Mastered: A Dark Sci-Fi Reverse Harem Romance (Vakarran Captives) Read online

  I just wanted to understand her. I also wanted to keep her.

  Mine. Ours. I didn’t want anyone else to lay a hand on her. All I could imagine was someone like Taazar taking a whip to her back and my fury surged. No. I wouldn’t stand for it. I’d kill the first man who even threatened to touch her.

  Ryder moved beside me and Davon and Morgn watched from the table.

  Duty. Honor-bound to report her existence. I knew the others were grappling with this reality too, just like I was. She was a Stryke. Her sister Kira was infamous. Alaina would be too.

  Nix would want her for himself, just to make an example of her. He’d destroy her. He’d also probably kill her.

  Ryder put his hand on my shoulder, in solidarity with me. He knew what I was thinking because he was thinking the same thing.

  “The only way to protect her is to train her. If she is submissive and nothing like her sister, he’ll get bored. Move on. Then she’ll be safe, and she’ll be ours, by law. We found her. We claimed her,” Ryder replied through our telepathic link.

  “When will we report her?” I asked.

  “In a week’s time. It’ll give us time to work with her, to teach her our ways. Once it is done, Nix will demand our presence on the Starrider immediately. We must wait and depart for shelter in Atlanta. There aren’t any Vakarrans stationed there, so our presence will go undetected, if we’re careful,” he said.

  Morgn nodded in agreement. Davon looked wary. We all looked tired though.

  “Let’s get some rest and leave first thing in the morning. Taazar likely won’t mention we had a human with us. I heard him yelling not long ago, drunk as fuck, the bastard,” Morgn said, his tone hardly hiding his disgust. Morgn always liked to be in control. I’d only ever seen him drink a handful of times and even so, it was a single glass of hard liquor. Never anything more. He liked to have control over everything, whether it was himself or an unlucky—or lucky, depending on how you looked at it—woman.

  Davon was quiet, not really reacting. He was the youngest of the four of us, the most inexperienced, but he had proven himself useful in a variety of ways. He was adept at figuring out technology and communications, while I, Ryder, and Morgn all excelled at hand to hand combat and strategy. He’d been an asset a few times and we were proud to call him a comrade. That didn’t stop us from teasing him from time to time.

  Morgn especially enjoyed that.

  “Davon. You take first watch. Out of the four of us, you’re the only one who has been bested by our woman, so I elect you. Ryder? Aarom?” Morgn said and I had to press my lips together to keep myself from chuckling.

  Ryder smirked. I covered mine with a yawn.

  To his credit, Davon simply glared in Morgn’s direction, but he nodded curtly.

  “I’ll make sure she remains safe with us. No one will enter this tent,” he vowed.

  None of us mentioned that it was probably more to ensure she didn’t escape than to protect her from our Vakarran brethren.

  Ryder and I climbed into bed beside her, while Morgn elected to take one of the single beds closer to the entrance. I placed my hand on Alaina’s torso, feeling her steady, calm breath. Ryder put his hand on the other side.

  “Ours,” he said out loud. Alaina moved a little in her sleep, but with her wrists tied as they were, she wasn’t going anywhere.

  We’d make sure of it.

  * * *

  When the sun rose, the four of us readied with haste. We packed up food, supplies, and water for the journey, all before Alaina woke. Ryder checked in with our superior officers, making sure to mention that the surrounding areas were clear, and we aimed to travel deep into the forests around us in search of any more humans who might be hiding out.

  When we were finally ready, Morgn went to secure us a vehicle and Davon carefully unbound our captive, waking her gently in the process. When she moved her arms, she cried out in pain and I quickly moved to massage her shoulders, helping blood flow to return to her limbs. Davon did the same. She moaned softly and stretched, and I couldn’t help but notice her pert pink nipples hardening as our hands touched her skin. My dick jumped with excitement.

