by Jaci Burton
He'd been wrong. And because of it, he'd left. He'd like to say it was because he was indignant over the slavery issue, but frankly, he'd grown bored with submissives who were too eagerly willing to do his bidding. The women native to Xarta were genetically predisposed to become submissives. It was as it had been for centuries, and most Doms accepted it, reveled in it.
Kaden hadn't. He'd tried it for years, had relationships with many native Xartanian women, and yet had always felt unfulfilled. So he had never mated with a woman, and had yet to bring children into the world. It was possible he never would.
Maybe he was the anomaly, torn between the desire to take a woman and force her to submit to him and knowing that enslaving a woman against her will went against the old laws of Xarta, against his own personal laws.
At least the way Xarta used to be. Over the years, more and more of the dominant males had grown tired of the easily submissive females native to the planet. As a result, Xarta had been forced to change to meet the needs of its people. He still didn't like it, even if the desires of the dominant men on his planet mirrored his own. He accepted who he was, which didn't mean he had to act on it.
Except now. With Marina, he would fulfill one fantasy. To own a woman who didn't want to be dominated. But he'd have to walk a fine line between having what he most desired and remembering that he was on a mission. He and Marina were playing a game. This wasn't reality.
Heaving a sigh of frustration, he watched the way she looked at him, her chin held high as if daring him to try to control her. Her emerald eyes glittered bright against her copper skin. The piercings were a stark contrast of light silver against her dusky areolas. Her nipples beaded tight against the silver circlets, and he imagined running his tongue over their pebbled peaks.
This needed to happen soon. He hadn't come since before that night he'd pleasured her in the restaurant several days ago. His balls ached, filled with release he needed to spill deep inside her.
Once the women had been pierced, they were released and taken from the room. Kaden stepped into the auction room, keeping to the back so that he could monitor the other men in attendance.
He hadn't seen who had taken Marina from Earth and brought her here, but he assumed she knew. Once they had some time alone, he could question her. Other than reestablishing himself on this planet and putting out a search for a copper-skinned woman with light eyes, he hadn't made much headway into determining the identity of the slave traders.
Zim assured him the women who had been brought for auction were there willingly, that it was their secret desires to be enslaved and dominated. He told Kaden the women would object, but it was all for their own and their new sires' pleasure. He swore the women had all come to the planet of their own accord and signed the oath of free will upon their arrival in Xarta.
Kaden knew better, and soon Zim's reign as slave master would be over. First, the auction.
The auction floor was an oval-shaped, raised platform. Zim appeared, made his introductions and explained how the auction worked. There would be a minimum set bid for each female depending upon the amount of interest expressed during the showing.
The first three women were presented, bid upon and purchased. Arguments ensued over bids and winners. As was typical, women auctioned as slaves were quite sought after. He heard many disgruntled whispers throughout the crowd when someone lost out on a particular female.
Finally, it was Marina's turn and he stepped into the middle of the throng of eager men pushing their way up toward the platform.
His pulse pounded as she was led onto the stage, a submission collar attached around her neck. Dressed in a see-through gown the same emerald green as her eyes, the garment barely covered the sides of her breasts. A tasty view of the curve of her hips and thighs was visible on each side.
She looked like a golden seductress, her hair pulled away from her face, wild curls spilling over her shoulders and down her back. As she was led into the center of the stage, she pulled against the collar, wincing when Zim corrected her with the electrical shock.
Her eyes blazed green flames and Kaden was taken by her fire. She would not be easy to tame, yet his connection with her told him that she didn't yet know what she wanted. Inside the feisty beauty was a woman who needed a man to dominate her sexuality, to give her all that she sought and had never found before.
A strong woman needed a strong man to tame her, to pleasure her.
He was that man.
"We will begin the bidding at one thousand parlons," Zim said, smiling as the crowd hushed before him. "This one has a temper, and is a lush vixen unparalleled by others of her kind. She will be sold quickly, and will make quite a catch for a very strong Dom. Who will be the first to tame this beauty?"
