Trained for Their Use

by Ivy Barrett

  Loax woke during the shuttle ride, grumpy and restless. Rentar couldn’t blame him for his bad attitude. Desperately wanting Amanda, yet not being able to take her, had left him pretty damn grumpy himself.

  “What did you do all day?” Loax went to the small eating area as soon as he entered their suite and poured himself a drink, then he joined Rentar in the outer room. Each bedroom had its own bathroom, and a railed balcony wrapped around the corner of the lodge. Shuttle parking was available in an adjacent lot, but Rentar had sent their shuttle back to the Aganista, in case it was needed during their absence.

  “How many times did you fuck her?” With his usual directness, Loax dove right to the heart of the matter.

  “Thanks to my selfish brother, who couldn’t keep his cock out of our shared companion, that would be none.”

  Loax had the decency to look ashamed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t harm her, did I?”

  “I treated her with ointment. She should be good as new by the time she wakes up.”

  “If I make it that long,” Loax grumbled. “I’m still hard as a rock.”

  “As am I. And my orvatta has been smoldering since I walked into your bedroom and caught her scent. Still, we are not going to attack her like a couple of—”

  “Animals in rut?” Challenge raised his brows and defiance burned in his gaze.

  Rentar refused to back down. “We might be in rut, but we’re not mindless animals. Our companion deserves respect and caring.”

  “And hard fucking and discipline.” When Rentar just glared at him, Loax persisted, “Did you make her wear an anal trainer? Her ass is really tight.”

  “I did. She obediently wore it until right before we boarded the shuttle.” Lust curled through Rentar as he remembered her reaction when he had taken the trainer out. He hadn’t been able to resist teasing her with the toy before he pulled it free, and the gentle slide in and out of her ass soon had her rocking her hips. He sped the motion gradually, and she came without clitoral stimulation for the first time. She was so ready for his cock. It had just about killed him to keep his promise and wait to take her until Loax was present.

  “Did you spank her?”

  “Yes,” he reluctantly admitted.

  “Did she provoke you until you had no choice?”

  He hated to fuel Loax’s obsession, but his brother happened to be right. “I don’t think she fully realized what she was doing. It was instinctual, and she cried afterward. What the hell is that about? And she cries almost every time she comes.”

  “Guilt. Each time we discipline her, it peels away another layer of her past. We’re freeing her from a lifetime of shame and sexual repression. She wants it, even needs it, but it’s hard on her.”

  Rentar nodded, but he wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about the justification as his brother. “I don’t like seeing her so upset. However, I found a strategy that seemed to allay some of her misgivings.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “I equated our contract to a human marriage agreement and it helped her accept how she is feeling.”

  Loax’s gaze narrowed as he drained his glass. “There are similarities.”

  “If she thinks of us as her husbands rather than her employers, the paradigm shifts enough to allow her to relax and enjoy the pleasures we share.”

  “I have no problem with that.” He set the glass aside and rolled his shoulders. “To be honest with you this feels more like courting a mate than training a companion.”

  Rentar stilled as he looked into his brother’s eyes. “I feel it too. I don’t understand how it’s possible, but my body is telling me she’s our mate.”

  “I felt it from the start.” Loax grinned. “I just wanted to see if you came to the same conclusion.”

  “So what do we do now? It’s still obvious that she intends to leave us.”

  Loax shrugged, but Rentar didn’t believe his nonchalance. Once Loax set his mind to something, he never backed down. “We spend the next twenty-eight days convincing Amanda she can’t live without us.”

  Chapter Seven

  Amanda woke up in a strange bed, surrounded by strange sounds and unfamiliar smells. Panic sent her pulse racing for just a moment before it all came rushing back. She was at Shadow Mountain Lodge with her two Ventori Defenders. She was their carnal companion, their mistress, their… wife? Rentar’s sly suggestion tempted her to revel in the justification and slip the noose her grandmother had placed around her neck.

  If they’d committed to each other, formed a legally binding union, was that any different than many marriages? But they didn’t love each other. Even that argument felt superficial. She hardly knew these exotic males, yet she felt connected to them, was attracted to them more powerfully than she’d ever been to a human.

  Maybe love felt different with a Ventori.

  She shook away the useless thought and crawled out of bed. She now wore a calf-length, pull-on skirt and warm socks as well as an oversized undershirt. Rentar must have dressed her while she slept. As Loax had warned, she had been denied panties, which made her feel exposed despite the new layers of clothing. She crossed the room and eased open the door, peering out into the adjacent living room. She appeared to be alone and she wasn’t sure if she was relieved or concerned by the discovery. She didn’t even know where Shadow Mountain Lodge was located.

  She was back on Earth. Her teeth pressed into her lower lip as she considered the possibilities. This might be her only chance to escape them. But did she want to escape? Where would she go? No one would help her unless she deceived them about why she was in danger. If she broke her contract, she would end up running from two angry Ventori Defenders as well as her father’s enemy.

  Movement drew her gaze to the French doors across the room from where she stood. Loax stood there, long black hair rippling in the evening breeze. He spotted her and smiled as he pulled open one of the doors. His pale skin made his red-and-black eyes even more luminous and contrasted sharply with his black lips. “I was coming to wake you. The food just arrived.”

