“Easy,” he crooned, reaching out to stroke her cheek. “Remember, I promised no harm would come to you. What did I say that scared you?”
“I’ll be put in a brothel?” she asked. “To serve everyone?”
He cursed. “No, Rena. I’m sorry if I gave that impression. When I said that women are scarce on my world, I meant that you will have the chance to find a mate, someone who will care for you.”
“Mate?” Animals mated. And she vaguely remembered her father saying he needed a mate. Was it possible that her people were similar to Ryx’s? While they’re coloring was vastly different, he did have the same type of features as the people from her world. The males on her planet were a golden color, while most of the females were so pale they were nearly a brilliant white. She wasn’t quite that pale, but she was nowhere near as golden as her father either.
“I promise that whoever claims you will take excellent care of you. Females are precious to my people. It’s why we started the Bride program on Earth.”
Earth. That sounded vaguely familiar to her, but why would she know anything of a place called Earth? And why did he mention that planet to her? That wasn’t where she was from, and she didn’t recall any of her alien owners being from there. Flashes of green trees and small homes filled her mind, along with a smiling blonde woman who called her… something. Something just out of reach. She shook her head, the images faded quickly. That had never happened before and she didn’t know if it was a trick of her mind, or something more.
“Rena, how long have you been a slave?” he asked, his brow furrowed.
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I was fifteen when I was taken from home.”
Home. There was something about that word. Ryx almost made it sound like she was from Earth, but she wasn’t. Had never been there. Had she? Did her people look so similar to the aliens from that world? She knew there were people here under Frih’s control called humans, and that many slavers charged high prices for them. Were the humans from the place called Earth?
“Something’s bothering you,” he said. “Is it thoughts of Earth? Your home? Do you wish to return there?”
“Earth isn’t my home,” she said.
He blinked, looking momentarily startled. “Excuse me?”
“Earth. It isn’t my home.” She frowned. “Vaaden is home.”
That sounded right, but it didn’t feel right. But no, she knew she’d grown up on Vaaden. Her father, Kryon, had been an important male. He’d always made time for her, and assured that she had the best of everything. She didn’t remember ever having a mother, but she must have had one at some point. It wasn’t like she hatched out of an egg. The blonde woman flashed in her mind again, and she wondered if that had been her mother? But the world had looked nothing like Vaaden.
“Vaaden,” Ryx said, rising to his feet. “Rena… you’re a human. The only way Vaaden could be your home is if you were part of the harems there, a slave abducted from Earth and bound in sexual servitude. And since you’re a virgin, that obviously isn’t the case.”
Panic welled inside her. Why was he saying such things? She wasn’t from Earth. Her home was Vaaden. Her father was Kryon. She knew this with a certainty, and yet… there was almost something just out of reach, memories that teased her of a planet that looked nothing like the place she’d called home. Why was this happening now? Never in her life had she had memories of another world, of the blonde woman. All she’d ever known was Vaaden and Kryon.
“Rena,” Ryx said, his voice low and soothing. “If Vaaden is your home, who are your parents?”
“Kryon is my father. I don’t have a mother.” But why didn’t she have a mother? There were too many gaps in Rena’s memory. Had her time in slavery affected her memory more than she realized?
The door chimed, and Ryx went to answer it. The healer entered the room and handed him a piece of paper. Rena had never been allowed to see the healer for an injury before, but she shouldn’t have been surprised this one was a male. Frih had no use for females unless it involved sex or pain. A healer had checked her when she’d been purchased, and had destroyed her voice, but she hadn’t been conscious either time.
“Her feet are a mess, and she has a few welts,” Ryx said. “I’m not sure if there’s other damage.”
“She’s but a slave,” the healer said, his tone derisive, as if it were beneath him to treat her. “You wish me to heal her?”
“She’s a small female,” Ryx said, glaring at the male. “Fix her.”
