The dominant social group on Vakrall, they ruled with an iron fist, tyrannising the other castes and weaker species in the Rogue Zone.
They took what they wanted with force, and their reputation across the galaxy for brutality was legendary. Still, she had shared a fleeting connection with the blue haired one and she couldn’t fight the feeling of attraction, regardless of her circumstances.
They sped on for an interminable long time, the two warriors racing against each other on their lizard mounts and whooping and yelling like a couple of teenagers.
Zalla sat sweating in the searing heat, desperate for a drink of cold water and the comfort of a real bed. She must have fallen asleep at some point because she suddenly jerked her head up and found herself staring at a huge purple stoned edifice rising majestically out of the desert.
It was clear that this was their final destination, and the snake vehicle followed the two warriors toward the formidable gates of the structure. Its high walls and domineering towers put Zalla in mind of some kind of a medieval stronghold.
As they got closer, the gates opened and several members of the Vakrallan Slave Caste scurried out to meet the warriors. They dismounted and two of the slaves led their lizards through the gates.
A few moments later, the vehicle carrying Zalla passed into a courtyard and came to a halt before the steps of the huge citadel beyond the outer wall.
The droid driving the vehicle deactivated the force field and one of the slaves dragged Zalla out of it. At this point, she was too tired to resist.
Standing in the courtyard, she was suddenly aware of how exposed she was, and covered her breasts with her arms. The warrior with the scar on his face noticed and sniggered loudly.
“Seon!” the blue haired Vakrallan yelled up at the entrance of the citadel. “Seon! Come here!”
A slender, olive-skinned young man in a thin blue robe sauntered barefoot out of the building. A faint hope kindled in Zalla as she thought he was a fellow human, but when he brushed away his long black hair from his face, she saw he had a stubby cat-like nose and large, feline green eyes.
“Move your arse,” the warrior who had called him snapped sharply. “I haven’t all day.” He pointed at Zalla. “Take her to my quarters and prepare her.”
Seon gave Zalla a bored look and headed back into the citadel. He gestured lazily for her to follow. When she stayed where she was, Scarface stormed forward and grabbed her by the shoulder. “Follow!” he snarled.
Zalla recoiled in terror, too weak to resist, and hurried after the cat boy. She heard Scarface laugh behind her.
Bastards! She swore silently as tears burned in her eyes. Vicious bastards!
Entering the cool vestibule, she trailed after Seon. He stopped and waved impatiently for her to hurry up. Reluctantly, she caught up with him and they plunged into a warren of gloomy corridors until they reached a palatial suite of rooms where two burly armed guards stood on duty outside.
Inside the suite, Seon padded to a wide oval bathtub set in the marble floor and filled it with water. “Get in,” he ordered.
Zalla wanted to tell him to go screw himself, but the hot clean water was too much to resist. Feeling self-conscious with the boy watching her, she nevertheless peeled off the disgusting mesh thong Odron had forced her to wear and sank thankfully into the bath.
The waters rejuvenated her and she started to feel better. As she bathed, Seon washed her hair with pleasant smelling soap and brought her a platter of cisk fruit and she devoured it without a pause. After a while, Seon pulled at her arm.
“Get out,” he ordered. “I have to prepare you for Lord Draz.”
Zalla’s heart sank into her toes. The refreshing luxury of the bath had almost made her forget her terrible situation. Now that she was feeling refreshed, her mind started working again.
She’d bide her time and figure out some way to escape, but now she needed information and Seon was the only one around that could help her. Reluctantly, she climbed out of the water and he rubbed her down with a piece of sheer material.
“Lord Draz, huh?” she said, trying to make conversation. “Is he the scary scar faced dude with the red hair?”
Seon shook his head. “No. The other one.”
The blue haired warrior, Zalla thought to herself. As she remembered the look they’d shared and his sleek, handsome face, the stirring of desire bloomed inside her.
