by Alyx X
I stopped my thoughts mid train, unwilling to think more on it. One thought and my mind was already full of the woman, of her deep green eyes and the curled wisps of hair. The way her lips turned up just so in the photographs that the TerraLink had provided. Everything about her had stopped my search. Even through the dirt that covered her skin I had wanted her. I had dreamed of her.
Until my father had discovered my true plan behind securing Ariex a place in the TerraLink program. Then my dreams of taking the beautiful earthling as my mate had been squandered.
Stolen by an old man with a score to settle with a woman who had died almost ten cycles ago.
The thought made me fume. Foolish Drayl had taken my bottle too soon. I needed it back, if only to mute the pain that was ripping over my chest.
“Drink this,” Drayl said, pushing the tall glass of deep green fluid under my nose, the smell of rock and salt permeating from it. “No excuses. I won’t let you stoop to that old man’s level. You will always be a better ruler and it’s high time you prove it.”
"You of all people should know it won't be that simple. Even if he chooses to see it."
“Stick it under his nose if you have to,” Drayl added as I took the frozen glass from my friend.
The handsome man gave me a smile before walking toward his bed chamber to grab the robes I would need to wear amongst the vassals. The idea was twisting in my stomach even worse than the FireSlug juice. Perhaps a case of the sick could keep me locked in here a bit longer. Too bad Drayl would see right through it.
Best to get it all over with. The lot of it.
“Haven’t I done that enough? There is no end to his suffering foolishness,” I asked before closing my eyes and downing the vile stuff.
My tongue curled with just the slightest touch of the fluid, my stomach twisting even more violently as it hit. The theory was that if you chill Telleran Blood thrice it makes it more palatable, but I hadn’t seen any sign of that. I had drank it warm after a long night of negotiating on Zkran many moons before.
It had the same effect. And it tasted just as bad.
At least now his head was clear, any inebriation's zapped from his system by the highly potent elixir. If only the beasts hadn’t been hunted to extinction years before, I might reap the benefits more often.
“He does always seem a little more irritated when you do everything perfectly.” Drayl said upon return, the long amethyst robes draped over his arms.
“That used to be the point.” I sighed, sliding my arms into the robes with a groan. “Now he has gone too far. I stopped the war over the fishing grounds in Byturn and his response is to dangle my heart’s desire before me. To mate her before our world, and before me.”
“Do not say what you think, my friend,” Drayl warned, his narrowed eyes making it clear he knew what I had been about to say. The two had tiptoed around this conversation for weeks, and for good reason. The thoughts in my head were nothing more than treason and I feared what would happen if I spoke it aloud. I didn’t know if my friend would stand by me, or sway to the lord of Ariex, evil as he might be. It was a crossroads I knew that neither of them were prepared to face.
“You know what lies on the other side of those words,” Dryel continued in warning.
“Blood, lust, and malice. He rules with nothing less.” I hissed through clenched teeth, my eyes hard as I stared at the ornate door to my quarters, knowing what was coming. “He has gone too far.”
Luckily, Drayl did not respond, I did not know what I would say if he did. My friend only sighed and fixed me with a look of warning before turning his crimson eyes back to the door, straightening his own shoulders for what they were about to do.
Drayl had always been on his best behavior when playing guard, good thing I could play prince to match.
“Lead,” I commanded, following my lower out the door and into the brightly lit corridor that ran the length of the ship.
The hall was wide, with long strips of multi lights that lined the ceiling and floor, they were tinted slightly green to give the assumption of home. It was a technique that had been rendered a few centuries before, during the first interstellar journey, during which the entire crew went into a deep madness. Since then home was simulated in every way, right down to the massive pool in the lower decks, filled with water from the wells outside the palace.
My long robes pulled behind me as I walked down the hall, eyes and lips hard as I callously kept my focus forward. The earthlings openly stared at me as I walked by, but I wouldn’t give them the gift of a cursory glance. Not only because my rank did not afford them such a luxury, but because I didn’t want to chance seeing her.
Lips pursed tightly together, I swept passed two women who were openly gawking, their skin tone fresh against the light blue robes they wore. The color was one that was reserved for the slaves of his planet, the tone perfectly matching Riexian skin so that the wearer literally became a nothing, an inconsequential spot, easy to be ignored.
But against the pale white, dark chestnuts, and the deep bronze of the earthlings skin it popped. It looked almost as glamorous as the colors that the wealthy and free men were allowed. Normally I would be appalled by the contrast, by the audacity of the women, but chancing one quick glance at the two women he only found his heart beating more, his chest tightening.
They were so different than the women of Ariex, their features so much more graceful and defined. It was a look that many women of his home would spend thousands of credits to obtain.
But the earthlings gained it by only being plucked out of the mud they called home.
It was no wonder I had found himself desirous of obtaining one.
No, not one. Her.
Carefully controlling my breathing, I turned up my nose and made my way into the large hall, the extended raised surface they used as a table already swimming with tonight’s feast.
