“Can’t you just send them?” I asked, motioning towards the rest of the crew.
“I can’t,” he said. “I know the terrain and the layout much better than anyone else. The quicker we get there and back, the quicker we can leave.”
“Well, can I go with you?” I asked. “I went last night with the girls. I know the area.”
“Absolutely not,” he said. “Actually, Natira, can you please take care of her? Once the bedroom’s back to normal, can you please take her back?”
Natira nodded.
“Not a problem,” she said.
I wanted to protest, but I also knew that it wouldn’t do any good. His mind had been made up. He was going on the mission and leaving me behind. He gave me a kiss on the lips. He turned with the rest of the crew and left the room.
Natira and I sat in the room alone for a while, neither of us talking. I was still in shock from everything that had happened. One of the soldiers came back to us and told us the room was back to order. What he really meant to say was that Idira’s body was removed. I was reluctant to go back to the murder scene, but I was also exhausted, and needed sleep.
“You can sleep in my room if you would like,” Natira said.
I thought about it for a second, but declined. Perhaps not with someone as randy as Natira.
“No,” I said. “I need to go back there sooner or later. I might as well get it over with now.”
She nodded that she understood, and we got up from our seats in the command room.
“I see things are finally progressing between you and my brother,” Natira said as we walked down the hallway. I blushed.
She must have seen.
“We’re getting there,” I told her. “It’s been slow, but it seems like one thing after another keeps coming up. Crazy exes, for one...”
“It’ll happen,” she reassured me. “Once we get off Arilia, the jump point isn’t too far off. We’ll get there quickly once the ship is back to normal. Then you and Modric can fuck each other’s brains out.”
While that sounded like an absolutely fantastic idea, I was still nervous about Modric’s current mission. Although he seemed confident about finishing it successfully, I still was not keen on the idea of him going out there. If Tabir or anyone else had an inkling that Idira was dead, I feared that Modric would be next.
“What’s wrong?” Natira asked. Both her and Modric had grown to examine my facial expressions to determine my mood. I was not sure how I felt about that. I couldn’t hide any of my feelings from either one of them.
“I’m worried about Modric going out to steal supplies,” I admitted. “What if he runs into Tabir or someone else? What if they find out Idira is dead? What if they kill Modric?”
Natira laughed.
“You shouldn’t worry so much,” she reassured me. “It’s late. I bet Tabir is sleeping. He probably has no idea that Idira even came back here.”
“But what if…?”
She interrupted me.
“Trust me, Freya,” she said. “Modric will be fine. He took a lot of the crew with him. They’re all armed. This is not their first mission together. It will be quick and painless. I promise.”
I had no choice to believe her as I went back to the bedroom. Exhaustion dragged me under the bedsheets, and I closed my eyes, sinking further into it…
I woke to Modric standing by the bed, breakfast tray in hands.
“For you,” he sat down the tray. It held coffee, an arrangement of fresh fruit, toast, and one single pink rose. I had often questioned where the fresh food and flowers had come from, but never brought it up. I was dealing with aliens who had the cures to every disease on Earth. I’m sure it didn’t take much to whip up a breakfast fit for a princess.
“Thank you,” I said, scooting up to a seated position. I reached for the coffee right away. Despite the deep sleep I had after the sabotage and Idira’s murder, I was still exhausted. So much had happened since we landed on Arilia, and my head was still spinning.
“I have good news,” he sat down in a chair near the bed. “Believe it not, we’re back on track. We just took off from Arilia. We’re no longer on the planet.” He beamed with excitement. I felt the weight of the world lift off my shoulders. The ship was fixed. But I still thought about Idira’s dead body.
“What did you do with Idira?” I asked, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.
“It was taken care of,” he said. “You don’t need to know the gritty details. Just know that it’s taken care of.”
This was his way of politely telling me to not worry anymore about it.
“I’m assuming everything went well last night with the mission? You didn’t run into Tabir or anyone else?”
“Nope,” he said. “We actually didn’t run into anyone. If I had a visiting spaceship on my planet, I would be guarding that door with my life. Apparently the Arilians are much more laid back than the Athims. No one even knew we were out and about. We found our supplies and left quickly. I hope we’ll never go back there again.”
“Do you think they’ll be upset about Idira?” I asked. Modric shook his head as he sipped his own coffee cup.
“I doubt it,” he said. “I mean, she was the ruler of the planet, but I sensed that her own husband did not even care that much for her. I’m sure they will find another successor and life will go on as usual.”
“How are you feeling after all of this?” I asked.
“Full of questions today, are we?”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I just feel like so much has happened in the past couple of days. You can easily tell how I feel about things, but I never know how you’re feeling unless you ask me.”
“I get that,” he responded. He stopped talking to think for a minute.
“Should I be honest?” he asked.
“Of course, you should!” I responded, even though I was worried what he was about to stay.
“I have no regrets about killing that bitch,” he said. I didn’t expect that answer.
“She used to be someone important to me. But as soon as your life was in danger, all of that went out the window. I would kill her again in a heartbeat if I knew you to be in danger.”
