Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 64359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Just when I think I have made a mistake from which I will never recover, I hear a booming voice speaking words of hope.
“Unhand my property!”
The teeth are sucked back from my flesh, leaving painful punctures in their wake. I feel like a fish taken off a hook. The pain remains, but there is still relief to be had in the small amount of freedom that comes from being released.
I look up to see a great god standing over us. He is tall. He is muscular. His skin is burnished by the sun with a deep, rich hue that makes me think of golden sands. His hair is blond, plaited back from his head and falling to his waist. His eyes are nebula blue and his bone structure is worthy of starting a dynasty over. He looks like the hero in every piece of media ever created.
He has ridges running from his nose all the way up his forehead and a heavy brow ridge under which his eyes gleam. Other than that, he could be mistaken for a very, very built human being. He has more muscle and more power than any man ever could, though. He is wearing a leather harness that crosses his chest and leaves most of it bare. He is wearing a kilt on the lower half of his body, a leather garment that is traditional for his species. His feet and lower legs are covered in boots which bear the grime of the world from which he came. He looks as though he has walked directly off a battlefield. There are wounds beneath bandages, and there is a slight limp to his gait that I am sure he is trying to hide.
He is a Barbyos Barbarian, and he has come for me.
“Not your property,” the vampire says, his cool hand still gripping me. “This is my property. My flesh.”
“I am Kronos, Prince of the Sands,” the barbarian says. “Who are you?”
“I am Emrys, Ruler of Clan Coldblood” the valker says.
Everybody has a title. Isn’t that fun. I suppose I did set the price high. That might be why I’ve gotten the cream of the crop when it comes to alien purchasers.
“The human is not yours, Emrys. She is mine. I have receipts.”
“Let’s see them, barbarian.”
That’s a rather rude way of addressing someone so incredibly attractive. If only Kronos had gotten here a couple of minutes earlier, I might have happily gone with him. Looking at him sends rewards to my brain in a way I am not accustomed to. He’s the kind of hot that makes a smart girl stupid. The kind of hot that makes me having sold myself to him feel like a very, very good idea. He is the kind of hot that makes me forget all my preferences, all my shame, all my everything and anything. I’d let him do anything to me.
Right now, both the valker and the barbarian are reaching for their receipts.
Now feels like a very good time to make an exit. They are as distracted as they are going to get arguing with one another. Given the buyers appear to be able to track me via my tablet, I think I’m going to leave that behind. I slip down beneath the small sea of tables and start to scurry to the other side on my hands and knees.
“STOP!”
Emrys’ voice booms not through the air, but directly inside my head. I feel my muscles freeze in place in what feels like an involuntary reaction. I want to run, but I can’t. I am stuck in place, suddenly completely vulnerable. It is not a good feeling. That sense of doom is starting to return in a very bad way.
He reaches underneath the table, takes hold of me by the ankle, and drags me out, dropping me between their feet. I see his shining dark boots, and then Kronos’ muddy footwear. One speaks to cold control and aggressive poise. The other speaks to earthy strength.
“We cannot both have purchased the same mate. The system will not allow it.”
“Are you sure? If the same mate can sell herself time and time again, what is to stop her?” Kronos is onto me already.
“What indeed.” Emrys’s voice sounds like gravel and death.
I knew that my plan might not work, but I had no idea it would fail so spectacularly so quickly. I curse under my breath. I should have screened for psychic aliens. I could swear that the valker is starting to read my mind. Emrys is going to ruin everything for me. The barbarian just sounds confused for the moment, but I can hear Emrys’ fury in my head. I have to get away from him. I fear him the way a fox fears a hound.
“Let’s check the reference numbers and call the company. They will surely sort this out.”