by Celeste Raye
Alexis came out of the room, feeling grateful that at least Nabvan had been willing to get her clothing and food. She was not sure what the Milisarians ate, but the smell of the food that sat underneath a tray by the large bed she had laid on for an indefinite amount of time smelled appetizing. But maybe that was only because she was extremely hungry.
Nabvan was back to his original post, though, it seemed like he was holding some food in his hand, trying to eat it standing up. “Why don’t you sit down and eat with me?” Alexis offered. She really should not have been nice to a man who was helping keep her captive, but she was beginning to see that he was not thrilled about his post at all. She did not know what the punishment for him would be if he decided not to do what he was told, but she didn’t think it would be anything he would want to face. It wasn’t like he was tying her up or torturing her. He was just standing there. Hopefully, there was nothing like Stockholm’s going on with her. It hadn’t been long enough for that.
“I’m on the job. I really shouldn’t,” he told her with little conviction, setting his plate down on the metal table that she assumed the king used for meals. She followed him and sat her own meal down across from him, getting into her seat. It was also cold and metal, but it would have to do. “But I guess you’re not going to tell on me.” It was the first sign of humanity she had seen from Nabvan. She could certainly get used to it if they were going to be stuck together for a long time.
“Can you tell me what’s on my plate? Is any of it even comparable to human food?” Alexis asked, looking at her plate in confusion. Nabvan openly laughed at her, which sounded strange coming from his mouth. It was delightful laugh, not something she had expected to come out of the mouth of the Milisarian who had been so unhelpful and stoic before.
He began to point out the proteins and the starches for her and even their versions of vegetables. There was something that tasted a lot like broccoli and potatoes there, and the meat at least resembled pork. It was no five-star meal back on Earth, but it was not horrible. That was one thing she had not been looking forward to with the Arkani: the nutritional paste they all ate. It saved a lot of time, but it tasted horrid and kept them thin. She had tried to train herself to eat it before leaving, but it had been a struggle.
Alexis began to enjoy the meal and the time flew by, even though she had no way to know what time it was. She had no expectations of seeing the king anytime soon and went to bed when she felt tired, feeling calmer than when she was first thrown into the room.
Alexis found herself rudely awakened several hours later by the noise of the door opening and two men talking in her room instead of just one. She didn’t move an inch; she just opened her eyes to see that Nabvan and the king were standing profile to her and discussing something. Her ears were not awake yet, and she tried to tune them in. She only got the last bit, an order for Nabvan to leave the room. She did not like the way the king gave the order and worried about what was going to happen next. She sat up on the bed, no longer feeling the need to hide her alertness and found her eyes meeting with none other than King Shene’s.
His eyes were dark and not at all friendly, and his jaw was still set in that angry but powerful stance. How could a man like this expect to be appreciated by women when there was no feeling or care there? When they knew they were one of many and meant nothing other than a time occupier?
“I hope the accommodations and the servant I have given you have suited you,” King Shene spoke in his deep done. Alexis wanted to openly scoff at the word servant. She didn’t know much about Nabvan, but she knew he was no servant. He had barely served her anyway. She was too afraid of the unknown when it came to King Shene, though. She did not know what he might do if she offended him too much.
“I suppose they are alright,” Alexis answered meekly, her blonde hair falling over one side of her face. She went to push it away, but King Shene reached over and did it for her. It should have been a sweet gesture, something she would have expected a crush or a first date to do, but with him, it was rough and rude. It felt more like a show of ownership than something nice.
“You are stunningly beautiful, even beyond what I am used to seeing in a human woman. It makes me proud that I was able to find you to help us further our race. I hope you are happy with the knowledge that you are doing a great thing,” King Shene said as if giving some kind of speech for a crowd. Did he not know how to have a one on one conversation? If so, he was a terrible leader, at least in her opinion.
He touched her face again, caressing it with his rough hand before bringing up another hand to hold her head there. Alexis was stunned as he pulled her in for a kiss while his other two hands snaked up her back. It felt disgusting, and she tried to push him off of her, screaming into his mouth to make him stop.
“It’s bad enough that you took us out of space and brought us here,” she said breathlessly when he finally let her go. She ignored his anger, fueling her tirade with some of her own. “But now, you’re going to force yourself on me? You have left me alone in here for a long time and expect me to be pliable. We are not in love, we are not married, and I am not ready to submit myself to you. I do not care if I am a captive and must get used to the Milisarian way of life; my body is still my own. I only give it to a man who cares for me. You do not even know me, nor I you.”
She hoped that he would understand, that there was some form of mercy or empathy inside of this powerful king, but the look on his face told her she was dead wrong.
“I am the king of the Milisarian Knights. You should be bowing at my feet for keeping you from having to marry one of the weakest races in the universe. Here, your body will be wanted. You can have lovely things. Now, submit to me, or face the consequences. I will not be so kind just because you are so beautiful,” he warned, but Alexis was not going to let her body be defiled like that. If she had sex, it would be by choice.
