Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
“Ah…so much pain and fear and distrust!” the girl moaned softly and her eyes closed tight, as though she was fighting not to be overwhelmed. “Oh, Nate…I’m so sorry for all you went through! I’m so sorry I couldn’t get to you earlier!”
When she opened her eyes again, they were bright with tears. Seeing her distress tugged at something in Nate’s heart. He hated to see a woman upset or in tears—his natural urge was to comfort and protect her. But how could he trust that her tears were for real? How could he trust that any of this was for real?
“I can feel you struggling with doubt,” she said, looking down at him. “You wonder if you’re really here or if you’re back at the Father Ship, being tortured, don’t you?”
Nate stiffened—as much as he could anyway, since his body still wasn’t obeying any of his commands.
“How the fuck do you know about that? No wait—let me guess—the ‘Dream-sharing.’ Right?”
He said it sarcastically, but she only nodded.
“Yes. I’ve seen what they did to you—it’s one of the reasons I brought you here, to my home world of Careesa Prime. You need healing, Nate.” She looked at him earnestly. “I just want to help you—to heal you. But I can’t do that if you won’t trust me.”
“Why the fuck should I trust you?” he demanded. “What have you done but kidnap me and paralyze me and put me in a fucking lake where I can’t even fucking swim?”
“This is the Outermost pool—I brought you here to heal your outer wounds,” she said softly. “After I rescued you from being blown out the air lock at the Flesh Bazaar,” she added.
Nate frowned. He did remember the Flesh Bazaar—the huge auditorium bigger than a football stadium lined with pedestals where slaves were displayed. They had thawed him out several times there and tried to sell him—and every time he’d done his level best to kill the fuckers!
“I know what you’ve had to do to survive,” the purple girl said softly. “I’ve watched you, Nate—I’ve ached for your pain. But you’re safe now. No one will hurt you here. You have to try and let go of some of your paranoia and believe me. Trust me.”
Nate felt a growl of frustration rising in his throat.
“How do you expect me to do that? Why should I ever fucking trust you?”
“Because, until you can trust, you cannot begin to heal,” she said softly. “Watch…”
Looking up, she murmured something in a language he didn’t understand. At her call, a long, purple vine dropped down from the ceiling.
Nate wanted to flinch away from it instinctively—it acted too much like a fucking snake for comfort! But he couldn’t move—all he could do was watch as tightly furled buds along the vine’s length burst open and blossomed into large, softly glowing flowers.
The glow lit up the purple girl’s face—what had she said her name was? Lan’ara? Anyway, it lit her face with a dim, golden glow and made her eyes shine like stars.
“Feel me touching you,” she murmured softly, looking into Nate’s eyes. “Feel my hands supporting you—you can trust me not to drop you, Nate—not to let you drown. I only want to help you—I only want to heal you. Release your rage to me—let me take it for you.”
Nate looked up at her and felt something in his chest loosen…just a little bit. He had to admit, none of the images the Scourge had forced into his head were anything like this. They had all been of torture and war—horrible mental snapshots of his family being killed, his little sister being raped. Every single thing they’d showed him had been meant to make him angry and horrified and sad and afraid. There was nothing like this—floating in a calm lake with a beautiful girl speaking softly to him.
As he remembered the awful things the enemy had forced into his mind, Lan’ara closed her eyes again and a look of pain came over her beautiful face.
“So horrible!” she murmured. “Oh, Goddess, Nate—what you’ve endured!”
Nate stared at her, wonderingly. Was she really seeing what he had seen? Feeling what he felt, somehow? Was that even possible? And why did it feel like the mental and emotional burden he had been carrying for so long, like a mountain of heavy bricks, was lighter now? Only lighter by a few bricks, but still…lighter.
“How…how can I trust you?” he asked again. “Trust that you’re real, I mean?” This time his voice came out hoarse instead of defiant.
Lan’ara opened her eyes and looked down at him. He thought she looked weary now—as though she’d lifted some heavy weight. For the first time he noticed she had slightly raised, circular ridges at her temples. They were a lighter color than the rest of her skin and they were glowing a faint pink.