Vahan

I step back, turn around and leave the tent. Passing a group of hunters, I move towards where my horses are drinking water from a big barrel. I see Arnau sitting Alyssa in the saddle then he settles himself behind her. She clings to him like her life depends on it.

Something jabs my heart like a needle. Arnau and she look like they belong to each other—both so young, so hurt. So fierce together.

“That girl,” I say, “the one who slit her throat was from your tribe, am I right, Arnau?”

He nods. “My very distant cousin, Vahan.”

Fuck. I will never take him to the auction again. He doesn’t deserve to watch his kin die like this. He doesn’t deserve to suffer like this.

His face does not betray any emotions. His eyes wander off to somewhere in the distance.

“It’s getting late,” he says.

Alyssa looks at me. Our glances meet and she drops her head, but I manage to notice the repulsion written on her face.

An urge burns inside of me. I want to tear her away from Arnau and hold her in my arms. She’s mine. I’m her owner.

Instead, I climb onto my horse and begin my journey home.

Alyssa

His muscular arms shelter me like a citadel’s walls. Strange, but I feel safe with him. The horse snorts as my body sways in rhythm with the animal’s movements. I’ve never been on a horse’s back and the one beneath my ass is really big. I’d say it’s almost twice as big as an average horse from Earth.

But, I’m not scared of the animal. The man sitting behind me won’t let anything bad happen to me.

Maybe I’m delusional, but something good radiates from Arnau. This goodness mingles with his manly smell. I inhale him—forest, lemon freshness, and his light sweat.

My gown rustles as I wiggle. I’m seated like the 19^th century lady. My ass and back start to ache.

“Vahan is a good master,” Arnau says. “He treats his slaves fairly.”

“Are you his employee?”

“No, I’m one of his slaves, but he nominated me the commander of his troop.” There is pride in his voice, as raw and fierce as the strength radiating from him. “You’ll have a good life in Nassara.”

“I want to go back home.” Tears flow from my eyes.

“I know.” Arnau’s arm wraps around me. “Don’t cry, Alyssa.”

“This place is so hostile.”

“Our planet, Zaria, is beautiful. You’ll see, Alyssa.”

The sound of my name rolling off his tongue fills me with heat. His voice has an interesting roughness. And a hint of softness when he’s saying my name.

Vahan slows down and Arnau catches up with him.

“She’ll need a cloak soon,” Arnau says.

“She sure as fuck needs a nanny,” Vahan says.

Arnau chuckles. “Why did you buy her? She’ll be useless.”

I nudge Arnau’s chest with my elbow. “Hey. I’m here.”

My glance meets Vahan’s and I cringe into myself at the dark fury exploding in his wolf-like eyes. He grunts, kicks his horse with his heels and shoots forward.

“Don’t speak in his presence,” Arnau says. “If he asks you a question, answer it, that’s all.”

“He has no sense of humour,” I say.

Arnau chuckles. “That’s not true.”

We travel in silence. It’s a grey gloomy silence. The images of Lanee’s death course through my head—her smile, her blood, her dead wide eyes.

It’s so unfair.

She was so fucking young.

A shooting pain goes through my chest.

He did that to her—Vahan and others like him.

A flame of hatred starts burning in my heart. Then I feel like I’ve lost everything. Like I’ve lost even myself.

Maybe I should die as well? This place is like hell. I’m going to suffer here until I let out my final breath.

No—

I want to live. This planet has already claimed my freedom and dignity but it won’t claim my life.

I sway and my eyes grow heavy. Seconds seem like hours or maybe this is the other way round.

Arnau’s body offers me warmth and support, so I allow myself to have a nap.

The pain in my lower back wakes me. I see trees—their leaves are either triangular or as long as ribbons. Dirty yellows, dark oranges and mint greens wave at the touch of a cold breeze.

The horses stop and Arnau slides down to the grassy ground. The vegetation that layers it is dark green, spiky, dotted with violet flowers. Arnau helps me get off the horse and my feet touch the velvety softness of the ground. It’s cold and moist.

