Rena finished the food on her plate, then drained her glass of juice. She bit her lower lip as she looked toward his bed, then dropped her gaze to the floor. Beren didn’t know what she was thinking, but if he had to guess, she was concerned about sharing a room with him. He had no intention of touching her, unless it was to offer comfort, but he didn’t think she would welcome even that small touch. She seemed skittish, even though he’d assured her he didn’t want anything from her. She was free, but he had a feeling it would take her a while to accept that.
“Do you want more?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she said.
“Would you like a tour of the ship? It will be your home for the next week. It will take us that long to reach our home world.”
“You said I’m not a slave anymore.”
“No, you’re not a slave,” he said. “You’re free, Rena. You’ll be able to select a mate on our world, have a family of your own.”
But as he said the words, he wondered if that was truly what she wanted. The way she feared males, it would almost be kinder to let her remain alone. Or perhaps pair her with a male who wouldn’t touch her intimately. If that didn’t work, then he didn’t see why the council wouldn’t agree to cover her expenses and give her a place to live indefinitely, and then if she were ever ready to settle down, she could do so. While it wasn’t customary to do something like that, Rena’s case was special. She didn’t remember Earth, and sending her there would be like abandoning her. Not that it was his place to make such a suggestion. He was merely a warrior, and not even one in command of his own vessel.
Rena looked at him uncertainly, and he wished she’d speak her mind. If she was scared, and Beren figured most females in her position would be, then he wanted to know her fears so he could calm her. Not that he knew a lot about females, but if he was going to protect her, wouldn’t that be part of it? Making sure she felt safe?
“You don’t wish to go to my world, do you?” he asked.
“I want to go home,” she said.
“To Earth?”
She shook her head. “Vaaden. My father must be worried about me. Your commander said he’d contact my father. Do you know if he has?”
Beren stood and held out his hand. “Let’s go ask him.”
Rena hesitantly reached for his hand, and Beren felt like he’d won a small victory as her soft fingers curled around his. She might be scared, but at least she seemed to sense he wasn’t going to harm her. He led her out of the room and toward the front of the ship. If Ryx wasn’t in the command center, then he’d likely be in the common room speaking to the other males on board. Rena tensed every time they neared one of the other males, and he tightened his grip on her hand, hoping to reassure her that she wouldn’t come to any harm. They found Ryx as he was leaving the command center.
“Commander, Rena would like to know if you’ve reached out to her father on Vaaden,” Beren said.
“I sent a transmission to the Prime Minister on Vaaden with a brief summary of what you told me, Rena. I’m uncertain how long they will take to respond. Because of the communication system that Vaaden uses, I was unable to link directly to your father. All ships are capable of transmitting to world leaders, though. It’s the best I could do.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“As soon as I hear something, I’ll let you know,” Ryx said. “In the meantime, acquaint yourself with the ship and those on board. You’re safe here, Rena. I know the males can be a little… overwhelming, but they mean well enough.”
“I’ll give her a tour, commander, but she’s likely going to be bored until we reach home,” Beren said.
“I’ll check the ship’s systems, but I believe there are some Earth movies she could watch on the Vid-comm in your quarters. There may not be many, but it would offer her some entertainment. I don’t want to bog down our systems trying to access more until we’ve heard back from Vaaden, or from our council for that matter. I had to let them know what was going on as well,” Ryx said.
“Understood,” Beren said.
“What are movies?” Rena asked.
“Kind of like a book, but on a screen with moving pictures,” Beren said, not knowing how else to describe it.
He didn’t know much about Vaaden, other than their penchant for nabbing Earth women, and he wasn’t certain if they were quite as technologically or medically advanced as Zelthrane-3. While Zelthrane-3 already had the use of Vid-comms, it wasn’t until humans began mating with their males and moving to Zelthrane-3 that movies, music, dancing, and many other wonderful things were introduced to their society. Now their world was a mix of Zelthranite and human technology and customs. A blend that most were enjoying.
“You really don’t remember anything about Earth?” he asked.
“No. I still don’t understand how I can be a human when I’ve spent my entire life on Vaaden. Why would my father have lied to me?” she asked. “When Ryx said I was human, I had a brief flash of a female who had hair like mine. But she couldn’t have been human, could she?”
“I don’t know, Rena, but I’m sure your father had his reasons. Did you have a good childhood? I’ve never met anyone from Vaaden before. We’ve of course heard of Vaaden and the males’ peculiar health issue.”
“My father always made time for me. I had plenty of books to read, lots of nice clothes, and he hired the best tutors. I would sometimes help him balance the household accounts. He said I was gifted when it came to numbers.”
“I’m sorry if you’re homesick, but we can’t return you to Vaaden. I know things were different for you before, but humans are kept there as slaves.” He wanted to say more, offer comfort somehow, but he didn’t know how. “You can either sit at the table or on your cot, whichever would be more comfortable. The movies last a little while. I’ll see what’s available and put one on for you.”
