Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 91631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
"And she named you Mina after this Mina Harker?"
Mina nods. "It's supposed to be short for Aramina or Wilhelmina or something, but my birth certificate is Mina only. Just Mina. Anyhow, the movie has a sad ending. The monster is killed and you never really know if Mina loves him back or if she's just brainwashed by him. She goes on and marries someone else and that's the end of the story."
I frown. "I do not like that story much."
She strokes my mane back from my face. "Neither did my mother. I mean, she loved it, but she absolutely wanted Mina to end up with the monster."
I could see that. I feel the same. But…I'm not surprised. "No one ever falls for the monster."
Her hands pause. Then she goes back to stroking my hair. "It's just a stupid story."
I don't sleep at night if I can help it.
Each night, Mina eventually drifts off and I hold her close, tucking her against me to share my warmth and ignoring the iron bar of my cock pressed between us. I stay awake for as long as I can, watching her breathe, watching her sleep, drinking in her scent and gently touching her skin. Nothing intrusive. Just…I've never had someone to touch before. Not in a pleasurable way. My memories of touches are filled with being held down in the medical bay, or the rough treatment of the clones.
Never gentle. Never pleasurable.
Perhaps that's why I'm so addicted to Mina. She's all the softness I've been denied.
I end up sleeping a little here and there. Mina worries about how tired I am most nights. "I know they're working you hard, but I'm worried," she says one night, touching my mane in that gentle way of hers. "Should we talk to the scientist?"
"No. Absolutely not." I grab her hand, and she jerks back with a hiss. I've scratched her with my re-growing claws. They've stopped shearing them, and Mina's soft skin immediately blooms with a line of red. Hot shame courses through me and I sit up. "I hurt you."
"It's just a scratch." She quickly licks the back of her hand to make the blood go away. "Don't worry about it. You didn't mean to."
"I…apologies." I look around the room, hating myself. "I should sleep on the floor."
"Stop it, Crulden." She licks her hand again when more blood wells up. "It was an accident. It's no big deal."
But it's a big deal to me. I don't like that I can hurt her, even when I don't mean to. She pats her thigh, indicating I should lie back down again. I do, because I cannot resist her, and she puts her injured hand on my chest, determined to ignore it.
"Where were we? Right. You and your lack of sleep. You really do need your rest, Crulden. I can't imagine trying to keep up with what they put you through and you not getting enough sleep." She purses her lips, thinking, and those heavy brows of hers draw together.
The scratch on her hand is still welling up with a small line of blood. Automatically, I pick up her hand and lick the back of it, like she did.
Mina freezes.
I do, too. That hot, musky scent floods the room, and it only confuses me more, because my cock responds.
"Don't do that," Mina says softly, pulling her hand from my grasp.
"Apologies." I am messing up all over the place tonight.
19
MINA
Even after being with Crulden for two weeks, the sex dreams still show up, hot and heavy, every night. It makes me feel…strange. I don't know what to think. I'm fond of Crulden and being in the cell with him and in his presence constantly has shown me that he's very different than I initially thought. Yes, he's brutal in the arena and the training pit. He's ruthless with the a'ani guards, too. He attacked one for standing too close to me. His misbehavior activated my collar and I choked for the longest minute ever while they got him in line.
Crulden was full of apologies and remorse after that, so I can't be mad at him. He's being trained to attack. He's protective of me. The two things are bound to collide. With me, though, he's the most gentle, caring friend I've ever had. He looks out for me. He listens to everything I have to say with great attentiveness, as if I'm dropping pearls of wisdom all over the place. He lets me snuggle against him while we sleep, and he never, ever tries to touch me inappropriately.
Which is why I'm the weirdo.
The sex dreams turn me on. It's always Crulden in the dreams, always him fucking the hell out of me while I scream and cry with pleasure, and I wake up all hot and bothered and thinking about how he'd licked the back of my hand. How his tongue had felt against my skin. My head must be fucked, because this is not supposed to be sexy for me. I know we have no privacy. I know it would make the scientist and Lord Sir both jump for joy if Crulden started fucking me, which is reason enough to not do it.