Hunger by Harmony Raines Read Free Book Online

plant that had new leaves on. “Takes five years until the first bloom. I was worried I would miss it while I was away on Earth. See the bud on top of the stem?”
    “Yes.”
    “That will be opening any day now. I would call that patience.”
    “Perhaps. A gardener also has to accept that not all plants grow perfectly, that sometimes it is those imperfection that make a garden.”
    “Imperfections? I see what you are trying to do. You are trying to persuade me that your … imperfections are charming, that I should learn to love them.”
    She smiled widely now. “No, Ishk, if I may call you Ishk, or do you have a title you would prefer such a lowly animal such as me to call you?” He shook his head and a hint of her humour was mirrored in his eyes. “So, Ishk, I realised when I first met you that there was never going to be anything I could do to make you like me.”
    “Perceptive.”
    “Not really, you don’t hide your disgust of me. I am sorry I don’t please you. But I believe once I conceive your child I will be taken somewhere else.”
    His eyes narrowed. “Yes, the breeding house.”
    “Then if we both try to get through the unpleasant act of making a child, we can then live our lives apart. You will probably never see me again.”
    He laughed. “You are different from the others. Or is this some kind of game that Earth women play? Push me away, tell me you don’t want me and then hope I beg like a dog for you to stay?”
    Evie sighed. “I think we should both be honest. I entered the lottery to escape life on Earth. Look at me, Ishk. What do you see?”
    He didn’t answer.
    “I understand why you don’t want me. I know what I am to you. In the same way that I understand why I don’t want to be with a man like you. But we are supposed to make this child, that is the deal. So let’s do it. I just want some peace and to be safe.” She felt her tears welling in her eyes and tried to brush them away.
    “You are lying,” he said.
    “No, Ishk, I am not. You can think what you want of me. I don’t care. I am not here to tell you that humans are worth saving, because you seem to have already made your mind up. I have no idea of the politics of your planet, and I don’t care. I’m too tired to care.” More tears. “Damn it.” She turned away from him and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of the tunic.
    “You are right. I do not want you. I want a child because it is my duty. For that purpose I was matched with you.” He moved into the next room, a small kitchen and opened cupboards getting food out and beginning to prepare it. “You will eat and then rest. I have work to do and will return later. Then we will … make a child. All I ask, is your word that you will not leave the house while I am out. If you do you will be punished.”
    The way he looked at her told her he might just enjoy seeing her punished.
    “I give you my word.”
    Evie watched him work, her mouth watering as he took strange foods, chopped them up and then expertly turned them into a dish that smelled so delicious, she found herself clutching the side of the counter to stop herself from grabbing the spoon from him.
    When it was ready, he instructed her to take the plates and cutlery outside and place them on a table facing the garden. Then he brought the food out and they ate together, although he didn’t say a word to her, and apart from thanking him for the food, which she tried not to shovel into her mouth too quickly, she didn’t speak to him.
    When they were finished, she tiredly got up and helped him clear the table. He washed the dishes and she dried them, leaving them on the counter so that he could put them away. Once the kitchen was clean, he took her to the bedroom.
    The enormity of the situation hit her as she looked at the bed. Although all she wanted to do was lie down and sleep, she knew that soon, he would return and expect her to have sex with him.
    “Bathroom is here.” He opened a door off the bedroom and