Chapter Seven
As day bled into night, it became painfully clear to Victoria that Allik wasn’t coming back anytime soon. The tedium of lying alone in his big, empty bed was becoming unbearable. She was used to being idle. That wasn’t the problem. Her primary occupation back on Earth was to sit around looking pretty, after all. The biggest challenge she’d faced in her life was to find a way to keep her mouth shut as people petted and patronized her. Even though she was used to doing absolutely nothing, she found that the minutes were dragging by as she fretted about what was going to happen between her and Allik. She had no idea how long it had been since he’d walked away and left her there, but it had to have been several hours, at least.
For the entire time he’d been gone, she’d just lain there on the bed, feeling a little stunned. It had been a hell of a day and it wasn’t easy to come to grips with all that had happened. She could scarcely believe that it was only this morning that she’d woken in her own bed next to her friend Lucy. In less than twelve hours, she had almost killed a man, been snatched by an alien warrior who wanted to claim her body, and had been brought aboard a military transport ship. Now she was headed clear across the galaxy from everything she knew. To top it all off she’d also been spanked—not once, but twice—and had been unceremoniously abandoned both times. Plus, she had endured the entire ordeal on an empty stomach. She hadn’t eaten anything since dinner the previous evening and her insides were beginning to complain. If she was the type of woman to keep a journal, today’s events would make an incredible entry.
Gradually, as the hours ticked by, the sting in her buttocks wore off. Although it still hurt to put any weight on her bottom, she found that her mind was no longer fogged by thoughts of how intensely her flesh throbbed. All of the anger and frustration she’d felt at her situation had also slipped away and now the only thing she was left with was a pang of regret at her treatment of Allik. It wasn’t that she felt remorse over putting her foot down with him—far from it. She had no qualms about putting a stop to him fucking her. No matter how her body had responded to him, she just hadn’t been ready for that kind of intimacy. She knew, somehow, that once he claimed her body, she would be irrevocably his and she feared what that might mean. No, she was not at all sorry that she’d rejected his advances at that moment. What she was torturing herself over was her terrible choice of words. Why the hell had she had to go and call him a monster? The last thing she wanted was for Allik to think that she’d been put off by the scars he bore. She knew that many women would find them repulsive but, having spent her entire life becoming ever more sickened by superficial notions of beauty, she was not one of them.
Knowing that she couldn’t lie there a moment longer, wondering how to put things right, Victoria struggled into a sitting position. She winced as her bottom was pressed down on the firm mattress. Her flesh was still a little tender and, she imagined, would be for some time. Allik certainly knew how to wield a paddle.
Shuffling over to the edge of the bed, she put her feet flat on the floor and took a deep breath. She was stiff all over and half-expected to land on her face when she tried to stand. Thankfully, her lower limbs were more resilient than she thought and, although her legs wobbled at first, she was able to walk perfectly well.
For a few minutes, she paced around the room, trying to decide what to do. As she moved, her body began to loosen up a little and she started to feel more like herself again. She knew she was going to have to go and track Allik down since it seemed he didn’t intend to come back. She couldn’t blame him, she supposed. Things were tense between them and she didn’t imagine he knew how to handle it any more than she did.
Leaving the safety of this room meant that she would need to find something to wear. She really didn’t want to put her flimsy linen shift back on. But it wouldn’t be a good idea to walk about a ship full of virile Taar-Breckian warriors with no clothes on. Not all men would act as honorably as Allik had. Really, he could have done anything to her as she’d been in no position to fight him off. That he had released her from her bonds, comforted her, and put her to bed surely told her something of his character. Even if he did leave her alone afterwards, she was sure that he was a good man.
If Victoria was going to go and find him, she would have to borrow something of Allik’s to wear. She padded over to the back wall of the bedroom, which was lined with cupboards, and started to open their doors. The first two closets she looked inside revealed nothing but empty shelves. Clearly, Allik preferred to travel light. The third cupboard contained only her own jacket. She quickly checked the pockets and was relieved to find the money and the brooch she had stolen from Jonathan’s office. Closing the door, she thanked her stars they were still there. She might need the cash one day.
The fourth closet yielded a couple of possibilities. A dress uniform hung on a peg but she knew that it would be sacrilege for her to wear something that was usually reserved for ceremonial occasions.
Picturing Allik standing tall and proud in the uniform, she allowed her hand to graze the soft, almost velvety fabric of the tunic. Catching herself before she could slip too far into a daydream about running her hands over his magnificent chest, she moved on to look at the other clothing options. There were a couple of crisp white shirts that might work, even though they felt a little starchy. She was about to take one off its hanger when she noticed a crumpled sweatshirt lying on the floor of the wardrobe. It was perfect.
