by Ella Maven
I shook my head. “I’m going to head back to my room. It’s been a long rotation.”
“I guess it has,” Gaul’s keen gaze speared me. “Get some rest then, Ward. Tomorrow, we talk.”
I nodded, already dreading that talk. Behind the safety of the locked door to my small room, I pulled out several hunks of pivar meat and a leg bone I’d managed to hide away in my pockets. Luna bounced on the pallet and yipped as I approached her. Her tail wagged, and she descended on the flesh like a true bloodthirsty welf.
When she finished eating, I poured out a small basin of qua and watched as she lapped at it. I figured she’d be happy but instead she paced the room, sniffing at corners.
“I know,” I sighed and leaned back on the furs, eyeing the darkening sky. “I miss her too, little one. I miss her too.”
Reba
When those blue muscled goons tossed me in this damn hut, I’d pounded on the door until my hands swelled. Not that I thought they’d let me out. Hell no. I could hear their hulking breaths on the other side as they guarded me. I just wanted to yell and scream and cry because I didn’t know what else to do.
I’d never been good at holding my tongue. Or cowering. Or submission. I refused to be a victim and yet here I was, shut in some hut while an alien species decided what my life was worth.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed as I sat on the floor with my knees drawn to my chest. Someone had dropped some food inside, but I hadn’t even looked at the tray. What was with everyone on this planet so eager to feed me? Didn’t they know how to starve their prisoners like good captors?
I did guzzle some qua which sat in a jug in the corner because my throat was raw from all my screaming. This hut was tiny with no furniture. A bundle of dusty furs sat in the corner I guessed I was supposed to sleep on. How the hell I was going to get any sleep was beyond me.
The sun had set, and pale strips of gray moonlight poured between the only window in the hut, which was near the roof—so out of my reach—and barred. So, this was the prison hut? Cool. Awesome.
I wished for a big body to keep me warm, and that only made me think of Ward, which made my heart skip a beat and fill my head with a tornado of conflicting emotions. He’d told me to trust him, and I wanted to, God I wanted to more than anything, but I couldn’t shake the words he’d spoken to Gaul. The memory of his dead, cold eyes as he’d commanded me to kneel brought tears to my eyes. Was everything a lie?
I wanted to think that this was all a ruse to keep us alive, but then I wondered if I was being a stupid, naive human. Ward might right now be laughing with Gaul about how he was able to seduce me and make me trust him in mere days…
The door opened, and I braced, because a visitor in the darkness of night couldn’t be good. The moonlight framed a massive body with horns—because of course, what other creature was here? He stepped into a shaft of light, and Ward’s purple eyes met mine. “Reba,” he whispered as he shut the door behind him.
He went to his knees and reached for me, but I flinched away from his touch without thinking, still stung by his actions. He froze, hand suspended in the air between us before he dropped it to his side. His shoulders slumped. “I had to sneak away to see you. Gaul can’t know I’m here.” he whispered. “I’m sorry, Reba.”
I swiped at my eyes, because the tears had already started. The sound of his voice had me simultaneously wanting to slap him and kiss him. Men seemed to often instill that feeling in me.
“Y-you… The things you said…” My words were broken by sniffles and small sobs. “And he hit me!”
I touched my cheek and watched as Ward’s eyes darkened to pitch black. He slid closer, and this time I didn’t shy away. He cupped my cheek, rubbing his thumb on the sore flesh. “I almost killed him when he struck you. I would have killed him if I could. But then his males would kill me and take possession of you. I couldn’t let that happen.”
“But they have possession of me.”
He shook his head and his eyes narrowed. “They only think they do. You have to understand. I said the things I did to keep both of us alive. I will forever remain loyal to Daz, the Night Kings, and you. But if I didn’t come up with the plan I did, Gaul would have killed me and taken you. You understand?”
I sniffed as my heart ached. “I want to believe you. I want to trust you.”
His shoulders tensed. “You doubt my devotion to you?” He said it incredulously, like how dare could I not believe him?
