by Iona Strom
I catch the reflections of the males as they file in behind me, but I disregard their presence over what I’m trying to comprehend as reality.
My eyes bounce around, trying to capture all the celestial bodies that flow past the ship—so many stars, large and small. One is so close, a deep blue, I can make out the churning surface.
My attention shifts up as the bottom curve of a massive planet the color of moss comes into view overhead. I shrink down as if it would hit me. Looking up at its swirling atmosphere, I wonder how much devastation is being wrought on the plant’s surface by the enormous storm cloud covering its bottom half.
A small moon orbiting the mossy planet is next to catch my eye. Little more than a silvery ball of gaseous clouds, it looks as lifeless as the moon I’ve admired on many a cloudless night from my bedroom window.
I could complain about my new window, but it appears I’ve traded up—not that I’ve decided to junk my plan to return home. No, that is still first and foremost my goal; however, for now, I think I’ll just enjoy the view.
As the silvery moon moves out of sight, the space before me opens up. With the vast distances of objects spread out before me, I imagine we are traveling a great deal faster than what I’m comprehending. Nothing but a velvety black backdrop dotted with the glow of thousands of distant stars, some close enough I can make out their orbiting planets. Solar systems, thousands of them! How many, I wonder, can support life?
After my preview of the variety of lifeforms on the red planet where I was purchased from that marketplace, I’d venture to guess quite a few.
Consumed with so many wondrous new things to behold, my nose bumps against the glass. Both palms flat to the clear surface, I can feel my jaw hanging loose as I try to see everything at once as the ship silently moves through space. I could never get enough of this view even if I were to sit here a lifetime.
In the next blink of an eye, we make our way out of the astral soup and into the inky depths of nothingness.
Craning my neck as far as the panoramic window will allow, I catch the tail end of the galaxy the ship was skirting. The farther away we get, the more of what appeared as a cluster of objects becomes a spiraling arm that makes up the galaxy.
I shrink inside my own skin at how insignificant I am compared to all that. A grain of sand compared to the Sahara Desert isn’t enough of a comparison to what’s taking up space on the opposite side of this glass.
In the center of the galaxy we leave behind lies a circular void. Black as sin, the brilliance of the stars swirling around the perimeter makes it appear even more so. Then I witness several stars come too close, stretched to a thin streak of light before disappearing before my eyes as if sucked in by a gaping mouth.
I shudder with the realization of how everything in existence is on the edge of oblivion—just a jaunt too close to the edge concludes to complete annihilation.
I don’t know much about astronomy. I wish I’d paid more attention to Mysteries of the Universe when it was showing on the Discovery channel. The information could really come in handy right about now.
As the spiraling galaxy exits my view, there’s only blackness dotted with faraway pinpoints of light, some bright and defined while others show as hazy blobs. Sinking farther onto the floor, the weight of knowledge we’ve left a galaxy behind makes me fear the surmounting distance I am away from Earth.
Was that even the Milky Way we just exited or some other galaxy?
A hollow ache swells in the pit of my stomach. It’s been there ever since I woke up in that marketplace on the alien world. I immediately recognized it for what it was. It’s the same pang I felt when I first moved away from my parent’s house and across the country to make California my new home.
Now it grows, filling every nook and cranny of my misplaced soul.
I am well and truly lost in unfamiliar territory. Only this time, it’s a hundred-thousand times worse. With no ground beneath my feet, with nothing Earth-like to relate to, I’m in a tailspin, a freefall into a bottomless pit of isolation.
Moving from one state to another was one thing, nothing more than a long commute. Stolen from Earth—granted, I may not have had strong ties with my parents and had only a select few people I would consider friends—this relocation is immeasurable.
The velvety backdrop of the Universe blurs, waving in and out of focus. Strong arms drag me back against a hard body. Turning in the warmth of the offered embrace, I’m shocked to find it’s Xuel.
The tears flowing down my cheeks become a deluge. Circling my arms tightly around his neck, I hold on for everything I’m worth and openly weep for the planet I’ve left behind—a home I took for granted that’s now lost to me in the expanse of space.
