Bait

by Marissa Farrar

  A rush of hot flooded over me, my face burning. My legs went weak, and I slumped onto the edge of the bed. A trembling took over my limbs, and I lifted my hands to cover my face. I couldn’t allow that to happen. I needed for him to let me out of this room so I’d get to search the rest of the property.

  Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

  I couldn’t bring myself to read. I knew there was no way I’d be able to shut my mind off for long enough to focus on the words. I had a private bathroom, but I didn’t feel comfortable enough to use the facilities. Doing so would mean removing my clothes, and though I was no longer being watched like we had been back at the facility, the thought of being naked made me vulnerable.

  I still wore the dress I’d been put into for the auction. It definitely wasn’t comfortable, with its bone-like corset and long skirts, but I didn’t want to wear one of the Trad dresses either. At some point, I was going to need to change, especially if there was the possibility of having to run from the place, or even move quickly and quietly down the corridors, but I wasn’t ready to do that just yet.

  Suddenly exhausted, I crawled back onto the bed and lay down. I wondered what Miko and Nad were doing now? Were they back at the rebel headquarters? What about Diarus? What would become of him? If I was kept locked up in this room, how would he be able to keep an eye out for me? I knew he was resourceful, and I couldn’t discount his ability to do his job. But if we were all completely separated, how would it work?

  I felt completely alone, and that frightened me. The only other time I’d been by myself since all this had started was back in the hole, and even then I’d had the Trad baby inside me to keep me company. Now I was lonely, and self-pity washed over me.

  I huddled into what was now my pillow, letting the tears fall. I missed home more than ever and wondered what had happened on Earth since I’d been taken. Did people understand the reasons behind the asteroid strike now? It had been months, so I assumed they’d figured it out. My best friend, Camille, worked in planetary science, and since I hadn’t come across her anywhere on Tradrych, I figured she was still safe on Earth. Tradrych was a big place, however, and there was always the possibility she’d been taken to a completely different part. I hoped not. I hoped she was still on Earth, doing what she loved best and kicking Trad ass.

  Chapter Nine

  A knock came at the door, and I jerked awake, not even realizing I’d drifted off.

  I’d been lost in my thoughts of home, remembering how things had been before we’d needed to worry about the invasion of a violent alternate race. I had the briefest moment where I couldn’t remember where I was—back in bed at home in Las Vegas, or in the pod in the facility, or even in the narrow bed at the rebels’ headquarters—but then it all came tumbling back to me.

  I was in Polityk Borys’s home. He’d bought me as a slave.

  Was that him at the door now?

  I swung my legs off the bed and pushed my hair back from my face. I became aware of a low ache in my bladder and it dawned on me that I needed to use the bathroom, but that was going to have to wait for the moment.

  Hesitating, unsure of the correct protocol in this situation, I called out, “Come in?”

  I heard a click, which I assumed to be the lock, then the door opened with a whoosh, moving to one side to reveal a space. One of the security guards was outside. He didn’t come in but stood in the entrance, framed by the hexagonal doorway.

  It was strange, the door opening in such a futuristic way, when the inside of the room was decorated as it would have been at home. I knew it was to make us feel more comfortable, but it was disconcerting. Did Borys think he could fool us into believing we were home simply with a bit of décor? Thinking we could step outside the door and go to Costco or the movies, or for a drink at a local sports bar, instead of discovering ourselves in the middle of a-domed shaped building out in a desert, with several moons high in the sky that were visible even during the day?

  “Polityk Borys demands your time,” he said, his shoulder stiff, chin up. He looked military.

  “He does?” My heart lifted, even though I didn’t want to spend time with Borys. I could take a good guess at what would be expected of me. But did that mean I was getting out of this room? My instinct before that he was always going to come to me had been incorrect.

  “He’ll want you washed and changed and ready to meet with him.”

  “Where am I going to meet him? Will you take me there?”

  “No, he’ll come to you.”

  My heard sank again. I had been right after all. Borys was coming to me. My thoughts went to what I’d seen in the drawer. I hoped I’d be able to delay him. I had to do what he said, however. Getting close to Borys was exactly what I needed to do, and upsetting him at this early stage wasn’t going to be productive. I also knew that if he was with me, he wasn’t going to be with Zoe.

  Would she be called upon as well?

  How many other women did he have in this place? I couldn’t imagine the sort of narcissism that existed inside someone to want to repopulate their planet with God-knows how many little versions of themselves. I assumed that was the main reason Borys wanted us here, so he could use us as incubators for his spawn.

  “You have thirty minutes,” the guard said, and then the door slid shut again, enclosing me inside the room once more.

  “Shit.”

  I didn’t want to make Borys angry. He wanted me washed and changed. I guessed if I was going to be spending any length of time here, then I needed to get over my aversion and just use the bathroom. It was comfortable enough, and clean, and modern. Better than being forced to shower outside with a bunch of male Trads hosing me down like I had at the facility. Maybe I should just enjoy the small luxury.

  But everything about this place put me on edge.

