Authors: Jenika Snow
“How do you feel?” he asked and then turned around.
His chest had these strange lines over his pectoral muscles. Maybe war
wounds,
or war markings of his victories? His eyes were the
same dark, cold blackness that matched his short black hair and the ink on his
back. And then there were the deadly looking claws that tipped his fingers,
ones that looked like they could tear her apart with no effort.
God, she was here sizing him up and she had no clue
what he wanted with her. “I’m fine,” she said softly.
He nodded once and went back to crossing his arms
over his chest. He kept his stare on her, as if it
were
some kind of tether to her and he couldn’t break it. “I can see the nutrients
Thorque
gave you are already putting some meat on your
bones.”
She knitted her brows and glanced down, only to see
that her belly wasn’t as concave as it had been
,
her
ribs were not protruding as much as they were earlier, and that she didn’t have
that gnawing hunger in the pit of her stomach.
“What are you planning on doing with me?” She pushed
everything else aside and focused on why she was here, and what he, or
they
, planned on doing with her.
“I’m Brawn, and currently you’re on the spacecraft I
have with my two brothers,
Thorque
and
Lukin
.” He was silent for a moment, possibly to have her
processing that information.
So she was on an alien spaceship with not one demon
looking male, but three. She glanced at the tube in her arm, and as if she said
the words out loud, Brawn was standing right beside her and disconnecting it from
her.
“What are you called?” he asked.
She ran her palms over her thighs and took a
steadying breath.
“
Minka
.”
She had no last name. No humans did. She knew before the collapse of her
species’ home planet, Earth, far before she was even born, humans had thrived.
Minka
didn’t even know if the stories she had heard were
the truth. How specific and exact could they actually be when the ones who told
them had heard them from others and not experienced it for themselves? Surely
information got
mixedup
and changed. It didn’t matter
anyway, because that was a time long ago. Time had passed, war raged between
species and galaxies, and humans were all but extinct now. Now humans were
nothing more than a weak species that was at the mercy of any and all aliens
that wished to take them, use them, or simply kill them off.
“I’ve turned the machine off anyway since your medic
cycle is complete, and over the course of the next few days your weight will
continue to increase.”
Minka
looked at his
face,
felt this fear settle inside of
her because of his sheer size alone, but then also felt this gratitude that he
had saved her. He could have easily left her here to die, which given that she
was a human and one of the weakest species in the galaxy, would have been far
easier for him in the long run. She couldn’t contribute to him, his brothers,
or his ship, not in any way that she could think of.
“Once we have you settled we can explain everything
to you.”
Explain everything to her?
“But you’re safe, so don’t worry about that.”
“Thank you,” she said instantly, knowing that she
had been so worried about everything else that she hadn’t said the small token
of gratitude. “I’m not sure why you saved me, but thank you anyway. I certainly
didn’t want to die, and not by a
Razzora
Beast.”
He didn’t respond right away, but there was this
expression that covered his face for a split second. He nodded then, and said,
“I certainly couldn’t leave you there, not when I plan on having you as my
mate.”
“And ours.” Another male voice came from behind her.
Minka
stared at the other two red-skinned men, and her heart stalled. When she looked
at the man named Brawn again she felt the world around her fade away.
“A mate?”
Brawn nodded.
“Our mate, for the
three of us to be more specific.”
She shook her head, not knowing what that term meant
to their kind. She knew to some species it was a term of slavery, of servitude
that pushed the “mate” to the breaking point. To other species it meant nothing
more than a vessel to procreate, to bring more bi-species into the galaxy, and
then when the “mate” had served its purpose they were discarded as nothing more
than trash. What exactly did that term mean to this breed of men? She licked
her lips, looked among the three of them again, and then catalogued the whole mate
thing in her brain for the time being. “How long have I been out?” She started
to rub at the crook of her arm where the tube had gone in, but the gel Brawn
had placed on the small puncture wound was accelerating the healing process.
“One sunset and sunrise,” one of the other men said.
She didn’t know which one was
Thorque
and which one
was
Lukin
. But she supposed it didn’t matter anyway.
“I gave you a substantial amount of nutrients to increase your weight, but
you’ll need to supplement that weight gain by eating solid foods.” One of the
men stepped forward. “I’m
Thorque
by the way.”
She didn’t respond, because frankly she didn’t know
what to say to any of this. They all looked similar in appearance, but where
Brawn had cropped
hair,
the one named
Thorque
had longer hair that brushed the tops of his broad
shoulders. The one she assumed to be named
Lukin
was
still leaning against the entryway in the same manner that Brawn had done when
she first woke. But
Lukin’s
head was shaved, and only
the lightest dusting of black hair lined his head. Either way they all
frightened her, and she was at their mercy.
“Well, come on then, because I’m starving,”
Lukin
said, his gaze trained on her and the feeling that he
could see right through her ratty clothes slammed into her.
Brawn was right beside her again and had his hand on
her arm. She jerked back, but not from fear, surprisingly, but because his skin
was hot to the touch.
“I guess I should have explained that the warriors
of Hades have a higher temperature than most other species in this galaxy.”
Brawn looked at
Lukin
, said something in this very
strange, yet beautiful language, and then looked back at her again. “And
especially since you are human, we will feel well above your own body
temperature.”
“Come on.” Brawn took her hand, and she snapped her
attention to him.
