by Corin Cain
Also…
That’s a fucking eight-pack of abs? And check out that gorgeous Adonis’ belt.
“Did you set the kitchen on fire?” Riff asks, clearly spotting the lust in my eyes. He’s grinning that insufferable grin of his and I’m not sure if I want to plant my fist or my lips on it.
Then I process his words…
Fire…
Wow! I managed to forget the smell of smoke just because of a hunky, shirtless Aurelian. That doesn’t bode well for me!
I can’t think of a witty comeback, so I just purse my lips and brush past Riff – slapping the button to open the doors to the dining room. Smoke billows through the open doorway.
Rebecca is standing over three different pans, all filled with smoking black disks that might once have been pancakes, but now look more like charcoal. She’s standing back, her hands in her hair, doing nothing as black smoke billows from the pans.
Kreos is sitting at the table like a statue. It takes me a moment to even realize he’s even there, because he sits so still. The huge alien’s biceps are bulging out of his black t-shirt, but I notice he doesn’t use those big muscles to help out Rebecca!
“Gods damn it, do something!” I snap at him, but he doesn’t budge.
“He’s just… He’s just sitting there, staring at me, and I lost focus and…” Rebecca is blubbering, near tears. I can tell she was trying to make enough food for all of us…
…then again, Kreos could probably eat all three pans full of pancakes himself.
I step in. “AI, full fan!”
The artificial intelligence responds, and the fan above the stove switches from medium to full strength, pulling the choking smoke up into the vents.
As the air clears, I grab the first pan by the handle, hefting the heavy cast-iron and throwing it into the sink with a clatter.
“Water on!” Cold water spurts out, hissing against the sizzling pan. The stovetop has manual controls, so I switch the burners off and throw the rest of the pans into the sink, now filling the room with steam instead of smoke.
Rebecca jumps back. Breakfast is ruined.
The rest of the women come filing in, summoned by the smoke and the chaos, and as soon as the spots Rebecca’s red, tear-streaked face, Brandy runs up to comfort her.
“Thank you, thank you,” Rebecca blubbers to Brandy, wrapping her arms around her.
Annoyance flares up inside of me…
…but what did I expect? I come in to save the day and all Rebecca cares about is her bff.
The doors open again and the two other Aurelians stride inside. Riff is wearing those tight workout pants and that fitted lilac t-shirt I saw him pull on earlier. Daran is in a white Henley shirt with two buttons undone, paired with light brown slacks.
It’s weird to see Aurelians wearing “human” clothes. I’ve only ever seen Aurelians still loyal to the Empire, and they’re usually dressed in full armor. I’ve seen pictures of the Aurelians back on their home world of Colossus and there they typically wear togas similar to the Romans of Old-Earth.
“You’re washing these!” I turn and point at Riff, motioning to the pile of steaming pans.
“You’re right. I’ll take care of it.” His tone is placating – or so I think...
…because just as I’m thinking he’s about to wash the pans, Riff instead walks up to the steaming sink, picks up the pans and casually throws them one-by-one into the trash compacter instead, which instantly hums to life and shreds the metal, recycling it into raw iron which the computer can then reassign for repairs to the ship.
I stand there, open-mouthed, as Riff opens a cupboard overhead and pulls out three more pans. Theatrically, he then presses his thumb against the metal and runs it down the surface. When he holds it up, his fingertip is unsurprisingly spotless.
“Clean enough for you?”
Don’t call him a bastard. Don’t call him a bastard.
Riff drives me crazy. I know he’s trying to rile me up – to get me to speak disrespectfully to him I’ve seen the way he looks at me, and the words of his initial warning still ring in my ears.
I know he’s looking for any excuse to take me into his chambers and discipline me.
Oh, Gods…
I don’t know if I could handle the feeling of being thrown over his lap and having his huge palm come slapping down against my ass. The Aurelians can taste arousal in human females, and it would be so humiliating to have him discover that his punishment turns me on.
