Alien Slave

by Tracy St. John

  So long, suckers. Dani is outta here.

  Congratulating herself on such a brilliant plan, Dani hurried away, keeping the clearing with Reggie’s crashed ship in sight to her left. She imagined the look on the Kalquorians’ faces when they discovered they’d been outsmarted by an Earther prostitute.

  Priceless.

  Chapter 10

  The morning had turned to afternoon by the time Gelan thought they might be catching up to Dani. She’d proven herself better quarry than he’d anticipated, giving him a newfound respect for the girl.

  She’d searched out water. She’d managed to evade them. She wasn’t too good at covering her tracks, but having come from privilege, he hadn’t expected her to know how to do that. That she’d been able to lead them on a merry chase at all impressed him greatly.

  The ground was turning progressively muckier, giving way to swampland. Dani’s trail had skirted several deep stands of water, taking her farther and farther from the crash site. Wynhod still managed to move almost silently, his Nobek skills of sneaking up on prey as effective as ever. Krijero squelched along, his heavy tread making sucking sounds every time he lifted his feet.

  The Imdiko rubbed a sweat-sheened forearm across his brow. “We must be at least ten miles from the ship. Where is she going?”

  Gelan wrenched one booted foot out of the muck. “We’ll ask when we catch her. Watch yourselves. I think some of this stuff could pull a man under.”

  Wynhod looked at the tiny footprints that became more and more visible as they progressed. “We can’t be far behind her now. This will definitely slow her down.” He gave Gelan an evil grin. “Have you given any thought to her punishment once we catch her?”

  Gelan returned the grin as his pants stiffened a little. “That’s about all I’ve thought of. She’s going to be a very sorry little girl.”

  He wasn’t into hurting innocents, especially women. But like most Kalquorian men, dominating others, especially in sexual situations, tantalized. Spanking a naughty girl who’d put herself in danger, bending the rebellious little Earther to his will aroused him terribly. The thought of Dani’s lovely round buttocks reddening under his heavy hand tightened his crotch even more. Now that was going to be a fine trophy.

  * * * *

  Dani cursed under her breath as she skirted yet another deep pool of water. She’d never seen a swamp on Earth except on vid shows, but she thought this must be how they looked and smelled. Nasty. Incredibly nasty and dirty. Blackish muck covered her feet and coated halfway up her calves. She’d lost one of her slippers in the sticky mess half a mile ago.

  Worst of all, she fretted about getting farther away from the shelter of the crashed ship and her escape ship. She couldn’t turn back, knowing the Kalquorians might very well be on her trail. She couldn’t have retraced her steps anyway, not after what she’d

  spied. In one of the pools she’d encountered, she’d seen the scaled back of some huge creature breach the gray-slimed water’s surface. The bit of it she’d seen conjured visions of skyscraper-sized dinosaurs, something she’d be only a nibble to should it catch her.

  No, she couldn’t go back that way.

  Dani squelched through ever stickier mud, sinking more with every step as she trudged around the pond that might hide yet another scaled horror in its unfathomable depths. She lost the other shoe as she heaved a step forward. She paused, looking with mingled despair, exhaustion, and fury as the hole she’d left in the ground quickly filled with water.

  This really sucked. Literally.

  Keep moving. That’s all you can do.

  In the brief seconds she’d stood still, she’d sunk nearly to her knees in the black sludge. When Dani tried to yank her leg up and forward, she could only raise it an inch. She tried the other one. Same result.

  Dani grabbed one leg with both hands, trying to pull herself free. The ground retained its hold on her, pulling her even deeper. She was in up over her knees now, and she panicked, struggling mightily to get out of the swallowing muck. Despite her frantic efforts, she continued to sink even faster. Within seconds, she was buried to the waist.

  Terror overcame her and Dani screamed. “Help! Help me!”

  Within the stand of trees she’d left minutes ago, something crashed towards her. With visions of hungry, fanged monsters in her head, Dani twisted the upper part of her body not encased in mud to see her approaching doom.

