I knew what he was doing. He was allowing her to breathe only if she followed his direction. If she lowered her heels to the floor, he’d tighten his grip and force her back up, cutting off her air supply. It was quite the calculating move.
She stood on her toes for some time, until her legs began to shake with exertion.
“Enough, Aedan,” Jax piped up. “It’s time to put her in the cage for the night. Lock her in until the public trial in the morning.”
Aedan slowly released his grip and allowed her to fall forward. Her hands flew up, clutching her throat where his hand had been. He hadn’t left a single mark though. I think she was just slightly alarmed at his rough handling of her.
“I’ll take what’s due tomorrow, Jax. It’s our right,” Aedan responded.
After a moment, she rose her head and hugged her shoulders, waiting warily for what was to come next.
I took that moment to move forward. Her gaze tore toward me then and I saw a sort of relief pass over her as I took her gently by the arm.
“Come, Kira. Once in your cage, we won’t bother you till morning. You’ll have peace to rest for the night. I’m sure you’re tired,” I told her gently and I could feel her body slump slightly in response. I dropped my hand to touch her lower back and guided her forward. She didn’t fight me.
I opened the cage door and she quietly climbed inside. It was rather large inside, leaving her room to stand, sit, and lie down comfortably. The bottom on the cage was padded, an unusual design element that both Zaavyr and I decided on for her. I took a blanket from a nearby table and handed it to her, a symbolic peace offering.
She took it from me then, a small smile edging at the corner of her lips. Quietly, she climbed into the cage and turned toward me as I took a hold of the door.
She watched me as I closed it and locked it with a heavy padlock.
I reached through the bars and squeezed her shoulder.
“You’re safe in your cage, human. Sleep now, you’ll need your rest.” I told her. I very carefully left out mention of her public trial, already scheduled to be held in the morning. She met my eyes and nodded softly. Her fierceness softened toward me for just a moment before she turned away and sat down on the cage floor. She took the blanket and curled it around her shoulders, hiding her nakedness from us.
“Good night, Kira,” I ventured.
“Good night, Coltan,” she responded.
Chapter Five
Kira
My head was spinning. I didn’t know how to react to Coltan’s kindness or Aedan’s apparent cruelty. Zaavyr seemed to be all business and I hadn’t seen enough of Jax to get a read on him yet. The group was smart. They’d taken away my ability to do anything while they slept, locked me in a cage so I couldn’t escape. I was trapped.
I watched them from behind the thick bars, feeling oddly safe in my protective little cage. My nipples still ached from Aedan’s harsh grip. Through the thin white fabric walls of the tent, I could hear conversations and movement outside. The Vakarrans spoke in both their native language and Earthen English, depending on who they were speaking to.
Thus far, I’d only heard quiet female human voices. I couldn’t quite discern if any of the male voices were human or not, but I had to guess that they’d brought me specifically to a female training camp.
Quiet insecurity pervaded me then, as I recalled the spoken threats of some sort of public trial sometime in the morning. I knew I probably wouldn’t be given a fair trial, or the chance to even speak at all. A trial was probably the wrong word. It would probably be some sort of warning to the masses and a public pronouncement of my sentence, followed by whatever swift and decisive punishment they had in mind.
I hid my face in the blanket.
I could feel their eyes on me: Coltan’s kind and concerned gaze, Aedan’s angry and mean one. I knew Zaavyr wasn’t watching me as much, he was too engrossed in reading and writing on some papers on his desk. It kind of startled me to see he hadn’t had a computer either.
The sound of a clinking glass made me raise my eyes. The Vakarrans were pouring a round of drinks.
I was suddenly aware of how dry my throat was.
I lifted my head and caught Coltan’s eyes.
I wanted to be strong, wanted to not need anything, but my stomach growled then, reminding me I hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since breakfast.
I watched as Coltan’s eyes shifted to Zaavyr’s, who had gotten up from his work to join the other men. Zaavyr turned toward me and glanced in my direction. He turned away and reached into a nearby cabinet, retrieving what looked to be a paper cup. He poured some of the alcohol into it and then placed it on the table. Next, he opened what looked to be a small cooler and pulled out a block of cheese.
I watched as he chopped up some pieces with his own dagger, placing them on a paper plate that Coltan handed him. When he was finished, he stood and walked over toward me.
“To the back of the cage, Kira,” he commanded. I wanted to disobey, but my hunger and thirst won out. He looked at me calmly, not posing any threat other than his presence near me. I felt like a skittish cat, constantly evaluating every circumstance around me.