EXCLUSIVE: Abduction Part 1

“Be sure to take the long route!”

“Sure, ok.” Bethany pulled her backpack over her shoulder. She closed the door behind her, grimacing as the wave of heat hit her. She glared at their car, wishing she could somehow shame it into starting up. Sighing, Bethany resigned herself to the long walk to town. She went over the list of things they needed in her head.

She got to the fork in the path and paused. Her mom always reminded her to take the long way, and she always did. After all, her mom was right – the shorter route may be more convenient, but it was also more dangerous. There were rumors of slavers who frequented that route, always disappearing when a patrol came by, but always at the ready to snare unwary travelers.

Bethany hesitated, knowing she should go right, the safe way. But it was so hot, and it was such a long walk. She was sure she’d be fine and headed left at the fork.

If she made good time, she could be home before her father returned from work. Lost in her thoughts, Bethany walked at a measured pace; this was hardly the first time their car had broken down, so she was well used to walking.

A sound made her glance up, frowning. Deciding it had been nothing, Bethany turned her eyes back to the path, but quickened her pace just the same.

Without warning, a huge ship rose from behind a small hill in front of her. Bethany screamed and leaped back, her eyes frantically searching the ship’s sides for a sign of some official seal, showing who it belonged to. There was none.

Two men wearing masks leaped out and came straight for her. Bethany didn’t stop to ask questions, she simply turned and ran.

The sound of a gun firing preceded a sharp pain in her leg, and she collapsed as her whole left calf went numb. The slavers loomed over her, waving their stun guns threateningly.

“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” It was the only warning she would get.

“Please – please just let me go. I won’t tell anyone I saw you, I swear.”

The man laughed harshly. “Always the same. Come on. You’re young enough, we’ll get a good price for you.”

The other squinted at her. “She may be young, but she’s old enough for marriage; what you say?”

The first slaver eyed Bethany. “Perfect.” His eyes glinted with pleasure that made Bethany’s blood run cold.

They grabbed her and shoved her roughly into the belly of their ship. Bethany screamed and kicked, but they simply laughed and slammed the cargo hold door behind her.

Hands reached for Bethany and she jerked away.

“It’s ok.” Bethany couldn’t see who the voice belonged to in the darkness of the cargo hold, but she could hear breathing. She knew she wasn’t the only one here. “Come on, sit in the corner here and hold onto one of these pipes. You’ll get bruised black and blue when we take off otherwise. There aren’t any seats back here.”

Bethany obeyed the voice, letting the hands guide her until she was sitting, clutching at a pipe for dear life.

Bethany trembled. “What’s happening?”

“What’s happening is we’ve been taken by slavers.”

Bethany groaned. She’d known before she’d asked, but was hoping to be proven wrong. “Slaving is illegal, they can’t do this.”

Another voice cautioned her from the darkness. “Quiet, these guys aren’t exactly slow to anger.”

“How long have you been here?” Bethany dropped her voice to a whisper.

“Just over a week. They’ve been flying around, trying to get a good haul for the auction tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Bethany’s voice rose in panic. “We’re being – being sold – tomorrow?”

No one replied, confirming Bethany’s worst fears.

She clutched tighter to the pipe as they took off, barely managing to stop herself being thrown against the hard metal wall of the ship.

The ride seemed to go on forever. Finally, the ship landed, the door opened, and a silhouette gestured impatiently.

“Let’s go, bathroom, make it fast.”

The woman next to Bethany rose immediately. “Come on, if you don’t go now, you won’t get another chance until tomorrow.”

Bethany got up and followed, blinking in the sudden light. She was followed by a woman around her age, another slightly older, and three just younger than her mother.

She stumbled as the slavers directed them to a truly disgusting little bathroom. Bethany believed that she wouldn’t get another chance and forced herself to do what was necessary.

They were shepherded back into the ship and the door was closed again.

“Where do we sleep?” Bethany sounded fearful.

“Right here. These guys don’t have a base, they work from the ship. It helps them avoid detection, I think.” She put a hand on Bethany’s arm. “Don’t worry dear, you’re young. I’m sure someone will take you as a bride.”

The other woman whimpered. “You say that like it’s a good thing?”

“Better than taken as a pleasure object, as they call us. Those who won’t make bride are used and thrown away.”

Bethany sputtered uncharacteristically. “But – but – I didn’t apply to be a bride, not for anyone. The Marital News is supposed to be a service that connects willing brides and grooms…”

“It’s supposed to be. If these guys are caught, they’ll no doubt be executed, but some buyers don’t care. Some don’t even know.”

The younger woman sounded breathlessly terrified. “We’re going to be eaten alive. Do you know what Evions do to their brides? They suck the life out of them – some say they even suck out the soul. Imagine, being without your soul. I’d rather die.”

Bethany had to agree there. Her stomach dropped as she wondered who would buy her. What would her parents think when she never came home? She should have listened to her mother -- why hadn’t she just taken the longer route?

Bethany’s urgency was apparent. “We need to escape. If our options are death or having our souls stolen, we can’t just sit here.”

“If we try that, we’ll be killed for sure. At least if we’re alive, we have a chance to be chosen as brides -- not so if we’re dead. I don’t want to die.”

A few of the others murmured their agreement. Bethany wished she could see their expressions. The two women said nothing. Well, Bethany wasn’t going to sit and do nothing. She wasn’t going to let herself get sold into slavery, not without a fight.

She started working on the pipe right next to her, twisting and pulling, trying to loosen it.

One by one, she heard her companions lie down on the hard floor and their breathing evened out as they fell asleep.

Though her eyelids were drooping, Bethany forced herself to stay awake and keep working on the pipe. Her fingers were aching by the time it started to loosen, but she kept going.

By morning, Bethany’s fingers felt like they’d been ripped to shreds. The skin was tender and wet to the touch, but without light she couldn’t see what damage had been done. She quietly got up and felt her way around to the door and stood there, waiting.

It seemed to take hours, but finally the door grated open. Bethany winced as the light hit her eyes.

“Bathroom,” a voice grunted.

Bethany didn’t wait, but swung wildly at the slaver with her pipe. She hit him on the cheek and he screamed as she heard bone crunch. Bethany darted outside.

