Kubra
For two great weeks, Charlene and I had been in Paris. All alone, and I was enjoying myself. No responsibilities. No cruelty. One thing I could say about Juliet and Charlene was that they respected people. There was always a thank you, an acknowledgment of you as a person. Whenever we were outside, she was never rude to anyone… Something I had never experienced… Juliet was slightly more volatile than Charlene… Although Charlene had a fun, snippy-ness to her temper. Only thinking about her made me smile. I smiled a lot.
There was still no word from anyone on the outside. Not Carl or Louis. All we could do was watch the news closely. I was waiting for most of the negotiations to be done, so we could see what was going to happen before I even mentioned heading to civilization. The reporters had a field day when Qadir was released; we even saw Marcus and him together on TV.
"Is Marcus ever going back? Is Juliet with Louis?" Charlene asked.
I shook my head slowly. "Not allowed. Let's hope Juliet is taking care of herself. She was pretty upset when I came to take him away five minutes after they arrived."
Charlene pouted her lips and pretended to whistle. "She's alone at the compound? I should've gone with her. At least we would've been together."
***
Charlene
Kubra was quietly thinking… About taking me there? Would I really go with Miné? I would love to see Juliet. Would they eat me? Oh, how stupid I had been to not stay with her in the first place. Or alone in the middle of nowhere. What was going to happen to us? "Would it be allowed? Are vampires allowed to take human wives? Can we maybe fake it that I'm one of Marcus's wives?"
Katty was at his feet, attacking his shoelaces; he did like the cat and played with her while he thought about what I said. Sometimes, it took him a while to answer me. Like he got lost in his thoughts. Not like Carl, who was too scared to speak, or Ben, who had the wrong motives. Kubra weighed every decision, whichever way it may go. The one thing he and Marcus shared was calculating every outcome. They probably had to. Getting to know him had been difficult. "You know, if you let me in, we could chat about it together."
His eyes moved away from the cat. He heard me. He heard everything. It wasn't like he was absent. "You want me to leave Charlene?"
Dumbstruck, my mouth open to retort. When did I say that? Instead, I reached for the back pockets of my very white jeans. He smiled at the gesture, watching me closely. Kubra watched me. All the time. Like he didn't know what I would do next. Self-conscious, I took out my hands and sat on the sofa across from him. His eyes followed me there, too. "I… think we should both leave. Wouldn't you want to see Marcus? Be at his side?"
"When I see him, lying and pretending on TV. No. All I'm going to do is run around after him. Be kept busy with more stuff from my father and Qadir."
"You don't want to go back, and you're using me as an excuse." I thought he would look guilty. The smirk on his face wasn't what I expected.
"And what if I am…"
There really was nothing I could say. I understood where he was coming from. Marcus asked him to make sure I was okay… so… Kubra probably wouldn't get into trouble.
***
Kubra
When I turned on the TV the following day, Jennifer reported that Marcus Qadir had traveled to Palmyra. Marcus was so clever. He had lengthy discussions with physicists, astronomers, and any kind of scientist they could throw at him. He was handling everything very well. Would Qadir allow him to go see Chris?
"Charlene!" I ran up the stairs, rather excited. "Charlene!" I wasn't thinking, so I pushed open her bedroom door without knocking.
She stood naked, drying her hair, and spun around to the bed to grab her towel. My feet were too quick. It was two steps, and I had caught onto the other corner of the bath sheet. She pulled, and I pulled. My eyes couldn't stop roaming over her. "Is that all you want from me? You've been dancing around this. We have. But I have to tell you! I'm really tired of putting out and getting nothing in return."
My fingers opened, dropping the towel, hearing her words and the tone in her voice. I spun on my heels and walked out of the room, stopping at the door. "Just know—I wouldn't think twice… And no. That's not all." I still didn't leave, but I also didn't turn around. "It's not been 2340… It's more like under fifty… With everything that happened to Marcus and me… It really wasn't a fun time, Charlene. En-gannim isn't a place where all the men have sex all the time. And before I came to Earth, there was no one. It happened maybe when we were drunk. And things… got terrible… Even less for Marcus."
"Why are you telling me this? What do you want, Kubra?"
