Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
She was afraid to lie there, but even more afraid to open her eyes and alert them to her being awake. So she lay there, wherever there was, and listened, waited. She heard nothing but the sound of her heart, the fast respirations as she breathed, and prayed no one was beside her. All of her people, the men and women she’d grown up with, helped protect, and who in turn had helped protect her, were all gone, right in the blink of an eye. Then she thought of Jayce, how he’d been trying to help her get out of there but then had gotten shot. God, was he okay? Would he be okay?
“I know you’re awake.” The deep voice came from beside her, a short distance away. She was still so afraid, but she opened her eyes, clenched the material beneath her in her hands, and turned her head. The room she was in was dark, and only the small window above them, placed in the ceiling, let light in.
She didn’t move, just continued to stare at the Rogue that sat in the corner, his big body shrouded by darkness. She scented something in the air, something sweet, thick, and she knew instantly it was a Rogue herb, one that she’d heard they smoked to calm down. She’d heard it had calming effects.
She licked her lips, afraid to even breathe as she stared at him. Who was he? Where was she? What in the hell did he plan on doing to her? She didn’t know what happened when a human was caught aside from the rumors the females were used as breeders, and the healthy, young males for labor. But this place looked more like a home, or what she assumed a home to be.
There was the pallet she was on, and a small, metal, square looking contraption in the corner. It had doors on either side, so she supposed it was used to hold items, maybe clothing? She didn’t know much about these kinds of comforts, not with jumping from cave to cave. It was the only way for her to live, for her kind to survive.
“Are you hungry, thirsty?” he asked, still staying in the shadows. A cloud of smoke surrounded him as he exhaled, and she hated having to inhale it, hated that the room was foggy because of it. Was he trying to drug her, make her do what he said without fighting him?
She didn’t answer, just stared at him. He leaned forward, and she got a look at his face. God, it was the Rogue from the cave, the one that had stared at her, seemed transfixed by her. His hair was short, black as night, and his eyes, God, his eyes were so light blue they almost seemed white.
“I know you can understand me,” he said slowly, deeply. He inhaled from the long, white stick, the end lighting up red. He held his breath for a moment, and then exhaled the smoke. “I implanted a chip in your neck so you’ll understand my language,” he said without any emotion, without even showing any expression on his face.
She instantly touched the side of her neck, expecting there to be pain, but all she felt was this small, flat, disc-like device under her skin.
“So, I’ll ask you again,” he said and slowly stood, rising to his massive seven feet height. “Are you hungry or thirsty?”
She sat up, feeling lightheaded, but pushed it back. He took a step closer, and she scrambled back on the bed. Her heart beat painfully hard in her chest. The wall stopped her from moving any further from him, and as he came closer, she felt like she might pass out. He leaned forward, placed the white stick in his mouth, took a deep inhalation, and held her gaze with his own.
She was frozen, scared beyond words, and didn’t know what her fate was. Then he exhaled slowly, the white, sweet smelling smoke surrounding her face in this thick cloud. She started breathing harder as her fear consumed her, but as the seconds ticked by she felt herself growing relaxed on the bed, her heart calming, and her fear leaving.
He didn’t smirk, didn’t even move for a few seconds. Then he slowly stood to his full height again. “I’ll ask again, female.” He held her gaze again. “Are you hungry or thirsty?”
She felt herself nod, worry of what was going to happen and fear of this monster leaving her, just fading away. No, not leaving her, just being buried by the calmness that engulfed her. He moved out of the bedroom, the door sliding into the wall seamlessly. She didn’t know how long she sat there, but it seemed like an eternity before he came back.
His kind was so human looking, with little differences that weren’t so little in reality. Aside from his tattoos, his flesh was a strange combination of cream and brown, the color almost making him seem like he’d been in the sun … but not. Aside from the clear height and muscle mass difference between them and the humans, they looked very similar.