The healer nodded and came forward, looking resigned. He knelt at Rena’s feet and examined one, then the other, his touch rough and careless. She knew that she didn’t matter, but on Vaaden healers were kind. Setting down a bag, he reached inside and pulled out some sort of metal instrument, then began plucking glass from her feet. When he was finished, he rubbed a salve on them, then placed a hand on each injured foot and began to chant. Rena’s eyes went wide as the healer’s hands began to glow a bright green, and she could have sworn she felt the skin knitting back together. That wasn’t possible, though, was it? Rena had visited the healer on Vaaden, but the doctor there used technology to heal. This male seemed to be using some sort of magic. The healer released her feet, then wiped the remaining cream from her soles, before placing his hands over her welts. After some more glowing, those no longer hurt either. He gathered his belongings and left without another word. It was possibly the strangest experience Rena had ever had. Until now, she’d thought magic was just a myth, but now she wondered.
She picked up one foot, then the other, astounded that they were completely healed, as if she’d never walked across the broken glass. It was the first time she’d ever seen such a thing, much less experienced it, and it left her a little unsettled. If the male was that powerful, what else could he do? She didn’t think he was the one to remove her voice, or she doubted he would have needed to make an incision. Frih kept several healers around, though, so it had likely been a different one. A more primitive one.
“Rena, I think we need to talk,” Ryx said as he pulled a chair near her and sat. The paper the healer had given him was clutched in Ryx’s hand. “The healer brought your papers to me, where Frih has signed you over into my care. I’m now recorded as your new owner. According to every exam you’ve had since being sold into slavery, you are one hundred percent human, which means Kryon is not your father. Do you remember anything before being on Vaaden?”
“No.” Pure human? What did that mean? If Kryon wasn’t her father, and Vaaden wasn’t her home… had she been abducted from the planet Earth at some point? But that didn’t explain why Kryon would have raised her as his daughter. And he was all that she remembered. If she’d ever come from Earth, those memories were long gone, except for those brief flashes she’d had moments ago.
The confusion was starting to take a toll on her, and Rena’s head began to ache. Her belly cramped as hunger clawed at her. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten, and what little the slaves were given was never enough to make her feel full. Most days, if they were given anything, it was a yucky paste that gave them just enough nutrients to keep them alive, but it tasted horrible and there was very little of it.
“We’ll figure it out,” Ryx said. “For now, I’m going to get you something to wear and order some food for us. I requested your things, but do you have belongings here? It’s obvious Frih doesn’t treat his slaves well. I’m starting to wonder if he provides anything for you.”
“A few outfits. Shoes aren’t permitted as we never leave Frih’s home.”
He nodded. “You’ll need some boots or something before I take you on board my ship. I’ll see what I can do. While I organize everything, why don’t you lie down? You look exhausted.”
She glanced toward the bed, and her cheeks flushed. Was he going to share it with her? He’d said he was taking her to his world, to be a mate to someone, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t take advantage of having a warm body in his bed be
fore then. If females were scarce on their world, it was doubtful anyone would expect her to remain a virgin before being claimed. Ryx owned her and could do whatever he wished with her.
“Sleep, Rena,” he said. “Nothing is going to happen between us. Not at any point tonight will I reach for you in a sexual way. You have my word.”
She nodded and moved across the room, sliding under the covers. The bed was far softer than anything she’d felt since being sold into slavery. She sighed and her eyes slowly closed, but sleep wouldn’t come for her. Instead, she listened as Ryx moved around the room and spoke softly to people through the Comm. The door opened several times, and the scent of food teased her nose. She moaned and turned her head to look at the table in the corner, now covered in dishes that smelled better than anything she’d eaten in a long time.
“If you aren’t going to sleep, you might as well eat,” Ryx said. “Come join me.”
She slid out of bed, but he held up a hand before she could get any closer.
