Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
I grit down on the stupid nipple again, hating everything about my life right now. Why didn’t the Venkorians just leave me to die on the space station?
I’m surprised when Yozef finally unfastens my lower half. He puts a diaper on me and then releases my arms. I manage to marginally relax when he wraps me in the soft blanket and lifts me into his arms, cradling me. Like an infant.
Are all my friends being treated to this same sort of existence? I have to assume so since Yamal has examined most of them.
I’m wearing a constant reminder that I’m owned—the collar. It’s heavy on my neck. I hate the feel of it. I want it off.
Yozef thanks the doctor, and they exchange a few more pleasantries before he rolls me against him and leaves the office.
He pulls the blanket over my head and presses my face into his chest. “Keep your eyes closed, Little pet. We’re going outside, and I don’t want the sun to hurt you. It’s very bright. You’re not used to direct sunlight.”
Sun…
So, we must be on a planet. Venkoria.
“We’ll be escorted to my home by armed guards,” he continues. “It turns out, having a human pet is becoming incredibly coveted on Venkoria. I’ve taken measures to ensure you are always safe; that will include guards flanking us anytime we are out. But that’s another reason I want you covered from curious eyes. So, don’t test me on this, Zoey. If you defy me, I will punish you severely.”
I stiffen. Considering how uncomfortable I’ve been from the moment I woke up on this godforsaken planet, I can’t fathom what a severe punishment might entail, nor am I in the mood to find out.
He cups the back of my head tighter, pressing it firmly against him. “I know you think I’m being mean, but trust me when I say, you do not want to be kidnapped and taken from me.”
I believe he’s right. The unknown is scarier than the known.
It seems like we pass through a door. Are we outside? I’ve never been outside in my life. Well, I suspect I was at some point a few days ago, but I wasn’t conscious.
Yozef holds me as close to his body as possible. I hear noises I don’t understand. A door, maybe?
He bends and then sits. We must have entered a vehicle. That makes sense when the door is shut, and we suddenly lurch forward.
This feels like a pivotal moment, one that will define my life. There will always be before I was kidnapped from the space station and after. There will also be before I met Yozef and after. Now, there’s a third important change. The moment this car took off, whisking me into the next chapter in my life.
SEVEN
Yozef leans me back and sits me upright on his lap, adjusting me so my legs are nestled between his thighs. He keeps the blanket wrapped around me but uncovers my head.
“You can open your eyes now, Zoey. The windows are tinted. No one can see in, and the glass will protect you from the sun.”
The moment I blink my eyes open, I gasp. My first thought is that we’re moving so fast. It gives me vertigo, and I grab on to Yozef’s forearm.
He chuckles. “I guess you’ve never been in a car before. You’ve never been outside of the space station, have you?”
I shake my head.
He reaches for the clasp on the side of my pacifier. “I’ll take this out and let you speak. But if you’re disrespectful, I will put it back, and it will be a long time before I give you another opportunity to show me you can behave.” He lifts a brow.
Nodding, I let my gaze move past him to the window. We are whizzing past buildings. I can barely make anything out. Relief fills me when he finally eases the pacifier out of my mouth.
I lick my lips and wipe them on the blanket. When I glance at the front of the car, I notice that there’s a partition. I can’t see whoever is in the front. Yozef and I are alone in the back.
He rubs my back. “I’m sure you feel heavy. That’s because the gravitational pull on Venkoria is stronger than what you’re used to on the space station. You’ll adjust over time. That’s also why I had the guards lower the top of your kennel. I didn’t want to risk you sitting up, falling over, and hitting your head.”
Kennel? He’s referring to that cage as a kennel? I know what kennels are. They were used on Earth to keep pets locked up. Same as a cage. I guess it doesn’t really matter what term I use for that jail I was in. My stomach twists into knots.
“You may speak when we’re alone or with my trusted employees, Little pet. I don’t want strangers to hear your voice. Understood?”