Chapter Four
Keir
Flickering sconces lit the way as they headed down a long hall lined with private rooms. Low moans and cries of passion could be heard, even through the heavy wooden doors.
The attendant sent to escort them turned out to be an android nearly as big as one of their fellow warriors. Keir guessed he did double duty as a security guard. We can take out this one easily, but how many others do you think Lady Zey has patrolling the halls?
Hard to say. We’ll need to come back here. Often. We’ll just have to inform command that planning the mission took a few more reconnaissance sessions than we originally thought it would. Even though he couldn’t hear the words, it was easy to pick up the hint of amusement in his brother’s remark.
At the end of the hall, the android used a code to open another door, this one metal.
Did you get that?
Of course, Khaun replied. It’s a basic Tridarcan glyph sequence. Fortunately, it doesn’t require any physiological scans to open it. I guess Bophe figures his inventory is secure if he uses androids as servants and guards. They won’t be seduced by his slaves into helping them escape.
They walked through another narrow dimly-lit passage toward an opening filled with light. Keir blinked in disbelief as he stepped through the portal.
After several weeks of living and working in dull-gray buildings on a dusty gray rock, he teetered on the verge of sensory overload. Ahead of him was a riot of color, sound, and scent. A soft breeze kissed his skin, warmed by the rays of an artificial sun disappearing into deep-blue water on the far horizon. He had no idea how Bophe’s designer had created the astonishingly realistic illusion of a vast distance.
The plants and trees around him were no illusion, though. He’d stepped into a tropical forest at the edge of a very real lagoon. He reached up to feel the fronds of a palm, broke off part of a leaf, and sniffed it. Not synthetic. He heard Saige’s cry of delight as she stopped to sample the fragrance of a brilliant purple flower he’d never seen before. Waves lapping at the pure white sand on the shore ahead made him long to kick his shoes off and dash into the water.
The android waited patiently at a fork in the path. No doubt he was used to this reaction. “Your cabin lies at the end of this walkway. It is one of six on the shores of the Sola Sea. Each cabin is on a private cove, so you will not be disturbed during your stay here. The units are separated by invisible barriers which extend out into the water to guarantee seclusion for our guests.”
Their guide kept talking as he led them down a winding path lined with waist-high flowering shrubs. Taller trees behind them swayed overhead, forming a green canopy. Keir caught glimpses of blue sky, tinted with shades of orange and red near the horizon where the setting sun dipped into the sea.
They rounded a curve in the path, and the cabin appeared. Saige took one look at it and turned to them, her eyes shining with the first real emotion he’d seen in her.
“It’s beautiful! Like something out of a fairy tale. The perfect beach cottage.”
Keir wasn’t sure what fairy tales were, but she was right about the cabin. Built of softly weathered wood with a thatched frond roof, it sat at the edge of the sand, with a balcony extending out over the turquoise water.
“These flowers look just like the orchids we have back home.” Saige darted up the wide steps, stopping at the doorway to bury her face in the spray of yellow blooms growing in a massive terra cotta pot.
Keir walked past her and stepped inside. Like the exterior surroundings, no expense had been spared to create a sensual retreat. Narrow strips of wood covered three of the four walls, with wide windows opening to views of the jungle. An enormous bed with carved wooden posts on all four corners stood on his right, while a plush sitting area complete with a bar filled the left side of the room. Both the bed and the sitting area faced the fourth wall – or the space where a fourth wall would have been. Instead, the cabin stood open on that side to the balcony and the sea beyond. Apparently Bophe’s concept of a tropical paradise didn’t go so far as to include insects, dangerous creatures, or storms.
The android followed them inside and went on with his introduction. “If you get hungry, your cabin is equipped with an assortment of delicacies from all over the galaxy, as well as complete meals and a wide variety of beverages – enough to last for several days if you choose to extend your stay.”
He made the rounds of the room, showing them where food and drinks they ordered would appear inside a cabinet on the wall by the bar. “You can view your choices here.” He waved a hand toward one of the walls, and a menu appeared on a holographic screen. “Lady Zey instructed me to tell you your visit is complimentary for the remainder of this rotation cycle. If you choose to stay on, you can view the fee schedule on the screen as well.” With another wave of his hand, a dizzying list of options scrolled down the screen.
Oh Sacred Ones! Did you see the price of this place for one rotation cycle? Keir couldn’t hide his surprise.
Did you see some of the other options available? Khaun shot back. We could buy as many females as we want to spend time in here with us. Working a regular shift in the mine is brutal enough. Now I understand why so many volunteer for overtime. With this kind of motivation, they’ll work harder than any slaves. Ten cycles of hard labor buys a miner one rotation in paradise, with a willing female to suck his cock whenever he commands. Throw in overtime and he can get two more. Bophe is a smart businessman. He gives new clients a taste of this for free, hoping they’ll get hooked.
We’re probably being monitored every moment we’re here, Keir pointed out. Time to get back in character.
“Yes, thank you, that will be all.” He cut off the android’s spiel with a curt nod. “You can go now.”
The attendant bowed his head. “Yes, sir. Please do not hesitate to summon me if you require anything more.”
