“Copulation?” She licked her lips. “That’s the word you use for sex? Yes, I have had sex. I just didn’t get fully naked. Anthony was fine with me wearing a dress and just shoving it up my body to get it out of his way. I haven’t seen a man naked before, either. I refused to look at that part of him when he opened the front of his pants.”
His mouth hung open.
“I realize that sounds pathetic. Trust me, I do. It wasn’t like I was dating him or we were in a relationship,” she said defensively. She stood on the bed, her anger building. “Do you think I wanted it to be that way? I did not. And once I made that deal with Anthony, I knew no one could ever marry me. It’s the culture on my planet. I wasn’t a virgin anymore. That would have been a real problem on my wedding night. My new husband would have grounds to divorce me instantly, and the law keepers would have arrested me. Some women are put to death for that kind of thing! It meant never marrying to keep myself safe from that fate. I was considered tainted. I was destined to become an old maid.”
“Old maid?”
“A woman who never marries or has children. That was the best outcome, but at least I would have stayed with my family.”
He came closer. “What about the females forced to work in brothels? Do they become old maids?”
She felt uncomfortable now, standing on the bed and staring down at him. The bed was high enough that she was way taller than him. She sank to her knees and covered her breasts with her hands, the cold room making her nipple peak. “They send them to the prison mines when they grow too old or aren’t appealing to customers anymore. Anyone who breaks the laws too often or commits an ultimate sin, like murder, is sent there for the rest of their lives. It’s our version of hell on Radison. No one ever leaves there alive.”
He moved closer still, his gaze locked with hers. “They put your females there, too? Why?”
“Anthony said all women sent to the brothels are sterilized, so it doesn’t matter if they force those poor women to live with criminals who will abuse them in the worst ways. Those mines are a place where they send our people to die. Not for new life to be born. He said it also keeps the males imprisoned there from killing fewer guards. All brothel workers and prisoners lose the privilege of making contact with family or friends. Our leaders fear it might cause a revolt if any of them are able to share stories of the abuse they’ve suffered. Do you understand why I made that deal with Anthony now? I couldn’t live knowing that’s the future my sister would face.”
He stopped next to the bed, and she released her breasts, inching closer to him by walking on her knees. He didn’t retreat, at least. That encouraged her.
“Did you ever have young with the human?”
She shook her head. “Any male who fathers at least six children can be sterilized if they ask. Anthony’s wife had difficult pregnancies, since she was sickly. He was sterilized to protect her, but she never recovered after the last birth. She died within months. It was shortly after that when he offered to keep Becky safe if I allowed him access to my body.”
“I don’t like this male.”
“He only visited every six months and stayed for only a few hours. The alternative was way worse. It’s how I’ve learned to think of it.” She lifted her chin and straightened her shoulders. “We can do this together, Gnaw. I don’t want to die here. It’s about survival.” She stared deeply into his eyes. “I’ll lie down and, um, touch myself to get prepared. Maybe watching me will calm you down enough to have sex. Or you can turn away and imagine I’m like your women. Do whatever it takes for you to get hard, please? We must do this. I will do absolutely anything to protect my sister. Do you have a sister?”
He shook his head.
“Brothers?”
“My grouping.”
She wasn’t sure what that meant but nodded. “Would you do anything it took to protect them?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sure it would hurt them if you died. Right?”
He nodded.
“Okay. So we’re going to do whatever it takes to survive and give us more time before the Elth get mad enough to kill me. I’m going to lie down and…touch myself.”
He closed his eyes but didn’t argue with her.
Darla hoped that meant he was finally agreeing to having sex. She lay down on the bed, her heart hammering in her chest, and was grateful embarrassment couldn’t kill her. The aliens were probably watching. That made it even more difficult.
She got comfortable on her back, lifted a finger to her mouth and wet it. Her gaze locked onto Gnaw. The sight of him, how big he was, how different, caused a little fear.
He wouldn’t hurt her. She had to believe that.
She slowly spread her legs and reached down, rubbing her clit. She just needed to get wet. Her body would react to stimulation of her clit. It had in the past, no matter how much she’d dreaded what was to come with Anthony.
Gnaw kept his eyes closed, which helped. She stared at him, focusing on his face. He was handsome, for an alien. Kind of overly masculine in looks, his features a bit sharp, but Veslors were shifters. She’d read about them, though not enough to know much about aliens that could change into other forms.
Frustration crept in when she continued having a difficult time manipulating her body, and she whimpered.
Gnaw’s eyes opened,
