Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101280 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101280 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
I clenched my fists—it was just as I had thought—Ass-licks had just been saying whatever he could to get Gumpas to come after me again. He didn’t dare to cross Vik’tor himself, but he was perfectly happy to send someone else to do his dirty work.
“I’m not your property! I’m with Baron Vik’tor now and he’s the richest, most powerful man on O’nagga Nine,” I snapped at Gumpas. “You’d better put me back where you found me or he’s going to get very, very upset.”
“That might worry me more if I thought he had any chance of finding out who had taken you,” Gumpas said coolly. “But there is no chance of that. Besides, I bought you and I still have my bill of sale from the Commercians. Any court in the galaxy would uphold my claim.”
“Vik’tor is still going to be upset when he finds me gone,” I warned him. “He tracked me all the way to another city back on O’nagga Nine—he’s not going to give up on me easily.”
“Well I wish him good luck tracking you to the Male side of Tangella Alpha-Prime and extracting you from His Highness, the Dark Emperor Shadout the Twenty-second and one half,” Gumpas sneered. “Even if he does manage to find you, the Tangellan males are giants—and much more aggressive than the females you were staying with on the other side of the planet. Now be quiet and put this on—you must look presentable to meet His Majesty.”
And digging in one of the main metal boxes, he pulled out a bright piece of fabric and threw it at me. Then he stalked off, his long toenails clicking as he went.
I stared at his retreating back, rage and fear warring inside me. But I knew from long experience that it wouldn’t do any good to keep shouting at him. Reasoning wouldn’t work either. Once Gumpas had decided to do something, he did it no matter what anyone else said or did to try and stop him.
I was headed for the Male side of Tangella Alpha-Prime and there was nothing I could do about it.
FORTY-FOUR
NATALIE
The thing Gumpas had given me to wear turned out to be a hot pink mesh dress that covered my bare body tightly, like a too-small fishnet stocking. It looked indecent and felt like I was wearing some kind of compression garment. I tried to get into the box he’d pulled it out of, hoping to find something that exposed less flesh, but all the metal boxes were fingerprint keyed to Gumpas only.
There was nothing to use as a weapon either—not so much as a stick or a stone and I wasn’t strong enough to lift any of the boxes over my head and try to bash his brains out. In the end, I had to give up and just crouch in the hold of the ship with my arms around my knees, shivering as I waited for my fate.
It didn’t take too long to get from the Female side of the planet—where Gumpas had picked me up—to the Male side. Before I knew it, he was coming back to the hold of the ship with a smirk on his face which centered more in his bright yellow eyes than his mouth, since he had a curving, parrot-like beak instead of lips.
“Well, well,” he said, nodding in approval when I stood up on shaky legs. “Nice—yes, very nice. I’m sure the Dark Emperor will be as pleased with you as he was with the other Lat-ti-zal I delivered to him.”
“Wait—you kidnapped some other poor girl and brought her down here too?” I demanded.
Gumpas shrugged.
“But of course! Once I got the Commercian’s transport system and La-ti-zal location equipment replicated, I used it to my best advantage to find the kind of female the Emperor requires. Come now—he’s probably waiting for you. I called earlier and let them know I was bringing you in.”
“Gumpas, don’t do this!” I said, as he took me by the arm, his disgusting fingernails scratching at my skin. “Baron Vik’tor is extremely rich—whatever the Emperor is paying, Vik’tor will double it! Triple it, even!”
I hope what I was saying was right. Vik’tor and I had agreed to go our separate ways but he still cared about me, right? I was certain he would pay a ransom for me.
But Gumpas shook his head, his hairy bat ears swiveling with the gesture.
“Negative. I’m afraid I have already promised you to the Emperor—it is not worth the price of my life to disappoint his Majesty.” He stared at me. “And I suggest you don’t disappoint him either. Be certain you display your La-ti-zal powers when he asks you to—don’t hide them as you did from me.”
“But I can’t just display my powers on demand!” I exclaimed, thinking how the only time I ever had visions was when Vik’tor was touching me sexually.