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Splice: Conditioning

FREE Preview Chapter 1

By Billi Wolf

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Splice: Conditioning version 1.0 is a piece of near-future erotic science fiction, and is intended for adult audiences. If this is personally objectionable to you or illegal for you to read in your area, please return this manuscript or eBook from whence it came.

Copyright: © Billi Wolfe, 2019. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Billi Wolf is a pen name representing the legal author and copyright owner of this work of fiction.

Foreword

Let's get this out of the way: You're here for sexy stuff with humans and were-creatures. You're going to get a ton of it both in the free chapters, and in the full book.

Yes there's a story, and there's a bit of sci-fi. But mostly there's sex with Splices, which for the moment means a sciency version of weredogs. In the full novel, over half the chapters have at least once sex scene, and a few chapters have threesomes and orgy scenes. There's straight stuff, gay stuff, group stuff, foot stuff, bondage stuff, breeding stuff, outdoors stuff, indoors stuff... plenty to enjoy!

So, why did I pick Splices / weredogs for my first big novel, instead of the traditional werewolves? Science. Humans have a ton of data on dogs. And they have access to hundreds of different breeds without any fuss. It was more realistic to do genetic experiments using animals that are all around us.

Why the climate theme? Well, if we can't stop the rising sea levels, coastal flooding is coming, like it or not. To ignore our possible future because it's scary is just stupid. I talked to scientists, ran the simulations, and made some educated guesses. Let's just say: The setting is as realistic as it needs to be for erotica.

Why a big novel instead of a bunch of shorts? This book builds an entire erotic world. Now that it's made, I can write all kinds of shorts, novellas, and specials in the Splice universe. This is the platform for all sorts of great short erotica in the future. To get notified when I release something new, sign up at and join the Wolfpack.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me so far! You make it all worthwhile.

Love,

Billi Wolf

If you enjoy the story, you can buy the entire Splice: Conditioning novel on Smashwords.

Chapter 1

'Twenty-five feet doesn't sound like much of a distance. Someone could cover that in eight seconds at a casual walking pace. It seems unfair that a difference of twenty-five feet should have such a massive impact on the lives and happiness of so many people.'

These were Alexandra's thoughts as she walked down one of Fort Miami's many dingy backstreets. In the wake of rising sea levels, Florida was one of the hardest hit areas in the first world. Over the course of years, some of the biggest cities in the state were taken back by the sea. The former residents of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Fort Myers were moved inland to inhabit a FEMA sponsored grid-city. Although advertised as 'efficient and peaceful', Megacities like this one devolved into overcrowded slums in a single generation.

The particular slum that Alexandra was making her way through just then wasn't known to be violent... just somewhat depressing. She watched her own boots trudge through shallow puddles that were littered with discarded lottery tickets and plastic wrappers. Identical, sterile six story apartment buildings flanked her, their shadows seeming to follow her everywhere tonight. And every night. The asphalt-tainted sea breeze rustled her too-thin black trench coat, making the young woman fold her arms tightly over her bosom and quicken her pace.

At least Alexandra knew this area well enough to avoid any of the doomsday preachers or improvised press gangs. At least most of the streetlights were working tonight. She turned ninety degrees to her left and lifted her blue eyes to take in the sight of the metallic mesh door that guarded one of the thousands of apartment buildings in E-Sector.

"At least I'm home." the young woman murmured.

Entry required both a physical key and voiceprint verification. Even then, Alexandra had to step over a passed-out transient that had tailgated one of the more careless residents into the entryway. Despite this unwelcome sight, every step that Alexandra took, every stair that she mounted to reach her fifth floor apartment, and every passing moment brought with it a rising warmth. She felt an anticipation that hadn't dulled a single iota since the young waitress' life had changed on that fateful August day.

Tens of millions of people played the state lottery every week. Since the disasters started, the state took a surprisingly small cut of the profits, preferring instead to give some hope to the otherwise-hopeless. Every week there was a drawing, and the very lucky few would win enough to move somewhere with more open land, cleaner air, and less people. Alexandra wasn't quite that lucky. Instead she won one of the secondary drawings. This particular prize was why her hand was trembling as she turned the doorknob, and why she quickly closed and locked the door behind her. Nothing would distract Alexandra from enjoying her winnings in peace after a hard day's work.

"Hi Lexi, dinner's in the oven."

