by Luna Voss
“Well, it doesn’t sound like she has any complaints about her new husband,” Julia laughs.
“Apparently not,” I giggle. “This whole thing is so weird. Do you know where exactly her husband purchased her?”
“I don’t, sorry,” she says. “I think it was somewhere in Kyrzon Territory. Probably the Clan Burbba auction, would be my guess.”
“So what do you say, we just wait here a while longer and see if she comes out of her room?”
“Sure,” says Julia, shrugging. “But from the way she sounded through the door, I don’t know if I would expect to see her anytime soon. It sounds like she might be busy for a while.”
* * *
Julia is wrong. Maybe ten minutes later, the door to Barbara’s room opens, and the Kyrzon with the braided beard exits, stomping down the stairs.
I glance at my friend. “Should we go knock on her door? Seems kinda awkward.”
“Yeah, well, this whole situation is weird,” she replies. “I say we do it. For all we know, she could be leaving Gurrak Territory tomorrow, and then the mystery will haunt you forever. Is that what you want, Christy? For the mystery to haunt you forever?”
I chuckle. “Okay, okay. Let’s do it.”
We walk over to the door to Barbara’s room, and I knock. For a moment, there’s no answer. And then:
“Who is it?” says a woman’s voice through the door, sounding wary.
“It’s Julia,” says my friend. “Chief Gurrak’s wife. You met me the first night you had dinner here, remember?”
Barbara’s voice sounds confused. “Oh… okay. Hey, Julia. I’ll answer the door in just a moment.” I hear the sound of someone moving inside the room, and then footsteps approaching the door.
A moment later, it opens, and I find myself staring into the face of someone I had believed to be dead.
Barbara stares at me in disbelief. Even though we haven’t spoken to each other in years, I know she recognizes me. I can see the shock written across her face. She opens her mouth to say something, and then closes it.
“Hi, Barbara,” I say. “You’re looking a lot less dead than I expected you to be.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Christy?” Barbara sputters, looking just as surprised to see me as I am to see her. “What are you doing here?”
“I could say the same thing to you.”
She shakes her head in confusion. “No, but seriously. You’re not a Kyrzon Bride. I remember you. You interned with the City Council or something. Why the hell are you in Kyrzon Territory?”
I raise my eyebrows. “I was made a Replacement Bride. You know, after the raptor attack. The raptor attack that supposedly killed you and three other people.”
She looks at the ground. “Yeah… Sorry about that. I couldn’t stop thinking about it the entire time. The fact that some other woman was going to have to replace me.”
“The whole time what?” Julia breaks in. “You faked your own death. Why did you do that? How did you do that?”
“I didn’t do it on purpose!” says Barbara, looking distressed. “Look, I— why don’t we sit down somewhere.”
The three of us move over to the table that Julia and I were previously sitting at. Barbara looks a little more comfortable as she takes her seat, but still not fully at ease.
“So what happened?” I ask, trying to soften my tone and not sound overly accusatory.
“Well, we were all out working on that new solar farm we were building outside New Byzantium, remember? It was a group of ten of us, we had just finished training.” Barbara shuffles her feet, looking down at the table in front of her. “It was right before dark. We were just starting to pack up for the day, and then we were going to take the hover-cart back to the settlement.”
I listen, hanging on her words. If the next event in her story isn’t going to be a raptor attack, then I honestly have no idea what to expect. She continues:
“And then we heard hooves. Lots of them, coming toward us. We were confused. We didn’t understand. We were still well within Human Territory, so there shouldn’t have been any Kyrzons or tusk-oxen anywhere nearby.” Barbara takes a deep breath. “It was a horde of Kyrzon warriors. All of them were wearing masks or helmets of some type so we couldn’t see their faces. They parked their tusk-oxen a distance away, so they wouldn’t leave tracks. Then they came for us.”
“How many of them were they?” I ask. The scene she’s describing is shocking, and I want to get a better picture of it.