It was a fleeing moment when she considered how cruel and barbaric the Vakrallan Warrior Caste acted. Though she was relieved to discover that Scarface hadn’t bought her, she doubted his companion was any better.
“This is a pretty impressive place,” she said, trying to coax more information out of Seon. “This Lord Draz must be an important guy.”
The cat boy stared at her as if she was an idiot. “Lord Draz is High Sheriff of the Western Territory, and his cousin Prince Navan is next in line to become Despot of this region. I think that might constitute as important, don’t you?”
Zalla bristled at Seon’s sarcastic tone but kept her cool. These Vakrallans sure liked giving themselves fancy sounding titles. “I guess so,” she said in a neutral voice. “What do you do around here?”
“I am Chief Concubine of the household,” Seon replied haughtily. “I am in charge of the rest of the pleasure slaves, which means you answer to me and follow my orders without question. Now stop prattling, I need to get you ready.”
Ushering her out of the bathroom, Seon took her into a cavernously huge bedroom with an equally cavernously huge bed and told her to stand in the middle of the floor. Heading over to a chest, he took out several silk robes and lifted them up to Zalla’s naked body.
“The red I think,” he said in an appraising tone. “It will flatter the figure better, though it escapes me why Lord Draz chose you. I would have preferred something infinitely skinnier and less . . .chunky.”
“Well, it’s a good job you didn’t choose me honey. I’m more woman than you could handle,” Zalla retorted sharply.
Quick as a flash, Seon’s thin hand lashed out and slapped her hard across the face. “I will not tolerate insolence!” he roared in a voice more powerful than his slight frame would give him credit for.
Stinging with pain, Zalla glowered at him but said nothing. Though he looked like he’d be blown away by a strong gust of wind, she was under no illusion that he’d cause her serious damage if she tried to make a run for it. Besides, with those guards outside, she wouldn’t get very far.
They continued in thunderous silence, with Seon spraying her with so much perfume she ended up smelling as overpoweringly fragrant as he did.
He dressed her in the robe he had selected, cinching it at the waist and pushing the front down low enough to show off her cleavage before getting to work on her hair. His nimble fingers moved quickly, bunching it up and pinning it in place with expert efficiency.
He took a step back and appraised his handiwork. “Not my best work, but you’ll have to do,” he said in a softer voice. “Lord Draz will be here soon.”
Zalla froze with dread. The idea of being used against her will, to have her virginity stolen away from her was more horrible than anything else that she could imagine. She would rather be dead than go through the ordeal that was coming.
Seon must have read the fear in her eyes because he gave her a sympathetic smile. “There is no need to look so worried,” he said, all the previous hostility he’d displayed towards her now gone. He pushed a stray hair from her face. “It won’t be that bad. You’re lucky Prince Navan didn’t buy you. Draz is more . . . gentle.”
Zalla blinked at him, realizing what kind of duties the Chief Concubine would be expected to perform. “You and Draz? I mean, he’s – ”
Seon let out a high-pitched laugh. “Oh no, Lord Draz prefers to go to the opposite side of the river for his fish.”
Zalla worked out this cryptic statement to mean Draz was straight. She didn’t know why, but she felt a little better that Draz preferred w
omen and more specifically that he preferred a woman like her.
Unfortunately, it didn’t make the fact that he was going to take her against her will any easier to bear. No matter how attractive he was, he intended to use her like a plaything and that made her furious and frightened at the same time.
A door opened in one of the outer rooms, and Zalla heard footsteps ring out on the marble floor. Seon’s eyes shone bright. “He’s here. Good luck.”
Zalla stared at the entrance to the bedroom and her stomach lurched. There was no out of it now. Her fate was sealed and her most precious gift that she’d hoped to give to a man she truly loved was going to be stolen away from her by a Vakrallan thug. She balled her hands into fists and waited for her despoiler to arrive.
* * *
As he entered his quarters, Draz experienced something he hadn’t felt in years, not since he was a raw recruit at the War Academy. He felt anxious.
