Total pages in book: 175
Estimated words: 166095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 830(@200wpm)___ 664(@250wpm)___ 554(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 166095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 830(@200wpm)___ 664(@250wpm)___ 554(@300wpm)
To my surprise, she opens the door and steps inside, as bold and fearless as ever.
The breath hitches in my chest, because she’s keffing beautiful. Stunning. It’s less in her features themselves and more in the way she carries herself. There’s something so arrogant and yet wild about Bethiah that stuns me every time I see her. It’s like she doesn’t care what the universe thinks of her. That she’s daring it to give her everything it’s got, because she can handle it. There’s a swagger to her step that tells me she thinks she has everything under control yet again. It’s in the sway of her long black braids, artfully holding back her thick mane. It’s in the vivid tattoos that cover her skin and the erratic decor on her gilded horns. It’s in the cocky sway of her tail and the tight fit of her flight suit, at odds with the loose belt that hangs just over her hips, taunting someone to try their luck.
She hasn’t changed an iota, and just the sight of her makes me grin.
Her gaze immediately homes in on Dora, and the corners of her mouth curl up with a hint of pleasure. “Here I thought you’d run away, fluffit.”
Bethiah’s voice is flirty. Sultry. I’m curious if that sultry tone is for me or for Dora. My tail thumps at the thought that it might be for me. That she knows I’m watching and lusting after her like some cadet freshly spat out of schooling.
Dora holds up her bound hands. “Why would I run away? Where could I possibly go that would be safe?” She sounds exasperated. “Give a girl some credit, Bethiah.”
Bethiah saunters fully into the room, grinning. She crosses the room toward Dora’s seat, not even pausing to look around to see if it’s a trap. It’s sheer folly. It’s ballsy as kef, too. “Maybe I just thought you were sick of my charming personality,” she flirts. “So many are.”
“Oh please. You know I like being with you.” Dora glares up at her. “At least when you’re not trying to switch out all my parts.” She pauses and then adds in a softer voice, “I missed you, by the way. I’m glad to see you, even if it’s under these circumstances.”
To my surprise, Bethiah’s cocky swagger falters ever so slightly, her tail flicking erratically. She leans over the edge of the table, giving Dora a lazy smile even as she reaches over to brush the human’s hair back from her face. “You didn’t miss me. You were off having adventures. You never tell the enemy anything they can use against you, fluffit. I’m positive that’s in my rules for piracy somewhere.”
“Who says you’re my enemy?” The human lifts her chin defiantly.
“You’re not mad I tried to switch your limbs out?” She tilts her head, her horns gleaming in the light of the hotel room. “I do promise to get you nothing but the best.”
I should make a move soon. But I’m fascinated by the two females, especially when Bethiah’s gaze tracks Dora as if she’s a favorite tidbit just waiting to be nibbled upon.
Dora shakes her head. “I just don’t see why you keep trying to change me constantly. Why am I not good enough for you?”
Bethiah flinches. “That’s not it at all.” Gone is the flirty manner. “I’m just trying to protect you the best way I know how.” She touches a finger under Dora’s chin, and I wonder for a brief moment if they’re going to kiss again, that obscene and fascinating melding of mouths and tongues. It should be utterly repugnant, but my cock twitches with interest at the thought of them doing so, especially in front of me.
Which probably makes me a sick male. Still, I can’t look away as Bethiah leans closer, and Dora instinctively moves toward her, face angled.
“Protect me? While waltzing into what we both know is a trap?” Dora asks, her lashes downcast.
“Waltzing?” Bethiah echoes, a hint of a smile on her face. “What’s waltzing? And it’s only a trap if one gets caught.”
That’s my cue. I set off the remotely activated gas canisters in the air filters, filling the room with the sweet scent of a knockout drug. I tap a button behind my ear, activating the filter that fits into my nostrils, preventing me from being affected.
Bethiah knows very well she’s being caught, too, and I get the impression that I’ve played right into her game…whatever her game might be.
Twenty-Three
DORA
When I wake up, I’m back on Bethiah’s ship…and I’m hopping mad.
Jamef and I had agreed that I’d be bait to bring Bethiah in. That we’d meet in a hotel room and he wouldn’t let her take me away to put modifications on me or sell me. That he’d keep me safe and the moment Bethiah was in the room, he’d “take care of things.” Apparently “taking care of things” meant gassing us both and kidnapping once more.