Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
The client said a few things about wanting to get to know her and she noticed he had a deep, baritone voice. But that did nothing to soothe her fears. He sounded big—huge. And Oozle was giving him permission to torture or rape her as much as he wanted to! A whole week of abuse was what she had to look forward to.
She could feel herself trembling as Oozle finally ordered her to raise her head and look at the VIP client. Was he going to be some kind of alien she’d never seen before? Maybe something like the horrible Trollox, Sir Grox?
And then she looked at him and found it was somehow even worse. He was huge—almost as big as the Trollox, she thought. But it wasn’t just his size that drew her eyes—the VIP patron had the pearly gray skin she had become so familiar with back on Earth.
Her new Lord and Master—the man she must serve and submit to for an entire week—was a Scourge.
SEVENTEEN
NATE
There was crashing in the undergrowth…the sound of huge, heavy boots crushing their way through the forest.
The sound of soldiers too big to be human headed in his direction.
Nate’s heart was pounding and he gripped his gun harder. They’d run out of the armor piercing rounds weeks ago and regular bullets were nothing but an annoyance to the huge Vat-grown Scourge.
Still, he had to stand and fight—they were protecting the outpost. If the enemy got through, they’d be able to access the underground bunker where his little sister, Madison, and so many others were hiding.
He had to keep her safe, Nate told himself. She was so petite and their parents were gone—victims of the first Scourge attacks during the initial invasion. Maddy was the only family he had left and he had to protect her!
The tramping got louder and he tensed, ready to leap out from the ambush point and begin firing. But suddenly he heard the rattle of shots being fired to his left and behind him—inside the barricade!
Inside! They’re fucking inside! Maddy—they’ll get to her!
He turned to run back and protect his sister but suddenly a monstrous Scourge soldier was right in front of him! The evil red-on-black eyes glared down from an unimaginable height. Black body armor covered him, making the Vat-grown soldier an impenetrable target. But Nate knew if he didn’t get past that big bastard, he wouldn’t be able to get to Maddy on time.
Baring his teeth and gripping his weapon, he rushed the target, roaring in rage and fear and fury…
“Nate? Nate, please—wake up!”
A soft hand shaking him and a feminine voice in his ear brought him back to himself.
Nate jerked upright, his body pumped with adrenaline. At first he didn’t know where he was. His head was pounding and he was covered in cold sweat as he peered around in the unfamiliar darkness. He could still see the huge Scourge soldier coming at him and feel the terrible fear that he wouldn’t be able to get to Maddy in time…
The soft voice brought him back to the present and he remembered where he was. The planet of Careesa Prime with the Kindred girl, Lan’ara. Right now, she was staring at him with a worried look on her lovely face.
“Are you all right?” she asked. “I can feel your anxiety and fear—I’ve never felt anything that strongly before!”
She’d been sleeping beside him on the large, comfortable mattress which was raised just a few feet off the floor of the hut they were staying in. Nate had offered to take the floor—he was used to sleeping rough and he didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable.
But Lan’ara had said that she wanted to be close to him—though he couldn’t figure out why. She hadn’t made any moves and Nate hadn’t either—he wasn’t the kind of guy who would take advantage of a woman—especially a woman he barely knew.
“Sorry,” he said, shaking his head. God, he was a fucking mess! His hands were shaking! He balled them into fists and crossed his arms over his bare chest protectively. Fucking dream! It always fucked with his head, whenever he had it.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about—I can feel your pain,” Lan’ara protested.
The pink swirls at her temples were glowing in the dim light—Nate wondered if that meant she was picking up on his negative emotions. She had explained to him that everyone here on her home planet was an empath—meaning they could feel the emotions of others. If so, what she was feeling from him couldn’t be good.
“Sorry,” he said again. “Look, I’m going to go for a walk or something. I can never sleep again after I have that dream.”
“What dream?” She put a hand on his arm—his muscles were all bunched up, his biceps bulging with tension. “Tell me about it—please.”