Chapter 14
Sevic walked purposefully down the hallway, back toward Dame Vaako's doors. She knew Lord Vaako was out on duty, and that meant Vaako was alone. She tucked away her smirk as she rounded the corner, turning it into her fake smile as Vaako opened the door, her surprise this time held in check.
"Did you need something, Sevic?" she asked sweetly.
"I just wanted to thank you for spending time with me this afternoon, Lady Vaako," Sevic said equally as sweetly, choking back a gag.
"You're more than welcome," Vaako said, the shock showing in her eyes without reaching her face. "Would you like to come in for a drink?" Sevic smiled. This is too easy, she thought, smiling as she entered the suite again. "So how is it you and the Lord Marshall met, exactly?" Sevic watched Vaako carefully as her drink was poured, making sure she didn't try anything.
"You don't have to hide your knowledge from me, Dame Vaako," Sevic said, letting a sad smile creep onto her lips. Good God, this is fun. "You know where I came from." Vaako nodded. "He gave me a chance to redeem myself in the Necro society," Sevic added with a shrug. "I'd spent so much time alone that I welcomed the opportunity for a second chance at a life." Too bad it doesn't entail the Necromonger race, she thought with a mental snicker. "I'd missed spending time with people."
"Do you remember your life before you came here?" Vaako asked, handing Sevic a glass. She took a sip. Cranberry and tonic. Nice.
"My husband was a Councilmember," she said quietly. "He was killed in the battle." Vaako flinched, but hid it quickly as Sevic shrugged. "I loved him for the first few years, but the more involved he got with the Council, the further we grew apart." It wasn't a total lie. And she didn't say she'd fallen out of love with him – only gave it enough of a hint to mislead the lady. No guilt. "I wasn't happy about it, but I still have my own life."
"Thank God," Vaako interjected. "It's so nice to have someone to visit with."
"What about the other ladies?"
"The other ladies are either too wrapped up in themselves or their husbands to want anything to do with anyone else," Vaako explained, her voice strained. Yeah, and I bet that really pisses you off to not be the center of everyone's attention, huh? "It just gets so lonely with my husband on duty all the time, being first commander and all." Sevic watched over the rim of her glass as Vaako refilled hers with a stout alcohol. Oh yeah, she thought. Just keep it going.
"I thought you'd never pass out," Sevic groaned, sitting up as Dame Vaako slid over the arm of her chair snoring lightly. She stood, hoisting Vaako over her shoulder to dump her in the bedroom, sprawled across the bed. During her time spent cooped up in Riddick's suite, she'd looked over the Necro Codes. Vaako had a hell of a change coming to her when she woke up. Sevic didn't suppress the snicker as she left the suite, closing the door quietly behind her. Knowing Daniel had come in handy.
Riddick was already asleep when Sevic came back, slipping into the suite quietly. She knew he'd wake, and didn't bother with trying hard to be silent. His breathing changed, but he didn't move. After stopping in the closet, she slipped into bed next to him, feeling him stiffen as she threw an arm over his side, scooting closer to him. He took a breath as though he wanted to say something, but let it out in a slow, extended sigh instead. She smiled.
"You were going to ask me where I was, weren't you?" she asked quietly, kissing his shoulder blade.
"Don't I get brownie points for thinking about it first?" Her reply was a light bite on the back of his neck. "I don't get you."
"Hmm?"
"One minute you're pissed off at me, and then next you're all snuggly and shit. How am I supposed to figure you out?"
"You're not," she said quietly, tracing the contours of his stomach lightly. His hand caught hers.
"That tickles," he gruffed. She smiled, squeezing him before turning over and hunkering down under the sheets. "You're up to something, aren't you?" She smiled.
"You have a meeting tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah…" he said slowly.
"Dame Vaako will probably be at the top of the list of things to discuss." He waited for more, but it didn't come. He turned over as well, staring at her bare back. She shuddered as he ran a finger down her spine.
"Talk."
"Ask me nicely and maybe I will."
Dame Vaako screamed obscenities as she was dragged down the hall, the lights getting dimmer the deeper she was taken. The bruises on her wrists were dark, and the round mark on the side of her neck still red and swollen. A heavy wooden door slammed, followed by the scraping of a metal lock. Riddick watched Vaako for a moment, standing to his side with his fists clenched and face paled, before returning to his rooms, a smirk sliding across his lips.
Sevic paused, in the middle of making the bed when Riddick entered, watching him go into the bathroom, still hovering over the sheets until he emerged, the remnants of a grin still showing on his face.
"You're evil," he said, eyes shining devilishly.
"You know, it took a lot of control to be able to get that close to her and not choke on all that perfume," Sevic said, matching his wicked grin.
"The hickey was a nice touch."
"Yeah," she said with a modest shrug. "I figured the whole thing needed a little realism."
"Cameras?" She shook her head.
"Daniel arranged a little malfunction for me. Nothing on his comm unit memory, and nothing on tape. And now she'll know what she made my life into." Riddick nodded, seemingly impressed. "So what else came up at the meeting?" Riddick sighed.
"Destination."
"And that would be?" she asked timidly, creeping toward him slowly.
"I don't know yet. I told them I had to think about a few things before I made a decision." Her eyebrow rose. "Any suggestions?"
"I want to go back to Seleron," she said quietly.
"Sevic—"
"There's got to be something left, even if it's just a little. We can rebuild, start a new colony—"
"No." She blinked a few times, taking a step backward. "There's nothing left there, Sevic."
"You don't know that," she insisted, shaking her head.
"Yeah, I do," Riddick said gently. "There's nothing there for you to start over." She only stared at him. "There's not even enough oxygen left for you to survive there."
"You've seen it yourself, have you?"
"Yeah, actually." Her eyes met his as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Heard the rumors and did a fly by. Earth looked better after the global war, Sevic. There's nothing to salvage."
"Then I don't have any suggestions."
"You've never been anywhere else?" She shook her head no. "What do you want to do with the rest of your life, Sevic?" She shrugged. "What have you always wanted to do?"
"Nothing I can do now," she said defeatedly. His eyebrow rose.
"You wanted kids." A small nod. He sighed, sitting on the bed next to her. "Look. I know a guy on Telvar. He does regenerative surgery. I can drop you off there and figure out what to do with the rest of this shit."
"And you'll come back for me?" He glanced at her, but she was staring at her hands in her lap. His finger curled under her chin and tilted her face toward his.
"You asked me not to make promises," he started. She nodded. "But I'll come back for you." She smiled slightly until his lips brushed hers. He held her tightly, suddenly realizing what he'd just done. Great, Dicky. Another promise to live up to. Better be up for the job. He decided to think about it later.