Marina could have snorted at the way Zim described her. Lush, vixen, beauty. What a crock. She searched the crowd, finally spotting Kaden in the middle of the group of men bidding her price up frantically.
Yet Kaden hadn't yet raised his hand or spoken up. She sucked in her bottom lip, knowing he was just waiting for...well, waiting for something, obviously.
She didn't know how much a parlon was, but she was suddenly worth more than ten thousand of them. The men below her seemed as if in a frenzy, their lust-filled gazes raking over her nearly nude body. The thin gown she wore was nothing more than sheer fabric with a hole cut out for her head. She had a sash tied loosely around her waist, but her entire body was visible through the fabric, no doubt showcasing every one of her ample curves.
Were these guys blind? Why were they bidding so highly on her?
And why wasn't Kaden bidding on her at all? What if Zim abruptly ended the auction and she ended up sold to another Dom? She could fake this submission thing with Kaden because it was her job. But with someone else? Hell, she'd rather be dead than give up her freedoms.
What if she'd been set up? Could Kaden be involved in the slave ring? Had she been purposely entrapped into this, only to be sold and forever disappear within Xarta? Earth's treaty forbade interference on this planet. They'd never be able to recover her. She'd be doomed to spend her days as a slave.
No. She forced her rambling thoughts aside, searching again for Kaden within the crowd. Only he wasn't there. Panic thrust her heart against her chest, fear making her legs weak and trembling. The bids had slowed now, and Zim raised his hand as if to announce the winner.
"One hundred thousand parlons."
A collective gasp washed over the crowed at the amount offered, nearly three times as much as the last bid.
"Sold!" Zim's voice rang out over the crowded room.
She spotted him as he made his way through the parting crowd. Marina's eyes met the amber heat of her new sire.
Kaden now owned her.
Chapter Four
Zim's voice rang out loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. "This slave has been sold to Kaden!"
Marina watched Kaden approach the platform. He handed his payment card to Zim, then took the leash from the slave master's hands.
"Back away from my slave," he said. Zim bowed and moved quickly aside.
Kaden turned his gaze on her, a fire in his eyes like nothing she'd seen before. He swept her hair away from her ear and nuzzled her neck, whispering to her.
"This is for the audience. Fight me."
He pulled away, wound her hair around his fist and tugged it hard, forcing her head to tilt back. He kissed her, his mouth coming down over hers hard and furious, his tongue plunging within and ravaging hers. Fucking her mouth with his tongue, he drove it deep inside the recesses of her mouth as if it were a cock.
Marina couldn't breathe. Her thoughts had sailed away on the strength of Kaden's stunning kiss. Her nipples hardened, the tender buds scraping against his muscled chest. His free hand clenched her buttocks, pulling her against his erection. She gasped into his mouth, shocked at the moans that spilled from her lips.
Fight me. Lost in the delicious sensation of his stroking tongue, she'd
momentarily forgotten his words. Of course she had to fight him. What was she doing?
She tore her mouth away from his, pushed hard against his chest and stepped back, wiping the back of her hand across her lips. Spitting at him, she said, "You will never own me!"
Kaden's eyes narrowed and he tugged the leash attached to her collar, driving his hand down so quickly that she fell to her knees. She looked up and shot him a venomous glare.
The crowd below them went wild as he arched a brow at her. Swallowing hard, she realized she was inches away from his hard cock, the scent of his aroused sex permeating her senses.
"Look down at the floor, woman. Dare not look up at me or I will demonstrate my mastery of you before this entire room."
She didn't doubt for a second that he'd do what he said. But she wasn't going to make it quite that easy for him. Her gaze lingered on his for more than a few seconds. Despite her fervent desire to tell him exactly what he could do with himself, she finally dropped her chin to her chest and stared at the floor.
Once again the crowds cheered.
