If not him...someone else would step up. Fuck that.
He’d thought he’d adapted to this place, become jaded and used to people being slaves or dying on a whim.
This was a dog-eat-dog world. Time to become one of the dogs.
After all...and he smiled at his own analogy...only the dogs got to fuck the bitches.
He rose, feeling the wounds awaken, the pain.
Earth morals were for Earth.
He limped to her with the belt still in hand, her belt. He raised it high and placed the loop of over her head, slowly sliding it down, pausing over her eyes, at her nose then moving down until he reached her mouth, where he wriggled it between her lips. “Open.”
He felt the hesitation in her, but he was crowding her from behind with his body, and she was trapped. He could force her mouth open and she knew this.
She could try to resist. It just meant nothing.
When the belt moved under his hand, he saw she’d opened wide enough for the leather to slip between her teeth. So easily, he found himself happy in a quiet triumphant way. The wounds she’d caused him only vindicated his actions.
He tightened the belt, his fist gathering it at the back of her neck, until it pulled into the corners of her mouth. He waited then, listening to the tiny sounds of her trying to breathe around the belt, watching her...all her small movements.
He’d teach her to obey without question.
The things he could do to a girl he owned.
She might not want to be his, but she was.
She might try to knife him, might aim to kill him and escape. He’d overcome, with time and patience and a sensible use of restraints, rewards, and punishments.
One obstacle only, really. He had to break her of this strange power she had over men.
He plastered his bloody palm over her eyes. Belt in mouth, hand over eyes, it only added to her beauty, seeing her this overcome by his force.
“If I’d asked,” he whispered, “Zarr would’ve given me any slave girl. After all I gave him the mech. But I wanted you. You’re going to be like conquering Everest – and I know you don’t know what that means.” Her eyelashes fluttered against his palm, and her mouth worked, but he only held her tighter. “When I’m done with you, you’re going to crawl to me when called. You’re going to suck my cock when I say. You will be my pretty sex doll.”
Her breathing roughened, and she attempted to talk. He chuckled.
“Was that a death threat? Promise? You are so innocent looking with your neat white hair and bouncy tits. You fooled Sassik, but there you were before, trying to obliterate me with a rocket. That I figure gives me permission to do what I want to you. Once I heal, we are going to have some long conversations involving me, you, and things shoved up your asshole.”
The cut on his thigh was bleeding again, warm wetness spreading, trickling.
“Sassik! Come and get her. We are done here!”
“Coming! You are both alive? You want me to carry you or her?”
“Alive? Yes! Carry me?” He laughed. “Fuck no. Her!” Then he said to Ari, “My leg had better not fall off because of you, little bitch.”
He released her mouth and her eyes, and she had the good sense to only glare.
“Because if it does, I think I will tell all the Scavs, like Zarr for one, of this effect you have on their balls. What do you think they would do to you?”
He wasn’t sure himself, but probably something bad, and it would make her think before she tried getting all homicidal on him again.
He was possibly going to go to Hell for what he wanted to do to her, let alone for what he’d actually accomplish. But who believed in your own private hell following you to a new world?
Now to pray the physicians here knew what to do with wounds.
Chapter 9
Threats, so many threats.
Sassik had arrived with the truck. The blue headlights fluctuated in strength with the purr of the engine. He’d repeated his offer to carry her to the truck, after he’d helped Saw untie her from the tree. Left with the rope around her wrists but her pants still down, Ari considered his question.
Swaying and feeling dizzy, she decided she should do nothing to provoke these men.
Yet, she was angry. Angry, sad, ready to kick someone in the face if they presented themselves for her. Also scared.
Not wise to resist.
So she asked softly, “Pull my pants up first, please?”
Saw stood before her, looking smug, but favoring one leg from the way he leaned. “Well? Sassik asked you nicely.”
He was ignoring her request? She refused to be manhandled while partly naked.
