Page 56 of Owned By the Hvrok

Just stillness.

And cold.

It crept in slowly at first, like an afterthought. The ambient warmth that had once filled the room was gone. Whatever tech kept this place liveable had faltered, and the temperature had begun to drop, subtle at first, then steep.

She rubbed her arms.

Her dress—if it could be called that—was thin, designed for aesthetics, not function. For display, not protection. It clung to her skin, offered no resistance to the air that was steadily chilling with every breath she exhaled.

Her thoughts spiraled with it.

What if he doesn’t come back?

She told herself she didn’t care.

She told herself she hated him.

And yet…

Her thoughts drifted—again—to the feel of his hands. Bare. Strong. Warm. Stroking her arms like she was something precious. Something that mattered. Not a thing. Not property.

She remembered the sensation more vividly than she wanted to admit.

That gentleness.

That strange flicker of calm it had sparked in her, just for a moment.

No.No.

She couldn’t let herself go there.

Couldn’t let herself romanticize the touch of a being who hadboughther. Who had watched her at auction, who had collared her, who had taken her from her planet and never spoken a word.

She was supposed to be angry. Shewasangry.

She clenched her fists.

“I hate him,” she whispered to the walls.

But the walls didn’t care.

And the cold was getting worse.

Her breath misted as she exhaled. Her hands trembled. Her toes burned, then went numb. Her jaw ached from the relentless chattering of her teeth. She curled tighter into herself, trying to conserve heat, but it wasn’t working.

“Goddamn you,” she hissed. “Youindestructible, terrifying bastard. You don’t even know what this feels like, do you? You don’t even get cold?—”

She was starting to lose feeling in her fingers.

Vision fuzzing.

Was this what hypothermia felt like?

The room spun slightly as she sat up, blinking fast, trying to stay conscious. If he didn’t come back—if he didn’t know, if he hadn’t thought?—

The wall shimmered.

She flinched.

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