I slid the plug out, rolled her onto her back, and cradled her in my arms. She shuddered as the aftershocks hit.
“Dear gods, one of these days you’re going to kill me. I’m still shaking. I thought I was going to pass out.”
“It’s all right.” I held the plug up. “If your heart stops, I have a setting on this thing that will get it pumping again.”
She giggled. “How far up my ass would you have to shove it to do that?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Careful, little human. You’re being naughty again.”
“Oooh!” She threw her arms around my neck. “I do love being your dirty little slut, Master.”
“And I love…”
I stopped. Stunned at the word that almost came out of my mouth. I could get inside her head whenever I wanted. But I’d never realized that while I was doing it, my little human was working her way into my heart.
I’d been a bachelor all my life, set in my ways. I’d never had to be responsible for a mate, let alone a child. I knew I could protect her, protect our offspring from harm. But the idea of being there for another being emotionally, opening myself up so she could know me the way I knew her through my gift…laying my soul bare so she’d discover that behind the mask I wore as the legendary Archon was just another flawed being doing the best he could in life and sometimes failing … The very thought filled me with terror.
“And I love being your Master,” I finally mumbled.
She laid her cheek on my chest and snuggled against me. The great Archon. She was so trusting. So content.
I felt like a fraud.
Chapter Fourteen
Aja
I woke up in our bed. Alone. And sans plug. Not only was the fullness gone, my questing fingers found no apparent damage from its presence. But the memory remained. The vibrations seemed to go from my ass to every part of me, sending near electric shocks along with it. With Vyraz’s cockheads in my mouth, his musk heady and arousing, it was all too much. And then the spanking… I clenched my fists to avoid touching myself again at the memory. Not that I hadn’t had good results from my first confession, but another session like that so soon might kill me.
A pretty good way to die, though.
But that plug had been a punishment as well as the start of “anal training.” Readying me to take his cock in that much smaller hole. I probably should be unhappy about that instead of getting wet over it.
Hands at your sides, Aja!
We’d defiled every part of my Master’s lab before he carried me in here and collapsed at my side. The time marker by the bed indicated it had been many sol cycles before. I hoped he wasn’t angry that I’d slept so long right after he offered me a job, but what could he expect after our orgy. Could it be an orgy when only two were involved? Maybe a debauch? Bacchanalia without wine? Although I’d been sipping a fair amount of that tea since Jess turned me onto it. The Archon said it didn’t do anything to him, but it gave me a mild, pleasant buzz.
He was brilliant, well-respected, sexy-as-fuck, and had offered me a position as his assistant so I wouldn’t spend most of my days lying around here losing my mind and fantasizing about our next lovemaking session. Was that the real term?
I wasn’t in love with him. I loved things about him…and things we did together. And I couldn’t wait to start my new job! With that in mind, I leapt up, wincing a little at some aches in new places, and, for the first time ever in my useless life got dressed for a real job. Using my real knowledge and skills. I still planned to leave at the first opportunity, to take the reins of my life into my own hands, but the fact was I had never had such a fulfilling existence under my father’s thumb.
The man lived in the past. A time in our original country’s history when giving a virgin daughter to another leader cemented a relationship and could result in funds guaranteed to place a dethroned ruler back in the seat of power.
Sure, I’d gone to college, but only because an education was one more jewel in my princess crown. I’d also had training in hair and makeup, posture, spoke half a dozen languages—a shame none of them were Arythian, would have saved me needing a chip—and other skills and graces suitable for my future job as trophy wife.
Sex with any of the men paraded in front of me would have been less than satisfying. Most of them were so old they would have required an infusion just to make their withered old stalk hard enough to attempt to sire a child on me.
And I would have required medication to avoid vomiting on them while they tried.
Was I wishing for too much? Looking a gift horse in the mouth? What more did I really want? That girl sitting around Father’s shop like one more piece of expensive merchandise would have jumped at what I had now. If I’d been asked, I might have agreed to board the ship and become the Archon’s assistant slash wife.
But nobody asked me, did they?
Just like my father, Ravensworth used me for his own ends, whatever they were. Father’s recent shaky connection to him, maybe. People often acted as if I had no ears to hear, like I was a mannequin, so I overheard things. But whatever it was must have been worse than I knew. Without me and without Ravensworth’s support, Father would never be more than an importer of illegal antiques, a man sure to end up in jail eventually.
I tried to feel sorry for him, but I didn’t. He’d treated me as an object, showed me none of the affection due a daughter. Did he know where I was? What had become of me? Did he care—I mean, beyond the loss of me as a cog in the wheels of his plans to regain a throne he’d only actually held for a matter of days before I was born?
My upbeat mood was draining away, so I pushed the topic aside. Even if I managed to escape, and even in the less likely event I returned to Earth, I’d never see my father again. And that would be by choice.
Back in the moment, I approached the wall between the bedroom and the lab. Master had given me some ability to open the doorways to get between here and Jess’s and into a few storage areas and things, but this one, at least so far, had been beyond my permissions. Still, I gave it a shot. Vyraz didn’t always let me know when he extended my little freedoms. I still couldn’t do it with my mind, had to wave or gesture in some way, but it was pretty cool.
