Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 130317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
He knew she thought he was being high-handed but he couldn’t help it—he had such a bad fucking feeling about that damned drink! It might seem irrational, but every instinct he had was shouting at him that it was bad for her—fucking horrible—and he was worried that drinking too much of it might harm her in some way.
It wasn’t like he thought the stuff would give her cancer or anything…more like it might be laced with some kind of mind-control drug. Or maybe it would change her body in some way. Sev didn’t know—he only knew that there was something wrong with the mixture that came from the brass tube in the food prep area and he didn’t want his partner drinking any more of it.
But for some reason, Mia wouldn’t listen to him—though she’d always been respectful of his opinion before, just as he was respectful of hers. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she understand that he wasn’t trying to be an asshole—he was trying to save her from whatever bad effects that fucking Nutrient Crème drink might have on her?
If we were back on my home world, I’d put her over my knee! he found himself thinking. I’d tan her luscious little ass until she couldn’t sit down for a week! That would make her think twice about disobeying me!
Wait—what was he thinking? Sev stopped in the middle of the living area, stunned at the turn his thoughts had taken. Had he actually been thinking of striking his partner? Of treating Mia like a naughty brat who needed to be punished for her own good instead of an equal whose opinions he trusted and respected?
Sev shook his head. What was wrong with him? He’d left his home world to get away from such things. He worked hard to put those urges behind him—to keep them locked behind the door of his past. He—
The knocking on the front door came again, interrupting his guilty thoughts. Right—the door—Brother Jonash.
Sev ran a hand over his horns. He would have to deal with this later. For now, he had to deal with the male who called himself their “Spiritual Advisor.”
He just hoped Brother Jonash would be less irritating and abrasive than he had been the day before. After having a fight with his partner, Sev didn’t know how much more irritation he could take today.
SIXTEEN
MIA
Mia heard the front door open and Brother Jonash’s slightly nasal voice before he and Sev walked into the kitchen, where she was still sitting in front of her mostly full plate.
“Ah—here you are, Sister Mia.” Brother Jonash clasped his hands together and nodded at her. Then his eyes wandered to her plate and he frowned. “Why is she eating all that food?” he demanded, turning to Sev, who still had a scowl on his face. “How did she get it? I programmed her tube for the self-control setting.”
“You mean the starvation setting?” Mia demanded, forgetting that she’d promised to be “good” today. “Tell me, Brother Jonash, how am I supposed to live on six blue Brussel sprouts and a single ham cube?”
The look of disapproval on Brother Jonash’s face deepened.
“You know, I was willing to put up with some impropriety from you yesterday, Sister Mia—seeing that the two of you are new to our Dome and the principles of the PPP. But today is your Induction Ceremony and I must warn you—after you are officially entered into the PPP, there will be consequences for such behavior!”
“Mia has a point though,” Sev said, surprising Mia by taking her side, even though he was mad at her. “She can’t live on such small portions.” He frowned. “Or do you set all the females’ food rations so low to make certain they’ll drink plenty of your fucking Nutrient Crème?”
“Brother Severith, please! Your language!” Brother Jonash looked shocked at hearing the F word. “I would think that you’d be happy I set your wife’s portions to self control mode,” he added, frowning reproachfully at Sev. “Wouldn’t you like her to be thinner? It’s so much more attractive when a female is at or even a little below her optimal weight.”
Mia was burning to give him a piece of her mind but before she could open her mouth, Sev was speaking.
“Your idea of ‘attractive’ is a hell of a lot different than mine,” he growled at Brother Jonash. “You see, we Kindred like our women curvy. Mia is an Elite—a female the Goddess has blessed with extra bountiful curves. She’s fucking beautiful and I have no intention of turning her into some skinny, underweight bag of bones! I want her just the way she is so back the fuck off.”
“Well!” Brother Jonash looked taken aback, as though he wasn’t sure what to say.
Mia felt the same way, actually. She was surprised—and also gratified—to hear her partner defend her so ferociously. Mentally, she forgave him for the foolishness with the morning smoothie. Any man who would argue for her right to be curvy deserved a pass once in a while, as far as she was concerned.