tied up, and forced to do things with men against her will. He shivered again. Imagine her naked in the mud, with that horse hybrid on top of her. His heart thumped as the creature writhed on her soft, naked body. She could be one of the ones screaming out there in the dark. She was good at shouting, but wouldn’t have been able to fight off those hunters. Not on her own.
The thought was triggering him again. But she’s not out there. That’s not her. It couldn’t be. He should fear for himself.
“They wanted to send me to a whorehouse.”
“Lot of guys ain’t choosy after a while. Pretty face and a nice ass will do them, no matter what it’s attached to...”
“I'm not tied to a cisgendered sexual identity. I'm willing to try new experiences.”
Of course, he'd never had any old experiences with anyone, either. Unless VR fantasies about Erica counted. He'd had more than a few of those.
“You probably wouldn't be too eager to try a couple of dozen guys pounding your ass every day, for a shiny a time.”
Guy's drone passed them, then buzzed into the trees ahead.
“Stop,” Guy whispered, as he stopped suddenly, and raised his hand.
CHAPTER 10
B ack home, Andy had lived like a king. Now he just worked for one. Not that being a King’s Guard was so bad, but it was a big demotion from his previous life, just three years before. Back when he worked as a PubSafe commissar, he'd had a big apartment in a nice tower block, and some very nice, very, very accommodating girls. He'd had plenty of opportunities to get rich when he had a gun, a pack of drones, and easy access to the entire World State’s surveillance network.
He'd come to an arrangement with the street gangs, taking a cut for letting them carry out enough crime to make a good living and keep him in a job. Just not enough for anyone who mattered to start asking questions about how they managed to stay in business, or why the surveillance recordings always seemed to be corrupt when someone wanted to solve a crime. The few questioners who didn’t matter would just... disappear.
If he wanted some fun, he had his choice among the gang girls and their sisters. And hookers and strippers would always oblige, if they didn't want to spend a night in the cubes. Or he'd spot some lonely, scared girl on the street, follow her back to her barracks, then knock on the door to tell her there were reports of gangs in the area, so maybe he should check out her room... and why not check the bed? A tall, strong, protective man in uniform could charm her pants off in minutes.
Now, he lived in a barracks, and was lucky if he could get to the King's Guard whorehouse once a month.
“Put your back into it,” Rob said as he crouched in the dirt.
The sharp edge of the cart's chassis was already digging into Andy's fingers as he and Mac tried to lift it high enough for Rob to push the wheel back onto the axle. They'd bounced over one too many rocks on the way down the path toward Kingston, and that one had cracked the wooden wheel. A bit of work with a hammer and some spare wood had knocked it back together, but now they had to get it on the axle, so they could catch up with the others. All in the dark, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by bears, hunters and newbies. Great one.
Mac grunted as he adjusted his hand position, and pushed with his legs. The cart lifted, but not enough. Andy's feet slid on the wet rock as he strained. He dug his heels into the dirt alongside the rock and tried again, his muscles shaking as his back took the strain. The weight rose from the rock, and he panted as he and Mac held the side of the cart high.
The hauler hissed and thumped his feet on the ground as the cart twisted behind him. Those dumb animals had barely been domesticated, and freaked out at anything unexpected. Jacob pulled on the reins, and the hauler squealed and twisted its head against the pressure.
Rob lifted the wheel upright, and rolled it toward the axle, trying to
The thought was triggering him again. But she’s not out there. That’s not her. It couldn’t be. He should fear for himself.
“They wanted to send me to a whorehouse.”
“Lot of guys ain’t choosy after a while. Pretty face and a nice ass will do them, no matter what it’s attached to...”
“I'm not tied to a cisgendered sexual identity. I'm willing to try new experiences.”
Of course, he'd never had any old experiences with anyone, either. Unless VR fantasies about Erica counted. He'd had more than a few of those.
“You probably wouldn't be too eager to try a couple of dozen guys pounding your ass every day, for a shiny a time.”
Guy's drone passed them, then buzzed into the trees ahead.
“Stop,” Guy whispered, as he stopped suddenly, and raised his hand.
CHAPTER 10
B ack home, Andy had lived like a king. Now he just worked for one. Not that being a King’s Guard was so bad, but it was a big demotion from his previous life, just three years before. Back when he worked as a PubSafe commissar, he'd had a big apartment in a nice tower block, and some very nice, very, very accommodating girls. He'd had plenty of opportunities to get rich when he had a gun, a pack of drones, and easy access to the entire World State’s surveillance network.
He'd come to an arrangement with the street gangs, taking a cut for letting them carry out enough crime to make a good living and keep him in a job. Just not enough for anyone who mattered to start asking questions about how they managed to stay in business, or why the surveillance recordings always seemed to be corrupt when someone wanted to solve a crime. The few questioners who didn’t matter would just... disappear.
If he wanted some fun, he had his choice among the gang girls and their sisters. And hookers and strippers would always oblige, if they didn't want to spend a night in the cubes. Or he'd spot some lonely, scared girl on the street, follow her back to her barracks, then knock on the door to tell her there were reports of gangs in the area, so maybe he should check out her room... and why not check the bed? A tall, strong, protective man in uniform could charm her pants off in minutes.
Now, he lived in a barracks, and was lucky if he could get to the King's Guard whorehouse once a month.
“Put your back into it,” Rob said as he crouched in the dirt.
The sharp edge of the cart's chassis was already digging into Andy's fingers as he and Mac tried to lift it high enough for Rob to push the wheel back onto the axle. They'd bounced over one too many rocks on the way down the path toward Kingston, and that one had cracked the wooden wheel. A bit of work with a hammer and some spare wood had knocked it back together, but now they had to get it on the axle, so they could catch up with the others. All in the dark, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by bears, hunters and newbies. Great one.
Mac grunted as he adjusted his hand position, and pushed with his legs. The cart lifted, but not enough. Andy's feet slid on the wet rock as he strained. He dug his heels into the dirt alongside the rock and tried again, his muscles shaking as his back took the strain. The weight rose from the rock, and he panted as he and Mac held the side of the cart high.
The hauler hissed and thumped his feet on the ground as the cart twisted behind him. Those dumb animals had barely been domesticated, and freaked out at anything unexpected. Jacob pulled on the reins, and the hauler squealed and twisted its head against the pressure.
Rob lifted the wheel upright, and rolled it toward the axle, trying to
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