  She sobbed with relief when the three Kalquorians cleared the woods, running towards her. Being beaten within an inch of her life didn’t seem such a terrible fate compared to being buried alive in mud or chomped on by dinosaurs.

  Gelan and Wynhod stopped short a few feet away, and they grabbed Krijero to keep him from coming any closer either. Wynhod warned the Imdiko, “Stop here, Krijero. You’ll sink a lot faster than she is.”

  Terrified they’d just stand there and watch her be buried in muck, Dani cried, “Get me out of here!” She was now up to her armpits, and the heavy mud holding her prisoner made it hard to catch her breath.

  Gelan eyed the ground surrounding her. “Don’t move, Dani. Moving will make you sink faster. Hold absolutely still.”

  Wynhod turned away, facing the woods. He suddenly disappeared in a blur of speed, moving faster than Dani’s eyes could follow. She gasped as he returned in a matter of seconds, dragging a long, thick branch. She’d never seen anyone run so fast.

  Gelan seized the branch’s thickest part, helping Wynhod swing the thinner end towards Dani. “Good idea, Wynhod. Grab on, Krijero, and we’ll pull her out.”

  Krijero joined his clanmates at one end of the branch, pushing the length across the mire. Dani reached, stretching her arms over the thick surface to grasp the opposite end. She was up to her chin now.

  “Hang on as hard as you can, little fighter,” Wynhod said.

  The men pulled on their end, and Dani’s body reluctantly dragged towards them a couple of inches. She gasped as mud slid up to her lower lip.

  “Hold for a moment.” The men paused in their efforts as Wynhod coaxed Dani gently. “As we pull, lie as much on your stomach as possible. Try to make yourself flat on the surface.”

  Dani looked at him in horror. She lifted her chin to keep the mud out of her mouth. “Lay down? No way! I’ll sink.”

  Gelan’s tone was calm and reasonable, as if they were conversing about the weather. “You won’t sink, I promise. Trust us, Dani. We didn’t come after you to see you die.”

  Dani couldn’t respond. The muck was over her mouth. In seconds, it would cover her nose.

  She stared upward, at the pinkish-blue sky overhead, keeping her face as free for as long as she could. She felt the pull of the branch in her hands. She hung on grimly, convinced that at any moment the mud would close in over her head. When she slid through it, the muck losing its cement grip on her a little, she concentrated on becoming horizontal, which meant putting her face into the sludge.

  Darkness enveloped her. Her arms ached with the tug of war the Kalquorians played with the muck, but she moved. The slime relinquished its grip a little at a time, so slowly that Dani knew she’d suffocate before she was pulled free.

  “Pick your head up, Dani. You’re almost out.”

  At Krijero’s call, she lifted her face and opened her eyes. The sunlight dazzled her and she inhaled a grateful breath. As her sight adjusted, she saw the men only three feet away, muscles straining as they yanked her loose. She suddenly skated across the surface of the bog, and the Kalquorians dropped the branch to grab her by the arms and lift her from what should have been her grave.

  Dani was covered in the muck, weighed down by it so heavily that she could barely stand. She didn’t care. She lived.

  She looked up at her rescuers. Three pairs of blue-purple eyes regarded her with interest, as if curious to see what she’d do next. Dani took a deep breath, the thick, fetid air the sweetest she’d ever breathed. “Thanks for saving me.”

  Gelan answered for the clan. “You’re
welcome.” He nodded towards a rock by the clearer water of the pond. “You can wash the mud off there.”

  Dani swallowed. “What if there’s a — something dangerous in the water?”

  “We’ll keep an eye out. Clean up.”

  Keeping an eye on the ground before her, stepping carefully and anticipating another battle with the moon’s version of quicksand, Dani made her way to the bank. She was aware of the Kalquorians right behind her. She wondered if they were guarding

  her from the hostile surprises of this world, or making sure she didn’t run again. She didn’t care. After her close call, she just wanted to be safe, and the aliens represented safety.

  Shaking like a leaf, she knelt on the large rock and scooped water to wash her face. Her hair hung in ropey strands, similar to dreadlocks. She’d be rinsing for hours to get the mess off.