  I couldn’t wait to begin her training. I knew my brothers in arms would be thinking along the same lines. Quickly, we ushered her into the restroom, brushing her hair and allowing her some time to ready herself. When she was finished, we led her out of the tent and into the forest, where Morgn was waiting with the engines on low.

  Ryder took the passenger seat and Davon and I put Alaina between us in the back. The vehicle hovered a few inches off the ground before it rose high in the air, above the tree tops and safely away from the female training camp.

  Alaina fidgeted nervously between us until I heard her voice whisper softly in my ear.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Somewhere safe,” I offered. The less she knew, the better. It would be best to make her think taking her to Atlanta was just part of protocol.

  She narrowed her eyes at me in suspicion.

  “Nowhere with Vakarrans is safe,” she muttered.

  The rest of the ride was quiet as I watched the trees fly below us. Alaina didn’t say anything else until we were over the old abandoned city. Even though we’d only taken over Earth ten years ago, the once great cities had suffered in that time. We bombed most of them, including the political center of Atlanta. Still, great skyscrapers rose up all around us, some pristine, others wracked with decay. The streets were littered with abandoned technology, flying cars, automated hover trains, and large military airships, just to name a few.

  Some old holographic billboards even flickered on from time to time, which was especially haunting.

  “What are we doing here?” she questioned.

  “Beginning your training. I like a more personal, hands-on private approach, especially when you’ll need to be punished,” Ryder answered.

  She scowled.

  “Keep it up, Alaina, and you’ll experience my belt across your ass,” Morgn growled dangerously. Who was he kidding? That would probably be one of the first things Morgn did.

  A good lesson with a belt would probably go a long way. It wouldn’t mark her permanently, but it would teach her a valuable lesson that she was no longer free, and the four of us were her Vakarran masters.

  I heard her growl in frustration behind me.

  Ryder navigated to one of the taller, untouched buildings, landing on the terrace of the penthouse at the very top. Overgrown flower gardens grew across the concrete, unruly vines and weeds no longer kept at bay now that the city was uninhabited. It was beautiful in its wildness. Glass doors allowed us to see inside the penthouse apartment, hinting at extravagant technologies and riches inside.

  It was probably once the home of one of the humans that had lived in the colonies on Mars or something. One of the richest patrons in the city.

  Now we were going to use it for our purposes.

  “I won’t go with you,” Alaina protested.

  “You don’t have a choice,” Ryder responded. He was preparing himself, I could tell. As our leader, he had to set an example for the rest of us. Morgn turned off the vehicle and the four of us climbed out as the doors opened automatically. I took Alaina’s leash and forced her to follow.

  I saw Ryder lift his shoulders and raise his chin. He was ready.

  I hoped Alaina was too.

  Davon sprinted forward ahead of us and opened the door. I had expected it to be locked but I noted the eye scanner to the right of the door, I knew that the apartment must have once been powered on the electrical grid. I knew we’d shifted the electricity we’d needed to other places, so it probably caused the old security system to fail.

  “Take her to the bedroom. Bind her to it facedown. It’s time for Alaina’s first lesson,” Ryder said, and I saw her visibly take a step backward.

  I turned, seeing her doe-eyed expression, her fear obvious.

  Tugging on the leash, I jerked her forward. She t
ensed and tried to fight back, but Morgn lifted her by the waist and tossed her over his shoulder. I dropped the leash.

  She struggled, twisting, punching, and kicking, but Morgn had a hold of her. He drew his hand back and slapped her ass hard enough to leave a solid pink imprint across her pale cheek. She stilled.

  Interesting.

  Morgn had no more trouble from her as we all walked inside.

  The bedroom was easy to find, and we were pleased to discover a massive four-poster steel bedframe. Using a bundle of special Vakarran rope, we tied her to the bed. I saw the muscles in her back tense and her bottom clench.

  With her arms and her legs spread, lashed to each one of the four posts, we could see everything. I could admire all of her.

  She was a beautiful human. Her skin was smooth, unblemished, unscarred. She was pale and trembling before us, her long blonde hair flowing in waves down to her mid-back. Her hips curved outward elegantly. The mounds of her ass were succulent, and I suddenly wanted to bite them, only after I gave her a good reminder of who was in charge.

