Taken (5 page)

She had to pull herself together before he decided he didn't want her.

"I'm sorry for being different," she said, in a slightly louder voice. "I'll try not to be."

He stared at her for a moment and then burst out laughing.

"You are a strange little human, aren't you?" he said.

"I guess. Can I come in now?"

"Certainly, certainly," he said, stepping to the side and allowing Lyzette to scurry past him into his room.

She didn't notice his eyes take in every inch of her as she went past. When she turned around and faced him, ready to endure whatever he would do to her, she saw that his pants were bulging.

Shit. Inside his pants was his thing that he would put in her. She shivered a little in fear but picked up her chin and looked him in the eye.

"I'm ready now. I'm sorry I wasn't when I first arrived. You may do with me as you wish," she told him, bravely.

He stared at her. Lyzette was a bizarre puzzle that he couldn't figure out.

"Of course I may. I'm your master."

"Right," she said, blushing deeply. Who was she to tell him what he could and couldn't do?

"Thank you for your permission," he said. "I have to say that I'm at a loss for how to proceed. I've never taken a woman who was afraid of me." Lyzette lifted her head. "That I knew was scared of me," he amended. "And I'm not sure I want to start now."

"Does it remind you of slavery?" Lyzette said, then slapped her hand over her mouth with a smacking sound. Why had she said that?

He looked at her as if he were seeing her for the first time.

"Yes, I suppose that is what it reminds me of," he said, studying her with a confused face.

She didn't point out again that she was his slave, and he could take her if he wanted to because she belonged to him — fear or no fear. He had paid for her.

Then the Markanor turned and looked out the window.

"You may go now," he said.

"Go?" Lyzette repeated. Was this a strange alien expression that she didn't understand? Did it mean that she should undress?

"Yes, go. Back to your room."

"Back to my room?" she frowned. "No. I'm not afraid. I swear. I don't want to go back to my room."

She could not have failed already. All she had to do was lie there and let him put his cock inside of her, and she had somehow screwed it up already? It wasn't possible. She had to do this. She made herself walk across the room and reached out and tentatively touched his hand.

"I want…" she hesitated, not sure what to say to convince him to desire her again.

"What?" he said, turning to her. His blue eyes that had been cold now blazed with heat. "What do you want?"

"I want you to take me to bed," she said firmly.

"Are you sure of that? I've never raped a woman, and I don't intend to start now. I have an abundance of females falling over themselves to be with me. I don't need a reluctant one."

"I'm sure," she said, nodding her head decisively.

"You say that like you've made up your mind to do something unpleasant, and you're getting ready to grin and bear it."

What could she do? Congratulate him on his remarkable powers of perception?

"No. I will not have a consort who is unwilling. Go and change into regular clothes — pants, not a dress — and meet me in the stables in half an hour."

"What? No. I swear. I'll do whatever you want. Don't send me back."

Everyone was counting on her and here she was fucking everything up again, as usual. Tears filled Lyzette's eyes, but she didn't let them fall, trying to hold it together.

"I'm not sending you back. I'm taking you on an excursion. Stop that crying. I can't stand it when women cry," he said, scowling at her.

"An excursion," she said, wiping away the tears. He wasn't going to give her back to the Mordeelan. She felt a surge of relief. "You're not firing me?"

He laughed again.

"A slave cannot be fired," he said. "Get dressed. No, wait. Show me your forearm."

Lyzette flipped her left forearm over and showed him the three interlocking circles. It hadn't hurt because they had given her local anesthesia, and it had only taken a second.

He bared his forearm and pressed his circles over hers. The moment their skin touched, she felt a jolt of excitement go from her belly to her sex.

"Okay, that's all I needed," he said. His breathing was not steady. His muscular chest rose and fell. "You can go."

Lyzette dashed into the hallway. She pulled off her heels when she was a few doors away and ran back to her room in her bare feet. She could hardly believe her luck. He wasn't going to take her jewel right now, and it seemed she hadn't messed everything up.