Slipping it on over her head, she found that the soft grey garment swamped her slender body. It gaped around her neck, exposing her shoulders but was long enough to fall to just above her knee. Back in New Cambridge, it would have been considered indecent to wear something so short but she decided she could get away with it here. Without bothering to put on her shoes, she went to the main door of the small apartment, half-expecting to find her plans thwarted immediately. Luckily, though, the door was not locked.
As she stepped out into the corridor, she realized that she had no idea where to start looking. The last thing she wanted was to wander blithely into some classified zone and earn herself another spanking. The chafing of the sweatshirt against the bruised flesh of her bottom was enough to remind her that she didn’t want to have another encounter with that plastic paddle any time soon. Not that she expected Allik to use it on her when she misbehaved in future. No, he already seemed to be upping the ante each time he spanked her and she hated to think what hellish implement he would find to punish her with if she stepped out of line again.
The only place she knew how to get to was the medical room Kyree had taken her to earlier, so she decided that was where she should head for. As she walked along the corridors, her pulse raced with the feeling that she was indulging in the forbidden. There was something about walking barefoot on the cold, tiled floor wearing a garment that exposed so much of her long, slender legs that sent a thrill rippling through her. She practically held her breath as she passed several Taar-Breckian warriors. If they found it odd that a human female was wandering around the ship so freely, they didn’t challenge her on it. Perhaps they knew she was with Allik.
As she walked along the seemingly endless corridor she started to wonder if she was going the right way. She passed a window and caught a glimpse of some strange equipment. She stopped and peered inside what she guessed was some sort of exercise room. There was a lone figure at the far side. Her heart lurched as she immediately recognized Allik. It startled her how powerfully her body responded to him. Her cheeks warmed and she felt an odd clenching in her most intimate parts. She had to keep reminding herself that she didn’t know him well enough to experience such an intense reaction. It just wasn’t possible to feel so strongly about someone she’d only just met.
Allik appeared to be training. A medium-sized ball floated on the air around him. Every now and then it came closer, as though it was on the attack, and he either punched or kicked it away. Then it moved to another spot and he knocked it away again. There seemed to be no pattern to its movement. Victoria guessed that this was an exercise designed to hone his reflexes. She watched him for a moment through the window. His torso was bared. In place of his leather pants a loose swath of fabric was wrapped around his waist. It draped down just enough to cover him.
With incredible muscles in his arms and legs, he was a prime specimen of masculinity. The longer she studied him, the more Victoria came to admire his form. He was as close to perfection as she had ever seen. The way he moved with surprising grace and speed for a man of his size did funny things to her insides. She noticed, though, that he seemed to falter whenever he moved his left shoulder and that confirmed her earlier suspicion that he was hurt. It wasn’t something she intended to ask him about. She doubted that Allik would appreciate any suggestion that he had a weak spot.
Eventually, when Victoria decided that she’d procrastinated for long enough, she pressed the button to open the door and walked into the room. As she entered, Allik spotted her immediately. He reached up and grabbed the ball, deactivating it and throwing it aside. His whole body was covered with a sheen of glistening sweat and Victoria was startled by a sudden desire to lick it from his skin.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
He looked her up and down, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sight of her in his sweatshirt but he made no comment. To Victoria’s relief, the expression on his face seemed to be one of curiosity rather than irritation at her presence.
“You’ve been gone a long time. I wondered where you were.”
Allik shrugged his shoulders. “I thought you desired my absence.”
“I did,” Victoria agreed. “And then, after a while, I wanted you to come back.”
“Did you?”
“Yes,” she replied. “You know, it’s very rude to just walk out like that.”
“So, you wanted me to return so you could criticize my manners?”
“Yes. No.” Victoria threw her hands up in frustration. “Oh, I don’t know.”
“You are most confusing.” Allik turned from her and, for a moment, Victoria worried that he was walking away from her again. Instead, he took a seat on a low bench and leaned back against the wall. He looked a little weary, and not just from the physical exertion he’d been putting himself through. It made Victoria want to wrap her arms around him but, before she got too close to him, they needed to sort a few things out.
“I confuse myself,” Victoria admitted as she took a seat next to Allik.
“How so?”
“Well…” Victoria wasn’t sure she really wanted to lay out her innermost thoughts for him to pick over but, she supposed, she had sought him out to talk so she took a deep breath and continued. “I’m having trouble getting my head around things. Everything’s happening in such a rush.”
