by Renee Rose
Zander’s fingers tightened into a fist. “They’ll support us after they see our firepower in the first strike. Erick can offer them one last chance to throw in with us.”
He had no other choice but to believe it. Because any other outcome meant the final extinction of his species.
Paal docked the ship on Zander’s palatial pod. The scent of the human female still lingered on his clothing, his hands. He wanted to get close enough to her to smell his scent on her.
Veck, it had felt good to spend between her legs. If he’d known sex with a human was this satisfying he would have sought one out a long time ago.
Except that idea didn’t quite ring true. He didn’t want any human female. Just this one.
This one, whom he didn’t trust as far as he could throw. Who used sex as a weapon, along with her other conniving female wiles to attain a purpose.
No, he needed to avoid her tempting presence. She was trouble.
Erick strode to the door and opened it, waiting to escort his mate out.
Why couldn’t there be more Zandian females like Lady Taramina available? Except he couldn’t imagine treating a Zandian female the way he’d just treated Leti. Zandian males are dominant, but they don’t disrespect their mates. At least not that he remembered--but he was young when he left.
Leti had taken it. He’d left her shaken, but she hadn’t complained, even when she could have.
And had she actually blushed when Lady Taramina had demanded his apology?
The blush looked so pretty on her—so unlike the confident swagger she hid behind. He’d seen a glimpse of something real there.
And he’d liked it.
No, he’d vecking loved it.
He hung back in the ship, waiting until they’d exited. He needed to be out of the same breathing space as Leti so he could get his head on straight again.
But...excrement. The three of them stood waiting just inside the pod.
“Paal, do you wish to take charge of Leti, at least temporarily?” Lady Tara asked.
“Me? I cannot.”
Leti leaned into one hip and twirled her silky dark hair around a fingertip with mock innocence. Even though she now wore a pair of leggings, her long legs jutted out from the too-short tunic, and the black boots only served to remind him how she’d looked naked. Though he willed himself not to, his mind instantly conjured the image of her kneeling at his feet, those peach-tipped nipples stiff as spikes. Why hadn’t he paid more attention to her pretty little breasts?
And suddenly, he was hard as stone again, desperate for a do-over with the crafty human.
“Why not?” Lady Tara pressed.
His brain stuttered and stopped, which irritated the hell out of him. “I have nowhere to keep her, for one thing. Nor do I think it’s my place to take guardianship of a female. Not unless the prince decrees it.”
“I understand,” Lady Tara said easily. She turned to her human friend. “Don’t worry, there are plenty of warriors here. They’ll be fighting over who you call Master.” She hooked a hand through her friend’s elbow and tugged her down the corridor of the palatial pod.
Master.
Instantly, the image of Leti on her knees servicing him morphed into one of her lush body being used by other males. Multiple males—at once.
Rage rose up in him, scalding his throat. His fingers closed into fists.
“Wait,” he called, but his voice cut out. “Stop.”
The three stopped and looked back.
He stalked forward, catching Leti’s arm. “I will take her. Just until Prince Zander gives his word.”
He might have celebrated his decision had he not caught a conspiratorial smile pass between Leti and Lady Tara. Then he suddenly felt the fool.
He’d just been played by the lovely female.
Again.
She wanted to trap him, ensnare him into doing her bidding.
He wouldn’t have it. Dark anger bubbling, he marched her to the lift down to the guards’ quarters and into his small but comfortable chamber.
“You’ll stay here,” he snapped, thrusting her inside but remaining in the corridor. “You may not leave without my escort. There’s a washroom in the corner. I will have food sent to you.”
“Where will you be?” She loosened the knot of her tunic, allowing it to fall open.
His cock surged against his pants as if he hadn’t just had her in the ship. He ground his molars.
He would not allow her to make him the fool.
She opened the tunic wider, slipping it from her shoulders. Her taut nipples stood as proud and haughty as she did. They were even more perfect than he’d remembered. A little darker. More insolent.
He closed his eyes, debating whether to step inside and lay down the law. Show her exactly what would happen to females who used their bodies to tease. Except he knew how that would end—with him plowing into her every orifice. And then she would have won, wouldn’t she?
Instead he stepped back, pressing his palm against the sensor outside the door to close it. Leti wouldn’t be able to leave. Only the servants would be able to enter to bring her food.
Dammit.
He couldn’t have servants going in her room!
What if she tried that little strip tease temptation with one of them?
Most were quite old, but they wouldn’t be immune to her charms. Hadn’t Prince Zander’s human mate wrapped the servants around her finger while she was just a slave? Before Zander had fallen to her allure?
Veck.
No, he’d have to bring her food himself. No being would ever be allowed to see his female naked ever again.
And he didn’t vecking care that she wasn’t his female and he had no intention of keeping her or succumbing to her beauty!
He marched back upstairs to report to Master Seke.
Leti walked around Paal’s chamber. It was spacious but simple, constructed of the finest materials, like the rest of the palatial pod she’d seen. The walls were a rich plaster with color mixed in—pale yellow and a deep teal. The shelving units were made of exotic hardwood or perhaps bone. Despite the fact that they were on a lower level of the pod, Paal had an outer room with a window and a small faceted crystal suspended in the middle of it sent prisms of bright light dancing around the room.
