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Mia nodded. “Do you have a bed somewhere?” she asked.
“Of course. Here, come with me.”
Mia followed Korum as he walked down a familiar hallway to the bedroom that was identical to the one he had in TriBeCa. She noted the location of the bathroom as well.
“So everything here is stuff I know how to use?” she asked.
“Yes, pretty much,” he said, reaching out to briefly stroke her cheek. His fingers felt hot against her skin. “The bed is probably more comfortable than you’re used to because it utilizes the same intelligent technology as the chair in the ship and the walls of this house. I figured you wouldn’t mind that. Don’t be scared if it adjusts to your body, okay?”
Despite the tension squeezing her temples, Mia smiled, remembering how comfortable the seat in the aircraft had been. “Okay, that sounds good. I’m looking forward to trying it.”
“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.” His eyes gleamed with some unknown emotion. “Take a nap if you want, and I’ll be back soon.”
Bending down, he gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead and walked out, leaving her alone in an intelligent dwelling inside the alien settlement.
* * *
Less than a mile away, the Krinar watched as his nemesis arrived with his charl.
The gentle way Korum held her hand as he led her toward his house was so out of character that the K almost chuckled to himself. This was an interesting development, the involvement of a human girl. Would it change anything? Somehow, he doubted it.
His enemy would not be swayed from his course, certainly not by some little human.
No, there was only one way to save the human race.
And he was the only one who could do it.
Chapter 2
Mia woke up in total darkness.
She lay there for a moment, trying to figure out the time. She felt incredibly well-rested, every muscle in her body relaxed and her mind completely clear. Right away, she knew she was in Korum’s house in Lenkarda, lying on his “intelligent” bed. Stretching with a yawn, she wondered how Korum had managed to sleep on a regular human mattress back in New York. She couldn’t imagine wanting to sleep anywhere other than this bed for the rest of her life.
The sheets were wrapped around her body, caressing her bare skin with a light, sensuous touch. She was neither cold nor hot, and the pillow cradled her head and neck in exactly the right way. Whatever tension she’d felt earlier was completely gone.
She had not intended to fall asleep, but the rest had definitely done wonders for her state of mind. After Korum had left, she’d showered and climbed into bed with the goal of resting for a few minutes. As soon as she’d gotten in, the sheets had moved around her, wrapping her in a gentle cocoon, and she’d felt subtle vibrations under the most tense parts of her body. It was as though soft fingers were massaging away the knots in her back and neck. She remembered loving the sensation, and then she must’ve fallen asleep because she couldn’t recall anything else.
Apparently sensing that she was awake, the room gradually got lighter, even though there was no obvious source of artificial light.
It was a clever idea, Mia thought, to have the light turn on so slowly. Bright light after complete darkness was often painful to the eyes, yet that’s how most human light fixtures worked, simply on and off – disregarding the fact that light-dark transitions in nature were far more subtle.
Reluctant to leave the comfort of the bed, Mia lay there and tried to figure out what to do next. The sick, panicky feeling of earlier was gone, and she could think more clearly.
It was true that Korum had used and manipulated her.
But, to be fair, he’d done it to protect his own kind – just as she’d thought she was helping all of humanity by spying on him. The sense of betrayal she’d felt yesterday had been irrational, out of place considering the nature of their relationship and her own actions toward him. The fact that he hadn’t really done anything to punish her for her betrayal spoke volumes about his intentions.
She’d been wrong to paint him with such a dark brush before. If he hadn’t hurt her for what she’d done thus far, he probably never would.
However, he clearly had no pro
blem disregarding her wishes. Case in point: she was here in Lenkarda. Yet, if he’d spoken the truth, she would still be able to go visit her parents soon, and even come back to New York to finish college.
All in all, her situation was much better than she’d feared this morning, when she’d thought he might kill her for helping the Resistance.
Still, the circumstances she found herself in were unsettling. She was in a K Center, where she didn’t speak the language, didn’t know anyone except Korum, and had no idea how to use even the most basic Krinar technology. As a human, she was the ultimate outsider here. Would the Ks think she was dumb because of what she was? Because she couldn’t understand the Krinar language or read ten books in a couple of hours, the way Korum could? Would they make fun of her ignorance and her technological illiteracy? She wasn’t exactly tech-savvy even by human standards. In general, was Korum’s arrogance simply a part of his personality, or was it typical of his species and their overall attitude toward humans?
Of course, agonizing about all this didn’t change the facts. Whether she liked it or not, she was in Lenkarda for at least the next couple of months, and she had to make the best of it. And in the meantime, there was so much she could learn here –
