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Brax gripped Darcy’s forearm and roughly pulled her from the hover-car. They’d arrived at a huge compound that held her in awe. It was like a medieval stone castle, squat and square, blunt edges on the corners and spreading as far as her eyes could see.
“Come.” Brax tugged her forward and she stumbled.
They headed toward a gate that opened slowly at their approach. Then entered double doors that soared high above their heads. Darcy was pushed, shoved, and directed down a bunch of hallways. There was vibrant artwork on the walls of odd shapes splashed together and statues of twisting metal every few feet. None of it seemed familiar, not the images or the materials. Darcy’s breath sped up and she tried to work through the cloud of surrealism holding her in its clutches.
They arrived at an all-white room with glass and a high-tech interior. The aliens inside startled at their entrance. These horned men wore all blue one-piece outfits. At least five or six of them and all seemed fascinated by Darcy’s appearance.
The one she assumed to be in charge sighed and broke away from the group. “What do you need, Brax?”
“Give her a full medical and then deliver her to my room, Medic Crox.”
Crox studied Darcy as if she was a bug. He reached into his pocket for a scanner and aimed it at her. “What is she?”
“An Earth woman.”
Crox lowered his arm and glared at Brax. “Are you crazy?! Does Lothar know you brought her here?”
Darcy wrapped her arms about her waist and tried to ignore the attention they were receiving. She had reason enough to be terrified but the air in the room seemed to grow with an added layer of tension.
Brax undid the chain from her wrist and the collar from her neck. “I’m going to keep her in my room until I can talk to him.”
Crox snarled something Darcy took to be a curse or close to it. “Lothar has made it clear that Earth women are never to be brought to Marenia. It would draw too much attention from the Jutaks pushing the Alliance to sanction our world.”
Brax didn’t seem to care about Crox’s concerns. He pushed Darcy forward. “Just examine her. She was supposedly given the necessary vaccinations but make sure she’s not carrying any disease from her world. Have someone summon me when she’s ready.”
“What about the swelling to her face? Her skin is already darkening around the one eye.”
Perhaps Crox as a healer could be someone she could appeal to for help.
“Leave it. A lesson for her to learn.”
There was no more arguing after that. Darcy ended up seated on a floating bed. Once Brax took his leave, she pleaded. “Help me! I was kidnapped. He bought me and took me against my will.”
The look Crox leveled on her was demoralizing. “If you don’t want me to seal your mouth shut, you will stop talking.”
He uttered the words in such a cold, monotonous tone that Darcy didn’t doubt him and snapped her lips closed while her heart did its best to jump from her chest.
She was put through a humiliating exam that included an in-depth check of her genitals followed by invasive questions. Bidding her time, Darcy answered them, even the ones that had her flushing beet red. “How often is your fertility cycle? What do you need during that time? Are you able to be penetrated for sexual completion in all orifices?”
Never had Darcy experienced anything like this. Seated on the bed with no clothes and treated as if she had no feelings or rights. The other medical staff present went about their duties but sent occasional leers in her direction. When she attempted to fold her arms to cover her breasts, Crox yanked them down to continue his work, which included prodding her nipples and recording her physical reactions.
While the SP had given her a ton of shots for her trip, Crox mumbled that she needed several more. A device was placed on her arm, hissed a few times and was set aside on a tray. She barely felt a sting.
“I need an extra shellam. She can’t walk the halls like this,” Crox called out.
Someone handed him a bundle of green fabric. He gave it to Darcy and having no idea what it was, she could only hold it up and stare. There were no discernible fastenings, arm holes or anything.
Crox sighed. “It is worn on your lower half. Like so.”
He took it from her and indicated for her to stand. Darcy slid from the bed and waited while he spread the fabric and crouched. She stepped into what amounted to an ankle-length skirt of silky material. When she tugged it up high enough to cover her bare breasts, Crox shook his head and gestured for her to lower it back.
“The shellam is to be worn this way. Your beauty is to be displayed at all times for your master unless he directs otherwise.”
“I don’t have a master,” she snapped.
Crox merely waited. Darcy wanted to resist out of sheer stubbornness but again her mind cautioned her to be careful. She didn’t know the extent these aliens would go to in order to force her compliance and her goal was to survive and escape.
Once the shellam, as he called it, was settled at her hips, he said, “I will notify Brax on the comm that you are ready. Please wait there.”
She walked to where he pointed and sat in a backless chair against the wall. Crox watched her as he used a data pad, fingers stabbing away at the screen. It dinged and then he tapped some more. Once done, he faced her. “It won’t be long.”
Darcy forced back her panic.
“Brax’s coming.”
Brax’s coming. A simple phrase but one that scared her so bad, goosebumps popped along her arms. To distract herself, Darcy glanced around the medical facility frantically for a weapon or anything to defend herself. There wasn’t enough time. The doors opened and the husky form of Brax returned. His eyes glittered with avarice when they met hers.
“Is she prepared?” he asked.
“No signs of illness. Humanoid physiology, two orifices on her lower region for sexual penetration. She’s been given the necessary injections to prevent her from transmitting or catching any diseases. Information on Earth is limited to worlds participating in their agreement. We have nothing in detail about fertility.
Those who have humans have been closed-mouth about that and attempts to crack the files will draw the notice of the Alliance. All we have are rumors regarding their sexual adaptability and capacity for strong emotions toward a specific partner.”
