Berrr's Vow
Page 7
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When the vehicle stopped Shanna turned her attention out the window, a little surprised at the sight that greeted her. They were in the middle of red and black woods—the color of the trees and grass. A huge stone building with rounded corners stood there. It really looked more similar to a library-sized building than a home. She looked away to meet Berrr’s watchful gaze in disbelief.
“This is where you live?”
He gave a nod, reaching for the handle on the door. “This is where you live now as well.” He unfolded his body and climbed out. He hesitated and then held out his hand to her, offering to help her out.
“Thanks.” Shanna put her much smaller hand in his, letting him support her weight as she followed him out. She noticed again how much warmer his skin was compared to hers and the rough patches of callus on his palms under her own. Her gaze took in the large building again. It was elegant, white and rounded in a long sweep of almost tube-style shaping. Big windows were everywhere and for having such a high roof she could tell it was only a single story from the outer windows. “It’s really big.”
“For my station in life it is actually quite small. This is my close-to-the-city residence that is much more convenient for me to work from.” Berrr kept hold of her hand as he led her toward the front door. “I should warn you that I currently have six house helpers in my home attending me.” She darted a look at the size of his house again and nodded. “I’m sure you need every one of them. This place must be hell to keep clean.” He paused as he turned his head to stare at her. “I will give you the majority of their duties immediately now that you are here since you are a human.” Blinking at him, Shanna frowned. Great, she thought, he is a bigot because I’m human.
I obviously will be the house Girl Friday if he is going to let his other employees dump their jobs that they don’t want on my plate. She pulled her hand out of his, pissed off at the thought that he’d been nice to her so far, just to spring this shit on her now. She took a deep breath. It beat the hell out of being some alien’s personal hooker, minus the getting paid part though.
Cocking his head, Berrr frowned. “You look angry. Have I said something wrong?”
“Don’t you think that’s kind of insulting? I’m sure the duties you assign me will keep me busy enough without taking on what they do for you too.” His frown deepened. “But you’re human.”
“So what? I’m not here because I wanted a vacation. I was kidnapped, tossed in a cage, transported against my will through outer space, and none of that is my fault. I want to be treated exactly like other Zorn woman are, damn it. I want equal rights.”
“Equal rights?” He almost gasped the words.
“What’s so confusing about that to you, big guy?” She frowned up at him, noting his stunned and bewildered expression. “I want to be treated fairly just like your women. What they do, I do, nothing more, nothing less around here. Is that clear enough? Don’t take their jobs they do for you away to shove them all on me. That’s just racist and wrong so I demand you treat me just like any other woman on this planet.
You said I’m a citizen of Zorn so I don’t want treated any different. That’s equal rights.”
“But I was told that human women—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” she cut him off. “I want to be treated just like all your other house helpers. That’s what you call them, right? Well, the chores they have they can just keep right on doing and I’ll just do what they do so it’s all fair and even to all of us. I don’t know what humans you’ve met who have been brought here but I’m not like them. I won’t take any shit.”
Shock was etched on his features. “All right. I didn’t mean to anger you, small human.”
“The name is Shanna so use it.”
“I meant no offense or to anger you, Shanna. I was trying to do the opposite by offering to give you all of the other house helpers’ duties to—”
“Well, don’t do me any favors, Berrr.” She cut him off. “Really. Just take me inside, show me where I’ll sleep and hopefully it’s in a room by myself, and then have your house helpers show me what I’m to do around here. If I see what they do I can learn it.
That’s all I ask.”
He was frowning still. “If that is what you wish.”
“I wish so lead the way.”
Berrr still looked stunned but he walked toward the front door, opened it wide and then stepped inside. Shanna followed him into a huge living room, staring in open wonder at the large area with the high ceilings. The space had white stone floors and ceilings, the walls were a smooth black, red and purple stone. The furniture was mostly dark purple and blacks. The stark contrast to the white was shocking but strangely elegant. Movement caught her eye as two women rushed from a room across the way.
Shanna’s mouth fell open as she gawked at the tall, muscular women with long black hair down the backs of their bodies that fell to their knees. Both women wore outfits that reminded Shanna of a potato sack that went to their mid thighs. Their eyes were so dark brown they looked black as they both flashed Shanna stunned glances before rushing forward. Both women dropped to the floor, heads lowering, and went to their hands and knees before Berrr.
What in the hell? Shanna’s gaze jerked to Berrr. He was frowning down at both women and then his blue gaze slid to hers. He stared into her eyes, studying her, and then sighed loudly.
“Aya and Kalo, please rise. This is human Shanna.” Both women instantly rose at his command to openly gape down at the shorter Shanna once they were back on their bare feet. As the women moved in their thin, loose sack dresses it became obvious to Shanna that neither woman wore a bra. The taller one of the two frowned, her concentration solely fixing on Berrr.
“You acquired a human woman, Hyvin? Have we displeased you?” Her voice was soft, hesitant and definitely unhappy. “We can attend you well. We do not need a human in our home.”
Great, Shanna thought, the entire house is bigoted toward humans. She wasn’t on the planet because she wanted to be there. They were as strange to her as she was to them.
