Chapter 4

Abrief vision of Cronan"s large muscular body joining her in the bath flashed through Unity"s mind and her traitorous body responded to the image. She"d never really been attracted by big men but there had been something undeniably appealing about how easily he had carried her to his rooms, as if she weighed no more than a feather. Not to mention the feel of all that rock hard muscle against her or the fact that he smelled wonderful, like cinnamon and leather.

She blushed and turned away, hoping he hadn"t noticed the way her nipples had tightened beneath the thin gown.

"I can manage just fine on my own, thank you."

Her voice sounded far more breathless than she would have preferred.

"Of course," he said stiffly, almost as if he were embarrassed as well. "I will make sure you are not disturbed."

He left, closing the doors behind him. She checked the doors, looking for some kind of lock, but there was nothing of the kind. Dman.

"I suppose I"ll just have to trust him," she muttered to herself.

Oddly enough, she actually did - at least a little. He"d gotten her out of that wretched dungeon and he hadn"t made any attempt to molest her. So far. Then again, he also hadn"t freed her - although if he was telling the truth, his reasons made sense.

She cast another look at the closed door, then slipped out of the grimy white gown and walked down the steps into the bathing pool, sighing with pleasure as the hot water surrounded her, relieving the last of the chill from her cell. The water was actually up to her neck with her feet flat on the bottom, but there were a variety of ledges at various heights worked into the walls. She dunked her head under the water, then found one that let her sit with the water just above her breasts.

Now what?

If she believed Cronan and, somewhat to her surprise, she did, returning to Earth was not in the cards, certainly not in the near future and perhaps never. A tear trickled down her cheek and she swiped at it impatiently. Her mother had cried a lot but Unity had quickly figured out that crying didn"t change anything. It certainly hadn't made her mother feel any better. She'd done her best to be a good mother but that underlying current of sadness had always been there.

The fact that Unity bore a strong resemblance to her father probably didn"t help. Not that she"d ever met him, but her mother insisted on keeping his photo by her bed. When her mother died in a solo car crash that she still prayed was accidental, she had given in to a foolish impulse and had the picture buried with her.

I got used to being alone on Earth. I can get used to being alone here, she thought as she swiped at another tear.

Perhaps because of what had happened to her mother, she"d always shied away from serious relationships. Even most of her friends were more casual acquaintances rather than long-lasting friendships. Would any of them even notice she was gone?

Of course they will. Stop being morbid,she ordered herself. Right now the most important thing was figuring out how she was going to survive - without being dependent on some king, no matter how attractive she found him. I wonder if they have accountants here?

She had a sudden vision of herself in a long robe, weighing out coins like some medieval money lender. The image made her smile and she went looking for some soap in a better frame of mind, determined to make the best of her situation.

The search took a while but she eventually found an artificial flower half-concealed amongst the real ones that emitted a stream of sweet-smelling liquid. She washed her hair and scrubbed herself head to foot, wincing when she washed her face and touched the bruises Ulmat had left when he hit her. Bastard. At least they were fading now.

The towels were also concealed in a realistic looking boulder but they were fluffy and warm and enormous. She dried off and did her best to finger comb her hair, draping it down over her cheek to conceal the bruises. Then she took a deep breath, wrapped another towel around her, and peeped cautiously around the edge of the door. The huge bedroom was empty and she padded quietly across it towards the living room. The bedroom also opened onto a balcony and she cast it a wistful glance but decided clothes came first.

As she approached the living room, she heard voices and stopped to listen.

"Dangerous? That tiny little thing?"

No one had ever called her tiny before and even a week in a dungeon had done very little to reduce her curves, but as much as she appreciated the compliment, she wasn"t quite as sanguine about Cronan discounting her so easily.

"Dangerous," a deep, growly voice said firmly. "My former captain is mated to one and I know."

Another human? She peeped eagerly through the opening between the living room doors and saw Cronan talking to a... gargoyle? There was no other way to describe him - he was huge and grey-skinned, with pointed ears and a massive set of wings.

