by Pixie Moon
Tears well in my eyes when the maroon being is dragged off the platform by the six-eyed alien. One of the three remaining maroon beings takes a step to follow the other but is slapped back in line.
The reslikian’s hand tightens around mine once again. I swallow hard and squeeze his hand back. He has to be just as freaked out as I am. Movement near me has me jumping. I look up to see that my captor is back from wherever he went. The dagrinian’s pearl gaze is fixed on the platform. I don’t see any sympathy in his expression.
My nerves come close to shattering when I see four green scaly aliens walk up to the three maroon beings. I start to shake when I see that they have yellow eyes with slit pupils. The hissing sounds they make have fear snaking up my spine and through my whole nervous system. I shake my head. “I don’t want to be here.”
Once again the male holding my hand squeezes it lightly. This time I’m too scared to even return the gesture. I don’t want to be bought by any of the beings I’ve seen so far. Hell, I don’t want to be bought at all. I want to go home.
The parrots squawking draws my attention to them. I cringe when I see one of the six-eyed aliens looking them over. When the spooky alien licks its lips, my stomach churns. I don’t want any of us to be eaten. I inch closer to the reslikian holding my hand. Even though he can’t help me any more than I can help him it feels good to be closer to him—to a person who shares my fears.
A grunt from the platform has my gaze shooting back to the three maroon beings surrounded by the scary green lizard looking aliens. The captive in the middle is balling his fists. My stomach jumps and then drops heavily. I know one of the scary green beings must have hurt the male.
I want to scream when currency is exchanged and the lizard looking aliens roughly lead their purchases down the steps and into the crowd. My fingers twitch and then spastically squeeze the hand holding mine.
When the reslikian returns my squeeze, I look up into his green eyes. They are still kind and sad but now I can see a hint of hopelessness in them. I’m afraid my eyes are reflecting the same emotions.
The dagrinian closest to me tugs my chain which makes me lose my hold on the reslikian. I instantly miss the comforting contact. With a heavy aching heart, I follow my captor up to the hellish platform’s stairs.
CHAPTER
5
~ Skyla ~
♥
The spinning of my head makes me trip on the top step of the platform.
My captor rights me and quickly guides me across the raised structure. I look back at my new friend. He’s being held to the side as the cage is brought over next to me.
I watch as he’s led to the other side of the cage. “Can I stand next to him?” I ask my captor. I desperately need a hand to hold and this dagrinian has shown a hint of sympathy in the past. His nice scent wafts around me. I wish he was just as nice.
“No, we need everyone here to easily be able to see you. When I see the right buyer for you I’ll warn you so you can obey his or her every command. Don’t forget that submissives are cherished and angry beings are food—extra spicy.” He suddenly steps back and I wonder why.
I don’t have long to ponder what’s happening.
A red being with black eyes is already on the platform and it’s looking my friend over. He’s being extremely patient as the alien touches his purple hair and then sniffs it. I watch as the red creature runs its hands down his chest and then feels between my friend’s legs.
I start to shake as I watch the red alien fondle him for a moment and then step away. The being talks to the dagrinian holding my friend’s chain. My stomach churns. Is the kind reslikian about to be sold? A crazy part of me doesn’t want us to be separated.
Relief eases over me when the red being glares at our captor and then stomps away. When the being gets closer to me it looks me over and then says a few words to my captor. A moment later the being snorts and storms away. With that temper, I don’t think going home with that being would be a good thing at all.
A sound at the other side of the platform draws my attention to the reslikian. I gasp when I see one of the six-eyed aliens looking my friend over. A fresh wave of fear washes over me.
No, no, no. My friend can’t be bought by that beast. I watch it circle my friend several times. The thing touches the reslikian’s hair and tugs the purple strands to make my friend step back. The dagrinian says something to the beast in a grunting language. The beast sniffs my friend and then walks over and looks at the parrots.
When the six-eyed creature crouches and then licks its lips as it looks at the pretty birds, my stomach drops to my toes. I want to scream. How can anyone even think about eating those pretty parrots?
The beast touches the cage. The green parrot eyes the being. I silently encourage the beast to put his finger in the cage. I’d love to see the parrot bite the mean looking alien.
I smile when the alien’s finger slides into the cage and the green parrot lunges for the beast’s finger. The alien jerks its hand back and makes a spooky-ass sound that has the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.
In a swift move, the alien stands and then looks my way. I cringe and the beast smiles. His six gold eyes light up. Before the beast reaches me, his hideous smell smacks me in the face. I gag and he laughs in a gruff scary way.
I try to be strong like my friend. I stand perfectly still as the beast circles me. Those six eyes have a mean look to them that is enhanced by the thick ridge of tough looking skin on its forehead. The alien is my height of five feet eight inches. That we stand eye to eye is not as comforting as it should be because the alien outweighs me and it is definitely a lot meaner spirited than I am.
