by Jane Henry
“Here you go,” Vortrian says. He wipes spittle from his mouth again, causing bile to rise in my throat. I barely stifle a shudder.
“Thank you, my lord,” Idan says. It sickens me to see him pay homage to this beast, but it must be done. “Will you see to it we get nourishment and water? There was a waiter with a tray standing right at the entrance here. Would it trouble you to send him to us?”
Vortrian nods before he turns to me, his eyes glittering with greed. “That would be magnificent,” I say in a breathy, sultry voice, playing my part. I place my hand upon my chest and lower my eyelids. “If I am to stay awake all night, my lord, I will need sustenance.”
Vortrian chuckles mirthlessly. “As you wish,” he says, clapping Idan on the back.
“A drink?” Idan asks Vortrian. “Will you toast our evening?” He gives Vortrian a conspiratorial wink. Vortrian chuckles as Idan walks over to where a small table, laden with cut glass and liquor, lies. He turns his back to Vortrian, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Idan take a flask from his waist and tip it into the glass. He clinks the glass, turns, and hands it to Vortrian.
Vortrian drinks greedily. “Mmph,” he grunts. “Good stuff.” He gives me a wink. I barely stifle a shudder as he ambles toward the door. “One hour,” he grumbles, taking his leave. Idan shuts and turns the lock with a flourish. I wish to run into my husband’s arms, for him to hold me, to carry me back to our home planet and wash all of this off of me in our chambers. But we are on a mission.
The second the door shuts, Idan spins around. “You,” he says to me. “Stay right there and do not say a word.” His eyes focus on me, his lips pursed. Is he angry? But he has commanded me into silence, so I must hold my tongue. He turns to Cambri, and I wait for him to tell her the truth. But he does not. He points to where a stuffed armchair sits in the corner of the room.
“You go, sit down and do not move,” he says. Cambri narrows her eyes at him, but his hand goes to the butt of his whip.
What is he doing? He would not whip her! Is he attempting to coerce her into obedience?
“Now,” he orders. She flounces to the chair and obeys, her lips pursed in fury.
His voice lowers to a whisper. “I have much to say to you, but do not know if we truly have privacy. He has guards at the door We are not safe and must move quickly.” Cambri’s brows draw together, when a knock sounds. Idan glares at both of us, silently commanding us to stay put.
When he opens the door, in walks Shaan, toting a tray of drinks and food, his eyes focused on Cambri. His chest rises as he inhales, his face flooded with relief. Idan ushers him in, shutting and locking the door behind him.
He takes the tray from Shaan and says in a low whisper. “Go to her. Say as little as you can. She will know when are you near.”
Shaan walks to where Cambri is. She looks at him curiously until he takes her hand. At first she knits her brows, then her eyes widen and her brows arch. “Shaan?” she whispers.
“Yes,” he whispers, pulling her to him in a quick embrace. “We have come to take you home to Avalere.” She looks at me and Idan, still not certain who we are.
“Thanks to the enchantress, the drink I gave Vortrian will have him asleep within minutes,” Idan says. “And when he wakes, this will be but a distant memory. He shall not recall anything that happened today, and we will send a message via Avalerian forces that it would be wise he stay far, far away from our planet. Shaan, you are to go secure the portal to be sure we can access it at a moment’s notice, and be prepared to leave as soon as we are there. Can you do that?”
Shaan nods. “Yes, my lord.”
“I will keep Svali and Cambri here for the time being,” he says. “I must be sure the guards suspect nothing. When the time is right, we will make our move.” As Shaan gives Cambri one final, parting kiss, I get to my feet. The door opens, and guards peer curiously inside as Shaan steps outside. The door shuts, and Idan spins to look at the two of us.
“I gave you leave to stand?” he says, brows furrowed together.
“My lord, I—”
“You think the whip at my hip is for mere show?” he says. By the look in his eye, he would take it to me again. My bottom burns from the punishment he gave me earlier, and at the memory, I clench my thighs. My heart tightens in my chest as I look at him, my stern warrior, his jaw clenched and hand poised to remove the whip at his side. I swallow.
