Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 47749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
“I…was trying to lead your Beast to your ship,” Breenah said, cutting into his litany of self-loathing. “I was…was thinking that maybe I could…could somehow lock you inside until the Equinox was over.” She looked up at the sky. “And now it’s over,” she whispered.
Rax glanced up as well. Sure enough, the three moons had all set and were no longer casting their maddening light down upon him. Only brilliant starlight lit the field they were in.
Thank the Goddess for small favors, he thought grimly. But then what Breenah had said sank in.
“Wait—you said my ship is out here somewhere?”
Weakly, she nodded.
“This is the North field. It’s supposed to be here somewhere.”
“Come on, little girl.” Rax lifted her and began walking, scanning the dark field with his excellent night vision.
Her eyes widened.
“Where…where are you taking me?”
“Back to the Kindred Mother Ship where you can get some decent medical attention,” Rax said shortly.
Breenah struggled weakly in his arms.
“But…but the Compound is my home!”
“Not anymore, little girl. Or at least, not for now,” Rax said sternly. “Not going to leave you in a place where they want to cut off your breasts and neuter your sex drive.” Not that she’d probably be interested in sex ever again after what his Beast had done to her, he thought grimly.
“I…I think Mistress Work-worthy and Mistress Heal-all were…were trampled along with the rest of the Superior Council,” Breenah murmured. But she stopped struggling in his arms and seemed content to be carried.
Finally, he spotted his ship, gleaming silver in the starlight. When he got closer, he saw with relief that the Smart Metal had healed itself, just as he had hoped.
The ship recognized his DNA and opened at the touch of his hand. Rax carried Breenah—who was still in and out of consciousness—inside and laid her carefully on the sleeping platform at the very back of the long-range shuttle.
She was a pitiful sight—naked except for the top of her uniform, which didn’t cover much more than her arms and shoulders, and sticky from his seed from her waist down. The pearly white cream—a testament to his savage use of her—stained her smooth brown skin like a sign of guilt.
The sight made Rax wince with self-loathing. Gods, he’d really filled her, hadn’t he? His Beast had done his best to breed her all right—to plant a baby in her womb. If they’d been bonded, she would be pregnant for sure right now. But thank the Goddess that was impossible—so at least she wouldn’t have to have the shame of his child stretching her belly.
He got a warm, wet cloth and cleaned her up as best he could. Then he put one of his own spare uniform shirts on her, covered her with a warming blanket, and made sure she was safely tucked in.
Once Breenah was resting peacefully, he took a quick shower and changed into a fresh uniform. He looked presentable when he looked in the 3-D but he knew it was just a façade. Inside, he felt like the scum of the Universe.
“Which is what you are,” he muttered to his reflection. “And now it’s time to go and ‘face the music’ as the humans say.”
He couldn’t put it off any longer—there was nothing to do but head for home.
He thought about calling the Mother Ship to fold space for him, but there was actually a stable wormhole in this part of the galaxy that led almost right back to where it was. That would be the better way to go, Rax thought. It took a huge amount of energy to fold space and he didn’t want to ask the Mother Ship to expend that kind of force if it wasn’t necessary.
Plus it will take a little longer to get home by wormhole, which means you can put off your shame for a while, whispered a judgmental little voice in his head. Not that you can evade it forever…
True enough, but Rax just couldn’t make himself call the Mother Ship yet. He steered his ship into the swirling blue vortex of the wormhole and took the long way home.
NINETEEN
SYLVAN
“Commander Sylvan, there’s a call for you.”
Sylvan, the head of the Kindred High Council, looked up when he heard the announcement coming from his private viewscreen, mounted on the wall to one side of his desk. He was in his office and he’d been going over the reports for the various Med Centers aboard the Mother Ship with his sister-in-law, Olivia.
The two of them were both doctors, though Sylvan’s administrative duties meant he didn’t get to practice as often as he would have liked. He truly enjoyed this time, immersing himself in the medical side of the huge ship he was responsible for running, and so he was inclined to pass the call off to an underling.
Olivia, who was sitting across from his desk, shook her head, her blonde hair swirling around her shoulders.