They seemed to be in an old abandoned lot, with nothing for miles in any direction. Adrenaline was pumping her onwards; Bethany ran faster than she’d ever run in her life. She leaped to the side at the sound of a stun gun firing, and an old tire next to her exploded. They weren’t being so careful with their settings anymore. Getting hit now may result in more than just a numb leg.

Bethany’s vision tunneled down to her goal: an old, broken down pod. It didn’t look like it had flown in years, but if she could just lock herself in long enough to get a signal out to the authorities, she’d be saved.

One of the slavers appeared right in front of her out of nowhere. Bethany realized to her horror that she’d been running right in the direction of the filthy little bathroom -- and right toward one of her captors.

He grabbed his gun, not even taking the time to draw it, and slammed it into Bethany’s face.

She didn’t hear bone splinter, but judging by the pain, it may as well have. Her vision went white and she crumpled like an empty sack.

A hand reached down and pulled her up by her hair. “Now that wasn’t very nice of you, is it? You can just go without food before you’re sold, then, see how smart you think you are on an empty stomach.”

Bethany tried to struggle, but it sent flames of pain through her face, so she stopped. She couldn’t stop the stinging tears. This had been her best chance, and she had failed. She was to be sold. Once she was in the hands of her new master, and there was little chance of ever escaping.

The slavers dragged Bethany back to the others, who were lined up with their hands bound. The man who’d caught her glared at Bethany. “That cheek will bring your price down, you little bitch.”

Another slaver slapped him on the back of the head. “Idiot! If you’d just hit her somewhere else, we wouldn’t have this problem. Could we just kill her?”

Bethany’s breath caught and the world tilted.

“Nah, we’ll still get a decent sum for her. Now, eat up, we don’t want you collapsing on the auction stand.”

The others were given some meager rations. Bethany was handed a cup of water, but nothing to eat. When one of the women tried to sneak her a bit of bread, the slavers kicked her brutally in the ribs. After that, no one tried anything.

The women were shooting Bethany looks that were a mixture of fear and sympathy. She wondered if her escape plan was as well considered as she’d thought. Who would take her as a bride now? The thought of having her soul sucked out was horrifying, but she realized that she didn’t want to die either, to be used and cast aside like a broken toy.

Cursing her stupidity, Bethany followed the others meekly back into the ship, her cheek still throbbing.

To her surprise, one of the slavers accompanied them. “I’ve got something to show you all.”

He shoved a screen under Bethany’s nose. “Since you’re so keen to leave, you first.”

Bethany looked down at the screen and gasped. She could see her parents sitting down at their dining room table, a police officer across from them. Clearly, they were reporting her disappearance. Her heart ached for them.

“We know where they are. One word and they’re dead. You understand me? And not quickly neither. As far as everyone else is concerned, you came willingly. Got it?”

Bethany nodded, terrified.

One by one, the slaver went along the row with the screen in hand. Gasps like hers told Bethany that she wasn’t the only one with a family in danger.

She felt numb as the ship took off, taking her to the auction. She couldn’t believe that it was just a day ago that she’d been walking to town to get some cloth and bread.

When the ship landed, the slavers growled at them to straighten themselves up. The women quickly tried to pat their hair down and straighten their clothes. Bethany didn’t bother. What was the point?

She was dragged out and lined up with about twenty other miserable looking people. There was a crowd growing in front of the stage. Bethany scanned it, confirming her fear that most of them were Evions. Slavery was a banned but well known pursuit across the galaxy, and in general, people didn’t want to take their own as slaves. Evions usually took humans as slaves. Humans, in turn, took Evions as slaves.

One by one, the women were dragged forward, and people started shouting out bids. Bethany watched as the younger woman who’d been with them sold for ten gold pieces to an Evion who held a hand out respectfully for her to follow. With the ugly mark on her face, Bethany doubted she’d be getting such a civilized buyer.

When Bethany was dragged up, there were a few chuckles as the crowd caught sight of her face. There were a couple of low bids, all by men who Bethany would rather have thrown herself out of a ship than gone home with.

“Two gold pieces,” called a voice. No one seemed to want to pay more than that for the damaged slave. Grumbling, the slavers handed her over and took the gold pieces.

“Come along.” The Evion spoke in a businesslike manner, grabbing the rope her hands were tied by and leading her away.

He wasn’t rough, but that didn’t reassure Bethany much. He led her a short distance to what she assumed was his ship. Unlike the slaver ship, this had a seal on it; he was from Telion. Telion didn’t abide by the slave trade, but then, neither did Earth, and that hadn’t prevented her from being sold.

He pushed her into a seat and quickly untied her wrists. “I am Untri.” He buckled in next to her. “I am taking you to your new master. I trust you have been told what will happen if you in any way disclose that you did not leave your home planet willingly?”

Bethany nodded, too terrified to speak. What was he going to do to her? More to the point, what was her new master going to do to her?

The ship shuddered as it left the atmosphere and entered hyperspace. Once they were riding smoothly, Untri got up and unfastened her seatbelt.

“There’s a bathroom and some clothes back there.” He gestured to the rear of the ship. “Go get yourself changed and cleaned up. Klowix expects the best for his harem.”

Harem? Bethany swayed as visions of everything he might do to her swam before her eyes. She staggered to the back of the ship, trying to control her breathing.

She didn’t know much about what was happening, but she knew that her life would never again be the same.

Untri inspected her before letting her off the ship. At least the bathroom had been amazing – clean and as high tech as anything Bethany had ever seen. She’d been able to wash off all the dust and grit that had accumulated on her skin from staying in that cargo bay. Her hair was washed, dried, and tied up neatly. She wore the pale blue silk dress that Untri had left her.

“Hmm, that won’t do.” He looked at her cheek and her hands, which were swollen and cut in many places from wresting that pipe loose.

Untri picked up a small device about the size of his hand. Bethany had heard of healers, but never seen one in person.

It glowed green as he held his thumb down on one of the many buttons. “Hold still.”

Bethany closed her eyes as her cheek tingled and felt very hot. When Untri withdrew the healer, the pain was gone. He next moved to her hands. This was even more amazing, since she could watch it happen. The swelling lessened and the angry redness faded. The cuts closed, leaving no marks behind. Bethany flexed her fingers; they felt as good as new.

