7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

A melia ran. She was pretty sure she knew what not to do, which narrowed her choices of what to do. She'd be on the ship and halfway to Earth before he knew she was missing. Who did he think he was threatening to spank her? Why? She was riveted at the thought of his big purple hand caressing the globes of her ass before his hand came down in a hard thwap. Corporal punishment didn't do it for her. She was a modern woman. No one was putting their hands on her, even if it was just to make her feel good. Her head made a decisive move to collaborate. What was she thinking? If there was any spanking to be done, she'd be on the giving end. She may have watched one or two spanking videos when she was younger, not that she was admitting to it.

She was on the lift and off before she had time to think about it. A sigh of relief came from her when she saw landmarks memorized from the first time she was on the floor. A quick look around assured her the corridor was empty. She ran to the end and slipped through the door before anyone could spot her. The hangar was empty and the ship she came upon was sitting there waiting for her to commandeer it. The edges of her lips lifted in a slow grin.

Who did Zylar think she was? With a hurried stride, she made her way to the cruiser and walked up the lowered ramp. She wanted to look around, but knew now wasn't the time. She made her way to Zylar's seat, which she assumed was the captain's chair, and stared at the control. How had she forgotten the controls were written in a foreign language? Where was Google Translate when you needed it?

Sometimes you must do things the hard way. She started pushing random buttons.

"Start. I know there must be some fancy AI program somewhere in here. Start the ship. I want to go home."

"You're saying a lot, but it sounds more like gibberish." She fell out of the chair, clutching her chest. Her heart was pounding and for a minute or two, she thought it was coming out of her chest.

"Who said that?" she asked, pulling herself up to take the captain's seat once more.

"The smart AI whose attention you were trying to get."

"Are you truly sentient?"

"Are you truly a bossy human?"

"Hey!" She didn't like being called bossy. "You're not all that nice."

"I call them like I see them."

"Why do you sound like you've been on earth all of your life?" Her mind started producing conspiracy theories. Honestly, she should start a YouTube Channel with all her theories.

"What do I have to do other than watch the humans?"

"I bet that's not fun."

"I don't know. Sharon is cheating on Mark, her boyfriend, for Richard, who is cheating on her with Brad. Then there is Jim, who is in love with Janet but doesn't think he makes enough money to support her. Janet is rolling in dough, but she tries to keep Jim in the dark, so he'll court her. There is…"

"Enough, I get it. You shouldn't eavesdrop on those humans. If you are going to eavesdrop, find some who are well-adjusted."

"Who do you suggest?" Amelia's mouth opened and closed until she realized she didn't know one well-adjusted person.

"On second thought, those are as good as anyone else."

"I thought so. How can I help you?" She refused to allow the smooth, cultured voice of the AI to throw her off her game. She was going to Earth and then she'd disappear on a sandy beach drinking tropical cocktails.

"I skipped cruiser 101 in college. Where is the start button?" She held her breath, hoping the AI would cooperate. Did AIs have names or were they just thought of as necessary technology and treated that way?

A button lit up with a green light. She quickly pushed it, and when nothing happened, she repeatedly stabbed it with a finger and grew red in the face.

"Nothing is happening." Amelia flinched from the high decibel of her voice. She was getting nervous. She looked at the open door and spun back to the control panel.

"Of course not. Diza technology is sought all over the galaxy. You didn't think they would make a ship start with the push of a button, did you?" Amelia ignored him. His question seemed genuine, but it wasn't helping her get home.

"Tell me what to do." She tried to say it, so it didn't sound demanding but failed.

"Why?" He sounded more curious than anything else.

She had to move now. Zylar would notice she was missing soon, and this was the first place he'd look for her.

"I want to go home." She could hear the pleading in her voice, but couldn't stop it. Everyone thought they knew what her future should look like, but no one was asking her what she wanted.

"My opinion should matter." She was close to tears but refused to cry. Why should she when her cousins hated her? Hell, she didn't feel all that good about herself, either. "If I can disappear, then it's out of sight, out of mind. No one will miss me."

"That's where you're wrong. I'll miss you." She swung around in the chair to find Zylar leaning against the door. His hulking purple presence overshadowed the door and everything around it.

She gasped. Had he gotten bigger? Was that even possible?

"Why? I ran from you, and you don't know me. If you did, you'd shun me."

"That seems like a harsh punishment for such a minor crime."

"Harsh? Minor? I almost got my cousin killed!"

"What do you humans say? Almost only counts in horseshoes and…"

"Hand grenades." Her breath was hitching, and the tears were going to flow if he didn't turn around and walk away.

