But as soon as I walk into the room, the raucous sounds soften and all eyes turn to me. The leering eyes make me want to throw up. It’s clear there’s not an Aurelian in this room who doesn’t want to rip off my clothes and be the one to spank my bare bottom – and that’s just for starters.
In front of the rows of tables are the seats of honor.
Chris, Zander, Tom, Felix and Theme sit there – so small and childlike against the backdrop of all those towering, jeering Aurelians.
The five of them are looking at me, and four of them are grinning like animals. Only Theme can’t meet my gaze. He looks downward, more ashamed to be there than I am.
That gives me some solace. Chris and the others, though – they’re disgusting pigs.
The men I’d thought were loyal members of my crew are now snickering at the sacrifice I’m making for them. They forget that they could have been up in front of this very crowd, being made an example of with twenty harsh lashes of the whip. I spared them agonizing pain and welts and scars they’d wear for a lifetime. Why did I even bother?
I realize now that I’ll never be good enough for them. They were only ever with me because I paid well and I knew how to pick and execute the most profitable jobs. Being good at my job, however – and securing them fat hauls as a result - apparently still isn’t enough to earn their respect.
Well, screw them! It’ll be humiliating and painful, but if this ordeal offers me anything, it’s the knowledge that my loyalty to these men was a mistake – and one I won’t soon repeat.
As I stand in front of the braying crowd, Iunia silently takes Sawoot to the side of the mess hall. She isn’t made to stand near the other men of my crew – and the hungry eyes of the all-male Aurelian soldiers shift to my first officer as she’s led in front of them.
Once again, it hits me that there isn’t a single woman on this ship – other than myself and Sawoot, of course. We’re like two juicy fillet mignon, dangling in front of a kennel of hungry wolves.
I watch the Aurelian escorting Sawoot across the room. I barely know Iunia – but even though he has a rough exterior and a maze of scars crisscrossing his body, I’m reassured that he’s standing next to my first officer; offering her protection from the intentions of his sex-starved men.
Then the eyes turn from Sawoot to a new arrival. Striding through the door of the mess hall and taking position at the front of the room – like a performer taking center stage – is Captain Aelon. His battle-brother Vinicus stands just behind him.
The two make an impressive sight. Aelon is as handsome and dashing as ever, and Vinicus looms like a hulking beast, nearly as wide as he stands tall. That vivid, full sleeve of tattoos on his massive arm just makes him look even more dangerous than he does already. Vinicus is still clad in the light combat armor he wears to the Scorp caverns – as if he never takes it off. The armor doesn’t do much to hide his incredible physique, though – and his trap muscles make Vinicus’s neck look as thick and unyielding as a tree trunk. I sense that any man trying to punch Vinicus would only end up with a broken fist.
But even more intimidating than Vinicus’s sheer size and bulk is his presence – like, right now, he’s staring at me soundlessly, but the heat of his gaze makes me tremble. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the cold, slate-grey eyes of an Aurelian – so cold and alien.
At the center of the mess hall – in a cleared-out area akin to a stage - stands an immense, wooden chair. I instantly know what that’s for – it’s built to the scale of a towering Aurelian, and is sturdy enough to support both the massive warrior and anybody unlucky enough to be flung over his lap.
Captain Aelon is resting his hand on the huge chair nonchalantly, like it’s just a regular piece of furniture placed there at random. He’s cocky and, as always, in complete control of the situation as he stands before his men.
“Well, well, well,” the towering captain grins as I stand in front of him, “if it isn’t the troublemaker herself. Why don’t you take a seat, my dear – and face the crowd?”
His grin infuriates me, as do his words. I want to slap that smirk right off his too-handsome face.
Vinicus, standing behind him, has a blank, hungry look on his face. It’s a stark contrast to Aelon’s cool, cynical cunning. I sense Vinicus is more animal than man.
I hold my head up high. It’s not easy, though. Every instinct in my body is telling me to look down at my feet – to avert my eyes in shame. There are snickers from the Aurelians and that just makes this humiliation burn all the more intently.
Men.
Even after hundreds of years of life, Aurelians are just typical men – and they still act like teenagers.
But what can I do? I have to sit down in that huge chair and accept my fate. If I back down now, it’s my crew that’s going to suffer – not that Chris and those lugs don’t deserve it.
But I do what I must. I step forward and clamber onto the oversized chair. My feet don’t even touch the ground as I sit there; and when I settle into position, I find myself facing the hundreds of grey, colorless eyes that stare back at me – fixated on me. The chatter and jeering dies down, and suddenly there’s only silence.
Aelon steps forward,
