by Sara Fields
Clair had said they would punish me for all to see. What did that mean? Would they spank me? Bare my bottom and show everyone what happens to naughty little rebels? Even as I thought about it, I shook my head. No. They wouldn’t do that. They probably had bigger plans for me.
They’d more than likely beat me bloody for what I’d done. I’d killed their kin and they knew it. I should be terrified, but I just felt numb, probably from being captured in the first place. I was probably still in some form of shock, at least that’s what the textbooks would say. Mostly, I wasn’t worried about myself though, I could handle whatever they threw at me. Mainly, I was concerned for my family, my sisters, as well as the rest of my human refugees.
I wondered how my sister Alaina would fare without me, when she’d realize I’d been taken, how’d she’d react to becoming leader all in one fell swoop. I knew she was strong, but I still worried for her sake anyway. She’d protect Danika and Kaela nonetheless, and I knew she’d do a good job at it. Maybe I just missed them.
I sighed, feeling my imminent defeat still to come.
I shook myself then, reminding myself that I was strong too, that these bastards wouldn’t break me and that I would escape as soon as I could. I had people to get back to and to protect, people who I loved, and they loved me in return.
The vehicle circled around in the air, gradually making its way to the ground before landing down in the dirt. Biting my lip, I watched silently as the Vakarrans climbed out of the truck and Clair followed, waiting for her next direction.
Zaavyr leaned toward her and whispered something in her ear, but I couldn’t make out what he said. Regardless, the woman nodded gently and walked away. I vaguely wondered if I’d ever see her again.
At that moment, all four aliens turned in my direction. The effect of all their eyes on me at once caused me to shiver unintentionally before I stood up straight in defiance.
The leader, Commander Zaavyr stared me down, almost in some form of contest. Neither of us backed down as he stepped toward me. He walked until he was standing in front of me. With a sort of gentleness that I hadn’t expected, he took my cuffed wrists in his grasp and lifted them up, moving the leather out of the way so that he could inspect my arms.
My pale wrists beneath them were slightly pink and he smiled softly as his ran his thumb along my sensitized skin. My lips parted, his touch sending shockwaves across my flesh. I didn’t have time to analyze my body’s traitorous reaction though, because he then clipped a leash to the chain between the cuffs. I must have pleased him in some way because he looked at me appreciatively then. I couldn’t help but squirm a little as his eyes perused up and down my body. Even through my thin shirt and bra, my nipples peaked then, and by the sudden light in his eyes, I knew he could see them. I couldn’t even move to cover them up as he pulled my wrists forward.
“Come, let’s get you settled in for the night. We’ll tackle the issue of your punishment in the morning,” he replied, and the three others grinned in response.
I felt like my blood ran cold then.
He jerked me forward harshly and I staggered, almost falling on my face in the dirt before I caught myself. He chuckled under his breath.
Bastard.
I was given no choice but to follow them into a small tent off to the side. If I had to guess, I would have to think it was their own personal quarters. Commanding officers like them had special chambers, right?
What did they have hidden in there?
As I walked behind them, I held my head high and my shoulders back. I knew people had heard my arrival and seen the landing of the all-terrain vehicle. They had to see me being led into the tents, that I was no longer free. I had to continue being strong. I’d show them I wasn’t afraid, no matter what.
Chapter Four
Coltan
I watched as Zaavyr dragged Kira into our tent. In my opinion, he was being far too gentle with her so far and the other Vakarrans in the compound would begin to question our leadership, but I trusted him. He knew what he was doing.
Kira’s features remained stoic, a certain fierceness in her movements that never left her, despite her capture at our hands and it drew me to her. Usually, when humans were captured, or even when they turned themselves in, they tended to be more submissive from the start, scared and subdued, but not this one. She was different.
Even when we walked into our bedroom area, with a massive, human-sized cage at the center, she didn’t flinch. I watched her closely, looking for signs of fear and saw nothing except a slight widening of her eyes when she first saw it.
“You’ll be caged when we sleep. You can’t be trusted to be out on your own when we sleep tonight,” Zaavyr ordered firmly and I saw her straighten her shoulders and pull them back at the sound of his voice. This little human was certainly going to be a challenge.
Jax met my eyes then.
“She’s going to take a certain strategy to break, Coltan,” he said through our telepathic link. I nodded in response.
Aedan stared her down then and Jax smiled. Jax was always the one we relied on to get through tough times. Without him, I wouldn’t know where we’d be now.
He’d been the one to come up with the idea of how to capture her in the first place.
“Coltan. Why don’t you play the good cop? Aedan, you get to be the bad cop. And I’ll remain somewhere in the middle. Keep her on her toes,” Jax said and Aedan grinned.
“I could definitely get behind that,” Aedan replied, unable to keep himself from chuckling softly. Kira jerked toward us, staring us down and searching our eyes. If I had to guess, she probably didn’t know about our telepathic abilities. It was one of our most closely guarded secrets, especially when dealing with our subordinates.
Human were our slaves after all. The men worked the fields and, in our factories as slaves, while the women we took as ours to bed, in order to breed.
