Anders: An Auxem Novel

by Lisa Lace

  Something sharp slashed into Troxeo’s calf. He felt burning as his blood spilled onto the detritus of the forest, but he had to keep fighting. The assailant didn’t give him time to grab his other weapons. He was too close to use his blaster even if he had been able to pull it out of its holster.

  His new enemy was relentless and seemed to target every part of his body simultaneously. Stabs of pain rang out from his legs and torso as he struggled to push the heavy body away. He yanked his knife out of his opponent’s flesh and stabbed upward once again. This time, he was rewarded with a rush of warm blood over his arm. The weight of his antagonist sagged against him, and Troxeo pushed violently against the mass.

  It didn’t rise again.

  Troxeo turned his head and found himself face-to-face with a long, slimy snout. It had a large white tusk on either side, blood dripping from one of them. Troxeo pulled himself to a sitting position so he could better see the dead beast. It had a skinny, hairy body with four legs ending in pointed hooves. The weapons on the animal’s feet explained how it was able to attack its prey thoroughly. It must have been stomping on Troxeo while also trying to gore him. The creature had dark, beady eyes that were now staring blankly at the forest floor. A knife protruded out of its neck.

  He had heard of the wild creatures in the forest before but had never seen one himself. The beast had been harder to fight off than a sentient being, whose moves he could anticipate and counter. Fighting a man was nothing like fighting a wild animal. He couldn’t attack it at its center of gravity or intimidate it with words.

  Troxeo stood and looked down at the creature. In any other circumstance, he would have taken its tusks as a trophy. Today, however, he had two other concerns that took precedence. One was getting to Katie on time. The other was a large gash in his leg leaving a bright crimson stain on the dead leaves behind him.

  He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a small case. Troxeo had only used this kit once before, and that had been a long time ago. Typically Troxeo received treatment from a medic, not a primitive field kit. He pulled the needle and a length of thread from the case, but his hands were shaking too much from adrenaline for him to insert the end of the thread through the needle. The injury was too significant to glue shut. He took deep breaths to calm down before he was able to use the needle.

  It was hard to sew his cut closed due to the oozing blood, but he had no choice. Troxeo maneuvered into an awkward position to get at the right angle. He held his skin together with his left hand while wielding the needle with his right. He imagined he presented an awkward picture to any observers. He was a trained soldier in the middle of the woods, tending to a wound from a wild creature. It felt like he was living in a history book.

  Knotting the thread and returning the needle to its case, Troxeo slowly rose to his feet. The stitching made his leg tight, and it was hard to walk. He couldn’t let mere physical discomfort or his blood loss stop him now. He bent to retrieve his knife from the animal’s throat before continuing into the woods.

  When he came to the house, he paused. He watched it from a distance for a minute, hoping to see if there was any movement from Arkhan. The place seemed quiet and empty, just as he imagined it would be after years of abandonment. The forest had overtaken more of it than when Troxeo had been here as a child. Other than that, it was exactly as haunting and decrepit as he remembered.

  Between the vines and tree branches, Troxeo could see the front door was standing open.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Katie tugged at the handcuffs over her head that kept her fastened to the banister. Her arms were beginning to tingle as the blood drained out of them. She looked around at the house, searching for anything that might help her. There wasn’t much to see in the dim light, and there certainly weren’t any weapons within reach.

  Arkhan came back through the front door a few minutes later, wiping his hands on the sides of his pants. “What did you do with him?” she asked.

  “You are far too curious for your own good, Earthling. But if you must know, I dragged the body out where the animals would get rid of it for me. I don’t want it stinking up our love nest, after all.”

  “Don’t call it that. I’ll never love you,” she spat.

  “No? But you wanted to be a mail-order bride, didn’t you?” He was standing in front of her now, looking down into her face with piercing eyes. “I pulled you out of prison, and now I’m helping make your wish come true. Does it matter if you belong to me instead of a Bonaan that doesn’t know what to do with a woman?” He touched her cheek, but she turned away from him. “None of this has to be difficult.”