Wrapped in Xuel’s steely strength provides me an anchor, a tether to keep me from spiraling away into the nothingness even as I’m lifted from the floor.
Chapter 7
Carried through the dissolved doorway, I assume I’m being returned to my cage, taken back to cry alone. I’m sure these males don’t want to deal with a weeping female.
The give of cushiony softness as I’m laid down reminds me of my pillow top mattress that’s probably light years away from where I am now. The reminder washes me in a renewed longing for home.
As Xuel steps away, I’m surprised to find I’m not where I thought I was.
All three males look on with stricken expressions as I take in my new surroundings. Like a futuristic studio apartment, this room is way better than my stark jail cell.
Sitting up, the bed I’m lying on is enormous. It would have to be to accommodate males the size of mine. Across the way, there’s an odd seating arrangement with tables and built-in cabinetry along the walls. Unlike my room, where everything is nearly invisible, this place is more along the lines of living quarters.
I watch as Natu slides open one of the cabinet doors and offers me the tall cylinder he carries to my bedside. Popping the lid, it’s a drink I recognize, a tart juice, something akin to lemonade.
Accepting his offer, I sip at the juice, feeling paranoid as they continue to watch my every move.
“How goes the search for the translator?” Xuel speaks to Natu.
“I have made very little progress.”
“You cannot learn the language of the Mannock?” Nulis joins the conversation I can’t understand.
“It is more difficult than you think to decipher such rudimentary communication.”
“I thought you were smart,” Nulis smirks at Natu.
“Perhaps you should give it a try, Nulis,” Natu barks back. “Beyond the filth you talk, have you ever spoken to her?”
“There is no need for words.”
“You have accepted Avay as your mate.” Natu’s strides are heavy with purpose as he faces off with Nulis. “Why would you not raise her to that level of esteem?”
I stiffen, ready to witness a bloody conflict as Nulis straightens his spin, standing to his full height. Topping Natu by a handful of inches, I’m surprised when he merely crosses his arms over his thick chest. A passive stance as he tilts back that strong jawline, looking down the length of his nose at Natu.
Not deterred, Natu doesn’t even flinch, standing his ground over whatever disagreement that seems to have arisen until Nulis concedes, flickering his gaze to me. I don’t know what to make of his sheepish attention.
“Avay is no longer meant for bending over for your pleasure. She is a female to be revered. A female capable of ushering us away from the brink of extinction.”
“I am aware of her role.” Nulis becomes defensive. “We have exchanged names. I participated in the Mannock custom of the kwis. And my bond with her was completed upon my last visit.”
“As was mine,” Natu adds.
Whatever Nulis and Natu said snaps Xuel’s head around. With a fleeting look my way, Xuel moves toward the door.
“Natu, you will see to it our shoulsis is properly cleansed for the ceremony. Have the sorcerist provide e
nough potious, so her womb is prepared to retain our seed.”
“As you wish.”
“Come, Nulis.” Xuel waves a hand. “Preparations must be made. Areas of the ship still need to be secured.”
Two of my males file out, and I’m left alone with Natu. Careful what you wish for. Now that I’m out of my prison, my new surroundings make me uneasy. For the millionth time, I wish I could communicate with them to understand exactly what’s happening.
Natu starts around the room, opening cabinets and popping out drawers, revealing contents as if the items now belonged to me.
Holding up what looks like a rolled-up placemat, Natu pronounces slowly, “Au-nat-too-lu.”
He gestures with a hand for me to try the new word, carrying the item with him to the bed.
“Aunatlu.”
Giving his head a shake, he perches his huge form on the edge of the bed and faces me.
“Au. Nat. Too. Lu,” Natu repeats. “Aunatoolue.”