Our species had one weakness. Our offspring were always exclusively male. Our genetics never combined in a manner to produce a female. In order to survive, we turned to conquering and were regarded with a sense of fear. We took what we needed in order to continue our race.
Earth had been one of our conquests, but it had proven to be a more difficult planet to rule over in the ensuing years. Periodically, there were small pockets of resistance, like the one Kira represented, almost like the human race had some sort of hope that they’d be free one day.
They were never going to be free. We owned them. Some of them, like Kira here, just needed to accept that.
I met her sapphire blue eyes and shook my head. I saw her hope there. I saw her fire, her need to be free, but I knew those things would only be temporary. They always broke eventually, and despite her strength, she would too.
I reached for her then, cupping the left side of her face with my palm. She flinched slightly at my touch, but I continued on, running my thumb across the cusp of her beautifully high cheekbones. So distinctive.
Time to play good cop then.
“There’s no need to be afraid, Kira,” I began, and her eyes narrowed slightly, the skin crinkling in the cutest pout of frustration that I’d ever seen. Her blue irises shone brightly, stormy with her anger and a slight sense of unexpected hesitation.
She hadn’t expected me to be gentle. I’d already thrown her off-kilter.
“I’m not afraid,” she responded quietly, almost in a whisper, like she had something to prove to herself and to me.
I moved my thumb from her cheek to her full lower lip. I wanted to bite it then. I could feel my cock jump with excitement at the thought, but I restrained myself. There would be plenty of time for that when she was tied to the punishment cross, on display for the entire camp to watch as we disciplined her tomorrow.
We had to make an example of her. Commander Strohass demanded it.
She’d be one sorry little human by the end of the day tomorrow.
But until then, I wanted to get to know her a bit better. She was a worth
A little human warrior.
“You’ve been on the run for a long time, Kira,” I said.
“I have,” she answered, her voice unsure. She was analyzing me now, trying to assess where I stood, if I was going to hurt her, or take her against her will.
No. I wouldn’t do any of that, at least not now.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Aedan circling, judging, deciding when to strike. In order to keep her attention on me, I raised my other hand and cupped the right side of her face. I raised her chin a bit and she didn’t fight me then.
A good sign.
I heard Jax sit down behind me in one of the chairs beside the table. Zaavyr crossed his arms and simply watched us with curiosity.
“If you submit to us, things will go a lot easier for you. Understand that this is the way of our people, it isn’t anything personal for us. We need females. We needed to take you,” I whispered, careful to keep my voice quiet and nonthreatening.
She faltered a little at my touch.
For a scant second, I saw her give in, but just as quickly, her defenses rose right back up. Behind her, I saw Aedan pull his dagger from his waist. I’d had my fun. It was time for her to meet Aedan’s harsher side. I released her then and Aedan pounced, grabbing a fistful of her hair and jerking her head so that she fell back against his chest.
“What’s this talk of things being easy for her? She’s a killer. She’s killed Vakarrans, a crime that deserves death. She’s no better than an animal, a body to fuck so that she gives us sons. That’s all,” he growled, and I saw her eyes harden with restrained fury.
She was smart. She kept silent, waiting and assessing, cool and calculating.
She wouldn’t execute her next move until she was sure it was well worth it.
Aedan took her by the hair and roughly tore her leather jacket from her arms. She remained pliable, allowing him to disrobe her. Once he finished that, he flipped her around so that she was facing him. Even when he took his dagger and placed it at the collar of her shirt, she didn’t flinch or react.
He cut through her thin cotton shirt in mere seconds. He sheathed his dagger then and unbuttoned her pants with his free hand. Pushing her pants down over her waist, her cargos fell to the floor.
“Kick off your shoes,” he ordered, and she slowly complied, her gaze ever wary.
She stood in nothing but her bra and panties now, and I sucked in my breath. Her curves were even more beautiful and delicate than I imagined. Her hips flared out, gorgeous and wide enough to bear our children comfortably. Her stomach was flat and toned, her body musculature strong from years of living off the land. It was clear she hadn’t led an easy life, from the few scars I could see on her thighs and one on her belly. They looked like scratches from some form of animal. She could hunt then too.
Aedan took his dagger out again and slipped it between her breasts, underneath her bra. She stiffened just a hair as he cut through her bra, releasing her pert breasts to our view. Her bra drifted apart even further, and I was rewarded with the sight of her hard pink buds. I wanted to touch them.
He cut the straps next and the material fell to the floor.
Left in only her underwear, she trembled a little then.
Ruthlessly, he cut the sides of her panties, the delicate fabric slicing easily, just like warm butter. He released her then, allowing her to process the fact that she was standing before us entirely nude and that she hadn’t had a choice in the matter.
Oddly enough, her eyes searched for me then. I smiled softly, offering her comfort in my gaze. Aedan circled around her like a predator.
I took the moment to enjoy her nakedness, to admire her full perky breasts, her curvy hips, and her delightful round ass. I would enjoy reddening those cheeks of hers the first chance I got.
