Chapter 2

-Betrayal

Indis rested her head on her folded arms and closed her eyes, ignoring the remaining liquid in the glass on the bar. The music had stopped playing and people were quickly leaving the club. The chrono behind the bar indicated that it was quarter to three in the morning. The club had been closed for the last fifteen minutes. Olimpiu was politely shooing the last of the drinkers out into the streets before he closed the door and locked it. Janitors started cleaning up the tables and floors while Wyatt busied himself with taking care of the bar.

'You gonna finish your drink, honey?' he asked Indis.

She answered a muffled no but thank you, and he patted her head and took the glass off the bar. She heard him drain the contents into a basin and set the glass on a rack full of similar glasses that was to be washed before the club opened again in nine hours.

From behind her someone began gently rubbing her shoulders, working out the tension in her muscles. She smiled and relaxed against the bar, keeping her eyes closed. The strong hands rubbed down the sides of her spine and back up, massaging her shoulder blades before starting down her arms. Indis grabbed hold of one of the hands and pulled the man down onto the stool next to her. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled at her friend, Kavan, the male Human dancer.

'You look beat,' he said tenderly.

'Mmmm,' she moaned, stifling a yawn. 'I wasn't before.'

'I noticed,' Kavan laughed. 'You should have seen Kahn's face when he saw you were asleep.'

Indis chuckled. 'I can imagine.'

'Ok, come on, Indie' Kavan said as Indis started to fall asleep again. 'Time for bed.'

Kavan let go of Indis's hand and stood behind her, taking her shoulders and pulling her into a sitting position. Indis groaned and swatted at Kavan.

'Indie, Wyatt's gotta clean the bar. Come to bed, ok?'

Indis whimpered slightly as Kavan stood her to her feet. 'Carry me, baby.'

Kavan laughed, easily picking the small woman up and holding her to his chest. Indis wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shirt as he carried her through a concealed door and down a dark hallway, into the room they shared. He dropped her onto the bed, and she laughed, rolling onto her side and curling into a ball.

'Oh, no you don't,' Kavan laughed, rolling Indis onto her back and straddling her. She giggled as he sat on her stomach to keep her from rolling back over. 'You gave Kahn three hours, now I want some time with you.'

Indis slapped at his hands and pretended to have trouble breathing. 'Alright already. Now get off me, you big oaf.'

Indis succeeded in knocking Kavan's hands off her stomach but he refused to get off her. Instead he let himself fall forward, slipping his arms under her back and biting her neck.

'Ow!' she yelped through her giggles. 'That hurt, you brat.'

Kavan pushed himself up slightly and looked into her eyes. The vivid blue was the same colour as the outfit she wore, and he knew that she wore it just for him. He had asked before that she not leave herself as exposed as the other dancers. Since then, she always wore a net shirt over her top.

Kavan let his eyes look over her face. It seemed like weeks since they had been together. They had been with eachother, yes, but they had both been exhausted from rehearsing their dance. Looking into the pools of blue, Kavan found his heart eased and his senses refreshed. It seemed to Kavan that, every time he looked at her again, she was more and more beautiful. Her skin was a creamy white dotted with small freckles. She was always so self-conscious of them, complaining that they made her look odd. But Kavan thought they only added to her beauty. It was true she looked nothing like her Twi'lek friends, to whom she always compared herself, but Kavan would not have her changed a bit.

He smiled as he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. He dropped closer to her, his lips hovering centimeters above hers. He could feel the warmth of her breath on his face, but he waited a moment before brushing her lips with his. He looked down on her tenderly, his breathing growing heavy.

Indis smiled at Kavan, reaching up with one hand and resting it on the back of his neck, pulling him back to her. She locked her lips on his, kissing him deeply and honestly. Kavan was the only man she had ever really loved. He had come to Coruscant with her from Nar Shaddaa almost ten years ago, but they had known eachother all their lives. It had only been a few years ago when either had realized that they loved one another.