“Ward… I’m trying not to doubt you, but I’m scared. I don’t know this planet. I don’t know your people or your history. I only know what you told me. What if I’m the stupid human who has fallen for her captor who thinks of her as nothing but a pawn?”
“I don’t know what a pawn is, but everything I told you was the truth. She is—”
“—All, yeah, I know. She Is All. But these guys don’t think that, and they are the same as you.”
“They are not the same as me!” His voice rose before he closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. When he spoke again, he used a lower, but no less firm, tone. “I told you that not all Drixonians kept our ethics.”
“You did tell me that, but you also have to understand that from perspective, I don’t have any proof of that. All I have is your words.”
His body went still, so still that I didn’t see or hear him breathing. Then, slowly, he leaned toward me until his fierce expression filled my vision. “Proof?” That one word was soft but deadly.
I swallowed. “Ward—”
“You want proof, little human? Proof is when I washed your skin with my own hands. Proof is letting you keep a welf pup. Proof is getting you to safety from the hunner’s attack while leaving myself vulnerable. Proof is in the way I look at you, the way I touch you, the way you melt at the end of my tongue.” He surged forward, so I was forced to lay on my back as he rose above me like a conqueror. His hand skimmed the side of my breast before flitting across my stomach.
My traitorous body didn’t care what my brain was warning me. That Ward could be playing with me, distracting me with his touch and knowledge of how to turn me inside out. My body didn’t care about any of that, especially when his hand dipped into my pants and his fingers dipped into my fold. I was already wet, because of course I was. One look from Ward’s purple eyes and I was ready to go. I arched my back as he slipped a finger inside of me and thumbed my clit.
“Is this enough proof?” Ward snarled with a curled lip. “Your body knows it belongs to me, that it can trust me.”
“It doesn’t work like that,” I managed to gasp as his probing finger hit my g-spot.
“It does work like that,” he argued. “Trust me, Reba. I will get us out of here. I will get us home. And I will spend many cycles showing you how I worship you. How you’re mine. My mate.”
With a growl, he tore off my pants, unfastened his, and plunged his thick cock inside of me. I opened my mouth to scream, but he clamped his palm over it as he rutted into me. His hot breath panted near my ear. “I love your pleasure cries, little Reba, but we can’t let anyone hear. Your sounds are only for me.”
Ward fucked me with deep strokes of that metal-tipped dick. I could do nothing but cling to him and stare into his purple eyes as he swore against my lips he’d kill anyone else who hurt me and promised he’d save me from this place.
I believed him, because I needed to. Because I craved his touch and his words. I relished in the power of his body and the way he trembled as he grew close. When his fingers plucked at my clit, I came on a wordless cry, my eyes squeezed shut, as he pulsed inside of me.
Afterward, he held me silently, pressing soft kisses to my temple. I felt a tongue on my chin and jerked my head away. “Why are you lick—” My eyes adjusted, and I found a furry little face pressed into mine. I jerked to a sitting position, dislodging Ward from my side as I gathered Luna in my lap. “My girl, oh my God, I worried I’d never see you again.” I bawled into her fur.
Ward fingered my hair.
“I kept her safe in the pack. I thought she could keep you company in here. It’s best to hide her though when the guards come in.”
I peered up at him through my tears. “Thank you so much. Speaking of the guards, where are they?”
“I created a distraction on the other side of camp. I should leave now before they return.”
I watched him stand and rearrange his clothes. “O-okay.”
He crouched on the balls of his feet and gripped my chin. “It might not be tomorrow, and it might not be the rotation after that, but I will get us free, Reba. Trust me.”
There were those words again. Trust me. I nodded. “I will.”
After he slipped out the door and I was left alone on the floor of the hut with my pants still around my knees, I realized he hadn’t kissed me. He’d fucked and ran. I tried not to think about what that meant, but the doubts crept in like shadows. I finally fell asleep with tear tracks on my face and my pet curled against my side.
Twelve
Ward
I didn’t sleep much that night. I played my visit with Reba over and over in my head, cursing myself for all of it. I had planned to comfort her, soothe her fears, and give her Luna to keep her company.
