by Cara Wylde
“Oh, don’t worry about it. You’ll live a long, full life. That is, if you conform to a small set of rules. Nothing impossible to comply with, I promise.”
She felt adrenaline shoot through her veins. He wanted to turn her into his pleasure slave. She had to keep acting as if she were clueless, but it was hard when she’d just figured him out.
“Well, it seems it was impossible for Sharon here,” he went on. “But you look more like the submissive type. Look at you sitting nice and compliant, staring at me with those big, innocent eyes of yours. Yes, I believe you’ll make a wonderful pleasure slave.”
That was all the confirmation she needed. Adrian Reeve had no idea who she really was. He didn’t know she wasn’t Poppy Tonks, so Aedar and Kryan hadn’t told her secret to any of the other aliens. If they had, the information would have spread like wildfire by now, and the Norgavian would have known for sure. Also, he didn’t know she had already been claimed by the two Kralian captains. Should she say something? Would he believe her? Would he decide to dutifully return her to her masters? What about Sharon? What would happen to her?
All these thoughts running through her head made it hard to make a decision. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. She didn’t know what her best play here was. Pretend she didn’t know anything and see what would happen? Maybe, if he took her, he would release Sharon. She’d find a way out of this mess later. What if she told him both she and Sharon were already Aedar’s and Kryan’s slaves? Would he believe them? Surely, the two Kralians would play along and save Sharon if she asked them. Or… would they? She bit the inside of her cheek. It was an impossible choice, and she simply didn’t have enough time to calculate all the risks.
Adrian took a step toward her, leaned in to fix her with his dark gaze, and reached out to run the back of his hand over her cheek, jaw, and neck.
“Beautiful,” he whispered.
In a quick motion, he grabbed the base of her ponytail and pulled harshly at the hair tie, releasing her blonde locks all over her shoulders and back.
“Such pale skin,” he murmured. “Red hair would suit you even better. You know what? Maybe you’ll dye your hair for me. A dark shade of copper. What do you think?”
Avery bit her lower lip. She still couldn’t make a decision. Come to think of it, she wasn’t sure she actually knew what her real options were.
“If I go with you, will you release my friend?”
First, Adrian blinked in surprise, then laughed wholeheartedly.
“You’re a little martyr, aren’t you?” He stood up and pointed toward Sharon. “You’d sacrifice herself for her? Do you have any idea how she talked about you before I got her here and she realized this was not exactly the one-night stand she had been hoping for?”
Avery shook her head gently. “Oh, Sharon… You’re such a bad judge of character.”
He grabbed a handful of Sharon’s black hair and pulled mercilessly, forcing her to look up at him.
“What do you say, love? Should I remove that and let you speak for yourself? I mean, who am I to gossip like this? You might as well tell Poppy here what you told me last night. To her face.”
“Leave her alone,” Avery spat through gritted teeth. “I don’t care what she said. Just answer me: will you let her go if I come with you?”
Adrian sighed in annoyance and released Sharon’s hair.
“You’re smart, Poppy. Smarter than this one, at least. You tell me what I should do. Sharon has seen my real face and has also had the privilege to go on a short visit on my Captain’s ship, the Lyare. Do you believe I can really let her go and trust she won’t say a word about all of this?”
Avery closed her eyes for a second. She felt like all was lost. What was she doing? Why was she even trying?
“Don’t you… aliens have any sort of… I don’t know… device that can wipe someone’s recent memory?”
“Oh, we do. Good idea there. I like you more already.” He grinned devilishly. “We do have something like that. But, you see, there’s no way to set it so it would only wipe someone’s recent memory. It will wipe all of it. She wouldn’t even remember how to talk or walk.”
Avery managed a sarcastic huff. “Some aliens you are… I thought you’d be more advanced.”
“You humans consume too much science fiction.”
