He led her across the room and stopped in front of a tall man who didn’t look like he spent all his time in the tech room. His blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he had an air of confidence about him.
“Master Veritan and Mistress Rath’Varein,” he acknowledged them with a polite smile.
“Kayla,” she said firmly. “Just Kayla. You must be Rand?”
He bowed briefly. “Yes. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I understand you’re familiar with the district I’m hoping to oversee?”
Okay, this one has potential. Not bad to look at either.
“You could say that.”
“Are there many surface camps in that area?” Rand asked her. “Our data is sketchy since they seem to move around frequently.”
“Surface camps? I think you mean ruin rats.” She laughed at the polite description. “There are some. Ramiro wasn’t good at what he did so it was easy to scavenge under his nose. His prices sucked though. A lot of the camps scavenged in his district and then sold to Warig or Carl.”
If Rand was surprised at her candor, he hid it well. She got the impression he was filing away her observations for later. He gave a thoughtful nod and mused, “I’m surprised they wouldn’t feel some loyalty toward the trader in the district they scavenged from.”
Kayla smirked at him. “If you become a trader, you’re going to learn one thing real quick. Ruin rats don’t like traders or Omnis. You’re a necessary evil and the less contact with you, the better.”
Alec looked at her in surprise and asked, “All ruin rats feel this way?”
Kayla sipped her drink. “Pretty much. Sure, there are a few exceptions. But generally speaking? Oh yeah. Most traders tend to screw over ruin rats every chance they get. There’s no loyalty on either side. Don’t expect to be welcomed with open arms.”
“I see. It sounds like this will be more challenging than I anticipated.” Rand turned to Alec. “I look forward to meeting with the High Council and Inner Circle representatives when I present my final bid for the trader position.”
Alec inclined his head. Rand turned to Kayla and bowed low to her. “It was truly a pleasure to meet you. I hope I’ll be given the opportunity to try and repair the rift between the surface camps and the traders.”
Kayla looked at him in surprise. “You sound like Carl.”
He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Trader Carl Grayson?”
When she nodded, he chuckled and admitted, “We know each other well. We studied together before he was recruited for his current position.”
She smiled, beginning to like the trader recruit even more. “It figures. He’s one of the only decent traders I’ve ever known. Sneaky bastard, but fair. Most ruin rats don’t like him simply because he’s a trader, but he’s respected.”
Rand nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll be interested in speaking with him when he comes to the meeting.”
A soft chime echoed throughout the room. Alec put his arm around her waist again. “That’s our cue, dear.” He offered a polite nod to Rand and led her away.
“I take it you approve of him?” Alec asked her quietly as they stepped into the large banquet hall area.
“Yeah, he’s better than the other idiot.” She looked around at all the tables decorated with white tablecloths covered with strange dishes and flowers. “What the hell is this? It’s supposed to be dinner. You sit, you eat, and you’re done.”
He gave her an encouraging smile. “It’s not too bad. You might even enjoy yourself. I’ll show you to your seat and then go check on Veridian.”
He led her to a large table at the far end of the room. The table was situated near a strange glass wall that had water droplets falling in artistic patterns. Once she was seated in the chair he held out for her, he briefly rested his hands on her bare shoulders. His touch sent warm tingles over her skin. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, “I’ll be right back.”
Kayla studied the table in front of her. There were several silver eating utensils and crystal glasses at every place setting.
Wow, I can’t believe people actually live like this.
She finished her champagne while watching people stroll into the room and find their seats. The moment she put the empty glass in front of her, a woman approached her and asked, “Would you care for another glass of champagne, Mistress Rath’Varein? Or could I interest you in a glass of wine?”
Before Kayla could reply, Alec reappeared with Veridian. “Another glass of champagne for now. The wine tends to be more suitable with dinner.” The server nodded and quickly walked away.
Veridian leaned down to Kayla and asked, “Hey, do you mind if I sit with Milo? He’s studied ancient pre-war societies and he’s been telling me about them. We’ve been comparing them to the culture of ruin rats and traders.”
Kayla stared at him for a moment and then burst out laughing. She shooed him away and teased, “Go play with your new friend. It figures that a freaking Omni shares your obsession.”
He grinned at her and headed over to another table. Alec sat down next to her and casually rested his arm across the back of her chair. “Veridian enjoys studying history?”
Kayla nodded. “Yeah. He loves that kind of stuff. It isn’t very helpful in the ruins, but he’s into it.”
The server reappeared and placed another glass of champagne in front of her.
“Thanks.”
The woman looked startled at her appreciation. Her eyes darted between Kayla and Alec. She swallowed nervously and stammered, “You’re welcome, Mistress Rath’Varein.”
“I need a damn sign with my name on it,” Kayla muttered, annoyed with the whole title nonsense. Alec smiled in amusement. He leaned close to her, lifting one of the loose tendrils of hair around her face and rubbed it between his fingers. “You make the servers nervous. They aren’t used to us acknowledging them.”
“That’s weird,” she returned and sipped her drink. She leaned back in her chair, enjoying his attention. “Why wouldn’t you acknowledge them?”
