Protecting His Mistress - Evangeline Anderson Page 0,86
as it hit solid stone. He would have liked to rest, but the skin wouldn’t let him. Hell, it would barely let him breathe, since the metal plate still covered his mouth.
The Horvath guards had dropped him off at the mines, given him the tool he currently held, and simply said, “Work.” The Obedience Skin had taken over from there and he had been chopping and hacking away at the greenish-gray rock face of the open Diluthian pit for hours now.
He wasn’t the only one working of course—there were hoards of unlucky slaves pounding away at the rock. None of them had tried to speak to him—not that he could have spoken back even if they had.
The toxic odors of the Diluthian being unearthed all around him stung his nostrils and made his throat raw. He wanted to retch but he was acutely aware that if he threw up, he would die. With his mouth blocked, he would choke on his own vomit. So he held onto his gorge grimly and tried to ignore the way he wanted to gag every time one of his blows unearthed a new vein of Diluthian and the more foul odors were released.
I’m going to die here, he thought, not for the first time. If it hadn’t been for the Obedience Skin, he would have escaped easily. He could have pressed the communicator on his nail and called for help at once. But his fingers were encased in the fucking skin—the same skin that forced him to keep working, even when the other slaves were allowed a five-minute break and a swallow of water.
Karn wondered what would get him first—the thirst, the toxic gasses he was breathing in, or simply exhaustion. He was well aware that if he hadn’t been in excellent physical shape, the grueling non-stop work for hours on end would probably have caused his heart to give out. But even the strongest heart couldn’t keep going forever.
And even the strongest heart could be broken.
Oh, Lilli—I’m so fucking sorry, he thought, his eyes stinging as he pounded away at the rock face. I didn’t know what we did together would hurt you. I just wanted to love you, baby. I’m so sorry…
The thoughts of her and the baby they had made together, growing inside her, tormented him, but Karn comforted himself that he wouldn’t be sad for very much longer. Soon his heart would give out or he would die of thirst or the toxic fumes would damage his lungs so badly they would no longer work well enough to send oxygen to his body. Then he would flicker out like a candle flame and hopefully go to be with the Goddess.
He wondered grimly if the Obedience Skin would keep working, even after he was dead. Would it go on lifting his arms and swinging the pickaxe, even with him dead inside it? Would he be like a zombie corpse, still animated by the suit even after his soul had left his body? Would he—
“There—that’s the one. That is the bodyslave I want!”
The imperious voice was vaguely familiar but when Karn looked up—the skin did allow him to turn his head at least—he didn’t recognize the face attached to it. Maybe because it was covered by a thick black respirator mask.
“That’s the one,” she said again to the Horvath guard standing beside her. “Bring him to my ship at once!”
Forty-Six
Lilli’s heart was pounding as she barked out orders the same way she’d seen her mother and Priss do on numerous occasions. She was pretending to be her mother, and hoping that the Horvath guards wouldn’t question her.
Oh please! she thought, as she waited for the guard who had accompanied her from the central control station to respond. Please, let them believe me! Please let me get him safely away!
Sneaking out of the house with H’rare had been a ticklish business. They’d waited until midnight, when she was certain her mother was fast asleep along with the rest of her bodyslaves. Only then had they dared to enter the docking bay and steal a ship.
Lilli had chosen the long-range vehicle to take with her. H’rare said he could drive it and it was the biggest and most expensive one. Maybe she and Karn could sell it and live on the proceeds wherever they ended up.
Which won’t be anywhere unless this guard believes I’m Mother and releases Karn to me, she thought desperately. Oh, please…