She let out a heartfelt sigh and allowed her lips to curl up in a genuine smile. "Thank you Henry, you're such a dear."

Her prize was sitting in front of the computer, industriously tip tapping away with his claws. Henry was a Saint Bernard. But not your run of the mill four legged kind. He was a six foot, one inch tall digitigrade biped... also known as a Splice. They were often compared to the mythical werewolves, but came in many of the breeds that humans were familiar with. As a member of a high class working breed, Henry's shoulders were broad, and his muscles were well defined under that semi-shaggy coat of fur. He never wore clothes, and didn't ever seem to show a hint of shame about that fact, even in public. This meant that his long, fluffy tail would often wag freely between the upright bars that supported the back of his computer chair. It also meant that his significant sheath could be seen resting against his belly, with twin white furred orbs hanging heavily below. Just when Alexandra was getting distracted, Henry turned his gaze away from the computer screen and fixed his deep brown eyes on her. His jaw hung open in his equivalent of a friendly smile.

After the oceans started to rise, well before they reached twenty-five feet above the old sea level, governments around the world took steps to placate the masses. In the United States, one of the steps that was taken was to allow a company called Animore Genetics (based in Columbus, Ohio) to engage in fetal gene splicing in an attempt to create non-human, but sentient companions that could ease the burdens of everyday life. The splicing of canine attributes into more humanoid bodies resulted in several tiers of these new breeds being created, some smarter than others, some stronger than others, some more rare and valuable than others. In one fell swoop, Animore Genetics created a race of companions, slaves, and prostitutes.

Lexi never really thought of Henry as a slave, even if legally he was pretty much exactly that. She spent about a day wondering how her life might have changed if she had won first place in the lottery instead of being a runner-up. But then she met Henry for the first time. Since that moment, her lottery winning was no 'second prize' to her. Since she had taken delivery of him, Henry had been the perfect companion, with or without the control mechanisms that Animore embedded in his psyche. A shiver went up the young woman's spine as she remembered the speech that the pharmaceuticals rep gave her. They called the control mechanism 'the Conditioning', and it was a command phrase that allowed the owner of a Splice to revert their psyche to a completely docile and obedient state. The canines themselves describe the Conditioning as taking a back seat in their own mind while still being fully aware of physical sensation, similar to what some humans taking a non-benzodiazepine drug experience. They become suggestible in every way: Mentally, physically... and thus sexually as well. Alexandra shook her head a little, refocusing on the present, and the lovely canine that she had hurried home to see.

The young woman slipped out of her coat as Henry saved the document that he was working on, in order to turn his full attention towards his owner and mistress. He gave an audible, happy sigh as both her sight and scent washed over him, imprinted forever in his conscious and unconscious mind. Lexi hung her trenchcoat on the rickety coat rack just next to the front door, and deftly slipped out of her damp boots. Her knee-high, padded socks soon followed, leaving the waitress in just her work uniform.

The wagging Saint Bernard rumbled, "I never get tired of seeing that."

His chestnut eyes drank in the woman's five foot, eight inch frame She was subtly muscled from standing, walking, and carrying around heavy trays for ten hours a day. Alexandra snorted at him and absently brushed down the front of her short skirt with the backs of her hands.

"Yeah, yeah. Save the flattery for after dinner."

They both moved on auto pilot, the canine rising and meeting the human in the bathroom, in front of the mirror. With meticulous care, the two of them plucked all of the bobby pins out of Lexi's hair.

She broke the silence as they worked, "So I'm guessing you were busy committing felonies all day long, puppy."

Henry groaned, "Lexi, nobody on the other end of the computer cares that it's a dog doing their medical record processing, as long as they get processed."

She rolled her eyes and replied, "There's a reason Splices aren't supposed to do work that humans can do, Henry. I know the whole 'stealing our jobs' line is ridiculous given that they're not even applying for jobs most of the time but... you could get us in real trouble."

As the last bobby pin found its way into the little plastic bin, Henry gently grasped Alexandra's hips and turned her towards him. He looked her in the eye and asked, somberly, "Do you wish for me to stop?"

She looked at that concerned face for a couple of seconds, then mutely shook her head. She wouldn't stop him, the benefits that his extra money brought the two of them, the measure of hope as they saved money to escape the Megacity... that was too much to give up. And Henry loved having a job. Leaving a working-breed Splice with nothing to do all day was tantamount to abuse, at least in her humble opinion.

