You’re right. You do deserve to be punished. Get ready to bend over and have that naughty little ass you’re showing us spanked long and hard, just like you asked
.
The words were suddenly there, clear as a bell inside her head. But the voice wasn’t hers. It was a familiar low growl that made her pussy clench. Kyra stared up in disbelief as her opponents came closer and the rays of Tanis Major’s suns hit the amethyst-colored discs embedded in their bare chests.
Chapter Twelve
She let out a shocked cry, cut off midway when Jynn growled at her. This time out loud, his voice pitched so only she could hear.
“The crowd expects a show. You have to follow our lead if we’re all going to make it out of here in one piece. Fight us, Kyra. Don’t be afraid to draw blood.”
He and Jax began circling her as he went on. “We’re going to fight you back, and you’re going to lose. Then, by all the Sacred Ones, I swear I’m going to put you over my knee right here in the center of the ring and spank your ass good and hard while two hundred thousand spectators cheer me on. And, when I’m finished, Jax is going to take his turn. Now get up. Get up and fight as though your life depended on it.”
She sprang to her feet and backed away from him, only to let out a squeal when Jax came up behind her and smacked her backside with the flat of his sword. She whirled, slashing out at him. He twisted away, easily avoiding her, as Jynn snuck up and flipped up her skirt with the edge of his sword. He used his broad palm to deliver a whack hard enough for the crowd to hear it land on her bare bottom. Kyra flushed with embarrassment as the spectators roared their approval.
She didn’t know how they tracked her down, how they arranged to be her opponents for the final round. What she did know was that she needed to get her head in the game and start fighting in earnest. This comedy show with her as the butt of the joke wouldn’t please the crowd much longer. They were hungry for a big finish to the day. Plenty of blood and gore with a dramatic display of graphic sex for the grand finale. She knew if Bophe got worried about the show they were putting on, he’d send his collection of wild beasts in to tear all three of them limb from limb. He always said carnage was a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
Kyra went back to what she did best – darting around the arena, performing an array of airborne whirls and twirls where she came down slashing at her opponents. The audience cheered her on. She caught Jax on the upper arm, and he raised it in the air, displaying a trail of dripping blood to the spectators. The sight only seemed to whet their appetite.
“I’m sorry!” she cried out without thinking, then cursed her stupidity. Luckily, with the din of the crowd, only Jax and Jynn heard her.
“No, don’t be sorry. That was good. You need to do even more,” Jax muttered.
Jynn stepped in, telegraphed a move she easily dodged, and left himself open for her to take a swipe across his back. She tried to make it a shallow cut, but she wasn’t experienced enough to control the force of her blow. She felt the blade sink in. He groaned and went down on one knee.
Horrified at what she’d done, Kyra tossed her sword aside and ran to him. Jax covered for her, diving forward and grabbing her around the waist so it looked like she’d dropped her sword fleeing from him. With one smooth move, he tossed her over Jynn’s bent knee. He finished by running the tip of his sword through the fabric of her skirt and ripping it off her, then waving it at the crowd like a red flag of victory.
Kyra didn’t realize what he’d done until Jynn’s hand came down on her bare bottom. She cried out in surprise.
“Good. Keep on screaming.”
It was easy to comply when he started smacking her harder than he’d ever done. The noise of the audience faded, her vision dimmed, as her entire being focused on the raging inferno he was igniting on her tender backside. She shrieked and kicked in earnest, no longer playing a part.
“You said you wanted to be spanked long and hard while you begged for our forgiveness,” Jynn reminded her. “I don’t hear any begging yet.”
“You… you couldn’t have heard me,” she gasped, wriggling wildly. “Even if you were nearby. I never said it out loud!”
“Oh, I heard you,” he replied as he held her down firmly with one hand and delivered an even harder volley of whacks with the other. “We both did. The same way you heard me when I walked into the ring just now and promised to deliver that spanking.”
She struggled, but his arm had her pinned against his body, head down and bottom tilted up over his thigh.
