by Sadie Marks
"I've been useful to you. I can still be useful. Let me be—be a member of your crew or, I don't know, a civilian advisor or something. I didn't volunteer for this, so I don't need to be part of the system you're building." She stated it like she was his colleague and not a confiscated piece of property on his ship, because they'd built that kind of easy relationship over the days she'd been on board. Calling him by his name, offering suggestions, arguing with him—she'd felt more like a coworker than a slave, and she wanted things to continue like that.
He shook his head firmly. "No. Samantha, I understand your position, but I can't have an unsupervised human on board my ship—especially not a Pain Receiver."
"But why? I won't make trouble," she insisted.
He sighed, one hand going up to rub his forehead. "Of course, you will. You won't be able to help it. You need pain as much as my warriors need to give it, and it's only a matter of time before you act out to earn it. And without a direct authority figure, it would be a mess. Aside from that, my people are slow to change and there's no precedent for this."
She snarled at him and then got up to pace back and forth as she considered her few options. She came to a stop in front of him. "You said each slave would be owned by someone; even though they will be shared, they'll still have a specific person to belong to, right?" It wasn't really a question. This was one of the things they'd hashed out. But she wanted them on the same page.
"Yes."
"Then you take me. I'll be yours." The words came out in a rush, even though she'd tried to sound calm, but almost before they were out, he was already shaking his head.
"No."
"Why not?" she demanded. "I've been useful! I can be an asset to you." She was hurt that he hadn't even considered it. She deserved more than that. There would never be another man like Trev for her and there was no romantic interest, but she'd begun to feel comfortable with him over the hours they'd spent together.
Despite the fact that he hadn't laid a hand on her since the day he'd carried her to her quarters over his shoulder while smacking her ass, the Dominant chemistry was always there too. And if she had to be owned by someone, she preferred to go straight to the top.
"I have no time for slaves, and I don't need a pet. Besides, taking a human now, when there are so few to share, will affect morale. Later perhaps, when there are enough Pain Receivers around to soothe the desire for them, I will consider choosing one for myself."
She sat back and tried to keep her face blank, so it wasn't obvious she was hurt, but she was. If she had to be with someone she didn't love, she at least wanted the prestige of being the general's. She could feel a rage building inside of her, mostly from the emotions she'd been suppressing, and now it had triggered a storm she wasn't sure she could force down.
"I can let you choose among the others on this ship. We've planned to auction the new humans who volunteer, but we won't do that with you. It will be your choice. Any warrior on this ship would be happy to have you," he offered when she remained silent.
She laughed, but it was noticeably bitter.
"Or, if you prefer, you can remain alone, but…" He let his words trail off and she knew why.
She believed that he'd allow her to sit here alone and untouched even though he desperately needed her out there to fill that urge his people had for humans, but they both knew she couldn't handle much more isolation. It had already been explained to her that she would have to be kept separate if she didn't want to be touched. Humans were just too desirable to roam free in front of hungry warriors.
Not because they might rape her. No, ironically that wasn't a problem.
"You can refuse sex. No warrior would have sex with someone who was unwilling!" he said, sounding shocked at the idea. There was something complicated about the way they mated with each other. She knew she was missing some clue there, but the idea of taking someone sexually by force was obviously repugnant to them. She could even say no to whichever warrior ended up owning her.
But she couldn't say no to the pain. Her need to be spanked, whipped, hurt in all the most delicious ways—it called to the Sadecs and it was a call they couldn't refuse. She could skip the sex, but not the rest. And when she was begging them to fuck her at the end of the whip, she'd be the one suffering if they left her body throbbing and begging for completion. That was torture she wasn't going to put herself through.
Knowing her body was aroused and leaving her that way would probably amuse some of the sadistic aliens. They would be getting enough entertainment from her without making herself suffer, but beyond that, she definitely wouldn't be saying no at that point anyway.
So, her choices were stay in her quarters alone or leave them against his orders and earn some punishment that would set the whole thing in motion. "I'll chose one—no." She shook her head, correcting herself. "You choose one for me. I don't know them anyway. Pick someone who likes a challenge. Someone who…" She paused for a second, thinking of Trev. When she continued, her tone was harder. "…doesn't want romance or love. Just pain and sex."
She thought he might question that or maybe try to talk her out of it, but he didn't. Whether he understood why, or just didn't care enough to change her mind, was irrelevant. "If that's what you want."
"It is."
"Then I will ask for offers tonight. I'll let it appear to be an auction; that will please everyone, but the bids will be secret. No one will know that I'm picking the one who will fit your requests," he said.
"Thank you." She knew she should try to sound grateful, but she was struggling to restrain her emotions and she didn't think he'd believe it if she faked it anyway.
"There are two other things."
She looked up with a frown. "What?"
"Your reward. If all the others are being rewarded for their service, you should be too. You didn't volunteer for this, I know, but you've been helpful. Would you like a new body? Is there some physical attribute you'd like to change?"