  Her legs splayed wide, I could admire her pussy and the tight little ring of her asshole, just begging to be fucked for the very first time. She was already wet.

  Morgn noticed too. He reached forward and touched her, sliding his fingers up and down her slit.

  “Look at this, wet already? I can’t wait to see how much wetter you get when Ryder teaches you who’s boss,” Morgn muttered.

  Alaina whined with shame.

  It was such a delightful sound.

  Davon and I moved to stand beside him. We both leaned forward and placed our hands on her, making her exceedingly aware of the fact that we were all staring at her delicious-looking cunt.

  Goosebumps raced across her skin.

  My cock hardened inside my slacks. I ached to fuck her.

  But I’d have to wait. She needed to be punished first.

  Ryder didn’t come into the room right away. He was making her wait. Anticipate how she was going to be punished. In the meantime, Davon, Morgn, and I all touched between her legs, pinching her, prodding her, occasionally smacking her ass when she tried to pull away.

  I liked to watch the pinkness of my handprint rise and fade away in the ensuing seconds.

  When Ryder finally walked into the room, his expression was dark. Purposeful. We all fell quiet, watching as he removed his shirt, then his belt. He doubled it over and tapped his palm with it.

  He grinned with dark excitement.

  Alaina was about to be taken down a few pegs. She was probably going to cry and beg. Maybe Ryder would fuck her after he belted her.

  Maybe we’d all fuck her.

  Chapter Seven

  Alaina

  The fucking bastards had tied me to the bed. No matter what I did, the rope they bound me with was too tight and every time I struggled it got tighter until I relaxed, like a Chinese finger trap. Naked, with my legs spread and my ass up, I was infinitely vulnerable.

  “Slide some pillows under her hips. I want her ass up in the air,” Ryder declared, and I couldn’t help but tremble. I was growing more and more nervous by the second.

  Were they going to beat me? Spank me? Fuck me? All of the above?

  I trembled. My blood boiled. The anticipation was driving me wild.

  Already, three of them had admired the wetness of my pussy. I was humiliated that my body had reacted in such a fashion. I should hate every last second of this shameful treatment, but the war between my mind and body confused me.

  “You’re to call us Master from now on,” Ryder demanded as the others slipped one pillow and then another underneath me. My ass felt high in the air, like a vulnerable target begging for punishment. Aarom patted my ass cheek, and I scowled toward him.

  “Fuck you,” I answered. I couldn’t be weak, not even now.

  I could take a god damn spanking if it was necessary. I had to be strong, fight back. These men were never going to be my masters, not if I had anything to do with it.

  “You know, if you scream, no one is going to hear. No one is going to come save you,” Ryder replied softly. His calm tone terrified me. I bit my lip. “There’s no one here in the city.”

  The others moved away and sat on various chairs scattered around the room. They did nothing. Said nothing. They were apparently my audience. Bastards.

  Ryder touched me then, and it startled me. I tried to pull away, but the ropes tightened once again. I could see him out of the corner of my eye, but then he moved out of sight.

  Shit.

  “Arch your back,” he commanded.

  “No,” I answered.

  I heard a swishing sound of leather cutting through the air and a line of fiery pain bloomed across my ass. I screamed in surprise and struggled only for the leather to strike me once more. He was whipping me with his belt. I could scarcely believe it.

  “Ryder, you fucking bastard,” I yelled.

  The belt whipped across my ass fast, five times in quick succession. I struggled to escape, trying to tense my muscles so that it didn’t hurt as much, but spread as widely as I was across the bed, it was very difficult. I struggled for nothing. I wasn’t going anywhere. If he wanted to spank me, I had no choice in the matter.

  The sting from the belt’s lash radiated across my ass, like a blaze igniting a bale of hay. It hurt, and it hurt a lot. Thankfully, it stopped for a long moment and I felt Ryder touch me and his gentleness undid me.

