Xebaronik drew in a deep breath, savouring the scent of aroused female that hung in the air, coloured with the musk of his own spend. The female beneath him shuddered once more and the tension left her body, letting her collapse onto the floor. His own body twitched with the remnants of the unexpected climax.
When he’d emerged from the container, he’d known the raiders had something dreadful planned for him. Scenting the fear emanating from the tiny creature cowering on the floor had made his bile rise. Like the raiders, this fragile being believed he was a mindless animal. As the sacrifice fought its chains in an effort to get away from him, he’d seen the rounded curve of a blood-smeared breast. This small being was a female, utterly terrified of her current situation and in need of protection.
He’d eyed the aliens, searching the room for some advantage he could use. The raiders sat beyond the reach of his chain, intoxicated and rowdy, waiting for him to enact some violence on the small female. They expected entertainment. He wasn’t sure what they would do if he didn’t play along, but doubted it would bode well for the female. She was small and soft, even compared to their captors, and he wouldn’t put it past them to force themselves on her. Unwilling to let that happen, he’d dragged her beneath him and enacted a scene that they might believe. He’d never expected to feel something during the act, but between her alluring scent and the feeling of her wetness coating his cock, he couldn’t help himself.
His cock twitched, still hard and wanting to finally sink into the wet haven her body had teased him with, but he brushed its desires aside. He wouldn’t take her without her consent. Enough lines had already been crossed with what he’d done. He stroked a hand down her bare hip, careful not to catch her soft skin with his claws. She shied away from his touch, but he purred into her hair once more. “Calm. I will keep you safe.”
The raiders were getting restless, assuming now that his sexual need was sated, he’d feed the hunger their starvation had carved into his body.
He would protect this fragile female from any other tortures they wished to inflict on her. Sweeping the female into his lower arms, he sat back and rumbled a growl at her when she weakly fought against his possessive hold. With his upper arms, he reached down and gathered the length of chain that connected her collar to the floor, curling it around his fists before giving it a rough jerk. The chain strained for a moment before breaking a few links from the bolt. A surprised little squeak erupted from the female as he dropped the length of cold metal links onto her bare stomach and turned to take her back into the container. The raiders protested, their yells and orders falling on deaf ears as he stepped into the dark container. She struggled weakly in his arms, obviously unsure who to trust.
“Be calm, little flower.” He purred to her, taking her deeper into the container.
“Easy for you to say.” The female muttered under her breath, her whole body beginning to tremble.
“It is. You will not be harmed with me.” He assured her, understanding her doubt. He set her down in the corner that he’d slept in, frowning as she pulled her thin limbs in to form a ball, her collar’s chain trailing off to the side.
Her eyes widened and she stared up at him in the half-darkness. “You have really sharp hearing.”
He blinked, assuming he’d lost something in the translation. “My ears are not sharp. My claws are sharp.” He raised one of his hands and showed her the long, black claws.
She shivered and seemed to become paler as he watched, curling into herself once more. “Yes, they are.”
A commotion at the door of the container drew their attention, and he turned away from her to face the raiders once more. “Do not fear. I will take care of this.”
Xebaronik faced the open doors of the container and the few drunkenly curious raiders who peered into the darkness inside. With a growl, he rushed the open doors, forcing the aliens to stumble back. He swiped at them with his claws, roaring like the beast they thought he was. One tripped over another and Xebaronik grabbed the closest one up from the floor, throwing him at the nearest wall. With a sickening crack, the raider’s limp body fell to the floor.
Some of the raiders ran, heading out of the cargo bay in a messy scramble, but others rallied. One of them barked orders at the others and they advanced, shockrods and weapons raised as they tried to herd him back into the container. He took a few more swipes at them, injuring one, before one of the aliens rushed in and planted a shockrod into his ribs.
Pain seized his body and he roared in rage, fighting the muscle contractions to reach out and grab the attacker. The pain stopped as the shockrod was dislodged and Xebaronik hauled the bastard in close, bearing his teeth in the raider’s face. Wrapping one hand over the pirate’s grip on the shockrod, Xebaronik squeezed, feeling bone crush beneath his hand. As Xebaronik let go, the shockrod tumbled to the ground and he searched the keening alien, disarming him of his blaster before tossing him toward the door. Blaster in hand, Xebaronik turned it on the remaining pirates. Now under fire, they tried to flee, but only two of the five made it through the cargo bay doors. The doors slid shut behind them and a second later, a blast door lowered from above, sealing the door securely.
Xebaronik went to follow them, but the collar around his own throat tugged, holding him back. Frustration simmered, but he had other issues to deal with regardless. The raiders would be back, but they would have to rally their forces first.
Turning back to the shipping container, he caught the female peeking out from inside. “Are they gone?” She questioned softly, glancing around.
Xebaronik nodded. “For the moment. They will be back.”
She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before looking him over. “Are you all right?”
