Own to Obey

by Zoey Ellis

  Shaya gasped, trying to cover herself up. No. This couldn’t happen again—not while he was angry. He would tear her apart. But even as the panicked thought registered, her sister floated to the top of her mind and she took a breath. There were some things she had to be strong about, some things that were worth defending. That’s what Kyus always believed—that’s why she did the work she did as a spy. It didn’t matter what this Alpha did to her, he would never truly break her or her love for her sister.

  So Shaya dropped her hands and straightened.

  The shinno had stopped speaking at the sight of her body, though he still breathed hard and his fists were clenched, one of them still holding the strip of fabric from her torn tunic.

  He pushed her backward until she reached the bed and dropped down onto it, trapping her legs between his as he stood.

  She swallowed as she looked up at his enormous frame hulked over her, the nerves in her swirling and expanding wondering what he was going to do next. When he started to undo his pants, she tried to control her fear. She expected this; it wasn’t a surprise, but she refused to break. She repeated it like a mantra in her mind as his cock was released from its constraints.

  It was just as thick and as long as she suspected from the way it felt invading her earlier that day, but when the shinno took her hand and placed it on his shaft, she wasn’t expecting it to be smooth. He rubbed her hand along it, and she watched as the skin slid back and forth, the tip oozing with fluid the longer she stared, a warm pungent scent filling the space between them.

  Releasing her hand, he slipped his fingers around the back of her neck and brought her lips to his tip. She glanced up at him, hoping he wouldn’t want more, but there was a fierceness in his eyes that told her he would not let her stop.

  Opening her mouth wide, she took him in slowly and held him there for a moment, running her tongue over his skin. It felt… strange but not unpleasant. His taste and smell had an odd effect on her body as it had earlier, but the tingling quiver in between her legs surprised her. The shinno thrust his cock into the back of her throat, and she choked, gagging and retching. Just as she thought she might vomit, he pulled his cock almost all the way out, so her lips were on the tip, and waited for her to recover.

  Shaya composed herself, tears gathering as she swallowed, and the shinno began again. He moved her head so his cock slipped in farther, then out and then in again, sometimes so roughly she choked, other times slow enough for her to savor him on her tongue. She became accustomed to the feeling of her mouth wide, his scent in her nose, and his taste on her tongue, but not to having his cock at the back of her throat.

  He sped up, building a rhythm in her mouth, controlling the speed and depth as her saliva coated him and began to drip. Once, her teeth grazed the top of his shaft and he pulled out completely and growled at her, tapping her cheek hard with two fingers, the warning clear. When he put it back in, she made all efforts to avoid it happening again.

  Her jaw ached by the time he was thrusting wilder, and suddenly, releasing a gruff, throaty exhale, he spurted a creamy liquid into her mouth. She tried to hold it, but so much came out, it was impossible. His seed erupted from the sides of her mouth and dripped down her chin until she swallowed some. Finally, he pulled her head away and watched, his hand still gripping her head as she swallowed the rest and gasped for breath.

  After observing her until her breathing calmed, his seed drying on her face, he leaned forward. “Choya detta mthnoy,” he said, a smug snarl as he added with emphasis, “Shaya.”

  Releasing her, he turned and left, buckling himself up as he went.

  CHAPTER THREE

  SHAYA

  The next morning, Shaya was gently shaken awake.

  She groaned as she rolled over, her limbs aching, wondering if Kyus would let her have a late morning, but something registered that her bed smelled wrong.

  Opening her eyes, the memories of the last day came rushing back and the curly-haired girl who had brought her water the day before was leaning over her bed.

  Shaya sat up, pulling the bedsheets around her as the girl pointed to the clothes laid out on the bed. It was a new set of undergarments and another tunic.

  The girl stayed while Shaya used the washroom and helped her dress in her new clothes. Shaya didn’t need help, but the girl insisted, and Shaya had to admit the clothes fit better when she adjusted them correctly. The girl then leaned over to take off the material on Shaya’s head, but she stopped her, jerking away. “No,” she said firmly. She didn't want anybody touching her hair. It was bad enough the Alpha had had his hands on it.

