Nodding, he answered, “It’s fine. I’ll get it.”
Again, I know my mother was a drunk and a drug addict, but for some reason, her bracelet helps me feel strong and confident. Maybe it’s because it represents evidence that at some point she’d been healthy and in love. The fact that she gave me this bracelet that was so important to her is also the proof I need that shows me she used to love me. Any way I look at it, it just makes me feel good.
Ryder put it on me, his expression softening as he clasped it. Lifting my delicately boned wrist to his lips, he pressed a kiss to my inner skin that sent small tingles up my arm. I met his eyes with an open mind and heart. Whatever he saw there made him still. We were in our own world, trapped in each other’s eyes, feeling our energies reaching out to twine and braid together, surrounding us with warmth and a humming energy that vibrated with life. It felt so intimate.
“We need to go.” Nick scowled, looking down at his boots. Cynthia was looking at us slack jawed.
“Remember to guard your thoughts,” Ryder warned me as he drew me into a tight clasp. “Let’s go.”
I threw up my trusty-dusty brick wall, wanting to make sure I didn’t commit a faux pas that was likely the equivalent of showing up without pants.
It was no sooner suggested than we were all emerging from a bright blue light, standing in a cavern chamber underground where no ambient light filtered through. Lit by large trinium wall sconces, it was probably the size of my apartment, and it had a common worktable in the center and a number of built-in nooks where private office spaces were set up. Three-dimensional computer projections had me gawking in several of the offices. Earth had nothing over these folks in technology. Fingers moved quickly and furiously over completely smooth keyboards on the desk, kind of like touchpads, only the workers were manipulating the images and words in the projection three-dimensionally, directly in front of them.
“You haven’t seen these before, have you? Cool, isn’t it?” Cynthia whispered in my ear as Ryder stepped off to speak with one of the soldier guys.
“How can you guys have better technology?” I whispered back.
“We’ve managed to snag the best scientists from different parts of Earth. We actually have a committee that researches the latest innovations.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“And by the way, you owe me deets. You’re holding out on me.”
“You’re a fine one to talk.” I smirked.
“Definitely need some girl time. Soon.” She muttered the last word and gave Nick a dark look. His eyes were watching her coolly, assessing. He definitely had some plans in the works for Cyn.
“Senior officer.” A young man stepped out from one of the office compartments and gave Ryder a formal bow. He was dressed in a uniform similar to Nick’s.
“First officer.” Ryder acknowledged him. “Are they ready for us to enter?”
“Yes, sir. They’ve been waiting for you in your father’s office.”
Ryder took my hand and led us down a lit pathway deeper into the cavern. I was glad not to be claustrophobic, or I would have really been in serious trouble, because I was already feeling fingers of trepidation clinging to my mind over just the meeting. We got to a heavy wooden door that was built to custom-fit the large archway, and my butterflies set to fluttering in my stomach with a vengeance. I slowed to a stop and took a deep breath, trying to calm them. Ryder paused and looked down at me questioningly.
“You okay?”
“I—I think so,” I said.
“I’ll never let anything happen to you.” His green eyes burned into mine, and I nodded as though appeased, but that deep sense of dread was only growing worse. There was a feeling of inevitability, and I didn’t know if that was good or bad, but I felt like I was heading down an invisible road, and all I could do was hang on and trust that I would be able to handle whatever was coming.
Ryder pushed open the door, and we entered a beautifully warm room. It was carpeted in a deep moss. Trinium lamps in vibrantly designed glass shades warmly lit the chamber, along with an overhead light that was too brilliant to stare at. Being that we seemed to be deep underground, a lot of light was needed.
A few small desks were housed in natural nooks and corners of the room but were currently empty. Most impressive was the large, imposing desk with family pictures framed and displayed proudly at the front, facing outward. I felt energy pulling me in that direction, which was weird because no one was there, but I ignored it, not knowing what the hell was about to happen. All this energy stuff was still new to me. I didn’t know where it was actually coming from, and I didn’t know what to do with it.
Just in front of the desk was a large, round conference table. Both pieces of furniture were built in beautifully gleaming dark wood. It was the kind of room that, if it were aboveground, would be in a setting like Oxford University.
I could feel myself going pale, sort of shrinking from the wealth and privilege that was before me. I was out of my league. Deep under water. I found myself playing with my charm bracelet, seeking strength. Why in the world would Ryder be interested in little old trailer-park me?
It didn’t help that, though polite, the dozen or so people crowding the office were distinctly chilly. Not a one of them cracked a smile in my direction, which only worked to further alienate me. They didn’t even see me.
I tried to remember what Cynthia had told me, which was that these folks had been in office for twenty years or more, so they’d seen a lot of pain and anguish in their people’s lives due to outsiders. Still, I had to actively do my best not to feel hurt, which wasn’t really working.
I tried to stay out of the way, by the door, but Ryder spotted me and pulled me toward an attractive older woman who looked chic with her mahogany hair in a bob. She was wearing a linen-and-silk version of what I was wearing.
“Mom, I want you to meet Taylor. Taylor, this is my mother, Counsel Judiciate Miara Langston.” Her pale green eyes, which I saw as she glanced at me somewhat sharply and analytically, were a mirror of Ryder’s. Those alone could have told me she was his mother.
She held out a hand to me professionally. “Nice to meet you.”
“It’s very nice to meet you,” I replied, and I shook her hand firmly. There wasn’t time for any other small talk, which was a relief to my nerves, as everyone was called to the conference table.
“Have a seat, and let’s all introduce ourselves to the newcomer,” commanded a voice from the table.
As Ryder led me to a seat at the table, I knew I would have recognized his father in a lineup. He was tall and broad, like Ryder, with deep, blue-black hair, though his had a few streaks of gray at the temples. He was also a bit more filled out with age, had a few more lines, and had bright blue eyes, but his deep voice and compelling gaze were the same.
His brow knitted, and he looked me over with a hawklike stare before turning his look on Ryder. In a cold voice, he remarked, “I see you dressed for the occasion.”
“Always,” Ryder responded with much the same tone.
“Earth seems to be rubbing off on you.”
“I hope so.”
They stared at each other in a silent battle of wills that made me, and everyone else at the table, uneasy. What was wrong with Earth, by the way?
After that, it was time for business.
Once everyone was seated, introductions were made. Because my brain scrambles when I’m feeling stressed, I immediately forgot all their names except for Ryder’s father’s. He was Talon, senior representative of the province Milak and the nation, Sunan.
Talk about stress. I was on overwhelm with all eyes on me, feeling like I was the freak show of the room. Looking around the table of representatives, I saw there might have been one or two faces that were neutral, but most were eyeing me with downright suspicious looks, which was really hard to accept. Besides that, being the center of attention was not my thing, particularly when I felt like I was being analyzed, judged and found lacking.