Unless that’s what he secretly suspects.
Instead, I rein in my temper and nod: “Yes. That’s fine. Will you be cooking for us now?”
Riff shrugs. “Sure. I make steak. Lots of steak.”
Of course you make steak.
I look over at the six other women, all looking up at me hopefully. They all know that I cooked French toast for Kreos – a detail I shared only to Tiana, which she obliviously passed onto the rest of the girls.
I sigh. Unless I step in, everyone’s going to be eating bloody, red meat for breakfast.
“Just… Just sit down, okay? I’ll take care of breakfast.”
Daran steps closer to me. His slate-grey eyes seem a deeper color in this light, as if they’re drinking me up. There’s a tension to him that wasn’t there last night – and he was plenty tense yesterday. It’s like he’s humming with barely-controlled energy…
Like he’s about to snap at any moment.
“Thank you,” he says softly, through gritted teeth, his voice a hard line of sound.
Something is horribly wrong, but I have no idea what. I’m reminded of the fact that he’s a fucking gangster. He’s not your average Aurelian, who takes pride in following the rule of law to the letter. If there’s a problem that makes Daran act like this, it’s going to be something serious.
And it could concern me.
Wait a second, who’s piloting the ship?
“You’re welcome,” I respond, before quickly adding: “Should I bring some food out to the cockpit?”
Daran scrutinizes me. He sees right through my attempt to subtly get information.
“We’re in safe space. The AI can take care of flying… as long as you don’t divert its attention to kitchen-related activities with any more fires.”
I narrow my eyes – wordlessly reminding Daran that it was Rebecca who set the place on fire.
“AI - pause all function except for flight,” Daran orders.
I get it now. I had no idea that I was diverting the AI functions by ordering it to switch the stovetop fan to its highest setting. It’s a minor thing, but still – I feel like I made a mistake.
Riff silently reaches up and turns the fan to a lower setting manually. Then, they all sit down – all the other girls, and the two Aurelians.
There’s no chatter, probably because of the brooding, intimidating presence of Kreos. In his tight t-shirt, the details of his tattoos are revealed. The motif he went for is skulls. Lots and lots of skulls, all intricately worked into the designs of knives and swords, blending to look both beautiful and vicious.
I push the image of Kreos’ firm muscles out of my mind. It’s time to cook.
“Tiana, will you assist?”
Tiana jumps up from the table, eager to be away from the hulking Aurelian.
It’s funny, but I don’t feel the same anxiety that the other women experience around Kreos. His presence is powerful, but it actually makes me feel safe rather than intimidated.
Alright, there’s a lot of vulnerability and the feeling of helplessness when you’re around a guy that fucking big and strong – but I get this weird feeling that if someone ever tried to hurt me while Kreos was around, they’d have to get through him first.
…and I’ve never met anyone who I think could get through Kreos.
It’s actually enjoyable to push thoughts of the Aurelians out of my mind and lose myself in cooking instead. In the moment, I feel at home. It’s almost like meditation, and in my head I’m suddenly
not a million miles away from anyone who knows me. Instead, I’m operating like a machine – whipping up batter and making my specialty dish.
My own stomach is rumbling, but I’m not going eat until everyone else has a nice, hot plate of French toast in front of them.
Even Brandy. Even Rebecca.
Even that insufferable RIff, that dark, brooding Kreos, and the barely-contained, seething Daran; who seems like he’s about to burst from his rage.
Butter hisses in the pan and I brown the French toast. I’ve done this a thousand times before, and I’ll happily do it a thousand more.
Tiana is a perfect assistant – until she freezes up.
Kreos has risen from the table and he lumbers closer to us. He stares me down, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of cowering. Instead, I raise my eyebrow questioningly at him, and continue with my cooking.
Kreos opens the pantry, grabs the honey, and then sits down softly.
I smile internally.
That’s right, you big bastard. You don’t scare me.
