“You complain, little girl, but I think you like it,” he replied, and I turned away with a huff.
“Goddamn alpha males,” I muttered, and he laughed even harder, then slowly began to walk, looking back to ensure that I was following him. The clamp on my clit was teasingly tight, pinching at my most sensitive place, and after a few steps I moaned softly, the sound low and almost inaudible. As we walked through the market and up the stairs to the upper level, I couldn’t help but notice the wetness between my thighs. With every step, I grew wetter, the constant pressure on my clit keeping my arousal always at the edge of a cliff and leaving me breathless.
The chain was short. Short enough that I had to keep pace with him or it would pull taut against my clit, a sharp little warning that I was not in charge of how fast or slow we moved. He set the pace. I followed. It was humiliating in a way I didn’t have a wordfor yet, being led naked through a crowded market on a leash like some prized creature he’d just claimed. And the sick part—the part I was absolutely not going to examine too closely—was that some dark, quiet corner of me didn’t hate it.
I kept my eyes on my captor’s back, ensuring that I didn’t catch any wayward glances from anyone that we walked by. I knew there were many. I could feel both men and women staring at my nakedness, judging every inch of my body and wondering what it would feel like to run their fingers along my bare skin. It made me feel incredibly small and humble, but also powerful at the same time.
My thighs rubbed against one another as I walked, slick with my wetness, and I lifted my head, holding it up high as I followed him.
“What’s your name?” I finally asked, and he paused, looking back at me.
“Bane,” he answered. “What’s yours, human?”
“Cara,” I responded.
CHAPTER 2
We walked for what felt like forever, weaving through alleys and down streets lined with condominiums and apartments, until we finally approached what appeared to be a gated community of sorts. The farther we walked, the more expensive the living accommodations became until we started walking past houses that were far bigger than I had ever seen here on Dryac.
The roads weren’t abandoned here though. They were guarded. Heavily.
Men in full combat armor patrolled these streets, fully armed with neodymium weapons that appeared to be outfitted with automatic rifle mods that prepped them for war. Men like these didn’t come cheap.
“Do you live out here?” I ventured finally, too curious not to ask.
“I do,” he answered. He didn’t explain any further than that and I silently glared at the back of his head.
Dick.
I looked away from him, studying our surroundings even more closely. The mansions were spaced out, maybe on acre lots or larger. Each one was different, some made of brick, others made of stone, and some made of a special type of mud only available here on Dryac. The shit was like cement but held steady for centuries. At least, that’s what I’d read on cyber anyway.
Bane led me down the block until we reached the end of the road and I looked up at the house in front of us.
It looked like a goddamn castle.
It was made of stone. Standing at three stories, it rose well above us and I gasped as I lifted my head to take it all in. There were two towers on either side, circular and with large arched windows complete with semi-transparent glass. Lively dark green vines climbed the walls, rising all the way up toward the roof. Soft little daisy-like flowers bloomed in the evening sun, bright white against the darkness of the stone.
Who the hell was this guy?
I glanced back toward him, taking in his confident demeanor. He led me through guarded gates, looking far too comfortable to be walking through all on his own. At least ten armed men lined the entryway and he strode through them like he owned the place.
Maybe he did.
Maybe I’d been abducted by the richest person on Dryac.
It could be worse, I suppose.
Maybe I had another option though. Maybe there were better things I could sell contained within these walls. Expensive things. I bet there was jewelry, centuries-old silver or gold, even platinum. I wondered if I would find ancient gemstones.
On the black market today, tanzanite was the most profitable. Those mines had dried up well over two thousand years ago. As we walked toward the big castle, my mind raced with things I might find and sell. Things that would set me up for life. That would set my family up too. For good.
I’d have to keep my eyes open for what I could find.
We approached the front door, a massive wooden structure that was at least two stories tall. It was carved with what appeared to be ancient images, some of them sexual, some of them more spiritual. I had no idea where any of it originated from.
The sound of turning gears and pumping steam sounded loud to my ears and the great door swung slowly open for us. Bane led me inside and then I heard the wooden door shut behind me, the sound ominous and menacing at the same time.
Once inside the castle, it was almost like stepping back into ancient times. Iridescent light bulbs shone above us on an opulent chandelier, a plush burgundy carpet beneath our feet. To either side of us was a dark cherry wood staircase, lavish and clearly expensive. Wood like that had to be imported from one of the forest planets, which came with quite the costly price tag. Along the walls were cloth tapestries, depictions of ancient eras several thousands of years ago before the discovery of space travel. I wasn’t sure, but I thought they originated from a simple planet that used to be inhabited by humans long ago.
