Page 37 of The Dalgur’s Pet

Thase got out of the bed, reaching out a hand, which she reluctantly took. When her shaky legs were on the floor, he pulled her to him, nuzzling his cheek to the top of her head.

The gesture was sweet, but Giselle was numb, beads of sweat forming on her brow even though the room wasn’t hot. A cloud hovered over her despite their promises and reassurances, a cloud of impending doom. She was out of touch with her body, with reality, floating in a fog of gray, though what was reality anyway?

“Please…” she said, the beating in her chest growing painful.

Thase gave her a final squeeze then released her.

“Air, yes, let’s get you some air.”

Vrix was trembling on the bed.

“Can I come too?”

“Can you behave yourself?” Thase asked, eyes narrowed to a glare.

“Yes, of course,” Vrix huffed, his gaze bouncing between the two of them.

Thase turned to her with a vicious sneer, one that she remembered well, one that sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach and made her breath catch in her throat.

“I will put the collar on him to make sure he behaves.”

Giselle nodded, eyeing Vrix, who wore a smile that was a bit too eager for what she thought was supposed to be a punishment.

Thase went to a metal trunk at the foot of the bed, rifling through various objects until he lifted two into the air.

There was a collar alright, sleek and silver, small prongs dotted along the interior. The other item looked like a watch, which Thase swiftly secured around his wrist. He beckoned with a finger, and Vrix obeyed immediately.

“I expect you to be on your best behavior,” Thase said, clipping the collar so it fit snugly around his neck.

“I will be,” Vrix assured, though the glimmer in his hooded eyes said otherwise.

A sick smile curled Thase’s mouth as he pressed a button on the watch.

Vrix’s body vibrated, a whimper rumbling in his throat. But it was over a moment later as Thase released the button and extended his arm to Giselle once more.

“Come, little human, I have something to show you.”

Giselle took in the fresh air as they walked through the sparse trees, the suns peeking through the foliage. Strange whispers echoed through the forest, a background hum of melodies.

Thase held her hand, Vrix following them like a puppy, smiling every time she peeked over her shoulder at him. It was an endearing look, so different from the deranged one that twisted his face when he was choking her.

What disturbed her even more was how much she had enjoyed it, up until the moment she thought she was going to die. Her body still hummed with the intensity of the release, of the emotions that had bubbled over afterwards.

And now here she was, walking calmly through the woods with the alien who had just tried to kill her. In her old life, she would have been a sobbing mess, overwhelmed by the anxiety and fear. But something had changed her since she arrived on the Starlet.

Was it for the worse? Or better?

“What is that noise?” she asked, the buzzing sound intensifying as they traveled further into the forest.

“It is the trees. They sing for us,” Thase answered with a smile.

“A beautiful song for our beautiful human,” Vrix added, and her face heated.

She wanted to hate him for what he’d done, but she simply didn’t have it in her.

The bright light was slowly blinking out, the forest dimming with each step she took as the trees grew denser.

“How long was I asleep for?” she asked, disoriented by the suns still trying to penetrate the canopy.