Indentured Bride Read Online Free

words.  She wasn’t even sure what she was saying.
    He reached out and caressed her shoulder.  Once again, his touch was pleasant and gentler than she would have anticipated.  She had an urge to bridge the space between them.  A hug would have been sublime.
    “He says the safest thing is for you to leave,” Diplomo said.
    He looked as though he regretted the words, but still turned from her and stepped away.  Tabitha felt their thread of chemistry snap as he retreated to the living room.  She turned back toward the sink and let herself cry—softly, so he wouldn’t hear from the other room.
    “Jii’tox are transient monsters who lay their eggs on lifeless worlds or moons.  When they mature they are able to breach space and travel to inhabited worlds to feed.  Hex-lord Jaxil must be here to kill them before they mature enough to attack the nearby Hax-Rah home world.”
    “Oh,” Tabitha said while snuffling.  “I see.”
    “My database says they are incredibly difficult to dispatch, with only one vulnerable area.  Most hunters are killed or maimed.  It’s understandable why no other Hax-Rah would want to do the work.”
    “I used to be able to shoot a can off a fence from three hundred yards.”  Her mind drifted back to those carefree days a moment, when her mother was still alive. 
    “Perhaps you should tell him that.”
    She shook her head and continued with the dishes.  When they were all drying on the absorbent cloth she laid out on the only area of clear counter space she stood in the middle of the kitchen, not knowing what to do with herself.
    “I surmise he would appreciate it if you cleaned his bathroom.  It seems especially filthy.”
    She managed a weak nod.  As she stepped past Diplomo her stomach growled.
    “Let’s arrange for you to eat first.”
    “I’m fine.”
    Jaxil was sitting at his terminal.  His body was so large it completely blocked the monitor.  She went into the bathroom, unsure if he even noticed.
    She found stuff that had to be cleaning supplies under the sink and set to work scraping the scum from the bathtub.  It had a putrid smell which she ignored.  There were fouler things in the latrine of the slave compound that she had long since grown immune to.  It took an hour and three cleaning rags to get the bathroom sparkling.  She leaned on the sink to admire her handiwork.  She was thirsty, weary, and emotionally drained.  But she still brimmed with pride. 
    Jaxil blocked the doorway with his large frame.  “ Deearka .”
    She blinked at him.
    “Deearka means beautiful,” Diplomo said.
    The alien said something more.  Diplomo translated from behind him.
    “He wants you to come to the kitchen and take food.”
    “Oh.” 
    Jaxil moved aside for her.
    “Thank you.”
    She sat at the kitchen table where he gestured.  His project had been pushed aside, granting her a clear spot.  A plate was set before her (one of the ones she’d just cleaned).  He opened a chest cooler and pulled out something wrapped in wax paper while saying something.
    “You don’t have to be his slave.  You’ll be leaving tomorrow.”
    Tabitha felt as though her insides crumbled.
    A loaf of green bread was placed in front of her.  Jaxil went back into the chest for something else.
    “He says he won’t bond physically with you so you won’t have trouble growing accustomed to a new master.”
    Tabitha’s lips parted.  She presumed that meant he wasn’t going to have sex with her.  He’s honorable.
    Jaxil presented her with what looked like a hunk of cooked meat and then poured her a glass of sour tea from a pitcher. 
    “He said you don’t have to be scared,” Diplomo translated.
    “I’m not scared anymore.”
    She heard him grunt in approval after Diplomo relayed this.  This made her turn back to look at him.  She saw his thick shoulders rise and drop with a sigh.  He headed back to the living room, but glided his hand over her shoulder as he passed.  The