tasted … okay. The smal amount of liquid was quickly absorbed and she took another sip. Soon she was gulping back the cool drink with fervor, barely taking a moment to gasp for air. She hadn’t realized how badly she was in need of it.
“Good girl,” Sebastian said when she set down the empty glass.
Unexpectedly he scooped her up in his arms. She’d been so taken by surprise at the sudden action that she’d actual y wrapped her arms around his neck for support. When she realized what she was doing she weakly pushed away from him. She wasn’t long in his grasp,as he had only crossed to the other side of the room,and set her down on a thin cot within a smal alcove—which became like a smal room when a solid beam of energy flashed between them.
A force field? It was clear with a slight haze, masking everything outside of it in an auburn hue.
She rol ed her eyes.From one prison to another!
“There. You’re free of your restraints.”
She made a rough noise in her throat. “You cal this free.”
“It’s as free as you’re al owed on my ship. You’ve committed a serious crime by smugglingyourself onto my ship. It requires serious punishment. I’m wil ing to be lenient, though, if you tel me where you came from I promise to take you back there unharmed.”
“I’d rather die.” She supplied.
He raised an eyebrow at that,and waited a moment before speaking again. “You’re in luck then. The punishment for your crimeisdeath.” He scanned for a reaction. When he didn’t receive one he continued. “If you don’t tel me where you came from then your only other option is to be released into space.
Actual y, you’d be releasing yourself into space. In my culture it would be seen as an honorable death.” He crossed his arms in expectation.
Analia considered his words careful y. He was offering her death at her own hand. She’d considered suicide before—many, many times before. But, as closely guarded as she was, she had never been given ample opportunity. Now it was being offered to her on a silver platter. Thinking over her life, she could only cal up memories of suffering, and sorrow. There wasn’t a single moment that brought her joy. No memory she invoked sparked a hint of happiness to make her want to cling to this existence. Could she real y push the button that would end her completely?
Yes.
Shoulders slumping ever so slightly.At least I had tried. Her greatest, and sadly, soul achievement was her escape from The Hel Ship. If she were dead Darius could truly never hurt her again. The time she had spent in the smal maintenance room had changed her completely. Even though she was technical y stil trapped, it was a smal taste of what true freedom could be. It had been her choice, her decision and no one else that brought her here, now. She had felt the power of freedom and knew she could never go back. The moment she set one foot back on the hel ship would be the moment her spirit broke completely, reducing her to a mere shel of herself.
And here she was, locked up at the amusement of yet another arrogant captain. If she couldn’t bephysical yfree, then his offer was the only way to end her suffering. With her decision resolved she met Sebastian’s gaze, “I accept your offer.”
“Good. First tel me the moment you came to be on my ship.”
“No. I accept your other offer.” She almost smiled when his jaw dropped.
Chapter 4
Sebastian felt his face frozen in shock. Had she just agreed to kil herself? He’d only suggested that to scare her into giving him the information he wanted. There was no way he was going to let her kil herself, at least not while the wards were stil in place. Was she that desperate to escape wherever it was she had come from?
When he’d told her he planned to take her back she had given him a look of such misery and … betrayal? He’d almost wanted to take it back.Almost.
Gaining composure he considered the prospect that she was cal ing his bluff.That