“It’s easy to find these days…”
Adrian ignored her and walked to a metal cabinet that covered half of the opposite wall. The basement wasn’t much. Aside from the chairs the girls were tied to, there were two other metal chairs, a metal table, and the cabinet the black-skinned alien was currently opening slowly, as if he was putting on a show for them and didn’t want to reveal its contents too easily.
“So, what should I do then, Poppy? I can’t let her go. The lab on the Lyare has the device you suggested. Should I take Sharon there?”
“I didn’t suggest anything.” She struggled to move so she could see past Adrian’s shoulder.
“Well, you should. And fast. If you don’t come up with any other viable solution, then I guess we can use one of these…”
He stepped aside, revealing the now wide-open cabinet. It was filled with alien weapons of all shapes and sizes. They were of different crazy colors, too, but even though they looked like toys, Avery knew they were deadly.
Sharon couldn’t pretend she wasn’t there anymore. She lifted her gaze, and when she saw what the metal cabinet contained, she started struggling violently. When she almost overturned her chair and herself, one of Adrian’s guys stepped out of the shadows and calmed her down by tightening the rope around her even more. Now, she could barely breathe. For the hundredth time in the past sixteen hours, tears started running down her face.
Avery hated to see her like that. Her own heart started beating faster. At the sight of Adrian’s weapon locker, even she forgot how to use her lungs for a moment or two. When her chest started aching, she gasped and took in a huge gulp of air. Her mind was racing. “This can’t be happening… can’t be happening… How did I get myself and Sharon into this? Oh my God, he’s going to kill her! I have to do something… something… anything…”
“No? No ideas, Poppy?” Adrian waited for another second, and when he saw she wasn’t quite reacting, he shrugged and grabbed the closest gun. “This will do.”
It was a smooth silver thing that looked like a pistol, except the barrel ended in a part that was shaped like a cone. Avery was pretty sure what the alien weapon shot wasn’t even remotely similar to bullets. It would probably vaporize Sharon, or something…
That was it. She couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t hold it together. She started hyperventilating and struggling against the sturdy rope, while her mouth opened and closed as if she was trying to scream or say something. No sound came out. Never in her life had she experienced such a strong, paralyzing panic attack. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe… she had even forgotten how to swallow her own saliva. The world became a blur. She was vaguely aware of Adrian, who was now moving closer to Sharon and pointing the weapon at her, but she couldn’t even control her own body, let alone do something to intervene. She felt like she was about to pass out, and she fought hard to simply stay conscious. A loud bang coming from behind her snapped her out of her own mental frenzy.
For a moment, the world stopped. Adrian didn’t move a muscle. Sharon’s muffled cries turned to silent sobs, and the two guys working for the black-skinned alien stepped aside as light poured in through the open door of the basement.
Avery’s senses started functioning normally little by little. She was coming back to reality, and her brain was struggling to catch up with what was happening around her. She couldn’t see who had opened the door behind her, but she could feel the new tension settling in. Adrian looked like he’d just seen a ghost. Or two.
“Alex? Kit? What are you doing here?”
Avery’s heart stopped, then started beating aga
in, at a normal pace this time. They had come for her. She had no idea how or why, but they were there. Aedar and Kryan were there. And, by the look on Adrian’s face, they weren’t pleased by the scene before them.
“We’ve come to take our slave back.”
Kit’s low, slightly threatening voice was music to her ears.
“W-what?”
“Poppy.” Aedar stepped behind her and placed a warm hand on her shoulder. He squeezed in reassurance. “Can you explain why our slave is tied up in your basement, Sorg?”
“And why you’re pointing a gun at her face?” Kit growled.
“I… No, I’m not.”
Adrian, or Sorg, lowered his weapon and sighed deeply.
“This must be a misunderstanding. She didn’t say anything. In fact, it seemed to me like she had no clue about the existence of aliens.”
Aedar produced a knife out of the pocket of his jacket and untied her in a matter of seconds.