Hands down, the room—and the pod overall—presented the most lovely and cheerful surroundings she’d ever been in. Neither Dorhock’s Aurelian home nor the Jujo palace compared.
She tried the door even though she knew it would be locked. She wished she had a bit of wire to play with. She’d learned the art as a child, when she’d been kept in a cell with twenty other girls until they were old enough for sex slavery. They were kept in a portion of the industrial factory where they’d been born and taken from their parents. They were let out once a day for exercise and all the girls would pick up little scraps of wire from the ground to bring to her.
She taught herself to weave the wires into complex, three dimensional shapes, which became toys for the children.
Well, she might suffer from boredom here, but it sure beat the factory cell. She wouldn’t be uncomfortable in Paal’s chamber. She pulled off the high heeled boots which were too small and had left her feet a blistered mess and sank onto the floating oval-shaped bed in the center of the room.
Pure bliss. The mattress was firm, but the finely woven fabric of the coverlet was like a dream against her skin. She could barely believe she was in a place so comfortable.
When was the last time she’d had a good night’s rest? Not since Dorhock’s death. The Jujo Emperor had kept her busy entertaining his guests until days and nights bled together. She grabbed snatches of sleep when she could, but had only made the mistake of falling asleep while entertaining a male once.
She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself at the memory of the punishment, but she pushed it away fast. She simply couldn't allow herself the luxury of self-pity — it made her weak. She needed all her wits about h
er to navigate this strange new existence and make sure she was never, ever taken advantage of again.
That kind of punishment wouldn’t happen here. Mina wouldn’t have tried to connect her with Paal if she thought him cruel.
And what he’d done in the ship? That hadn’t been mean.
It had been hot.
Though her body ached from his use, she couldn’t wait to get him that aroused again. Because even if she’d been reduced to nothing but an object—his possession—in the moment, having a male that aroused by her, that passionate, couldn’t be a bad thing. And the sweet mother earth knew she’d enjoyed it. Far better than she’d ever enjoyed any male, or female for that matter.
Paal liked sexual control.
So... did that mean he wanted her to submit? Did he need a meek female who did everything he asked? Or was it the act of wresting control he loved? Should she keep goading him into punishment?
She rather thought the latter, although maybe it was her own preference tainting the issue.
She curled up on her side, not bothering to reach for a pillow or climb under the blankets. The crystal amplified light cast sparkles on her bare skin. She sighed and closed her eyes. Finally safe to sleep, for the first time since Dorhock’s death.
Master Seke’s blue-violet gaze bore into Paal, probably seeing far more than he wanted to show. Paal had gone straight to his superior to debrief on the mission, and had to confess his abduction and new guardianship of Leti.
“Humans are not to be kept as slaves, per Prince Zander’s decree,” Master Seke said, watching him far too carefully.
He drew a measured breath. “I understand, Master.”
“Do you? It’s a rather complicated situation.” Like Prince Zander, Master Seke had a human mate. “To keep human slaves dishonors the prince’s mate and disrespects the hundred-fold humans who have pledged their lives to our cause. They have been promised freedom on Zandia when we reclaim her. And yet they must be subject to Zandian rule. Trained to function in our society. As such, it is best if they are bonded to a master— one or more Zandians willing to serve as the human’s sponsor or guardian. One who will be responsible for their behavior.”
His chest went rigid. He didn’t want to be locked into a lifetime of responsibility for the little feline of a human who he didn’t even trust.
“In a sense, that leaves the human in a subjugated position, similar to that of a slave, because they must conform and obey or they will lose the right to remain with us. Yet they should have the freedom to change guardians or masters to prevent abuse and give them the opportunity to find contentment with us.”
And now again, that sense of panic swam through him. The same one he’d felt when Lady Taramina said warriors would fight over Leti. He may not want responsibility for her, but he didn’t want any other males having access to that beautiful body and vibrant personality, either.
“So they can just...pick a new master? Anytime?” Paal’s hands fisted at his sides.
“I expect they would petition the prince to approve any change. Prince Zander has not made any formal decrees yet, but once Zandia is won, he will need to put a policy in place for handling and integrating the humans.”
Paal forced himself to swallow over the band around his throat. “I see.”
Seke cocked his head. “The emotional nature of human females can bring out long-dormant… desires in Zandian males. Perhaps you are experiencing this?”
He forced himself to release his breath. “Something like that. Yes, Master.”
“Creating a bond between yourself and the human is the key to winning her obedience. It’s not a difficult process.”
Paal waited when he didn’t elaborate.
Seke rubbed his face, signalling his discomfort.
“It’s quite easy to punish a human female. Dr. Daneth has researched it thoroughly, but I imagine it’s not hard for you to intuit?”
“Right. Yes.” Holy star, he didn’t want to have this conversation with his mentor and boss.
Seke appeared relieved. “Good. Then with proper attention and care, your female should become quite pliant.”
Quite pliant.