The beautiful, curvy female from Earth had bewitched him completely. She intoxicated his senses and he burned with lust. If he didn’t have duties to attend to with Navan first, he would have carried her to his quarters himself and taken her there and then.
As it was, the delay had only made his anticipation for her that much sweeter. Now though, his bravado had faded, the closer he got to his quarters. The thought of seeing her again made him tremble.
Careful not to show weakness in front of the guards, he made his face into a stoic mask and marched confidently into his suite of apartments. She and Seon would be waiting in his main bedchamber, and he strode toward it without hesitation. When his eyes fixed on her though, his heart missed a beat.
Seon had dressed her in a gorgeous red robe that accentuated her curves and showed off her ripe and wonderfully large breasts. Seon had done his job yet again.
Her head jerked up as he entered, and those soulful, sapphire blue eyes widened in fright. There was something else in that gaze too, that made Draz wince inside. It was the unmistakable fire of hate.
He turned away quickly and nodded to Seon. “Get out,” he ordered.
The Chief Concubine sketched a bow and padded out of the bedroom. The woman stayed rooted on the spot, her gaze now lowered on the floor. An icy silence spread between them that made Draz’s heart ache.
Feigning indifference, he sauntered over to the gold plated drinks cabinet in the corner of the room. “Wine?” he asked brusquely.
The woman was motionless for a while, and then shook her head slowly. Draz poured himself an abundant amount into a large goblet and swallowed it in one gulp. The burning alcohol eased his nerves and his thick cock groaned against his thong. He looked the woman up and down and licked his lips.
“You sure you want nothing to drink?” he asked. “It will relax you.”
“No,” she murmured, “no thank you.”
“As you wish,” Draz replied. He circled her slowly, considering his next move. Even in this hostile and non-responsive state, she was still exciting him and he could barely stop himself from lunging over and pulling her onto the bed.
He kept himself under control though. He wanted to know all about this lotus blossom from Earth and how she had ended up on this distant desert world.
“What is your name?” he asked.
She pursed her lips as if debating whether to answer. The motion made her cute little dimples more prominent. “My name is Zalla,” she said at length. “Zalla Tran, and you’re in big trouble for bringing me here.”
He raised his eyebrows at this, a thrill of pleasure going through him at this display of defiance. “Oh? Why is that?” he asked dryly.
“I’m an important reporter from Earth,” Zalla said, becoming emboldened. “I was captured against my will by slave traders and I demand to be returned to the nearest Earth colony at once!”
Her fierceness impressed him, and he chuckled. “You seem to have difficulty understanding who the slave is here.”
“I’m not a slave!” she retorted hotly, her body quivering with rage. “You have no right to hold me against my will!”
“I have every right!” he yelled back, her insolence provoking his ire. Though her passion was making him even more aroused, he was not accustomed to being shouted at by females. “You are my property and I will do with you as I see fit.”
Zalla directed a look of pure fury his way, and he had to stop himself from flinching. She exuded a raw power he’d never encountered in a slave or a female before. It would be a challenge worthy of him taming her, and he relished the chance to get started.
“You must understand your old life is over,” he said in a more conciliatory tone. “Here in the Rogue Zone, the Vakrallan Dominance is the only true power and the Vakrallan Warrior Caste is the only law. Your people will not dare venture into our territory uninvited and ordinary Earthlings are warned to stay away from this part of space. You should know that. Why did you come here?”
“I was looking for a story,” Zalla replied bitterly, “some big scoop to make a name for myself with the News Corp. I figured an expose of uncharted Rogue Zone would make my career. Guess I was wrong.”
Draz nodded and edged closer. She had started to calm down and it was time for him to make his move. “Your life here will not be so bad,” he said, breathing in the sweet scent of her perfume. “Seon will tell you I treat my slaves well, and you will have a life of ease and luxury if you please me. There are many females who would be envious of your exalted position.”
That seemed to be the wrong thing to say. Her body stiffened and she glared at him. “Yes, I am so lucky,” she said caustically. “I’m sure every girl dreams of being kidnapped and kept locked away to be used as a sex toy by a savage thug.”