Allik raised an eyebrow as though he had no idea what she was talking about and Victoria wondered whether he even realized how intense today had been for her. Perhaps Taar-Breckians moved at a faster pace than most humans did when it came to their relationships. He’d certainly seemed to think it would be okay to have sex with her just hours after their first contact with one another.
“You know,” Victoria explained, “you snatching me and claiming that I’m yours.”
“You are mine,” Allik said with that infuriating certainty that she’d already begun to recognize as one of his signature traits.
“Just because you keep saying it, doesn’t make it so.”
“You are mine,” he repeated. “And I think you feel it.”
Victoria shrugged her shoulders. Perhaps she did feel something but her rational self told her that she’d just been caught up in the all the excitement of being taken the way she had been. It was surely too soon to feel as though she belonged to him and, yet, a niggle of uncertainty ate away at her.
“Besides,” Allik said, “it has been decreed. Your friend chose me to be the one to claim you.”
That made Victoria sit up and take notice. “What?” She swiveled around on the bench to look at him. “What friend?”
She wondered whether Lucy’s suggestion of seeking help from the Taar-Breckians to escape from her arranged marriage had been more than just talk. Her friend had certainly seemed keen to make contact with their alien allies.
“Commander Rossingham’s bride,” Allik replied.
“Caroline?” Victoria screeched in disbelief. “Caroline Chatterton gave me to you?”
“Rossingham,” Allik corrected as though to emphasize that her friend now belonged to his commanding officer. “And yes, she has offered me the chance to be the one to guide and protect you.”
“Protect me from what?” Victoria asked wryly. “I’ve already been abducted by an alien. It doesn’t get much worse than that.”
She knew quite well that wasn’t true. While she was still uncertain about Allik’s intentions for her, she had a feeling deep inside that he would never hurt her. The same could not be said of her stepbrother or the High Council. There was nothing but danger waiting for her back in New Cambridge. The moment she struck that security guard, she’d made life impossible for herself. It was not an action that could go unpunished, no matter who her stepbrother had arranged for her to marry. If she returned to Earth she would most likely be locked up, or worse.
“Things could be a great deal worse,” Allik responded, echoing her own thoughts. “But you need not worry about that. I will take you as my mate and you will be safe.”
Well, that was magnanimous of him. Victoria arched a shapely brow at him as, once more, he simply told her what was going to happen. Her challenging glare appeared to make no impact. Huffing out a breath, she leaned back against the wall and stared straight ahead, into the empty space of the gymnasium. With each passing moment, things seemed to be getting more and more confused in her mind.
What on Earth had possessed Caroline to offer her up to this warrior? Perhaps she’d been brainwashed by her new husband. No, that didn’t seem likely. Her friend had a strong character and would not be so easily swayed. If she wanted this man to take her as his, then she must have a good reason for it. Still, Victoria could not quite forgive Caroline’s presumptuousness in arranging a match for her. It was precisely the sort of meddling in her life that she’d been trying to escape from.
She sneaked a glance at Allik, so strong and silent next to her. This was a lot to take in. There was certainly a powerful attraction there that, she had no doubt, was more than she would feel for whatever man her stepbrother wanted to marry her off to. She knew for sure that Allik would keep her safe, despite the punishments he seemed only too eager to dole out. Victoria was not a great believer in love, far less that the emotion could strike at first sight, but she had to admit that she had already developed a liking for the stoic warrior.
“This is too much to deal with,” Victoria said.
“I am sure it seems that way to you,” Allik conceded. “But you overcomplicate matters. I am certain you desire me as much as I want you. It is your fear that is getting in the way.”
Victoria thought about it and then decided to seize the moment. “I do want you. I actually find you quite appealing.” She glanced up to see his reaction to that but, as usual, Allik gave nothing away. “But I want a life of my own. I want to make choices about my future and find something useful to do with myself. I can’t willingly give myself over to being your sex slave.”
At that, Allik burst out laughing. He threw his head back and Victoria felt rather affronted when his whole body actually began to shake with the force of his amusement. She was glad he could find the humor in what she’d said because, for the life of her, she couldn’t find anything funny about it.
“Where did you get the idea I wanted you as a sex slave?”
“Don’t you?” Victoria’s brow crumpled in confusion.
“I wish to master your body, certainly, to have you bend to my will when we are alone and intimate. I want you to respect me in public and trust my judgement when it comes to your safety but I do not want to enslave you.”
