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I swallow. He has given me a command. He is my master now, yet I cannot get the word out past my tight throat.
"Name," he repeats, giving a tug upon my hair.
It does not hurt. It is almost playful, yet I tremble from his touch.
"Name," he says again, lips lowering so I can feel his breath against the side of my cheek.
I close my eyes, trying not to think about his hideous horns being so close to me. He shadows me, his body filling my senses. I dare not open my eyes again. Somehow, I squeeze my name past my lips. "Rachel." My real name is Cassiopeia. Rachel is not my name, but the one bestowed on me by my orc mistress. I am disturbed by how I speak the name as mine. Will my Devlin master give me a new one before he ruins me?
His hand moves to rest on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. It is not the touch of a monster. It is tentative.
Maybe he does want to put me in the corner and look at me. They seem to like to do that with humans; us being too small and not useful for other things.
"Come," he says, hand sliding down my arm until his great clawed fingers shackle my wrist. But my fingers are still locked tight around the bars, and no amount of gentle coaxing will see them removed.
He draws closer, caging my body as he takes my wrists. He pulls with only a fraction of his strength, drawing me from the bars in slow, unavoidable increments.
"No," I hiss, fingers aching as I fight to hold on.
"You will hurt yourself," Kastor says. "Let go of the bar. I am no danger to you, little human."
"That is for me to decide," I say, finding some wits.
He chuckles. "Let go of the bar, Cassiopeia."
He uses my name, not the fake name my mistress gave me, but my real name. The one I have not heard spoken in the last three months.
I release the bars in shock.
"Finally," he says, drawing me around to face him. "Are you ready to listen now?"
Chapter 3
Cassiopeia
"No," I say, gazing up and up until my neck strains and I can meet his eyes. "I'm not ready to listen to anything."
He's too broad and has too many teeth when his mouth opens in a smirk. At least, I think it's a smirk.
To my shock, I'm grasped around the waist and hoisted up until my face is level with his. My hands move to his shoulders under automation. The shock of touching his skin sends a shudder through my body. He is hot to the touch, far hotter than me, but he feels nice against the backdrop of the cool underground chamber.
"I will not hurt you," he says.
I nod, feeling weak, swallowing around the lump in my throat. Maybe he wants to look at me after all.
Then I remember how he used my real name, and I don't know what to think.
"I have come for you," he says. "After your disappearance, an investigation took place. Many irregularities were uncovered, and a team tasked with your recovery."
My mouth opens and closes, and no words come out. Kastor has been sent to find me? My mind travels into a catatonic state where it cannot make sense. Hope has abandoned me so long since, and I'm struggling. "What? How? Who?"
"You ask a lot of questions, tiny human. And I'm not approved to answer them."
"Not approved?" I say slowly. My earlier fear shifts into something else. I feel safe. This great intimidating male has been sent for me. He's here to rescue me. "Please," I say. "Please, I need to know."
Two guards passing by in the hall interrupt our conversation. My savior issues a low growl before he stalks toward his bed. He places me down and lies beside me, his body shielding me from view. The move feels protective. My eyes are drawn to his great horns that seem to dominate the space… all of him dominates the space. My nerves explode in ways that have nothing to do with terror.
He huffs out a breath, dark eyes seeming to drink me in as they roam over my body, lingering with interest on my breasts and hips. It is not a look of distaste. It is a look all aliens bestow upon humans, only it is more even than that.