  She started to say she wasn’t hungry, just to be obstinate, but her stomach growled, branding her a liar. Quickly taking in her surroundings as she crossed the room, she noticed the stripped log construction and exposed timbers holding up the roof. Had this once been some wealthy man’s hunting lodge? Despite their rustic appearance, the rooms were large and luxurious.

  Loax motioned her out onto the wide-railed balcony and she paused, transfixed by the beauty surrounding them. Rugged mountains encircled the lodge on three sides, while a small town spread out in the valley below. Red stone buildings and connected storefronts made the town seem old-fashioned.

  “Where are we?” She followed Loax to the patio table that rested at one end of the balcony.

  “Steamboat Springs, Colorado,” Rentar told her as Loax sat her in the chair facing his.

  She tried to hide her excitement. They hadn’t just brought her back to Earth. They’d brought her to the state where she grew up and spent the majority of her life. She’d been living in Kansas City, Missouri, for the past two years, but Colorado would always feel like home. She knew people here—people who would be endangered if they helped a fugitive. Her excitement deflated as quickly as it had formed.

  “It’s really pretty up here.” She glanced around again and noticed the bare ski slopes visible in the distance. “I thought most of the resort towns had been deserted.”

  “They have.” Loax sat next to his brother and motioned toward her glass. “Wine or water?”

  With both of them awake and focused on her, she had no doubt she’d need a little liquid courage. “Wine.”

  “Our leaders requested an area or areas we could use for short periods of recreation. Your government created three Ventori ‘Reserves.’ This is the largest.”

  An odd catch in his tone made her ask, “You don’t appreciate the label?”

  “Endangered animals are held o
n reserves,” Loax grumbled. “I find the term insulting.” He filled her glass with rich red wine, then motioned toward the covered dishes arranged in the middle of the table. “This place caters to Ventori, so they don’t serve human food. Have you ever tasted Ventori cuisine?”

  “Just once. Rentar ordered breakfast on the ship.” Many on Earth were obsessed with their alien defenders, but Amanda had tried to minimize her contact with all of it. Her life was chaotic enough without pondering the mysteries of the universe.

  “Do you prefer sweet and tangy?” Loax lifted one of the silver domes. “Or spicy?” He lifted another.

  Rentar shook his head as he pointed to the dish that looked more or less like a stir-fry. “Senartia is too spicy for you.” He motioned toward the sliced meat with a pale yellow sauce. “Try the brictorin.”

  “She can try whatever she likes,” Loax objected. “Do you like spicy food?”

  She looked at the unfamiliar dish then at the concern clearly displayed on Rentar’s handsome face. “Depends how spicy.”

  “Too spicy.”

  Rentar’s insistence engaged her stubborn streak. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  Loax laughed and scooped a small helping onto her plate. “It really is spicy, so take a small bite to see if you like it.”

  Her confidence was somewhat shaken when he quickly filled her water glass and set it within reach. She picked up her fork and speared a small morsel, then shook off most of the sauce. Suddenly wishing she hadn’t been quite so stubborn, she put the bite in her mouth and waited for the explosion of flavor. Instead, the heat built gradually.

  “It’s not bad. It’s rather like sriracha chili or…” The heat continued to build with each word until she was gasping for breath. She downed half her water, panted, then drank the rest. “I barely took a bite. How do you stand that?”

  “I tried to warn you.” Rentar sounded compassionate, but he was clearly trying not to laugh.

  Loax didn’t even try to hide his amusement. He filled her plate with the other entrée then added steamed vegetables and some sort of cubed fruit. The colors and shapes were different from the food found on Earth, but it was easy to deduce the basic nature of each dish.

  The sliced meat, brictorin, was pleasant. Rather like sweet and sour chicken. To her astonishment both males piled their plates high with senartia and gobbled it down as if it were nothing special.

  “None of these ingredients are available on Earth,” Amanda noted. “How does the lodge create Ventori cuisine?”

  “They have a DoxGenator, a device that transforms energy into matter. Each of our ships has some version of the device. Fresh produce and spare parts are rather hard to come by in space,” Rentar explained in between bites of food.

  She nodded even though she had no idea how such a thing was possible. “Could I have some more wine?”

  Loax arched his brow, a hint of a smile curving his black lips. “Are you worried about tonight?”

  His tone was light and teasing, but she refused to cower before anyone. “I’m not afraid of you or Rentar. I’m just thirsty.”

  “Good.” His smile vanished. “The last thing we want is your fear.” A particularly strong breeze caught Loax’s hair, streaming it out to one side. It was bound at the nape of his neck, but the rest of the waist-long mass was loose. “This is why I keep it braided.” He gathered it over his shoulder and quickly wove it into a thick plait, but he had nothing on hand with which to bind it.

  “Is it just a preference or is there a reason you’ve let it grow so long?” She hadn’t seen many Ventori, but most of the ones she had seen wore their hair short.

  “I…” He turned his head and stared out into the distance, his face becoming an expressionless mask.

  She looked at Rentar. “Was it rude to ask?”

