by Regine Abel
ESCAPING FATE
Veredian Chronicles – Book 1
Regine Abel
Copyright © 2016
Cover Design by Nero Seal
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal and punishable by law. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This book uses mature language and explicit sexual content. It is not intended for anyone under the age of 18.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
To Sara Thomas, for opening my eyes on how much I still had to learn. To some amazing beta readers: Kathryn Schieber, Kathy Hackett and Donna Williams, who went above and beyond the call of duty.
Emma Jaye, I’m forever in your debt for making me realize what it was that bothered me about my book. Thanks to you, it’s finally what it was always meant to be. Nero, you’re my hero! I was truly losing hope with the book cover until you came along and saved the day. Anita Gray, you’re my fairy godmother! Thanks for always believing in me.
Tracy St-John, for being a major inspiration in my desire to become a writer. Thank you for the great kindness and generous advice you gave me when I reached out to you.
And of course, to my crazy family who is always there when it matters the most. I love you all, now and always.
CHAPTER 1
Khel
Unable to focus, I put down the report datapad with disgust. Thoughts of the upcoming Fastening and the dull throbbing pain of the Taint plagued me.
I sensed Lhor’s approach long before he opened the door to my office. “Come in, brother.”
He wasn’t my brother, but my cousin on my mother’s side. Yet, we were like fraternal twins. Lhor closed the door and sprawled his lithe body on my couch. Closing his eyes, he expelled a weary sigh before leveling his gaze on me.
Lhor pointed to the datapad with his chin. “Thoughts on the report?”
I snorted. “Not a clue what it says, although I’ve read the damn thing at least three or four times.”
He nodded, his expression turning to sympathy. “The Fastening?”
“Yeah.” I reclined in my chair and rubbed my hands over my face. “I’m running out of time. Tomorrow and next month are my last chances to be chosen before they take our lands.”
I rose and stood by the large window overlooking my ryspak orchard. It extended as far as the eye could see. This land had been in my family for twelve generations. The ryspak, a highly coveted fruit for its medical and anabolic properties, was at the center of the Xelixian diet, and constituted our planet’s main export. We owned the largest portion of lands in the Xelhan District—or any other for that matter. Untainted land meant our harvest sold for significantly higher prices. Needless to say, ours were highly coveted. Over the years, purchase offers took increasingly less friendly tones. They couldn’t bully me into selling, though. After all, I was the General of the Xelixian Army.
Despite being the firstborn son, I wasn’t supposed to inherit my family lands. Like Lhor, and the vast majority of Xelixian males, I was Tainted. Toxins pooled under my skin, spreading black veiny tendrils all over my body. A Tainted’s life expectancy averaged forty years; hence, most of us joined the military for a better life and a glorious death.
My father declared my younger brother, Vahl, his heir. Being untainted, he could easily find a mate to circumvent the Property Laws. However, a few months ago, Vahl and my parents died in a shuttle accident. The forensic investigator concluded that there was no foul play. Lhor and I were the last blood kin with a legal claim to my family’s lands, both with little to no chance of finding a mate before the Property Laws forced us to forfeit them.
I turned back to face my cousin. The couch creaked as he sat up.
“I want you to participate in the Fastening as well.”
Lhor’s eyes widened. “You want me to what?”
“I want you to participate in the Fastening as well,” I repeated calmly.
“You cannot be serious! Look at me, Khel.” He pulled off his hooded shirt. “I haven’t walked outside without a hood for years. Years! You’re the heir to one of the greatest houses of Xelix Prime, the respected General of the First Division, extremely wealthy, and your Taint isn’t half as advanced as mine. Why, in Gharah’s name, would any female choose me, the destitute orphan? You know I love you like a blood brother, and I’d do anything for you, even this if you demand it. But why subject me to this humiliation? Why force me to display this tortured body for nothing?” He spread his arms wide and looked down at his chest.
I let my gaze roam over Lhor. He breathed heavily, shaking with distress. Beneath the Taint, Lhor was a stunning looking male. His Crihnin – the subcutaneous chevron shaped brow ridges that scaled up our forehead – was finely chiseled and elegant. Like all pure-blooded Xelixians, his almond shaped eyes had no pupils, but their electric blue color was striking.
He was right, though. The Taint had staked its claim on his body even more fiercely than on mine. His light grey skin was covered by a network of black veins. On his face, neck and chest, dark blotches indicated some capillaries had ruptured.
I closed my eyes and dropped my head with a sigh. “You need release.”
Lhor snorted. “I don’t remember what that feels like anymore. And yes,” he stopped me as I opened my mouth to argue, “I’ve tried. I can’t even get aroused anymore, so forget release.”
Frowning, I nodded and dropped the subject. After a few seconds, I smiled. “You showed me yours, does that mean you expect me to show you mine?”
He laughed. “Idiot. I’ve got you beat.” Sobering, Lhor crossed his arms over his bare chest and asked again, “Why would you ask this of me?”
I walked to the wall in front of my desk where a large portrait of my family hung. I ran a finger over my mother’s face.
Goddess, how I miss her.
