Chapter Nine
The next morning, Jada woke up nestled in her men’s arms and she snuggled closer between them, feeling Bruddis’ length against her thigh and Draego’s pressed up against her lower back. Closing her eyes, she hoped to not awaken them but Draego moved behind her, slowly running his fingers up her hip. She shivered.
“It’s our first day as men and wife, Jada,” he murmured quietly and she couldn’t help but grin at his words. She stretched slightly and pressed her bottom back against him, feeling his iron shaft harden against her skin.
Though they’d been together for such a short time, she felt like they were right for each other, that Draego was the bad boy she had always craved and that Bruddis was the man she’d dreamed of having since she was a little girl.
Hot. Dominant. Incredibly sexy. Who had known that after everything fell into place, that she would have wound up with two?
Bruddis shifted then, and opened his eyes, his red irises studying hers for moment before he grinned so broadly that the cutest little wrinkles appeared on the sides of his eyes.
“Morning, little human,” he said groggily and she giggled.
“Morning,” she replied.
“Today is the Warrior Games,” Draego said almost disappointedly as he pushed his cock against her, as if he wanted to fuck her again. Not that she would have minded.
“It starts sometime soon, doesn’t it, brother?” Bruddis asked with a sigh, laying his head back on the pillow behind him.
“The sun has been up for several hours already, so within the hour,” Draego replied.
Jada groaned quietly, trying to force herself awake. Lifting her arms overhead, she stretched, arching her back and pressing her breasts into Bruddis’ chest.
He cupped one of them in his hands and ran his thumb over her nipple. She sighed softly, pushing into his touch even more.
Draego slapped her ass from behind and she yelped, startled.
“None of that now. We’re expected to attend our own wedding festivities after all,” he chided and that broke her of the want to continue more of their delightful bedroom activities.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“The Warrior Games happen only after a royal wedding. In terms of your Earth history, I guess you can equate it to the gladiatorial games of ancient Rome. The royal family competes for the honor to present the queen-to-be with her crown. In fact, the entire planet of Draegira looks forward to the event because it doesn’t come around too often,” Bruddis explained.
“Will it be entertaining?” she yawned, not liking the fact that she had to crawl out of bed in order to go to some great gathering, especially when the covers were calling her name.
“It’ll be great fun,” Draego said darkly and she couldn’t help but gasp quietly at the seduction that simply oozed from the sound of his voice. The excitement in his voice was also clear and she began to feel eager for the event herself.
Bruddis threw the covers off and stood up beside the bed, in his complete naked glory. She couldn’t help but stare at his chiseled frame, taut buttocks, lean waist, and sculpted back. Licking her lips, she couldn’t help it as her pussy clenched, remembering how much she had enjoyed her last encounter with her men. Draego chuckled beside her and she bit her lip.
Bruddis turned back toward them and smirked.
“Like what you see then, little human, don’t you,” he said with a chuckle.
Deeply embarrassed at being caught ogling his body, she shook her head and giggled nervously. His gaze turned dark for a quick moment before he lurched toward her and grasped her legs, effortlessly tossing her on her belly and flipping the blankets off her bare backside.
His fingers touched her naked skin, rough and strong and she stilled at the silent warning.
“I think you could use a quick reminder to be on your best behavior, don’t you, Jada?” Draego said beside her and she quickly glared back at him. Bruddis didn’t answer, but he smacked her bottom a few times softly.
He placed his other hand on her lower back to keep her still.
She swallowed heavily.
She felt him reach to the nightstand and stiffened.
“No, please don’t,” she pleaded half-heartedly, even as her pussy quivered with want.
The leather paddle peppered her ass and she squealed at the sudden sting. He didn’t waver with his punishing hand and before long, her entire backside was sore and achy. When he finally stopped, she was left breathless, and her hips rocked back in forth in a useless attempt to shake away the pain.
Her core throbbed and she allowed her thighs to drift apart, shocked to find them already wet with her arousal.
“Ouch,” she pouted, although unable to hold back a smile.
Reaching back, she felt the heat radiating from her freshly disciplined bottom and couldn’t help but sigh with a sense of satisfied pleasure, although she wanted so much more.