"I like you, Charlene. I'm the one who sent you the message the first night you were alone... I was watching you. There was really nothing to be afraid of."
She was quiet behind me.
"I… have been watching you. Getting to know you… It's been a year. And all I looked forward to was seeing what you and Juliet got up to. You're just as naughty." I patted the door frame, thinking I'd said enough, and left, closing the door.
***
Sita
Interstellar travel wasn't at all what I thought it would be. It was rather underwhelming, instant, and with the simple press of a button. Teleporting from our solar system to another inside the Milky Way, but to another arm and closer to the center. Other systems had been discovered. Liv would not share all the information with me, and as far as she knew, the vampires hadn't gone to another galaxy yet.
You had to arrive at an embassy on a remote station in whatever system you were teleporting to, and from there you could go anywhere again. Unfortunately, the vampires had power over that form of transport. The werewolves and the riphaths had to differ in trade agreements for technological advantages. That was how I knew Chris would never be going back to Earth. He would never see Juliet again, and that was all I wanted.
Palmyra was more than I could have imagined. Our two worlds were so similar, I felt I had only traveled to a foreign country… One with no plastic and no pollution. One thing was evident: there was no tech on Palmyra. The teleporter I stepped out of was the final form of energy I would encounter. We had beasts and fish. Manipulated the material and food industries for the other two planets in our system.
Walking out onto a landing like a helipad gave a vista of the entrance to the city we were currently in. There were three constant moons around the planet, making manifestations possible at any time. No full moon wolves either. Liv said it was something about Earth. All the men were in their manifested state. They wore armor and carried a staff. The colors of the wolves differed, and not everyone was pitch black like me or all those on Earth. Their armor was made of metal with a goldish color… woven together with leather-type material. Every last detail was thought through with the utmost care.
None of the women working in the building were in their werewolf form. Their appearance was all up to a certain standard in dress, hair, and accessories. Jack and Francis came with me as per the agreement. They were in awe of all of it. An excited Francis and a quiet Jack. It was the four of us, escorted by a watcher, to Palmyra. Liv didn't say much unless you asked.
At the entrance or… embassy station, you have a beautiful view of the city in the distance—called Caude. We stood at the edge, looking down toward the gate submerged in water. You could only enter by boat. There were many ships in the harbor. Passenger yachts moved in and out of the mouth of the city. Whatever Caude would be like was hidden and obscurely surrounded by mountains of grey rock. A large wall was built on top of it, which created a barrier to a well-guarded sanctum shielded from any attack.
Liv escorted us onto a ferry. As we passed through the gate, its pillars and doors towered above us like a Manhattan skyrise… All the structures in Caude were fused with nature. Inside mountains and over rivers. Between trees. Connected and beautifully finished. I drew in a breath of clean air. It smelled only woodsy, and the water was pristine around us.
We were all given identification. A place to stay. Men and women were separated on the training base and in the city. I had yet to hear anything about the riphaths. Liv had told me it had been hundreds of years since anyone other than a riphath had set foot on Zoreah. They didn't know what was going on there. Trade negotiations with them had ceased. Chris's mother was the last riphath to have left Zoreah. Just to get lost on Earth during the delivery and die. Her body was found, but never the baby. I felt for Chris and all he had gone through. However, we were nowhere near a love-hate relationship… It was all hate, and I would see them all suffer.
Men weren't treated well on Palmyra. I felt terrible for Francis and Jack, who wanted to go back to Earth. They were worked to the bone, like slaves. Some of the women were borderline cruel. The men had no choice. Something supernatural would happen when they made up their minds to serve one specific woman. It wasn't even a sexual thing; some become servants in a household. Other men were designated to manual labor and couldn't enter a domestic situation. There, the men had to perform to enter schools. Women were either prosperous or not. You were either clever or not. The poor people were shipped off to the outskirts of the planet where the military base was. Because of Nicholas, that was where Francis and Jack ended up. There was also no love lost between the women. There were no friends, only enemies and competition. Because the men outnumbered the women four to one, there wasn't any overpopulation, either.