Instead of dwelling on the Saint Bernard's employment, the young woman said, "Brush me."

He grasped her hairbrush in his right paw, and deftly combed out every knot and tangle. She stroked his chest and sides throughout the process, and was rewarded by the violent thumping of his tail against door frame of the small bathroom. When he was done, the canine stroked blunt claws through her auburn hair... a final check for snags, or so he told himself. Lexi smiled and kissed his chin, just as the oven went 'ding'. "Go ahead puppy, I'll join you in a moment."

Lexi walked out of the bathroom a couple of minutes later, wearing her favorite fluffy white bathrobe. It was modest, hanging down to her ankles; and yet the Splice couldn't keep his eyes off of her. It was only when Alexandra cleared her throat that the Saint Bernard snapped back to reality, and started to dish out the tuna casserole onto their dinner plates.

As the two of them dug into their cheesy, fishy meal, the human couldn't keep her mind from wandering. The moral quandary of owning another living, thinking, caring being was weighing heavily on Lexi's mind. Henry was smart and loyal, even without the Conditioning. At first she had asked him if he wanted to go free on a daily basis. But it soon became clear that Henry needed a human bond. He seemed afraid and intolerably sad at the concept of being without Lexi. So despite her reservations, she allowed their bond to grow.

"Lexi? Lexi?"

The young lady blinked and looked up at the worried muzzle of Henry. "Mistress? You've just been staring at your empty plate. Is there something more I can do for you?"

She had to smile at that. Alexandra reached up and gave the canine's ears a good firm rubbing. "Always, puppy. But in this case, I was just lost in thought." She rose, and with the hand that wasn't already caressing her Splice, she took him by the paw and led him out to the living room. The dishes would wait.

There was no television in the apartment, as neither the human nor the canine had a taste for the escapism that many of Fort Miami's citizens indulged in. They invested in the practical. A couple of blankets were strewn over a broad, comfortable couch. Creature comforts were in evidence as well, such as the efficient space heater in the center of the room, and a soft mattress in the corner where Henry sometimes napped during the day. Alexandra led her puppy over to the couch, which received a harsh buffeting by his overactive tail.

Moments later they were on their sides, snuggled together under an oversized duvet. This was Lexi's chance to relax after a long day of waiting tables, and she planned to make the most of it. The human guided those big, soft paws through the overlap of her bathrobe, placing one on each of her hips. Henry rumbled gently, and rubbed up and down his mistress' sides firmly, the way he knew she liked it. It took them a few tries to get the Splice to execute this kind of caressing without sending Lexi into fits of ticklish giggles, but they managed to get it right after a while. For her part, the human gripped and massaged the big dog's shoulders and neck, making him pant softly. As the two stroked and nuzzled, their warmth gathered under the blanket. It served to banish all memory of the cool, dreary night outside.

Lexi used to blush when she moved her full pink lips to touch the canine's muzzle, but in the past couple of weeks she would initiate their kissing with an expression of love and hunger. She tilted her head and slid her tongue against his thin black lips, even as the Saint Bernard's muzzle dropped open. He held his teeth against the young woman's warm cheeks with precision borne from practice, careful not to scratch or pinch her delicate flesh. This allowed Alexandra to explore deeply, taking the canine's tongue into her mouth and suckling upon it tenderly. Henry was quite happy allowing Lexi to explore her dominant side. And she enjoyed hearing his panting grow in frequency and volume, as something firm started to press against the leg of her bathrobe.

She ignored that rather large detail for the moment, sliding her hands down from his shoulders to the canine's fluffy chest. She found his first set of nipples with ease and started to squeeze and roll them lightly. The dog's entire frame shook and he whined plaintively as his mistress played with his body. There was a damp spot on her bathrobe by the time Lexi had released Henry's tongue from her suckling grasp and pressed her nose against her lover's cool, damp, black one.

They stared into each other's eyes, with no question of who was in control at that moment. And yet, Alexandra found herself asking, "Shall I say the words?" She felt a pang of guilt even asking, already knowing what the reply would be. But she needed his consent. She insisted on it.

Her Splice whimpered and murmured, "Oh yes mistress, please! I need it so bad."

She rolled her thumbs over the dog's now-firm teats, and then murmured, "Tell me why, when I know I could have my way with you regardless." She needed to hear it from him, to ease her conscience.

