I chuckle. “I’ll give you that. I am controlling. But I will smother you with love at the same time.” I kiss her temple. She smells so much better now that I’ve removed the combination of scents she’d been wearing.
We survived bathtime, a spanking, and diapering. I love that she’s now free of hair products and makeup. She’s so pretty she takes my breath away. I lean her back and look down at her breasts, taking in the dusky nipples that have been hard since I unveiled them.
They will be hard for the rest of our lives after I have them pierced. There’s not a chance in hell I’m going to tell her that part prematurely, but I’m thinking pink. Perhaps morganite. A soft pink/peach color will look amazing against her skin.
“Stop staring at my boobs,” she mutters. She tries to cover them again, but I gently remove her hand and bring it to my lips so I can kiss her knuckles.
“You’re so pretty, Little one. I’m going to stare at you a lot.”
“Can I have my dress back now?”
Here we go. I haven’t even won the battle of wills over the formula, and we’re moving back to the clothing discussion? Crap. “No, Baby girl. You don’t need your dress.”
“What am I going to wear? Will John pick up clothes for me?” It’s like she never heard me tell her she won’t be wearing clothes.
I shake my head. “No, but if you have some personal items you don’t want to leave behind, he’ll grab those. I can send him a list. Would you like to discuss that now?” I’ll do anything to avoid repeating the clothing conversation.
She frowns. “Fine. I’d like some pictures that are in a photo album on the shelf under my nightstand. And…” She hesitates.
“And what, Baby girl?”
“You won’t judge me?” She narrows her gaze again.
“Never.”
“The doll my mother bought me when I was three is next to the photo album. It’s all I have of my mother.”
“I’ll make sure John gets it.” I’m so fucking pleased to know she has a doll. “Anything else?”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, makeup, clothes, hair products. Whatever you don’t have, I’d like to bring it, though Lord knows what I’ll do when it runs out.”
I chuckle. “You won’t need any of those things, Ava. Little girls don’t have makeup, hair products, or clothes on Eleadia.”
She closes her eyes, inhaling deeply through her renewed frustration. She’s fighting back another round of tears. She needs a bottle and a nap.
I tap her lips with the nipple. “Please drink for me, Little one.”
I’m relieved when she relents, letting the nipple into her mouth. It takes her a few moments to get the feel of it, and then she’s sucking, and my heart nearly leaps out of my chest.
This is a moment I want to freeze for eternity. My Little girl, snuggled in my arms, her hair a wild mess of curls because I haven’t combed it or styled it, wearing nothing but a diaper, and finally taking her first bottle.
She’s precious, and I will cherish her for the rest of my life. No matter how long it takes for her to adapt, I will not lose my cool. I knew this could happen, and I was even more certain when I first saw her. On Earth, she might have been a dominant female, but she’s been lying to herself. Underneath the tough exterior is a submissive. I just need to coax her out.
For fifteen blessed minutes, my Little girl sucks down her bottle. She does so because she’s so thirsty and needs the nutrition. The fight has run out in her. She needs rest.
I stroke her skin while she suckles, trying to sooth her with my touch. I know it helps. Holding her helps, too. When we’re chest to chest like this, she will always calm. I could use my quill on her, and maybe I should have done so more than I have, but I didn’t want to cause her to argue that I’ve influenced her.
My serum can definitely influence her. I can use it to enhance her pleasure. I can use it to put her to sleep. I can also use it to dull her pain or completely numb an area of her body if need be. But my serum isn’t actually controlling her. She’s drawn to me as strongly as I’m drawn to her because that’s the way of Fate. Deep down, she knows this is true, but accepting it will take time.
When the bottle is empty, I rise carefully so as not to disturb her, pad into the bedroom, and grab a pacifier from the same container where her diapers are.
The moment I pop it into her mouth, she resumes suckling, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she relaxes further in my arms. The poor thing is totally worn out.
I hate to put her down. I’d rather continue to hold her, but I need to do some things while she naps, so I ease her onto the bed, cover her with a soft blanket, and prop pillows around her. I don’t want her to fall off.
The first thing I do is change out of these uncomfortable dress pants and into the stretchy black pants that are common among my people. The next thing I do is send a text to John, listing the things I’d like him to get from Ava’s apartment. I suspect he’ll need to go for Mia, too.
Moments later, my phone rings. It’s Surgient. I answer immediately. “Hey.”
“How are you doing?” he asks softly.
I chuckle sardonically. “Everything they say is true. This Little girl is so feisty I didn’t think I’d ever get her to calm down, take a bottle, and sleep.” This is an understatement, but I don’t want to go into details.
“I’ve seen it in every male I’ve spoken to for two years, my friend.” Surgient would know. He’s been the intake doctor on the mothership for those two years. He’s examined every Little girl before she was put into stasis to leave for Eleadia.
“I promised Ava I would send someone to her apartment to get some things,” I tell him.
“I promised Mia the same. Have you lined someone up?”
“Yes. John from the front desk. He says he does this often. I texted him a list. I’ll share his contact information with you. He’ll get both of their things and deal with the manager of their building tomorrow, too.”
“Excellent. Thank you.”
“It’s going to be a very long trip home,” I say as I run a hand through my hair.
“Yes. Eternal.”
“I think Ava is at least slightly mollified by the knowledge that her best friend was also chosen tonight. What were the chances?”
