by Corin Cain
There are advantages to being Bonded. I’ve heard tales of how Bonded females develop superhuman strength and incredible resistance to diseases and sicknesses.
Maybe that’s all hogwash, but one thing’s for certain: Bonded females most certainly live longer than the rest of us. Much longer.
Queen Jasmine, the controversial co-ruler of the Aurelian Empire – along with her Bonded triad of Emperor Raegan – is already on over her hundredth-year of rule, and she still doesn’t look a day past twenty-five.
But it’s not worth it.
Right?
Right!
I bite my lip as I follow Riff and Daran out of the huge hall. I know Kreos is behind me, looming like some hulking shadow… I can feel his eyes on my body as I walk, drinking me in greedily, even though wearing a giant jacket isn’t the best look for me.
If nothing else, though, I should be grateful for Riff’s statement. It explains everything.
The Bond. That’s what they bought us for: To see if any of us are Bonded to them. It must be one of the most efficient ways of doing it – buying women in bulk, and testing each one in turn.
But why don’t they just fuck a bunch of willing women in their harem, like the rest of their species?
Surely finding their ‘fated mate’ is a numbers game; and they could ‘test’ vastly more women by simply opening their doors to willing volunteers. To take slaves seems expensive and impractical in pursuit of their impossible goal.
We take a large elevator up from the hallway to a private landing pad on the roof of the slave-auction building. I gasp as the doors open, as I see the sprawling metropolis surrounding me.
I don’t know which world this is, but it’s dominated by a grimy, blackened city filled with smoke-spewing factories. A huge river runs nearby, black with pollution and garbage, and shanty towns surround the industrial core. I hope desperately that wherever these Aurelians are taking us, it’s far, far away from this godsforsaken planet.
I’m probably not the only one to think that. This is why so many human women fling themselves at Aurelians, just for the chance to join the vast harems of these oversexed, imperious bastards.
I hate the idea of just being one woman in a huge group – just one more owned whore among dozens, or hundreds of others… But at the same time, I can understand the appeal. It would be a tempting proposition if I was a girl from a dirty, crime-filled planet like this – to offer my body in return for comfort and security.
And the fringe benefits would be…
My cheeks burn.
As much as I hate them, I can’t deny how attractive Aurelians are – and that’s an appeal in and of itself to life within a harem. Those gorgeous marble-sculpted bodies. Those huge, slab-like muscles. In my sculpting career, I’ve had nude models that made me drool…
…and none of them were built like an Aurelian.
The species is more than just tall and handsome – impossibly tall and handsome. Their bodies look as if they’re chiseled out of stone. Their skin is purest ivory. They’re so tall, and imperious, and still that when they do move…
…when they turn those slate-grey eyes upon you, burning coldly into your skin…
…it’s like the ancient Greek statues of the Old-Earth Gods I used to study have come to life, and they want me.
But I resolve not to let these men have me – at least, not without a fight. These bastards might try and sound of magnanimous, but they were willing to let naked, helpless women go ‘free’ onto the streets of this dirty, crime-ridden planet.
That offer was a joke! They’d offered us our ‘freedom’, but only knowing there was no way we could survive for more than a few hours without getting snatched up by another slave trader, to be sold into a fate even more humiliating.
Ha! But it shows that these Aurelians are willing to bend a little in the whole ‘treating us as property’ thing – even if the choice they offered us was no choice at all.
I turn back to the landing pad.
In front of us is a large, black starship. The thing looks dangerous. This isn’t some pleasure cruiser. A battery of missiles hangs on the left side, and I can see a deadly array of lasers poking out on the right. These might not be Orb-Beams, but no pirate would dare go up against this ship when there are easier pickings to be had.
The side doors instantly open as we approach. Daran and Kreos jump into the sleek vessel, while Riff hangs back.
I walk up to the side of the ship. It’s made for giants – not humans the same size as me.
Great.
The blonde jumps forward. “Mr. Riff? It’s too tall! Could you boost me up?”