  “You might as well just jump in,” Wynhod said.

  She thought of the monster she’d seen in the other pool and shook her head. “No way. There’s no telling what’s in there.”

  An enormous hand seized her by the back of the neck. The next instant, the Kalquorian picked her up and dunked her into the water. Another hand seized her by the arm, and yet another hand gripped her beneath the armpit. She was hefted up and dunked, hefted up and dunked, and hefted up and dunked again. When she came up the last time, she spluttered and struggled against the men who roughly washed the mud from her.

  Wynhod spoke. “The dress is ruined. We might as well get rid of it.”

  The sodden, heavy material tore from her body, leaving Dani naked. Clean at last, the clan pulled her from the water to stand on the sun-warmed rock.

  “Hey! I can’t tromp around naked!” She covered herself with her arms as best she could. It didn’t matter they’d already seen her nude. She felt way too vulnerable without the dress.

  Gelan’s cold, angry voice brought her protests to a screeching halt. “You certainly will, slave. We can do any damned thing we want with our property.”

  Dani stared at him. Under the Dramok’s glare and the equally stony-faced expressions of the other two, she suddenly felt very small and helpless.

  Oh shit. She was in big trouble.

  Gelan spoke, his gaze drilling into her without one ounce of kindness. “Turn around, Dani. Wynhod and Krijero will hold you still for punishment.”

  Dani’s insides turned to water. If she hadn’t already lost control of her bladder during her battle with the quick-mud, she’d have wet herself right there. “Wait. Don’t you think nearly dying was punishment enough?”

  “No, I don’t. You put yourself in danger far too often, little girl.” Gelan’s voice was almost gentle as he bent to look her in the eye. “By your own account, you put yourself in harm’s way on Earth repeatedly. You indentured yourself on Dantovon without thinking through the consequences. Then to escape us, you got on a ship that no one with sense would have boarded. It crashed, killing the pilot and no doubt nearly taking your life as well. When we showed up to rescue you, you ran until you were nearly killed. You need discipline, Dani. You need it every time you commit an infraction, for your own good.”

  “You’ve been lucky so far,” Wynhod added. “Sooner or later, your luck will run out, and no one will be around to save you. You only get so many passes before death finally accepts your invitation.”

  “I’ll be good. I won’t run away ever again. Honest,” Dani implored. Surely they’d let her off this time if she seemed really contrite. They’d liked her enough to buy her, to come after her when she’d run away. They wouldn’t punish her, not for a first offense against them.

  “Let’s make sure you don’t.” Gelan smiled, and Dani relaxed. She’d known he’d let her off with a warning.

  “Now?” Wynhod said.

  Gelan nodded. Dani found herself spun around, putting her back to Gelan and facing the pond. Wynhod’s hand clamped around the back of her neck again. On the other side, Krijero grabbed her hands, pinning her wrists over her head.

  “Next time you think about doing something that can get you hurt, remember this,” Gelan said.

  Before she could utter a sound, Gelan’s palm cracked hard on her backside. The sharp report of the blow rang in her ears a second before the pain registered. Then with crystalline clarity, agony pulsed through her right ass cheek, making her cry out.

  “What the hell?” she shrieked.

  “This is called dulma, a spanking. It will continue until you apologize and promise to behave.”

  Pride erupted despite the shame and pain of the discipline he administered. She’d never been spanked before, had never known the harshness of corporeal punishment. Gelan’s blows came hard and fast, giving her no chance to brace herself against the blistering torment.

  “Stop! Stop it, damn you! You’re not my father!”

  “That doesn’t sound much like an apology to me,” Wynhod commented. The bastard sounded amused. “And we’re old enough to be your fathers. So accept the correction and express your regret for being such a bad little girl.”

  Dani danced and twisted on her tiptoes, unable to escape the grip the other two had on her. Despite her desperate attempts, Gelan landed each open-handed slap on the rounded expanse of her buttocks with brutal accuracy. Dani shrieked curses, but the spanking went on and on, roasting her skin until she thought it might burst into flame.

