“Forget it, asshole,” I said. “You never share your food.”
The creature always ate better than me.
I reached back in Master’s pocket and felt something with a jagged, but not sharp, edge.
It had to be the key.
I hooked my finger around the little pull ring and tugged it free.
I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
I slipped the key in the lock. It clicked open and the restraint fell to the floor with a thud. I massaged the blood into my ankle and luxuriated in the freedom of movement.
That was better.
Much better.
Master sat up and rubbed at the bump on his forehead. He hissed through his teeth and checked his palm for blood.
I was so terrified, I froze.
He groaned under his breath, still suffering the effects of the alcohol.
I needed to act. Fast.
His eyes fell on me and bulged in memory of what I’d done to him.
I acted on instinct again. It worked well last time.
My hand snapped the restraint around his ankle and the lock clicked into place. I used the same forward motion to fall off the bed and onto the floor.
I scrambled forward and tucked my legs under myself.
After three weeks in this shithole, I knew exactly how far the chain let me move.
And…
I crossed it!
I was out of reach!
I grinned with satisfaction. Let’s see how you like being chained up, asshole—
His hand latched around my ankle.
No! He can’t reach me here! He can’t—!
But he was much taller than me. It gave him more reach.
“No!” I screamed.
I kicked and flailed and twisted to free myself from his grip but it wouldn’t loosen.
I slammed my free foot down, aiming vaguely at him.
He grunted, hard.
I peered down between my legs. He frowned at me in utter rage, a trickle of blood running out of his nose.
But he still had me gripped firmly.
I thrust my heel at him again and again.
His grip loosened but wouldn’t let go.
“No!” I yelled. “Let go! Let go! Let go!”
“Give me the key!” he shouted back. “Give it to me or I swear I’ll snap your leg clean off!”
And he could do it too. Titans were wicked strong. All it would take was a sharp twist of his arm and I’d be disfigured for the rest of my life.
I held out my hand. The key sat in my palm.
He extended his other hand toward it.
If he got hold of it, if he freed himself…
I would be dead. Or worse. He would follow through on his earlier threat to use me as a sex slave.
I couldn’t let him have the key.
But I couldn’t let him break my leg either.
“Stinky!” I yelled. “Candy!”
I jammed the key in the candy wrapper and tossed it under Master’s chin.
Stinky leaped for it and smashed into Master, knocking his grip from around my ankle loose. Stinky scooped the candy up and swallowed it happily.
I kicked along the floor and into the distant corner.
Master yanked on the chain and it bit into his skin. Then he braced his feet on the wall and pulled against the pipe. His muscles, veins, and tendons stood out on his arms and neck. They looked set to snap and burst through his skin. The wall groaned but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get it free.
He let go but did not relax.
He seized Stinky by the neck and shoulders, and for a brief moment, I thought he was going to rip the poor creature’s head off.
Stinky whined pitifully inside his master’s grip.
My heart caught in my throat. For all the dislike the Titan had for me, I always felt certain he would never harm Stinky.
Would he?
Had I misjudged his affections for his pet?
It was one thing to love something when you had nothing to lose, but what happened when your freedom was on the line?
Master stared at Stinky with his downward-facing eyes. His resolve faltered and he relaxed, brushing Stinky’s hairless skin.
“You’re sticking with me, my friend,” he said. “For the next twelve hours, we will be like conjoined twins.”
Stinky licked Master’s face with joy.
Twelve hours? Why was that significant?
And then I realized.
It took that long for Stinky’s digestive system to pass the key. Then Master could use it to free himself.
My ploy with Stinky hadn’t saved my life. It’d only prolonged it.
Master would chase me. There was no doubt in my mind about that.
“You’d better kill me,” Master said. “Or you’ll never live your life in peace. I’ll find you. I swear to the Creator himself, I’ll find you and make you pay.”
The smart thing to do was carry out his suggestion. To kill him and leave him there to rot. Someone would eventually find his body. They’d find evidence that I’d been in the shack too, that I’d been the one to kill him. Would there be enough evidence to prove I’d only done it to protect myself?
I didn’t know this planet or this Titan species. The only example I had to draw from had chained me up and used me as a slave. It didn’t inspire much confidence that they would be valiant upholders of the law.
I had to be honest with myself. I was an elementary school teacher. I just didn’t have it in me to kill a man—or a Titan—even the evil one I was staring at right now.
I got to my feet and dusted off my dress.
“The galaxy is a big place,” I said. “And you’re not even half a man.”
He ground his teeth and growled.
“You’ll never get anywhere without me!” he said. “I am your master!”
“You are a loser,” I said. “And I don’t associate with such people.”
I waved a finger at him.
“If you come after me, I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never regret,” I said. “And I know about lessons. I’m a teacher!”
The threat sounded weak even to my ears.
I moved to the beaten-up wardrobe and chest of drawers. I didn’t know if the wood was badly warped or it’d been assembled from random parts. Neither would have surprised me.
I reached inside the wardrobe and sifted through
