“Some do, just as some human males do,” Allik said. “But such arrangements are not for everyone.”
“Really?” Victoria was still not convinced that all she had heard about Allik’s people could be false.
Allik snorted in amusement. “You have met Kyree. Is she a slave?”
“No.” From what Victoria had seen, Kyree was not at all like she’d imagined Taar-Breckian women to be. She had a real purpose on board the ship and Allik’s respect for her was obvious.
“No, she isn’t,” Allik affirmed. “And nor will you be if you accept my terms.”
“Terms?” That sounded incredibly businesslike, but Victoria was intrigued.
“Yes, if we are to continue along this path, there can be no more confusion between us. You will submit to my authority.” He raised a hand to forestall the objection that lay on the tip of her tongue. “And in return, I will respect your opinions and allow you to make your own decisions, provided they do not interfere with my need to keep you safe.”
Victoria hesitated as he stared at her, intently examining her as he waited for a response. She couldn’t see how submitting to his authority could be compatible with her enjoying any kind of freedom. Surely, he would simply overrule her every time she made a decision he didn’t like. There was no freedom in that.
Seeming to sense her reluctance to commit herself to anything, Allik said, “Submitting to my authority does not make you weak. It takes courage to allow another to guide and protect you.”
“Okay,” Victoria agreed. Although she still harbored some reservations, it made sense to accept his protection and whatever else that entailed. If she didn’t like it, she could look for a way to escape once they reached Taar-Breck. “I’ll accept your terms.”
“Good,” Allik said solemnly. “You must be open about what you want but I cannot guarantee to give it to you.”
“Well,” Victoria flashed him a smile and coyly bit her bottom lip, “there is something I want and I’m sure you can give it to me.”
“And what is that?” The heat in Allik’s eyes was scorching and Victoria regretted that she was about to douse the flames.
“Dinner,” she said with an apologetic grimace. “I’m starving.”
* * *
If Victoria found it uncomfortable to sit cross-legged at a table just a few inches off the floor while eating her meal, she didn’t show it. Allik knew his quarters were not what she was used to, but she didn’t complain. She hadn’t made much of a fuss over the fact that he’d forgotten all about her basic needs either. He was angry at himself for neglecting her so badly. He had no idea what was wrong with him. From the moment he’d first laid his hands on that soft, supple body of hers, he’d been confused and distracted. Well, that was going to stop. He needed to get control of himself for both their sakes.
Watching her wolfing down her meal, Allik couldn’t help but smile at the unladylike way she was stuffing food into her mouth. It was as though she hadn’t eaten for weeks. With every bite she took, her eyes seemed to roll back in pleasure. He had seen human females eating before but never with such obvious enthusiasm. The ones he had observed had simply picked at their food, appearing to just move it around on their plates rather than actually eating anything. He couldn’t blame them, he supposed, considering that almost everything the people of Earth ate these days was synthetic. He was pleased that he would be able to provide Victoria with something better. If the way she was devouring her meal was any indication, she would certainly appreciate it. As she tore a piece of meat off the bone with her teeth, she reminded him more of a warrior replenishing his energy after battle than a supposedly delicate young woman. Her appetite was impressive.
“You are enjoying your meal.”
It was an observation rather than a question, but she responded anyway. “Yes, it’s delicious. What is this?”
“Taar-Breckian beef,” Allik replied. “Surely you’ve tried it before?”
Victoria shook her head and his eyes narrowed. He knew that his commander had recently arranged for a shipment of the finest beef to be distributed to the people of Earth to celebrate his marriage to one of their high-born females. In fact, the Taar-Breckians had been sending regular supplies to their allies. It seemed odd that a woman from a wealthy family like Victoria’s had never sampled the delicacy. Perhaps it was further evidence of the High Council’s corruption that she hadn’t eaten it before. It certainly wasn’t because she had an aversion to meat.
“We breed the finest cattle,” Allik told her. “They are descended from stock our ancestors brought back from Earth.”
“Before they became extinct.” Victoria’s tone was regretful. No doubt she was thinking about all the animal species that had died out over the centuries as her home planet was ravaged by internal conflicts and outbreaks of disease. She seemed to perk up a little as she pointed to the orange-colored vegetable on her plate. “And what’s this mushy stuff?”
“That is yarrak root.”
“It reminds me of sweet potatoes,” Victoria said. “The ones I had when I was a child, not the artificial rubbish they serve now.”
“It is very nutritious.”
“Who cares about nutrition? It tastes amazing,” Victoria enthused before turning her attention back to packing food into her mouth.
As she ate, clearly enjoying every bite, Allik chastised himself once more for how badly he’d handled things up to now. Nothing about today had gone as he would have liked. That was what happened when you deviated from your plans, he supposed. He had always intended to snatch Victoria and bring her on board the ship but he hadn’t anticipated the circumstances that had forced him to act before he was ready. He also hadn’t imagined that she would prove to be such a challenge. Although he’d suspected that she wasn’t the little mouse she pretended to be, he hadn’t expected quite so much trouble from her. Nor, for that matter, had he imagined for one moment that he would receive so much pleasure from being around her. In her presence he felt calmer somehow, even when he’d been forced to punish her. It was incredible that he should feel so strongly when he hadn’t claimed her yet. Quite why he had backed off when she protested about him fucking her, he wasn’t sure. Normally, he would have calmed her, used the powerful desire she so obviously felt to make her submit. There was something about Victoria, however, that made him want to do things differently. He found the whole situation perplexing.
