“For now, you return to your respective rooms until we have more questions or tests to run.”
“Rooms?” Colette couldn’t help a snort. “You’ve got him in a cell that is barely fit for a beast.”
“Patience. Once we can be assured he’s not a threat?—”
Colette cut the doctor off. “Cade’s done nothing to merit this treatment. He has cooperated fully.”
“Be that as it may, it’s not up to me.”
“It’s okay,” Cade murmured. “I’ve stayed in worse.”
“Doesn’t make it right,” Colette’s grumbled in reply. “How long are you planning to keep us prisoner?”
“Again, that’s up to?—”
“The general.” Colette’s lips pinched. “When can we speak with her?”
“Soon, I’m sure. She’s currently busy dealing with a developing situation.”
“What could be more important than first contact?” Colette couldn’t imagine anything taking precedence over something so historic.
A knock at the door led to a soldier poking his head inside. “Ma’am, the general is requesting to speak with you.”
“Coming. Can you escort our visitor back to his quarters?”
“At once.” The soldier agreed and held open the door to show the previous entourage waiting with their guns and tranquilizers.
The sight of them angered Colette for some reason. Could they not see Cade didn’t pose a threat?
Sensing her ire, Cade brushed his hand against her. “I’ll be fine,” her hunky blue alien promised before docilely leaving.
Colette didn’t feel so calm. “I can’t believe you’re going along with this. We should be learning from Cade and Jaspar. Forging an alliance, not treating them like criminals.”
“I agree,” the doctor said with a shrug. “And I intend to speak with the general about it, but show a little patience. We only just met this morning. You can’t expect us to trust in a single day.”
“How many then? Two? Three? A month? How long will it take? Because I’m aware of how slowly the government moves.”
“I don’t know what else you want me to say.”
Colette didn’t either. A part of her understood that the doctor showed reasonable precaution. The Xamian were an alien species who’d been abducting women and made no bones about the fact they wanted more to make babies. The feminist in her should have been outraged. The woman who’d just enjoyed a second intense sexual bout, though, wanted her lover freed.
Lover. Which implied she wanted more. The question being, with which one? Both brought her to incredible pleasurable heights. How to choose?
If only she didn’t have to.
Colette stalked from the doctor’s office but didn’t immediately go to her room. She headed for the viewing window of Cade’s prison and stared at him sitting in a meditative pose. Legs lotus style. His hands on his knees. His eyes closed.
At least he didn’t seem agitated, unlike her.
Colette couldn’t stand watching for long, as it only served to compound her frustration. Why did she care so much about a virtual stranger?
Having been hours since she’d drank or eaten, Colette asked someone for directions to the cafeteria, where she ingested an uninspired sandwich and drank a coffee strong enough to possibly peel paint.
When the murmur of those also taking a food break suddenly went up a few decibels, and a few seated soldiers suddenly took off at a run, she wondered what had happened.
Had Cade escaped? Had Beta found a way to teleport him? She didn’t hear explosions, so it didn’t seem like an attack. Curious, she headed back for the level with her room, only to overhear someone who’d rushed past her exclaiming, “Another one just showed up.”
The claim paused Colette, and she pivoted. “What showed up?”
