Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81280 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81280 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“You did not make friends with her, I’m afraid. I know it felt like it, but that woman is a ruthless space pirate prepared to risk her life for a few rare elements. She’s not a friend. And there’s no guarantee she’ll let those women go.”
My jaw drops as I consider that his points are extremely valid. I trusted her, because I am a girl’s girl, but you never really know what the truth is when people are negotiating for their lives. “Oh, my god. There’s not! I need to get back on the mic with her.”
“No, you don’t. We are nowhere near that scene anymore.”
“We’re not? Why don’t I feel the ship move when it zips lightyears at a time, but when we were in that fight just before, everyone was getting tossed around like rocks in a bottle?”
“The ship has gravity fields, but they don’t activate with short, sharp movements. They’re designed to ameliorate bigger, longer motions. It’s like you won’t feel a lot of movement in a car speeding in a straight line, but one taking sharp turns over rough ground, even at lower speeds, feels harsher.”
“You know about cars?”
“I know about so many things,” Sharp says. “We’re done with this. We’re staying out of work territory until you are under control.”
“I don’t think I am ever going to be under control,” I sigh.
“I can believe that,” he says. “But we will try nonetheless. Stay out of Kronos’ way.”
CHAPTER 6
Staying out of his way seems like a really good idea. Seems like the only thing to do. I stick around Boss and Sharp almost exclusively for a day or two, but after a while, I find myself drawn back to him.
Maybe it’s because I’m stupid, or maybe it’s because I feel uncomfortable at the idea of a massive alien just lurking around the ship being angry at me. That makes me more nervous than just confronting him directly.
I pace back and forth in front of his door for what feels like an eternity before getting up the courage to go in.
“Kronos!” I shout his name and walk into his room. I guess I’m trying to project a strong front?
“What?” He looks up at me from a book he was reading.
“Are you mad at me?”
He looks at me, and for a moment there is so much fury in his eyes I think he might tear me apart. Then he bites it back, or fights it down, or whatever it is an alien like him does in order to not rip me to pieces.
“There is no point in being angry with you,” he says. “You have always been uncontrollable. That’s why we lost you the first time, and it’s why we’ll lose you again.”
I frown slightly at that.
“You got to evaporate people the other day. Doesn’t that make you feel better?”
“No. Knowing that I have you safe, knowing that you’re not an amnesiac time bomb waiting to go off, and being able to complete simple missions without you interfering would make me feel better.”
“So you’re giving up?”
That should make me feel good. If I can talk them into letting me go because I’m so annoying, that’s kind of the best escape. It means they won’t come after me again. It means I’ve won?
Winning should feel better than this sick sense of sadness and guilt.
“Are you going to…”
“I will deal with you,” he growls. “Later, when I am less angry.”
I nod and walk away. I guess that went pretty well. I shouldn’t really care what he thinks about me. He’s my captor. I’m his captive. I’m not really here to please him. I’m here to escape.
So why do I have this feeling of guilt and angst around disappointing him? Seems kind of mad really. I need to get my head straight. No matter what happened in the past, I have to live with the future. I have to decide if I like these aliens or not. Maybe I just have to admit to myself that I do like them, and they all clearly seem to like me. Even Kronos.
Later that evening, the worst thing that has happened yet, happens. I have been spanked, fucked, zapped into instant orgasm over and over, but I was not prepared for my three mates to sit me down for an earnest conversation.
“There’s tension,” Sharp says. “And I want to address it. We worked long and hard to find our pet again, but we cannot go on like this. We cannot keep her against her will, and we can’t function with constant rebellion. For this to work, we have to all decide we are in agreement as to our roles.” He looks at me quite seriously. “We can punish you from time to time, pet. But we cannot constantly watch you, unless you want to live your life in a cage.”