Unchained by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Format: epub
Published: 2010-02-13T07:27:19+00:00

“Very well. Dinner is prepared. Kindly join us when you are ready.” Sil bowed and left.

The door slid shut. Cidra turned and rested back against the door, her body struggling to recover from the intimate assault. Grey sat quietly on the edge of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands relaxed.

“Cidra, just how isolated were you on Avion?”

She looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“Did you see anyone?”

Cidra blinked at him. “Of course.”

“Men?”

She turned ashen and then angry. “Why do you want do know?”

“Because I don’t want to hurt you,” he persisted.

Cidra’s mouth went dry as the full meaning struck her. He meant when he made love with her. She looked away quickly and then straight at him. “Syrus wouldn’t allow anyone to get close to me. He felt it was too dangerous. Does that answer your question?”

He nodded once. “Must have been lonely for you.”

Cidra tilted her head back against the door, watching him. “Very. But you know all about lonely, don’t you?”

Grey looked up at her in surprise. “I know lonely.”

“How?”

“I was an only child. My mother died shortly after my birth.” His eyes never left hers. Cidra knew she was about to hear something he’d probably never told anyone except maybe Syrus.

“And your father?” she whispered.

“Lied to me.” The words were so sharp and bitter that Cidra gasped. His gaze burned into her, through her to somewhere long ago.

“He told me she died giving birth to me. Every day of my life he reminded me that I was responsible for her death. And I believed him. Until the day I broke into Avion’s archives.”

Cidra’s eye widened. She had heard of Avion’s secret archives. An information system of sordid details, confirmed or otherwise, all documented meticulously. Juicy, potentially destructive tidbits with which to control their citizens and intimidate neighboring worlds.

“That’s when I discovered that she had died long after my birth. Beaten to death. The attacker was never found. The whole incident was covered up and forgotten.” Grey’s fists were clenched tightly, white and bloodless.

Cidra stopped breathing. Oh dear Lord. No wonder he didn’t trust anyone.

“When I went home that night and confronted my father with the truth, he beat me for the last time. I left and never returned.”

Tears burned her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Grey.” The hushed words sounded wholly inadequate. Her heart went out to the child and the man, wanting desperately to take back the past and make it right. She couldn’t do anything about the past, but she could do something about the future. She could help him heal.

“Don’t be. It’s history.” He looked at her as if he finally saw her standing there. “I consider it a lesson.”

Cidra sucked in air. “Don’t say that. You can’t go through your life believing that everyone will lie to you.”

He snorted. “Why not? It’s worked pretty well so far.”

Cidra touched the center of her chest. “Because, its not good for your heart.”

Grey stared at her and for a fleeting moment she saw the longing.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.