Hunting Julian

  There were also more guards at the gates. They were all armed with a variety of strange-looking weapons just like Lucien’s. Julian had armed himself for the trip as well, but the long daggers crisscrossed over his back and under his pack were more familiar to her than any of the others she saw.

  The guards seemed to recognize Julian on sight, and they had no trouble gaining entrance to the first gate. However, once they had crossed the walkway, it was a different story.

  “Ho, Gatherer. You can come no farther. Leave the female with us and be on your way,” a guard warned him off. “Ampliphi Kloe has told us to expect her.”

  “She’s to go into holding for tonight,” Julian made certain to stress. “Not the general population.”

  “We are well aware of what is expected,” the guard said, his half-cocked smile giving Asia an instant case of the creeps. Julian, however, didn’t seem to pick up on it. He was too busy turning her to face him, gathering her face between his hands and kissing the breath out of her right where she stood on that narrow walkway.

  “Be careful,” he whispered against her lips. “I want you back in one piece.”

  For the first time, Asia began to feel fear about being left behind. All of this time she’d had Julian to guard and protect her, to help guide her every step of the way in this strange, new land. Now she would be on her own for the night, barely knowing what she was getting herself into. With her heart racing, she reached to grasp his wrists. She didn’t say anything, but he could see what she was feeling very clearly in her eyes. He gently ran both hands back over her hair, engulfing her head in his large palms, his thumbs stroking against her cheekbones.

  “I’ll be back as soon as the Ampliphi release you. You’ll be in holding for tonight, which at most will hold one or two others. It is more likely, though, that you will be alone. It’s only one night. We will see to it that it is only one night.”

  “Julian, we have to go. We won’t make it back before dark as it is.”

  “You’ll be out there in the dark?” Asia asked, breathlessly afraid for his safety. How surreal, a part of her mused, that she had come from hating a man to hating the idea of something happening to him all in the span of a day.

  “Not for long. Less than an hour.” Julian hugged her close long enough to shoot a dirty look at his friend over her head. “Don’t worry about me. I have Lucien. You just have Asia.”

  “Well, I have the better part of the deal,” she joked, making Lucien chuckle.

  “Hey, she’ll be fine,” he reassured Julian. “Try not to worry so much.”

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” she repeated, suddenly feeling it was the truth. She might be a fish out of water, but she was more than capable of protecting herself if needed.

  “Okay.” Julian reached to disarm her of her stick, sliding it into the harness that held his daggers. “Give me your pack, too. You won’t need it. They’ll give you everything you need.”

  After a few more moments of fussing, Julian finally let her go, letting her walk toward the gate without him. There was a heavy clanging of steel as bolts were thrown free, and just like that, she was through and they were closing Julian off from her.

  Chapter 12

  Asia had no idea when she’d begun to turn to Julian, begun to actually depend on him as a resource of support, but it had to have been the fastest turnaround in all the history of man. She’d barely been Beneath with him for a day and already her enemy had become her ally. But she was nothing if not a survivor, and that meant doing whatever it took in any given moment. Right now, it meant surviving the night in what amounted to a women’s prison. But if things went as planned, she would spend the night in holding, kept away from the general population. Then tomorrow Julian would go before the Ampliphi and present them with the evidence. By tomorrow evening it would be the duplicitous Ariel waiting in a holding cell and wishing Julian were still within reach.

  But, of course, things did not go as smoothly as she had hoped they would.

  At first all went according to plan. The guard took her for a long walk around the upper wall and she found herself looking down on a village much like the one she had come from—with two differences. One was the insurmountable wooden wall that completely circled the buildings within. She imagined that from the inside, it would feel something like being inside a huge wooden barrel or vat. The walls were perfectly smooth without any way of climbing them.

  The second difference—no nets. Even from her great height she could tell there was nothing beneath the village to catch anyone who made the slightest misstep. Just realizing that made her heart pound as she walked carefully behind the guard. She realized then that it was probably because there were no children and it made it more difficult for the inmates to attempt escape.

  The guard was armed, a weapon similar to the one that Lucien had worn. He also did not speak to her in any fashion. She got the idea very quickly that it was against the rules for them to speak to the female prisoners. No speak, and most certainly no touch. It must take quite a screening process to find men trustworthy enough to be in charge of the highest concentration of women in their entire society. But she came from a world where…where there was a will, there was a way. Women who were guarded by men would always be at risk of everything from the consensual to rape. She instantly told herself not to trust a single one of them as far as she could throw them.

  Rightfully so. The guard led her to the holding room, stood aside, and unlocked the steel door for her. She hesitated on the threshold when she saw two men awaiting her in the darkened room.

  “Wait a minute…”

  “Step into the room,” one of them commanded her.

  So much for no speak.

  “Like hell I will,” she said, noticing each man held a club in his hands.

  “We’re not going to hurt you as long as you behave yourself,” one of them said almost gently. “You will come inside, we’re going to search you, then we’ll leave you be for the night.”

