AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bee smiles up at me, her managing smile, and she doesn't back off at the sound of my growl. She moves to my side and touches my arm, her fingers light on the short fur that covers my skin.
My body grows hot at that small touch, my cock instantly responding. "Wh-what are you doing?"
"I'm looking at your spikes." She gently runs her hand along one of my biceps, and I want to pull my cock free and jerk it, her touch feels so good. "Do they not retract?"
"If they do, I do not know how," I admit.
"Oh," she breathes, the sound soft. "There's dried blood at the base of this one." Her gaze moves up my arm, to the next deadly, thick spike jutting from my skin. "This one, too." Her soft gaze moves to my harder one. "Are you in pain?"
I grunt. What is the answer to that? Is there not always some pain? "They itch."
"I'll bring you an ointment," Bee says with a little smile. "And maybe you'll learn how to retract them with time."
Staring down at the small human, I fight the urge to grab her. I don't know if I want to startle her, or simply remind her that I'm a monster. She doesn't seem to be aware of this fact. "You should be afraid of me."
Bee pretends to consider this, but her smile remains on her face. "Why?"
"I'm a monster."
"No," she corrects. "You were cloned from a monster and treated poorly when you were awoken. I suspect anyone would have lashed out if that was the case." She pats my arm, rubbing it lightly, and then moves away, back to her stool.
I don't want her to go. Not even across the room. But I say nothing, because I cannot show weakness. The guards in the hall watch her, their faces stuffed with her foods, and between smacks of their lips, they comment on how fearless she is. How Riffin is an idiot for letting her do this.
“Letting” her. I suspect no one “lets” Bee do anything she doesn't want to do, and the thought amuses me.
"So we need a new mattress for you," Bee says, ticking it off on one hand as she sits down again. "A sturdier blanket. Ointment for your spikes and your wrists. What about clothes? Do you need better ones?"
I glance down at the loose trou covering my legs. They are all I have, and while I would be just as comfortable naked, it's obvious from the layers that the other males wear—and the layers that Bee wears—that no one is naked. People wear clothes around other people. So I shrug.
Bee continues to study me. "What about a bath? Would you like one?"
"Are you offering to bathe me, Bee?"
Her eyes go wide and she makes a little sound that might be a protest. "I—me? No." She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and flushes, dropping her gaze. "Nice try though, Victor."
I grin, because why shouldn't I ask? And my grin widens when I catch a faint—very faint—new scent in the air.
Arousal. Just a hint of it, but it's enough to let me know that I affect her as much as she affects me. Good.
7
BEE
Victor seems to be finding his footing. With a new name and the horrid cage out of his room, he stands a little straighter, his posture less bestial and more upright. Prouder. It's a good sign, and I'm happy for him. I want him to feel good about who he is, while accepting that he's not the monster everyone has him pegged to be. He's going to prove them all wrong and I'm going to be there every step of the way.
Well, maybe not every step of the way. I'm not going to bathe him.
Just thinking about the fact that he asked makes me flustered.
I know this is all a game to him. That even though his cage is gone, he's still a prisoner. Like any prisoner, he's going to test the bars to see where they give, or if they give at all. And I'm part of that cage, so of course he's going to test me.
I definitely should not find it exciting. It's fucked up that I do. It's even more fucked up that I look forward to him pushing at me, to see which of us will give first. I'm not used to men pushing back. Ever since I've been “freed,” I've adopted a manipulative personality to protect myself. I act sugary sweet, like the Southern belles of old (even though I'm not southern) simply because I can get what I want that way. I stay safer if everyone knows and likes me, if they think of me fondly. It's the only weapon I have against a shitty universe that's determined to break me into pieces, so I wield it indiscriminately.