She looked around the room, then headed toward the cot he’d set up for her. While she got settled, Beren accessed the Vid-comm and quickly located the movies that had been downloaded to the ship’s systems. At home, he would sometimes watch one at night before bed, but he seldom had time while on board a ship to do something like relax. This trip was different, since he’d been assigned as a glorified babysitter to Rena. She wasn’t quite what he’d expected, though. For one, she hadn’t so much as flinched when she’d looked at him, and she hadn’t shied away from his touch.
Beren selected a movie that he thought gave a good portrayal of what Earth was like, then settled at the table to watch. Sitting on his bed, with Rena so close on her own cot, just seemed a little too intimate. They would end up sleeping in the same room tonight, and Beren wasn’t certain how he felt about it. He’d never shared quarters with a female before. For that matter, he’d never been this close to a living female for any length of time until now. It was common for the ship to make periodic stops at floating brothels, but the first few attempts he’d made to hire someone hadn’t gone well, and he’d stuck with sex bots after that. It seemed even whores couldn’t stand to look at him.
He glanced at Rena and saw that she was fascinated by the movie on the Vid-comm, her eyes wide as she took it all in, and her lips slightly parted. There was a look of complete wonder on her face as she watched the action on the screen. Beren had never watched a movie with a female before, and honestly didn’t know what they liked, but she seemed entertained by his selection. He smiled faintly, glad that he was able to share the experience with her.
The way her face lit up and she genuinely smiled in amusement made something inside him tighten. Ryx had called her “pretty enough,” but in that moment, she was far more than just pretty. Beren could look beyond the scars, beyond the fear that lurked in her eyes, and could see how stunning Rena truly was. He didn’t know if his shipmates could see it too, or if they were just so desperate for a mate that any female would do. She deserved more than that. He didn’t know her entire story, but he knew enough to know that Rena needed someone who would care f
or her, who would be gentle. Beren didn’t think he was capable of the soft touch he felt that she needed, not on a consistent basis, but he could watch over her until the right male came along, or until they reached Zelthrane-3 and someone else took over.
When the movie ended, he set up another one. They would run out before the day was over if he wasn’t careful, but if the commander wasn’t willing to have more downloaded, they would have to make do with what was currently available. He often watched the same movies more than once, so maybe Rena would enjoy doing the same thing.
The movies seemed to keep Rena engaged, and she thankfully hadn’t asked about her father again. There were questions he wanted to ask, but he didn’t know if it pained her to speak, and he didn’t want her to strain her vocal cords. He wondered if the damage could be reversed at a clinic on Zelthrane-3, or if it was permanent. It wasn’t for himself, or her potential mate, that he worried but because he didn’t want her to suffer more than she already had. The first time she’d spoken, he could tell that she was self-conscious about how whisper soft her voice was.
If he were to ever get his hands on the male responsible, the ending would be bloody and painful -- for Frih. It was unthinkable to do such a thing to anyone, but especially to a female. Beren couldn’t fathom females being so plentiful that it didn’t matter if Frih harmed or killed them. Beren couldn’t imagine such a thing. It had been so long since females had been born on his world, until the bride program started anyway. Now females were born all the time, but for his generation, the only way to find a mate was to look outside Zelthrane-3. While the women of his world were beautiful, Beren thought the influx of human females had been a blessing. They’d brought so many interesting items and ideas with them, and Zelthrane-3 was richer for it. He also found it fascinating that they came in so many different shapes and colors. Zelthranite females were all of a similar build, and all his people had the same hair, eye, and skin color. But despite the differences of the human females, the Zelthranite genes seemed to always be dominant, and every child born was the same color as Beren’s people. There had been a few anomalies where a child had human eye color or hair color, but their skin pigmentation was always purple.
“It’s nearly time to eat again,” he said. “Do you want to go with me or wait here while I get food for us?”
She looked from him to the door, then back again. He watched as the conflicting emotions rolled across her face. It was obvious she was leery of remaining in the room alone, but she didn’t seem quite certain she wanted to venture out into the halls either. Beren wanted her to feel safe, but he didn’t know how to accomplish such a feat. Being on a ship full of males must be terrifying for her, after having been abused by at least one male if not others. None of the males on board would ever harm her, but she didn’t know that. And since she didn’t know him either, there was no way she would just take his word for it.
He gave her time to decide what she wanted, and he was pleased when she stood and waited by the door. It was good that she was willing to leave the room. The more she was around his people, the sooner she would acclimate to her new situation. Or so he hoped. He couldn’t imagine how she would feel once they reached Zelthrane-3. While there were a lot more females now than there had been before the bride program was put into place, his world was still a mostly male society.
Chapter Three
Rena stayed close to Beren’s side as they walked through the ship. The other males kept a respectable distance, but she could feel them watching her as she passed. It wasn’t anything new, being watched like that, but it felt different this time. They didn’t want a bedmate for an hour or so, they wanted someone forever. And though the males at Frih’s place, and the places before that, had wanted to use her, no one would ever call her pretty or desirable. If she hadn’t been forbidden to them, they likely would have never given her a second glance. Not once she’d become scarred.
