“I am not going to punish you, little one,” Sir rumbled. “I understand your motivations for trying to go now, just as you understand my motivations in choosing to take you in the first place. We will start on a clean page and move forward from there.”
“Oh, good!” I felt a wave of relief wash over me as the not-water lapped at my sides. “So then…Idon’thave to sleep in the crate?” I clarified, wanting to be sure.
“You’ll be sleeping with me, every night cycle,” Sir said firmly. “I will instruct mycandallanot to penetrate you and come in you,” he added, casting a glance at his tail, which was waving beside him in an interested way, as it watched me get my bath.
“Um, thank you,” I said. I would have preferred to sleep in my own bed, but sharing the vast sleeping platform was so much better than being crammed into the crate, I felt both relieved and grateful.
“You’re more than welcome, little one.” He gave me another one-sided smile. “I’m only doing it to grow the bond between us, of course. I normally prefer to sleep alone. Well…” He rolled up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt and knelt beside the tub. “I think the cleansing liquid is high enough. Let’s get you bathed, shall we?”
“Okay,” I said, feeling a mixture of resignation and desire. I shouldn’twantto let him touch my naked body, but I couldn’t help the butterflies that were suddenly taking off in my stomach.
To distract myself from the sexual tension I was suddenly feeling, I leaned forward and tapped twice on the side of the tub to see if I could get the little golden faucet that dispensed soap to appear.
To my excitement and satisfaction, it did! The side of the tub parted and let it out, just as it did when Sir tapped for it.
“Oh, it worked!” I exclaimed, smiling at the little golden faucet. But when I looked up, Sir was frowning.
“How did you do that?” he asked.
“I just did whatyoualways do,” I said, shrugging. “Tap twice, right? Isn’t that the code?”
He shook his head.
“There is no ‘code.’ This ship is tuned to my mind only—it shouldn’t respond to anyone else.”
“Oh, uh, sorry.” I shrugged again uneasily, wondering if he was going to blast me. “I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to do it.”
“It’s all right—I’m not angry with you, little one.” He sighed and ran a hand over his hair and horns. “Gods, I wish you hadn’t seen me using my Mental Abilities back at the spaceport. Now you’re frightened every minute that I’ll hurt you with my mind, whennothingcould be further from the truth!”
“YouknowI’m scared of you? Are you reading my mind?” I asked suspiciously.
“No, of course not—our bond isn’t strong enough for that yet. But I don’thaveto read your mind—I can see it on your face. The minute you say anything sassy, you look at me like you think I’ll hurt you.”
“Sassy?” I couldn’t help grinning. “That’syour word for me?” It sounded really funny in that almost-British accent of his.
He frowned.
“Is your translation virus not working? It is a word in my language that means slightly rude or defiant, but in a saucy, playful way.”
“No…no, that’s pretty much what ‘sassy’ means in English too,” I admitted, but I was still grinning. “Look, ifyoucan trustmenot to cut my leash again, I guessIcan try to trustyounot to blast me with your mind.”
“You have noideahow many years I have practiced self discipline to avoid using my abilities in a thoughtless, impulsive manner,” Sire said earnestly. “I was drilled in it daily as a child—my father who was Overlord before me, constantly reminded me that I must never,everlash out in anger.”
“With great power comes great responsibility,” I said gravely.
“Yes! Exactly!” Sir nodded eagerly. “I see you understand—that’s a very profound thought, little one.”
“Er, well I can’t exactly take credit for it,” I said, feeling guilty.
“It must have been some other great philosopher on your world who came up with it, then?” Sir asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Um, you could say that, I guess,” I said, trying not to giggle. But seriously, I could see how he would have to control himself so strictly. Having that immense mental power would be like walking around with a loaded gun in your pocket all the time. He must have beenreallyangry to break his own rules and use his mind to lash out at Shadrack the way he had.
I thought again of how he had crumpled the metal gate into a ball and lifted the huge Pet Finder by the throat without even touching him…and shivered.
“Are you feeling afraid of me again, little one?” Sir’s deep voice sounded almost wistful.
Damn, I was going to have to work on my facial expressions—the man could read me like a book! Or maybe it was just that Sir was focused on me in a way that no one else—even Don, my fiancé—had ever been.