by Maia Starr
I made my way back to the living quarters. I’d had enough of being the master for the day. I walked in and found Ella sitting at the vast wall of windows, staring off in the distance with distinct sadness on her face.
“What is it? You seem very upset,” I said as I put my hand on her shoulder.
“What do you think I would be doing if I were at the Outpost still? I was actually happy there. Being here is very… complex.”
“What do you mean? Are you saying you don’t want to be here? Where is this coming from?” I was confused. Where the hell was this coming from? First I had to get it from the Consulate, now I was getting it from Ella herself.
“It was just something I was thinking about.”
“No, I’m not going to take that for an answer. Something else is happening. Tell me,” I said, squatting down next to her. Tears fell from her eyes and she was silent.
“Tell me. I can’t help if you don’t tell me,” I said in anger. She got up and ran to the bedroom and shut me out. I was frustrated.
“Master Kree,” the intercom radio buzzed in.
I walked to the panel and answered, “Yes this is Master Kree.”
“Fraon Loki is requesting an audience with you.”
“Send him to my council chamber.”
I pulled on my cloak and left the living quarters. What the hell did the ass want? He had been the cause of Ella’s mistreatment and I had a mind to punish him for it, but I could not. Being cruel to a human was not grounds for punishment. I walked in and he had a smug look on his face.
“What is it, Loki?” I asked.
“I have news. I am going to appeal the transfer of ownership over the human female.”
“What?!” I roared.
“Appeal. I have grounds to do it. My brother and I had not exactly settled the transfer yet when you took her from him. So he had no right to give her to you. The transfer should have been with me.”
“Fine, then I will have new documents marked up for transfer of ownership from you to me. I am able to do this as master; you do understand that?” I narrowed my eyes at him. Anyone threatening to take Ella from me would get my complete wrath.
“Yes, I am aware. Are you aware that an appeal can take years, mixed up in the courts? While that appeal is in progress, it is customary for the property to be in the custody of the original owner while it is sorted out. That could be a couple of years of Ella with us while it is sorted.”
I did not know if this was true. I would have to have Huine Srit look into it that very second. But Fraon Loki was there because he wanted something.
“What do you want Loki?”
“I will give you ownership of the human girl in trade,” he responded.
“In trade for what?”
“I do not think I got what this human female is really valued at. You seem to place a very high value on her.”
“How much do you want? Tell me and get out.”
“It is not how much, but WHAT I want. You have taken my slave and you can have her if you will marry one of my daughters as your true Kalazaron mate. Otherwise I will appeal and the slave will be given back into my ownership until it is decided. The courts are slow especially when they are run by my friends.”
“But I’m the master!”
“Yes, a master that is already being questioned for your rogue ways. You wouldn’t want to do more to have the public question your grasp on the position.”
“Get out!” I shouted. He left with a huge grin on his face.
“Send Huine Srit up here, now!” I yelled into the communication radio.
Chapter 11
ELLA CAPRICIO
I went to the market for an escape. I needed to be away from Thaedon for a while because I was holding a secret. I was going to let that secret out at any moment if he kept pressing me. But after I overheard him say he could not be with me, I knew that I had to come up with a plan. If he did not want me in his life any longer, then I needed to find somewhere that I was accepted so that I could have this baby in peace. One thought crossed my mind, and that was Belvenreed.
I had been happy there for a couple of days, and I was given freedom. I trusted Dr. Lavender Prost and the other human females and knew that I could possibly talk Thaedon into putting me into the ownership of General Rendor Moscurn. I knew that Rendor would not want real ownership of me and would let me be content to live at the Outpost and work in the reconstructionist building. It broke my heart to think I would be without Thaedon, but I had to think ahead now that I knew he had plans to marry a real Kalazaron.
“Well look what we have here. If it isn’t the ugly human female, Ella,” I heard a familiar voice that ran chills up my spine.
I turned to see Soko Loki standing there with Maris Loki in the market. I would not run. I would face them. They didn’t own me anymore, and I had no reason to hold back my tongue.
“Leave me alone, you jealous, awful creatures,” I said as I turned to walk away.
“How dare you speak to your owners like that. You know what the punishment will be. What should we do Soko? Cut off her hair?” Maris said.
“Yes, and maybe cut her face too,” Soko laughed.
“I do not belong to you anymore,” I narrowed my eyes at them.
Soko gasped at Maris as she said, “Oh, Maris, I don’t think she knows yet. I guess her sex toy has not told her yet.”
“Told me what?” I said feeling my stomach turn.
“Father went to him and told him that the transfer of ownership was not final yet. We had it looked into. You officially still belong to us and if father puts in for an appeal, you will be back living with us at our quarters.”