Indis slowly parted her lips under the pressure from Kavan's tongue. The warm muscle slipped into her mouth, caressing her own tongue and filling her with Kavan's essence. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt Kavan's body press against her own. They kissed earnestly, passionately. Indis's breath was deep and heavy as she surrendered her body to Kavan's gentle embrace. Eventually the two dancers fell asleep in each other's arms, and spent the rest of the night unmoving.

Indis woke to the sound of music. There was a band on the stage in the club, rehearsing for its performance later on in the day. She rolled over and glanced at the chrono on the nightstand. It was ten in the morning. They still had two hours before the club reopened. She rolled back over and pulled the thin sheet up over her bare shoulders, snuggling against Kavan's warm body.

Her movement woke him, and he lifted his arm from the bed and rubbed her back gently. Opening his eyes, he looked down at Indis. The thongs that had held her red hair in place had come out during the night and her hair spilled over her shoulders, softly framing her face. He smiled, reaching his other hand across his chest and taking a strand of her long hair, twirling it in his fingers.

'You should let your hair down more often,' he said quietly.

'Do you want me to leave it down tonight?' she asked, resting her head on his shoulder.

He kissed the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair. He shook his head. 'Uh uh,' he answered. 'You have to go with the Falleen.'

Indis laughed and ran her fingers over Kavan's smooth chest. 'Then I'll just have to put it back up again, won't I?'

Kavan rolled onto his side and pulled Indis into his strong embrace. 'I love you so much, Indie.' His voice was filled with emotion. 'I wish I didn't have to share you with Kahn.'

'I know,' Indis whispered as she wrapped her arms around Kavan. 'I know.'

Indis truly hoped the bounty hunter would stick to his word. She doubted he would take her away from Coruscant, and, honestly, she had no desire to leave, but she had to make up something. She wanted Kahn dead so badly, and she was prepared to do whatever it took. If that meant deceiving Kavan and putting herself in danger she was willing to pay that price. As she breathed in Kavan's scent, she earnestly wished that all would go well that night and she would not have to sleep with Kahn again.

Indis stayed in Kavan's arms for another hour, each simply enjoying the other's presence. They only roused themselves when Dima, Indis's friend and fellow dancer, knocked on their door to warn them that Olimpiu wanted them up and ready to go within the next half hour.

Indis put on clothes similar to those she had worn the night before. They were the same shade of violet as her friends' skin, and the netting and leather cording were black. She let Kavan brush her long hair once he was dressed. She knew how much he loved her hair so she always let him do it.

'You wanna do my hair tonight?' she asked, arching her back and looking upside-down at Kavan.

Kavan grinned and kissed her nose. 'I'd love to.'

Suddenly their door rattled under Olimpiu's fist. 'I want you two out here in five minutes,' he hollered.

Indis rolled her eyes and grinned at Kavan.

The club opened at noon, as it always did, and the customers quickly filled the open room. The dancers were required to be out of their rooms even though they never started dancing until after six. Their jobs were not just to dance but also to entertain the customers, to keep them at the club buying more food and drinks. Indis hated that part of her job. It was how she had met Kre Kahn originally three years ago. It had only been within the last year that he had begun to take any sort of interest in her, but she was always afraid that she would meet someone else like him.

When Kahn had first started to get close to her, it was true Indis was attracted to him. She had come dangerously close to falling for him and betraying Kavan, which was part of the reason she hated Kahn so much. What she had not known, and what trapped her, was that Falleens secreted certain pheromones that were supposedly irresistible to any female. It was only because of Kavan's loyalty and love that she was able to break free from Kre Kahn's spell. It was Kavan who told her about the Falleens' abilities, and, like any magic trick, once the secret is discovered it looses its power. Since then, Indis had let Kahn believe what he wanted to believe, that she was his and that she loved him. She let Kahn have her whenever he wanted, afraid that, if she refused, he would discover her secret. Kahn was right about her, she was terrified of him. She feared that, if Kahn learned about Kavan, the Falleen would kill the one person who really mattered to her. She had seen the evil Kahn was capable of, heard rumours of unspeakable crimes he had committed. And she was too afraid to do anything about it, that was until now. She was tired of living in fear, and she worried that she would not be able to keep up her charade any longer and that he would loose interest in her.

