[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.“Thank you.”He squeezed her and then looked her carefully in the eyes.“Why don’t the three of us take a walk, hm?”He held out his elbow to her mother and much to Jordan’s surprise, she took it and held Jordan’s hand as they left their gathered audience to walk.No one was ever truly alone in the camp, but walking was the best way to avoid anyone snooping into their conversation.“Something happened,” Mr.Meier said, and he shot her a quick glance.Slowly, Jordan nodded.“I came to care for the two men who abducted me.”Her mother gasped.“Oh no, Jordan.That’s Stockholm Syndrome, a form of traumatic bonding a prisoner usually gets for their captor.”“It wasn’t like that, Momma.They cared for me.”“No, they didn’t,” her mother stated firmly.“That’s what predators do, they make you believe they have feelings for you, but in reality they have no feelings whatsoever.I’ve told you over and over, Jordan, men hurt women.”Mr.Meier stopped them from walking, but instead of looking at her, he frowned at her mother.“Not all men hurt women, Gretchen.I wouldn’t hurt you or Jordan.Perhaps these men really did develop feelings for her.”But Gretchen shook her head.“No.If you believe that then you are no better.”“Momma!” Jordan said, shocked.“Come, Jordan,” her mother said, grabbing her hand and all but dragging her away.Jordan looked back at Mr.Meier and saw the sadness in his face.“Momma,” Jordan said as she followed along.“Stop.Momma, stop!”Gretchen turned, and they stared at one another.In her face, Jordan saw pain and fear.“Why did you say that to him?” she asked her mother.“He’s always been good to us.”“I told you men hurt women, and Heinrick Meier isn’t any different.Those aliens aren’t any different!”Although her mother had always been protective, Jordan’s recent adventure had her looking at her mother with different eyes.Had her momma always been this paranoid? Gretchen Kuper was panting, and sweat beaded on her forehead.Something wasn’t right … something didn’t make sense at all.Why hadn’t she ever noticed how bad she was?“Momma, who hurt you?”Her mother sucked in a sharp breath and began to shake.“I don’t want to tell you.”“Tell me what?”Gretchen bit her lip.“The … the man who hurt me was the one who sired you.”Shock poured through Jordan.“My father hurt you?”“He was never your father,” Gretchen said bitterly.“He was the man who raped me.”Jordan had the distinct feeling of falling, although she knew she hadn’t moved.“W-what?”“The world was beginning to go downhill,” Gretchen whispered.“Fighting was rampant everywhere, and the police were unable to stop the gangs from taking over.That was when talk began about building this camp, to safeguard the innocent people.”Her mother fell silent, and Jordan watched the emotions flitter over her face.“I remember that it was hot and I had left a window open.He must have come in that way.One minute I was asleep, the next a body was on top of me.”Jordan felt sick to her stomach.She wanted to reach out and hug her mother tightly but was afraid of disturbing the story.This was a poison that needed to be lanced.“He was drunk, and he told me he loved me,” she continued.“I guess he thought I was someone else.After … he passed out in my bed.I called the police, and he was arrested.But he never apologized, and a month later I knew I was pregnant.”“You didn’t abort me,” Jordan said, stunned at the story.Her mother grabbed her and hugged her tightly.“I never held it against you, Jordan.You are my darling girl.I love you so much.”“I love you, too, Momma.I’m just at a loss for words.I don’t know what to think.”“You don’t have to think about anything.The past is the past.You’re here now, and no man will ever hurt you like one hurt me.”Her childhood now made sense.Her mother taking the drastic measure to turn her into a boy, cutting off her hair and making sure she was never viewed as a girl.Her mother had even encouraged her to learn self-defense.“Momma, the two men who took me didn’t hurt me, even when I gave them every excuse in the book to raise a hand.Believe it or not, the Xyran is a good person.”Her word hammered into her heart, giving her a clarity she’d been missing.Yes, they’d been good to her, and she’d just walked away.Now that her journey through space was at an end, she realized that she missed them.Desperately.It hurt to think she wouldn’t ever see them again.She had to admit to herself that she’d fallen for both of them.So why had she left? What was the real reason?The truth slammed into her brain and left her reeling.Because she’d been scared.Scared of loving two men.Scared of loving an alien.Scared of leaving everything she knew behind.And damned if that didn’t make her furious at herself because she’d been living her whole life in spite of the fear she harbored every day.Hiding her true identity, fearing that if she were found out something bad would happen, had kept her in a constant state of awareness.She had never surrendered to her fear, and yet, when confronted with a happily-ever-after, she’d run like a chicken.And now it was too late to change her mind
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]