Page 23 of The Thren's Fated

“Stop yelling,” he said again, his face mere inches from hers.

Heat radiated from his body as his eyes bore into hers. He lessened the pressure of his tentacles, and she took in a big gulp of air, but remained silent. Finally, Screl let go of her arms and neck and stood up, scrutinizing her.

Lena was still shivering, oscillating between horror and hatred. Screl wasn’t just an asshole; he was a dangerous asshole. He’d kidnapped her in the middle of the night, and who knows if she’d ever get to go home.

She leaned forward and held her head in her hands, sobbing audibly. Every muscle in her body was weak, exhausted from the fruitless fight and the sleeping pills and whatever the hell this monster was injecting her with.

All she had wanted from Henios was… connection. Friendship. A fresh start away from all the pricks she’d known her whole life. And here she was, in more danger than she ever had been before. On some asshole alien’s ship with no idea what he would do to her.

Screl let her cry for a few minutes, as fear gave way to despair.

Eventually, he reached down with his tentacles and softly brushed them against her hair. He rubbed her neck and shoulders, sending a soothing warmth through her body, and again Lena felt herself drifting off despite the horror of the night.

She accepted his touch, too tired to fight again.

Screl scooped her up in his arms and carried her to a smaller room. It appeared to be a bathroom, similar enough to the one in her quarters on the station. He gently set her down and used his tentacles to unbutton her top, sweat gluing the fabric to her skin.

Lena wanted to scream again, wanted to protect herself, but the fatigue was overwhelming. Her heart raced as he removed her shirt skillfully with the tips of his tentacles and pulled her pants down. She was going to be sick, her stomach twisting painfully as Screl nudged her back into a clear box in the corner of the room.

Was this where he was going to force her?

Deep inside, beyond the disgust and anger and dread, there was still a spark of arousal at the thought. What the hell was wrong with her?

She didn’t want this, did she?

Instead of following her into the cramped space, Screl fiddled with a metal panel on the wall, and suddenly warm water was spilling from the ceiling. The heat was comforting, flowing over her hair and down her body, taking a bite out of the chill that had inundated her since she’d awoken in her quarters to a presence in her bed.

Screl’s eyes glowed unnaturally despite the dim light of the room, flashing over her body, and he seemed to tense all of his muscles, his hands balled in tight fists at his sides. Even the tentacles appeared to freeze for a few moments, ceasing their sensuous rippling.

Lena scrubbed her body, never taking her eyes off Screl. But he simply watched her, the surge of the shower the only sound in the small room.

What did he want from her? Was he turned on? Angry? Happy? It was impossible to tell.

After a time, she stood silently, arms crossed over her chest, the soothing shower quelling some of the panic that threatened to bubble over. Screl pressed an unseen button, and the water ceased. He pressed another, and warm air surrounded her, whipping her hair around just like her shower back at the station did.

Back at the station.

Where he had abducted her from.

There were cameras in the halls, weren’t there? Someone would know she was missing. Her pulse quickened, dread icing her veins as all the possibilities coursed through her head.

And suddenly, the warm air was gone.

Lena flinched as Screl took a tentative step toward her, his entire body contracting as he paused his movement. Goosebumps prickled her skin, despite the warm humidity of the ship, and she continued to watch him warily, too scared to even blink.

Screl was almost in the shower, eyes ablaze. His arms were at his sides, but his tentacles were writhing, reaching out for her. He took a big step forward, and Lena shuffled back until she pressed against the wall of the shower, the metal chilling her bare skin. She crumpled her face, squeezing her eyes shut and willing this all to be a horrible dream.

A tentacle wrapped around her neck, snaking up her face and rubbing over her lower lip. She stifled a whimper, not wanting to give him the satisfaction, though the touch sent an electric jolt through her body. Tears burned at her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

“Open your eyes, pet,” Screl whispered, inches from her face.

His large presence encased her, and she willed herself to push straight through the wall, even if it meant dying in the vacuum of space. The tentacle caressing her neck tightened, but only slightly. She could still breathe, but felt a clear pressure, a warning.

“You are mine, Lena. You will obey me.”

She opened her eyes slowly and turned to face him. There was a dark promise in his gaze as he stroked her cheek.

“Good girl,” he cooed, the words vibrating into the very marrow of her bones.