by Izzy Shows
Surely, I was in my apartment. If I had a hangover, I was on my couch, and I was really going to regret overindulging. Actually, I already did. My neck ached in the same way it always did when I slept on the couch, and my back was twinging as well. It definitely felt like I had slept on my couch, although it also felt a hell of a lot worse.
That was weird. Why would it feel worse?
I frowned, or at least I tried to. It seemed to take forever for the muscles in my face to tug my lips downwards, and it brought a wave of pain rushing through me again. But this was a mental pain, not a physical one, and that was alarming.
Movement shouldn't bring mental pain. What was happening?
A sense of urgency filled me, and that thought that something important had happened pressed at me again, urging me to remember.
What was it?
Xiva's in danger!
That brought me awake for more reasons than one. I had forgotten her. I'd forgotten all about her planet and the destruction her brother had caused; about Walter and the friendship I'd forged with him; about Xiva and the yeva bond between us. It all came rushing back to me, along with the memory of a look of terror on her face before the world went black around me.
"Xiva, can you hear me? Where are you? Tell me you're safe, please!"
I sent the thought across the bond between us, though it was still a little foreign to me. I knew I had done it right, but there was no response. It was as if she wasn't there at all. It was as if nothing was there but my own mind.
Panic filled me, and my eyes snapped open.
The light blinded me, but I was able to take stock of my surroundings all the same. Chains bound my wrists and ankles, and a collar just like the one Anders had put on me was sticking into the flesh of my throat.
Slave.
I had been captured, and more than likely Xiva had as well.
Xiva was in danger.
I snarled, straining forward, thrashing against my chains. I didn't care where I was or who was around me; I was going to get free, no matter what. I was going to get back to Xiva, to get her out of whatever hell she'd been dragged into, goddammit, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop me.
A sharp pain around my neck threatened to debilitate me, and I knew that someone had activated the pain collar I was wearing. But they had underestimated the power of a Raider in rage. My vision was tinted red, and all I could think about was my need to kill, to taste the blood of my enemies, to let it run free through the streets, to take my revenge.
My eyes adjusted to the brightness at last, though it was still difficult to focus, and I saw the slaver cowering before me. He had a remote in one hand and was frantically pressing buttons, clearly terrified by the fact that I hadn't been crippled by the effects of the pain collar.
I lunged toward him, my claws extending as I swiped at his fleshy abdomen. I was going to tear him to shreds for daring to contain me like this, for daring to keep me from what I was meant to do.
Have to get free. Have to find Xiva. Have to save her!
Those thoughts were the only ones that broke through the mantra of kill, kill, kill, and they did nothing to assuage my bloodlust. Dimly, in the back of my mind, I knew the only thing capable of calming me was Xiva herself; she had somehow managed to calm the rage in me before, and I knew on an instinctual level that she would be able to do it again.
But Xiva wasn't here. That was the entire problem.
I struck out toward the slaver again, and this time he pulled a blaster out and fired at me, a bright bolt of energy aimed straight toward my chest. I didn't even have to think about responding; the protective scale armor that had been programmed into my DNA by those meddling scientists back on Earth sprang forward, encasing my body, and the shot ricocheted harmlessly into the wall.
Well, as harmless as rending a hole in the wall could be.
There was a tense moment when the slaver and I held eye contact, and I could smell the terror on him.
Good. He was afraid of me. It would be the last thing he knew before I killed him.
The sound of heels clicking on stone broke the silence, whispering of another threat, but I didn't take my eyes off the slaver. I was intent on waiting for the opportunity to kill him that I knew he would give me.
A soft hand touched the scales on my shoulder, and I flinched away from the touch, finally turning to see the new threat.
A female. She had violet skin, vibrant green eyes brighter than I had ever seen in a human, and long black hair. Her skin was peppered with pink spots in a fashion reminiscent of a leopard.
I snarled at her when she came forward again, warning her off, but she cooed at me as if she were trying to calm a dangerous animal, as if I weren't a man capable of thought.
Is that wrong? You're acting like an animal.
The first fully-formed thought bloomed in my mind, and the redness in my vision calmed somewhat. I recognized then that the rage would not help me here, that it was only exacerbating the situation I had found myself in, and I fought to push it down.
If only Xiva had been here to calm me…
But I wouldn't need to be calmed if she had been here.
"What an interesting male you have here," the female said to the slaver, petting my shoulder as she spoke.
My lips peeled back in another snarl, and I tried to move away from her again. I disliked the touch of her hand, especially since my scales were receding now that the threat had abated. Her flesh on mine felt wrong, somehow, and I wanted to move away from her.
"I…yes, I suppose," the slaver managed to get out. His gaze was locked on me, and his face had gone pale; he was obviously still afraid of me. "But quite dangerous, milady. I don't think he'll do for anyone here, not at all. I didn't know he was like this."
She made a clucking noise and shook her head. "And yet you put this horrible collar on him."
"He's a Raider, ma'am. They're genetically modified humans from Earth, and as you can see, capable of a great deal of violence. But I didn't know he was mindless!"