“Because you’re younger than I. Because, if by next month I’ve failed to secure a mate, I will transfer all titles and lands to you as the last eligible blood kin of the Praghan family.” Tearing my eyes from the portrait, I faced Lhor. “If not for your Taint, you would be hailed the most beautiful male in all of Xelix Prime. One of the alien females may recognize this and overlook your Taint. And I’ll do anything to keep Zhul Dervhen from getting his claws into our family’s heritage.”
Lhor held my stare for a moment, then nodded. He hated when I spoke of his beauty. He saw himself as a repulsive, monstrous creature. How wrong he was.
Lhor walked up to me. “I will always stand by you, Khel. Whatever the challenge, whatever the cost. We’re blood.”
I put my hands on his shoulders, giving them a thank you squeeze. We hugged, and I tapped the back of his shoulder twice before releasing him.
Our people would frown at this display of affection. Since the Taint, Xelixians didn’t touch one another, except their mates during intimacy. The Taint wasn’t contagious. However, visible signs of sickness tended to repulse people. Lhor craved physical contact, even if he didn’t realize it. He wanted to be looked at and seen for who he truly was, yet he feared other people’s gaze for the disgust and revulsion he would find there.
Lhor picked up his shirt and put it back on, exiting. Looking back through the window, I let my gaze wander again over the sprawling orchards, try
ing to ignore the dull throbbing pain of the Taint. Closing my eyes, I sent a silent prayer to the Goddess. I wasn’t particularly devout, but at this point, I would take any help I could get.
CHAPTER 2
Amalia
I disengaged my mind from the spaceport network as soon as the lights came on. The other captives in the cargo hold of The Revenant – a Guldan slaver starship – stirred from their slumber. The assholes that guarded us would be here in twenty minutes with breakfast. It was a bad idea to still be in bed when they did. They considered it an invitation.
In a few months, I would be twenty-three standard years old. My entire life had been spent aboard The Revenant or various incarnations of it. The only exceptions were the few hours during landings on spaceports or random planets where Gruuk, my Guldan master, had need of my skills. The foolish notion of escape had been traumatized out of me the only time I ever tried. Gruuk never physically harmed me or my Nana Maheva, but he made me watch other slaves being tortured and raped as my punishment.
From that point on, Nana and I shared quarters with the captives, though he kept them caged to prevent harm to us, his favorite pets. He hoped that bonding with those females would deter us from doing anything to jeopardize their welfare. It had been an unnecessary measure. The pained cries and hopeless pleading of the females punished for my escape attempt had left a permanent scar in the psyche of the fifteen-year-old girl I had been. Never again would I risk the lives of others for my own benefit.
While the rectangular hold was fairly big, it didn’t look particularly massive with the nine large cages lining the side and back walls. Each could contain a little over a dozen captives. The cages were divided into sets of three that each shared a fresher and particle shower. The locking mechanism prevented the captives from swapping cages through the cleaning facilities. Nana and I weren’t caged. Our bunk beds were set near the left side of the entrance of the hold. Short, wide windows in the back wall gave us a glimpse of the infinite space outside. The dark grey walls and gridded metal floor completed the dreary space, but at least it was clean – Nana and I made sure of it – and rust free.
Over the course of this trip, sixty-eight slaves had been handed to their buyers. Aside from my Nana, only three other captives remained, sharing the hold with us. They were caged at the back and would be delivered today to their new master on Xelix Prime when we landed within the hour. As per Gruuk’s orders, the crew couldn’t mess with the slaves unless they required justified disciplinary measures. Justified my ass… You caged a girl against her will with the intent to sell her as a pet to some pervert — what would you expect her to do? Tell you she was giddy with excitement? No. She’d try to fuck you up and haul ass out of there. But once she failed, and they always did, disciplinary measures were justified. What a fat load of crap.
I spared a quick look at the captives. Their bunks were aligned at the back of their cage. Shannon, a buxom redheaded human, was already up and about. She had been tricked by a corrupt agent of the Alien Mating Program which allowed females – and more rarely males – to find a life partner on other worlds plagued by fertility issues or a lack of compatible mates. Instead of the life of comfort with a Dantorian merchant she had signed up for, the agent had sold her to Gruuk. She was but one of countless other vulnerable females who had no one to raise questions about their sudden disappearance.
The Avean twin sisters Ishin and Balah, epitomized the cliché of the unwary traveler. During a stop on the fringe station Belevar to refuel, the twins grabbed a drink in one of the station’s many bars. They woke up imprisoned on The Revenant. Unlike Veredians who could easily pass off for humans when the markings on our legs and arms were hidden, the Aveans’ light blue skin was a dead giveaway as were their pointy chins, narrow noses and large, bright blue eyes that one could easily drown in. Their doll-like faces were framed by soft silvery shoulder length curls. Avean twins were rare which was probably what appealed to the slavers.
Right now, one of them was once more itching for punishment.
