KIVIAN

A few hours later, I shake my fist and then cast my sticks down on the table for what seems like the dozenth hand. “Kef! Another loss.” I fake-moan and then rub my brow. “There goes my fuel money for the next run. My crew’s going to murder me.”

Jth’Hnai croaks with glee, scooping the pile of credits towards his chest. At his side, the slave has taken to sitting on the floor, pulling at the collar on her neck. She looks exhausted, her pale face strained. Not too much longer, I want to tell her.

“That’s it for me,” I tell him, making a great show of putting away my playing sticks. “I’m almost tapped out.”

The ooli grabs my hand. “One more round. Perhaps your luck will turn, eh?”

I hesitate. “I’m not sure.”

“One more,” Jth’Hnai insists, and I give in, picking up my sticks once more.

Three hands later, he’s not smiling. I’ve won two of the last three—giving him a token win just to make sure he doesn’t realize that I’m snowing him. I’ve also recaptured enough money that he can’t back out now. His betting has been foolishly high for the last few hands and he’s starting to regret it. Good.

I win the next hand, though I make it close enough that he thinks he could have won it.

And then I win the next.

By now, the pile of credits in front of him is dwindling rapidly, and I can see the stress appearing on his face. I continue to play it easy. Too much feigning of surprise will set him off, but no reaction will as well. You have to know just how to handle a situation like this, and I’ve done such a thing a dozen times before. I know how to play my audience.

Others have gathered around the table, watching our increasingly high-stakes games with interest. Amongst the onlookers is my crewman, Tarekh, who’s moved closer to the action.

I let my prey take the next hand, just to keep him hooked. When I win the hand after that, Jth’Hnai makes a sound of frustration, tapping the one lone credit he has left on the table. His betting’s been ridiculous, which was what I wanted. I needed him to get comfortable and then bet wildly, expecting to clean me out of all my credits and then some. Instead, he’s been more and more reckless in an effort to win his money back, and now he’s flattened.

“Perhaps we should end it here,” I say smoothly.

“One more hand,” the ooli tells me, and flicks the remaining credit on the table towards me. “Gather your sticks.”

“I’m not sure.” I pretend to hesitate.

“Come, come. One more hand. I deserve a chance to win back my money.” He flicks his fingers at me, indicating that we should begin.

I heave a sigh. “If you insist.”

By the time the first round is played, he’s ahead. We pause to bet, and I consider carefully before placing a very restrained amount of credits on the table.

“Bah, you can do better than that,” Jth’Hnai says gleefully. “Bet more!”

“You don’t have the credits, friend,” I tell him in my gentlest voice. “I’d be a fool to bet more against what you’re putting up.”

“Then I’ll put up something else.” He gestures at our game with eager hands, sensing victory. “My jewels? My ship?”

This is the part where I’m supposed to tell him I want the rest of the lethiul crystals. I’ll win, walk away with double and my money, and the job’s done. It’s what I’ve come here to do. That’s the plan.

Instead, I find myself saying, “Why don’t you bet that little human pet of yours?”

The girl turns and gives me the most stunning glare I’ve ever seen. She’s alert now, and it takes effort not to smile at her outrage.

Of course, I’m sure if I turn around, Tarekh is going to be glaring at me, too. I just won’t look. He’ll just have to understand.

Jth’Hnai thinks for a moment and then nods. “All right. If you win, you get her in your bed.”

The female human jerks violently at her chain, trying to free herself. “Are you fucking high? I’m not going into your bed or his! I’m not anyone’s property!”

He reaches over and swats her across the face. “Cease your whining!”

She staggers and drops to her knees, pressing her hand to her face. I can see a hint of bright red blood in her mouth.

I jump to my feet, the urge to protect her overwhelming. I’m going to kill this keffing bastard if he touches her again.

Jth’Hnai gives me a suspicious look. “What?”

I grit my teeth and lean in, forcing myself to be casual. “Not much of a prize if she’s all wrecked, is she?”

He grunts. “Just play.”

I don’t look at the female. If I do, I’m going to get furious once more. I toy with the over-decorated cuffs of my jacket and then sit down once more, feigning a calm I don’t feel. I’m raging inside. He hurt her and I have to sit here and pretend like it doesn’t matter. Death from a thousand poisoned bubbles is too good for this ooli. Maybe a thousand poisoned pinpricks. That might be better.

