Chapter Six
What the fuck had just happened? Where the hell was he now? Rich looked around in astonishment as the two women carried him into a large building. Once inside, the women let him go. He fell to the ground, but quickly jumped up, backing away from them, even as his gaze darted around the room. It was large and had plenty of light filtering in from the windows set high up on the walls.
The ground was covered in more of that flax-like plant they’d used for the roof. Plenty of furs were strewn around.
“Seems like I’ve found the men.”
Several men lay about on the furs, some sitting and talking, others napping or eating. The room soon went quiet as everyone stopped and stared at him. At least it looked like he wasn’t being sentenced to hard labor. Not if these men were anything to go by. They looked soft. Content. Most of them were older with graying hair and soft, rounded bodies.
They were naked except for a small skirt that covered their crotch and ass. Barely. Rich swallowed heavily. What the hell had he gotten himself into? And where the fuck was Laylla? How could she let him get separated from her?
Okay, calm down, Rich.
Maybe there’s a way to escape from here. At least he wouldn’t have Laylla exhausting him each night by sucking his brains right out of his cock. That’s what it felt like anyway. Each time she wrapped her mouth around his dick, his ability to think of anything beyond his own pleasure disappeared.
The two women prodded him forward and when he wouldn’t move, they each wrapped a hand around his arm and dragged him.
“What the fuck! Let me go!”
“Don’t fight it, man! They always get what they want,” a deep voice called out, using Standard, a language used by many races to facilitate trade. He’d tried using it with Laylla in the hopes that she knew it, but she’d just stared at him blankly. But it seemed that someone here knew it! Thank God! Now he’d actually be able to communicate with these people. He looked over at where the voice had come from, and one of the older men waved at him cheerfully.
“You speak Standard? How?” he called out.
“I’ll tell you later, once they’ve cleaned you up. Don’t fight it!” he yelled back as the two women pulled him through an open doorway and into a smaller room. In the middle of the room rested a large bath, but it was like nothing he’d seen before. It looked like it had been carved from a piece of stone and could hold about four people. The water inside it had steam rising from it, so it had to be warm. The women stopped and let him go. But they didn’t leave. Instead they stood there, waiting.
“What are you waiting for?” he snapped. “You can go.”
One of them gestured at him then pointed at the bath.
“Yeah, I’m gonna get in as soon as you leave. Haven’t you ever heard of privacy?”
They appeared confused and spoke quickly to each other. Then one moved forward and pulled at his clothes. He slapped at her hands and attempted to push her away. But she wrapped her hair around his wrists, pulling them behind his back.
“Let me go!” he yelled. Damn, it might be sexy when Laylla bound him, but right now, he was furious. He’d never felt this helpless in his life.
Suddenly, the woman ripped at his clothing, tearing the now useless pieces of cloth from his body until he stood there, naked.
“This is not okay,” he told the bitch who just stared at him calmly. What the hell was wrong with these people? “What am I supposed to wear now?”
The female stepped back and pointed at the bath. He glared at her but stomped over to the bath. At least it would provide some protection from their gazes. He felt like a piece of meat on display.
“Don’t think Laylla won’t be hearing about this,” he muttered. Not that he had any way of telling her, and for all he knew she’d ordered this. Although he didn’t think she had. He was pretty certain those old bats had something to do with this.
Another female turned up and tried to wash him, but he flung her hands away. “Do not touch me.”
Surprisingly they let him bathe on his own, although the two women who had dragged him in stood at the entrance to the room and chatted. When the water had cooled, and he thought he could no longer procrastinate, he stood and looked for a towel. One of the women called out something, and the female who had attempted to bathe him appeared with a large, thin fur.
When he stepped out of the bath, she tried to pat him dry. He growled at her and snapped the fur out of her hands. “I’ll dry myself, thanks very much. And what do you expect me to wear now?” he snapped at the other women. “You ruined my clothes.”
They watched him suspiciously. He was wrapping the fur around himself, figuring that would have to do when another female came in, holding up one of those skirt-like garments the other males had worn.
Oh, fuck no.
***
Laylla wiped the sweat from her face as she made her way down to bathe in the stream. She’d worked until near nightfall on the wall, trying to use the physical exertion as a distraction to stop herself from worrying too much about Rich. Now she had just enough time to bathe before it grew dark.
“Laylla, wait up!”
She gritted her teeth, forcing back her irritation as she turned and waited for Amira to catch up. She liked Amira, she was her friend, but right now she wished to be alone with her thoughts.
“I should warn you, I am not good company right now.”
