Текст книги "The bride contract"

Автор книги: Melissa Emerald

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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

8

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Chapter 8 – Kiahn

Normally, whenever we travel, I am more than keen to get back to Xaavia, and my Principality. There’s this strange itch in my mind that just will not settle until I am home again, and can return to my duties, and my people. This time, however, that itch is joined by an awful ache – a horribly uncomfortable feeling that I have no experience of, like I’m leaving something vital behind.

I have spent the last day wandering various levels of this wretched space station, trying to get a glimpse of the little human female – as if fate would ever be so kind. It was not kind to me when the slave trader had told me that she had already been purchased – that she was gone. He’d been decidedly tight-lipped on who had her, too. Zann had to resort in dragging me out of there with my blaster in hand, pointed at the Sectarixi male’s head in the hopes that I could threaten the information out of him.

I have never acted in such a way – especially not in public. And, ultimately, there was nothing I could do. He had sold her legally, and their sales are binding and confidential.

Now, as I wait in the lounge of our ship, there is a yawning pit in my stomach as our crew prepares to disembark from Moon’s Rest Space Station, leaving behind that intoxicating female – wherever she may be.

I lean back on the sunken, padded seating, arranged in a long, flowing shape set into the ground. My arms are outstretched along the backrest and my face tipped up to the ceiling, exposing my throat as I swallow painfully, thinking of her. I hope wherever she is, whoever it was who bought her, that she is being treated well.

The scent of smoke drifts my way, and I lift my head to look over at my youngest brother, irritated. “What are you smoking?”

Zann blows little puffs of smoke into the air – each one turning a different pastel shade, and forming into various shapes. One of those puffs of smoke looks vaguely like a dancing female human, with its shapely form and lack of horns. “Moonweed,” he says, grinning back at me. “Want some?”

“I’ll take a hit,” Az, my middle brother perks up, leaning over to take the offered rolled stick of class 7 herbs.

I watch as he puts the primitive stick between his lips but reach forward, snatching it out before he has a chance to inhale.

“Hey!”

“You’re a professional athlete,” I reason with him. “You don’t know how pure this stuff is, or where Zann got it. It’s not worth it.”

“It’s off season! C’mon, K!” Az whines, reminding me of when we were younger and he was in constant need of reining in from whatever new, daring plan for mischief Zann had talked him into. His total lack of fear and inability to foresee dangers baffles me most of the time.

I look down and examine the smoking stick between my fingers, and by the time I’m looking back up to my brothers again, Zann has already gotten bored of the conversation around how pure his moonweed is, and is projecting his ‘species fuck list’ from his wrist comm again. Irritated, I stub the smoking stick out on the low table in front of us and watch as he crosses off two new species.

“A Tressian?!” Az exclaims, almost choking on the word. “How did you manage that? Aren’t they… mostly hair?”

“It’s do-able,” Zann winks. “Lovely girl. Wants to start her own salon. I told her she can buff my horns any time,” he says, grinning.

I reach for the decanter of distilled pukpuk liquor and pour myself a glass. I’m in no mood to hear the details of my brother’s bedding conquests.

The doors to the lounge area whoosh open, and in floats my Aunt Zalora with her cane, my cousin, Vel following along behind her, constantly checking lists of her own – ones infinitely more important than Zann’s fuck list. “There you three are,” my Aunt says, smiling at us… which is… unnerving.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my Aunt dearly. She raised us, after all. But she is one for duties, order, and making sure our lives and household runs smoothly. There’s a motherly side there for sure, but you normally have to chisel away at several layers of stern stoicism before you reach the fuzzy, smiling center.

So, her smiling? Freely? Let’s just say it’s enough to make me lower my crystal-cut tumbler of liquor and observe her a little more closely. Vel clutches her touchpad to her chest and presses her lips together like she’s trying desperately not to let any words burst out.

I narrow my eyes at her, too. She knows something.

Aunt Zalora opens her mouth and takes a breath as if about to speak, but she gets caught off guard when she looks over to Zann – Zann, who still has that fucking projection of his list displayed. That suspicious smile slides right off her face. “Will you please get rid of that, Zannador!” she huffs, tapping her cane on the floor. “I have gifts for you.”

“Gifts?” Az perks up, rubbing his hands together. He’s only two years younger than myself, but has never lost that youthful spirit. “I love gifts.”

“Yes, well-” Aunt Zalora points her cane at both of my brothers, “you two will have to put some work in before you will be able play properly with these gifts. And even then, there’s no guarantee.”

Inexplicably, Vel giggles before covering her mouth and smothering the sound.