Bruddis offered her a hand then and helped her out of bed. Her breasts bounced a little, heavy with her desire and her nipples pebbled in the chilly morning air. She could feel her wetness even more distinctly now that she was standing and wished the men would take her back to bed and claim her again, together.
Draego looked at her with a sort of all-knowing expression and she looked away, feeling her face heat with humiliation.
Bruddis dressed first, tying on his black cloth pants and off-white cotton shirt. He shrugged a dark brown leather jerkin over his shoulders and lashed a wide belt around his waist. Lastly, he pulled on a pair of socks, followed by dark leather boots. Draego did the same. She was left to watch, standing naked in between them, until Bruddis handed her a small package wrapped in cloth and tied with twine.
She opened it slowly to find a beautiful silvery white dress. Holding it by the shoulders, she held it up in front of herself and gasped. There were two layers of fabric, one a sheer white, the other the color of her skin. Both brothers helped her into it and tied the sash around her waist into a long hanging bow that reached the floor. The high waist settled just below her breasts and the neckline veered low, showcasing an ample view of her cleavage.
Looking in a nearby mirror, she gasped at the gown’s beauty, but also at its daring nature. The two fabrics made it seem as though it was transparent, but upon further inspection, she was relieved to note that her nipples weren’t peeking through.
Sliding her feet into a pair of white leather slippers, she sighed happily as Bruddis pulled a comb gently through her hair. He brushed her locks until they shone and he grinned as he spun her around to look her in the eyes.
“Simply the most beautiful woman in all the land,” he mused softly and Draego nodded behind him.
“Let’s show our princess bride to the world today,” Draego added.
She grinned, never happier in her life. How could she be so lucky? After all the unfortunate events throughout her life, culminating with the framed murder charge the president had forced on her, she had begun to lose hope for her own happily ever after. But now, she felt hopeful.
Her thoughts made her feel a little guilty as she remembered her family. She wished there was some way she could reach out to them, some way to let them know that she was doing well and most important, that she was alive and not dead, just far away on a mysterious planet deep in space.
Immersed heavily in her thoughts, she smiled gently as the brothers placed a stark white fur mantle over her shoulders. They had black ones on their backs. She vaguely noticed intricate swords lashed to their waists, the gold filigree and gemstone inlays too beautiful to ignore.
Draego took her hand and led her out of their chambers and down a series of hallways and stairs that she very quickly lost track of. In no time at all, they were out in the fresh city air. After a short walk, the three of them were standing in front of a huge building that reminded her of the ancient Roman Coliseum, except triple the size and made of striking white stone. She could already hear the excited sounds of an audience waiting inside. They walked indoors via a side entrance and up several flights of stairs until they emerged in a special open suite that had an entire view of the inside of the coliseum.
The suite was entirely visible to the crowd and at its center, there were three seats, all padded with a royal red cushion and outfitted with enough detail to realize it was a throne. From the position of the chairs, she guessed that once they were seated, the crowd would be able to see their presence, no matter the angle.
Walking to the ledge, she looked out at the packed stadium seating, guessing there were several hundreds of thousands of people gathered inside, waiting for the show to begin. It was truly incredible to behold. Draego and Bruddis walked up beside her and out onto a stage that reached further into the arena.
The entire crowd went silent in an instant. The effect of that quiet was astounding and Jada looked on in awe.
“I welcome you, fellow Draegirans, to the Warrior Games! I present to you, my wife and your future queen, Princess Jada,” Draego said, lifting his arms into the air.
The crowd roared with approval.
Bruddis took her hand and delicately led her out onto the stage with his brother. If it was possible, the crowd cheered even more wildly than before.
She couldn’t help but smile, waving to them, finding their excitement contagious.
“Let the games begin!” Bruddis shouted once the audience had quieted again and their screams were deafening.
Trumpets sounded, along with other musical instruments that she didn’t recognize. The three of them took their seats, her in the center, and waited for the festivities to start.
Biting her lip in anticipation, she leaned forward in order to see better.
A line of men and women in heavy armor, at least fifty of them, filed out from an open hatch below. She watched as they walked into the center of the arena and faced the royal suite. They each knelt down on one knee and bowed their heads.