My glance meets Vahan’s and I feel a lump form in my throat. That man scares me to death.

A thought wavers in my head. Does he rape his slaves?

I hide this thought deep in my head—in a dark cellar. I lock this thought up.

I’m going to survive. No matter what.

Vahan

Arnau starts the fire then wraps the blanket around Alyssa. We’ll rest for a few hours before we resume our journey.

The humid cold air puffs from the woods around us. Animals hoot, growl and screech. Alyssa shudders as her glance travels to Arnau who is preparing tea for us.

“Can you cook?” I ask her as I settle myself beside her with my knee bent.

She turns her face to me and shakes her head.

“Can you grow plants?” I ask.

Her eyes widen at me as her lips part. My dick grows hard and I stare at her tits pouring out of her corset. I’ve never seen such large tits.

“Can you clean?” I rasp.

She nods.

“Can you even talk?” I lift myself, throw a few twigs into the fire as red and yellow sparks shoot in the air and a few green streaks from burning the rozlis wood mingle with the grey smoke from the owslis wood.

She bobs her head at me and her eyes seek Arnau like he’s her husband.

Anger wells up in my chest, and I want to kill. I know she’s scared, but I’m trying to be nice.

Arnau fills three mugs with the tea then passes a piece of bread to her and she starts eating. I sit down close to her and she looks at me with dread.

“Tell me something about your homeland,” I say.

“My planet is more civilised than yours,” she says then stiffens and drops her mug, spilling tea over my thigh.

It burns as fuck.

I growl and rise to my feet. “Fuck.”

“Sorry,” she sobs as her body shakes. “I didn’t—“

“Sleep, Alyssa,” I growl as I dry my trousers with a large mechica leaf.

I circle around the clearing as she lies down and rolls on her side. Arnau moves closer to me.

“She’s not stupid,” he says.

“No, she isn’t.” I pat his shoulder. “But she’s clumsy as fuck.”

“She’s scared. And from a different world.”

He’s right and that pisses me off. “I’ll be on guard. Have a nap, boy.”

He bows his head at me and lies down five steps away from Alyssa. I immerse myself into the woods to piss then wash my face and hands in the stream that burbles ten steps away from our camp.

As I return, Alyssa rolls on her other side and glances at me to avert her eyes the next moment. I hear her sigh then she sits up.

“Can I go…?” She blinks a few times in a row.

“Sure,” I say. “Just remember there are wild animals out there and they’ll be more than happy to eat such a fresh piece of meat as you.” I thread my fingers through my hair. “I count to twenty. Hurry.”

Alyssa

He allows me to go so it means that I’ll die from the fangs and claws of the predators living here as soon as I think about escaping him. I decide to be sensible.

I relieve myself, wash my hands in a stream, and return to my place by the fire.

I roll for a while then I drop off into oblivion. I wake up in what seems like fifteen minutes. I see Vahan standing by a tree trunk. He’s smoking something that looks like a cigar. The smell of oranges and tobacco settles in my nostrils.

“Sleep, Alyssa,” he says.

I nod and roll on my other side, my back turned towards him. Coldness bites my skin and penetrates my bones.

I teeter between sleep and awareness then I think about my mom until I start thinking of my dark future.

Arnau shakes my arm about half an hour later. “Wake up.”

I’m not asleep. I’ve been just lying with closed eyes. I’ve been thinking about my goals.

My goal is to survive. In order to achieve this I need to learn everything about the life on this planet—all the customs, language, geography, politics.

I sit up and see Vahan leaning over me.

His masculine scent hits me hard as he wraps the blanket around me and lifts me off the ground. He carries me bridal style as his scent clouds my mind—resins, spices, sweat. Wind, wildness and menace. He sits me on his horse.

My heart stops beating. Panic strangles my throat.

Vahan settles himself behind me and the horse starts walking.

“We’ll reach Nassara soon,” Vahan says.

I stiffen as my heart thumps in my ears. A cold drop of moisture splashes against my forehead and I look up. Mauve and golden clouds layer the sky as a cold breeze brushes against my cheeks. More droplets settle on my head and a few on the back of my hand. They glitter like yellow gems. A snap of lightning crosses the sky and the rain grows in strength.