Zann raises a brow at the whole thing before reaching for the decanter of liquor and pouring himself a glass. “That’s not normally how gifts work, Auntie, dearest,” he says, leaning back and taking a sip of the red liquid. “Besides, who wants a gift you have to work for?”

Zalora smirks, and, without turning to face her aide, she simply instructs in a quiet tone, “bring in the gifts.”

After a tap or two of Vel’s deft fingers on her touchpad, she has apparently instructed some staff members to bring in these mystery gifts because the doors whoosh open again and this time, in steps-

Some humans.

Zann sprays his mouthful of liquor all over himself and Az jumps up to his feet, standing at full attention beside me.

When the last human walks in behind the two others, my breath catches in my lungs.

That’s my human.

My female.

I’m on my feet in an instant, the crystal tumbler slipping from my hand and shattering into pieces on the floor at my boots.

My human.

Is she really here?

Am I dreaming this?

My little human female is here, standing in my ship. She is exactly how I remembered her, shiny black hair and a human skin-tone that reminds me of the deep, rich brown sands of the southern principality. Though, I cannot think of a single view of my home planet that is half as beautiful as my human. She is covered more modestly compared to back at ‘Star Pleasures’, but she leaves her neck scandalously bare, a fact that has me swallowing thickly as I can’t help but stare at her delicate throat, remembering how she had allowed me to nuzzle and nose at her there.

“Niska here has agreed to enter into a bridal contract with you, Kiahn-”

“What?” I cut off my Aunt. I think she had carried on talking, but my brain short-circuited after first finding out my female’s name, and then hearing the words, ‘bridal contract’. “What do you mean?”

Aunt Zalora looks at me as though I suddenly have wyzzie-nuts for brains.

“But-”

“Uh,” Zann raises his hand as if he were still in a training room, needing permission to speak. “I don’t want a bridal contract,” he says, before waving a hand between the two other humans present. “No offense. I’m sure you’re both lovely.”

Az reaches over and grabs the arm Zann is pointing in the direction of the females and shoves it away. “The short, soft one is mine.”

Briefly, my gaze glosses over the other two females, one is ever so slightly taller, with rich, much darker skin and dark curly hair. She looks nervous, like she thinks someone’s going to eat her. The other has reddish hair, the length only just brushing her shoulders. Her skin is paler than both her companions, and her body much rounder. She’s also wearing a very guarded scowl on her face. None of them are covering their necks.

“That one?” I hear Zann whisper. “I don’t blame you for wanting a soft-bodied female, brother, but she looks like she wants to kill everyone on this ship three times over.”

Az grins, seemingly pleased and excited by Zann’s assessment of the female. “I know.”

“I want to make it clear,” my Aunts voice booms out, cutting my brother’s murmurings short. “I expect you all to enter bridal contracts very soon. The time for-” she raises a brow at Zann, “-fun has passed. The Northern Principality and the capital needs to see its royals take their breeding responsibilities seriously. But under no circumstance are the female, Lois,” she gestures to the shorter of the two before then doing the same to the other, “or the female, Jaya to be forced into contracts. That was not the agreed upon terms of purchase.”

My female – my ‘Niska’ – doesn’t make a move, in fact she is frozen to the spot, much like myself. I stare at her, still in disbelief as I ask my Aunt, “and what are those terms of purchase, exactly?”

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9

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Chapter 9 – Niska

So… I can’t tell if Prince Kiahn is pleased to see me, or pissed. Everything in this room felt tense as soon as we walked in. I know he’d tried to buy me himself, so is he annoyed that his Aunt did it for him? Or is it because now there’s talk of these strange bridal-breeding contracts? Is that not what he’d wanted from me when he came to try and buy me?

Thoughts about him purely wanting a bed-slave and not a woman protected by a contract flit through my mind, and I stare extra hard at the huge, horned guy in front of me. He seemed better than that, but what do I really know? I know nothing about him, or his culture. He told me that his people are not in the habit of buying slaves, but habits start somewhere, right?

It doesn’t matter what he wants me for, I tell myself, squaring my shoulders and lifting my chin as Lady Zalora recounts the deal we made. She tells her nephews that I am the only one who has consented to negotiating a breeding bride contract, but that Lois and Jaya are to remain nothing but the royal Prince’s guests until they themselves decide whether or not they want to follow in my footsteps with Kiahn’s brothers.

They won’t.

