Total pages in book: 182
Estimated words: 171288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
Turning, V’rex sliced down with the blade of the huge cleaver, burying it in the wood of the butcher’s block with a loud thunk!
Skrug gasped and stiffened, yanking his hand away as V’rex finally let him go.
“My finger!” he howled, glaring at the big Hybrid and holding up the bloody stump of one long, clawed digit.
It was his pinky finger, Penny saw, feeling sick to her stomach. V’rex had cut it off at the second joint, leaving only a wiggling stump which was fountaining purplish blood everywhere.
“You chopped it off! You chopped off my finger!” Skrug whined, holding his hand to his bloody apron to try and stop the flow.
“Told you I would, didn’t I?” V’rex’s face was cold. “That was for what you said to Penelope yesterday. Better make sure you don’t repeat the same mistake today—or ever again. If you do, you won’t have enough fingers left to cut meat—or do anything else.”
He wiped his hands on the sides of his crimson toga, as though he’d touched something dirty and turned to come back around to where Penny was standing, staring with an open mouth, in the bakery storefront.
“Doing all right, sweetheart?” he inquired in a conversational tone.
“I…I guess so.” Penny wasn’t sure what to say. She had never seen anyone commit such casual violence before. It was like something out of a movie about the mob.
My God, Penny, whispered a little voice in her head. That was some serious Scarface shit!
Even though V’rex had been acting on her behalf, it was still scary and uncomfortable to witness. She’d been feeling so comfortable and safe with the big Hybrid only moments before…but how well did she really know him?
Kat had warned her that he had a reputation for savagery and he was a notorious space pirate. Penny supposed a guy didn’t get a rep like that for being kind to puppies and kittens…
“Let me know if he bothers you again,” V’rex said, interrupting her chaotic thoughts. Leaning forward, he gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead that belied his ferocious act. “Take care of yourself, sweetheart and have a good day. Oh, and it’s my turn to make Last Meal tonight since you cooked yesterday, okay?”
“O…okay,” Penny stumbled over the word, still not sure what to say.
“See you later then,” V’rex said.
Then he turned and headed for the other side of the Compound and the greenhouse, leaving Penny to stare after him uncertainly while Skrug whimpered and whined to himself in the butcher’s stall next door and tried to stop the bleeding from his severed stump of a finger.
Fifty-Six
After the hair-raising start, thanks to V’rex, the rest of Penny’s day passed uneventfully. Skrug didn’t say a word to her. In fact, he refused to even look in her direction—which was nice, since he wasn’t exactly the prettiest thing to stare at.
At first Penny had been worried that the big blue alien would tell on V’rex to some of the NeverBreeder guards or supervisors. But later in the morning, she heard him telling his boss, Head Butcher Loone, that he had accidentally severed his pinky finger himself.
She wasn’t sure if the big alien was lying to save face or for fear of retribution from the big Hybrid if he told the truth. But either way, she was glad V’rex wouldn’t get in trouble for defending her as he had.
All day, though, the swift silver swish of the blade through the air and the thunk of the cleaver as it buried itself in the wooden chopping block wouldn’t leave her mind. She kept seeing the way the friendly smile had fallen away from V’rex’s features, showing the true face below—the bloody flames dancing in his pale gold eyes and the deep, frightening growl of his voice…
No, stop it! she told herself. He wouldn’t hurt me that way. He was protecting me—warning Skrug off in the only way that big asshole would understand. That doesn’t make him a violent criminal…does it?
Considering that she hadn’t even known V’rex a week, Penny realized uncomfortably that she couldn’t actually answer that question. What if the big Hybrid was some kind of sociopath who was showing her one face while in fact he was cold and dead inside, ready to kill anyone who displeased him? Or what if he was just crazy-jealous and possessive?
She knew plenty of women who might like the idea of their man standing up for them or fighting for them but honestly, it was an awkward situation for her—and one she had little experience with. Her last serious relationship had been based on convenience—not any kind of burning passion or devotion. Penny was certain that her ex, Garret, wouldn’t have gone across the street to buy her a candy bar, let alone gone to her work and started chopping digits off a guy who insulted her.