“No, my lord,” I whisper.
He takes a deep breath, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I have tried to impress upon you the importance of obeying me,” he says. “And several times now, you have not listened to me. We are down to the last hours of what we must do, and it is vitally important that you do not disobey me.”
Chastened, I nod my head. Cambri looks at us warily from where she sits. Idan nods toward her. “Go to her,” he says. “She will know you, as she did with Shaan.”
I walk slowly to Cambri. Now that we have come with her betrothed, she knows there is more to this story than she suspected. She stares at me, and I reach for her hand, gently grasping her fingers. When my hand entwines with hers, her eyes widen, her mouth opens, and wonder transforms her features. Tears well in her eyes, threatening to fall.
“Svali?” she whispers. I release her hand and pull her to me in a quick, firm embrace. She laughs with relief, hugging me back. As her older sister, I have and would do anything for her.
I let her go as Cambri looks at him, a smile playing at her lips. “Idan?” she whispers.
He strides over to her, gives her a quick embrace, and kisses the top of her head. My heart squeezes at his gentleness. She is his sister now, and he loves her.
“I should have known with all your swagger,” she teases. She loves Idan, but does push her boundaries.
“Cambri!” I hiss. Swagger indeed. My backside still aches from his ‘swagger.’
Idan raises a brow. “We have come to take you home,” he says, his eyes twinkling but his voice still deep and stern. “And yes, some of what I have done was for show.” He purses his lips, his eyes on me now. “And some was not. Both of you behave yourselves now. Remember, out there, you are slaves to me, and do my bidding.” He pauses, frowning. “And even in here, though you are not my slaves, you do my bidding.”
I wrap my hand around his large, muscled arm. I love him so. “Certainly, my lord,” I say, nudging Cambri.
“I will,” she says, her eyes earnest. “I am so thankful for what you have done. Of course I will not jeopardize my rescue.”
“Good then. We will go out. At this point, Vortrian is asleep, but the guards will be on watch. Make it clear to them you submit to me, and prepare to obey any command I give you.”
My stomach clenches. He looks to Cambri, his stern eyes gentling. “Soon you will be reunited with your Shaan. In order for that to happen, we must get you home.”
Home. Home to the lush, vibrant land of Avalere, where my family awaits, both those of my childhood and those I have adopted as my own. Back to where my home waits for me, the home my husband has cultivated with his own hands, bringing ruins to life. Home, where the thriving gardens I have brought to fruition are awaiting our return. And when we are home again, we will be our true selves, Idan my ginger-haired, muscled, formidable warrior. I long to touch him again, to run my fingers along the tattoos on his shoulders and neck, and feel his strong, masterful hands upon my body.
I swallow. But first, we must get there.
He goes to the door, turns to me, and takes my hair in his hands. “At what I do next, I need you to scream.”
My heart trips. “My lord?”
He spins me around and delivers a sharp swat to my bottom, not hard enough to really cause me to scream, but I remember his instruction and amplify my reaction, yelling out loud.
“Good girl,” he hisses in my ear seconds before he yanks the door open. The guards watch us curiously.
“Now do as I tell you,” he growls, loud enough for the guards to hear, part of hi
s tactic to prove himself master of me, but I know there is real admonition in his warning.
“Yer time isn’t up,” slurs one guard, pushing long hair out of his eyes and staring at us curiously.
“You would inhibit me from going to your master?” Idan asks, standing to his full height with a glare that would intimidate the most brazen.
“Well, no, but I—”
“Then stand aside,” he commands.
He marches with purpose, dragging both me and Cambri with him. I hold my breath, but the guards do not pursue.
“I think they—”
“Hush,” Idan growls. I fall into quiet step beside him, being dragged along the corridor, our only exit. He steps confidently back into where the party is still in full swing. I wait for someone to make a move, but everyone is occupied in their own way, several couples in the corner where Idan whipped me, many more by the bar. I look to where Vortrian sits just beyond the doorway and freeze.
“He’s not asleep,” I whisper.
