I want the real Mina.
She moves on the bed again, the gel in the mattress rippling ever so slightly. With an angry huff, she sits up, then looks over at me. I remain in the same position, stretched out. My pants are on, even though it is far more comfortable for me to sleep naked. And she glares at me. "Did they turn the heat down?"
In response, I huff out another frosty breath, showing her the answer.
Mina makes the cutest little growling sound. "I hate everyone and everything," she mutters, and lies back down with a thump. A moment later, she rolls toward me, her face pressing against my chest. "Fuck it. You're warm. Don't try anything or your balls will suffer."
And she presses herself against me, burrowing.
I go utterly still. I…do not know how to react. Do I touch her? Hold her? Keep my hands off of her? Nothing in my hodgepodge memory tells me what is appropriate. I know sixteen different chokeholds for use against an opponent, and yet I have no idea how to act with a female. But when Mina shivers again, I hesitantly put an arm around her shoulders.
She makes a sound of pleasure. "You're really warm."
I guess I am. The cold air does not bother me, but Mina is not made of hardy materials like I am. She has not been bred and spliced to be unstoppable. She is fragile, and that is part of her appeal as a slave. She is a soft, breakable thing.
A soft, breakable thing that relaxes against me and drifts off to sleep. A soft, breakable thing with her face pressed to the hard, scarred pectorals of a monster, seeking me out for warmth and protection. Ever so slightly, I brush my thumb over her arm. Soft. So very soft. I brush it again, stroking her. If I cannot touch myself, I will spend the evening touching her.
Even though our captors are devious and not to be trusted…I am foolishly glad they are acting as they are. Mina is in my arms, in my bed.
I am content. They want me to comply? I will comply. As long as I get more of this, I will do whatever it is they want from me.
Except sleep. I do not think I will be able to sleep a bit this night. I want to stay awake every moment, just touching Mina and breathing in her scent. Feeling her relax against me. I do not want to miss a moment of this night.
15
MINA
Crulden doesn't hurt me that night.
I wish I could say he didn't “touch” me, but his bed isn't huge and they deliberately turned the air to freezing to force us together. I ended up huddled against his bigger body for warmth, and when I woke up, I was plastered to his chest, his arms around me and his erection burning a hole in my belly.
The most disgruntling thing is that it was the nicest sleep I've had in a long time. Crulden is warm and his skin is softly furred all over, so it's like hugging a heating blanket as I sleep. My ass was cold but the rest of me was so, so warm. And the guy is hard as a rock, his dick enormous and obvious as it presses against my gut, but he ignores it, and so I do, too.
Crulden still doesn't trust me to go get us food, but this time when breakfast is brought, it's two identical bowls of the sweet noodles that everyone gets to eat for breakfast except the slaves. The juice carafe is there, big enough for both of us, and I shove my mouth full of the food and try to ignore Crulden's happy expression.
Or rather, his proud expression. I don't know if he's ever happy, but he likes feeding me.
Fresh clothes are delivered—a loincloth for him, and a slave shift dress for me. The scientist appears, looking at us like an overly enthusiastic matchmaker. I very pointedly ignore him and Crulden both as I dress.
Once that's done, the scientist calls in guards—a dozen of them—and they line the hall, shock-sticks at the ready. The scientist smiles at Crulden, but there's a wariness behind his eyes. I can't say I blame him. Crulden hasn't exactly played fair lately. "You have training in the courtyard this morning, Crulden," the scientist says in a deliberately even voice. "Will you be cooperating?"
Crulden just glares and silently shrugs.
The scientist looks over at me, as if I can answer for him. I shrug, too. Like I would know?
The door to the antechamber slides open, and I'm surprised when Crulden moves toward me instead. He puts a hand on the small of my back, indicating I should go first.
"It isn't necessary to bring the female," the scientist begins.
Crulden glares at him and steps in front of me. "You want my cooperation, she's going to be there."