Sold To The Athim Prince

by Hollie Hutchins

  Modric and Natira noticed the worry on my face.

  “Aww, it won’t be that bad, Freya,” Natira tried to reassure me. “I’m sure that you’ll find a way to pass the time.” She licked her lips looking at me. Was she implying that Modric and I would finally have sex?

  “I think we’ll spend the time getting to know each other,” Modric said. “And not the way you like it.”

  Natira laughed.

  “Implying that I’m a slut, are we, Modric? I’d rather be slutty than a prude. You have this gorgeous human for the taking, and you haven’t even touched her! You should have seen her last night when I came to get her during the attack. She was ready for you.”

  Modric looked at me, raising his eyebrows. I felt my cheeks turn red. I had hoped this wouldn’t have come up. Trust Natira to say something.

  “She had these white thigh-highs on,” Natira continued. “And this bra that really put her tits...” She motioned upwards with her own breasts.

  “That’s enough, Natira,” Modric said sternly. “What we do together behind closed doors is none of your business.”

  Natira shrugged and turned to leave.

  “Apparently you don’t do enough,” she said.

  “Natira!” Modric yelled.

  “Freya, buzz me if you need anything,” Natira said, obviously unfazed by her brother’s attitude. “I’m going to be in my room until this ship lands, but we can get one of the soldiers to get you whatever you need. Maybe even cock. Or me. I’m not that fussy.”

  Modric threw a book from the nightstand at her, narrowly missing her head. She giggled and closed the door, leaving the two of us alone.

  “I’m sorry about her,” Modric apologized. “Although we’re related, we’re very different. She’s a bit of a wild child, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

  “I completely understand,” I said, nodding. “My sister and I were very different as well. But you shouldn’t be so hard on her. She’s just trying to get us to hook up.”

  He raised his eyebrows at me.

  “Do you want that?” he asked.

  “Let’s get through this mess first,” I suggested. “And then we’ll see what happens.”

  A wide smile grew on Modric’s face.

  “I like that idea,” he said.

  Chapter 9

  Our ship had been damaged for over a week, and I was starting to lose my mind. But I had to admit, the first few days in quarantine weren’t completely awful. I was actually relieved that I got a break from my Athim language lessons.

  I had also discovered the ship had a large library filled with books on everything and anything. The soldiers gave me a steady stream of books and I read them as fast as they brought them to me. I learned a lot about the Athim culture and their history. Modric loved that I had shown interest in the Athim race. I figured I might as well do some of my wifely duties, if not all of them.

  Unfortunately, despite trying to stay in the room, his condition was deteriorating quickly. At the beginning, he had insisted on leaving the room to talk to the pilot and the others on the ship. There was a constant internal battle between being in control and being in good health. After a few days, he could no longer walk to the command room, which meant our room became home base.

  It scared me to see how quickly his health was going downhill. His once vibrant skin had a dull, almost dead, grey hue. His eyes no longer shone with excitement. The energy boost shots no longer worked. The night prior, I had to feed him some protein mush.

  Most of the day, we weren’t alone, but in the times that we were, I valued them. He taught me more Athim. Surprisingly, he was a much more patient teacher than Natira. I also helped him finetune his English.

  Between the two languages, we could have full conversations. The more I got to know about him, the more I liked him. However, with his health failing and mine beginning to get worse, there was no intimacy.

  We were laying in bed, talking about my past, when Natira came in the room. She looked awful, but not as bad as Modric. I had also learned that gravity affected the Athim men worse than the Athim women. While she wasn’t in top shape, she was much in much better shape than Modric.

  “I need a word with her,” she told Modric. She pointed to the closet door. I got out of bed and followed her. She shut the door behind us.

  “He’s doing really bad, isn’t he?” she asked. I nodded.

  “There are some times that he’s OK,” I explained. “He’ll be lucid, and we have conversations. But there are some times where he just falls asleep mid-sentence. Please tell me we’re close to Arilia.”

  With most of the discussions happening in my bedroom, I had learned everything about our mission to Arilia. It was a small planet, but Modric was confident that if we could make it there, they would allow us to stay until the ship was in top condition. He had been to the planet before and knew some of the top officials. While they weren’t exactly friends, they weren’t exactly enemies, either.

  “We are. In fact, we’re getting ready to land shortly,” she said. “But we need him to be healthy, too. Arilia isn’t exactly the best place for us to land. Modric can’t appear weak. It’s possible as well he’ll need me for some extra tasks.”

  I raised my eyebrows, inviting her to tell me more.

  “Arilia is a very small planet,” she explained. “It’s miniscule compared to Earth. I feel it’s similar in size to the city you came from. The entire planet is the size of Washington, D.C. It’s that small. There is a small tribe of people who make up the population. They are people who previously lived on a planet that Modric conquered. To put it bluntly, they hate Modric. If they see him in this condition, they will eat him alive.”

  This news surprised me.

  “He didn’t tell me any of that,” I said.

  “Of course not,” Natira said. “But everything I just told you is true. If Modric is healthy, he will be fine. I’m just afraid if they see him sick that they will try to attack him for revenge. Do you see why it’s important that we keep him secluded until he’s 100%?”