Getting out of my bunk, I grabbed my empty metal cup before walking to the cage. Like Shannon, Ishin had already used the adjoining fresher and was going to the particle shower. She had shaken Balah twice already to get her out of bed, but Balah had shrugged her off, snuggling deeper into her cot. In fifteen minutes, the guards would arrive. I didn’t want to witness another punishment. Walking up to the bars closest to her head, I banged on them with my mug.
“Get up, Balah. Get dressed.”
“Cut it out, virsha!" Balah glared at me. "You don’t own me.”
“You want to be raped and beaten on your last day?” I asked, pretending she hadn’t just called me a whore.
The bed squeaked as she leaned on her forearm, her hands fisting in her thin, beige blanket. “What’s it to you? Not like you care.”
“Your sister cares. She doesn’t want to watch you get abused again, then get violated herself for trying to defend you because you can’t choose your battles.” I pointed a finger at Maheva who stole glances at us while making her bed. “My Nana will fucking care when she has to heal both of you when they’re done so you can be pretty for your new master. Is your little rebellion worth all this?”
She snarled at me, tossed off her blanket and got out of bed. I met her sister’s grateful gaze and responded with a sympathetic smile. Shannon shook her head at Balah. I hated being rough with the captives. I hated encouraging them to submit even more. Disobedience wasn’t showing strength if there was no chance of victory — it only earned pointless suffering. Many resented my Nana and me for what they considered preferential treatment. They had no idea about our real lives and the guilt we carried.
We were Veredians, the rare survivors of an almost extinct species, as our males had all perished in the aftermath of the natural cataclysm that destroyed our world. Like all Veredians, we have unique psi abilities activated by touch which made us Gruuk’s prized pets. My Nana was a healer. She could heal any wound, scar or broken bone, faster than any nanotechnology. I was a hacker and could decrypt, override and take control of anything accessible via uplink or using any type of software.
I did many horrible things for Gruuk, including gaining him access to the homes or ships of the females he kidnapped, and covering his crew as they absconded with them by disabling cameras and security systems. It was one thing to perform morally questionable acts. It was quite another to share your living quarters with the victims of those actions. So during their stay onboard, I tried to help them avoid suffering unnecessary pain. It didn’t atone for my crippling guilt, but it was something.
Nana and I had our own fresher and particle shower near our bunks. We made quick use of them and dressed in our standard brown, knee length slave dresses and dark leather sandals. The door opened with a swish, revealing Doruk, Gruuk’s right hand, and two other Guldan crewmates. I hated Doruk with a passion. Oftentimes, I wished I could airlock his ass into space when he least expected it. The look on his face when the hatch opened and he was locked out of the controls would be priceless. I snickered internally at the visual.
If not for the constant malice on his face, Doruk would be handsome. Guldans were a taller, broader version of humans, but with horns and pointed ears. Their skin came in the same shades, but their hair was only ever silvery white, brown or jet black. Their thick horns started right above the brow and bowed over the head with the tip perking back up. While they grew facial hair, most shaved it off for thick swirling tribal tattoos on their faces, chests and arms.
The males frowned at finding the captives ready, their eyes lingering on Balah. Normally, a single guard brought food. Today, they woke us earlier than usual. The three of them showing up, Doruk included, meant they had hoped for a bit of fun and had given themselves some wiggle room in the schedule. Balah, with her rebellious streak, had probably been their target. Yet, not this time...
How do you like me now, bitches? I smirked at the disgruntled Guldans.
&
nbsp; Maheva’s soft hand pressed mine and she frowned in warning. I wiped the smile off my face. Right… Provoking Doruk while he was pissed? Not a good idea. He wouldn’t punish me; Gruuk didn’t allow it. But Doruk would needle the captives until one talked back. Then he’d take his revenge on her and force me to watch.
Zaluk, one of the guards, brought the hover cart to the cage and passed the food trays to the girls. Maheva and I would fetch our own in the mess.
“You have ten minutes to eat, then Zaluk will prepare you for delivery to your new master,” Doruk said to the captives. He then gave me a lurid once over. I held his gaze and lifted my chin in defiance. “And you, little pet, we found your Korlethean. We’ll pick him up as soon as we leave this rock. Let’s see how proud you are when he bends you over and rams his cock in that tight little cunt of yours. I’ll be in the front row watching you get put in your proper place; on all-fours like a good little bitch.”
My blood ran cold while he stared at me smugly, daring me to give him lip. I swallowed hard and held my tongue. With one last lecherous gaze, he walked out with his minions. It had been a long time coming. Veredians reached their reproductive peak at twenty-two, my current age, though we were fertile from puberty. Gruuk owned many strongholds throughout the galaxy where he bred Veredians with Korletheans to ensure the birth of gifted offspring that he could use or sell. The reclusive Korletheans had powerful psi abilities, mainly telepathy, telekinesis and foresight, making them hard to capture and enslave.
Good thing we were ready to set our escape plan in motion. I wouldn’t be around long enough to be bred like an animal. Nana exchanged a wary glance with me and squeezed my hand. I straightened my shoulders and left the hold to fetch our breakfast. As expected, the captives were gone when I returned. Not seeing them off was the coward’s way out, but it was too hard.
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