Chapter 54 Noelle
NOELLE
Back in her oversized suite, Noelle sat on the edge of the ridiculous Trollox-sized bed, the mattress barely denting with her weight.
Still, it was nothing compared to Thune’s extra large bed, which she was still sore from making—wrestling that much bedding was like fighting a fabric kraken.
She felt lucky that her own bed was clean and neat and not nearly as large—though it was still big enough to make her feel like a kid in a room made for adults.
Burn sat beside her, the bed creaking slightly under his muscular frame.
“No luck on the key in the shuttle bay,” he said grimly. “I looked fucking everywhere—couldn’t find it.”
“I didn’t find anything in the office either,” Bright said, frowning as he paced the room. “Well—not the key, anyway. But I did find out what the humanoids that were here before us were doing.”
“Oh?” Noelle asked, perking up slightly. “What were they doing?”
“Porn,” Bright said shortly, making a face. “Homemade porn. Lots of it. Different species, all filmed right here—probably somewhere in this house.”
Noelle blinked.
“Porn?” she echoed.
“Yes. And I’m pretty sure Thune is selling it—on a large scale. The way the accounts are set up, there’s a constant stream of credits coming in and going right back out. It explains a lot.”
“I found some dirty pictures in his dresser drawers,” Noelle offered, wrinkling her nose. “Really weird ones too. He probably jerks off to them. Ugh.” She shuddered at the memory.
Burn growled.
“Fuck. Is that what he wants us for? To be in his sick little alien pornos?”
Bright shrugged, his face grim.
“I don’t know. Possibly. He could’ve hired anyone to balance his books or clean his room. But us? A bonded trio? With a human female?” He shook his head. “That sounds like exactly the kind of twisted scenario someone like Thune would want.”
“Well, I didn’t find anything in his bedroom,” Noelle said, sighing. “And believe me, I looked. I even went through his nasty pockets.”
“You what?” Burn looked horrified.
“I was careful!” she said quickly. “But there was no key—nothing but trash and grime and those disgusting pictures.”
“That’s okay, sweetheart,” Bright said, sitting beside her on the other side of the bed and putting an arm around her shoulders. “We might be able to—”
But he didn’t get to finish the sentence.
A guttural roar split the air from the hallway outside.
Noelle jerked upright, her stomach twisting into a cold knot.
Please let it be Cookie again, she thought desperately. Please let it just be Cookie yelling about something stupid…
But then came that familiar, grating voice.
“Piggy-wigs! Get out here NOW!”
Her heart leapt into her throat and her heart started pounding.
“Oh no…” she whispered. “It’s Thune.”
And suddenly, her room didn’t feel like a sanctuary anymore…
It felt like a cage.