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)
"Why not?"
"Because then tomorrow will get here sooner."
My heart squeezes with sympathy. I wouldn't look forward to a repeat of what they put him through, either. "You don't like fighting?"
"I don't know. No one's ever asked me." He huffs, his breath stirring the blanket. "Was that fighting? Or was it just an excuse for them to vent their frustrations on me?"
I wondered the same thing myself.
We lie in bed in silence for a few, and the chill of the room starts to get to me. I edge closer to him, because he's so warm and he's so big he can envelop me like a cloak. As I move closer, he shifts his weight, and I realize he's moving back. He's trying to put distance between us, which doesn't make sense…until it does. He's still turned on and doesn't want me to know about it.
"Crulden," I say softly. "Can we discuss the elephant in the room? I know you're attracted to me."
He's quiet for so long that I worry I've offended him. The only sound in the room is that of his raspy breathing.
When he finally speaks, I'm relieved. "I cannot control how I react to you. And I cannot deny that I want to touch you."
I prop my head up on one hand, looking down at him. His eyes shine like a cat's in the dark, which is a little eerie, but there's an endearingly worried expression on his face that soothes any fears I might have. "But you said you wouldn't touch me, right?"
"Not if you did not want it, no." Crulden pauses. "You are the only ally I have here. I will not ruin that."
"You're my only friend here, too," I say. "As long as we're on the same page, we're fine."
"Page," he echoes.
Oof. "It's a human saying. Like we're of the same mindset. We're a team. We're in agreement."
"I am all of those things, yes." He pauses. "And I am…big. I would probably hurt you."
I'm going to discreetly ignore that comment. If I say no, my vagina has superpowers and can withstand any dong you toss its way, is it going to encourage him? If I agree that he's too big, is it going to make him feel bad about himself? The best choice, I decide, is to avoid the statement entirely. "You're not tired," I point out, feeling extremely obvious in my attempt to steer the conversation. "Tell me more about you."
"What is there to tell?"
"What kind of alien are you, for starters? I can't tell."
"I am a splice. They made me in a lab out of a little bit of everything." His teeth flash bright in the darkness. "Everything frightening and cruel, they threw into a test tube and out came me."
"You're not cruel," I correct him. "Don't say that about yourself."
"How do you know? Just because I'm not cruel to you does not mean I'm not cruel to others."
"Well, let's look at the 'others' you're surrounded with." His lion-like mane is trapped under my arm, which I realize when I shift my weight a little and he immediately moves his head. Oops. I reach out and run my fingers along the edges of his mane, making sure that I don't pull on it. To my surprise, Crulden closes his eyes and leans in closer to me, as if hungry for my touch.
There's something about his need that calls to me. Even though it's probably a bad idea, I gently comb my fingers through his mane, and I can practically feel the pleasure radiating off of him. He sighs heavily and moves closer to me, and I'm oddly pleased that I can give him this small moment.
"There's Lord Sir," I say softly. "And if you're cruel to him, I wouldn't mind, because he's a dick who enslaves people and uses them. And there's the scientist, who looks at you like you're a project and not a person. You can be cruel to those two and it doesn't count."
His mouth curves in a faint smile and he moves even closer to me.
I keep stroking his mane, because it's soft and thick, and because I've never seen someone get so much joy out of a simple touch. "There's the clones, who I would argue are just doing their jobs and are probably prisoners just as much as us. So maybe don't be cruel to them."
"One booted me in the back after he shocked me with his stick," Crulden murmurs, his voice drowsy.
Hot anger blasts through me. Fucking really? "I take it back. Fuck them. And fuck your trainers, who are dicks. I don't know about the other gladiators, because something tells me they're in the same position you are—no one's here by choice. So I guess that doesn't make me a good person, because I don't care if you're cruel to people that deserve it. But maybe be nicer to the ooli slaves, because everyone kicks down on them."