Somewhere deep within him, he clung to the knowledge that he was still alive, and that he wasn’t mad. He knew that this had to be part of the drug testing he had been told about, and that these sensations would soon pass. The balance would soon be restored.
That part of him that wondered if she really knew what she was doing, and if he would make it back still sane or still alive, he quelled with a ruthlessness he could only find from the knowledge that giving in to it would mean certain insanity.
So he clung, and rode the wave.
However long it may take. That is, assuming he had any real idea of what time was anymore.
WHEN HE FELT it was safe to open his eyes, she was looking into them.
“Ah, so you’re still with me, young Cawdor. For a while there, I thought you might be lost…alive, yes, but reduced to something less than a vegetable.”
Jenna smiled. Her sharp features were softened by her broad mouth. She had even, good teeth, and although her lips were thin they were red enough in contrast to her dark complexion to warm her features. Even her hard, glittering black eyes seemed for a moment to become warmer.
“I don’t want you to become that,” she continued. “I have other ideas for you.” Her voice took on a husky edge, clogged with desire.
Dean felt his body respond to the change in her voice, rising to the occasion. It was when he felt her hand fondling him that he realized he had to be naked. At some point in his drug-induced journey, he had been briefly unshackled and stripped.
Jenna laughed softly, feeling the change in him. “So you’re pissed at missing a chance of escape, eh?” She gently manipulated him back to his former state.
“What… Why?” Dean croaked, unable to voice the questions that raced through his head, his parched voice failing to respond with the requisite speed.
“You’ll find out in time,” she replied softly. “The good thing is I don’t need to change your eyes, already blue like your father, like the perfect ones. Pity about the hair. Mebbe the genetic modifications I’ve been trying will help. Old gene tech is a bit unreliable still, even though I’ve been trying to pull all the old notes, research and equipment together. Still, you’ve responded well so far.”
Dean couldn’t keep the fear out of his eyes. What had she been doing to him?
Jenna sensed his unease. “Just a few modifications, sweetie. They won’t kill you. Mebbe make you more productive. I’m going to need a good stud, and you’re old enough to produce. I know you are, because I’ve already milked and tested you. You’re not firing blanks, boy.”
Dean looked away, feeling his cheeks run hot. Her hand was still stroking him, keeping him erect, and he felt strangely ashamed at the way Jenna had used him while he was unconscious.
The woman kissed him gently on the cheek. “Don’t feel upset, sweetie. That raddled and seedless old fool I’m married to can’t give me the child I want. Besides, it’d be impure. So would Harvey’s, despite the enjoyment I get from him. But he’s a moron. You and your father, though…I can see the both of you giving me the progeny I need. With you or your father to give me the new barons, and my experiments to perfect and clone the others…life’ll be peachy again.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Dark night! But it’s cold and I’m tired,” the Armorer chattered through frozen teeth.
“Why, John, that’s almost a joke,” Mildred commented mildly, looking up at the stars that still shone in the clear sky. Funny how it always surprised her they were still there. Just because the whole damned world had changed, why should they?
She was cold, as well. Like Krysty, she had left her jacket back in Raw, unwilling to face the humidity of the forest and the heat of the day with the thick protective covering. Problem was, the night had come down too quickly, and they still had distance to cover.
“What is Harvey’s little game here, John?” she continued. “Wouldn’t we have been better setting out at night?”