Chapter 38
NOELLE
The moment the three of them stepped out of the shuttle, Noelle felt like she’d wandered straight into a nightmare fairytale—one of the old, scary ones she’d read as a child, where giants ate people and castles had teeth.
The Trollox’s “house” wasn’t just big—it was monstrous.
The structure loomed above them like a fortress built for gods—or for things that had once devoured gods and left their bones scattered in the back garden.
Massive stone pillars lined a broad walkway paved with stones the size of hovercars.
The front door alone was three stories tall, carved from a single slab of dark wood, etched with swirling runes she didn’t recognize.
The door handle was as large as a Kindred torso.
The grounds were equally oversized. What she had first mistaken for long rows of decorative hedges were actually towering bushes twice her height, their leaves as big as dinner plates.
Strange flowers—huge, pulsing blossoms the size of serving bowls—unfurled in the dim evening light, releasing scents that made her nose twitch as she breathed in the fragrance of sweet sap, damp earth, and something musky and alien that made her cheeks feel warm.
Even the stepping stones on the garden path were each large enough to serve as a table for six. She felt tiny walking beside Burn and Bright, as though she had shrunk.
But the exteriors weren’t half as intimidating as the Trollox himself.
He lumbered ahead of them, his three heads bobbing like grotesque, shaggy jack-o-lanterns.
“Come in, come in, my piggy-wigs,” he called, each head speaking a fractional beat out of sync. His huge feet—each one about half the size of a twin mattress—thudded against the stone steps as he approached the colossal doorway.
Burn pushed ahead first, shoulders tense and jaw set.
Bright stayed close to Noelle’s right side while Burn guarded her left, and she walked between them like precious cargo they refused to let the Trollox touch.
Their protective closeness made her feel safe…
but it didn’t erase the fear trembling through her bones.
Inside the house, the scale only grew more surreal.
Everything—everything—was twice as big as anything Noelle had ever seen.
The living area opened before them like a cavern.
A couch stretched along the far wall, its cushions as wide as queen-sized mattresses.
Noelle thought a single Kindred could curl up in the corner of one cushion and still have room to spare.
A matching chair sat nearby—more like a throne—with an ottoman larger than a Kindred bed.
Huge tapestries hung on the towering walls, their embroidered scenes showing battles between creatures even larger than the Trollox.
The images were unsettling—beings ripped in half…
flames raining down…massive alien beasts with multiple heads or writhing tentacles fighting each other, bleeding and dying.
“Welcome to my humble abode,” the Trollox middle head said with a bow that made the floor tremble. “You may sit on the furniture, little piggy-wigs. Just don’t make a mess with your shoes.”
The right head snorted and muttered something incoherent, while the left one giggled to itself.
Noelle hugged her arms to her chest—well, tried to—and immediately winced when the collar shocked her hands for daring to brush against her own skin.
“Ow!” she gasped under her breath.
Her stupid breasts felt so full and heavy and painful—the nipples were tight and aching and even the slightest movement hurt. She wished she could cover them—or rub them—or anything to relieve the pressure. But the collar made even scratching her nose impossible.
She watched Bright absently rubbing his chest and felt a sharp pang of jealousy.
Why do their collars let them touch themselves while mine punish me for every little thing? Madre de Dios, it’s crazy-making!
“And this is the recreational den,” the Trollox said cheerfully as he led them onward.
They stepped into another colossal room featuring an entertainment screen the size of a building wall. It stretched from the massive hearth at one end to a pile of enormous lounging pillows at the other. A controller—bigger than Noelle’s torso—lay discarded on the floor.
Burn’s low whistle echoed in the vast room.
“Gods. That screen’s big enough to broadcast to the whole fucking neighborhood!”
Bright’s eyes widened slightly as he looked around.
“You could fit a whole squadron of Kindred in here.”
The Trollox laughed at their awe, his three voices rattling the enormous chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
“Wait until you see our office, piggy-wigs—it’s much bigger than you might imagine.”
He wasn’t exaggerating.