  Kyus was forced to change her hair a lot so she had taken great pride in Shaya's hair, caring for it and treating it so that it was healthy and abundant. It was the one thing she had left that reminded her of her sister—the Alpha hadn't even allowed her to collect any belongings, he simply took her directly to his ship. Of everything that she had, her hair was the only real thing that reminded her of her sister. She didn't want anyone doing anything to it. She didn’t even know if she could treat it on the ship or in the Southern Lands, she had no idea if they had the various items her sister had used to keep her hair healthy.

  The girl stared at her, seeming shocked at her outburst, but Shaya again repeated, although this time of the softer. “No.”

  The girl spoke softly in her language, smiling, with hope in her eyes as her hand continued on. Shaya held herself stiff, considering how far she would let her go before she would have to fight her off. And could she even fight her? The girl was smaller than the other tribeswomen she’d seen, but she was still taller than Shaya and definitely more muscular. She remained still as the girl pulled off the material around her head.

  Her thick hair released, dropping onto her shoulders and tickling her neck, and she watched the girl, carefully monitoring the next step she intended to take.

  She stared at Shaya’s hair for a short time and then lowered her hand and left the room.

  Shaya breathed out a sigh of relief. So far this girl had been the only one who had been kind to her and helped her, even giving her water when she felt ill. Shaya really did not want to argue or fight with her, but she felt too protective over her hair, and she doubted that would change.

  She sat on the bed, thinking what would happen today. The pain between her legs was gone now, although she still felt strange in that area. She wondered how long it would be before the Alpha wanted her that way again.

  The girl entered the room again, but this time she balanced numerous jars, bottles, and combs in her arms. Dropping them on the bed beside Shaya, she opened one, offering it to Shaya and tapping her nose.

  Shaya frowned as she inched forward to sniff the jar, and was surprised to find that it was similar to a cream Kyus used on her hair. She opened the rest of the jars and bottles to find creams and oils of varying thickness, consistency, smell, and color. Some of them were extremely familiar, and others seemed promising. The combs were a mixture of all different shapes and sizes. At least three of them were similar to what she’d had at home. She glanced up at the girl who grinned and nodded and pointed to her own curly hair, and Shaya smiled back, tears filling her eyes with relief. “Thank you.”

  ***

  For the next few days, Shaya moved from deck to deck cleaning pipes. Almost all the decks seemed the same—a hectic deck but with an area of men staring at boulders, a stern woman in charge, and grubby pipes to clean. As she set to work, the shinno was always working with the boulders, and she never seemed to escape his attention. It was almost as though he was trying to catch her doing something wrong, so she committed to doing everything she was told so he couldn’t punish her. Yet whenever he escorted her back to her room, he continued pushing her mouth down onto his cock until he came in her mouth.

  She still refused to look at him or respond when he called her Shaya, but now it was as though he was excited by it. When he escorted her to and from each deck, he whispered words in her ear and sai
d her name in such low, lewd tones that her face heated and she couldn’t look at him, even though she didn’t understand exactly what he was saying.

  One afternoon, the shinno escorted her to her room as usual, but this time, when she had her mouth on him, he slipped his hand down the front of her tunic. Shaya was already beginning to tingle between the legs at the smell and taste of him, but when his fingers grazed her already hardened nipple, she couldn’t help but squirm. He played with it roughly, flicking and scratching it, causing jolts of intensity to skid across her body and straight to that spot between her legs. She began to breathe heavy around his cock, and when she moaned, sucking on him as she did, he groaned along with her.

  When she looked up at him, he was still looking down at her with that fierceness as always, but she suddenly realized with a twisting flutter in her stomach, that it wasn’t anger in his gaze. It was hunger.

  His eyes remained firmly on her when he came, jerking his hips slightly as his liquid filled her mouth and pinched her nipple hard sending a piercing pleasurable pain through her.

