Page 25 of Stolen Slave

“Please. I’m thirsty,” she said, looking up at me.

I sat her on the narrow ledge of the processor counter. She placed her hands on the surface for balance, as I’d hoped. I smiled at her, patted her shoulder, which she seemed to like, and then dropped my hand to nudge her knees.

A spike of fear tainted her scent.

“Come now. I didn’t harm you last time, did I? You can show me this small amount of trust, can you not?”

I nudged more firmly, and her face flushed scarlet as she finally conceded and opened her legs a few inches. Wedging a leg between them, I stepped closer and held the cup to her lips for her.

Her confused and wary gaze held mine as she drank. When she drained the cup, I praised her with my hands, running them up and down her arms. Some of the fear faded from her scent. Only then did I retreat from between her legs to refill the cup.

She watched me closely when I returned and tapped her knee. This time, she didn’t hesitate as long before complying. Again, I wedged a leg between them and moved closer to help her drink. I purposely dribbled a little over the side and wiped it off her chest mound with my palm. I didn’t linger or fondle. I simply wiped away the spill with a light touch.

Her reaction was perfection. She didn’t jerk away, and no fear entered her scent. However, she did narrow her eyes at me. I fought not to grin.

“You are doing so well, my female. You are starting to understand. But don’t mistake my actions for a game. I would never cruelly play with you. All you need is trust in me. Once you have that, I know you will thrive, even after you learn the truth of your situation.”

She tipped her head a little, letting me know she was done drinking, and I removed the cup.

I petted her arms again, and she exhaled heavily, then leaned forward.

Giving her what she needed, I picked her up and held her close, thankful the secretions were already helping her.

“Are you ready for more, my sweet one? Let’s see how much trust you are willing to give me in exchange for your nutritional paste.”

I carried her to the table and left her on the single chair that remained in the galley. When I returned with a spoon and bowl of paste, she bounced slightly in her seat. Systems, those chest mounds were enticing when she jostled them like that. What I wouldn’t do to see chains caressing her soft skin.

“Are you ready?”

I set the spoon and bowl beyond her reach and lifted her off the chair. She didn’t fight me as I settled her across my lap, facing away from the bowl. I handed her the spoon and waited. She looked at the spoon, then me, then twisted to look at the bowl.

“Why does this feel like a test?” she asked.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

KHORAHN

Smart female. Pretty female. My female, I thought.

I patted her shoulder then reached around her to clasp her under the knee. She didn’t at first fight me when I lifted the leg. But she tensed mightily when I started moving it to the side, spreading her to straddle my lap.

Before she could move away or readjust the position, I leaned forward, pressing my chest to her back, and reached for the bowl. She froze, her breathing coming fast in her fear, as she stared at my hand and her food.

Giving her a moment to decide, I leaned away again and stroked my hand down her back.

“Nothing is hurting you. This is safe. You may eat.”

I repeated myself, keeping my voice calm and my touch light as she trembled. Slowly the tension eased from her shoulders, and she dipped her spoon into her food.

While she cautiously ate, I breathed in her scent. The fear remained steady throughout the meal. However, her body loosened enough that she leaned slightly forward for each bite and back again while she chewed. The motion accentuated the way the cleft of her flank almost cradled my ambal through my pants. According to the data pic, humans needed to eat three to five times a flare. If she continued her gentle rocking against me, though, I’d feed her every arc until she was comfortable enough to do this without my pants on.

I might not live through it, but flek, I’d like to try.

When the spoon scraped the bottom of the bowl, I praised her with some more arm petting, eased her from my lap, and went to make her another bowl.

She watched my approach closely, her gaze shifting between my face and the bowl. Once again, she narrowed her eyes when I set the bowl and spoon out of her reach. We repeated the process with a bit more resistance on her part.

“Forgive me, my female. I know this frustrates you. You will understand soon. I swear. This is no game. I only mean to protect you and can’t do that if you fear me. The fey don’t acquire their females using fair methods. I’m afraid that means not all my methods can be fair to you. For that, I am truly sorry.”

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