“It honors us to fight in your name, Princess Jada. May the fates smile upon us this day,” the group said in unison and Jada smiled. They stayed on their knees until Draego and Bruddis declared that they were allowed to rise.
The trumpets and alien music sounded again and the group walked back into the dark mysterious door at the edge of the arena.
Another door opened and a throaty wild roar ripped through the air, animalistic and utterly terrifying. Jada gripped the armrests of her chair with fear and nervous curiosity.
A massive cage was rolled out by a group of men, although she looked at it with confusion because there was nothing inside it. They opened the door wide and just left it there, a long beacon on the white sandy floor. All doors on the ground floor closed, until one last one opened. A wild animal emerged, an alien creature that resembled, at least remotely, a polar bear from Earth, but that’s where the similarities ended.
Its fur was white, except it sparked in the sunlight. It was huge, at least ten feet tall, with four long limbs. The talons were stark black and a foot long, digging into the sand as it surged forward. Ears that flopped like a dog’s moved in the wind until it lurched to a stop at the center of the coliseum. It looked around, red angry eyes marveling at the crowd as it growled.
Jada was suddenly very grateful that she was so high off the ground.
A warrior ran out into the arena, shield and sword in hand and Jada squeaked with panic. That fighter wasn’t going to survive! She had to do something.
“Don’t!” she cried out, pushing up off the seat before Draego caught her hand.
“Sit,” Draego commanded. “These people fight for you. It is our way.”
With a whimper, she sat back down.
“What is it?” she wondered aloud, studying the strange-looking animal.
“That’s a male polarkon. Violently territorial and extremely dangerous. You wouldn’t want to run into one of those in the wildlands, that’s for sure,” Bruddis answered, and the three of them watched as the beast noticed the lone knight who had entered into the arena with him.
The man down below stalked a safe distance away from the alien bear-like creature. The polarkon growled menacingly and Jada shivered.
“Is the point to kill it?” she asked quietly. Despite the terrifying nature of the beast, she didn’t want to see it hurt.
“No. The polarkon was caught specifically for the opening of these games and will be released upon its completion. The warriors all entered with a healthy respect for the beast and have been taught that it is a dishonor to shed its blood, unless utterly necessary. Instead, they have to guide it into the cage so that the creature can be safely freed into the forests after everything is over,” Draego explained.
She watched with nervous anticipation as the creature surged toward the man, but then, she sighed with relief as he sidestepped out of the way and bashed it on the head with the blunt end of his blade, dazing the beast for a short moment.
A nearby attendant startled her with a large goblet of wine and a tray of meats and cheeses that she quickly dove into. Taking a sip of the delicious beverage, she moaned softly as the delectable tones of berries washed over her tongue.
A collective gasp from the crowd echoed throughout the arena and she quickly put her goblet back down to watch the warrior move closer to the polarkon, banging the flat of his sword against his shield. Closer and closer he edged, until the alien creature lashed out with one its paws, catching the knight off guard and slamming him against a wall.
Jada held her breath for a long time, fully expecting the man to be dead. The sheer power of the alien creature was terrifying.
Amazingly, the man stood to his feet a few seconds later and the crowd yelled its approval. Another warrior ran into the arena, only this time, it was a woman.
The crowd went wild. Maybe the woman was a favorite of theirs?
She wore very little armor and Jada shuddered with alarm. What did the woman think she was doing? She only wore a pair of leather pants, complete with a jerkin and a small shield in her hand. In the other, she held a rather tiny-looking dagger. If the polarkon decided to attack her, she was doomed. His talons were much too big for her leather and shield to guard her from most certain death.
The woman tossed her red hair and the beast stilled, sniffing the air.
Draego smiled beside her. “This woman is very smart. She’s done her research, I’m betting.”
“Why do you say that?” Jada questioned.
“Watch, little human. I have a feeling that woman is going to win this match today,” Bruddis replied, placing his huge hand over hers. Her heart pitter-pattered at his touch and she turned back to the games, reaching for Draego’s hand with the other.
The woman walked into the center of the arena and tossed her hair again. The man grunted in annoyance and charged at the polarkon, but the alien beast ignored him entirely.
It lifted its long, toothy snout into the air and sniffed again.
The creature walked to the woman, closer and closer while she stood her ground.
