***
Nell awoke to the sound of swearing. Her heart leapt at the masculine voice and she opened her eyes. A crackling fire sent sparks into the night sky. Two moons hung like sugar cookies in the darkness and stars glittered on a velvet background. A sense of home cloaked her. She pushed her hair back and glanced at the man seated on a fallen log across from her. Alejandro. His name gave her a moment of disquiet but it quickly faded. "Where are we?"
"The temple. Or what's left of it." He frowned while the golden light danced over his blunt features.
An internal heat flooded her. He was hers, this good-looking man. All hers. Her palms itched to touch him, to run her hands over his bare skin. She pushed aside the coarse blanket and rose to her feet. A cold wind cut through her shirt and she shivered. Alejandro would keep her warm. She walked toward him. Something crunched underfoot. Nell looked down.
Empty eye sockets stared up at her from a bleached white skull. She glanced at the slender arch of ribs and the marble size hand bones. Everywhere she looked, skeletal remains peeked through the nubby vegetation.
Nell screamed.
"Shh. They're dead." Alejandro rushed to her side, folded her into his embrace and ran a comforting hand up and down her back. "They can't hurt you."
His assurances calmed her racing heart. She rubbed her cheek against his soft uniform and allowed his warmth to fill her. A small voice shrieked in outrage, but quickly fell silent. Alejandro loved her, and she him. "Who were they?"
"The rest of my harem." His sigh stirred her hair while his hands crept under her shirt to caress the small of her back. "I don't understand it. It's like they've been dead for decades."
The answer whispered across her consciousness but was gone before she could grasp it. She shivered as Alejandro continued to explore her bare skin. If she didn't know better, she'd think his touch repulsed her. But she did know better. This was Alejandro and she was his.
He kissed her temple, then her cheek before gently nipping her earlobe. "I think it's time I got to know my mate better, don't you? Our new civilization needs us now more than ever."
She smiled at his use of our. He was a good man and kind too. She ran her tongue along his jaw as an aching need built within her. "Of course."
She reached for his shirt, but he backed away, shaking a finger at her.
"Strip for me, Nell."
If it gave him pleasure, how could she refuse? Anticipation coursed through her as she reached for her shirt's hem. White flashed in her peripheral vision. Why was her hand bandaged? The thought disappeared in the face of his wants and she lifted the shirt.
A part of Nell recoiled and was shunted into isolated thoughts. Without any hesitation in her actions, she recognized where she'd been sent. Around her were the remains of her soul and free will. I'm the real Nell, not this Stepford Wife parody.
The real Nell watched her shirt sail into the night and felt her fingers reach for the button at her waistband. The brain controller hadn't erased everything. And if it couldn't do that, then maybe she could seize control of her body once more. She would need only seconds.
At the first opportunity, she would end this farce of a life.
Permanently.
The enemy is never more dangerous then when cornered.
Fortunately, his desperation will provide a means to
exploit the situation and triumph.
Syn-En Vade Mecum
Chapter Twenty