The relief of seeing herself free and safe was too much. She turned around and jumped into Aedar’s arms, her trembling hands groping for his shoulders, his clothes, trying hard to hold on to something and never let go. The familiar smell of his skin and hair filled her nostrils, and butterflies fluttered their wings inside her stomach. They had come for her. She couldn’t believe her two Kralian masters had actually come for her!
“I’m sorry. Truly.” Seeing Aedar hugging his slave back was a bit of a shock to him. He immediately understood the Kralians and the human female had a more complex relationship. “If only she had said something… None of this would have happened. You have my word.”
Kryan shook his head in disappointment.
“She was in shock!” He looked over at Sharon. “And you kidnapped and tortured her friend. Do you think she felt it was safe to tell you anything?”
Sorg shrugged. He walked over to the cabinet and placed the weapon back on its shelf.
“I don’t know what to think, Kryan. Humans confuse the heck out of me. Take this one, for instance.” He pointed with his chin at Sharon. “Last night, she seemed excited. Even on board of the Lyare, she didn’t give me any sign she was going to act like a madwoman. Today, she tried to escape. You can have your slave back, along with my most sincere apologies. But you have to understand that sweet Sharon has to go. I’d keep her, still. I like her enough. But I know she’d be too much work, and I don’t have time for her crazy antics.”
“I’d have to cast her role again,” mused Kryan.
“Sorry, man. Really.”
Ever so gently, Aedar pushed Avery away. She got the hint and slipped into her submissive role. To look even more helpless, she went to Sharon’s side and hugged her as if to let her know everything would be okay.
“Why did you have to mess with our actresses?” said Aedar. “There were hundreds of women at the party. Actresses, top models, singers, you name it. You could’ve picked any of them. Yet, you kidnapped Sharon Kander, and now Poppy Tonks. You know the media is all over them because of ‘Star-Crossed’. Come on!”
“Hey! Who helped you two get Kralia Studios off the ground?”
“That was ten years ago.”
Sorg sighed. “Okay, my bad. So, what do you suggest we should do with her?”
Avery hugged Sharon tighter. “Don’t worry. They’re getting us out of here.”
The brunette looked up at her. The look in her eyes begged Avery to remove the gag and untie her.
“Shh… It’s going to be okay. I can’t do that, honey. I have to stay in character. It’s for the best, trust me.”
Kryan glared at them, and Avery’s heart sank a bit. He was staying in character too, right?
“Well, our slave seems quite infatuated with her. She came all the way here to get her back when she saw she was missing this morning…”
“Yeah. Looks like you should tighten the leash.”
“We’re not compromising the movie,” Aedar explained. “Poppy understands the situation. She has family, you see.”
“Oh, cool! Love your approach!”
Kryan and Aedar exchanged a quick glance. Avery caught it, but she wasn’t sure what it meant. When Kryan finally gave the verdict, the relief she felt almost made her melt on the floor.
“We’re taking Sharon with us. She can be Poppy’s pet.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Kit was behind the wheel, driving them back to the Walsh Residence. Alex was in the seat next to him, thoughtfully looking out the window. Neither of them said anything.
Avery and Sharon were in the backseat. Avery had given the brunette her jacket and was now holding her hand and brushing her tangled hair away from her face from time to time in a gesture of comfort.
“Where are you taking me?” Sharon asked weakly.
“Somewhere safe,” Avery whispered. “Don’t worry about it. It’s over now.”
“Is it true? You’re their… slave? They’re… aliens, too?” She pointed with her chin at Kit and Alex.
Avery sighed. What story should she go with now? Or, was it better to tell the poor woman the truth?
Alex saved her.
“She’s not our slave. It’s all an act. And yes, we’re aliens, but from an entirely different race. We’re working with Avery to overthrow the Alien Alliance and stop them from taking over your planet and turning every human being into either a pleasure slave or a work slave.”
“Avery?” Sharon sounded even more confused than before. “Who’s Avery?”
“Oh, right,” Alex chuckled. “You don’t know.”