I content myself with bloodthirsty thoughts of Jth’Hnai’s death and it calms me. Just a little. Just enough that I can play my hand with steady confidence. My colors line up perfectly, giving me the score for that round. Jth’Hnai plays again, but I keep the advantage, and by the time we’re out of sticks, I’ve trounced him solidly. I knew I would. There was no doubt in my mind. I’ve played sticks since I was a child and my father taught me all the best ways to cheat without being noticed…which I’ve employed tonight.

Jth’Hnai’s face swells with anger. “You…you cheated.”

“No, I didn’t.”

I did. But he doesn’t need to know that.

I lean forward and grab the links of the chain that leads to the female’s throat. “I’ll be taking my prize home with me now.”

He slams his slimy hand down over mine before I can lift her chain. “I didn’t say you could keep her. I said you could have her in your bed. You only get one night.”

I narrow my eyes at him, trying to recall exactly what he said. “Just one night?” I echo. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t agree to that.”

“I don’t care what you agreed to. If you want extra crystal—at any price—you’ll abide by the rules.” His face is turning a darker shade of green, indicating his rage.

Hmm. I consider for a moment. Walk away with the female now and lose all the crystal? Or play along for a little longer? I suppose I can continue the game for a while yet. I wink at Jth’Hnai. “I’ll warm her up for you, then.”

The female makes an outraged sound.

FRAN

I’ve been traded. Is there no end to tonight’s indignities?

Granted, if I have to fuck an alien, I’d rather it be this one than the frog.

Duh, Fran.

I don’t want to sleep with anyone, of course, but I’m having a hard time remaining outraged when the big blue brute is so…well…dang. He’s kind of amazing looking. Sure, he’s blue and has an enormous set of metal-covered curling horns that make his head look gargantuan. He’s wearing some ornate clothing with blowsy sleeves that can’t quite hide the fact that the breadth of his shoulders is staggeringly huge, and he’s got thick black hair cropped short and shaved on the sides of his head, laughing dark eyes, and a mouth that looks like a dream.

Too bad he’s such a dickhole.

I can’t believe the guy just bargained to have a night with me. It doesn’t matter how good he looks. These aliens just bet me at a table as if I’m nothing. Any sort of attraction I might have felt for the guy died in an instant at that. I’m not human to him, just like to Froggy. I’m a plaything surrounded by a lot of much bigger aliens, and it sucks. I close my eyes again, hoping desperately that I’m going to wake up from this unending nightmare.

All I get is another jerk on my neck-chain that makes me gag. Froggy tugs on it one last time, releasing me to the blue guy’s care. “She’s yours…for now.”

“Wonderful.” The grin on his face is downright roguish—and displays long sharp canines I never noticed before. He takes my chain and gives Froggy an elegant bow. “I’ll return her to you in one piece.”

Prince Charming he’s not.

“Oh, I didn’t say I was leaving,” Froggy tells him as he starts to walk away. “I’m going to watch.”

Well, this just gets worse and worse. I tug on the chain, trying to break free…not that there’s any place to go. I just know I don’t want to go anywhere with these two.

“Going to watch, are you?” the big blue one says with a laugh. “I’m not sure if I’m a fan of having my technique criticized.” He gives a wave, indicating I should follow him, and when I don’t, he sighs and grabs my waist.

The next thing I know, I’m slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, my ass in the air.

“Put me down, you bastard!” I slam a fist against his back and then wince, shaking my wounded hand back and forth. Is he wearing armor under his clothes? Because I think I just busted my knuckles.

“Calm yourself, little one,” the big blue alien says, and pats my butt in a rather humiliating show. “Now, Jth’Hnai, I don’t think I’m a fan of you inviting yourself to our little party. I won fair and square—“

“She’s expensive,” Froggy says bluntly. “I’m going to make sure you handle my property correctly.”

“Your property is going to be so well ‘handled’ that you’re going to have a hard time pleasing her once I’m done,” he teases.

I snort and rub my wounded knuckles. “Fucking unlikely.”

The blue alien just chuckles. Seems he’s overheard me. He pats my ass again, and then we start bobbing away through the crowd.

I close my eyes, waiting for all of this nightmare to pass. Hands—or tentacles—grab and touch my bare legs as we cut through the crowd, just like they’ve been touching me all night. I shiver when something particularly slimy brushes my bare foot. Is this what my life’s going to be like from now on? An endless stream of strangers grabbing me and using me? Despair fills me at the realization.

The big alien carrying me pauses. His shoulder jerks, and the crowd gasps. “Did you just touch my female?” he growls at someone nearby.

“I didn’t mean it!” an alien stammers, just out of my line of sight.

“Really? Because I thought I just saw you touch her leg. Should we ask her?” He sounds ferocious, and he sounds pissed.

He’s…defending me? I’m shocked.