Vahan pulls my blanket up and covers my head as his arm encircles me and he draws me closer to him. His scent envelops me again, so wild and primal. Almost tempting to me.

He reaches to the back of the saddle with his hand and sticks an oval shape under my nose.

“Eat,” he growls.

I take it from his hand and put it into my mouth. It’s as sweet as a raisin. I swallow it and Vahan hands me another.

“It’s not the food for horses?” I explode.

Oh my God. I have no self-preservation instinct.

Vahan laughs and strokes my back, but says nothing.

The rumble of lightning makes me yelp and shudder.

“Tishy, dzie’ta,” Vahan says in a soft voice like he’s soothing a child who’s had a nightmare.

He bought me, but he’s holding me in his arms like I’m his lover, not his possession.

I’m so small. He’s so massive.

I’m like a bird. He’s like a wolf. It won’t have a happy ending.

Vahan

Her blanket and clothes are drenched as her body trembles against mine. She coughs and sniffles. Uneasiness sits on my chest. She is fragile. She is a foreigner and my planet is harsh on them. I should be careful with her or I’ll lose her like my neighbour, Grigor, lost his. I heard the rumours—his foreigner died five moon triads after he’d purchased her. Lung damage—they said.

The rain smacks us with fury as another snap of lightning crosses the sky and illuminates Nassara that profiles in front of us.

I kick my horse and it gallops towards the stables. I stop in front of the double door, slide from the saddle and scoop that trembling little thing into my arms. One of the stablemen hurries to take the horse over as I carry Alyssa to her new house. Her cheek rests against my chest and I feel it how hot her skin is. She has a fever.

Kohar, my oldest slave, greets me in front of the building made of stone.

“It’s raining, woman,” I say to her. “Go inside.”

Kohar’s wrinkled face lights up and she strokes my arm, looking at Alyssa. “Only one tiny foreigner? Where is our cleaner?”

“The other girl slit her own throat.”

Kohar’s eyes fill with sadness.

I walk into the house as Kohar guides me to Alyssa’s new bedroom.

“She’s not well,” I say.

“I can see,” Kohar says and unfolds the blanket spread on the bed.

I lay Alyssa on the mattress and tear the drenched blanket off her then I clutch her corset and rip it open, taking the gown off her. She starts shaking and crying as her gown lands on the floor with a puff.

“It’s all wet,” I growl, “and you have a fever.”

Kohar covers her with the blanket but I manage to notice how absolutely perfect her body is. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful than her. Her tits are large with pink areolas; her hips are deliciously generous, her waist is so slender I could brace it with my hands. She has perfect thighs and a perfect little mound covered with dark pubic hair. Her ass? It’s round and so tempting I stifle my urge to touch and kiss it.

Alyssa

Blood pumps in my ears. My throat is sore and my chest feels like I have glue inside of it. My mind whirls as my vision blurs.

A strong muscular arm lifts me to a sitting position.

“Drink,” Vahan says and tips a mug to my lips.

I take a sip and the bitter herbal taste of the hot fluid makes me retch.

“Drink it,” Vahan growls.

I take another sip and retch again as acid burns my throat.

“Alright,” Vahan says. “Later.”

I start shivering and he presses the back of his hand against my cheek.

“Kohar,” he says, “bring wet towels.”

I pull the blanket up, but Vahan tears it off me. My teeth start chattering together. I actually stop caring that I’m naked, but my hands seek something to cover my body and relieve that unbearable coldness that comes with a high fever.

There is more and more of a nauseating haze in my head. Every cell of my body is painful. Every atom of my body pulsates. I close my eyes, teetering between awareness and oblivion. A shocking coldness envelops me, and I whimper as a callused hand strokes my head.

Vahan

She is really sick.

I didn’t know they were that fragile.

She coughs up yellow phlegm and Kohar looks at her with concern.

“She will be fine,” I say. “Bring another wet towel.”