Jada whined out loud in fear for her.
Instead, the polarkon rubbed its head against the female’s shoulder. At any moment, Jada expected the polarkon to tear the woman in two, but that didn’t happen. Instead, the beast continued to cuddle against her, sniffing and licking the woman’s throat.
Amazingly, the woman walked into the cage and the polarkon followed. Once the creature was in the cage, she moved toward the front of the enclosure and petted its snout gently. The polarkon purred then, so loudly the entire audience could hear it.
She’d tamed the beast and even though she had watched the entire thing, Jada had no idea how she’d done it.
“How?” she asked, astonished at the events that just occurred. The beast had been ferocious one second and calmed the next. How was it even possible?
“Vanilla. When a mated, bonded pair of polarkons come together, they mate for life. Once this bond is established, the female emits a vanilla scent, and this calms the males around her. This particular male polarkon is young and unmated, so he’s particularly susceptible to it. Bravo, warrior woman, honor is with you today,” Draego exclaimed.
“The other knight must not have studied his foe in the slightest, assuming that brute force would win such a contest,” Bruddis chuckled as the male warrior hung his head in shame and left the arena.
The polarkon, calmed by the vanilla scent, curled up in a ball and closed its eyes, safely in the cage. The woman slinked out and closed the door behind her, effectively trapping the tamed beast. Another group of men entered and wheeled the cage out as the music started again, announcing the start of the games’ next event.
The warrior woman bowed before leaving the arena.
Two men entered the arena from opposite ends and charged at each other. Jada watched as they clashed swords, pirouetting and side-stepping in an intricate dance that was mesmerizing to watch. She drank some more wine and nibbled on a piece of cheese. The fight lasted for quite a while, both men pretty evenly matched.
Finally, one of the men knocked the sword out of the other’s grasp and held his blade to his throat. Jada held her breath.
The crowd roared.
She expected the killing blow to come at any moment, but it never did.
Bruddis squeezed her hand and she realized she’d been gripping the armrest for dear life. Draego chuckled beside her.
“There is no honor in killing outside the battlefield on our planet, Jada. To waste life in a game is not our way,” Draego said with seriousness and she allowed herself to relax. The man with the blade to his throat knelt beside the victor and the crowd quieted.
“I’m sorry, Princess. It is with great sadness that I will not honor you this day,” the man said.
The crowd remained silent.
“They’re waiting for you to say something,” Bruddis coaxed her and she frowned.
“What would I say?”
“Tell them that they fought valiantly and that the fates are with the victor,” Draego replied and she repeated the words to the crowd, although much louder.
The audience broke out in mass applause and the two men left the arena. Jada sat back and folded her hands in her lap, excited to see how the day was going to proceed.
The rest of the games passed quickly as matched pairs of warriors fought against each other, eliminating one after the other until only a handful of warriors were left. At that point, the games fell into a sort of intermission, as attendants set up the arena for the final event below.
Jada took the time to excuse herself and wander to the restroom with the assistance of one of the servants who had brought her the food and drink. It was some ways away down a side hall, and she was thankful she had asked for assistance. She felt the lovely tingle of the wine in her veins and she grinned happily, excited to watch the end of the games.
She entered into one of the stalls, happily surprised to find modern conveniences here as well. Draegira was a strange world, she thought. It was almost like it was a medieval planet, but hid its technology well, almost as if it was dishonorable to flaunt it. She’d have to ask the brothers when she returned.
The door squeaked open and she stilled. The attendant had told her that this was a restroom reserved only for likes of her, royalty.
Someone slapped open the first stall, followed by the second, the sound making a large boom that hurt her ears.
Dropping to the floor, she crawled to the furthest stall and crept out from underneath, moving around a corner where the person couldn’t see her from their view. Her eyes took account of her surroundings, suddenly thankful for the circular design of the bathroom, with a lounge on one side and bathroom stalls on the other. Turning the corner, she ran around the lounge, reaching the door and trying to slip out the door unnoticed and as quietly as she could.
Her head ripped backwards as a hand reached around and gripped her hair in a fist, pulling her back and causing an explosion of pain to bloom across the back of her scalp. She cried out as her back slammed against a tall, definitively male chest and went to scream before a hand clapped over her mouth.