“Are you okay?” Victoria asked, the bone from her steak clattering down on the plate.
The question surprised Allik. He hadn’t realized his troubling thoughts could be so easily read.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? You look…” she seemed to be searching for the right word, “pensive.”
“Pensive?”
“Yes, thoughtful,” she elaborated. “Like your mind is elsewhere.”
“My mind is right here,” Allik replied.
“If you say so.” Victoria looked unconvinced, but she didn’t push it. She changed the subject instead. “So, what is it like on Taar-Breck?”
“It is warm, clean, safe. Our systems work efficiently.”
“Wow!” Victoria barked out an inelegant laugh. “You might as well be describing a household appliance.”
Allik frowned. He was, perhaps, not the most eloquent of men but he thought his description of his homeland was pretty accurate.
“Never mind,” Victoria said. “Can you tell me what I’ll do when we get there?”
Allik hadn’t really given much thought to that. Beyond getting her on board this ship and taking her as his mate, he really hadn’t made plans. He had expected things to just fall into place after he claimed her.
“You will live in my home. Warm my bed.”
“Is that it?” She looked disappointed and a little angry with his response.
“What is it you wish to do?”
“I want to join the interplanetary air force.” As soon as the words left her lips, she raised a hand to her mout
h as though she hadn’t intended to say anything. “It’s stupid, I know.”
“We have females in our military,” Allik said, giving her an appraising look. “They are a little taller than you, though.”
“Oh.” Victoria looked crestfallen.
Having no idea what else to say, Allik rose to his feet and held his hand out to help her up from the floor. “Go to bed,” he said with an air of command. “You need your rest.”
“What if I’m not tired?” Victoria challenged.
“Go to bed,” Allik repeated, a little more firmly this time. “You need to keep your strength up.”
“Oh?” Victoria raised her eyebrows. “Why is that?”
“Because in the morning, you are to receive punishment.”
“For what?” Victoria demanded.
“Your behavior toward Kyree.”
He could see the rebellion flaring in Victoria’s eyes and it sent a jolt of electricity through him.
“But you already punished me for that,” she said, the anger evident in her tone.
“Yes, I did,” Allik conceded. “But Kyree did not.”
That seemed to knock the wind right out of Victoria’s sails. “Kyree’s going to spank me?”
“Perhaps.” Allik enjoyed the look of horror on Victoria’s face. “Or she may have devised some other punishment.”
Knowing Kyree, Allik was sure she would have come up with some interesting method to make Victoria atone for her transgressions. He watched the emotions playing across Victoria’s highly expressive face. At first, she looked as though she was trying to find some argument against being punished by the other woman but eventually the struggle that was being played out on her features gave way to acceptance.
“Now, go and get some sleep.” He gave her a gentle push toward his bedroom and she went without another word.
Allik could hear her muttering under her breath, cursing him no doubt. For tonight, he would allow her to have his bed to herself. She had said that her situation was a lot to take in and, no matter how he craved the warmth of her body next to him, he wanted to give her some space to adjust to her new reality. Tomorrow, things would be different. Like it or not, she belonged to him and he was going to ensure that she knew it.
Chapter Eight
The look on Victoria’s face was absolutely priceless as Kyree opened a black leather case and produced a large plug made of a vibrant purple silicone. It would look very pretty nestled between her beautifully rounded butt cheeks. Although Allik doubted that she’d ever experienced having her bottom filled, her wary expression told him that she was, at least, aware of what the object’s purpose was. Really, it was quite obvious. Its rounded tip flared out into an elongated diamond-shaped midsection and then tapered down to a wide base that would sit snugly outside of her bottom to hold it securely in place. He knew that Victoria and her friends had been engaged in reading erotic literature that was banned by Earth’s tyrannical High Council. It was likely that she’d encountered descriptions of anal plugging in some of those books. He hoped that was the case. He didn’t want her to be too unsettled by anything that happened to her.
“Do you know what this is for?” Kyree asked in a pleasant tone.
Victoria nodded her head. Preferring that she respond verbally, Allik cleared his throat purposefully.
“Yes.” Victoria clearly took the hint. “I know what it’s for.”
“So, what’s it for?” Allik couldn’t resist pushing her to say the words he knew she would be embarrassed to say. If she found it degrading to talk about such things, that was just tough luck. She needed to get used to expressing herself openly. He was not a man who had time to waste on deciphering subtle language.
A flash of color seared her cheeks before she responded. “It goes into my bottom.”
“Very good,” Kyree said as she sent Allik a look to remind him that she was running the show and not him. “And have you ever had a plug in your bottom?”
“No,” Victoria said quietly.
“Has a man ever touched you there?” Kyree asked.
“No.” Victoria gave a slow shake of the head.
