Deceit: BBW Alien Lottery Romance (Chosen by the Karal Book 1) by Harmony Raines Page A

drove back in silence, the relationship they had forged once more fragile. Elissa knew she had to act, or all the women who came after her would suffer a lonely fate and be shut inside those high walls to go quietly mad.
    When they arrived, she went to the small patch of disturbed earth and retrieved the wash bag. Handing it to a bemused Marin, she said, “These found their way into my bags. I have no idea where from.”
    He opened the bag, and pulled out the lotion. “I don’t understand.”
    “They are similar to the things that made up the bomb which killed the people at the rally. I know that two of your people died too.”
    “How do you know?”
    “Before I came here, when I was still in the hospital, someone came to see me; he was dressed as a nurse. He told me. He told me you would torture me and get me to tell you who the members of the alliance were. He threatened that if this happened he would kill my sister.”
    “Is this the same man you said was responsible for the bomb?”
    “I believe so. I don’t know how, but I believe he put these things in my bags. You see they are all so innocuous when they are apart, only when they come together are they capable of such devastation. I think he meant me to use them here. If I had to.”
    “If you had to?”
    “Like I said, he was convinced you were planning on torturing me. He even gave me a stim’ to use, to commit suicide if I had to.”
    “Elissa, I’m sorry.”
    “He knew the lottery was rigged. And he was right.” She had to ask him, “Would you have tortured me?”
    “No. And yes.” He frowned, not wanting to tell her the truth. “You see the colours on our skin. If we inject you with some of our DNA, we can drag the truth from you. We can read you, very clearly. That is to say, I have been able to read most of your emotions since we met, but with the DNA, you are open to us in ways you could never imagine. We have had to fight to keep our race alive against the odds. I am sure you understand.”
    “So what now?” she asked, not wanting to dwell on his words.
    “Now we convince the Hierarchy.
    “Marin, what exactly is the Hierarchy?” she asked nervously.
    “They are the rulers of Karal. One ruler, with a council of six. They are representatives of the people. Do not worry; it is not as bad as it sounds.”
    “Really? Because they sound terrifying.”
    “Let us go now. They will grant us an audience, I am sure.”
    “No, we can leave it until tomorrow.”
    “Now. I want an answer.”
    He would take no argument from her, and so they climbed back into his vehicle and skimmed the ground, covering the distance quickly. The tower loomed up in front of them. Elissa’s nerves were becoming more frayed. Her emotions were definitely in turmoil; her hands glowed, the colours chasing around her palms. It fascinated her, and took her mind off how scared she was as they left his cruiser to walk the short distance to the tower.
    Guards met them; these were the first Karalians she had met since they left the station. They were dressed in ceremonial uniforms, although they were still muted tones, and their skin was neutral, their emotions in check.
    “They have to know how to control themselves,” Marin whispered. “Or they are not accepted. It would be inappropriate for them to show their allegiance to anyone other than the Hierarchy.”
    “And the Hierarchy, are they in control of their emotions too?”
    “More than anyone. They are difficult to read. But don’t worry.”
    As they walked into the huge hall, she looked up at the carvings. While in old buildings on Earth, they depicted man and maybe animals. Here they showed the stars and other planets. So alive with colour they might have been real.
    However, her eyes were drawn away from the carvings when the great doors opened, leading to an even bigger hall, but this hall was plain. It was as if to signify the importance of what happened here. There were no distractions for the Hierarchy; they