no privacy, nowhere to hide, and her cramped quarters behind the kitchen seemed infinitely more desirable.
“In you go,” Ukhaan ordered, and she forced her feet to obey. The door slammed shut behind her with an ominous clank. Her life with Kevin had taught her that begging never helped, but it took all of her strength to resist dropping to her knees and begging Ukhaan to take her away. Instead, she clasped her hands together to hide the trembling and did her best to lift her chin as she looked back at the two males.
A low rumble sounded, and the ground shook beneath her feet, not enough to throw her off balance but enough to make her feel dizzy. When she regained her equilibrium, she saw Piaam staring at Ukhaan.
“That’s the second one today, Overseer Ukhaan.”
Ukhaan waved his hand dismissively. “It’s simply because of the expansion to the mine. It will settle down. Now tell my slave what she can expect if she remains here.”
“Food is delivered twice a day. As long as you behave,” Piaam added with a leer. “New gown once a week so it’s better to remove it before it gets ripped off of you.”
She couldn’t prevent a shudder and both males laughed. Piaam continued, gesturing to a pile of surprisingly clean towels beneath a wall dispenser. “As many towels as you want as long as you throw the dirty ones down the chute. That is, if you care about keeping yourself clean. But don’t fool yourself into thinking that the miners care. No matter how disgusting you are, it won’t stop them. And eventually, I’ll have to come wash you. I suspect I’d enjoy it more than you would.”
This time, she managed to hide her reaction, and he looked disappointed before turning back to Ukhaan. “Any other instructions, sir?”
“No. Return to your post.”
With a curious frown in Ukhaan’s direction, Piaam obeyed. Ukhaan stepped closer to the bars.
“I suspect I may regret doing this. You are a very acceptable cook. I find that I am willing to offer an additional incentive. Convince Master Varga to make the deal, and I will take you with me when I leave this planet.”
Did he actually mean that? The offer seemed sincere enough, but she suspected that he would have no hesitation in failing to fulfill his promise if it became unpleasant or inconvenient. Nonetheless, she bobbed her head submissively.
“Thank you, Master Ukhaan. I very much enjoy preparing delicacies for such a sophisticated palate. I hope I can return in time to prepare the lorca steaks.”
He nodded complacently, as if she had nothing more in life to wish for than to prepare meals for him, and licked his lips. “I do as well. But if this fails, I shall be very disappointed. I only hope that by the time I recover from my disappointment, you are still capable of cooking.”
She let him see her shudder, and he laughed as he walked away, leaving her alone in the cell. On closer inspection, it was even worse than it had first appeared. The plastic mattress was covered with a horrific array of sticky substances, and a fine layer of dirt covered the walls and floor. With a sigh, she went to fetch a towel, first soaking it in water from the bathroom, then scrubbing down the mattress. If she was going to be raped, at least it would be on a clean mattress.
Three towels later, the mattress was no longer sticky, and she sat down gingerly on one edge. She strained her ears but could hear nothing other than the constant thrum of the mining equipment. But these had to be the cells where the other females were located and she finally gathered up her courage and approached the bars.
“Hello? Is anyone here?”
There was no response, but considering that her voice was barely above a whisper, perhaps that was to be expected. She cleared her throat and tried again. This time, her voice seemed to echo down the rocky corridor.
Instead of a verbal reply, she heard a wailing cry that made goosebumps prickle her skin. A distant female voice ordered the wailer to shut up, to no avail. A minute later, Piaam appeared, cracking his electric whip.
“Silence,” he ordered, glaring at her as he passed.
She couldn’t see what he did, but she heard the crack of the whip and heard a pained yelp. The wailing ceased.
Backing away from the bars, she retreated to the far side of the room, hoping that Ukhaan’s instructions would