  I went to the closet and took down one of the identical dresses that had been provided. Another quick search of the drawers didn’t reveal any underwear. It seemed these Trads had something against us wearing panties. It didn’t take a genius to work out why. We were walking, talking vaginas to them. Why make the access any harder than it needed to be?

  My bitterness ran deep, and I didn’t think I’d be getting over it any time soon.

  I selected one of the dresses and carried it to the bathroom. There was a door, which at least made me feel like I had some kind of privacy.

  Still self-conscious, despite the closed door, I quickly undid the bodice of my dress again just as I’d done on stage. Only this time, instead of only exposing my bare breasts, I wiggled the dress all the way down and off my hips, so it puddled on the floor around my feet.

  Stepping out of the dress, I checked the shower to see how it worked. There was no obvious handle or button to turn on the water, however. I frowned, wondering what to do, then I spotted a sensor above the showerhead. Of course, it must be automatic. I stood beneath the showerhead and, moments later, hot water of the exact right temperature drummed down on my shoulders. Aware I didn’t have much time, I tipped my head back and let the water run through my hair. A blob of something of a gel-like consistency landed on my head, and I realized the device had dumped shampoo on me. It seemed everything was automatic. I scrubbed the shampoo through my hair and then repeated the process for the conditioner, which arrived in the same way.

  When I was clean, I stepped out from beneath the water, and the shower switched off. I’d been so focused on trying to figure out how to work the shower, I hadn’t bothered checking for a towel. As far as I could see, there wasn’t one.

  A blast of hot air suddenly hit me from above, and I let out a shriek and darted away, forgetting I was naked for a moment. So, that was why there weren’t any towels. I was standing in a giant hairdryer.

  Cautiously, stepping back under the heat, I dragged my fingers through the knots in my blonde hair and moved around, letting the hot air dry me. Both my body and hair were dry in less than a minute. While I didn’t approve of the majority of living on Tradrych
, this was a technology we could definitely do with on Earth.

  I stepped out of the shower-dryer and pulled the dress over my head. As I’d suspected, it clung to every curve and stopped high on my thighs. I hated to admit it, but the material was both cool and flattering. I understood why the Trads wore it, though I wished they considered adding underwear in the same way we did back on Earth.

  A knock came at my door, a hard rap of knuckles, and I jumped, my pulse rocketing.

  Shit.

  He was here.

  Chapter Ten

  The door opened without me needing to answer it. I wasn’t even sure why any of them bothered to knock. It wasn’t as though I was the one with the ability to open the door, and I’d been bought as a slave to be raped and impregnated. Manners had no place in this situation.

  Polityk Borys stepped through. He was the most powerful man in this district on Tradrych, and I could tell it was a role he enjoyed simply from his demeanor. The black cape from the marketplace no longer graced his shoulders, but he still wore the silver garb, a wide black belt around his narrow waist, together with high black boots adorned with silver buckles.

  “Good evening, Tara,” he said. “That’s how you like to make your introductions on Earth, isn’t it?”

  I remained dumb, my lips pressed together, not trusting myself to speak.

  He was formal and well-spoken, and I felt like every word, and every action, was already carefully planned out, like a machine inside a body of blood and bone.

  “I realize you must be frightened, so I wanted to come and reassure you. I’d like us to be friends, Tara.”

  Friends!

  I found my tongue. “You bought me at an auction. That isn’t normally how people become friends.”

  His tongue sneaked out and swiped across his lower lip. “I got the impression you wanted to be bought.”

  “I wanted to at least achieve a good price, and not go for pennies like a common whore.”

  His eyes narrowed slightly. “Pennies is your currency on Earth, am I right?”

  “It’s one of the currencies. There are many.”

  “Unlike here on Tradrych.”

  I shrugged. “I wouldn’t know about that. I haven’t exactly been taken sightseeing.”

  The corners of his lips quirked. Despite being a complete asshole, he was attractive. His eyes were mesmerizing. A ring of fire burned around the outside of his pupils, but that fire didn’t change the coolness of his stare. He reminded me of Rhett, only this Trad was far more dangerous, I could feel it with every ounce of my soul. He was one of those beings who intrinsically believed everything should work around him, and that the world existed to do his bidding. He’d never show compassion to others.

  “No, I suppose not. That isn’t why you were brought to Tradrych, but then you know that already. By being up for auction, I already know you’ve produced one Trad child to help repopulate our planet, and I thank you for your service.”

  “I didn’t exactly have much choice.”

  “And who was the father to your child?”

  Worry pinged inside me. I couldn’t tell him it was Rhetarz, or he would know right away that I was the woman missing from the facility—assuming he’d even been told. There was the possibility those working back at the facility would have tried to cover up my disappearance, not wanting to get into trouble themselves, but I wasn’t going to take the risk.

  I glanced at the ground. “I don’t know his name. Only that he was a monster.”

  “We’re not all monsters, Tara.”

  No, not all Trads were monsters, but Borys certainly was.

