“It’s… possible that he might have imprinted on you, since you were the ones who rescued him. Let me talk to the board.”
***
Asher swallowed reflexively as he drifted towards awareness. He was comfortable in a way he really hadn’t been in the last three years, lying on something soft and dry, but his mouth felt funny, like he couldn’t close it all the way. Not enough to hurt or make his jaw ache, but enough to benoticeable.He poked his tongue forward and was met with… resistance.
What?
As his tongue tried to puzzle out whatever was in his mouth, Asher’s brain started coming back online. He realized that he wasn’t hearing the now familiar insects and wind and rushing water from the evergreen glades on Journey-5. Instead, there were low growling and hissing sounds… coming from either side of him?
“Vitals say he’s starting to wake. I can’t wait to meet him properly. I want him to know that he’s finally safe, and that we’re going to do everything to make him happy and healthy.”
Something started sifting through Asher’s hair, playing with the long strands. Fingers…? But… no one had played with his hair in three years. Not since he’d left his homeworld and his family. He tried to lift his hand to touch whatever was in his hair, but—his hand felt too heavy to raise from where it was lying at his side.
Why…?
More growling sounds, though these weren’t quite as deep.“We’re going to take such good care of you, precious one.”Something large and cool stroked his cheek. It was pleasant, but confusing. What was touching him?“We’ll bring you so much pleasure, our sweet yshain.”
Asher finally managed to pry his eyes open.
The two creatures—the two Dresht from the evergreen glades of Journey-5 were both looking down at him. Huge and blue and beautiful andway too close.
Both of them smiled at him as he stared up into their golden gazes, terrified as to what they wanted. Maybe they weren’t smiling, maybe they were baring their teeth.
Were they angry? Was he going to geteaten?
The one with the gold jewelry began to growl again, the sound deep and rolling.“Hello there, little love.”One large, claw-tipped hand reached out. Asher flinched back, but the only thing that happened was that some of his long hair was brushed out of his eyes.
What was going on?He opened his mouth to ask, but—but he couldn’t. He… the thing in his mouth was agag.
Desperately, Asher once again tried to lift his hands to take the gag off, but they were so heavy he couldn’t move them. Hestarted to sit up to try to see why, but that meant, for the first time, he fully realized that the two Dresht—and Asher himself—
They were all naked.
He emitted a muffled shriek and twisted, trying to run, trying to doanything,but the Dresht with the orange spots caught him, pulling Asher into his lap like he weighed nothing.“Shhh, dear heart. You’re safe. We’re here now. We’ll take care of you.”
Asher’s chest heaved as he was held immobile. He knew they had to be talking to him, that that had to be the growling and hissing noises, but his translation implant was clearly not keyed to the Dresht language. He didn’t know what they wanted.
He didn’t know what they were going to do to him.
“The Almari said your name was Asher,”the one with gold jewelry growled, lips still pulled back in either a smile or a snarl. Asher stared at him. He recognized ‘Almari,’ and… that sounded like his name, albeit from a much deeper voice than Asher had ever heard before. If they had bothered to get his name from the Almari, that—that could be a positive, right? Asher knew boys on Vader-X7 were sent to the kitchens before they were named, because it was harder to harm something once you’d named it. If they were using his name, maybe they weren’t planning on hurting him?
Then the Dresht continued, gesturing to himself.“I’m Trenet.”He put specific emphasis on the second word. That seemed like an introduction if Asher knew anything at all.
Trenet,Asher repeated in his head. He wished the gag wasn’t in so that he could try replicating the sound out loud.
Of course, he also wished the gag wasn’t in at all!
Trenet growled again and gestured to the other Dresht on the bed, the one holding Asher sideways in his large lap.“And this is Vrayl.”Once again, specific emphasis was placed on the final word.
Vrayl,Asher repeated, if only to himself.Trenet and Vrayl, the Dresht. Okay.
He peered up at them, heart beating fast.Now what?
Vrayl leaned down, golden gaze focused. Asher flinched back—
But Vrayl only nuzzled at his hair.“We’ve been waiting for you for so many cycles, Asher. We’re so happy that you’re ours.”
“Speaking of, my mate,”Trenet said, reaching for something on a side table. Asher whipped his head around trying to track Trenet’s movements as the enormous Dresht moved closer.“Now that our beautiful yshain is awake, he deserves to be filled, don’t you think? The missive said he might have trouble eating without something inside him…”