In moments like these, her strong canine would whine and stammer, and this time was no exception. "P-please mistress, I need it to live. Without getting it regularly I can't t-think, I just..."

She shushed him, and summed it up in three words. "I'm your drug."

"Yes."

"And do you need your drug, boy?"

"Yes!"

She nosed her way up to his ear, leaving an indented trail in his cheek-fur as he panted against her neck. Then she invoked the Conditioning. It was a passphrase of her choosing, translated into four different languages, a safeguard against misuse: "Submit, leal Heimirich, submittere."

By the time she slid back to her nose-to-nose position with the canine, the intelligence was already starting to drain from his eyes. It was replaced by an animal euphoria, the pure pleasure of having his sight filled by the countenance of his owner. She felt the hardness that was still pressed up against her bathrobe surge. The small wet spot quickly became a mostly-absorbed puddle of heady Saint Bernard precum. His paws instinctively slid from her hips. They became tucked between his lower back and the couch, grasped together just above his tailbase, assuming the subservient position no matter what his spatial orientation might be at the time. Alexandra knew, with time, that the transition could be more natural. It was yet another thing that she looked forward to learning with her Splice.

The young waitress sat up, and Henry quickly scrambled off of the couch to get in front of her. She didn't need to speak a word now. Their previous sessions had taught Henry the cues that he would use to decode her desires. So when Lexi started to tuck a couple of throw pillows under her butt so that she was sitting higher, the canid fell to his knees in front of his mistress. She smiled her approval and the panting anthro dog whined happily. The second after she had untied and opened the front of her bathrobe, Henry's muzzle was pressed against her sex.

Nobody would fault the Saint Bernard's enthusiasm at this task. Even as his own ignored sex throbbed and drizzled all over the floor, the canine was working to make his mistress equally wet. He lovingly hugged her legs as his tongue slipped out to stroke against her vulva. She gasped as that cool nose slid over her outer lips and through her pubic hair, a detail that reminded her that at some level, this was an alien beast pleasuring her. As that broad, tireless appendage lapped over her sex, Alexandra reached down and fondled Henry's ears.

She simply said, "Good puppy."

And of course, the Saint Bernard's tail thrashed happily.

Soft furry ears became a combination of reins and handlebars, each stroke and tug interpreted as feedback. At Lexi's urging, the dog started to delve deeper, parting the young woman's labia and feeling her heat and wetness on his tongue-tip. His mistress' leg muscles locked up and she groaned from deep in her belly. Progress! He was wagging his tail so hard from that positive vocal feedback, the Saint's Bernard's entire butt was swaying, and droplets of his precum were starting to spatter off to the sides. She was urging him deeper, and Henry complied. He docked the tip of his muzzle between her parted nether-lips, and probed her most sacred treasure.

Alexandra felt her Splice push his tongue deep into her vaginal opening and she gasped. 'Too soon!' she thought, and was about to say it aloud, before she realized that it wasn't. His timing was impeccable, as always.

Her inner muscles quickly spasmed on her companion's tongue and she drizzled her tangy cum all over his muzzle. The warmth that radiated through her pelvis as Henry started to tongue-fuck her was undeniable, and she had to admit that the canine was fully in tune with the needs of her body. All she had to do was tug on his ears to tilt his head down a fraction and... there it was. His smooth nose, now warm from her body heat and slick from her fluids, slid freely over the hood of her clitoris with every snarling, bobbing thrust of that broad canine tongue.

Henry's training made him a student of Kinsey, Masters, Johnson, and Hite. Even in this relatively mindless state, his muscle memory guided the Splice to rub his nose firmly against her swollen hood, but not so firmly as to directly expose her love nub. All the while he lapped up her juices and explored inside her sex, catering to Lexi's psychological need to be taken, to be filled. It only took another half a minute for the young woman to build to her next peak, and her high pitched cries trumpeted their mutual victory.

The Splice went still, allowing Lexi to use his head to provide any additional pressure as she wished. He knew his main role now: To allow his mistress to cum on his face, to soak his chin and neck in her savory juices. She did a little light grinding against his muzzle, as the young woman slowly came down from her sexual high. The dog's mistress was still thrumming with sexual energy and bathing in blossoming warmth when her blue eyes met Henry's. She gave him a wicked grin, planted her foot against his chest, and firmly pushed the dog onto his back.

