Alex Wales: Promise

magic.”

Damon nodded. He’d made his way over to the other side of the bed and was now sitting beside her. He was still naked as well, so she tried to keep her gaze off his groin area, which was difficult when she still felt the buzz of what they’d done to each other at daybreak.

“Now, tell me about this key of yours.”

She took a quick breath and released it. Avoiding his eyes, she turned to look out the window. The sun was setting already, and she couldn’t help but feel a chill sweep through her. Even though the room was warm and Damon sat so close, a sense of foreboding washed through her.

As much as sex with Damon had numbed her body to everything else, her mind was still filled with things that didn’t make sense-some of which she wanted to stay in denial about.

If Ulric had managed to get into this room once already, what would stop him from doing it, again? Did he know she was with another man right now? She couldn’t help but wonder how he would react if he did. No, I know exactly how he’d react. He wouldn’t like it at all.Ulric had seemed so focused on his admission of love, to the point of obsession.

There’s nothing I can do about it.At least she’d slept for most of the day without having to deal with any of this.

“Look, Alex. I know this was found near the dead bodies for a reason. I don’t want to push you, but I need to find out what’s going on.”

She glared at Damon. He misunderstood her silence, but his sudden pushiness still irked her. “Is it because you’re starting to doubt me as well?” She toyed with the new bandage around her hand. The skin was starting to itch underneath.

“No, that’s not it. But-”

“I don’t know what to tell you, because I have no idea how it got there.” Okay, so that was a blatant lie, but it wouldn’t make it any better if she said: Oh, yeah, Damon. I think one of my former lovers stowed away on my ship to surprise me, because I left my lucky necklace behind. While he was at it, he somehow managed to turn himself into a beast thing. Why don’t we meet with your Priestess and discuss it? That would notgo over well.

“Okay, fine. You don’t know how it got there, so why don’t you start by telling me what it is?” His green eyes were shiny, curious but not angry.

“It’s a key.”

Damon shook his head, setting his dreadlocks on a frantic dance around his face. “Yes, it is, but what is it for?”

“It opens something, of course-”

He moved before she registered what he was doing. With his face inches from hers and his eyes glowing like matching jewels, he stood over her. She hadn’t seen this hard edge to him before. He sighed-in obvious frustration-and dumped the choker on her chest. It slid between her breasts and stopped at her stomach.

“If you want to keep playing games, that’s fine. Unless I know some truths, I won’t be able to help you when Elroy moves on the attack,” he finally said.

His sudden anger burned beneath her skin. How did he go from calm to thisso quickly ? She’d obviously underestimated him. “He can’t prove anything. He didn’t even see…”

“He didn’t see what?”

Alex shook her head. She grabbed the bronze key and held it in her hand. It now fit inside her palm, not like the night Louis first gave it to her. Her life had changed so much since then.

Five years after taking over the ownership of Promise, she’d spent a lot of credits to have a new security system installed on the ship. While she was there, the technician had suggested she also change the locks to get in and out of the ship. She’d agreed but left the original warded lock this key fit into on the outer hatch. It would always remind her of where she came from and provided a way to get inside if the electronics malfunctioned. Even though she’d also, eventually, upgraded the ignition, this key could still be used as a backup if the automatic controls on the dash failed.

A lot of good it did when I was passing this stupid planet. Of course, that’s because she’d forgotten it.

“Look, I’m sorry. You’re right.” She might not have to go into all the nitty-gritty details about Ulric, but she did want Damon to know about the key she valued as much as her ship. “This used to be the key to my ship.”

He cocked an eyebrow and sat down on the bed, his back pressed against the pillows. “Used to be?”

She tried for a chuckle, but it came out a little wrong. “Yeah, the ship belonged to my father. My ship’s name is Promise, and my father gave it to me when I was just a kid. I won’t bore you with the family troubles that led to a kid running away from a planet she despised, but I willtell you it means the world to me.”

“So, your father gave you the key?”

She nodded, tracing her fingers over the uneven scrawl of her name. “It was his way of helping me find freedom.”

“That’s interesting.” Damon rubbed his chin.

“What is?”

“You told me neither one of your parents were magic users.”

“That’s because they weren’t.”

“Yet, I can read some sort of magical impression on this key,” he said with a frown. “Which leads me to believe…you probably inherited your magic from your father.”

She shook her head. After what they’d shared and experienced together, as well as the healing he’d performed, she didn’t want to get back on this topic. “I would’ve known if my father could do freaky things like healing. I lived with him most of my life.”

“Where did you live?”

“We mostly lived on the ship, but we travelled all over the place. Why, does it make a difference?” She stared him in the eye, daring him to answer with some ridiculous claim. If my father could do any sort of magic, he would have told me. He wouldn’t have hesitated to use it to keep her away from her mother’s clutches. I’m sure of it.“Are you telling me magic can only be used in certain places within the galaxy?”

He shrugged. “I wouldn’t know about that. I’ve never been anywhere else but here.”

“That’s right. No one ever leaves this planet or has any way of contacting anyone outside it. Yet, your Priestess knew when I crashed. Did you ever find out why?” With every new detail she found out, Alex’s suspicion of Aleena grew. Just what was that woman hiding?

He didn’t answer. Instead, he focused on her chest.

“What’s wrong?”

He rubbed his fingers up and down her arm. “I’m just trying to understand why your presence makes me question everything.”

“What’re you talking about?”

He sat up, leaned over toward the end of the bed, and handed her a thin book.

She read the title and said, “ Priestess amp; Goddess.What’s this about?” Alex looked up and found him staring at her.

“After you asked me which deity Aleena worshipped, you got me thinking.”

“You bought this to answer your question?” She leafed through it quickly. It was nothing more