As eager as I am to learn new words, I’m mentally exhausted. Lying down, I turn to my side and try to come to terms with the fact I’m no longer in the Milky Way—with a nap thrown in there somewhere—is about all I’m ready for. This new mattress, with its plush surface threatening to swallow me whole, is a calling I give into. Natu’s brow etches with concern. I don’t know how to communicate to him where my head is at, so I pull my legs to my chest and shut my eyes.
“Avay? Are you not well?”
The bed shifts as if a tremendous weight has been lifted. Natu’s voice comes from a distance. I crack open my eyelids enough to see he’s talking into a panel on the wall near the door.
Fatigue wraps me in darkness. I sink into the deep cushion beneath my weary soul, and let my mind go, choosing not to think about my predicament… for now.
Chapter 8
I wake to the rumble of heavy baritone. Curled up in the same position as when I fell asleep, warmth from a filmy blanket is better than any sedative. I wonder at who was kind enough to cover me while I slept—most likely Natu.
I want to float back to the void where my ravaged spirit found relief, but my curiosity can’t be denied. Prying open my eyes, Xuel and Natu are seated across from each other on the far side of the room. Leaning forward, they keep their voices low as they converse.
As if on cue, Xuel’s head swivels in my direction. Those effulgent, slitted eyes of his lock with mine. I can’t look away. Neither of us blinks.
Trapped in his captivating presence, rippling excitement runs through me when he stands. I will him to come to me, to relive that scorching kiss we shared, to take me away from my crushing loneliness even for a short time.
But he doesn’t.
Without breaking eye contact, I’m crushed when he moves to the door and lays his palm over the panel and exits.
Alone again with Natu, I push back tears I don’t want witnessed.
Rolling to my back, I stretch stiff limbs from my balled-up position, embracing the irritation I feel at myself and use it to push my body off the bed. Storming a path from one end of the room to the other, I can’t believe my weakness when it comes to Xuel. I wish I knew what the hell it is about him that draws me so I could smash it into oblivion.
Never have I let a man get under my skin as this male has. It pisses me off how strong my attraction to him. For fuck’s sake, something as simple as a heated look from him sets my blood on fire.
Natu blocks my path, and I go to step around him. Absorbed in my rage, I had forgotten he was here. He doesn’t let me get far before my progress is halted, and I’m turned to face him. Eyes so much like Xuel’s stare down at me. I’m not in the mood to be restrained, so I shake him off. Dropping his hands, he crosses his beefy arms across his chest, and I keep up my pacing.
Reaching the wall, I turn. The hurt shadowing Natu’s face draws me up short. I had no right to take out my anger on him—my unreciprocated infatuation with Xuel isn’t his fault.
“I’m sorry, Natu,” I say walking to him. “Please forgive my rudeness.”
I reach out for the closest person I have for a friend and hug him around his tight waist. Resting my cheek between his pecs, I drag in a deep breath as he returns my hug. Content to be held by him, I—
Thump… thump… thumpthumpthump… thump… thump… thumpthumpthump… thump.
My brow creases at the unusual rhythm of his heart. Lifting my head, I peer into his alien face. Giving me an empathetic smile, the differences between us are as vast as they are similar.
“Xuel has strange ways. Be at ease that as your primarius, he will protect you with his life.”
The name, Xuel, was the only thing I recognized, but his supportive tone was the translator. Somehow, he understands my plight. I detect no jealousy from him. Three males sharing one woman, you would think there would be some head butting.
Pressure builds behind my eyes until they glisten. Natu catches one, then another as the tears I can’t hold back spill down my cheeks.
“No more of these.” Natu shows me the wetted tips of his fingers. “It is time for the ritual of purilifity. You must be cleansed properly for the ceremony. Your womb readied to receive our seed.”
Steering me toward the wall opposite the bed, Natu places his palm over a panel, dissolving the door that leads into a room with fixtures that I’m already familiar with.
It’s a bathroom, no-frills, just the basics. A weird version of a showerhead sticking out from the wall with no visible drain—no, I have not figured out where the water goes—the oblong shelf thing that’s a toilet, and the shallow sink bowl. Pretty much all the same setup in my prison, which makes me wonder how temporary this new room will be.
