Page 75 of Wrapped in Their Arms

“Don’t care to know your names.Nopoint in getting attached to you little humanoids.Imade that mistake whenIfirst came here—learned their names, fixed all their favorite meals—got real attached to them.Thenthe next week, they were gone.”

“Gone?”Brightechoed, a chill prickling up his spine.

“Where the fuck did they go?”Burndemanded.

Cookie shrugged again, hands busy as ever.

“Don’t know.AllIknow is when oldThunegets tired of you, you lot will be going too.”Hepointed one long finger at them.“SoI’ddo my best to keep him entertained ifIwere you.”

He stumped away to the stove, leaving the three of them alone at the giant table.

Bright stared at his plate, suddenly aware of the way the blue noodles stuck to the fork, the heavy weight of the silverware, the echoing clatter of pots in the distance.

“So we’re definitely not the only humanoids to have stayed here,” he muttered grimly, glancing atBurn, who had gone very still, his jaw tight with worry.

“The clothes told us that,”Burngrowled, staring down at his plate as though it had personally offended him.“Thequestion is, what in theSevenHellshappened to our predecessors?”

“And what didCookiemean when he said we have to keepThune‘entertained?’”Noelleasked, voice trembling.

There were no answers.Onlysilence and the cold weight of dread settling inBright’sgut, heavier than the hash he was forcing himself to finish.

We have to get out of here,he thought, staring at the strange, oversized world around him.Buthow?

41

NOELLE

Noelle picked at her food, trying to look interested asBurnandBrightmade their way steadily through their portions of the odd, oversized meal.Thehash wasn’t unpalatable—just strange.Theblue noodles squeaked between her teeth, slick and chewy with a faint briny tang that reminded her of overcooked calamari.Thecolorful cubes of roasted vegetables had a nutty, earthy aftertaste, but she was too anxious to take more than a few bites.Eventhe aroma—savory and sharp—didn’t tempt her much.

Her stomach felt tight with nerves—too tight to eat much at all.

Probably just as well,she thought, eyeing the cubes of pinkish meat thatBrightandBurnwere both leaving untouched.Shetook a sip of the greenish drinkCookiehad poured for them, trying not to breathe too deeply—everything in this house seemed to carry a lingering undertone ofTrolloxmusk—a distinctly unpleasant odor.

After dinner, the three of them left the echoing kitchen behind, wandering the cavernous hallways of theTrollox’smansion.Thefloors swallowed their footsteps in thick, springy carpet, and the distant hum of unseen machines vibrated through the soles of her borrowed shoes—Burnhad found a pair that almost fit her, though she still had to stuff the toes with wadded-up napkins to keep them from slipping.

She felt tiny and exposed, trailing between her two massiveKindredprotectors, trying not to look at the weird, looming portraits that lined the walls.Mostof them were of grotesque, three-headed figures painted in stiff, formal poses.Theceilings soared far above their heads—the light fixtures were like chandeliers from a cathedral, but made of twisted, iridescent glass and curling horns.Eventhe air was different here—thin and faintly metallic, with a coldness that seemed to seep into her bones.

She caught snatches ofBurnandBright’sconversation as they walked ahead, their voices pitched low.

“Can you fly his shuttle?”Brightasked.

Burn shrugged, broad shoulders rolling under his borrowed shirt.

“I can fly just about anything—the problem is getting the control key to start it.”

Noelle hurried to catch up, her feet dragging a little on the plush rug.“What’sthe control key?”she asked, glancing between the two of them.

“The key that unlocks the shuttle and starts the engines,”Brightexplained, his eyes flickering with worry.“Usuallyit has some kind of biometric data—a strand of theTrollox’sDNAimbedded in it.Youcan’t just hotwire the thing, unfortunately—you need the key.”

“If we could find the key, we might be able to get out of here,”Burngrowled, glancing around as if expecting it to materialize.“Sowe need to be looking for it.Idon’t like our chances if we stay here too long.”

Noelle shivered.Shecouldn’t help it—the idea of being trapped in this monstrous house with that leering, three-headed giant made her skin crawl.

“Agreed!”she murmured, hugging her arms over her chest.Shewas glad of the shirt she was wearing—at least she didn’t shock herself this time.Still, her thoughts were in turmoil.

Dios,IwishIcould just go home…I’drather be back on theMotherShip, or even hiding fromBransonthan stuck in this place!

They rounded a corner, the corridor narrowing as the carpet shifted from green to a deep, bruised purple underfoot.Thelights flickered, casting strange shadows over the walls, and then suddenly—he was there—theTrollox.