Alexis shook her head, bracing herself for what would come next. It began with a slap against her face that she knew would leave bruising for some time. Her jaw and lip were already beginning to swell, and her ear was ringing. “Three days with nothing but one meal a day to sustain you. Then, we will see what you say to me,” he told her before storming off. She could hear him in a rage outside the door, calling for more guards to watch her. Alexis wondered, as she gripped her swollen and pained face, if she would even get to see Nabvan again.
All of the pride she had mustered since getting on the ship was gone again in a split second as she curled into a ball and began to cry. She cried for herself, and she cried for her mother back home when she found out that the ship was empty upon reaching the Arkani. What would her family think? How long would it be before they declared her legally dead? How long would it be until she wished she were dead? Alexis knew it would not be long if the punishments and the push for her body continued.
She fell asleep yet again once the tears ran out, and all she was left with was her crusted-over eyes and nose and her bruised face. Maybe he would make her ugly enough that he would not want her and he would leave her alone. She could go live with everyone else and roam the ship more freely and not submit to such a power-wielding man.
Alexis eased in and out of her dreams for many hours. She could not count them for certain since there was still no measurement of time in the room to go by. She found herself alone and ignored her hungry stomach as two meals passed by with nothing coming for her.
She did not know how long it had been when the doors to the room opened, and her heart began to race with fear. Was King Shene already back to punish her some more, or would he just take what he wanted from her?
But as she sat up, feeling sore and unkempt, she could see that Nabvan had come back into the room. He had with him another tray. Alexis guessed she had slept an entire day away. This would be her first and only meal of this new day. She was surprised and relieved to see Nabvan and see that he was unharmed. For some time, she had wondered if he too would be punished for her behavior, but he h
ad not. The king must have not held her behavior against the man who was supposed to be watching her.
Nabvan said nothing as he pushed the tray to her bedside, though she could see that he did have a little emotion about whatever her physical state was at that moment. She did not dare to look in a mirror just yet. But as Nabvan walked back to his original post in the room, facing the door, Alexis knew she would be having a silent meal alone.
Chapter 6:
***Alexis***
Alexis was not happy to see King Shene in the room once more, looming over her when she awoke. Her face had not yet healed and was yellowed from the old bruises. At least the swelling had gone down. She had a few days of peace, but she knew they were over the moment the mean overlord reappeared.
Without a word, he climbed into the bed next to her, caressing her body beneath the silky green dress that was too big for her liking. Alexis began to thrash, feeling that her strength was not there yet for the day. She had overslept yet again, and her body was stiff and groggy. His lips planted against her skin, feeling like a complete violation as his hands went exactly where she was afraid they would go. With no other choice, just as his hands began to snake up to her face and pull at her hair, she reached out with her mouth and bit his finger.
King Shene screamed in pain, and Alexis knew that the next punishment she would receive was going to be infinitely worse than the last. However, she also knew it would be worth it to save her body from being taken over by this horrible man. Why did he not understand that she expected him to at least get to know her first: try and woo her? She knew the knights were dominant men; she had expected that, but they were supposed to mate for life. They were supposed to enter into a marriage with the women they chose; this was cruel and not at all like a Milisarian should act.
“You are the worst Milisarian possible,” she spat, getting in what she could before the punishment came down on her. He was already calling for his guards who would probably carry her off somewhere to be held until they got back to their planet. Part of her was hoping they would just drop her off on whatever planet they were headed to now. No matter how harsh a life they lived as a colony for the Milisarians, it had to be better than what was going on now. “Your men are supposed to take one woman for the rest of their lives and care for them, not torture them and force them into submission just to throw them away!” she told him through a new set of tears. “All I have asked of you is that you give me some freedoms and get to know me before anything happens between us. On Earth, we call it dating. Does that ring a bell?”
King Shene gave no response as the guards came into the room, carrying whips in their hands. These weren’t just normal whips, though. She recognized them. They had electrical currents running through them; just enough to burn the victim as well as cause welts to rise on their backs.
“Strip her down!” King Shene ordered them, and they came up to her, pulling her dress off. She crossed her arms over her breasts to cover them and squinted her eyes shut. Alexis imagined that she was back in a science lab on Earth, but she was the one heading the research team. It was her happy place, and it would be the only way to live through what was about to happen next.
Both guards trained the whips as she whispered to herself, trying to keep calm and not tense up. Being tense would only make the injuries worse.
As the whips slapped against her skin, making a sickening noise as it sizzled and cracked open, she screamed. She screamed louder than she ever had before. She was certain that unless that room was soundproof, the whole ship would know a woman was being horribly punished. She could only hope that it would not frighten the other women.
Finally, the guards were sent away, and she had lost count of how many lashings she had. No medic was brought in to keep her from infection, and she wondered if they would just let her die after that.