"Well, he is a male," she murmured, turning to look at me with something akin to pity in her eyes.
What did she mean by that? That I was somehow incapable of thought because I was male? I had never heard anything more ignorant in my life.
"But that doesn't mean he cannot be properly trained. And it's probably that collar that's driving him to violence in the first place. Pain is not the right way of handling anyone," she said, the first thing that had come out of her mouth that I could agree with.
"I wouldn't trust him without it, ma'am. He could do a lot of damage to a person."
She seemed to consider that for a moment, then she sighed. "Perhaps."
"Ma'am, I truly must insist that you let me dispose of this slave. He is not fit for service to you fine ladies here on Inar Twelve. I'll have to be rid of him. Either that or take him to the fighting pits."
Sorrow claimed her face. "Oh, no, that won't do at all! Look at him. He's…unique. I've never heard of a human with his capabilities, and no one on Inar Twelve has a human at all. He has traits his species isn't known for. It's quite remarkable."
Though there was great appreciation in her voice, her eyes told a different story about what had her so excited. She was looking me up and down like a hungry lion that had found a meal, her eyes lingering on my groin and chest.
Suddenly, I was very aware of what I was wearing—or rather, what I was not. I was dressed in little more than a loincloth, for some reason, and that knowledge, coupled with the way she'd been looking at me, made me immensely uncomfortable. I had never felt like a piece of meat before, but I knew the feeling now, and I couldn't say I liked it.
"I do believe I'll buy him from you," she said, at last dragging her eyes away from me.
"Are you sure, ma'am? I have much better-behaved slaves waiting to be brought out. They were raised in the pleasure houses, you know, so they're familiar with the customs here."
That didn't sound good.<
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"No, I'm quite certain I want this male. He is unique." There was a wistful sound in her voice.
I wanted her to go away. I didn't care who else bought me, but I didn't want to go with this woman. Her lust was clear in her eyes, and I knew what she wanted me for—what I would never give her so long as I was capable of making a choice.
Please, God, Vivoth, anyone. Don't let Xiva have ended up in a place like this.
I had little more than prayers to offer now, and I could only hope they'd be heard.
Kaidan
She bought me.
I was bought and paid for, and there was nothing I could do about it. There was nowhere for me to go, not now that I was aboard her ship. It was a luxury model with an extravagant living space, and the female had already told me about the several bedrooms it boasted.
As if that was somehow appealing to me. As if it didn't disgust me to hear her talk about a bedroom while she raked her eyes over me with clear lust in them. As if I didn't know what she'd bought me for, what she intended to use me for.
You're never going to get that from me, lady. I'm not that kind of man.
"And did you know that this model is capable of both atmospheric and galactic travel?" she said, her voice cutting into my thoughts. Prattling on about her ship. "It's absolutely fantastic, and so convenient. We won't be going far, though, just to my city estate, not off the planet at all. It's a pity—I'd love to take you for a cruise, but maybe some other time. I do wish we had time to go to my country estate. I'm sure you'd enjoy that much more, but the city estate will have to do. It's quite grand enough, so I'm sure you'll like it too, but certainly not as much as the country. I know how you males are."
What does that mean? I wanted to ask, but I didn't want to speak to her, didn't want to acknowledge her existence if I could help it. She seemed to crave my attention, at least at the moment, and if that was the only power I had over her, I wanted to exercise it as much as I could. I would withhold it from her until absolutely necessary.
She didn't seem to notice the hatred in my eyes when I glared at her in response. She just kept rambling on about how glorious her ship was and how she was certain I'd enjoy her estate.
Why does she care what a slave would enjoy?
I couldn't help but wonder about that. She was willing to purchase another being and subjugate them to her will, yet she seemed quite intent on my enjoying what I would see and do. The two ideas warred in my mind as I tried and failed to make sense of them.
"Tavixi?"
A young female came forward from the back of the ship. Her skin was the same purple with golden spots as my new owner's—whose name was apparently Tavixi. She had brown hair, though, and was wearing a white shirt with black pants and a thick red belt.
"Yes, Inari. How can I help you?"
Inari had a worried look on her face, and she didn't quite meet Tavixi's eyes for a moment before she seemed to gather her courage enough to look up.
"Tavixi, you bought a slave," she whispered.
Tavixi grimaced. "I know, darling, but I simply couldn't pass him up when I saw him. Just look at him."
Her voice trailed off as she gazed adoringly at me, and I glared at her again in return.
"Yes, he is quite the specimen, but you know how this is going to go over."
"I know. It won't help me in the senate one bit."
"They're going to use it against you when you try to bring forward your new bill."
"Tch, you're right," Tavixi said, tapping a finger against her lips. "Acquiring a new slave is not going to look good when I petition for the halt of all future sales of slaves."
I quirked an eyebrow at that, unable to hide my surprise. My new owner was trying to fight for slave rights? She was right: buying me wasn't going to make her look good. At least that explained why she wanted me to enjoy her home: she appeared to be something of a sympathizer.
"Ah, well, I'll deal with it when I have to. As I said, I simply had to have him. Isn't he just to die for?" She followed her words with a wistful sigh as she looked at me again.
