by T. S. Ryder
W-where are we?” she asked, a bit dazed, as her head spun.
“No more talking, woman,” he said, teeth clenched.
“My name is Natalie!” she said, tears pooling in her eyes.
Natalie couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t tell her where they were headed. They strode down the hall until they came to a door. He tapped the figures on the wall panel and the door slid open. He dragged her inside and let go of her hand, walking over to the console and keying in more commands there. She stood there, gazing at his back. They were in a circular room with huge windows on one side and a large console with an array of panels lining the center. There was a chair, too. It seemed like some kind of control room. This wasn’t real. Oh, she must be dreaming. She would wake up soon, she thought, giggling.
There was a distant humming around them. The ship went into warp drive, streaming across the universe. He came back toward her and she saw that his hood was down. She gasped as her eye caught the subtle ridges at his temples. What was wrong with him? But before she could ask, he grabbed her by the arm and took her outside into the hallway.
“Where are you taking me?” she implored, tears streaming down her face.
“To your quarters,” he said.
Quarters? He meant a room, right? What was going on? She had a feeling that something wasn’t right – this would be a very strange hotel.
He stopped by another door and entered another code so that it gave way. He stepped in, pulling her along with him as the door closed.
He turned her in his arms and gazed deeply into her eyes. He has long dark hair and his ears are pointed, she observed. She gasped as she took in his intense gaze, dark brow with its subtle ridges, straight chiseled nose, and strong jawline.
“Wh-what happened to you?” she whispered, reaching to touch the ridges on his temples. He grabbed her wrist gently but firmly as he stared at her. He caught her heady scent again, now mixed with the scent of her arousal. His breath hitched, and his intense eyes pierced her very soul. She looked dazed and he saw that she still hadn’t grasped that he wasn’t human. She clung to him, seemingly afraid to let go, showing him how vulnerable she was. Her brown eyes were clear as day. For a moment, he forgot everything and thought he held Kira in his arms.
Natalie leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his lips. A dark shadow flitted across his eyes as he felt her silky lips on his own.
“Kiss me, Erdal... Kiss me now...” she implored, murmuring against his lips, gazing at him, as she bared her soul to him.
Natalie didn’t care who he was. She wanted him. She needed him so she could numb the pain in her broken heart. She didn’t care anymore.
No. No. No... Get away from her. She is not Kira. The king won’t like it! He will kill you! A dark voice inside his head screamed.
Fuck him, Erdal thought. He grabbed the nape of her neck, tilting her head back, and bent his head to claim her mouth with his own at a perfect angle. His other hand caressed her back as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers entangled in his hair. She was eager, demanding as she slid her tongue into his mouth. He gasped, pulling back, surprised by her fiery passion. Her eyes were glazed – she clearly wanted more.
Desire raged through his blood as his eyes darkened and he fiercely claimed her mouth again. His tongue slid inside her mouth and grazed hers, urgent, demanding. She matched his dark passion as desire pooled deep down in her belly. His hand grabbed her behind and pulled her closer, his hips grinding against hers. They pulled apart to catch their breath as he peeled her dress off and admired her full breasts. Silly woman... How could she think she was ugly? He picked her up and roughly dropped her on the flat gray mattress, then took off his shirt and stepped out of his pants. His alabaster-white skin glowed in the dim, white light of the room, and his long, dark hair fell on his shoulders as she gazed at him. He bent down and peeled off her panties. In one swift movement, he was on top of her.
She loved the feel of his hard body on top of her, him cupping her breasts and claiming her mouth with a fervent longing.
Time froze for them as they were soon lost to the rhythm of consuming passion.
Chapter Three
Natalie woke up to the faint, sterile light of the room. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the dimness. Where was she? She tried getting up and, suddenly dizzy, fell back on the pillow as a throbbing headache hit her. She was naked under the sheets. What the...? She sat up again and looked around. Her black dress lay on the floor. The room was hexagonal with a large rectangular window. It didn’t look like she was in a hotel. She slowly sat up and tried getting out of bed again. Her head spun.