“You will wish you had done what I wanted after all this is over. I will not be disrespected like that ever again. Do not expect any more food or clothing from me or the guards. You’ll get a bowl of vitamins to keep you going, and that is all until I am done with my business on the planets we are going to. I will deal with you again after that.”
All Alexis could do in response to him was whimper. The stinging of her back was overwhelming, and this was the moment when she wanted to die and feel nothing else.
Alexis was relieved when he left the room and pulled Nabvan back in because she knew he would at least leave her alone. “You will stay with her while I am off of this ship and not let anyone give her food or clothes beyond what I have ordered. She is lucky I have left her alive after her behavior. Some of the men will stay on the ship with the women as well because we do not need the Rendell’s finding out we have women and coming onboard to take them from us. We must make sure they are all pregnant with our children before the universe knows we have them.”
Nabvan nodded, and Alexis found herself disgusted at the comment. So, it seemed that all the men were trying to do the same as he. Had Destiney also been whipped?
She heard the king’s footsteps leaving, so it was just she and Nabvan again.
She didn’t dare ask him for any more than that in fear that the king would be angry enough to make Nabvan’s back match hers. Instead, she lay on her belly and passed out shortly from the pain, almost hoping that she would never wake up again.
Chapter 7:
***Dravik***
Nabvan cringed every time he heard a whimper come from Alexis’s mouth. He found it hard to believe what King Shene had done to her. King Shene was a self-righteous sort of king, and he expected his women to submit to him, but most of the other women were willing participants. He had never punished anyone this way. The markings on her back scared him, and she had been in and out of consciousness for two days now with the pain. He knew he had to do something to help her before it was too late. Her body was not healing, and he knew all too well the infection that those whippings could bring for her. Many of their prisoners had died within just days of getting a beating like that.
It could get him a similar fate, but he had to help her. He had called the nurse to come and be quiet about it: say it was for him and not Alexis. Hopefully, she would be able to bring the necessary medicines with her in order to heal those wounds and help them not hurt Alexis so badly, or she would never wake up. And she needed to wake up to keep them clean and get strong. King Shene would eventually be back on the ship, and he would expect her to be ready for mating or another round of punishments.
Nabvan shook his head as he dared a glance over at Alexis before the nurse came into the room. What a waste of a human mate: putting her body in pain and bringing her to the brink of death. Nabvan really did not get the point of any of this right now. Many of the other men had not successfully mated with their women either, though their punishments were less harsh. These women were stubborn creatures. If only they had known that before they had captured a ship full of them. They could have saved two races a lot of trouble.
A knock came at the door, and he let the nurse in quickly, hoping no one would ask any questions. If they did, he would have to do a good job of faking illness. Neither of them would ever get away with helping Alexis after the king had chosen to punish her. The nurse faked an easy smile as she looked over at Alexis and shook her head silently. How often had she seen injuries like these? Nabvan would guess it would not have been too often since prisoners were generally not allowed any care. Those living free on the ship did not see a punishment such as this, which was the only reason Nabvan was risking everything to heal Alexis. This was not meant to be her fate, and he strongly disagreed with the way his king was handling things. That was not how a mate was won, and he did not even need a mate to begin with. He had so many. Alexis should have been granted to a man with a need for one who would have treated her with respect.
He watched as the nurse pulled some vials out from her bag and put them onto a tray. Then, she pulled out some bandages and soaked them in the liquid she had prepared. Nab
van also noticed that she set down two needles and a small bottle on the table. “I cannot stay here for the whole treatment, Nabvan, because they will realize I am not in here for you. It will take some time. I will have to trust you to take care of her. Once these bandages are all soaked with the antibiotic, you will place them along the wounds and let them soak up the infection. After about an hour, inject her with the pain medicine I have left. There is a dose for today and for tomorrow. I do not know if I can get you more after that. We will see. Make sure after the pain subsides that she cleans herself. You may need to help her. I am sorry I cannot do more,” she explained with her head hanging low.
“I understand. I appreciate you coming at all,” Nabvan told her with a sad look. Alexis was still not awake, and he wasn’t sure if it would be better if she was or was not awake for this. “Should I wake her to do this?” he asked the nurse, wanting her professional opinion.
“I hate to say it, but it is best if she is awake so that she knows to be still during the process. Cool water might help pull the fever out and wake her up.” Nabvan nodded and let the nurse go, hoping that he was not going to regret what he was doing. He could see the king any day or not for a long time, depending on the mood he was in. Nabvan could only hope that he would stay away for some time, letting her heal before he did come back to decide what to do with Alexis. Otherwise, she surely would not survive another visit from him.
Nabvan waited until the door shut and locked before he went to the washroom for a bowl of water, bringing it back to sprinkle along her neck and her head. He sprinkled it lightly a few times, and she began to stir. He sat by her side to be sure she did not roll over onto her back. “Shhh,” he calmed her. “It’s me. I need you to be awake and very still, do you understand?”