I made sure to get Lady Zalora’s agreement that they would not be pressured into any of that nonsense. And in return, she wants me to… well… loosen Prince Kiahn up a bit. Seduce him. She’d told me that he is reluctant to ‘do the deed’, and I can imagine that, since he was so very tense when I’d sat on his lap back at the club. I think he might be a little afraid of women, if I’m honest.

Which is particularly ridiculous when you take in the sheer size of the man.

Whatever it is that’s holding him back, Lady Zalora wants me to break it – to set him loose to go forth and multiply.

And I’m fairly confident I can do that.

I can do anything I set my damn mind to, and if seducing that huge, alien Prince is what’s going to keep me and my friends safe out here, then he’d better hang onto his horns, because that’s exactly what I’m gonna do.

I can hear Lady Zalora still talking, but the words are muffled like I’m underwater or something. It’s too hard to pull my focus away from the Prince as he starts to move, slowly stalking forward toward me without breaking contact with those pretty green eyes of his. My heart starts to thrum in my body, even though I feel like a sacrificial lamb in his presence. And, I can’t help but think, as he comes to stand right in front of me, forcing me to tilt my head back to look up at him;

This giant of a man is going to completely wreck my pussy.

“Is this true?” he asks me, and only me, his voice low and somehow delicious as his eyes scan my face, looking for something. “Did you agree to a contract with me?”

I nod my head dumbly. Honestly, I’m not sure I could form words right now anyway.

Kiahn lets out a breath – just a small one, but it comes out ragged and unsteady, like this news has knocked him off-kilter a little. Tentatively, he lifts a huge hand, and it’s like the rest of the room, and everyone in it melts away as he slowly reaches to gently touch my face. The pads of his fingers are so feather-soft on my cheek, they almost tickle. “Why would you allow such a thing?” he asks in a quiet voice, so quiet in fact, I think he may be talking to himself. His vibrant green eyes track the path his fingers slowly make, around the curve of my cheek and following the line of my jaw to my chin. He doesn’t stop there, though. His fingers softly brush lower to my throat, pausing when he can quite clearly feel me swallow beneath his touch.

“Kiahn?” Vel interjects, stepping closer to the two of us. The Prince blinks down at me and then to his Aunt’s assistant who pointedly clears her throat at us both.

It’s then that Kiahn pulls his hand back like he’d been burned. “I…”

There’s a jolt under our feet as the ship’s engines power up and I can see from the small port-hole-like windows in this room that we’re beginning to move away from the dock at Moon’s Rest. I have odd feelings about leaving this place for someplace new and unknown, but mostly all I can feel is relief.

“See to it that Niska has her choice of quarters on board, Vel,” Kiahn clips as he takes a step away from me now, his whole demeanor suddenly changing. “And that she is fitted with the finest, most comfortable collar as soon as we return to Xaavia.” And with that, he bows at me – like, actually fucking bows – and strides out of the room.

It’s Lois that breaks the silence of his departure after I’m left here, staring after him. “Did he just say ‘collar’?”

* * *

As promised, Lois, Jaya and I had been given first choice in which of the many sleeping quarters we’d wanted in this huge-ass ship. Each one we were shown would have been more than adequate. Especially when considering we’d been used to a bare cell with uncomfortable cots for the past six or so months. Vel was tasked with showing us around the quarters, but one of Kiahn’s brothers, the one I’ve since learned is called ‘Az’, tagged along with us, very enthusiastically offering up his own bedroom, specifically for Lois’ use.

“It has the best views from the windows, and the hygiene room is top of the range with full massage options,” he tells her as we walk the hall, plush plum carpeting beneath our feet. He follows directly behind Lois, and in front of me and Jaya, his huge frame too large to walk beside her in the ship’s halls. All I can see back here is his tight pants and bare back – hunched over from him trying to constantly communicate with Lois as we walk. Lois, for her part, seems rather non-committal in her responses and I can tell from way back here, she’s not interested in taking his offer. Maybe she thinks if she does, it paves the way for him to think he can coerce her into a breeding contract too, or maybe she just wants him to leave her alone. Either way, she’s rather quiet up there at the front of our party, following our tour-guide, Vel.

That is, until he’s telling her about the excess of closet space in his room and she finally snaps.

“Does it look like I have clothes to fill a closet?” she suddenly turns to ask him, her tone harsh but quiet. Az almost walks straight into her and has to jolt himself to stop. She plucks at the ratty dull white gown we’ve all worn and washed, day-in-day-out since we were stolen from our home planet. I would categorize them somewhere between a hospital gown, and a t-shirt dress in appearance, and are what we tended to wear day-to-day, unless an important buyer was coming to the store, or you were being loaned out to, say, a pleasure club. “Thank you for the offer, but I don’t need to take your room-”

“You sure? It’s one of the nicest-”

“Az!” Vel comes hurrying back to us once she’d realized we’d all stopped following her. “You’re bothering the humans, leave them be! And for the love of the four, would you please put a shirt on. We are not in a tournament changing area. We are on your brother’s ship!”