Kaden left her on her knees while he carried on a conversation with Zim. With every passing second she grew more and more irritated at this humiliating treatment.
After the applause died down, Kaden pulled on the leash and drew her up, turning away and walking off the stage. She had no choice but to try and keep up with his long strides. Whistles and bawdy comments followed them as they left the auction room.
With every step down the long hallway, her anger mounted. She pushed away thoughts of his heated kiss, concentrating instead on the smug look he'd given her when he had her on her knees before him. He was damn lucky she didn't decide to take a bite out of him right then. Which certainly would have showed him that such a position did not put one in control.
He led her to a room at the center of a hall, sticking his fingers into a gooey-like substance that caused the wide doorway to slide open. As soon as she walked through behind him, the door shut, the sound like the prison doors on Earth closing.
Subtle light glowed from swirling, floating candles, their scent bathing the room in a perfume reminiscent of fresh lavender. The smell assaulted her senses and made her think of warmth and summer. A bed covered in soft, cream-colored satin centered the room, with several chairs, a chaise and some kind of contraption that looked like a folding table. Along the far wall was a long wardrobe with huge double doors. She'd bet it didn't contain extra blankets and pillows.
Soft, strange music unlike anything she'd ever heard before filled the room.
Kaden turned to her, running his fingers along the leather collar that was affixed to her neck. His breath was warm and sweetly scented by some kind of liquor. He leaned in and pressed his lips to her neck, licking the pulse point that pounded erratically.
"We are being watched," he whispered, his lips moving alongside her ear. "Do not say anything that would give us away."
When he moved back, the softness she heard in his voice was not reflected in his hard stare. "You will require much training to break you of your rebelliousness."
Despite the fact this was just an act, she couldn't help her elemental response to his statement. Lifting her chin, she met his glaring look. "I don't need any training. I want to go home."
"You are home. Forget where you came from, for you'll never return there again." Gripping her chin in his hand, he leaned in so that his breath brushed her cheek. "And never look me in the eyes unless I give you permission to do so. Lower your head and look at the ground."
"Kiss my--"she started, then sucked in a breath and fought off the pain as a searing jolt struck her nerve endings. Goddamit she hated that device. It reminded her of a fucking cattle prod. It wasn't as painful as it was surprising. What annoyed her the most was that she had no control over it. She made a mental note to use it on every man in this place before she left this planet. "--ass," she finished, unable to resist.
A quick zap, harder this time. Shit. Quickly, she lowered her head, staring down at his feet.
"Good start." He pulled her toward two chains dangling from the ceiling, pulling up her hands and fastening her wrists with the cuffs at the end of each chain. He pulled her legs apart and attached her ankles with two cuffs tethered to the floor. He disengaged the leash from her collar and stood in front of her.
"Watch me," he said, then began to undress.
Marina swallowed, though her throat had gone dry.
He pulled the shirt over his head and discarded it on the bed. His abdomen was sculpted, the muscles taut, his belly flat.
Wow. His skin wasn't as dark as her natural coloring, yet still a healthy bronze. His chest was smooth and rippled with muscles that contracted, making her want to run her fingers over his skin. A tattoo covered the upper left part of his chest. Some kind of planetary symbol, she supposed. It was a colorful circle with a teardrop in the center.
Suddenly anxious to view the secret he hid beneath his pants, her gaze remained fixated on the laces as he slowly undid one, another, yet another, then slid his hand past the down of golden hair just inside the leather waistband. He pulled the pants over his slender hips and down his muscular legs.
His cock was long and thick, surrounded by a nest of golden, curling hair. Another tattoo ran the length of his shaft, this time swirling patterns in solid green, resembling the cresting waves of the ocean.
He approached her slowly, then stopped right in front of her. "Look at me."
