Reclaiming Mystique (SpaceStalker Saga Book 2) by Bevan Greer Page B

aside from Lord Demise since you and I last spoke?”
    “No.”
    “Too bad. I was hoping you might know something about my crewmates.”
    “You are not alone here?”
    He stared at her before speaking, as if weighing his words. “I landed with four others. But almost as soon as we met Lord Demise, I was whisked away to that damn cell. I can only hope my crew are still alive.”
    “You care for them, then?”
    He blinked. “I’m responsible for them. And I won’t let them be used as leverage against me.”
    Naria wondered at the firmness of his words, directed at her. “O-kay,” she said slowly.
    “My crewmates are strong men, each able to take care of himself. Though on this world, I can see why very few make it out alive, or sane for that matter.”
    “I’ve never met anyone that escaped the planet.”
    “I met a man once. He wasn’t too rational, and not many believed his strange tales about Dark World. But having been here, I now believe he was once a prisoner of Dark World.” He stared at her, his gaze roaming over her face to land on her lips. His perusal made her feel funny, and Naria did her best to ignore the quiver in her belly.
    “Tell me about yourself. I know almost nothing about you.”
    Naria had gone over what she would say when she next met Jace. She had to gain his trust and she needed to do it soon. “I’m originally from Seven. I’m a librarian there,” she said with pride, wishing that were indeed the case.
    “A librarian, eh? You must know something about this place then.”
    “Actually the libraries on Seven, though comprehensive, don’t say much about Dark World. I don’t think much is known about this place in the System. And I can see why.”
    Jace smiled, soothing her nerves. She had never been very good at lying, but she’d studied enough about the System to sound convincing about planet Seven.
    “Well, having been here, I think the more unknown about this place the better,” Jace said. “What of your family? Aren’t they missing you?”
    “I have a father and a sister. They are still on Seven and won’t think to miss me for a while. I had been planning my trip for some time, hoping to see the libraries on a few of the Motherworlds, Rovi in particular.” She mixed fact with fiction, confessing her dreams of a life outside this dreary existence. “But as we were nearing Dark World, something happened to our vessel. I remember an explosion and then nothing. I woke in a cell alone, with only Lord Demise for company until you.”
    “Really?” Jace seemed lost in thought as he watched at her. “What do you think Demise wants with you?”
    “I don’t know. Perhaps he wants my knowledge of Seven?”
    “That or he wants you, period,” Jace said bluntly. “You’re a very beautiful woman, Naria.”
    She couldn’t help a blush. She’d heard raw and lusty comments from her father’s warriors, but none had ever called her beautiful and sounded sincere. Flustered by his personal remark, she changed the subject.
    “What of your background, Jace? Are you from a merchant vessel? Where do you come from?”
    “I’m in trade, of a sort,” he said with a sly grin. “I come from all over, not claiming one planet over another as home. I’ve no family, only a speedy ship and a band of four crewmembers. We work well together, but I’m not that close to anyone or anything.”
    “I know the feeling. My father and I aren’t close, and my sister is so occupied with her work on Seven that we don’t see each other often. My real love is books. I love my studies.”
    “What do you study?”
    “History, especially. Though I’m just as taken with the different cultures throughout the System. The Rovi are an interesting class of people, as are the Ocaians. And there are several Nearworlds I long to visit. But then, I suppose you’ve been to all of them.”
    Jace smiled. “Including Dark World, yes, I’ve been to all the planets in the System.” His smile faded and he