Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 119846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Because if it isn’t, the three of us are going to end up hanging in that freezer, he thought grimly.
66
BRIGHT
Bright paced the length of the bare, cold floor in his room, the threadbare rug doing little to muffle his footfalls. Back and forth, back and forth, his mind spinning like a cyclone.
Any moment now. He’s going to call us—I can feel it.
They had a plan, Goddess help them. It was risky, but it was the only chance they had.
It’s not perfect. There are so many things that could go wrong. But if we don’t try, we’re fucked anyway. We’ll end up like those Saurians—strung up, bled dry, and butchered like cattle.
His stomach churned at the memory of Noelle’s tear-streaked face, her voice shaking as she told them what she’d seen in the meat locker.
Burn’s expression when she said it had turned to solid stone. Bright had never seen his best friend look like that before—not even during battle. That was the face of a male who’d just learned what kind of monsters they were dealing with.
And Bright knew he’d been wearing the same look himself.
He stopped pacing for a moment, placing both hands on the cold wall, head bowed.
This is it. No more time. No more waiting. We either do this now… or die.
As if summoned by the thought, the grating, mocking voice echoed down the hallway like nails on metal.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are! It’s time for fun time in the play room, piggy-wigs!”
Bright closed his eyes and let out a long, controlled breath.
Showtime.
His hand didn’t shake when he reached for the door handle, but every muscle in his body felt tight enough to snap. He opened the door slowly, stepped out—and saw them both—Burn and Noelle.
They emerged from their rooms at the exact same time, as though pulled by the same string.
Burn’s dark golden eyes met his, grim and unflinching. Noelle’s gaze darted between them, wide and haunted, but there was resolve in the way she held herself—wrapped in the black lacy dress like armor, barefoot and pale, but brave.
The three of them exchanged a look—a single shared heartbeat.
We’re doing this, the look said. This is it—our only chance.
Then Thune appeared.
The enormous Trollox lumbered down the hall, each of his three heads grinning grotesquely, jagged teeth glinting in the dim overhead lights. His thick leather vest was stained with some unspeakable substance, and once again—almost mockingly—the biometric shuttle key jutted from the top of his left trouser pocket, gleaming like bait.
Bright’s eyes locked on it immediately.
There it is. Right fucking there. Gods, I want to rip it off his body with my bare hands!
But he didn’t move—not yet.
“Very good,” Thune rumbled, the center head speaking while the left one snickered and the right one licked its lips. “No breeding without permission, I see. You’ve been very obedient piggy-wigs.”
His beady eyes swept over them, lingering on Noelle’s bare legs, her dress barely reaching mid-thigh. Bright clenched his jaw so hard his molars ached.
Don’t react. Don’t show any emotion. Just keep it together.
“Very well,” the Trollox said, clapping his huge hands together. “Let’s make our way down to the play room, shall we? I want to see the way your people breed.”
Burn stiffened beside Noelle and Bright felt the silent current of Rage vibrating off his best friend like a low, subsonic growl.
Hold it together, brother. Don’t break yet. Just hang on a little longer, he thought.
Feeling like he was walking a tightrope over a pit of lava, Bright turned and began leading the way down the long corridor. His booted feet made soft scuffing noises on the stone. Behind him, he could hear Burn’s heavy tread, then Noelle’s lighter footsteps. Thune’s lumbering gait brought up the rear.
The hallway felt too narrow…the air felt too thick.
His heart thudded in his chest like a war drum.
It’s now or never. We have one shot. We blow this and we’re dead meat. Literally.
Every step toward the hidden staircase felt like walking into the jaws of a beast. And in a way, it was. Thune wasn’t just a monster—he was a predator who saw them as livestock fit only for entertainment and food.
But he doesn’t know what we know.
Bright tightened his jaw, forcing calm. Just a few more steps. Just a few more minutes.
They had a plan.
He just hoped it would be enough.
Blessed Goddess, let us make it out alive, he prayed and hoped his prayers would be answered.
67
NOELLE
Noelle’s palms were sweating as she gripped the banister and began descending the dark stone stairs that led to the so-called “play room.” The cold of the steps soaked up through her bare feet, and the damp, musty scent of earth and mildew hit her nose like a warning. Dim orange lights flickered along the ceiling in metal sconces, casting long, distorted shadows that danced over the narrow staircase like writhing ghosts.