was better than being sent to work in a brothel or risking Becky going there one day. At least he wasn’t abusive” She paused.
Gnaw glowered at her, not saying a word.
“Please don’t look at me like that. I was more afraid of what a bunch of men would do to me rather than just one. Especially when I found out what happens to women who work in brothels. Anthony kept his word by not turning in my younger sister three years ago, when she turned eighteen.
“Four days ago, we were notified that Anthony was killed somehow, and a new inspector was being sent. I’m probably too old to become a brothel worker now…but my sister isn’t. The new inspector is from one of the founding families who still lead our planet. That means he makes a lot of money off the brothels, probably even gets to use them for free. There’s no way he’d make a deal with me to protect Becky from being sent to that place. I couldn’t risk it. It’s why I got us jobs with the fleet.”
He remembered spotting the brothels on Radison. They hadn’t tempted him, but he’d seen many of the fleet members visiting. Were the males who paid for sex aware that the females had no choice but to work there? It sickened him.
Darla drew him from his thoughts by touching his chest.
“We need to do this, okay? There’s no choice. They caught us, this is what they expect, and we just need to survive.” She dropped her hand from his chest and touched his wrist, glanced at it, and then back into his eyes. “We’re in this together until things change. Have you had sex before?”
He nodded. “With Veslor females. No one like you.”
“Well, one of your men mated to a woman like me. We get news on Radison about what’s happening with the fleet and Earth. That’s got to mean our bodies are basically compatible. That’s why those jerks kidnapped us. They want us to give them a baby.”
“I can’t do this,” he admitted.
She paled. “Why not? Just close your eyes if I’m not attractive to you. Do you think Anthony was someone I wanted to be with? He wasn’t. I touched myself to prepare my body when I had to have sex with him. Touch yourself if that helps you get hard. We’ll turn our backs on each other, get ready, and then, you know…do it.”
He gawked at her, stunned by just about everything she’d just said. “That’s not it. You’re attractive for your race.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I’m not aroused. I’m furious and stressed. Touching my rod isn’t going to help with either.”
“Rod?” She glanced at the front of his pants, her face turning pink again, but then she stared up at him. “What turns you on?”
He had no words. She’d stunned him again.
“Tell me. How do Veslor women turn you on?”
He cleared his throat. “They are aggressive, and they physically challenge us to a fight to prove we’re worthy protectors.”
It was Darla’s turn to appear stunned. Her gaze traveled up and down his body. “Are they crazy?”
“They are like me.”
Her mouth opened. “Oh. You mean big and rough-looking?
He nodded.
“I don’t think that’s going to work for us. There’s no way I can take you down physically.”
He nodded again. “I’m too angry. My body reacts to emotions if they’re strong enough.”
She bit her lip. “You can’t perform under stress. Got it. That makes sense.”
He paced the room, glaring at the cameras and snarling. He paused, closed his eyes, and used the implant in his head. The link was there to his grouping still. It remained faint.
What was taking them so long to find him? They should be able to sense where he was. He just needed to stay alive until they came.
And they would.
Chapter Four
Darla watched Gnaw pace, snarls tearing from him. She got up and walked to the exam bed, tired of sitting on the floor. The top of the flat surface was padded. It also came up to her ribs. The ship they were on obviously wasn’t designed to be human friendly. Even the toilet seat thing she’d found in the tiny closet had been set high enough that it had been difficult to use. She’d managed, though.
The bed was even higher.
“Um, Gnaw?” She looked over her shoulder at him.
He paused, meeting her gaze. “What?”
“Can you help me up here? I’m afraid if I try to climb, I might fall and crack my head like you did when