my legs.
Touching myself almost every night to ease the need for sexual release.
Fucking a random male when I couldn’t take it anymore.
Hating myself every time.
Tears born of frustration and anger spring to my eyes, and I squeeze them tighter. Everything the auctioneer said is true. No matter how much I wish it weren’t, the reality of it will not disappear. And what that means for my future makes me ill.
I sway to the side, and Lexi is quick to throw an arm around my shoulder to steady me. “Are you okay?” she asks.
“No.” I take a deep, shuddering breath and slowly blow it out. “The things he said…”
“I know.”
My eyes fly open, and my gaze zips to hers. “You too?”
She nods once, and then a pain-filled smile graces her lips. “That’s why I’m in this condition.”
“Oh.” The word is nothing more than a sigh that’s too weak to be anything more. Before I can stop it, my gaze trails briefly over her flat stomach. “I didn’t realize.”
A high-pitched shriek has me jerking my head in the direction of the sound. Two guards have a human woman between them, each one holding her upper arm. She flails and kicks, sending her black hair flying and the hem of her skirt sailing, but it doesn’t do any good. They quickly bring her to the forefront of the stage and force her to stand still while her presumed new master inspects her.
“Is she in working condition?” the horned alien asks. He takes a lock of her hair, and the woman tries to bite him. A quick backhand to her cheek silences her, and for a moment I wonder if she’s fallen unconscious from the way her body goes limp.
The auctioneer raises his brows, and the action wrinkles his forehead. “Well, she was, but now I’m not so sure.”
The buyer growls and bares his needle-like teeth, fisting his hands by his side. “Is she or not?”
“You know the rules,” the auctioneer says. “You buy them as is. We don’t inspect them, in order to ensure we have more available for you to choose from. Besides, you know as well as I that some medics are able to repair the majority of defects found within this species. It’s quite remarkable really.”
The customer eyes the woman suspended between the guards. She more closely resembles a puppet with strings than anything else. “Give her to me,” he says with a grunt. After snatching up his purchase and sneering at the auctioneer, the alien walks down the stairs, located front and center of the platform, and disappears into the crowd.
I lean close to Lexi and bring my voice to a whisper. “They can repair infertility?”
“It sounds like it, but who knows for sure?” She worries her bottom lip between her teeth and then tightens her hold on me. “Do you think they will reverse my pregnancy?”
The fear in her gaze has my heart squeezing in on itself, and for a moment it’s hard to breathe. I suck in a deep breath and shake my head. “Whoever wants you will hopefully realize what a bargain you are.” The turmoil in my stomach is hard to suppress, but I do it for Lexi. Even though the words I’m saying are disgusting, I hope they give her temporary peace. “Two for the price of one, and they know you’re…in working order.”
“Thanks,” she says, elongating the word. “That was the most horrific pep talk ever.”
I grimace. “I’m sorry.”
Lexi’s mouth tilts up the slightest bit. “Don’t be. It worked. And here I thought you didn’t know what it was like to be a good friend.”
We both start in surprise when the next woman is escorted from the far group and to her new master. She is clearly unwilling, but the first display of violence was enough to curb her rebellion. However, mine is growing with each feminine whimper or cry that assaults my ears.
Better to die on my terms than someone else’s.
I gather my thoughts and mentally prepare for what is to come. Death is the only thing I’m willing to surrender to. My entire body tightens like a rubber band about to snap, and Lexi removes her arm from my shoulders as though sensing the current of determination coursing through me. Woman after woman are sold, and all I can think about is what I can do in my final moments that could help Lexi escape.
Looks like I’m going to get that ray gun or be killed by it. Either way is