  Shaya was lost to the experience, wanting anything he could give. The tang in her mouth was welcome, his heavy aroma she breathed in deeply, and she hoped his hands found other places to explore… deeper places that would give her some kind of relief from the delicious coiling tension in her stomach.

  But as soon as it was over, he pulled her head back and watched her again as she swallowed, blinking lazily at him, and then he left.

  The next morning, she was shaken awake. She automatically tried to stretch and then winced at the pain that laced through her aching body. Although she used her afternoons to bathe, treat her hair, and rest, the cleaning in the mornings worked her muscles hard. Today, the pressure in her limbs seemed worse.

  She slowly rose to her feet and made her way to the washroom. The girl helped her as much as she could, but Shaya drew the line at getting completely naked in front of her. The girl seemed nice, but she would not allow herself to be washed by someone else.

  When she came out the washroom, she saw that one of the chairs by the wall had been placed about a foot from the side of the bed. The girl led her to the bed and sat her down, insisting that she sit in a very specific spot. Next to her on the bed lay piles of folded clothes and a blanket with a number of interesting looking items on it. Some of the things Shaya recognized, but some of them were completely foreign to her.

  She slowly reached out to touch one of the items, but the girl grabbed her arm and shook her head fiercely.

  Shaya returned her hand to her lap, and as she did her cabin door opened. The shinno strode in, as though he belonged there, bringing with him that air of dominance, and Shaya couldn’t help but gasp. He was only dressed in half-pants, revealing his naked torso, thick arms, and lower legs. The muscles she’d seen under his clothes bunched over every part of him and intricate black patterns spread all over his chest, arms, and back, contrasting heavily with his pale-cream skin. Instantly a heat encased her, and she didn’t know where to put her eyes or hands or… anything. She’d never seen even the naked chest of a man before, let alone one in this state of undress. Her eyes darted all over the room before peeking back at him, and becoming entranced again with the dips and curves of his chest, all the way down his stomach to the area where he regularly released his thick cock for her.

  The shinno’s mouth quirked as he caught Shaya’s expression and his eyes remained on her as he sat down on the chair the girl had set out, his back straight, his hands on his knees.

  The girl gave Shaya a pointed look, and then picked up a comb from the blanket. She carefully pulled it through the light blonde hair on the top of the shinno’s head, her movements quick and practiced as though she had done it many times. When his hair was combed through and much neater, she picked up one of the wide jars on the blanket and dipped her hand inside it, scooping up a jelly substance and rubbing it between in her hands. She then began brushing it over the shinno’s thick upper body with her palms.

  Shaya watched carefully, unable to see any real difference to his skin from the application. She used to use something similar on her own skin regularly when it was dry--in fact, she’d actually been using one of the creams the girl gave her for her hair to moisturize her skin too, but then the girl picked up a very small brush and began to stroke along the shinno’s complex markings. As she did, they darkened and became more vibrant against his pale skin. Shaya blinked, wondering if it was a trick of her eyes, but when she glanced over the other markings on his chest, they were certainly not as prominent as the ones the girl had brushed on his arms.

  The brushing took a long time. The markings were clearly a sign of importance to their culture for so much time to be spent on it. She hadn’t seen any of the other Alphas’ bodies, but she guessed that they had similar markings too. Soon, the novelty wore off and her eyes drifted to the window.

  A harsh rumble came from the Alpha, and immediately she was alert, snapping her attention back to him. He continued to stare at her, his strange teal eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing.

  Shaya watched as the girl finished brushing him and then hoped that was the end of whatever it was they were showing her. It wasn’t.

  Next, the girl picked up a long silver utensil, that looked like a long, wide, flat knife and a jar filled with white foam. After carefully applying the foam around the shinno's cheeks, mouth and chin, she carefully scraped it off him with the flat blade.

  Shaya watched the process carefully. She had seen Kyus' future husband doing something similar when his beard became too wild and rugged. Kyus had said it was to shorten the hair, and that some men scrape all the hair off their faces, and that was why they didn't have a beard. She looked over the shinno wondering what he would look like with a beard, but then noticed that he was staring directly at her, and the nervousness rose yet again. She tore her eyes away from him, cursing the feeling. Would she ever stop feeling like this around him?

