Prize: A Rough Sci-Fi Romance

by Sara Fields

  “I’m sore everywhere,” she answered quietly.

  “Good,” I answered, smirking as I recalled just how good her body had felt surrounding mine. Her eyes narrowed and she blinked a few times, before she pushed herself up to a seated position. She curled her arms around her knees almost protectively and glared back at me.

  I was reminded of the fiery human who had first caught my eyes in that cage yesterday, standing at those bars and protecting the females behind her even after she’d watched me tear apart grown men right in front of her. That courage had returned to her gaze, now that she was well rested.

  I had thought I had taught her who her true master was yesterday. Perhaps I’d been wrong. Maybe she was stronger than I realized.

  “Where are we?” she asked. There was an edge to her tone that I didn’t like, but I let it go. For now, anyway.

  “On our way to Nassarc. We’ll dock there, sell much of our goods, and relax for a few days before we disembark to our next target,” I replied.

  “What have you done with the others?” she pressed, narrowing her eyes in my direction.

  “They have been secured below and will remain there. They’re safe and well fed. You don’t have to worry about them,” I responded. I carefully kept the knowledge that I intended to sell them all once we arrived at Nassarc. All of them except for her.

  Her lips tensed into a firm line. She didn’t press any further. I studied her more closely. It was clear that her expression told me much about the thoughts running through her head, but right then, she showed something like restraint. As much as I thought I could read her, maybe she was more of an enigma than I had originally pegged her to be. I’d have to be more aware of everything she did now so that I could know for sure.

  I sat back.

  “We have several days’ journey until we reach the midway point, where we will stop for supplies. If you’re very good, I’ll take you with me and show you more of my world. Maybe I’ll even allow you to wear clothes, or perhaps I won’t,” I mused, watching her expression carefully as I spoke. I could see fury there, but she held herself back again. She dropped those pretty blue eyes down to her hands and she didn’t reply. Feigning demure obedience.

  “Tell me about what it means for you to be an Aberrant,” I pressed.

  She returned her gaze to me. I waited for her to answer and she did.

  “It means that I don’t fit into any of the sectors. I’m not useful for research or hard labor or giving back to the community in some useful way like protecting their lands. I’m different and because of that, I am banished,” she replied. There was a quiet hum of repressed anger in her response, as though she thought that her treatment was unfair. Perhaps it was.

  “How do they know this?” I questioned further.

  “When a person turns twenty-one, they take a mandatory test. It assesses their natural aptitude for each of the sectors and once properly matched, they will be transported to their new home. Most people are sorted easily this way, but there is the rare event that you fail the test and don’t fit in anywhere. Those people are labeled Aberrant, and once this happens, Earth is no longer their home. As it turns out, they’re shipped and sold all around space,” she answered.

  “I see,” I said quietly. I didn’t voice my concerns, but her explanation didn’t satisfy me. For some reason, I felt like there was more to the story, especially where this test she had described was concerned.

  “Your tattoo,” she whispered. “It changed color.”

  I look down at my shoulder, having absolutely no idea what she meant. I was used to the blazing red color that almost appeared to be fire burning across my skin. It hadn’t changed since I’d been infected except to grow redder and more intense by the day. I expected to see more of the same but as I stared down at my chest, it turned out that she was right. Now it was a more charcoal gray color that glowed just slightly with the fiery blaze it had once been. I’d never seen anything like it. Not on any of my men. This was more than unusual, and I couldn’t hazard a guess at what that meant. I didn’t know if it was bad or good.

  “Come, we must go to the medical bay right away,” I replied, deeply concerned in the sudden visual change of the virus. I had a trained doctor on board who was well versed in the intricacies of the sickness that infected us all. We knew that it mutated our DNA and activated the transcription of long repressed portions of our genome. We also knew that it changed us on a very deep fundamental level.

  This was a new development and we had to know what it meant.

  “You will come with me,” I commanded, expecting her obedience.