She'd never wanted anything less. "What? Hell no. I'm fine with how I look; I'm healthy and your technology can't fix my pain." Not without wiping her memories, which they could probably do, but what would be left of her afterward? Her personality was made from those memories, both the painful and the wonderful; without them, she didn't know who she'd be, and she didn't want to find out.
He seemed surprised, and a thoughtful 'hmm' sound escaped as he looked at her. Maybe he thought she was being stubbornly self-destructive by refusing herself the payment she'd assured him most humans would love to have. She wasn't. She wasn't entirely happy with her appearance, of course; she didn't think there were many people who didn't have a few perceived flaws that bothered them and plenty of people would jump at the chance to get rid of them, but she wasn't one of those.
She had no desire to wake up in a fresh new body. Her skin and shape weren't perfect, but every scar and stretch mark had come from somewhere, and together, they told the story of her life. And even if she did change her appearance, it wasn't going to make anything else in her life better.
"What was the other thing?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Ah, yes. It's traditional to give a human a new name when they join us. Something more Sadec to indicate that they—"
She interrupted him in mid-sentence, "Silla." Judging from the look of irritation, she had a feeling that people didn't cut generals off very often. Too bad.
Then the look turned to confusion. "Silla?"
"I'm Silla. That's what I want to be called," she explained. Maybe it was stupid, holding on to Trev's term of endearment, but it felt right.
He examined her and then nodded. "Silla, yes. It suits you," he said with an ironic twist to his voice.
She could see the corner of his mouth twitching like he wanted to laugh, but she didn't care. It did fit her. She was stubborn, and it was best these aliens knew it from the start because she wouldn't be giving in to anyone else the way she had with Trev.
Chapter 7
Two days later, she was moved out of the guest quarters and into the rooms of her new Sadec Master. Kri't watched as she wandered around, exploring her new home and unpacking her things into the cabinets he'd shown her. Except for his name, which he pronounced 'Cree-et', he'd said almost nothing, but his eyes never left her.
She twitched nervously, fidgeting at the creeping feeling of being thoroughly examined that went down her spine. She wasn't sure how to react to this new Master. There was a certain level of excited anticipation bubbling inside of her. It had been a month since they'd taken her from Trev, since she'd played, and the itch was building, but she didn't like the idea of being the property of a stranger. She didn't like to think of herself as owned by anyone at all.
She'd agreed to this, but the consent was dubious, given her only other option was to be locked up alone and untouched for who knew how long.
"I want to see you," he said, suddenly ripping through the silence.
She knew what he meant, but she had no intention of making it easy for him. "Well, I'm right here." She spread her arms out wide as if inviting him to get a good look.
"Without the clothes."
"Maybe I don't feel like getting undressed. I mean, we just met." Testing him was probably not her wisest choice, but she couldn't help it, and even though she had a new name, she was still the same rebellious Sam who didn't obey easily.
But Sam was an Earth girl who could push Tops and Doms as much as she wanted and then fall back on a safeword if things got out of hand. Things were different now, and Silla didn't have those options. Some Sadecs understood the concept of safewords from their visits to her planet—they just seemed to think it was an Earth game best left back on that planet.
She'd even tried to introduce the system to the general when they'd discussed the volunteers he wanted to acquire, but he'd just laughed. He would indulge humans in play, but the concept of allowing one to decide when they'd had enough punishment seemed beyond him. No Sadec, he assured her, would push a precious Pain Receiver beyond their limits. It would be a shame they'd never escape, and while Silla had doubts, General Tal'aav did not.
What Kri't understood was that she was his and he wanted to see his property. He snagged her around the waist and yanked her over. Her pulse jumped and her breath caught in her throat with that delicious panic-fear that made her feel so alive—but she was unprepared for his response to her stubbornness.
The retractable claws that all Sadecs had, smoothly shredded her clothes at the seams and they dropped to the floor in pieces. She let out a horrified gasp. "I can't replace those, you know!"
"Good. Next time, obey, or you know what will happen. When you run out of clothes, you can stay naked." He seemed smug and he didn't let her go. Instead, he took the time to inspect her, leaving the claws out to scratch delicious lines across her skin until she was soaking wet and pressing up against his body.
"My general tells me that you loved one of us and now your heart is broken. Is this true?" he asked, whispering the words against her ear.
She stiffened in his arms and tried to pull away, but his grip tightened. He gave her time to answer, but when it became obvious that she wasn't going to, he laughed. "That's a yes, I think. Don't worry, little human, I'm not looking for love. I've visited Earth more than once. I've been in your clubs and played with many humans, and I miss it, but I'm not looking for anything more than an amusing diversion."
His hand slid down between her thighs, pressing the sopping wet folds apart so he could thrust two fingers inside of her, and she'd never been so grateful that their claws retracted at will. "And you're going to be very amusing, aren't you, Silla?"
She whimpered and her hips rocked as she tried to ride his hand. Suddenly, the fingers were pulled from her and his hand was slapping down with a burning smack to her inner thigh. She cried out in pain.
"I asked you a question," he repeated.
It took her scattered brain a second to realize he was talking about the second question he'd asked. "Yes! Very amusing, but go back to what you were doing before." There was more than a hint of demand there, and she wondered how he'd react to that.