Her belt dangled from his hand like a small snake. He’d put that in her mouth, and she still hurt from the stretch of her lips. She smelled of his blood. Her forehead and eyelids felt wet from where his fingers had smeared.
So many abominations.
“Answer him.” One eyebrow rose and he twitched the belt. “Now.”
Expecting her to do this...just because he wanted it. Her anger went from embers to sizzle. She raised her head, worked her jaw, wanting to stop herself. She didn’t have courage, just anger. Sometimes anger was enough.
She spat at them both.
Where the droplets went, she wasn’t sure.
Visceral purpose sparked in Saw’s eyes. She couldn’t look away – fascinated by how he scared her. She’d spat on him, and he was going to punish her and enjoy it. Sassik, who held the other end of the rope, would know this too.
As Saw began to circle her, hobbling, she backed away as far as she could, working her mouth for more spit. Why not? If he was going to –
From behind, a big arm wrapped tightly across her breasts and Sassik laughed. His other hand grabbed her face.
After trying to get loose, she gave up, panting. Saw moved in.
“What do you want me to do to her, Saw?”
“You?” His face creased in consternation. “Nothing. I’ll do whatever I do after I’m fixed by a doc. Letting her wait might get her to think.”
Sassik grunted. “You should do something now. It’s best to get them thinking the right way early. This one.” He squeezed, laughing some more as she coughed and struggled to get enough air. “She’s going to need a lot of training.”
“Now?” He sighed, and she thought he swayed. Good, he must be hurting. “You’re right. I’m not thinking straight. She wanted her pants pulled up? Strip her and tie her with her hands at her back. Tie her filthy mouth with her underwear.”
“That all?”
“You’re not beating her for me.”
“Not even her ass? Though she’s less appealing up close.”
Ari grimaced. His arms had relaxed. Least her on-and-off power was working on Sassik, and he’d let her breathe. Being exposed to others. Ugh. Whatever they were going to do she’d bear it. Saw thought she’d knife him? She’d knife him and twist it around and around until she drilled a hole clear through him.
When Sassik began to strip off her clothes with the aid of a knife to cut her shirt and bra, pulling her this way and that, though she seethed inwardly, she shut her mouth and tried not to glare.
Being stripped should not be such a big deal. Maybe it wasn’t. Being made to be naked, with strangers staring at her, and having her underwear jammed in her mouth – that was what she detested. They retied the rope on her wrists so her hands were at her back. Struggling accomplished exactly nothing except to get her hot, sweaty, and smeared with leaf mulch because Sassik pinned her to the ground to finalize the knots.
Once she was hauled to her feet, Saw smiled. “Look at that stare. I can see you’re angry, girl. It’s in your eyes, your mouth, and I know it’s in your head. Sassik, what have you got that I can shove in her cunt? Whatever it is, we should tie it in there.”
She felt herself pale.
“All I have is my knives?”
He guffawed then said, dryly. “Something else.”
“I don’t know.
Food?”
“Find something or I’ll have to use a sharpened fucking branch.”
“Ahhahaha! You are funny, Saw. That is good. I will find something. Let’s go to the truck.”
He patted her on the head then picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. Her hair hung down, swishing against his leg when he swung around quickly. That her hair had leaves and twigs tangled in it was almost as appalling as his big hand splaying over her ass as if it belonged there.
None of her spluttered, panty-muffled curses seemed adequate.
As he walked, Sassik chatted. “We will find you a room in the dead city and you can recover there. Zarr said you were to have whatever you wanted. He doesn’t intend to journey too far inward for a day, maybe. Zarr likes you now he has that mech, but I wouldn’t trust him much. He can go back and forth like a yaya bird on a branch with his decisions – do not tell him I said that, Saw.”
Saw grunted a reply.
“We’ll get you a wonderful physician. And a slave girl to nurse you. And...you can sit on your ass and play with this one.”
Saw snorted. “No nurse.”
“Can I watch?”
“What? Me play with her? No! Though...”
Sassik halted.