I smiled. Although it was a strange circumstance, it made me happy to know how much he had cared for me.
After I ate my breakfast, Modric informed me that we would be arriving at the jump point later that night. He said that it would be a big deal, and I should dress the part of a princess.
“You look great always,” he said. “But I want everyone to know that you’re an Athim Princess.”
“So, something like last night?” I wanted him to remember how “ravishing” I had looked last night. Perhaps we would have time before we landed to pick up where we left off. He looked at me and licked his lips.
“Although that outfit was fantastic, I need you to take it down a notch. If anything, for my sake. I can’t deal with everyone eye-fucking my wife. Natira will help. She knows what I want you to look like.”
He walked over to the side of the bed and leaned down to kiss me. It wasn’t our usual forehead kiss. It was a full-blown kiss. Steamy and sensual.
“Wait,” I said. “That’s it? You give me a kiss like that and you’re out of here?”
He smiled deviously at me.
“Tonight, we’ll pick up where we left off. I can promise you that. Tonight, you’ll be all mine.”
With that, he left the room.
Damn you, Modric, I thought to myself. He always left me needing more.
Chapter 14
Since the ship was fixed and the gravity was back to normal, I was able to meet up with the girls later that morning in the study.
“Have you ever heard of the term ‘Nervous Nellie’?” Nellie asked us. “That’s literally me right now.”
We laughed, but she was nervous for good reason. Once we arrived at the jump point, the four girls would be immediately surrendered to the Hallon aliens. None of us knew what would
happen after that.
“Don’t be nervous,” Natira said. “It’s not going to make the situation any easier.”
“Will they treat us okay?” Kelly asked. She looked the most nervous out of all them. I truly felt bad for them. I knew what it felt like to not know what the future held. Hell, I still didn’t know what my future held. It seemed like there was a new surprise in store every day.
“You girls need to eat some lunch before we land,” Natira instructed them. “They have prepared a light lunch in the dining room for you.”
The girls reluctantly got up.
“I can’t eat at a time like this,” Nellie muttered.
“You must,” Natira said. “Not eating will make everything worse. Now, go eat and come back. I’ll get all of you ready for the landing tonight.”
The girls left the room one by one, leaving Natira and I alone.
“I feel so bad for them,” I told her. “I wish there was something I could do. Do you know what’s going to happen to them?”
Natira shook her head. “I see this situation going one of two ways,” she said. “The best case is scenario is that the girls will be married to some of the top-ranking members of the Hallon government. The most favorable best case scenario is that one of them marries the king of Hallon, King Ryu. The Hallon race are polygamists. They have no problem having multiple wives. I believe King Ryu only has one wife right now, Queen Amira. But, if he wanted one of these girls, he could take them. They would be treated as royalty, but would have to breed little redheaded aliens for King Ryu and others.”
That thought was a little troubling to me. Breeding aliens. But then I thought of myself. Would I be breeding aliens in the future, too? It was something I had never thought of. Could I even grow an alien inside of me?
Natira interrupted my thoughts.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I lied. “What’s the second scenario?” I wanted to turn my mind off having an alien baby.
“The worst-case scenario would see the girls being auctioned off among the commoners,” she said. “Then there are no-holds barred. They could be treated like slaves, depending on who purchased them.”
“That’s awful!” I exclaimed.
“It is,” Natira said. “But, I really doubt that will be the case. The officials want to have redheaded children. I’m confident that they will keep the girls and treat them as royalty.”
I prayed that Natira was right.
A few hours later, we were in the girls’ room prepping for our Hallon debut.
“Are you sure you can’t just keep us?” Brenda asked. Natira shook her head.
“I really wish you girls could stay with us,” Natira said. “Believe me, I do. But that decision isn’t mine to make. It’s not even Modric’s decision to make. He’s just following orders from our father. And, it really is nothing personal. You girls are great.”
The four girls were surprisingly understanding with this explanation. I’m not sure that I would have been, but luckily, I didn’t have to entertain that idea. Although I still wasn’t completely accepting of the idea that I had been traded and forced to marry Modric, it was a much better option than the other girls had.
“I will miss you girls,” I admitted, as Natira began working on Kelly’s makeup. Natira was working on all the girls, leaving me for last.
“Modric told me to save the best for last,” she whispered to me earlier. Like Nellie, I was nervous as well, but for a different reason. I would be making my debut as an Athim Princess. The shy girl who grew up in a small suburb of Detroit would now be thrust into an unknown world. If I thought I had insecurities before, they would be magnified with everyone’s eyes on me.
While I was used to being under scrutiny as the President’s daughter, I was also shielded from the press. I never knew what people thought about me, nor did I really care. This was different. I wanted to be accepted as Athim royalty. I wanted both the Hallons and the Athims to like me, especially after the hatred I’d received from Idira.
I was also growing nervous about after the ceremony. Modric had eluded to the fact that we were going to have sex tonight. While it was something that I wanted, I was also petrified. His cock was huge. Would it hurt? Would it even fit? What if I was bad at sex? Was it possible to be bad at sex?