  “I have no clothes,” she retorted.

  “Continue fighting me and you’ll still come with me naked, only your bottom will be bright red as well,” I warned her. Her upper lip rolled just a hair before she caught herself.

  “Fine,” she snarled.

  “The correct answer is ‘yes, sir.’ If I have to correct you again, you’ll be punished. Is that understood?” I said firmly.

  For a long moment, she just stared at me. I could see the possibilities of exactly what my words meant playing across her face, whether to test me or whether or not to give in. Finally, she opened her lips and the sweet sound of her voice met my ears.

  “Yes, sir,” she said quietly, dropping her eyes to the floor.

  She was intelligent. That was more than clear to me now. I’d have to be careful with this one. Maybe I’d underestimated her kind. Or more like, maybe I’d just miscalculated when it came to her.

  I didn’t make a habit of underestimating my enemies and I most certainly wouldn’t make that mistake for the tiny human woman I’d claimed for myself.

  Chapter Seven

  Nina

  He pulled on a shirt, covering up the tattoo that had held my attention for some time. My eyes had followed the outwardly meaningless twists and turns along his flesh. He seemed concerned about the fact that it had changed since yesterday. I didn’t know why he wanted to go to the medical bay, but I figured that I would find out soon. He pulled on a pair of thick socks and a heavy black pair of boots before he looked ready to leave.

  I was biding my time. He’d shown me yesterday that he could be ruthlessly swift in the delivery of a punishment. I’d also learned that he didn’t dole them out without cause. When I followed his instructions, he had rewarded me with gentleness. He’d held me and had calmed my racing heart after I explored myself and what it felt like to ride him to completion. I didn’t want to admit it, but I had enjoyed it. I hated that I did. I dropped my eyes to the floor, ashamed of myself for giving in to his demands.

  I’d enjoyed everything. Even his cruelty in the cargo hold. I still remember the feeling of his palm in between my thighs, the way he’d thrust into my wet pussy despite the fact that I’d been a virgin that morning. I still ached in between my legs and I had no doubt that I would for some time. Maybe even for days.

  I didn’t want to test him right now. I had to learn more about him and where I was being held captive. I also had to figure out if I liked this new arrangement or if I could get away and take my freedom for myself. I had no home now. Earth had forsaken me. I didn’t know if the planet they had planned to sell me to would be any better than this. Hell, the aliens there could be even crueler. I could wear the mark of a slave for all I knew. For the moment, Vane was the best that I had. I just had to figure out my next move before I did anything rash.

  With a very quiet sigh, I pressed my feet to the floor and climbed out of the bed. He passed me a black pair of leather slippers. I quietly pulled them on, grateful for the protection from the cold metal floor. I stood up before him, more than aware of my nakedness.

  I couldn’t ignore the fact that the prospect of walking through the ship completely bare was doing strange things to my insides. I didn’t want to admit that I was wet just thinking about it right now. If he knew or could smell me, he didn’t say anything. I wanted to know if he could, but then I didn’t. I kept my lip
s pressed firmly together instead and tried to think of something else. I couldn’t.

  He turned and walked out of the bedroom. I followed without him telling me to because I knew that was what he wanted. I hadn’t seen much of his quarters when he carried me in here and now, I saw that it was fairly utilitarian. There were no extra pretty pillows, blankets, or decorations in the combination kitchen and sitting room.

  There was a gray leather couch and a coffee table made of steel right in front of it. There was nothing on the table. The kitchen was even more simple. The cabinets were painted a dull blue. The counters consisted of a smooth, dark metal surface. Only a small number of appliances were pushed back in the corners and I hadn’t the slightest clue as to what they did. A tall island had two tall chairs pushed beneath a narrow ledge.

  “Come now. I can’t stay here all day. My men expect to see me,” he said, his voice firm. I moved to follow him out of his living space as he left. When the door slid shut behind me, I was well aware of the fact that I was still very naked, and he was entirely clothed. There was a man outside the door who passed his eyes over my bare form and I felt a shiver of desire at being inspected in such a manner. I turned away as quickly as I could, trailing a few feet behind Vane as he strode purposely down the hall of the ship.