She glanced quickly out the window as the ship descended, then she pulled back, afraid someone would see her looking out. She’d never been to another planet before. Telion was different from Earth. The divide between the advanced and the backlands was vast on Earth. Many lived their whole lives never seeing anything but the man-made, surrounded by robots and pods and all manner of new age technology.

Bethany, growing up in the backlands, was used to vast, dusty landscapes with a few scraggly plants. Telion seemed to be the strangest mix. There were huge towering buildings and docking platforms everywhere. Smaller ships zoomed around in place of cars, but there were also tall trees and vast green fields. It was beautiful.

Bethany wasn’t given long to appreciate the view. Untri took her arm and led her along a narrow path to a huge, imposing house. Bethany’s heart was pounding as she was led inside.

“Off you go.” Untri gestured her inside. The minute Bethany had passed the threshold, Untri closed the door behind her, not so much as setting foot in the building.

Bethany surveyed the room she was in, which seemed to be a kitchen, though one fancier than she’d ever seen. Perhaps this Klowix would want her to cook for him. That wouldn’t be so bad; she was used to cooking.

Still, she feared he may have much darker purposes in mind for her.

Not knowing where she was supposed to go or what she was supposed to do, Bethany folded herself into a corner. Not being noticed for as long as possible was probably her best chance.

That idea didn’t last well. A tall, beautiful woman strolled into the kitchen, humming lightly. She looked human, but before Bethany could so much as blink, she was suddenly on the other side of the room. Bethany gasped. She knew that Evions had those lightning quick movements, but it still shocked her.

“Oh, hello.” The woman smiled at Bethany. “You just arrived?”

Bethany nodded.

“I’m Trili.”

“Bethany…”

Bethany reached out to shake her hand, but Trili took Bethany’s face in both of her hands and tilted her head back. Terrified, Bethany didn’t move. Was she about to have her neck broken?

Trili paused, apparently confused. “Oh, you don’t know? Here, do this.” She took Bethany’s hands in hers and guided them so that Bethany was holding her head, tilting it up gently to face the ceiling for a moment.

“That’s how we greet here on Telion.” She released Bethany. “You’d better learn fast if you want to stand a chance; Klowix is not a patient man.”

“Stand – stand a chance?” Bethany stammered a bit.

“A chance at becoming his secrena, of course. But you know that already.”

Bethany froze. She couldn’t let on that she’d been kidnapped and sold, not if she wanted her family to live.

“I… I don’t know much about anything. I come from the backlands on Earth. My parents always wanted a better life for me, so they sent me here. It’s all new to me, though.”

“You must have really impressed Untri.” Trili raised her eyebrows. “Usually he doesn’t even consider applicants without a good amount of experience in Telion culture.”

“Just lucky, I guess.” Bethany shrugged. “Um… applicants?”

“Oh, maybe your parents did the application for you. I handled my own, but a lot of the girls had help from their families.”

“I don’t understand.”

Trili laughed. “Wow, your family really didn’t tell you anything before dropping you here, did they? Don’t worry, they were right about this being a better life, though. You’ll come to see just how lucky you are.”

Trili led Bethany through to a spectacular lounge area.

“Bethany, meet the rest of Klowix’s harem. This is Beoli, Snia, Culip, Anna, Ruth, and Lizzy.” She gestured to three Evion women and three humans. All of them looked happy and relaxed.

They crowded around Bethany, the Evions tilting her head in greeting, the humans hugging her. Some of Bethany’s panic was starting to fade. She still missed home, but it didn’t look like she was going to be killed or have her soul stolen, at least any time soon.

Trili raised her voice slightly. “Girls, we have a lot of work to do before Klowix gets home. Bethany’s parents dropped her here knowing nothing. She has a lot to learn.”

Snia wanted in. “Ooh, me first! Come on, Bethany, let me do your hair for you.”

Before she knew what was happening, Bethany found herself being led by the hand to a large bedroom with a double bed and silk coverings.

“So tell me what you know.” Snia pushed Bethany into a chair and grabbing a hair brush from the dresser.

“Not much. That I’m to be part of Klowix’s harem – that’s it, really.”

Giggling behind her told Bethany that the other girls had followed and were sitting on the bed behind them.

Lizzy sighed. “Well, Klowix is the head of the army here on Telion. He’s so strong and handsome…”

Ruth joined in. “He’s looking for his secrena. That’s why there are so many of us. Not many Evions look for secrena anymore; it’s sometimes a lifelong quest.”

“His… secrena?”

Anna giggled. “His soul mate, silly. Once he chooses one of us, we’ll be his and he’ll be ours… forever. It’s said to be a bond like no other.”

Bethany hesitated. “And you all… applied?”

“Of course.” Culip tucked her long hair behind her ears, smiling brightly.

Bethany looked from one woman to the other. “I don’t understand. Klowix will only choose one secrena, right?”

“That’s right.”

“And you all want to be his secrena?”

There were nods all around.

“Then why are you so… shouldn’t there be a bit more competition going on if you all want to be chosen? Why are you doing my hair and explaining everything to me rather than letting me look like a fool?”

Beoli giggled. Bethany thought she’d heard more giggling in the last ten minutes than she’d heard in her lifetime.

“Secrena aren’t like that. The secrena bond needs to come from both sides. It’s not really a case of Klowix choosing; it’s a case of a coming together of him and his secrena. Either it’s one of us, or it’s not. Our actions towards each other aren’t going to change that. The secrena bond is about who you are; nothing can change or hide that.”

“Besides, it’s not like those of us who aren’t chosen will be losing out.” Culip sounded chipper.

“Why not?”

“It’s all part of the application. Maybe you should explain, Ruth, my parents did most of mine.”

Ruth obliged. “The agreement here is simple. One of us will eventually be chosen as a secrena – either that or Untri will keep bringing more women until Klowix finds the right one. When one is chosen, the rest of us will be sent home, but we’ll never want for anything again.”

Trili filled in the gaps. “Klowix isn’t just a great military commander, he comes from a long line of great generals. He’s got more money than most of the people on the planet. In the end, we’ll all find our true loves – for one of us, that will be Klowix. For the others, we’ll have the means to travel the universe to find the right person for us. We’ll never need to work or worry, and neither will our families.”

“You mean… if I’m not chosen, I’ll get to go back to my parents?”

“Of course, you can do whatever you want. We’re not sure how long the selection process will take, which is why the down payment to our families was so big.”

