Determined to escape, she twisted and bucked, but he only gripped her more tightly, and she felt a thick digit actually begin to enter her disturbingly wet channel. She froze, and she felt a low rumble of approval vibrate through his body.
The noise of the crowd died away, and she realized they were back in the tunnel. He was moving so quickly that the surrounding walls flashed by in a dizzying kaleidoscope.
“What a great win!” An excited little voice sounded from up in front of them. “We could charge double for those fights.”
“Not now.” Baralt’s words were barely intelligible.
“Now is the perfect time! Everyone is still enthralled by your victory. I could possibly even charge three times—”
There was a muffled grunt, and Izzie raised her head in time to see a small orange alien leaning against the tunnel wall and clutching his shoulder as he glared after them.
He was barely out of sight before she heard the sound of doors opening, and a rush of blessedly cool air swept across her body. Baralt took two steps into the room and finally removed his thumb from her pussy before letting her slide down his body. Letting her slide down against a very large cock.
She jumped back, and he let her go, raising his hand and licking his wet thumb with an appreciative groan. Her gaze skittered down his body, over wide shoulders and a muscular chest, and stopped on his cock. Huge and glistening, it seemed to have emerged from his body, the thick purple head pointing directly at her.
Her mouth went dry in an unexpected combination of both terror and lust. What would it feel like to have that massive appendage splitting her open? Her clit gave a sudden pulse, her own body betraying her, as the lingering arousal between her legs flared to life.
No. It had to be some devilish alien trick, and she wasn’t about to give in. She backed up a few more steps, looking desperately for some kind of weapon. There was nothing. The big room consisted of large, low-slung couches covered in what looked like pink velvet—pink?—arranged to face a large screen. A few small tables were scattered around, but they looked as if they were made of the same rock that composed the walls.
She sidled toward the doors, and he took a quick step in her direction. His leg crumpled beneath him, and she saw him begin to fall. She automatically started to reach for him and then remembered that she needed to escape. Ignoring his pained cry as his body collapsed on the floor, she darted for the doors. Prying at them didn’t work, and she couldn’t find any way to open them. Tears of frustration sprang to her eyes as she pounded on the unresponsive panels.
“They won’t open.” Baralt’s voice came from behind her, and she whirled to find him propped against the wall, rubbing his knee. As she watched, his cock disappeared into a furry sheath. He gave her an oddly charming grin, charming despite the fangs. “I’m sorry. My instincts got the best of me.”
“Fine. Apology accepted as soon as you let me go.”
His glowing blue eyes studied her face. “And where are you going to go?”
“Somewhere where I’m not a slave.”
“What’s your name?” he asked, surprising her. No one else had bothered to ask.
“Isabel Mendez. Izzie.”
“This is a slave planet, Isabel. There’s no escape for you here,” he said gently.
She scowled at him. “Then I’ll find my way off the planet.”
“Do you have anywhere to go?” His voice was still gentle, sympathetic, and that, more than anything, breached her defenses.
She abandoned the door and slid down to sit a cautious arm’s length away from him. She hissed as her burned back rubbed against the wall, but at least the cool stone helped to relieve the sting.
“How the hell did I end up in a place like this?” she asked rhetorically.
“I assume you were taken from your home planet?”
“Yeah. I was walking home after work, and then I woke up on the slave ship.” First slave ships, now slave planets. A lump filled her throat. “Isn’t there anywhere safe?”
“Does your planet have an arrangement with the Empire?”
She snorted. “My planet has no idea that the Kaisarian Empire exists.” She only knew about it because Rummel had provided her with a brief, profane background of the Empire, along with his planet’s interactions with it. His stories had distracted her when pain and despair had threatened to overwhelm her.
If anything, Baralt’s voice was even softer. “Then I’m afraid there is no chance of you returning home.”
“I pretty much figured that one out. But isn’t there somewhere I can be free? Where everyone I meet doesn’t want to hurt me or fuck me?” Or both.
He hesitated, looking down at his hands. “It is a harsh universe. I thought once that my people should have more contact with it. I was wrong.”
“Is your planet like this?”
He barked a laugh. “Not in the least.”
“Do your people keep slaves?”
“No,” he admitted. “But they do not trust anyone other than themselves.”
She slumped back against the wall, and they sat in silence for a long moment as she tried not to let despair overwhelm her. The better life she had been working so hard to achieve was gone forever.
Baralt finally pushed himself to his feet, the movement obviously painful. When he extended a hand to her, she eyed it suspiciously.
“You do not need to worry. The only thing on my mind right now is a bath. I suspect you might appreciate one as well.”
And hoping that she was making the right decision, she took his
