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Coltan sat next to me and cupped my face gently. He inspected the bruise on my face and growled quietly in disapproval. He shook his head. It was then I looked up at each one—Coltan, Aedan, Jax, and Zaavyr—and I realized they were angry.
Not at me, but at what they were being forced to do.
They wanted to keep me as their own and I had to admit, I wanted to stay with them too, but then, I thought of my sisters.
If someone like Strohass ever got his grimy fingers on them, I didn’t know what I would do. I chewed my lip, taking a deep breath in preparation.
I could live through anything. I’d survive and thrive and escape. I had to.
For Alaina, Danika, and Kaela.
I ate the rest of my breakfast, every last bite in order to ensure I had the energy I would need. I didn’t know when Strohass would feed me next, if at all.
When the time came to go, each of them held me, one by one.
Coltan came first.
“Stay strong,” he whispered in my ear. I felt his warmth surround me and I melted into him. I would miss him a lot.
Jax was next.
“Remember who you are,” he said softly. His eyes searched mine, forever analyzing me and I smiled softly in return.
Aedan gripped me then in a hug so tight that I could hardly breathe. I could feel his emotion surging off of him in waves.
“Be smart, Kira. Be true to yourself,” he warned, but then he pressed his lips to the top of my head.
Zaavyr came to me last. He stared into my eyes, searching for something, but I didn’t know what. I’d miss his leadership. He’d have made a good master to the likes of me, but I’d never tell him that.
“You will always be our little rebel. Never forget that,” he said softly, and I cocked my head with curiosity. He took my hand then and led me toward the door.
We left the other three behind.
“Good luck,” the three of them echoed together.
I didn’t respond.
As the leader, Zaavyr took it upon himself to lead me to Strohass’ apartment. The trip was over far too quickly and before I knew it, we had arrived at his door.
I was extremely aware of my nakedness as I knelt on the purple mat in front of the heavy steel doorway. In the haze of the journey, I hadn’t noticed that Zaavyr was carrying a box with him.
He handed it to me then and knelt down beside me.
“It is very important that you open this box and present the contents to Strohass,” he directed, his eyes boring into mine. I was taken aback by it for a second before I nodded. “It is tradition. Make sure to remind him of it. Make sure you open it,” he added.
A blonde woman walked down the hall, a human and she bowed before Zaavyr.
“Master Strohass is running late and requests that Kira be brought into his bedroom to wait for him. Follow me,” she said.
She opened the door with a key and I walked inside. I looked back at Zaavyr in the hallway and with a certain sadness, I turned away. One door was closing behind me, and I felt like I was running straight off a cliff.
I sighed and entered into the bedroom after the human female.
I placed the box to the side and sat down on the bed. The woman looked in my direction, shook her head, and left.
Who spit in her coffee today?
Left alone, I started looking around the bedroom after I heard the door slide closed. My eyes kept going back to the box that Zaavyr had given me and I stepped over to it. It wasn’t taped shut, so Strohass wouldn’t know if I opened it.