She looked up into his face. He seemed angry, a slight tic pulsing alongside his temple. "First, you will not speak unless I tell you. If I ask you a question, you are allowed to answer. You will address me as 'Sire' at all times. You will not use my given name unless I give you permission. Second, you will remain a respectable distance behind me when we are walking unless I direct you otherwise. Third, you will follow every one of my commands exactly as I give them to you, precisely at the moment I give them to you, or you will be punished."
Yeah, right. What could he do to her that hadn't already been done? In the past few hours she'd been stripped down, paraded naked in front of a horde of lascivious men and then forced to kneel before him like a...like a...slave. Which was exactly what she was supposed to be.
She bowed her head, keeping her mind occupied with thoughts of Kaden's painful demise.
"Tell me your name."
"Marina."
"Sire."
She grit her teeth and spit out the name. "Sire."
"A beautiful name, which matches the lovely woman."
She snorted, and he yanked her chin up and glared at her. "What was that sound?"
"Nothing."
"Sire." He followed it up this time with another zap. Goddamit!
"You don't think you're beautiful?"
How the hell was she supposed to answer that? No, she didn't think she was beautiful at all. "I'm okay...Sire."
"That we'll have to work on. You are more than just 'okay', Marina. Why do you think those men vied to purchase you out there tonight? Why do you think I bid so much on you? Because you're hideous?"
No, because they were working undercover and he had to, not because he wanted to. Would he have bid on her if she was a stranger to him? Doubtful. It was hard for her to believe that with all the hot bodies running around this place she would be in any demand whatsoever.
"I asked you a question."
"No, I don't think I'm hideous, Sire." Which she wasn't, so at least that was the truth. She wasn't beautiful, either.
"Good. Now let's get you out of that gown."
How was he going to do that when she was--
Oh. Ripped it to shreds. The flimsy garment made sense now. Easy to remove.
She was beginning to really hate this assignment. And it was getting worse with every passing second. Since he'd already seen her naked, there was no point in trying to hide her body.
"Look at me, Marina."
She did so, not quite believing the desire she saw in his eyes. He ap
proached her, something clasped in his hand. She gasped when he opened his palm and spotted the most perfect emeralds she'd ever seen. Shock filled her as he fastened one teardrop-shaped stone to the piercing on each her nipples. A smaller, smooth round emerald remained.
"These stones are tuned to my energy and mine alone. I command them. When you feel their movement, it is because I wish it."
The emeralds danced along the curved silver, vibrating lightly. She shivered at the exquisite sensation.
Her breath stopped when he kneeled before her pussy. She nearly jumped out of her skin when his knuckles brushed her sex as he fastened the smaller emerald at the piercing on her clit.
"Beautiful. You smell so sweet, too." His tongue snaked out and caressed the folds of her slit. She licked her lips and swallowed past the knot in her throat. Despite her resolve to feel nothing, his tongue was hot, moist and teasing her to a near orgasm after only a few strokes. She fought back the disappointment when he stood, refusing to let him see how he affected her.
The emerald tingled and warmed against her clit, and she struggled to pay attention.
Kaden released the tension on the chains, allowing enough slack to push her forward into a bent over position.
He could barely contain his lust as he viewed Marina's delectable rear end in her face-down position. She had a magnificent ass--bronzed, firm and lush. The kind a man could grab onto and squeeze while he sank within her heated cunt.
His first thought was to plunge between the twin globes and sink into her tight back entrance. But he held back, knowing they would both reach a higher pleasure the longer he waited.
First, he had to teach her that as a submissive she had no control. Soon enough she would learn that she could receive great delights by simply obeying his commands.
Although the truth was, he enjoyed the spitfire within her. Marina was a natural sexual being, simmering with heated passion that he knew no man had yet explored. A restrained sensuality lurked beneath her cool exterior, and he meant to delve deep inside her secret thoughts and desires until he forced it out of her.
He began by running his palms over her skin, starting with her feet. Her calves and thighs were firm and supple, the skin like the softest silk in the galaxies. The muscles underneath her skin tightened and trembled as he made his way along her body.