Instead, I’d been defensive about being compared to Gaul and impaled her with my cock in the dirt floor. Then left her while she was still crying and uncertain.
By the time the sun rose over the horizon, I didn’t feel rested, and my head pounded from thinking too much. This was all unfamiliar territory to me. It’d been many, many sun-cycles—what felt like another lifetime—since I’d been around females. Even then, I’d never met a female like my little human. She was fierce but soft and vulnerable. She was so expressive. She seemed to cover an entire range of emotions in one conversation.
I hadn’t had to comfort anyone. My brother would certainly never accept any sort of soft words from me about the losses we’d faced. Life was duty. I woke up thinking of ways to better serve Daz and our clavas and went to bed feeling satisfied I’d done my best to secure our safety. But I always felt firm on my feet. With Reba in my life, I felt anything but confident, and the ground shifted beneath my soles like a mudslide.
I’d have to visit her again. Tonight. I wasn’t sure how I’d get past the guards this time. I didn’t think they’d be fooled again. Last night I’d created a distraction with some fire, so they had to retrieve qua to put it out. I knew that wouldn’t work again.
After using the cleanser, I dressed and made my way down to the hall for the morning meal. Gaul was nowhere in sight, so I gripped my food and ate by myself. I had checked Reba’s food tray before leaving, and she’d had a variety of meat and fruits. She would be able to eat something, and feed Luna the rest.
After eating, I left the hall. My eyes immediately strayed toward Reba’s hut. Two new guards stood sentry. Was she okay? Did she sleep? Did she eat?
“Worried about your human?” Gaul’s voice sounded way too close to my back. I spun around to see him standing right behind me, chewing on a thin twig.
“My main concern is she’s alive and fed. The Uldani don’t want a half-dead human.”
“I checked on her this morning myself,” he said. “Never thought humans were attractive, but she stirs the blood, doesn’t she?”
I went still at his words and fought not to lift my machets. In the middle of his clavas, that would be grounds to kill me on the spot. “I guess so,” I said noncommittally.
“Now that we showed her how to use the cleanser, she smells good,” he said with a quirk of his lips as he began to walk. He beckoned me to follow with his fingers.
Did she have to get undressed in front of these bastards? I wasn’t sure how long I’d last here before I lost my mind.
“Pretty too. Big breasts. Bet she’s got a ripe little cunt.” He eyed me with a wicked grin. “You try it, Ward? Did you dip your cock into paradise before you had to sell it?”
I didn’t answer, mostly because I didn’t trust myself not to spit in his face.
“Ah,” he said as we slipped between two buildings. “Trying to keep some things to yourself?”
“I—”
A forearm rammed into my throat and my back slammed against the side of the barracks. Before I could blink. Gaul’s face was in mine, his tail swishing angrily behind him as he lifted his machets, which ended a hair-length away from my chin. I couldn’t swallow or speak. One movement of my mouth or throat and those blades would sink into my flesh. We were alone here, just me and Gaul. He’d led me here and I had been too focused on my anger over Reba to realize it.
“Do you think I’m stupid, Ward?” he hissed through gritted teeth. “Do you think I’m not aware of every little thing that goes on in these walls? Maybe Daz lets his males do what they want, but not here. Everyone does what they’re told, when they’re told, and if one flecking stone is out of place, I know about it. I know you set that fire. I know you distracted the guards and visited your little human.” He moved slightly and the pressure on my throat eased slightly.
He cocked his head, and rolled his shoulders as his dark eyes threatened to suck me in. “I’ll allow you that one time, Ward. One time to do whatever you wanted to do to her tight little body. But that’s it. From now on, you stay away from her hut. If I find you visiting her again, I’ll slice off her hand while you watch. The Uldani don’t need both her hands. They probably just want her cunt.” He pushed on my chest, forcing the air out of my lungs as he stepped back. “Am I clear?”