She felt a hand in the back of her hair, and her head was forced upward. Saw was there staring at her face.” You’d hate him watching, wouldn’t you?”
This time her glare was hot enough to scorch.
He smiled back, of course. “Yeah. Maybe you can watch.”
Gods. She shut her eyes.
He’d learn. She wasn’t a girl he would want to play with, soon.
Chapter 10
Once Sassik placed Ari in the back of the truck, Saw gingerly hoisted himself aboard and sat on the side bench, looking down at his captive. Sassik had gotten creative and tied her feet together too. The man was enthusiastic. The floor was possibly filthy, though it was difficult to tell in the mild blue light. Since it was corrugated, it was certainly uncomfortable to lie on.
She was naked, of course, and lying on her side. He was careful not to touch her, except with the soles of his boots – one of which was lightly resting over her waist, the other was beside her breast. Watching those tits, the dark circles of her areolas as she breathed was enough to keep his cock happy...her curves lower down too. He sighed, smiling thinly.
She knew he was watching even though she avoided his gaze. Revenge? He couldn’t pin his reasons down as easily as he could her. Somehow...this whole situation was beautiful and might’ve been perfect if he didn’t feel as if he’d been minced.
Surviving a blast like that – he owed that mech. Had it been some sort of automatic, save-the-man programming? He thought not. Even in the small amount of conversation he’d had, the mech seemed genuinely intelligent.
The buzz Ari created gently tugged at his awareness. Fear of men touching her seemed to set it off – he’d fathomed that much. Sitting here and imagining fucking her was as far as he could go, seeing he felt like bits of him might fall off if he moved too fast.
Boot on her only. If he touched her, skin to skin – pow.
His smile tightened. The fun could be in the journey. What a journey this might come to be, and at that hint of possibilities, his dick felt heavier.
“What am I going to do with you? Hmmm?” Now she did look to him, eye to eye. Silent, though the gag wouldn’t be helping.
To the left, Sassik arrived outside the truck, bearing handfuls – he dropped a variety of objects to the floor near her ass end. They rattled. “Knife is still there, sheathed. You could use the hilt end in her. Pilar...” That was a pinkish carrot-like vegetable. “And this is the tool kit. Some things in there would fit.” Sassik leaned on the end of the truck and grinned. “Happy?”
Saw shook his head at the haul. If nothing else this would be mortifying her. Weariness was getting to him, fogging his brain. At waist, he nudged her with his boot, rocking her body. Tied as she was, there wasn’t a lot she could do if they decided to violate her, but maybe enough was enough.
He had her. He’d won, had come out the victor, providing his head or leg didn’t fall off from infection.
“How about...” He grunted and shifted to lessen the pains then used his forefinger to hook the gag aside so she could talk. “How about I give up on this and allow some leniency, if...” Ahh. She was watching intently now. “You apologize for spitting on us.”
It only took a few seconds, to his surprise. Her mouth moved as if she was practicing then she said, “I’m sorry, I spat at you.”
“Both,” Sassik said, still grinning.
She blinked. “Both.”
This was a milestone, psychologically. He waited, to make her think he needed to judge her sincerity. “Accepted. Let’s go, Sassik.”
The ride back to the Scav base, along the crooked, irregular road then down that long ramp, was probably more painful for him than her, but he was damn sure the thoughts running about in her head would surpass his pain. She’d swap in seconds to be him.
He slipped from the truck, with a hop as he landed, waiting for Sassik to retrieve her. Dead middle of the night now, and not many people were wandering about. Only a few guards eyed him, the truck, and Sassik with mild interest, though their attention peaked when Ari was brought out naked and bound.
At the periphery, the yellowish lights were mostly extinguished, and it was so quiet he could hear a distant throb of engines. These had to be run by a generator making electricity. The blue ones, he wasn’t sure what powered those. What fuel did this world have?
The blue ones never seemed to connect to anything, while the yellow ones had definite cables. Being a slave had meant what he’d seen, what he could question easily, had been limited.
