Kiera glanced around again, shook her head, and crawled into bed. Evelyn had a way of ensuring things were done even if she didn't seem to have time to do them. She probably had a mover scheduled and forgot to mention it.
In the morning, she'd clean up the house and then start working on another painting, the portrait of Evelyn and Romas she wanted to give the two of them as their joint wedding present. Mentally, she started on the portrait.
Although tired, sleep didn't come. Kiera rose and trotted down to her studio, happy to see the movers had left her studio alone. She flooded the studio with light, then pulled another blank canvas from the closet and perched it on her easel. She sat at her desk and started to sketch the visage of Evelyn in her long wedding dress and Romas in his dark tux on a piece of paper, glancing up occasionally at the blank canvas as she thought of proportions.
Comfortable in the plush office chair, she propped her feet up on her desk and continued to sketch until the picture began to look as she wanted it to. She dozed as she drew, caught herself twice, then dropped into sleep, unaware that those who removed the boxes were coming next for her.
Soon after confirming she was asleep, the two large men who had emptied the house of boxes returned for her. They ignored her studio and its contents. One placed a sleep patch on her ear to prevent her from waking and scooped her up while the other grabbed the last suitcase out of her bedroom. They left the row house for the park across the street, where a small spacecraft awaited them.
Settling Kiera on a grey slab bench, the first man straightened and motioned the other over.
"Not like our women," he said as the other warrior joined him. "Very small."
"Like a doll," the second agreed. "Pretty for so small a creature."
"You have no mate. Ask for her band."
The second snorted and strode into the cockpit, followed by the first.
"She will mate with no one like us. Her sister is mated to the second son of our ruler. This one is too exquisite. She must be intended for Kisolm," he replied.
"You brought all her belongings?"
"Everything, as Romas said, except the pictures. Not a noble pastime for one who will wed our next ruler," the second said with a frown. "Only Anshan barbarians would use their hands to create pictures."