  “If it doesn’t, then why am I still in these handcuffs? Are you not talented enough to keep hold of me without them?”

  Katie should have held her tongue. It was the wrong thing to say. Arkhan’s hand smacked into the side of her face with a loud pop. He wrapped his fingers around her throat and forced her to look up at him. “Do you want to challenge me? I can show you how strong I am right now, if you’d like.” Arkhan stepped back and began pacing in front of her. “Tell me something, human. What do you call two people that mate for life on your planet?”

  “We get married. We become husband and wife.” The words nearly caught in her throat as she became choked up. At one point, she thought she would be getting married to Ben. As rotten as he turned out to be, at least he had never chained her to the stairs.

  “That’s right! I remember reading about that. Troxeo didn’t do any extra work, but I researched your planet a little myself before we set out to capture you. As I recall, you spend a lot of time filling out paperwork and planning ceremonies.” His smile went cold as he paused to look at her. “You don’t have to worry about any of that here. We like to get down to business.”

  “You forget a crucial element,” Katie retorted.

  “Really? Please, enlighten me.”

  “The two people have to want to be together. The only thing I want right now is for you to go away.” Katie was lying. She also wanted to get out of the handcuffs. They were beginning to dig into her wrists.

  Arkhan shook his head and gave a deep laugh. “That’s where you’re wrong, human. I have a big empty house. There are no witnesses around us. I have a sexy Earth creature at my disposal, and I have a desire for her. As for the other thing you mentioned? I’m sure I can make you change your mind.”

  “You’ve done a piss-poor job of convincing me so far.” She tried to wiggle her fingers, but her hands had gone numb. She couldn’t tell if she was moving anything. Arkhan was close to her now. She could feel the heat of his body against her and his foul breath on her face.

  Without warning, Arkhan pressed his lips over her mouth. She tried to move away but couldn’t pull her head back any further because of the stairs. When she tried to shift her head, he forced his hands on either side of her face, holding it still. Eventually, he pulled away, licking his lips. “That was a shame. It could have been more pleasant for you if you had only cooperated a little. Do you know anything about our ways and customs here, Earthling?”

  “Why would I give a shit?”

  He gave her a wicked grin again. “It looks like you have some time on your hands, so I’ll be merciful and educate you. On my planet, where you are right now, the males can mate with any woman that wishes to, whenever we want and without any of your silly documentation and vows. We meet, we fuck, and we go on about our lives.”

  Katie wanted to challenge him, but she was getting too tired to bother. The energy pill Chixo had given her back at the prison had worn off while they were still on the land hopper. She could feel exhaustion starting to take over her body.

  “Sometimes, though, we find a woman who is too good to share with others. I haven’t found one for myself yet. There can be a special bond between two people. It’s something that possesses you and makes you ignore everything else in your life for the favor of a single woman. I’ve certainly done that for you, haven’t I?
I want you so badly that I’ve changed my entire life. Surely it must mean something?”

  “Yep. It means you’re crazy.”

  Arkhan slapped her again, and she sagged against the banister. He grabbed her by the hips and hoisted her back up, pressing himself against her. She could feel the hard bulge of his cock between his thighs, but she didn’t have the strength to break his tight grip. He pressed his mouth down on her again. This time, she clamped her lips together to avoid his prying tongue.

  “I want you, and I mean to have you. I’m not wasting any more time.” He removed the handcuffs from the rail but left them attached to her body. The big man pulled her around to the front of the stairs and walked up, yanking her along behind him.

  Katie’s mind was beginning to fog over. She felt like things were moving in slow motion as she watched Arkhan’s boot press down into the trail of blood left by the squatter. When his foot reached the next stair and lifted up again, it left a faint trace of red. It looked like a giant rubber stamp, marking the path to her doom.

  She didn’t have the strength to lift her foot to follow him. Arkhan gave a quick tug to her arm that sent her sprawling on the sharp edges of the stairs. The pain jolted life back into her body. Determined to fight back, she wrapped her ankles around one of the spindles holding up the railing.