Az shrugs his big shoulders and holds his hands up. “I just think Lois would be more comfortable in one of the royal rooms on board, and I’m just sayin’ that mine is one of the nicest, and it’s hers if she wants it.”

He stands there, smiling down at Lois, his hands on his hips now, like he’s waiting for praise or something.

Lois shakes her head, her red hair swinging with the movement. “I wanna continue bunking with Niska and Jaya,” she tells him. I could kiss her. I’d not really considered it, but as soon as she’d said the words, I knew I felt the same. We’ve shared a tiny little cell for months and seen each other get low and scared. I’m not sure I could have made it without these two, they feel like family to me now – just as close to me as any of my family or my best friend, Polly. So yes, absolutely, I want to continue sharing a room with them both.

“Oh,” Az says briefly glancing at Jaya and I, as if he’s only just remembered that we’re here too. One of his hands absently rubs across his broad chest a little subconsciously as the poor guy really does look like Lois took the wind right out of his sails. “I mean, yeah… sure. Uh…my-my room is large enough for all three, so… just as long as you’re comfortable?”

He directs the question at Lois, since clearly to this guy, her opinion is of the upmost importance.

“Sure,” she shrugs, giving him a tight-lipped and fleeting smile before she’s avoiding his gaze and giving Jaya and I a wide-eyed look.

Az takes in a breath, puffing up his chest as he nods, seemingly pleased that she’s at least taken him up on his offer in some capacity. He opens his mouth, but closes it again.

And then…

He says nothing.

No-one says anything at all as we all stand here in the middle of the hallway, glancing looks at each other as awkwardness leeches into every atom in our vicinity. Az’s focus remains on Lois, but his chest kind of starts to deflate, and he reaches up to rub at one of his big, spiraling horns, like it was a nervous habit or something.

“So…” he blows out.

But he never finishes that sentence.

It’s Vel who breaks the unbearable awkwardness. “For Goddesses’ sake, Az,” she tuts, gently ushering Lois to start moving again, leaving him behind. “She’s not going to give you her permission. Just… go put a shirt on. You can see her again at dinner.”

“Right-right,” he murmurs to himself, looking embarrassed now as he gives Jaya and I each a little bow before leaving us to the rest of our tour.

“Don’t mind him,” Vel explains as she continues down the corridor, apparently intent on making sure we know every inch of this ship. “He’s a professional athlete, so he’s used to females fawning at his feet. I’m not sure he really knows what to do with one who he has to actually court.”

“Court?” Lois asks. “No. That’s not happening. Not with me” she confirms, waving her hand in front of herself, gesturing to her whole body with animated circular movements. “Niska’s the only one brave enough to put her pussy up on the sacrificial alter with those huge-ass dudes-”

I audibly scoff, even though she’s not wrong.

Lois twists her upper body, reaching out to give me an affectionate squeeze. “For which, I’m eternally grateful. Seriously, Nis, Jaya and I both owe you big time.” She turns back to Vel, “but that’s not what I signed up for, so you can tell him he can quit giving me puppy-dog eyes, ok? That shit won’t work.”

Vel stops walking and cocks her head at Lois. “I do not know what a ‘puppy-dog’ is, or why you think Az is in possession of its eyes, but-” she links her arm through Lois’ and starts walking again. “This is really going to dent Az’s over-inflated ego, hence, I think you are fast becoming my favorite human.”

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10

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Chapter 10 – Niska

“Oh, my God! That looks so pretty!” Lois comments as we all sit on what used to be Az’s bed, but is ours now, for this journey at least. The thing is huge. Like huge-huge. The three of us can sleep in here comfortably and each have enough space to spare.

The room is just as nice as he’d promised, too. The bed is a four poster, but the posts are carved out of a deep, dark wood to look more organic in shape, like smooth, polished branches reaching across to embrace each other. The thick-pile carpet is cornflower blue, and Az was right, the floor-to-ceiling windows have spectacular views of… well… space.

We’re actually travelling through space right now. I was too petrified to really appreciate that the last time.

But that’s not what Lois was referring to.

On our tour, we apparently had one too many questions for Vel, and she’s decided we need a Xaviann 101 class, so here we are.

