Page 66 of Rebel Fates

The hooded male storms over and hands the Tirb a metallic bar. He scans it and hands it back to my mysterious buyer.

Even at this proximity, I can’t make out Hood’s features. He’s also turning away from my gaze. What’s so hideous that he has to hide it amongst the other varied monstrous faces that I’m surrounded by?

Furball hands him my collar’s controller.

“No. Take it off of the female,” he demands. “Shackles too.”

“But it might run off,” the Tirb argues.

“I have my own measures.Take. Them. Off,” he says with a calm but somehow threatening tone.

“No refunds if you don’t get to enjoy the merchandise before it takes off.” Then furball reluctantly removes my restraints and collar. He eyes me like he might try to steal me back and do this all over again.

Hood says to me, “Wrists out.”

I figure there’s no point in starting a fight so soon in our budding ownership, so I put out my wrists and a thin silver cord wraps and closes around them. I tug, and it’s solid and not going anywhere. It’s not as delicate as it looks, but fortunately, it doesn’t hurt either.

“You put nano-trackers in her translator,” Hood says to the Tirbs. It isn’t a question.

Furball hesitates, calculating if he should lie or not, and then nods.

“Disable it, or I will trackyoudown and kill you.”

The Tirb takes out a tablet and punches some keys.

I feel a sharp pain above my ear, and my knees buckle. “Fuck!”

Hood catches me gently but firmly so that I don’t fall. He says something that sounds soothing, but I don’t understand his words anymore. He waits until I can get my feet back under me and sets me to standing.

Hood latches another cord to my wrist, like a leash. He leads us back through the market and into a ship hangar.

No one tries to touch me while I’m around him. I don’t blame them. He strikes an intimidating figure.

His long legs are almost impossible for me to catch up with as he plows through the crowd. Creatures step aside to avoid him crashing into them.

He leads me onboard an entirely black ship. It isn’t like either the Tirb’s ship or Leva.

It’s sleek and kind of sexy. As a design engineer, I have to admit the design is both elegant and functional.

But I’m still dreading seeing what this alien looks like.

The door hatch closes behind me. My heart pounds. I’m at thisthing’smercy.

Hood opens a small panel in the wall and pulls out a gun-like item. It looks similar to the furball’s translator implantation device, so I don’t immediately worry he’s about to shoot me. Besides, that’s a lot of money to waste to just blast a hole in a new possession. But I suppose humans do shit like that all the time.

Hood gently strokes my temple with his gloved hand and talks in a soft tone. Calming me. I’m still suspicious of someone who just bought me at a slave auction.

Why would he be nice to me?

He probably is implanting me with a replacement translator device.

It appears as though he’s waiting for my consent, which is odd. He’s my owner, after all. Why wouldn’t he do whatever he wants?

I nod, agreeing to the implantation. He places the device to my temple and the sharp needle shocks my system. The overload of my senses has me losing control of my body. I begin to crumple to the floor. He wraps his muscular arms around me to keep me upright and holds me to his hard body.

“How do you feel?”

“Bad.” I try to stand straight but end up leaning into him more.

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