The Splice yelped, looking confused and probably riding an extra high as he was bathed in the scent of his mistress. But the Saint Bernard being put on his back, with his tail trapped against his spine? This was not part of their normal script.

Lexi had prepared for this moment for weeks. She had used a special soap, rough sponge, and a pumice stone to slowly wear down the callouses created by years of waitressing. Even though Henry pouted when she showered alone, she knew that the surprise and the addition to her sexual arsenal would more than make up for a few missed bath times.

See, Henry had one big weakness. He didn't clear his Internet history.

At first when Alexandra stumbled across the fetish sites in her address bar, she thought there must have been some kind of mistake. But since some of them were canine-centric, the light quickly dawned. Her beloved Splice was a foot-man. He had never verbalized it, never even let on that his sexual side had this kind of perverted back alley. But once Lexi found out, she had vowed to reward her canid companion appropriately some day. That day was today.

She bent at the waist, but remained seated. The woman lifted Henry's legs by the ankles, and placed them on either side of her, his heels upon the couch cushion. "It's alright puppy. I know." The dog let out a submissive whimper and a little bark, but the way his nine inches of doggy meat jumped eagerly against his belly, she knew that he was on board. There was plenty of precum on the floor, enough that Lexi could coat the sole of her foot and each delicate toe. The Saint Bernard wriggled in anticipation, mutely panting as his mistress' foot hovered over his hot, swollen shaft.

Soft toes stroked the canine's maleness, caressing the undershaft and pressing the entire member firmly against his fuzzy belly. Henry whined and wriggled his hips, unable to summon any kind of embarrassment while under the effects of the Conditioning. As much as his conscious mind would have been mortified at Lexi uncovering his kink, his body and primal instinct glorified in the sensations. The muscles of the dog's rump bunched and flexed, as the Saint Bernard humped up at his mistress' foot, adding a fresh coating of warm precum to her soft flesh.

Seeing her Splice delighting in her ministrations, Alexandra smiled down at Henry. She started to stroke her flexing toes and the ball of her foot over the bottom of his turgid member. The dog seemed happy enough to do most of the work, hunching up to rub his dark canine spike against her soft, warm underfoot. She held onto his legs firmly and looked down at her dear companion. The young woman couldn't help but laugh a bit at his expression. Henry's eyes were mostly lidded, his jaw hanging wide open, and his tongue lolling out of the left side of his muzzle. In the midst of his sexual conquest of her foot, the dog couldn't be happier.

Then she felt it: Her beautiful Splice's feverishly hot knot rapidly swelling at the base of his puppy-maker. Lexi's other foot came into play, the toes rubbing and providing light pressure to his throbbing bulb of flesh. She had seen all the signs in the videos that she studied; clearly her pup was close. Alexandra put on a burst of speed and pressure. She mercilessly pressed the Saint Bernard's needy cock against his fuzzy abs and firmly milked him with her soft, slick under-foot.

As the Saint Bernard let out a strangled, whimpering bark, Lexi moved her toes up to massage the spongy pointed tip of his dick. That was more than enough. His muscles locked up in mid-hump, and the canine sprayed his seed all over his mistress' digits. She cooed a soft, "Good boy." The young woman used her other foot to rub little circles into the base of that jerking, throbbing knot. She coaxed him through his orgasm, waiting for the Splice to pump half a cup of semen through her clenched toes, and watching it soak into the fur of his chest and belly.

After giving Henry a few extra moments to enjoy the bliss of his orgasm, Alexandra let go of her companion's legs and whistled sharply. Henry's eyes shot open and he looked up at his mistress, still panting hard. She wriggled her cum-covered toes at the dog and asked, "We can't leave these dirty, can we puppy?"

His response was immediate, scrambling to his paws and knees in front of her so that he could lap each and every one of her toes clean. She had to giggle a little bit... it tickled! The waitress made a mental note to work on that with him when he wasn't Conditioned. Only when her foot was completely clean did the young woman plant it back on the floor. Lexi slid off of the stacked pillows so that she could lean forward and whisper in her Splice's ears, ever so tenderly...

"Submit, leal Heimirich, submittere."

Quickly the innocence left Henry's big brown eyes. He grabbed her shoulder with a shaking paw and stammered, "L-lexi I can explain. It... it isn't..."