I could feel Inari's eyes on me as well, and when I turned to face her, intent on displaying my displeasure, my skin crawled at the hungry look she was giving me.
You're just a piece of meat to these women. They don't care about anything more than what you look like.
It occurred to me that this was the way many women felt on a daily basis, and I could sympathize with them for the first time in my life. I didn't like the feeling, and in that moment, all I could think about was how to get away.
But they had replaced the pain collar around my neck with a much more advanced one that they had tested straight away. The shock from the collar had sent me to my knees. I'd been in so much pain that I hadn't even been able to scream. I'd been nothing short of paralyzed.
I touched a hand to the collar as I thought about it, grimacing. I had to find a way to get rid of the damned thing if I was going to be able to escape.
Tavixi made a sympathetic sound, which drew my attention. "I'm so sorry about that, but you have to understand, it can't be removed until you've proven your loyalty. After your little display at the market, it's simply too dangerous."
I glared at her.
"Normally, I'm very against such devices. They do quite a lot of harm to the nervous system, and it's quite cruel, I know. But I have to think about the safety of my staff and the other slaves. I hope you understand."
She looked very concerned about whether or not I would agree with her, and I hoped she could read on my face that I didn't. That I wouldn't forgive her for collaring me like a common dog.
Not like a dog. Dogs don't get this level of pain when they disobey.
The electric shock they'd given me would no doubt have killed another man, one who didn't have the genetic modifications I'd been given. I could withstand a whole hell of a lot if I had to, but that didn't make the shock any less painful when it was happening.
Tavixi and Inari kept chatting about me as if I weren't there until the ship finally landed.
"Here we are!" Tavixi said, beaming at me. "Time for you to see your new home."
She took a step towards the door, then turned and gestured for me to follow when she saw that I hadn't budged.
"Well, aren't you coming? Really, I'd prefer not to have to put a leash on you."
I grunted, convinced by that comment, and followed.
The day was still bright as we exited the ship onto an elegant landing pad. The building adjacent to it was very grand, a mansion in truth, and there were two French doors on the wall near the landing pad for us to go through.
Tavixi walked straight through the doors while I shuffled along behind her, already cataloging the building and what I had seen of the surrounding area. There wasn't much that could keep a person in, as far as the grounds went. There was a tall hedge, but that would be easy enough to get over.
It was the pain collar that would keep me in place.
Have to get rid of it somehow. That's my first priority.
I'd have to figure out if there was a way to disable the device, because I knew there was no way I'd be able to convince Tavixi that I was loyal enough to have it removed. Not in time to save Xiva from whatever fate she'd been delivered to, that was.
"The first thing we need to do is get you properly clothed," she said, casting a look over her shoulder at my groin, reminding me that I was wearing only a loincloth.
Yeah, I'd like some clothes, that was for sure. Pants and a halfway decent shirt would go a long way toward making me feel more comfortable in my new surroundings. I didn't like being so exposed, especially with the way the females kept eyeing me up and down.
We walked quietly through the mansion, through several grand rooms with marble floors and extravagant furnishings, and up a spiral staircase, finally arriving at the room she'd clearly been heading for.
It was a plain enough room compared to the rest of the mansion, but still much nicer than the cra
ppy apartment I lived in on Earth. She stepped through the room to a door at the far end, which I saw was a closet when she opened the door.
"Well, do come forward," she said, smiling brightly at me. "I can't very well dress you from over there."
"I can dress myself," I rumbled, the first words I'd spoken to her.
Her eyes lit up. "Oh, you have the most magnificent voice!"
I glowered at her. What a fucking response. Would she ever stop?
She paid me no heed, instead turning back to the closet and pulling out a pair of black pants which she then handed to me.
I gave her a pointed look. "I'm not changing in front of you."
She flounced over to the bed and took a seat. "Oh, I'm afraid you'll have to. I can't quite take my eyes off you yet."
There was apparently nothing I could do to change her mind. I turned my back to her and shucked the loincloth, doing my best to ignore the sharp inhale from her that followed the movement. I pulled on the pants, which turned out to be black leather, and my heart sank as soon as they were on.
The damned things weren't proper at all. They were leather pants, yes, all but the crotch. The crotch was made of a soft black fabric that clung to my body, showcasing every inch of my cock.
"You can't be fucking serious," I muttered as I glared down at the offending article. "I'm not wearing this."
"What's wrong?"
I turned and pointed directly at my crotch. "That."
I shouldn't have done that, because I was giving her permission to ogle me, but it was too late to take it back now. Her eyes lingered on my groin for what felt like ages before she finally looked up at my face again.
"I'm sorry, but that is the proper attire for a slave of your caliber, and it's all the fashion these days. Every slave wears them. You'll just have to get used to it."
My lips curled back in a snarl, and I couldn't help but think she was damned lucky I had a code that prohibited harming women, because I was ready to rip her head off for setting me up to be paraded around like this.
She stood up from the bed and came over to me, her eyes softening as she reached up and touched my cheek.