I forced myself to stay upright even as I felt a small trickle of blood slide down my neck from his machets. I took my time catching my breath before licking my lips. I wouldn’t be able to see Reba. To assure her I care. To tell her I lived and breathed for her, that this was all for her, that I was living here at the whim and mercy of Gaul flecking Yokulz. I hated him, and I vowed, before I took my last breath on this cursed planet, that I’d take his life.
I managed to unlock my jaw long enough to say. “You’re clear.”
He patted me on the chest and grinned, like he hadn’t just threatened to cut off the hand of my mate. “Great. Let’s meet with my officers. We have some things to discuss and information to trade.”
I followed him, each step heavy, my mind a jumble. Maybe this was better. I hadn’t been paying attention, too focused on Reba, to realize Gaul had gotten me alone. While in these walls, I needed to focus, and so, as much as it pained me, I pushed Reba from my mind so I could focus on Gaul and escaping as soon as I could.
Reba
I counted the days by sunsets and kept track by etching scratches into the wall with a stone. I was fed twice a day, which was enough because they tray was loaded, and I could nibble on the contents throughout the day. While I didn’t eat the meat, Luna did, so we were both fairly content as far as hunger went. I was clean too, having learned how to use their weird air cleanser thing. At first, I was convinced it wouldn’t work. I basically stood in a stall and let a strong gust of air rush over me. How would that clean me in any way? But when I stepped out, my hair was shiny, and my skin was clean of dirt and debris. I even smelled decent. The hut was large enough for me to do some sit-ups and jumping jacks. I even ran some laps. No one came in to beat me or… worse.
It was mentally I was a fucking mess. I wafted between despair and hope. It didn’t help Ward didn’t visit me again. In fact, no one visited me. The only visitor I got was the morning after Ward had seen me. Gaul strode in like he owned the place—well, I guessed he did. I’d hid Luna under a blanket, and she was content to stay quiet as she gnawed on a bone.
Gaul’s eyes scanned me in a way which gave me the fucking creeps. But he didn’t touch me or talk to me. He asked his guards if I talked at all or heard any noises, and they reported I was apparently a good little human. Gaul seemed pleased and after another look that sent a shudder of fear down my spine, he’d left me alone. Fucking. Creep.
The thing was, he seemed smart. I wasn’t sure how I knew that, but I d
id. His gaze was shrewd, and those black pits of eyes took in everything and everyone. He assessed every situation and that terrified me. Why couldn’t we have been taken by stupid baddies?
I stared at my etchings in the wall, barely able to believe it had been six days since the night Ward had visited me. Six days of solitary confinement with nothing but Luna to keep me company. She was great company, but she slept a lot, therefore I slept a lot, and that was fine because there wasn’t much else to do.
I gnawed on a root they were fond of giving. At first, I refused to touch the brown gnarly thing but then I noticed Luna scratching and licking at one. The next day, I’d picked it up and given in a try. Surprisingly, it tasted good, kind of like a sweet carrot. As I chewed on the root, I peeked through the small hole I’d managed to whittle in the wooden planks of the hut. At first, it’d only been a knot in the wood, but I’d slowly scraped at it with sticks and rocks until the wood had chipped away, revealing a small spyhole.
I had a view of the bike garage, the front door of Gaul’s hut, and the gates. Not much was going on now—I never caught sight of Ward and he was the thing I wanted to see most.
I didn’t expect to see anything useful, but Ward had said to always be aware of my surroundings and observe everything. So, I studied the routine of the Red Hands. It wasn’t like I had anything else to do. I knew when my guards changed shift and when the garage opened for the day. I knew when the scouts left through the front gates and when they returned.
Despite the primitive look of the camp, this Gaul guy had access to some tech. The gate controls, as far as I could tell, were only accessible from the inside. To leave, the scouts flipped a lever behind a nondescript panel on the wall. When they returned, they called to the Drixonians manning the gates, who then opened it for them. The wall had to be opened and closed; it wasn’t automatic.
This was mid-afternoon, when there always seemed to be a lull in activity. Maybe these guys had siestas.