It was too good to be true.

"Why are you back already?" Raimey said. There was worry in her eyes when she saw Lyzette. "Are you okay? Did something go wrong?"

"I was afraid, and he knew it," she said, biting her lip. "He said he'd never raped a woman before, and he wasn't going to start now. He told me to get dressed and meet him at the stables."

Lyzette went to her closet and started pulling random clothes out. Women were coming in from the common room, the kitchen, and the other rooms as word spread that she had returned already.

"He didn't fuck you?" the redhead said.

"He said he wouldn't rape her," someone said.

"And he's taking her riding? That doesn't make sense."

The women's voices babbled on while Lyzette tried on outfit after outfit, not liking any of them.

"Wait," Raimey's voice cut through the crowd. "He didn't touch you at all, Lyz?"

Lyzette pulled on a pale pink crop top over her bra and drew her eyebrows together, trying to remember.

"No, he did touch me. He stopped me and asked to see my brand." She flipped over her forearm as she had done before.

"And he pressed his arm against mine."

"And…?" Raimey and the others leaned in. Their eyes were interested. Some of them bit their lips like they couldn't wait to hear the end of the story. "Did you feel anything?"

Lyzette dropped her eyes, feeling her whole face turning beet red at the thought of what she had felt.

"Ooooh, she did!" Delia squealed.

"What? What's so important?" Lyzette asked, but Raimey interrupted her.

"It's the challenge of courtship," she said, almost jumping up and down in her excitement. "Among Markans, when the male wants to court someone. He will press his arm to hers. It's a signal that he is interested in her as a mate and that he will be pursuing her."

"He's going to try to win you, Lyzette."

"But he doesn't have to win me. I'm his slave."

"He doesn't
have
to. But he's issued the challenge, which means he wants to win your heart. He wants you to want him. And a Markan, once he has issued the challenge, would never take a woman unwillingly. You won't be having sex with him unless you ask. He won't even touch you unless you beg him to take you."

Lyzette looked at Raimey. She would never beg him to do that. So it looked like she was safe. He would have to find another consort, and she could be a house slave. She was sure some of these more experienced women would be much better than she would.

But she wouldn't think about it right now. She was going to enjoy her reprieve. Who knew if she would get another one?

The Markanor strode out the side door of his compound. He swiped his forearm over the scanner in his next door neighbor's wall. The door opened, and he walked in.

"Sorban!" he yelled. "Sorban!"

"What, Mikael? Why are you coming over here yelling, my boy? You'll make me deaf."

He smiled and went to his godfather, and knelt for a moment reverently before him. Once a challenge of courtship had been issued, he could only discuss it with particular individuals. If he wanted to talk, there were only three choices: his parents, her parents, or a godparent.

"I have a problem, Sorban," he said to the older man. Sorban was still somewhat muscular and straight-backed even though he was seventy-five years old.

He told his godfather everything that had happened.

"I wanted your advice on how to deal with this woman. I will not take an unwilling partner to bed."

"Of course not, boy. You're a Markan — the Markanor for goodness sake. You don't need to chase after women who don't want you."

"That's the problem. I'll have to chase after her. I marked her."

"You what?" Sorban's mouth dropped open.

"I issued the challenge of courtship."

"Does that slave know what you've done?" his godfather said, clearly upset.

"No, she's human. And a naive one at that."

"Then you don't have to abide by it. She won't even know."

"Sorban," he said. "I would know."

"But why would you do such a thing?"

"I don't know," he sat down on a chair. "She was so afraid of me. I didn't like that. She's different from the others. And she fascinates me somehow."

"So you will be pursuing a slave girl. Never a good idea, Mikael. And especially not a good idea for someone in your position."

"But I want her to be willing to come to my bed. Issuing the challenge doesn't mean I have to marry her or even ask her."

"That's true. But it does suggest that you might consider it."

"Not really," he said. But he could see that his godparent was not convinced. For that matter, neither was he.

