by Abel, Regine
“And you are,” Krygor said tenderly.
I smiled sadly before continuing. “Other wealthy and noble families refused him their daughters, fearing the same fate would befall them, and in turn bring shame to their bloodline. So, that made me his only child—at least the only legitimate one. The Goddess only knows if I have other siblings sired on slaves or pleasure workers,” I said, shaking my head with disgust at the way Guldan males treated females in general. “By default, my uncle became my Guardian as Guldan females must belong to a male, be it a blood relative, a spouse, or a master. Since he didn’t want to deal with my father’s debts, after the creditors collected what assets they could from the bankruptcy, my uncle gave me and our ancestral lands to Valdek.”
“So, you did marry him after all?”Krygor asked, taken aback, the sliver of jealousy in his voice plain to hear.
I shook my head. “No, of course not. Valdek would never marry a beggar. My uncle gave me to him as a sex slave. While he would have treated me with a certain level of care as his wife, a slave was merely a tool to be used and abused.” My throat tightened remembering the painful days getting punished by Valdek for my father ruining his carefully planned future, as if I had been the one to blame. “In a way, it was luck that he ended up selling me to the right hand of Guldar’s most successful slaver.”
“How so?” Krygor asked, the tension in his voice hinting at his burgeoning anger.
For a second, I hesitated about continuing my tale, but I wanted the truth out between us. Despite barely knowing him, Krygor was everything I wished for in a man, and I wanted this relationship to start off on solid foundations.
“Valdek developed a lot of high-end technology which Gruuk Vrok—the greatest slaver in Guldan history—used in his breeding compounds,” I explained. “Gruuk’s right hand, Doruk Sidik, saw me when he came to Kenzenia to negotiate a major contract on behalf of his boss. Valdek had not shared me with anyone. I think he was afraid to let anyone see the scars from the lashings he’d given me.”
“WHAT?!” Krygor hissed, his face contracting with rage and his hand fisting the bed covering with such strength I feared it would rip.
“It’s okay. It’s okay,” I said in a soothing voice, caressing his chest gently. “For all his faults, Doruk came with certain benefits, including access to Veredian healers that took away the scars and made me as good as new again.” I smiled as Krygor grunted in concession, although his lingering anger was plain to see. I caressed his cheek before continuing. “Doruk wanted me, but he especially wanted my lands. What most people don’t know is that Doruk came from very humble beginnings. Gruuk saved his life when he was still just a teenager and put him through his paces, personally training him into becoming his right hand. But despite the wealth and status he had acquired trading Veredians, Doruk wanted the respect and standing that came with owning ancestral lands.”
“So, he bought you and your lands?” Krygor asked, still seething, although it came out more like a statement than a question.
I nodded. “In truth, it worked out for the best,” I said sincerely. “I was free of Valdek’s abuse, and as Doruk spent most of his time in space, he didn’t bother me much, and I got to do what I’d been raised to do: run the family estate. Two years later, when I gave birth to my son Tevek, Doruk married me to make our son his legitimate heir. I didn’t even know it had happened as the female’s permission isn’t required, and only found out twenty years later when I gave birth to Siona.”
“How did you end up with Luther?” Krygor asked, frowning.
“Gruuk Vrok died,” I said with a heavy sigh. “With Gruuk’s empire getting dismantled, Doruk came home. While he’d been in space, seeing me only once or twice a year was enough to keep up his interest, but he grew bored of having me underfoot day in and day out for two years straight. With both our children having their legitimate status, he no longer needed me. And with his tremendous wealth, the elite of Guldar sought to form blood alliances with him.”
“So, he discarded you,” Krygor said, a hard glint in his eyes.
I nodded again, swallowing painfully through the hurt, pain, and shame that seemed to have been passed down from my mother to me. “He had found me a buyer among the slavers that had come home to present their latest ‘stock’ on offer. Luther had been among those buyers and had haggled to buy me. But he is human, and Guldan females aren’t allowed to leave Guldar. So, Doruk rejected his offer and gave me to a Guldan slaver instead who was to collect me three days later.”