Bethany thought she saw where this was going. “How much?”

“Twenty gold pieces.”

Bethany nodded, suddenly understanding. Perhaps this Klowix wasn’t such a good judge of character. Clearly, he didn’t know Untri was buying slaves and pocketing eighteen gold pieces. She wondered if any of the other girls got there the way she did. Looking at their bright eyes, she doubted it.

Snia’s hands suddenly moved through Bethany’s hair lightning fast. “Anyway, enough history.” Bethany gasped at her sudden speed.

“Come take a look, Bethany.”

Snia pulled her towards a tall mirror. When Bethany looked into it, she gasped. Living in the backlands, covered in dust half the time and always working, she’d thought of herself as plain at best. The woman in the mirror wasn’t plain.

Snia had somehow curled her hair up into an elegant bun on top of her head, with loose ringlets falling around her face. Bethany’s long brown hair was usually flat and dull, but a good wash and Snia’s magic had brought shine and bounce into it that she never knew it had.

Somehow, the blue dress Untri had chosen matched exactly with the color of her eyes, and it hugged her curves in a way that none of her clothes from home did. Bethany was tall, and the dress had slits down the side that showed off her legs. It cut under her breasts, giving them more shape and form than she usually displayed.

It surprised her to see that in these clothes, her body was a lot shapelier than she’d imagined it to be. Her gentle curves were accentuated by the silk, and the cut of the dress made her neck look longer, giving her a regal look.

Snia took charge. “Bethany needs to know some things before Klowix gets home.”

The human girls were standing back grinning, especially Anna. “Don’t worry, it’s fun. We all had to get used to it as well.”

Snia took Bethany’s arm. “Don’t be afraid.” Bethany opened her mouth to ask what she shouldn’t be afraid of, but then the room was flashing past her. Her hair blew back and she gasped. When she blinked, she and Snia were standing back in the kitchen.

Snia smiled. “Here, it takes some getting used to, but Klowix does it all the time, so you’ll want to get accustomed.”

Bethany’s knees were shaking. She’d known about Evions’ strange, quick movements, but experiencing it firsthand was another matter altogether.

“Culip, get in here!”

A second later, Culip was there, moving so fast she burred.

“Here, let me do your hair. Watch this, Bethany.”

Bethany felt like her eyes were bugging out of her head as Snia’s hands flew over Culip’s hair, having it up in an elegant plait piled on the top of her head in about two seconds.

Ruth, Lizzy, and Anna came strolling in, and Anna got Bethany a glass of water.

“Jealous, right? I wish I could do that.”

“Is… is there anything else I need to know?” Bethany couldn’t help but sound tentative.

“Plenty. You’ll learn as you go along, we all did. Don’t try to put the moves on Klowix, he doesn’t like that.”

Beoli sighed. “He’s so commanding. He always makes the first move, takes control…”

Snia giggled. “Not that any of us would really know.”

“What?”

Ruth pouted. “Oh, he hasn’t taken any of us yet, not even kissed us. We don’t know what he’s waiting for or how’s he going to find a secrena if he doesn’t… sample the goods available.”

They all fell to giggling again, but Bethany wasn’t listening. She was finally feeling like she could breathe, for the first time since the slavers took her. If the others were telling the truth, and she thought they were, all she needed to do was not get noticed by Klowix until he chose someone, then she’d get to go home – and with a small fortune, by the sounds of it.

“Come on, I’ll sort out your nails.” Anna grabbed Bethany’s hand and tugged her to another huge bedroom. “You’re right next to me. Where’s all your stuff, by the way?”

Oh dear. Bethany got creative. “My family has a custom that when you start a new life, you take nothing of your old life with you. Even this dress is one Untri got for me.”

They seemed to swallow the lie easily. Trili squealed. “Ooh excellent, shopping!” We’re not allowed to leave the house, of course, we need to be available should Klowix desire us, but we can send a bot and watch through the screen.”

“Move over, give me some room.” Anna dumped out a huge box filled to the brim with different gadgets and nail polishes.

Culip grabbed some kind of fancy screen and snapped her fingers. A small hole opened in the screen and a rod extended. Within seconds, it was in front of them on a tall metal stand.

“Ok, let’s see… clothes first, I think.”

At Culip’s words, the screen filled with more clothes than Bethany had seen in her lifetime.

“What do you think, Bethany? Klowix favors silk… but of course, you can get whatever you want.”

“Who pays for all this?”

“Klowix, of course. Or rather, it goes to his account. He doesn’t really care what we buy; he wants us to be happy here.”

Despite everything, sitting there with the other girls, giggling and doing her nails, giving her vastly different advice on clothing, Bethany found she was enjoying herself. She tried to buy only a few outfits, but the rest of them wouldn’t stand for that. By the time her nails were done, she felt like she’d bought an entire planet’s worth of clothes, though nothing in silk.

As the sun began to kiss the horizon, they all disappeared into their bedrooms to get changed. Culip assured Bethany they’d get her all the other stuff she needed tomorrow; by the looks of their rooms, there was a lot more stuff they thought she needed. Trili showed Bethany a brief glimpse of her room, grander than a king’s, before pulling her away and fastening a diamond necklace around her neck worth more than Bethany’s parents had seen in a lifetime.

“You’re new, so Klowix will focus on you at first, get to know you a little.”

Snia reassured her, no doubt seeing the look of panic of Bethany’s face. “Don’t worry, we’ll help you. If you’re not sure about anything, just look to one of us, and we’ll get you through it. Klowix isn’t patient, and he’s demanding, but he’s not cruel. The worst that can happen is he’ll dismiss you for the night. He’s over it by the next day, though.”

Lizzy spoke in a half-whisper. “We think he’s frustrated. He’s been searching for his secrena for a long time. I think we’re the fifth group he’s been through.”

The other ladies chimed in with advice and suggestions.

“Don’t touch him without asking.”

“Be submissive. He likes that, but also speak up. He likes a woman with personality.”

“Remember to smile. He doesn’t like it when we’re not smiling, I think he worries we’re not having a good time here.”

“Make sure you let him eat first. It’s Evion custom, and it’s rude to do otherwise.”

“Oh, and there’s a different greeting you need to use for him: bend your knees and head, then he touches your forehead. Then you can look at him.”

