Desert World Allegiances by Lyn Gala Read Free Book Online

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    “My father.” Temar gave a lopsided shrug. By the end, his father hadn’t been able to comprehend much more than a child. The pipe trap juice made him high and happy by killing the brain cells that reminded him what a miserable life he had. From the time their mother had died, he’d been slowly killing himself. It’d taken nearly fifteen years, but he’d finally accomplished his goal. “I showed Cyla, but I’m not sure how much she actually listened to. She was angry.” Angry didn’t even cover it. Temar had actually been afraid of her temper, for the first time in his life. He didn’t think she’d hurt him, but he didn’t know how far she would go in her fury. Clearly she’d gone too far.
    “She should have listened to you.” Ben sounded distracted as he flipped though pages of observations and calculations. “If anything, your father underestimated your math skills. Come sit here.” Ben patted the bed next to him, and Temar obediently sat down, resting his tied hands on his knees. His hands were starting to tingle, but he didn’t want to distract Ben from his intense concentration. His father and Cyla had never taken his notebooks very seriously, but Ben clearly did. “Do you have more?”
    “No, that’s it. Isn’t it enough?”
    “Oh, it’s enough. This could have been disastrous.”
    “Could have been?” Temar asked, a bit of his old humor returning as he realized that Ben wasn’t dismissing his work.
    “Yes, it could have been. If you’d shown these to someone….” Ben shook his head. “I’ll take these home to burn.” He dropped the notebook into the box.
    “You’ll… what?” Temar started to stand up, but Ben reached out and grabbed his bound hands.
    “I’ll burn them, and you won’t mention this to anyone.”
    Temar’s chest tightened so that he could only take little rabbit breaths. Oh shit. He wasn’t just an idiot, he was the chosen high idiot of all idiots.
    “You stole our water.” Temar’s voice was trembling, but he managed to get the words out without stuttering.
    “Watch your mouth, slave.”
    “I’ll tell. The minute anyone sees me, I’ll tell.” Temar scooted away so that their hips no longer touched, but Ben was so much stronger than he was that he couldn’t pull his hands away from Ben’s grip.
    “I doubt that.” Ben’s smile had turned feral, and Temar suddenly found his voice. He screamed as loud as he could. If one of Ben’s or Young’s workers heard him, there would be questions. They would have to get the council. They would have to stop Ben from burning his work. Temar hadn’t even finished his scream when Ben lunged at him, pressing him flat to the bed, so that his weight pressed down on Temar, forcing him to gasp for air. With his bound hands pressing into his stomach, Temar felt as though he were suffocating, and his weak struggles couldn’t move Ben’s massive body off him.
    “Since you won’t be quiet, I’ll have to quiet you,” Ben said. He reached over and pulled the pillowcase off Temar’s pillow. Ben’s forearms corded with muscle as he pulled at the fabric until it finally came apart, with a ripping sound. He pulled two long strips of material off the pillowcase and dropped the rest of the torn thing back onto the bed.
    “No,” Temar begged, his eyes stinging with tears as Ben wadded one strip up. Temar squirmed and pinched Ben as hard as he could. He got a heel into the bed, straining to turn his body. He did everything he could, but nothing helped. Ben held the wad of fabric against his lips, and Temar tightly closed his mouth.
    “Boy, you’re making this far harder on yourself,” Ben warned. His voice had a paternal tone that turned Temar’s stomach, and he only pressed his lips more tightly together. Bracing his fingers behind Temar’s head, Ben pressed his thumb into the soft of Temar’s jaw. Tears escaped and rolled from the outer corners of Temar’s eyes, the pain forcing him to open his