Conquered Page 5

  I hid my face in the blanket.

  I could feel their eyes on me: Coltan’s kind and concerned gaze, Aedan’s angry and mean one. I knew Zaavyr wasn’t watching me as much, he was too engrossed in reading and writing on some papers on his desk. It kind of startled me to see he hadn’t had a computer either.

  The sound of a clinking glass made me raise my eyes. The Vakarrans were pouring a round of drinks.

  I was suddenly aware of how dry my throat was.

  I lifted my head and caught Coltan’s eyes.

  I wanted to be strong, wanted to not need anything, but my stomach growled then, reminding me I hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since breakfast.

  I watched as Coltan’s eyes shifted to Zaavyr’s, who had gotten up from his work to join the other men. Zaavyr turned toward me and glanced in my direction. He turned away and reached into a nearby cabinet, retrieving what looked to be a paper cup. He poured some of the alcohol into it and then placed it on the table. Next, he opened what looked to be a small cooler and pulled out a block of cheese.

  I watched as he chopped up some pieces with his own dagger, placing them on a paper plate that Coltan handed him. When he was finished, he stood and walked over toward me.

  “To the back of the cage, Kira,” he commanded. I wanted to disobey, but my hunger and thirst won out. He looked at me calmly, not posing any threat other than his presence near me. I felt like a skittish cat, constantly evaluating every circumstance around me.

  I moved back until I felt the hard steel bars against my back.

  Zaavyr unlocked the padlock and opened the door. He placed the plate of cheese at the foot of the cage and placed the drink on top of a bare section on the plate as well.

  “Careful when you come get this. Don’t spill the drink because I’m not going to get you another one,” he said quietly.

  I nodded softly. I wasn’t submitting or being obedient, I was just seeing to my basic human needs, or at least that’s what I told myself. He held up his hand, indicating that I stay where I was as he rose and relocked the cage. I watched until he nodded then moved forward slowly and picked up the drink first. I tilted the glass and felt the burning liquid wash over my tongue.

  Whiskey.

  I can’t remember the last time I’d had alcohol, let alone whiskey. It burned as I swallowed, and I coughed a little, but I quickly gained a hold of myself. Biting my lip, I reached for the cheese and took a bite.

  Holy fuck, that was good.

  I hadn’t had anything like it since I was a kid and I groaned softly in appreciation. The men chuckled at my response, but I ignored it, the food was too good to care. I tried to eat it slowly, but the plate was empty before I was ready for it to be. Curling back up in the blanket, I enjoyed the rest of the whiskey and observed the men all the while.

  Predator and prey.

  I was used to hunting, used to winning against any foe, but I had a feeling that these men weren’t my usual competition. My skin started feeling tingly and my eyelids began to droop. I felt myself begin to drift off to sleep and I laid down on the mat. Closing my eyes, the buzzing feeling in my veins allowed me to forget about what tomorrow might bring and I fell asleep.

  Late that night, I was awoken by the sound of a feminine cry, and I blinked in the dark, squinting and trying to figure out where it came from. The woman definitely was not in the tent with me, that much I was sure of.

  The sounds of some sort of scuffle happened then and I could tell it was in the tent to the right of us. The woman whimpered, and I suddenly heard a loud slapping sound, something like leather smacking flesh.

  “You will never disobey me in front of my fellow officers again,” a rough male voice scolded and the female one apologized profusely, all while the slapping sounds continued. I bit my lip, wanting to cry out that I would help her, but I was trapped in my cage. The spanking, what I assumed was a spanking anyway, continued long after she was sobbing, and I covered my mouth in order to keep quiet.

  Quiet footsteps slammed against the ground and a bed groaned while the woman pleaded, “No, no, please, not that.”

  My mind raced.

  I couldn’t see anything, but the woman’s shrieks and cries indicated the man wasn’t being gentle. My concern grew by the second and I couldn’t help but grip the bars in desperation.

  The human race didn’t deserve such a fate.