“There’s a tunic and leggings on the trunk at the foot of the bed. Put them on before you come over here. There’s no need for you to be naked. Frih may have exposed you to everyone, but I’d prefer if you were clothed. I’ve put the rest of your items away and have a pair of boots for when we leave this place. You don’t have much so we’ll have to pick up more things for you at one of the space stations along the way.”
“Thank you,” Rena said as she pulled her clothes on.
Once she was dressed, she joined Ryx at the table. She was so hungry her hands shook as she accepted a plate from him. He’d filled it with a bright pink-colored meat, a variety of fruits, some yellow cheese, and some sort of flat bread that was a bright orange color. It was the most colorful array of food she’d ever seen. Rena fought to eat slowly and not stuff her mouth with huge handfuls of food, but she didn’t want to make herself sick. She ate until her belly was full, then she downed a cup of something sweet and bubbly that Ryx handed to her.
“We’ll get some sleep tonight, then in the morning I’ll conclude my business with Frih, and we’ll be on our way,” Ryx said.
“What sort of business do you have?” she asked. Rena winced once the words left her mouth. A slave wasn’t supposed to question her owner. She’d learned that lesson the hard way. Actually, she’d learned a lot of lessons the hard way.
“Frih procures hard to get weapons for me from time to time. I’m picking up the latest shipment, which will then be dispersed amongst the warriors on my world. All legally paid for, in case you were wondering. My people aren’t pirates. We’re hardworking, and honest, which is something a lot of races can’t claim.”
She nodded.
“I’ve noticed you never speak above a whisper. Is it because you’re afraid of me, or because you can’t?” he asked.
“Can’t.”
“Does it have to do with the scar across your throat?”
“Yes,” she said. “I woke up one day and couldn’t talk louder than this. I think they damaged my vocal cords because I screamed too much the first time Frih hurt me. My previous owners seemed to like it when I screamed and cried.”
“He did this to you?” Ryx asked, his face darkening with anger.
“Yes.”
“And all the scars on your body? Some look like burns.”
“Some are from him. Some aren’t,” she answered.
“Your slave papers include a list of all your previous owners. It seems Frih is very thorough with all his purchases. You were removed from Vaaden nearly six years ago, but… you weren’t abducted. Remember that I mentioned you were sold into slavery?”
Her brow furrowed. “But I remember someone snatching me from my bed in the middle of the night. I called for help, but my father didn’t hear me.”
“You were sold to slavers by a woman. Does the name Heria mean anything to you? The papers say she was from Vaaden.”
A tall, thin, blonde woman flashed in her mind. Ice-cold eyes, and a heart to match. She’d wanted Rena’s father, that much she remembered, and she’d loathed Rena. She never understood why, as Rena was no threat to her. It was her attitude toward Rena that had kept Kryon from accepting the woman as a mate. He’d doted on Rena and didn’t like anyone who treated her poorly.
“I can see by your expression that you know who she is,” Ryx said.
“Yes. But I don’t understand why she would have done this to me.”
“Kryon was your father as far as you remember, even though that’s not physically possible. He still raised you. Do you want me to reach out to him? Let him know what happened to you?” Ryx offered. “Perhaps he can look into things on his end and find out what happened.”
“Can I be returned to him on Vaaden?” she asked.
“No. My people do not believe in slavery, and we will not return you to a world that keeps human females as sex slaves. It goes against everything we believe in. Not even your father’s solemn vow would make me change my mind.”
She nodded, understanding their loathing of slavery, as she despised it herself. On her home world, the males owned slaves, and she’d never thought much of it. But now that she’d experienced firsthand what it was like and had heard the screams of the females in the harem, her heart ached for all those on her world who weren’t there voluntarily. Although, she should probably stop thinking of it as her world if she really had been taken from Earth at some point. Were the females in the harems on Vaaden treated as poorly? She knew that Vaaden was a male-dominated society, and as a female, she’d had few to no rights. But she’d trusted her father to do what was best for her. Now she wondered if she should have asked more questions, fought for equality.