“Oh.” Victoria was taken aback as he tore down one of her misconceptions about his race. She had heard rumors that Taar-Breckian males kept their women under terrible conditions of sexual servitude and that they were allowed to exercise no free will.
“I can think of nothing more irritating than having a woman bowing and scraping to me all the time.”
“Oh.” Victoria had no idea why she suddenly felt a little insulted. After all, the last thing she wanted was to be forced to subjugate herself to him. “But I thought Taar-Breckian men kept women as slaves.”
“Some do, just as some human males do,” Allik said. “But such arrangements are not for everyone.”
“Really?” Victoria was still not convinced that all she had heard about Allik’s people could be false.
Allik snorted in amusement. “You have met Kyree. Is she a slave?”
“No.” From what Victoria had seen, Kyree was not at all like she’d imagined Taar-Breckian women to be. She had a real purpose on board the ship and Allik’s respect for her was obvious.
“No, she isn’t,” Allik affirmed. “And nor will you be if you accept my terms.”
“Terms?” That sounded incredibly businesslike, but Victoria was intrigued.
“Yes, if we are to continue along this path, there can be no more confusion between us. You will submit to my authority.” He raised a hand to forestall the objection that lay on the tip of her tongue. “And in return, I will respect your opinions and allow you to make your own decisions, provided they do not interfere with my need to keep you safe.”
Victoria hesitated as he stared at her, intently examining her as he waited for a response. She couldn’t see how submitting to his authority could be compatible with her enjoying any kind of freedom. Surely, he would simply overrule her every time she made a decision he didn’t like. There was no freedom in that.
Seeming to sense her reluctance to commit herself to anything, Allik said, “Submitting to my authority does not make you weak. It takes courage to allow another to guide and protect you.”
“Okay,” Victoria agreed. Although she still harbored some reservations, it made sense to accept his protection and whatever else that entailed. If she didn’t like it, she could look for a way to escape once they reached Taar-Breck. “I’ll accept your terms.”
“Good,” Allik said solemnly. “You must be open about what you want but I cannot guarantee to give it to you.”
“Well,” Victoria flashed him a smile and coyly bit her bottom lip, “there is something I want and I’m sure you can give it to me.”
“And what is that?” The heat in Allik’s eyes was scorching and Victoria regretted that she was about to douse the flames.
“Dinner,” she said with an apologetic grimace. “I’m starving.”
* * *
If Victoria found it uncomfortable to sit cross-legged at a table just a few inches off the floor while eating her meal, she didn’t show it. Allik knew his quarters were not what she was used to, but she didn’t complain. She hadn’t made much of a fuss over the fact that he’d forgotten all about her basic needs either. He was angry at himself for neglecting her so badly. He had no idea what was wrong with him. From the moment he’d first laid his hands on that soft, supple body of hers, he’d been confused and distracted. Well, that was going to stop. He needed to get control of himself for both their sakes.
Watching her wolfing down her meal, Allik couldn’t help but smile at the unladylike way she was stuffing food into her mouth. It was as though she hadn’t eaten for weeks. With every bite she took, her eyes seemed to roll back in pleasure. He had seen human females eating before but never with such obvious enthusiasm. The ones he had observed had simply picked at their food, appearing to just move it around on their plates rather than actually eating anything. He couldn’t blame them, he supposed, considering that almost everything the people of Earth ate these days was synthetic. He was pleased that he would be able to provide Victoria with something better. If the way she was devouring her meal was any indication, she would certainly appreciate it. As she tore a piece of meat off the bone with her teeth, she reminded him more of a warrior replenishing his energy after battle than a supposedly delicate young woman. Her appetite was impressive.
“You are enjoying your meal.”
It was an observation rather than a question, but she responded anyway. “Yes, it’s delicious. What is this?”
“Taar-Breckian beef,” Allik replied. “Surely you’ve tried it before?”
Victoria shook her head and his eyes narrowed. He knew that his commander had recently arranged for a shipment of the finest beef to be distributed to the people of Earth to celebrate his marriage to one of their high-born females. In fact, the Taar-Breckians had been sending regular supplies to their allies. It seemed odd that a woman from a wealthy family like Victoria’s had never sampled the delicacy. Perhaps it was further evidence of the High Council’s corruption that she hadn’t eaten it before. It certainly wasn’t because she had an aversion to meat.
“We breed the finest cattle,” Allik told her. “They are descended from stock our ancestors brought back from Earth.”