Alyssa wheezes and stops shivering. I allow her to roll on her side and she falls asleep. Kohar brings the dampened towel and I replace the one that’s dried out on Alyssa’s chest with it. Alyssa yelps in her dream and something jabs my chest like a needle.

I lean back in the chair and watch her face. Her cheeks are red and sweat beads her forehead. She’s breathing like something heavy is sitting on her chest.

“Hungry?” Kohar asks.

“What do you think, woman? I’m starving.”

She strokes my cheek and leaves the bedroom. Alyssa mumbles something in her dream and starts squalling like a child.

I perch on the bed and stroke her cheek. Her skin is clammy with sweat. I tear the towel off her and cover her with a fresh blanket.

Kohar walks in with a plate in her hand. The smell of roasted meat teases my nostrils. I take the plate from her and drop into the chair, wolfing down my meal. Then I watch Alyssa.

She deteriorates further as the night ends. Her fever spikes and she drifts off to oblivion. I pray to our gods until the day ends.

Then I kneel on the floor and kiss her shoulder. The salty taste of her sweat burns a memory into my head.

“Dzie’ta, don’t die,” I say into her ear. “I forbid you to die. You hear me? I forbid you.”

Alyssa

I open my eyes and see his face above mine, so close that his hot breath puffs on my cheek. The face of a monster. The face of my owner.

A scream of primal fear leaves my mouth.

“Alyssa,” Vahan rumbles as his arm squeezes my chest and he holds me against his body.

“Get off me,” I gasp.

“Calm down,” he says.

I scream again then my mind twirls like I’m on a carousel and I fall down into darkness. I return to reality like a force has kicked me out of the darkness, and he’s still close to me; my back is still pressed against his naked hairy chest. His arms are wrapped around me. I don’t know whether we’re sitting or lying. I know he’s too close and I want him far away from me.

“I want to go back home,” I gasp.

My body is all damp. Every breath feels like a battle.

“This is your home,” Vahan says.

“Fuck off, you fucking dick,” I growl and darkness swallows me again.

Vahan

Kohar drops her head to hide her smile.

I clear my throat. “She is recovering.”

“I’ll take care of her,” Kohar says. “Go have a good rest. It’s been five lunar triads since you returned from the auction.”

I separate myself from Alyssa, laying her gently on her side, then I rise to my feet and stretch my legs—they’re achy and stiff from the long watch over my foreigner.

“You’re always right, woman.” I glance at Alyssa. “Teach her how to behave or I’ll have to punish her.”

“I’ll teach her, Vahan.”

My eyes trail a path along Alyssa’s spine, and an image enters my head. My foreigner is on all fours and I’m fucking her from behind. As punishment.

My hard cock forms a bulge in my trousers.

More images enter my head. I’d punish her harder and harder. I’d smack her ass and she’d whimper. I’d drive my dick into her mouth and she’d gag.

Kohar flashes me a mysterious smile and tilts her head.

“What?” I growl.

“Nothing.”

I bow my head and exit the bedroom.

It’s early in the morning. Frost layers the ground and glitters like white diamentis. I pass the training ground where Arnau is exercising with my troop. As soon as he notices me, he gives a sharp order to his men and strides towards me.

“Good lunar triad, Vahan,” he greets me.

I greet him back and pat his shoulder. “I’m going to bed.”

He nods. “I’ll give all the orders to everyone.”

I know he wants to ask about Alyssa, but he hesitates.

He shouldn’t ask me about her. My precious little gem is none of his concern.

“Rush Yasen to deal with all the papers,” I say. “The tax year will end soon and that old git is reading poetry. Send Dardana to the Scarlet City.”

“What for?”

“Tell her to buy nice gowns for Alyssa. I want something elegant and expensive.”

His jaw muscles twitch. “Like for a free woman?”

“Like for a free woman.”

Arnau gives me a nod, but his eyes wander off to somewhere far from here for a moment. He glances back at me, his face stripped of emotions. We latch on each other’s elbow like we are equals and I go to my house.

I have a bath, eat something and lie down on my bed. My body feels tired as fuck, but my head pulsates of thoughts. I see her tits, her ass, and her lips.