She didn"t thinkshe"d made any noise but Cronan immediately looked over at her. His gaze lingered for a moment on her bare shoulders, the rest of her body down to her ankles wrapped in the towel. He picked up a woven throw from a nearby chair and came to join her, arranging it around her shoulders. She really shouldn"t like the brush of his fingers against her bare skin so much, or the fact that he remained at her side, his leather and cinnamon scent wrapping around her just as the blanket had done.

"I suppose you"d better come in since this concerns you. This is Grabon. He is both a medic and one of my most trusted captains."

"For my sins. I wasn"t looking for a rebellion to join." The big male eyed her suspiciously from bright green cat-like eyes. "Human."

She glared at him.

"My name is Unity, not human."

He shrugged a massive shoulder but one corner of his mouth lifted.

"You see?" he said to Cronan. "They are not afraid, even when confronted by a male twice their size. That"s what makes them dangerous."

She decided to take that as a compliment, even though she had most definitely been scared ever since the grey alien appeared in her living room.

"You said there"s another woman here?"

"Not here, but I know of at least three. One who is mated to my former captain and is currently traveling with him. One who is mated to Prince Rastrath and who resides on xxx, and one who is consort to Emperor Karthajin. Were you not aware of that at least?" Grabon asked but Cronan shook his head.

"Ulmat restricted off world communication. Most Farlain have very little idea of what occurs elsewhere in the Empire. You saw how much he limited access to the spaceport. When Grabon decided to explore, one of Ulmat"s guards tried to arrest him," Cronan told her.

"Unsuccessfully." Grabon bared a set of very white, very sharp teeth in what she would not have called a smile. "That encounter is what led me to Cronan and the rebellion."

She had a ton of questions, but she focused on the most important one.

"You"re telling me that none of those women are here on this planet, right? And that none of them were able to return to Earth?"

Grabon"s hard face softened a fraction.

"Contact with a pre-spaceflight planet is forbidden."

"That didn"t stop the male who took me."

"No, although the Emperor is trying to prevent it. Humans have protected status."

"Like we"re some kind of endangered animal?" she asked bitterly. "Does it actually make a difference?"

Grabon hesitated, looking over at Cronan.

"To an extent. But the more dangerous males are the ones most likely to ignore it."

So Cronan was right - she did need protection. Not just because of his size and build, but because of an indefinable air of command that surrounded him. Even dressed in the simple leather shoulder armor and pants he had a far more powerful presence than Ulmat had had in his elaborate robes.

"I could take you to one of the other females when I leave," Grabon added. An odd growling sound came from Cronan and the gargoyle shot him a look, then shook his head. "But that will not be in the near future. We were just discussing a distress call we received from the Western Isles."

"With no additional word since then," Cronan said thoughtfully. "Lord Dekell was one of Ulmat"s most trusted nobles. He may have changed his mind about requesting assistance after learning of Ulmat"s death but I have no intention of letting him remain there as my representative without investigation."

"He could also have been a victim of whatever caused him to make the call in the first place. Or it could just be the composition of the islands interfering with the device." Grabon sighed. "It would take a full week for a ship to reach the main port. I can make the flight in a single day, go in quietly, and then assess the situation."

"Quietly?" Cronan raised an eyebrow. "The Elvar are highly unlikely to mistake you for one of their own."

"The Elvar?" she asked and both males looked at her.

"The people of the Western Isles. They are also winged."

"But very different. Small and gentle." The big gargoyle sighed again. "Which makes me wonder what incurred the original distress call. I will try to return as quickly as possible."

"Very well. Go see Barthar and get your own communication device. Hopefully you will have better luck."

"And Dekell?"

"Analyze the situation. If the Elvar are happy and content and he is willing to offer his allegiance, he may remain. Otherwise take him in custody and wait for the ship."

Grabon flashed that frightening smile again.

"I"ll look forward to it. Your Majesty." He bowed his head, then looked over at her, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Human. Try not to cause too much trouble."

He dipped his again, then left, leaving her glaring after him.

"What an annoying male."

Cronan laughed.

"Sometimes. But he is also an impressive fighter and has a great deal of compassion for others beneath that gruff facade. He didn"t have to join our fight but he did after he witnessed Ulmat"s cruelty personally." He looked down at her, very lightly tracing the edge of the throw where it touched her neck. "So my dangerous little human, what am I going to do with you now?"