to imagine it. All the same, the image of his cock was now burned into her brain. Measuring eleven inches with an impressive girth, her undersexed parts shouted for something like that.
Yeah, she needed to find someone to fuck. Someone who wasn’t Ben or Jace.
As if he could hear her thoughts, the look he bent on her was one of such utter disgust that it actually made her laugh. He snorted angrily before turning his back on her and hobbling to the far end of the habitat, where he proceeded to ignore her. Her lips quirked at the rebellious demonstration as she turned to leave.
Charlie had done as she was asked. He was up and moving.
The midday storms would be hitting soon, and she was looking forward to enjoying her break.
“Goodbye…” She frowned, she needed something to call him. He was white and gray. Maybe a wizard’s name? “Uh, Merlin. I’ll see you later.”
He didn’t even look in her direction, and she doubted that he could hear her at such a distance, but it didn’t matter. Hopefully he wouldn’t be in her care for very long. She hoped that as soon as they decided without any doubt that he was sentient, they would release him. If only he would speak more, someone might have had a chance of discerning his language.
Chapter 12
The storm battered the dome, the howling winds vibrating against the energy barrier surrounding the colony. The sound was a long, low, thrumming howl that skittered along Charlie’s nerves with every renewed gust. The storms on Turongal were maddening.
How did a sentient species manage out in the wilderness? For now, even the colony’s field missions were restricted to areas nearest to the colony until temporary checkpoint habitats could be established to provide shelter to wait out the storms. She shivered again as a burst of electricity flared over the dome, the resulting static making the tiny hairs on her skin stand on end as the sky outside lit up with lightning flashes.
Ben set down his cards and whistled. “Looks like a hell of a storm today.”
Charlie rubbed her arm and turned her attention back to the cards in her hand. “Yeah, here’s hoping it’ll blow itself out soon.”
He snorted and rearranged the cards in his hand. “It can blow all fucking day for all I care. I’m not eager to return to the fields.” He squinted as another lightning bolt lit the sky. “I hate this fucking planet.”
Jace muttered his agreement and laid down a card. He looked up and raised an eyebrow at Charlie as Doug snatched the card up and tucked it into the cards in his hand.
“Funny thing happened last night,” Jace began. “I got caught in your building during lockdown yesterday while I was, ah, visiting a… friend. I was quite surprised when I happened to glance out her window and saw you hurrying away. I thought to myself, ‘Why would Charlie be granted clearance to leave during lockdown?’ But of course it had to have something to do with the lab. Curious minds must know… Any news on what caused the mandatory lockdown last night?”
Charlie stiffened but kept her attention on her cards. “You know very well that I can’t tell you anything pertaining to my job, so you might as well drop it.”
Lowering his cards, Jace smirked. “So, it’s like that, is it? Hmm.”
“Don’t be a dick, Jace,” Mia said from where she was tucked against Doug.
She wasn’t playing that hand but was nursing a beer as she watched the game. She was off duty that day and understandably making the best of it. She fit so well among them that at casual glance Charlie would never have thought that Mia wasn’t a non-gratas laborer. The illusion was aided by the fact that she was dressed in the basic uniform like the rest of them. The identity scan-chip pin on her collar, designed for military personnel, was the only difference that set her apart.
Charlie rubbed her wrist against the fabric of her leggings, the familiar itch of her implanted identity chip stirring. The non-gratas were the only ones tagged with implants, and though she had hers ever since she had aged into the labor systems, it still itched from time to time.
Rowdy laughter filled the tavern as the door slid open. Charlie glanced over at the two well-dressed men who stepped in. Their hair was groomed in the latest Earth styles she had seen on the vids over the last few weeks, their