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)
“What are you planning to do to me?” she asked, trying not to let her voice tremble.
The orange dwarf grinned at her.
“Why, let me see.” He circled her again, those neon-green eyes flashing like lasers. “A new outfit, that’s a given. But also, I think we could use a full rejuvenation treatment. You’re pretty enough—for your age, my dear—but we can do better. Let’s see if we can’t take at least ten years off you. Also, a fertility treatment, I think. Some breast enhancement, perhaps. At least your hips are nice and wide already—lots of buyers like a slave with child-bearing hips.”
“I… I’m too old to start having babies!” Noelle protested, her voice rising despite herself.
“Right now you are,” the alien agreed. “But we can change that.”
He reached for her arm.
Burn moved so fast he was a blur—putting his huge body between them with a snarl. Bright stepped in beside him, fists clenched.
“You’re not taking her anywhere,” Bright snapped.
The alien sighed dramatically.
“I said, I’m not going to hurt her—quite the contrary! She’ll feel like a new woman when I’m done with her. Please don’t make me get the guards. If I have to ask them to restrain you, all three of you will lose your food, water, and bathroom privileges. And that’s no fun now, is it?”
Noelle’s ears perked up.
Bathroom?
She hadn’t seen a single toilet since they got here.
Dios, she already had to pee and there was nowhere—nowhere—in this freezing metal box to go.
“Come now,” the orange dwarf said coaxingly. “If the three of you are good, I’ll have your non-contact manacles removed so you can be comfortable tonight. You can all cuddle up without shocking each other.”
“No fucking way,” Burn growled.
“Our lady stays with us,” Bright said firmly.
But Noelle stepped out from behind them.
“It’s all right—I’ll go with him.”
“My lady, are you sure?” Bright asked, clearly distressed.
Noelle looked the alien dead in his neon-green eyes.
“Is anything you’re going to do to me going to hurt me?”
“Not a bit, my dear. In fact, you’re going to feel fabulous when I’m finished with you!”
Fabulous, she thought dully. What a strange word to use in a place like this.
She lifted her chin.
“Then I’ll go with you, as long as you take off their manacles.”
She nodded toward Bright and Burn.
“We’ll have them removed as soon as I bring you back,” the little man promised. “You have my word on it.”
“All right.” Noelle nodded. “Then I’ll go.”
“Noelle, you don’t have to do this,” Bright said quickly.
“Just say the word and we’ll fuck this guy up,” Burn growled.
“No, it’s all right.”
She took a deep breath as she lectured herself. Just keep your cool. You’ve handled worse. You’ve survived worse. Think about Branson.
If she could survive years of being married to her abusive ex, she could certainly make it through an alien makeover.
“It’s going to be fine. I’ll be back in a little while,” she assured Burn and Bright. Neither of them looked happy about it, but they didn’t try to contradict her or stop her.
“Be safe, sweetheart,” Bright murmured.
Burn just glared.
Noelle nodded at both of them and followed the little man out of the cell.
Her footsteps echoed like drumbeats down the corridor, and the cell door closed behind her with a final hiss.
For some reason, the sounds made Noelle uneasy.
Blessed Virgin help me, she thought. Please don’t let this be a mistake.
12
NOELLE
The little orange alien moved surprisingly fast for someone so round.
“I’m Lupin, by the way,” he said over his shoulder as Noelle hurried to keep up with him. “Personal image consultant to the Skowlians—on loan from the Flesh Bazaar for this season’s auctions. You’re very lucky, my dear—I usually work only with elite stock.”
“I’m Noelle,” she said quietly, not sure why she told him her name. Maybe because he sounded so chipper—so normal.
“Well, Noelle,” Lupin said cheerfully, “you’re about to undergo a total transformation. I specialize in makeovers—rejuvenation, rebranding, and reconditioning both inside and out. By the time I’m finished with you, you’ll be a whole new woman. And believe me, you’re going to need my skills if you want to fetch a decent price.”
Noelle opened her mouth to say she didn’t want to fetch a decent price—she just wanted to be free…and then she shut it again. Lupin didn’t strike her as the kind of person who cared very much what anyone else wanted—especially not a lowly slave, which was basically what she was now, though she was still trying to wrap her head around it.
His quick, squishy-sounding footsteps echoed down the twisting maze of metal corridors, and Noelle had to halfjog just to stay close. The prison ship was a labyrinth—every junction looked the same. Every turn was identical and every bulkhead appeared to be smeared with the same grimy fingerprints and streaks of rust.
Within minutes, she was completely lost.
She’d had this silly, vague idea—more a fantasy than a plan—that maybe she could slip away, maybe find a weapon, or bring something back that could help Burn and Bright fight their way free. But that clearly wasn’t happening.