“H… ooow!” Her one-word question turned into a shrill cry.
He never missed a beat. Kept on walloping her, the harsh spanks at odds with his tender words. “Our essence already flows through your body, carried there by our gyron. When you called out to us from the depths of your soul, you opened your heart and allowed our essence to meld with yours. Through the Bond, your mind connected with our minds.”
Jax came over and grabbed a fistful of her hair. “Enough with the Bonding and the essence and the open hearts,” he growled, thrusting his groin in her face as a cover while he chided Jynn. “This crowd is getting restless. Play-acting won’t work. They want to see our cocks fuck the naked human in every hole she has. Don’t get me wrong. I want that, too, but by the Sacred Ones, I don’t plan on doing it for the entertainment of the most vile beings in the galaxy. We need to get out of here. Now.”
“Kyra, it’s time for one of your dazzling moves. Jynn will let you go for a moment while he uncovers his cock. Push off with your foot in his groin, vault over me, and head for Bophe’s entrance to the arena. Jynn will groan and crumple to the ground, giving you a head start. I’ll yank him to his feet, and we’ll chase you. Instead of catching you, we’ll follow you inside. We’ll have a few seconds to make our escape before everyone realizes we’re not going to be dragging you back into the ring.”
Jax reached for the hem of his tunic with his other hand. Pulling it up, he displayed his rigid manhood to the approving crowd then wrapped his hand around it and brought it to Kyra’s lips. “Fight me. And make it look real,” he warned.
She tossed her head from side to side, howling and screeching as she pummeled his thighs and abdomen with her fists. The moment she felt the pressure of Jynn’s arm easing, she opened her mouth and bit Jax’s cock.
The look of shock on his face was genuine. She yanked her head away and reared up. Planting one foot in Jynn’s crotch, then the other squarely in the center of his chest, she sailed over both their heads and sprinted toward the opening in the stone wall.
The crowd went wild, cheering this new twist to the show. Jynn played his part, cursing and crumpling to the ground with both hands covering his groin. Jax pulled him to his feet, and he waved a fist as they ran after her, with the audience laughing and jeering at them both.
All three dashed toward the opening in the stone wall, Kyra in the lead. Bophe had been watching the spectacle from his vantage point in the shaded passageway. When Kyra appeared in front of him, he moved faster than his stunned guards. He stepped out to block her path with his arms spread wide – and dropped like a stone when Ceres bashed him in the back of the head with the enormous wine jug.
Kyra grinned at her and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.”
They ran down the hall with the guards in pursuit. Behind them, Jax and Jynn caught up with Bophe’s men and slammed them into the stone walls. Both guards collapsed on the ground. Jynn stopped long enough to scoop up their swords, tossed one to his twin, and pounded down the dimly lit hall after Kyra and the young slave.
Kyra was lost in the maze of narrow corridors, but Ceres had been in the arena often enough to know her way around. “This way,” she called out, leading them deeper down the twisting passageways.
Kyra caught a whiff of a vile stench and knew they must be near the cells where Bophe’s vicious beasts were locked up. Shouts in the distance warned them the alarm had been sounded. Soon, dozens of guards would be combing the lower level
s, searching for them.
“There’s an old service elevator ahead,” Ceres panted. “That’s how they get food and water down here for the beasts. We’ll take it to the loading dock above. The arena vendors will all be there, packing up. We can steal one of their transport vehicles.”
Kyra muttered a heartfelt prayer of thanks to Ceres’ goddess. The moment she’d seen the girl, she’d known she couldn’t leave her there. But she’d never dreamed their escape would rest in the hands of the young slave she’d befriended.
They could hear the guards getting closer. They raced past dark cells filled with snarling, roaring creatures who threw themselves at the cell doors as they flew by.
“Up ahead. That’s it.” Ceres pointed to a dark opening that could have been the metal cage of another fierce creature, with the doors yawning open. They piled, in and she pulled a lever. With a horrid series of creaks and groans, the floor began rising.
At the other end of the long passage, figures came into view. Shouts rang out.
