The Demon Master's Wife (Fantasy, Space Opera, Science Fiction Romance) (FORCED TO SERVE) (43 page)

“Must I do the kneeling thing?” Gwen asked, hating that she sounded like child begging its mother not to have to do a chore. She was a commander—damn it.
Where was her pride?

“Yes, you must do as I ask. Kneeling grounds you to the ship. It is not as good as grounding to soil, but out here it is all we can do. While you kneel, allow yourself to experience your longing for your mate and try making peace with that longing. I assure you doing so will only make you fiercer as a warrior. Vulnerability is the other side of great strength in battle,” Ania instructed.

“But what if I fail? What if nothing I do helps us find him?” Gwen asked, all the questions and concerns a swirl of pain inside her.

“Gwen Shenu Jet, you made your mate proud the moment you stepped into this room where so much of his energy and power is invested. Now do as I request,” Ania ordered, turning her pupil to face where she wanted her to go before stepping back.

Gwen sighed and walked to the pillow, trying to do as Ania asked as her knees made contact with the pillow. She pulled Dorian’s robe tighter around her body, reveling in the scent of him that still clung to it. It was tempting to take it back to his quarters where she had been sleeping every night he’d been gone.

As she took a deep breath, the pain of not spending those last nights with him when she could have done so filled her heart. Then suddenly, back her mind went to the day they had gone to rescue Ania. She had been so resentful of Zade that day, and had acted hatefully when he offered her comfort, as was typical of her usual interaction with him. Zade had sent calming vibrations into her despite her bad attitude and her insistence of not needing his help.

As she brought that moment to mind, she could actually feel his calming vibrations settle over her again. Maybe they had been stored in the robe and she was draining them off. Maybe none of his energy would be left in the robe afterwards and this moment was the last time she was ever going to feel his energy so clearly again. The pain of that possibility was nearly unbearable to her.

Hot tears ran unchecked down her face as Gwen wished for nothing more than to wrap her arms around Dorian again and tell him how much she appreciated all that he was. She might never be an easy female to live with in her life, but she for sure would not be so cold and hateful to him when he came back. Instead, she would thank him for caring for her.

Ania padded silently across the back of the room in bare feet, careful not to disrupt the energy Gwen was calling into herself. It was as if the very room and all the objects in it were trying to comfort Dorian’s mate in his absence. Energy was seeping from things and going into Gwen. She had not seen anything like it happen before and feared disrupting it before it had become all that was meant. Her trust in the creators allowed her to see that they were working through Gwen to set them all on the right path.

While Ania paced and waited, she chanted the names of the creators under her breath, hoping they would hear her prayer and aid them. Feeling the resonation of her chant inside her gut, her head whipped toward Gwen who suddenly groaned and fell forward.

Ania ran across the floor and rug to the now unconscious female, positioning her carefully with the pillow under her head. Gwen was tangled in Dorian’s meditation robe, but Ania only tucked it more tightly around her.

Then knowing that vision trances were unpredictable in length, Ania found a comfortable position on the floor where she could best guard Gwen’s body until her spirit returned from wherever it had gone to look for Dorian.

***

When Gwen finally became aware of herself and her surroundings, she took a deep breath and thanked whatever power had brought her here again. Her gratitude lasted for only a couple heartbeats. Looking down at her clothes had her swearing because she was just as sparsely clothed as she had been in the first vision she’d ever had about Zade.

Again she had no weapon and no shoes as she crept along the sides of buildings and across rough ground that felt pretty damn real scraping the bottoms of her bare feet. Relieved to see a walkway ahead and an end to the barefoot torture, Gwen also saw the larger building that she recalled contained Zade.

But this time she made herself look around before rushing inside to find her abducted mate.

Finding it hard to turn her head as easily as she wished, Gwen raised hands to her neck. She was wearing a collar. Even without a mirror to check, she would bet a year’s wages it was the same type she had seen on Zade before.

Dropping her hands, Gwen looked around, finally noticing a single female wearing a collar who was working in what appeared to be a small garden outside one of the residences. Walking within hearing distance, Gwen stopped far enough away not to alarm her.

“Are you here to free me?” the female asked.

Gwen noted her tone was hopeful even though she never raised her head from her task to even look at who she addressed. She pondered briefly whether or not a lie would serve her goals best, but in the end opted for bald truth. “I’m not sure what I’m here to do other than find my abducted mate.”

“If you are not here to save me, then I cannot help you,” the female said, turning away.

“Look, I’m Commander Gwen Jet. I work on a Peace Alliance rescue ship. If you help me, I’ll make sure the Peace Alliance knows you’re being held here as a slave against your will.”

Gwen waited, but the female just continued to ignore her as she raked soil around plants.

“
Shades of Kellnor
—I’m here only because I’m having a vision. They don’t seem to last long so please tell me what the name of this planet is before I wake up,” she demanded, running a restless hand through her short hair. She noticed the female had short hair as well. What did their captors have against long hair? Dorian’s hair was cut too.

“I cannot be a slave,” the female said firmly.

“I know. No one is meant to be a slave,” Gwen agreed. “Now please—I’m begging you. Tell me where I am—where you are.”

The female finally stopped working and looked Gwen full in the face. Startled awareness grew in Gwen as she recognized her, but she said nothing because the female seemed finally ready to talk.

“My name is Sarinnea. This is the planet Terris Rein. I cannot become a sexual slave again. You must rescue me,” she demanded.

Gwen nodded. “Yes, I see that now. When I come to get Dorian Zade, I will rescue you as well. You have my word.”

“Dorian Zade? You’re coming for Dorian? His owner is very unhappy with him,” Sarinnea said, beginning to cry. “He—he is damaged and cannot perform his duties to his mistress. I fear she will tire soon of trying to fix him. I hear talk of his mistress selling him to someone else.”

“Would this matter to you?” Gwen asked, testing the female and her vision.

The female sniffled and nodded, going back to her tasks. “Dorian is my child. Of course I would care.”

“Sarinnea,” Gwen said, reaching out only to see her hand was transparent. “The vision is ending, but we’re on our way. I swear it. We’re coming to get you both.”

“What can you do, Gwen Jet? You’re just another slave,” Sarinnea said sadly, sniffling as she went back to her work.

“Trust me,” Gwen said fiercely, her voice fading. “I’m not a slave.”

“When you wear the collar, you have to be a slave,” Sarinnea said. “Dorian has been rendered unconscious by his several times, yet he still resists his fate.”

“We’re coming Sarinnea. Tell him we’re coming. This is not a dream,” Gwen said.

Then the world she’d been in receded and Gwen heard herself moaning with a headache far worse than any she’d ever known.

“Raging fires of Helios—having visions hurts,” she said, bringing both hands to her head. “I can’t keep doing this shit.”

Yet ironically, as bad she hurt, Gwen was still wishing she’d been able to control the vision long enough to check on Zade again. Instead, she’d spent too long talking to Zade’s mother, but at least she knew where they were now.

Trying to fight her way out of the darkness, Gwen wanted to ask Ania for help, but the words seemed to be frozen on her tongue. Or her tongue seemed to be frozen and unable to form the words. It was hard to tell the difference, but whatever was happening, it was only making her madder.

Meanwhile, her mind continued to churn with what needed to be done.

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