More from The Whore of New Slum by T.A. Chase

Enjoy the excerpt!

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Abdur stared out the window of his room, watching the dark-haired man stride down the stairs and turn left on the sidewalk. He studied the way broad shoulders slimmed into narrow hips. The long fall of black hair intrigued him. His hands itched to touch and play with it.

He clenched his hands, and the hiss of steam as the metal joints making his left hand move drew a frown from him. He might want to touch the man, but he never would. Abdur had thought he had accepted the reality that he would always be alone.

"Abdur, you need to rest. The general wishes to talk to you tomorrow, so you need your strength for the trip to New Island."

The Mother Superior walked in. She'd gotten used to Abdur's ruined visage, so she didn't react when he turned to look at her. He'd taken off his mask when he'd gone back in his room and forgotten to put it back on.

"I don't feel like sleeping," he said, but he went to his bed and sat on it, accepting the tray she handed him.

"I know you don't, but I think it's best."

He set the plates aside before resting his hands on his thighs. "It still hurts."

Whether he was talking about his voice, his body, or his soul, he couldn't have said. All he knew was the pain had become second nature to him. It was a familiar weight he carried around, like a coat he never took off.

He simply knew it hurt.

"I'm sorry. Do you need more pills? Maybe I could convince the doctor to bring a magic user up to cast a pain spell on you." Mother Superior looked worried.

Abdur shook his head, even though moving it added to the ache. "Magic won't work on me any more. I had too many spells put on me right after my injuries to keep me alive."

She reached out, but held her hands inches from his left shoulder. He had to get used to never being touched again. No one would want to get close to the monster he'd become.

"Eat, then try to get some rest. If you need anything, you know where I'll be." She patted the sheets next to him.

"I'm not supposed to wander the halls. The generals were very specific about not letting anyone see me." He snorted. "That didn't work out so well this morning."

Mother Superior glared at him. "Who saw you?"

He shrugged. "He was pretty with long black hair and dark eyes. The doctor was a complete ass to him."

"Did he have a flower branded on his cheek?" She touched the same spot on her face where the man's brand had been.

"Yes."

Abdur shifted slightly as his cock stiffened at the memory of how beautiful the man had been. Why had this attraction hit him so hard? Before his attack, he'd jumped from bed to bed, never becoming attached to anyone in particular, but he'd discovered that kind of lifestyle ended up leaving him alone. No one had tried to see him while he was in the hospital, and once the military took him, he didn't have anyone to argue for him about their actions.

"Ah, I wonder how he got mixed up enough to come down this hall. Wendall comes every Monday to visit his sister. She's in the terminal ward on the third floor. He did tell me he'd be coming every day now, since Molly is dying and she doesn't have much time left." Mother Superior shook her head and sighed. "It's so sad. Such a beautiful young woman, yet this life crushed any chance she had of being anything more than a statistic."

"What does her brother do? Why was the doctor such an ass to him?" Abdur wasn't from New Britain. He'd been taken from New France and brought to the building he was in.

"Wendall is a sex peddler. He works at The Pink Carnation brothel a couple blocks from here." She didn't sound disgusted or upset by what Wendall did.

He glanced at her, studying her expression. "You don't look down on Wendall for what he does?"

She shook her head. "I understand why he chose to do what he does. When one lives in New Slum, one must do whatever one can to survive to the next day. My sisters and I came here to help them, but after a week, I realized we couldn't save them all. Abdur, we will be unlikely to save most of them."

Mother Superior headed toward the door, but she turned and looked back at him. "Wendall is a good man, no matter what he does to survive. It's not my place to judge anyone. I'm simply here to help as best I can."

Abdur waited until she left before he stood and made his way back to the window. He stared out at the dirty streets and soot-covered buildings surrounding him. As he studied the people strolling along outside, he heard some nuns chatting outside his room.

"Some medical supplies arrived earlier today," one said.

"Did The Whore send them?" Excitement colored the other nun's voice.

"Yes--or at least I think so. Mother Superior wouldn't answer me when I asked."

Their voices faded away, and Abdur wondered who The Whore was. He'd overheard the nuns and doctors at the hospital talk in whispers about the person almost from the minute he arrived. Suddenly, he wanted out and he wasn't going to stay in the hospital anymore. The general would have him brought back to the base any day now. Once that happened, he would never be free again.

After making his decision, he sat and ate. It helped to have a plan, so he stripped and laid down to rest. If all worked out, he would be spending the night somewhere else, and maybe be touched for the last time in his life.

The Whore of New Slum is now available at Amber Allure.

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