  “You understand that I’m a figure of great importance here on Tradrych,” he continued. “I rule over the city of Vrale, and the surrounding district. You would do well to ensure you don’t upset me.”

  “I have no intention of upsetting you. Quite the opposite.”

  “I’m pleased to hear that. I chose you for a reason. I don’t want my girls to be chained up, or frightened, or badly treated. I think of you all as beautiful creatures I can collect for my pleasure. I believe there are people back on your planet who do something similar with the insect you call a butterfly.”

  We’re not fucking insects, I wanted to scream back at him, but I managed to keep my mouth shut.

  So, he collected us. I saw he’d bought both myself and Zoe, but were there others here as well? I considered the size of this place from the outside, and the long corridor with the multiple doorways coming off it. Were there women behind those doors? Did he keep each of us here until he impregnated us, and then watched our bodies as we changed—the caterpillars of the butterflies he proclaimed we were so similar to?

  I decided to ask. “How many of us are there here?”

  “Not many, yet. I only spend my time and money on those who truly fascinate me, and I have to say, Tara, you do fascinate me.”

  Was that purely because of my little show up on stage, I wondered?

  “Thank you,” I said instead, forcing the words from between my lips.

  “You seem different to the others. No crying or hiding?”

  “What would be the point? I’ve accepted this is my life now. I’m not going to fight it.”

  That smile touched his lips again but didn’t reach his eyes. “It pleases me that you think this way.”

  “My life on Earth was dull. I worked and socialized, but that was all. But I was always fascinated by the stars and the knowledge that other alternate races existed. I never thought I’d get to leave Earth, never mind have the opportunity to become a part of a race on a different planet. Admittedly, this isn’t how I would have chosen to do this, but it fascinates me just the same.” I felt bad for stealing Camille’s personality—she was the one fascinated with space—but it was necessary.

  He was looking at me as though I was the alien creature he’d only just discovered. “Does it now?”

  “Of course. And I’ve heard stories about what the Trads are able to do with their tails.” My tone was flirtatious, though it made me sick to my stomach.

  I didn’t want to be a victim, and I had to remember to keep that mindset. I was the one playing Borys. I was sure, back on Earth, undercover female police officers had to put themselves in positions they might not feel comfortable with in order to apprehend the criminal. That was kind of what I was doing now.

  He tilted his head to one side. I was getting through to him. “Oh, I can certainly make sure you experience that.”

  “What about the other girls?” I asked, fishing for information. “Will you do the same to them?”

  “All in good time. Because of my position on Tradrych, I was unable to travel to Earth and be a part of the first generation of babies born here, but I intend to make up for that. I’m not a monster, however. I’d like to take my time and enjoy the process. It’s been a long time since we had any females on Tradrych. A male suffers when they don’t have a female.”

  Suffer? He had no idea what suffering was.

  I hoped at some point in the future, I’d get the chance to show him.

  “I’m going to let you get settled in. I’ll have my men bring you meals, though they’re instructed not to touch you. Please, if any of them so much as look at you in the wrong way, I want to hear about it.”

  “Of course.”

  How ironic that he had some kind of fucked-up moral code where he didn’t want his men to rape us, but it was perfectly okay for him to do it. Of course, I realized, it had nothing to do with us not wanting to be raped, and everything to do with Borys not wanting his property touched by another male. I guessed that was particularly important when it came to the fact Borys wanted us pregnant. He certainly wouldn’t want us pregnant with one of his employee’s spawn.

  He offered me a smile, and my body reacted, my skin tingling, and my heartrate picking up. I realized what had happened. He’d just used his pheromones on me to make me attracted to him. Fuck, it had worked as well.

  “I’ll se
e you soon, Tara,” Borys said before turning and letting himself out the same way he’d come in.

  I’d expected the pheromones to be a prelude to something physical, but instead it was almost as though he’d teased me with them, and then left me wanting.

  Not that I wanted him. Not a chance.

  What had been the point in showering and getting changed if he hadn’t even laid a finger on me? I’d been bracing myself for the worst, but he hadn’t so much as tried to kiss me. I was concerned that I wasn’t going to be able to do what I was here for. And if I couldn’t even get out of this room to find the plans, what would happen to me then? Diarus was also somewhere in the building. Would he be able to break me out? What if he was in a worse situation himself?

  The rebels might decide I was more trouble than I was worth and that it was better to leave me here. Borys wouldn’t be able to get me pregnant because of the injection I’d had back at the rebel base, and then I’d be useless to him.

  What would become of me then?

  Chapter Eleven

  Miko

  ALEKSY’S VOICE CAME from the bedroom door. “We may have a problem.”

  I’d been lying with my arms behind my head, trying to get a sense of Tara from where she’d slept here only twenty-four hours earlier, as though she might have imprinted some of herself directly onto the mattress.

  Instantly, I assumed the problem had something to do with her.

  I sat up, swinging my legs off the bed, and planting my feet on the floor. “What’s happened. Is Tara okay?”

  “Yes, as far as I know. We haven’t heard anything reported back yet—it’s early days—but we think someone might have followed us back from the marketplace.”