  He turned right, down another hall until he got to the end. There was a flight of stairs he pounded down that I took more gingerly than he did. With every step, my breasts bounced shamefully, no longer bound by a bra of any kind. I would have used my hands to stop their movements, but I was afraid of what Vane might say if he saw me covering myself like that. Instead, I just followed behind him without complaint.

  He looked back at me, dragging his eyes up and down my nakedness and I blushed heavily as my nipples pebbled under his inspection. It felt so wrong to be kept entirely naked outside his chambers like this, though my pussy was much wetter now than it was when we left. He reached for me, offering me a hand as I descended the stairs. I took it, grateful for his help. I should have been more wary of his sudden change in behavior.

  He pulled me toward him and slammed me up against the wall. With his knee, he forced my legs open as I whimpered in shock. Without pause, he pressed the fingers of his other hand between my thighs, sliding along my wetness and discovering my shameful secret for himself. With two fingers, he dragged my arousal over my clit and began to tease me with them. For a long moment, he slid those thick digits up and down my slickened folds, thoroughly coating himself with my wetness. I tried to stay quiet and not let him know that he was getting to me, but a soft moan escaped my lips anyway.

  He took his fingers from my pussy and held them up in front of my face. I could see the evidence of my wetness all over his fingers.

  “Look at this, soaking wet as I make you walk through my ship entirely naked and on display. You like it when I show you off like this, don’t you?” he questioned darkly. I bit my lip and his eyes narrowed, threatening me without even opening his mouth. I was left with no choice but to answer.

  “Yes, sir,” I answered timidly. I couldn’t lie, not with my arousal glistening on his fingertips. He pressed those very same fingers between my lips and pushed them onto my tongue.

  “Clean them off. If you do a very good job, I just might let you come for me,” he said next and I shuddered as the sweet taste of my own liquid heat spread across my tongue. I closed my mouth around his fingers and suckled him, ensuring that I cleaned off every trace of myself from his skin. When I was finished, he pulled them from my lips and pressed them back in between my thighs.

  He pinched my clit hard and then he pushed the pads of his fingers firmly against my needy little bud. He used my wetness to tease and taunt me and before I knew it, I was rocking my hips in an effort to press more firmly into his touch. It was almost as if my body had a mind of its own.

  In mere seconds, he’d taken me and turned me into a wet little mess.

  “It’s possible someone might come along and see you writhing against the wall as I touch you. It’s even more likely that someone is going to hear you as I make you come for me,” he warned quietly, and I shuddered with pleasure as he toyed with me.

  Everything he said was true. I whined softly as I thought about his words, feeling my pussy grow even wetter with every passing moment. I could feel it tighten with need as my clit hardened beneath his relentless fingers.

  “Please,” I begged.

  “You’re going to come for me. You’re going to come hard for me because you know that you don’t have a choice, isn’t that right, Nina,” he continued, and I trembled because I knew what he said was true. I knew that I couldn’t stop the release that he was forcing from my body, whether I wanted it or not.

  To be honest, I didn’t know if I did. But that didn’t matter.

  His fingers were ruthless as they edged me toward orgasm. I could feel it looming closer and closer the more he teased me. I could feel my desperation beginning to cut through me like a knife. I could feel myself beginning to lose control. For him.

  “Yes, sir,” I whispered, biting my lip after I spoke. I wanted to remain quiet. I wanted to remain undiscovered as he slid his fingers up and down my sensitive little clit.

  But that was naïve. I should have known it would be impossible to stay silent with him.

  The more he touched me, the more out of control I felt. Every ounce of pleasure that raced through my body demanded to be let out, the force of it ricocheting across every nerve gaining more power by the second. My pussy fluttered, desperate to feel those thick fingers inside me and a soft whine escaped my lips.