“Helloooooo,” Natira’s voice cut through my thoughts. “Earth to Freya.”
I blushed, slightly embarrassed I hadn’t been paying attention.
“You look more nervous than all of us,” Rachelle said.
“She’s going to bang my brother tonight,” Natira said. I gasped.
“Natira!”
“Oh come on,” Natira said. “You guys are married. It’s not a big deal.”
“Now I’m really upset!” Rachelle said. “I wanted to hear all the details!”
We all laughed.
“She still might have time to tell you,” Natira said. “We’re all staying at the palace tonight as guests of King Ryu. Maybe we’ll all see you in the morning.”
“I hope so!” Nellie said. “I’ve been thinking about what Modric would be like in bed ever since I saw him!”
This took me by surprise.
“Are you serious?” I asked. Modric was very attractive, with those dark, brooding eyes, and his dusted blue skin tone, but I never thought anyone else on the ship had thought of him sexually.
“Oh, I ‘ve heard her call his name out when she’s been alone in the shower before!” Kelly admitted.
Wow. Not only had Nellie had a crush on Modric, she had obviously pleasured herself while thinking about him. My husband. Once again, while my mind knew this was strange, my body radidated with excitement.
“That’s enough,” Natira said, finishing Kelly’s makeup. “I’m not going to sit here and talk about you girls masturbating to thoughts of my brother. Only Freya can do that.”
Natira worked fast and furious on the girls, transforming them from pretty to absolutely gorgeous. I’d never seen any of them look as perfect as they did in that moment. It did make sense, though. The girls were part of a trade, and the Athims wanted them to look their best in order to get the most bang for their buck.
Now it was my turn in the chair. Natira combed out my long hair. I expected curls or waves, but she surprised me when she began to braid my hair. They were very similar to the braids that she often sported. Two tight braids. Nothing special.
She then did my makeup, and it was very basic. Foundation, mascara, a little bit of bronzer, and a nude color on my lips. Compared to the others, I looked like the odd one out, and not in a good way. I handed back Natira the mirror and pouted. She laughed.
“Oh, it’s not that bad, Freya,” she said. “You’re still absolutely beautiful with those green eyes of yours. Anyway, my brother’s the one that told me to tone it down. Blame him if you want to blame anyone. He’s very protective of you. If it was up to him, he would probably have you wearing a brown bag over your face.”
I moaned, but knew this was probably true. At least I had some makeup on. I still didn’t imagine my Athim Princess debut to be so boring. Unfortunately, I had no idea how much worse things were about to get.
She presented me with my dress next. It was white, but completely different from the one I had first worn. This one had long sleeves covered with lace. It was so long, I feared it would drag on the floor as I walked. I was completely covered from the neck down. It looked like something from the 1800s.
I groaned, putting it against my body. I secretly hoped it wouldn’t fit, but I knew it would.
“This is ridiculous! I feel like such a grandma in this!” I complained. The other girls had revealing, short dresses that I was accustomed to. Their breasts were on display, and their butts were almost hanging out of their short skirts. I heard a hearty laugh from behind me. I spun around to see Modric standing in the doorway, a grin on his face.
“Freya, you’re being… what’s the word? Drama
tic?” he said. I blushed, knowing he was right. He walked towards me and kissed my forehead.
“Don’t worry, my wife,” he whispered in my ear. “That dress will be off before you know it.”
“You still find me sexy in this?” I whispered back. He nodded.
“Absolutely,” he said.
“All right, that’s enough!” Natira said. She pointed to Modric. “You need to go get into your traditional clothing. We need to finish some things up. We’ll meet you in twenty minutes.”
Modric reluctantly followed his sister’s orders, but not before turning to kiss me. After he left, Nellie spoke.
“You two are so hot together!” she exclaimed. “I love it.”
Once we were all dressed and ready to go, we made our way to the main doors.
“We’re at the jump point,” Natira explained. “We will need to stop here for a search before we can head to Hallon where the ceremony will take place.”
We all nodded.
“The Hallons need to come on for inspection,” Natira said. “They will be checking our ship as well as checking out our trade items. Treat them with respect and they will do the same with you.”
The girls nodded. We were no longer smiling or joking with each other. The impending trade was becoming reality. We stood near the door waiting for the Hallon soldiers to come onboard.
We watched as they trekked up the stairs. Long rifles were attached to their backs. They looked stoic. When they reached the top, Natira greeted them in English.
“Welcome to our ship,” she said, allowing them on. Our soldiers stood by the door as well, watching the Hallon soldiers carefully. The Hallon split into two groups. One went further inside the ship and the other group stayed with us.
“They’re just making sure that we aren’t bringing anything illegal to the planet,” Natira said. We nodded. It reminded me of growing up in Michigan and crossing the border into Canada. A basic search, nothing more, nothing less.
The group of soldiers that stayed behind began to eye the girls up and down. One of them produced what looked like an ink stamp from his pocket.
Sold To The Athim Prince Page 9
