Alien Slave Read online

  Unfortunately, he’d brought up a valid point. Grudgingly, Dani admitted, “Well, that’s what people were saying.”

  Velvet Voice spoke in her ear once again. “Your leaders were religious fanatics. They determined it was better you all die than lose the war to us.”

  She refused to look at the predatory owner of that voice. “Why should I believe you? You’re the enemy.”

  Cornrows smirked. “Did you really trust your government so much? Few Earthers I’ve spoken to did.”

  Dani gave him attitude for attitude. “My father was part of that government, so I think I should know a thing or two you might not.”

  Cornrows exchanged a look with Scruffy, and Dani wished she had kept her mouth shut. The Galactic Council was convening trials against the few Earthers found that had been in power. She was only the daughter of a state official, but if they were on a witch hunt maybe any Earther would do. The lower and middle class of the destroyed world were clamoring for reparations. Dani had led a life more privileged than many.

  Backpedaling, she hurriedly added, “He wasn’t an important official, only regional.”

  “It is odder still that an Earther female so close to those in power would choose this life of sexual decadence.” Scruffy leaned closer to her, as if he could find secrets in her eyes.

  She noticed his shirt stretched tight over his wide chest and shoulders, but where it hung loose and untucked, a jigsaw puzzle of wrinkles marred the ivory fabric. He was obviously not worried about appearances, but he was attractive enough to get away with it.

  Scowling at him and her wandering eyes, Dani asked, “What are you, some kind of psychologist?”

  He smiled, and the way his face lit up made her stop breathing for an instant. Heaven help her, the man was beautiful when he beamed. “As a matter of fact, I am. I’m what you Earthers would call a criminal psychologist.”

  The situation just kept getting worse. Dani had experienced enough brushes with the law on Earth to be leery of police, and this one, while not an actual cop, was part of that authority. Her father wasn’t here to bail her out of trouble this time. And if he had been, George Watson no longer had a cushy job to protect from his children’s tendency to flaunt decency.

  The war had removed all her father’s worries. She wondered how directly responsible for that these three men were. Only one way to find out.

  “Were any of you involved in the war?”

  Cornrows shook his head, his long braids whispering against his blue tunic. “We work as police on Kalquor. I am a negotiator, and he is an enforcer.” He nodded toward the velvet-voiced beast holding Dani.

  Damn it, they were all law enforcement. And cops just loved to take down those in higher authority when they could. Except Dani wasn’t higher authority any more. She was no one. As a prostitute, she was lower than no one. These officers wouldn’t care too much about her.

  And they hadn’t been involved in the actual war. Hadn’t destroyed her world. Hadn’t ended her empty but easy life.

  Some of Dani’s enmity bled away. “Will you put me down? Please? I won’t run away, I promise.” She could be sweet when it suited her purposes.

  Velvet Voice chuckled, his chest rumbling against her back. The sensation made things inside tumble in slow motion. Dani imagined them both naked, his warm skin pressed against hers as he pushed inside...

  “I like you where you are, little fighter,” he said.

  Cornrows gave him a grin, devastating with charm. Dani swallowed. Forget physical strength. The Kalquorians posed real danger with their smiles. “Put her down, Wynhod. She’s going to be a good girl, aren’t you?”

  “Sure.” Dani was her most agreeable. What was it her nanny had told her time after time? You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Until the day Dani pertly informed Nanny she had no use for catching flies.

  They set her on her feet, and Dani adjusted her clothing. It hadn’t actually shifted, but fussing with her skirt gave her something to do, a way to avoid meeting the probing stares. Cops. Her luck just never seemed to get better.

  The sexily scruffy Kalquorian asked, “Why are you here? How does an Earther end up as a sex slave on Dantovon?”

  Unlike the dangerous Wynhod, the psychologist was easy to look in the face. Even easier to tell the truth to. His gentle expression wasn’t guarded, wasn’t ready to judge. Dani warmed in the alien’s regard. He really did seem interested in her answer.

