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)
She looked out the round windows, but it was too dark to see any of the houses surrounding Goodie Tight-azz’s place. This seemed to be an affluent neighborhood and she thought she remembered that Goodie Oo-lah had said something about Goodie Bo-long, the woman scientist who was looking for a cure for the Manimals, living somewhere near here. Maybe tomorrow she could venture out and find the other woman and ask if she’d made any kind of progress.
She had to at least try to do something for Cade, she thought. It was wrong to leave him in this state, with the mind of an animal.
Speaking of Cade, he was waiting patiently for her. Andi thought about telling him to sit on the bed, but then she remembered he wasn’t allowed on the furniture—which seemed really unfair. After all, it wasn’t like he was covered in fur and might shed like a dog. Although he did have a nice patch of dark brown curly chest hair, between the flat copper disks of his nipples. And a little trail of hair that led down from his navel, over his muscular abs and down to his…
No—stop it! Don’t look at his cock! Andi scolded herself. After all, what if their positions were reversed and she was the one who was forced to be nude and had the mind of an animal? Would she like it if she came back to herself and found that her Protector was staring at her naked body?
The answer was, most certainly not. So she had to treat Cade the way she would want him to treat her, she told herself. She couldn’t take advantage of his current state—it wouldn’t be right!
So she resolutely turned her eyes away and went to check out the bathroom. It had a perfectly round pot which she thought must be the toilet and a round shower stall with a nozzle which was actually high enough that she didn’t bump her head on it. At least the Zo’rathians were tall, so everything wasn’t too small for her, she thought.
Just as she was thinking this, there was a knock on the bedroom door and she heard Cade growl.
“It’s all right—it’s just someone at the door,” she reassured him as she passed. He had hunkered down on the carpet, apparently waiting for her. Andi ruffled his thick golden-brown hair reassuringly and went to the door.
When she opened it, she saw the girl with Barbie-pink hair and moss green skin standing there. She was wearing a long, silky brown robe knotted in the front. Right behind her, on all fours, was a large, naked Manimal. He wasn’t quite as big as Cade, but he was still powerfully built—it was easy to see since all his muscles were on display.
“Hi, I’m Flow-da, if you didn’t catch my name earlier,” the girl said, nodding in a friendly way. “I thought you might like a little company before Third Meal. It gets lonely in here with nobody but that old sourpuss for company.”
She made a face and Andi guessed she was talking about Goodie Tight-azz.
“I can see that,” she said, laughing, despite herself. “I’m Andi. I’d love to invite you in but, uh, do you think our, um, Manimals will get along?”
“Oh, I have Hartford very well trained,” Flow-da said confidently. “He won’t try anything unless he thinks I’m threatened.”
“That’s the same with Cade,” Andi said. “Um, though he hasn’t been a Manimal very long—we just crash landed here today,” she added uncertainly.
“Yes, I heard you telling Goodie Tight-azz.” Flow-da nodded. “It’s all right—the thing about Manimals is that they retain the same basic personality they had when they were sentient, you know? So if he was a good guy before he breathed in The Scent, he should still be a good guy now.”
“Oh, all right—then everything should be fine.” Andi felt relieved. After all of Goodie Oo-lah’s lectures about how the Manimals got “sexed-up” and how she ought to be careful of Cade trying to breed her, hearing that he should still have the same basic personality put her mind at rest.
She let Flow-da and her Manimal, Hartford, into the room while keeping a careful eye on Cade. Hartford didn’t have a collar on so there was nothing to restrain either male. However, he and Cade simply sniffed each other and then settled on the carpeted floor side by side.
“Here, let’s get comfortable.” Flow-da pulled the lever, lowering the bed so that she and Andi could sit on it together. “Now—tell me everything,” she said, smiling brightly. “I’ve always wanted to meet an off-worlder. Where do you come from and where are you going and how did you end up here?”
Andi gave a quick rundown of her life—scientist working for the Kindred and Cade as her Protector, the meteor storm and the crash landing, then waking up and realizing that Cade was no longer in his right mind.