JUTARI

It’s been days, but I’ve been patient. I cross my arms over my chest, lean against the rough wall of my cell, and wait.

Today, I’m going to see my female again.

It’s been a slow process these past few days to squeeze information out of guards and other prisoners. I’ve made a ton of promises and even agreed to the assassination of a rival, all to get details about my small female. I’ll pay any price. I don’t care how much the cost is.

As I wait, I mentally go over the few details about her I’ve been able to glean. It hasn’t been easy; Noku’s shown interest in her, and that makes some of the other prisoners reluctant to speak. The ssethri lieutenant is known for his vicious temper and volatile moods, and a few of the more cowardly inmates remain silent in regard to him. It’s also difficult to bribe from max, though not impossible. I tell Dremmigan what I want. Dremmigan conveys it to the guard, who has a deal with him. The guard passes it on to a prisoner in the work cells, and on down the line it goes. With each person comes another favor, another thing owed.

I don’t keffing care. I’ll do whatever it takes.

Through the chain, I’ve learned that her name is Kloo-ee. She is a human, a primitive from a Class-D planet, and she was involved in a highly dangerous incident that involved several government cover-ups. My guess is that she was bought for her cunt. I’ve heard of slaves from strange, forbidden worlds bought and sold for such depravities. Sounds like someone got more than they bargained for with her.

I like that. It appeals to the dangerous side of me.

I’ve also learned that Noku has his sights set on her, which makes my gut burn with anger and my tail twitch in frustration. She’s not safe with him. Other females have tried to avoid him and ended up dead or hurt. And even though it makes me want to bloody someone with frustration, I know that Noku holds enough clout in the prison that no one’s going to stop him if he’s decided that Kloo-ee belongs to him. Given the fact that she was sent here to disappear, she’s even less safe than most.

Therefore, I need to do what I can to let her know that she’s safe. That I’m watching over her.

Through my connections, I find out that the human female has left the women’s quarters twice in this last week, both times to clean drainpipes in other parts of the prison. That’s an easy enough problem to create. I spend most of the night watch carefully scratching away the mortar around the edges of the drain lid in our cell’s lavatory corner. Doesn’t matter that it’s remotely controlled by a keycode when I can just pry the entire thing off. When I’m finally able to pry the grate open, I rip an arm off of my prison jumper and shove it into the drain pipe, then replace the lid. It didn’t take long for the water to back up, and I had Cthorn notify a guard in the morning.

At that point, it’s just a matter of waiting.

“Keffing bullshit,” Ast grumbles nearby. He shoots me a look but doesn’t get up. “Keffing have to take a leak, Jutari.”

“You can wait,” I tell him calmly, scanning the glass wall in our cell, looking for one face in particular. “You’re not keffing pissing where my female’s going to put her hand.”

He makes a groaning sound and begins to pace. I move to tell him to stop when my shock-collar whines into existence, and then a bolt of electricity surges clear through my body. I collapse to the ground, unable to move. Nearby, Dremmigan, Ast, and Cthorn all do the same. I knew this was coming, but it doesn’t make the pain any easier. My skin crawls with a reaction from the energy crackling through me, and I grit my teeth against the intense pain.

It’s worth it for her.

A moment later, the glass recedes into the wall. Noku saunters forward, shock-stick in hand. “Remain in place, prisoners. We’re here to enable repairs on your keffing miserable little cell.”

Through the pain, I open my eyes and focus my gaze on the ssethri asshole. Ever since I’ve arrived in the prison, I’ve hidden my tolerance for the shock-stick and my collar. It still hurts, of course—it hurts like fire is crawling through my veins—but it doesn’t completely immobilize me like the others. Because of my big size, I can fight it. Of course, if the guards knew that, they’d up the juice, so I’ve kept it a secret and played along. I’ve figured something like that could come in handy in the future.

Like now. I’m able to slowly turn my head to watch as Noku enters the cell, the small female on his heels. The guard’s so arrogant he doesn’t even glance in my direction. He just shoulders his shock-stick and gestures at the shit-encrusted grate in the corner. “Your job, little human. Unless you want to bargain.”

And he touches her hair, the bastard. Fury burns in my gut at the sight.

Kloo-ee sidesteps out of his grasp. “I’ll work.” Her words sound unfamiliar until the chip in my head translates it—Earth Human language, English variant. She looks around the cell nervously, and her gaze stops on me. Our eyes meet, and I see hers widen in surprise and recognition.

She remembers me. That brings me both pleasure and a possessive surge of lust that seems to crackle even over the pain of the shocks pinning me to the floor. She’s so close that I can see the vibrant hazel of her eyes, the dark fringe of her lashes, the delicate curve of her jaw—and the dusky outlines of her nipples under the jumper.