  “I didn’t want to go with the enemy. Your people. But I was hungry and the Dantovon slave trader promised food and shelter in exchange for my services. If I didn’t go with him, I’d have died.”

  Cornrows was no longer smiling. He folded his arms over his chest, but there was no threat in his attitude. A negotiator he’d said he was. Not an interrogator. “Our people offered food and shelter as well. The war was over, and your world was dying. Even though it was your leaders who set the bombs, we did feel responsible for detonating them, unintentional as it was.”

  Dani shrugged. “I thought you were there to enslave us.”

  “Now you are enslaved here instead.” Wynhod laughed at that, and she whirled around to confront him. It took a moment to realize he wasn’t laughing at her, just the irony of the situation.

  And here was another Kalquorian who turned her insides to jelly just by the virtue of a too-handsome face when it smiled. He loomed over her, the coral shade of his tunic making his dark skin glow. It made her mad that they were so striking. They were not supposed to be attractive. They were not supposed to give her thoughts she had no business thinking about the enemy.

  Dani pouted, not caring she was being childish. “I won’t be a slave for life, which is what would happen on Kalquor. What I thought would happen on Kalquor,” she amended. “I’m only stuck here until I pay my contract off. It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

  And that pretty much summed up her life. All the trouble Dani had found in her 29 years had come about because it had seemed like a good idea at the moment.

  She’d found a lot of trouble.

  Cornrows bowed deeply, surprising her with the genteel gesture. “To that end, allow us to help you then. We paid extra for your company tonight, and we will pay more. What is the rate for a full night with you?”

  Dani looked at him with surprise. “But my shift is half over.”

  The charming smile returned, making her insides all trembly, her brain sludgy. “Full night’s pay for your half shift. How much?”

  No way cops made that much money to blow on one bratty Earther. But weren’t all Kalquorians supposed to be rich? Dani named the price, hoping against reason. As big as they were, the Kalquorians looked surprisingly Earther-like. She only now realized how much she missed her own kind. Besides, she counseled her flare of conscience, even though Kalquor had been Earth’s sworn enemy, this particular clan wasn’t directly responsible for the mess on her planet.

  Instead of demurring the high number Dani named, Cornrows walked to an unobtrusive panel on the nearby wall and tapped a few commands into it. He turned back to her.

  “Done. You will spend the rest of your shift in our company. What is your name, little fighter?”

  “Danielle. Everyone calls me Dani.” The words fell out of her suddenly numb mouth. Dani was surprised by both his acceptance of her price and the request for her name. Since when did customers care about introductions?

  Apparently these men did. Cornrows bowed yet again, as if she was a lady and not a whore. “I am Dramok Gelan.” He motioned to the psychologist, who duplicated the bow. “Imdiko Krijero. And Nobek Wynhod.” Another bow.

  “Nice to meet you.” Dani felt a bit unreal as she stammered the age-old response.

  They rewarded her with those smiles she wanted to hate. Darn Kalquorians. Gelan looked around the room. “Is there anything in here off limits for you?”

  With effort, Dani shifted back into her role as sex slave. With her most businesslike tone, she pointed at the wall where
the shock prod and several cutting instruments hung. “I don’t like extreme pain, and I won’t do anything that leaves permanent scarring. That’s in my contract, and unlike my agreement to spend time with you, completely non-negotiable. I don’t care if you pay off my whole contract. I won’t agree to that.”

  Krijero made a face. “We aren’t into delivering that kind of punishment anyway. What intimate activities do you enjoy most?”

  Dani shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. You’re paying for this.”

  Wynhod skewered her with a look that made her want to run screaming from the room. He went from sexy to scary in half a second. “We prefer our partners have as good a time as we do. Answer his question.”

  A sensation of being very small and helpless came over her. The Nobek terrified her. Something about him told Dani he brooked no nonsense. But to tell them what she wanted? The stuff that got her all squirmy inside? Her face heated with embarrassment. No way she could do that. They’d think she was a complete freak.

  “We’re waiting, Danielle.” Wynhod stressed her name, his cold eyes telling her he wouldn’t tolerate even the defiance of silence.

