3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Had Zylar run into a trap set up by the Air Force? Was this how Amelia would get free and go back on the lam? Running from place to place for the rest of her natural life. It didn't hold the glamor it did a mere two weeks ago. She didn't want that life, but dying didn't appeal to her, even if she deserved it.

"Identify yourself or we'll blow you out of the United States airfield." Amelia turned to look at Zylar.

"This was an incomprehensible mistake, but I'm not usually steering the cruiser. I'm more of a passenger than a pilot. Your people have increased their air diligence, which I would normally applaud."

Amelia gave a slow blink and looked over Zylar slowly, this time from the jeans he was wearing to the flannel shirt that would blend in with where they came from if his skin was pale, and he didn't look like a monster. The way he managed the men in the back of the house was as if he understood human motivations and desires better than she did.

"I can help." She looked atAnna and Sarah, who were sitting tensely with raw fear showing on their faces. She could read the pain in their eyes, wondering if this was where it would end. There was a whimper from Zoya that gave her a headache. It felt like she was being overcome with a host of desires that made no sense.

"Why?" She didn't know how long Zylar had been on Earth, but he was more acclimated to the planet than either of his cousins.

She searched for an answer. Why did she want to help? Could it be possible that she thought about regaining some of what she lost? Maybe she was hoping to slide feet first into hell but to deserve purgatory and one day heaven. She shook her head. None of the thoughts made sense. It would take time and a thorough analysis of her psyche to figure that simple question out.

"You said to me they didn't deserve to die." She pointed to Anna and Sarah, including the baby, by default. "I believed you then, and I believe you now." He nodded. Her simple, truthful statement was enough for him.

She didn't believe he trusted her with anything except this. His hand hovered over a switch, waiting for her to say the word.

"Ready," she whispered.

"I am Amelia Astor, Cousin of Jenna and Bella Ashford. I'm on my way to their land, which is considered the United Embassy of Diza. Why have you stopped me?" She knew that her last name was going to be a buzzword. She was part of the Astor family that owned ports and a shipping conglomerate across the world. Not that it had done her any good. Her father was disowned when Amelia was just a child. That's how they ended up living by her cousins. She was still part of the family and was allowed to vacation with them in the summer. They didn't have to know she didn't have any power. Not any longer. Sometimes she forgot or tried to forget that her family disowned her like they did her father. She pushed that pain away not wanting to dwell on it.

Her fall from grace was long, and she didn't want to get into it. There were whispers in the background until the mic on the other side went dead.

"Ms. Astor, this is Captain Frederick. No one informed us of your visit."

"You wouldn't have been. It is impromptu. Is there a reason I needed to clear my flight plan with you? Is this the way you treat American Citizens? "

"Of course not. We've gotten permission from the president's office to authorize your travel. We need to have face-to-face confirmation to make sure you're not being pressed into speaking with us. I'm sure you will understand why we would want to board your vessel."

Amelia's laughter flowed freely, putting the women at ease and having a strange effect on Zylar. How easy it was to slip back into the role of a shipping princess. She looked at Zylar, who indicated another spot on the console.

His fingers played the console with the grace she noticed earlier. Whatever he did cut off the back so that the only person who could be seen was her. He nodded, and she turned on the viewscreen.

"Captain Frederick, so nice to see you." The monitor they were looking at lit up. It was Amelia's incoming feed. "As you can see, I'm not being ‘pressed' into service." She emphasized pressed like it was old and antiquated as well as putting the full force of her anger behind it. Pressed into service the way they had pressed her ancestors. The captain swallowed and clung to the smile on his face.

"Ms. Astor, I would still like to send a party to make sure."

"Are you suggesting that I may be lying to you, or are you willing to break the agreement between the government and the Astor shipping line?" She gave them her best innocent smile as she waited silently. This was a game she'd learned to play at her father's knees.

"She's one of them." A voice murmured in the background. Amelia paid no attention to the speaker. She knew the game even though her parents raised her out of the spotlight.

"You're free to go."

"Thank you, Captain. Please tell Mrs. Frederick I look forward to seeing her at the next Daughter's of Charity meeting." She cut the transmission, and they released the ship.

Zylar got them out of there.

"What if it happens again?"

"I engaged the advanced warning system. It was foolish of me not to have it on. I've been here long enough that I've taken your paltry earth defenses for granted. That was the wake-up call I needed."

"I thought you don't normally pilot for yourself." She gave him her I'm a shark, but I'd never bite you grin as opposed to her helpless guppy grin, which guaranteed she was a piranha looking for a meal. She might need to stop with the water analogies.