If they had meant to harm her, or put her into
slavery, surely they wouldn’t be acting so kind to her? She allowed him to help
her down, and as they moved away from the room she had been in, and down a
long, sterile feeling and metal hallway, Brawn veered her off to the side.
“
Lukin
thinks with his
stomach most days, but I assume you’ll enjoy bathing first?” Brawn asked. He
pressed a button on the metal wall, and a door materialized right in front of
her.
Inside there was a bathing chamber with a large
dipped in crevice, where she assumed the water accumulated, and a spout at the
top of the
chamber.
A small shelf held some drying
rags, and a bowl, which she assumed was used for personal matters, was beside
that.
“The necessary bathing tools and washing equipment
are all there.” He spoke like a soldier: hard, clipped, and with a slight
hardness to him. “When you’re finished and dressed in one of the body wraps,
just head down the hallway and it’ll open up to the dining module.” He went to
leave her alone, but she started speaking before she realized what she was
doing.
“Why are you doing this?”
He stopped and faced her again. “I told you. You’re
our mate.”
“But what does that mean?” Her heart started going faster,
threatening to burst from her chest.
He moved closer to her until she felt his body heat
pierce her flesh. “It means you’re ours. You’re our woman, our female, and our
mate. You’re the one that will bear us strong Hades sons.
The
one that will give us pleasure as well as receive it.”
Her throat tightened. Her mouth dried. And her body
felt as though it was disconnecting from itself.
“I won’t be a sex slave. I won’t be a breeder.” She
blinked rapidly, feeling the ground tilt beneath her.
Minka
would rather die than
be
an alien male’s whore. She
had barely breathed the words out, but when he took a step closer to her, he
cupped her cheek in his strong hand and tilted her head back. “If that’s what
you plan you might as well kill me now.”
Minka
refused to back down, although the smart thing to do would be just that. These
men could crush her with as much effort as it took her to breathe. “I won’t be
stock for some race of men that think all I’m good for is popping out soldiers
for them.”
Brawn held onto her face, stared into her hands, and
she knew that this man was more than just physically strong. Just looking into
his face she could see the thoughts moving through his head, the intelligence
in him, and the fact he was determined in everything he did. How she knew any
of that was beyond her, but it was cemented inside of her as he watched her.
“We don’t want a
slave,
or just
a vessel for our sons. What we want is a female that is our equal, who is
strong and can handle the type of passion a Hades warrior can give her.” He
grinned and flashed straight white teeth with a set of fangs. “And in fact I
like that you are not afraid to put me in my place when the time calls for it.”
He sounded so sure of himself, so determined to make
her see that what he said he was the truth. And stupid her she wanted to
believe him.
Minka
wanted to forget about the short,
horrifying time she spent on that godforsaken planet, of the people that turned
their backs on her at the last moment, and of almost dying. The only person she
cared about was now dead, and he had saved her life in the process. What else
did she have aside from giving this new life a chance?
“Will this be easy?” he asked, and then let go of
her face. “I doubt anything worthwhile in this world is easy, but if you give
us a chance, I promise to prove to you that not all beings in the galaxy are
what you need to fear.” He took a step back, and then nodded toward the bathing
receptacle. “Bathe, and then join us, please.” He smiled, and despite his
frightening appearance, that one act of kindness made him transform into
something gentler. He turned and left her alone, and
Minka
stood there and thought about everything that had happened so far.
Minka
stared at the bathing chamber, closed her eyes and breathed out. She was in for
one hell of a journey, she knew that without a doubt, and she didn’t know if
she was okay with that, or if she should run at the first opportunity she had.
Chapter Three
“Do you think she’ll fight us on this?”
Lukin
asked as he lounged on the chair by the observation
deck.
Thorque
shrugged. “It would be the appropriate response given the life she has clearly
led.”
Brawn looked over at his brothers. They were eating
rehydrated sticks of
Hekka
boar meat, and although it
would sustain them, it was a far cry from a piece of fresh meat. He had
explained to his brothers the worry she had, and although her reaction to what
they wanted from her was understandable, she’d need to accept her fate. Living
out there in the world without someone to protect her, make sure she was well
fed and taken care of, and above all else safe, meant she’d have to accept what
they wanted from her.
“She seems strong,”
Lukin
said but kept his focus on the view before him.
Before Brawn could respond the sound of soft
footsteps had all three of them standing and facing
Minka
.
She stopped when she saw them, and took a step back. The scent of her unease
came at him like a whip to his chest, and although he wanted her to be
comfortable with them, he also understood where she came from. But what he was
grateful for was that there was no fear that came from her, although she had
every right to be afraid of them. She glanced among them, and then looked at
the window directly behind them. He knew that she was probably overwhelmed by all
of this, and he could see the stunned disbelief on her face at the fact they
were already in space and headed straight for Hades.
“Oh.” She breathed out and moved closer.
Her tiny hands were clasped together in front of
her, and the scent of her freshly cleaned body as she moved by them had his
cock pushing out in need. He wanted her, needed to breed with her, but he knew
that forcing the issue would only have her running in the other direction.
“I didn’t know we were already off the planet.” She
stopped in front of the observation window that covered one wall of the dining
deck, and then lifted her hands and placed them on the window. “It’s warm in
here,” she said almost absently.