  Arkhan turned, bemused to see her latest attempt to delay the inevitable. “Unless you want to break your delicate ankles, I suggest you let go.” He wrenched her arm to prove his point. Katie’s heels fell to the ground with twin thuds.

  He dragged her up the stairs on her ass. From her position, Katie could see the fading light of the front door. She stared numbly at the door as it receded from her gaze.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The big house was eerily quiet. The thumps of Katie’s heels echoed through the halls as Arkhan dragged her up the last few steps. If her life were a movie, she imagined this would be the scary part with dramatic music playing. She would have appreciated a background soundtrack. As it turned out, the oppressive silence was more terrifying than she had ever imagined.

  What would happen to her in Arkhan’s hands? She knew he wanted to fuck her, of course, but what did that mean with someone from Oretoz? And what would happen to her? He made things sound like their arrangement would be a long-term situation, but would he let her live? Would she want to?

  She had the opportunity to throw herself down the steps, but something prevented her. She still had a faint hope that she would survive.

  When they reached the top of the stairs, Arkhan’s steps slowed. Katie was in the middle of a long hallway with multiple doorways on either side. Some of the doors stood open, allowing in the faint light which could penetrate through the heavy forest outside. Others were about to fall off their hinges, creating jagged shadows on the wall. There seemed to be no color in the building. Katie wondered if Oretoz preferred to decorate minimally or if the house had once been colorful and had faded over time.

  Heading to the left, Arkhan looked into several rooms, deciding which one would be the best for a romantic afternoon fuck. Katie could have gotten her feet back underneath her, but she consented to being dragged. There was no point in fighting Arkhan or cooperating with him. Either way, her fate would be the same.

  “Here we are,” he said. Arkhan had finally decided on a room, pulling Katie through a doorway. “The master suite. It’s the perfect place for a new couple. I suggest you familiarize yourself with the ceiling in this room, Earthling, because you’ll see it a lot.” He closed the door behind them with a thud of finality.

  Katie looked over her shoulder to take in her surroundings. A huge bed occupied most of the floor space. The original blankets still lay on it, looking dusty and ragged. Several pieces of furniture stood in the corners. They were enormous hulks of wood covered with elaborate carvings. Either the heat or the humidity had gotten to them long ago, making drawers and doors hang at odd angles, appearing to be evil eyes and crooked grins. The remains of a rug dotted the wooden floor underneath her. Though it might once have been grand, the suite was now the exact opposite of a romantic room.

  She scoffed. “What a beautiful place to get away and relax. Is anyone in charge of condemning disgusting places like this?”

  Arkhan yanked on the handcuffs, pulling Katie to her feet and making the metal dig further into her wrists. “I don’t want to hear any more of your lip, human. From now on, your job is to stay silent unless I ask something of you.” He stood over her, face inches away from her mouth, showing a horrifying mix of anger and passion.

  She glared back at him angrily, rising to his challenge. “Make me.”

  The big man pulled out a small cylinder from a belt pouch and pressed it against her ribs. A shock rippled through her body, making her feel like something was punching her from the inside. The sensation only lasted for a moment, but the feeling didn’t leave her body even after he removed the device from her skin.

  “That’s the lowest setting, and it was working through your clothing. I have no problem using it to keep you in line. I can turn it all the way from mildly painful to extremely painful. I’ve warned you over and over to do as I say. I suppose I’ve been too kind to you. It might take you longer to realize your desire for me this way, but you’ll get there.”

  Katie didn’t agree with anything he said. Nobody cound be considered kind who helped capture a woman, then broke her out of prison to turn her into his personal sex slave. She bit her lip to keep from arguing. She didn’t want to be shocked again.

  Arkhan studied her lips. “I know you wanted to say something, but you didn’t. That’s sexy. You’re starting to get the hang of things already.” He reached down and yanked off the covers on the bed, sending swirls of dust into the air. The sheets underneath looked as clean as they could be after years of neglect. “Get in. It’s like we’re newlyweds.”