Xebaronik glanced down at the reddened skin where the shockrod had caught him and his mouth tipped up in a fang-bearing grin. “Their weapons are weak.”
A hint of humour played around her mouth and she shook her head, stepping out of the container and turning away from him. Xebaronik eyed her lithe form as she walked around, peeking behind crates. He couldn’t help admiring her lush ass as it swayed with her steps. He had to bite back a groan when she bent at the waist and picked up a pile of fabric. She may be a small thing, but her curves were full and made him wish to follow them with his hands.
Shaking himself free of his reverie, he turned back to the open crate that had been his prison. The chain to his collar still tethered him to the large bracket in the container’s ceiling, limiting his movements. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the female was a safe distance away before drawing the blaster and taking aim at the bracket. Three well-placed shots and the heavy chain dropped to the floor with a clatter. Gathering the links, he looped the length over his shoulder and across his chest. He’d work on getting rid of the collar later, but he had bigger problems to deal with at the moment.
Striding unimpeded out of the container for the first time in almost a week, he found the small female tucked behind a large crate on his right. She had dumped the pile of fabric she’d found on the top of the crate and was sifting through it with a frown.
He stepped closer just as a small flat shoe fell off the top of the crate and he reached down to retrieve it for her. Setting it back on the pile, he eyed the material. “Are these your clothes?”
“They were.” She sighed, holding up a contraption of straps with two curved cups. “Until those assholes cut them off me.”
Xebaronik eyed her worriedly, not seeing any serious damage to her deep bronze skin, although he could scent her blood. “Did they cut you?”
“Not really. It’s mostly just scrapes from the floor and the chain.” She mumbled, her cheeks reddening as she used the unusual vestment to wipe his drying seed from her belly.
Guilt flooded him, for the injuries as well as the fact that he’d molested her in such a way, and he bowed his head in shame. It was a moment before he could gather the right words in Universal. “My apologies. I had hoped to keep you from injury at the raider’s hands, but it appears I was the cause of it instead.”
“Is that what you were trying to do?”
He looked up only to find himself caught in her challenging gaze. Deep brown eyes stared him down, her arms crossed over her still bare breasts defiantly. “Yes. I had wanted to distract the raiders while I came up with a plan,” He dragged a clawed hand through his long hair anxiously, trying to gather his thoughts. “I had intended to put on a show of taking you. I admit I lost control of the situation.”
She pressed her lips together in a thin line, seeming to contemplate his words. When she finally spoke again it was a mere, “I see…”
A strange sinking feeling flooded his stomach and he searched his mind, groping for something that could make this better. He watched her tug a large scrap of dark gray material from the pile and pull it on like a jacket, long sleeves covering her arms to the wrist. She gathered the rough-cut sides in the front and tied them into a knot beneath her breasts, pushing the swells together. Xebaronik blinked, finding himself entranced by the amount of cleavage the makeshift top created, and he forced himself to tear his gaze away. He had no desire to make her feel even more uncomfortable in his presence. When he looked back a few moments later, she was tying a similar knot in the sides of a scrap of black fabric covering her core. She poked at the other pieces a moment before sighing and grabbing the shoes, stuffing her feet into them.
He could feel her eyes on him as she straightened, searching his large form for something he couldn’t fathom. She drew in a deep breath and planted her hands on her hips. “Maybe we should start over.”
He raised his head and stared at her questioningly. “Start over?”
“Yeah.” She thrust one of her hands out toward him. “I’m Kessia Donovan of New Terra.”
He clasped her delicate wrist in one of his big hands and covered the back of her hand with another, effectively engulfing her limb. “I am Xebaronik del’Jantys. I come from Lehra.”
She stared down at their joined hands a moment and a smile tipped up the edge of her lips. She seemed to be amused by their size difference. “I can’t say I’ve heard of Lehra. Is it part of the Coalition?”
Xebaronik released her hand and shook his head. “No, although I am well acquainted with it. Lehra has been hosting emissaries from various worlds since I was a child.” He’d spent many hours with his brother and the other village children, sitting at the feet of one alien teacher or another, learning the Universal tongue and listening to stories of worlds beyond his wildest imaginings.
“That explains why you speak Universal so well.” She turned and cast the cargo bay a considering once over. “We should see if there is anything in here we can use. Maybe one of these crates has weapons or food.” She gestured at her meagre outfit. “Clothing would be handy as well.”
Xebaronik glanced around the room. The bodies of downed pirates among the shipping containers made him frown. The idea of the female having to look upon such carnage didn’t sit well with him. “I will endeavour to find something we can use as soon as I clean up.” He assured her before heading to gather up the first one. Catching the body by a foot, he dragged it to the far end of the cargo bay. He poked around until he found an empty shipping crate and dropped the body inside, patting it down for anything useful, before doing the same with the others. With that task finished, he shoved the body-filled crate into the back corner as far from the others as possible and put the lid back on. Hopefully, they would be long gone before the dead started to smell.