  A footstep scraped against the dirt in my own tent and I jumped back, only to realize Coltan had taken a seat beside my cage. He sighed and leaned against the bars.

  “Kira, are you alright?” he asked, his voice laden with concern. It felt genuine, but I wasn’t sure.

  “Is she okay?” I asked, still hesitant to really trust the man.

  “She will be. Some of the Vakarrans here are sticklers about the rules and believe harsh punishment will solve everything,” he replied. After that, he was quiet for a long time and I moved closer to him, sliding my hand through the bars to press my fingers against his.

  He startled a bit. I must have caught him off guard as he was lost in thought.

  “Coltan?”

  “Yes, Kira?”

  “What’s going to happen to me tomorrow?” I ventured, afraid to ask but too terrified not to know.

  He sighed then and warily raised his eyes to meet mine.

  “Your sentence will be pronounced before all who live in the encampment. Myself, Jax, Aedan, and Zaavyr will be in charge of delivering your punishment. I’m afraid I can’t give you any more details than that,” he replied, his voice gentle, reluctant, and oddly sad.

  “Am I going to die?” I asked forlornly, wondering if it was finally going to be the time I met my maker. I dragged my finger across his wrist.

  I didn’t know why, but I felt some weird sort of connection to him, that I could believe what he told me despite years of hiding from the Vakarrans. I knew better, I knew the Vakarrans didn’t care about a lowly human life, but there was something different about this one.

  He lifted his eyes, his copper irises studying mine. A shadowy gray mist passed over them before they returned to their usual copper tone.

  “No. You will not die tomorrow. Your punishment will be tough to get through and truly, it’s out of our hands. You’ve angered a lot of powerful Vakarrans with your actions, but I want to tell you something. It’ll make it easier for you tomorrow. Are you listening, Kira?”

  I nodded, biting my lip nervously.

  “I want you to submit to the punishment. Don’t fight it as it happens. If you begin to panic, I want you to look at me. I want you to trust me. Submit. It’ll make things so much easier for you,” he said.

  “And if I don’t?” I ventured.

  “If you fight the four of us tomorrow, Commander Strohass will punish you himself, and it will be infinitely worse than anything we will do to you, that much I am sure of.”

  I was silent for a long time, but Coltan never left me. I gripped his hands in my own.

  Tears threatened to fall.

  Why wasn’t I strong? Why couldn’t I get a grip?

  The unknown scared me. I could fight an enemy head on, kill anyone that came at me, but not the unknown. My beating heart pounded in my chest.

  “Please, let me out,” I begged. “I need to get out. Just for a little while. Please.”

  “I can’t do that, Kira,” he answered. “You know that.”

  I gripped the bars.

  He stood beside the cage and sighed. His eyes were indecisive.

  “I’ll let you out for a few minutes, but you’re going to wear the cuffs. Will you promise to behave if I do that?”

  I nodded.

  “Please,” I begged.

  He was only wearing a cotton shirt and a pair of dark slacks. His belt, including his dagger, was nowhere to be seen.

  He unlocked the door of the cage.

  “Back to me. Wrists crossed behind your back,” he said quietly.

  I did as I was told.

  He cuffed me, an
d I didn’t fight him. He gently turned me around and helped me step out of the cage. I knew I should be using this chance to escape, to try to fight, but I was tired, mentally exhausted at that moment and just didn’t have it in me to put up any great resistance.

  His huge frame took me in his arms and I couldn’t help but melt just a little bit. He sat down on a chair beside the table and drew me in his lap. I allowed him to.

  “Kira?”

  “Mmhhmm?” I murmured, snuggling into his shoulder.

  “Tomorrow, I won’t be able to be like this with you, especially with all the other Vakarrans and my commander watching. I need you to be prepared for that.”

  Nodding into his shoulder, I knew he was correct.

  This moment of weakness, between the two of us, would be forgotten as soon as the sun rose. I understood it, as well as he. This was something that could only happen in private. I knew that, but I didn’t hate it any less.

  Coltan’s arms tightened around me.

