Sold to the Alien Soldiers

and traditions of our culture, what we’d done would be viewed as a despicable and cowardly act – and I still feel shame over it. When we’d turned tail and fled – leaving the friends and fellow cadets we’d trained with at the academy to die – it had felt as though I was no longer a man – that part of me had died in the caverns along with the rest of our company.

And yet now, next to Ashley, I finally feel like a man again. I ache to take her, to claim her, and to do that, I need to earn her.

Right now, I know that Ashley will never have another happy moment in her life until her friend is safe. For her, I’ll risk my life to do just that.

For her, I’d dive into that Scorp nest again, and die screaming.

I’ll save her friend, and earn Ashley’s love, and then I will finally be whole again.

“ETA?”

“Three minutes,” replies Evander, vocalizing his thoughts for Ashley’s sake.

In three minutes, we’re going to make the biggest gamble of our lives. We’re going to risk it all – all on the whim of the woman we all believe is our mate.

“She is,” telepaths Augustus. The Bond doesn’t let us read each other’s thoughts, but my battle-brother knows me too well, and can put words to the strength of the emotion he feels emanating from me.

I nod silently in agreement as we touch down at the VIP landing pad, on the top of The Star casino.

I take deep breath and steel my nerves. Everything is going to rest on my leader’s skill – and, as perhaps befits a casino, one hell of a lot of luck.

Evander steps up from the cockpit.

It’s he who gets to wear the leash attached to Ashley. Part of me resents him for that privilege – but it is he who has to deal with the guilt and shame of being the one to order us out of the Scorp nest.

He made that decision, and we followed him. We’re alive because of it. In the eyes of the Empire, we’d now be cursed to live in shame – but by bringing us here, and following through on his plans, Evander has given us a chance to make amends for our cowardice.

As such, it is only right that he is the one who gets the privilege of wearing our mate. Perhaps, through some feat of courage, I too could earn such a privilege in days to come.

I shake my head – focusing on the scene ahead. This is no time to get lost in daydreams. We’re warriors, after all – and it’s time to act like them.

We’re greeted at the looming entrance by the casino host – the one who holo-chatted with us earlier.

“Gentlemen! The Bullfrogs are hopping mad that you’ve taking your sweet time getting here – no pun intended.” The host seems secretly delighted. “If I was the type of man who’d risk insulting a guest, I might wonder if you delayed your arrival on purpose, just to rile them up.”

There’s a glimmer of satisfaction through the Bond from Evander, but he doesn’t show it. On the surface, the three of us are like statues – absolutely emotionless.

Yet inside we boil. I can sense our shared emotions through the Bond. Augustus is a ball of burning fire, ready to explode into action. I know how fast he can pull his Orb-Scimitar out and call forth the otherworldly blade – the weapon that clove a dozen of those enhanced Scorp in the darkness of that cavern we fled from.

The casino hosts coughs. “We have a… paranoid variety of guests at the casino. I will ask that you let me take your weapons.”

Augustus growls. The rage is building up inside his aura. Just as I embraced fear and anxiety after what happened to us, Augustus has dealt with the events of the Scorp encounter with anger. Perhaps, though, the events of tonight will offer him some healing.

It promises to for me.

Augustus snarls at the host: “Where are you going to store them?”

“At the front desk – or you can leave them in your ship, if you prefer.”

“Put the weapons in the ship. Hide them under the back seats.”

I take the hilts of the Orb-Weapons from Evander and Augustus. As I curl my hands around them, I suddenly have the strangest urge to activate the humming, blue-black blades and brutally cut down the casino host right where he stands.

I don’t do it – but I trust my instincts. I don’t trust the man, not one bit.

“Be careful with that one,” I telepath back to my triad, walking away from them.

I cross the landing pad to our vessel. As I open the side door of the ship and tuck the hilts of our weapons beneath the cushions of the seats, I shudder – feeling the cold nip of the anxiety that has haunted me ever since we came here.

I know the reason. I feel naked without my blade.

Moment later, I return to my battle-brothers and Ashley. From across the landing pad, I see the casino host give them a tight smile. I can tell he’s doing everything he can not to look at Ashley – and in that gown, she’s certainly worth the stare.

But the possessive nature of Aurelians is well-renowned, and for fear of losing his life the host resists the temptation to leer at her.

I have no such qualms – and as I walk back from the sub-atmospheric ship, I allow myself to glance down at Ashley’s form-hugging dress and enjoy the curves of her shapely bottom. Once we save her friend, I’m going to enjoy the feeling of slapping my hand down against that fine, firm rump – taking her forcefully from behind as I do so. My cock hardens at the very thought of it.

Oh, Ashley… She was so naturally submissive earlier – and I know that wasn’t an act. I know deep down that Ashley craves