The Keepers spoke to us after that. They didn’t like it that we were talking in our nativenguage. Rose


    apologized and I followed her lead.


    We spent the rest of the afternoon with Rose teaching me about the games the men like to y in the


    evenings. She said her men thought it was fun sometimes to let her y with them. If I got good my


    owners might Let me y with them, too. That gave me plenty of incentive to pay attention.


    Late in the afternoon Rose’s owners came home. They took us to the bathhouse and then fed us. They


    didn’t say anything about what had happened this morning. The men acted just like they always did.


    As Iy in bed Later that night, I thought about my owners. I wondered how much longer they would be


    gone. Hopefully the women wouldn’t hurt or keep them this time.


    When sleep finally took me I was worrying about the women. My sleep was fitful and full of horrible


    nightmares. When I awoke I was d to be out of my dreams, they had been awful.


    Rose and I didn’t go back to the Keeper’s the next day. We stayed in her owners’ apartment with our


    own men to watch us. In thete afternoon she sewed and I watched out the window.


    “How Long are the men usually gone for a coupling?” I asked Rose.


    ‘t depends,” she told me, “two or three days, usually.”


    “So, it isn’t odd mine aren’t back yet?” I fretted chewing on a fingernail.


    “Ciara, the women rarely kidnap men from a coupling. Honestly, that’s when they are least Likely to be


    taken,” Rose said watching me.


    “Are they really that bad?” I asked her. “Are they really stronger than the men?”Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ninjanovel


    “Without a doubt,” she told me and shuddered.


    “How did you see them?” I asked.


    “I was with my Masters while they yed a game of chuke,” she said quietly. “Two women swooped out


    of the sky and grabbed a man right from the field. They were about to fly away with him when another


    larger woman attacked them. The women seemed to be fighting over the man. Therger woman


    forced the two smaller women to drop the man and then chased them away.”


    “Therger woman protected the man?” I asked her.


    She shook her head, “I don’t know what they were doing. We all waited thinking the man was going to


    be taken again, but he was not. I’m not sure what they were doing.”


    I held my tongue in check and watched Rose go back to her sewing. Therger woman was probably


    protecting a man she owned, just no one knew it. He must have had some talent to have been the


    target of a nearly sessful raid. None of that was something I could share with my friend.


    Despite my concern over my men, I made up my mind to think of nice things before bed. I didn’t want to


    have nightmares again. Thankfully, I had good dreams all night.


    Rose and I were delivered to the Keepers’pound the next day. The girls from the vige had been


    returned and their friends didn’t attack me. They were all smiles, happy to be together again.


    The four that had gotten in trouble didn’t talk to me or even Look at me. Frankly, I was fine with that. I


    had a core group of friends and I didn’t need to hang out with people that would just get me in trouble.


    When we were in the bathhouse that night before dinner I sat with my Keepers and chewed on my


    nails. It was a bad habit I thought I’d broken years ago. I was just so worried my owners would not


    come back.


    “Didn’t we tell you to feed it, Basin?” I heard Master Evan ask from behind me.


    I slipped my finger out of my mouth and chanced a nce up at my owners. They were battered and


    bruised. Master Bane had fresh teeth marks over one shoulder and Master Christof couldn’t open his


    right eye. They all Looked at me expectantly.