Bethany tried to keep the onslaught of advice in the forefront of her mind, working out which ones she would stick with. She didn’t want to commit a cultural faux pas and get into trouble, but she could tell the advice on how to be more appealing to Klowix was going to be very useful in her effort to be as unappealing as possible.

The door handle turned, and all the girls’ heads turned.

“Come on.” Trili took Bethany’s hand and urged her forward. “He’s here.”

Bethany hovered nervously behind the other girls, who lined up at the door. She hurried to join them, placing herself beside Trili, but Beoli took her hand and moved her so that she was right in the middle, between Lizzy and Snia.

When the door opened, Bethany had to hold in her gasp. Klowix was… gorgeous. Actually, gorgeous was too dull a word. His brown eyes moved so fast they made Bethany dizzy, faster than Snia’s hands moved when doing her hair. He was powerfully built, and he held himself with an air of authority and power that made her breathless.

Remembering herself, Bethany quickly followed the others’ example, bending her knees and tilting her head towards the floor. She felt a touch on her forehead, and reluctantly raised her eyes to meet his. Klowix’s expression was inscrutable as he seemed to evaluate her.

“You’re new.”

Bethany glanced nervously to Snia, who nodded encouragingly.

“Yes, I just arrived today.” She sounded meek.

Klowix nodded. “Come.”

His hand on her arm sent tingles through her, and Bethany gasped as the room flew by. When they stopped a moment later, they were in a dining room with a huge, domed ceiling lit by floating chandeliers. Bethany gasped as he let go of her.

“Sit down.” Klowix indicated a chair, and she collapsed into it.

“How was your day, Commander?” Snia curtseyed before sitting down on his other side.

“Regiment training proceeds as planned.” Klowix met her gaze before turning back to Bethany. “Tell me your story.” His voice sent shivers down Bethany’s spine.

“My family wanted a better life for me.” She did meet his eyes, worried he’d see the lie in her gaze. “They applied for me to come here. I don’t know much about Evion society, but the girls have been teaching me.”

“You find the companionship satisfactory?”

“Very much.” She’d only known them a few hours, but already the others felt like friends.

Lizzy whispered in her ear. “Commander.”

Bethany quickly corrected herself. “Very much, Commander.” Klowix nodded.

The food arrived – food as alien as the man sitting next to her. There was a tall mound of gooey-looking spheres about the size of her fist. Spread around them were thin strands of what looked like spaghetti. Everyone around her started picking up the strangest utensils Bethany had ever seen – long sticks with circles on the end, like those sticks children used to blow bubbles through back home.

“Oh, right, here.” Lizzy saw Bethany’s confusion and leaned over to help her, but Klowix interrupted and Lizzy drew back at once.

Klowix instead murmured in her ear. “You hold the fork like this.” Klowix deftly spun the stick in her hand so that she was holding it somewhat like a pen, with the circle horizontal above the table. “The spoon in your left hand, thus.”

Upon closer examination, the ‘spoon’, while exactly the same shape as the ‘fork’, had a slightly smaller circle, and tiny spikes on the end.

“Watch.” Bethany watched as Klowix used the spoon to push one of the spheres into the fork, then twirled it around to catch the end of a piece of spaghetti, draping it over the sphere.

“This is erish and lete.” He told gestured first to the sphere and then the spaghetti. “It is an Evion delicacy.”

Ruth gave her a subtle thumbs-up across the table.

Remembering her instructions, Bethany waited for Klowix to take the first bite before tackling dinner herself. Klowix made it look a lot easier than it really was. Bethany dropped the erish the first time, and spent ages using the stupid spherical spoon to snag a piece of lete. Klowix ignored her incompetence and spoke to Culip about her day.

Apparently, Culip was always one to want to learn new things, and Klowix obliged her by bringing her any book she wanted. She was currently learning about inter-dimensional theory. Though her words boggled Bethany, Klowix kept up with the conversation with no difficulty. Of course, he had to be gorgeous and intelligent.

The erish was good; it tasted like a strange mixture of meat and spices, though it had the texture of mousse. The lete seemed to be some kind of vegetable, and complemented the taste of the erish perfectly. Bethany eyed the plate, wanting more but hesitant to embarrass herself with the utensils again.

Lizzy saved her, casually taking Bethany’s fork, expertly snagging more erish and lete, and handing the balanced parcel back to her.

“Thanks.”

Lizzy shrugged. “Don’t mention it. Took me weeks to learn how to use these things, and that’s with some prior experience dining with Evions.”

Beoli chimed in. “This is the proper way to eat, but where I grew up, where it wasn’t so high class, people would use the ends of the forks and spoons to spear things to eat.”

Privately thinking that seemed a much more practical approach, Bethany chanced a glance at Klowix. He was watching her. She blushed and went back to her food.

Dinner was about as good as she could have expected. Klowix was polite, spending time talking to each of them. He seemed nice.

That wasn’t what was bothering Bethany, though. She felt flustered around him. He seemed to make her lose her voice with just a look; no doubt he thought she was an idiot by now. She reminded herself that it was a good thing; she didn’t want him to like her, after all. Did she?

She snuck glances at Klowix throughout the meal, finding herself wishing he’d put his hand on her again. He never did.

She could see his muscles flex under his clothes as he ate, as though he worked out every day, but not excessively. His skin was tanned and his bright green eyes seemed to see everything. His black hair was neat and cut close to his head, though still long enough to run her fingers through – not that she wanted to do that.

Klowix was slightly taller than her and powerfully built, but it was his face that captivated her most. High cheekbones illuminated his captivating eyes, and his thin mouth seemed pinker than most people’s. Entranced, Bethany even watched those lips move as he ate.

After they’d all eaten their fill, Klowix stood up and the others hastened to do the same; Bethany copied them.

“May I give you a massage, Commander?” Anna was eager to please.

He seemed to think about it. “Yes. Come.”

Anna followed him to his room, looking pleased.

“I thought he hadn’t…?”

Trili shook her head. “Oh, he hasn’t. It really is just a massage. Anna gives them to us as well, she’s excellent. Anyway, we’re all off for the night, let me just get something for you first.”

It seemed a bit early to Bethany to go to bed, but she wasn’t complaining; she was exhausted. More than that, she was frustrated. Watching Klowix throughout dinner left her wishing he wasn’t quite as restrained as the others had told her he was.

