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)
“He chased them that far?” I asked, frowning.
She nodded.
“He killed the customer but he brought Ger’tha back and he…” She swallowed hard and I saw raw horror in her big brown eyes. “He made an example of her.”
“Made an example of her?” I asked, frowning.
Natalie shivered but I could tell it wasn’t from the cold.
“I don’t want to tell you the details.” Her voice was raw. “She…has to wear a hood that covers her face now—she’s so disfigured that the customers wouldn’t come near her if they could see what she looks like.”
“What an evil bastard!” I exclaimed indignantly.
“That’s R’xs,” Natalie said bleakly. “Like I said, he told me I only have to sell my blood, but I’m afraid he’s going to change his mind if he gets many more requests for ‘hsh’frux pussy.’”
“I still think you should come with me,” I told her. “Didn’t I tell you that Sir can break things with his mind? He can protect you. Plus, we’re going all the way to another galaxy—I’m sure your pimp couldn’t follow you there.”
Natalie sighed.
“It’s not like I don’t appreciate the offer, but this sounds like it might be an ‘out of the frying pan, into the fire’ type situation, as my Granny used to say. How do I know that being a ‘pet’ will be any better than being a Blood Whore? And besides, I just want to go back to Earth and it sounds like you’re going in the opposite direction.”
I opened my mouth to argue with her…and closed it again. I vividly remembered Sir saying that Natalie might “belong” to another male and that he couldn’t take someone else’s property. As much as I liked my Master, this idea that people could be bought and sold was a serious flaw in his character. He might very well refuse to take Nathalie away from her pimp and then she would be worse off than before if the pimp found out she was trying to get away.
“Is there anything I can do for you, since you won’t come with me?” I asked, feeling terrible.
Nathalie gave a broken little laugh.
“Huh—I guess I could ask you to take a message back to my folks—if you ever get back to Earth. But what are you gonna tell them? ‘Hey, Natalie’s fine—she’s just working as a Blood Whore on a frozen planet fifty thousand light years away from Earth?’” She snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure that would go over just great.”
“But Natalie—” I began. But just then a deep, tolling sound began to boom out, echoing through all the tunnels. Gong…gong…gong…
“Oh my God—is it that late?” Natalie jumped up, her eyes going wide.
“Why? What time is it? What’s happening?” I looked around and saw that the area was almost completely clear and the only people around were hurrying away, making their way to different tunnels as fast as they could.
“It’s almost time for the Sweepers to come out.” Natalie’s eyes were full of fear. “We can’t be caught in the Central Hub when they do or we’ll get chewed up or pushed out into the night. And as cold as days are on O’nagga nine, nights are ten times worse.” She looked around frantically. “I have to get back to my hole. You better come too—or else go back to your ‘Master’ right away!”
“I’ll go back to Sir,” I told her. “But I have to do something, for you before I go. I can’t just leave you here!”
Natalie shook her head.
“There’s nothing you can do for me, though I appreciate you wanting to. I’m stuck here, freezing my ass off, probably for the rest of my life.” She sighed. “However long that might be.”
Her words gave me an idea. She might be stuck here, on O’nagga Nine, but there was no reason she had to feel like she was freezing all the time.
“Here,” I said, taking off my coat and holding it out to her. “Take this, at least.”
Natalie looked at me in disbelief.
“I can’t take your overwrap! You’ll freeze to death.”
“No, I won’t,” I said firmly. “I’ll go right back upstairs and ask Sir to synthesize another for me. He can bring it across before we have to go back to his ship.”
Of course, this meant admitting to Sir that I had left the Baron’s living quarters and gone downstairs by myself—I was betting he wasn’t going to like that one bit. I might even get punished for it. But I couldn’t leave Natalie with nothing at all! It would be worth the punishment, I told myself, to know that she was warm.
“Take it,” I told her, when she still hesitated. “It’s nice and warm and I won’t need it again after we leave here.”
“Well…if you’re sure.” I could see the hunger in her eyes—the desperate need for warmth.
“Positive.” I shoved the bulky fur coat into her arms and hugged her impulsively. “I hope I see you again,” I told her. “And that we both get back to Earth someday.”