My eyes grew wide and I wanted to run from them in that second back to Belvenreed. But what they said next was really the worst of it.
“Yes, but don’t worry; father has made a deal with the master. Master Kree can keep you as his human toy if he agrees to marry one of us,” Maris said.
“Yes, so you see, you will still be slave to one of us; it is just a matter of if it will be in our old living quarters, or our new quarters as wife to the master,” Soko said.
I could not stand it anymore. Tears flowed from my eyes and I ran from them. I heard them laughing as I ran. Was it true? It could not be. But I did over hear Thaedon say so myself that he could not have a human wife. This was such a mess, and I was the only one that knew I was pregnant. Now I would be forced to live with one of the sisters as my owner once more and watch her be romantically involved with the warrior that I loved. No, I could not last through such a life. I was strong, but not that strong. I ran back to the living quarters. I was going to pack what I could and find a way to escape before any of it could happen.
Chapter 12
MASTER THAEDON KREE
“I am right. He cannot take her from me?” I asked Huine Srit.
“No, after tags have been replaced, the slave is rightfully yours. He could file the appeal, but as the master you have the power to deny it as soon as it is filed. He has nothing,” Huine said.
I sighed in relief. I needed to tell Ella. I had kept it from her but now I had other arrangements that would keep any Kalazaron from ever questioning her position in my life.
“And the other arrangement? I am ready to do it tomorrow. Is everything in place?” I asked.
“Yes, all is ready.”
“We will be there tomorrow. I must go to her now.”
I walked into the living quarters to find Ella packing a bag. I was confused and shocked and a little bit angry.
"Ella, what are you doing? Are you trying to run?"
She stopped and looked at me stunned. It was clear that she was not expecting me to come back to the living quarters this early in the day. Her face was stained with tears and her eyes were red, as though she had been crying for hours.
"That is it. I have had enough. You are going to tell me what is going on. You have been acting strange for a while now. We were so happy after the Belvenreed
Outpost. I know that something is wrong and you were keeping it from me. Where do you think you are going?"
"What do you care? You cannot have me anyway. You cannot truly have me the way you can have a Kalazaron female. I heard you say so yourself in the council room. You cannot be with a human female; it is not right for the master to do so. I am better off at the Belvenreed Outpost where I can have some sort of freedom. You must let me go. I will not be owned by the Loki family again, especially if one of the sisters is your wife. You cannot put me through that, Thaedon. I beg you."
She was shaking with fear. I pulled her into my arms and hugged her. "Ella, I would not do such a thing. Where did you hear of this?"
"I ran into the Loki sisters in the market. They said their father had negotiated for one of them to marry you. I did not get the details, but they seemed to be saying the truth."
I could have slapped those sisters for making my sweet Ella become so frantic and hurt.
"It is true that their father approached me and tried to take you from me. He tried to negotiate a trade that I marry one of his daughters in order to gain full ownership of you. But my advisor looked into it; we now know that he can do no such thing. You are mine. And I mean to make it even more official tomorrow, if you will have me."
"What do you mean?"
"It is all set up tomorrow. We must do it in secret. I have been facing opposition about being your mate because I am master. But because I am master, I am going to do what I want. We will do it in secret, and then no one can do anything about it."
"Do what in secret?" she asked me.
"Ella, will you marry me? Will you be my wife? I love you so much. I cannot be without you."
"Thaedon, do you really mean it?"
"I do. The arrangements have all been made. We are to meet in the morning where the ceremony will take place in secret."
"Yes. Yes, I will marry you."
I kissed her. I kissed her passionately and deeply. I laid her on the bed. I moved my body over hers and rested my weight on her. She quickly pushed her hands against my chest in panic and said, "You must not put weight on my belly."
"What? Ella, why not? Are you sick?" I asked her, searching her face and feeling worried. This was news to me.
"No, not exactly. I am carrying your child, Thaedon."
I was shocked into silence. I rolled off of her and lay beside her. I laid my hand on top of her stomach as she stared at me.
"Say something, Thaedon. Please say something," she said to me.
"It is unbelievable. Do you know how rare it is for this to happen?" I said to her as I was in complete shock that this was even possible. I had only heard of it happening once or twice before, and none of that was recorded. There had been rumors that it had happened at the Blue Mountain rebel base years before.
"So I have heard. But it is true. I have known for some time, but I did not think that you wanted me. I did not think you wanted me as a proper wife, so I kept it a secret."
