Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 598(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 598(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
As I was looking longingly at the meat on the stick stall, I happened to notice something else going on behind it, near the mouth of one of the far tunnels. There was a group of girls gathered around and most of them seemed to be waving their hands in the air.
Or maybe, I thought as I looked more closely, they were waving their wrists. Because they all had on gloves and long sleeves but they had pulled the sleeves up to show their long, white arms. They were dressed all alike—all of them wearing ragged furs that had been dyed a vivid shade of poison green Was it some kind of cult? I edged a little closer, trying to figure out what they were doing.
As I watched, a Naggian man approached the mouth of the tunnel where the girls in green had stationed themselves. Immediately, several of the girls came up to him, waving their wrists in his face.
“You want a bite, Mister?” one of the girls asked boldly. “Fresh, luscious blue blood—my prices are the best you’ll find!”
“No, no…” The man waved her off uneasily. “I have a wife—I’m happily mated. I don’t need to drink from another fount.”
“Bet your wife won’t give you what I can,” the girl purred. Pulling back her curtain of long, black hair she bared her snow-white throat for him. “I’ll let you drink from my neck—and you can breed me while you do it.”
The Naggian man’s face went red but he didn’t try to chase the girl off. Instead he muttered,
“How much?”
“How much for a fuck and suck? Well, why don’t we take a little walk to my burrow and we can talk about the price?” the girl purred. Hooking her arm through his, she led him into the mouth of the tunnel and they disappeared into the gloom inside.
“Are you watching the Blood Whores, little one?” Sir rumbled, surprising me.
“Is that what they are?” I looked up at him and then back to the group of girls dressed in green furs with interest.
“I believe so.” He nodded. “They are women who live on the edges of Naggian society selling the only thing they have to offer—their blood.”
“As well as other things,” I murmured.
Just then there was a muted ding and Sir took my hand.
“Come—our lift is here. We must hurry if we’re going to be on time for the feast the Baron has prepared for us.”
“All right.” I nodded and followed him to the lift, which also appeared to be made of ice. I wondered that it didn’t melt and then thought it was probably because while it was slightly warmer inside the building than it had been outside in the howling wind, it was still plenty cold enough to keep anything made of ice frozen rock solid. I could see my breath coming out in a cloud in front of my face every time I exhaled.
As we were stepping into the lift, I turned for one last look at the “Blood Whores” as Sir had called them. I felt sorry for them—what an awful life, selling your blood and your body because there was no other way to scrape up enough money to live!
And then, just as the door was closing, I saw her. Standing there at the back of the group of girls in green was an Earth girl!
Once my eyes fastened on her, I couldn’t understand how I’d missed her before. Yes, she was wearing ratty green furs like the rest of them, but her skin wasn’t pale white—it was a warm, lovely brown. And her hair was curly rather than being long and straight. She was clearly as human as me—what was she doing here?
Just as I was watching her, the girl looked up and her eyes met mine. I saw her eyes widen as she took me in and realized about me what I had realized about her—that we were both human! My heart jumped in my chest and, without thinking, I started to get out of the elevator and run to meet her.
But then a big hand clamped onto my shoulder and pulled me back inside just as the doors closed.
“Wait, little one—what do you think you’re doing?” Sir rumbled, frowning down at me as the lift began to rise.
“A girl! One of those Blood Whore girls—I saw her!” I exclaimed, almost too excited to make sense. “Sir, she was like me—she was human! From Earth! Please, can’t we go back and talk to her? I’m sure she needs our help.”
Sir shook his head.
“We cannot wait a moment longer or we’ll be late for our meeting with the Baron. Tardiness is considered the height of rudeness in the Naggian culture.”
“But she’s human and she’s stuck here!” I protested. “We need to take her with us.”
Sir frowned.