Planet Athion: The Complete Series by Angel Lawson

57

Kai

I’m dozingwhen the scrape of the door wakes me. My sleep is never deep. My body hurts too much to relax and my brain is ever vigilant, waiting for any sort of break. I know the drill. Scrape then flash. I lift my arm, held down by heavy chains, and try to cover my eyes before the bright light shines in the room. I have no idea how long we’ve been in the dark.

I manage to protect my eyes, barely, with the consequence of a deep ache in my biceps as a result. I hear a groan across the room and know that Alex is dealing with the same.

Boots shuffle across the floor as I struggle to a sitting position. A toe kicks the metal bed. “Get up.”

“What for?” I ask, fighting through the dizziness.

“It’s dinnertime and the Master invited you to join.”

“Both of us?” I blink and try to acclimate to the light. Alex is on his own metal cot, arms and legs bound similar to my own. He’s too skinny. We make eye contact.

“Just you,” the guard says.

I nod, glad. As much as I dread being in the Master’s presence, I’d rather it be me than him. The bruise on his cheek from last time is still purple and raw.

I stand, forcing myself not to wrap the chains around the guard's neck while he detaches them from the floor. I’d already killed one guard this way. The result was unpleasant and did nothing to get me out of here. I feel the relief as the chains are removed but not before magnetic cuffs are placed around my wrists and feet. The chains are simply for punishment. It’s not necessary by any means. It’s to demean us. Show us how much power he has over us down here.

The Master is a fucking prick.

I know I look like shit. I feel like it. My whole body aches from the beatings. There are bruises on top of bruises and I’m wasting away from lack of nourishment. I’m meant to look like this. It hurts Mercy and the Master wants her to submit. So far, I can’t tell if it’s working, but I do know she’s closed herself off and I’m not sure that when we get out of here we can get her back.

If we get out of here.

I’m taken by cell after cell of slaves. I recognize other Custo. Other Athion. I see the branding marks from the mines. The scars from the pits. I don’t know why these prisoners are being held here, but they lean against the small window, watching me with dark, silent eyes as I pass by. These men are allies. I just have to figure out how to use them to save Mercy.

In the elevator I sag against the wall. My calves and thighs strain to hold up my own weight. Even so, there’s a flicker of a moment where I think of taking the guard. I probably have just enough energy to do it, but again, I know it’s not worth the risk to Mercy. The risk to Alex. They’d both pay for my defiance. We’re caught in a circle of desperation.

The doors slide open and I’m taken to the servants' door of the Master’s quarters. The spicy scent of warm food assaults my nostrils, bringing my dormant stomach to a rumble. We pass through the kitchen, the food just out of reach. We enter the dining room, where I’m told where to stand. A magnetic field in the floor keeps me bolted to the spot.

“I know,” I grunt to the guard, feeling the magnets snap into place. This is a normal routine. I stand while the Master dines, taunting me with food and drink, stories about Mercy, licking his smug lips after he sips wine. I loathe him.

He walks in the room dressed in Earth clothing; a suit and tie. His human hair is combed back, his jaw freshly shaved. He walks to the bar in the far corner and pours himself a glass of amber liquid. I never know if, or when, he plans on acknowledging me, but tonight he walks over with his glass and stands two feet away. I can smell the rum on his breath.

“Ah, my favorite Custo,” he says with a smug grin. “I brought you in early tonight to go over a little, how do they say it on Earth? Guy talk?”

I tilt my head. Speaking tends to end up with me being punched. I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut. When he continues, it confirms I’ve made the right decision.

“Anyway, it’s not that I need your advice or anything, but I wanted to run my game plan by you.” He eyes my emaciated body. “I know at one time you were able to seduce Mercy into wanting you.”

I force a neutral expression when he mentions Mercy, resisting the urge to snatch his tongue out of his mouth for daring speak her name.

“I have an affinity for the human way. Their clothing and lifestyle. The way they live together. I know it’s seen as antiquated, but after studying these people I find it quaint and, in some ways, necessary. I see now what my mistake was with her sister. I moved too fast. I pushed too hard. I’d only known her for a few days when I’d impregnated her. This is not the Earth way. She needed more time to process what was happening and although I know many of my brethren don’t care about their vessel's emotional status, I do. I didn’t just want Juliana to carry that one child, I wanted her to be my mate in the Earth sense.”

He paces in front of me, rambling on, only stopping to take a sip of his drink. He turns to me. “I’ve done my research this time and I’ve made changes. I’m courting Mercy Ladd.”

“What does that mean?” I ask before thinking. He narrows his eyes and his fist tightens in preparation. I wait for him to strike, but somehow, he manages to control himself.

“It means I have to do what Kane did on Athion. Slowly insert myself into her life. Make her want to be around me. Give her a chance to fall in love with me—want to carry my children.”

He says all of this as though it’s the most logical thought process, but it’s not. The master is delusional. Sociopathic. Mercy will never be seduced by a Trad, especially the one that ruined her sister. There’s no reasoning with him though. In his mind, he’s probably already accomplishing all of these goals. He admits as much in his next breath.

“I think I’ve laid the ground work and when I ask her to lie with me, she’ll say yes.” Bile combined with rage fills the back of my throat. “I wanted you to be here to witness the event.”

“You want me to watch you have sex with her?”

He starts, eyes wide, then laughs. “Of course not, that will be a personal, private moment between the two of us. I just want you to be here when I ask her.”

It seems insane, but the intent is clear. If she dare says no, then the Master will punish me and Mercy will do anything to keep that from happening. The glint in his eye tells me he knows that I’ve caught on. None of this is a secret. It’s all manipulation and game play. We’re caught in his web of debauchery and before I can even think, the ring of the doorbell signals Mercy’s arrival.

Let the games begin.