He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he knew that he had never met anyone like Lyzette before. She was beautiful, but she seemed unaware of it, which made her more attractive. Her body was unbelievably sexy, and he wanted her badly. On the other hand, she was innocent and apparently inexperienced.

He suddenly wanted to be her first with a desperate longing. He would show her how pleasant it could be to lie with him. He would be the first to plow her fertile field, and she would like it.

"Mikael!" Sorban snapped his fingers in front of Mikael's face. "You're smitten with this slave girl."

"I am not. I only want her body, and I want her to be willing. I'm sure she felt something when I issued the challenge, so it shouldn't be difficult to convince her to want me. How can I make her less afraid of me?"

"You don't need seduction tips from an old man," he said, giving Mikael a sarcastic look.

"No, I don't. I can handle the seduction. I need help getting her to the point where she desires to be seduced."

"That I may be able to assist you with," he said. "First, she needs to trust you. Then she needs to like you. The more she likes you, the more she'll want you to seduce her. Touch her casually. Hold her hand. Put your arm around her. Once she trusts and likes you, that is. If she seems to like it, then you can proceed with a chaste kiss or a hug. You take it from there, son."

"Trust, then like, then touch her casually. Got it," he said it as if he were committing it to memory for a test.

His godfather cackled.

"You are smitten."

"I'm not, Sorban. Stop saying that. I want her so bad I can hardly stand it, ever since I saw her in that slave cage. I have no emotional attachment whatsoever."

"If you just wanted to fuck this girl, you wouldn't have needed to issue the challenge."

"Thanks for the advice, Sorban, but I'm late."

"For your date with the slave girl, I know, I know. Bring her over some time. I want to meet the girl who's got you wrapped around her finger."

"I have to go," he said, absentmindedly.

"Be careful. Slave girls can be wily creatures. You have the responsibility for the planet on your shoulders. You can't be getting caught up with some woman."

"I take my responsibilities seriously. You know that. For the last time, I'm not getting caught up in her. I want her body."

"Keep telling yourself that, my boy," his godfather said, shaking his head. "Keep telling yourself and maybe someday you'll believe it. I know I sure as heck don't."

Lyzette arrived at the stable in a pink crop top. It showed off her torso and jeans that rode low on her hips, with a pair of sandals gracing her delicate feet. She had pulled her hair back into a ponytail. When she saw the Markanor, she actually smiled at him.

"That's better," he said. For the first time, he smiled back, and she nearly stumbled back from the force of it.

He had a brilliant smile.

"What is better?" she asked.

"You don't look scared anymore. It's a vast improvement."

"Oh," Lyzette said, nodding and feeling uncomfortable.

"Let's get going."

"What are we doing?" she said.

"Going for a ride," he said, walking over to a sturdy looking carriage. It was practical, not flashy, and didn't have all the fancy add-ons that the other ones in the stable did. It was painted black and looked the man who designed it cared about function. It has no bling; others had gold trim and scalloped edging.

"I want to show you a bit of Marka."

She didn't know what she had been expecting from the Markanor, but it hadn't been a tour.

He helped her climb into the conveyance and stepped in behind her. They got settled, side by side, and he spoke a word to the coachman. The man slapped the reins on the horses' backs, and the coach moved smoothly forward, pulling them out of the stable and onto the road.

As the vista spread out before them, Lyzette couldn't help but draw in a deep breath. She had never seen anything as beautiful as her surroundings. Earth was polluted, overpopulated, and entirely consumed by urban sprawl. Out here on an alien planet, the view was spectacular. They were on high ground that allowed them to see the entire valley, with green fields and snug looking houses. She could see people working the land. The suns were simultaneously descending towards the horizon and turning everything golden.

Lyzette was enchanted.

"It's lovely. I've never seen anything like it."

"Never?" The Markanor was surprised.

"There isn't anything like this on Earth anymore," she said, sadly. "Too much overcrowding and pollution."