  “Alaina, it would be much easier if you just submitted to us. If you don’t, you’ll put yourself in unnecessary danger,” he explained, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from responding. He squeezed one side of my ass in his hand, further bringing home the message that I was no longer in charge.

  He was.

  Asshole.

  He palmed the other cheek, his fingers drifting inside the cleft of my ass, just barely rimming my bottom hole, before sliding across the wetness dripping from my pussy. I whined with mortification.

  “Punishment seems to excite you, doesn’t it, Alaina,” he observed out loud.

  “No, it doesn’t,” I protested, unable to keep quiet.

  “Liar,” he whispered.

  His thumb circled my clit and I moaned softly under my breath.

  Desire and shame washed over me. I shouldn’t be enjoying this. I shouldn’t want this.

  “No, please,” I whispered.

  “I know you want it,” he whispered, his breath caressing the tiny little hairs on my earlobe. I sighed, feeling my blood begin to simmer even hotter beneath my skin.

  Pleasure seemed to radiate directly from his touch, shooting straight to my core. His fingers drifted up my pussy and then my ass, heading directly up the arch of my spine to settle at the base of my scalp. Then he took my hair into his fist, lifting my head up in the process. I whimpered softly at the sudden pain.

  The nerves at the back of my head burned, but somehow, it made me even more aroused. His control over my body was terrifying and I felt humiliated because of it.

  The swish of the belt sounded again, and it slapped against my ass, but this time, I was expecting it. I almost welcomed it, but I would never admit it. I felt my pussy clench with desire. He tapped the belt over and over down my thighs, before striking them hard one time.

  I screamed, struggling against the rope, until the peak of pain passed and settled deep in my core. I could feel my arousal trickling down my inner thighs.

  His grip tightened in my hair and the belt kissed my ass once, twice, and then a third time. He released his hold on me and let his fingers trace back down my back.

  “I like it when your ass bears my mark,” Ryder said as he stroked my pussy once more, teasing me, edging me. It felt so good and so wrong at the same time.

  I wanted more.

  “What will you call me?” he asked, as he lazily pinched my clit.

  I moaned quietly, trying to hide my face in the quilt beneath me. I knew what was coming then when I didn’t answer. He�
�d use the belt again. I knew it.

  But he didn’t. He slapped my pussy instead. The burn was enough to make me gasp out loud, even as my clit throbbed with want.

  Holy shit.

  He slid his fingers up and down the burning flesh, his simple touch a warning that not a single inch of my body was safe. He’d spank my pussy again, I was sure of it.

  He repeated his question.

  I was silent. The entire room was. It was deafening.

  The wet slapping sound of his palm meeting my moist folds echoed off the metal walls and I cried out with shock, even though I had known it was coming.

  He toyed with my clit once again.

  “Ryder, please don’t,” I whispered, knowing the words were a lie even as I said them. I did want him to touch me. I wanted him to take me and I wanted him to make me come.

  I shouldn’t. He was the enemy. A Vakarran and I was just a human. We were sworn adversaries, not lovers, or even friends.

  But it felt so good.

  But it was so wrong.

  Fuck.

  His fingers circled my entrance, dipping in shallowly, just enough to tease and make me beg for more. And oh, how I wanted to beg.

  But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t.

  Would I though?

  His touch left me then, and the belt struck down again. The sting was like a caress, burning and all-consuming. He whipped me soundly, leaving no section of my ass unpunished. I had no doubt I’d be wearing the stripes from it for several hours.

  Tears prickled at the corners of my eyes as I began to lose control to him. I tried to stifle back a sob, but when I failed to do so, I heard him throw the belt to the floor.

  He gripped my hair again and harshly whipped my face toward him. His lips descended to capture mine, devouring me completely in that single instance. There was nothing outside our kiss then, just me and him. And it was glorious.

  My nipples peaked against the quilt beneath me and my clit pulsed, begging for more, needing more. My body pleaded for it.