Page 48 of The Thren's Fated

“I hate—” she started, but Screl cut her off with a tentacle over her mouth.

“Don’t say that again,” he said, his voice deadly serious. “Because if you do, I really will have to punish you.”

Lena wanted to scream, her body already reacting to his threats as if they were something she wanted. A craving that could never be satiated.

Screl gave her a sly grin, pulling her toward him just enough so he could spank her ass hard, the sharp bite of pain zinging up her spine as arousal settled in her core.

Slowly, the tentacle over her mouth retracted, and he eyed her as if daring her to defy him.

“You are awful,” she growled, and he chuckled.

“I know I am. And you can’t resist it.”

She swallowed hard, trying to contain her frustration at the truth of his words. Eventually, she let her muscles relax, and he released her restrained arms, not arguing as she slid off his lap like a reprimanded puppy.

Shrugging off the guilty thoughts, she turned back to Screl, ready to change the subject.

“You said you had a surprise for me.”

She hated the way hope filled her, when surely the surprise would be sending her back to Henios. Which is what she should have wanted, should have been begging for, but she could think of nothing she needed less.

“I do,” Screl said. “But first, you must eat.”

Though there was no indication that he had called someone, a moment later the door whirred open and another Thren appeared with a tray. He walked over as Lena scrambled to cover herself with the sheet, setting the food on the bed and swiftly exiting without a word.

Screl nodded to the tray, and she dragged it toward her, trying to ignore the heaviness in her chest as she picked at the usual breakfast foods.

He’s taking you back today. Of course, he is. He had his fun with you, and now you’ll never see him again. Every sweet thing he says is a lie to keep you appeased, so he doesn’t have to deal with your pathetic tears when he leaves you.

“You’re really not going to tell me what the surprise is?” she asked, glancing at Screl, who was watching her intently.

“If you are so eager to know, we will be visiting Botune today.”

So, not returning to Henios? She tried to stifle her excitement, sure it was some sort of trick, some way to hurt her.

“Oh?” she asked, not wanting to seem too interested despite the fact that this would be her first chance to see an alien planet.

If he was telling the truth.

“Does that please my little pet?”

Lena bit her lip, focusing her attention back on the last strip of bacon.

“It sounds… nice.”

She hated how quickly she’d let herself get attached, had allowed this male to infiltrate her emotions, her life. It felt right, sitting here in bed with him, enjoying an interesting morning and a delicious meal.

Better than the grogginess she felt after her sleeping pills, or the electrified exhaustion after a night with zero sleep. The way he’d fucked her last night and bathed her afterward had relaxed her enough to knock her right out, something she’d never seemed to figure out how to do on her own no matter how many methods she tried.

When she was finished with her meal, she eyed him shyly, a flush heating her cheeks at the way he gazed at her. The memory of last night was crystal clear, the way he’d forced more pleasure on her than she ever thought possible.

Embarrassment flooded her when she recalled the way she’d begged for his cum. What the hell had come over her? And the way he’d so vehemently refused and meticulously cleaned her seemed strange, but perhaps it was a Thren thing.

Somehow, after everything he’d done to her, he drew the line at creampies.

Screl pressed a kiss to the top of her head, then slipped out of the bed and dressed in a pair of black pants and a thick black shirt, his tentacles peeking out from the hole in the back. He took her tray and went to the wall where the door should be, pressing a tentacle to the smooth chrome and greeting a Thren standing on the other side. They exchanged items, the tray for two wrapped packages, and Screl returned to her with a grin on his face.

He set the packages next to her, and she furrowed her brows in question.