“No, no,” babbles the stranger. “I promise I won’t do it again. Don’t hurt me!”

“If you didn’t do it, how can you do it again?” Big Blue says, and there’s so much menace in his voice that I shiver. I don’t know what to make of this.

There’s a soft thump, and then the crowd around us seems to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Anyone else want to touch my female?” Big Blue dares the crowd.

It’s silent.

“Yours only for tonight,” Froggy chimes in, and I want to slap him.

“Mm,” is all that Big Blue says. Then he starts walking again, the hand returning to my butt once more.

This time I don’t kick. I’m not a fan of the ass-grab, but if it saves me from having tentacles sliding up my skirt, I’ll deal with one hand instead of eighteen. His defense of me was…downright menacing. I shiver.

The music fades and I sway back and forth on the alien’s shoulder as he moves down a long, gray corridor. The one holding me keeps up casual chatter with Froggy, talking about how the station’s changed since the last time he came through, and how he’s surprised at his luck at the game they played, and how he hopes Froggy doesn’t have any hard feelings. A long, blue tail sways behind him as he walks.

Froggy’s pretty silent despite this upbeat one-sided conversation, which tells me he probably does have hard feelings. Lots of them.

Good. Fuck him. Fuck them both.

We go down another hallway, and Froggy makes a noise that sounds like a protest. “Where are we going?”

“Why, back to my ship, of course,” Big Blue says cheerfully. “That’s where my bed is. Though I do admit you’re probably going to find it cramped. I normally don’t entertain in threes, you know.”

“No,” Froggy says. “If you take her on your ship, I’ll never see her again.”

“So mistrusting. I’m hurt,” Big Blue says playfully.

“You’re a pirate,” Froggy points out. “I’d be a fool to think otherwise.”

Big Blue only laughs, and his tail flicks back and forth.

“I have a room,” Froggy says, and pushes ahead. “Follow me.”

“If you insist, though I promise I’d treat her well if you gave us some privacy.” He caresses my backside with one of his enormous hands.

I make a sound of protest and slam my manacled fists against his armored back. “Dick.”

That earns me a second pat on the ass.

We turn down hall after hall, sometimes passing other inhabitants of the space station. Occasionally someone will exclaim surprise at the sight of me, and it makes my stomach sink. If they’re so startled to see a human, does that mean my chances of ever getting home are nonexistent? I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that I’m so unfamiliar. I don’t like the thought of a bunch of other slaves wandering around…but I like the thought of being the only one even less. That means I can’t count on anyone or anything to help me.

“Wow, you’re really in the bowels of the station here, aren’t ya, Jth’Hnai?” the alien holding me comments. I realize a moment later that the tangle of sounds must be Froggy’s name. I can’t pronounce it. “Can you even contact your ship from this pit?”

“I prefer my privacy,” Froggy of the unpronounceable name says.

“So do I. Which is why you should leave me alone with your little pet here,” Big Blue replies.

The guy just does not give up.

Froggy grunts some sort of response, and then I hear a soft hiss, and the pressure change makes my ears pop. A door must have opened. “Inside.”

“What, with you and your guards? Gonna be mighty crowded in that bed.” The big blue guy seems unconcerned despite his words.

Guards too? I look up and catch a glimpse of some froggy-looking legs behind us. There’s at least two more in the hall a few steps behind the alien carrying me.

An orgy? Great. I didn’t think my life could get any worse, but I guess I’m wrong on all counts.

Duh, Fran.

I…feel like crying. I know I should fight, but the terror and exhaustion of the last few days have taken my last few ounces of strength. Hot tears slide down my face and drip onto the floor as Big Blue enters the room and carries me forward. I sniffle, trying to be quiet—and then I realize that it doesn’t matter. They don’t care if I cry either way.

So I let myself cry. I’ve been strong for days and it’s gotten me nowhere. I might as well give in to the tears and despair that are tearing me apart inside.

No sooner do I let out a sob than I’m flung backwards onto something soft. A bed. I bounce, startled, and look up to see the big blue alien looming over me. His eyes narrow at the sight of me, and then he puts his hands to his belt, glancing over at Froggy who lurks nearby. “I can’t talk you out of leaving? Little Kivian here’s a bit shy with an audience.” He gestures at his crotch.

“Little” might be a misnomer. It looks like he’s packing serious heat there, and that makes me sob again, drawing my knees tight together.

“Not leaving,” Froggy tells him.

Big Blue sighs. “Very well, then.” He taps something on his belt, then gets on the bed and crawls forward on hands and knees toward me.