She looked around, thinking. She had been out drinking at a bar and met a stranger. Oh, God... She remembered being in the car with him, and then it was all a blur. She had kissed him, hadn’t she? Or was it a dream? She couldn’t tell. Her head ached terribly. Water... She needed water. Coffee, too.
The door to the room slid open and Erdal stepped inside, carrying a tray. He had brought her food. He was wearing a dark gray suit and gray pants, and his long hair was tied at the nape of his neck. She looked up, surprised. Her heart thrummed against her chest like a frightened bird in a cage, and she quickly pulled the sheets to cover her chest. Her stomach knotted and color rose to her cheeks as he gazed at her with those intense eyes of his.
“Where am I?” she asked him, panic filling her gut. “And why am I here?”
“You are aboard Star Ship Xoraii. We are traveling to planet Estion,” he said.
“Oh, no! Y-your face! Wh-what are you? Let me go!” she stammered as her breathing became labored. She saw it now. He had abducted her – this was no hotel room. She was far from Earth in an alien spaceship.
He saw her trembling, and his chest constricted. What was wrong with him? She wasn’t the first woman he had abducted. There was something strange about her. She made him weak, and it unnerved him. No, that was unacceptable.
Get a grip, Erdal. She’s a weak human. And you detest humans, remember? The darkness inside his head snapped sarcastically. She is the king’s bride. There’s nothing you can do about it.
“Calm down, woman!” he said firmly. Tears welled in her eyes. She hugged her knees, clutching the sheets as tears streamed down her face and sobs racked her body.
He watched her for a while, trying to read her mind telepathically. He couldn’t. Frowning, he strode toward a panel on the wall to her left. A shaft opened up in a wall, revealing a small silver container. He poured out water for her into a glass.
“Thank you,” she said, as she took the glass from him. He observed her as she drank. She could see he wasn’t going to kill her... At least not yet.
“I’m sorry I’m such a mess,” she said, taking a deep breath as she tried to compose herself. She wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand. She gazed at him. He looks quite handsome in that suit, she thought... A wayward thought crossed her mind. “Um, what happened last night? I mean, did we...?” she asked, as she stared at the dress on the floor.
“I’m afraid we did, yes.”
“Oh, God...” she said, wide-eyed, and she stared at her hands as blood crept up to her cheeks and she blushed furiously.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he eyed at her, amused. She was a strange woman. Why was she so conscious of her sexuality now when mere hours ago she responded to his touch with such passion? His eyes darkened at the thought of the way she had wanted him and cried out his name in pure ecstasy.
“What do you want?” she asked softly, fresh tears welling in her eyes. She had been drunk, and then he had abducted her and had his way with her.
“I serve my King. I have orders to take you to him. You are to be his bride. You will share a harem with many others he already has,” he said, as he sat down on a chair near her bed.
“What is wrong with you? I... I was drunk!” she said loudly. “You kidnap me, rape me, and now you are forcing me to marry this... this king
you serve?!” Her voice became shrill, her breath coming in gasps.
“I did not rape you, woman! No matter how much I loathe humans, I would not dishonor my race and force myself upon one of your kind!” he said in a voice so cold that it made her shudder.
“I hate you! You knew I was drunk. It’s not fair!” she wailed, rapidly blinking away her tears.
“You wanted it,” he emphasized, and she saw his intense eyes glint. “You kept talking about this Matt who left you.”
“Oh, no. What did I say?” she asked, as color rose to her cheeks.
“Nothing important,” he said curtly.
“Please take me back. I want to go home,” she said, her voice cracking, eyes wide.
“What you say is irrelevant. From now on, you will do as I say.” He tried getting inside her head again, staring deep into her wide eyes. He could see that she was scared, but he needed to read her thoughts so he could gauge to what extent.
He used his ability to read her thoughts, but all he got was a blank. This had never happened before. Somehow, telepathy wasn’t working with this woman. There was something unusual about her. He could feel it.