Indis looked tenderly at Kavan. He was seated between two young women, his arm around one and the other resting her head on his shoulder, the same place Indis had rested only hours before. She did not worry that Kavan was being unfaithful to her. She knew that, no matter what she did, he would always love her. He had been with her since her earliest memory. When she needed to be protected, he was by her side. When she had been forced to flee her homeworld, he went with her, helping her to find a new home and keeping her safe.

Kavan looked toward Indis as he tousled one of the girls' hair. He smiled at Indis tenderly, reassuringly. She tried to smile back but found her heart too heavy for even such a simple gesture. She turned away, choking back a sob and blinking back tears. Kavan tried to ignore the stab of pain in his heart and turned back to the two women at his sides.

Indis was about to ask Wyatt for a drink when the Corellian from the night before leaned in next to her.

'Hey little miss,' he greeted smoothly.

Indis turned away, in no mood to deal with the man. Surprising her the Corellian touched her face and gently forced her to look at him.

'Why so sad?' he asked, entranced by her blue eyes.

'I'm not sad,' she stated flatly, narrowing her eyes at him.

'Aww, come on now, be a little nicer to a tired pilot, won't ya?' The Corellian let go of her chin and started to rub the back of his fingers against Indis arm.

'I can be civil,' Indis replied curtly, looking hard into the man's eyes, 'but you won't get any further than touching me.'

The pilot raised his hands in mock surrender. 'I just want a decent conversation with a pretty lady,' he explained. 'Anyway, your Faleen friend isn't here, so what are you so worried about?'

Indis's anger flared against the man. She hated people treating her like some prostitute. She was a dancing girl and that was all. The only reason she slept with Kre Kahn was because she had to. But Indis hid her anger, and the Corellian did not notice, or did not ask about it. He returned to stroking her arm and staring at her.

'Why do you wear this netting?' he asked, picking at the tiny threads with his fingers. 'Doesn't it get uncomfortable?'

'No.'

The Corellian chuckled. 'You're not a very social person, are you?'

'No.'

'You want a drink?' he asked, brushing his fingers against her waist.

Indis squirmed away from him. 'No.'

'Uh, excuse me,' a familiar voice interrupted shyly.

The Corellian turned to the tall man standing behind Indis.

'I'm sorry to interrupt you two, but Olimpiu needs to see Indis,' Kavan said, resting his hands on Indis shoulders.

The Corellian sighed, waiving dismissively and turned to Wyatt, ordering a glass of Corellian ale.

Kavan led Indis backstage and stopped in one of the dark, unused dressing rooms. He closed the door and turned on one of the old lights. Taking Indis's hands, he leaned back against a counter and looked deep into her eyes.

'What is it, Indie?' he asked, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. 'What's the matter?'

Indis bowed her head, trying to hide her tears. Kavan winced to see her cry and pulled her into his embrace. He stood silently, rubbing her back and letting her cry for as long as she needed. Once her tears had subsided a little, he pushed her away and stooped to her eye level.

'Tell me what's wrong, Indie,' he said, brushing away her tears. 'I haven't seen you cry in years.'

'I'm afraid,' she said honestly. She found it next to impossible to lie to Kavan. It would only hurt him, since he could see through any deception.

'Of Kahn?' he asked.

Indis nodded her head and stared at the floor.

'Aww, baby, come here,' he said, holding her close. She buried her face in his silky shirt and forced the last of her tears away. 'I want you to be extra careful tonight, Indie,' he said, tangling his fingers in her long hair. 'There's a bounty on his head, a really big one. I want you to promise me something.'

