back down again.
His cold distant voice dispelled the remnants of her afterglow. “Are you ready to listen now?”
Sara’s logic returned, as the blood suddenly drained from her face, and her thoughts cleared under the watchful eyes of her captor. A realization dawned that he had used her, and a chill rushed through her body. He wanted to show her how much stronger he was, and now that he had succeeded, he had become distant again. It had just been a lesson in power and dominance. He didn’t seem affected by what had just happened between them. She now looked back at him in fear of what he was capable of making her do and how much he affected her. I should remember that, she warned herself. Sara shivered lightly as she pushed away from the door, trying to put some distance between them.
Archail walked over to the chair covered with animal skin and sat down to give her some space.
“Now that I have your attention, you need to learn some things which are of great importance.”
* * *
“What things?” Sara turned to look at him, her eyes now filled with caution.
“ Let’s start from the beginning.” He leaned forward in his chair with his elbows resting on his knees.
Sara still gazed at him, but she increased the distance between them farther by backing off and sitting on the bed.
Archail continued in a calm voice, “You know how the Restorians revived you and made you younger again, correct?”
“ Yes, I remember that.” She studied him curiously.
“ Do you remember what they told you?” He probed to see how much she had been told.
“ They told me I was to become a Pradorian bride, something like breeding stock for your kind.” She threw the words at him. Her eyebrows creased creating soft wrinkles above her small nose. Her blue eyes grew intensely darker as she stared back at him.
“ Did they tell you anything else?”
“ No,” she answered quickly, but then her expression froze. “Yes, they said if I didn’t cooperate, I would be punished.” She looked cautiously toward him as she finished her sentence.
“ I see.” Archail sighed, concluding that this was going to be even harder than he had anticipated.
“ Sara.” She perked up at the mention of her name, because it wasn’t often, if at all, that he used it. “There isn’t an easy way for me to tell you what you need to know.” He paused for a moment, but seeing he still had her attention, he carried on. “But I will try to explain things as thoroughly as I can.”
“ What things?”
“ Please listen, and don’t interrupt.” He watched her thoughtfully. When she didn’t say anything more, he continued. “When you went through the de-aging process, it was a one-time procedure—it can never be repeated.”
He waited a moment for his words to sink in before resuming. “This process is effective for only a short time, usually around one cycle of the moons. This is nearly a month in your measure of time.” He then paused to see if she realized what he was saying.
Sara looked up thoughtfully at him at first, but then her eyebrows rose, showing she understood the meaning behind his words. “You mean to tell me that I have less than a month to live?”
Archail felt his guts wrench as he watched the expression on her face change from confusion to realization. A deathly paleness then threatened her beautiful features.
“Yes.” He spoke softly, but loud enough for her to hear. “But…” A determination now sounded in his voice.
“ But what?” She looked up at him emptily.
“ There is a solution, if you agree to cooperate.”
“ What solution?” Suspicion hardened her expression.
“ You must agree to come willingly before the council at the blood exchange ceremony.” He paused to judge her reaction before deciding to add more. “There, you will agree to carry my child, and in return you will be rewarded with immortality.” He waited, searching for any reaction.
Sara seemed to ponder the new information for a
His cold distant voice dispelled the remnants of her afterglow. “Are you ready to listen now?”
Sara’s logic returned, as the blood suddenly drained from her face, and her thoughts cleared under the watchful eyes of her captor. A realization dawned that he had used her, and a chill rushed through her body. He wanted to show her how much stronger he was, and now that he had succeeded, he had become distant again. It had just been a lesson in power and dominance. He didn’t seem affected by what had just happened between them. She now looked back at him in fear of what he was capable of making her do and how much he affected her. I should remember that, she warned herself. Sara shivered lightly as she pushed away from the door, trying to put some distance between them.
Archail walked over to the chair covered with animal skin and sat down to give her some space.
“Now that I have your attention, you need to learn some things which are of great importance.”
* * *
“What things?” Sara turned to look at him, her eyes now filled with caution.
“ Let’s start from the beginning.” He leaned forward in his chair with his elbows resting on his knees.
Sara still gazed at him, but she increased the distance between them farther by backing off and sitting on the bed.
Archail continued in a calm voice, “You know how the Restorians revived you and made you younger again, correct?”
“ Yes, I remember that.” She studied him curiously.
“ Do you remember what they told you?” He probed to see how much she had been told.
“ They told me I was to become a Pradorian bride, something like breeding stock for your kind.” She threw the words at him. Her eyebrows creased creating soft wrinkles above her small nose. Her blue eyes grew intensely darker as she stared back at him.
“ Did they tell you anything else?”
“ No,” she answered quickly, but then her expression froze. “Yes, they said if I didn’t cooperate, I would be punished.” She looked cautiously toward him as she finished her sentence.
“ I see.” Archail sighed, concluding that this was going to be even harder than he had anticipated.
“ Sara.” She perked up at the mention of her name, because it wasn’t often, if at all, that he used it. “There isn’t an easy way for me to tell you what you need to know.” He paused for a moment, but seeing he still had her attention, he carried on. “But I will try to explain things as thoroughly as I can.”
“ What things?”
“ Please listen, and don’t interrupt.” He watched her thoughtfully. When she didn’t say anything more, he continued. “When you went through the de-aging process, it was a one-time procedure—it can never be repeated.”
He waited a moment for his words to sink in before resuming. “This process is effective for only a short time, usually around one cycle of the moons. This is nearly a month in your measure of time.” He then paused to see if she realized what he was saying.
Sara looked up thoughtfully at him at first, but then her eyebrows rose, showing she understood the meaning behind his words. “You mean to tell me that I have less than a month to live?”
Archail felt his guts wrench as he watched the expression on her face change from confusion to realization. A deathly paleness then threatened her beautiful features.
“Yes.” He spoke softly, but loud enough for her to hear. “But…” A determination now sounded in his voice.
“ But what?” She looked up at him emptily.
“ There is a solution, if you agree to cooperate.”
“ What solution?” Suspicion hardened her expression.
“ You must agree to come willingly before the council at the blood exchange ceremony.” He paused to judge her reaction before deciding to add more. “There, you will agree to carry my child, and in return you will be rewarded with immortality.” He waited, searching for any reaction.
Sara seemed to ponder the new information for a
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