  The guard at the door then withdrew a small stick from his pocket and with the flick of a wrist telescoped it into a club just like theirs. He moved to stand behind her, his silence unnerving as he braced his feet hard apart on the walkway. She looked down her right side where the railless walkway fell off into the netless village. Considering how much real estate was beneath her, she wouldn’t have to worry about the endless sky beneath. She’d be killed just bouncing off the roofs and walkways on her way down.

  Not seeing how she had much of a choice and preferring to have her feet on the solid flooring of the holding chamber, she stepped inside as ordered.

  The door shut behind her with an ominous clang, the wheel turning like the lock in a vault. Once the glare of the sun was cut off, she could see the room was just as diffusely lit as every other room she had been in to date. The room was circular, just like all the others, and the only furnishing was a single bench that wrapped around the entire wall, save for where the door was.

  Bracing her feet apart, she sized up the men before her. She could see why they had been chosen for this job. They were both powerful-looking men who seemed comfortable with the flight of their own bodies. There were no ham-handed, overweight, or awkward men here. These guys knew how to move and she could read it simply in the way they stood. Then again, what did she expect in a population that trusted their balance in every step they took?

  “Let’s make this easy,” the same guard said, his thick accent making her realize he’d probably been chosen for his ability to speak to her. It was rather thoughtful of them, really, she thought. She was starting to catch inklings of the silent conversations going on all around her, but she was far from fully understanding any of it. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t no speak…not any more than usual, anyway. It was just that she still wasn’t used to so much silence from others.

  “I’m all for easy,” she replied carefully, eyeing the taller and more silent of the pair.

  “Strip out of your clothes and toss them ov
er here. We’ll search them and give them back.”

  Asia took a deep breath, fighting the urge she had to tell them in no unfuckingcertain terms exactly where they could go and that she was not going to get naked while locked in a room with two men. But considering there weren’t likely to be any female guards in this society, and she had a fair idea that she could take them if it came down to it, she decided it was best if she complied. Refusing to hesitate, Asia grabbed her top and tossed it across the room. As fortune had it, she had nothing but her borrowed clothing and a very skimpy thong. She dropped her skirt and sent it over as well, then held out her arms and did a slow turn.

  “Good enough?” she asked.

  They seemed to eye her critically for a moment and she got the impression they were considering a body cavity search. She didn’t know how much of that was real and how much was her suspicious nature, but she was on her guard as they picked up her clothing and inspected it thoroughly. She did notice their attention wasn’t always one hundred percent on their task. Their gazes drifted up again and again, until she began to wonder if they were dragging this whole thing out just so they could keep ogling her. She set her hands on her hips, refusing to cover up in any way and letting them look their fill. Eyes were just fine. It was when things crossed the line to physical contact that they were going to have problems.

  Apparently they read that off her loud and clear. They finished searching her clothes and tossed them back to her. She dressed herself, constantly keeping one eye on the pair of them.

  “You will remain here tonight. You will be given water and a meal. If you need to relieve yourself, you need only bang on the door and the guard will take you. However, do not abuse the privilege. We can just as easily see to it you have a bucket to use. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “If you have any trouble from any guard in the facility, you need only press this button.” He pointed his club to a large button rigged into the wall. “Again, do not abuse the privilege. There are holding cells without this precaution and you can just as easily be taken to one of them. This button is for your protection. You understand?”

  “Yeah. I get it. It keeps everybody honest…as long as a girl is strong enough to get to it.”

  “You are strong enough,” he observed.

  “True that.”

  “My name is Raze. You may ask for me if you need to communicate…but we understand you very clearly. Again—”

  “Don’t abuse the privilege,” she interjected for him.

  “My shift ends after the sleeping hour, but I don’t expect you’ll have need of me after that anyway. Now be seated and become familiar with your own thoughts. Tomorrow we will know what is to become of you.”

  “Tomorrow I am out of here,” she insisted.

  “We’ll see,” he said cautiously. He pointed again to a seat against the far wall and she went to take it, understanding that they wanted a good deal of distance from her as they left the room. She watched as Raze used his club to rap three times sharply on the door. The door opened and both men exited.

  Sure enough, the only thing she was left with was her own thoughts.

  “Damn,” she sighed wearily to herself.

  It had been a long and arduous day. And despite all the proof they had gathered, she was still nervous about the stubborn Ampliphi. Her fate, it seemed, rested in Julian’s hands. He was her only ally. It helped a little, she supposed, that he had ulterior motives for getting her out of there the next day. In fact, his life hung in the balance. And when she did get out tomorrow, he had very clear expectations and uses for her.

  Asia didn’t want to think about that at the moment. One hurdle at a time. For the time being, she was going to try to catch a nap.

  And as she quickly got bored, it didn’t take much time at all for her to do so.

  Asia awoke to the loud clang of the lock turning in the door. Disoriented and not knowing how long she’d been asleep, she sat up and awaited what she suspected was her evening meal.