Indis nodded. Not satisfied Kavan lifted her chin with his finger and looked into her eyes.

'Promise me.'

Again Indis nodded.

'If something happens, and someone comes after him, you get out of the way. Don't get involved.' His voice dropped to a choked whisper. 'I don't know what I would do if something happened to you.'

'I promise,' Indis whispered, loosing herself in his dark gaze.

Kavan smiled and kissed her lightly, barely brushing her lips with his. Indis swallowed back her emotions and forced a smile.

'Come on, no more tears,' Kavan ordered, trying to make his voice light. 'You're gonna make me cry.'

The two laughed together as Kavan turned out the light and lead Indis back through the backstage passages and out into the club.

Feeling a hundred times better Indis was ready to do what was required of her. She snuck up behind the Corellian, her bare feet making almost no sound on the cold tiled floor, and tickled his sides with her fingers, her mood greatly lightened. He spun around quickly as she darted to his other side and leaned against the bar next to him. He turned the other way and, with an intoxicated grin, ordered Indis a glass of Corellian ale.

Indis barely touched her drink but continued her conversation with the pilot for another two hours. The band started playing around three, and by that time the Corellian was so drunk Olimpiu had to escort him out of the club and into an air-taxi.

Indis drifted around the club, striking up conversations with men who were by themselves or looked bored. She allowed herself to relax a bit, and even laugh, as she met some new people and talked to old acquaintances.

Around six Indis began to look for the bounty hunter but never saw him come in. When Kre Kahn arrived two hours later the bounty hunter had still not appeared, and she feared that he had decided not to follow her plan. Indis sat with Kahn and ate supper with him until she had to warm up for her dance. She kissed him goodbye and left the table as several of his companions from the previous night joined him.

She met Dima and her sister Kari backstage and did her stretches with them. Once they were done, Indis fixed one of the thongs that twisted around Kari's lekku. Kari thanked her, and they hurried on stage as the music started.

It was the same dance as the night before but the audience was no less attentive. There were many people who had not yet seen it, but even the ones who had stayed silent during the same parts and cheered just as loudly as those who had not seen it.

By the time the dance was over, Indis wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in Kavan's arms. Unlike the previous night, Indis returned to the room she shared with Kavan and took a quick sonic shower. Kavan was sitting on the dresser waiting for her when she came out.

'Olimpiu was looking for you,' he informed her as she let her robe fall and put on a thin iridescent blue dress. 'He said Kahn was anxious to leave and is waiting for you.'

Indis growled as she approached Kavan. 'I don't want to go anywhere with that arrogant, egotistical, son of a -'

Kavan stopped her, catching her mouth in his and pulling her into him by her shoulders. They remained unmoving for a long blissful moment as they drank in eachother's passion.

Suddenly they both jumped when Olimpiu banged on the door and pushed it open. The large creature, neither Kavan nor Indis knew exactly what species he was, stomped into the room and glared at the dancers with his angry eyes.

'You get out there this minute, Indis, or you're both fired,' he growled.

Kavan jumped off the dresser and started to guide Indis past Olimpiu to the door but she refused to budge.

'I would, but Kahn hates it when my hair's down. Give me two minutes and I'll be ready,' she said with a charming smile.

'Two minutes,' Olimpiu growled, 'no more.' He turned and stomped out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Indis looked above and behind her at Kavan and grinned. He stooped and kissed her before quickly brushing her hair and braiding it into one thick braid that hung down past her thighs. With a quick embrace, he hurried her out the door.

Kahn stood near the stage, impatiently drumming his fingers on the tabletop. Indis approached him with a charming smile, but even her tender kiss did nothing to pacify the angry Falleen. Wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to his side, he whispered threateningly into her ear.

'Don't make me wait again,' he warned as they started out of the club.

Indis's smile faltered as they passed into the night. They immediately stepped into a waiting cloud car, followed by three of the large bodyguards. Indis sat next to Kahn, his arm around her and her hand in his, resting on his lap.