Everyone else seemed to melt into their individual rooms, but Trili came back out holding something long and purple.

Bethany nearly choked. “Is that… a vibrator?”

Trili laughed. “Oh, come on, you know you want to. Where do you think the others all went off to? Klowix didn’t just get so many applicants because of his money. Most any woman on the planet would jump at the chance to be with him. Watching him sit there, all sexy and remote, all through dinner… anyway, we keep a spare for new people, because never come prepared.”

Bethany hesitated, but Trili pushed it into her hand and was gone before Bethany could protest. Not wanting Klowix to see her standing in the hall with a vibrator in her hand, Bethany quickly went into her own room and shut the door.

She couldn’t resist. She imagined Klowix’s strong arms around her, imagined him kissing her…

She turned the vibrator on and pulled up her dress. Not even making it to the bed, she sank down onto the floor as the vibrations went through her…

---

The next day, Anna came to wake Bethany up for breakfast, which was a lot easier to manage than dinner. It consisted of a kind of sweet bread they called reni, and it was thankfully eaten with hands rather than utensils.

They all said goodbye to Klowix in the same manner as they greeted him. Once he was gone, the girls clustered around Bethany once again.

Ruth gushed right away. “He likes you.”

Bethany knew she should be horrified, but she couldn’t help being a bit pleased. “How do you know?”

Snia explained. “Klowix isn’t exactly known for his patience. He didn’t help any of the others with their food, he left that all to me.”

Culip interrupted. “Enough of that, we need her to have something spectacular to wear when Klowix comes home.” She whipped out the same screen they’d used yesterday. “Let’s see what we can do.”

Bethany watched as Culip searched for silk dresses. She opened her mouth to indicate she didn’t want silk, but the words wouldn’t come out. She wondered how Klowix would react to her in some of the things Culip was flicking past. Before she could put a stop to the madness, the girls had ordered at least ten stunning dresses for her, from simple and elegant to the kind a queen might wear.

“Come on, while we’re waiting I’ll teach you Evion etiquette.” Ruth grabbed Bethany’s hand and dragged her through to the dining room.

The day seemed to fly by. Bethany was glad she’d gotten a good night’s rest in that huge, comfortable bed. She’d been especially tired and relaxed after… well, the vibrator was now in the drawer next to her bed, and there it would wait for her.

The bell rang intermittently with deliveries, which always signaled a pause in what they were doing to try on yet more dresses. Bethany had to admit, they were amazing. In them she looked… regal. She’d never worn such clothing before.

In every spare moment, she was learning. Ruth taught her about Evion etiquette. Snia taught her how to dance in the traditional fashion. Beoli ran through common customs with her. Lizzy gave her tips on how life with Evions differed to life with humans. Culip showed her the proper way to dress on Telion. Trili told her about history, both the history of Telion and Klowix’s personal history, which she found a lot more captivating.

Constantly throughout the day, the girls shared bits of advice on how to be a good member of Klowix’s harem. They seemed to know a lot about what he liked and what he didn’t. It was all so much to remember, Bethany was tempted to ask for paper to start writing it down, but resisted the urge. She could do this.

By the time the sun started setting, she was once again exhausted. While the others were all getting ready to greet Klowix, Anna massaged her shoulders, which had been getting more and more tense for the past hour as the time for Klowix to get home drew closer.

Despite feeling slightly overwhelmed, Bethany was a little more confident tonight. She knew a lot more now; hopefully she wouldn’t make a fool of herself. Trili had called ahead to ask the chef what they were eating for dinner, and Bethany had already practiced picking up the new food with the strange Evion utensils.

She didn’t even scream anymore when one of the Evions suddenly blurred out of sight and appeared on the other side of the room. She was still working on keeping her feet under her when they took her with them.

Klowix surprised everyone when he came home. After exchanging greetings, he announced that he would like to have a private dinner with Bethany to welcome her. Instead of looking disappointed, the girls gave Bethany encouraging smiles; perhaps this lack of competition was an Evion thing she had yet to understand.

Klowix handed over a card and told the others to go have fun. Their faces lit up; from what they’d told Bethany, this was the first time they’d been given permission to leave their quarters. She wished she was going with them. All too soon, she and Klowix were alone.

“Tell me more about yourself.” His voice was commanding and sexy.

Bethany scrambled to work out what she could tell him and what she couldn’t. Not wanting to get caught in a nest of lies, she told him mainly about her past, avoiding her more recent history. Klowix seemed genuinely interested in her life.

“So these… backlands. The king of your planet does not visit them? He does not make promises to you to improve your lives?”

“Earth is ruled by governments, not kings. They say they’re going to make things better, but never really do.”

“Ah yes, Lizzy has told me of these governments. I do not mean to sound judgmental to your chosen system of ruling, but it seems an awfully inefficient one to me.”

Bethany couldn’t help it; she burst out laughing. Klowix looked at her in confusion. “You’re right, it is inefficient.”

Klowix smiled at her, and she felt herself melting. “Here too, there are many areas that could be improved. Some of my men have joked that they could replace the king with a monkey and no one would notice.”

Bethany giggled, and Klowix smiled more widely.

“Of course, I disallow such talk, but though I would never say it to them, I believe they have a fair point.”

“From what I know of the history of Earth, human kings and queens were about the same.”

“Perhaps neither of our races have yet perfected matters of rule, then. That is why we have armies, of course.”

“What?”

“Are armies on your planet not made up of people from all places and all peoples?”

“Yes, they are.”

Klowix nodded. “There you go. Armies know what the people need, and give it to them. Why have Earth’s armies not brought technology to these backlands?”

“Armies do what the government tells them. Isn’t it like that here? Don’t you need to obey your king?”

“Of course, disobeying the king is treason, but he seldom gives orders. For the most part, I just direct my men in seeing to what the people need. I still keep them sharp, though; in times of war, the army is the line of defense around the planet.”

Bethany was fascinated. “There haven’t been times of war here for… what, about a generation?”

Klowix nodded again. “Over twenty years. I see Trili has been teaching you.”

“She knows so much about history. It’s a bit intimidating, I don’t think I could ever have the kind of knowledge she does.”

“It is not necessary, Each person has their own area of interest in which they have great knowledge. I take it you don’t know yours yet?”

Bethany shook her head. “No.”

