by Bertina Mars
“Don’t move,” he instructed, like he wasn’t just feeling her up. But Mira knew he knew what he was doing. She could see it in the reflection, his wicked smirk, could feel it as his hands had a clear focus, spending too much time on her hips and thighs to be considered a pat-down.
And she hated to admit it, but she could feel herself leaning into him, even as he stood back up, back brushing up against his chest and his hair tickling the back of her exposed neck. His hands moved back up, exploring her sides and spent a little too much time when they got close to the sides of her breasts.
Mira saw from the corner of her eye a male that was looking at them as he passed by, though he ducked his head and scurried away fast, almost scared. He was probably just embarrassed when their eyes met. Mira came back to her senses and cleared her throat, shifting again to get away from him.
“Are you done yet?” she asked, irritation clear in her throat. She had been fooled by the pretty buildings and lights of the city, forgetting how the Zethradans were barbarians, and how this made him the king of all of them. Mira wasn’t sure if she was more irritated with herself or this man, but it was easier to blame it on him.
He responded by taking his hands away, and she resisted the urge to lean backwards again. Had it really been that long since she’d had someone touch her that she was craving some attacker?
The Zethradan pulled on her ponytail so that her head tilted back, and he kept the other hand wrapped tightly around her wrist. “I told you to stop talking.”
“I don’t have anything on me. Clearly.”
He tugged on her hair again. “Watch tone, earth girl,” he growled, the Lord Commander’s accent getting thicker, “First time a human has visited us in over a year, and we have a terrorist attack on our hands? One that everyone but you ran from…”
“I’m not a terrorist!” Mira argued, jerking her hair out of his grasp. It hurt, but it wasn’t as tight as the hold he had on her wrist. She watched with a little satisfaction, as she finally turned face-to-face, her brown eyes meeting his gray. He seemed truly surprised that she had dared to move away from him. “I’m a biologist.”
“We’ll see about that.” The Zethradan pushed her up against the glass wall she had been looking at before, turning her around again as he restrained her hands. Mira didn’t miss how he pressed his hips against hers, feeling a significant, hard bulge digging into her. “You’re coming with me.”
******
Mira had never been to prison before, and she didn’t know what to think of the Zethradan holding cell that she sat in while she waited for her captor to speak to his government officials.
Once he’d thrown her into the back of his carriage, they went to the capitol building. Mira knew it was the capitol building because of her folder, Niki having added a fun fact about the architecture of the capitol building in Q’talik.
After the Space Age started in 2076, Earth culture became the newest trend within several galaxies. The capitol building, named Gthlin d’Zethrad, means “Truth of Zethrad.” It was modeled after the Reichstag dome in old Union Europa, built by the Germans before Europe united as one. Unlike the Reichstag dome, the dome is made completely of Zethrad metals, while the rest of the building is made of windows.
It shows that the Zethrad people will always be honest with their own people to create a strong force against the enemies from above. Given the fact that it helped give her location, Mira finally found use in those fun facts.
But there was still an underground level to Gthlin d’Zethrad, one where war prisoners were stored, Zethrad’s own maximum security facility. And somehow, she had gotten a cell in there, all because she’d gone to the restroom.
The prison was dark and window-less, giving her no reference to what time of day it was. Mira had only gotten entertainment with studying the different bugs that skittered across her floor, until finally someone called for her.
“Mira Hawthorne?” Her head shot up and saw a male standing at her cell door, though not the one that had brought her here. She stood up. In the dark, she could only see his features slightly, but he was vastly different from the man before. Lanky, and he kept his hair combed back neatly, thin frames resting on his angular nose.
“That’s me,” she responded, trying to meet his eyes, though it seemed he was giving her an up-and-down look, surveying her whole body. Mira blushed, cursing her pants and cleared her throat.
It startled him slightly, but reminded the man why he was there. “Sorry, my name is Lazred Dorlo,” Lazred greeted in near perfect English. She couldn’t even hear the accent.
“I’m the ambassador for Earth-Zethrad relations – or at least I will be, if Ve Dominok Arzak signs off on joining the Alliance of Intergalactic Peace.”
Mira nodded. She knew about the AIP. They were the ones that had been riding Jak about this trip, which in turn, had him riding her about everything going off without a single hitch. “So you’re going to get me out of here?” she asked.
Lazred shifted uncomfortably, looking away before his eyes refocused just below her eyes. Was he staring at her chest? “Unfortunately, no,” he answered, tone level, “We’re investigating the recent explosion at the shuttle port, and until then, there will be no shuttles out of Zethrad, especially not to Earth.”
“Well, how long do you think that’ll take?” Mira demanded, “Can I have my things back?” Her actual luggage was destroyed in the fire, the carry-on bag left in the shuttle port when Arzak had taken her away, and her watch had been confiscated as soon as they put her in her cell.
“It depends,” he answered diplomatically, “We’re investigating this, but until then, all of your belongings belong to our leader, and that’s- “
“Arzak,” she finished for Lazred, her rage starting to build again.