Alec shrugged and continued to play with her hair. “In part, we’re different. We usually keep to ourselves and they seem to prefer it that way.”
Kayla’s mother and Alec’s father appeared at the table. Edwin held out Seara’s chair for her while she took a seat. “Would you care for another glass of champagne, Seara?”
“No, thank you,” she said softly and turned to her daughter. “Did you have a chance to meet the potential traders, Kayla?”
“Yeah, Veridian’s talking shop with one of them right now.”
Seara smiled and placed her napkin in her lap. Kayla looked at the napkin and followed suit, earning a look of approval from Seara. “I’m glad he’s enjoying himself.”
Edwin took his seat, his gaze falling on Alec's arm still resting on her chair. He nodded, looking pleased, and then said, “Ah, there’s Keith and Marcus. They decided to join us after all.”
Kayla sat up, pulling away from Alec. Even though she'd been comfortable, she wasn't inclined to do anything to make Edwin happy. Something about him rubbed her the wrong way.
Two older men approached and Edwin stood up and shook hands with both of them. After making their introductions, they sat down at the table.
“Kayla, you’re as lovely as your mother,” Keith said to her. “It’s our great fortune you survived all these years.”
Marcus nodded and added, “It’s nice to know that the Rath’Varein line continues. We still mourn the loss of your father.”
The servers appeared and began placing plates in front of them. Kayla stared at the food. It was unlike anything she'd seen before. The colors were vibrant and the smells were incredible.
“What is this?” she whispered to Alec.
He smiled at her. “Grilled vegetables and pasta with a basil sauce.”
She watched him lift his fork and place it in his mouth. Curious, she picked up her fork and took a bite. Her eyes widened as she chewed her food.
??
?Holy shit! This is freaking unbelievable.”
Alec burst into laughter and Seara’s hand flew to her mouth to suppress a laugh. Marcus and Keith exchanged amused glances but Edwin frowned at her outburst.
“This is what you guys normally eat?”
“I’m glad you like it,” Alec told her. She took another bite and then a sip of the wine. Her senses were in overload.
“The flavors are amazing. I never thought food could taste like this. What did you do to it?”
“We grow our own vegetables here,” Seara explained. “We have extensive laboratories and greenhouses to grow our own food.”
“I’d love to see that.”
“I’d be happy to take you on a tour tomorrow,” Alec offered.
She nodded eagerly. Edwin leaned forward and asked, “So Kayla, what do you think of our potential traders?”
Kayla shrugged, still enraptured by the meal. “They both seem nice enough, but Rand is probably better suited for the job.”
“You were able to make a judgment like that without seeing their qualifications?”
Kayla looked up from her plate to see Edwin looking down his nose at her. He was the quintessential Omni, pompous and condescending.
“I don’t need to see their qualifications. It comes down to a matter of will, drive, and confidence. There won’t be a ruin rat in your entire territory that won’t take advantage of someone who has their head up their ass or jumps when you say boo.”
“You don’t think having knowledge or expertise is important when it comes to collecting artifacts?”
“Some, sure,” she agreed. “But do you think ruin rats have had any sort of formal training? From what I’ve seen, most traders don’t crawl through the ruins anyway. They run their camps and negotiate with the rest of us that do the actual work. That’s why Ramiro sucked. He didn’t give a shit about his crew and he took advantage of the ruin rats whenever he could. He wasn’t exactly bright though, so that didn’t happen often.”
“I see. You seem to have strong opinions on the matter,” Edwin observed.
Keith leaned forward, looking interested in the discussion. “She may have a point, Edwin. Ramiro’s profit margins were low and he had trouble keeping people under contract. Tell me, Kayla, what are your thoughts of our current traders?”
“Warig is okay,” she admitted, taking a liking to the other council member. “He’s not as easy to take advantage of as Ramiro was. His prices are average but he’s a little too cautious. His crew seems to respect him though. Most ruin rats prefer dealing with him rather than Ramiro simply because Ramiro was a jerk.”
“Warig’s profits have been stable, but nothing spectacular,” Keith mused. “What about Henkel and Carl?”
Kayla took a sip of her wine and considered the question. She didn't think he'd be interested in hearing that Carl was as delicious as the pasta thing.
“Henkel’s an idiot. His crew thinks he’s an idiot too. Negotiating with him is a pain in the ass. He takes forever to figure out his numbers and what he wants to spend. His district is crowded with ruin rats since it’s so easy to scavenge under his nose. Carl’s about the only trader you’ve got that’s worth a damn. He runs a tight ship and his crew respects him. He’s sneaky, devious, and it’s hard as hell to scavenge in his district without getting caught. He takes it in stride when you get away with it though, and he’s fair. His prices are better too, so more people come to him to trade.”
“Interesting. Carl’s profits have been substantially higher than the other traders,” Keith observed. He turned to Edwin. “Perhaps we’ve been approaching this the wrong way. It seems we may need to look at different qualifications in our traders.”
“Perhaps,” Edwin conceded.
The servers reappeared and removed their empty plates. They replaced them with small bowls of colorful fruit.
Kayla looked at it in surprise and asked, “What’s this?”
“It’s a fruit medley,” Alec informed her. “But just a moment. There’s something else I think you should try.”