She wasn’t being rude and pointing out that the women reminded her of Amazons with their muscular limbs. And neither one of them had ever shaved their legs from what Shanna could tell at the quick glance down them, thinking a razor would do them a world of good.
“This is where you live?”
He gave a nod, reaching for the handle on the door. “This is where you live now as well.” He unfolded his body and climbed out. He hesitated and then held out his hand to her, offering to help her out.
“Thanks.” Shanna put her much smaller hand in his, letting him support her weight as she followed him out. She noticed again how much warmer his skin was compared to hers and the rough patches of callus on his palms under her own. Her gaze took in the large building again. It was elegant, white and rounded in a long sweep of almost tube-style shaping. Big windows were everywhere and for having such a high roof she could tell it was only a single story from the outer windows. “It’s really big.”
“For my station in life it is actually quite small. This is my close-to-the-city residence that is much more convenient for me to work from.” Berrr kept hold of her hand as he led her toward the front door. “I should warn you that I currently have six house helpers in my home attending me.” She darted a look at the size of his house again and nodded. “I’m sure you need every one of them. This place must be hell to keep clean.” He paused as he turned his head to stare at her. “I will give you the majority of their duties immediately now that you are here since you are a human.” Blinking at him, Shanna frowned. Great, she thought, he is a bigot because I’m human.
I obviously will be the house Girl Friday if he is going to let his other employees dump their jobs that they don’t want on my plate. She pulled her hand out of his, pissed off at the thought that he’d been nice to her so far, just to spring this shit on her now. She took a deep breath. It beat the hell out of being some alien’s personal hooker, minus the getting paid part though.
Cocking his head, Berrr frowned. “You look angry. Have I said something wrong?”
“Don’t you think that’s kind of insulting? I’m sure the duties you assign me will keep me busy enough without taking on what they do for you too.” His frown deepened. “But you’re human.”
“So what? I’m not here because I wanted a vacation. I was kidnapped, tossed in a cage, transported against my will through outer space, and none of that is my fault. I want to be treated exactly like other Zorn woman are, damn it. I want equal rights.”
“Equal rights?” He almost gasped the words.
“What’s so confusing about that to you, big guy?” She frowned up at him, noting his stunned and bewildered expression. “I want to be treated fairly just like your women. What they do, I do, nothing more, nothing less around here. Is that clear enough? Don’t take their jobs they do for you away to shove them all on me. That’s just racist and wrong so I demand you treat me just like any other woman on this planet.
You said I’m a citizen of Zorn so I don’t want treated any different. That’s equal rights.”
“But I was told that human women—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” she cut him off. “I want to be treated just like all your other house helpers. That’s what you call them, right? Well, the chores they have they can just keep right on doing and I’ll just do what they do so it’s all fair and even to all of us. I don’t know what humans you’ve met who have been brought here but I’m not like them. I won’t take any shit.”
Shock was etched on his features. “All right. I didn’t mean to anger you, small human.”
“The name is Shanna so use it.”
“I meant no offense or to anger you, Shanna. I was trying to do the opposite by offering to give you all of the other house helpers’ duties to—”
“Well, don’t do me any favors, Berrr.” She cut him off. “Really. Just take me inside, show me where I’ll sleep and hopefully it’s in a room by myself, and then have your house helpers show me what I’m to do around here. If I see what they do I can learn it.
That’s all I ask.”
He was frowning still. “If that is what you wish.”
“I wish so lead the way.”
Berrr still looked stunned but he walked toward the front door, opened it wide and then stepped inside. Shanna followed him into a huge living room, staring in open wonder at the large area with the high ceilings. The space had white stone floors and ceilings, the walls were a smooth black, red and purple stone. The furniture was mostly dark purple and blacks. The stark contrast to the white was shocking but strangely elegant. Movement caught her eye as two women rushed from a room across the way.
Shanna’s mouth fell open as she gawked at the tall, muscular women with long black hair down the backs of their bodies that fell to their knees. Both women wore outfits that reminded Shanna of a potato sack that went to their mid thighs. Their eyes were so dark brown they looked black as they both flashed Shanna stunned glances before rushing forward. Both women dropped to the floor, heads lowering, and went to their hands and knees before Berrr.
What in the hell? Shanna’s gaze jerked to Berrr. He was frowning down at both women and then his blue gaze slid to hers. He stared into her eyes, studying her, and then sighed loudly.
“Aya and Kalo, please rise. This is human Shanna.” Both women instantly rose at his command to openly gape down at the shorter Shanna once they were back on their bare feet. As the women moved in their thin, loose sack dresses it became obvious to Shanna that neither woman wore a bra. The taller one of the two frowned, her concentration solely fixing on Berrr.
“You acquired a human woman, Hyvin? Have we displeased you?” Her voice was soft, hesitant and definitely unhappy. “We can attend you well. We do not need a human in our home.”
Great, Shanna thought, the entire house is bigoted toward humans. She wasn’t on the planet because she wanted to be there. They were as strange to her as she was to them.
She wasn’t being rude and pointing out that the women reminded her of Amazons with their muscular limbs. And neither one of them had ever shaved their legs from what Shanna could tell at the quick glance down them, thinking a razor would do them a world of good.