Aedan reached out and slapped one of her breasts. The sound echoed in the silent tent. Her eyes tore back to him and I watched her fury grow, her chest rising and falling with her restraint. From my vantage point, her pale skin colored slightly from the power of his hand and I knew both Aedan and Jax would enjoy marking her with their touch as much as I would.
“You think you’re too good for Vakarran law? Think you can make your own rules and not suffer the consequences?” Aedan pressed. I saw a certain glimmer in his eyes then. He was enjoying the bad guy role quite a bit much. I even saw Jax smirk with amusement before he covered his lips with his hand. Zaavyr sat down at his desk at the other side of the room and started fiddling with some papers, probably reading some reports from ongoing conquests throughout the galaxy, but he was watching. I know he was; he always did.
Kira stood still, her breath coming out in soft little angry pants. Her fingers tightened into fists at her sides, but she still didn’t react. She knew she was outnumbered. Now in our camp, she was at an extreme disadvantage, surrounded by Vakarrans and other enslaved humans.
Aedan reached forward and gripped her nipples between his thumb and forefinger.
“Look at these hard nipples. Your body is calling for me,” he said, and she gritted her teeth, her shoulders flinching inward from the unexpected pain. He held her there for a good minute, before he released her, and she cried out quietly, although stoically from the sting of his harsh touch.
Although I expected her to bend to him, just a little, she didn’t. Instead she looked even angrier than before. If Aedan wasn’t careful, she’d steal his dagger and slit his throat without a care in the world. That much was obvious.
“If she attempts to kill us, she’s going after you first, Aedan,” I said silently.
Aedan chuckled softly. He knew it.
“Admit it, human. Tell me you want me,” Aedan pressed.
She stiffened and glared at him.
“Fuck you, Vakarran,” she sneered.
His hand drew back, as if he was going to slap her. Instead he swung his hand and purposely slowed it before his palm made contact. He patted her face in a chiding manner as he made a disappointed clicking sound with his tongue.
The hellion didn’t move an inch.
Jax cleared his throat in an effort to disguise his chuckle.
He took his hand and guided it over her neck, his palm settling directly on top of her windpipe. I knew that with a single grip, he could crush her throat and kill her in an instant. I’d seen him do it to our enemies before. Her fingers stretched out wide and then clenched into fists again by her sides. He pressed upward, forcing her up onto her toes in front of him.
I knew what he was doing. He was allowing her to breathe only if she followed his direction. If she lowered her heels to the floor, he’d tighten his grip and force her back up, cutting off her air supply. It was quite the calculating move.
She stood on her toes for some time, until her legs began to shake with exertion.
“Enough, Aedan,” Jax piped up. “It’s time to put her in the cage for the night. Lock her in until the public trial in the morning.”
Aedan slowly released his grip and allowed her to fall forward. Her hands flew up, clutching her throat where his hand had been. He hadn’t left a single mark though. I think she was just slightly alarmed at his rough handling of her.
“I’ll take what’s due tomorrow, Jax. It’s our right,” Aedan responded.
After a moment, she rose her head and hugged her shoulders, waiting warily for what was to come next.
I took that moment to move forward. Her gaze tore toward me then and I saw a sort of relief pass over her as I took her gently by the arm.
“Come, Kira. Once in your cage, we won’t bother you till morning. You’ll have peace to rest for the night. I’m sure you’re tired,” I told her gently and I could feel her body slump slightly in response. I dropped my hand to touch her lower back and guided her forward. She didn’t fight me.
I opened the cage door and she quietly climbed inside. It was rather large inside, leaving her room to stand, sit, and lie down comfortably. The bottom on the cage was padded, an unusual design element that both Zaavyr and I decided on for her. I took a blanket from a nearby table and handed it to her, a symbolic peace offering.
She took it from me then, a small smile edging at the corner of her lips. Quietly, she climbed into the cage and turned toward me as I took a hold of the door.
She watched me as I closed it and locked it with a heavy padlock.
I reached through the bars and squeezed her shoulder.
“You’re safe in your cage, human. Sleep now, you’ll need your rest.” I told her. I very carefully left out mention of her public trial, already scheduled to be held in the morning. She met my eyes and nodded softly. Her fierceness softened toward me for just a moment before she turned away and sat down on the cage floor. She took the blanket and curled it around her shoulders, hiding her nakedness from us.
“Good night, Kira,” I ventured.
“Good night, Coltan,” she responded.
Chapter Five
Kira
My head was spinning. I didn’t know how to react to Coltan’s kindness or Aedan’s apparent cruelty. Zaavyr seemed to be all business and I hadn’t seen enough of Jax to get a read on him yet. The group was smart. They’d taken away my ability to do anything while they slept, locked me in a cage so I couldn’t escape. I was trapped.
I watched them from behind the thick bars, feeling oddly safe in my protective little cage. My nipples still ached from Aedan’s harsh grip. Through the thin white fabric walls of the tent, I could hear conversations and movement outside. The Vakarrans spoke in both their native language and Earthen English, depending on who they were speaking to.
Thus far, I’d only heard quiet female human voices. I couldn’t quite discern if any of the male voices were human or not, but I had to guess that they’d brought me specifically to a female training camp.
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