Mr. Riff. Oh, Gods, it’s painful to watch.
Riff grins. “That’s what I’m here for.” He boosts the girl up effortlessly, as if she’s a kitten. As she’s lifted, the blonde wraps her arms around his huge neck dramatically, trying to cuddle up to him for as long as possible. Riff has to physically unwrap her arms from around his neck before she’ll let go.
The girl smiles at Riff, but instantly shoots daggers at the two girls who are helped up into the ship next. Tiana is one of them, and she nearly falls – again – but Riff catches her and helps her into the ship.
If nothing else, that shows a care and consideration the Toad slave-master was lacking. He’d have happily let Tiana choke to death if I hadn’t risked my own life to drag her back to her feet.
I suddenly realize it’s my turn.
Riff leans down to help me into the vessel, but I shake my head. Instead, I leap as high as I can, grabbing onto the bottom railing and pulling myself up.
I huff and puff, but I manage to awkwardly pull myself up and in – without anyone’s help, thank you very much.
As I climb aboard, I pride myself on keeping a little bit of my dignity and individuality…
These Aurelians might not think of us as slaves in the strictest sense, but there’s still an obvious power mismatch between us and them. It’s not just a physical thing – their incredible size and strength against our puny, human forms. It’s the inescapable knowledge that without these Aurelians, we’d each be stranded on this hostile planet; where slavery is obviously still very legal.
That’s why I insisted on hauling myself up into this ship. I don’t want the power imbalance to be any greater than it has to be – even if that means making a fool of myself by grunting and groaning to barely pull myself aboard their ship.
Now I’m inside, I look around. This ship is outfitted for war on the outside, but it’s quite spacious and comfortable within. That makes sense, I guess, given that it’s been built for aliens with seven-feet frames.
Down on the landing pad, Riff helps the last of the women up and into the ship, and then climbs in himself. He beckons us to follow him.
“This way.”
We walk down a long, metal hallway and into a lounge. There’s a full bar there, plus a massive set of couches, and luxury high-definition holo-screen. The entire side of the room is a viewing port – a floor-to-ceiling sheet of tempered glass that must gaze out across infinity when the spacecraft is in orbit.
“This is uhmazing!” The blonde stands there with her jaw hanging open, and I instantly want to slap her. I share a glance of mutual annoyance with Tiana.
The blonde then moves around to the other side of the bar. “I was a bartender before those mean Toads captured me. What’s your drink, Mr. Riff?”
He winks, and I want to slap him even harder than Tiana!
“It’s just Riff, and just beer.”
The blonde laughs, as if is answer is the funniest thing in the world. “Oh, you’re too funny. My name’s Brandy, by the way – like the drink!”
She winks back, clearly having rehearsed this introduction many times behind a bar. I wondered if her name was really Brandy, or if she’d just adopted it when she’d started serving drinks.
Riff nods without saying anything, and accepts the beer from her. “If anyone else wants something, Brandy’s you
r girl.”
Riff walks to the couch – and as soon as he turns his back, Brandy shoots daggers at the rest of us. She’s stuck in her new role now, I snort, and turn away from her while the Aurelian sits down.
I clear my throat and nervously address Riff: “Could I maybe get some clothes?”
Riff laughs. “Of course. Down the hall, second room to the left.”
So, he’s kind of cocky – but not necessarily a shitty guy.
Petra! Get a grip! I’m already making excuses for a guy who just bought me at a Gods-be-damned slave auction! And who threatened to spank me in public!
Maybe Riff’s surfer-style good looks are getting to me, but the way his slate-grey eyes gleam when he grins is unsettling – in the clench-my-thighs-together way. I’d always thought Aurelians had dead, grey eyes – like statues – but Riff’s bright gaze seems different.
Dead grey eyes.
I instantly think of Kreos and Daran. For them, the stereotype is valid.
I shudder and reach out to grab Tiana’s hand. She gets the unspoken message and follows me down the hallway. The other five women are content to be hanging out with Riff, barely dressed in sheer gowns designed to emphasize their curves and entice ever-increasing bids…
…but I’m not.
