Page 90 of Bred by the Alien Prince

"I have nothing!"

"But you do," he nodded; his calm demeanor almost made me ashamed of not remaining calm. "A ship that can fly me far away from here."

Now, I was growing suspicious. The people here all spoke in another language, but not him. They didn't seem to understand anything I said. "How come you can speak this language and theirs? You don't belong here, do you?" I asked, hoping he said yes.

"You aren't the first to come here. My team landed here a long time ago and found ourselves trapped. Now I'm all that's left."

"Why did they bow to you?"

"I'm a scientist. They held me hostage and I had to prove my worth to stay alive. I cared for the sick and wounded and became known as a great healer."

"Why are they forcing me to eat?"

"They are feeding the chosen child, not you." His wide lips widened even more; he was handsome, yet his features were slightly exaggerated. His nose was a bit too big, lips were a bit too wide, but it worked for him. Strange how that could be. "Once itripens, they will cut it from your belly."

Well, if there was any more of a motivation for me to get outta here, this was it. "Okay, okay, now let's go!" I climbed to my feet.

"We have a deal?"

"Yes, yes, and more yeses!"

He stood and walked toward the door, his movements a little too languid for me. It was like I was at sixty, and he was at negative sixty!

"Await my signal. The name is Zai."

"Caspian. And what am I supposed to do?"

He didn't say a word. He closed the door and locked it, leaving me inside. He told me to await his signal yet didn't tell me what the hell the signal was! Usually, these things are followed by some sort of plan as to what to expect to happen. You're supposed to take everyone else by surprise, not the person you're making the plans with!

CHAPTER 36

Icouldn'tallowmyselfto rely solely on some stranger to help me. I needed to have my own plans, a way to escape without him or in case he failed. My pacing stopped, and I looked out between the wooden bars on the window. Wooden screws held together the frame. If only I was strong enough to tear this off, I could escape from here, but it was pointless.

The woman in white entered again, carrying a lengthy white tunic and a tray of dark-hued bottles. The bottles wafted with various scents, including flowers and some kind of incense.

"What do you want?" I asked instinctively, but this time, there was no gesturing of any kind. Some of the women held me down on the bed while the others stripped me naked and rubbed my body with the oils.

Oh God, are they going to cut my baby out now? There was nothing to cut out!

They then slipped the tunic on. It looked like a plain white outfit, but unlike the sheer dresses that adorned the women, it hid my body well. It resembled an outfit you'd find in some Middle Eastern desert.

Without a word, they helped me up and escorted me from the room, and for the first time, I saw their home in all its splendor. Stairs circled the massive trees leading to the various wooden homes above. One tree was like a small neighborhood, and I loved the beauty and simplicity of it all. If only I had come here under different circumstances, or if only they weren't insane zealots itching to cut my baby out of my body.

They guided me down the long staircase, where a wooden litter awaited, draped with a sheer cloth. They parted the fabric and sat me inside, and a group of men lifted me up and carried me away.

I couldn't stop trembling, especially when they carried me through a large canopy of flower arches where a large crowd had gathered.

"Oh, God," I swallowed, and now I searched for a way out, but it all seemed so fruitless.

The men set the litter on a stand on what looked like a decorative stage. The ominous drums boomed while the women opened the canopy, allowing me to see everyone, though I'm sure it was meant for everyone to see me.

Someone stood on the stage, naked except for a cloth to cover the genitals, and his skin was painted black from head to toe. He gestured to the right, and I heard the cries of a six-legged animal with cream-colored matted fur dangling like dreadlocks.

He uttered a string of words I couldn't understand before running the blade along its throat.

The animal uttered another strong cry before the handlers guided it to rest. The crowd swayed in unison to the beat of the drums as the man cut something from the poor animal and placed it on a tray, the centerpiece surrounded by fruit.

Women approached me, blood coating the bottom of their dresses as they walked through the path of blood.

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