“Most who come to me don’t. Here, you will have the time to explore any field you wish. You will find your passion.”

The word passion coming from his lips made Bethany blush. She realized that they’d finished eating. Klowix stood up and she hurried to do the same.

“Come.” He held out his arm, indicating the lounge. Bethany made to follow his direction, but he stopped her with a light hand on her shoulder. He leaned in slightly.

He was close enough that Bethany could feel his breath on her cheek. She yearned to reach out, to close that distance… but she mustn’t. She mustn’t let him become interested in her, or she’d never be allowed to go home. His hand moved to the back of her neck. He was moving slowly, giving her ample chance to pull away.

What would she do if he did, though? He may be polite, even nice, but he was powerful and intimidating, and clearly a man used to getting what he wanted. Could she dare reject him? Did she want to?

“I wish to kiss you.”

The words were so soft she almost thought she imagined them. Klowix’s eyes were fixed on hers, waiting for an answer. Beoli had told her about this; it was custom for a man to ask a woman before he kissed her, at least the first time. She had to answer yes or no.

She opened her mouth to say no, and instead out came a breathy whisper. “Yes.”

Then Klowix’s lips were on hers. They were hot and insistent, and she responded, letting her mouth fall open. She gasped as his tongue slid in, slick and fast and delicious.

All too soon, it ended. She was glad he still had his arms around her, because she was not sure if her legs would support her weight right now.

“How do you feel?”

Bethany gasped. “I don’t know.”

The room started to spin even more as Klowix moved her to the lounge in an instant the way Evions often did.

“Tell me what you are thinking.”

Bethany looked up at him; he had her on the couch, and she was practically lying in his arms. “You know, Evions are a lot more direct than humans.

He smiled. “I’ve been told.”

Bethany wriggled to get up and he let go of her, letting her scoot over to the other side of the couch. How did she feel? She felt like she wanted another kiss, that’s what. She couldn’t exactly tell him that, though. She needed to get that thought out of her head right now.

“I have never been to a human planet. I find your customs… confusing. How do humans get simple information if they do not ask for it?”

“Um… it’s hard to explain. We do ask some things. Others, we kind of infer it from how people around us act.”

“That seems a flawed way to get accurate information.”

Bethany giggled. “It is, I guess. Maybe your way is better.” She leaned back against the couch. “Some of your ways are strange to me as well. Trili spent about an hour explaining how it would be considered very rude to stand in the wrong place in a room. Humans don’t have those kinds of invisible lines inside buildings, I’m glad she told me.”

As Klowix started to tell her a little more about Evion culture, Bethany found herself relaxing, even enjoying herself. Pushing the raging desire she felt for him into a small ball of denial in the back of her head, she admitted to herself that she liked spending time with Klowix. He was still intimidating, but she found herself being happy to be in his company.

“Have any of the others told you about the sharing?”

“No, what’s that?”

Klowix looked uncomfortable. “Ask them to explain it to you. Then, think about this: I wish to partake in the sharing with you.”

Bethany swallowed. She didn’t know what this sharing was, but the way he said it scared her.

“I’ll – I’ll ask them.”

“Good. Then I will bid you goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Bethany watched as Klowix got up and left.

---

“Bethany, finally, you slept for ages! We wanted to wake you, but Klowix said to let you sleep. Anyway, we were thinking what else to teach you, and Trili thought of showing you this. Come on!”

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Bethany followed Culip to the screen and moaned. “No, no more shopping.”

“Oh, there will be more shopping, but not now. You’ve only seen Klowix at home. As a Commander, he’s… well, something else. Look at this. It’s a video of when an extremist group moved against the crown, trying to assassinate the king. The army came in…”

Bethany’s eyes were drawn to the screen. It was chaos, weapons firing and people shouting. In the middle of it, Klowix stood, tall and proud, shouting orders to his troops. They rushed at the enemy, and Klowix backed away, moving in front of the king. He fired his lasers with deadly efficiency.

Bethany gasped as he was disarmed from behind. Klowix didn’t even falter, swiftly breaking the neck of the man who had attacked him. It was as beautiful as it was terrifying. Bethany didn’t think she’d ever seen anything hotter – or anything more intimidating – than Klowix standing there, dominating the battle.

“Bethany? What’s wrong?”

She sank onto the chair behind her. “What am I doing?” She was supposed to be not being noticed. What she was doing – she was definitely being noticed.

Bethany looked at them directly. “What’s the sharing?”

All the girls burst out in giggles. “It’s… well, none of us has ever done it, of course, but it’s… well, part of it is sleeping together.”

Bethany had to focus on keeping her breathing steady. “And the other part? Beoli, maybe you could explain?”

“It’s exactly what the name implies. It’s a sharing – a sharing of spirit. The male Evion initiates the link, draws out some of your spirit, and drinks in your essence. It’s said to be an experience like no other. It’s very intimate, more than just physical. Most Evion pairs do it, but some humans aren’t comfortable with it.”

“You mean I have a choice?”

“Yes, of course you have a – wait, what do you mean?”

“Klowix told me to ask you about the sharing. He wants to ‘partake’ in it with me, whatever that means.”

Anna squealed. “Ooh Bethany that’s wonderful!”

“So soon, too, it’s only your second day here…”

Bethany was mentally trying to picture how Klowix would react if she said no. He still scared her a bit.

She muttered and held her head in her hands. “No, no, no, this is wrong, all wrong.”

The noises of jubilation around her faded away.

Snia hesitated. “What do you mean? This is what we’ve all been hoping for. It’s why you came here. You’re so lucky.”

Bethany didn’t know what to say to her, didn’t know what she could say without getting her family killed. “I know. It’s just all happening very fast.”

Ruth shrugged. “Then tell him you’re not ready yet.”

Bethany didn’t want to do that. She knew she should. She was losing track of her goals here. She wanted to get home, but the thought of having Klowix’s hands on her again was intoxicating. “Does Klowix have a phone?”

“He has a T-screen. That’s like the equivalent of a phone here.”

“Can I send him a message?”

Before she lost her nerve, Bethany convinced Lizzy to show her how to send a quick message on the T-screen. Yes, she must be insane.

“Excellent!” Culip glanced over her shoulder. “Come on, we’ve got to get everything ready. It has to be perfect.”