“Please let me go. Don’t make me marry your King. Where I come from, women are not forced into marriage,” she said, clutching the sheets closer to her. He saw genuine fear in her eyes.
“Well, why don’t you try telling that to the king himself?” he said dryly. “I’m sure he’ll reconsider.”
Her eyes grew wide and her pupils dilated through her tears. Her lips quivered as her breathing became labored, and his chest constricted again. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes momentarily, trying to control his racing heart.
“Listen to me, woman,” he said, in a calm, cold voice. “You really don’t have a choice. You had better hold your tongue before the king, or he will kill you.”
“Kill me, then,” she said, challenging him. He could kill her if he wanted to, but she would never become a slave bride to some alien king. At the moment death seemed like a better option to her.
He stared at her, surprised, as if he had not expected her to say such a thing.
“If I killed you, I would be risking my own life. You are to be the king’s bride, and there’s nothing I can do about it,” he said in a sober voice as he got up to leave. For a second there, she thought his betrayed some measure of sadness. “Get dressed. There are clothes in the wardrobe over there; the bathroom is to your right,” he said, showing her the wardrobe.
“How can you be so selfish?” she whispered incredulously, as tears gleamed in her beautiful, brown eyes.
He stood there, unresponsive.
“I guess men are alike everywhere,” she said at last, resigned.
“Here. Take these. They will help you to breathe better.” He handed her two blue pills, ignoring her comment.
“This is a communicator and a key,” he said, in a formal, detached tone. He placed a small, round disc in her palm. He showed her how it opened the hidden panels in the wall, but not the doors. “You will wear it on your arm and, whenever you need me, you press and hold while you speak, and then release. And Natalie... Eat. You will need all of your strength. I’ll be watching,” he said with as he disappeared behind the door.
Natalie stared after him, bewildered. She quickly swallowed the pills with the help of the water, and the air in the room seemed to grow thicker.
She could not imagine in her wildest dreams that she could be far away from home aboard an alien spaceship. Alone and with an alien. And she had already made the horrible mistake of sleeping with him. Well, she didn’t deny he was an unusually handsome alien. But she was in serious trouble and she had no way to escape. What she dreaded most was the fact that she was being forced into marriage. It was unbelievable. Rage surged through her blood as tears streamed down her face. She was trapped. Would he help her if he wanted to? But why would he want to? She was just another slave for him to take to his king. He was right, in a way. He was just following orders.
***
Erdal lay back in the chair in his chambers, a glass of dark purple wine in his hand. He took a sip and savored the silky taste as it slid down his throat. It was one of the rare native wines they had on Estion.
This woman could be a problem for you, Erdal. She has a sharp tongue, and she speaks her mind. The king doesn’t like that, the dark voice inside his head said.
She was unusual, he had to agree. Compared to the other women he had abducted, she was rebellious. She had questioned him like no other had.
She thought he was selfish. Well, he was just doing his duty. He had seen sadness and resignation in her beautiful eyes that caused a strange tug in his heart. Guilt was something he had never felt before.
It’s not your fault. She means nothing to you. And you don’t have to listen to her, she’s manipulating you. Your job is to take her to the king as planned, the dark voice inside his head prodded.
But still, he couldn’t get rid of the feeling. It all seemed wrong somehow. Everything was different about this mission and he had no clue what to do. A headache returned as he took another sip of wine. He strode out toward the control room to check on their course. They had another month and seven days left till they reached Estion. He heaved a sigh, deciding to limit his interaction with the human female. She talked too much.
Chapter Four
Natalie stared out of the huge, rectangular window and into the black void. Her initial fear had been replaced by rage. Then, as the days went by and she saw less and less of her captor, despair had slowly taken over. She had been aboard the ship for over a month now, and she had been confined to her room for the entirety of the time. In space, it was easy to lose track of time. Thus, the communicator on her arm was quite helpful. She would ask the computer anything she wanted and it would tell her whether it was day or night.