“I— I don’t know,” she tells me. “They put a bag over my head, so I couldn’t see. I heard them talking about leaving fake blood or something, to make it seem like a raptor attack. Or maybe it was fake tracks. I don’t remember. They probably didn’t need more blood. There was already enough blood from when they…”
She trails off, looking disturbed, and her eyes defocus, as though unpleasant memories are flashing through her mind.
I squeeze her shoulder gently. “It’s okay, I get it. You don’t need to describe it. So they kidnapped you and the other women. Where did they take you?”
“We rode for a long time,” she says, her voice quiet. “At a certain point, the group of Kyrzons who captured us split up. One of them took me for himself. I thought he was going to keep me, but instead he took me to Clan Burbba Territory, and I was put up for auction.”
I hear lumbering footsteps coming up the stairs, and Barbara’s mate appears. She lights up when she sees him.
“And that’s when this big brute found me,” she tells us happily, throwing her arms around him. “So I guess all in all, you could say things worked out pretty well. Do you mind if we go to bed now? I’m really not sure how much more I have to tell you.”
“Yeah, of course,” I say. “Thanks for talking to us.”
* * *
“That’s insane,” says Julia as we walk back to the castle. “Kyrzons kidnapping women inside Human Territory? Apparently I’ve been in Gurrak Territory longer than I thought, because that would have never happened when I was growing up.”
“Believe me, it isn’t normal,” I tell her. “Not even in New Byzantium. I interned in the governor’s office when I lived there, and as far as I know, nothing like this never happened before.”
“She said the Kyrzons that kidnapped her were wearing masks… I’ve only known tribes from the Far Territories to do that. Maybe we should ask Rukkarr…” She hesitates, as though debating her next words. “You don’t think Rukkarr might have had anything to do with this, do you?”
“I would be surprised,” I say immediately. “He’s trying to convince the governor of New Byzantium to increase the number of Brides chosen by the lottery. I don’t know why he bother to do that if he was just going to kidnap a bunch of women.”
Julia nods. “Okay, if not Rukkarr, then who do you think might have been responsible?”
I think back to the attack by Clan Nerkesh, and Rukkarr explaining to me about the masks.
“Actually,” I say, “I think I know exactly who is responsible.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Christy! There you are,” says Rukkarr, striding toward us as we make our way into the castle.
“What, did you think she disappeared?” Julia teases him.
“It is my duty to keep her safe,” says the chief in a serious voice, clearly not amused.
Julia catches my eye, her expression amused. “Kyrzons,” she whispers, rolling her eyes.
I smile back at her. In all honesty, I can’t help but be a little bit charmed by Rukkarr’s protectiveness. It’s nice to know that someone is looking out for me.
“I have to tell you something,” I say to him. “About Clan Nerkesh.”
“Clan Nerkesh,” Rukkarr spits, looking furious. “Clan Nerkesh attacked my soldiers last night. We just received a messenger.”
“What?” I ask him, concerned. “What happened? Is the rest of the clan okay?”
“Some are dead,” he growls, “but Clan Rukkarr ha
d the better of the fighting. They were driven off. Now we must bring the battle to Clan Nerkesh.”
“Clan Nerkesh kidnapped women from Human Territory,” I tell him, not wanting to wait any longer to give him my information. “It’s why I became a Replacement Bride.”
He stares at me, confused. “What? I thought your women were killed in a raptor attack.”
“So did I. Until I saw one of them at dinner tonight.” I explain to Rukkarr our interaction with Barbara, and what she told us. When I finish, he’s staring at Julia and me in amazement, and also looking more than a little bit impressed.
“So you’re saying that even before Chief Nerkesh and I met with Governor Pullman, his clan had already kidnapped an entire group of women from your settlement.”
“Yes. Six women, including four Brides.”
“And they made it look like an accident, so no one would know what happened.”
“That’s right.”
