Kept by Luna Voss

Chapter Five

Melyta

It isn’t until a full day later that Jenyta finally wakes up. Barion and I are making dinner in the kitchen when the baby monitor we’ve been using to keep tabs on her flashes to indicate movement in her room.

“Hey, babe,” says Barion, pointing to the flashing light. “Looks like Jenyta’s up.”

I immediately let go of the vegetables I’m chopping. “Yay! I’ll go upstairs and help her.”

He nods. “Probably best if you’re the one who greets her when she wakes up. She’s going to be pretty confused. And probably woozy from whatever sedative she’s been on.”

I rush upstairs to greet my friend, taking them two at a time.

“Mel? Is that you?”

Jenyta is sitting up in bed when I enter her room, looking deeply disoriented. She keeps staring at the IV tube in her arm, as though she doesn’t understand why it’s there.

“Hey, Jen,” I say softly, coming up next to the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Like shit,” she says, slurring her words slightly. “What’s this thing in my arm?”

“That’s an IV,” I tell her. “Making sure you get your fluids. You’ve been out for a couple days.”

She blinks. “Out? Days? What the… what happened?”

I hesitate. It’s a lot for her to process, but I suppose I may as well just come out with it.

“You got kidnapped by Vostra gangsters,” I admit, wishing there was a better way to deliver the news.

Jenyta giggles, and then it turns into an all-out laugh. “What? Are you serious? What the hell would the Vostra want with me?”

I frown. She’s laughing? I don’t exactly see the humor in it, but I suppose Jenyta isn’t quite in a normal headspace.

She keeps laughing. “Okay, what really happened?”

“I wasn’t joking,” I tell her gently. “I’m really, really sorry. They went after you because they found out you were my roommate.”

Jenyta’s laughter falters. “You’re really not joking?”

“I wish to fuck I was. I never wanted you to be a part of this.”

Jenyta lies back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “…Fuck. How did I get here? Actually… where even am I?”

“You’re at Barion’s and my house. We rescued you, and you’ve been recovering here. Do you want me to help get that tube out of your arm? I can get you an actual glass of water to drink.”

She nods gratefully. “That sounds great. My mouth is so dry.”

I help her with the IV, then head back to the kitchen.

“How is she?” Barion asks immediately.

“She’s okay,” I tell him, filling a glass. “Definitely seems a little out of it, but she’s lucid.”

“Good,” he says, giving me a warm, genuine smile. “Dinner will be ready soon if she wants to eat. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

I thank him and head back to my friend with the glass of water. She sits back up as I enter, and I carefully hand her the glass.

“My whole body feels like jelly,” she admits, her hand shaking as she brings the glass to her lips. “I feel like I’m drunk or something.”

“You’ll feel all better in a day or two,” I assure her. “I did some research on the drugs the Empire uses to sedate prisoners. There won’t be any long-term effects.”

She cocks her head. “The Empire? I thought you said it was the Vostra?”

“It was the Vostra. Long story. Do you want to come have dinner with Barion and me? We can explain it as much as you want.”

She sighs, then slumps back in the bed. “I know I’ve apparently been out for a while, but honestly, all I want to do right now is sleep. Why don’t you and Barion have dinner, and I’ll catch up with you after.”

I smile. It’s just so good to talk to her again, to see her awake and able to sit up. “Okay, sounds good. Can I get you anything before I go?”

She shakes her head. “Thanks, Mel. Just save me some leftovers.”

Barion and I are done eating dinner by the time Jenyta finally comes out of her room.

“Whoa, there, careful walking down the stairs!” Barion calls out to her, rushing over.

He’s just in time. Jenyta loses her footing right as Barion reaches the bottom of the steps, and he’s only barely able to catch her before she hits the ground hard.

“Thanks,” she says, blushing. “I guess I’m still remembering how to use my legs.”

I run over, and together, we help her to the table.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she protests as I pull the chair out for her. She seems frustrated by her body’s lack of cooperation.

“You’re going to need a day or two to recover,” Barion tells her gently. “It’s lucky you weren’t restrained like that for very long. It can cause some gnarly muscle atrophy.”

Jenyta still looks a bit overwhelmed. I don’t blame her.

“Restrained… like what?” she asks finally. “I still don’t really understand.”

Together, Barion and I explain the circumstances around Jenyta’s kidnapping, from the Imperial restraint system, to the escape from Johnson’s garage. She listens, wide-eyed, not interrupting, a growing expression of anger on her face.

“You work with some fucking scumbags, you know that?” she says to Barion when we’re finished. “They were going to torture me?”

“I wouldn’t have let that happen,” he grunts, looking down. “That’s not what the Vostra is about.”

“Sure seems like that’s what it’s about,” she shoots back. “First all that shit that happened to Melyta, then this. Look, I’m trying not to judge, and thank you for saving me, but listen to what the fuck you’re romanticizing.”

Barion looks slightly pained. I know he’s disgusted and embarrassed at what the Dultaz Family represents under Sarizor. I also know that the Vostra means a ton to him personally.