  “Just when I thought there was a light at the end of the tunnel,” I muttered. Natira nodded in agreement.

  “So, this is why I need your help,” she said. “When we land, me, you, and the other girls need to represent the Athim until the men can heal properly. It shouldn’t take them too long, maybe a couple of hours, but we will need to start the mission. We will need to find Arilians to fix the ship and get other supplies, like food and water. I know Modric will be against you going out there, but I spoke with the others, and they agree. The women need to start this, and there is power in numbers.”

  We devised a plan for me to escape from the room later that night once the ship had landed. While the Arilians knew we were arriving, since communications had contacted them, their government promised to keep it quiet to prevent chaos. We would be arriving at night, while most of the planet was fast asleep. With the right timing, we could get the supplies back to the ship and have the Arilians working on it before we were found out. The hours between midnight and sunrise would also give Modric and the others time to heal.

  Thankfully, Modric was asleep when we stepped out of the closet. Natira quietly left. I sat down on the bed, trying not to make a noise or disrupt his sleep. Despite being sick, he was still beautiful. I cuddled against his body. Once warm and inviting, it was now freezing cold. I pulled the blankets on top of us as he stirred.

  “What did she have to say?” he asked quietly.

  “We’re so close to Arilia,” I whispered, stroking his chest. “We’re landing in a few hours.”

  “I’m not sure I can make it,” he spoke. “If I don’t, make sure everyone knows that this was a casualty of war. The Hallons, they can’t get away with this.”

  “Hush,” I said, trying not to squeak in alarm. “You’re not dying. We’re landing soon, and Natira said within a few hours you’ll be back to normal. I just need you to hang on for a bit longer, Modric. Please. You’re
all I have here.”

  It was true. Despite the way our marriage had started out, Modric was the only thing I had left in my life. If he died…

  He shut his eyes but gave a tiny nod. I waited for him to fall back asleep, and began to get dressed for the mission.

  Per Natira’s direction, I changed into jeans, a sweatshirt and a baseball cap to hide my hair. She instructed me to dress warmly and look as plain as possible. The Arilians could not know that I was an Athim Princess or connected to Modric in any way. I was instructed not to talk to any of them, even if they had asked me a question.

  I snuck out of the room, leaving Modric snoring. Once I got out of the room, the others were waiting outside. They were dressed like me.

  “We finally landed!” Brenda exclaimed. “It’s so good to see you, Freya! Isn’t it great to walk around and see each other again? Oh my god, you have been cooped up in there forever with Modric. Did you guys finally knock boots? Tell us all about it!”

  “There’s nothing to say,” I told her. “He’s very sick.”

  I understood that she was excited and tried not to hold it against her. She hadn’t seen Modric or been involved in any of the discussions. Ignorance really was bliss in this case.

  “No time for chit chat, ladies,” Natira said, signaling us towards a side door. We followed her quietly. Two Athim soldiers were stationed by the door. They both looked weak but were in much better condition than Modric.

  “There’s no telling what will be out there,” Natira turned to us. “I’m the lead. and I’ll do all of the talking. Of course, they will know you’re humans, but I don’t want anyone knowing why you’re with us. Especially you, Freya.”

  “Got it,” I said. The other girls nodded in agreement.

  She opened the door. A gust of cold air hit our bodies, signaling that our mission on Arilia began.

  Chapter 10

  Natira was right. Arilia was dark and cold. We walked down the metal stairs. The sounds of our soles hitting the stairs were the only thing to break the silence. As soon as we reached the ground, a large vehicle pulled up. The headlights shone bright, nearly blinding us. It surprised me that it was so similar to cars that I had seen on Earth. The vehicle was long, like a limousine. The door opened. Natira motioned for us to go inside.

  The five of us went in, followed by Natira. An alien sat in one of the seats. He was less human looking than an Athim, but spoke perfect English. I couldn’t help but notice that the aliens seemed to love picking up English as a universal indicator. I heard Modric describe it as easy, but it was another thing altogether to see other species use it as their common tongue.

  “Welcome,” he said. “My name is Tabir. I will be guiding you throughout this journey. Where is Prince Modric?”

  “Prince Modric is resting,” Natira spoke. “He will be available in the morning. I’m his sister, Princess Natira. He wanted me to personally thank you for letting us dock in Arilia.”

  “The choice wasn’t mine,” he said dryly, peering at her from above his dark glasses. “It was my wife’s, Idira. It’s my understanding that your brother and her have some history.”

  I looked at Natira, but she had her calm, cool and collected game face on.

  “Yes, I do know of that. We used to be friends as well.”

  Tabir smiled and continued to talk.

  “Idira is resting, too, but will need to meet with Modric in the morning. It’s very imperative.”

  “I’m sure it is,” Natira muttered under her breath. “May I perhaps… persuade her to meet me instead? From my interactions with her, I have seen that she shares… similar interests to me.”

  I tried to search Natira’s face for any clue of who Idira was, but she was too busy playing the part of obedient guest to give anything away.

