Page 11 of Commander's Slave
Accept criticism and punishment graciously.
That was another one of the rules. She swallowed hard and prayed that if he punished her, he wouldn’t use an electrified baton like the prison guards. A shiver spread throughout her limbs at the very prospect.
Edek suddenly released her and backed away a few steps, and she sagged against the wall, unable to stand up on her own just yet. His cold stare prickled her skin, and fear riddled her insides as he approached her once more, coming to stand directly before her. At least this time his hands remained at his sides. The terror of his touch lingered.
“I want your name. Your name and the crimes you committed.” His tone was businesslike and softer than before, but it wasn’t enough to earn her trust. Draken had been nothing but kind to her, but she hadn’t told him about her past. She’d resolved to tell no one.
She pressed her lips together, refusing to speak.
This action enraged Edek. His eyes widened and flames of fury burned in his dark depths. Power and agitation vibrated off his massive form, turning her guts to water. Her shaking increased.
If the Kall of Sumlin District knew her real name, a particularly cruel Kall, possibly Edek, might want to make an example of her. She imagined the execution of the First Daughter would draw an excited crowd. The triumphant shouts of the Kall in the courtroom still haunted her each night as she drifted to sleep.
Edek’s hot breath fanned against her face. He loomed over her, forbidding and tense.
She wished Draken hadn’t left them alone. A feeling of abandonment filled her yet again. She could hardly believe her one friend had left her in such deadly hands. Edek had been on his way to Earth to kill as many humans as possible, so what prevented him from harming her now?
She was nothing to him. Just like she was nothing to her father.
If the one person in the universe who was supposed to care about her and treat her with kindness couldn’t be bothered, how could she expect the stranger who now owned her to give her even a smidgen of compassion?
Her throat burned.
Come back, Draken, come back.
What a cruel twist of fate, that she would find a friend in Draken, yet he couldn’t save her from Edek’s wrath. If her master decided to hurt her, she knew in her heart that Draken wouldn’t be able to stop him. Edek was a full head taller than his older brother and so very broad-chested and muscular. And aside from his terrifying physical attributes, he was fueled by an intense dislike for humans and a need for revenge.
Lonely tears brimmed in her eyes, and she blinked them back and bit her lip. Oh, how she missed Earth. And now that Edek had returned to Sumlin District, her days with Draken had come to an end. She’d felt safe with the wise Kall and enjoyed his company. He was unlike most of his kind. His constant aura of peace put her at ease, and she’d come to see him as a father figure.
Now the past had repeated itself. Her real father had abandoned her to a Kall, or tried to anyway. Draken had given her to a violent Kall warrior who despised humans, as his slave. The bitter irony of it plunged her into despair.
There was nowhere to run this time.
Not with the tracking device implanted deep in her arm.
She would be caught in no time and surely punished by Edek.
“Since you want to do this the hard way, we’ll go to my room. Wouldn’t want to scare the servants, or my fool of a brother, with all your screaming.” The huge Kall grasped her arm and hauled her out of the dining room.
Betsy’s feet hit the stone treads of an unfamiliar set of stairs. The hallways from the dining room led in many directions, and she’d never had any reason to venture to this part of the large house. Small, dim orbs of light lined the stone walls, casting an eerie glow up the precipitous steps that led to a massive metal door. They reached the top in no time, and her stomach lurched as the door hissed open.
Edek gave her a light shove into the dark room, and she suddenly realized her shoes had fallen off at some point as he’d dragged her upstairs. The cool floor soaked into the soles of her bare feet, causing her to shiver, and it wasn’t long before the memories of frostbite and near-death haunted her, filling her with panic and making her fingers and toes prickle with sensation.
She blinked, trying to focus on the shapes of furniture barely visible in the darkness. As she spun in a slow circle, dozens of tiny orbs of light glowed to life, revealing a sparsely furnished room with a large bed in the center.
The bed gave her pause and she thought of the pervert from the auction. Teyya. There was no doubt in her mind what kind of servitude Teyya would’ve placed her in. Her skin crawled even as the coldness gripping her made her shake harder.
Was her new master like Teyya? Would he force himself upon her?
Her gaze locked with Edek’s as the door slid shut, trapping her in the room with him.
Chapter 6
A little humanwoman with flowing auburn hair. Heslla was indeed an apt name.
Edek stared at her, trying to decide his next move. He hadn’t expected to find a human in his brother’s house.
He’d expected to find quiet and solitude, a time to rest before his warriors returned for training.
