Total pages in book: 182
Estimated words: 171288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
But V’s thoughts cut off abruptly when Penelope’s words at last became clear.
“Please,” she begged. “Please, stop! Oh God, it hurts—it burns! Oh God, I’m on fire!”
Seventy-Eight
Horrified that he might be hurting her, V abruptly withdrew his stinger.
“Baby?” he asked hoarsely, stroking her flushed cheek. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”
“Hurts…” There were tears in her big brown eyes. Tears that he had put there, V realized with a rush of guilt. “Hurts so much,” she whispered. “Please…please don’t do it again. Feels like…on fire.”
“No, I won’t,” V promised, though he knew he would have to sting her again before they could go back out into the Deadly Jungle. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” he murmured, cuddling her to his chest. “I don’t understand. My lust-honey is only ever supposed to bring a female pleasure.”
“No pleasure…only pain.” Her eyes were drifting closed but at least her color was more normal and her breathing was no longer labored. “Only pain,” she whispered drowsily again, and then she drifted off completely, leaving V to wonder what in the Seven Hells had gone wrong with him.
How could he have hurt the woman he loved when he was only trying to heal her?
Seventy-Nine
Penny woke in cool darkness, feeling achy all over. At first she wondered if she was in the Love Hut with V’rex, but she didn’t hear the constant murmuring of the hypno-whispers coming from her pillow. And in fact, she didn’t seem to have a pillow. Whatever she was lying on was soft and springy and ever so slightly damp and it smelled like dirt and grass.
“Where…where am I?” she whispered, her voice coming out hoarse and uneven. “What is this?”
“Hey, you’re finally awake.” The deep voice was familiar and then Penny saw pale gold eyes glowing faintly in the dark beside her.
“V’rex!” she exclaimed. “What happened? Where are we?”
“Hidden in the jungle. Do you remember how we got here?”
“No…wait, yes.” Suddenly images rushed back to her. The rape attempt at the bakery and the subsequent fight between Skrug and V’rex. And then…
“Oh my God,” she whispered faintly. “I remember now—I chopped it off!”
There was a low rumble of laughter.
“If you’re talkin’ about Skrug’s dick, yes you did, sweetheart. You went full-on savage on his ass, not that I blame you.” His voice went suddenly serious. “Listen, I didn’t get a chance to ask you before but did he actually—”
“No, he didn’t…didn’t rape me.” Penny cleared her throat. “He tried but he couldn’t get it in. He—” She had to stop then, as emotions rolled over her. Anger, disgust, and also horror at what she had done. “I can’t believe I cut it off and killed him,” she whispered.
“Believe it,” V’rex said sharply. “And don’t be ashamed or upset about it. Any male that tries to take a female against her will deserves what he gets. I’m just sorry I didn’t get to you earlier.”
“You were all the way across the Compound—I’m amazed you got to me at all!” Penny exclaimed. “And you managed to get the Master Control too! That was amazing, V’rex.”
“Thanks.” In the dim light, she saw him nod. “I’m just sorry we couldn’t take your friend with us,” he added. “I know you wanted to, but everything happened so fucking fast…Hey…” He leaned towards her, a concerned look in his pale gold eyes. “What’s wrong, baby? Why are you crying?”
“Am I?” Penny sniffed and swiped at her cheek. Her fingers came away wet. His words had brought back the horror and sorrow of her discovery in the recycling room.
“You are. Hey, come here.” V’rex put an arm around her and drew her close. “What’s wrong? Tell me all about it.”
Haltingly, Penny told him first about her exam, then about finding the room full of grow-baths and developing NeverBreeders, and finally about the huge machine cutting up bodies in the recycling room.
“So you were right about the meat,” he said, a note of revulsion in his voice. “Gods, and to think I ate some of it before you warned me…”
“It wasn’t just that,” Penny whispered. “It wasn’t just the fact that they were cutting up bodies, it was who the bodies were. I saw them cut up that nice man I bought a toga from last week. And Mother Toone, our attendant at the dorms was there. And…and…” Her throat worked but she found herself unable to say her friend’s name.
“Was Claudette there too?” V’rex guessed. “Was she, sweetheart?”
Wordlessly, Penny nodded. Then she buried her face in his broad chest and sobbed.
V’rex didn’t tell her everything would be all right or spout any kind of meaningless nonsense meant to comfort her. In fact, he didn’t say anything at all. But he gathered Penny into his lap and held her close and let her cry. He stroked her hair and her trembling back until at last, she felt able to talk again.