The “office” was built on an enormous scale—there was a desk carved from a single slab of dark stone, its surface long enough to park a shuttle on.
The legs were thick pillars carved with swirling symbols.
A rolling chair stood behind it—a monstrous piece of furniture that could easily fit a Kindred warrior stretched out flat on his back.
“You’ll be doing some accounting for us here,” the Trollox told Bright, tapping the desk with a talon-like nail. “Simple work. You’ll get used to the size.”
Bright shot Noelle an encouraging look, though she saw the tension in his shoulders.
Even he’s intimidated, she thought sympathetically.
“Of course,” the Trollox went on, “You’ll all be assigned your daily duties. The big male will handle the yard—lots of thinning to do, lots of weeds. You’ll be busy, boy.”
Burn gave a single curt nod, though he was clearly trying not to bare his teeth.
“And for our shorter male, as I said—my accounts need regular tending.”
Bright inclined his head as well.
“As for the little female…” The middle head grinned, revealing tusks as long as Noelle’s forearm. “You shall keep the house neat and tidy.”
Noelle’s stomach flipped.
How am I supposed to clean this place? Are all the brooms and mops twice as big? Bigger? How would I even lift them?
But as overwhelming as the enormous house was, it could not fully distract her from the sensation throbbing between her thighs. She felt swollen there—overheated and oversensitive. Her nipples were so tight it was painful.
What is wrong with me? she wondered. Why am I so hot? Why do I keep thinking about that auction…about their mouths and bodies and how I sucked them both and swallowed their…
Her throat tightened, suddenly dry, as she pushed the thought away. She’d only done that because she had to, she argued with herself. It wasn’t like she’d actually wanted to do that…right?
Lupin’s warning whispered in her mind like a curse.
“If you refuse the second half of the treatment, you’ll have trouble…”
Is this what he’d meant? Her legs trembled with anxiety as she and Bright and Burn followed the enormous three-headed troll from the office, down the hallway. The sexual need was growing inside her, though she tried desperately to ignore it.
“And here is where you’ll be spending your nights,” the Trollox announced suddenly, jarring her from her spiraling thoughts.
He gestured toward three enormous doors in a row, each big enough for a Kindred shuttle to drive through.
“Which room are we staying in?” Burn demanded, glaring up at him.
“We don’t care, little piggy-wig—take your pick. Only one to a room, mind.” The Trollox lifted one giant, filthy finger in warning. “We can’t have the three of you mingling and breeding when you’re not supposed to.” He threw all three doors open with a sweep of his arm. “Go on—choose.”
Noelle picked the middle room. Burn moved into the one on her left without hesitation, and Bright took the one on her right. She felt strangely comforted by the arrangement—protected from both sides.
Inside her room, everything was enormous.
The bed dominated the space, a massive four-poster with carved beams as thick as tree trunks.
The mattress alone was so high she would have to drag a chair over just to climb onto it.
The sheets were thick and coarse, but clean.
The pillows were enormous, each bigger than her entire body.
The ensuite bathroom was just as oversized—massive porcelain fixtures, an enormous sink basin, a shower nozzle the size of a dinner platter, and a tub she could have swum laps in.
“Now then, the three of you get comfortable,” the Trollox said, his voice echoing through all three rooms. “And when you’re ready, just go down the hallway there and you’ll find the kitchen where the cook will feed you.
Be good little piggy-wigs and enjoy your dinner and a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow your duties will begin.”
He stumped away, the floor trembling under his weight. But his rancid, fungal stench lingered like a curse.
Noelle stood in her room, hugging her arms to herself—carefully, so she didn’t get shocked again—and felt a cold dread slide down her spine.
Are we trapped here? Will we ever see home again?
And worse…
What does he really want from us?
The huge Trollox hadn’t just bought them just to have more servants…had he?
Noelle swallowed hard, her throat tight, her body aching and hot and strange.
Something deep in her gut whispered that whatever was coming next
was going to be much worse than cleaning a giant’s house.