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“Twice,” he lied. Jevara knew he was too stubborn to only try once but three times made him appear disloyal.
“Then we’ll create a fictitious name for you and you can begin with aptitude testing. Once they see your scores, they will insist on you applying.” His head bobbed as he stared at some point beyond Cylex. “This will work even better.”
“And if they accept me?” He let a hint of challenge ripple through his tone. It was highly unlikely that Citadel leadership would approve anyone with Torretian blood. “Is there something specific you want to know or am I just to observe everything that goes on there?”
“First and foremost, I want to know about the new conduits. How many are there? Have all of them been claimed? What is their first target likely to be?”
That all made perfect sense, but it was also information he could obtain without risking a false identity. He generally just agreed with anything Jevara told him, then did whatever he thought best. Feeling particularly defensive, he risked objecting. “I do not need to pose as a trainee for that. What else do you need to know?”
“Your perceptiveness is annoying. This is not about information. I want you to secure a power triad for the Torret Empire,” he stated passionately. “The prohibition against me is unfair. The Citadel is not and has never been neutral.”
It was a valid point. The magic that created power triads flowed from Altorian mystics. Five of the seven governors were Altorian, and the board of governors assigned each new power triad to a planet. They claimed to be objective, to want peace, not power. Most of their actions supported the claim, but punishing all Torretians for the behavior of the emperor was unfair.
“I will do my very best.” Cylex’s vow was sincere, but he had no idea what he would do with the power if he managed to succeed in his mission.
* * *
Flora awoke suddenly. One moment she drifted in peaceful oblivion and the next she was completely aware. She sat up, held the sheet over her naked breasts, and looked around. Noratu sprawled in a chair nearby but Draven was nowhere in sight.
The night before, or had it only been a few hours, teased the periphery of her mind. She didn’t want to remember all the wicked things Noratu and Draven had done to her or how enthusiastically she’d responded. Her other sexual experiences were so tame, so incredibly vanilla compared to what she’d done in this cabin. She would love to blame it on them, to claim that she had been ravished or at least seduced. But that wasn’t accurate. They had been aggressive, encouraging her to surrender control, but ultimately it had been her choice every step of the way.
So why had she chosen to surrender to two strangers? She had never done anything like that before. It wasn’t like her to be impulsive. She had short- and long-term goals. She made lists for everything. Spontaneity did not exist in her well-ordered life.
Your existence on Earth was a lie, her inner voice reminded.Draven and Noratu are the only ones who have been completely honest with you.
Her gaze drifted over to Noratu and her pulse quickened. With his exotic coloring and sculpted features, he was clearly humanoid, but no one would confuse him with a human. His movements were graceful, yet strong. His power was inherent and effortless.
As if sensing her scrutiny, Noratu blinked several times then looked at her. “How do you feel?”
She paused, ascertaining the answer to his question. Her entire body was sore. Muscles she didn’t know she possessed felt tight and her openings felt overused. “I feel like I’ve been fucked multiple times by two aggressive aliens. Can’t imagine why.” She softened the complaint with a faint smile.
“A nice long shower will help with that.” He stood up and approached the bed, then held out his hand expectantly.
“How long have I been asleep?” He’d already seen and touched every millimeter of her body, so modesty was pointless. Still, she tugged the sheet free of the bed and wrapped it around her body.
He lowered his arm as he answered her question. “Four hours. We are nearly there.”
“Where is ‘there’? What’s our destination?”
“The Citadel,” he casually informed her. “It is time for your training to begin.”
Unsure how to react to the news, she simply nodded.
“Do you want that shower or not?”
More than ready for a shower, she scooted off the side of the bed, taking the sheet with her. He led her into the connecting bathroom and showed her how to activate the shower and the compartment containing clean towels.
“Most of the systems on the ship accept voice commands, but you’ll need a language upload. The computer doesn’t speak English.”
“What does a language upload involve? Is that how you and Draven learned to speak English?”
“That is how Altorians learn most things. The procedure is simple and safe. It has been in use for several decades now.”
“Has it ever been used on a huma—never mind.” She sighed. She might have spent most of her life on Earth, but her physiology was Altorian. Advanced technology required a much longer conversation, but that conversation would be more enjoyable once her body no longer ached and she wasn’t reeking of sex. “Will I be allowed to dress once I’m clean?” She wasn’t even sure where her clothes had ended up.
“Your human garments have been recycled, but we will provide you with something appropriate for the Citadel.”
“We’re going there directly.” She wasn’t sure why the idea alarmed her, but her heart was suddenly racing and her mouth went dry. “I thought we’d have some time alone before my training began.”