Avery took a deep breath, centered herself, then looked straight into Sharon’s eyes and held her gaze so the woman would know she wasn’t trying to deceive her again.
“Honey, look at me. I’m Avery. Avery Tonkin, FBI agent. I’ve been undercover for about two years. I’d show you my badge, but… well, I can’t carry it on me, now can I?” She smiled reassuringly. “The FBI and the CIA have known about the alien invasion for a few years. We’re been working on infiltrating the enemy as they’ve been infiltrating us and trying to weaken us from the inside. Kralia Studios… it’s all a façade. I mean, yes, it is a film production company, but haven’t you noticed what Alex and Kit have been doing all along? The only goal of their books and films is to brainwash the masses into believing aliens are good, romantic, sexy… that they’re the saviors and only want what’s best for us. And when the actual alien invasion happens, we humans won’t even fight it. We’ll welcome these beings from other planets, and when we finally understand what’s really happening, it will be too late.”
Sharon started shaking her head in disbelief.
“N-no. This is insane. It can’t be true.”
Avery squeezed her hand.
“You saw it for yourself, didn’t you? Last night, Adrian took you aboard of the Norgavian spaceship. Does he have a stargate hidden somewhere inside his house?”
“Y-yes.” Her bottom lip started trembling. “It was awful.”
“I know, honey. I know. He will never touch you again, I promise.”
Sharon sniffed, thought for a second, then whispered in Avery’s ear.
“How do you know they’re not… playing you?” She was clearly referring to Alex and Kit.
Avery smiled. Her heart fluttered in her chest, and she allowed herself to enjoy the warm feeling of safety the Kralians’ simple presence in the car gave her.
“They saved us, didn’t they? And they never kidnapped anyone, never took pleasure slaves.”
“Then, how did you end up…?”
“Oh, it’s a long story.”
“How about you two finish this inside?” Kit parked the car in the garage and got out. He opened the door for Avery. “Come on, sunshine. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
Avery bit the inside of her cheek. “Am I in trouble?”
Her innocent question almost threw Kit off guard. It also caused him an erection, but that was invisible to the n
aked eye. For now.
“N-no. I mean, yes. What you did was reckless.”
He offered her his hand, and Avery took it. Meanwhile, Alex was trying to convince Sharon to get out of the car. Even though he was gentler and more charming than Kit, he didn’t seem to make any progress with the scared young woman.
“It’s okay, Sharon. You can’t stay here,” Avery tried.
“I… I need a second. Please, just a second.”
Avery motioned to Alex to leave her alone and join her and Kit. Sharon would get out of the car on her own, when she was ready.
“I’m sorry. It was stupid of me to go there without backup. How did you find us, though?”
She had been dying to ask that question. No matter how many possible scenarios she went over in her head, none made real sense. There was no logic to it. She had stopped by their house, true, but that was before she had any idea where she was going next. Also, she hadn’t told their butler anything. The only one who had known was Lydia Carmichael, her agent.
Kit and Alex exchanged a quick glance before saying anything. Avery caught it.
“What? What’s wrong? What aren’t you telling me?”
“Let’s just go inside first,” Alex said.
“Alright… alright… I think I’m ready.” Sharon got out of the backseat. She was standing there, helpless, unsure of what to do. Seeing Poppy… Avery… talk so casually to Kit and Alex did soothe her a bit. “I… I’d like some clothes, please. If it’s possible…”
“Oh my God, sure!” Avery ran to her side and took her by the hand. “We’ll find you something to wear.”
Kit held the door for them. Once they were all inside, he gave some quick orders, and soon Sharon was dressed properly, her hair combed and her face clean, and there was food, water, coffee and whiskey on the table outside, on the terrace. They sat down, overlooking the green, lush garden, and the pool.
“Tell me everything,” said Sharon. Now that she looked like a normal human being, she felt better, and her voice sounded more confident. She would have to deal with her trauma later. For now, all she wanted was the truth. She deserved that much.