When Culip said ‘perfect’, she really meant perfect. They weren’t allowed in Klowix’s room without his permission, so they prepared Bethany’s. Before the day was out, the room was lit in a soft, romantic light. There were rose petals on the floor and slow music playing. Scented candles gave off perfumed smoke.

Of course, Culip insisted on getting another dress – less a dress this time and more a skimpy satin nightdress covered by an equally skimpy satin gown.

Bethany protested. “I can’t be like this when he gets home.”

Snia assured her it was proper. “It’s the way Evions do things. He’ll expect it. You wait on the bed for him, and don’t get up until he comes to you.”

The rest of them made plans to watch movies in Ruth’s room, which was furthest from Bethany’s.

Anna’s voice was soft now. “It’s time. We need to go greet him. You stay here, Bethany. Enjoy.”

She winked and followed the rest out. Bethany was left alone to wait.

But she wasn’t alone long.

When Klowix came in, he too was dressed differently. His normal military uniform was gone, and instead he wore a piece of white and gold cloth wrapped around his hips, ending at his knees. His chest was bare. Bethany’s breath caught as her eyes took him in.

“Bethany.”

She came into his outstretched arms, letting the gown fall to the floor. He enfolded her in his embrace, and she sighed in contentment. Klowix tilted her face up and looked into her eyes for a moment before kissing her. Bethany’s mouth slid open, inviting him in.

His tongue explored her mouth fiercely, forcefully. Bethany moaned into the kiss, her hands clutching his back, aching for more. He pulled the skimpy nightdress over her head and let it fall to the floor.

Klowix lifted her and gently carried her to the bed, laying her on her back. Bethany was struck suddenly by shyness. She’d never been naked with a man before, certainly not a man like Klowix. When he started began her again, she forgot her shyness and reached for him.

He slowly started moving down her body, trailing kisses down her cheeks, her neck, her collar bones...

Bethany’s breath was coming hard and fast. Her body was on fire, hot and demanding. She needed Klowix like she needed air.

His hand brushed ever so gently over her nipple. She gasped at the contact, feeling the nipple harden instantly.

“Do that again.”

He growled. “You don’t give the orders here.”

Bethany felt her body tingle. He was so sexy when he was bossy. “Yes, Commander.”

He brought his hand back to her nipple, squeezing it in his fingers. Bethany moaned and reached her hands out, desperate to touch some part of him. Her hands found his back and roamed over his muscles.

Klowix’s tongue flicked out over her breasts, sending shivers through her body. Bethany arched up, needing him, and he came back up for a kiss. As they kissed, his fingers were doing things with her nipples that made her head spin. She ran her hands down his sides, to his hips. She could just feel the coarse hairs around his cock, and wondered if she dared go any further without permission.

“Touch me.” Klowix was almost reading her mind.

Bethany reached down eagerly, greedily. His cock was huge and hard and already dripping. Klowix groaned as she took it in her hands. She didn’t know what she was doing, but it felt good, and by the sounds he was making, it felt good to him as well. Her hand glided up and down his shaft, now slick with precome.

His hands left her breasts and moved farther down. Bethany spread her legs, desperate for his touch. His fingers were light at first, just skimming over her skin. When she moaned in frustration, Klowix used a firmer touch. His hand unerringly found her clit. Bethany bit back a scream as she bucked her hips upwards.

“Ooh…” Her head flicked from side to side as she was racked with waves of pleasure. Klowix moved his fingers in swift circles over her clit.

“What to see what all these Evion powers are good for?”

Bethany was in no state to respond, but he took her flushed face and harsh breathing as a yes.

His fingers blurred, moving so fast that Bethany felt herself coming to the edge in mere instants. Her legs tightened as she began to come.

Suddenly, his fingers were gone. “Not so soon.”

Bethany gasped. “Please.” She needed his fingers back on her. She needed him inside of her.

Klowix seemed to need her just as much. He towered over her, his cock erect and ready. He kissed her as he thrust inside her. She knew it should have hurt, but she was so turned on that she hardly noticed the pain. Klowix began to move in a steady, easy rhythm.

The hot, slick sliding had Bethany already on the edge of orgasm, and she kissed him back as fiercely as he was kissing her. One of Klowix’s hands came behind her neck and held her in a firm grip.

Bethany jerked in his grasp as she felt something… slide out of her. In the corner of her eye, she could see a thin stream of what looked like smoke trickling from the back of her neck, up Klowix’s arm and to his face as he breathed it in.

It was blissful. Bethany had never felt anything so good in her life. Not his touch, not the best orgasm she’d ever had. This was the definition of ecstasy. Klowix groaned in equal pleasure and began moving faster, pumping in and out of her.

Bethany was already moments away from coming when he did it again. He sped up his movements, inhumanly fast. It was so divine that Bethany screamed out loud. His finger was on her clit, and she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

She came so hard that for a moment the world wavered. She clutched at Klowix for dear life as her legs drew up and the orgasm overcame her. She could hear him grunt as he climaxed too, depositing his seed into her with an exuberant moan. He thrusted once, twice, three more times, riding them both through it, their gasps mingling together. Finally, he collapsed on top of her, panting, every bit as spent as she was.

Klowix rolled over so as not to crush her. He kissed her gently, smiling. Bethany tried to smile back, but she still couldn’t catch her breath. How embarrassing.

A few moments later, she was feeling something more than embarrassment. She couldn’t get her breath. It was becoming harder to breathe by the second.

“Bethany?” Klowix sat up, looking anxious.

Bethany gasped, clutching at her throat, but she was getting no air.

Klowix began to shout frantically. “No… no, this shouldn’t be happening! Help!”

Bethany was vaguely aware of movement and voices, but in her panic, she couldn’t make anything out. She was dying. The world was moving to the end of a long tunnel.

“Get the paramedics here, now!”

Then his face was right above hers.

“You’re going to be ok, Bethany. You’re going to be fine, I’ll take care of this, I promise.”

By now, others had entered the room, and he turned to them. “Why is this happening! You were all tested, all of you! None of you are intolerant to the sharing, you can’t be. I made sure – I never would have if…”

He kept shouting in the same desperate tone, but his words turned to mush in Bethany’s ears. Her vision was going blurry. She wanted Klowix to look at her, so that she could look into his eyes one last time, but he was still turned away from her, shouting. The world was fading away…