Pariets and Direns of every color and variety swam through the clean water, darting through the reeds and coral as their long fins and glistening scales left ribbons of color behind. My mouth was already watering, Pariets were a delicacy even to me.
My father was going above and beyond.
If only his intentions were noble. Which, of course, would assume that they ever were.
The table was already lined with the majority of the earthlings, the pale blue garments looking odd against a table meant only for the hierarchy and royals of the universe. I wasn’t the only one who noticed, the officers that were seated near the head were looking at them all uncomfortably.
Upon my arrival the entire table stood – the officers placing their fingertips against their foreheads in the proper salute, as was custom.
The humans however, fumbled with the motion, hands flying awkwardly and some even looking utterly bewildered as they tried to mimic their companion’s motions. Only a few however were able to manage it without issue, a muscular looking man near the middle, a withered gentleman who had obviously served off planet before and… her.
Damn it. Of course she was here, right here. Perfectly placed, directly before me.
She stood, staring straight forward, fingers against her forehead as her shoulders quaked a bit. In fear? I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t like the way my heart longed to wipe the anxiety from her. To hold her against me.
Shaking the lustful need, I walked the long length of the table toward the towering seat that was reserved for me at the head, the few humans we had passed in the hall rushing into the room to take their chairs behind me.
I wasn’t sure if I had ever been this disrespected before.
Careful to keep my eyes off the female as I passed, I glared at the wall as if it had personally offended me, jaw pressed tight. She didn’t even move to offer me her hand as I passed, something someone in her position should have already been trained in. Odd. Considering her salute had been so perfect.
Perhaps she had already spoken to my father and been told of my supposed plans of usurpation.
/> My father’s malice knew no bounds. Just the thought sent me fuming further.
“Sit,” I snapped, much angrier than I would usually have commended.
Only the officers seemed to notice, a few of them exchanging glances before they took their seats.
I needed to control this.
Refusing my heart the pleasure of taking in another look of her, I stared straight ahead, standing before them all as they sat expectantly, the crew eager. The cargo, however, looked terrified.
“Welcome to my ship,” I began, careful to keep my anger at bay while I continued to flawlessly play the role I had been bred to portray. “And welcome to my home. I am honored to be carrying such precious cargo with me as we journey home, to Ariex, and to the gleaming jewel of our world, the city Prynal.”
I waited as I usually would when transporting dignitaries from off world to his home, I waited for the awes at being taken to such a city, a place that is usually only reserved for the elite. None of the humans before me, however, seemed to care. They stared at me with interest, but the recognition was absent.
My irritation was growing further.
“My name is Kyel, I am of the house of Kei,” I continued, making the odd clicking sound that insinuated royalty. Again, no motion of recognition.
I had been pulled out of my room, to face the one person I had no desire to see, and to watch my position and customs be disgraced and ridiculed. I would have been much happier to stay in my room and finish off the last of the bottle.
“I am the son of the Ambassador Kryn, the high lord of our planet and the one who will rule over each of you.”
This time there was recognition, but not in a place I had expected, and certainly not in the place I had wanted.
The woman’s head snapped to me, the action pulling my focus to her and for the first time my crimson eyes met hers. Her wide eyed awe trapped me, allowing me to swim in the deep sea green color, the bask in the light curls that framed her face and the tiny splattering of skin pocks over her nose. The tiny specks were something I had missed in her profile.
She may have looked different, but the changes were only accentuating her beauty. I was still drawn to her, my heart still pounded for want of her, my cock still stirred in primal need.
Even though she looked at me with the same fear I had seen in her body before, a hatred I had missed before was now clear.
I realized, with a powerful jolt through my belly, that it wasn’t truly fear I had seen before, it wasn’t allegiance I had witnessed.
It was disdain.
The same that I felt toward my father was mirrored in this woman.
And my heart soared.
4
Nora
If I had expected to find color anywhere on the ship, it was going to be in the classroom. Once again, white on white painted the space, but it only made everyone in their colorful dresses pop. Bodies flooded all around as we waited for our instructor. They huddled in groups in an odd game of match-up as they stood together with those wearing matching clothes.
I wasn’t alone for long when an almost familiar girl bounded over to me with too much pep in her walk. All I recognized about her were the hazel eyes. Other than that, it was like a different person approached me than the one who met with me on the platform. Her skin was as white as my own, all the grease and grime that had caked her body scrubbed off. The brownish-orange dress draped over her slim frame, falling to her knees.
Liddia’s smile was kind as she looked me over slowly. I had been stuffed into a blue dress that was so light that I had originally thought it was grey. Her smile dropped a fraction before she forced it to beam at me. Liddia’s voice was low as she said, “I’m glad to see you again. It looks like we are in the same class.” She glanced around. “What are you assigned to?” She tried to look down at my wrist with the adapter on it, but I turned my arm so she couldn’t see.