Ushering me inside, Natu loosens the bejeweled band that gives the top of my dress its shape. I don’t help him undress me as the material is lifted up and over my head, then carried out of the bathroom to be carefully laid out on the foot of the bed before Natu rejoins me.
I’m not in the mood for sex, but being a good little sex slave, I will concede to what he wants.
Starting the spray in the shower, he doesn’t give my naked body much notice. Instead, he pops open a cabinet and focuses on a row of bottles. Choosing three, he lines them up along a narrow shelf inside the shower.
With a little grin, he nudges me under the spray. Tilting back my head, I let the water rush over the length of my blonde locks, feeling the wetted ends touch the top of my ass. I never dreamed of letting my hair grow to such lengths, but this world I’m living in now never asked my permission. From what I can see and feel without a mirror, my hair has never been this thick or healthy.
Natu comes at me with a hand filled with a milky liquid. Rubbing his palms together, he applies the creamy concoction to the crown of my head. Never before has he washed my hair—I’m not sure of what to make of this new gesture.
With my eyes forward as I’m washed, I have a face full of bare-chested male. Layered with muscle, it isn’t a hardship to be stuck with this view. Bunching and rolling with his movements, every ounce of his flesh is defined. His colossal strength showing the striations of muscle fibers lying just beneath his golden-brown complexion.
Irresistibly touchable, I skirt the tips of my fingers along his tight waist and across the rippling ridges of his twelve-pack. All my males are built beyond amazing.
I’m rewarded with a wave of his enticing musk; his unique cologne a soothing blend that’s enticingly erotic. The combination relaxes while whetting my appetite for something thick and hard.
One soapy hand covers mine, gently pushing my hands aside. I notice Natu’s boots and pants are getting wet from the spray, the once flowing material moist and clinging to him in all the right places.
He wants me, but he resists. The only other time he didn’t take what I freely offered was when it was Nulis’s turn.
After a quick look over his shoulder, Natu bends and pops a kiss on my lips. Straightening, he continues with the washing.
“Soon, Avay, soo
n. First, you must consummate the mating with your primarius. Xuel shall be the first to fill your womb with his seed.” Natu talks while he rinses away the suds with a massage to my scalp. “Then it will be our time again. I hope to have a translator soon as well. I am getting close to finding the one who can decipher the language of your kind into mine. I am anxious to hear your words.”
“I have no clue what you’re saying, but whatever it is, don’t stop,” I moan, closing my eyes against his capable hands.
Next to come is a pinkish cream that lathers into an iridescent foam, the scent like a bag full of Jolly Ranchers. Beginning with my face, Natu washes me, top to bottom. There’s nothing sexual about his movements although, it’s more than just a bath. It feels more like... I don’t know... like a ritual. Every move he makes feels deliberate.
Just as I think he’s finished, Natu reaches for the last bottle, more slender than the others. He holds it between my thighs, aiming the smooth tip at my sex.
Abruptly, I shove it away, crossing my legs.
Natu gives me a hard look, which I have no trouble returning.
“Look, Natu, I don’t know what all this washing is about, but there’s no way in hell I’m letting you do anything weird with that bottle.”
“Avay,”—his tone is patient— “this is the most important part. The potious will ready your womb to accept our seed.”
My eyes narrow at his demonstration of squeezing the bottle until a stream of pale blue liquid squirts out of the tip. Pointing the bottle at my sex, he cocks a brow.
“So, you want me to douche?” Incredulous, I cross my arms in a defiant stance.
Hell yes, I’m annoyed—even a little insulted.
“You know, I never asked for this.” I wag a finger at him. “Even if I did shake my ass at you to get you to buy me, I never asked to be abducted. To be stolen away from my planet in the dead of night by those creepy gray people. And I sure as hell never asked to be chained to a damn wall to be sold as a piece of meat to a bunch of alien freaks.”
Natu shifts his weight from one foot to the other as I berate him. He may not understand my words, but my defensive tone alone is coming across loud and clear.
