Chapter 49 Noelle
NOELLE
The first thing she felt was heat—warm, comforting heat pressed against both sides of her. The second was the heavy, rhythmic sound of breathing—two distinct patterns, one deep and even, the other slower—almost a sleepy growl.
Noelle blinked her eyes open, the pale gold light of the room filtering through the gauzy curtains that hung from the high windows. For a moment, she didn’t remember where she was—then it all came rushing back.
Her leaking breasts…Bright and Burn offering to suck them…then the two of them tasting her and finally allowing her to suck them and swallow their cream. Then falling asleep, all tangled together in her bed.
They were still here, she saw—one to either side of her.
Long, muscular bodies curled protectively against her own, their big arms draped over her waist and thighs.
Noelle’s nightgown had ridden up in the night, and now her bare thighs were tangled with Bright’s, while Burn’s broad palm rested on her breast.
She wasn’t sure how to feel about what they’d done. On one hand, she’d been in pain and had needed their help. But on the other hand, she’d sucked them again too—and nobody had been forcing her this time. She—
A loud banging on her door broke her train of thought and made her sit bolt upright, yanking the covers up to her chin.
Her heart leapt into her throat as panic spiked through her chest. The kind of cold, nauseating fear that came from knowing they weren’t supposed to be here—not all three of them in one bed.
“Who…who is it?” she called, her voice cracking with nerves.
Burn and Bright sat up instantly on either side of her, tension coiling in their broad shoulders like springs ready to snap.
“It’s Cookie. Get your ass up and get dressed!” barked a deep voice through the door.
Noelle let out a shaky breath, slumping slightly in relief.
At least it’s not Thune.
She didn’t know what the Trollox would do if he found the three of them curled up like this, but she was fairly certain it wouldn’t be good.
“Shhh,” she whispered, already smoothing down her nightgown and tugging the covers up to conceal the presence of the two massive Kindred warriors in her bed. “Let me handle this.”
But Burn and Bright weren’t about to let her go to the door alone. As soon as her feet touched the cold floor, they were there—flanking her like silent shadows, towering over her, protective and tense.
She cracked the door and peered out into the hallway. Standing just outside was Cookie, the alien chef, with all four meaty arms crossed over his broad, stained apron.
“What do you want?” she asked, trying to sound braver than she felt as she stared up at the enormous cook.
“For you and your two little friends to get your lazy asses up and get some breakfast,” Cookie snapped. “I’ve also got your uniforms and your work assignments—as if cooking for you wasn’t enough of a chore!”
“What work assignments?” Bright demanded, already reaching over Noelle’s shoulder to push the door wider.
“And watch how you talk to our woman,” Burn growled.
Cookie’s beady eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then narrowed.
“You’d better watch yourselves—old Thune doesn’t like his ‘piggy-wigs’ breeding without his say-so. Here.” He shoved a double armful of clothing at them with all four hands. “Put these on and come eat before your breakfast gets cold.”
With that, he turned on his heel and lumbered back down the hallway, muttering under his breath about “breeding on their own,” whatever that meant.
“What the fuck was he talking about?” Burn asked, his eyes narrowing as he helped Noelle gather up the pile of dumped clothing from the hallway floor.
“Hell if I know,” Bright muttered. “Thune did call us ‘breeders’ earlier—you don’t think he bought us to breed more humanoid children for him, do you?”
“Oh my God, I hope not!” Noelle exclaimed, clutching the bundle of fabric to her chest. “I mean, I used to want children when I was younger, but I’m too old for that now.”
“You don’t look too old—not that you ever did.” Burn’s dark eyes scanned her with something dangerously close to heat. “But I think since that treatment you had with the Skow, you look younger than us.”
“It doesn’t make sense, though,” Bright said, brows furrowed as he sorted through the pile of clothes.
“If he really wanted us to get Noelle pregnant—which we can’t, since we’re not bonded, and Twin Kindred can’t impregnate a woman without their twin—he would be keeping her for months and months.
And according to Cookie, he gets rid of his ‘breeders’ after only a week or two. ”
“So breeding can’t be the reason he bought us?” Noelle asked, feeling a flicker of relief.
“I don’t think so,” Bright said slowly. “But I still don’t know why he’d want us.”
“Fuck it,” Burn growled. “We’ll just have to do our best to find the key to his shuttle while we’re doing whatever it is we’re supposed to be doing today. If we can get the key, I can fly us out of here.”
“Agreed,” Bright said, nodding. “For now, I guess we’d better get dressed.”
Noelle frowned down at the frilly black garment she’d been handed.
“What’s this?” she asked, holding up the short dress. It looked like something a maid in a bad porno might wear—short hem, puffed sleeves, and white lace edging at the neck and hem. A brownish stain marred the trim at the chest, dried and crusty.
“Looks like whoever wore that last spilled something on it,” Bright remarked with a wince. “Sorry, sweetheart—that’s the only thing Cookie brought for you to wear.”