  “Perhaps.” There was something in Tabir’s face that I didn’t like. “I will take you into the town to get some supplies. I’m sure you’re famished from the long trip,” Tabir said. Natira’s head bobbed in agreement.

  “We are,” she said. “Again, we thank you for allowing us to land on your planet and provide us with resources. We will be forever in debt to you.”

  “Like I said, not my decision, but I will pass the word on,” Tabir responded.

  The ride into town was bumpy, far bumpier than any car ride on a dirt road on Earth. I tried to get glimpses of the planet outside of the window, but the darkness made it difficult. From what I could tell, it was relatively rough and dismal.

  It took a while because the vehicle was moving so slowly, but we finally arrived at the center of town. It consisted of two buildings, a store, and a hospital. Tabir noticed the look on my face.

  “We’re a rather new planet,” he said. “I’m assuming you’re from Earth...”

  Natira cut him off.

  “Please don’t talk to our help, they’ve been instructed not to communicate with anyone.”

  He rolled his eyes, but got out of the vehicle and opened the doors for us. The ground below was rough, covered with large rocks.

  “Be careful, ladies,” Natira instructed us. The last thing any of us needed was a sprained ankle.

  “Idira said you could take some water and food for the time being,” he said. “She will have the rest delivered.”

  We walked into the store, which was dimly lit. It was very small, only four aisles. Tabir stood outside, guarding the door.

  “Who the hell is Idira?” I whispered to Natira. I found myself struggling with a new emotion. Jealousy.

  “She and Modric had a fling in the past,” she said, grabbing some jugs of water from the bottom shelf and putting them into a cart. “But it became clear she had other interests rather than Modric. He thought it best to separate.” Her mouth twisted as she said this.

  “So, she basically owns this planet and has history with Modric?” I wouldn’t let it go. I needed answers.

  Natira laughed.

  “I see you’re becoming quite attached to my brother,” she said. “Have you guys hooked up yet or what?”

  “It’s none of your business, Natira,” I said. She motioned for me to grab a packet of food off the shelf.

  “So that’s a no. I must admit, this whole situation has me very confused. Contrary to popular belief, I’m not the only slut in the family. Our family is pretty much a bunch of sex-crazed Athims. I thought for sure he would have taken advantage of you the first night.”

  My heart suddenly ached. So, Modric was sexual. He liked sex, but had not tried anything more than a kiss with me. Was something wrong with me?

  “Nothing is wrong with you,” Natira said, reading my mind. “In fact, I’ve never seen Modric act this way around someone. He’s so protective of you. It’s actually rather cute. As soon as he saw your picture, it’s like he fell in love. I imagine if you asked him not to do anything, he would resolutely stick to your wish.”

  “When did he see my picture?”

  Natira sighed, realizing she’d said too much.

  “The Americans sent some pictures of women they were willing to trade,” Natira explained. “I was next to Modric when he was going through the pictures. He stopped at your picture and was done. His mind was made up. There was still a huge stack of women to go through, but he refused to look any further.”

  I wasn’t sure how to process this information. On one hand, Modric had picked me from the bunch to be his wife. On the other hand, my father had willingly offered me to Modric. He probably didn’t even have a second thought. Had my sister been on that list?

  “If he’s that attracted to me, why has he only kissed me on the forehead?” I asked. “Do you know how frustrating it’s to sleep next to someone every night and not have any physical intimacy?”

  Natira shook her head and laughed as she threw another packet of food into the cart.

  “That I don’t,” she said. “If someone’s in my bed, we’re fucking. And not just once, like over and over and over again. However, I suspect that this situation is e
ntirely your fault,” she said with a purr. “You ask him not to do anything, he’ll take it as a commandment. It’s up to you whether you want to change it. On another note, I think my brother is doing this whole gentleman routine with you because he respects you. You’re his wife, not just another Idira...”

  “It’s time to go!” Tabir’s voice boomed throughout the small store. “We’ve got one more stop, and then we’ll return. But be fast. We don’t want our people here to realize we’re accommodating… your type.” He looked at Natira as he said this. Her hands rested on her hips.

  “Fine. I trust you won’t do anything to these girls, or you’ll have us to answer to.”

  “Yes,” Tabir said in a dry voice. “Nothing will happen.”

  Natira smiled fiercely, before asking Tabir to call her up a taxi service back to the ship. “Best I’m not caught outside if we are too late,” she said. I watched as she stepped into a sleek black vehicle some two minutes later, feeling a horrible, sinking sensation in my stomach. I didn’t have any time to continue talking to Natira, but she made something very clear. Idira and Modric had some sort of a sexual past. Escorted by Tabir, we headed off to the next store to collect the rest of the resources we needed, including spare power banks in case anything didn’t work out in flight. We were mostly silent, and Tabir kept checking the time. I think it was probably thirty or so minutes left before he barked at us to finish gathering, and took us back to his vehicle.

  We arrived back at the ship as the sun was began to rise. The two Athim soldiers came to the vehicle to help us unload. They looked much better than we had left them, even though it was only a short time ago. This gave me hope that Modric was improving rapidly as well. A hover-car on the other side seemed parked in place. It didn’t look like the vehicle Natira had scrambled into