Alarmed, I try to skid backwards, only to collapse underneath him just as he covers me.

He leans in and presses his cheek to mine. “Stall,” he whispers, and then sits up, pretending to study me.

Stall? Did I hear him right? Did my translator interpret that correctly? I blink up at him, surprised.

He touches the necklace between my naked breasts, and I automatically grab his wrist to stop him. His eyes widen, and he grins at me, as if delighted at my resistance. Big Blue leans in. “What’s your name?”

“Her name is Fhdo,” Froggy says.

I don’t know whether to laugh or scream in frustration. When the blue alien looks at me, waiting, I slap at his hand again. “Fuck you.”

“Strange name,” he murmurs. “I’m Kivian.”

“I don’t care,” I hiss at him.

“So unfriendly. I guess I deserve that.” He leans down over me again, planting one big hand on each side of my head. “Though it’s going to make things a little difficult in a few minutes.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Because you’re going to rape me?”

His mouth twists as if in distaste. “Wouldn’t call it rape.”

“Why? You think I’m going to enjoy it?” I give him a look that tells him just what I think of that idea.

The big blue—Kivian—just chuckles. “Didn’t say that, either.” His hand moves and he caresses my bare arm, thoughtful. “You’re so soft.”

I jerk away from him. “And you’re such a creepy prick. Oh, wait, is this the part where I hand out grateful blowjobs because I’m so happy you’re not beating me to death? Go fuck yourself.”

His grin widens, displaying those sharp, white teeth. “You’ve got quite the mouth on you. I like that.”

“Are you going to talk her to death or are you going to fuck her, Kivian?” Froggy demands.

“This is part of my foreplay,” Kivian calls out. “I’m getting her in the mood.”

“No, you’re not,” I retort.

Kivian puts a finger to his smiling lips in the universal gesture for silence. He acts like all of this is a big joke. What the hell’s wrong with him? “If you keep being mean, I won’t be able to get into the proper mood,” he reminds me, almost chiding. He widens his eyes imperceptibly at me and then flicks his gaze over to the side, as if trying to communicate something quietly with me.

What is it? What is he talking about? Is this part of his “stall” thing? Or is that just another tactic to catch me off guard? I don’t trust him. At all. Nervous, I skitter backward a bit more.

He grabs me by my leg, a wide grin on his face once more, and hauls my ankle into the air. “I must admit, the struggling is a novelty of sorts,” Kivian continues, examining my foot. “Most females are practically flinging themselves at me every time I come into port. Hm. Five toes. Interesting.”

“You’re not down here to count her toes, you idiot,” Froggy snarls at him.

I jerk my leg, trying to get free, but he’s holding fast. Instead of letting me go, he runs the pad of his thumb down the sole of my foot, and it’s surprisingly ticklish. Anger, loathing, and something else far hotter all skitter through me at once, leaving me confused.

“I don’t see why I can’t count her toes. They’re utterly adorable.” Kivian rubs his thumb over the bottom of my foot again and then leans in. “So small and pink and as soft as the rest of her.” He hesitates and then glances over at Froggy. “Don’t suppose you have any plas-film on you? Hygiene laws, you know.”

Froggy snorts. “You mesakkah and your strange laws. We ooli do not care about such things.”

“So you don’t.” Big Blue shrugs. “I suppose since I’m your guest, I must follow your rules.” He runs a hand down his chest and undoes a few intricate knots that tie the fabric of his shirt together in the crazy, decorative fastenings. “Though I have to admit it’d be my first with skin to skin.” His gaze flicks back to me, and another teasing smile curls his mouth. “You’ll be gentle with me, won’t you?”

“Fuck off,” I say flatly, and kick at the hand holding my foot.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’ despite your tone,” he tells me, all cheerfulness. “Give me a wet cloth to wipe her down, my good friend.” He extends a hand out to Froggy as if the alien’s supposed to wait on him.

To my surprise, he does. “Don’t see what this is for,” Froggy grumbles in his weird language.

“Well, I plan on tasting her, but you haven’t been taking very good care of the poor thing, now, have you?” He turns my foot ever so slightly and shows my dirty sole to both of us. “Look at how filthy she is.” He tsks. “And here you say my people are strange for plas-film.”

I gasp in surprise when the warm cloth touches my foot, bathing it. It’s ticklish to feel him caress my skin with the damp material, washing it clean even as Froggy wanders away a few steps. I try to kick Big Blue’s hands again, but he catches my other foot easily and moves to cleaning it. His big hand strokes up and down my calf, as if he’s caressing me.

It almost feels good. Almost.