“I’m not trying to pretend we’re the good guys,” he tells her quietly. “I’ve done bad things, and I’ll keep doing them. But I’m at a point in my life where every bad thing I do, I do for my mate. Everything. I’ve lied for her. I’ve killed for her. I killed for you couple days ago, just because you meant something to her. I’m not a good guy. But I’m on your side, and right now, you need a friend like me.”

Jenyta doesn’t say anything. She shrinks in her seat, processing Barion’s words.

“Are you hungry?” I break in, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I can fix you up some leftovers.”

“Thanks,” she says gratefully. “I’m famished.”

She glances nervously at Barion, as though she doesn’t know quite what to make of him. They’ve always gotten along well the few times they’ve met before, but that was before Jenyta got kidnapped and nearly killed by members of his organization. I can understand her current skepticism.

“You killed your own Family members to save me?” I hear her ask as I prepare a plate of food.

“Yes,” he confirms. “Not even the first time. I’m currently a little… at odds with my Family, I guess you could say. And I’m telling you this because I trust you. Because Melyta trusts you. Because I want you to trust me.”

She pauses a long moment, then she nods. “I know Melyta thinks the world of you. That’s enough for me.”

I have a small case of the warm fuzzies as I put Jenyta’s food down in front of her. I always knew these two would get along if I ever gave them the chance. It’s just too bad the circumstances had to be so awful.

“So what the fuck am I supposed to do now?” my friend asks between bites. “Is Dalax City even safe for me anymore?”

I glance at Barion. Now that I think about it, we never actually discussed what to do with Jenyta after we rescued her. All of the focus was just on getting her to safety.

“No,” he tells her simply. “It isn’t safe.”

“I was afraid you’d say that,” she replies sadly. “If Dalax City isn’t safe for me, where can I even go?”

“We’re going on vacation,” Barion answers with an uncharacteristic smile.

* * *

Barion

I stay up with Melyta after her friend goes to bed. We cuddle on the living room couch, talking.

“Gerbbbexai IX,” she repeats, her eyes wide. “That’s a whole different star system. I’ve never even left Tarsheb 8 before.”

I just squeeze her, charmed by her enthusiasm. I really hadn’t expected her to like the idea when I first brought it up. To me, Gerbbbexai IX isn’t anything particularly special, but her excitement at the idea of leaving her home is infectious.

Melyta paws at my chest. “Have you ever left the planet before?”

I nod. “A couple of times. I’ve been to Tarsheb 7 I think three times, and Gerbbbexai IX twice. But that’s all.”

She climbs into my lap and curls up there, like a kid waiting for a story. “What’s it like? Gerbbbexai IX, I mean.”

“It’s… not that different from Tarsheb 8, if I’m being honest. Another bumfuck subject planet. More Voorians than humans, if I’m remembering right. Don’t get me wrong though, there’s nice parts, just like here. I’m taking you to the nice parts.”

She laughs. “I would expect nothing less.”

“I figure we can set Jenyta up, find her an apartment, a job, whatever she needs. Then you and I can have a bit of a honeymoon before we come back home. We are newly mated, after all.”

“A honeymoon? How romaaaaantic!” she teases me in a singsong voice. “I’m pretty sure on the inside, you’re just a big softy.”

I wink. “Do I even need to make the obligatory joke about how you make me hard?”

She sticks out her tongue. “A softy and a teenager, apparently.”

“You make me feel like a teenager. I swear everything about you just gets my hormones fucking raging.”

Melyta re-nestles herself in my lap, leaning against me. “Is Jenyta ever going to be able to come back to Tarsheb 8?”

I sigh. “No. Not until…”

My voice trails off. We both know what I’m referring to, but even now, voicing it out loud makes me nervous.

“Not until you kill Sarizor,” she finishes my sentence in barely more than a whisper.

I nod. “Once I’m in charge, she’ll be safe here again.”

She shifts position nervously. “Do you know when you’re going to make your move?”

“I don’t even know how I’m going to do it. It’s going to take some finessing. He doesn’t seem to trust me anymore. He basically told me he doesn’t want me to help track down Jenyta, and I can’t remember the last time I saw him without his bodyguards.”

Melyta frowns. “How do you think Korva would feel about this? Would he be willing to help?”

“I think so. He doesn’t like Sarizor any more than I do, and I think he understands the way things are heading. I’ll talk to him after we get back from Gerbbbexai IX.”

My mate goes silent for a moment, and I can’t quite read her expression. “Good,” she says finally, looking content. “You’re going to run this city, Barion. I know you are.”

I cup her face in my hands, bringing it close to mine. “Everything for you, vulta. I meant what I said to Jenyta. Everything I do is for you.”

She kisses me, and I could just melt at the trust in her eyes. I need to be the man she sees when she looks at me.

“I love you, Vostra,” she whispers.

“I love you, too,” I tell her, pressing my lips against hers in a dominating kiss.