  Finally her pride crumbled under the hard hand, and Dani blubbered, “Please, I’m sorry. Please stop. I’ll be good.”

  Gelan ceased immediately. Krijero let her hands go, and her arms flopped bonelessly to her sides as she sobbed, as much from humiliation as pain. Wynhod kept his grip on the back of her neck.

  Gelan’s voice was still gentle, as if the brute had never even considered laying a hand on a helpless girl. “That will do for a first offense.”

  The pressure of Wynhod’s hold on her made Dani turn to face Gelan. The Dramok cupped her chin in his palm, making her look at him. His face blurred through her tears, but she saw the firm expression anyway.

  “You do not want to disobey us again, Dani,” he warned.

  When she simply stood there weeping, Wynhod’s grip tightened slightly. “Your response is, yes my Dramok.”

  Between sobs, Dani choked out, “Yes, my Dramok.”

  Gelan nodded approval. “Good girl. Let’s head back to the ship, clan.”

  Gelan took the lead. Her neck still gripped in Wynhod’s firm grasp, Dani followed, with Krijero bringing up the rear. The strong hand kept her from stumbling, steering her around obstacles in the path, which was just as well. Dani couldn’t see for the tears that continued to flow and distort her vision.

  God, her ass hurt. She didn’t think she’d be able to sit down for a week.

  * * * *

  Gelan had never felt so turned off his entire life. His cocks felt shrunken and small.

  He’d discovered a huge difference between spanking a female within sexual play and spanking one in order to punish. Chastising Dani had made him physically ill. That she needed to be taught a forceful lesson hadn’t made it any more palatable. Hearing her cry tore at his guts. His senses tumbled in a knotted mess: one moment he felt anger at her for putting him in this position. The next instant, he found fury at himself for having made her cry so piteously, like a frightened child. Then the memory of her almost disappearing beneath the mire, nearly dying right there in front of him and his sense of helplessness made him sick all over again.

  Had Dani gone down, Gelan wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from plunging in after her, most assuredly to his own death. That this willful, self-absorbed Earther sparked such strong feelings, feelings he’d only experienced for his parents and clan, frightened him. How had she gotten under his skin so fast?

  Gelan stomped over the mucky trail, not caring how loud his passage was through the tall marsh grasses. Yes, he wanted a Matara for his clan. Yes, he wanted to breed and produce offspring. And yes, Dani was pretty and alluring. But that di
dn’t explain how much it hurt him to see her in danger, to hear her cry out in pain when he’d disciplined her.

  She brought out a fierce protectiveness, a sense that he needed to right all the wrongs done to her. Gelan hated she’d not received the consideration and love she deserved from her parents. It had made her a selfish creature, possibly unable to take others’ needs seriously. He didn’t need Krijero’s psychological education to know her thoughtless actions were probably a subconscious plea for attention.

  They passed from open land into a wooded area. Blessed shade took the heat off the top of Gelan’s head, but his thoughts still burned, especially as Dani’s hiccupping sobs continued behind him. Damn it, he hated hearing her cry like that. Hated even more that he was the one who’d made her cry. The thought that he would probably have to take her to task again made him want to howl.

  Dani might not be repressed sexually like most her kind, but she was a broken Earther just the same. Gelan had doubts he was the man to heal her wounds. Especially when giving her the discipline she so sorely needed shriveled something inside his soul.

  Krijero won’t be able to punish her. It would devastate him.

  It would be up to him and Wynhod to guide her then. Gelan grimaced. He hoped his Nobek was up for the task. Dani’s next infraction, and he had no doubt there would be a next infraction, would be corrected by Wynhod. Knowing his clanmate the way he did, Gelan had no doubt he’d find it just as distasteful.

  Knowing the impetuous Earther couldn’t help but to test them, Gelan nevertheless sent her a silent plea as they slogged on through the marshy land. Please, my little Dani, by all you hold holy, please behave yourself.

  * * * *

  About an hour after pulling Dani from the mire, Wynhod realized his grip on the back of her neck was about all that kept her on her feet. It was no wonder after hours of flight and the massive struggle to get free of the sucking mud.