my heart cracks, seeing him in such pain. “Brother, you’re the only one that can save her. I know it’s a huge risk to your mission but we’d never ask you to do it if it wasn’t…well you know we’d never ask you to compromise yourself or your job if it wasn’t worth it. Mercy’s worth it.”

The video stops and I look up at Barron—no, Damon—the friend and Custo Kai had mentioned more than once.

“I got that four days ago. It took a lot orchestrating but we managed to get there in time.” He lifts his chin. “Get you in time.”

“You’re Damon?” The men had mentioned him—Kai in particular. “You’re a Custo.”

He looks slightly impressed that I’ve heard of him. “I am.”

“And this is a rescue mission?”

He nods. “There was no room for error, Mercy. If Kane or anyone else had the slightest concern, the whole thing would have fallen apart. I apologize if you felt mistreated in any way.”

He’s standing in the middle of the room, his hands causally in his pockets. I raise an eyebrow, “Are you apologizing because you mean it or because you know Kai and the others will kick your ass for feeling me up today?”

He laughs. “Maybe a little bit of both.” He pulls out the chair at the table and sits down. “They care for you a great deal.”

“I care about them, too.”

He nods. “We got you out of there but we’re not in the clear. Technically, you belong to the Master.”

“What about you? Amias and Cassidy? Are you slaves too?”

“Eh…” he wrinkles his nose. “It’s complicated.”

Of course. I want to push but I don’t. “So, what happens next?”

“We should reach the Sumai asteroid belt in two weeks—which is also the amount of time it would take for us to reach the Master’s location. We’re cloaked and a decoy ship has taken our place. The guys should be waiting for us in the belt.”

Two weeks. That’s all it will be for me to get back to my men.

“What about you? Where will you go after that?”

He reaches out and brushes a piece of still-damp hair behind my ear. “The best thing you can do on this ship is mind your own business.”

Point taken. Our eyes hold contact for a moment longer—maybe a moment too long--and Damon clears his throat and then stands.

“I really am sorry if I scared you. The three of us are not used to working with anyone else. Our jobs—this mission we’ve been working on is incredibly dangerous. Secrecy and privacy are the only reason we’re still alive. It will keep you alive, too.”

“I understand. And I’m really sorry for freaking out.” I exhale. “It’s been a really long day.”

“I’m sure it has been.” He opens the door and steps across the threshold. “Oh, another thing? I really do apologize for uh, taking liberties, after the auction. It was expected for me to perform an inspection. Kane would have been suspicious otherwise.”

I feel the flush burn on my cheeks. “I understand. It’s okay.”

“Good night, Mercy, sleep well.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “You, too.”

The door slides closed between us and for the first time since I was taken from Athion, I feel like I can breathe. I don’t bother to change, I just kick off my shoes and crawl into the soft, comfortable bed and sleep.