Did he even know I’d been taken yet?
Hopefully I wouldn’t have to wait for my “sale.” I wanted to do some killing ASAP.
“Don’t be scared,” the blonde said, her tone gentle. “Has anyone told you why you’re here?”
“We’re being sold to other-worlders as slaves,” Embittered informed me. She was the only redhead.
“Other-worlders?” I forced myself to gasp—forced myself not to scoot closer in anticipation of her answer. “On other planets?”
The timid one gulped and nodded.
I clasped my throat, as if in fear. “How?”
“It’s not painful,” she rushed to assure me. “They’ll strap a collar around your neck that somehow produces a wind. One minute you’ll be on Earth, and the next you won’t, but it doesn’t hurt. I promise.”
A necklace…God, a necklace! Excitement rushed through me, more potent than before, and oh, so exhilarating. Romeo had strapped on a necklace before heading for the clearing. It all made sense now. According to Colin, for any type of interworld travel to be possible, a magnetic strip had to be held close to the body. What better way to hide a magnet close to the body than jewelry?
“Do you still have the necklace?” I asked.
“No.” She shook her head, dancing pale tendrils of hair around her shoulders. “Why?”
The metal door ground open, and a man stalked inside our cell, saving me from a response. The women immediately hunched toward the wall, cowering. Even the redhead, who had showed the most spirit, backed away in fear. I hadn’t seen this man before. He had dark hair, a plain face. He was tall, well muscled, and radiated a menacing air. I arched a regal brow.
He tossed a blanket at me. “Don’t get sick,” he commanded, “or I’ll make you sorry you were ever born.”
“Believe me, the smell of your breath is already making me sorry I was born.”
Several feminine gasps filled my ears.
His green eyes narrowed. “Better watch how you talk to me, girl. I can make your stay here seem like a trip into hell.” He smiled smugly. “Just ask the others.”
“Oh yeah?” I didn’t like how fearful the women were of him. It made me think he’d done bad things to them, horrible things. It made me want to hurt him. “Well, I can chop off your balls and feed them to you. What do you think of that?”
Growling low in his throat, he moved toward me. Only three steps in, he remembered his boss’s orders not to harm me and stopped. He stood in place, fists clenching, emerald eyes sparking with the need to teach me a lesson. To subdue and overpower me. Finally he stormed out of the cell, slamming the door shut behind him.
The women stared at me in silence for a long while.
The blonde finally gasped out, “He could have killed you. Raped you. Beaten you. He…likes that,” she admitted, a shameful edge to the words. Color brightened her cheeks, so vivid she appeared feverish.
“Yes,” I said with a nod, “he could have done all of those things, but he would not have emerged unscathed.” I wanted so badly to help them and take away their pain. I couldn’t. Not yet. So I did for them what I could. I tried to teach them what to do if the bastard ever came near them again. “Never let a man see you cower. If he knows he’s stronger than you, he’ll always attack. It’s male nature. Fight them. With words, with your fists. Slam your palm into his nose. Poke his eyes. Don’t be afraid to hurt him. He isn’t afraid to hurt you.”
“But…but…”
“You may lose,” I said, “but I swear to you he’ll always think twice before he comes after you again.”
“Unless he kills you,” the redhead added. She sounded wistful.
Whatever was required, I was getting these women out of here.
Chapter 21
I didn’t have a long wait until my summons.
Within an hour, two men entered the cell to get me. Expensive Cologne and Smashed Balls. How lovely. A reunion.
“Time to go, sweetheart,” Cologne said. Curiously eager, he unchained me and tried to help me to my feet.
I slapped his hand away and stood on my own.
He frowned when he spied the puffy red scuff marks on my wrists and ankles.
“You should have told me you have such delicate skin,” he scolded.
“When should I have told you? Before you abducted me? While I was sleeping?” Idiot.
“There’s going to be trouble for this,” he muttered.
“Too bad for you.”
Frowning, he shook his head. “I liked you better when you were asleep.”
“Well, I never liked you.” He might be the kindest of all of the guards, but that didn’t make him any less of a slaver.
He sighed and waved me over. “Come on.”
“Why?” I remained where I was. “Where are you taking me?”
“Shut your mouth!” Smashed Balls shouted. “You don’t ask questions. You just follow orders.”
Still I remained stubbornly in place.
“We need to get you cleaned up.” Cologne motioned with his fingers again. “Come.”
“They’re taking you to the bathroom to give you a shower,” the blonde whispered.
“They like to watch,” the redhead added defiantly, her voice loud and echoing.
Balls stomped a menacing step toward her, his intent to slap her evident by the raising of his palm. Eyes narrowed, I jumped in front of him. His arm stilled.
“I’m ready.” I straightened my shoulders. “Lead the way.”
He flicked the redhead a you’ll-pay glare and spun on his heel. I followed him out of the cell, and Cologne took up the rear. They were so confident in their abilities and strengths that they didn’t blindfold me or even try to hide their identities. Idiots, I thought again.
Though I remained on alert, I cast my gaze over my surroundings. Without a doubt, we were underground. Water dripped from the ceiling and dirt lined the floors. The only light sprang from thin bulbs that hung from equally thin wires.
My mind raced with strategies. They planned to watch me shower; I planned to thwart them. But how? They could overpower me by sheer numbers. They could even stun me with a pyre-gun, then clean, molest, or rape me without my being able to protest. That raised the question of why hadn’t they stunned me already. Why hadn’t they stunned me to bring me here?
Time, I realized in the next instant. A stun lasted twenty-four hours. They must need my cooperation for…what? My hands clenched at my sides, but I never slowed my step. I lifted my chin, remaining alert as we entered the foyer of the home. Cologne and Smashed Balls stopped to chat with the three men cleaning and vacuuming, preparing the room for…a visitor? For Lucius?
Would he arrive soon to purchase me? My knees almost buckled in relief with the possibility. EenLi would be here, too. Having watched him for weeks, I knew he oversaw all transactions personally. This could all be over in a matter of hours. The possibility was so wonderful that it seemed too good to be true. Surreal, even.
Amid the men’s chatter about what the women in the cell needed, I finished my study of the room. There was a spacious living area off to the side, complete with couch, a large holoscreen, and several plush velvet chairs. Empty beer bottles littered a rectangular coffee table. Though there were no windows, lace curtains draped a section of the wall, giving the illusion of glass.
Very domestic and cozy.
Strong male hands gently pushed me forward. “Walk,” Cologne said, his conversation with the others finished.
I followed Balls down the hall. Plain, dingy yellow walls closed in around me. They were devoid of any decoration, probably so that the slaves wouldn’t have access to a makeshift weapon. There were four doors at the end of the hallway. One of them led into a small, cramped bathroom, which was the room we entered. It had brown plaster walls, a splintered floor. An enzyme spray hose slithered from the far wall, and a toilet pushed against the side.