Dangerously Mine Read Free Page B

teeth.
    Head snapping up and coming back to full attention, Taio stared at the Tresdonian, thinking what he heard was a mistake.
    “You take her,” the Tresdonian repeated.
    Nope, he heard right. “I cannot take her. She’s your problem.” Taio flinched in disbelief at the mere thought of being responsible for a female child.
    “You take her,” the Tresdonian said again. This time, he slowed down his words as if Taio was the one with a small brain.
    “I can’t take her with me. I am not here to buy slaves. I am here to make you stop abusing helpless children.”
    “She yours now. You take her.” The Tresdonian walked past Taio back to the holding tank, undoubtedly to bring out another slave to start the auction again.
    “I am not here to buy slaves!” Taio yelled at the Tresdonian’s back as the crowd began to grow loud.
    “You no buy. She free. We punished,” the Tresdonian said over his shoulder.
    Realizing what had just happened, Taio stared at the retreating Tresdonian in consternation. He was about to move forward to argue his point but was stopped by Rasha’s hand on his shoulder.
    “It would be useless to argue with him. If you don’t take her with you, someone in the crowd will take her or they will come back and get her.” Rasha motioned his head in the direction of the Tresdonian. “Either way, she’s as good as dead.”
    “This I know,” Taio said, eyes downcast. The female who had just taken on two Tresdonians now lay in a small crumpled heap at his feet.
    “What would I do with a child in my care?”
    “You could always give her to one of the families on Sonis. Births have been down again this year. There are plenty of couples that would be honored to adopt a child.”
    Rasha was right, he thought. Maybe this would be a good idea. Although the population on Sonis was growing every year, they still had trouble conceiving and there were very few children being born. More and more people were leaving Drazlan to settle on Sonis, but the small world still lacked enough children.
    He devoted a great deal of money to researching the problem, trying to find a solution. Bringing home a young child would make some couple extremely happy.
    “You are right, brosir ,” he said, using the native Drazlan word for brother.
    Picking up the bundle at his feet, he tried not to cause pain to an already battered body. He met minimal resistance. She expressed her displeasure with slight murmurings as he slung her over his shoulder and carried her away.

Chapter Three
     
    Where are the vibrations coming from? The constant soft hum faded in and out as Eva struggled to wake. A pulsating sensation stimulated every nerve in her body and seemed to increase as she became more conscious. Her dream about home slowly faded away.
    Every fiber in her body felt rejuvenated. She stretched out an arm and hit the side of something hard and metal with a clank. She froze. She laid her hand flat on a solid, cool surface.
    Huh?
    Confusion and fear coursed through her veins as she struggled to open eyelids that felt leaden. How long have I been out?
    With blurred vision, she looked around her trap. She had reason to panic. She was naked and in some type of white metal box with a glass top. Reaching both arms out to the sides, she could almost fully extend them, but not quite. The top wouldn’t allow her to sit fully upright. The glass was a foot and a half from the tip of her nose.
    Looking up through the glass, she focused on the stark-white ceiling of the room.
    Where am I?
    The vibrations were coming from the box, making the whole damn thing hum. Why am I in here?
    Unable to fight her rising panic any longer, she let out a bloodcurdling scream. The sound echoed off the metal walls. It didn’t matter if anyone could hear her or not. The panic of the unknown became too much to bear. The mere thought of why she could possibly be in a humming box stressed her mind as each second ticked by.
    Calm down.
    She closed her eyes