Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 119846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
“It’s Cookie. Get your ass up and get dressed!” barked a deep voice through the door.
Noelle let out a shaky breath, slumping slightly in relief.
At least it’s not Thune.
She didn’t know what the Trollox would do if he found the three of them curled up like this, but she was fairly certain it wouldn’t be good.
“Shhh,” she whispered, already smoothing down her nightgown and tugging the covers up to conceal the presence of the two massive Kindred warriors in her bed. “Let me handle this.”
But Burn and Bright weren’t about to let her go to the door alone. As soon as her feet touched the cold floor, they were there—flanking her like silent shadows, towering over her, protective and tense.
She cracked the door and peered out into the hallway. Standing just outside was Cookie, the alien chef, with all four meaty arms crossed over his broad, stained apron.
“What do you want?” she asked, trying to sound braver than she felt as she stared up at the enormous cook.
“For you and your two little friends to get your lazy asses up and get some breakfast,” Cookie snapped. “I’ve also got your uniforms and your work assignments—as if cooking for you wasn’t enough of a chore!”
“What work assignments?” Bright demanded, already reaching over Noelle’s shoulder to push the door wider.
“And watch how you talk to our woman,” Burn growled.
Cookie’s beady eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then narrowed.
“You’d better watch yourselves—old Thune doesn’t like his ‘piggy-wigs’ breeding without his say-so. Here.” He shoved a double armful of clothing at them with all four hands. “Put these on and come eat before your breakfast gets cold.”
With that, he turned on his heel and lumbered back down the hallway, muttering under his breath about “breeding on their own,” whatever that meant.
“What the fuck was he talking about?” Burn asked, his eyes narrowing as he helped Noelle gather up the pile of dumped clothing from the hallway floor.
“Hell if I know,” Bright muttered. “Thune did call us ‘breeders’ earlier—you don’t think he bought us to breed more humanoid children for him, do you?”
“Oh my God, I hope not!” Noelle exclaimed, clutching the bundle of fabric to her chest. “I mean, I used to want children when I was younger, but I’m too old for that now.”
“You don’t look too old—not that you ever did.” Burn’s dark eyes scanned her with something dangerously close to heat. “But I think since that treatment you had with the Skow, you look younger than us.”
“It doesn’t make sense, though,” Bright said, brows furrowed as he sorted through the pile of clothes. “If he really wanted us to get Noelle pregnant—which we can’t, since we’re not bonded, and Twin Kindred can’t impregnate a woman without their twin—he would be keeping her for months and months. And according to Cookie, he gets rid of his ‘breeders’ after only a week or two.”
“So breeding can’t be the reason he bought us?” Noelle asked, feeling a flicker of relief.
“I don’t think so,” Bright said slowly. “But I still don’t know why he’d want us.”
“Fuck it,” Burn growled. “We’ll just have to do our best to find the key to his shuttle while we’re doing whatever it is we’re supposed to be doing today. If we can get the key, I can fly us out of here.”
“Agreed,” Bright said, nodding. “For now, I guess we’d better get dressed.”
Noelle frowned down at the frilly black garment she’d been handed.
“What’s this?” she asked, holding up the short dress. It looked like something a maid in a bad porno might wear—short hem, puffed sleeves, and white lace edging at the neck and hem. A brownish stain marred the trim at the chest, dried and crusty.
“Looks like whoever wore that last spilled something on it,” Bright remarked with a wince. “Sorry, sweetheart—that’s the only thing Cookie brought for you to wear.”
“Ugh.” Noelle made a face. “I guess I’ll have to wear it.” She pulled the dress on, grimacing at the brownish stain.
Hot chocolate? she wondered.
But somehow she doubted the Trollox kept cocoa mix stocked in the pantry.
At least her breasts weren’t leaking anymore. She’d worried the problem might return during the night, but though her nipples and pussy were still a little sore, the painful fullness from before had abated.
Thank the Blessed Virgin…
Her cheeks flushed at the memory of Burn and Bright “helping” her the night before. She’d been absolutely shameless… and yet she wasn’t sorry.
They made their way to the cavernous kitchen and climbed up into their chairs. Noelle sat in a booster seat, as before.
Breakfast was waiting on silver trays, she saw—it looked like more mystery hash but this batch was somehow worse than yesterday’s.
Chunks of what looked like orange squash were mixed with hard purple pellets that crunched like candy but tasted like soap. Long white noodles, rubbery and bland, wiggled in the mix like worms. Some of the vegetable chunks were undercooked and others so overcooked they collapsed into gray mush. A square of something vaguely meat-like sat off to the side—charred on one end, raw on the other, smelling faintly of vinegar and old shoes.