I press my hand to a panel and input the password. She watches curiously as I do, then stands back as I motion for her to enter the room.
"Go on, now. It won't bite."
"I don't want to go in there."
"Come on, now. We need to get those cuts cleaned up."
She looks at her hands in shock, as if she's forgotten how bad her wounds are.
"And you need some clothes," I say gently, trying to coax her into the room. She still seems scared, nervous, and I intend to help her get over that. If we're going to be together on this ship for awhile, she's going to have to start trusting me, and this is the perfect chance for that.
"I am cold," she admits, and she walks into the room. She looks around for a second, like a cat exploring a new cage, and sits on the bed.
I don't want her to feel like a prisoner, so I gave her the best room on the ship. She is a prisoner, though. There's no way to get around that. If I let her go, something worse will happen to her, something bad and terrible. Something will happen that I'll never be able to forgive myself for.
I open a cupboard and pull out a blanket, then drape it around her.
"Will you be okay for a minute?" I ask. "I'm going to go get some medication for your hands."
"Yeah," she says quietly. "I won't go anywhere."
"If you need anything, press the button by the door," I tell her. "It opens up a communication channel that I'll hear in my earpiece."
"You aren't wearing an earpiece," she says.
I turn my head and push back my dark blue hair so she has a clear view of my ear.
"It blends in with my skin," I tell her. "It's pretty difficult to see unless you're looking for it."
"Oh," she says. "Okay."
"I'll be right back, little one," I say, and then I leave the room.
Chapter 7
Fiona
As soon as the door closes, I jump up and run over. I push buttons and try to enter the code to get the door unlocked, but I only saw two of the numbers Quinn pushed, so all I get is a loud beeping noise that lets me know I entered the wrong code.
I try again.
And again,
"Fuck," I say aloud, and hit the keypad with my fist.
The door opens, and before I can think about whether I'm making the right choice or not, I step through the doorway and into the hallway. I listen for a second, but I don't hear Quinn - if that's even his real name - and I don't hear anyone else.
Good.
I turn left and head back toward the entrance of the ship. I need to get the hell out of here and back to my normal life. I need to find out what happened to my family. I need to find out what happened to Darin. I need to find out if I even have a life to go back to on Mirroean.
I need to get away.
I don't have a bad feeling about Quinn. In fact, it's strange that I feel so comfortable around him, so at ease. I almost feel safe with him and I keep catching myself letting my guard down.
That's a bad idea.
This might not be the man who kidnapped me, but he's the man who bought me. He's the reason I'm still on Dreagle. He's the reason I'm stuck here. He's the reason I'm going to be a slave.