“They can’t harm you, little human,” Noku tells her. “I have them pinned. I’ll do the same to you if you don’t get to work, though.” He reaches out and touches her hair again. “Don’t make me be cruel, little one. I’d prefer you…willing.”

She shudders, turning away from me and slinking out of Noku’s grasp. She’s much smaller up close than I recalled—I doubt she’d reach my shoulder. It just makes her even more fragile than I anticipated, and the protective need in me surges.

If that ssethri dares to touch her again, I’m going to flatten him, shock-stick or not.

Kloo-ee gets on her hands and knees near the drain, and waits while Noku taps a code into his datapad. A release sounds, and she lifts the grate lid off. Her small nose wrinkles at the smell, and I make a mental note to beat the shit out of Ast if he used the keffing drain while I was sleeping. She rolls up her sleeves and leans toward the floor, reaching in. Her face is expressionless as she grabs a handful of waste and slops it out onto the floor.

Noku steps backward with a hiss. “Not so close!”

“Sorry,” she says, but I’m amused at the subtle rebellion. The little human has fire to her. She reaches in and grabs another handful, and then another. Kloo-ee is silent, but when she moves, I can see her gaze flick over to me. She’s curious about me. I like that.

She has to reach deeper, and her cheek almost touches the filthy floor. As she does, her brows furrow, and then she jerks harder, then pulls up something that makes a wet slap on the ground. “Found your clog.”

Noku nudges the bit of material with his shock-stick and then glances around the cell. His gaze focuses on me and my jumper that’s now missing a sleeve. “So.” His hissing voices goes flat with anger. “This was done on purpose. Was this all so you could get a better look at my little human, Jutari? Don’t think I don’t know who you are.”

I manage a grin, making it seem far more difficult than it truly is. Ssethri prick.

He leans in over me, his beady eyes flashing. “She’s mine, prisoner. Don’t you forget that. I can do whatever I want to her. If I want to drag her around naked in front of you, I can. If I want to take her to my bed, I can. If I want to make her life miserable, I can.”

With that, he casually lashes out, striking the human female across the face with his shock-stick.

Kloo-ee collapses with a small cry, flattening on the ground.

A growl rises in my throat, feral and sharp. I can’t stop the hit he just gave her—even though it guts me—but if he touches her again, I’ll attack him and bring him down. It doesn’t matter that he could fry my brain by turning up his shock-stick. He’s not touching my female again.

“Mine,” the ssethri hisses, leaning over me. “You think you can touch what is mine? You think I would turn my back so you could rape her?” He shows his small, pathetic fangs. “That pleasure will be mine and mine alone.”

He thinks I would rape her? That idiot. I would worship her body.

“I’ve seen how you watch her,” Noku tells me. He leans in closer, and his voice drops to a whisper. “I’ve heard of the rumors around the prison—that you’ve staked your claim. Your claim is nothing, though. Shall I make a vid of the first time I claim her? You can watch her take my scaly cock.”

It takes everything I have not to answer. Gutting Noku solves nothing. I have to wait to make my move.

Even if it destroys me on the inside to not be able to protect her in this moment.

Noku straightens. He glances over at Kloo-ee. “Get up, little human. Replace the grate over the drain pipe and get to your feet.”

She calmly picks herself up off the ground, though there is a bright red streak across one cheek that fills me with anger. I weigh the benefits of attacking Noku now. Of snapping his thin neck and flinging his body aside…and then what? Wait for more guards to come after me with blasters and more shock-sticks?

No, I have to wait for the right moment. Even if it destroys me.

CHLOE

It takes two days for the red streak on my cheek to fade. In that time, I don’t see Noku. I suppose that’s a bonus, but I feel uneasy. It’s like this is the calm before the storm. When he left the other day, he was angry, and it seemed like his anger was directed more at me than at the big blue stranger.

Jutari. I repeat his name under my breath. The way he looked at me…I hug my knees tight. It wasn’t like how Noku looks at me. Noku looks like…like he wants to break me. Jutari doesn’t. But Noku also hasn’t come to get me for latrine duty in the last two days, so maybe I’m not on his radar at all. I hope.

That hope is quickly extinguished on day three when one of the ssethri guards passes by as he does a headcount, and a strange stink wafts through the air. I wrinkle my nose, but Irita looks alert and tense. The other women, too. As the guard pauses by Lxist, he grabs her by one of her feelers and half-drags her into her cell. I’m shocked, not only at the violence he’s showing, but the suddenness of it. Lxist is always willing to let the guards play with her caterpillar-like body. I don’t know what she did to provoke him.

