Page 65 of Baited

“What?”

“You did start the birth control before you…went with the Gryn, didn’t you?” Riklinn asks, eyes wide.

I nod because I can’t trust my voice.

“Here.” Riklinn shoves the pad at me which will allow access to my credit account. I put my hand on it as a reflex action, given I have to rely on her to read the symbols in it. “As long as you’re on birth control, at least that’s one less thing to worry about.”

“Do you think”—I swallow hard—“humans are compatible with Gryn?”

Riklinn is concentrated on her screen, but she shrugs. “It’s impossible to tell. That’s why we use the birth control and the madame forbids knots.” She’s frowning, but not at me, at the screen. “Speaking of the madame, she has paid you for the work you did with him, hasn’t she?”

Bile is already rising in my throat and its sourness fills my mouth as I think about Blayn and his secondary cock, and the way it swelled inside me…

“Yeah, she should have paid me,” I say robotically. The thought of being paid for my time spent with Blayn is abhorrent, but the credits are mine regardless.

“You don’t have anything in your account,” Riklinn says in hushed tones.

“What?” I grab the screen from her, looking at the symbols, the only one I recognize being the alien version of zero.

There are too many of them.

“She did pay you…” Riklinn points to some symbols higher on the pad, above the zeros. “Then all your credits were withdrawn…here.” She points to where the zero symbols appear. “Did you…?”

“No! I haven’t used my credit chip for at least a nova-week,” I respond, my stomach filling with ice. “Has someone…whywould someone steal from me?”

I hear my voice break. I’ve lost Blayn to the dome and the procurator, I’ve completely thrown caution to all the solar winds when it comes to getting pregnant by a male I may never see again, and I’ve lost all my credits, my job, and a roof over my head.

I have no words. I’m not sure if I have any tears left for this shit show.

BLAYN

My tongue feels like I’ve been licking the inside of Klynn’s pants…again. My head pounds at me as if I’ve been drinking Sarkarnii ale wine, and my feathers itch.

“Eregri?” I croak, reaching out blindly for my Izzy.

“Vrex off,” Rych growls.

I peel open my eyes. I’m in a bare room, lying on the floor. Turning my head, I see that Rych is lying next to me, his gold jewelry blinking in the limited light.

“Remind me never to follow your lead again.” He groans, clutching at his head, one wing rowing at the air as he sits up.

His feathers hit the wall. The room is not big enough for either of us to extend our wings.

“Whatever they vrexing gave us, it wasn’t good.” He smacks his lips, looking around. “And this is hardly the sort of quarters I was expecting.”

Within reach is a deep metal bowl filled with water. I lift it to my lips, hands shaking and spilling plenty as I drink deeply before handing it over to Rych. Like me, his hands shake, and as much water goes on him as goes in his mouth.

“Is that all there is?” he asks.

I look over to where I found the bowl and see a deep stone trough where I can refill it, handing it back to him.

“Vrex,” Rych mutters to himself. “I feel like one of Klynn’s playthings.” He splashes water on himself, huffing through the drops.

“You fell on your face, so no damage done,” I respond.

“You could have stopped me.”

“I was busy.”

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