Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 598(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 598(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
“Of course, of course!” Charnoth’s wormy face lit up with the mention of extra money. “We would be most happy to fulfill your requests, Overlord.”
“Good,” I said. “Then keep an eye on her and be certain no one else tries to buy her.”
“She will be removed from the AMI,” the Commercian promised. “Now as to the price…”
“I’ll pay whatever price you name, but I cannot stay long. I must get back to my home world,” I said harshly.
The truth was, I couldn’t bear to be there with little one, knowing I could never hold her again—knowing that our love was now against the law.
Of course, I could have signed a one-year contract with her, as I would have with a female of my own kind, but I didn’t want that. I didn’t want just a year—I wanted forever. And there was no possibility of that now that she was no longer my pet.
Bitterly I wished I hadn’t promised not to breed her. If I had gotten her pregnant with my child, we might have stayed together, even though we would no longer be allowed to act as Master and pet. But I had given her my word and I would not break it now, no matter how badly I was tempted to.
Behind me, I could feel my candalla swishing back and forth in agitation. He did not like the idea of leaving little one any more than I did. Even now I felt him wanting me to breed her—urging me to keep her with me no matter what the consequences and cost.
If I had not been Overlord of an entire continent, I might well have listened to him. I might have taken little one away to another planet and lived with her there as Master and pet, in the relationship both of us had grown to love.
But I couldn’t do that—I had responsibilities to attend to. Captain Tau’rex had told me that in the time I had been gone, the tensions between the Northern and Southern Continents had grown much worse. I had to be on my home planet to help settle my people and hopefully avoid any kind of civil war. I couldn’t abandon my post, no matter how much I loved the little human I was leaving behind. It simply wasn’t in me to do so.
And so I turned my face and tried not to see the tears rolling down little one’s flushed cheeks. She was obviously hurting but I knew I couldn’t comfort her—if I took her in my arms, even once—I would not be able to let her go again.
“I must go,” I said abruptly to Charnoth. “Send the bill to my home world—you have my coordinates. And be certain that little one…that Elli gets home safely. Put her back exactly where you found her.”
“Yes, Overlord.” Charnoth bobbed his wormy blue head in abject agreement. “Yes, it shall be done—I give my word.”
“Good.” I turned to go back down the connecting tunnel that led back to my own ship when I heard little one call my name.
“Sir,” she whispered and her voice was filled with tears. “Sir, don’t do this. Don’t leave me. I love you!”
Her words tore at my heart and I knew that if I turned around I would go to her. So I didn’t turn around.
“I love you too, little one,” I said, and then kept walking, leaving her behind even though it felt like I had left my primary heart beating on the floor at her feet.
I was certain I would never see her again.
FIFTY-FOUR
ELLI
The next two weeks were the shittiest I could ever remember. They started with the absolute joy of being transported naked right back to my Great Aunt Maizy’s bathroom.
Of course, the clothes that I had left behind when the Commercians first abducted me had been taken away by that time. So I had to try to explain to my Aunt why I was wandering around her house butt-naked and how and why I had disappeared in the first place, more than two months ago.
I made up a story about being abducted by a masked man through the bathroom window, but I could tell she didn’t believe me.
“I don’t think you would fit through that window, Eliza!” she said, staring at me severely. “You’re much too plump for that! Though I’m at a loss to know what else might have happened to you!”
My mom and sister were extremely glad to see me, of course—that was nice. They were more inclined to believe the kidnapping story. I embellished it a bit and said the kidnappers thought I would be worth a lot in ransom since I was always at Aunt Maizy’s big, expensive house. Then, when they found out I wasn’t worth anything, they decided to let me go.
Of course, I couldn’t tell them the real truth—that I had been abducted by aliens and, for a brief time, had been an Alien Overlord’s pet. Who would believe me? Even my loved ones would have thought I was crazy and would probably have tried to have me committed.