As the beast continues to circle me the thing’s awful smell gets stronger and stronger. My stomach churns threateningly. When the beast stops in front of me and then grabs a handful of my hair, I yelp in surprise. The scary creature pulls my hair painfully. I cringe and it laughs. Sweat makes my hands clammy.
My captor says something in the alien’s grunting language and the beast releases my hair. I jerk when the six-eyed creature leans in and sniffs my neck. The thing bares its teeth and grunts a few times. A lead weight settles heavily in my stomach. No, no, no. I don’t want him to buy me.
When the beast licks its lips as it looks at my neck, I start to feel light headed. It makes a scary sound and then turns to my captor and starts talking in its gruff grunting language. I start to shake in pure fear. What are they saying? Are they striking a deal?
Before I can throw up, my captor shakes his head and rests his hand on his weapon in a threatening way. The beast makes a horrible sound that has me raising my hands and covering my ears. The cuffs press painfully into my face but I don’t care. I just want the scary sound to stop.
Relief sinks into my bones when the six-eyed alien storms off the platform. I’m still shaking but at least I no longer have to worry about that thing taking me home and eating me. I don’t want to be food.
I close my eyes so I don’t have to see all of the beings milling around the platform as though nothing bad is happening. What is wrong with all of these people? Can’t they see this isn’t right? A flash of anger rises up in me. I drop my hands and glare at my captor.
He closes in on me so fast that I blink a few times. Got dang it, I pissed him off. At his hard stare, I cringe and he nods approvingly. This is so messed up. I just want to go home. I want to be with my family and friends. Tears well in my eyes and I swallow painfully.
“Trust me, human. Don’t show anger and I’ll be able to get you to a good home. Your future is in your own hands,” he says and then steps back as more beings come onto the platform.
A few orange beings walk up and look me over. They talk among themselves and then exit the platform. I see another being walk up the steps and do a double-take when I see long purple hair. My friend’s eyes light up and he starts talking to the reslikian.
Hope for my friend fills my chest. Surely the reslikian talking to my
friend will buy him. Reslikians don’t eat their own kind, do they? I push that terrible thought aside. My time in captivity is making me doubt everyone and everything. My friend is going to be okay. A tear of relief slides down my cheek.
That relief is short lived. I watch in horror as the reslikian shakes his head and then walks away from my friend and over to the parrots. He crouches down and starts speaking to the parrots.
The traitorous birds start mimicking the reslikian’s sounds and even dance around for the purple haired male talking to them. Not even the parrots can be trusted in times like these. They should be baring their beaks at the male for leaving one of his own kind behind. There is no honor in the universe.
I look over and see my friend looking more dejected than ever. His face is so sad. Another tear slides down my cheek. Depression starts to settle heavily over me. I can’t see how we are going to make it out of this situation with any kind of happy ending.
The male reslikian buying the parrots and leaving one of his own kind to the monsters is proof that we are even more screwed than I’d realized. As the reslikian picks up the cage and leaves with the parrots, pain spears through my soul. From what I can see of the crowd there are no more reslikians here. No one to save my friend and take him to a familiar lifestyle.
My shoulders slump as I make eye contact with my friend. His eyes are blank. This hell is draining the spirit from both of us. I shudder in dejection and cringe as more beings come onto the platform to look us over.
Hell—that’s where I am. I long for an exit but don’t see one. Another tear slides down my cheek and drops off my chin. At this point, I don’t care what any of the evil-buyers think.
~ Ryk ~
I keep an eye on the crowd that’s hanging out around the market.
We have the technology we came for and are now making our way through the mass of people to get back to our spacecraft.
Venders are calling out to everyone that passes their stands. With this large of a crowd that means they are constantly trying to lure people in. The noise is almost deafening. The air is filled with a thousand scents. One stands out in my mind. I sniff trying to figure out what the scent is. With each step I take the enticing aroma becomes a little stronger.
Tairin and Von are laughing about something but I can’t stay focused on them long enough to understand what they find so amusing. I stop and inhale again. The small vents along my nose flare. The smell is lightly hovering over all the others. A primal part of me has to know where the delicious scent is coming from.
“What is it?” Von asks as he looks around.
“I don’t know. Do you two smell something nice? Something different?” I know I’m going to take some heat for slowing our mission but the overwhelming desire to find the source of the sweet scent won’t let me leave Dagrin without finding it.
Von and Tairin look at me strangely for a moment before they inhale deeply. Tairin’s gaze shifts around the crowd and then settles on me. “I smell hundreds of scents. Some good, some bad, some known, some unknown. Can you be more specific?”
I can tell by the look on Von’s face that he’s thinking the same thing. I shake my head. “I don’t know how to describe it. I just know I need to find it. Watch my back while I hunt down the source.”
