Maybe he could buy a gladiator to win Deseer for him? He had the money to pay a dozen times over the most optimistic estimates of what Deseer might fetch on the market. But buying a gladiator was risky in case they lost.
Maybe… he could bribe whoever was guarding the slaves? And if that didn’t work, he could always take matters into his own hands and pull out his gun. Jiran wasn’t a violent man, and he didn’t want to shoot any of the guards, but he would do anything to save his sister.
Walking in circles, Jiran’s tail swished as he eyed the slaves from a distance. Between glimpses at Deseer, his eyes were constantly drawn to the pale-skinned human female. He couldn’t understand why. He had no reason to care about a human slave any more than any of the other enslaved women. He was here for Deseer, nothing more.
The announcer let the crowd know that the slaves would be moved back to the palace—to protect their delicate minds from the fighting in the pit.
Jiran knew it was his time to act. He pushed the human female from his thoughts.
He needed to focus on his mission and get himself and Deseer out of here.
2
Sarai
Sarai was trembling with excitement. Her time had finally come. She’d been brought up her whole life just for this moment. She had remained pure, untouched by any male, and now, she was a prize beyond imagination. Men everywhere would want her.
She peered past the bars of her palace discreetly, trying to get a glimpse at prospective owners. She saw Braol near the front of the crowd. Everyone said he was the best gladiator on Krakia, and she knew he had an interest in her. He would probably win her at the fights, and she would be added to his harem.
He moved closer, stepping right up to the line around her silk-draped palace. No men were allowed past that line; after all, she had to remain pure until her owner claimed her. Some of her excitement was replaced with nervousness as she looked at Braol.
He was big and dominating. His skin was a deep red and a pair of dark horns framed his face. His eyes were darker yet. Close up, she could see that his gaze was cold as he appraised her. He smiled at her, revealing a row of sharp teeth, but the expression held no true joy. He simply looked at her like she was a morsel on a particularly juicy plate food.
Stay calm, Sarai told herself, taking a deep breath to relax her mind and body.
She had no reason to be frightened of Braol. Not only was he a strong gladiator, but he was a prince, the son of Krakia’s king. He would be a good owner. She’d be lucky to have him, and he would treat her like a princess.
All she needed to do was submit to him.
Nothing set men off like an assertive woman. It had taken her time, but Sarai had learned the lessons of her submission classes well.
When confronted with a situation she didn’t know how to handle, there were three golden rules: one, cry out for help and wait for someone to come and protect her; two, submit to the man in charge of the situation; and three, stay calm and pliable, and let the man do his job.
She knew that if she just stuck to her training, she would be okay. Braol would never hurt her, not if she was good.
Despite her mental cajoling, Sarai was glad when the bell rang, signaling that their audience time was over. The palaces were taken back to a protected area, where only female attendants were allowed. Female guards stood outside as the palaces were situated in the holy protection site.
“Why do we have to stay in here?” one of the new guests—a purple-skinned female named Deseer—muttered sourly. “I’d at least like to see the worst whatever brute I end up with can do.”
“We can’t be out there when the fights are going on. It’ll get really violent,” Sarai explained. “There will be blood.” She shuddered delicately.
The woman rolled her eyes. “They treat women like delicate little flowers on this planet—it’s no wonder they submit to slavery so easily.”
“Women are delicate,” Sarai insisted. She remembered her lessons well, ones that had been drummed into her from a young age.
There was grumbling from some of the other women in the surrounding palaces. A couple commented that they were scared and wanted to get out of here. They didn’t understand. They were new guests, but Sarai had been brought up here her whole life. She knew her place and she knew what an honor it was.
She tried to encourage the other guests. “This is our moment. We finally get to join a harem and be under the protection of a good, strong owner.”
Deseer stared at her in frank disbelief. “Do you even know what’s coming for you, girl? Have you ever been beaten… or raped?”
“Of course not!” Sarai looked at her in horror. “And I never will be. I’m pure.”
The woman shook her head, her long white hair flowing around her face. “Not once one of the gladiators gets hold of you. I see that brute, Braol, had eyes on you.”
Sarai shivered slightly. She knew the basics of what being a harem member would entail—but her tutors had all ensured her that it was just as pleasurable for women as it was for men.
“I would be lucky to be owned by Prince Braol.”
“You’re the walking dead,” Deseer snapped, her tail swashing and her golden eyes sparkling in anger. “A sweet little thing like you, who’s been raised to be submissive, brainwashed into thinking that slavery is okay? Braol will devour you. I give it a few weeks, tops.”
Sarai had half a mind to call the attendants. Deseer was being disruptive, and could perhaps use a soothing massage to calm her nerves. Maybe Sarai needed the same. She wanted to be at her best when she was presented to Prince Braol.
“A negative attitude like that will never get you far. Your happiness is dependent entirely on how well you please your owner. You’re just going to set yourself back, thinking like that. Have you not been to training classes?”
The female scoffed. “No. I was only captured a few days ago.”
