Series: Zandian Brides Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
“Yes.” I find I’m sweating. My breath comes in pants.
“Did you remember something?” He sounds urgent.
“Um…yes, I think so.”
“What did you remember?” His arms tighten. “Tell me. It’s very important, Sia.”
“I’m sorry. I–I can’t remember much. A needle. And a face?” And now the images are gone entirely. How can that be? How could I just forget so fast? “But…now I’m not sure. It’s just gone!”
He looks into my eyes. “I see.” His face registers disappointment, I think. But also understanding. He believes me.
But even as I say this, another flash lights up my mind. This one is different, more powerful somehow. Like it means something to me on a very personal level.
“We have to keep the secret or we all die. You know this, Sia.” My friend Flora looks up at me with fierce determination, her eyes huge in her newly shorn head. Her scars are fresh and red, raised and thick like bloated veins.
I wince as I take her hand, and agree with her. “We will never say a word to any being if we manage to escape, even ones who seem trustworthy. They would kill us in a heartbeat if they knew the truth about us, even the supposedly nice ones. Because what’s inside our heads means no being can ever trust us.”
The flashback stops, but this time I remember it, and the human I was with–Flora. She’s here, too, on Zandia. What in Mother Earth happened to us?
I blink and look away. I want to trust my new master, but something about this memory confirms some other loyalty–and until I figure this out, I need to keep quiet. I know this in my gut.
“Did you remember something else?” His voice is even.
“No.” I shake my head. Still, I don’t look at him. “Just tired. My head aches, and I can’t think properly. It’s scary.” That last part is true. But can he tell I’m leaving something out?
“It’s going to be all right.” His voice is strong and even, and for some reason, I want to believe him. Even if everything is supremely wrong at the moment.
“Who are you exactly?” It’s easier than asking, “Who am I?” Because despite what I remember so far, I clearly know very little about myself or my history.
“I’m Daven. A Zandian warrior. Your new master.”
“Okay.” I nod.
“You’re on Zandia. You’re safe here. We’re not going to hurt you. We revere our humans.”
“Okay.” This does not begin to sum up the supreme relief I feel at his words, but it’s all I can manage at this point.
“I’m so grateful you saved us.” Again, I try to summon my memories to see what I can recall beyond the very few things I’ve told him.
Panic starts to well up. “I can’t!” No more images come. My past is such a blank. I’m empty.
He takes my face gently between his strong hands. “Stop. Breathe. In and out.”
Immobilized, all I can do is gaze into his eyes, deep and mesmerizing.
“Like this.”
He puts a hand on my chest, and although it’s not a sexual touch, little flickers of arousal flutter in my belly, even as the anxiety starts to fade. “Deep breaths. Don’t think about anything. Just breathe with me.”
I stare into his eyes and breathe in and out until the panic eases, and I can stand existence again.
“It’s going to come back, your memory. It always does.”
“You seem so certain.” I tug at the blanket, pulling a soft strand between two fingers.
“It’s been our experience.” He shrugs. “Every human who comes here eventually gets better.”
I like the implication of his words–that they care here about humans. “Every human? How many are here?” Even though I can’t remember much about myself, I know humans are chattel to the universe. And I know I’ve been mistreated badly. It sounds like this planet is a refuge of some kind to humans, and If there are many of us here, on this planet, what a blessing!
He regards me. “More than you might imagine.” He continues, “And about your master. It’s all right if you don’t remember much about your old one yet. Because now I’m your master, little human, here on Zandia.”
Daven
Sia’s breath catches, but it doesn’t appear to be with fear. No, I believe she’s attracted to me. She likes the idea of having me as her master.
“You will answer to me from now on.” My horns thicken at the thought of how I will keep the little human in line. The methods I will employ to exact good behavior. “After all, you yourself asked for me.”
“I did,” she murmurs softly, her face flushing.
“So you’re mine for now. My job as your master is to protect you and help you heal. Keep you safe. Get your memory back. But also to ensure you acclimate to Zandia and accept your role here.”