She sucked in a frightened breath, but even as her instincts urged her to scream she realized that that might be the absolute worst thing she could do.
* * * *
Nyles flicked a look over the female’s chalk white face and knew immediately, even though he had never seen a creature such as she before, that she was terrified.
Her eyes were stretched so wide that he could see white all the way around the pale colored centers and he could hear her panting breaths.
That did not surprise him, all things considered, but it damned well dismayed him.
He was ordered to breed her.
But he could not when she was so clearly against the idea.
Despite his vow to protect and defend all those weaker than him, however, and as much as he resented the Sheloni enslaving him, dying was not the way to avenge himself against them.
Especially not dying from being tortured ... as they were inclined to do whenever anyone defied them.
It would give them too much satisfaction and him none. They would not even be put out that they had lost a slave. They would simply return to Ach and take more.
On the other hand, a Hirachi warrior did not force an unwilling female into copulation. He wooed her with clever words and pretty trinkets and if she was favorably impressed shemightconsent.
And if they did not consent a warrior took himself off with whatever dignity he could summon.
Very likely the Sheloni would kill her, as well, if he did not attempt to breed her, though, and he did not want that on his conscience.
She was a pretty little thing—tiny—but clearly full grown—and he still was not certain he could convince his stick to work when she was not only not a Hirachi woman, but obviously unwilling.
How was he to convince her to be willing, though, when he was as certain as he could be that she would not understand anything he said?
And how much time did he have to even attempt to woo her to hand?
Not much, he was certain.
This was not for his recreation and entertainment.
They were fortunate the Sheloni didn’t simply throw them in an open pen with her tied down to receive and a line of possible donors waiting their turn.
Probably because they did not have that much imagination.
She seemed to calm down when he did not instantly leap up and try to mount her.
“Progress,” he muttered, looking her over assessingly. Finally, he patted his chest with one palm. “Nyles.”
Something flickered in her eyes.
She pointed at him. “Hirachi?”
He was startled. “You speak my language?”
She looked perfectly blank.
So much for that possibility. “Know Hirachi?”
Emma frowned. She didn’t recognize the other word. Finally, mentally shrugging, she nodded. “Hirachi Gaelen.”
Nyles’ heart skipped a few beats. That was not what he had hoped for. He knew a warrior named Gaelen, but he had doubts that this was the Gaelen she spoke of.
If it was, he had more to be concerned about that the Sheloni.
After a few moments, though, he supposed that meant that she had already been bred with one Hirachi.
She could have been bred a dozen times already with a dozen different males, however, and that still did not open a door for him. In fact, it might be harder to convince her, he thought, struggling with his revulsion of the entire process.
He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Must make baby,” he said slowly. “You understand?”
Emma didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, but one word did sound somewhat familiar. She’d heard Gaelen use it when he was talking about the baby.
She didn’t make the mistake of thinking he was talking about her baby, though.
If he’d said baby, he was talking about breeding her.
She could be just jumping to an erroneous conclusion, but, based on the last few days, it was hard to dismiss that he was pointing out he had work to do.
She just hadn’t properly appreciated the fact that she’d known two of her breeders.
How lucky was that?
Chapter Twelve
“I can do this,” Emma muttered to herself. “He’s a handsome devil and clearly not mean or without decency or principles or he would’ve just jumped me right away and raped me.” Of course, she thought, it might just be that I don’t appeal to him.
She considered it and decided that was absurd. When a man wanted to screw he was often not too particular, maybe more often than not.
The Hirachi were a different species but they had a lot in common with human men from what she’d seen. Ditto the Satren. Of course, being ordered to service her had probably set everybody’s back up, but she was naked and available and couldn’t escape so that would’ve been added to the good column.
Maybe he was just waiting for her to go to sleep so he wouldn’t have to fight her for it?
She’d already had a nice nap, though, she thought wryly.
Bastards!
No thought as to whether it might kill her if they gassed her.
Because, she supposed, they just didn’t give a damn one way or the other.
She did feel like she’d been out a while, though, so was that just the strength of the gas? The amount she’d inhaled? Or had she been kept out so they could do something to her? Run tests?
That thought perked her up, but she realized almost immediately that they wouldn’t have dumped her on another male if they’d succeeded in breeding her.
Briefly, an odd sort of disappointment descended over her … directly behind the realization that she wasn’t carrying a baby by either Kadin or Gaelen.
And she probably wouldn’t get the chance at Hauk.
Because this guy was going to do it for her.
Maybe.
And she should hope so, because there was no damned telling how many males she’d be offered to if she didn’t get knocked up pretty soon.
And she’d have to wait until she did get preg before she discovered if they’d give Nye back to her or not and she felt sick to her stomach every time she