  Katie slowly lowered herself onto the edge of the mattress. It creaked heavily under her weight, and she wondered if it would even hold her alone, much less both of them.

  “Don’t be shy. Move all the way in,” Arkhan urged. He watched her eagerly, licking his lips. “I guess it’s all right if you go slowly like that. We can make it last as long as you would like. We have a lifetime together.”

  She gingerly lay back against the flat pillow, hands pinned in front of her by the restraints. Looking up at him, Arkhan seemed even taller than he had before. She could see the outline of his erection in the front of his pants, a telltale sign of what was to come.

  Arkhan’s voice sounded husky. “Now I’m finally going to take off your handcuffs. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can escape. I’m stronger and faster than you are. But I don’t want those damn things to get between us.” He touched the restraints, and they instantly stopped holding together. At another touch, they fell away from her wrists. He picked them up and replaced them on his belt.

  “Please.” Katie knew she was pleading shamelessly, but she didn’t care. Her wrists were sore. Although her hands were free and she could theoretically try to run away, she knew his words were true. He could overpower her in an instant. There would be no escape for her now.

  “You’re already begging for it, I see. I knew you would change your mind.”

  Katie hastily amended her words. “Please don’t. Please don’t do this.” Katie felt too weak to fight him off physically. He had already proved impossible to sway with words alone, but she couldn’t help resisting.

  Arkhan wagged the small cylinder in front of her face. “Nope. I said you shouldn’t speak. Begging me to make love to you is permissible, but no more talk about putting off the inevitable. It won’t work, and it’s only going to kill the mood.” He climbed onto the bed, hovering above her on his hands and knees. “Right now you want to leave. Before you know it, you’ll be begging to make sweet love to me. We’ll stay here together, just the two of us. Your pleasure will be so intense that you’ll do anything to return the favor to me.”
/>   Tears poured out of the corners of Katie’s eyes and trickled onto the sheets.

  Arkhan nodded. “I can even make you come so hard that you’ll cry. It’s time to get started.” He sat back on his heels, using his weight to pin her legs against the bed. “This bodysuit looks gorgeous on you, but I happen to know there’s something more beautiful underneath. You really shouldn’t hide yourself.”

  Katie cringed, expecting him to rip the thin fabric from her body like Troxeo had back at the Fortress. Instead, he leaned down and gripped the collar of the bodysuit in his teeth. His breath felt hot on her neck. She pressed her head into the pillow in revulsion, trying to find a way not to inhale the aroma. His cock pushed against her, but there was nothing she could do to get away from it.

  He leisurely pulled the material down Katie’s body. It ripped slowly, agonizingly revealing her skin inch by inch. He groaned as he pulled it down past her chest, exposing one creamy breast. Against her will, her nipple hardened in the cold air, standing firm despite her horror. When Arkhan had pulled the bodysuit down to her waist, he spat out the piece he had been holding in his teeth and grinned down at her.

  “I see you’re ready. Be patient, my little human. I have more work to do.” Reaching up to her neckline with his mouth once again, he pulled down the other side of the bodysuit top.

  Katie gulped as she lay half-naked on the bed, most of her assets exposed to the prying gaze of the alien man. Ripping clothes off with one’s teeth was exactly the kind of thing Ben used to do, that lying, cheating scumbag. He loved doing things the dirty way. Ben had ripped the buttons off her favorite blouses as soon as she came in the door after work. Once, he pulled down her yoga pants and fucked her from behind while she was talking on the phone.

  It had been nothing but sex with Ben. She had done whatever he asked: fucked in their friend’s guest room at a Super Bowl party, touched herself while he watched, let him come on her face, bend over and take it in the ass. She never told him no, no matter how she felt about it or how tired she was. She had been his sex slave and not even realized it. He had even convinced her that she did those things for him because she loved him. She had been so upset to find that he had cheated on her that she was ready to break up with him immediately. As it turned out, he was no better than the aliens. She just hadn’t been smart enough to realize it.