“Poisoned.”
He expected Lorse to react with alarm; instead he laughed.
“Oh, you haven’t been poisoned,” he said, rubbing Myrum’s back and leaning in close. “It’s merely some harmless drugs. They’ll help you relax, but I’ve been assured they won’t hurt you at all.”
It took Myrum several submarks to understand.
“Drugs?” He tried to rattle with outrage, but he couldn’t make his back plates move correctly. The sound came out as a jumble of noise.
“Don’t be upset,” Lorse said, turning in his chair to face Myrum. He put his hands on either side of Myrum’s face, pressing lightly on his scent glands.
He hated it and tried to pull away. Lorse tightened his hold painfully.
“I only did it because you’ve been so tense,” Lorse murmured, leaning his face in close. “I know you’re likely to mind, but I don’t have the patience to give you an adjustment period. I haveto have you. I know I promised asisortto femalefor you, but I think we should see if we can match as male to male. You might enjoy it. I’ll be gentle with you. I want to try using your mating pouch like a female’s sheath. Doesn’t that sound like it would be fun?”
Myrum tried to pull away again. He got free of Lorse’s hold but toppled himself to the floor in the process. Lorse made an impatient sound and crouched down next to him.
“I think the dose must’ve been too high. You’re far more disoriented than you should be. I expected compliance, not clumsiness.”
He waved at several staff members. “Get him back in his seat.”
Forms appeared above him. He tried to bat away the hands, but they still grabbed and lifted him back into his seat. The moment they let go, he tried to stand. He needed to get away from Lorse. He needed to find Amina. They needed to get out of here!
“This is unacceptable,” Lorse snapped. “If you keep moving around you’re going to upset the table and ruin the feast.”
He slapped Myrum across the face. It wasn’t a hard blow, but it made a noise loud enough to cause several of the staff to gasp.
“No!” Myrum was proud that he managed that single word. Adrenaline was coursing through his system, and his heartbeat was going strong. He hoped he could throw off the effects of the drugs if he kept his body moving.
His next attempt to stand got him halfway up before his legs went wobbly and he landed hard in his chair, making it creak.
“Secure him so we can finish the feast without any more disruptions,” Lorse ordered.
This time the security personnel rushed at him. Two held him down while the other two locked his wrists together and then secured them at his waist.
He’d thought it was odd that all four were present for the dinner when they’d worked in pairs before. Now he understood. It was to make sure he behaved properly.
Stepping away after they were done, Myrum found that his legs were free. Unfortunately, by now his head was swimming and he couldn’t make sense of anything going on around him.
Lorse touched Myrum’s face, running the fingers of one hand down and then cupping his chin. Myrum didn’t react. Now that his hands were trapped, it was as if his body was confused and couldn’t figure out how to make anything else move.
“That’s better,” Lorse said. He leaned in close and licked his tongue over Myrum’s mouth before letting go and settling back in his seat. “Tonight will be perfect, even if I have to force you to comply.”
Amina
“This is so bad,” Amina hissed, looking into the dining area through a small viewing port usually meant for ceiling bots to pass from room to room. When Myrum hadn’t left the feast to use the elimination room, they’d gotten worried. Observing through the port explained why he hadn't shown up.
“I knew Lorse was determined to have Myrum be obedient, but I didn’t think he’d go so far as to drug him!” Gis said with a shake of his head. “We can’t escape if Myrum can’t walk.”
“Yes we can,” Amina said. She climbed down from the wall and Gis followed her. “We’ll simply have to carry him.”
“That’s the very reason the evacuation ploy won’t work,” Gis objected. “Lorse will simply have his security carry Myrum to the shuttle.”
“You’re right,” Amina said. She was so frustrated she wanted to hit something. An idea came to her. “What if we get Lorseaway from the dining area before we have Hisha set off the alarm? He’d send some of his security, but we could get Myrum away before they get there. They won’t want to spend too much time looking for him.”
Gis considered it. “That might work, but what would draw Lorse away from his feast?”
“A message from his parent?”
