She pushed herself up after a moment, glanced at the second male a little nervously, and then focused on the back of the one who had, she supposed, claimed her as personal property.
Under other circumstances she would’ve been outraged at the very idea.
She was so outside her comfort zone, in a dangerous situation so beyond normal, that the thought didn’t even occur to her until much, much later—when she dismissed it as a threat to her survival. Instinctively, she knew she had to dismiss any misgivings and focus on doing what she needed to in order to survive or she simply wouldn’t.
And convincing a seven foot warrior who was clearly damned good at slaughtering anybody that opposed him seemed like her best—only—option.
“I’m … I’m Eleanor,” she stammered, wincing inwardly when she stumbled over her speech. “Most … mostly everybody calls me Elly.”
Both males turned to fix her with laser gazes and she wondered if women were allowed to speak in their culture—or at least allowed to speak directly to a male.
She didn’t know much about other cultures on Earth, but it seemed to her from the things she’d heard that the more primitive, warrior-like groups considered women as barely useful enough to shove their dicks in to. For that matter, they didn’t seem to have a very high standing even as dick sheaths.
To her relief the male who’d just given her a world shattering sexual experience lifted a hand to his chest. “Tarik ob de Hirachi peoples.”
“I Kirt of de Hirachi peoples.”
Elly whipped a look at the male standing near the door when he spoke, but she hadn’t needed confirmation that they’d both come from the same place. That was obvious even though they were as individual as humans were.
Elly really didn’t think she was prepared for bad news, but she couldn’t resist asking. Shehadto know if she was safe, at least for the time being. “I’m … uh … yours now?”
He looked startled—or maybe shocked would more nearly describe his expression because he jerked his head almost as if she’d slapped him then whipped a questioning look at his male companion that made Elly’s belly knot in dread.
When he looked at her again, she couldn’t entirely interpret his expression. “You choose me?” he responded uncomfortably, frowning thoughtfully.
Kirt said something to him and they launched into a rapid-fire conversation she couldn’t follow to save her life. She did catch a word here and there because they interspersed with English, she thought.
Tarik’s expression was grim when they’d finished their discussion. “I cannot breed you as slave. Dis against my peoples’ believes. Kirt is right.”
Elly blinked at him rapidly, trying to absorb that. Hadn’t they just …. But maybe they were more like humans than she’d figured and they had a firm division between sex for fun and sex for propagation.
The thing was, she wasn’t sure what she’d said that had sounded like a proposal for breeding purposes.
For that matter it blew her mind to consider that it was even possible.
But she sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him that!
Breeding woman must be more valuable than just fuck mate, right?
It certainly seemed to her that her safest bet was if he decided to breed her. And that was bound to cover her ass for nearly a year if she could manage it—shorter if she had to fake it and lie—but it definitely had potential.
She thought. “Well, you did breed me,” she said firmly.
A jolt of shock went through him. He seemed speechless for several moments. “You know dis?”
Elly blinked at him while she tried to decide how dangerous it might be to bald face lie. “I think,” she finally responded doubtfully, firmly dismissing the fact that she’d been on birth control when she’d been snatched. She certainly hadn’t brought the pills with her! And for all she knew shecouldbe fertile! And for all she knew she could be compatible enough with his species to reproduce ….
Tarik and Kirt fell to arguing in their own tongue again. She watched them closely, trying to put together a picture from their expressions and the word here and there she thought she knew. They both looked anxious but determined when they settled their discussion. “Need escape,” Tarik said, nodding. “Tink ob sometink.”
Oh! This was going along nicely! She struggled a moment with the urge to offer more incentive. “How are we going to do that?” she asked, struggling to tamp the thread of excitement in her voice.
He shook his head. “Need tink.”
She was tempted to just leave it to that since they seemed focused on what she wanted, but she couldn’t dismiss their knowledge of English. “How do you know my language? Have you met someone else from Earth.”
The question brought his attention back to her. He studied her for a long moment and then approached the bunk, settling on the edge.
He was still damp from his hand bath and Elly couldn’t help but watch with fascination as the droplets of water found their way down his chest to his belly. “We speak Hirachi,” he said almost gently. Pulling her closer, he lifted one hand to trace his fingers over her scalp. Within a moment, he’d found a particularly tender spot she hadn’t known was there. “Dis ting de put dere … it make brain unnerstand all speak. None here from de same place but me an’ Kirt. All talk dere own speak. Confuse. So dey do dis when dey take—dem slavers.”