  Damn him. Dani shifted from foot to foot. “Well, um…”

  Gelan saved her, somehow intuiting it wasn’t stubbornness keeping her tongue-tied. His arm wrapped around her waist in a comforting, steady grip. She had a moment of surprise that she felt so safe, so protected by his touch. She didn’t try to hang back as he tugged her into motion so they could walk about the room. “Let’s look at our options,” he invited.

  They passed the table with its cushioned headrest and soft bindings. Dani remembered one occasion she’d been strapped down helpless. The customer had only been interested in his own pleasure, as they all were, but Dani had climaxed with him anyway. Twice.

  Gelan drew her to a stop. “This. You like being restrained?”

  Dani wanted to crawl into a shadowed corner. She pretended nonchalance but knew she wasn’t convincing in the least. “Yeah, well it can be fun.”

  Gelan’s eyes twinkled. “Indeed. So hover cuffs? Manacles? The suspension field is also acceptable?”

  Molten lava roiled Dani’s insides and her breath caught. Helpless with these three? The idea was terrifying and yet enticing all at once. The way one felt when being strapped into an insanely looping rollercoaster.

  She didn’t miss how the men grinned at each other. They seemed delighted with her response. Okay, they didn’t think she was a total freak then. But the expressions of dark promise made her more nervous than ever.

  Krijero murmured, “The suspension field offers the most options.”

  Wynhod stepped close to the wall studded with straps, floggers, whips and paddles. “You said no extreme pain. What of light discipline?” He fingered a stiff strap about an inch and a half wide.

  The thought of the massive Kalquorian strapping her ass, turning her flesh pink then red, stole Dani’s voice. She could only nod. She felt warm inside, no doubt a fear reaction. No way being punished would make her hot. “I can put up with a little pain.”

  Gelan’s tone rumbled approval. “Very nice. Sensory deprivation?”

  Dani swallowed and recovered her ability to speak. “Like blindfolds, gags, that kind of thing?”

  “Yes.”

  She licked her lips. “I’m good with that.” Was she ever. Her sex had gone slick with anticipation.

  Gelan’s hand rubbed up and down her back, his touch both soothing and exciting all at once. “Excellent. I think we have enough to start with.”

  Wynhod left the punishment tools to confront Dani. “We are used to being in command. Call it a consequence of our line of work. Can you be obedient?”

  Dani bristled at his tone. “Of course. It’s my job after all.”

  As if he didn’t quite believe her, Gelan added, “We insist on respect. You will not speak without permission except to acknowledge our orders.”

  Wynhod continued, “In that case you will respond with ‘yes, Dramok Gelan’,” he nodded to the cornrowed Kalquorian then indicated Krijero, “Or ‘yes, Imdiko Krijero’ or ‘yes, Nobek Wynhod’.”

  Dani shrugged. “Sure.” At a cold look from Wynhod she hastily amended, “I mean, yes, Nobek Wynhod.”

  Gelan squeezed her shoulder. “Good. If you become too uncomfortable with anything we do, you will say sholt. That is Kalquorian for ‘stop’.” He paused expectantly.

  “Yes, Dramok Gelan.”

  “You may strip.”

  Dani had been naked more often than not these last few months, but she’d never felt more exposed than right now as she removed her outfit in front of the Kalquorians. Her bra went first, and her already pert nipples tightened to pebbly nubs in the coolness

  of the room. Curious to know what the Kalquorians thought of her teacup breasts, Dani was gratified by the enlarging of their catlike pupils and the bulging of their crotches. Okay, it was nice to know size wasn’t much of an issue with the aliens.

  Dani’s thumbs hooked over the waistband of her skirt, and she tugged it down. The fabric slithered down her legs to puddle around her ankles. She stepped out of it and stood before them, completely nude.

  It was a good thing the room was kept so cool, because she felt superheated under the Kalquorians’ stares. A scent that reminded her of breakfast rolls, coated liberally with cinnamon, wafted across her nostrils. The smell was that of Sunday morning, lazing in her canopied bed with 800-count sheets with a good book before the obligatory trip to the Church for two hours of haranguing that she couldn’t keep her attention on no matter how loud the priest became. The sweet, cinnamon waft was a good, safe aroma.