He slipped silently away. Keir scanned the room. “Saige?”
“I’m in here.” Her voice came from behind the wall near the sitting area.
He glanced at his brother, and they both headed for a doorway next to the bar. It led to a luxurious bathing area with a huge glass-enclosed shower. Just as in the main room, one wall opened onto the balcony and the sea. The other walls were studded with exotic shells from oceans all over the galaxy. Half a giant clam from Cansala D15 doubled as a sink, its deep-pink interior reminding him of the peek he’d gotten of Saige’s nipple.
She was running her hands over the shells embedded in the walls, exclaiming whenever she found one that reminded her of home.
“Is this your first time at the Sola Sea?”
Saige nodded. “I’ve heard about it. We all have. Lady Zey uses time with a customer here as a reward for us.” She dipped her head shyly. “So far, I haven’t been given that reward. The only reason I’m here now is that you told her you wanted me to join you.”
“Yes, we did.” Khaun came up behind him. “Now it’s time for you to show your gratitude. But, first, take off that ridiculous long dress. You will remain naked the whole time you’re here.”
It was clear his brother’s stern command caught her by surprise. Her smile disappeared, and she glanced from Khaun to him, her eyes pleading.
“You heard my brother,” he said, his voice gruff. “Take it off now – or we’ll punish you and then rip it off ourselves.”
Saige
She came back to reality with a crash. For a few moments, she’d been lost in her own fantasy world – one where two dashing, handsome males treated her like a storybook princess, whisking her away from the cruel Dome mistress for one magical night of freedom in an enchanted cottage by the sea. Laughing with her, walking on the beach, hand in hand in the moonlight. Talking to her like she was a real person instead of a commodity they’d rented by the hour.
They might look incredibly hot, and their gyron might stir long-dead sensations in her body, but these Tharans were just like all her other alien customers. Saige lowered her head and sent her mind flying free along the sandy shore as she unfastened the laces on the bodice of her gown.
It was no use. Try as she might, she couldn’t escape from them. The bewitching aroma of their gyron filled her lungs with every breath she took and kept her mind filled with dark, erotic images. Their pheromones grew stronger when she let the gown fall to her waist, baring her breasts.
Keir came closer and stretched out a hand to fondle her nipples. “Look, Brother, the center turns deep red and forms a tiny bud, just like a ganiberry. I love ganiberries.”
He dipped his head and licked her breast. Saige shuddered as the gyron from his tongue sent a blast of heat across her bare skin. When he fastened his mouth over her nipple and sucked it into his mouth, a bolt of lust shot straight to her core. To her shame, she let out an involuntary whimper when he stopped and took a step back.
“You turn, Brother.”
Khaun shook his head. “I want to see all of her first.” He crossed his arms. “Take the dress off. Now.”
Shaking with a mixture of embarrassment and arousal, she let it drop to the floor. Both hands automatically flew to cover her pussy.
“I told you I want to see all of you,” Khaun growled. “Put your hands at your sides.”
Arousal disappeared, replaced with humiliation. She hadn’t been treated this way since Magnus made her strip naked when he offered to sell her to Bophe as a pleasure slave. Ruthlessly, she put all emotion aside. These Tharan twins could be useful. They may have been stripped of their rank, but their bodies were still those of powerful warriors. If she played her cards right, she might be able to entice them into helping her escape. She put her shoulders back and spread her arms out.
“I knew it!” Khaun exclaimed. “Your waist is so narrow, I can circle it with both hands.”
Khaun reached out and demonstrated. His gaze traveled down. Saige blushed. She hadn’t been able to use her grooming laser since she’d been taken captive by the pirates, and her mound was covered with an unsightly dark thatch.
Keir made a rough noise deep in his throat. “She has hair between her legs, too, hiding her pussy from view. I understand why her species would find it useful to have it grow on their heads.” He went on talking to his twin as though she couldn’t hear every word. “It provides warmth from the cold and protection from the heat of the suns. But why mask the entrance to her portal of pleasure with hair?”
“That’s simple. It’s the perfect way to assure her species will go on.” Khaun gave a low chuckle. “I don’t know how it affects Earther males, but it certainly makes me even more eager to see what’s hidden underneath.”
He finally spoke directly to her. “Turn around, little human, and let us see what other surprises you have in store for us.”
She gritted her teeth and made a slow circle.
“Her ass is still a little pink from the spanking you delivered,” Keir observed.
“It will be bright red by the time we leave here if she doesn’t do everything we command.”
Do everything they command? Her pussy flooded.
She heard Keir sniff. “That scent. It’s unmistakable. It seems the idea of domination excites her.”
He whirled her around to face him. “Spread your legs.”
His hand slid between her thighs to stroke her wet folds. One finger brushed the hood of her throbbing clit and she gasped, filling her lungs with the gyron wafting off him.
Keir withdrew his hand, inhaled deeply, and brought it to his mouth. He licked his fingers one by one, staring into her eyes the whole time. “We have breathed in your essence since the moment we laid eyes on you. Khaun and I have restrained ourselves long enough. The scent of your arousal is irresistible. We hunger to taste your juices.”
He swept her into his arms and strode to the bed.