Rena didn’t know how she felt about being someone’s mate. They claimed she was no longer a slave, that she was free, but what did freedom really mean? If she was forced to choose a mate, then was she truly free? Or was she trading one form of slavery for another? She knew nothing about the males on board the ship, didn’t understand their society or customs. Until she’d met Ryx, she’d never heard of Zelthranites. Would a mate order her around and demean her as her previous owners had done? Ryx had seemed to think being mated to someone would give her the freedom she’d been craving, but Rena wasn’t so certain.
The galley was larger than she’d expected for a smaller ship, and three big males were already there. A shiver raked her spine at the thought of being so close to them. Not that anyone on board had tried to harm her in any way, but after years of being hurt by males, she wasn’t certain she completely trusted them. Beren ignored them as he entered the space, with Rena trailing after him. The other three watched her avidly, and Rena moved a little closer to Beren, reaching out to grab onto the back of his shirt. He froze under her touch and turned his head to peer at her over his shoulder. She stared back, wondering if he would reprimand her for reaching for him without permission, but after a moment, he returned to what he was doing.
There was something about the male that made her feel safe. Well, safer. She still wasn’t convinced that they didn’t want more from her, that she wasn’t still property, but Beren was different. With his missing parts and scars, she knew that he could understand the pain and suffering she’d been through. His wounds were likely from battle, but Rena had been in a type of battle herself. Each owner had been crueler than the previous, and it had been hard to survive. She didn’t know why they had left her virginity intact all these years, but she was thankful for it. At least she’d been spared the fate the other slaves all suffered. If she’d been passed around as a sex toy, then she likely would have taken her own life long before now. It was a common fate amongst female slaves to end their lives, at least the ones who still had any fight left in them. Most became mindless automatons, just following orders and not feeling anything anymore. Some chose to end things on their own terms and find peace.
Beren filled two plates of food and placed them on the table in the center of the room. Rena slowly eased her grip on his shirt and took a seat, with him claiming a place on the bench next to her. The other three moved a little closer, but one glare from Beren froze them in place. Rena scooted a little nearer to Beren until her thigh pressed against his, then slowly ate her food, not quite tasting anything as she kept an eye on the other males out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t want to look at them directly for fear it would encourage them. She didn’t know if Beren was watching out for her because he’d chosen to do so, or if he’d been ordered to, but either way, he was keeping the others away, and that was good enough for her. He’d not touched her inappropriately, or given her any looks that might suggest he’d like to. If anything, he’d treated her with respect and kept distance between them as much as possible.
Rena ate until she’d finished everything on her plate, even though she was overly full. She’d learned that meals didn’t come with any regularity, so she ate when food was available. She’d had more meals since being given to Ryx than she’d had in several days, but what if that stopped? What if they decided she didn’t deserve to eat? Part of her said that wasn’t likely, that they seemed like good males, but it was hard to shut off her survival instincts. Her hands trembled, and she fisted them in her lap, not wanting anyone to see. Showing weakness never ended well for her.
Beren stood, and Rena bolted off the bench. As he started out of the galley, the other males began closing in once more, and Rena latched onto Beren’s shirt again. He halted and reached behind him, prying her hand loose. She thought he meant to cast her aside, but he closed his hand around hers and began leading her through the ship, not so much as glancing her way. Some of the tension eased inside her as they approached the command center. Ryx was standing at the controls with another male nearby, but neither looked her way as she ente
red the room.
“Have you heard back from Rena’s father?” Beren asked.
“Yes and no. The Prime Minister of Vaaden has contacted me. It seems Rena’s father is part of the Vaaden council, and the Prime Minister wanted a few days to figure out the best way to give the male the news that his daughter is still alive. It seems Rena’s disappearance created chaos on Vaaden,” Ryx said, then he focused on Rena. “Did you know that you were promised to someone on Vaaden?”
Rena shook her head.
“According to what the Prime Minister sent to me, you were promised to a council member. Does the name Vrydox sound familiar?” Ryx asked.
Rena’s eyes went wide, and she slowly nodded. Her father had promised her to Vrydox? It hardly seemed possible. The male was well-connected, and while he was quite a bit older than Rena, she’d always thought him to be handsome. A male like him could have anyone. He’d been kind to her the times they’d met, but he’d never acted inappropriately, or showed any interest in her romantically. She wondered if the agreement was more political than anything else. Had she remained on Vaaden, she likely would have mated him without any argument. But that was the old Rena.
“It seems when you were taken, Vrydox and your father searched Vaaden for you. Two years ago, Vrydox gave up on ever finding you and settled with another mate.” Ryx gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry.”
“And my father?” she asked, not really caring that Vrydox had found another mate.
“He’s continued to look for you. Now that the Prime Minister knows who was responsible, I’m sure action will be taken,” Ryx said. “I’ve explained to the Prime Minister that our council will not permit your father to take you off world, but if he wishes to see you, he may come visit Zelthrane-3. While you are no longer a slave, we will not permit you to return to a world where humans don’t have rights.”
Rena and the Alien Warrior (Intergalactic Brides Book 16) Page 4