Xebaronik was in the midst of gathering the few items he’d acquired from the raiders when the hiss of a sealed container opening caught his attention. Kessia made a choking noise as she peeked inside, before rearing back from it and scrambling to get the cover back on. He hurried to reach her, watching as a large black beetle hit the floor at her feet with an audible thud and began to skitter toward her. She let out a horrified squeal and leapt away, allowing more of the beetles to escape the unsecured cover.
Xebaronik swept up the lid of a nearby crate and raced over, putting himself between Kessia and the offending bugs. Using the lid, he squished two of the escaping beetles before stepping closer to slam the cover properly over the crate, activating the seal. He circled the crate, killing three more escaped beetles. When he’d thoroughly inspected the immediate area for any more rogue insects, he propped the lid he’d used against the crate and looked for Kessia.
She was perched on top of a large crate not far away, her dark eyes wide as they scanned the floor for any other threats. He wasn’t sure how she’d gotten up there, but she had managed it.
“There are no more. You are safe.” He fought back a smile as she glanced around once more before scooting to the edge and swinging her legs over. He offered her a hand to help her down and she hesitantly put her hand in his to steady herself as she made the jump to the floor.
“Thanks.” She looked around suspiciously once again before giving him a sheepish look. “I hate bugs.” She shuddered in revulsion. “They’re just so… creepy.”
Xebaronik resisted the grin that wanted to come over his features. Her being afraid of insects was rather cute. “Would you like me to stay near? In case you come across another similar container?”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” She agreed, looking relieved. “Thanks.”
“It is my pleasure.” Baron gave her a deferential tilt of his head and stalked over to the nearest crate, tearing its top off without compunction. The inside was filled with crystalline rocks, glinting softly under the faint light. Disappointed, he moved on to the next.
“Se-Xey-barnik? Aw, hell.” Kessia called out a few minutes later, stumbling over his name. “I’m sorry, I’m bad with names. Can you help me for a second?” She looked chagrined as she pointed at a crate to her left with the lid still on. “I can’t get this one open.”
He went to her, eyeing the crate she gestured at. Some sort of electronic lock flashed on the lid’s display. Instead of worrying about the mechanism, he dug his claws into the edge of the seal and pried it off. A strange fresh smell reached him and he peered inside to see round balls the colour of a setting sun filling up the crate. He raised an eyebrow and turned to the female. “Have you ever seen these before?”
She grabbed the top of the tall crate, jumping up to look inside, and gasped as she caught sight of the contents. “Oh, my god!” She hopped up again, her feet scrabbling for purchase on the crate’s smooth sides. “Those are oranges!”
“They are orange.” He agreed, reaching in to draw out one of the spheres and offer it to her.
“No, no!” Her voice rose in excitement as she gave up trying to see into the crate and took the proffered item into her hands. “It’s an orange! They’re a fruit from Earth.” When he looked unimpressed, she dug her tiny claws into the fruit and started removing a thick skin from it. Once a majority was cleared, she pulled the innards apart and offered him a small, naturally divided section. “Try it!”
He sniffed it dubiously and found that the fresh scent was amplified. Taking a hesitant bite out of the end, he found it filled his mouth with a tangy juice that was surprisingly good. Putting the rest in his mouth, he chewed, enjoying the unusual fruit.
She grinned at him and popped a slice into her mouth, letting out a soft, pleasured groan as she chewed. “Oh, that’s so good! I haven’t had one of these since I was a kid.” She hopped up to sit on a crate and finished peeling her fruit.
“Do they not grow on your planet?” Xebaronik inquired before taking another proffered slice.
“Oh, they do. Some Earth plants have been smuggled onto New Terra, but they have to be carefully cared for as the planet isn’t really hospitable for them. My father got a job on Sardin 7 when I was twelve, so we moved away from the colony and I haven’t seen an orange since.” She shared the remaining slices with him before setting the peelings aside on another crate. “I wonder where the Rehulians got them.”
“Most likely they were taken from another ship that they attacked.” Xebaronik motioned to the dozens of other crates stacked around the room. “I imagine most of these were obtained in such a way.”
“That would make sense,” Kessia murmured. She finished off her final piece and looked up at him. “I hate to say this, but I didn’t properly catch your name. I don’t think I was really processing that well after everything.” Her cheeks reddened and she looked down at her hands.
“It is Xebaronik.” He eyed her plump lips and a thought crossed his mind. “Is it hard for you to say?”
“A bit, but I’ll make it work.” She admitted sheepishly.
“If it pleases you, you may shorten my name.” He suggested. Such an intimate act was normally only for immediate family and very close friends, but he would make an exception for this small female. “My family calls me Baron.”
“Baron?” Her lips tipped up in a wry smile. “Like an old Earth aristocrat?”
He stared at her, confused and not knowing how to answer that.
Her cheeks reddened again. “Never mind. Baron it is.”