Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 124077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 620(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 620(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
“Yes, that’s right.” He gave her an admiring look. “A woman like you is a prize to be won, Terra–a goddess to be worshipped. I don’t understand why your ex-mate couldn’t understand that.”
Terra blushed again–this time with pleasure.
“Well…thank you. And let’s just say that most human men don’t like ‘Elites’ the way Monstrum do.”
“I’m lucky he was such an idiot,” Taurex rumbled. “If he wasn’t, I never would have met you.”
Terra felt a warm rush of pleasure. All the time they’d been working together, the big Monstrum had been keeping everything strictly business and by-the-book. This was the first time he’d really given her compliments since she’d danced for him at The Doll House. Maybe he had just been taking things slowly. Maybe now that they were on this little mini vacation together, he would want to move their relationship in a different direction.
“I’m glad I met you, too,” she said, sliding her hand into his. She liked how safe she felt with him and the fact that he was so gentle despite being so huge and powerful. He could break her in half with one finger, but she knew he would never hurt her.
Taurex looked like he was going to say something else, but just then a whistle blew somewhere and everyone who was on the wole straightened up.
“Hang on,” Taurex murmured. “We’re about to take off.”
“Take off?” Terra was slightly worried. “I mean, how fast can a giant centipede really go? Especially with a bunch of seats and people strapped to its back?” she asked.
But before Taurex could speak, she got her answer.
The ball of hay that the wole they were sitting on had been munching was suddenly lifted above its head–just out of reach. Deprived of its delicious, crunchy treat, the wole rushed forward, trying to catch the hay ball, which dangled temptingly above its head, just out of reach.
The result was that it rushed down the tracks, its many legs skittering so fast Terra could see nothing but a blur when she looked over the side.
“Oh my God!” she gasped, tightening her grip on Taurex’s hand.
He squeezed back, comfortingly.
“It’s all right–we don’t have far to go to get to the market.”
But even as he spoke, the wole rushed up the tracks and then down again, making Terra feel like she was on a roller coaster. Her stomach flipped and flopped, and she was extra glad she hadn’t eaten anything but a single piece of dry toast and a small cup of coffee that morning. It wasn’t that she didn’t like roller coasters–she’d loved them when she was younger. But she hadn’t been on one in years–not since Cody had finally gotten tall enough to ride most of the coasters in Busch Gardens on his own.
Luckily, the wole–or should she call it a “wole-a-coaster?” stopped just a minute or two later right in front of a vast, forest type area.
Most of the passengers disembarked and Taurex helped Terra–who was still slightly shaken–to stand. He stepped off the platform on the giant centipede’s back first and then put his hands on Terra’s waist.
“May I assist you?” he asked. “You look shaken.”
“Oh, er, if you want to–thank you. And I was just a little surprised, that’s all,” Terra told him.
“Riding a wole for the first time can be a surprising experience,” he agreed. He lifted her down to the ground as easily as if she was light as a feather and Terra had to admire the way his muscles bulged under the dark blue button-down shirt he was wearing.
“Come,” he said, taking her hand again–which was beginning to feel very natural since they were holding hands so much on this trip–let’s visit the Market and see what we can find.”
20
TERRA
The Monstrum Market was unlike anything Terra had ever seen before. It was less like a supermarket and more like an open-air farmer’s market for one thing. And it was spread out around the forest for another, with different stalls and huts clustered around the roots of the enormous trees which grew in the center of the Monstrum Mother Ship.
“We are not far, here, from our Sacred Grove,” Taurex told her as they strolled, hand-in-hand, through the market. “The place where the priestesses who worship our Goddess live. The Grove itself is sacred and may only be entered for worship or if one is taking part in a ceremony. But this outer forest is open to the public, as you can see.”
“It’s like a rainforest without the humidity,” Terra remarked, looking around in awe. The trees here weren’t just brown and green like they were back on Earth. She saw trees with deep purple bark and pink leaves and others with dark blue trunks and vivid yellow foliage. There were plenty of other variations too, but even though the colors were much brighter than any she’d seen out in nature on Earth, nothing seemed to clash with anything. And of course, the glowing flowers were everywhere, though there was also an artificial green sun overhead to provide warmth and light.