Second door. Alright.
I press the button to send the second door sliding open, and gasp as I my eyes fall on the contents within. This entire room is a massive closet. There are vast amounts of shoes and dresses, in all shapes and sizes, hanging from hooks, shelves, dressers and more.
I’m impressed by the wardrobe possibilities, but I’m still pissed.
“Can you believe that guy?” I ask Tiana.
She furrows her eyebrows. “Riff? He seems okay.”
My cheeks burn as I try to encourage myself to feel angry. It’s not as easy as it seems.
I try to make myself feel angry, but it’s hard to be mad at Riff. He was infuriatingly laconic and charming.
“Are you forgetting he said he’d spank me if I disrespected him again?”
Tiana giggles. “That would be… kind of hot.”
I lift my palm to my eyes. I’m surrounded by women who are obsessed with this dominant alien race. I mean, I guess I can understand – they are really fucking hot. Like, drool-worthy hot. But that doesn’t give them the right to treat women like possessions!
I run my hand along a silk dress and glare. “You know, they only have all this clothing because they’ve done this before – bought women, I mean.”
Tiana nods. “Yeah, makes sense. Aurelians have big harems – it’s just a fact of their species.”
She says it nonchalantly, like she’s telling me that Aurelians have pale, white skin or slate-grey eyes. I turn to her, my eyes narrow.
“It doesn’t bother you? Thinking about just being some random… whore in an Aurelian’s harem?”
Tiana shrugs. “Look, you might have been caught by a slaver, but I wasn’t. I was sold into slavery – by my father, when he couldn’t put food on the table. If the Aurelians feed me and keep me safe, that’s a hell of a lot better than what anyone else has done for me in the past.”
My eyes go wide, but I can’t say anything. I suddenly feel horrible for the way I’ve been speaking. I’ve been going on and on about how bad the Aurelians are – yet to Tiana, this must feel like salvation. She was on stage, possibly about to be bought by a disgusting Toad, or sold to a human brothel keeper. In contrast, this must feel like winning the lottery.
Ha! But what a cruel lottery this is!
Nevertheless, I hug Tiana tight to me and I’m glad when she doesn’t push me away.
For a moment we embrace, taking comfort in each other’s arms. Then, finally Tiana laughs:
“Don’t worry, I’m not offended. You couldn’t have known. Plus, you saved my life back there. If it wasn’t for you helping me back to my feet… Ugh, that fucking Toad might have let me choke to death rather than suffer the inconvenience of letting me stand back up.”
I shudder. I remember the horrible moment back at the auction in which I thought I might be sold to one of those slimy creatures. No matter how bad the Aurelians are, there’s no way they could be so cruel, disgusting or base as a Toad.
Feeling a little more grounded, I turn back to the rows of clothes and eventually pick out a light, blue dress. “This would look perfect with your skin tone,” I say, holding it up against Tiana’s slender arm.
Tiana grins back at me. She looks like a schoolgirl who’s just been told she can have unlimited candy. “I’ve never actually been shopping before. My mom used to make all my clothes, before she died. I have no idea what colors look good or bad on me…” She pauses. “Or, like, anything.”
I lay my hand on Tiana’s slender shoulder, feeling a bit awkward as I squeeze her reassuringly. I’d assumed that all seven of us had been captured by slavers. It’s so sad to think that her own father would make the callous choice to sell her into slavery.
Tiana looks into my eyes and smiles gratefully. For a second, we share that look… And then I hand her the dress, and turn away so that she can discreetly put it on.
It only takes a moment for Tiana to slither into the sheer material, and then she turns to present herself.
“You look amazing!” I clap my hands together at the sight of her. I’m not flattering her – the dress does look amazing. The gown is elegant and sleek – in fact, it would have looked good on me, too. It hugs Tiana’s curves so closely that I actually feel a tiny tinge of jealousy when I look at her.
Don’t think that way, Petra! You don’t want the Aurelians to actually be attracted to you…
Do you?
