The thought burst across my mind like a comet, and my casual inspection turned to lust. Perhaps she was matched to Trion because she needed to submit, to surrender to her lover. Perhaps her outspoken and independent side longed for an outlet, a place to feel safe, cared for. Protected. Perhaps, underneath the bluster lived a female with a truly submissive nature. Perhaps she wasn’t even aware of what she needed.
Not perhaps. She wasn’t aware. I’d bet my Spectra IV on that.
The realization made me smile. Fark. She would welcome my dominant nature. My need to control her pleasure. She would surrender control.
To me.
She held my gaze far longer than I thought possible for a fragile female, even when I placed my hand over my ion blaster to test her resolve. That move did inspire movement but not what I had in mind.
“Spare me the drama.” She waved a hand in the air. “If you were an asshole, you would have shot me already. I know a thug when I see one.” She turned away from me again. Dismissed me.
“You will not return to the market to search for Jirghogis,” I ordered. “They’ll capture you, and you will never be free of their shackles. You’ve shamed him and Ulza.”
“Bye!” She yelled the single word and waved the titan stick up over her head, the crackling sound loud in the enclosed space as she activated the weapon once more, tapping the electrified end on the bracing bars that held up the ceiling in this section of the dome. A loud buzz and crackle were accompanied by a shower of sparks that fell behind her like small fires before they hit the floor and died out.
I stood, undecided, as she disappeared around a corner.
I should allow her to go. She’d made her choice. I had done what I had to in order to save her. My conscience was clear.
“Fark.” That was a lie. She was going to get herself killed. I couldn’t allow that, and I had to know what it would be like to feel all that energy, all that angst, come from her in passion instead of rage. I could be that outlet for her. The conduit to her ultimate release.
If I could get us both out of Omega Dome alive.
5
Zara
I had no idea where I was going. I thought I was headed back toward the place where the slimy guy’d held me… waiting for what, I had no idea. But now I was lost. This was like an inner- city slum with no escape. There was literally a bubble over the place—the only way out, I assumed, was either by transport or a spaceship. I knew more than I wanted about transport, like the fact that it hurt like being blasted all over with ice, that transporting from Earth to Trion had worn me out, and that I had absolutely no idea how to operate one of the transport things, even if I could find one. That was one too many obstacles, even for me.
That blue lady was probably pissed I’d gotten away and was searching for me. Transport would be the last place I’d go. I knew nothing about space ships except what I saw on TV. It wasn’t like I could steal one and fly out of here. If I could find the ignition, I’d probably crash before I got twenty feet off the ground. And if I miraculously made it out of the bubble… I assumed there was some kind of hatch or something… I had no idea where I was going. Did they take gas? Were there refill stations in space?
Maybe I could find a nice space pirate and pay him—or her—to get me out of here.
But with what? I didn’t have space money. And I wasn’t interested in selling myself. I’d managed to avoid that life growing up surrounded by addicts so desperate they would sell their soul for a hit. But I wasn’t that desperate. At least not yet.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I was so screwed.
I stopped, groaned, tugged on my hair. Maybe the hottie was right. If I went after slimy guy, I’d be walking right back into something I’d fought my way out of. Yes, I was mad, hurt, lost. But I wasn’t stupid. And I would be an idiot to go back to slime-tail looking for a fight. It was important to know when to retreat and live to fight another day.
A hand gripped my arm, and I jumped a foot, then instinct kicked in. I dropped my shoulders, leaned forward and bent my elbow up and back. Hard.
“Fark!” The hold disappeared, and I tried to run, my heart rate going faster than my feet. “Zara, wait.”
I stopped, practically skidding to a halt. Turning on my heel, there was Isaak holding his nose. Exhaling, I tried to let the adrenaline bleed out. “Don’t grab me like that,” I snapped, walking back to him. “You’re lucky I didn’t go for your balls instead.”
He dropped his hands and frowned. “Where did you learn to defend yourself like that?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Earth.”
His frown only grew. “Why does a female need to know such things?”
Narrowing my gaze, I glared. I wasn’t going to tell him that protecting myself had become second nature. “You snuck up on me to ask me questions about Earth?”
He sighed. “You can’t get away from Sector Zero without a ship. Transport is—”
“Not an option,” I finished.
Nodding, he continued. “Ulza knows me. She knows I helped you. The first place she’s going to go is the transport pad. The second is the landing bay. I’m headed there now to get away from Sector Zero. You have five seconds to decide if you are coming with me or staying here.”
There wasn’t much choice. In