He nodded. “Exactly. We investigated your alibi for being here in the first place. While our science department did have a meeting with a human, they said they were expecting a Jak News- “
“Yes, he was supposed to be here with me, but he got held up,” she tried to explain. Obviously, her boss had failed to mention to Tyroc Valdek that he was going to bring his female lab technician, or that he was going to also bail on her and leave the meeting solely up to her to finish up.
It was the complete truth, but she couldn’t tell if the future ambassador believed in her or not. “I recommend speaking to Arzak about that, since he’ll be the final person to sign off on anything.” Lazred withdrew a paper that he’d been holding in his arm.
Mira took it cautiously. She hadn’t actually used paper in years, not since elementary school. “This is the plan that we’ve drawn up for you, terms for you staying here. If you don’t follow them, you’ll need to reside here in Gthlin Underground.”
Mira’s eyes scanned over the form. They were a list of rules, like she was some sort of child that they needed to keep in line. She scoffed when she saw what her living arrangements were.
“I’m staying with him?” she asked, pointing down to where it said that she would be kept in the residence of the Head Commander, so that she could be under better security.
“Yes,” Lazred answered, “He has a large estate, so it’s not…”
“Not like I’m joining some harem?” Mira finished for him, and it was clear in her tone that she was not happy about it. Lazred cleared his throat, not answering.
“We can arrange for that kind of atmosphere if that’s what you’re asking, earth girl,” another voice answered. Mira frowned; already knowing who it was by the nickname.
She could remember when he hissed it into her ear, his breath hot on her skin. Now, she was standing three feet away from him with bars in between them, and she wanted to wipe that smug smirk off of his pretty face. He glanced at Lazred and simply tilted his head. “Go.”
Lazred bowed and scurried away without so much as a glance more at Mira. Arzak took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Mira realized for the first time just how tall he was.
She was 5’5,” and still he towered over her by about a foot. He had defined eyebrows, stubble across his chin that reeked of masculinity. Mira glared. “Are people just your dogs around here?”
“Yes,” Arzak answered immediately, casually. He shrugged. “Lazred is weak, and he forgot his place. So, I made him leave. That’s how it works here, earth girl. I say things, and people listen.” He smiled, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Don’t worry. You’ll learn quickly.”
Mira crossed her arms over her chest. Sure, she had a male supervisor who had her run tasks like visiting a planet for work, but he still gave her a way out. She was used to being her own person, independent, and taking care of herself. It irritated her that this man seemed to think that she was just going to follow along with what he ordered.
“Who says I’m choosing to stay with you?” she asked. She next lied smoothly, gesturing around her cell, “This place isn’t so bad.”
Arzak cocked an eyebrow. “I know you’re coming with me, because if you don’t, you’re only going to make it harder on yourself,” he said, “I’ve fought countless soldiers and war heroes, and I won. Besides, females don’t tell me no.”
“Well, I am.”
“You weren’t before,” the head commander replied, his tone almost patronizing. He put one hand on the bar, stepping even closer, his voice becoming quieter. “I felt you squirming, felt you press back into me… You wanted me to touch you. And you still do.”
Mira blushed again, but she hoped that it was too dark for him to see down here. If she admitted that she had been leaning into him, which she knew she had, she would lose the entire argument, and Mira was far too proud for that.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked, “Why don’t you just give me my things back let me go home?”
Arzak narrowed his eyes slightly, studying her for a long moment. “Hm,” he mused, “Aren’t biologists supposed to be smart?” he asked, “I told you, as did Lazred. Why would we let you leave when we’re investigating a terrorist attack?”
He sighed, reaching his finger inside the bars to graze down her arm. “Besides, I’m bored… And it’s been a while since I had a good, hard fuck. I think that’s what you want, isn’t it?”
“Do leaders here normally try to sleep with people that are being accused of trying to kill their people?”
Arzak shrugged. “I’ve read little of Earth, but your wars had prisoners of war, did they not?”
“What, so we’re at war?” She was afraid of how he would answer her, and if this was going to be her fault. It was the one thing that she had been told not to do. If a war started between Earth and Zethrad, she really would be a prisoner of war.
And Arzak was implying that he knew how her ancestors used to treat the innocents that were caught in a fight. Even if she escaped and made it home, she would be an enemy to her own people.
Finally, Arzak answered her. “If you tell me yes and come with me, then no. We won’t be.”
Mira didn’t move at first until she remembered their argument, then withdrew out of his reach. “I thought you said women don’t say no to you.”
His gray eyes glimmered predatorily. “They don’t.”
Chapter Two
Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Mira showed up at the Head Commander’s estate. Going through Q’talik, the city was filled with nice homes, but Arzak’s home was more impressive than all of them combined.
The structure itself was large, and there were two buildings in the back, one a guest home and the other a glass pool house. Unlike the homes, though, they weren’t just simple squares of cut windowpanes.
They were all different shapes, even carved and etched with various methods to bounce the sunlight off in in the most beautiful ways, like a mosaic of lights and rainbows.
It was where Mira spent most of her time, sitting in one of the cushioned chairs near the pool and staring at the shards of light hitting the water, avoiding Arzak and the main house, which was made entirely of a type of black brick with few windows, besides one single tower. That was made entirely of glass, even showing off the entire spiral staircase.
