His Human Slave (Zandian Masters 1)
“Where is he now?”
“He’s in a holding cell.”
Zander sighed. One of the downfalls of being part of a nearly extinct species was that he couldn’t ever cut any being loose. He’d love to banish Gunt, but he didn’t want to lose or waste any Zandian life.
“Leave him there. What else did you find? How did my human know?”
Zeke shook his head. “There’s no other recording of the two of them, but I told you that before. There’s no recording of her seeing him take them—they were all taken and sold before she got here.”
Tension ran up Zander’s shoulders to his neck. Something tight in his stomach made him feel sick. “But how could she know?” His voice rasped a little. “She was an agri-slave before she came here.”
Zandian moons was she not a slave? Was she some kind of plant—perhaps part of the Finns’ plot to kill him? But that would mean Daneth was part of it. Or someone had tampered with his program…
Seke’s eyes narrowed, and he knew the older man had the same thoughts. He was the one who had taught Zander the art of war and strategy, after all. “I don’t know.”
Zander stood up. “I’ll question her.”
Turmoil swirled through his insides as he stalked back to his chamber where he’d left Lamira out of her cage. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
He opened the door and let it close behind him. Lamira scrambled off the bed to stand before him, naked, as he required. Her beauty angered him now. Was she an elaborate ploy to get close to him? If so, to what end? And how dangerous could she be? He could snap her neck with the flick of a hand.
He stared at her for a moment and watched her fidget. “How did you know about Gunt and the crystals?”
Genuine fear flashed across her face—her pupils narrowed, breath shortened. He smelled it coming from her pores.
It chilled him. So she did have something to hide.
She shook her head quickly and took a step back. “I didn’t. It was a guess, that’s all. Was I right?”
“Come here.”
Something twitched in her cheek. She stepped closer to him.
He picked her up by the armpits and lifted her until they came eye to eye. “Do. Not. Lie to me.” He kept his voice even and cold.
A shiver ran through her. It brought him some small satisfaction. Her reactions were so transparent. She couldn’t be a spy. At least, not a trained agent. She was a terrible liar and while her emotions confused him, she wore them on the outside. Surely a spy—even a human one—would have more skill.
“Zander, please. I swear—I don’t know anything.”
“You knew about Gunt. How did you?”
“He didn’t seem trustworthy, that’s all.”
Zander shook his head. “No. You told me he was stealing crystals. That’s a specific accusation, and Master Seke has proven it to be true. So how did you know?”
His little slave looked beautiful with tears swimming in her eyes, lips trembling, a wide-eyed pleading look on her face, her naked body vulnerable and available to him. “I didn’t know,” she insisted, not quite meeting his eyes.
He dropped her back to her feet. “I promised you a whipping the next time you lied.”
She blanched, her little hands reaching back to cover her still-marked ass. He should punish her again, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Still, anger coursed through his body, much like it had the night before. Once more, this little human had completely thrown off his equilibrium.
“I punished you yesterday when you didn’t deserve it, so I won’t strap you again. But I am very angry with you. Kneel at my feet and do not speak—I do not wish to hear your voice.”
He turned away from her, taking a seat at his work platform, but his mind was on nothing but the docile, delicate creature at his feet. When had she become so submissive? Had he already tamed her in a short week? How?
She sniffed, and he smelled the scent of her salty tears.
“Why are you crying? I haven’t caused you pain. Yet.”