Why did that sound so distasteful? Did he want Leti pliant? Or was the heaviness still in his balls about the act of bending her to his will? Not wanting any other male to command her. Not wanting her to bend to any other male’s commands.
“Thank you, Master.” He stood and bowed.
Master Seke did the same. “Stop by Dr. Daneth’s lab. He can provide you with… er, training materials.”
Paal stopped by the kitchen to request a tray of food be prepared by Chef Barr, then, because he couldn’t resist his curiosity, paid a visit to Dr. Daneth.
Unfortunately, the visit did nothing to alleviate his hard on for his human. If human females were aroused by pain, he sure as hell found the thought of giving it arousing. Dr. Daneth gave him a box of spanking implements and devices. He cut short the explanations because his own imagination was already running wild. He didn’t need Daneth to make it worse.
He returned to pick up the tray of food, having refused Chef Barr’s offer to deliver it personally, and headed down to his chamber, imagining all the myriad ways he’d train his human to surrender to him.
He found her naked, curled in a ball, asleep on his hoverdisk. Two conflicting desires rose up and battled within him. The first was nothing new— to wake her to round two of his cock in her perfect pussy, banging her until she screamed. The second was far more foreign. The need to care for the fragile human.
He set the food and implements down on the small table inside the door and moved silently to the sleepdisk.
She was even more beautiful in her sleep. Or rather, watching her sleep gave him the chance to fully study her. Her skin was flawless and smooth, full lips pouty, even at rest. She’d curled her hands into fists at her chest, lending her a childish vulnerability that tugged at his heart.
Her bottom still bore the prints of his hand, which also made his chest constrict. He’d been far too rough with her.
And then he saw her feet.
Outrage rocketed through him. His little human’s boots had mangled her poor feet! Blisters puckered nearly every surface and her toes were scrunched up as if they’d been forced in too-small footwear for a long time. He remembered her comment to Lady Taramina about the emperor forcing her to earn her food.
Suddenly the idea of Leti being subjugated by any being made him want to smash things. She may be human, and therefore an inferior species, but she shouldn’t have been made to suffer. And considering she’d pranced around in those boots without a single wince, he knew she’d suffered far worse in her lifetime. It was a wonder she’d become so resilient after the life she’d led.
He ran one fingertip lightly over her marked ass. How badly had he hurt her today? Shame at his previous excitement to do it again pushed in all around him.
Her long fake lashes fluttered open and she stiffened for no more than a few seconds before her seductive mask slid into place and she rolled her shoulders open to give him the full view of her golden breasts.
His disappointment was almost as palpable as the surge of lust that shot through his body.
She sat up and caught his hand, placing it right between her legs, over her bare pussy. “Hello, Master.”
He growled at the softness of her petals under his fingers. Not wet yet—no, she’d just woken up. He growled, too, at her bold seduction attempt. He hooked his free hand behind one of her knees and pushed it wide.
One slap of her pussy was all it took to make her wet. Her eyes flared, nipples peaked. She slid to her back in a clear invitation.
He brought his palm up between her legs again. “You don’t offer your pussy to your master, little slave. Not when it’s already mine to take.”
Her belly fluttered and he found himself fascinated by the lip of her navel. How would it look pierced?
But that wasn’t right. He didn’t want to mat
e this female. He just wanted to punish her.
The urge to dominate rose up strongly in him. He rolled her to her belly and grabbed a handful of her ass roughly. “Tell me, beautiful. Are you still sore?”
“Mmm.” Her answer sounded more like a purr. “A little, Master. Not much.” She pushed herself up to her elbows, no doubt to show off the beautiful line of her back. “Enough to remind me where you’ve been.” The huskiness of her tone had him slapping her legs apart. Or maybe it was the words.
Stars, the girl knew exactly what to do and say to drive a male wild!
As if to prove his thought, she arched her ass up and gave it a little waggle.
It was all the invitation he needed. His palm crashed down on that tantalizing flesh.
Yes.
It was as satisfying as he’d remembered. Maybe even more. He kept spanking, loving the little gasps she made, the way her hips writhed on the sleepdisk, the tightening of her back and arms.
“Stars I love to hurt you,” he confessed, still slapping hard. It bewildered him, this need to punish her.
Why did she let him?
Oh, excrement. What choice did she have? She was a vecking slave. And that made him an asshole.
Except no. She didn’t mind. He knew she didn’t mind. It made her wet. He scented her arousal. And she liked the attention because it was sexual and sex was her commodity.
Not wanting to take the spanking too far, he stopped and rolled her over to remove the temptation. Still, he had to feel those hot globes, the evidence of his domination. He slid his palms under her hips to cup her ass and brought his mouth to her wet pussy.
He licked into her, parting her lips with his tongue, tracing the inside flaps.
She cried out, her hips popping up from the sleepdisk. He pulled her tight against his mouth, stroked her clit with his tongue until it swelled enough to suck.
One of his horns came in contact with her inner thigh, sending a jolt of sharp pleasure straight to his cock. He rubbed it on her as he licked, moaning his own pleasure as she squealed hers.
