Handling the Hybrid Read online

  “Yes.” Her voice was almost a whisper. “They do. And until I can get the inheritance my aunt left me, I can’t afford to buy them. And Remy…he could die.” Her eyes overflowed at this point and she turned away from him, clearly not wanting him to see her weakness or let him watch her cry.

  Despite the situation he found himself in, Vrox felt his heart go out to her. Now he understood the look of desperation in her big brown eyes. But still—she could be lying. Maybe she was just a really good actress. He’d been a fool for a female once before and the experience had left him with a broken heart but also older and wiser. He didn’t intend to repeat the experience, he told himself.

  “That’s a really sad story, little girl,” he remarked, frowning at her when she finally got hold of herself and turned around again. “But I’m still not prepared to be fucked in the ass just to save some stranger’s life.”

  “What?” She glared at him. “What are you talking about?”

  “Exactly what I said.” Vrox glared back at her. “I know how Yonnites treat males—how they take them like females with a shaft in their ass. I’m not interested in that—or in being shocked over and over by your damn pain collar and cuffs just so you can prove to those other females who were with you today that you’ve broken me and I’m your good little slave.”

  “But I don’t want to give you the rod,” she protested. “Didn’t you hear anything I just said? I come from a family where males are treated equally—I’m going to free every male in this place if I can just get the inheritance. And I’ll free you too and give you a hundred thousand credits if you just play along—is that really so hard?”

  “It is if you’re going to fuck me in front of your friends,” Vrox said stubbornly. “I’ll put up with a lot for a hundred thousand credits but that’s a hard limit. Can you promise you’re not going to do that to me?”

  “I…” She bit her lip and a look of uncertainty passed over her lovely features. “I can’t promise that,” she admitted at last. “Sometimes…sometimes giving a slave the rod is part of the Test of Mastery.”

  “Then it’s no fucking deal,” Vrox growled at her. Then he suddenly had an idea. She would never go for it but it couldn’t hurt to try. “Unless…”

  “Unless what? What?” she demanded eagerly.

  “Unless we have a quid pro quo arrangement,” Vrox told her. “Whatever you do to me in order to ‘train’ me during the day, I get to do back to you, here at night.” There—that should keep her from wanting to fuck him with her damn rod, he thought with some satisfaction.

  “What?” Her creamy brown face went suddenly pale. “Are you crazy? You want me to let you put your hands on me? You think I’m going to put myself in your power and let you do…do whatever you want to me?”

  “I didn’t ask to do whatever I wanted to you—I asked to do to you exactly whatever it is you’re going to do to me.” Vrox couldn’t help letting his gaze linger on her full breasts and the tiny gold triangle of fabric that covered her plump little pussy as he spoke. These Yonnites had a bizarre fashion sense that seemed to involve showing as much flesh as possible.

  Just thinking of touching her curvy little body had his shaft rock-hard under the damn loincloth the slaver had put him in, but he wanted to be certain he was treated with the same respect he intended to show to her.

  “Well?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “Tit for fucking tat—you can’t get a fairer deal than the one I’m offering you.”

  “I thought I was offering you a deal,” she said faintly, still apparently at a loss.

  Vrox shrugged. “You did—I just changed it up a little. This way I can be sure you won’t do anything to me you don’t want done to you.”

  “But…you’re so big,” she protested, her eyes growing wide. “And the things you said to me…they didn’t exactly make me want to trust you.”

  Vrox sighed. “Yeah, I know that, little girl. I was trying to scare you off buying me. If some other idiot had come along and paid my price, it would have been a hell of a lot easier to get away. Not many people have keeping slaves that want to escape down to a science like you fucking Yonnites do.”

  “All right…” She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips and Vrox got the idea she was actually considering his offer. “Wait here for a minute,” she said and turned to go.

  “What else am I gonna fucking do?” Vrox called to her retreating back. “You’ve got me in a fucking force field!”

  She didn’t pay any attention and she only left the room for a moment. When she returned, she was holding a small white device that looked like some kind of an oversized clothes-clip.

  “What’s that?” Vrox asked suspiciously as he watched her approach the edge of the force field and do something to the controls.

  “A T’losian Truth Detector,” she said shortly. “I’ve made a hole in the force field just big enough for you to put your hand through.” She indicated a small, circular opening in the shimmering field that surrounded him. “Go on—put it through. The detector clips to your finger and lets me know if you’re telling the truth…or a lie. I want to talk to you before we agree to this.”

  So she was actually considering his deal! Vrox was surprised—she must really love her little brother. But he was still somewhat suspicious.

  “How do I know it works?” he asked, frowning and crossing his arms over his chest. “Let me see it in action.”

  “Fine.” The little Mistress clipped the white truth detector over the end of her middle finger. “My full name is Tandace Elisarah Sweetbottom,” she said in a low, even voice. Immediately, the Truth telling device gave a little beep and lit up brilliant green.

  Vrox couldn’t help himself—he could feel the stern look he was trying to keep on his features cracking into a smile.

  “Sweetbottom? Your surname is Sweetbottom?” he demanded incredulously. Honestly, these fucking Yonnites had the weirdest fucking names!

  “The Truth detector is lighting up green, isn’t it?” she asked evenly. “And I can’t help it—it’s a family name.”

  “It fits you,” Vrox informed her. “You’ve got a fucking sweet ass on you, little girl. I’ve always loved a female with a heart-shaped ass.”

  Tandy put a hand on one lush, curvy hip.

  “It’s remarks like that which make me not want to trust you, Kindred!”

  “Sorry.” He shrugged. “It’s just—I’ve never seen a female like you before. Your skin color is fucking gorgeous—and you’re not exactly trying to hide it with that little outfit you’ve got on.” He nodded at her split skirt and the bustier which barely covered her nipples and left the rest of her breasts bare.

  Her warm brown cheeks took on a pinkish hue but she lifted her chin and tossed her long, curly hair defiantly.

  “This is the way Mistresses of Yonnie Six dress—we revel in our beauty. I didn’t put this on to tempt you, so kindly keep a civil tongue in your mouth, slave.”

  “When we’re alone together you can call me Vrox or Kindred but I’m not your fucking slave,” Vrox growled, losing his good humor. “Just because some scum of a slaver spiked my drink and captured me and my friend to sell at the fucking Flesh Bazaar and you bought me doesn’t mean I’m your slave. Prisoner, yes—captive, yes. But I will get free one way or another, little girl—you can count on that.”

  “Fine, Kindred,” she snapped. “Then let’s get on with it.”

  “Fine by me, little girl.” He gave her an appraising look. “And it doesn’t matter that you didn’t put on that little outfit for me—you still look damn fine in it.”

  “Please stop examining my body!” Tandy exclaimed, her cheeks growing flushed again.

  “Why should I?” Vrox growled. “You’ve been examining mine from the minute you first laid eyes on me—you even fucking looked at my shaft!” He narrowed his eyes at her and let his voice drop to a lower register. “And tell the truth, little girl—you liked what you saw.”

  “I did not!” she pro