If the viceroy finds the vial in my sock, I know that the best fate I could hope for is him merely forcing me to drink it – to swallow the contents of the entire bottle, and fall into the last sleep of my life.
However, there would likely be far worse alternatives.
The Viceroy doesn’t move, and I realize he’s not going to acquiesce to my request. Shivering, I pull my shirt over my head and try and think of some plan to conceal my contraband.
Strangely enough, the motion of removing my shirt makes me remember the way the two Aurelians touched me the night before, in our makeshift shelter.
God, I’d been trembling with arousal then, instead of shivering with fear as I am now. I remember the way I relished the hungry eyes of those two towering aliens on my body. They were animalistic – primal. When they looked at me, they did it with open want and need…
…in contrast, there is no emotion in the Viceroy’s eyes. He might as well be a machine and not a man.
Shivering, I unlace my boots. My next movements will determine whether I live or die.
I pull my sock off in one quick tug – and, with my heart pounding, I snatch the tiny vial of liquid mercy out of the rough pocket of material.
Then it’s concealed in my palm, and despite the Viceroy staring at me for any sign of suspicious behavior, he’s somehow not seen me take it.
I turn away from him and undo my bra. With my face turned away from him, I quickly place the vial into my mouth and conceal it beneath my tongue.
My heart pounds.
One false move of my mouth – if I fall, or have something hit me in the jaw… Fuck, if this tiny vial breaks under my tongue…
From now on, there’ll be the constant risk of death – and I’ll be reminded of it, by the feeling of the hard vial in my mouth.
But I must focus. So far, so good. I’ve managed to hide this weapon so far, even right in front of this steely-eyed Viceroy.
I pull my pants down and step out of them, suddenly feeling very cold and vulnerable in this medical examination room.
I hate that the Viceroy is just standing there, examining me with that reptilian glare of his. I loathe how he gets to see my bare body; which is something deeply private to me, to be shown only to those who I’ve chosen to reveal myself to.
To those like Hadone and Darok, who saw so much of me the previous night. At least then I’d chosen to let them strip me; and their gaze warmed me in the same manner that the Viceroy’s reptilian stare chills me to my core.
I feel the vial beneath my tongue.
Will I be able to speak normally? Will I slur my words or mumble, with this little vial under my tongue? By the Gods, how long has that vial been in my medical kit, unopened? Is the integrity of the seal still intact? Could there be a tiny leak – a minute tiny crack from running through the city streets, escaping the Scorp horde? I wouldn’t even know – Mercy is famously a tasteless substance. It could it be leaking into my mouth at this very moment, and I might not even know about it until my brain clouds and I drift into oblivion.
I feel faint for a moment, and panic hits me. As I step out of my pants, I stumble, nearly falling. My heart pounds and I wonder desperately if the dizziness is caused by stress and hunger, or by a drop of liquid Mercy leaking into my mouth.
“Are you an honest woman?”
The Viceroy’s question snaps me from my dizzy spell. His voice is slick like oil. He’s testing me.
Oh, Gods! Does he know? Could he know?
I pull the last vestige of dignity from my body – peeling off my panties and depositing them on the cold, bare floor.
Then, utterly naked, I turn to face the Viceroy.
He looks at me, totally naked and utterly exposed, and I shudder at his inhuman gaze.
But I still have that weapon beneath my tongue.
The Viceroy raises his eyebrow and nods towards my medical kit. My mouth goes dry, but I unlatch it and pass it to his outstretched hand.
I nod at him in answer to his previous question, feeling too humiliated at the moment to say anything more, and nervous that the vial will distort my voice even if I chose to.
The Viceroy doesn’t seem concerned by my silence. He murmurs:
“Lord Aeron is an honest man. Honesty can be… an unoptimized quality in politics. That’s why he hired me.”
I shiver, goosebumps rising across my flesh. For a moment, the Viceroy’s eyes slide down to my hardening, cold nipples, and I feel the heat of embarrassment come to my cheeks.
The Viceroy is cold and calculating, but I’m surprised to find that even he is affected by a naked woman in front of him.
“I understand,” I murmur, glad to learn that I can speak clearly even with the vial hidden in my mouth. “You do the things that he can’t.”
“Very good – you are a clever one, and you care about those children. I know this, and I know that they can have a very good future. Lord Aeron has the highest connections with the Capital’s most noble families. If you cooperate with us, then know that you will be granting those children a future they never could have hoped for – never could have even dreamed of.”
I feel a knot in my stomach. He’s telling me everything I’d never even dared to wish for.
“Those gutter kids will grow up to attend the best schools. They’ll grow strong by eating the best nutrition. They’ll be treated by the best doctors. More than that, the noble families will be eager to
