Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“I don’t like this,” she said, frowning at Cade. “I don’t understand how a Manimal could suddenly become a man. Have you just been pretending to be a Manimal all this time?”
Cade had just about had it—he didn’t even know what a “Manimal” was, though the word itself sounded vaguely familiar, as though he’d heard it spoken many times in the recent past.
“Look, lady,” he growled at the woman. “Either you open this gate or I open it. And I promise, if I have to get it open on my own, you’re going to be in a world of hurt!”
He normally wouldn’t have threatened a female, but he had the strong feeling that she was in charge here—possibly the one who had dreamed up this whole scenario where he had hurt the woman he cared for—the one he was supposed to be protecting. If that was the case, she deserved more than just a few threats.
Her face went a pale, mint-green color but she fumbled with a set of keys and finally got the gate open. Then she stepped back quickly and drew a weapon.
“One wrong move and I’ll blow you apart—Manimal or man—doesn’t matter to me!” she snapped.
“We don’t want any trouble—we just want to go home!” Andrea exclaimed. She was right behind Cade with her hands up in a “don’t shoot” gesture.
“Go on and get then!” The tall woman jerked her head at them. “Leave right now and I’ll let you go.”
Cade still felt like there was some blame here—was it the tall woman who had put him in the pen with Andrea when he was so filled with angry lust? Had she known how dangerous he was and that he would either savage or ravage any female who came into contact with him? He glared at the woman, trying to put the pieces together.
But Andrea was tugging urgently at his arm.
“We might not have much time left. Please, Cade—we have to go!” she begged.
“All right—fine.” Cade turned reluctantly to follow her. The crowd of women scattered before them like a startled flock of birds, fear and suspicion written on all their faces.
Cade wished he could stay—he wanted to get to the bottom of this. What had he done and how many times had he done it? What had happened here on Zo’rath Three in the week since he and Andrea had apparently crash-landed here?
He didn’t know and it didn’t seem there was time to find out. Turning reluctantly, he followed Andrea towards the ship. He was sure more memories would surface later—none of them good.
57
ANDI
Andi picked her way through the Boom-boom field, keeping a watchful eye out for the pack of wild Manimals. She was just beginning to hope that they might be far away, ranging in the woods, when a long, liquid howl sounded and five or six of them came bounding out of the trees.
“Oh God—Manimals!” she gasped, panic squeezing her throat. “Hurry, Cade—we have to get to the ship!”
But the big Hybrid stood his ground. Baring his fangs he growled at the wild men racing towards them.
The Manimals stopped short and seemed to take a moment to take stock of their huge foe. Then, as one, they turned and raced back into the woods.
Andi felt her heart start beating again.
“Well, I guess they remembered you from last time,” she remarked with a weak laugh.
“Last time?” Cade shook his head. “What happened last time?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Andi promised as they hurried through the Boom-boom plants to the side of the silver shuttle. “First we have to get you in the ship—do you really think it’s healed itself?”
“There’s only one way to find out.” Cade put his hand on the ship which shivered for a moment—then seemed to come to life. The door opened and the lights inside came on.
Andi could have cried with relief.
“Oh my God, it’s working—it’s really working!” She looked up and saw there was no trace of the huge gash that had been in the ceiling. And the floor was whole too, with no indication that a meteor had ripped a hole in it.
Cade shut the ship up quickly. He started to move forward, towards the cockpit, but then he stopped, a frown on his face.
“Do you smell something? It’s like that Earth fruit—the red one with all the seeds on the outside?”
“Strawberries!” Andi’s stomach clenched. “If you’re smelling The Scent, we don’t have long! Quick—can you run some kind of air purification program in here?”
“We have a contamination protocol that flushes out all outside air and filters even the tiniest particles,” Cade offered.
“Good—do that! Quickly!” Andi told him. “If you go Manimal again, we’ll be stuck here for good!”
He frowned, but nodded and made his way to the front. Andi followed him, noting how strange it seemed to be back aboard the Kindred shuttle after so much had happened. She was just now beginning to feel the soreness between her legs—it was going to hurt to sit down and she would probably be walking funny for some time, she thought. Cade’s knot had really stretched her almost past her capacity.