“Before they became extinct.” Victoria’s tone was regretful. No doubt she was thinking about all the animal species that had died out over the centuries as her home planet was ravaged by internal conflicts and outbreaks of disease. She seemed to perk up a little as she pointed to the orange-colored vegetable on her plate. “And what’s this mushy stuff?”
“That is yarrak root.”
“It reminds me of sweet potatoes,” Victoria said. “The ones I had when I was a child, not the artificial rubbish they serve now.”
“It is very nutritious.”
“Who cares about nutrition? It tastes amazing,” Victoria enthused before turning her attention back to packing food into her mouth.
As she ate, clearly enjoying every bite, Allik chastised himself once more for how badly he’d handled things up to now. Nothing about today had gone as he would have liked. That was what happened when you deviated from your plans, he supposed. He had always intended to snatch Victoria and bring her on board the ship but he hadn’t anticipated the circumstances that had forced him to act before he was ready. He also hadn’t imagined that she would prove to be such a challenge. Although he’d suspected that she wasn’t the little mouse she pretended to be, he hadn’t expected quite so much trouble from her. Nor, for that matter, had he imagined for one moment that he would receive so much pleasure from being around her. In her presence he felt calmer somehow, even when he’d been forced to punish her. It was incredible that he should feel so strongly when he hadn’t claimed her yet. Quite why he had backed off when she protested about him fucking her, he wasn’t sure. Normally, he would have calmed her, used the powerful desire she so obviously felt to make her submit. There was something about Victoria, however, that made him want to do things differently. He found the whole situation perplexing.
“Are you okay?” Victoria asked, the bone from her steak clattering down on the plate.
The question surprised Allik. He hadn’t realized his troubling thoughts could be so easily read.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? You look…” she seemed to be searching for the right word, “pensive.”
“Pensive?”
“Yes, thoughtful,” she elaborated. “Like your mind is elsewhere.”
“My mind is right here,” Allik replied.
“If you say so.” Victoria looked unconvinced, but she didn’t push it. She changed the subject instead. “So, what is it like on Taar-Breck?”
“It is warm, clean, safe. Our systems work efficiently.”
“Wow!” Victoria barked out an inelegant laugh. “You might as well be describing a household appliance.”
Allik frowned. He was, perhaps, not the most eloquent of men but he thought his description of his homeland was pretty accurate.
“Never mind,” Victoria said. “Can you tell me what I’ll do when we get there?”
Allik hadn’t really given much thought to that. Beyond getting her on board this ship and taking her as his mate, he really hadn’t made plans. He had expected things to just fall into place after he claimed her.
“You will live in my home. Warm my bed.”
“Is that it?” She looked disappointed and a little angry with his response.
“What is it you wish to do?”
“I want to join the interplanetary air force.” As soon as the words left her lips, she raised a hand to her mouth as though she hadn’t intended to say anything. “It’s stupid, I know.”
“We have females in our military,” Allik said, giving her an appraising look. “They are a little taller than you, though.”
“Oh.” Victoria looked crestfallen.
Having no idea what else to say, Allik rose to his feet and held his hand out to help her up from the floor. “Go to bed,” he said with an air of command. “You need your rest.”
“What if I’m not tired?” Victoria challenged.
“Go to bed,” Allik repeated, a little more firmly this time. “You need to keep your strength up.”
“Oh?” Victoria raised her eyebrows. “Why is that?”
“Because in the morning, you are to receive punishment.”
“For what?” Victoria demanded.
“Your behavior toward Kyree.”
He could see the rebellion flaring in Victoria’s eyes and it sent a jolt of electricity through him.
“But you already punished me for that,” she said, the anger evident in her tone.
“Yes, I did,” Allik conceded. “But Kyree did not.”
That seemed to knock the wind right out of Victoria’s sails. “Kyree’s going to spank me?”
“Perhaps.” Allik enjoyed the look of horror on Victoria’s face. “Or she may have devised some other punishment.”
Knowing Kyree, Allik was sure she would have come up with some interesting method to make Victoria atone for her transgressions. He watched the emotions playing across Victoria’s highly expressive face. At first, she looked as though she was trying to find some argument against being punished by the other woman but eventually the struggle that was being played out on her features gave way to acceptance.
“Now, go and get some sleep.” He gave her a gentle push toward his bedroom and she went without another word.
Allik could hear her muttering under her breath, cursing him no doubt. For tonight, he would allow her to have his bed to herself. She had said that her situation was a lot to take in and, no matter how he craved the warmth of her body next to him, he wanted to give her some space to adjust to her new reality. Tomorrow, things would be different. Like it or not, she belonged to him and he was going to ensure that she knew it.