CHAPTER NINE

To say that I am shocked to my core would be the understatement of the year. In fact, I do not think that there is a word in the English Language that captures how I feel exactly. Perhaps if I spoke French or Chinese or any one of the more expressive languages, I would find a word that perfectly explains this feeling. It is a deadly combination of excitement and dread. It feels as though I desperately want this to go on while but also desperately want it to end.

If I’m being honest with myself, the ‘dread’ part of my feeling makes absolute sense. After all, Alden is a monster who is actively keeping me here against my will. It makes perfect sense that I am afraid. Add that to the words he is saying, telling me explicitly that he intends to breed me to produce his young, and that there isn’t much that I can do about it. I would be a fool not to be afraid. What does not make sense, therefore, is the simultaneous excitement that I feel. How is it that these same words and actions that ca