“Enough!” Draz snarled, losing control. He advanced on her and grabbed her arms. This was the first time since purchasing her at the market that he’d actually touched her body.
The feel of her flesh through the flimsy silk material of the robe sent shockwaves of desire through his body. His cock groaned and longed to be released, longed to be inside her.
“You are mine,” he said huskily. “You will enjoy it more if you don’t resist.”
Overcome with desire, he leaned forward and kissed the beautiful white skin above her breasts. His hands moved down to her hips and he squeezed and fondled them, pulling her closer to him.
Exploring her was more satisfying than he had imagined, and moving away from her chest, he nuzzled her soft hair, breathing in her scent before trailing kisses along her neck. His erection swelled with mounting urgency grinding into her.
There was a sudden, jarring pain as her kneecap lurched upwards and connected hard with his balls. He let out a strangled gasp and loosened his grip on her. She scratched him hard across the side of his face and struggled free of him altogether.
“Bitch!” he roared as she scampered across the room.
In two wide strides, he had caught up with her and grabbed her again. Her back to him, she thrashed wildly, refusing to come easily.
“Let me go!” she screamed at the top of her voice. “Bastard!”
“I love you too,” he yelled back. “Stop struggling, will you!”
“Get off me!” she cried out again and waved her arms around.
Gritting his teeth, he scooped her off her feet and carried her toward the bed. She was as ferocious as a sand jaguar on heat, and it was making him excited again. She had a fire in her that he’d never seen before. Their lovemaking would be tremendous.
“Calm down,” he ordered. “You’re only making things harder on yourself!”
She snarled something unintelligible, but no doubt it was offensive, and kept struggling. He had the upper hand now though and his strength easily outmatched her defiance.
Turning her around to face him, he thrust her onto the bed and pinned her down on it with the weight of his body. Unable to break free, her struggles became weaker. She stared up at him in defiance, but there were tears in her eyes. All of a sudden, she started to cry.
“Get on with it then,” she sobbed. “I can’t stop you!”
Looking down at her so pitiful and miserable, Draz abruptly lost his sexual appetite. She trembled beneath him and her terror of being touched by him was like a knife to his pride. His raging erection shrivelled in his thong, and a tidal wave of shame washed over him. The emotion left him reeling in shock.
He was a high-ranking member of the Vakrallan Warrior Caste, a champion of the battlefield and of the bedchamber. Anything he wanted, he only had to take. No one could stop him and no one would dare, but this feeble, weeping woman had more power over him than the strongest of any opponent.
He knew at that moment, he couldn’t take this any further. If he forced her to give in to him, she would hate him for all time and that was something he could not bear to endure. He wanted, no, he needed her to consent. He needed her to love him.
He stared down at her a while longer as she cried, her body wracked by the exertion. All the physical and emotional turmoil she’d endured since being captured was pouring out of her in a relentless maelstrom of agony. He suddenly wondered if this was how all slaves felt.
A chill went through him and he slowly climbed off her. Her sobbing diminished as she realized he was backing away and she blinked away her tears and stared at him in confusion. Without a word, he turned and marched out of the room.
Chapter 3: A New Strategy
Zalla must have been pushed past the point of exhaustion because she didn’t remember falling asleep. She woke suddenly, lying in the silken folds of a huge bed, not knowing where she was.
Memory quickly returned to her and she groaned. It hadn’t been some kind of terrible nightmare. She was still a slave, trapped in a remote, alien world.
She sat up in the bed and looked around her. She was still dressed in the flattering robe Seon had put her in, and, more importantly, she was alone.
She replayed the scene with Draz and how he’d held her down so he could have his way with her. She’d felt how excited he was and was sure he would have gone all the way no matter how hard she struggled. But, just when she thought the point of no return had come, he had simply got off her and walked away!
Sold to the Warlord (Astral Heat Book 2) Page 2