Everyone and everything was governed by one woman. She decided the laws, the structure, and the punishments. If there were any to be dealt with. No one ever saw her. Guarded by a multitude of soldiers and hidden away in a palace surrounded by high walls. It wasn't like the Queen of England. Who's face was plastered on TV. There would be no sighting of her in the streets. So I was bored. All I did was train. All Francis and Jack did was train. We studied and read. Oh, my soul, how much I had read those few weeks. One thing that kept me sane was the food. Delicious. Eating a person had become the last thing on my mind.
When Liv came to see me and told me Marcus and Qadir were on their way, I jumped at the chance to see a familiar face. I couldn't see Jack and Francis whenever I wanted. Seeing anyone from Earth would be a rare occasion. The powers that be had decided that the three of us could help in the negotiations. Be liaisons for Caude.
Marcus shook hands with the boys, and the three of them stepped aside to talk, all in hushed tones. I wasn't looking my best when I sat down across from Qadir, waiting for Liv. I kept quiet, following the number one rule when it came to Qadir. Women didn't speak… He sat in his usual way, scrutinizing you. One leg draped over the other. His long coat and sleek hair always left him rakishly good-looking. He lit a cigarette, drew in, and puffed, squinting his eyes to stop the smoke from irritating him. He oozed rulership. We all knew who ruled this galaxy. It wasn't the werewolves, and it wasn't the riphaths.
"How are you, Sita?"
I choked on the drink I had in my hand. "Well, thank you. And you?" Surreal. Having a normal convo with the most feared man alive. Well, I would have to wait to meet his father. Qadir had a constant look on his face that made you want to fall to the floor. There really was nothing else for his countenance. He also didn't answer me.
"Want to come back to Earth yet?" he drolled.
"Hell no. You can have it."
"I do. It is why we're here. Negotiations have begun." I was intrigued. Curious and desperate for a news article or a tablet. A TV screen to tell me the latest gossip on E-news. "Do you think we have been among the humans for too long?" He gestured to his cigarette, lifting it up in the air. I had never been a smoker… I did miss coffee.
I nodded. "Maybe." He respected my answer and held out the cigarette to me. I shook my head, "No, thank you."
He shrugged, "You helped me get Marcus on the compound… You have keen insight into behavior." Heavens! A compliment from the man who cut out his own wife's tongue. My eyes darted to Marcus. Why did they never have another child? He would cut out her tongue but drew the line at rape? Liked a woman to do all the work, and one who wasn't interested and lay there crying wasn't something a self-important man like him would enjoy.
I watched Marcus making small talk. He didn't know. By Marcus's easy manner, he had no idea what we did. How we got Juliet back at the compound. I guessed Qadir wouldn't like me to blab about forcing her hand. My gaze traveled from him to his father. "You ready?" He blinked his eyes slowly, acknowledging my question. "Would love to know your plans." I was relaxing, treading on dangerous territory. Did I overstep? How did I fix it?
"I would love to tell you." My head snapped up, our gazes locked. What the hell was that? He was unflinching, taking a drag and blowing out the smoke, holding my eyes in a vice grip. I looked away to Liv, walking toward us. She had heard some of our conversation. Her game face was on, and she said nothing. After that, we were in meetings the whole time. It went on for a few days. Small breaks in between and sightseeing. They had agreed on the travel and transport of creatures adaptable to Earth and to feed the growing population of vampires. Jack and Francis were even allowed to oversee that part of the negotiations.
Before they left, Qadir came over and held out his hand to me. "I feel a kindred spirit in you, Sita. Even if it is only in our hate of that Chit." Reluctantly, I took his hand. He shook mine for the first time and turned to Liv, "What are the chances of Sita being the new ambassador?"
Surprised, Liv said, "I will start her training."
Inside the cubicle, Marcus's gaze stabbed into me, either warning me or threatening me. They left as quickly as they came. The platform was where it seemed almost everything happened on Palmyra. Where I would spend most of my time. The vampires were particular about creating only one location on each planet for more control.
When they were out of sight, Liv turned to me. "That was a first. Careful there."
"You don't have to tell me? Did I make a friend or an enemy in disguise?"
She patted my shoulder, "The latter, my girl… Report here in two days. It's time for you three to start the next stage in your education. Remember—notice is most important here. He got you off to a good start; don't waste it!"
She walked off looking so good that I felt like a complete failure. It wasn't like I brought anything with me. I had to work nights and study during the day just to get by.