She struggled as best as she could, trying to kick the man on the shins, whatever she could do to break free. Screaming into his palm, she lurched her body back and forth until she felt the metal edge of a blade at her throat.
She stilled instantly.
“That’s a good girl. You wouldn’t want me to slit this pretty little throat of yours, now would you? Your husbands wouldn’t like that very much…”
Jada trembled under the man’s fierce touch, her eyes racing back and forth as she tried to figure out who the hell this man was. She could see his arm and knew that he wasn’t Draegiran; his skin wasn’t marked by any dim red scales or anything, meaning that he was human. She hadn’t seen a single human since she’d arrived on the planet and the realization chilled her to the bone. How had he found her?
“Scream, and you die,” he growled. Slowly, he removed his hand from her mouth. The knife pressed harder against her skin.
“Who the fuck are you,” she whispered, her voice hoarse and much more courageous than she thought she could muster.
“President Ramsey sends his regards,” the man chuckled maliciously.
She stilled. This man was an assassin. He’d come to make sure she died for the knowledge she had in her head. Struggling in earnest now, she yelped as the knife bit into her throat just a little.
“He sends you to kill me now? Not enough to ruin my life, exile me from Earth, and marry me off to some aliens? Now he wants me dead too?”
“Not quite, feisty,” he growled.
“Well, what the fuck does he want then?” she pushed, trying her best not to let any quiver of fear edge into her voice.
“You see, President Ramsey needs your help,” he started, and she laughed.
“You really think I’d ever help that man? After everything he’s done? I refuse. Kill me, I don’t care. He’s already taken my entire life away. He doesn’t have anything left he can do to break me,” she challenged.
“You’re mistaken, feisty. There’s plenty he can still do to hurt you. Remember your mother?” the man whispered, and her blood ran cold with fear.
“He wouldn’t touch her. He has no reason to,” she whimpered.
“Not yet, but he will… If you decide not to help him, he’ll torture both your mother and your father, kill them if he has to in order to make you comply,” he whispered.
Jada was silent for a long moment and closed her eyes in order to hold back her tears. She had thought she would be free of Earth, had been beginning to accept that everything was going to be good again, that she’d found her happily ever after, but now Ramsey had reemerged to take it all away again.
She hated the man. She wished he’d just drop dead.
“What does he want from me,” she finally answered, and the man chuckled.
“Knew you’d see reason after I explained what was at stake here, feisty,” he said, and she crinkled her nose, the smell of his rancid breath hitting her like a stack of bricks.
“Remember that journalist that you were framed for murder for? Well, turns out someone found his notes and they’ve begun to call into question your trial and sentence. It’s all over the news and the president doesn’t like it,” he continued, and she snorted in amusement at the president’s demise.
“You see, you’ve always claimed innocence. He needs you to return to Earth and confess. Tell the world that all that information about him bribing and fixing the election was made up. You can do that, right? Be a good little girl?”
“Doesn’t everyone think I’m dead?”
“No. Your trial was made public after you were gone. Your parents were so proud…”
“You all are a bunch of miserable fuckers, you know that?” Jada growled, furious. It would have been better for her family if they thought her dead, not the murderer she had been made out to be. Tears clouded her vision as she thought of her mother and her father and what they must have gone through, the sadness and anger that must have felt when their only daughter was labeled a vicious killer.
Despite her fury, a choking sob noise escaped her throat.
“Why would he do that to them? I was sent away from Earth forever, he didn’t need to do that to them. They didn’t deserve it,” she cried softly.
“You’ll need to know only what you need to know. Now you’re coming with me, feisty, whether you like it or not,” he growled.
“I have a name, asshole,” she said boldly, and his grip tightened, the blade biting her skin fiercely.
Feeling numb, she didn’t struggle as he led her out of the restroom and down a series of dark halls and stairwells into an alley. He continued to hold the knife against her raw skin, as he maneuvered her toward a large object covered with a really large tarp.
He ripped it off, revealing a small spaceship that he quickly forced her into. Before she knew it, she was stuffed into a small cage and the ship rocketed off the ground, taking her and her dreams of a happy future into the dark, deep beyond.