“Could you get a message to my father? Just let him know that I’m all right, and maybe tell him what Heria did? It wouldn’t surprise me if she managed to trick him and they’re already mated, but he should know that she was behind my disappearance.”
“I can do that,” Ryx said. “We’ll wait until we’re in space, though. I don’t want to take a chance on Kryon coming here and trying to take you back to Vaaden. I don’t know what he had planned for you, Rena, and I know you don’t want to think poorly of him, but there’s a chance his intentions weren’t honorable.”
“Find out for me. Please. I need to know the truth of how I came to be on Vaaden, and why he’d claim me as his daughter.”
“I’ll see that it’s done. It’s late, and we’ll have an early morning. I think sleep is the best thing for both of us right now. If you’re not comfortable sharing the bed, I can sleep on the floor.”
Rena glanced at the large bed. It seemed big enough that they could easily sleep there without touching one another. As much as she’d feared that Ryx would want something from her, he seemed to be honorable enough. He’d claimed that he wouldn’t touch her sexually, and she’d just have to trust that he was being truthful. The outrage on his face when he spoke of slavery was enough to convince her that she was likely safe in his care. She didn’t think anyone could fake that much emotion.
“We can share,” she said.
“Very well. Go ahead and lie down. I’m going to make sure everything is set for tomorrow, then I’ll return. I won’t wake you until it’s time to go to the ship.”
Rena watched as he disappeared out the bedroom door, and she looked at the bed longingly. Now that she was full, her body felt heavy with fatigue. Making her way across the room, she crawled under the covers and closed her eyes. She didn’t have any idea what tomorrow would bring, or what her life would be like from this point forward, but it couldn’t be worse than living with Frih.
Anything was better than slavery. Freedom, even if she were only granted a little, would be so very welcome. She’d gladly take a mate if it meant she would be safe. If females were as precious to Ryx’s people as he claimed, then it was doubtful a mate would ever strike her. Perhaps, she would finally have the peaceful life she’d wanted for so long.
Chapter Two
Beren
scowled at Ryx. “You did what?”
“I’ve procured a female slave from Frih,” his commander said. “A human.”
Beren smacked his bad ear, certain he’d misheard. The heat from the weapon that had removed the top half seemed to have damaged his hearing as well. But poor hearing or not, he couldn’t have just heard his commander say he’d purchased a slave. If the council found out, the punishment would be severe. Zelthranites did not keep slaves, especially females. And most definitely not humans! If Earth’s government thought for one moment a Zelthranite had taken a human slave, not only would their agreement be forfeit, but likely a war would start.
Ryx snorted. “You didn’t mishear me. Her name is Rena, and she was given to me by Frih as a gift. It was supposed to be for one night, but I arranged to keep her permanently.”
“So, you bedded her, and now you’re going to claim her?” Beren asked, feeling slightly better about the situation. It was one thing to take a mate, and another to keep a slave. But if the commander were to claim the female…
“I didn’t sleep with her,” Ryx said.
Beren blinked and stared. “You didn’t bed her. But you’re keeping her. As what?”
“I thought she might find a mate on our world, or possibly on this ship. None of us are mated, and she seems pretty enough, despite the damage done to her by her various owners.” The commander grimaced, and his gaze dropped.
Damage? What was that supposed to mean? From the commander’s reaction, Beren wondered how badly the female had been harmed. He thought of his many injuries, the physical and emotional pain he’d been through, and wondered what had happened to the female during her captivity. He knew that some slave owners could be cruel, and he wondered if the male Ryx was here to see was one of them. If the male was dealing in human females, could they honestly do business with him in the future? Even if Frih did manage to get weapons they didn’t have the connections to purchase anywhere else, was it really worth it? They were just providing him with the means to buy more females, and Beren felt sick at the thought. Living beings, of any type, should never be kept like property. If Ryx had known all this time that Frih was purchasing slaves, how could he live with himself?
Rena and the Alien Warrior (Intergalactic Brides Book 16) Page 2