We all head upstairs together, and wind up in the same room that Julia and I had dinner in the other night. Rukkarr still looks amazed, as though he’s trying to figure out what to do with this new information.
“It must have been an inside job,” says the chief, stroking his beard. “There’s no way they could have pulled that off without inside information.”
“What do you mean?” Julia asks.
“Well,” says Rukkarr, “in order to do this in the first place, they would have needed to know the right location to hit. There’s no way that they just happened to stumble across a group of humans outside of a settlement, lightly guarded, and mostly female. If any of a million things had gone wrong, they would have been discovered. No, this was a planned-out, targeted operation. They knew exactly what they were doing, and what to expect.”
“They were even prepared to fake a raptor attack,” I chime in.
“That’s right,” says the chief, throwing me an approving glance. “And it probably took some work to get that right, too. They must have practiced in advance.”
Suddenly, I remember something. “I saw a Kyrzon in Governor Pullman’s office,” I say. “After your meeting with him. I couldn’t tell who it was. That wasn’t… that wasn’t you, was it?”
“No, it wasn’t me,” says Rukkarr.
I feel as though I just matched a piece in a puzzle I didn’t even realize I was trying to solve. My mind races as I try to make sense of everything. The conclusion I’m starting to reach is disturbing, and yet it’s the only thing that makes any sense to me.
“It must have been Chief Nerkesh,” I think out loud. “I think Governor Pullman is the one who gave him the information. They must have some kind of arrangement.”
Julia’s jaw drops. “Just to be clear, you’re talking about the Governor of New Byzantium?”
I nod. “It has to be him. He met with Chief Nerkesh. He would have known about the solar farm. Hell, he probably made sure that it was vulnerable, and that most of the workers were women.”
Rukkarr pulls me onto his lap and wraps his arms around me. He seems very pleased to have been given this information. I let him do it, enjoying his touch.
“And you figured all of this out, in the time since dinner,” he says, looking impressed.
“Pretty much,” I reply, try not to sound too proud. “Julia helped. I hope you find it useful?”
“Useful?” repeats Rukkarr, grinning. He runs his hands up and down my body, as though having to stop himself from groping me in front of Julia. “Oh, yes, it will be useful. I’ll find a way to make it useful. I’m so fucking glad I bought you, Christy.” He rests his hands on my hips, and his fingers are greedy. It’s obvious that in the time since we’ve been talking, his interest in me has grown decidedly less… innocent. I shoot Julia an apologetic look, but she just laughs, rolling her eyes. She’s clearly used to the ways of Kyrzon males.
Chapter Nineteen
I squeal as Chief Rukkarr picks me up off the ground and begins to carry me in his arms. He’s been increasing in urgency the whole time we’ve been walking down the hall, following Julia as she leads us to our guestroom in the castle. I’m almost past the point of being embarrassed with my mate’s public displays of desire for me. I think I lost my ability to feel shame around the point Rukkarr ended our conversation with Julia by asking her if she had a “room with a bed where I can claim my mate.”
Julia, to her credit, is taking the whole thing in stride. I get the impression that Gurrak treats her similarly, so she understands what I’m dealing with. She mostly just seems to find Rukkarr’s enthusiasm cute.
“You two have a nice night, now,” she says, winking at me as she opens the door to our bedroom.
“Goodnight!” I call down the hall to her as she walks away. “Thanks for everything!”
The moment the words are out of my mouth, Rukkarr’s lips are pressed against mine. I gasp, having never been kissed before. The sensation is new, but I really like it.
“I’ve never— this is my first kiss,” I whisper to him, pulling my lips away and trying to slow down his roving hands.
“It’s mine, too,” he says, grinning, and he leans in to kiss me again.
I melt against him. I can feel his beard on my skin, and his soft lips pressed against mine. He walks me backwards, into the room, and pushes the door shut behind us, still kissing me. I feel wonderfully small and sexy as he pushes me against the wall and teases my lips with his tongue, as though asking me to part them.