  Dani hadn’t felt safe in a long time.

  Gelan took her hand and led her to the suspension field’s base. She stepped up on it and waited their pleasure.

  “Field, scan and enable on Earther only. Confirm Kalquorian non-influence.”

  A robotic voice issued from the platform in Dantovonian. “Confirmed. Containment effective for Earther only.”

  “Raise subject seven inches.”

  The sensation of air thickening around her always made Dani tense, as if by its weight it would become impossible to breathe in. The illusion of solidness around her didn’t impede respiration however, and she relaxed after a moment. She could even move, if sluggishly. She elevated until she was at eye level with Gelan, who was the shortest of the oversized trio.

  With grins of sheer lascivious deviltry, the three men arranged her suspended body to their satisfaction. They stretched her arms over her head and slightly back so that her breasts thrust up and outward. They pulled her legs wide, making her open and vulnerable. Maybe a bit too vulnerable. Dani couldn’t help but squeeze her thighs closer together again.

  “No, little fighter. This is how we want you.” Wynhod’s voice contained warning, but humor danced in his eyes as he spread her open again. “Freeze subject in place,” he commanded.

  The atmosphere solidified around Dani’s helpless body, holding her like a pinned bug. No matter how she pulled and strained, she couldn’t move. She was completely at the clan’s mercy.

  “Very nice,” Gelan said, stepping back to view their handiwork.

  Wynhod put his hand between her legs to cup her hairless mound and found her sloppy wet. He grinned hugely, erasing most of the menace he wore. “She does like this,” he reported to the others. As Dani trembled against the heat of his touch, he added, “Not repressed at all.”

  The mostly silent Krijero drew close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body. He stroked Dani’s hair, his fingers gentle. “She’s nervous though, aren’t you?”

  Who wouldn’t be? Dani swallowed and answered, “Yes, Imdiko Krijero.”

  “Easily remedied,” he said, his voice soothing. Or at least it was until a pair of long, needle-thin fangs descended from the roof of his mouth to appear behind his more Earthlike square teeth. Dani shrieked and fought to free herself from the suspension field as Krijero’s head
darted forward and he buried the fangs in her neck.

  As she broke from her first scream to draw breath for the next, Gelan’s deep voice filled her ears. “Easy, little Earther. He’s injecting you with an intoxicant. It will make you feel very, very good.”

  Dani screamed anyway. The damned thing was biting her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as he kept those terrible rattlesnake fangs buried in her flesh. She was going to die at the hands of a Kalquorian, as so many other Earthers had. And she’d put herself in this position, put herself at their mercy, screwing up yet again.

  Wynhod’s soft voice pierced her panic. “Dani, you’re all right. It doesn’t even hurt anymore. You’re going to be just fine.”

  Calm intruded on her senses, pushing the terror back. It sapped the fear away. Her body seemed to … sing. She stopped screaming to evaluate the warm surge of dreamlike pleasure. It was as if she’d drunk really good champagne, her mind going as bubbly and effervescent as the most expensive bottle. Oh, this was nice. And Wynhod was right. The fangs in her neck didn’t hurt at all anymore. She couldn’t even feel them. All she felt was the solid muscled frame of Krijero against her. The thick press of his iron sex against her mound was a heady aphrodisiac.

  The Imdiko’s mouth left her throat, and he smiled at her. Gosh, he was gorgeous. Adorable even in his rumpledness, if you could call a nearly seven-feet tall behemoth adorable. “All better now,” he told her.

  “Oh, a whole lot better,” she breathed. “Really, really good. Thanks.” She suddenly remembered their earlier orders. “Oops! Sorry. I forgot I’m not supposed to talk.”

  The men chuckled indulgently. Gelan patted her rump, and his touch made her insides clench in pleasure. He said, “We’ll relax that stipulation while you’re under the influence. The intoxicant in our fangs might make it hard for you to remember to be silent. Are you nervous at all now?”