Free Captive by K. M. Fawcett Page A

ever received the lesser quality—” He shuddered. “It’s best ye not be on the receiving end of his anger, aye?”
    Addy nodded. She didn’t want to see Regan in a good mood, never mind seeing him going ballistic.
    “Tess,” he called, taking great care in packing up the bottles. “Can ye show Addy her bed? I’ve a delivery to make.”
    “What, no squeaky exercise wheel?” she said entering the last room. It was L-shaped with the short end wrapping behind the “privy.” At least she’d have complete privacy in the one place that mattered.
    She stared out into the darkened Yard.
    “The observation walls are only transparent one way,” Tess said, as if she had read Addy’s mind. “All you can see from the outside is the mural.”
    “Does everyone have observation walls like this?”
    “Of course. The Hyboreans love nature. They like to view the Yard habitat.”
    “View it or monitor it?”
    “It’s not like they keep a sharp eye on every little thing we do. We have a great amount of freedom.”
    Ha. What did Tess know about freedom? She’d been born a captive. To her, voyeuristic aliens were normal. To Addy, they posed another challenge for escape. How on earth would she get out of here if Big Hairy Brother was watching?
    She shuddered.
    Perhaps Tess was right that the aliens didn’t monitor every little thing. After all, they hadn’t chased after her when she fled from Duncan. Maybe the aliens viewed people with only mild interest, kind of like she did when watching aquarium fish.
    That could explain how someone was able to escape.
    He escaped. He got caught. He was killed. Max’s haunting voice invaded her thoughts. Whatever happened to him after being pulled from the breeding box?
    “Where does Max live? Duncan told me he’s not from the Yard.”
    “He lived here with the other gladiators some years ago, but his master eventually sold him.” Tess arranged long body pillows on the floor for Addy’s bed. “When he comes back for breeding or for the infirmary, he stays at HuBReC’s kennel.”
    “Infirmary?”
    “The survival race is a brutal sport.”
    “I see.” Though she didn’t, really. If Max had been hospitalized so often, how come he didn’t have any scars? Not that she’d been checking for scars on his naked body. Her cheeks warmed. She turned away before Tess could see her blush, and flopped down on her bedding, shoes and all. She was not about to undress in front of the alien. For all she knew he was watching her right now. “Night,” she mumbled into a pillow.
    “Don’t you want supper?”
    “No. I’m beyond exhausted.”
    “Of course you are. Good night, Addy. I’ll leave the lightstick here.” The room darkened. A blanket covered her. And exhaustion took over.
    *  *  *
    Addy had awakened the next day intent on learning more about this God-forsaken planet so she could find a way to escape, but Ferly Mor had other ideas. In the morning, he had brought her to HuBReC’s infirmary, where he’d poked and prodded her and shot her with some supersized EpiPen filled with God knew what.
    As if that medical exam hadn’t been humiliating enough, now the damn alien wanted to train her!
    She stared down the furry, gray beast with teeth clenched so tight her head ached. Hot, heaving breaths expelled through her nostrils like an irate bull. Only this bull refused to charge.
    “Och, Addy, just go to him.”
    “No way.” She folded her arms across her chest. In the grassy Yard about twenty feet away, Ferly Mor faced her wearing his silver ring around his head. Without touching the headband, a musical tone sounded. He crouched down and motioned for her to come.
    She didn’t budge.
    He held out a square chocolate cookie and sent happy telepathic feelings as the ringtone played again.
    And again, she didn’t move.
    He faced Duncan. A different ringtone sounded, and Duncan walked to him to receive his cookie. “That’s all he wants ye to do, lassie.”
    “Call me Lassie