To my delight, the wall dissolved, revealing the lab, but Master was nowhere in sight. I entered, nervously. If the door opened, and I was his new assistant, I should be able to look around a little, right? At least he hadn’t told me not to.
“Welcome, Assistant Aja.” The female voice caught me off-guard, and I jumped. “How can I help you today?”
Holy shit. “Err, hi Larissa. I’m just waiting for the Archon. Maybe you can give me a tour?”
“It would be my honor. Please approach the control panel, and I will instruct you in its operations.
Sometime later, Larissa piped up, “Welcome, Archon. Blessings and peace to you and all sentient beings in the Universe,” and I jumped again. I’d been so focused on learning the system I hadn’t heard him enter.
“Larissa, Aja, it seems you two are thick as thieves—I believe that’s the Earth expression?”
I turned to face him. “It is, yes, and a phrase I don’t believe I’ve used since I’ve been here. How do you know it?”
For the first time, my Master looked uncomfortable. He flushed, and his lips moved. But before he managed to answer, Larissa cut in. “We have files of idioms from many planets if you would like to access it, Assistant Aja.”
I continued to study his face. “That must be it. For a second, I thought you might be reading my mind. But of course that’s not possible. Right?”
“Larissa, let’s pick up where we left off last sol cycle. I would like Aja to observe for a time before we assign her her own tasks.”
I took a seat in the chair next to his, prepared to learn as much as possible. The opportunity to study the history and culture of the Arythians was not to be missed. While it wasn’t strictly an archaeological slant, it still awoke parts of my brain that had been slumberin
g, atrophying for a long time.
And I was taking full advantage.
For as long as I remained aboard this alien space vessel.
Chapter Fifteen
Vyraz
I knew my human was intelligent, but the speed at which she absorbed and processed information impressed me.
Till now, all I’d really scanned in her mind were her dirty fantasies. “Dirty” was the word she used to describe them. It seemed her species was highly judgmental, with a narrow concept of what was acceptable and natural when it came to physical pleasure. And what I found most odd was that the dirtier she thought the act was, the more aroused she got when I made her do it. We hadn’t brought to life her sex-and-punishment-in-public fantasies yet, but I felt a huge spike in her libido when I dropped a reference to those topics. I couldn’t wait to see her reaction when I introduced her to her first Arythian Fertility Festival.
On Arythios, it was considered an honor to be chosen as a participant in the public fertility rites, but my human registered both a wild thrill and a sense of deep shame at the thought of being bared and spanked then fucked in front of an audience. I could read the human mind, but I definitely did not understand it.
But that celebration would have to wait until we had more than a token handful of females to put on display while they gave and received pleasure. It would not boost morale for our warriors to watch a select few of their brothers fucking then have to return to their quarters alone. Even though group sex was the norm for many by the end of the festival, we simply didn’t have enough females to go around.
My cockheads stirred at the thought of stripping Aja naked on the sacred altar and taking her in every hole while the drums beat and the crowd chanted the ancient melody. I forced myself to shut down my lecherous thoughts and concentrate on the work.
We’d developed a system for the transcribing the scrolls that seemed to be going well. With the headset on, I’d pull up a passage from memory and then visualize and project it to Larissa. Larissa would copy it to the ship’s main data bank while simultaneously creating a hard copy of the ancient script on a scroll. I’d read each line aloud as I visualized it.
My progress was slow since I frequently had to stop to teach Larissa a new word or character then make sure she copied each letter of the ancient script properly. It was Aja’s job to read the documents as we created them. Presented with a seamless translation, she was able to concentrate on the content rather than the technical process of creating it.
I’d go through a section with Larissa; Aja would read it while I went on to the next. Periodically, we’d take a break so I could get her feedback. Bringing a fresh eye to the translations, she questioned references I’d dismissed as folklore—ancient myths and legends I’d heard versions of since I was a lad.
“This part reminds me of Heinrich Schliemann,” she said, pointing out one passage. “He was a pioneer in archaeology. He’d studied the classical literature of Ancient Greece and was convinced that Homer’s tale of Troy was based on a real place. Everyone dismissed him as a kook, but he trusted his intuition, traveled halfway around the world, and discovered an ancient city, complete with a burial vault filled with a treasure trove of gold and jewels.”
“A kook?”
“A crazy person. A madman putting his fortune on the line based on some old fireside tales. You know, we have stories of Superman, an alien from another world who has incredible physical power on Earth. In the story there is one element that robs him of his strength. It’s kryptonite. As far as I know, there’s no such thing as kryptonite. But if humans get near objects that have been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation, they weaken and sometimes die. It’s our version of kryptonite. Maybe your ancestors discovered some substance that gave the Rydek its power—or took it away. And that’s how they were able to defeat the Beast.”
“So you’re saying the cave where the ten horns were hidden may really have existed?”