The first few days, she cried into her pillow and drifted off to sleep after eating. Bingeing on food was the one thing that made her feel better, at least for a while. She would eat anything sweet. Later, she would hear her mother’s haughty voice in her head telling her she was pathetic, or her sister telling her she was lazy and wasn’t making enough effort to control her eating habits.
All her life they had made her feel she was a loser in every way. She was not popular in high school. She had a stupid job that didn’t pay well. Her boyfriend had dumped her for a slimmer woman. Now she was being whisked away across the universe to an unknown alien world. Whenever she thought of what lay ahead, a chill would run down her spine. But as the days went by in isolation, she thought that nothing mattered anymore. Whether she lived or died, only time would tell. Matt had left her, and now she was far away from home, soon to become a slave to a barbarian.
The door to her quarters silently slid open. Erdal stepped inside and saw her standing by the window. She wore a plain green shirt and black pants. Her hair flowed down her shoulders and back. She turned and saw him standing there.
“We land in two hours,” he said coldly.
He strode toward the wall and opened a panel, revealing the wardrobe there. He pulled out an ivory-white dress and placed it on the chaise longue near him. The dress had a low V-neck front and it flowed down from the waistline, cutting off just above the knees.
“Put this on. When we land, we will go to see the King right away,” he said as she stared at him. His cold, penetrating gaze made her shudder, and she blinked several times before looking away.
He saw the innocent soul behind those big eyes and the tremendous effort she was making to put up a brave front. She was determined to ensure that he wouldn’t see how frightened or despondent she was. His jaw clenched and his hands tightened into a fist. It took everything he had not to pull her into his arms and kiss her, reassuring her that everything would be alright. Oh, what was she doing to him?
Get a grip, Erdal. This is not the first woman you have abducted, the dark voice mocked. You are pathetic!
“Why me?” she whispere
d as she stared down at her hands, wringing them together.
“What?” he asked, frowning.
“Why did you take me? You could have taken any other woman there. Prettier ones. I just want to know – why me?” She heaved a sigh as she said the words.
“I don’t know. I just...” he began. For a split second, his eyes softened. Then, the cold walls were up again. “Never mind,” he said.
He didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t tell her she resembled the beloved wife he had lost. Or that he had run out of time on her planet and she had just happened to be there.
“Get dressed. We don’t have much time,” he said as he strode out of the room.
Natalie was perplexed. What was his problem? Why couldn’t he answer a simple question?
***
Two hours later, they landed on Estion. Natalie stood in front of the mirror in the white dress, white pumps adorning her small feet. She looked ethereal in the alien attire, her eyes exceptionally bright. Her stomach was in knots and she was having difficulty breathing. Erdal came for her, blue breathing pills in tow. She swallowed them and followed him outside. He wore a dark, leather-like shirt, dark pants, a dark blue cloak around his shoulders, and his katana slung across his back.
The balmy air hit her face as she followed him down the walkway and set foot on the terrain of Estion. The planet’s gravity was different from that of Earth and her body felt slightly lighter. She looked around, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the bright, golden sunlight. The planet was similar to Earth – the sky was blue and the grass green.
An oblong, capsule-shaped car waited for them. Erdal helped her get in and drove them to the King’s palace. Natalie’s head spun and she gripped her seat as the car moved forward at full throttle. Erdal was quiet as he effortlessly drove the car. The roads were suspended almost fifty feet in the air like long, curvy bridges.
He watched her fidget with her hands as she looked outside, observing the new environment. She would occasionally sigh and take a deep breath. He wondered what she was thinking. He felt helpless not knowing what was going on in her mind. It was exasperating. He had to remind himself that she was the king’s bride. He gave her a sidelong glance and saw the way the fabric of her dress clung to her full breasts. She simply looks beautiful, he thought. Once again, his chest constricted as he felt the now familiar tug in his heart. Taking a deep breath, he quickly shifted his focus to the road.