  The rumble came from the shinno as he muttered something she didn't understand. The girl paused what she was doing, placed the knife down and then ushered Shaya up on her feet and toward the shinno.

  Shaya stood next to him, watching him as carefully as he was watching her, and when the girl returned back to the other side of him with the long knife, she continued scraping the little stubble of hair that the shinno had.

  He continued to watch her, but she tried not to let it affect her as the foam was scraped off his face completely. At the end, the girl wiped his lower face with a cloth and then rubbed in a pale, creamy substance all over his face that made his face shine.

  Afterward, the girl gestured to Shaya that she could sit down again, and the shinno rose to his feet. The girl began to dress him in the clothes that had been folded on the bed and Shaya watched as she then adorned the shinno's forearms, calves, and neck with decorative items.

  Shaya suppressed a sigh, wondering why she was being forced to watch this. She turned again to the window and the restricted view of the waves lapping lazily against the body of the ocean as the gray and white clouds revolved in the sky.

  The Alpha omitted another growl, bringing her attention back to him, and he glared at her, this time the growl remaining low and steady. She swallowed, straightening slightly, realizing he wanted her to pay attention—to constantly watch what the girl was doing. Pressing her lips together, she forced herself to continue watching, not allowing her attention to be drawn to the window again.

  Once the shinno was ready, fully dressed, the girl turned to Shaya and spoke softly. “Soss lec yuss,” she said pointing to her own eyes and then to the blanket.

  Shaya stayed alert, watching closely to see what she was going to do next. Strangely, the Alpha began to undress and the girl fixed all the tools and jars in a blanket in a triangle fashion. Tapping Shaya’s arm, she drew her attention to the layout, pointing first at the comb at the top of the triangle, followed by the cream and brush, then the long knife and foam, and
then some other utensils she hadn't actually used. She pointed to each one of them in turn, starting with the comb and then making her way down pointing at the next utensil in line. Shaya nodded, indicating that she understood that there was an order in which she had used them.

  The girl then turned to the shinno, pointed at the comb and then pointed at him.

  Shaya looked between the girl in the shinno, both looking at her expectantly but she wasn't sure what she was supposed to be doing.

  After a moment the shinno let out an exasperated growl in his language.

  The girl picked up the comb and pressed it into Shaya's hand, and then pushed her gently toward the shinno pointing at his hair. Shaya suddenly understood what was happening and froze as she neared him. They wanted her to groom him. This was supposed to be one of her chores. The girl was only here to show her what to do.

  She stepped next to him, hating that his eyes were always locked onto her so securely. It was as though she couldn’t escape him, and the pressure felt more intense now that he was almost naked. She quickly scooted around behind him so that he could not maintain his gaze. Slowly, and trying not to touch him more than necessary, she pressed the comb through his hair.

  It was thicker than it looked and with each stroke the hair became uniform along the top of his head. It was almost long enough to pull back into one bunch, but she wasn’t sure if that was normal. It seemed the different tribesmen had different approaches to their hair—some were neat and braided, other extremely shaggy and messy.

  Once that was done, she looked at the girl for the next clue about what to do, and the girl looked pointedly at the pyramid she had created. Of course. Shaya slipped back over to the bed and picked up the cream. The girl pointed to the shinno's left arm and Shaya now realized that she had missed his arm from the original treatment. Rubbing the gel in her hands she brushed it along his arm tentatively, unable to stop admiring the muscle beneath his tight and toned skin. She pressed her fingers into his bicep—marveling at how thick it was, sure his arm was thicker than her whole body. She traced a finger over a prominent vein that ran almost out of sight into the dip of his elbow. The muscle flexed suddenly and she pulled her hand away, glancing at the shinno. His lips quirked again and amusement entered his gaze. Shaya quickly looked away, heading back to the blanket to collect the brush.