  I pulled back and stared into his bright copper irises. Had I had access to my hands, I would have touched his face and pulled him into a kiss. Almost as if he could read my thoughts, he took a hold of my chin and pulled me in close, claiming me with his lips in a kiss that left me trembling.

  Something was wrong with me, it had to be. How could I be sitting here kissing an alien?

  That thought floated to the back of my mind as he took me as he wished, his tongue exploring my mouth. I moaned softly into his lips.

  “Coltan,” I sighed.

  He pulled away then, his eyes studying mine.

  He looked sad.

  “At the end of the day tomorrow, don’t hate me. The sentence is going to be rough on you. It’s going to hurt, both physically and emotionally. I want you to remember something though,” he began.

  My arms behind my back, cuffed and bound, I hid in his shoulder. Tired and weak-minded, I nodded, grateful for his kind advice.

  “Be strong, my little hellion,” he said.

  We sat there together, for much longer than the few minutes he’d originally promised me. I didn’t say anything, and he didn’t either, like neither of us wanted to admit that we were leaning on the other to make it through the night.

  His hard body lifted and rose beneath me, his skin warm through the fabric of his shirt. I reminded myself that he was the enemy, but even then, it felt flat in my head.

  When I began to fall asleep on his chest, he pulled back and pressed his lips to my forehead.

  “Come now, Kira. Time to go back in your cage,” he whispered. I nodded into his chest, my heart having returned to a normal pace.

  “Coltan?”

  “Yes, Kira?”

  “Thank you,” I whispered. Thankfully he didn’t push for me to say anything more but wrapped his arms around me and squeezed. Comforted, I sighed with relief.

  Reluctantly, I climbed off his lap with his aid. He helped to guide me back into my cage, removed my cuffs and locked the door behind me. I was sure I would regret my choice not to fight, not to knee him in the balls and try to escape, but at that moment, I pushed those thoughts away.

  “Sleep now, Kira. We’ll get through tomorrow together. I promise,” he whispered.

  I laid down on the padded mat and closed my eyes, his warmth still permeating my skin even though we were apart. Sleep finally claimed me once more, and my dreams consisted of a confusing mixture of my four Vakarran captors.

  * * *

  When the sun rose the next day, I blinked at the brightness that bled through the white tent walls. Left with little choice but to rise and open my eyes, I groaned and stretched, before remembering the events that were due to happen in the next few hours.

  My trial, sentence and punishment were all to happen very soon and nothing I could do would stop it. My eyes floated from one man to the next and in that moment, I pushed away everything. I would not allow myself to be weak again, no matter how inviting Coltan’s arms might be. I had to be strong, for my sisters and for the rest of the humans living out in the forest who depended on me.

  I took a deep breath and released it from my lungs slowly as all four turned to look at me.

  “It’s time then,” Zaavyr said, his tone level. I couldn’t get a read on him.

  Coltan moved forward then and unlocked the cage, offering me a hand, which I reluctantly took.

  “Remember what I said,” he whispered. “It’ll be easier for you if you submit.”

  I nodded but couldn’t find the words to respond. I clenched my jaw and looked away.

  I could feel him watching me, assessing me as I climbed out of the cage. The brisk morning air reminded me of my nakedness as the blanket fell away, leaving me bare and vulnerable before the four of them.

  With four pairs of eyes on me, I felt my body heat. My nipples peaked under their scrutiny and my pussy clenched unexpectedly. What the hell? There was no possible way I could be aroused by being nude in the presence of these four men. They were Vakarrans, for God’s sake.

  I pressed my teeth together firmly and lifted my chin, pulling my shoulders back in defiance. I’d ignore the throbbing in my core and the wetness I could feel between my thighs. Zaavyr walked forward and took my wrists in his hands and I couldn’t help but notice the tingle that raced across my skin at his touch.

  He put me in cuffs again and attached a leash to the steel clasps in between.

  With not another word, they led me forward, out of their tent and into the sun. Not a single person was moving around outdoors. The camp was strangely silent.

