“I’m bringing her on board as soon as she wakes,” Ryx said. “I just have to decide where I’m placing her. With a full crew, I don’t exactly have extra space on board right now.”
“You have the largest quarters on board,” Beren said. “And the largest bed.”
Ryx growled. “I told you that I’m not claiming her.”
Beren frowned. He wanted to ask if the commander wasn’t claiming the female because of her slave status, because of the damage done to her, or was he just not attracted to her? Females were so precious to their people that receiving one as a gift wasn’t something to take lightly, and yet the commander was giving the female up to another male? She would no longer be a slave, but a mate, respected and cherished. Beren wasn’t certain how he felt about it. As someone who wasn’t wanted, it made him angry on her behalf. Females should be cherished and cared for, not cast aside.
“Fine. Then we can put a cot in your room. She can sleep there until we reach Zelthrane-3. After that, perhaps the council will put her up in the apartments where the potential brides stay. Then she would be around others like her.”
“Not quite.”
“Not quite what? Not like the others? You said she’s human. And female. What makes her different from the females living in the apartments?”
Ryx nodded. “Yes, she’s a human female, but she doesn’t remember Earth. I think she was taken when she was a small child. For whatever reason, a male on Vaaden raised her as his daughter, until a female from that world sold Rena into slavery.”
Beren ran a hand down his face. “You get yourself into the most complicated issues. So you have a human female, who doesn’t remember Earth, and was likely a slave on Vaaden without her even realizing it? I’ve never heard of those males capturing children to raise as their offspring. When they take human females, it’s for their harems or personal property. You don’t think he was keeping her until she was old enough to…”
Ryx paled and looked like he might be sick. Beren felt much the same way. It was horrific to think such a thing could happen, but with societies who thrived on slavery, anything was possible. He’d heard that human males often claimed they’d get sick if they didn’t have sex, as way to coerce their partners, but in the case of Vaaden males it was true. The need for females was understandable, but Beren hated that they used sex slaves to maintain their health.
“I promised once we were on our way home that I would reach out to Kryon and let him know that Rena is safe,” Ryx said. “But if your speculation is correct, he could cause a problem.”
Beren snorted. “Even if he truly was raising her as his daughter, you don’t think he’ll have an issue with her being taken to our world as a potential mate? What if he already has a male lined up to claim her? You know the Vaadens have a tendency to arrange their mating for business or social standing. With her being human, she could handle a male’s physical needs, unlike the Vaaden females. If she was honestly like a daughter to him, then there is most likely a male who thought she would be his one day.”
“This is…” Ryx sighed.
“To borrow an Earth saying. It’s fucked up, that’s what it is.”
Ryx barked out a laugh. “You’re not wrong.”
“I’ll arrange for the cot to be placed in your room,” Beren said.
Ryx got a calculating gleam in his eye. “Actually…”
“Whatever it is, the answer is no.”
“She’s going to need a protector, Beren. While our crew would never harm her, I wouldn’t put it past them to be over exuberant in their quest for a mate. You know I’m far too busy to watch over her all the time, and most nights I don’t even retire to my room to sleep. She’d be vulnerable. With everything she’s been through, the crew might be a little much for her to handle.”
Beren ground his teeth together. “Then ask Malin to watch over her.”
“Really? Once he gets a look at her scars, he’ll worry himself to death something would happen to her, just like what happened to his mate. Do you want to go through that while we’re trapped in space with him?” Ryx asked.
“Then what about Toren?”
“He’s like one of those frisky Earth puppies. While I’m sure he’d be considered charming to most human females, I think Rena needs someone more… sedate. She’s been through a lot over the last five years. Nearly six. Six years as a slave, Beren. She’s been degraded and humiliated by males.”
“So, she’s young enough that he would definitely be interested?” Beren asked, finding himself a little curious about the female. Not that he was taking a mate. No one would ever want him.
“According to the records Frih kept, she was fifteen when she was sold into slavery, which would make her nearly twenty-one now. There was no indication of her date of birth. While she’s still young, she’s very much a grown woman,” Ryx said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Beren asked.
Ryx flushed a deep purple. “She, um, has curves in all the right places. Frih had stripped her for a beating when I arrived.”
So the commander had seen her naked and still wasn’t interested? Beren knew the male wanted a family of his own, and this Rena had been gifted to the male. The question remained why wasn’t Ryx interested? He’d called her pretty. Was it because she was scarred? Was there other damage she had suffered that would make her undesirable to the commander or any other male? Beren more than understood about that, not being overly pleasing to anyone either. With his partially missing ear, the tip of a finger removed, and countless scars, he didn’t exactly have his pick of a female to claim. But something seemed off about the situation.
As for him, it wasn’t that he hadn’t tried to find a mate. Most took one look at him and he either saw pity or revulsion in their eyes. It didn’t matter that he’d been handsomely paid for his services over the years, and had a rather nice home on Zelthrane-3. What seemed to matter to the human females who came to his world was how a male looked, and he wasn’t faring too well in that area. He might have been called handsome once, but no one would say that now.