I really don’t understand what’s going on. This frightening, large alien with blue skin and the horns of a devil acts like he’s prim and proper. Even his clothing is far more intricate and detailed than anyone else’s I’ve seen. But the person that slung me over his shoulder wasn’t a pampered lord of some kind. I felt muscles. Hell, I see them even now, bulging through the gossamer fabric of his shirtsleeves and covered in rough-looking tattoos.

It doesn’t make sense. None of this does, right down to the incredibly intensive foot bath I’m getting. Is this part of his “stalling”?

I really don’t understand what’s going on.

“There. All better.” Big Blue finishes washing my feet and tosses the cloth aside. He leans in and nibbles on my toes, lips teasing at my skin. I’m so startled at this that I can’t do more than lie back and gasp. My body responds, however. Maybe it’s the ticklishness of it or fear, but I can feel my nipples growing hard and my breasts tightening. It’s the last thing I want—to feel any sort of attraction to this alien, no matter how forced.

I close my eyes and shake my head, trying to jerk my foot away from him. “Stop touching me.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” he murmurs around my toes. His tongue flicks against my skin again, sending shivers all through me.

I know this is leading to rape. Duh, Fran. I know this is awful and there’s a detached part of my mind that’s freaking out quietly. But I’m having a hard time focusing on that, because I can’t stop staring as Big Blue’s firm lips play against my skin. They’re a slightly darker blue than the rest of him, and when his teeth flash, they seem incredibly white against his skin. It’s oddly enticing, and I find myself waiting for another flash of those fascinating teeth and then the ticklish drag of his tongue against my foot. I can’t pull away. All I can do is watch in mute horror-mixed-with-fascination as heat pools in my belly.

“Just stick your cock in her already and give me back my toy,” Froggy says, and he sounds like he’s pouting.

“Maybe we should ask FuckYou what she thinks of that idea,” Kivian replies, and gives me a curious look. “Well? Or do you prefer Fhdo?”

I try to jerk my foot out of his grasp again. “I prefer neither.” My pulse is pounding hard, and I hate that I can feel it especially hard between my thighs.

“Mmm. Well, I suppose I can stop asking, then. I guess the name doesn’t matter after all.” He holds my foot in one firm hand and caresses the arch of it, then rubs his lips over my ankle. “I do have to admit,” he murmurs. “This skin-on-skin contact is positively decadent. No wonder there are so many lawbreakers out there.” He trails his mouth higher, sliding his big body closer to mine as he moves down my leg.

I’m breathing hard, both frightened and—I hate to admit it—titillated at the same time. He rubs his mouth—it’s not quite a kiss, not quite—along the back of my calf and then moves toward my knee…and my inner thigh. “So very many laws being broken,” he says in a languid voice. “Can’t say I’m displeased about that. I might become a hedonist after all. What do you think of that?”

His tongue flicks against the inside of my thigh.

I suck in a breath and my hands go to the front of my skirt, pushing the material down over my pussy protectively. I can just guess where he’s heading, and I’m freaking out.

A little turned on, sure. Duh, Fran. But still freaking out.

Big Blue licks the inside of my leg again and then gives me a heavy-lidded look, his face framed by my parted thighs. “Did all the fight in you disappear, little one?”

I scowl at him, any pulsings of heat disappearing at that. “If you’re asking if I want you to rape me, the answer is no. The answer will always be no.”

“Didn’t say it’d be rape,” Big Blue repeats with an enigmatic smile.

Something gives a soft chime, and the big blue alien grins against my thigh.

“In fact, it’d be more like a rescue,” Kivian murmurs.

I’m left trying to figure out what the heck that means. Before I can open my mouth to ask, Froggy waddles forward. “What’s that noise?”

“That noise,” Kivian says with a flourish, sitting up. “Is my crew contacting me. It goes off when it’s time for me to go.”

“Time to what—?” My owner’s words are interrupted as Kivian pulls out what looks like a gun of some kind from the inside of his vest and aims it at Froggy’s beady little eyes.

“Time. To. Go.” Kivian says simply. “By now, my men have loaded your crystal onto our ship. So we’ll be taking that. And we’ll be keeping our money, too. Which is kind of neither here nor there since I won it all from you.” He grins and then reaches down and gently takes my neck chain, twisting it around his hand. “I’ll be taking this little one from you, as well. Come, my sweet FuckYou. Time to leave.”

I stare at him uneasily, wondering if this is a joke. When he doesn’t break into laughter or tell me that he’s teasing, I glance over at Froggy. He looks furious, his gaze focused on the gun pointed at his head.

This…must be what he meant by stall.

He’s rescuing me.