Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 280(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 280(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
A tap at the door distracts me, but I know she will be safe enough here. My quarters are secure, and she will be able to pick through the food to her heart’s content while I deal with the visitor.
I step outside, shutting the door behind me. I am not surprised to see that it is Zin. I promised him the next female we caught. I do not like to go back on a promise, but that is not happening. The thought of him so much as touching her fills me with rage.
“Is she ready for me?” Zin makes the inquiry with a cold gaze. He does not care about her. He wants to use her for his twisted pleasure. I know Zin’s tastes. I know they run to the cruel. That has never bothered me. I do not judge the temperaments of those who give me their loyalty. There is something wrong with every single one of us in one way or another.
That said, his question makes me want to crush his skull. The notion of him, or anybody else touching Allie makes me feel pure rage.
“It will have to be another human for you, Zin. This one is far too soft. You would destroy her in minutes. It would be a complete waste. You need a human mate who deserves your particular brand of lust.”
Zin snorts and nods. “She looks soft,” he says. “Who will you give her to? One of the lower ranks? Someone who hasn’t proved himself?”
“I intend to keep her for myself.”
Zin looks surprised. “You want such a round, weak little thing?”
The look I give him is enough to make him apologize for the question and withdraw. Zin is many things, but he is not completely stupid. He knows me well enough to know when I will and will not be pushed.
A strong saurian does not need to surround himself with only the strong. I have plenty of rough soldiers ready to do damage. I like to use our combined strength to protect the weak, and to give those who have nowhere to go somewhere to be.
“Is everything okay?”
When I step back in, Allie asks me the question with more than a little concern. I think she has good senses, this new human of mine. I think she is a survivor, though she seems to have little in the way of ability to survive.
“I am going to brush your hair,” I tell her. “I do not want it to dry tangled.”
“Thank you. That is very kind of you,” she says. There is a shyness to her assent. She does not make eye contact with me. Instead, she is looking at the food, which she eats slowly at first, and reluctantly.
I sit behind her while she eats, and I brush out the long strands of golden hair which adorn her head. She is a pretty little thing, and this hair is part of her glory. I think it might be the only part of her that she has looked after. Her knees are scuffed, her elbows chafed. Her hands are roughened from work, not quite as rough as scales, but not as smooth as the rest of her skin. They are reddened, and a little cracked from exposure to water and chemicals. I can imagine how her life has been spent on hands and knees, scrubbing. She has not been given much in the way of recreation.
“Why did you work so hard on that ship? The others I’ve met seem to be laws unto themselves. Even the one currently attempting to dismantle the city was bold in her own way. None of them came across as servant-like. Are there others like you?”
“You mean others who picked up after everybody else? No. That was my job.”
“Were you captured and taken as a slave?”
She gives a little laugh, though there’s no humor in it. “I wasn’t taken as a slave or a servant. Captain Sullivan saved me from a very bad situation, like she saved a lot of us…”
Sounds to me like Sullivan has something in common with me. I’ve not met the alpha’s mate. I have met his second in command’s mate, and she was an impressive specimen. Very dangerous. Very bold. Very capable of taking and doing damage.
“But I wasn’t good at being a pirate like the others. I lacked the nerve. It scared me. So I started cleaning up the ship instead, and after a while, that was just my job.”
“So you made yourself a servant.”
“Someone had to clean. A lot of the crew wasn’t really socialized well. They didn’t know how to look after themselves or anybody else. So I did it, and I did a good job of it. I made sure that there was clean linen and clothing when people needed it. Sometimes I cooked, but I always cleaned up after. And I stayed out of the way when they were doing pirate things. It was a good life, until…”