I plate the first toast. It’s tempting to serve one of the women first, but I’ve got a feeling that it won’t go down well. Plus, the aliens are pretty damn big – and they must be starving.
I put the first plate down in front of Daran. He doesn’t smile, but he gives me a nod of thanks.
Good start.
I’m softening to Daran. Yeah, it pissed me off that he moved on so quickly that first day – from having an apparent obsession with me, to suddenly dragging Brandy to his bed chamber like I was nothing to him.
In fact, if he didn’t look like he’d seen a ghost, I’d probably still be a little more pissed – but I feel… I don’t know. Sympathy for him?
Daran takes a bite of my food and savors it, like he’s imagining this might be his last meal.
Part of me wonders if he knows something to suggest it might.
I cook for an entire hour before I can finally eat myself. I sit down gratefully with a pile of food for Tiana and I.
“Leave us,” says Daran, motioning at the other women. They get up, annoyed at being kicked out so abruptly. Tiana and I receive a number of pointed looks as the girls leave one by one, with Brandy’s gaze especially venomous.
Finally, it’s just us and the three Aurelians. Tiana and I are sitting at the table surrounded by the three towering aliens and it feels like the weirdest family breakfast in existence.
“I think I’ll eat in my room,” says Tiana softly, grabbing her plate and scurrying towards the door.
Oof. I’m going to be left alone with these three hulking brutes.
I wish Tiana wouldn’t leave, but I get it. Even though Daran apparently fucked Brandy – as if I wasn’t even a though – dear Tiana still believes there’s something special between me and the three Aurelians. She doesn’t want to get between us.
The door slides shut behind her, and suddenly we’re alone.
The air is crackling, and it’s not sexual tension. Something awful is about to happen. I can feel it. I take a bite of my breakfast, but I barely taste it.
“What happened?” I demand.
Daran leans back in his chair, his empty plate in front of him. His high cheekbones frame his statue-like good looks, and his thin cropped beard accentuates his strong jawline.
“It doesn’t concern you.”
“I’m on a ship with the three of you. I’d say it bloody well does. We’ve already got one brooding, angry giant. We don’t need another!”
Kreos’ eyes narrow at my comment, but he stays put. His only response is a grunt. Other than that, he might as well have been the statue he so resembles.
Riff holds his hands up to placate me. “Calm down.”
Calm down. I hate it when men tell me to calm down!
“I am calm,” I reply through gritted teeth, my voice chilling the room by a couple of degrees.
Riff laughs. “You sound about as calm as a bull who just got slapped on the ass.”
I stand up, leaving my unfinished breakfast behind, and stomp angrily out of the room. The second the door closes behind me I regret my choice. The second I’m away from them, the anger that flared up inside of me lowers to a simmer.
Even worse, my stomach grumbles – protesting my decision to abandon that French toast.
Oh man. I really should have grabbed my plate of food!
I stalk down the hallway to my room. Tiana’s sitting on the bottom bunk, still chewing on her breakfast. The smell of freshly-made French toast fills the room. The honey has melted from the heat, creating a thin, sweet glaze that covers the last piece of toast.
“That was quick.”
“Gods! Those aliens piss me off!”
Tiana pushes the plate across the little desk towards me. She’s got a big glass of coral-colored juice in her hand, which looks especially refreshing.
“Take it,” Tiana demands. “I’m guessing those three are chomping down on the breakfast you left behind.”
Bastards. I bet they are!
“What did they want from you?”
I shrug. “I’ve got no idea. Did you see the way Daran was acting?”
Tiana rolls her eyes. “Kreos is already scary enough without Daran acting pissed off too.”
I chew my bite and swallow. “That’s what I said!”
Oh man. This toast is good! Not to toot my own horn, but I should enter my French toast in contests.
“Oh, my Gods. You really said that?”
I laugh. It feels good to have someone to talk to about these insufferable men. “I think my exact words were: We’ve already got one brooding giant. We don’t need another!”
