Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 91631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
My throat knots up, and not for the first time, I wish I could yank my horrible collar off. "You mean he'll get rid of the evidence," I say dully. "He'll murder him."
"Foolish female," the scientist says. "You can't murder a slave. You're a possession, not a person."
I decide in that moment I hate him. Furiously, feverishly hate. Crulden's not a person to him. He's job security. Fucker.
I hate even more that Crulden's fate is in my hands. If I try to tell anyone the truth about who he is, the scam that Lord Sir is trying to play…they'll kill him.
Now, more than ever, we need to escape.
He opens the door and gives me a sour look. "I have work to do and you're interrupting. You're not to leave this office until you have permission. Until then, you can make yourself busy by cleaning up around here."
I smile sweetly, wondering how many of his office things I can dunk in the toilet before he catches on to me. "Of course. Cleaning's what a slave is good for."
28
CRULDEN
I knew they'd punish me for acting out, and so I'm not entirely surprised when I wake up and Mina's not in my cell. I make a lot of noise, letting them know that I'm angry, and the ooli slave that comes to deliver my meal passes on a message from Lord Sir. My pet will be returned to me tomorrow, if I “behave.”
I find it interesting that no one arrives to give me this message in person. Indeed, everyone seems to be preoccupied. I can hear Lord Sir making several angry vid connections in his office, and the a'ani aren't full of their usual swagger. They look uncertain.
The male I saw last night must have escaped with his female.
The realization fills me with a curious sort of pleasure. I don't care about the fates of others. I certainly don't care about the a'ani who snipe at me, or the ooli who quake in fear if I look in their direction. I want to destroy Lord Sir and his pet scientist, of course. But caring about others? I care about Mina, that's it.
But I am very interested in that male and his female. She carried his child—it was in her scent. And I replay his protectiveness toward her over and over again. That female fell in love with an alien. Surely he's ugly to her like I am to Mina? I touch my jaw as I sit alone in my cell, pondering this. The mesakkah look better than I do, though. They have no tusks, and strong, tall builds. My shoulders are hunched with muscle, my face is ugly, and I'm hairy.
Mina would be far better off with a mesakkah…but I'll rip the throat out of anyone that looks twice at her. She's mine. Even if it means I have to use trickery to keep her at my side, I'm not letting her go.
I pass a long, lonely night without Mina at my side, and it makes me…listless. I knew it was coming, knew that I'd be punished for “acting out” in my training, but I wanted to see what would happen with the male and his female. There was no time to consider my actions. Without Mina at my side, though, I don't feel the need to do anything. I don't eat. I don't stretch my aching, tight muscles. I don't destroy everything in my cell, because I know things like that upset Mina.
I don't bother to get up when the guards arrive in the morning, either. I show them just how little I care by rolling over in bed and presenting them with my back. My collar activates, sending a shockwave through my body, but it's not strong enough to make me sit up. They pulse it a few more times, and I deliberately ignore them, even though it becomes increasingly difficult.
"If you're not going to cooperate, maybe we need to try the collar on the female, eh?" One of the a'ani calls into my cell.
I turn and glare at them, getting to my feet.
"Thought so," the guard says smugly, and taps at the glass. "Up and at 'em."
I head toward the door slowly, letting menace permeate my movements. I watch the clone with intention. I'm going to tear him apart, I decide. The moment Mina and I have a chance to get away, I'm going to find this clone and rip him limb from limb for threatening her. I'm going to make it hurt. And I'm going to enjoy it.
"What are you smiling at?" he sneers as I get into the antechamber.
"How much I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart," I say, giving him a tusked smile. They stay clear of me after that, probably thinking about the guard I tore apart last night in my diversion. I don't consider them people, these guards. They could be like Mina, sympathetic and understanding. Instead, they take their limited authority and abuse it. They jeer at the gladiators, kick us, and act like bullies. I'd tear all of them apart if I had to, and wouldn't think twice about it, just like they don't think twice about kicking sand in my direction when I'm fighting.