“Stop them!”
The ancient elevator moved so slowly it was clear they’d never make it to the next level before the guards were upon them. Jynn moved to the opening, ready to shield the others with his body. Before he could stop her, Ceres slipped past him and jumped out. She dashed down the corridor and began opening cell doors, taking cover behind each one as she worked her way back to the elevator.
Dark shadows poured out, leaping and snarling as they headed toward the guards.
The elevator started moving faster. Jynn threw himself onto his stomach, stretching both hands out.
“That’s enough! Hurry!”
Ceres ran full out back toward them then jumped. Jynn caught her wrists and pulled her up as the first bloodcurdling scream echoed off the ancient stone walls.
Chapter Thirteen
Kyra tossed herself onto the thick mattress in the twins’ quarters with a sigh.
“Ceres is settled in. I have her bunking with the other females, for now. Yenna and Esme will take good care of her. They’ve been frantic about what’s happening to their own daughters. Fussing over Ceres will make them feel like they’re doing something useful, instead of spending all their time worrying.”
Jax sat down beside her and took her hand. “It must have been hard for you to face all their questions. Were they upset when you told them you had no word about their loved ones?”
“Very much so.” Kyra shook her head. “I feel like I’ve failed them – and my crew members. The only thing I managed to do by running off with that disgusting little alien was to put all our lives in danger and slow down the search. Delta and Aura and the others were never on Tanis Major.”
Jax and Jynn exchanged glances. She knew what that meant.
She sat up on the bed. “Okay. I don’t need to have the Bond working to know you’re keeping something from me. What is it?”
“We used… all our means of persuasion… to get information from the slave traders we questioned while we were searching for you.”
Jynn chose his words carefully, leaving their methods to Kyra’s imagination. In the past she might have demanded details and then objected on humanitarian grounds when she heard how they’d managed to extract the information. But, after seeing the cruelty slavers like Bophe were capable of, she couldn’t muster up any sympathy for aliens who made their living buying and selling other sentient beings.
“What did you find out?”
Jax raised the ridge where his left eyebrow would have been if he had any body hair. “You expect us to tell you and risk having you concoct another wild scheme? You haven’t exactly proved your trustworthiness. In fact, we have some unfinished business with you.”
“Unfinished business?”
His voice dropped an octave. Became an ominous rumble in his chest. “I’m referring to that punishment spanking you said you deserved.”
“If you’ll recall, Jynn took care of that back at the arena,” she declared. “As for the new information, I don’t blame you for wanting to keep me out of the loop. Can you at least tell me if you picked up any leads on where the others might be?”
“Since you’ll be confined to quarters for the next two weeks for going AWOL on Botryl XR, I suppose there’s no harm in telling you this much. By the time we finished with them, our informants were eager to give us information on every human female they’d ever heard of. We know which Rapture Dome Saige was sold to. It’s on an asteroid currently traveling through the Consolis Sector. And we have a solid lead on Delta and Aura’s whereabouts.”
“That’s wonderful! Wait… did you just say I’m to be confined to my quarters for two weeks? I know technically I was AWOL, but that’s because I—”
“Enough!” This time it was Jynn who spoke. He snapped out the single word in a tone that sent a wickedly arousing shiver up Kyra’s spine. “It is only by the grace of the Sacred Ones that you are here with us right now. My brother and I were fortunate enough to track you to Tanis Major in time to hear you would be competing in the arena as a member of Bophe’s stable. Luckily, none of the other slave owners have any ties to the arena Master. We were able to make a deal with one of the owners whose team was slated to fight for the right to claim you in the final round. He was happy to collect double what he’d have earned on that match and walk away with his team unharmed to compete another day.”
“Unfortunately, our opponents in that match couldn’t be bought off,” Jax added. “We had to defeat them fair and square. They were very tough competitors. Had I not been a cyborg, I’m not sure I would have survived the injury one of them inflicted.” He glanced down at a fresh scar on his chest, right above the glowing amethyst disc. The edges bore the raw red marks of recent laser sealing.
