Page 25 of Black Mamba

I leave the firepit and return to Elena, approaching her form—which has not moved since I left. She does not fight, only freezes when I grab hold of the rope attached to her and pull her right arm forward. I tie her hands with enough slack so she can still reach for the food. She barely struggles, barely even flinches, outstretching her arms toward me instead. It is unexpected and I do not take it as a good sign.

“I will be back later.” I eye her slight, huddled form. She is too small not to replenish her body with nutrients regularly. I must hurry. “Your bonds are loose should you choose to eat. I hope you do.”

Her arms drop when I let them go and she lies back on her side.

When she closes her eyes, misgivings fill me.

Maybe… maybe I was wrong in stealing her and keeping her here…

I did not expect her to be more stubborn than me.

I push the thought out of my head. It is too late for that now. She is here, and I will not fail in providing for her. I will not fail her.

Leaving the cavern once more, I do not give her a final glance. I cannot see her suffer any longer without guilt.

FOURTEEN

FIGHTING OR GIVING UP

Elena

I don’t know why he hasn’t tried anything with me, but I’m thankful for it. As thankful as I am that his nest smells… good.

Because I don’t smell good at all. And I don’t want to. I’ve gone as far as toileting on myself and using one of his hides in hopes that he’ll find me disgusting and let me go. But it’s almost too much for me to continue to bear. I’ve always been a clean person. It’s hard to let that go.

Sadly, I’ve had to learn that being clean is a privilege, one I no longer have.

I hear him return, but I don’t raise my head. I don’t have the capacity to do so. When he takes hold of my wrists and ties them before me, I try to keep my gaze off him. Because when our eyes meet, it makes my stomach coil in knots. His presence makes me anxious, nervous, and curious.

“I will be back later,” he says—except I barely hear him. Part of me has given up. I would rather be dead than be this male’s—any male’s—sexual slave.

Yet he hasn’t tried forcing himself on me. He hasn’t tried anything sexual at all.

Instead, all he’s done is try to get me to eat. I may have bothered to do so by now if it didn’t seem to make him so angry that I won’t. At first I didn’t do it to spite him, but now… Now it’s for something else… If I get him angry enough, maybe he’ll decide I’m not worth the effort and let me go.

I hear him leave and when he’s gone, I settle deeper into the furry, clean hides bundled on my left, relieved I’ll be alone for a while. He can’t force himself on me if he’s not here.

My stomach grumbles and I flinch, the pit of my belly hollower than it ever has been before. I’m starving. I’m dehydrated too. Opening my eyes, I assess the baskets of offerings set out before me, including the plates of cold cooked meat. My gaze drifts to the large, ceramic bowl of water.

I clamp my hands into fists and try to put my sad stomach out of my mind. But as I do, thoughts of my parents and how I’ve failed them arise. First, I couldn’t get them off The Dreadnaut, and now I’m some alien’s captive.

They wanted me to do something with my life; they wanted me to invest in myself. They wanted me to be talented. All my life they threw money at me, hoping some of it would stick and they’d discover some innate ability in me. Unfortunately, I’m talentless. Next to Jenna, I always have been.

Unlike me, my sister wasn’t a failure. She got into singing early and my parents, seeing her potential, paid for the best coaches to train her. Everyone in the upper castes on The Dreadnaut knew who my sister was by the time she was an adult. Her songs were on the radio.

Unable to sleep, I shiver against the cave’s chilly air, growing more miserable by the minute.

How long did he say he would be gone?

I eventually doze off into a fitful slumber, dreaming about gorging on Ilubriam chocolate. It’s been a certain kind of hell smelling my favorite treat while starving.

Unfortunately, now my favorite treat reminds me of him.

When I wake, I sit upright, blinking rapidly. Darkness meets me whether my eyes are open or not and my body stiffens.

The lantern is off.

I blink some more. Has he come back?