“Beren, I trust you with her,” Ryx said. “I know you would never do anything to harm her. And if the other males get a little too excited about having a female on board, I know they won’t go up against you.”
He snorted. No, they wouldn’t, but that’s because they valued their lives. He might not be as revered as Siril was, but most knew not to trifle with him. Beren had made a name for himself because he never backed down from a fight. Which was probably why he had missing body parts and more scars than most. When Siril had found his mate, Beren had hoped that meant there was a female out there for him too. So far, that hadn’t come to pass. But then, Siril had gone to Earth and found his bride. Beren had thought about doing the same thing, but he worried that the humans wouldn’t accept him. While Siril had worn an eye patch before completely losing his sight in both eyes, the rest of his battle wounds had been easily hidden. His female had the chance to get to know him before finding out about the damage done to Siril’s body. Beren wasn’t quite so fortunate.
“I’ll watch over her,” he promised. “But when she sees me and screams or does her best to get away, just remember that I didn’t volunteer for the job. I’m almost certain that anyone else would be better suited to be in her company.”
“That hasn’t happened with every female you’ve met. I think you underestimate humans, Beren,” Ryx said. “Not all of them are like the females you’ve wanted to claim who only look surface deep. Siril’s mate accepts him just as he is, does she not?”
“Yes,” he agreed. “But perhaps she’s a unique female. It’s been my experience that most human females aren’t as understanding and prefer perfection. Even my rather large home and account balance haven’t been able to tempt a female to get to know me.”
“There’s no such thing as a perfect male,” Ryx said. “Not even Borgoz is perfect, although he often thought he was. I think his mate has proven otherwise to him. H
e nearly lost her, and all because of his stubbornness. Are you going to be the same way? Lose out on a mate because you’ve decided no one will ever want you?”
Beren shrugged.
“I’m not saying you have to claim her,” Ryx said. “Just spend time with her. Get to know her, and show her that not all males are cruel. Where you expect the worst of females, I believe that she expects the worst from males. You were wounded in battle, but she was marked because the males who owned her were cruel. There was no purpose behind the things done to her except the male’s amusement. So think on that when you want to feel sorry for yourself.”
Beren knew his commander was right, even if he didn’t like it. He had been feeling sorry for himself lately, and the female had obviously had things much worse. Stolen from Earth when she was too young to remember it, raised as an alien’s daughter, and then sold into slavery? He couldn’t even imagine such a fate. The fact she hadn’t given up, was still struggling to survive, told him that she was strong.
“There’s one other thing,” Ryx said.
“What?”
“She can barely speak. Her words come out in a whisper.”
“Is she that terrified?” he asked.
“No.” Ryx’s lips thinned. “Frih had her vocal cords damaged so that she couldn’t scream when he caused her pain.”
Beren’s stomach twisted at the thought of something so horrifying being done to a female. As a warrior, he could handle the trauma his body had gone through over the years, but females should be protected, not harmed for someone’s amusement. He didn’t understand how Ryx could still do business with the male, knowing how he treated females.
“Are there other human females inside?” Beren asked.
“I can’t demand that he hand over all his slaves,” Ryx said. “Frih is more powerful than you realize and would gladly wipe us out, then arrange for mercenaries to attack Zelthrane-3. All the mates and children on our world would be in danger of being enslaved. I’m sorry, but in this case, I have to think of the lives of many over the lives of a few.”
“I understand.” And he did, but he didn’t like it. If he could, he would abolish slavery in all the galaxies, but he knew that would never happen. Even if the slavers were no longer able to operate legally, they made far too much to give up the trade. And if things were done illegally… well, the slaves were better off while there were at least a few regulations in place. Some rules were better than none. Pirates were bad enough to deal with. The last thing they needed to add to the list were rogue slavers. Humans were supposed to be a protected species, but only if you were caught abducting one. The rules were a little lax when it came to actually owning a human.
“I’m going to check on Rena and see if she’s ready to leave. The weapons have already been loaded into the cargo bay, so we’re set to leave. Go ahead and place a cot in your quarters. There’s a sack in my room of her belongings. You may get them and have them ready for her. I asked one of the other slaves to pack for Rena last night, in preparation for our departure today,” Ryx said.
“Very well. She’ll likely want to eat. I’ll see what we have in the galley that she might find appetizing.”
“See,” Ryx said. “You’d make an excellent mate.”
Beren shook his head and left to get things ready for the human female. They kept spare cots in a small storage room near the cargo hold. After retrieving one, and an extra blanket, he set up the makeshift bed in his room. Not that their crew was often over capacity, but they did do rescue missions here and there. Her clothing was exactly where Ryx had said it would be, and Beren placed the bag on top of her cot, then went to the galley to find some food. He’d been around human females on his world, but he hadn’t noticed anything in particular they seemed to like best. He grabbed some fruit, a few hunks of meat, and a round chunk of bread. It might not be the best meal she’d ever had, but it would be filling. If they were on Zelthrane-3, she’d have her choice of cuisine, but the ship was only equipped with the basics.