He needed to find out more about Aerthe. Being ignorant could lead to fatal mistakes and poor decisions.
The pathway to a room with a bed was strewn with small obstacles. He was having trouble focusing and balancing and had to watch closely to be sure he didn’t trip. Exhaustion hovered. Everything had stopped bleeding, but he was staggering by the time he went through the wide door to a large, rectangular room. Bed, table, and mounds of stuff he barely looked at. Dirt on a hard floor of some speckled ivory color. At the far end were fractured, star-shaped apertures on the wall. They glowed in ivory white and might be windows.
“Excavated recently. It’s all clean.” Sassik gestured about. Ari was still draped over him and her hair swished as he moved. “No skeletons, new bedding, the rotten stuff has been cleaned away. The physician is following us. Those star things that light up? We can’t turn them off.”
“Turn them off?” he croaked.
“Yeah. Whoever made this place made them.”
“How...old?”
“Many years.” Sassik shrugged. “We smashed one and there’s space on the other side that goes up to the sky where the sun comes in, but these work at night too.”
Not Sassik’s ancestors? The man seemed not to care. Maybe these were solar-powered. If they were uranium-powered and irradiating him, he guessed ignorance was bliss.
Even with Ari over his shoulder, Sassik managed to help him to sit on the low bed. It was narrow, and he realized blearily that fitting two on it would be squeezy.
“This one? What do you want done with her?” Sassik deposited Ari on the floor.
He untied her ankles while he waited for Saw to answer. Saw frowned, brain muzzy. What should he do with a naked Ari?
A physician came through the door with a battered sort-of briefcase in hand. He opened it on the low table then laid out needles and suture thread on a cloth. The only bottle that might have been antiseptic, the man took a swig from – Largo, wasn’t that his name?
All the talk of skeletons and excavation had his mind running about, wondering. He could ask later, he decided, as the doc approached his thigh, curved needle in hand.
“Lie on your side.”
“Sterilized?” Didn’t hurt to ask.
“None of that.”
“Fantastic.”
The swoops of the man’s hand as he dug the needle in were accompanied by small lances of pain. He’d tensed but this was minor pain compared to what he’d expected.
“What’d you do?” he slurred. “I’m not feeling it much.”
The doc looked up but kept stitching, neatly, with his other hand stretching the skin this way and that to oppose the lacerated edges. He even bit the suture thread with his teeth. Infection here we come. “Give him lots of water after this. After he wakes up. Rest. Food when he wants it.”
A coolness suffused Saw’s flesh wherever Largo touched.
Wakes up? His eyelids wandered up and down.
Sassik was mouthing words, gesturing. “Girl?”
The doc laid a hand on his forehead. “Now for the other wound.”
Where was that?
Wait. Girl? He looked to Ari where she lay on her side, tits out, scowling, and he managed to say, “Hook her to something. Don’t want her wandering...”
The room faded to darkness. His eyes had shut. The doctor was probing behind his head.
“Will do,” someone said. “I’ll use chain so it won’t break. Don’t want her injuring you accidental like.”
Sounded a good idea.
Time became one long...moment.
He woke several times, but only after the third time did he lever himself upright. Dying to pee.
Ari latched onto his gaze, her eyes intent. From the darkness bruising her sockets, she was tired. She lay on her side, maybe waiting for him to waken, maybe watching him for hours. Her face displayed a shifting circus of discomfort.
“You need to pee too?”
Cautiously, mouth downturned, she nodded. Not talking? He grunted and staggered off to the door, noticing the orange dirt spotting the floor. They’d excavated the room? Or just the way in here? No one could dig out a whole room just for this. He went outside and, upon questioning a passing woman, was directed to another door. Mind the drop, was called just as he flung it open. Luckily. The floor a yard in had cracked away. A chasm beckoned. The hole seemingly plunged forever into darkness with ledges of other truncated rooms showing, across the hole before him, and in tiers and tiers going deeper into the hole.
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