He waved over one of the servers and whispered in her ear. She nodded and disappeared.
Kayla looked at him curiously and he said, “Go ahead and try the fruit. It’s a light and refreshing dessert. But I suspect you may enjoy this other one a bit more.”
She took an experimental bite. “Wow, this is amazing. I’ve had fruit substitutes before, but this is completely different.”
A moment later, the server reappeared with a small plate with a slice of a dark cake drizzled with some sort of red liquid. She placed it in front of Alec. At her questioning look, he took a small forkful and leaned over toward Kayla.
She hesitated for a moment and then opened her mouth to taste it. “This is chocolate cake with a raspberry sauce,” he explained as her lips closed around the fork.
Her eyes widened and she looked down at the dessert in amazement. She swallowed and murmured under her breath, “I think my mouth just had an orgasm.”
Alec dropped the fork on the table and turned away laughing. Kayla grinned and pulled the plate closer to her to take another bite.
“Kayla, your reactions are priceless.”
She closed her eyes and waved him away. “Shhh. I’m savoring this moment.”
He chuckled. “When you’re finished, I have something I’d like to show you.”
She opened her eyes and put her hand on her stomach. “I hope it’s not more food. I’ve eaten way too much tonight.”
Alec turned to Seara and asked, “Do you mind if I borrow your daughter for a few minutes? I have a small gift I’d like to give her.”
At Seara’s hesitation, Kayla looked up. Tension radiated from Seara and she darted a quick glance at Edwin. Alec shook his head and placed his hand over Kayla's. Even though he'd been somewhat flirtatious toward her all evening, the gesture seemed almost protective.
“It’s something from her childhood, Seara. It may bring back some of her memories.”
The older woman looked relieved. “Of course, Alec. I trust you’ll act in Kayla’s best interest.”
Edwin cleared his throat. “While our children are off dallying, I’ll escort you back to your quarters, Seara.”
Seara turned to Kayla. “Don’t worry about your charming friend. I’ll bring Veridian back to our family’s quarters when he’s finished. Go ahead and enjoy yourself.”
Kayla agreed, thankful to get away from the table. There were things going on and politics at play she didn't understand. Alec said goodnight to everyone and held out his arm for Kayla. She put her arm through his and let him lead her out of the room. She was acutely aware of the looks and comments the two of them were generating.
Although she wasn't sure about Alec's motives, she was confident she could handle him. She had doubts about the zapping thing he'd done to her, but he seemed genuinely remorseful about upsetting her. Seara also seemed to trust him and she liked--even admired--the older woman.
When they left the dining area, Kayla stopped. “Okay, these shoes are coming off. I feel like I’m about to fall over.”
When she sat down on a nearby bench, he knelt down in front of her. She looked at him in surprise when he lifted the hem of her dress above her ankles. His hands were gentle, brushing against her skin as he removed her shoes. His touch sent those strange little tingles through her and she couldn't decide if she wanted him to keep touching her or to ask him to stop.
Once he had removed her shoes, Alec stood up. With one hand holding her shoes, he offered his other hand and helped her to her feet. She swallowed, feeling strangely off-balance. Trying to lighten the mood, she teased, “So is shoe removal part of a Master’s job?”
He put his hand around her waist and looked down into her eyes. “If I remember correctly, you instructed me not to let you fall earlier. I’m merely honoring your request.”
“Thanks,” she whispered, caught by his gaze. His eyes were an almost impossible shade of blue with shimmering gold flecks. r />
“My pleasure,” he replied, taking her hand. He led her down the path and brought her to another ornate door. It looked similar to the design outside of her family’s quarters. He pressed his thumb against the panel and the door slid open.
The colors inside the Veritan family quarters were much bolder than Seara's living area. Instead of the flowering arrangements Seara preferred, there were several abstract and geometrical pieces of art hanging on the walls. She was surprised at the style. It didn’t seem to represent Alec well.
“The decor is my father’s personal taste. My private quarters are through here.” He pressed a button and another door opened.
This area appeared to suit Alec better. The colors were softer and more muted. There was a large seating area in the front room and a small food preparation area off to the side. There were several other doors down another hallway.
“Wow, this place is huge.”
He looked around and she got the impression he was trying to see the room through her eyes. “It gives me a bit of privacy since families tend to share living quarters.”
“So, what did you want to show me?”
Alec dropped her shoes on the floor and took both of her hands in his. “Think of this as a memory exercise. I want you to close your eyes and imagine the glass globe from your dreams.” It was a strange request, but she was intrigued enough to play along. She closed her eyes and imagined the sparkling gold and green globe.
“Do you see it?”
She nodded. “Yes, I can see it.”
“Now hold it in your mind and think beyond the globe. Imagine its location. Is it on top of something? Is it inside something?”
She frowned in concentration as he released her hands. “It’s in a box of some sort.”
“Can you tell where the box is located?”
She reached out with her hand as though trying to touch it, feeling a slight tingle ripple through her.
Kayla’s eyes flew open. She pointed across the room. “It’s there!”
She headed toward a desk in the corner and opened up a small chest. There, on a velvet cushion, sat the strange glass globe from her dreams.