One of the bodyguards said something to Kahn that Indis was unable to understand. She felt Kahn's muscles tense slightly as he replied in the same language. He glanced at Indis out of the corner of his eye. She was staring at their entwined fingers, her eyes unfocused and her mind drifting back to her conversation with the bounty hunter at the club. She had told him where Kahn always took her, a large upper level palace paid for with Black Sun blood money. It took ten minutes to get to from the night club she worked and lived at. The small palace was well protected, even more so since the bounty on Kahn was posted, but the hunter had been confident that he could get by the security.

'You're distracted, darling,' Kahn said, breaking Indis away from her thoughts.

Indis looked up into Kahn's black eyes. 'Just a little,' she admitted, rubbing her fingers against his.

Kahn leaned slowly into Indis and kissed her for a long time. When he pulled away he looked at her suspiciously. She smiled up at him blankly, trying to push her fears out of her mind.

'What are you afraid of?' he demanded to know.

Indis started as her breath caught and her heart pounded beneath her breast. The Falleen noted the change and removed his arm from around her shoulders. The three bodyguards across from them loosened the blasters in their holsters.

Indis swallowed hard, her mind racing for an answer. 'It's just something Kavan said.'

'Kavan?' Kahn interrupted.

'He's one of the other dancers at the club,' she said, acting as if Kahn would not know who Kavan was. She had second thoughts about bringing him up, but it was too late to stop.

'I know who he is, Indis.' Kahn was irritated with the girl beside him. He knew she was more intelligent than she acted, but, at times, she seemed to have less wit than his Gamorrean guards. Keeping the irritation he felt out of his voice, Kahn questioned Indis. 'What did he say?'

'He said there were people after you,' she answered honestly. Indis was unable to completely mask her fear and it peeked through her voice. She only hoped that he believed the explanation she gave him for it. She had learned that Kahn was even harder to fool than Kavan. Indis's best strategy was to use only part of the truth with him.

'Kavan needs to stop interfering or he's going to end up dead,' Kahn informed her.

Indis swallowed hard. At that moment the cloud car stopped and two of the bodyguards stepped out before Kahn helped Indis out.

Once she and Kahn were inside his palace and the door was locked Kahn lifted Indis's arms above her head and started to search her body with his hands. Indis remained silent as his fingers probed every possible place she could have hid something. His hands traveling up her legs he grabbed her inner thigh, and she gasped sharply.

'What's wrong?' Indis asked Kahn as he searched under her breasts.

'It's just a precaution, darling,' he said as he continued his search.

'You don't trust me,' she said sadly.

Backing her into him by pulling her waist, he whispered quietly into her ear, 'No, I don't.'

Leaving one hand on her waist he led her down a long corridor and through a large foyer. Kahn ignored the presence of the twelve guards as the couple passed through an automatic door. Kahn locked the door as he shoved Indis away from him. She stopped her fall by putting her hands out and barely catching the side of the bed.

Indis turned quickly to see Kahn striding toward her, his expression fierce and angry. He grabbed the top of her braid, pulling her head back so she was looking up at him. Indis whimpered in protest, covering his hand with hers and pulling at his long fingers.

'You didn't actually believe I wouldn't find out about you, did you?' he asked, glaring at the girl he held.

She opened her mouth to speak, but he silenced her immediately. 'Don't insult me with your excuses.'

Indis tried hard to free herself from Kahn's grip. He let her hair go and smacked her, sending the small girl across the room. Landing hard on the floor, she tasted blood in her mouth.

Indis scrambled to her feet and edged away from Kahn as he stalked toward her. She soon found herself backed against a wall. Desperate, she lunged at him, trying to get past him. Kahn caught both of her wrists in his iron grip, leaving bruises where his fingers touched her skin.

Quickly overpowering and subduing her, Kahn took another step towards her so their bodies were nearly touching. Indis could feel his hot breath as he leaned in and whispered. 'I don't know how you resisted me, but nobody double crosses me and lives. Nobody!' He shouted his last word, and Indis flinched, looking away from him.