Kyra blanched. Jax and Jynn had tended to their wounds as soon as they all got back to the Luna. The slashes and gashes she’d inflicted on them, though minor, had covered them both with blood. She’d been so consumed with guilt over hurting them she couldn’t bear to look at it, so she hadn’t seen the stab wound. When they walked into the arena to face her, both twins had been coated with a layer of sweat and dirt from their last bout, so she hadn’t noticed any blood on him then, either.
“You almost died because of me? I had no idea!” Her voice broke. “Oh, Jax, I’m so sorry!”
He shrugged. “You can’t kill someone by stabbing him in the heart when he no longer has a heart.”
A typical brother, Jynn couldn’t let that comment go without taking the opportunity to taunt his twin. “Don’t waste too much sympathy on him. There was some doubt as to whether he had a heart to begin with!”
This was the first time either of them had brought up the topic of their cyborg modifications. She chose her next words carefully. “I’ve heard several rumors about what happened. Can you share the story with me?”
Jynn’s voice lost its mocking tone. “You’ll never hear it from my brother, so I might as well tell you. I was hit by a photon blast during a battle on the Nazion asteroid. We were pinned down by enemy fire, and the battlefield medics had very few resources available. My brother told the doctors to take what they needed from his body to save my life. My heart was damaged beyond repair, but they managed to keep me alive until we could get away, thanks to him. After we got home, I underwent modifications, including having it replaced by a power crystal.” He waved a hand toward the glowing disc in his chest.
“After donating body parts to me, my brother needed several of his organs replicated as well,” he went on. “The sentimental fool told the doctors to replace his heart, too, while they were at it, so we’d still be identical twins.”
“A wise choice, as it turned out,” Jax shot back. “Otherwise, I’d be fodder for the beasts back at the arena right now. Besides, I figured females would be attracted by a glowing disc. I didn’t want him getting all the attention!”
Kyra could read between the lines. Her eyes widened. Jax, the one who always came across as the gruffer, tougher twin,
had chosen to have his heart removed so Jynn wouldn’t spend the rest of his life feeling like a freak. He’d willingly turned himself into a cyborg for love of his brother.
She threw her arms around his neck. “That’s the most beautiful, selfless act I’ve ever heard of. I think you’re wonderful!”
Jax shot her a devilish grin. “We’ll see if you say that in a little while.” He patted his lap. “Time for discipline, little human. There’s still the matter of punishing you for breaking a Tharan rule. You were right. Jynn got his turn in the arena – but I haven’t had mine yet. ‘Spank me long and hard, while I beg you for forgiveness.’ I believe that’s what you said, wasn’t it?”
She swallowed nervously. She had said it. Meant the words with all her heart. She’d told the Universe the twins were the best thing that ever happened to her. Wished they could hear how she felt about them. Fate had intervened and given her another chance at happiness with them.
Now, all she had to do was find the courage to trust both her body and her heart to these aliens. They weren’t just residents of a world she’d never seen. These beings were part machine. Cold hard warriors. They’d killed Bophe’s guards without hesitation. If she Mated with the Tharans, they’d demand her obedience. Her complete submission.
Jax sat silent, waiting for her to make the first move. She knew he’d never force her. She could call an end to this and go back to her room. He and Jynn would be hurt and upset, but they’d see that she was delivered safely to Tharon so she could arrange to be transported back to Earth. Back with her own people. Other humans.
But it was because of another human that she was here right now. Magnus. A human who kidnapped women and children, who sold them into slavery, who raped and murdered. Not just alien beings, but his own kind.
From the beginning, Jax and Jynn had showed her caring and affection, made her feel like part of their family. These aliens took on the task of protecting her, even when she railed against their rules. When she disappeared, they tracked her across the galaxy and risked their lives to rescue her. They might not hail from Earth, but they’d shown more humanity than any beings she’d encountered in a long time.
Theirs to Tame: A Sci-Fi Alien Dark Romance: Tharan Warrior Menage Book 2 Page 10