Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 46791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
I block those thoughts and focus. “I’ll pay you to set me free. We can come to an arrangement.” Working on instinct, I slide my hand down his back and cup his buttock. I’ve never been used as a pleasure slave, but the movement is almost natural. My fingers linger. Stars, his body is nice to the touch.
His laugh is quick. “That we will. And I set the terms, little warrior.” He regrips me again and gives me another firm spank that goes straight to my feminine parts. “Don’t test me.”
I blink once, and the remnants of my headache disappear. My mind races. Once we reach the exit of the auction, I will attack him using my quick punch power, steal my medicine and whatever goods he has. Or even better—I’ll take his craft. I’ve never been trained to fly one, but I’ve had brain tweaks that make me learn ten times faster than most humans. He’s so strong, but I need to defeat him—it’s my only chance at freedom.
“Veck.” His voice is low and urgent. His body stiffens up. “They’re blocking the exit.”
“Bigger problem.” My eyes, quickly acclimated to the dark, have found a more urgent threat. “Behind us, fifty paces, closing fast. Two Ocretions with laser guns.” I do the math. “They’ll be on us in ten seconds. They have night vision headsets.”
My body fills with adrenaline. “Put me down—I’ve trained for this.”
His laugh is harsh. “You? A human slave, taught to fight?”
“Yes. But we don’t have time to discuss it.” I snap his words back at him. Early on, the Kraa put me through holo attack simulations to test out my reflexes. “We fight together, or we both die.”
For a painfully long moment, he hesitates. Then I’m on my feet, head spinning as blood rushes down to my limbs.
“Go,” he snaps. “Now.”
I don’t need encouragement. I crouch and leap, turning the side of my foot, so the heel bone smashes the nose of the closer Ocretion. I immediately repeat the move; this time, his facial flesh is already pulpy, and my foot comes away slick with blood. His scream of pain and fear soothes my ragged nerves, and he drops in the dark, a useless sack of flesh. The second one is easier to fell; his surprise makes him stand still and stare while I crack his trachea.
“Mine are down. I’m ready,” I whisper, my voice hoarse with adrenaline.
At my back, the purple warrior grunts. The clang of steel on metal tells me he’s unsheathed his wicked dagger from his waist and is fighting with a guard; the horrified squeals are a welcome notification that his attackers have been vanquished.
He breathes hard as I dart to his side. “Come.” He grabs my arm. “On my signal, we run.”
I don’t argue because equipment overhead groans and whines, and then the lights flicker. The power is back.
“Go!” He tugs me, and suddenly we’re racing, hand in hand towards the door. He’s fast—so swift, I can barely keep up, so I focus and summon my burst powers, my surplus energy stores that allow me to push my human body harder than any being should.
“Veck, you’re unbelievable,” he mutters—I think. I can barely hear through the roar of the crowd, and my heart pounding in my ears.
I fly, faster and faster—I’ve never moved like this. Stars! It feels good. Even in the middle of this panic, there’s something so intense and soul-satisfying to race on fleet feet with someone whose speed matches mine. For a second, I feel like the two of us are alone in the universe, our bodies working at their maximum capacity.
The fatigue hits me about thirty seconds later.
“Aiii,” I gasp, my muscles locking so hard and tight that I skin my feet on the hard earth as I tumble down. The pain is so intense that I see it blazing in front of me, white hot. My lungs are molten.
“Veck!” He stops and doubles back and scoops me up. “We’re almost there.”
I’m back over his shoulder now, head bouncing as he speeds to the tarmac. Our pursuers have multiplied; I count at least twelve beings bursting through the doors of the auction house.
“They have weapons,” I croak. “laser guns. Long range. Through the pain, I narrow my eyes and estimate the trajectory. “Move to your left on my count. Three, two—NOW.”
He jumps aside, and the beam of pure light crackles and sizzles past us, singing the hair on my arm as it heats the air with the power of a thousand bolts of lightning.
“Again, to your left. Now.” I grab his waist to stabilize myself.
This time, the ray hits a nearby craft, a transpo vehicle. The smell of burning metal hits my nose as acrid smoke puffs up. Cries of rage and fear ring out.
“We’re here.” He stops in front of a sleek modern craft, and within seconds, I’m on the starship floor in a graceless naked heap, and he’s seated at a high-tech control console. “Stay there and don’t veck this up. We can die any moment,” he snaps.