“You are worried about your male.” Amira bumped into her as they walked along, her limp more pronounced tonight. Laylla knew better than to ask her if she was okay, though. It was a sensitive subject, and none of them liked to admit to weakness, Amira included.
“Yes,” she said simply.
“I have heard that he is giving them trouble.”
Laylla stopped, alarmed. “Is he well? What is wrong?”
“He didn’t want to be bathed, and he seemed to protest rather vehemently to being clothed.” Amira looked confused. “Did he want to go naked? Considering that he cannot speak or understand our language he does seem to have a way of getting his thoughts across.”
She bit back a smile. “Yes, he does. They have not harmed him?”
Amira’s eyes widened. “Of course not. He will be abed soon.”
Yes, and somebody else would be easing him before he slept. Jealousy swept through her, shocking her with its intensity. It was not normal to become jealous over a male, not even a claimed male. Yes, it should be her responsibility to take care of his needs, but there would be times she couldn’t be around to do that. When she would have to entrust others to take care of his needs.
That thought made her uneasy. She shouldn’t feel this possessive over a male. It was not the way of her people. Yet, Rich was different. And sometimes she didn’t always believe their ways were best.
“Laylla, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Really? Because you look angry.”
Laylla glanced down at her clenched fists and forced herself to relax them. “It is nothing. He does not understand what is happening.”
“You sound like you…care about him.”
Laylla forced himself to laugh. “Of course not. Only as much as one should care about their claimed male. He is mine to protect. I merely want to ensure his health and well-being.”
Amira looked skeptical but nodded.
“I must bathe. I will see you in the morning.”
“Sure.”
***
Rich lay back on the furs and stared up at the ceiling. After his bath and being forced to wear this ridiculous skirt-like thing, he’d been marched back into the main area and plonked down on some furs. Plates of food had appeared soon after, and despite his wish to fight the good fight and rebel against these evil bitches, he was starving.
He was going to need to keep his strength up if he was going to escape, anyway.
His gut clenched at the thought of leaving Laylla. Of not saying goodbye. But there was nothing else he could do. There were less than four days until his team arrived. It could take him that long to get back to his crashed ship.
If he could even find it.
He looked around the large room. Most of the men were engaged in conversation or eating. Surely, it wouldn’t be too hard to escape once night fell. There were a few females around, but most of their attention was occupied in catering to the men’s needs. He spotted one male getting a blow job from the female who’d tried to bathe him earlier. All their needs it seemed.
“No privacy around here, I’m afraid.” The male from earlier sat next to him with a groan. “Sorry, old bones.”
Rich turned to him, grateful to have someone who understood him. And who might have an idea of the best way out of here. Although if that were possible wouldn’t this male have left already? He didn’t look like the other males, his skin didn’t have that deep bronzed look, and he was taller, a bit rounder in the middle as well.
“I’m Nate.”
Rich took the hand he offered. “Rich. You’re not from here.”
Nate chuckled. “What gave it away? No, I’m from Linida. I was part of an expedition that landed here about thirty years ago. When I heard you yelling in a strange language I figured you might speak Standard.”
“What happened to the rest of your crew?” he asked.
“They left after discovering this planet is matriarchal. I decided to stay.”
Rich gaped at him. “Why?”
Nate laughed. “Why not? The males here are pampered and cherished, our every need seen to. You might think me a selfish old fool, but I quite enjoy being taken care of. Back on my home planet, it was a competition for who could have the biggest dwelling, the most credits in their accounts. Here, it is a gentler way of life. Well, more violent in some ways. The females are fierce and strong. They’re the fighters, the protectors, the hunters.”
“Do the men have that same weird hair?” he asked, thinking about how he could possibly bribe someone to help him escape. But although many of the men had long hair, it didn’t move like the womens did.
“No, just women have that hair,” Nate told him. “Crazy, huh?
“And what do all of you do?” Rich asked, a bit disgusted by the other man’s laziness. It was obvious by his and the other males’ soft bodies that they didn’t do any hunting or fighting. Did they have no pride? Rich knew women could do anything and everything, but that didn’t always mean they had to. He believed in playing to a person’s strengths. Surely, the males should be contributing in some way.
Nate nodded. “I can see you’re disgusted by us. I don’t blame you. When I first arrived, I thought it was heaven here. My needs were all taken care of. If I wanted sex, I got it. If I wanted food, it was provided. I never wanted for anything. But I think if I’d realized how soft and lazy I would grow, I may have thought twice. The Trinan females rule around here. They are warriors. They take care of our needs, but they don’t truly care about us. I think they believe it would make them soft to care about us too much.”