The human laughed softly, and silenced her companion with a series of gentle kisses and licks across his muzzle. She didn't mind the taste of his cum. In fact, Lexi found it slightly exotic for reasons that she couldn't quite put a finger on.

When she pulled back, the waitress murmured, "Everyone has kinks, puppy. You shouldn't be ashamed of them. And if you want some of them to actually happen outside of your imagination and right paw, you should share them with me."

The Saint Bernard considered her words for a moment. Then he got to his feet with a groan. "Okay. Okay... well that was fantastic Lexi." He looked down at his dripping manhood and soaked torso. A little blush crept into his inner ears, and he said, "I should probably take a shower before I clean all this up."

Alexandra rose as well, shaking her head. "You shower, but I'll clean up. It's only fair hon, you bought the wet-dry vac for us. Come to bed when you're done."

After a thorough wet-vacuuming of the area, Lexi took the time to toss her bathrobe in the laundry hamper and clean up in the kitchen. She had time... Henry loved his long showers, and it took him a little while to clear his head after having been Conditioned. Only when she heard the telltale hum of the hair dryer did Alexandra crawl into bed to await her companion.

As the waitress was setting a special alarm on her phone, she felt the mattress bow under the weight of a familiar presence. Freshly washed and dried fur pressed against her back and legs. There was a murmur in her ear. "Is that a midnight alarm?"

Lexi smiled. "Maybe." They sometimes napped after an evening performance, and then got up to have a midnight lovemaking session. No Conditioning. No instructions. Henry in charge.

His muzzle slid over her cheek and he whispered, "If it is. You're going to get the knot this time. Might even drag you to the kitchen after for a snack."

The young woman couldn't help but giggle at that. "You man-whore! How dare you."

She heard his tail thumping heavily against the bed as he wagged it. "I dunno mistress, I guess you're just bad at disciplining your Splice."

Alexandra turned to face Henry, and reached up to stroke his face. Somberly, she asked him, "On that note, pup. If I found a way, any way to... to set you free, would you go?"

Henry tilted his head a little bit. This time there was no fear, no sadness in his features when confronted with this question. He murmured, "This again? I have no desire to be free, mistress. I honestly wouldn't know what to do if I wasn't with you. Call that... a lack of imagination, maybe. But Animore Genetics knows their business. Once properly bonded, I've never even heard of one of us running away or striking out on their own."

Lexi's shoulders shook a little, as if she was about to cry. "But... it isn't fair. You do everything for me. You're... everything to me. Nobody should get to own somebody else, of any species. I-I only realized that after you. I bought their marketing hype for all those years. But I shouldn't have."

Henry leaned in to give Alexandra a series of slow, comforting kisses. Only when she had stopped shaking did the Saint Bernard pull back a few inches and murmur, "Do you know how lucky I am? I could have been some rich couple's abused sex slave. Used for a few years, and discarded when the novelty wore off. I could have been some corporate mascot, forced to party and get drunk every night, then kept in a kennel until morning."

The canine pressed his nose to the human's, and looked into her eyes. "You are my savior. I'm the luckiest Splice in the world. Because you care. Because you never take me for granted. If there's anything else to yearn for in this world, I have no idea what that might be. Alright?"

Alexandra swallowed, overcome with emotion. She tried to make herself process how much she loved and appreciated Henry in that moment. She wanted to tell him how he transformed her life. But she couldn't get the words past the lump in her throat. So she settled on:

"Are you sure it's not just Stockholm syndrome?"

A paw rose under the covers and came down hard on Lexi's flank. She yelped at the spank, much to Henry's satisfaction.

"Wise ass. You're definitely getting the knot tonight. Mistress." He added her 'title' as an afterthought.

It was the Saint Bernard's turn to flip over, and Lexi's to cuddle into the back of her companion. As she stroked the dog's side and the two of them started to drift off, Lexi mentally vowed to get them out of this place. A Megacity was no place for a Splice. And E-Sector was no place for her. As long as they both kept working and Henry didn't get caught, they could get out in another two years. Even after the rise in sea levels, Nebraska was giving away small plots of farmland... if you could prove you were debt-free and able to fund or build a house.

She murmured, sounding determined, "We'll learn. We're going to get out of here."

Lexi heard her companion mutter something in reply. She had to lean over his shoulder to hear him, "What was that pup?"

"Not 'til after midnight."

If you enjoy the story, you can buy the entire Splice: Conditioning novel on Smashwords.