Sarai blinked. It didn’t make sense. Why would they send a woman to her final home without first conditioning her on how to act? It didn’t seem fair, but Sarai knew the masters must have a good reason. They always had good reasons, and always kept the best interests of their guests at heart. They had promised her as much many times.
There wasn’t a lot of time, but she would do her best to help Deseer before she was placed in a harem.
“You weren’t captured, you were chosen. You weren’t lucky like me—you grew up far away, where your purity couldn’t be guaranteed. But it doesn’t matter now. Many harems will still accept impure women. Most of our guests are. You just need to learn to submit and please your owner.”
Deseer shook her head. “You have no idea how wrong you are. I wish you never had to find out. I’d never want anyone to have to learn that kind of lesson.”
Sarai glanced around at the other women. “You’ve been to classes, haven’t you? You tell her.”
Fari, a blue-skinned female who had been a guest for a few months in the palace opposite hers, spoke up. “Classes? Yes, I’ve been to those brainwashing travesties. If these idiots think I’m not going to go down fighting, they have another thing coming.”
“You mustn’t,” Sarai gasped. “You might make your owner unhappy with that kind of behavior! Your primary purpose in life is to make your owner happy. Surely, they must have taught you that.”
“They tried, just before shoving me back in a cage.” Fari gestured to the bars around her.
“Your palace would have more luxurious furniture if you did better in your lessons,” Sarai reprimanded her. “It’s really not that difficult, and you are rewarded for doing well. Even recent guests should be able to learn quickly enough.”
Deseer glared at Sarai. “First off, these aren’t ‘palaces.’ They are cages. And we’re not ‘guests,’ we’re slaves. Are you seriously stupid enough to believe everything they tell you?”
She sounded like Sarai had in her very short rebellious phase in her early teens. She shuddered at the memories. Instead of her pa
lace, she’d been locked up in a small, dark room with no food, no bathroom, and only freezing water to drink. It hadn’t taken long for her to realize just how foolish she was being.
“Don’t talk like that,” she hissed. “You’ll get correction. Trust me, you don’t want to come straight from correction to your owner. You’ll be a mess, and being pretty for your master is important.”
“Look, girl, you may have swallowed every lie they’re feeding you, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us will. I say we try to get out of here.”
Deseer looked around, and a number of the other guests nodded or spoke up their agreement. Some of the women who had been here for a number of years kept silent, but no one had lived their whole life here like Sarai had.
She knew that such talk was a danger to all of them, and she had to put a stop to it.
“Attendants! We need your attention!’ She pressed a small button on the side of her palace, calling the attendants to the area.
“Shut up,” Deseer hissed. “If we’re going to have a chance to get out of this, at the very least, you’ll need to keep quiet. Stay here if you want, but the rest of us want to get out of here.”
“You can’t!” Sarai was filled with fear, not for herself, but for the other women. “The outside world is dangerous! Women aren’t designed to handle it. We need a master. It’s for our own protection.”
She was just about to call for the attendants again when the door opened, and Sarai stumbled back in surprise. It wasn’t one of the attendants—or even one of the guards.
It was a man.
She shrieked, getting as far back in her palace as she could. No man could be here, not now! She had remained pure her entire life, she couldn’t let anything corrupt her, not when she was so close to being given to her owner.
“Get back! You can’t be in here!”
The man ignored her, striding quickly toward the palaces.
“Guards! Guards!”
Sarai couldn’t believe that the other women weren’t shouting for help too. They were frantically trying to hush her, as though she was the problem. Where were the guards? No man should have been able to get in here.
With a clicking noise, the protective door to her palace came unlocked. There were no gladiators or guards here to protect her. Sarai could do nothing but cower.
For the moment, the man ignored her, heading straight to Deseer’s palace. It clicked open too, and the two of them stepped into an embrace. Sarai couldn’t believe it. Touching the female guests was forbidden to all males!
“GUARDS!” She pummeled the attendant button, not understanding why help didn’t come.
The man let go of Deseer and turned to Sarai. He was tall and muscular, with purple skin, pointed ears, a long tail, and even longer, silvery-white hair that flowed to his waist. Strangely, he looked like a male version of Deseer. Sarai gasped as the male looked straight at her and his golden eyes met hers.
He stepped inside her palace, and Sarai tried to slow her breathing, willing herself not to faint. She crawled backward, taking cover by the couch.
“I am pure. You may not touch me.”
The male ignored her, stepping right up into her personal space. He grabbed her shoulder and clapped a hand over her mouth, stopping her from shouting.
Sarai went very still as a spike of doubt went through her. The male wore fine clothing made out of silky, colorful fabric. That meant he was clearly rich.
What if this was her new master? He could have already bought her, and maybe he was now coming to collect her. He never should have been allowed into this area, but if he truly was her owner now, resisting him was the worst thing she could possibly do.
It wasn’t common for sales to be made before the fights, but it wasn’t unheard of either. He must have paid a fortune for her. Sarai knew that she was meant to be the main prize for the gladiators this season, and it would take a lot of currency to persuade the masters to pull her from the rewards pool. The gladiators wouldn’t be happy.
But since shouting for the guards hadn’t worked, maybe she had been mistaken about what was going on.
