33. Lily

Icould still feel Ohara's body pressed against mine, the hungry desire of his touch, and the lingering warmth of his kisses on my lips.

The memory filled my waking hours, knowing he was so close, knowing he was working hard to find an escape for us both.

I made frequent trips to my office so I could relive our moment together on my desk, and felt the heat rise to my cheeks whenever I recalled what he felt like.

"What are you smiling at?" a voice at my side asked.

It was Erishia, and I immediately dulled the smile on my lips and scowled at her.

"I'm not smiling," I said.

"It took me a minute to recognize it," Erishia said, "but it's definitely a smile."

"Smiles… mean different things on Earth," I said, floundering for a response.

"And what's that?"

"Annoyance at being questioned by my assistant," I said flatly.

Erishia blinked and bowed her head, once more returning to the subservient role she was supposed to be inhabiting.

"Don't you have anything else you should be doing?" I said.

"I came to bring you a message," Erishia said.

"A message?" I said, my head snapping around to her. "What message?"

"From the Supervisor. He wants to see you in his office."

"The Supervisor?" I said, confused. "What does he want?"

"I have no idea. But he wants to see you."

My stomach writhed like it was home to a pit of snakes. "Thanks," I said, distracted.

"Is there anything else you want me to do?" Erishia said.

"Make sure the Prizes are ready for the competition tomorrow," I said.

Erishia bowed and set to ushering the females to prepare.

I looked up at the Supervisor's office two floors above the Pool. He wanted to see me… It was too much to hope that Ohara had already managed to arrange my escape.

Or was it?

Either way, it was unwise to keep the Supervisor waiting. I girded my courage and approached the first set of stairs. The guard on duty stepped aside and let me pass.

I moved up the two flights and spoke to the final guard on sentry duty outside the Supervisor's office.

"The Supervisor wants to see me," I said, and without a word, the sentry stepped to one side, opened the door, and let me pass through.

Usually, attempting to get past them was like trying to shift a concrete wall.

Now that it was so easy… it made me feel nervous.

The Supervisor stood in the middle of the office, his arms tucked behind his back.

"That will be all," he said to the guard on duty. He motioned toward a red sofa. "Please," he said, "take a seat."

I did and he remained in the middle of the room.

"Can you tell me, Lily — you don't mind me calling you Lily?" he asked politely.

"It's fine."

"Can you tell me what you do here?"

"I'm the madam in charge of the Prizes," I said. "I make sure they're ready for when the Champions come to Claim them."

"That's what I heard. But if you'll bear with me, there seems to be a discrepancy with your details."

He moved behind his desk and picked up a piece of paper. "I've been going through the logbooks," the Supervisor said. "It tells me everything we know about the Prizes, where they came from, who Claimed them, how long they spent with the Champions… Every member… Except you. Why do you think that is?"

"I… don't know," I said, growing nervous.

"When I went back to the administration office and asked for your details, thinking they'd been misplaced, they gave me a file that had not been updated in five years. Bizarre, don't you think?"

My mouth was dry. "Very."

"It's like you ceased to exist five years ago… and yet, here you are. Healthy and well."

He ran his eyes over me, and they paused at the usual places: My face, my breasts, my hips, my legs. "Healthy and very well."

He licked his lips and turned back to his documents. "Every other Prize is present and accounted for," he said. "How do you explain this anomaly?"

"I'm not sure," I said truthfully — at least, it had been truthful until the day before when Ohara revealed his secret deal with Thillak.

Still, I didn't know the details of their agreement, so I really didn't know what was going on.

The Supervisor leaned back in his chair and removed his spectacles.

"It seemed strange to me, that a flowering blossom such as you should go unnoticed by the alien inmates at Ikmale. And stranger still that you have not been shipped off like all the other Prizes after your usefulness has come to an end."

He looked me in the eye and in his expression I saw no kindness, no warmth.

I saw a businessman who saw nothing but a piece of merchandise that wasn't getting a good return on his investment.

"But my Lead Guard has investigated you and your Prize Pool and found nothing amiss," he said. "What am I to make of this?"

"I… I don't know."

