Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
He wondered if he ought to have offered to help her in the gym back on the Mother Ship—though he found her curvy figure extremely attractive, a strong core was important. Maybe when they got back, they could train together and he could show her some pertinent exercises. This would also give him an excuse to touch her more, which he would find extremely agreeable.
In the meantime, however, he kept a hand under her arm and they navigated safely to the long, low dining table. When they sat on it, the mat was indeed most comfortable.
Lendrex was seated at the end of the table and he had Nox sit at his right hand side. Nox had thought that the leader of the Halls of Pain, as they apparently called the Upper Disk, would want to speak to him. But the females were placed between them with Lovely cuddled against Lendrex’s right side and Seline sitting on Nox’s left.
“Are you all right?” Nox murmured to Seline, who was looking around with curious eyes. “I am sorry if I hurt you earlier, when I forced you to kneel.”
Her eyes widened for a moment and he caught another hint of her scent—hotter and more needy than usual. But her voice was steady when she answered.
“No, no—you did what you had to do,” she said in a low voice. “I told you I’d follow your lead, right?”
“Yes, but in a place like this, you can’t be sure where that might take us,” Nox pointed out.
“It doesn’t matter.” She shook her head. “No matter what you have to do, just do it, all right? I mean, we’re trapped here. We have to do anything we can to get home.”
Nox frowned.
“But what if they demand that I ‘punish’ you?”
She nibbled her lower lip and shifted as though she was trying to get more comfortable on the thick tull’ka mat.
“Well then…you’ll just have to do it,” she said at last, looking up at him. “I mean it, Nox—don’t hold back. Do what you have to do.”
“But what if—” Nox began.
Just then the gooooonnnnngggg sound rang out again—this time so loud as to be almost deafening—and all the guests stopped talking and arranged themselves around the table.
It appeared that the Banquet had begun.
SIXTEEN
SELINE
“I like your Master,” the girl with pale, color-changing skin sitting beside Seline whispered to her. “He’s very big and handsome—and he has hair.” She glanced carefully at Master Lendrex who was sitting beside her at the head of the table. He didn’t seem to be looking at her so she whispered to Seline, “I love how muscular the Viridians are, but none of them have any hair—just those damn metallic scales, you know?”
“I see that,” Seline murmured back. “Er…how does their skin feel?” she asked curiously. “I mean, is it hard like metal?”
“Hard and cold,” the girl confided. As she spoke, her pale skin turned the blue gray of a cloudy winter morning. “I’m Lovely, by the way,” she added. “And what does your Master call you?”
“Oh, I’m Seline,” Seline told her. “It’s, uh, nice to meet you. Have you lived here long—in the Upper Disk, I mean?” she asked, trying to make conversation.
“Oh, ages—three standards at least,” the girl said, rolling her eyes—which happened to be a beautiful clear shade of turquoise like tropical water. She also had a long waterfall of pale turquoise hair and a full, curvy figure which was barely covered by a blue fur bikini. Seline thought she definitely lived up to her name.
“And have you always, er, belonged to Master Lendrex? Since you got here, I mean?” Seline asked her.
“Yes—I came here with a trader and the minute the Master saw me, he decided he just had to have me,” Lovely said. She giggled. “I seem to have that effect on men. Why, do you know what Master Lendrex did when the trader I was with wouldn’t sell me?”
“No—what?” Seline asked, getting an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“Why, he had him sent to the gene stripping tanks down in the deepest part of the Tangle!” Lovely’s eyes widened as she told the tale. “You can’t say ‘no’ to Master Lendrex. Or you can, but if you do, you’ll be sorry by and by,” she confided to Seline.
“I…see.” Seline nodded. “That’s…so interesting.”
“It took me some time to get used to living here,” Lovely—who apparently liked to talk—went on. “Between the Needing and the Ripening and the Harvesting and the Breeding and of course all the punishments…”
“The which and the what and what?” Seline felt like her head was spinning—what was Lovely talking about?
“Oh, you’ll see if you spend much time here,” Lovely said airily. “Just be sure you follow the rules and you’ll be fine.”
“But…what are the rules?” Seline asked desperately. “I just got here—I don’t know any of them.”