“My birth control shot should hinder me from accidentally breeding her until I’m ready.’
When Brax faced her again, fear raced down Darcy’s spine. She curled her fingers. There was no getting around what was in store for her immediate future. She had every intention to scratch his eyes out and fight to the best of her meager abilities.
“Let’s go, human female.” Brax stepped to the side for Darcy to precede him.
Despite her shivering countenance, Darcy left the medical center with him. The one thing in her favor was that Brax didn’t seem to remember that she wasn’t wearing the leash and collar he’d taken off of her. She kept pace with his long strides and didn’t say anything that would bring it to his attention. If they got to a room alone, surely there would be a way for her to fend him off.
Unfortunately, Brax didn’t wait until they got to a room to begin his assault. He stopped Darcy in the middle of the hall by slamming her against the wall. Shoving his body onto her, he used his bulky frame to grind his hips against hers and grabbed her bare breasts. The pain of his thick fingers handling her nipples made her wince. Darcy hefted her knee high and rammed it forward.
He gasped and stumbled back. she lunged to the side in hopes of escaping but Brax grabbed her arm. His fingers bit painfully into her skin. She cried out and tried to yank away. His features darkened and he raised his hand high. Darcy flinched, her arms going up to cover her face and head.
“Brax, what is this?”
Brax froze at the harsh and grating voice. She caught a glimpse of his startled expression before he dropped his hands and turned. “I was taking her to my room.”
“I didn’t ask where you were going. Explain.” The newcomer’s voice was eerily calm.
Panting, Darcy pressed a hand to her chest and fought the urge to flee. She peered around Brax’s large frame, desperate to see her savior. And wished she hadn’t. He was large. Taller and wider than Brax with dark shoulder-length hair and fierce black horns that curved back from his head. His flattened nose flared as if scenting her. His gaze flicked in her direction then back to Brax as if she wasn’t worth further consideration.
“I bought the female at an auction on Tua-20.”
Brax spoke in a concise tone, but Darcy didn’t miss the thread of nerves in his answer. She cringed against the wall and wasn’t sure which was worse, Brax or the man who intimidated him.
“Did you have permission to bring an off worlder here?”
At this, a quiver entered Brax’s voice. “Y-you gave leave to have slaves to service our needs if we didn’t have the monetary level to start a kitse, Lothar. Remember?”
Darcy didn’t know what a kitse was, but she now had a name for this frightening horned alien confronting them.
“I remember many things, Brax. Where is she from?”
Brax lowered his head and muttered his answer to the floor. “Earth.”
Lothar parted his legs which were as thick as two of Darcy’s arms. His shirt strained over his shoulders. “Did...did you say Earth?”
Lothar’s voice had grown quieter if that was possible. Darcy didn’t like his even tones. Her throat swelled in reaction and she had trouble swallowing. The very lack of any emotion chilled her to the bone. She risked a look at his face and wished she hadn’t. His expression was blank, but his black eyes glowed as if the devil himself resided inside.
Quick as a striking serpent, Lothar grabbed Brax’s hair and yanked him close while shoving him down to the floor. When the move was done, he had Brax on all fours while pressing his knee to the middle of Brax’s back.
“I was quite clear in my instructions that Earth women were not to be brought to Marenia. We must not draw attention here and the Majad watches my operations closer now.”
“Yes, Lothar. I couldn’t resist. She is a beauty.”
Lothar pushed Brax with a booted foot and he crumbled to the floor, making no effort to get up. Lothar neared Darcy and she thrust her chin up while locking her fingers in the material of the shellam she wore. Lothar lifted a dangling red curl from her shoulder and fingered it with an odd expression on his face.
Darcy held still. More scared than before if that was possible.
“Are you from Earth?”
His voice wasn’t overly loud, but Darcy jumped nonetheless as she answered. “Yes.”
“Hmm.” That was it. He spoke over his shoulder to Brax. “What do you think your punishment should be for violating my rules, Brax?”
Brax didn’t say anything as he slowly stood. Blood dotted his bottom lip and Darcy inwardly cheered from the minor wound.
“Nothing to say?”
Brax’s brown eyes flared with unspoken rage, his lips pressed tight before he gritted out, “Whatever you deem acceptable, Lothar.”
The atmosphere in the hall was volatile. It seemed as if one wrong move or word could set things off with her trapped in the middle of whatever this was.
Lothar tsked and faced Darcy while still speaking to Brax. “We can’t have anyone thinking I made allowances for you. Who knows what others would think to do next, right?”
There was a dead look in the black gaze as it roamed over her face and body. This close, his features were easy to study. Broad forehead, smooth skin and thick lashes. Full lips turned up at the corners, but Darcy didn’t mistake it for a smile. It hinted too wildly of cruelty.
Every breath wisped through her parted lips on a pant. She just wanted to survive. Darcy wasn’t religious but sent prayers to every deity she could think of.
“I think,” Lothar continued in that same mild tone that made her want to plug her fingers in her ears, “you should give her to me. As an apology.”
The hair at the back of her neck curled. No! was her instinctive response. Her knees began to knock and her bladder filled to bursting.
Sweat trickled down Brax’s face. He slowly backed away with his head lowered. “Of course, Lothar. She is yours. Do what you will.”
Lothar traced a finger over the injuries on Darcy’s face. She locked her knees and didn’t dare breathe wrong.
“I believe I will,” Lothar said in a dark growl.