"No, I don't believe what the reports tell me. I think you must be the private property of one of our more powerful residents. That you're reserved exclusively for him. I don't know which criminal gang leader it is, and I don't care. We must never show favoritism within our prison. It just wouldn't do. That could be what led to the riots, the unfairness of previous Supervisors. Yes, I'll bet that's what it is…"

I didn't think he really believed that, although he was closer to the truth than he might have realized.

Until I recently realized.

I had been protected by one of the most powerful inmates at Ikmal, but I hadn't been servicing him. He'd made a deal with Ohara and he had, against all the odds, kept his word.

The Supervisor perhaps didn't really believe what he was saying, but instead, in his eyes, I could see he was looking for a reason to do something, for an excuse to do what he wished with me.

I gulped in fear.

As the most powerful creature in the prison, there was little I could do to stop him if he decided to use me.

The Supervisor rose from his seat, adjusted his jacket, and moved to stand in front of me. "It doesn't seem right that the prison has footed the bill for your food and drink, the hot water for your showers, and the power to keep the lights on… and you have given nothing in return for it. Again, I ask, what am I to do?"

I ground my teeth in exasperation. I knew what he wanted me to say, or what was on his mind as to the payment I ought to make. I had seen the same look in thousands of inmates over the years, and whether he was a Supervisor or a prisoner, the look was always the same.

"Perhaps I ought to make the most of you while you're beneath my control," he said. "I should think it will only be a matter of time before the evidence comes out and it's revealed that you are indeed the cause of the recent riots."

The Supervisor slipped a hand under my top and slid down until he grasped one of my breasts.

I wanted to cry and scream out for him not to touch me, that I was spoken for… but how could I?

I was property.

Just because I hadn't been Claimed in five years didn't mean I wasn't still a Prize.

The Supervisor pinched my nipple, softly at first, then harder… until it hurt.

I looked up at him, to tell him to stop.

He peered down at me, breathing heavily through his nostrils. "Yes. I think I'd better make good use of you. It can't be said we play favorites here at Ikmal."

He kicked my feet aside and spread my knees with his own. He reached down with his free hand and rubbed at my crotch. "Yes, we'd better make good use of you…" he repeated.

A knock came at the door and hope rose in my chest.

The Supervisor hissed through his teeth, making an ugly gargling noise. "Ignore them," he said. "They'll get the message."

He placed his hand on my crotch again and began to rub at it. And there I lay, unable to put up much resistance.

Ohara, where are you?

Another knock came at the door, more insistent this time.

The Supervisor growled and shoved me aside. "I told the guard I was not to be disturbed! I swear, unless another riot has broken out—"

And he yanked the door open, revealing the Lead Guard.

Ohara.

My heart leaped at the sight of him. If anyone would save me, it was him. I don't know how he discovered where I was, and I didn't care. He was here now, and he would do something.

"Well?" the Supervisor barked. "What is it?"

Ohara kept staring at me, perturbed by what he'd seen. Me lying on the sofa, my clothes disheveled and in disarray. He turned his visor to the Supervisor.

"Well?" he said. "I'm waiting."

"It's… Druin," Ohara said.

"Who?" the Supervisor said, agitated.

"Druin. The new leader of the Ssixarian crime syndicate."

"And?"

"And…" Ohara turned in my direction and took a moment to take me in. "It's of a… personal nature."

"I'm right in the middle of something of a personal nature," the Supervisor spat. "Is it urgent? Can't it wait until later?"

"No, sir," Ohara said. "I'm afraid it must be discussed right away."

The Supervisor sighed audibly and waved Ohara in. "Very well, very well, let's hear it."

Ohara glanced over at me on the sofa. "It's… best prying ears don't overhear."

The Supervisor waved his hands and shooed me away as if I were an annoying fly. "All right, all right, be gone with you. We'll speak again later."

I was up in an instant and hustled for the door, casting a look over my shoulder at my savior, my fated mate, Ohara. I hoped he hadn't just gotten himself in serious trouble for my sake.

Then it occurred to me. His coming here was getting himself into serious trouble. If anything happened to him because of me, because he came here to rescue me…

I wasn't sure I could ever forgive myself.

I hurried back to the Prize Pool, my body shaking. We had to get out of this place. We had to escape.

The alternative was too terrifying to consider.