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Erick

That was her Zandian’s nae shouldn’t send little wings of excite in her chest, but it did She’d known he was a worthy h he’d turned part beast in the cell with her

She’d never dreamed he’d be here, but then, she hadn’t realized almost every Zandian still alive either lived on Prince Zander’s pod or visited it weekly for the crystal baths She’d been treated to one when she’d arrived the previous planet rotation, and now felt like a co

But she felt like a different being in nize

Her sister, Talia, reached under the table and gripped her hand “It’s hard to re-integrate, I know,” she murmured

Relief poured through her as she squeezed her sister’s hand gratefully It was aler sister had either lost hertheir escape, or had blocked out her past as a protective mechanism Either way, she had only rediscovered their father and fellow Zandians three planet rotations ago Even speaking Zandian soed her

Talia was right After planning her escape for fifteen years, Mina found her new freedom almost more difficult than slavery She didn’t kno to be a presentable member of Zandian society She acted a part without a script The only being who knehat she’d been before her arrival was Erick

And, for some reason, that bonded her to him even more

She hadn’t told her father she’d been used as a sex pet—it would’ve killed hi a house-slave to Durhock

She’d been afraid Erick would out her, but he hadn’t Of course, he probably wasn’t in a hurry to tell her father what he’d done with her at Prium’s He’d followed her lead, and pretended they hadn’t met, after a quick recovery fro her

His gape had gone unnoticed, since nearly everyone on the pod had reacted the same way It turned out, there were only three Zandian fee Her sister, Talia, who already had apunished by Prince Zander for helping to kidnap Talia

Her punishment had just been announced by Zander before dinner He’d assigned her to be reconditioned into Zandian society by three of his warriors They’d escorted her out, the dark pro in their expressions

Mina had found the idea of the conditioning arousing—especially considering it would coine anyher except Erick

She’d wondered—had it just been because he was Zandian that he’d aroused such a passion in her? But despite the constant deluge of eager attention she’d received from nearly every male in the palatial pod since her arrival, she’d only been able to think of him