Not care about them? Did he mean love? Rich nearly scoffed then he thought of the way Laylla abandoned him and how hurt he still felt. Had he hoped she might love him?
Of course not. But the way his stomach clenched made him feel uneasy.
“So, you just stay here, in this building, being waited on and fucked whenever you want?”
Nate’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment Rich thought he wasn’t going to answer. “Yeah, guess so.”
Rich took a deep breath, trying to calm his temper. It wouldn’t do to piss off the only person who he could speak to. “So how do I get out of here?”
Nate looked surprised. “You want to leave?”
“Of course, I want to leave. Unlike you, I don’t want to sit around here, wasting my life. I have things to do. I have a task to fulfil, and I have people coming to rescue me. I need to get back to my ship or they won’t find me.”
Nate tapped his chin. “Oh, they’ll probably find you. This isn’t a big planet, and there aren’t many settlements like this one. Yeah, they’ll find you eventually.”
He gritted his teeth. Did this man do nothing himself? Rich wasn’t going to just sit around and wait to be rescued.
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not take my chances.” He forced himself to speak civilly. But from the other man’s grin, he thought he hadn’t covered up his annoyance that well.
“You sure you want to leave here? You’ve been claimed by Laylla. Every male wants to be claimed by her. Of course, we all thought she would claim Eion, especially after the ceremony.”
“What are you talking about? Laylla has not claimed me.”
“Of course, she has. I heard she did it in front of everyone before she’d even spoken to the elders.”
“She stood by while they carried me here. She hasn’t claimed me.”
“I forgot you can’t understand their language. You’re here because she’s being punished for missing the ceremony. The elders are angry at her and trying to save face since she essentially disobeyed them. So, they set her to work on the wall for three days. It’s an insult to someone of Laylla’s standing.”
His mind reeled. She’d claimed him? She was being punished? He didn’t like that at all.
“What did you mean by standing?”
“She’s Elder Torin’s granddaughter. One day, she’ll to rule this village. That’s probably another reason why they’re annoyed with her and why you’ve been sent here. You’re an unknown. They wanted Eion to father her babies. They thought he would produce strong female offspring for some reason. But she disrupted their plans. She’s not taking part in the ceremony, and she claimed you.”
“What ceremony?”
“Each month a female is called up to take part in the ceremony. A male is chosen for her. If she has not participated in a ceremony before, she will be prepared by the elders about how to fuck a male. They fuck for three days straight in the hope of producing a child. There aren’t many children being born around here.”
“And they wanted Laylla to fuck this Eion so she’d get pregnant with his baby. And then what? He’d claim her?”
Nate shook his head. “Claiming is a whole different process. The elders choose who takes part in the ceremony. But a female can claim any male she wishes, not the other way around. A claiming is serious. It’s for life. Once you’re claimed, you belong to that female. They decide everything for you. And you don’t take part in anymore ceremonies.”
“Then why am I here? Did Laylla want me to come here?”
“I think you’re here as part of her punishment. Plus, the elders want to watch you. Make certain you’re not a risk. Many claimed males are left here during the day while their females work.”
“Like a freaking male day care. This is ridiculous. I cannot stay here.”
She wanted him.
His insides did a little dance before he squashed the feeling. He wasn’t staying. Even if he wanted to stay with Laylla, he couldn’t live like this. He would go insane.
“Wait, did you say the females are prepared by the elders for the ceremony? But they’ve had sex before then, right?”
Because Laylla hadn’t been a virgin, he would have known. Wouldn’t he? Maybe not, she wasn’t human after all. But she certainly didn’t act like a virgin did.
“Not unless they have participated in the ceremony before. The women around here don’t engage in casual sex. They have sex during the ceremony or with their claimed male. Of course, they certainly engage in a lot of oral sex.” Nate looked over with a grin as another male yelled his satisfaction as a female sucked him into orgasm.
It had been her first time? And he hadn’t even known?
“Has Laylla taken part before?”
“No.”
Rich shook his head. “I can’t live like this. I have things to do. I come from Earth. I was returning there to overthrow the current ruler when my ship crash-landed here, so I really don’t have time to sit around and get my cock sucked.” Rich looked over in disgust at that same male as the female rose and walked away. Jesus, did they have no self-respect?
Nate chuckled. “You certainly sound like you have things to do. But this place is closely guarded, my friend. You try to escape, and you’re going to land yourself in a world of trouble. If I was you, I’d sit back and treat this like a mini-vacation until your friends find you. You’ll see, this place isn’t so bad.”