Mira was stubborn; she didn’t want to give into him. But at the same time… The blonde sighed, laying on her back on the cool tile floor near the edge of the pool. One of the rules was that she had to attend to dinner every night with Arzak at sunset, and she could feel the warmth starting to fade from her skin.
The dinners were fine enough, the food prepared by a Zethradan chef, but the way he looked at her… No one had looked at Mira like that, so hungry and lustful, not in a very long time. And after so many years of pining away after a man that seemed to love his job more than he could ever love her? It was starting to have an effect on Mira.
The night before, Arzak had made her sit at the smaller breakfast table inside the kitchen, the servants and chef having to clear out of the kitchen. With the smaller space, his leg brushed up against hers, and he’d kept it right there, warming her and causing tingles to shoot out from the spot of contact to her head. Since then, she had only been avoiding him even more.
With her eyes closed, she listened to the gentle lapping of the water, letting her mind wander. She imagined someone moving quietly in the water and brushing their lips against her fingers before pulling at her calves so that her body turned, toes dipping in the water.
In the scene playing in her head, Mira would lift her hips, strong, rough hands pulling on her shorts quickly and without thought. She imagined how cool the tile around the pool would feel on her bare ass. Those same hands would move up her thighs and grip onto her hips possessively, forcing her closer to the edge of the pool.
Mira moved her own hands to her thighs, brushing the smooth skin there softly. She sighed as her vision went further, hot breath on her core. Dream Mira would grow impatient at this point, sitting up and propping herself up on her elbows. Up until this point, she wasn’t sure who she was imagining.
Mira was so used to fantasizing about Jak, or on rare occasion, attractive celebrities around the galaxy that she was well aware she would never meet. But when Dream Mira opened her eyes, it was Arzak there, wading in the water with his pale skin, completely naked.
His hands, so experienced in war, were sliding up her torso and underneath her top. He wasn’t gentle like she always imagined Jak was. He was rough. He was eager and fast and passionate in a completely different way. And as his tongue started to dip down, Mira’s breath quickened, the Lord Commander’s name threatening to escape her lips in a desperate plea.
But she was pulled back to reality.
There was a clicking of footsteps that made the blonde’s eyes pop open, sitting up to see who it was that was encroaching on her solitude. It was a woman, the only woman at the house that Mira had met. She didn’t ever give Mira her name, but her long, white hair was kept in a braid off on one shoulder.
Her face was always so still, so completely blank, that Mira doubted the woman would ever wrinkle, even if the Zethradans didn’t already figure out the way to stop aging. She also never told Mira her name and only spoke in simple, clipped sentences.
“Need back at the house, in your room,” the servant woman said, her tone as expressionless as her lips as they moved to make words. She wasn’t as good at English as Arzak or Lazred. “Quickly.”
Mira frowned. “It’s early for dinner, isn’t it?” She pointed towards the sun, which was still shining down on the both of them. “It’s not even sunset yet.”
The servant woman cocked an eyebrow. “Quickly, human.” She, too, didn’t seem to have patience with Mira’s arguments or her race. Then again, no one in Zethrad had shown any sort of sensitivity to race, at least not in front of Mira. “Or Lord Arzak come down himself.”
She scowled, getting up from the ground. And she can manipulate too, Mira thought to herself. She didn’t say anything else to the woman, instead walking straight past her and up to the house. Mira marched up the spiral staircase to her room.
&nb
sp; It was definitely better than the prison she had been at before, though she had yet to thank Arzak for his hospitality, nor did she plan on doing so. It was the equivalent of a top-floor suite at the large hotels that stretched up to the stratosphere back on earth.
When they ran out of room on land to put people in houses, they had sought to take up the skies next. Mira was only on the 405th floor though, and the wealth didn’t start showing until at least the 700th floor.
The only complaint that she had was just that there were no windows, no way to tell what time of day it was. Even the alien animals that hung from the walls like prizes didn’t bother her as much as the lack of windows.
There was a dresser but with only a small selection of clothes, none of which Mira wore besides the ones that she had packed for the trip, the only things she was allowed to keep from her bags that she’d packed.
Everything else was confiscated, being studied by the people who still hadn’t invented cars. The bed was piled high with fluffy blankets and pillows, all a rich red, and mirrors decked almost every wall. Mira shut the door behind her, but she heard it open behind her.
When she looked over her shoulder, she found the servant woman watching her silently. The blonde furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, which made the servant slightly tilt her head to the side, in the direction of Mira’s bed.
When Mira got closer, she saw what the woman had meant, why she was brought here early. Her fingers brushed along the soft blankets, made from the animal fur, the same that were hanging on her wall, she assumed.
Finally, they reached their destination. A dress made of red fabric that Mira had never felt before. She didn’t know if Earth even had anything like it, but the closest that she could equate it to was silk, good silk.
It slipped off the skin easily, cool, and felt almost like there was no cloth at all. Sewn into it was what almost resembled a corset, though it was worn on the outside. The metal was cold to the touch and bent and shaped in ornate swirls that entwined with the dress itself. It was classic Zethradan fashion, beauty mixed with the functionality of the metal armor.