It hurt me to hear her say those words. She had been dealing with this alone. "Ella, I want this. I am very happy. I have done many things that no other Kalazaron master has done before. Let us just add this to that list. You will be my wife and you will have my child. We shall be happy."
She smiled at me and kissed me. I delicately and softly made love to her. I was careful taking off her clothes. I made sure that I touched her with the care and gentleness. I slipped the muslin dress off of her and she lay naked on the bed before me. I kissed her belly. My child was in there now, and it filled me with pride. I pulled off my clothes and laid on the bed and said, “Come. Straddle me. It is the best way so that I am not on top of you. You are so small and delicate, I don’t want to hurt you or our child.”
“I don’t know how to do this,” she said in her small voice.
“I will guide you,” I said. She straddled my hips and lifted herself up. I guided my hard rod just inside of her, just the tip.
“Now, slide down as much as you want. Put your hands here on my chest to hold yourself. Then move up and down slowly,” I said to her.
She bit her lower lip and slid down on my hard staff. I sighed in great relief at the feeling. I loved watching her naked, olive skin and her breasts jiggle with every moment. Then she stopped and slid back up. She smiled as her eyes grew wide and I knew that she had figured it out. She understood. She moved up and down slowly, all the way down taking me all in. Then she varied the speed and had fun with exploring what she could do. I was at her mercy. I was holding onto her hips as she decided what pleasure she wanted to give to me. I enjoyed watching her learn. But I wanted to give her some pleasure as well. I moved my thumb over her clitoris.
“Oh, Thaedon,” she moaned. I smiled at her reaction. I massaged her clitoris until her head was arched back and her long, brown hair was cascading down her back. She moved up and down, faster and faster on my rod as I massaged her. Then she shouted, “I’m cumming! I’m cumming!” Her release turned me on beyond anything, and I released too with her.
In the morning we were married.
Chapter 13
ELLA CAPRICIO
I wore a white dress that morning. He walked me out of the living quarters and into the elevator. He pressed the button to go up and I was surprised. I thought we would be going down to the street level and going somewhere. We were getting married. I assumed that the Kalazaron did that in some sort of church, or something equivalent to that. The elevator opened and Thaedon led me out onto the roof.
"I thought you would want to be married here. You mentioned rooftops were your favorite place. Because you can see all around into nature," he said as he kissed the top of my hand.
"Yes, it is perfect.” I looked around at the roof that was decorated with simplistic, red ribbons. There was a table of food and drink. There was a leader of ceremony, the same that I had seen at the celebrations before. The advisor of Thaedon, called Huine Srit, joined us. There were two more witnesses, one male and one female Kalazaron. Everyone in attendance signed a holographic document saying they witnessed the marriage ceremony between us. The ceremony was also recorded on the holographic projection. It was very simple and beautiful. We held hands and stared at each other and repeated the words that the leader of ceremony recited before us. It was much like a marriage ceremony on Earth.
When we were done and bonded, the two of us sat at the table and ate and drank as husband and wife as we looked out on the view. It was perfect. I did not like a grand party or ceremony. But I wasn't going to get off that easy.
"This is perfect. I do not like being under the prying and judging eyes of others," I said to him.
He looked at me and bit his lower lip. He looked mischievous.
"What? What is it? Something tells me you have a surprise," I said to him knowing that I would not like it.
"This wedding ceremony is for us. We had to do it in secret. However, we will have to have a reception, a very grand one. It is scheduled for tomorrow evening. I am going to make the announcement today. It is very important, Ella."
"Why? You know these things scare me," I said to him, feeling very weak after I did so. I just could not shake that fear the sisters instilled in me.
"It will let everyone know that we are married. It will be a visual to them. Once they see it and we declare it in public, then we will never be questioned again. That's why it is important."
"Yes, I can see why it is important. I will be strong for us. I will enjoy the reception and attend and show everyone how happy I am to be your bride."
"You are stronger than you think, Ella. You have endured living on another planet. You have endured being the captive of awful creatures. You have endured a battle siege. You have endured being the lover of a very reckless warrior. You are very strong," he said as he kissed my cheek.
"Well, when you put it that way," I said as I laughed. He was right. I was strong. I had been through a lot and I did not let it beat me down.
We had a grand reception a
nnouncing that we had been married and providing the proof of it. Everyone was shocked, but no one questioned us again as a couple. Especially when news spread about my pregnancy.
The Loki family was effectively punished for trying to swindle the master out of his rightful slave. They were moved to new living quarters on the outskirts of the city, very far away from the market and the buildings of order. This way it made it much harder to run into the sisters when I went to market. They were never invited to any of the ceremonies again, and that included our wedding reception. It was as if they did not exist, and that made me happy.