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“Tell me what happened,” Flora coaxed.
Still unbearably restless, Cara crossed her arms then uncrossed them as she leaned back against the wall. “My parents narrowed down my suitors to three teams of two. They showed me pictures and detailed resumes. Then they took me to the Citadel and let all six finalistsexamineme.”
She was waiting for Flora’s shocked gasp. It never came. Instead she asked, “They undressed you?”
“They didn’t need to.” Cara couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice. “I was stripped naked by Citadel staff and strapped down to a table designed for these examinations. It was obvious that this sort of horror goes on all the time. Women are treated like breeding stock, and you don’t seem concerned about any of it.”
Rather than responding to Cara’s accusation, Flora said, “I need you to be brutally honest about this. Did you enjoy what was done to you, and not just your body? Did at least part of you respond to being dominated?”
Cara quickly looked away, not ready to admit how deeply she had been affected by the forced submission. “I didn’t want to enjoy it.”
“That’s not the same.”
“I know.” Cara felt her face heat and her core clench. “I was humiliated and angry, utterly helpless, and they made me feel things I didn’t want to feel. So many things.” And that had been the beginning of her sexual metamorphosis. The things Merrik and Tov had done since made the assessment seem tame.
“They aroused you?” Flora asked carefully.
Cara looked at her impatiently. “It was more than that.”
“They turned you on in ways you didn’t expect to find arousing.”
The voice of experience?Cara let her expression ask the question.
“Did they spank you?” Raina asked from the doorway, her cheeks deeply flushed. “Oh, my God, did the spanking get you hot? Is that why you’re so freaked out?”
“The physiology of Altorian females makes us naturally submissive,” Flora was quick to point out. “Living on Earth taught us to be—”
“I knew you wouldn’t think this was a big deal. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you.” Cara stalked over to the window and stared out into the gathering twilight. She still hadn’t explained what her mates intended to do. They could still auction her future off to the highest bidder. “You might enjoy being humiliated and having absolutely no control over your body’s responses, but I hated it.” Except when Tov controlled her body and Merrik was making her come so hard she saw stars.
“My mates are now the official representatives for you and Raina.” Flora sounded closer, but didn’t touch Cara or ask her to turn around. “They will assess the potential mates and screen out anyone who is unacceptable. Once they have narrowed down the list, the final choice will be up to you and Raina.”
Cara tensed. If it were just Flora, Cara wouldn’t hesitate. But Flora wasn’t in control. Her mates were. Could Cara trust her cousin’s mates? “How is that any different from what my parents did?”
“Did your parents give you a say in any of it?” Raina asked from the doorway.
Cara blinked as she turned around and tears escaped to trail down her cheeks. She hadn’t even realized she was that close to tears. “I don’t want to choose my mates,” she lied. Until she knew for sure that she could trust Flora’s mates, Tov and Merrik would remain her secret. And her safety net. “I hate it here. I hate everything about it.”
Flora moved to her side and wrapped her arms around Cara. “I know this is scary and it all seems so wrong, but you won’t believe how fast that changes. Your power is stirring whether you want it to or not. Very soon you will need help controlling it.”
Flora wasn’t entirely wrong. Cara’s power was already unbound, but she did need to learn how to control it. “I don’t want to live the rest of my life on my knees, taking orders from two domineering males.” There was truth in that statement. It was the aspect of being claimed that still had her concerned, even with Tov and Merrik.
“Do I seem subjugated?” Flora challenged. “You’re here because my mates want me to be happy and they knew I was really worried about you and Raina. Does that sound like males determined to keep their female on her knees?”
Cara glanced at Raina then turned back to Flora. “I’ll think about it.”
“There is nothing to think about,” Raina objected. “We have one month to decide who we want to bond with. That is the only choice we are being allowed. We both need to buckle down and make the best decision.”
If that were true, her decision was easy. “I don’t accept that,” she said to maintain her role.
Raina threw up her hands. “You have never been rational. I don’t know why Flora expected this to be different. I’m going for a swim.” She spun on the ball of her foot and hurried off down the hallway.
Once Raina was out of sight, Cara moved to the foot of the bed and sat down. “Why did you give in so easily?” She knew the answer. Altorian males were nearly impossible for Altorian females to resist. Or maybe it was just conduits and their compatible males.
“My reasons would not make sense to you right now. Once you’ve decided on your mates, ask me again. I’ll explain the emotional evolution I have been through.”
Cara rolled her eyes. “That’s a copout.”
“I’m going to ask a personal question. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. Did you react more strongly to any of the males? Was one team more interesting than the others?”
