Enslaved (Brides of the Kindred Book 14) Read Online Free PDF Page B

drink.”
    Stiffly,
he nodded.
    “Good.
Here.” She was already holding a long silver metal container with a flexible
straw stuck in it. She put it to his lips but Thrace turned his head away as more
memories washed over him.
    Drink it up, there’s a good slave, crooned
the Master’s physician. It’s to relax
you…it’ll get you ready, make things a little easier…
    The
girl frowned, clearly not understanding his silent refusal of the drink.
    “I
thought you said you were thirsty? Don’t worry—it’s just nutrient water. See?”
She wrapped her lush, berry-colored lips around the clear straw and sucked,
letting Thrace
see her drink and swallow. “See?” she said again when she was finished.
    He
looked at her for a long moment. Surely she wouldn’t have taken a drink of the
stuff herself if it was drugged or poisoned. It was just that his head was
still fuzzy and the past kept getting tangled up with the present.
    The
girl looked at him and held the cup patiently, waiting for him to make up his
mind. At last Thrace
decided he had no choice but to trust her. Slowly, he inclined his head.
    “Good,”
she said briskly. “I’m glad you’re willing to at least try it.”
    She
placed the straw gently between his lips and held the cup for him while Thrace
took an experimental sip.
    The
minute the cold, slightly sweet liquid hit his tongue, his thirst exploded. He
drank quickly, almost gulping in his eagerness.
    “Whoa…whoa—take
it easy, big fella,” the girl cautioned. “You don’t want to make yourself sick.
Take it slowly—there’s more where that came from.”
    Thrace finished what was in the cup and lay back, letting his head rest on the pillow.
    “Good.
That’s good.” The girl seemed pleased.
    Though
she wasn’t really a girl, Thrace
thought, studying her. He estimated her age to be somewhere in the mid to late
twenties—younger than himself but old enough to know what she was doing. She
had a calm self-confidence about her that was impressive.
    She
was studying him as well.
    “I
guess I’d better come up with a name for you.” She sounded thoughtful. “I can’t
keep calling you big fella and big guy.”
    He
glared at her.
    “Have…name,”
he croaked, finally getting a few words out. “Thrace.”
    “Thrace,
huh? Okay.” She nodded. “I’m Trin—Captain Lonnara Trin of The Alacrity . I wasn’t
sure if your people had names or not—some species don’t, you know.” She
shrugged. “Anyway, you’ll have to excuse me. I’m from Zetta Prime so I don’t
know much about males. Also, I’ve never owned a slave before so there’s going
to be a pretty steep learning curve here.”
    Thrace glared
at her, his arms tensing in the manacles until his biceps bulged and the chains
rattled menacingly.
    “Not…”
He choked, his voice failing him again. “Not…slave!” The harsh words were
tearing his throat to ribbons but he’d be damned if he let her think she owned
him. “Not…slave!”
    She
frowned. “So you weren’t raised in
the Carnal Houses and trained to serve all your life?”
    He
shook his head violently.
    “All
right.” She nodded. “I believe that. But I don’t believe you’re not a slave. Why else did you call me ‘Master’ when you
tried to choke me?”
    Thrace subsided, looking away. Even if he could have talked, there was no way in all
the Seven Hells that he would tell her about his past.
    “Uh-huh.”
Trin was looking at him thoughtfully. “Hit a nerve, didn’t I? Don’t suppose you
care to tell me what happened to your last master, do you?”
    He
turned his head to look at her, letting all the hated and rage show in his
eyes.
    Trin
flinched away from his look of hate.
    “All
right, so you don’t want to talk about it. Fine. We can discuss it later. But
just so you know, I’m not unchaining you until I know what I’m dealing with.”
    Thrace just
kept glaring. Never—he was never going to speak aloud what had happened back so
many cycles ago. To