Sensual Breeder (Delivering the Dirty Thirty #1) - Miranda Bridges

Giselle

Defiance, like innocence, comes at a cost.

The resounding crack that follows his hand striking my face is like dynamite. The force of the blow causes my head to snap back, and I stagger, my knees knocking together. After righting myself, I clench my fists by my sides, unwilling to show how much that hurt by cupping my inflamed cheek.

“The trouble you give is unparalleled,” Prigav snarls, his top lip curling at the corner. “No slave, regardless of their production, is worth this aggravation.”

I bow my head in order to hide my fury, far from chastised by his words. This alien, like the ones who abducted me from Earth and sold me to him, can kiss my human ass. So what if my planet was in the middle of an apocalypse? Being free is not something you can put a price on. Unlike slavery, which you can.

But I don’t let that numerical value determine my true worth.

I am invaluable.

“I won’t tell you again,” he says, raising one of his hairy arms. When I don’t flinch, Prigav lowers it, not having received the reaction he wanted. “If you disrespect me again, you forfeit your life.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to offer a scathing retort, but miraculously I stay quiet. I refuse to believe this life of servitude is the only one I’ll experience between now and the day I die. The thought of escape is what fuels me during the daylight hours, and the hate for my owner warms me at night. Otherwise, I would be cold and dead inside.

I give him a curt nod, unable to do anything more without it inciting another punishment. This is not the first time I’ve been struck, and I highly doubt it will be the last. My stubbornness is my greatest asset but also my greatest weakness.

Both Prigav and I jerk our heads skyward when the hum of a ship fills the air. Sure enough, a Galactic Court shuttle enters our lines of vision just before landing several meters away. Prigav frowns, as much as his tusks will allow, and I do as well but inwardly.

What are government officials doing here? Etok is small from what I’ve been told, and it holds nothing but farming communities that make up a large portion of the food supply to neighboring planets. This unexpected visit has my skin prickling with worry.

Three Enforcers emerge from the spacecraft and make their way to us, their strides more than confident. Their uniforms are pressed, and every lapel and fold is crisp and well defined. The black boots they wear are not riddled with dust by the time they reach us, which amazes me to no end. I can’t make it through one day without dirt getting on my clothes and hair.

“Leave,” Prigav says to me. “I will deal with you later.”

More than happy to follow this order, I fist the homespun material of my faded gray-blue dress and head in the direction of the field I’ve been assigned.

“Halt.”

I freeze midstep at the authoritative voice.

“Turn around,” the male says.

Prigav clears his throat, and the sound is a cross between a grunt and a growl. “What is going on here? There is no need to speak to my slave. I am her master, so it’s me you should be addressing.”

After taking a deep breath, I turn around and quickly scan the faces of the Enforcers before bowing my head, still peeking up at them through my lashes. Their expressions don’t give anything away, and this bothers me a lot. I’ve become adept at reading people, so whenever I can’t, it unnerves me.

“She is to come with us,” the Enforcer on the right says. “As of this moment, she and any other human females you possess will be confiscated and delivered to the G.C.” He removes a small tablet from his back pocket and slides his finger across the screen. “A new mandate will be sent to your communication device to offer an explanation, since I do not have the time to do so.”

Everything inside me trembles with uncertainty and fear at hearing his words. What could the G.C. want with a species they consider weak and useless? I highly doubt that whatever their plans are will be better than what I endure here. The best I can hope for is that it’s not worse, which isn’t saying much.

I’d be an idiot to assume I’m heading to something that will work out in my favor.

Prigav narrows his gaze in anger, the negative emotion