Irita makes an unhappy noise in her throat and waits until they’ve disappeared, then moves to my side. “Kloo-ee, today is going to be a bad day.”

“What? Why?” If it’s a bad day for Irita, who takes everything with a casual smile, I’m really scared at what it could mean for me.

“Do you smell that on the air?” She sniffs exaggeratedly. “That metallic stink?” When I nod, she leans in and whispers. “That’s the ssethri mating stink. They lose control about once a month and go after the females. If you can, you should avoid Noku today.”

“Wait, ssethri only mate once a month?” Come to think of it, I’ve never seen a ssethri guard disappear with a female before now.

“They’re cold blooded. Since the temperature is controlled here in the prison, their mating need is randomly triggered at times. Like I said, just avoid them if at all possible and hope that someone else is going to catch ssethri cock today.”

My mouth goes dry, and I nod wordlessly. That explains why Noku hasn’t touched me despite threatening it regularly. Of course, that might also mean terrible things for today. I wish I could crawl back into my featureless, hard cell and sleep, but the guards on the floor—non-ssethri—would shock me for even trying it. I tug at the collar around my neck, miserable.

As if he can sense our thoughts, the door to the women’s quarters opens and Noku stalks in. His scales seem to be brighter than usual, and as he moves forward, I can smell the terrible, metallic scent grow thicker in the air. His beady gaze flicks back and forth amongst the women, and I feel sick.

I know who he’s looking for.

Irita jumps in front of me and puts her hands on her hips. She saunters forward, her movements oozing sex appeal. “Hello, Noku,” she purrs. “Don’t suppose you’d let a girl earn a bit of goodwill today, would you?” She moves toward him and puts a hand on his narrow snake-ant chest.

He flicks her hand away. “Step aside, prisoner. Fem14-H, to me.”

Shit.

I get to my feet slowly and take a step forward.

That’s not quick enough for Noku. He moves toward me and grabs me by the hair, sending a bolt of pain through my scalp. “Did I not say that you were to come to me, little human?”

“You’re hurting me!”

“I’m going to do more than that if you disobey me again,” he hisses.

Irita steps forward again. “Noku, listen—”

“Silence, female, or I’m going to have your cunt sewn shut. Understand me?” He turns and gives Irita a deadly look.

Her eyes go wide, and she takes a step backward, then raises her hands in the air. “Of course. Walking away now.” She turns her back to him and leaves, even as he yanks my hair again.

I watch her go with helpless distress. I don’t blame her, but at the same time, I wish she’d have stayed. I grab at my aching scalp. “I’ll go with you, Noku. Please, just stop.”

He releases me, and I collapse to the floor. “Follow me, prisoner.” He whips out his shock-stick, a silent threat.

Even though I want nothing more than to retreat and nurse my bruised scalp, I force myself to get to my feet and follow him. This is a bad idea, I tell myself as we head down a hall alone. The last thing I want to be is alone with Noku.

But what choice do I have right now?

My unease grows as he takes me onto one of the elevator lifts. All of the prisoners are on the ground floor of the prison—guard quarters and equipment are kept on the upper floors…and I doubt we’re going to get some equipment. I want to ask where we’re going, but there’s a dangerous look in his eyes, and the stink of him is making my eyes water.

I glance around the elevator, surprised to see that he didn’t bother to stick my hands on the immobilizing bar this time. I’m grateful but confused. It just emphasizes that there’s something very different—and wrong—about today.

The door opens on an unfamiliar floor, and Noku gestures that I should get out. Except…this doesn’t look like the parts of the prison I’m familiar with. It looks like private quarters. “Where are we going?” I ask, hesitating.

“Always so many questions with you,” he snaps, ignoring the waiting doors to turn on me. He grabs me by the throat, his claws pinching, and I gasp, clutching at them. “You want to suck my cock here, then? In front of the security cameras? Then do so. On your knees!”

He flings me away from him and begins to unbuckle his uniform. I stare at him in horror, but I don’t get down on my knees. I’m not doing that.

When he realizes I’m not obeying, his entire body seems to hunch with rage. Six arms each make a fist. “Did you not hear me?” He grabs the shock-stick, lifting it.

“I heard you,” I whisper, moving backward until my back is pressing against the side of the elevator. My hands touch the bar, and I automatically move them away from it. The last thing I want is to be re-frozen there.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you want to get on my good side, little human?”

I shake my head, terrified.

“I won’t rape you, but I won’t like it if you refuse me, little fool. You think if you were on your own that you’d be so safe? You think if I didn’t throw you out to the wolves that you wouldn’t be raped in a matter of seconds?” The snake-ant’s words are hard and hissing, his expression vicious. “You can take my cock willingly or you can take dozens unwillingly. It’s your choice.”