  Rather than answer her question, he asked Loax, “May I explain?”

  With a tense nod, Loax gave him permission.

  “A particularly vicious Skarilian commander led the attack on our village. Our father was on the high council, so our family was singled out. The Skarilian raiders…” He paused for a deep breath then rushed through the rest of the explanation. “They tortured our father, raped our mother, as well as Loax’s mate, before killing everyone and burning the entire village to the ground. They forced our youngest brother to watch, then left him alive so he could report what had taken place. The commander wanted to make sure we learned every detail.”

  But what about the younger brother? Was he still alive? Before she could muster the courage to ask, Loax continued the explanation.

  “If a Skarilian is unsuccessful in battle, he is not allowed to cut his hair.” Loax’s tone was harsh and low. “It’s an outward sign of his failure, his shame. I vowed not to cut my hair until the man who decimated my world dies at the end of my blade.” He flipped his hair over his shoulders with a disgusted sigh. “I’ve searched for the bastard for twelve long years and haven’t even been able to learn his name.”

  “He’s likely dead by now.” Rentar emphasized the fact with a level of frustration that hinted at repetition. “The life cycle for Skarilians is only forty years and they fight with utter abandon. You need to let it go. This bitterness isn’t hurting anyone but you. No one can change the past.”

  She felt sick and ashamed that she’d brought up something so incredibly painful. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

  “You didn’t know.” Loax reached across the table and touched her hand.

  And yet grief still shadowed his gaze. As Rentar said, Loax needed to let go of the tragedy.

  Amanda sighed. Could anyone really let go of something that horrible?

  “Is your younger brother still alive?” Perhaps there was a flicker of light in the darkness.

  “Yes,” Rentar told her. “He serves aboard the Rynatta, but refuses to speak with us. He claims that the only way he can be happy is to sever all ties with the past. We reluctantly abide by his wishes.”

  So much for the flicker of light. “Again, I’m sorry I brought it up.”

  The carnage on Earth had been bad enough, but it was nothing compared to what the Skarilians had done to Ventor. She knew people who had died in the raids, but no one close to her had… that could be because she didn’t let anyone get close to her. Never had and never would. Trust led to betrayal, and betrayal to heartbreak. It was simply easier to push everyone away.

  “It was a long time ago.” Loax drew his arm back and put his hands in his lap.

  “Even so,” she reiterated, “I apologize for being so nosey. Your past is none of my business.”

  “I disagree,” Rentar told her. “Having a basic understanding of the forces that shaped our lives will help you understand who we are today.”

  “So tell her about Bollina,” Loax countered, his tone low and challenging.

  Rentar tensed, but obliged. “Bollina is one among millions who lost their lives during the massacre.”

  Loax scoffed. “She was more than that and you know it.”

  Easily guessing where this was headed, she said, “You don’t have to—”

  “It’s fine. Unlike Loax, I don’t mind talking about the ones we lost that day. It helps keep them alive in my memory. My courtship of Bollina had barely begun, but it’s likely she would have become my mate if the Skarilians hadn’t attacked our planet.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss, and I’m sorry I can’t do more than repeat that pathetic phrase.” No longer hungry, she pushed her plate aside.

  “There is much you can do to ease our pain,” Loax argued, “but you’re afraid to make yourself vulnerable.”

  Wonderful. She’d pissed them off and now they wanted to play? Could her timing have been any worse? “I’m not afraid of you. If you’d wanted to harm me, you would have done so by now.”

  “It’s not the threat of harm that frightens you.” Loax pushed back from the table and stood. “You’re terrified
by how much you need to be controlled.”

  “No one needs to be controlled. I choose to obey because my contract obligates me to do what you tell me. There is nothing more to it than that.”

  He chuckled as he stalked toward her, his stride loose, eyes slightly narrowed. “If you say so.” He always looked more dangerous than Rentar, but he looked particularly menacing at the moment. “Will you do what I tell you without hesitation or argument?”

  The sun was beginning to set and the breeze cooled her flushed cheeks. “It depends what you ask me to do.”

  He shook his head. “Do you want to ease my pain?”

  “Yes.” Her mouth felt dry as she tried to lick her lips.

  “Then agree to obey me without hesitation or argument.”

  “Fine.” She crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed by his persistence. “I’ll obey you.”

  “Undress. Looking at your body comforts me.”

  She looked around. No one was on the adjacent balconies at the moment, but that could change in an instant. Besides, it was quickly growing cold as the sun sank behind the mountains. “Can we go inside?” She knew the answer before he spoke. This was a test and already she was failing.

  “No.” He said nothing more, just stood there waiting for her to comply.

  She looked at Rentar, hoping he’d intervene. He sat back, legs crossed, sipping his wine.

  “I’ll be happy to undress if we step inside, out of this wind.” As if to reinforce her point, she shivered. But, in truth, it was a mixture of anticipation and anxiety that caused the reaction.

  “What happens if you argue with me?”

  She sighed. It always came back to this. She could obey without qualification or risk punishment. “I’m not arguing with you. I’m requesting a compromise.”

  “Answer the question.” The prompting came from Rentar rather than Loax.