  When we started moving toward the massive circus tent at the center, I figured out why. Through the thin white walls, I could hear movement, of feet shuffling and Vakarrans barking orders and my insides started to squirm. What was going to happen in there?

  My heartbeat began to quicken in my chest and I licked my lips. The leash tugged me forward and we entered the tent. I darted my eyes around and was alarmed to see hundreds of women, every single one of them naked, seated on cloth-covered benches. They had their hands in their laps and their eyes on the ground. Even with my entry, they didn’t lift their sight to look at me. It was incredibly disconcerting.

  There was a stage at the center of the ring, surrounded on all sides by audience members. Stationed along alleys that punctuated the crowd were a handful of Vakarrans standing guard. The crowd of women was so large in number that I was taken aback for a second. I wished the women weren’t brainwashed into their submission. An army of women this size would certainly overcome the Vakarrans here in the camp.

  None of them even acknowledged me. Talk about frustrating.

  At the middle of the stage was some sort of metal contraption, with two tall poles laden with hooks. I could only guess I was soon to be latched to it and forced to take whatever punishment the aliens deemed necessary. One alien man stood beside it, glaring in my direction.

  Lifting my chin, I walked forward with pride, despite my embarrassment at being naked. I wouldn’t show that I was afraid, not even a little. Down the alley we walked, until we approached the stairs to the side of the stage.

  Silently, Jax took a hold of the leash and guided me up to the platform, while Zaavyr moved to talk to the man standing on there. His body language was deferential, and I knew instantly that the mysterious alien had a high rank in Vakarran society. I noticed that Jax, Aedan, and Coltan had all tensed up a little. They were watching Zaavyr out of the corners of their eyes, their stances protective without them even realizing it.

  Interesting.

  Who was this man?

  “Good afternoon, ladies,” the tall mystery alien boomed over a mic I saw attached to his collar. None of the human females even moved a hair. They all kept their heads down, submissive and demure, quiet little obedient slaves. I saw one twitch and lift her head. The guard standing near her reached down and cuffed her head, whispering something and the woman quickly looked back down, muttering apologies.

  I went to move forwa
rd, but Jax jerked me backward, not hard enough to throw off my balance, but just enough to remind me that I was no longer in charge. I couldn’t save the girl and it hurt me that I couldn’t.

  Coltan took the leash then and unclipped the cuffs from the steel connector. Then, he took my wrists, one by one, and attached them to the poles from either side of me. There would be no escape for me.

  My ankles weren’t bound and that calmed me. I felt his touch stray across my shoulder and I met his eyes. Something inside him looked strangely sad, resigned to whatever was about to occur.

  “We have a special guest today for you, ladies. Behold, Kira Stryke, the traitor to your Vakarran masters, has finally been caught. She has evaded capture for years, refused to turn herself in and killed a number of Vakarrans men without a care,” the alien man continued. I sneered in his direction; his skin was a sickly pale purple, a few shades different from my four captors.

  I heard a collective gasp pass through the crowd. The Vakarrans, strangely, didn’t admonish any of the women.

  “She’s been brought before you today to teach you all a lesson, to show you that resistance is futile and fighting the Vakarrans will only result in pain and punishment.”

  I shivered. Fucking prick.

  I knew I had wavered over the last twenty-four hours, that the four men that had captured me had thrown me off-kilter. They could have tortured me, beat me bloody, or killed me, but they hadn’t. Instead, they had looked at me with a certain form of respect. I hadn’t expected that.

  The new character, this mystery alien, felt very different. His eyes roved my naked body and I shivered with fear. What was he going to do to me?

  Zaavyr moved forward then, his shoulders drawn back, his presence imposing. Shackled behind him, his change in demeanor made me instantly nervous.

  “Thank you, Captain Veghar. As my battalion was in charge of this rebel’s capture, it is well within my right to claim her as my slave, my breeder. As such, it is my responsibility to see to my property’s discipline,” Zaavyr began.