“What’s going on?” From my viewpoint by the door, it was easy to see that people had already gathered in groups, friendly with each other. “Is there some kind of dress code?”
I had thrown on what was prepared for me in my living space, but it was obvious that there was missing information.
“Oh, as long as you’re wearing what they provided, you’re fine.”
“But I don’t see anyone with my color.”
She glanced around like I did, taking in the different groups, then she shrugged. “Maybe they are in different classes. Each color matches with different jobs.”
Taking in her dress, I said, “So the brownish-orange is for textile factory workers?”
“Exactly. But not just textile factory workers. Any factory workers.” She nodded toward the group wearing olive green dresses. “They will be cleaners, most likely for businesses. Personal cleaners fall under the house servant job description and they wear the dark grey-blue dresses.” Liddia leaned in close enough for her shoulder to push against mine. She dropped her voice even lower and said, “Careful. Those two already have a rivalry going. The cleaners are jealous that they won’t be personal servants for a family. One of the top coveted positions are the house servants. I heard any servants in any of the major houses are able to pay off their debts quickly.”
“I thought the best position was as a mate or a bride?”
Liddia’s gaze dropped down to my dress again before looking away. “It can be depending on who you go to.” She shuddered. “I’d advise staying away from those slated for the whore houses.” She did that weird motion where she didn’t look at them but motioned to them with her head. A group of beautiful girls stood in the corner with scowling faces. A few looked scared.
“Why?”
“Because of your dress color.”
“You know?”
She nodded. “Though I don’t know who you are going to belong to. It doesn’t matter though, because they’ll turn you into a target. They won’t be treated the way you will be.”
My gaze met with blue eyes and the woman scowled hard as she looked down my frame. I stilled as I calculated the risks. Feeling confident enough that I could take the woman on, I straightened my spine, lifted my head in a challenging way that told her to try me, and stared back with a carefully crafted blank expression that had years of experience dealing with people who wouldn’t blink at gutting me to take any meager belongings I did have.
I survived the Dranks, I’d survive this journey too.
The stranger knew I would overpower her and dropped her gaze. She wouldn’t be a problem. But the others around her? Liddia was right, I needed to be careful.
Liddia became a chatterbox, going through what all the different colors were. The group who looked like they were wrapped in desert sand were for the hard laborers. They were long shirts that fell almost to their knees, their pants loosely fitted underneath. That group was all males. Liddia said they’d become fishermen, builders, miners, and any other professions that were hard on the body. All the males looked strong and capable, but I had a feeling that wasn’t going to be the case once they started working.
Cleaners wore olive green. The women dressed in dull green dresses were smiling, but their eyes were empty as they looked around the room. Liddia mentioned them being the entertainers. They knew how to fake a smile, but in my experience, the eyes always told the real story, and theirs was as bleak as the rest of us despite being able to be musicians, dancers, acrobatics, or other entertainers. Agriculture workers wore a burnt umber looking dress and they stood by the babysitters, their color fitting well with the cool grey dresses of the sitters.
“I don’t see anyone with a dress like mine,” I said.
“It’s situational,” Liddia said. “And there are only ever a handful.”
“How do you know so much?”
Liddia grinned, looking awfully proud of herself. It made me think of the Sand Jagions who would smile at you with confidence and pride, their long tails whipping around behind them, right before they pounced and tore you apart with their
giant maw of long teeth and sharp claws. “I talked with some of the guards. As long as you bat your lashes and give them a pretty smile, they’re willing to talk.”
I raised an eyebrow, not expecting such a calculating response from her.
“For example,” Liddia said. She batted her eyelashes, did a tilt of her head that made her cute, and stepped closer so her breasts pushed against my forearm. Her hand lightly rested on my hand. “Nora, who will you be given to?”
Damn. She did have a way of making people want to talk. I wasn’t a man, but even I felt like answering her. I didn’t see why it’d be bad for her to know. Maybe I could get some tips to survive the old man. Anytime I looked at his picture, at the red eyes that felt like they’d cut me in half, at the stiffness in his expression, fear crawled through me.
Being a breeder to him wasn’t going to be so simple. My guy deep down told me that. I’d need help if I wanted to survive Ambassador Kryn and find my freedom in the universe.
I opened my mouth to answer when someone brushed by me. The man wasn’t kind about it as he bumped into my shoulder, pushing me into Liddia.
The room grew silent as they realized there was a new presence and it was of someone with authority. The old man when to the front of the room, all eyes following. The man was clearly a Riexian with the stereotypical grey skin, and long limbs. This particular Riexian had nose, sharp red eyes, and wrinkles marking time deep into his skin.
“I will be your instructor for the remainder of your time on this ship,” he said in a nasaly voice. “You will call me Tryel. My job is to make sure that by the time you step off this ship and onto Ariex, you know exactly what your job entails. You will behave, treat every Riexian you see with respect. Do not mistake this as a vacation or freedom. We own you now. You do not want to anger us. Most of you cannot handle what our punishments entail with your weak bodies.”