Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 130317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
“I don’t want to be stuck in this fucking place either. Did you hear anything about a different way to get out of the Dome?”
Sev was leaning against the archway that led from the living area to the rest of the house, arms crossed over his broad chest, watching her pace.
“I heard something,” Mia told him and explained about Kissie and the “rumor” that The Prophet had a secret way out of the Dome in case things went badly.
“Well, that’s a start anyway,” Sev rumbled. “If we only knew if it was true and where in the Seven Hells his secret exit is hidden.”
“Kissie thought one of the Concubines might know,” Mia remarked.
Sev frowned.
“Concubines?”
“Apparently if a woman’s husband dies while she’s in the PPP she either becomes a Concubine of the Prophet or an Auntie—one of the women who have to watch the children,” she explained.
She didn’t tell her partner the other things she’d learned—about the Nutrient Crème causing milk or nectar production or the way that women here in the PPP Dome were apparently “milked” to harvest it.
I’m not going to talk about that because it’s not going to happen to me, she told herself firmly. Her eyes flicked to the strange leather pad with its suction cups and tubing that was fixed against the back living room wall—now it made sense. It must be the “milking mat” that Kissie and Teebra had talked about.
But none of that was relevant because it wasn’t going to happen to her because she wasn’t going to drink any more of the Nutrient Crème—no matter how much she craved it, Mia promised herself.
The strange thing was, even after everything she’d learned, she did still crave it. Part of her wanted to go and get a cup of whatever came out of the skinny brass tube and drink it right now…
“Attention! Attention please!”
The new voice in the room was so loud and so sudden that Mia gave a little scream and jumped.
“It’s all right—it’s just the entertainment screen.” Sev was suddenly by her side, pointing to the flat white screen mounted over the fireplace with its glowing blue rocks.
“Oh…all right.” Mia put a hand to her heart, which was still skittering madly in her chest and looked up at the screen. On it was a man wearing one of the hooded cloaks that the Elders had had on during their Judgment Session earlier that day. It made him look like the Grim Reaper, she thought.
“Brother Severith, Sister Mia,” he said and Mia recognized him as the Elder with the deep voice, who had done most of the talking during their Session. “Can you hear me?” he asked.
“Yes, we can hear you. What the fuck do you want?” Sev demanded rudely—though Mia couldn’t blame him. It was a nasty shock to realize that the flat white entertainment screen could be used as a two-way communication device.
“Language please, Brother Severith!” the Elder cautioned him. “I’m simply checking in with you to let you know that I’m sending an Informational vid your way. It should appear on your screen in just a moment.”
“Informational vid? What are you talking about?” Sev demanded.
“The vid you missed because of our early termination of your Judgment Session today,” the Elder explained. “About how to apply your wife’s Chastity Devices—remember?”
“Oh, right,” Sev muttered. “Forgot about that.”
“Well we of the Council of Elders have not forgotten,” the Elder with the deep voice said severely. “Remember please that we expect to see you applying these devices to your wife to help curb her defiance. And we also expect to see you practicing the commands you were taught during the other information vid you saw today during your session. Do you need me to send that one as well, so you can review it?”
“No.” Sev cleared his throat. “No, that’s not necessary.”
“All right. I’ll send the vid. The devices themselves should already be in your dresser, along with the night clothes you were promised.” The Elder leaned closer to the screen. “Remember—we’ll be watching you. The sooner we see complete compliance, the sooner you and your wife can be eternally bound together via a Binding Ceremony in the Inner Sanctum by the Prophet. You’ll have much more freedom after your Binding Ceremony,” he added. “As well as the trust of the community and the Elders.”
Then the screen flickered and went blank white again, leaving the two of them just standing there.
TWENTY-FIVE
SEV
“Well, shit,” Sev muttered, running a hand over his horns. “Now what the fuck are we going to do?”
“I guess we’re having a movie night,” Mia said blandly. “Though I have the feeling this is going to be different from the movies we usually watch together.”
Movie nights with his partner were one of the things Sev usually loved. They had been Mia’s suggestion at first—she had thought he would be better able to acclimate to Earth culture if he watched more Earth entertainment. Back when she’d been married, the two of them had gone out to movie theaters to see whatever was playing. But after she filed for divorce and moved away from her ex-mate, she had often invited Sev to her apartment.