Page 11 of Adored By the Alien Warlord

Collapsing on my bed, I curled into a ball and let sleep sweep me away.

I woke to the smell of something yummy, and for one second, I thought I was back on Earth, that Talia had ordered take out and it had arrived. She’d come to my bedroom door and roll her eyes when she found me napping, then insist I get up and eat before our meal got cold.

So much for that dream. Would something like that ever happen again?

Davon had left, and I might never see him again. He’d given me a reason to hold on, and it was going to suck if he disappeared, and I was stuck here forever.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and sat, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Without natural light, it was hard to know how much time had passed, but I felt like I’d slept for hours. Not surprising when I considered how exhausted I was.

A box sat on the metal crate. I’d swear it hadn’t been there earlier.

Had Wortek stopped by with a gift? My shrill laugh jerked out of me. No chance of that, and the day Wortek started bringing me gifts was the day I had to find a way to escape. So far, he didn’t appear to see me in a sexual way, but the dread that he would haunted me.

The yummy smell hit my sinuses again, and it seemed to be coming from the box. Carefully lifting it off the table, I placed it on my lap and removed the lid.

I’d never seen food like this before, but the scent made my belly rumble. I grabbed the large hunk of meatthat was still warm and juicy—juicy! —and bit off a huge bite.

Moaning, I chewed, savoring the burst of flavors on my tongue. It reminded me a bit of beef with a hint of that fatty part of bacon many of us loved. A light, spicy heat hit me in the back of my throat when I swallowed, only making it taste better. I ate the rest, gobbling it down, actually, then licked my fingers until I’d taken in each drop of melted fat. Vegetables came next, soft enough to chew yet with a hint of crispness that made them taste amazing. Chunks of root lay in the dregs of the meat’s juices, and I swiped them through the goodness and munched through them as well, wiggling on the bed at the incredible flavors.

Off to the side, I spied a square wrapped in silver fabric, and after placing the empty box on the crate, I held up the tiny package. I unwrapped it, revealing a brown chunk speckled with pink bits. The scent of sweetness drifted through the air, and I chowed through the alien brownie, grinning when the pink things burst, releasing something that vaguely tasted like berries.

I licked my fingers again and tossed the silver fabric into the box. Flopping onto my back on the bunk, I smiled at the ceiling, feeling full for the first time since I left Earth.

My feet nudged something lying on the bottom of my bed, and I jerked upright again, spooked for good reason. Nothing good came from surprises in this place—the meal and alien brownie being the only exceptions.

My fairy godmother had left a bag on the bed, and Itugged it up onto my lap, untying the strand of leather securing the top to reveal fabric inside.

I pulled out two tunics and three pairs of pants, plus shoes that looked like they’d fit me.

The only thing that confused me was the sand dusting the floor that wasn’t there when I went to sleep. Had he tracked it in on his feet? Because I suspected my fairy godmother had a name and it was Davon.

My heart flipped over and stumbled onto the floor. How could it not? I’d suffered in this place. I’d begun to lose hope that I’d ever find a way free. And I’d worried even if I did, I’d end up in a worse situation.

But now I had a friend.

Chapter 6

Davon

Iwanted to go in to work early, but I doubted Wortek would let me inside the building until patrons started to arrive.

So I went to the wall and found the bird I’d left there, securing a message to Coovik and letting the bird fly free. I watched as it soared over the wall and out into the desert.

Coovik would soon learn I’d found Maggie. He’d know that the sand gods felt she was my fated mate. I did not tell him that I would not claim her, that I didn’t deserve a mate or hope or a future. He’d find out when I returned to my clan after delivering her to her sister.

Finally, it was time, and I strode from the room I rented across the stone street from the bar and stepped into the building. The lights blazed high, though they’d be dimmed once the music started, and the place held an empty, stale smell that was sharp in my nose. I’d lived all my life with the desert’s open, sweet air around me.Being trapped inside this dingy place grated across my soul like sand carried by a storm.

“When the music starts, go get the female,” Wortek said over his shoulder from where he sat on a high stool at the bar, his tail swishing lazily across the floor behind him. “Tether her to the pole and then make sure everyone behaves.” He waved for the Veerenad bartender to top off his drink, which the male did with a flick of the bottle.

“Do you need me to do anything before that?” I asked, striding across the slick, greasy floor to stand behind him.

“Yes, stay within my view,” Wortek snarled. “I don’t like it when anyone stands behind me.”

Yet he sat at the bar with his back facing the door. But then, I’d been given the code that allowed me access to the building.

I moved around to his side.

“Drink?” the bartender asked me.