Torin

I cover her shivering figure with a blanket. This… this is a strange new development. I’m not sure what to make of it.

I sit down on the edge of the bed and watch the human female sleep, watch her chest rise and fall with every breath. I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, making sure not to wake her.

After the fateful meeting with the human, the guards escorted me back to my cell. Later, they returned — and threw a canister of gas into my room. When I woke up again, I found myself in a different cell… alongside the human female.

This cell is bigger than previous one, with a bunk bed, a toilet, and a chair. Still no palace, but certainly an improvement. The walls are solid, with a small window in the door to peep out of. However, I can’t see much through there. I’m glad the guards left me a new orange jumpsuit, so I don’t have to walk around like a naked animal anymore.

Though with the female here, I might still do that…

“Good morning,” I say when she stirs, though truthfully, I have no idea what time it is.

Her big brown eyes find mine, and they grow wide with shock. “W-where am I?” she stammers.

“If I knew I’d tell you. I have a sneaking suspicion that we’re still in Blackgate. Moved to one of the lower levels. I assume this is your doing.”

She groans and runs her hands through her hair.

“My head hurts,” she says. “That bastard drugged me!”

“That sounds like the warden alright. What did you tell him?”

“I told him to shove this entire prison planet up his pompous ass, I think.”

I chuckle. Such fire for such a small frame. “Did you really?”

“Something like that. I’m paraphrasing. I can’t believe this. I’ll take this all the way to the High Courts, believe me. Once I get out of here. If I get out of here.”

“Of course you will.”

“I hope so,” she says. “No offense.”

I smile. “None taken. Not exactly here out of my own volition.”

“I think the warden hopes you’ll kill me or something. Two birds, one stone.”

“Then he’s going to be very disappointed.”

“I agree,” she says, and for the first time since waking up, I see the hint of a smile.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I say. “I’m not what they say I am.”

She sits up on the bed and folds her legs underneath of her. “I know,” she says. “I believe you.”

There’s a rattle in the distance. The sound of a shock stick being dragged across iron bars. “Wake up, maggots!”

“Ah, you woke up just in time to experience the first of many prison delights. Breakfast,” I say.

Through the small window in the front door I hear an excited murmur as the other prisoners wake up. So, this is what general population sounds like. All the months I’ve been locked in isolation, I thought about all the things I only know from vids. Working out in the yard, standing in line for lunch, communal showering. That sort of thing.

Now, all I care about is the human female — and keeping her safe.

My body wages war with itself every time I look at her. A war my self-control wins. I’m glad to know that I’m still not the animal they say I am, not even after what they put me through. Because, in truth, there is nothing I’d rather do than bury myself inside of her. I’d like to wrap my hands around her curvy body, make her submit, make her cry out my name as I fill her with my seed…

But, I restrain myself.

She doesn’t want to be here. She is scared. She is the only person who looks at like I’m alive. Like I’m worth a damn. And to me that’s priceless.

A small hatch opens and two plates of food are thrown unceremoniously into our room.

“It seems our gourmet meal has arrived.”

I get up and retrieve them, handing Nora her plate. She looks at it with disgust written all over her face.

“What in the world is this?”

“Blackgate’s finest.”

She takes a sniff of the black goo and recoils.

“This can’t be edible!”

“I’m afraid so. It has to be fit for more than just humans to be economically viable.” I stick a spoonful of the goop into my mouth. “Mmm,” I say. “Efficiency.”

“Oh god,” she says as she sticks a spoonful into her mouth. “This is disgusting.”

I can’t help but laugh as I finish my portion. “It’s far from the worst I’ve had while here. Seems you’re in quite the predicament, human.”

“You can say that again,” she says as she makes faces and nibbles on her food.

“What did you do to get in here? Besides telling the warden off.”

“I told him you shouldn’t be in isolation, so… here I am.”

We chat away as we eat our food, and it feels good. Really good. I’m happy my isolation hasn’t driven me to the brink of madness.

As if on cue, the door swings open and a burly guard stands in the doorway. Time to ruin another good moment. “Hey, you two. Time to get to work. Big guy, you’re on mining duty. And the girl can go do the laundry.”

I stand up and stretch. “We’re not going anywhere, human.”

“Is that so?” the guard says as he pulls out his shock stick. “You do you what you’re told, you hear?”

Within one second I’m at the door, towering over the human. He recoils, shaking in his boots. He has no experience with my speed, my skill, my strength. None of the guards do. I’ve waited for the right moment — and this is it.

I won’t let them separate us. She is in here because of me, and I’ll protect her with my life if I have to.

“We’ll only work together, or not at all.”

I slam the door in the guard’s face. He makes the right call and moves on, mumbling under his breath.

“What did he say?” Nora asks, looking shook.

I sit down on the chair and rub my neck. I’m glad those damn chains are off as well. That’s something the guards might regret as well…

“They expect us to work,” I tell her. “Forced labor. They wanted to separate us. I won’t let that happen.”

Her eyes dart towards the floor. “Thank you,” she whispers.

“Don’t mention it.”

She glances up and her brown eyes take my breath away all over again.

“Do you really think it’s unsafe for me out there?”

“I don’t want to frighten you,” I say, “but you just might be the only female on this entire planet. Don’t worry — I’ll protect you. From the other prisoners and from the guards.”

“I can’t believe this is actually happening,” she says. “It still feels unreal.”

“I hope you can get out of here before it starts feeling real.”

“Speaking of which,” she says. She gets up and walks over her suitcase, which has been placed in the corner of our cell, along with the rest of her things. She pulls out a document and starts scribbling on the back.

“Is that my case?” I ask.

“All three thousand pages of it,” she nods.

“What are you writing?”

“A message. We have to reach my boss.”

I nod. “That should be doable. Every prison is just as strong as its weakest link, and I’ve seen some of these guards… we’ll get a message out. One way or another.”