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)
But there was no chance of getting him now. And no chance of saving the girl unless he hurt her.
Hands clenched into angry fists at his sides, V gave a short nod.
“I’ll do it,” he said, tight-lipped with fury. “And nobody else fucking touches her!” he added, glaring at Skrug and then the other assembled males.
Several of them blanched and backed away from him, but the GL simply smiled and nodded.
“I knew you’d see it my way, my friend,” he said to V. “Now—places everyone! The Unification Ceremony is about to begin!”
Thirty
Somewhere between the Breeding and Conception Center and the public Amphitheater, a deep, steady drumbeat began.
BUM-ba-ba-ba-Bum-ba-ba-ba…
The sound freaked the blindfolded Penny out and she tripped over the unseen ground, causing the NeverBreeder guard who was walking beside her to drag her back up with a curse just before she fell.
“Now then, my sweetie, be careful,” Mother Toone said from her other side. “I know it’s difficult to know where you’re going with the blindfold on, but we’re leading you down a nice straight path, I promise.”
A nice straight path that leads directly to Hell! Penny thought grimly. Aloud she said,
“It was the, uh, drumming sound. It startled me—that’s all.”
“Oh, that’s just the Unification Music, my sweet,” Mother Toone reassured her. “For what’s a ceremony without music?”
The heavy drumbeats sounded like some kind of funeral march to Penny—much different from the light, lovely strains of Pachabell’s Canon she was used to hearing at the beginning of a wedding.
But then, this was no ordinary wedding. She was about to be given to a stranger for life—or at least until she could escape from this horrible Compound.
Because I’m still going to escape, Penny promised herself. I don’t care what he does to me—I won’t let him break me! I won’t let him stop me from getting out of here!
It was easy to say brave words to herself, but the reality of the drumbeat of doom, which echoed all around her from the Compound’s hidden loudspeaker system was undeniable. Before this day was over, she was going to be assaulted—probably more than once. And it was going to happen over and over until she could get away.
Penny thought of the gray, hopeless tone of Claudette’s voice when she’d talked about being raped daily during the Mandatory Breeding Hour and told Penny she would “get used to it.” The Compound had broken Claudette’s spirit. She had given up any hope of ever getting out of here.
But I won’t let that happen to me, Penny swore to herself. I won’t give in to despair—no matter what the bastard they give me to does to me, I won’t let him break my spirit. I won’t—I won’t!
She was still vowing this to herself when they came to the steps of the Amphitheater and she felt the hands of the NeverBreeders on either side of her, guiding her downwards into the huge stone bowl.
The drumbeats were even louder in here—BUM-ba-ba-ba-Bum-ba-ba-ba-Bum… They almost drowned out the noise of the crowd assembled on the stone bleachers to watch the Unification Ceremony. But they couldn’t drown out the sound of Penny’s own panicked heartbeat, drumming in her ears as she slowly and blindly descended the steps.
Who was waiting for her at the end of this blind journey? Would he be cruel? Would he delight in ‘doing his duty’ and breeding her? Would he be rough? How much was it going to hurt?
A thousand questions filled her mind but there were no answers, just the steady beat of the drums, the murmur of the crowd, and the frantic pounding of her heart.
At last the steps came to an end and they were on level ground again. Penny was horribly aware of the way her breasts and pussy were on full display as she walked. The soft, spicy breeze tightened her nipples, which were wet with the sticky, slowly leaking nectar and she could feel the long grass strands tickling her thighs with each step as they framed her bare crotch.
God, it all was so horribly embarrassing. But at least she wasn’t the only one in this position, she reminded herself. All the other women were dressed exactly the same way she was for the Unification Ceremony. They—
Suddenly, they came to a stop.
“Now, here we are,” Mother Toone whispered in her ear. “You’re standing directly across from your Forever Mate, my sweetie. And oh, he’s a handsome one. I’ll leave you now, for the ceremony is about to begin.”
There was a soft sound of retreating footsteps and then the NeverBreeders on either side of her were gone and she was alone with her husband-to-be.
Heart pounding in her throat, Penny stood there, feeling horribly exposed and uncertain. Like many women, she had imagined her wedding day since she was a little girl.
But all she could think, as she stood there waiting to be given to a complete stranger, was that this wasn’t how her wedding was supposed to go at all…