Someone had prepared freshly squeezed borian juice from the green furry fruits they kept on board. He fixed a glass for the female, then placed everything onto a tray and carried it to his quarters. While his room wasn’t as spacious as the commander’s, he did have a small table where he placed the food and drink. The extra cot made the area seem smaller, but there was enough room for the two of them, especially if they were only in here to sleep.
He heard excited chatter in the hallway and knew the female was likely on board. He ran a hand through his hair and wondered if he should hide his mangled ear, then decided against it. She might as well see him for who he was right up front, partially missing ear and all. If she was scared of him, better to know now than find out when she accidentally saw his missing parts. The partially severed pinky on his hand wasn’t something that could be hidden, but most didn’t notice it immediately. But the ear… that made people stare.
Beren stepped into the hall and followed the excited sounds of the males on board. Ryx stood with a small human female at his side. At first glance, there was nothing overly remarkable about her. Her hair was that pale color humans called blonde, and hung in curls down her back, but quite a few mates on Zelthrane-3 had hair like that. Her eyes were blue, again a common enough color among the human mates. Her curvy, small figure was appealing but not uncommon. And yet every male on board acted like she was the most beautiful creature they had ever seen.
Beren hung back a ways and observed her. The males were making fools of themselves, but what bothered him was the terrified look in her eyes. Her arms were folded across her stomach, as if she wanted to protect herself. There were scars on both cheeks and on almost every surface of her skin that he could see. The line across her throat was likely from her vocal cords being damaged. She chewed on her lower lip, and it was almost as if she were shrinking in on herself.
“You’re scaring her,” he said, his voice breaking through the sound of their constant questions and posturing. The males fell silent and turned to look at Beren. “She’s been abused by males for years, and the lot of you are crowding her. Back up and give her some space.”
They turned to look at Rena, then slowly took a step back, then another. Soon, they were gathered behind Beren, and he was left to stare at the poor waif in front of him. Ryx said she was a female fully grown, but she looked rather pathetic at the moment. Her gaze fastened on him, and he watched as she cataloged his scars and disfigurements. Oddly enough, there wasn’t a hint of revulsion in her eyes, if anything, she seemed intrigued by him. It left Beren feeling a bit out of sorts, as no female had looked at him like that in a long while. Not since before his injuries.
“Rena,” Ryx said. “This is Beren. He’s going to watch over you while you’re on board. If you need something and can’t find him, then you can come find me.”
The males behind Beren grumbled.
“If you find a male on board who is to your liking and he wishes to claim you as a mate, then I can contact the council to request an official mating for you,” Ryx continued. His gaze fastened on the crew. “But only if it’s something both parties want.”
Beren fought not to smile, knowing that last part was aimed at the males behind him. Some were too anxious to claim a mate, and while they would never knowingly hurt Rena, he wouldn’t put it past them to push too hard. Now that Beren had seen her, had observed her behavior around the males, he could understand why Ryx wanted someone to watch over her. She was more vulnerable than most humans who had come to their world. The fear in her eyes, the way she curled around herself, made his heart break for her. Now he understood what Ryx had meant when he said she was damaged.
“You’re probably hungry,” Beren said. “There’s a small meal prepared for you in my quarters. I’ve also placed a cot, bedding, and your clothing in there.”
She didn’t make a move and seemed to be barely breathing, so Beren moved closer. He didn’t stop until she was close enough to touch, but he didn’t reach
for her. He waited for her gaze to fasten on his before giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
“No harm will come to you, Rena. I will keep you safe. Do you understand?” he asked. “I’m not taking you to my quarters for anything other than rest and food. There are no expectations of you in any way. As of today, you’re no longer a slave.”
She slowly nodded and when Beren turned to walk off, she followed. He led the way to his room, their room for the time being, and motioned for her to enter ahead of him. He pointed out her things and then ushered her over to the table. Rena sat and her hand trembled as she reached for the food, then she paused and stared up at him.
“It’s for you,” he assured her. “I’ve already eaten. And if you’re still hungry after that, I can get more for you.”
“Thank you,” she said.
Ryx had been correct. She barely spoke at a whisper, and if there had been a large crowd, he’d have never heard her. His heart ached for all that she’d suffered. Now that he was closer, he could see the scarring on her body was worse than he’d first thought. But it wasn’t the physical scars he worried about. The way she’d reacted to the males on board, males who would sooner cut off their arms than harm her, made him realize that her wounds ran far deeper than her skin. She was emotionally and mentally scarred as well.
As she ate, he tried to make himself seem as non-threatening as possible, wanting to set her at ease. Not an easy task when he dwarfed her small frame. Her furtive glances didn’t go unnoticed, nor did the slight tremor in her fingers as she ate her food. The pulse in her throat pounded fast and hard, and he wondered if she was close to having a panic attack. The mate of his friend Akro often had them. They were one of the first mated pairs on Zelthrane-3 since the bride program started and now had four children. After the fourth had been born, Akro’s mate had asked if she could be sterilized as she feared she couldn’t handle more children. It wasn’t a common practice on their world, but there had been others who had undergone the operation.
Rena and the Alien Warrior (Intergalactic Brides Book 16) Page 3