"Oh yes, you're going to be a fun pet. Do you want to know my rules, girl?"
She shook her head. "Not really. I'm not a fan of rules."
For a second, he actually seemed surprised, and then a loud chuffing laugh burst out of him. "It's going to be so much fun teaching you," he said as he spun her around. He gripped her chin, tilting her head back so he could look at her face. "You're pretty enough, for a human, but I love that stubborn streak in you. I wonder if it will last." He sounded honestly curious and it sent a shiver of dread through her.
"No one's been able to break me yet," she snapped. And why, she wondered, was it that the more nervous she was, the snippier she got. It was a defense mechanism she really needed to get rid of before it got her in serious trouble.
He nipped her neck playfully and then said, "I don't want to break you, Silla." The way he purred her name, letting the syllables trip over his tongue like musical notes, made her weak in the knees. "Broken toys aren't any fun. I just want to bring you to the very edge and make you beg for more."
It was both terrifying and arousing.
"Now, about those rules. Do you want to know them, or would you prefer to be surprised when you break them? The latter might be more fun—for me."
She swallowed hard, and it took her a few seconds to find her words. "Just tell me, but I really don't do well with rules."
"You seem distracted. I'm not sure you'd remember them if I did tell you right now," he commented, and she couldn't deny that he had her completely frazzled and nearly incoherent. It didn't get easier when his hand slipped back between her thighs to play with her. "Are you enjoying this?"
She considered trying to play it like he wasn't driving her crazy, but she just wasn't that good of an actress, so she didn't reply. It was the wrong choice.
He moved like a predator—fast—and before she knew what was happening, he'd wrapped a fist in her hair and swung her around, so that she was no longer in his arms but positioned against the cold wall. He shoved her legs shoulder-width apart and then leaned in, wedging his knee between her thighs as his body pressed against the line of her back until there was no space between them.
"Already broke a rule, human. More than once, actually. Want to guess what it was?" His breath tickled her ear as he spoke the words against her skin, and she shivered.
"I…" It was so hard to think with him doing that. "I'm not sure." She couldn't tell if he was angry, amused, or pleased that he'd already found a reason to punish her. Maybe a combination of all three, but the effects on her body had to be obvious. She could feel drops of arousal rolling down her already slick inner thighs.
His hand gave her hair another sharp tug. "Put your hands on the wall, and don't move them while you think about it." It sounded like a suggestion, but she knew it for an order and quickly pressed her palms against the wall as he moved back. His hands settled on her hips and pulled until her back bowed and her ass was thrusting out.
He seemed to delight in fussing with the uncomfortable position. And she knew that the way his fingertips kept lightly grazing her intimate places wasn't an accident, but when he was finished, he reminded her of the question she was supposed to be considering. "Do you have an answer yet?"
She dropped her head, letting it hit the wall with a soft thumping sound. Her hair fell forward to shield her face as she shook her head. She did have a pretty good idea once she'd actually remembered to think about it, but she didn't want to say it. She didn't want to obey his rules, and besides that, she couldn't help testing him to see how he'd react.
"Are you sure?"
There was soft menace in his tone, and she tilted her head slightly so she could sneak a look at him through the golden fall of hair. "I told you I wasn't any good at rules." An internal chant of 'get on with it!' was starting to build and she knew pretty soon her mouth would
get away from her.
"I see why they named you Silla now," he said.
"I named myself Silla," she corrected him with a sharp snap to her words. "And I'm probably not going to follow any stupid rules you give me, so you might as well give up on that." She didn't mean to sound angry, but she could hear it in her voice anyway. Part of her had forgotten that she wasn't dealing with an Earth Dom anymore, but an alien sadist who had complete control of her.
She wanted to snatch the words back before they reached his ears, sure that her rebellion would piss him off more than she could handle. To her surprise, he just laughed—a loud bellowing laugh. She straightened, almost taking her hands off the wall as she twisted to stare at him in surprise.
His hand came down over hers and pressed it back against the wall, holding it there as a reminder until she let her body slip back into the position reluctantly. He smiled, flashing just the hint of his sharp canines as he looked her over with approval. "You're perfect," he said.
She blinked. "I-I'm what?" That was something she'd never heard, and certainly not after she'd just snapped at a Dominant.
"Perfect. I told you I've been to Earth, Silla. More than once. I know your clubs. I know human submissives. Most here, they think you're all the same. Obedient little slaves willing to drop to your knees with a sharp look. But that bores me…" As he spoke, his hand began to glide over her bare skin, not quite stroking her ass, but making her extremely aware of the heat of his palm until, suddenly, he delivered a harsh slap with an upward swing that made her cheek bounce.
She hissed a breath in between her teeth as the sting washed over her. She waited for another, but he went back to teasing her. "I'm not a submissive." But then she remembered that Trev had turned her into one, had made her want that with him, and she corrected herself, "At least not usually."
"You're all submissive with us, Silla. You may never rush to kneel at our feet, but you'll obey, and you'll beg—it's just a matter of how hard it's going to be to tame you. Do you have an answer for me?"