Indis's mind was working rapidly to formulate a plan, but she could not find the strength to fight him. Finally, she resorted to the only way she knew she had any hope of saving herself.

'Forgive me, Kahn,' she pleaded, looking up to meet his eyes.

The Falleen shook his head. 'No,' he said quietly.

'I'm begging you, Kahn.' Indis's voice was filled with false tears. 'I can be anything you want me to be.' Indis felt Kahn's grip loosen on her wrists. She lowered her eyes and raised her hands, Kahn releasing her from his grasp. She ran her hands over his muscular chest, gently unhooking the fastenings on his tunic and slipping her fingers under the thin fabric. She returned her gaze to his black eyes as she ran her hands up his neck.

'Anything you want, Kahn.' Indis let her hands travel up to his jaw.

In a quick, violent motion Kahn grabbed her hand and pulled it away from him. His movement slammed her body hard against the wall, leaving her dazed. Indis stared uncertainly into Kahn's eyes. She could see the effect she had on him as the colour of his skin paled slightly, but she could not read his expression, nor could she guess how he would respond to her advance.

Kahn hesitated for a long moment before leaning into her and kissing her. Indis's fingers danced lightly over his tunic, unfastening the rest of it and pushing it off his shoulders. Kahn let go of Indis long enough to slip his arms out of his sleeves, and Indis took the opportunity to get her back away from the wall. Kahn put his leg behind hers and tripped her so she fell backwards onto the bed.

As Kahn landed on top of her, Indis slipped her tongue into his mouth, filling it with the taste of her blood, and arching against him. She moved her hand firmly along his inner thigh, opening her eyes to watch his reaction. His eyes rolled back and he groaned, releasing her mouth and burying his, now almost red, face in her neck. He pushed her dress off of her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his bare torso, gently rubbing small circles in his back. Khan began to interchangeably bite and kiss her neck, delighting in her whimpers and cries of pain. He enjoyed the feel of her small form beneath his, the rhythm of their bodies moving as one. His hands began to clutch at her, caress her, as his mind slowly began to clear.

Kahn realized what Indis had been doing to him - tempting him, seducing him. Already she had gone too far, completely disarming him. His hands slowly traveled up her body and his fingers wrapped around her neck. She choked and released him, grabbing his hands and trying to pull them away from her. Whatever pleasure he had found in possessing Indis's body was doubled as he watched her struggle for her life.

Indis kicked her feet violently, trying to get out from under Kahn's body. Her eyes were wide with panic. She knew there was no way to free herself, but she acted solely on instinct. Her brain began to fog as her oxygen deprived blood failed to reach it. Soon she was too weak to resist him. Tears welled up in her eyes as she slipped into unconsciousness.

Suddenly the door hissed open, smoking from a hot blaster bolt. Kahn looked up and watched one of his guards swoon in the doorway and collapse.

Air rushed back into Indis's lungs, and her mind raced toward consciousness as Kahn let go of her neck and lifted her off the bed. He held her in front of him, using her as a shield as he stepped away from the bed.

Indis's eyes fluttered open, and she looked up in time to see a large figure block the doorway. As her vision cleared she recognized a familiar image that struck fear in the hearts of criminals and senators alike.

A man wearing green Mandalorian battle armour stepped into the room and leveled a blaster pistol at her. Gritting her teeth she rammed her elbow in to Kahn's gut, forcing the air out of his lungs and releasing his grip on her. She shoved him backwards and darted out of the way as a blaster bolt, set to kill, struck his bare chest.

Indis looked up in fear as the bounty hunter turned his helmeted head toward her. She waited for him to move, her mind darting back to what Kavan had said.

'If something happens, and someone comes after him, you get out of the way. Don't get involved. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you.'

The last thing she saw was the bounty hunter aim his blaster at her and fire before she hit the floor and everything went dark.