Her shoulders straightened. “He hasn’t consented. You know what you’re doing is wrong. Don’t pretend like it isn’t.” Alice felt a surge of satisfaction as she witnessed the twitch return to his eye at her words. She’d always been braver whilst defending others than when standing up for herself. For some reason, it came easily to her. See a patron talk down to a coworker, rage like an avenging angel. Get talked down to by a patron, shrivel into a self-conscious mess.
“We’ll have to agree to disagree,” he said after a moment. “In any case, his chains will act to keep you safe, as well. If he recognizes you as his mate while on these drugs, he’ll try to get to you, and he won’t have the presence of mind to be gentle.”
Alice clutched the lamp tighter. An unfamiliar urge to inflict pain assailed her. This man was the kind who’d throw a person to the wolves and then ask for a “thank you.”
He stood and crossed to her, his large frame crowding her. His stance was meant to intimidate and frighten; Alice hated that it worked. Cold sweat broke out over her skin, and she began to shake. The scent of rubbing alcohol and something else she couldn’t quite place wafted over her, stinging her nostrils. “I won’t allow him to touch you, and in return for my kindness, you will go in there every day and attempt to make his mating marks appear.”
“How?” she asked in a squeaky voice as hundreds of terrifying possibilities flashed through her mind.
Helas’ shrug was noncommittal. “If proximity doesn’t work, you will touch him. If that doesn’t work, we will have to think of something else.” He allowed his smile to fade away, and at last, the coldness in his eyes matched the rest of his expression. “I am not asking.”
She stayed silent and felt the pressure of tears forming behind her eyes. All she wanted to do was curl into a ball in the corner, but she forced herself to stand tall and not let him see her cower.
In an instant, his mask of aloof kindness was back in place. He stood and walked briskly to the door. Motioning to the small table, he said, “I’ll have more food and water brought to you tomorrow. Sleep well.”
After he left, Alice sank to the ground, her legs unable to support her weight. Pulling her knees to her chest, hot tears rolled down her cheeks, and the deep sobs exploding from her tore at her throat like sandpaper.
Her whole life had changed so drastically in less than an hour. She wasn’t on Earth anymore, and if Helas had his way, the rest of her days would be spent in this room, either pregnant or trying to become pregnant.
There was no one to help her. No one to hold her while she cried. For all she knew, there were no humans on this planet at all. Alice would need to save herself somehow.
Tomorrow she’d be strong. Tomorrow she’d do what she had to do to survive. But just for tonight, she’d allow her pain and sadness to flow through her unrestrained.
Alice cried for what felt like hours until only dry, ragged sobs escaped her. She didn’t try to rise from the cold concrete floor when her eyes slid closed. When she eventually drifted to sleep, she dreamed about the chained man.
Chapter 2
Alice roamed around her room and scanned the bare walls for the umpteenth time. There was no clock. There was never a clock, but she couldn’t help checking and rechecking. For all she knew, she could’ve slept for two hours or twelve.
There were very few things Alice was obsessive about. In most respects, she even considered herself laid back. Her house could be a mess without it frustrating her. Food could be slightly too cold. Wrinkled clothes weren’t a cause for concern. But not knowing what time it was always made her anxious. It wasn’t like she did anything with the information. She wasn’t rigidly early or constantly late. She just liked the comfort of knowing.
It was complete and utter bad luck that her wristwatch had stopped working the day before she’d been taken. Or had it been an omen? At the time, she hadn’t thought much of it. Just another electronic giving out after extended use. She always had her phone with her anyway, and the turquoise bicycle she rode everywhere had a watch mounted between the handlebars.
She began nibbling her short nails. Ripped from everything she knew, her whole measly existence on Earth, and she didn’t even have the small comfort of knowing the time. At this point, she’d even settle for a sundial. Her steps faltered, and she narrowed her eyes, glancing at the ceiling.
It won’t be the same sun. How long are the days on this planet?
She let out a short shriek into the empty room, fisting her hands at her sides. The one thing she could count on, the one thing that should’ve never changed, was now uncertain.
This is bullshit! she thought as she gnawed the cuticle of her index finger and continued pacing.
She was fixating on something that didn’t matter. She realized that. The fact that there was no clock wasn’t nearly as stressful as thinking about what might happen to her in here, but she couldn’t focus on that for too long without dread starting to bubble up, and this was no place to have a panic attack.
Already, every small sound she heard made her flinch and sprint into the bathroom. Any minute now, they could come through the door to take her, and she still wasn’t certain what
