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He tilts his head “Whatever they want, as long as it supports Zandia One huriculture experience, but now she’s one of our top chemists She works with Dr Daneth Another one is athat works” He blinks at ood life, Danica You’ll be mated with Zandians who match you You’ll have choices back on the planet And if you accept a Zandian sponsor and agree to the terms, you will live there safely and ill protect you, forever”

“But”—I can’t get past this—“you had no right to take me Tell me I was your slave” My voice rises “You prevented ht” Of course, I wouldn’t have received better treatalaxy, but it still sticks me

Benn sits beside me, and after a few seconds, he puts his arht pressure “Danica, it wasn’t entirely right, e did But it was only for your protection Surely you see how dangerous it would have been for you alone on that planet? Really, there’s no way you could make it alive to Jesel, alone You’d be killed”

His voice is full of conviction, but I don’t care “You don’t know that! It was ht to try it, if I wanted You prevented me You lied”

“Forgive ht there,” Gorde snaps “Or drag you off to prison”

I jerk“We just came out of the prison that Ocretion would have used to lock you up You wouldn’t”—he clenches a fist, turns away for a second—“you have no idea By lying to you, forcing you to stay with us? We saved your life”

I bite er disappears as quickly as it ca seeh the slaves whisper about the passenger shuttle, the truth is that there are also ruerous it is

“Say you forgive us” Benn’s voice is low “Come to Zandia, Danica”

I want to Mother Earth, hoant to go there with these two males, now that I knohat’s offered to human women And since I don’t have a route to Jesel, this may be my last and only option

I touch e sadness twists inside my soul If they learn about e froust Maybe even ht now, it’s my only viable option

I have to take my chances

“Yes” I take a deep breath and pretend that everything will be okay “Yes, I forgive you Please take me to Zandia”

Benn

When Danica looks into my eyes and asks me to take her to Zandia, a wave of relief startles me First of all, I barely know her, and unlike Gorde, I didn’t have some kind of immediate mind connection with the little hu a hard ti a Zandian fe a temporary bond with her because of the sex Dr Daneth says humans have powerful hor to be swayed by that The relief is probably just because I know it’s the right thing to do

I clearZander that?