"I don't normally. I'm going behind battle lines to help the local populace to heal." Which wasn't why he was on Earth, but he left that unsaid. The rest of the flight happened in silence.

Amelia tried to stand; it was time to face judgment. When she couldn't get up, she started struggling. "What are you doing? Let me up. I should get to face the people who are sending me to death," she yelled.

"You look tired and stressed." Zylar plunged an alien needle into her shoulder, knocking her out.

"Zylar left Amelia slumped over the console and walked to the back of the vehicle.

"My cousin Rakha and his mate Bella are excited to meet you. They're extending the protection of Diza to you as they are the ambassadors."

"Where's Amelia?" Sarah asked as she took the harness off.

"She's running late, tired. You'll see her soon."

Anna and Sarah nodded, picking up their belongings and unloading.

***

Amelia felt groggy as she tried to wake. It felt like one of those long sleeps that made you more tired than before you fell asleep. Her hand went to her eyes, trying to wipe the sleep away. She opened her eyes and realized she must be dreaming. Slamming them shut, she worked on waking fully. When her eyes opened again, she realized she was about to die. This wasn't a dream.

She was being flung through space on a collision course with the largest object she'd ever seen, and she'd been in some of the largest buildings on the American continent. Hell, she'd seen mountains that took her breath away. She'd never seen anything this enormous. Maybe it was her imagination. That's what it had to be. The closer she got, the harder it was to contain the scream fighting to leave her throat. She had a right to scream when death was breathing down her neck, right? Forget dying with dignity, she screamed. An enormous mouth appeared on the thing floating in space and swallowed her whole.

Tears ran down her cheeks. She deserved this, but she was sorry about her actions. If she could do it again, she'd die, so her cousin didn't have to suffer the way she did. She felt a warm presence behind her before a large hand went to her shoulder.

"I never want to hear you speak of dying again. You don't deserve that. Every being has a right to save their lives. You allowed fear to dictate your movements. You're not the first or the last person who has done that."

Amelia was listening to his words, but at least half of them went into one ear and out the other.

"Why am I alive?" Why hadn't he killed her? Was she to be punished first?

"You're on my ship."

"Your ship?" She blinked, looking like a wise owl with enormous eyes that weren't all that wise.

"I'm the cousin of the king. I get things I don't need." He shrugged, which was scary now that he had spikes coming from his shoulders. "Follow me."

She stood and followed him off the cruiser to find out she was on a large, busy ship. They were in the hangar where there were lots of Diza moving quickly from place to place. They must have all been speaking the native language, the one she couldn't understand because she refused to get implanted with a chip. She took a minute to tell past Amelia what an idiot she was. Now she was on a ship with a hostile race and her life was hanging in the balance. They could be talking about cooking her for dinner and she'd never know.

Zylar was stopped several times by different members of the crew asking questions.

When he answered them, he started walking, expecting her to follow. What choice did she have? The hallway outside the Hangar felt more industrial with wide beams that looked like they were made from gold, which she knew was impossible. Carefully, she allowed one hand to brush against the material. It was sturdy, reminding her of steel, but it felt flexible too. Could the material escape unscathed in an attack? The floors looked more like grates, a system that would allow liquid to flow through without filling the corridor. The walls were solid and unbroken. She'd never been on a starship, but the design seemed functional.

He took her to a lift (was that what they called it on a ship)? There were several buttons that she assumed told you what floor you were going to. Since they were in a different language, she was clueless. The woman with dead dreams of becoming a shipping mogul started wondering if she could build sea-worthy ships with it and if it would be cost-effective. A sturdy material that could flex when attacked by waves would be invaluable. That wasn't her life anymore. She was a fugitive on the run. One who had a father who taught about ships even when his father forbade him to teach his daughter and only child the family trade.

"Where are we going?" She was being too docile. Yes, she thought, being punished was justified, but that didn't mean she had to be docile. Hell, why wasn't she kicking and screaming like a normal person?

"Because you're tired." That part of her brain loved to talk to her.

She was tired, something that couldn't be denied.

"Does it matter?" He didn't say that to her, did he?

What a way to realize she didn't know the answer to the question. Did it matter? Her brain ran around like a mouse in a maze trying to figure it out. They stepped out onto a new level. This one also had solid walls, but the floor was a solid piece that looked like it took time and care to achieve the exquisitely designed pattern. She couldn't decipher the pattern, but knew intricate artwork when she saw it. The floor was beautiful, which drew her eyes to the walls again. There was a faint pattern that was reminiscent of the pattern on the floor. There were four doors on this level. He went to the one that was the largest and opened it.

"Oh, hell no!" Amelia yelled.