“Sure,” Von agrees. “If you can give us more information we might be able to help you find what you’re looking for. Do you think its food, a plant, a person?”
Tairin chuckles and slaps me on the back. “A female?”
“I don’t know. The scent could be a female.” I ignore their smirks and start looking harder.
I trust them to look out for danger while I hunt my prey. The thought of finding a pretty female has my pulse pounding. As I inhale the scent again. I believe it may be a female’s sweet scent. I’m going to be surprised if I follow that smell up to a pastry stand. If I do I’ll just buy some and be on my way.
Each step I take brings a new wave of excitement coursing through me. I haven’t hunted in too long. That’s most likely the cause of my racing heart. When I get back to Zaphin I need to go hunting. The thrill of finding prey is a good way to sharpen a warrior’s senses.
As I inhale the sweet smell again, I think of the Hide and Seek room at Club Release. Talk about stalking some prey. That is just where I need to go on my next hunt.
The sweet aroma is getting stronger. I look around the rough crowd and can’t imagine any of the beings here having the scent I’m hunting.
A male-ish looking lopgenian female holds up flowers. Her red gaze locks in on me. She smiles and winks with two of her three red eyes. Her sharp teeth snap and then she laughs. The low masculine sound carries over to me. I shake my head and barely contain a shudder. I can now appreciate how much better LarPe looked when she played the flower vender in our mock-mission.
Von slaps me on the shoulder. “I see you have an admirer you big stud.”
I growl which makes Von and Tairin laugh. Ignoring them, I focus on the scent again. This time when I look around, I see a female on the sell-block. My heart stops. Something inside me shifts. I have to go to her. She calls to me on a level I’ve never felt before.
Pressing my hand to the hilt of my sword, I ground myself. She is just a female. Possibly seema material. My strange feelings are probably just enhanced because of a successful mission. A mission I need to get home to fully finish. I hesitate for a second, I think about turning around and heading for our spacecraft. I look at her, really look at her and know I can’t leave Dagrin without talking to her.
“I need to see if that female on the sell-block will be a good seema.” I don’t look to see if they are following me. I know they are. We zaphinian warriors always watch out for each other. Right now I’m extremely happy about that because the little human has my full attention.
I bound up the stairs and stalk toward her. Her captor is whispering something to her. The dagrinian is looking at me as he talks close to her ear. I can’t hear what he’s saying over the noise of the open market. My heart leaps. I don’t know what the male is saying but I do know that I don’t like him being so close to her. That thought has me slowing my pace. I need to control myself.
Briefly, I notice the reslikian on the platform but he’s not the reason I’m here. I inhale and my eyes nearly roll back in my head. The scent I’ve been hunting is definitely coming from her.
Her captor steps away and her gaze eases up to mine. I’m struck by the sadness in her big green eyes. My stomach tightens as the need to fill her with happiness floods my soul.
I try to shake off the overwhelming feelings I have for her. The warrior in me tries to push its way past my newly found overly sensitive side. I’m relieved when the tough side of me wins. Warriors are not to let seemas or playthings rule them. I must keep that rule firmly in my mind as I inspect her.
Seeing tear tracks down her cheeks is almost my undoing. I want to scoop her up and take her home. Prel! I can’t let her get to me. I desperately try to keep hold of my stone cold façade. I’m not at home. This market can turn deadly at a moment’s notice.
Getting to the task at hand, I inhale and regret it immediately. I smell curiosity, interest, shock, a touch of arousal, and deep sadness coming from her. The combination of scents is heady. Too heady. Now I’m driven to find out more about her. My cock agrees wholeheartedly.
CHAPTER
6
~ Skyla ~
♥
Movement has me warily looking to see what’s coming next.
A tall determined looking male is walking onto the platform. I suck in a harsh breath when a swirl of desire pulses through me. I haven’t felt desire in two years. I didn’t think I ever would again. Shock has me rudely staring at the powerful male.
My captor steps in close to me and says, “The tall male coming this way is a zaphinian. If he buys you he will be good to you. Do whatever he tells you and do it quickly.”
I give my captor a shaky nod as he steps away from me.
All of my senses are zeroing in on the handsome male. I can’t believe I’m attracted to a being I haven’t even talked to. He’s not even a human, but my body doesn’t care.
Sadness sweeps over me as I realize I may be having these feelings because of my desperate situation. My gaze drops to the rough wood floor. Would I feel the same for any being that is willing to take me to a safe place?
When I see his boots in front of me, I slowly look up into his eyes. My heart tries to take flight. The pounding muscle feels as though it’s a bird longing to fly to a new owner. I try to tame my wild heart but as I stare into his beautiful eyes I quickly lose the battle. He mesmerizes me in ways I’ve never known. I feel defenseless against him.