“Only you? Not Siona?” Krygor insisted, his strong brows creasing.
“Oh Goddess, no!” I said, shaking my head. “Had that been the case, I probably wouldn’t have signed such a foolish contract with Luther. My baby was beautiful and promising to turn into a stunning woman. Doruk already had many suitors lined up for her that would strengthen his status and influence. That’s why I had to run away with my baby. That’s why I approached Luther.”
“You went to him?” Krygor asked, flabbergasted.
“He never would have dared approach another male’s female on Guldar without his express consent. The consequences would have been too dire for him,” I said, shivering at the memory. “I’d never been so terrified in my life. If he exposed me, I’d be publicly stoned to death. But the way he’d been looking at me and his bitterness at being denied for being a foreigner convinced me he would at least consider taking me offworld, if only out of spite. There was little time and far too few opportunities to discuss terms. So, of course, I accepted whatever he threw at me, as long as he took both of us away.”
“But how did he manage to take you without anyone noticing, or even to perform the surgery?” Krygor asked, confused. “Considering how closely Guldan females are watched, how did they not suspect or catch you?”
“We managed thanks to Luther being clever. In a gesture of gratitude, Luther offered to host an orgy at the house he was renting during his stay, mainly featuring his girls. Not the ones from Bacchus,” I clarified quickly. “He runs side deals completely independent of Bacchus involving girls that are often far too young, which I didn’t realize at the time. While the men were out enjoying themselves, I went to run errands with my daughter and one of our house slaves. As long as a slave accompanies us, a male supervisor isn’t compulsory.”
“And you never returned home,” Krygor rightfully guessed.
“Correct,” I said with a nod. “Luther had us ‘abducted’ in front of the slave so that she could return home and cry for help.”
“And Luther would have been participating in that orgy, with everyone to see he clearly wasn’t involved,” Krygor astutely deduced.
“Exactly. We remained on Guldar for nearly a week. With the crazy manhunt ongoing, and the spaceports under heavy surveillance, Luther had no difficulty convincing me to let him cut off my horns. Nobody would be questioning one more human slave among his other ones.”
“And here we are,” Krygor concluded.
“And here we are,” I echoed. “My only regret is not knowing what has become of my son. He was away at the Technical Academy when all that mess went down. In my heart, I want to believe he’s searching for us, but the Goddess only knows how they’ve changed him after Doruk took him from me for fear I was making him too soft.”
A strange expression crossed Krygor’s face as he looked at me.
“What?” I asked, slightly worried.
“You didn’t know that the Queen of Braxia, our Dagna, was Guldan. So, you probably aren’t aware that she’s actually Gruuk Vrok’s daughter with his Veredian wife, Maheva.”
My jaw dropped, and I gaped at him in disbelief. But that explained everything even more than I’d previously realized. Gruuk Vrok had been praised on Guldar as one of the greatest businessmen of our times. There had been some talks here and there questioning his fierceness, and implying he might have gone soft, but his continued success, wits, and combat prowess against those who thought to duel him for his position of command
had proven him to be a role model to emulate.
The Emperor finding out that not only had Gruuk successfully sired a Guldan hybrid with a Veredian but kept it a secret instead of exploiting it must have stung. Then discovering that same hybrid now sat on the Braxian throne, thwarting his efforts to enslave the giant warriors had to be infuriating. He couldn’t let that knowledge spread wide. It suddenly made me fear for the safety of the Dagna.
“More still,” Krygor continued. “I believe your son reached out to the Veredians not so long ago. And if I’m right, through him, you have earned yourself the undying gratitude of these powerful females.”
I stared at him in confusion, eyes bugged, while my heart soared at the news that my son not only lived but was potentially fighting for the right side. “What do you mean?”