  The sound of my ecstasy sounded like a siren, announcing to everyone on the ship that Vane had his fingers between my legs and that I was dangerously close to orgasm. It felt naughty to be forced to feel pleasure like this, out here in the open where anyone could walk up and discover exactly what he was doing to me here in the stairwell. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was fairly certain that the possibility of getting caught was making me even more aroused the more I thought about it.

  My nipples hardened against his chest and my breasts felt heavy with desire. My skin heated, warmed from the pleasure coursing through my veins. I was grateful for the support of his leg because I could feel my own thighs growing weak as my body demanded all my focus center on my aching pussy.

  “That’s it. Come for me, little human,” he demanded, his voice soft but entirely expectant. I could feel myself responding, my orgasm brewing to the surface just at the sound of his words. Another whimper escaped my throat and I could feel myself quickly spiraling out of control.

  I wanted to stay quiet. I tried to keep my lips pressed together, but it was a desperate measure of futility. The desire to orgasm grew stronger and my will to fight it simmered away into nothingness faster than I could have ever expected.

  Another moan escaped my mouth, this one louder than the others that came before it. His responding smirk was both wicked and cruel even as his eyes darkened considerably with desire. His fingers moved faster, more ruthlessly, and I could hardly stand the quickening of my heart and the bliss demanding to be set free.

  My eyes fluttered closed as I pressed the back of my head against the wall, trying to grasp desperately at whatever semblance of control that I had left. I could feel it dissolve away, leaving me empty handed and at the mercy of the massive alien that stood in front of me with his hand between my thighs.

  I keened loudly, the sound of my pleasure high-pitched and almost deafening. A flush of shame crept across my cheeks, but it was too late.

  My release burst over me and at the same moment, Vane thrust two fingers into my tight pussy while keeping his thumb on my clit. My entire body tensed, flushing hotly with forced bliss, and I moaned again.

  No. I screamed. I screamed his name as I came all over his fingers.

  “Please, Vane.” I writhed, my hips pumping back and forth as I rode his fingers. They fluttered inside me, stroking my inner walls and driving my o
rgasm higher and higher despite everything in me that wanted to stop it. I could feel myself tightening around him as my release raged inside me. His thumb teased my clit, forcing every ounce of pleasure from my body that he could.

  I wasn’t quiet and I couldn’t stop myself. I moaned. I keened. I screamed my pleasure for him. I had no doubt that anyone that was above or below us could hear the sounds of shameful pleasure coming from my lips. I had tried to stop myself from making any noise altogether, but I had failed completely. I should have known better with him.

  By the time my orgasm finally started to fade, his fingers had slowed. Now his touch was a gentle caress that calmed the passion that he’d forced from my body, a reminder that all he had to do was touch me and I’d fall apart in his hands. The pounding of my heart in my chest began to settle and I bit my lip, feeling a furious blush creep over my cheeks now that I’d come for him.

  Naked against the wall. In the stairwell of his ship.

  I could hear footsteps below us, and a soft whimper purred in my throat.

  He pulled his fingers from my pussy and lifted them back to my lips. I opened them and he pushed those wet digits into my mouth. Slowly, I swirled my tongue around him, cleaning the evidence of my orgasm off his fingers. As I did so, I could feel my own wetness on my thighs. I was dripping with arousal.

  He’d made me come. Hard.

  Slowly, he let me down and I sighed as I leaned against him. His arms wound around me, covering my nakedness with his large form, and I allowed myself to relax. He hugged me tight to his chest, using himself as something I could hold onto and I did. In more ways than one.

  Just a few days ago, I’d been someone else. Now I was someone entirely different and I hadn’t decided whether or not that was a good thing yet.

  For the moment though, none of that mattered. The only thing that was important was his arms around my body, holding me tight and offering me comfort after what he’d just done to me. I pressed my forehead against his chest, feeling the soft beat of his heart and I breathed slowly, my own heartbeat slowing to match his.