“Excellent,” Kyree responded. “Now, I want you to remove your clothing, spread your legs wide apart, and bend over the table. Then I want you to reach back and hold your bottom cheeks for me. When you are in position, you will ask me to insert the plug into your naughty little bottom.”
Just the thought of watching Victoria strip off all her clothes, bend over, and ask to have her bottom plugged made Allik hard as a rock. He took a deep breath and stepped back a few paces. As much as he wanted to touch Victoria right now, it was up to Kyree to punish her and not him. It was not going to be easy to resist interfering, though.
Expecting that Victoria’s obvious nervousness would cause her to protest, he was surprised when he immediately complied with Kyree’s request. With trembling fingers, she removed the new white dress he’d managed to procure for her and draped it over the nearest chair. She moved with natural grace, her limbs long and supple. Her skin glowed with a lovely peachy hue but there were a couple of light bruises on her buttocks from the paddling she’d received the night before. Her breasts were small but perfectly proportioned, with delicate pink buds at their peaks. For a moment she stood before Allik as though giving him time to admire every inch of her gorgeous body.
Then, without any further delay, she flicked her long, dark hair over her shoulder, turned from him, and bent over the table, her legs in a wide open stance. With a loud sigh, the only sign of her reluctance, she reached back and parted her cheeks, presenting her tight little hole for Kyree to plug. The expression on her face was serene but Allik could see the turmoil reflected in her eyes. The flashes of emotion they betrayed hinted at an internal struggle over whether or not they should obey. It pleased Allik that he could still see a spark of defiance there. He didn’t want her spirit to be extinguished. There would be no satisfaction in mating with a completely docile woman.
“Victoria.” Kyree gave her a stern reminder when she failed to speak.
“Please put the plug in…” Victoria’s face reddened. Her eyes clenched shut and then she opened them again. “…in my naughty little bottom.”
Indignation burned in her cheeks but, to her credit, she didn’t utter a single word of protest. Allik watched in fascination as Kyree ran her hand slowly over Victoria’s bottom, causing her to tense and then sag against the table as she accustomed herself to being touched by the other woman. He would not tolerate another man caressing his mate in such an intimate way but there was something incredibly arousing about seeing Kyree doing it.
He leaned forward for a better view as Kyree applied a generous squirt of gel to the rosy pucker of Victoria’s anus. She pushed a finger slowly into the untried channel, making Victoria hiss in discomfort. Slowly, Kyree worked her finger in and out of the tight hole until the younger woman began to moan and rock her hips, seeming to welcome the penetration. With her legs spread apart, Allik could see the telltale glistening of moisture dripping from her pretty pink pussy. His little human was starting to enjoy herself. As Kyree withdrew her finger, Victoria let out a low groan of disappointment that made Allik’s cock twitch.
“The gel helps to relax the muscles so the plug will go in a bit more easily,” Kyree told Allik. “Human females are more slightly built than we are, so you should use some of this gel when you want to fuck her bottom. It won’t relax her so much that it affects your pleasure, but it will ease the way for you.”
Victoria looked around, clearly startled by Kyree’s words. Whether it was the idea of having her bottom fucked, or Kyree talking about her as though she wasn’t even in the room that bothered her, Allik wasn’t sure.
“Don’t worry, my dear,” Kyree said pleasantly. “By the time we’re finished here, you’ll be more than ready for Allik to take your cute little bottom hole. Of course, he’s much bigger than the plug, but it will help to prepare you.”
Something fl
ashed in Victoria’s eyes that made Allik wonder if this was the moment when she would rebel against what was happening to her. Once again, she surprised him by resting her head on the table and allowing Kyree to apply more of the gel.
Allik watched intently as Kyree pressed the rounded tip of the plug against the pucker of his mate’s anus. Victoria gasped in surprise as it slipped easily into her rear channel. As the widest part of the plug breached the tight ring of muscle, there was obvious resistance. Victoria groaned and wriggled in a way that made Allik’s cock ache.
“Easy now.” Kyree’s tone was calming. “Take a deep breath and relax.”
Another grimace of discomfort twisted Victoria’s features, but then she seemed to settle. A sigh of relief escaped her as the plug was fully seated inside her.
“Good girl,” Kyree praised.
Seeing Victoria bent over the table with her legs apart and her bottom plugged was almost more than Allik could bear. His cock strained against the confines of his tight leather pants and he wondered how the hell he was going to survive the next hour. Already, he felt as though he was about to explode. Seeming to sense his discomfort, Kyree grinned wickedly and motioned for him to take a seat.
“Victoria, please kneel,” Kyree instructed. Allik was impressed by how adept the young medic was at taking charge. She was polite, yet firm as she maintained control of the situation. He found it more arousing than he’d thought he would to watch her instructing his little human.
Immediately, Victoria dropped to her knees, adopting a graceful pose that seemed to come naturally. Possessing an innate elegance, she needed no coaching on how to position herself. Her back was straight, her neck long and slender. Dark hair cascaded over her shoulders to trail down into the small of her back. There was a look of calm on her face, an expression she had clearly practiced over time, but the story her eyes told was one of fear, confusion, and perhaps a little excitement.
Chosen for the Warrior (Brides of Taar-Breck Book 2) Page 8