“A few months ago, while the Veredians were dealing with some tension between them and the Korletheans, a few Guldan ships tried to sneak in from the rear to attack them both,” Krygor explained. “Our friends would have sustained many casualties if not for a certain Tevek Sidik giving them a warning. On top of saving lives, your son gave the Veredians the means to locate all their missing Sisters sold into slavery over the years.”
“Oh Goddess!” I exclaimed, pressing my palms to my chest as if to contain it from exploding with love and pride for the son I hadn’t seen in far too many years. “Do you know where he is? How I can get in touch with him?”
Krygor shook his head with an apologetic look, and my heart sank. “I do not. As far as I know, he didn’t give the Veredians any means to contact him. However, he did mention that he was looking for his mother and little sister. Do not be discouraged, my Vaya. I promise you to look into it. Once the Veredians find out you are his missing mother, I am certain they will do everything in their power to help reunite you, if only as a thank you.”
I threw myself into his arms, almost knocking him onto his back, and crushed his lips with a fierce kiss of gratitude. He chuckled, his massive hand behind my back holding me against him. His amusement quickly faded as he demanded entry. My lips parted willingly, submitting to the dominance of his tongue taking possession of what was rightfully his. I moaned and pressed my breasts against his hard, naked chest as my arousal quickly awakened.
To my dismay, Krygor ended the kiss and gently pushed me onto my back the instant my hands began roaming over his godly body. I slightly frowned, wondering why he was stopping us when I could feel his cock hardening against my leg. Eyes locked with mine, Krygor caressed a path up from my wrist before resting his palm on my left upper arm. His thumb pressed onto the contraceptive implant invisible beneath my skin. My mouth went dry, and I swallowed painfully before addressing what I thought might be troubling him.
“It still has over one year remaining on it,” I said in a controlled voice. “I will not trap you with an unwanted child.”
He snorted and slowly shook his head. “Braxians gladly welcome the children they sire. You cannot ‘trap’ a Braxian as marriage is optional and not all that frequent. It is Braxians who usually attempt to trap foreign females into remaining on Braxia by impregnating them. Although I can never regret the son it gave me, I do not wish to repeat the same mistake.”
My eyes widened at his implied meaning. And deep within, his comment stung. Would it be so terrible to sire a child on me?
“Repeat?” I asked.
“I’ve only ever had one other Indentured Servant before you; a stunning human female named Marla Myers,” Krygor said with a sad smile. I held my breath realizing this wasn’t the type of confessions he made often. “Like most aspiring performers, she’d secured a gig dancing on the stage of one of the cheap adult clubs on Jeruna. Back then, I had believed her to be the most beautiful female in the world. When she showed interest towards me, I first thought someone had paid her to prank me. How could such perfection be attracted to an ugly beast like me?”
“You’re not ugly,” I countered genuinely while trying to ignore the pang of jealousy towards some female I didn’t know. “You have the fearsome traits of the Braxians. They may not be considered handsome by galactic standards, but that’s what makes you unique and incredibly sexy. Everything about you turns me on.”
His brutish face melted with tenderness, making him look even more fearsome rather than softer. Still, I loved it.
“My little Vaya,” he whispered leaning down to give me a far too brief kiss.
I dreaded where his story would go yet couldn’t wait to hear more.
“I was only on Jeruna for a couple of days to celebrate me taking over the leadership of my clan,” he continued, a distant look in his eyes as he reminisced. “My father’s untimely death in a hunting accident had made me the youngest Clan Leader of our bloodline. At nineteen years of age, I’d been a fool entirely controlled by my cock. So, that first night, when Marla flat out asked me to take her back to my quarters, I’d been too eager to agree.”
Krygor’s gaze refocused on me. He gently brushed a lock of hair away from my face. His gaze roamed over my features before he slowly caressed my left horn. I didn’t really want to hear details of his past with the mother of his firstborn, but he wouldn’t tell me if it didn’t have some importance.
“The first time I saw you inside Bacchus, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, and that Marla had resurfaced from my past,” Krygor said wistfully. “You could have been sisters.”
