“Is this true?” he asks me, and only me, his voice low and somehow delicious as his eyes scan my face, looking for something. “Did you agree to a contract with me?”
I nod my head dumbly. Honestly, I’m not sure I could form words right now anyway.
Kiahn lets out a breath - just a small one, but it comes out ragged and unsteady, like this news has knocked him off-kilter a little. Tentatively, he lifts a huge hand, and it’s like the rest of the room, and everyone in it melts away as he slowly reaches to gently touch my face. The pads of his fingers are so feather-soft on my cheek, they almost tickle. “Why would you allow such a thing?” he asks in a quiet voice, so quiet in fact, I think he may be talking to himself. His vibrant green eyes track the path his fingers slowly make, around the curve of my cheek and following the line of my jaw to my chin. He doesn’t stop there, though. His fingers softly brush lower to my throat, pausing when he can quite clearly feel me swallow beneath his touch.
“Kiahn?” Vel interjects, stepping closer to the two of us. The Prince blinks down at me and then to his Aunt’s assistant who pointedly clears her throat at us both.
It’s then that Kiahn pulls his hand back like he’d been burned. “I…”
There’s a jolt under our feet as the ship’s engines power up and I can see from the small port-hole-like windows in this room that we’re beginning to move away from the dock at Moon’s Rest. I have odd feelings about leaving this place for someplace new and unknown, but mostly all I can feel is relief.
“See to it that Niska has her choice of quarters on board, Vel,” Kiahn clips as he takes a step away from me now, his whole demeanor suddenly changing. “And that she is fitted with the finest, most comfortable collar as soon as we return to Xaavia.” And with that, he bows at me - like, actually fuckingbows- and strides out of the room.
It’s Lois that breaks the silence of his departure after I’m left here, staring after him. “Did he just say‘collar’?”
* * *
As promised, Lois, Jaya and I had been given first choice in which of the many sleeping quarters we’d wanted in this huge-ass ship. Each one we were shown would have been more than adequate. Especially when considering we’d been used to a bare cell with uncomfortable cots for the past six or so months. Vel was tasked with showing us around the quarters, but one of Kiahn’s brothers, the one I’ve since learned is called ‘Az’, tagged along with us, very enthusiastically offering up his own bedroom, specifically for Lois’ use.
“It has the best views from the windows, and the hygiene room is top of the range with full massage options,” he tells her as we walk the hall, plush plum carpeting beneath our feet. He follows directly behind Lois, and in front of me and Jaya, his huge frame too large to walk beside her in the ship’s halls. All I can see back here is his tight pants and bare back - hunched over from him trying to constantly communicate with Lois as we walk. Lois, for her part, seems rather non-committal in her responses and I can tell from way back here, she’s not interested in taking his offer. Maybe she thinks if she does, it paves the way for him to think he can coerce her into a breeding contract too, or maybe she just wants him to leave her alone. Either way, she’s rather quiet up there at the front of our party, following our tour-guide, Vel.
That is, until he’s telling her about the excess of closet space in his room and she finally snaps.
“Does it look like I have clothes to fill a closet?” she suddenly turns to ask him, her tone harsh but quiet. Az almost walksstraight into her and has to jolt himself to stop. She plucks at the ratty dull white gown we’ve all worn and washed, day-in-day-out since we were stolen from our home planet. I would categorize them somewhere between a hospital gown, and a t-shirt dress in appearance, and are what we tended to wear day-to-day, unless an important buyer was coming to the store, or you were being loaned out to, say, apleasure club. “Thank you for the offer, but I don’t need to take your room-”
“You sure? It’s one of the nicest-”
“Az!” Vel comes hurrying back to us once she’d realized we’d all stopped following her. “You’re bothering the humans, leave them be! Andfor the love of the four, would you please put a shirt on. We are not in a tournament changing area. We are on your brother’s ship!”
Az shrugs his big shoulders and holds his hands up. “I just think Lois would be more comfortable in one of the royal rooms on board, and I’m just sayin’ that mine is one of the nicest, and it’s hers if she wants it.”
He stands there, smiling down at Lois, his hands on his hips now, like he’s waiting for praise or something.
Lois shakes her head, her red hair swinging with the movement. “I wanna continue bunking with Niska and Jaya,” she tells him. I could kiss her. I’d not really considered it, but as soon as she’d said the words, I knew I felt the same. We’ve shared a tiny little cell for months and seen each other get low and scared. I’m not sure I could have made it without these two, they feel like family to me now - just as close to me as any of my family or my best friend, Polly. So yes, absolutely, I want to continue sharing a room with them both.
“Oh,” Az says briefly glancing at Jaya and I, as if he’s only just remembered that we’re here too. One of his hands absently rubs across his broad chest a little subconsciously as the poor guy really does look like Lois took the wind right out of his sails.“I mean, yeah… sure. Uh…my-my room is large enough for all three, so… just as long as you’re comfortable?”
He directs the question at Lois, since clearly to this guy, her opinion is of the upmost importance.
“Sure,” she shrugs, giving him a tight-lipped and fleeting smile before she’s avoiding his gaze and giving Jaya and I a wide-eyed look.
Az takes in a breath, puffing up his chest as he nods, seemingly pleased that she’s at least taken him up on his offer in some capacity. He opens his mouth, but closes it again.
And then…
He says nothing.
No-one says anything at all as we all stand here in the middle of the hallway, glancing looks at each other as awkwardness leeches into every atom in our vicinity. Az’s focus remains on Lois, but his chest kind of starts to deflate, and he reaches up to rub at one of his big, spiraling horns, like it was a nervous habit or something.
“So…” he blows out.
But he never finishes that sentence.
It’s Vel who breaks the unbearable awkwardness. “For Goddesses’ sake, Az,” she tuts, gently ushering Lois to start moving again, leaving him behind. “She’s not going to give you her permission. Just…go put a shirt on. You can see her again at dinner.”
“Right-right,” he murmurs to himself, looking embarrassed now as he gives Jaya and I each a little bow before leaving us to the rest of our tour.
“Don’t mind him,” Vel explains as she continues down the corridor, apparently intent on making sure we know every inch of this ship. “He’s a professional athlete, so he’s used to females fawning at his feet. I’m not sure he really knows what to do with one who he has to actually court.”