  But the man who entered the holding cell was empty-handed and she immediately recognized something in the intent of his smile that turned her stomach over.

  “Come with me,” he said to her, beckoning her with a short flip of his stubby fingers. He was older than most of the men she had seen, a little heavier on his feet from what she could see, but still vital enough to be a threat.

  “What for?” she demanded.

  “You’re being moved, human.”

  Oh, the way he said “human” did not bode well at all. That was an emanation she got loud and clear. In all of this time, with all of Julian’s talk about the survival of his race, it had never occurred to her that there might be members of this society who did not approve of the alien women they were forced to take in, in order to propagate. It was the first time she felt someone other than Kloe look at her with nothing but disdain in their heart.

  “I’m not supposed to be moved,” she argued, sliding her butt along the bench another foot until she was directly under the button that had been pointed out to her. She made it very clear to him that she wasn’t stupid and she wasn’t afraid to use the fail-safe.

  “Plans have changed,” he said thickly. “A violent offender will be coming into the holding cell and you must be removed for your safety.”

  “I thought there were other cells,” she rejoined.

  “Not tonight.” He stepped closer to her, a flick of his wrist extending the same club they all seemed to carry. Except she could tell by the way he handled his that it was a much-beloved weapon. He was all too familiar with its weight and balance and he was, no doubt, very quick to use the thing. Being a sensei, Asia also knew there were lots of ways to hit a person without leaving so much as a single bruise. She knew immediately that this man was familiar with every one of those ways.

  On the one hand, she didn’t trust this guy for a second; on the other, she didn’t have much of a choice. All of her rights had been taken away from her the minute she had walked through the front gate. Until tomorrow morning she was a prisoner just like all the rest. No one was going to care what happened to her until Julian came looking for her in the morning. All she had to do was survive until then.

  Getting to her feet, Asia squared off with the man in her cell.

  “I’m really good with faces,” she warned him, “and I’m not going to let you hurt me without a fight. Are we clear on that?”

  “Very,” he said, tapping his club on the floor twice in rapid succession. On cue, two other guards entered the room. “Chaperones,” he offered, his smile so full of contempt she could practically taste it.

  Not seeing much in the way of alternatives, Asia walked forward. She stepped out onto the walkway with one guard in front of her and two at her back. Immediately she could see the landscape had changed. For one, it was full night. The walkways glowed in the same ambient way as everything else did. In fact, the entire village was aglow. The only exception was the sheer wooden wall that surrounded them. Apparently the material that everything was made of had some kind of fluorescent properties to it that kept everything lit all of the time. If only they had something like this stuff on Earth. The money they could save in electric bills would be extraordinary.

  But back in the world of Beneath, she was being walked along at a nerve-wracking clip. It got worse when they left the stability of the high wall and crossed freely into the main village. They passed through two locked doors and just when she stepped through a third, entering the large central building, the guard suddenly reversed his path and stepped outside of the door.

  “Enjoy your stay,” he said to her, his grin positively evil as he shut the door and locked her in.

  Oh crap, she thought as she slowly turned to look into the room around her. So much for not being in general population, she thought as she met one pair of curious eyes after another. Women all around her were sitting up or standing up with attentiveness, and she was the central focus of all that attention. The
huge room seemed to go on forever, chaises and chairs and plants seemingly everywhere. It was actually the most prettily decorated prison she’d ever seen. Rich fabrics abounded. Beautiful flowering plants demarcated one cozy conversation area after another. The women themselves were all dressed in a similar fashion. Light, delicate fabrics, some of which looked incredibly expensive by the weight of the gold or silver shot through or the jewels adorning them. She could smell something like perfume on the air; the cool night breeze drifted freely in and out of the building through mesh windows made of the same lightly woven material as everything else was.

  The women were all well groomed and made up, almost like they were dressed for date night. In fact, if she didn’t know any better, she’d think she had just walked into a sultan’s harem. And like a harem, it was almost immediately clear there was a pecking order. No one moved to come up to her, but it was clear they were curious. However, attention began to distinctly waver from her to a woman down at the other end of the building who was slowly getting to her feet.

  She was dressed in deep violet, a soft silken skirt with silver filigree lining its hem and little sparkling gems of a lavender color dangling from the loops of silver. She wore a bolero-styled shirt, her long, lean midriff shown off to perfection, including the large amethyst-type gem that dangled from a piercing in her navel. She was pretty busty, so the top she wore looked like it was working very hard to keep itself together at its seams. She was a cool blonde, her long hair hanging loose down her back to well beyond her backside. The soft lavender of her eyes became evident the closer she got to Asia. It was clear that she had chosen what she was wearing expressly for the purpose of flattering her natural coloring. She was groomed to perfection, everything from the chainmail cap made of silver that adorned the top of her head to the henna-style tattooing around her startling eyes that swirled and stroked and acted like an accentuating mask. She even had two tiny purple gems somehow glued to the tips of her lashes.