My stomach dropped, and my blood ran cold. I remembered that shocked, angry look on his face when he’d first seen me. I hadn’t understood then, but it all made sense now. Although some things were better left unsaid, I couldn’t help but ask.
“Is that why you—?”
“No,” Krygor interrupted, a stern look in his eyes. “I despise Marla. When I first thought you were her, and then that you might instead simply be related to her, I almost walked out of Bacchus. I have no fantasies of rekindling the past with Marla. You are more beautiful than she ever was, and that’s not anger speaking. Your features are not only more harmonious, but your inner-beauty and your kind heart shine through every cell of your body, making you even more beautiful. I also later discovered Marla had many surgeries to enhance herself. So, never think that you are some kind of replacement. The chemistry between us was instant. Since then, you’ve continued to please me like no other.”
Hearing his words and the sincerity in his voice soothed some of the ache in my chest. The strength of the almost instant attraction between us couldn’t be denied. I still remembered thinking how at ease I’d immediately felt with him, and how he should have frightened me instead of turning me on the way he had. I nodded, giving him a soft smile to encourage him to continue.
“The next day, Marla begged me to buy her out of a bad contract she’d entered into with the owner of the club she’d been dancing in,” he said, his dark gaze boring into mine. “The owner simply wanted to fuck her for free instead of giving her the exposure he’d promised would help grow her career. Moreover, he’d lied about the type of money she would make there, trapping her into a much longer contract than originally anticipated.”
I stiffened, a cold shiver running down my spine at the uncanny similarities between us. But the contempt in his voice whenever he said her name, and the self-derision with which he spoke told me much about how poorly that story ended.
“It was a foolish thing to do, but I threw away all my savings buying out her contract and even contracting a loan to cover the part missing,” Krygor said with such self-loathing my chest constricted for him. “Marla wasn’t impressed by my clan’s compound. She loved its size and how many people were ‘my subjects,’ which she wrongly assumed would make them her servants, but she hated that it wasn’t posh and fancy, with bling and glitter, like the court of a Dantorian nobleman.”
I frowned at such a silly assumption. Even I, who had been forbidden access to any knowledge that didn’t involve serving a man on Guldar, knew of the harsh, rough, and functional lifestyle of the Braxians. B
iting my bottom lip, I held back the question burning my tongue as to her education level.
“Once she realized that me being a young Clan Leader on Braxia didn’t mean I was swimming in credits and that life by my side wouldn’t be an endless party, she started pulling away from me and showing her true colors,” Krygor said with a bitterness that spoke volumes of the hurt he still felt.
His gaze went out of focus again, and he bared his teeth in a snarl. I couldn’t decide if it was aimed at Marla, at himself, or at both.
Krygor snorted, then a sad and disbelieving smile slowly settled on his lips. “I had convinced myself that she was the love of my life. A first love that I was losing for failing to provide her with the lifestyle she deserved.”
I couldn’t hold back a shocked gasp at such a preposterous statement. He shouldn’t be berating himself for failing the entitled bitch but remind her that he had pulled her out of a difficult situation. My expression having no doubt revealed my thoughts, Krygor smiled gently at me and caressed my face.
“Foolish reaction wasn’t it?” he asked softly.
I nodded before covering his hand cupping my cheek with my own. His smile broadened then, taking in a deep breath, he sighed heavily.
“I thought with more time, I could show her the beauty of Braxia, despite its harshness, and make her fall in love with me, if only half as much as I loved her. But being human, she couldn’t handle my girth without ample Denax,” Krygor continued.
I cringed inwardly, less than keen on hearing such details. But I needed to know and understood that my giant wasn’t lightly laying himself bare to me.
“For this reason, from the beginning, we had spaced out intercourse to prevent damaging her health by overusing the dilator. But then she increasingly used that as an excuse to deny me altogether. Like a complete idiot, I came up with the clever idea of not touching her at all throughout the month except when she entered her fertile period, at which point I would be relentless.”
