a gust of confusion. It didn’t make sense. “The beatings…the way Cruum treats you—” The twins did have it a bit easier than Nova, but they were punished like she was. Their whippings weren’t as bad because of their higher station within the house, but they still suffered. She couldn’t understand why they’d stay.
“We do not have enough to buy you yet, Nova.”
“Oh no,” she mumbled, covering her mouth with a hand. Nova had to fight back the urge to vomit as she began to realize why they hadn’t left. They’d given up so much for her already that she couldn’t fathom them deciding to stay simply for her sake. She was completely gobsmacked as the selflessness of their sacrifice hit her like a sledgehammer to the solar plexus. She couldn’t keep back the tears that fell down her cheeks at Kalla’s words. The guilt battering her heart was sharp enough to make her breath catch in her chest.
“Please don’t say you’ve been staying for me.” The words came out on a painful stutter, her throat catching several times as if the words were covered in thorns snagging as they tried to travel up and out of her mouth. The thought of it broke her heart. She wouldn’t have wished what they’d endured on even her worst enemy.
“We cannot leave you,” Halla whispered softly in a voice filled with pain. “Talis will surely kill you if we aren’t here to step in.”
“Cruum won’t let him,” Nova argued automatically, even though she knew firsthand that the beatings were getting worse each time she was punished. She’d end up dead soon if they weren’t more careful. Her human body wasn’t as tough as some of the other aliens he’d tortured, and he seemed to enjoy that fact. The last few times she’d been whipped, Talis had pushed her closer and closer to the brink of death. She knew that soon he’d go too far, and no amount of healing cream could help her. It was inevitable.
“Cruum may not be here to stop him,” Halla whispered, her eyes on the door that led to the hallway outside their room. They never knew if someone was listening on the other side of the flimsy barrier, which meant they generally kept things hushed. “Our last customer used our services as payment for a new shuttle Cruum has ordered. He plans to take a trip. And, if he does, Talis will be left in charge.”
“If you anger him and we are not here—”
“Then it is not your fault,” Nova said, interrupting Kalla before her friend could take responsibility for her life any longer. She couldn’t let either one of them do that anymore. The price was way too high. She’d rather die than be the cause of someone else’s pain. “Seriously, you two. You’ve done as much as you can to protect me. At some point, you need to take care of yourselves first and stop worrying about me.” Sweeping her hand around the room, she gestured to their prison. They couldn’t argue the truth, no matter how much they might want to. “You’ve shared your food, taken beatings, and done things I don’t even want to think about to those fuckers to keep them from accidently killing me. I know exactly how much those ‘distractions’ have cost you, and it stops here. If you can get out, I want you to do it. This place is a hellhole, and I refuse to be the one that keeps you here one moment longer.”
“But what about—”
“No,” she said, cutting off any protest with the edge of steel in her tone. “Don’t worry about me. Just promise to try to send help.”
“I refuse.” Halla stomped her foot and turned away.
“Nova,” Kalla whispered, the wet trails of tears leaving dark navy tracks down her normally lighter blue fur. “Please do not ask us to leave you. You are our friend.”
“Don’t you see?” Nova said, realizing the twins leaving could actually be the move that got them entirely out of this mess. It was dangerous, but the more she rolled it around in her head, she realized it was the best chance they had at surviving. She cupped Kalla’s shoulders and held her in place, so her friend was unable to ignore her. “This solves our main problem. If you go to a registered house that deals with Phaetons, you’re sure to have one of them book your services. Once that happens, we can get the fuck out of here,