Tiana spurts coral juice onto the desk, narrowly missing my plate. I pull my plate back. “Woah. Splash zone.”
“I’m sorry! I just can’t picture you saying that to him. What did Kreos do?”
I roll my eyes. “What do you think? Just sat there like a statue.”
Tiana pauses for a second. She looks a little embarrassed. “So… Which of the three do you think is the hottest?”
Now that was not the question that I was expecting her to ask. It’s not an easy one to answer, either. If she asked me the one that pissed me off the most? I’d reply Riff in a second. The one who’s the most intimidating? I’d go with Kreos.
But hottest?
I’ve spent all this time trying not to think about how hot they all are!
“Daran,” I answer, before I can really think it through. It’s instinctual. Kreos and Riff follow that man, and his appeal to me is a reflection of their loyalty.
“Yeah, me too,” Tiana admits softly. She looks at me with envy, but I have no idea why. Brandy’s the one that Daran chose. She has nothing to be jealous of.
I bite my lip. “Actually, maybe Kreos. He’s just got that… that aura of danger to him.” My cheeks redden. “Although, fuck I saw Riff shirtless today! You know the Adonis’ belt?”
Tiana furrows her eyebrows. “You mean those muscles that are like arrows pointing to a guy’s dick?”
I laugh, closing my eyes and remembering every delicious inch of Riff’s marble body. “Yeah, those. Riff has the hottest fucking Adonis’ belt under and an eight-pack of abs. Uggggh. I need to stop thinking about these guys. Just six more days and I can be free.”
If I can resist them for six more days. I might not last another hour!
I don’t want to sit in my room, but I don’t really want to go into the lounge area where Brandy and Rebecca are leading that clique of women. The ship has plenty of room, but when it’s full of people I really don’t want to see, it feels as small as this bedroom.
“I’m going to get a workout in.”
“Oooh, they have a workout room??
I nod, finishing up my meal and cleaning up the last bit of honey with the final piece of toast. I’m not going to risk running into the Aurelians by cleaning up my plate in the dining room right now. “Want to come with me?”
Tiana laughs. “No, I t
hink I’ll just watch movies with the girls. Sure you don’t want to come? They’re really a good bunch, once you get to know them.”
“I’m good, thank you. Brandy’s just a constant reminder of those guys.”
I stop in the wardrobe room and change into a workout skirt, a supportive sports bra, and a white shirt – sticking the previous night’s clothes into a chute that the AI will take care of once one of the Aurelians is back at the helm.
I step into the workout room. Mercifully, it’s empty. I start on the bag hanging from a steel beam. My mom and dad made me take self-defense courses before I went off into space to start my new career as a sculptor – and while it didn’t protect me against those slavers, I’m still glad for what I learned.
I make a fist with my thumb on the outside and slam it into the bag. It hurts, but the pain is a sweet relief.
My job. I really need to contact Mr. Gemin before he finds another sculptor.
If I still want to do that…
The experience of getting captured and sold as a slave put things sharply into perspective. Do I really want to spend any time of my life working for some kooky trillionaire? At any second things could go horribly wrong. I need to spend my life working for what I want.
I slam my fist into the punching bag again, working a quick one-two combo that my teacher taught me back in self-defense class.
And what DO I want?
Instantly, the three Aurelians pop into my mind. I feel like I’m denying myself what I truly want. Maybe I’m lying to myself by telling myself I don’t want to be another toy in their harems.
Just because I don’t want to spend my life in their manor doesn’t mean I can’t taste them now… Plus, at least there’s no risk with Aurelians. The species can only reproduce with their Bonded mate, so I don’t need to worry about getting pregnant like I constantly worried with my last two boyfriends.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
My fists hammer repeatedly into the heavy bag. I’m breathing heavily now, dancing from foot to foot as I fight the swinging sack.
In real life, your enemies don’t stand there and take the punches. In real life, they’re men who are stronger than me – who have guns or knives, and want to either use my body, or to sell me to other men who would.