“Thank you,” Vel beams, changing the projected image that hovers in mid-air in front of us from a rural landscape to that of a cityscape at night with a billion glowing lights. “Xavianns are very proud of our homelands. Nowhere feels quite the same as on Xaavia.”

She shakes herself then, blinking rapidly as her eyes widen. “Oh, I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me… considering.”

Considering us humans are never going to be able to go back to our homelands.

That was made abundantly clear. It turns out very few space crafts or crew have legal permissions to actually travel to Earth. It doesn’t stop the illegal ones, like the ones who took us, but the Intergalactic Peacetime Authorities are very clear; we can’t go back.

“It’s fine,” I tell Vel. Honestly, it’s kind of refreshing and sweet for her to even realize how we may have taken her comment. Most of the aliens I’ve met so far have tended to treat us like possessions, not people.

She shakes her head and smiles. “I still can’t believe we actually have humans joining the palace now. You know, I’ve been a huge fan of your planet and species since I can remember. There’s a whole group of human fanatics that meet virtually. I can’t wait to tell them that I’m actually working with some now. They’re going to want me to bother you with so many questions.” Vel ducks her head, the apples of her gray cheeks tinging pink as she tucks her hair behind her elf-like ears.

“What kind of questions?” I ask, curious now, especially since she seems to have gone all shy about her… human fan club?

“Well,” she taps on her tablet and shifts where she sits demurely on a nearby, high-backed chair. “I’ve been wondering if ‘iced-cream’ really does taste that good? What actually is a ‘Kardashian’? Why does the size of your bodies seem to matter so much to you? What is the fascination with making products out of plaz-tic? And why do your males-”

“Let me stop you there,” Lois says, holding up a hand. “No one knows why men do any of the things they do, but if you ask them, it’s probably their mother’s fault,” she says, popping up a finger to begin listing off all her answers. “The plastic one is just capitalism. I don’t know what else to tell you there. The size one is – as always – good ol’ fashioned patriarchy. Yes, ice cream tastes pretty fucking amazing. And do not get me started on the Kardashians.”

“Oh. Alright, let me just write some notes on that.” Vel says, quickly scribbling something down on her tablet. “Do not mention the Kardashian,” she murmurs along as she writes the words. Vel’s blush deepens as she looks back up at us and says, “I suppose we should stay on topic anyway.”

The projection in front of us changes again, showing an impressively tall building with multiple towering spires and connected archways, but some walls are made of shimmering glass and it looks like there’s little flying pods hovering in mid-air all over the place. It kind of looks like a medieval fairy-tale mated with Tomorrowland at Disney World.

“This is the palace in the Northern Principality,” Vel explains.

Jaya swings her legs down over the edge of the bed – the thing is so tall, she can’t touch the floor. “That’s where we’re going to live?” she asks, eyes wide as she stares at the illuminated image.

“Yes,” Vel smiles, showing us another image of the palace from a different angle.

“Wait,” Lois says, “for real? We get to live there?”

Vel nods her head and changes the projected image again. This time showing a weirdly perfect oval-shaped valley full of thick forest and dotted with little spots of glowing light. “And this is a drak-ball game in its final quarter. It’s a team sport involving finding glowballs and a drak to ride in the forest before taking to the skies and getting as many glowballs in your team’s net as possible.”

Jaya, Lois and I just blink back at her, utterly baffled by everything she just said. In response, Vel zooms in on the image, and what initially looked like a little speck in the sky soon became an image of Az. He’s wearing black leather pants and is shirtless again. And he’s… well, he’s riding what looks like a two-headed dragon?

Jaya giggles as she turns her head as if trying to get a better look at the dare-devil alien on the projection. “Lois, your man is kinda hot. No wonder he’s used to getting lots of action.”

“He’s not my man,” Lois complains, but I see how her cheeks flush a little as she stares at the photo of him riding that ‘drak’ thing. She blinks and then shakes herself out of her stupor before addressing Vel. “Wait, is this where he brings all his… you know?” she gestures to the bed we’re all sitting on. Vel stares at her, her brows knitted in confusion. “I mean, I’m no prude, but if this is where a fuckboy brings all his conquests, then I’m not sure I really wanna-”

“Oh!” Vel says, finally catching Lois’ drift. “Oh my horns! No, Az doesn’t-… we don’t-… I-…” she closes her eyes and gently slaps her forehead repeatedly a few times with the flat of her palm before taking a calming breath. “I’m so sorry – I forget that humans don’t know about the bonding bites.”

For some unknown reason, the little downy hairs on the back of my neck prickle to attention and something in my stomach swoops uncomfortably. “The what now?” I ask.

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