Idan turns around slowly, tucking both me and Cambri behind him. He peers around the doorway. We watch as Vortrian lifts his drink. He turns, and ice runs through my veins as his gaze comes over to us.
“Done so soon?” he says.
What will we do? Has the enchantress tricked us?
“Are you coming to join us or not?” Vortrian asks, but then his head lolls drunkenly to the side.
“Wait,” Idan says, his hand lifted. He does not reply to Vortrian. “You will see.”
I want to run, to cover my sister in protection, but he has commanded me to obey him, and I trust him.
Vortrian’s drink clatters to the floor, his hand gone slack. His eyes shutter. A loud snore sounds in the room. Those around him laugh, and one guard leans in and inspects him. “Too much to drink,” he mutters. “Sleepin’ like a baby.”
“Go,” Idan hisses. We make it past the anteroom, almost to the exit that takes us to the general room we first entered, when a voice comes at our back.
“Wait!” It is one of Vortrian’s guards, his hand on a sword. “Where do you go? No one has given you leave to exit. No one leaves the main area until morning.”
Idan turns and says with complete confidence, “I do. These women have disobeyed me. I have had enough of their willfulness, and have decided they need to be taken to my home to be properly dealt with.” I stifle a chuckle. I would love to be properly dealt with at my home.
“I see,” a guard says, still looking at us warily. “I am not sure that—”
A drunken man sitting beside me takes advantage of Idan’s distraction and reaches a hand out to me. “Get off me!” I shout, smacking at the man’s hand. Idan is at my side in an instant, grabbing the man by the front of his shirt and quite literally tossing him halfway across the room, where he hits the wall and lands with a soft thud and a grunt.
The guard’s wide eyes take all in. “Go,” he says, gesturing toward the door, clearly unwilling to take on a man who would toss another clear across the room.
Idan shoves me and Cambri out the door and into the main area, now nearly vacant.
“I see you’ve scored two now!” the bartender says, and Idan merely lifts a hand in solidarity, marching us quickly toward the exit. The hustle to the exit seems longer than it was when we entered, but we finally make it outside. The darkness of the night sky startles me, and I trip, but Idan’s hand at my elbow steadies me. “Go,” he hisses. “I hear guards in pursuit. Run, girls!”
He releases me. Cambri and I now running as quickly as we can, past the now-vacant mines, as fast as our legs can carry us. Perhaps it is Vortrian’s state that alerts them, but in any event, we hear heavy footfall as they pursue us. It is awful running in this skimpy outfit, and Cambri’s plight is no better, but we are not far from the portal. Idan could easily outrun us, but he stays between the two of us, making sure we keep up.
“Just a few more paces,” he says. I have a stitch in my side, and my chest heaves from the exertion. Just in front of us we see Shaan, waving, and the portal lies open. We only need to get to it, as on the other side, Avalerian soldiers wait to defend us.
“Go!” Idan shouts. They are at our backs now. Shaan stands, ready to defend, and Idan’s whip uncoils from his belt, his only weapon of self-defense. My palm slams against the portal access. The four of us stand in the light, just as the guards reach us, shouting and cursing as darkness surrounds us.
We made it.
Chapter 8
Idan
My wife is back, curled up on my chest. Her raven hair has melted away, her too-thin body filling out with the luscious curves I know and love. We have rescued her sister, now safe in the arms of her betrothed, and we are home.
Home.
I’ve never been so happy to be here on Avalere. With my wife in my arms and her family safe once more, our world has been set to rights.
Tomorrow, we plan the wedding of Cambri and Shaan. Today, we revel in our victory.
“Wake, sleepy girl,” I whisper in her ear. I need to see her wild, violet eyes. She stirs, her eyes fluttering open as I pull her onto my chest. My hands rake through her hair, combing the wild tresses, and her eyes meet mine, still sleepy.
“I am tired, my lord,” she whispers. She ought to be. In the early dawn, after Cambri was secured, we went back to our bedchambers. I will never know if it was the effects of her drink, relief to be home, or gratefulness that we rescued her sister, but my wife was far from ready for sleep. Even now as she stirs, her fingers trace along the dark warrior markings on my neck and shoulders.