I open my mouth and let him push his tongue inside. He lets out a low growl as he does so, and his body language grows more insistent. He claims my mouth with his tongue, confidently, almost aggressively, as though he’s conquering me. I moan, enjoying the feeling of submitting to him. His hands start to explore my body, making their way under my shirt and finding bare skin.
“Rukkarr, I want you,” I gasp. Being alone with him here is sending me into a frenzy. The fact that my new mate still has yet to take my virginity is at the forefront of my mind, impossible to ignore.
“Tell me you’re mine,” he growls, taking both of my wrists and pinning me against the wall. “Tell me that this beautiful, smart, amazing little human belongs to me, and to no one else.”
“I’m yours,” I moan, squirming in place. “Rukkarr, I’m yours!”
“That’s right,” he snarls, his hand resting on my throat as he puts his bearded face directly next to mine. “And I’ll fucking kill anyone who tries to take you from me.”
His lips crash down onto mine again, and arousal flares through me as I kiss him back. I slip my hands under his shirt, feeling the hard muscles of his back, and he pulls it off, revealing his jacked, muscular torso.
I start to kiss his chest. I’d really like to be kissing his neck, but his chest is all that I can reach. Oh well. His chest is nice too. And so are those abs. And then right below them…
Rukkarr starts to pull off my shirt, and I lift my arms, allowing him to do so. He struggles for a moment with my bra, and then manages to take it off, flinging it across the room. I giggle.
“You threw that thing like you hated it,” I tease him.
“I hate anything that keeps your body hidden from me,” he growls, not even sounding like he’s joking.
“Rukkarr, I—” I hesitate. As turned on as I am right now, as ready as I am for him to take me, I want this moment to mean something. I want Rukkarr to know that I care about him. That I’m not just doing my duty.
He pauses, watching my face.
“What is it, my Bride?”
“I’m glad you bought me,” I say, feeling stupid. I wish I was better with words. “I just mean— of all the Kyrzons that could have bought me, I’m glad it was you, and not someone else.”
Way to be romantic, Christy.
But Chief Rukkarr’s face lights up. He leans in to kiss me, and this time it’s gentle. Tender.
“Christy, I never thought I would have a human like you. Never. I’m so lucky to have you that I… I can’t even describ
e it.”
He kisses me again, and I kiss him back. We kiss each other slowly, our tongues dancing, each of us exploring this sensuous new act.
Exploring each other.
This time, the passion between us rises slowly. Minute by minute, our kissing grows more intense, our hands more insistent. We writhe together, the Kyrzon still pressing me against the wall, the heat of our bodies becoming almost unbearable. I feel the warmth increasing between my legs, the growing wetness impossible to ignore. I grind myself against Rukkarr’s thigh, the pressure not releasing nearly enough of the tension.
I want more.
Suddenly, it’s as though there’s a cavern between my legs. A yawning opening begging to be filled.
I reach for Rukkarr’s cock, finding it through his pants and starting to rub its length. His shaft is already hard, and just as monstrously big as it was before.
“I want you,” I gasp, lacking any other words to express the depth of my yearning for him. “I want… I want you inside me.”
His eyes flash, and the look on his face is that of a desperate need about to finally be fulfilled. His hands slip down my pants, one of them gripping my ass and the other sliding into the front of my panties. He looks immensely pleased as his fingers find my wetness.
“Yes,” I whisper, starting to rock my hips against his fingers, pulling him closer to me. “Please, touch me.”
I wiggle out of the last of my clothes and go for Rukkarr’s belt buckle, starting to moan softly as he strokes my clit. His pants fall to the floor, and his fingers move lower, teasing my opening. I buck against him and he smothers my moan with a kiss as his finger slips inside me.
“Rukkarr,” I gasp, overwhelmed by the sensation. “Rukkarr, yes…”
“I’m going to make you mine,” he growls, slowly pushing his finger deeper. “Finally, I get to have all of you. Finally, I get to put my seed where it belongs.”