Page 6 of Vabar

It occurs to me that I never saw him get frustrated with any of the pets he’s been working with. He was patient with all of them, even those that took longer to understand his commands and obey.

He thinks I’m an animal. A pet. My heart is racing. I knew this. How could I not? I’ve been in a kennel like the other animals since I arrived. I should have known something like this would happen.

Eventually the blond eases the pressure against my head just enough to allow me to straighten my arms.

I’m trembling badly and crying softly. My body is shaking. My breasts bounce with each movement. I’m chilled again, and that’s making my nipples hard. I’m mortified and furious.

But something else is at play. Something I don’t understand. I’m drawn to this man. His touch soothes me. A part of me doesn’t want to anger him. I want him to continue stroking me…petting me.

Keeping his grip on the back of my head, he moves his other hand to my hips, and I’m unable to react fast enough when he tears the tab of my diaper from first one side and then the other. He whisks it away, leaving me completely naked.

Jerking my knees together, I drop down low to cover myself, sitting on my heels and pulling my elbows into my sides to hide my bare breasts. Tears fall. I’m so embarrassed. This isn’t the first time a Venkorian man has forced me to strip naked in front of him, but it’s no easier this time.

Another set of footsteps enters the room, and I lift my face to see another man. He’s wearing all blue. His hair is dark, as is his skin. When he kneels in front of me, the blond wraps most of my hair in his fist and pulls my head up. His other hand is on the small of my back now, keeping me from rising.

The collar weighs heavily, the chain jingling in front of me.

The man in blue grabs my jaw and squeezes just enough to force my mouth open. The moment I do, he slides something between my teeth. It’s cylindrical and made of rubber. I bite down on it and squeal as he reaches around to secure it to the back of my head.

A full-blown panic attack consumes me, and I start thrashing around, bucking and jerking. I don’t care that I’m naked and my breasts are shaking. I can’t breathe. I’m so angry and scared that I pee myself, the urine running between my legs to make a puddle on the floor.

Too bad. If they didn’t want me to pee in the middle of the room, they shouldn’t have treated me like a feral, unintelligent animal. They should have shown me to a bathroom and let me walk there on my two feet.

FIVE

There’s a blur of activity as two men in white bustle into the room. The blond rises and moves in front of me. He grabs the leash and gives a gentle tug while uttering a word I’ve learned in his language. Come.

I rear back, unwilling to obey him. I’m not a pet.

The men in white bend down on either side of me and mop up the floor with towels. They even manage to wipe off my knees. I hate them. I hate this situation. I tug backward again, unwilling to let these men treat me like this.

I’m drooling around the rubber rod in my mouth. I’ve seen these before. Humans used them on horses. It’s called a bit.

I’m still flailing around as if I were a wild animal. I can’t help it.

The blond gives up trying to get me to crawl and comes to my side. He lifts me off the floor, drapes me over one huge arm, and carries me from the room.

My screaming is useless and muffled. I’m frothing at the mouth. I swing my arms, trying to break free, kicking at nothing but air. I don’t even care if I fall and break every bone in my body.

We enter another room, and the blond lowers me onto all fours on a raised surface. When I look around, I determine this is a medical room. I’m on an exam table.

The blond holds me firmly by the hips, keeping me where he wants me, while the other three scurry around. My wrists and ankles are cuffed to the sides of the table. A band comes around my waist, and I flinch when a hook clasps onto the strap at the small of my back. Twisting my neck, I see that it’s coming from the ceiling.

My eyes widen as another hook is lowered toward my face, but the blond grips my cheeks and turns me so one of the men in white can hook a latch to the back of my collar.

I’m suspended and completely restrained. If I bend my elbows, I will choke myself. My arms are shaking. I don’t think I can support my body. I’m far too weak and growing more so from exertion.

Maybe it’s for the best. Perhaps I should just let myself go limp, so I basically hang myself. Wouldn’t death be preferable to whatever these aliens have planned for me?

This must have occurred to these Venkorians because the blond holds my head on both sides while the dark man in blue tucks a soft hammock under my chin. He secures it to the ceiling, too, supporting my head, keeping me from collapsing.

The blond pulls a rolling stool in front of me and sits, putting his head at the same height as mine. He smiles at me as he gently brushes my wild hair away from my face and tucks it into the chin hammock behind my ears.

His fingers come to the collar, and he takes a moment to do something.

When he sits back and looks me in the eyes again, he says, “Hey there, Little pet.”

I gasp, my eyes going wide. I understand him. How?