I cross my arms over my chest, pressing against the elevator wall. “That’s not a choice,” I tell him.

“It’s the only one you have,” he snarls, and lifts his shock-stick. “If I have to persuade you the hard way, I will.”

I stare at him, frightened but resolute. I’m not changing my mind.

Not even when he hits me the first time. Or the second.

JUTARI

“Guard incoming,” someone murmurs. “Noku.”

Even though I don’t get to my feet, my entire body stiffens at the hated name. That’s the one that touches my female. That’s the one that threatens her.

That’s the one that’s going to die.

I force myself to remain casual, seated against the wall near the glass. I turn my head leisurely, as if barely interested in Noku’s reappearance. It does no good to show too much interest in something or else it’ll be used against you.

Even so, it takes everything I have not to jump to my feet when the ssethri guard appears, a small unconscious form slung over his shoulder. I realize he’s heading toward my location when my shock-collar lights up and pins me to the ground, along with everyone else in the cell.

Noku steps inside and flings Kloo-ee’s small form to the ground. “You wanted to rape her? She’s all yours. Teach her a lesson,” he snarls. “Use her hard and use her well.”

And with that, he turns and leaves.

The glass slides back into place between one breath and the next, and there’s a breathless pause between all of us in the cell. Cthorn is the first to get to his feet, and he takes a step toward Kloo-ee’s unmoving body.

“Don’t,” I warn him in a low tone.

He freezes in place and then drops to a crouch, watching me.

They’re all watching me.

I glance at the guards, but they’re watching Noku leave. I move toward Kloo-ee and turn her over. Marks from the shock-stick cover her face and neck. Her face is swollen and purple from the beating he’s given her, and as she rolls flat onto her back, I can see additional dark bruises on her skin through the pale material of her jumper.

He’s beaten her badly.

Rage blisters through my brain. I’m going to make Noku pay for this. I’m going to rip the scaly skin from his body while he’s still living and stuff it down his keffing throat. To treat a female like this is unconscionable. To treat my female like this will result in a slow and painful death.

I carefully gather her into my arms and pull her against my chest. As I do, I glance at the others over my shoulder. “She’s mine. No one gets a turn but me. I’ll keffing bite off any hand that tries to touch my property. Understand?”

Silence. Someone whines in the back, “You won’t share?”

“Mesakkah don’t share,” Dremmigan says with an amused snort. “Use your hand.” He gives me a curious look but says nothing.

Let them think I’m simply greedy. Better that than for them to think I’ve got as big a soft spot as I do for this little female. Noku threw her down here so we could destroy her. He clearly hates her now, and I suspect the female refused him. If that’s the case, I’m going to have to make it look as if I’m using her and using her hard in order to satisfy his desire for revenge.

But first my female needs to wake up so I can tend to her wounds and let her know that she’s safe with me.

I retreat to a back corner of the cell with her, my back to the glass. I should undress her to see how bad her wounds are, but I know doing so will frighten her if she wakes up and finds herself naked with me. Then again, maybe her fright will make this more convincing.

But I can’t bring myself to do it. I can’t harm my female. And I’m strong enough to protect her from the others in the cell, so it doesn’t matter. I’m not worried about them. I’m worried about the guards taking her away from me. If she’s in my arms, I can protect her.

If she’s with Noku, I’m helpless to aid her.

I touch her bruised, delicate face, the soft mouth, the long lashes. She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, even now. Her hair is silky against my skin, and she’s curiously soft all over, without a single protective ridge on her body. Too soft, my female. It only makes me want to protect her more. I trace a finger along the curve of one small ear, hating the ugly, cut-rate translator that’s been carelessly stapled into the soft parts of her ear. Whoever put this in was too cheap to give her the language implant chip that all other space-faring races use regularly. Slavers did this, I’m guessing. The moment we’re free of this place, I’m going to fix that for her. She deserves better than a piece of tin gadgetry that hangs off her head.

She deserves better than all of this.

“What are you going to do with her, Jutari?” Ast asks, twitchy. His gaze is on my female, and as I watch, his hand steals to his crotch.

“Whatever I want,” I growl at him. “And you’d better not be fucking touching your cock to my woman.”

He freezes, then puts both of his hands up in the air. “Nope. Wouldn’t do that.”

“Same goes for all of you,” I say, glaring at the faces watching her. “No one jerks off to her. If I see so much as one drop of cum touch my female and it’s not my cum, I’m going to rip your cock off and feed it down your throat.”

Someone blanches. Another backs away. Good. They know I can back up my threats. I’ve killed at least three men since arriving here at Haven. I can easily kill a few more.

All they need to do is look at my female wrong and they’re dead.