"They'll forgive you." He walked over to her, squatting, so he wasn't looming over her.

"They won't."

"Yes, they will." He picked her up, his hand stroking down her back. Amelia had all she could take. Two weeks on the run was too many. She started crying, burying her head in Zylar's chest.

Amelia had the sensation of moving, but she was lost in her tears and didn't know what was going on. By the time they reached Zylar's cabin, she was sniffing. If only a good cry could make it all better, but it didn't. She was still the same person riddled with guilt.

He set her down on the couch and she realized that this was where her punishment began.

"Am I going to get a spanking?" She realized she was saying spanking like it was an erotic sex act and she'd want to do it again. Then her mind switched to thinking about fists and claws. That's what she deserved.

"Don't move." Her eyes followed him as he went through the door that led to his bedroom. Briefly, she thought of running again. Where would she go? Not back to the garden with the T-Rex or back to the ship with the AI that wasn't helpful. Could she hide out in the shafts that she assumed went through the ship? The Enterprise had them, so this ship should have them too, right? Normally she'd say fight to the death, but she was tired of fighting.

"Did you know Bella is a warrior?" she asked when he came back into the room. It was general conversation, but both her cousins were something amazing and she was Amelia whose family disowned her. Why? Reason one she wouldn't forswear her father. Even though he was dead, she had to agree to do it to stay in the family. Her dad was her heart and yes, he was dead, but she couldn't betray him or her mother like that. There'd been enough betrayal to last a lifetime. She wondered what the ship AI would have thought if he'd been spying on her dysfunctional family. Let's not forget the ring, but she didn't want to think about that.

When Zylar said nothing, she looked up to see a length of black fabric in his hands. Was he going to tie her feet up so she couldn't run or her hands so she couldn't fight back? She deserved it and she was going to submit. Yeah, probably not. She might not be a warrior, but she refused to be abused. That made no sense since she hadn't run when he turned his back. She was waiting; she assured herself. When he was asleep, she'd find a way off the ship.

"This is for your eyes."

"My eyes?" Right, she was sounding like a parrot right about now.

Her stomach was clenching, and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. "You're going to hurt me." She couldn't help the quiver in her voice. He was going to hurt her, but she'd convinced herself that she deserved to be hurt from the first time he contacted her and told her that if she wanted to live, she'd help them get to Jenna.

Jenna was her sweet oldest cousin and Jeffrey, Jenna's next-door neighbor, thought she belonged to him. When she started seeing the Diza king-in-waiting, he went crazy. Either he got Jenna, or he'd kill Amelia. She knew better, but fell into the trap, unable to pull out. She wanted to do the right thing, to warn her cousin, even if it meant her death. In the end, no matter how hard she tried, it didn't happen. How could she betray her flesh and blood like that? She wouldn't betray her parents, who were dead, but she did her cousin, who was alive.

Zylar brought a hand up to cup her cheek before he ran his fingers over the side of her face. They were warm and rough. Rougher than she thought a healer's hands would be. They were also gentle on her face, as if she were someone important.

"Have you ever heard of an empath?" He was still caressing her face lulling her into a false sense of comfort before he hurt her.

"No, yes. Star Trek: The Next Generation had an empath on the ship. I always loved her."

"I'm not surprised." He took the length of silk and used it to caress her cheek.

"It's soft."

"Only the softest for you." His voice was a deep roll of thunder that went through her, leaving quakes behind. Shivering, she wasn't convinced that it was out of dread.

"I'm going to blindfold you, but you have to agree." She looked up to find he was staring at her. The look in his eyes said he was serious, it also said that if she disagreed then it was all over. Did she want this? She wasn't sure, but some part of her said she needed it. Redemption didn't come just because she wanted it. Why had he mentioned empaths? Was that something she needed to know about, or was he making small talk like her when she mentioned Bella?

She nodded her head.

"Not good enough. I need words." Her eyes slid to the walls, looking at the picture of a young Zylar with his cousins. She thought about him getting Anna and Sarah away from men who wanted to hurt them. She knew he could be trusted, even though she didn't trust herself.

"Yes." The word came out with a croak, trying to get stuck in her throat.

"Close your eyes." She drifted into a world of total darkness knowing that Zylar was there with a blindfold in his hand, and she'd permitted him to do carte blanche with her. Stupid Amelia, this is how you're always getting into trouble.

Her breath came out in a gasp as he tied the blindfold around her eyes. She waited to see what would happen next. Time slowly passed, and he did nothing. The longer he waited, the more fear set in. She didn't get divine revelations, but she had one now. He was going to kill her, and she was tired of running. Hopefully, the next life will be better.

"Just kill me, please."