She read the passage aloud. “It says, ‘The ten horns which thou sawest in the cave receive power from the Beast.’ And then further on, ‘These beings have one mind and shall give their power and strength to the Beast.’ You’re going on the premise the enemy that destroyed your world could be the same enemy mentioned in these ancient texts. Sometimes your ancestors referred to it as the Rydek, but more often they called it the Beast. What if the Rydek is like a hive? Many creatures acting with one consciousness.”
“And they that dwell in this world shall wonder when they behold the Beast that was and is not and yet is.” I quoted the obscure line I’d found earlier, the one that Admiral Dylos found so frustratingly vague. “That could describe the individual creatures separating then coming together again to create one consciousness with limitless power.”
“Maybe your ancestors used the ten horns to describe the weapons the Rydek used.” Aja jumped up and began pacing around the lab, too excited to sit still. “We’re talking about something that happened countless millennia ago. What if they were weapons so far beyond the technological abilities of your people back then that they had no way to explain how they worked except to say they derived their power from the Beast?”
That’s what I’d missed. What Larissa, competent as she was, could never deliver. That spark of enthusiasm. It was impossible not to get caught up in Aja’s excitement.
I picked her up. Swung her around in my arms. “You may be onto something! Larissa, please scan all existing documents in your memory bank and pull up any references to Beast and Rydek.”
“Don’t forget horns, Larissa,” Aja added. “And ten of anything—and caves.”
“Yes! Horns, caves—whatever she says.” I spun her around again, then set her down and slapped my headset back on. We had thousands of scrolls to scan. But now we had something specific to look for. We needed data to support our theory, even if it was based purely on feelings or intuition, or whatever we call that indescribable something that separates sentient beings from artificial intelligence.
I glanced at Aja, already immersed in the references Larissa was pulling up. How did she describe the Terran? A kook. A madman putting his fortune on the line based on some old fireside tales.
I was putting my faith in the words of these ancient scrolls. Words many on Arythios had dismissed as myths and legends.
But the enemy that destroyed our world was no myth. It was still out there somewhere in the vast reaches of space. And if we could find a way to defeat it, we wouldn’t only find justice for my people.
We might find the key to survival for countless other worlds.
Chapter Sixteen
Aja
I woke each sol cycle excited to see what it held. Each sleep cycle, my Master brought me to orgasm over and over, while I exercised the skills I was acquiring to do the same to him. Arythian males were not like humans, needing long periods of rest to do the deed again. Especially as they got older. The Archon was older than the others aboard ship. Jess had confirmed that much, although she wasn’t certain by how much. And I’d not yet gotten up the nerve to ask, for fear he might think I was implying something negative. There were so many things to learn about my new people.
While I hadn’t yet entirely given up my plan to escape, it dwelled somewhere in the back of my mind. How could I leave the work I did? Together Vyraz and I sought to understand the greatest threat the galaxy had ever faced. To my knowledge, at least. A threat I believed capable of attacking Earth or any other planet with sentient beings. If I could use my education—at long last—in a useful way, it was worth postponing my exodus.
My Master teased me often, while he fucked my pussy, manipulated my breasts, or inserted yet another larger plug into my ass, about doing these things in front of others. And I had no way to hide my reactions. He no longer used lube to insert the plug, since a few dirty words in my ear made me so wet, he simply drew the item through the slick juices and slid it right inside.
This cycle, we were going to work with the specific Beast and
Rydek references. Unfortunately, just like on my planet, his people’s lore contained many seemingly contradicting passages, and we had begun to think perhaps some were lore, without facts behind them. Perhaps cautionary tales like don’t wear your red cape and sing when going through the woods alone with a basket full of food if you don’t want to get eaten by a wolf.
But so far, what we’d managed to untangle seemed logical. The archaeologist in me mourned the lack of artifacts to study, but I made do. I sipped a cup of tea as I finished braiding my hair and slipped a soft dress of the most beautiful pink over my head. My Master said it was the color of a seasprite shell when I brought it back from Jess’s place, and I’d been waiting for a special day to wear it. But then I realized that one day was the same as the next as we traveled through space heading for a promising planet many sol cycles away.
I could wait for our arrival.
But I wanted to see that sparkle in his eye I’d caught when he saw the dress on me. I just felt special today. Maybe we’d learn something amazing that would save the galaxy. I petted the suggestion of a cape we’d sewn into the dress. Supergirl…Wonder Woman…rescuer of all sentient beings by correct interpretation of ancient lore.
Grinning, I turned toward the lab and lifted my hand to dissolve the wall. But before I could wave, it was gone, and my Master stood in the opening, holding a scroll. He lifted his gaze and his jaw dropped. So did the scroll.
“Aja.”
I waited…but he stood as if thunderstruck. Gobsmacked. “Master, are you all right?”
He blinked. Swallowed. Cleared his throat. Score one for Aja!
Then he strode toward me. Cupped my chin. His eyes held fire. “Turn around, bend over, and grasp your ankles.”
Conquered Page 8
