Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“I might have been able to make her understand if you hadn’t kept talking about sucking her breasts and licking her pussy!” Lynx burst out.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so angry at his Bond-Brother. It was almost like Saxon was trying to sabotage their professional relationship—and any other kind of possible relationship they might have—with Mistress Mirabella. Not that they’d come here for that, but still—she was the only woman that either of them had been interested in since their mate had died.
“I was just—” Saxon began.
“Just telling it like it is, right,” Lynx snarled. “Well do us both a favor and stop. Just because you desire a female, doesn’t mean you have to tell her that.”
“It’s better than sneaking around, pretending you’re so noble and chaste when you want her, too!” Saxon snarled back.
“Yes, she’s beautiful—yes I’m interested in her and you are too and that hasn’t happened since Kara died!” Lynx shouted. “But that’s no reason to push her away! We’re supposed to be protecting her for the Goddess’s sake!”
Saxon shrugged, apparently unmoved, though Lynx could see the anger dancing in his pale blue eyes and feel it through their bond.
“We can protect her from out here.”
“Not as effectively!” Lynx snapped. “You read the reports—this killer is able to get through locked doors easily somehow! And if we’re not there to keep her safe and he gets in, it’s going to be your fault!”
“Forget this. I don’t need the fucking guilt.” Saxon rose and left the food prep area in three long strides. He turned in the doorway. “If you need me, I’ll be watching entertainment vids in the living area.”
Then he left, leaving Lynx to fume alone, wondering why in the Seven Frozen Hells his Bond-Brother had to be so damn stubborn and irritating!
NINE
SAXON
Saxon knew he’d gone too far…the thing was, he didn’t know why.
Yes you do, whispered a little voice in his head. Because of Kara—because you don’t want to forget her. Because after what happened to her, you don’t deserve to ever even look at another female again!
Guilt made his limbs feel heavy as he considered again the way the mate he and Lynx had shared had died. It had been so long ago and yet he still felt responsible…and still missed her. She’d been so happy—such a sunny, sweet-tempered little female. Both he and Lynx had loved her to distraction.
We loved her too much, he thought, brooding on the past as he often did. Too early. We should have waited…
He tried to push the bad memories away, but he couldn’t do it. Giving in, he closed his eyes and thought of those last awful hours, when they could see she was slipping away and there was nothing they could do to stop it…to save her…
You don’t deserve happiness with another female—not after what you did to her. The little voice in his head had turned mean…ugly. You don’t deserve anything good ever again.
Saxon wished he could deny it but he couldn’t. The mean, ugly little voice was telling nothing but the truth—the cold, hard truth and he couldn’t ever get away from it.
TEN
MIRABELLA
Miri shut the door of the Master Suite firmly but hesitated to lock it. She had heard that the killer had moved on to another planet, but what if he decided to come back to Yonnie Six? What if he was here right now? And what if he somehow got in to kill her and the big Monstrum couldn’t stop him because she’d locked them out?
Yes, but what if the two of them come sneaking into your room in the middle of the night and try to get in bed with you? she asked herself.
Damnit—what was she supposed to do?
At last she made a decision. She left the door unlocked, but motioned to her automaton.
“Come in here, Beelie. Stay between me and the door,” she told him.
“Yes, Mistress,” Beelie agreed, in his hollow voice. When she was inside him, Miri could speak out of his voice plate but he was also capable of speaking on his own, though he wasn’t much of a conversationalist. His speech was generally limited to agreeing with whatever she said.
Miri sighed. Well, at least now she would have some warning if one or both of the huge Monstrum tried to enter her bedroom!
She went to the clothes chute and hesitated. Generally, she put the dress she was wearing down the chute every night without fail. It would be washed, dried, and returned to her by the next morning, thanks to the auto-laundry contraption in the stronghold’s basement.
The frilly pale green and silver dress was the same garment she’d been wearing when she had escaped from the killer’s attack in Mistress Mapletaste’s tower. And since Aunt Raz had forgotten to stock any kind of clothing here, it was the only thing Miri had to wear.