Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 69711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Personally, I’m not so sure he does at all but Krav nods.
“How are we speaking their language?” I ask, desperate to change the subject.
“The Ogsul implanted chips in us, I’m afraid,” Emma says, tapping a spot just below her ear. “If you press against the skin here, you might be able to feel it.”
“Ugh. Nah, I’m good, thanks,” I say. “Guess it’s done now. And at least we can communicate.”
“Yeah. As scary as it all is, especially at first, it’d be so much worse if you couldn’t understand anything or speak to anyone.”
I suppress a shudder. “True.”
“And between you and me, I would hate to miss out on this one’s brand of dirty talk. He has that down!” Emma says in English before giving Khan an apologetic smile.
“He’s not the only one!” I reply, also in English.
“Enough!” Krav booms. “As you can see, my pet is well taken care of. And now we must go. Kingdom to rule, villagers to terrorize, you know how it is. Lots to do.” He hasn’t gotten out of his seat, but if this were a dinner party back home, he’d be handing Khan and Emma their keys and herding them towards the door.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to argue, to ask what the hell we have to do that’s so important, but his mood is volatile and I don’t want to push my luck. Nor do I want to give him an excuse to refuse if—make that when—I ask to speak to Emma again. So I put on a big smile and give her a little wave. “Lovely talking to you,” I say. “I have plenty more questions but I guess they’ll have to wait.”
“Are you sure you can’t stay on a bit longer?” she asks, twin lines of concern appearing between her eyebrows.
To hide my disappointment at things ending so abruptly, I indicate my collar. “Gotta do what the Big Boss says,” I say lightly. “We can talk another time. Let me know when the next girls’ night is planned.”
Emma is staring at me. Her gaze flicks to my neck, the leash Krav is still holding, and back to my face. “As long as it’s consensual,” she says slowly. “Don’t forget that.”
“Well, obviously winding up here in the first place wasn’t exactly a choice,” I say, “but Krav and I have certainly had conversations about consent. Haven’t we, Master?” I use the term intentionally, gratified when his massive shoulders relax slightly.
“We have.” His voice is even gruffer than usual. “Have a pleasant evening,” he tells Khan and Emma briskly. Before they can respond, he waves a hand, and the orb goes dark.
Resisting the urge to go off on him for being so rude to them and cutting our call short, I hold my breath, waiting for the explosion I’m sure is coming.
Instead, his grip on my thigh relaxes. When I look over, I’m struck by how his shoulders sag, how defeated he looks. My heart goes out to him.
“Thank you for that,” I say at length, stroking his fingers. “I’m sorry if you felt excluded when we spoke English. It was just… I never realized how good, how familiar it would feel to hear my native tongue again.”
“I understand,” he says.
I’m not sure I believe him but I go to him regardless. I don’t know where this urge to comfort him is coming from, especially given the way he just behaved, but something in me senses he’s reacting out of fear, and so kicking up a stink right now would be pouring fuel onto the fire. Another thing I learned in therapy.
“Pet,” he mutters as I clamber into his lap.
“Master,” I whisper, snuggling against his too-warm chest, breathing him in. A spark of joy thrums along the bond we now share.
“You are happy, are you not?” His hesitant tone is so out of character with his usual cocky self-assurance.
“I am,” I tell him. “I had the best day today.”
More tension seeps out of him. “Good.”
As we cuddle silently in the warm glow of the floating orbs they use here instead of light bulbs, I refuse to dwell on the ember of doubt still glowing deep in my gut. Instead, I concentrate on a single thought: Krav behaves this way because he’s terrified of losing me. Which can only mean he cares about me. Sure, he’s not great at showing it—yet—but he can learn. More cracks in that invisible wall he has around his heart are appearing every day.
And since I’ve apparently fallen for him hook, line, and sinker, the onus is on me to knock the rest of that sucker down.
I always did enjoy a challenge.
Twelve
Krav
My pet bounds into the dining hall early the next morning and skids to a halt. “What’s that sound?”
I was humming a tune my mother used to play, a common melody beloved by her home village.