“Ugh.” Noelle made a face. “I guess I’ll have to wear it.” She pulled the dress on, grimacing at the brownish stain.
Hot chocolate? she wondered.
But somehow she doubted the Trollox kept cocoa mix stocked in the pantry.
At least her breasts weren’t leaking anymore. She’d worried the problem might return during the night, but though her nipples and pussy were still a little sore, the painful fullness from before had abated.
Thank the Blessed Virgin…
Her cheeks flushed at the memory of Burn and Bright “helping” her the night before. She’d been absolutely shameless… and yet she wasn’t sorry.
They made their way to the cavernous kitchen and climbed up into their chairs. Noelle sat in a booster seat, as before.
Breakfast was waiting on silver trays, she saw—it looked like more mystery hash but this batch was somehow worse than yesterday’s.
Chunks of what looked like orange squash were mixed with hard purple pellets that crunched like candy but tasted like soap.
Long white noodles, rubbery and bland, wiggled in the mix like worms. Some of the vegetable chunks were undercooked and others so overcooked they collapsed into gray mush.
A square of something vaguely meat-like sat off to the side—charred on one end, raw on the other, smelling faintly of vinegar and old shoes.
Noelle picked at it, trying to find a piece of food she could tolerate. Across the room, Cookie stood at the stove, frying something on a massive flat griddle. The scent that wafted over made her stomach tighten—it smelled like bacon. Real bacon. Salty, crispy, and delicious.
Her mouth watered.
“Whatever’s he’s making smells way better than what we got,” she remarked under her breath.
“You’re right about that,” Bright agreed, making a face at his mostly-full plate.
“Hey, what are you making?” Burn shouted at the chef.
“Breakfast for old Thune,” Cookie grunted. “Don’t even ask—you can’t have any of his special meat. If the three of you are finished eating, you’d best get to your chores.”
“What chores are those? The Trollox—uh, Thune—never told us exactly what to do,” Bright said.
Cookie turned, pointing one thick finger at Burn.
“You—wash the shuttle. Clean inside it too—old Thune makes a mess and you’ll need to clean it all up if you want to keep him happy.
You…” He pointed to Bright “Go over his books. He left them out on the desk in his study. You’d better be a damn good accountant—his finances are always a snarl.
And you, missy—” Here he jabbed a finger at Noelle “Need to clean his bedroom and make his bed. Be sure you do a good job and throw any bones you find in the special can here in the kitchen.”
He pointed to a huge barrel in the far corner, sealed with a rusty metal lid.
“I use ‘em to make soup,” he added, as though that was perfectly normal.
Then he stomped off, muttering about babysitting brats and how it wasn’t his job to look after them.
The three of them exchanged a long, uneasy look before climbing down from their chairs but there didn’t seem to be much they could do except follow orders.
“Okay,” Burn said. “I’m headed for the shuttle bay. I might get lucky and find the key in there somewhere—you two be ready to go if I come for you.”
“Got it,” Bright nodded.
“You and I need to keep an eye out for anything we can use against Thune,” the Light Twin added to Noelle. “And I’d still like to know what happened to our predecessors. So keep your eyes open for any clues.”
“You got it.” She nodded, heart thudding. “Um… I wonder where Thune’s bedroom is?”
“I’ll come with you to find it,” Bright offered.
“I’m coming too,” Burn growled. “The shuttle can wait.”
They didn’t say it aloud, but Noelle knew the truth—they didn’t want her alone anywhere near the monstrous Trollox.
Fortunately, Thune was nowhere to be found when they located his bedroom—a huge, dim space at the very back of the sprawling house.
The ceilings were twice as high as any normal room and the bed large enough to sleep ten normal sized men.
The air was thick with the scent of old sweat and something metallic.
Trash littered the floor—the three-headed Trollox was a slob, Noelle thought with disgust.
“I wonder where he is right now?” she murmured, after Burn went in and made sure the room and adjoining bathroom were empty.
“Maybe he’s already eating First Meal,” Bright said quietly.
“Whatever he’s doing, if he comes in here while you’re working, you get out or hide,” Burn growled.
“I will,” Noelle whispered. She didn’t like the idea of being alone with the troll-monster either. “I don’t like splitting up like this,” she admitted.
“I know, sweetheart. But Burn and I are attuned to you now,” Bright said.
“Hell, we’ve been attuned since that night we spent on the Skow prison ship,” Burn added.
“What does that mean, though?” she asked, frowning.
“It means that if you’re in trouble, we’ll know. Just shout for us and we’ll both come running,” Bright promised.
He gathered her into a warm, tight hug and Burn joined in, enveloping her from behind so she was sandwiched between them, their big bodies pressing protectively to hers.
“If you need us, we’ll be there,” Bright murmured in her ear, and Burn rumbled his agreement against her back.
Finally, reluctantly, the hug broke.
“Let’s find that key so we can get the fuck out of here!” Burn said.
And the three of them turned to their separate tasks, even as Noelle’s heart whispered that they were stronger together—and their time was running out.