Then, suddenly, the mohawked alien is still. He crushes me to the mattress beneath us, but he’s as still as a cat with a baby bird trapped between its claws. I shudder as I suddenly feel the alien’s fingers trail across my back. I shiver, feeling the firm pressure of his fingertips. The warrior’s breathing is harsh, and I fear he’s on the brink of losing control.
“Control yourself, Otho!”
A harsh voice rings across the bedroom. It’s the leader of the Aurelians, standing in the doorway with narrow eyes. His deep voice cuts through my fear, and I feel the Aurelian crushing me beneath him slowly retreat, coming to his senses from his lust-fueled fugue.
I take a grateful, gasping breath of air. The leader of the Aurelians interrupted his battle-brother before he could lose control – and, more than that, revealed the name of the mohawked warrior as he did so.
The fingertips freezes on my spine, and then I’m pulled to my feet.
Otho stands behind me, still quivering with need – his hand firmly on my back.
This time, though, his touch is one of silent dominance – not sensual exploration.
The leader of the Aurelians stares at the mohawked warrior, Otho. He receives a nod in response.
Seemingly satisfied, the leader of the triad then turns to me, as I stand there handcuffed and gagged. His eyes narrow.
“You’re coming with us.”
Then, I see what’s in his hand: A blindfold.
I’m already ball-gagged and bound. I can’t speak, and I can barely move – and now, they’re going to take my sight from me as well. I shake my head as hard as I can, letting out a drooling, gurgled moan of protest.
“It’s for your own good,” the leader of the Aurelians silences me. “If you knew where we’re going, you’d be tempted to escape. If you did that, I’d be forced to...”
His tongue runs across his lips.
“…punish you.”
I swallow. It’s hard to do even that, with the gag wedging my jaws open.
The towering warrior stares at me, and I shamefully look down. I can’t even meet those huge, slate-grey eyes. If that first spanking the leader of this triad gave me was just a quick warning, I can’t imagine what he’d do to me if he caught me trying to escape.
The leader of the Aurelians steps forward and gently wraps the blindfold around my eyes. Everything suddenly goes black.
His touch is surprisingly gentle – although I stiffen as he lets his hand graze my cheek.
“You’re going to be okay, I promise you,” the Aurelian growls. “We’re only moving you so that there’s no chance of a rescue going wrong – and you, or anybody else, getting hurt.”
I gulp.
The warrior continues:
“It’s for your own good. My name is Brennan. The one with the ugly scar is Otho, and the third of my triad is Lazar. If I remove the gag for a moment, will you tell me your name?”
Otho’s hand leaves my back, and I feel him move away from behind me. His presence is so tangible that I can actually feel the hulking alien leaving the room – leaving me alone with Brennan.
I nod slowly, even though I can’t see a thing. I gasp and shiver when I suddenly feel Brennan’s finger trailing against my lip. Slowly, he pulls the gag out from between my teeth – long strands of saliva stretching from my lips as he removes it.
I gasp the moment the gag is gone – desperately sucking in a lungful of air.
‘Natali,” I pant. “I’m Natali. I won’t talk, I promise. Please – don’t gag me again.”
Brennan pauses.
“Alright, Natali – but there’s not going to be a word out of your mouth until I say so, understand?”
I nod desperately, feeling a surge of relief. I might not be able to see anything right now, but at least I can breathe easily. If there’s a chance, I can even scream out for help – although I suspect that might be a very bad idea.
The leader of the Aurelians, Brennan, has clearly figured out that rescue could already be on its way. This suggests these three Aurelian Warriors – as dangerous as they look – aren’t quite seasoned pros when it comes to kidnapping…
…but they aren’t complete idiots, either.
My gut tells me they aren’t used to having to resort to kidnapping, at least – and if they aren’t used to it, they might be more prone to making mistakes.
Mistakes could give me an opportunity to escape…
But mistakes are also how people die on Marn.
Mistakes are how business deals turn into criminal investigations.
The fear wells up in me. These Aurelians don’t know what they’re doing! It’s like they’re making up their kidnapping plans on the spot. I was gagged by something that was probably just bought at a nearby pleasure store!
It doesn’t matter what they threaten – if I see an opportunity to escape, I must take it. Facing down the punishment Brennan threatens is a risk I’ll just have to take.
I remember the way Brennan manhandled me so easily earlier – throwing me over his shoulder as if I weighed nothing, and spanking my ass like I was a naughty wench. I can’t even imagine what it would feel like to be truly punished by this cruel alien commander. My mouth goes dry at the mere thought.
Brennan gently places his huge hand on my lower back, and I’m guided out of the room. Once we’re through the door, he grabs me – helping me over the steps and out toward the landing page.
A brisk wind grabs at my thin pajama dress when we step outside. I can’t do anything to stop the wind from picking it up, exposing my legs. Brennan’s hand suddenly presses harder against me, and he takes in a harsh breath.
These three alien warriors seem to be half-motivated by this deal they’re manipulating from my father – but equally motivated by darker urges; as dark as the ones I’m struggling with myself.
I shiver as