My cheeks burn. So many emotions are pouring through my head. Just hours ago, I thought my life was going to be a living hell – owned by some sadistic slave master who’d bought me as a pleasure toy, or to pimp me out in a brothel to countless strangers.
Now, instead, I’m throwing off a beautifully-tailored blazer and picking out a set of bra, panties and a tight, grey dress.
All the clothes are expensive and beautifully-made, and I actually had to struggle to pick out what might be the most conservative outfit from the countless gowns hanging in that closet.
It’s not from an effort to be stylish. I just know I should dress as discreetly as possible; to avoid any unwanted attention from those three Aurelians.
Yet, I can’t resist glancing at myself in the mirror as I wriggle into my new clothing, and I’m secretly delighted at the result.
I thought I’d spend the rest of my life being forced to wear whatever my new ‘master’ wanted, and something as simple as the freedom of being able to pick out my own outfit would be a tiny luxury denied to me.
But, instead, I’m picking out clothing like I’m in one of those fancy malls. What kind of slavery is this?
Careful, Petra. Don’t let yourself forget that this is slavery. Alright, so the Aurelians offered to let you go free back on that backwater, slum planet. But will they help you get to Kinata 5? So you can get on with your life?
Tiana is staring at me. “Wow.”
“Wow?”
“You look… fucking incredible! All three of those Aurelians have been staring at you, you know. More than the rest of us. It’s obvious – you should see the daggers Brandy shoots you when they do.”
Tiana pauses.
“They like you.”
I scowl. “Well, fat chance I’m going to get with any guy who bought me at a slave auction – at least not willingly.”
Tiana shrugs. “I don’t know. I think they’re different. I think we’re lucky they picked us.”
I sigh. “I honestly don’t know what to think. That Riff seems like a cocky asshole, and the other two are brooding and dangerous. Plus, why do those three have to buy women at a slave auction in the first place? They’re gorgeous – even by Aurelian standards. They should have women jumping all over each other for a chance to sleep with them. You know how it is
!”
Tiana’s cheeks burn hotly – but it’s not because I was referencing her attraction to Aurelians.
No, she’s looking over my shoulder; and my stomach plummets as I realize what caused her reaction.
“Because I refuse to put a woman in danger.”
It’s a deep, rumbling voice from behind me.
I shriek and spin around, to find Daran filling the massive doorway. He must have opened the door so softly I didn’t even hear it.
My shock turns instantly to outrage – as it always does.
“Do you mind? We could have been naked!”
Daran pauses for a moment. His slate-grey eyes run up and down my body, and I realize that I unconsciously picked the color to match the hue of his cool eyes. Was that an accident? Or is my own subconscious betraying me around this alien?
“That color suits you,” Daran says coolly, ignoring my affronted yelp. “Now – come with me. I have an announcement to make.”
Daran coldly bends down to pick up the jacket of his that I’d abandoned on the floor. He folds it and lays it over one of his massive arms, and then walks out. Tiana and I both watch him leave, and I’m ashamed at how hotly my eyes study him as the towering alien saunters away.
His dress pants are tailored so tightly that it’s really easy to imagine how good his ass must look beneath them – perfect for taking a bite from! I stare at it as he walks away, imagining the two muscular globes in their white, sculpted perfection.
Get a grip, Petra!
With no other option, we follow Daran back into the lounge. Riff is gone – and I guess that it takes two men to pilot this ship at all times, and therefore we won’t be seeing more than one of the triad at any given time.
Daran waves Brandy away, as she scurries forward and tries to get his attention with some kind of mixed drink she’s prepared for him. I feel a deliciously cruel surge of satisfaction as he ignores her. The rest of the women look at Tiana and I with awe – clearly wishing that they’d made the choice to explore the wardrobe of this ship, and switch into something more flattering.
They shouldn’t feel bad. If I hadn’t seen that immense closet myself, I’d never have guessed that these Aurelians would carry anything other than male clothing with them. After all, why clothe a slave that you could command to be naked at all times?