“I will never take you for granted,” she says, pushing herself up and marveling at me as if she is only seeing me for the first time.
“Likewise,” I say, taking her wrists and flipping her over so that she lies beneath me. She squeals and wriggles, but I am far stronger. I kiss along her jaw and move lower, to her neck and then her collarbone, my tongue flicking against the salty taste of her beautiful skin. “How nice it is to have you back in your true form.”
“Nice?” she says. “Is that the best you can say?”
I flip her over and smack her backside with the flat of my palm. She squeals. When I release her, she arches her back to me, her head falling backward as her eyes squeeze shut. She eats up my mastery of her.
“Will you ever learn your place, woman?” I tease, pinning her wrists against the bed.
Her eyes open, wide and filled with adoration as her lovely face breaks into a smile. “My place is by your side, my lord,” she says, her voice teeming with emotion. She blinks back the sudden tears that fill her eyes. “Always.”
I kiss her then, my mouth on hers in a firm claiming that has her arching her back for more, her wrists still pinned. She will always be a feisty one, my spirited wife. And she will always be mine.
The End
Preview of other sci-fi reads by Jane Henry
Slave for a Day is a short story in the Avalere world. For more stories from Avalere, check out sci-fi warrior romances Aldric and Idan.
CHAPTER ONE
Aldric: A Sci-fi Warrior Romance (Heroes of Avalere Book 1)
R-482
I watch the violet fingers of the sun tinge the horizon as I crouch, hidden behind the large, flat green leaves of the bush in front of me. My breath comes in gasps, having just hastened from the portal to where I now stand. The entrance to the portal—one of the few connections I have to my home planet—is now shut fast, and I am left alone on a foreign planet, the tiny communication device tucked into my bag the only connection to my home and my people. When the last streaks of light have diminished, it will be time to make my move. My heart thunders in my chest but I ignore the unease. If I must succeed in my mission, then I must not succumb to fear. I must assimilate into the throngs of people, the savages who line the streets of Avalere like wild beasts.
If I am to save my people, I must pretend to be an Avalerian. My hand goes to my side, checking once again for the slim silver weapon I�
��ve tucked into the band at my waist. I wish I had more time to study the people to whom I now go, to truly immerse myself in their culture, but time has been pressing. I am left with little more than threads of rumors I heard as a child. I am unsure what is fact or fiction.
The Avalerians are unlike the civilized, progressive planet of Freanoss, to whom I belong. I am told the Avalerians are barbaric. During the day, it’s warm here, and even now they’re dressed in simple, scant clothing. This piques my curiosity, as I’ve never seen a human dressed in anything but regulation white, the uniforms given to us in our youth. The barbarians still eat food cooked with heat, from animals they breed and slaughter. I cringe as I envision what it must be like to partake in meals with them. I will long for the cleaner, sterilized methods I am used to. I lift my chin and inhale deeply. If I do not pretend to be one of them, I cannot save my people.
But there are baser traditions that I truly fear. The mere thought of being forced to engage in their uncultured ways makes my stomach twist in knots, the palms of my hands unnaturally damp. They believe some of their people contain a greater life force than others, and thus they have an imbalance of power. There are no equals. And I am told—though again, I have no verification of such rumors—that the savages of Avalere believe in coupling. I shudder, and under my breath mutter the words that I’ve grown with, while the comforting repetition of our mantra stills the shaking of my limbs.
We are one body. We are one people. Together, we will conquer darkness and rise as one.
The glowing rays of the sun now gone, the black of night surrounds me. I move slowly, careful to make my way toward the throng without arousing much suspicion. It is time for me to dress in the clothing of the savages. I have a small bag with the clothing I will need. The regulation white I still wear has protected me from the elements while I traveled to the foreign planet. I have never felt real cold or heat, but only the controlled climate of Freanoss. It’s cooler here now that the sun has set. Little bumps on my arms raise, and I shiver.