There was a male in the room with her. He had to be her new master.
Sarai fell back on the rest of her training. She let her body relax and fall against her master’s body. She didn’t struggle, submitting completely as she’d always been taught.
3
Jiran
Jiran glanced at Deseer, unsure what to do. He didn’t want to hurt the human female, but he couldn’t have her shouting for guards either. He’d bribed the guards just outside the door, but others could come if she screamed loud enough. He wasn’t prepared to deal with that kind of trouble. His tail twitched anxiously.
“Tell her to be silent,” Deseer urged.
He stared at his sister, unsure why she thought a simple command would change the woman’s attitude entirely, but Deseer nodded encouragingly.
Turning back to the human female who had now fallen into his arms, he said, “I am going to take my hand off your mouth. I want you to be quiet and not cause a fuss. Do you understand?”
The woman nodded slightly, her eyes lowered. He stepped back, removing his hand, and to his astonishment, she stood placidly where he had left her, trembling slightly.
Jiran didn’t want her to be afraid. He knew they needed to get out of here, but he found himself speaking gently to the woman.
“What’s your name?”
“Sarai, sir. Are you my master?”
Jiran frowned. “What? No, I’m not your master.”
She quivered, seemingly frightened rather than reassured by this. “I am pure. You cannot touch me. I am awaiting my master.”
Deseer placed a hand on his shoulder. “Jiran, we need to get out of here, now. More guards will come soon. We don’t have any time to lose.”
He tore his eyes away from Sarai. “Yes, of course.”
Jiran looked at the other slaves who had now exited their cages too. There were more than a dozen of them, females of various races. He hadn’t come in a big ship, but they’d have to find a way to squeeze in together. There was no way he’d leave all these women here to a fate worse than death.
They were all quiet as they clustered around him. Only Sarai remained in her cage.
“Sarai, come here.”
Jiran was once more surprised when she scurried out to join the others. He couldn’t figure her out. She clearly didn’t want to go with him—she’d been calling for the guards to rescue her just moments ago—but now she was obeying commands without question.
Obviously, she’d been brainwashed by the people here, and was left even more defenseless than the other women, who at least seemed to retain some sense of self-preservation. Jiran fought his anger at what had been done to these women. Now wasn’t the time. He could work on deprogramming the female later, once they were away from here.
“Okay, everyone stay close behind me, and stay quiet. I have a ship not far from here. I’m going to get you out of here.”
Technically, he was only allowed to take Deseer. The guards he’d bribed had told him he could take the Zaratan female and no others, but he could hardly leave the other women here. If they moved quickly, he hoped they would make it out before the guards returned and noticed he’d rescued all of them.
Almost all of the women looked relieved at his words—except Sarai. She looked terrified. With a small cry, she bolted back toward her cage. Jiran moved to intercept her, grabbing her by her arm. He would save her, even from herself.
“Quiet,” he said, but she had clearly decided not to follow his orders anymore.
She struggled fiercely against his grip. “You’ll be cursed for touching me! Guards, help, help!”
Jiran bit back a groan at the sound of running feet approaching. His time was out.
“Let’s go!” He pulled Sarai’s arm and started dragging her away. Deseer was right beside him, and the other women rushed to follow.
A Krakian guard appeared at
the entrance and Jiran shot at him. The guard fell down and Deseer swooped down to pick up his gun. The two of them carved a path through the guards as they dashed into the hallway, shooting at everyone they saw.
Sarai screamed and cried in his arms, but Jiran never let go of her. More guards converged in the hallway, cutting the rest of the group off.
Jiran shot an anguished glance back at the other women. He couldn’t leave them here… but if he stayed, he and Deseer would both be captured.
“Jiran, we have to go!”
It was the fear in Deseer’s voice that decided it for him. No way was he letting her be recaptured to be raped and tortured by the worst this galaxy had to offer.
“This way.”
He never let go of Sarai, no matter how she struggled against his grip. He couldn’t just leave her. All of the other women were cut off by the guards, but saving one more was better than nothing, right?
Sarai didn’t seem to agree. She was writhing in panic, shrieking for the guards, telling him to get his hands off her. Jiran didn’t like touching her against her will. The palms of his hands itched, but he had to get her out of here.
Deseer fired shots over her shoulder as they ran. Jiran had his hands full just keeping Sarai moving. He had moved his ship from the landing area to a parking lot behind the gladiator pit before he came here, not wanting to get entangled with the security once he left the planet.
As they got closer to his ship, the doors opened automatically for him. A glance over his shoulder told Jiran they’d lost the guards, at least for now. They still needed to hurry. The remaining guards may be occupied for now rounding up the female slaves, but that wouldn’t last forever.
“Jiran, let her go,” Deseer snapped suddenly, gesturing to Sarai.
“Yes, let me go! Please, I won’t say anything. You can leave, I won’t bring the guards to you.”
Jiran glanced at the struggling female. “I can’t do that. Look at her, Deseer. She’s going to run straight back to her captors.”
Stars, Snow and Mistletoe: A Holiday Naughty List Collection Page 12