 
# Synopsis

_This book was originally published in the anthology "Alien Alphas" and titled "The Ghost in the Stars"_

> Two years ago, Keelie Johnson was pulled through a rift in the universe from Earth to Anteros, where human women are valued for only one thing - the nectar they create between their legs. But then Keelie is sold, and while on her way to a frightening future on another planet, a random accident on the ship leaves her drifting in space.
> 
> Siridin Sens has just lost his brother and he's grieving hard. While fleeing from pursuit, he stumbles across the wreckage of a ship where he discovers the lone survivor is a nectar slave from his home planet. She's the last sort of person he _ever_ wanted to see again.
> 
> Their attraction starts off tenuously but when Keelie tries to share the dreams she's been having for weeks, Siridin is not interested. And when she insists that the ghost that talks to her also has a message for Siridin, he decides to get rid of the problem by handing her back over to those who want her nectar.
> 
> Can Keelie and her ghost save Siridin before he self-destructs? Can Siridin save Keelie before it's too late?
> 
> This book has themes of reluctant yielding, spanking, power exchange, and menage (m/f/m).
Copyright © 2017 by Sophie Kisker

Which means if you steal, plagiarize, or copy without permission I will send my enraged posse, and my lawyer, after you.
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# All The Usual Warnings

**Disclaimer part 1:** This book is FICTION. If you believe that women's fantasies show how they want to be treated in real life, then stop reading now because you don't understand that fantasies are not real. If you find these ideas objectionable, you are invited to return this ebook.

**Disclaimer part 2:** I don't mention condoms or safe sex practices in this book; I don't mention seat belts when my characters get into the car, either. Books about sex fantasies aren't guides for how to have a safe and healthy relationship just as books about vampires aren't guides for living with the un-dead.

* * *

OK, got that out of the way. Let's get on to more pleasant things...

### Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Glossary

Also by Sophie Kisker

About Me

Preview of "Owned"

# 1

_There is a glossary at the end of the book_

Siridin Sens had had more than his share of trouble lately. Enough that a dead alien and a naked, chained, semi-conscious human female didn't even rank at the top of the list.

_Shit._ Abandoned lifeboats floating in space were supposed to be, well, _abandoned_.

The other occupant within his flashlight beam, a tentacled alien, was most certainly dead. The green bloodstain on the wall matched the dent in his head.

He turned his flashlight back to the female, drifting on the invisible currents of weightlessness. The shackles around her wrists that wrapped through the frame of the bed above her meant she wasn't going to wander too far.

He wasn't supposed to be in here, yet. The Dstorians were not due up here to investigate the debris floating through their territory for another eighteen hours. He _should_ have sat on his hands, not touching anything, waiting patiently for the clearance to salvage whatever he could. But patience had never been his strong point, and here he was. And now, she was _his_ problem.

Her eyes were glassy. She attempted to speak, but couldn't form words. She watched as he pulled out his Solaflare and stuck it to a wall. When he turned back, she'd screwed her eyes shut at the sudden brightness, so he took a moment to study her.

Immediately he knew who—or what—she was.

Salvaging would have to wait. He pulled out his pulsar saw and split the chain in half with a small burst of sparks. When she didn't jerk away, he realized she didn't just have her eyes closed—she'd fallen unconscious. He gathered her unresisting form in his arms and pushed off the wall, floating back to the front of the small craft.

A small jump up in the weightlessness of the lifeboat propelled him through the hole in its ceiling, into the airlock on his ship. He hit the controls to seal it and to turn the gravity back on slowly while he twisted around to land on his feet. As he waited for his weight to come back to normal he took a look at the human in his arms. Her skin was smooth, her features fine, and her breasts small but plump. Each had a silver ring dangling from it; one of the rings had a tag attached. Her hips curved out most pleasingly from her waist, leading to a bottom that felt soft and round in his large hands. Her copper-colored hair, almost the same color as his own skin, cascaded in waves over his arm.

With great care he placed her on the floor. He stripped his suit off, and as soon as he removed the faceplate, he could smell her.

_Yep_. She was a nectar slave.

_Great._

The universe was certainly having a joke at his expense today. He sighed and gathered her up. Human females were much smaller than Anterrin women, and she looked lost in his giant arms. It took only a moment to walk the dozen steps down the hall to the two crew cabins.

He hesitated at the door to the one on the right. He hadn't come in here since leaving Anteros. The future that had been ripped away from him was vivid in the starkness of this room.

But it was the only option. He certainly couldn't put her in _his_ bed, though his cock twitched at the idea. He flashed an annoyed thought in its general direction. Once he'd placed her on top of the covers in the empty room he went to the first aid cabinet.

The hand-held Diagnoster told him she was dehydrated; no surprise there. He set up a hydrator unit and got it running, and within minutes she looked better. He stood and stretched. He'd been sweating in the biosuit for hours, and his smell was offensive to even him. He headed to the 'fresher for a shower.

Keelie reluctantly let go of the dream she was having, the one she'd been having for weeks, and which was the only bright spot in her depressing life. She couldn't believe she was alive—she'd resigned herself to death many hours ago while floating in the darkness with no way to get out of the shackles.

But who was this Anterrin? And how had he found her?

And what was he going to do with her?

She was not going back with those tentacled monsters. She'd find a way to kill herself first. It seemed the only other option was going back to Anteros, which was not quite as bad as dying, but close.

She pushed herself up, frowning at the cuff attached to a machine circling her right elbow. She yanked it off and swung her legs around to the floor.

They seemed shaky but okay as she looked around the room. Everything was oversized for her small form, but she was used to that. The shelves were bare, the floor spotless, the covers tightly tucked in at the bottom of the bed. Clearly the room was not being used, but there was something more. She had an eerie sense that whoever had been here was gone now. As in _gone_.

It was spooky.

The door was heavy but opened with ease. Directly across the short hall was another door, half opened to reveal a surprisingly messy cabin. To her right, the hall opened up into a small galley area, with counters and a table. She peered further around the corner to her right and saw a smaller door. The sound of a shower made it clear it was the bathroom. Except, she reminded herself, on a spaceship it was usually called a 'fresher.

To her left, at the end of the short hall, was a cockpit. The star field out the front viewport sparkled and shimmered with lights, and she found herself drawn toward it without thinking. Never in her life had she seen this many stars. The night sky on Earth had been dimmed by too much light, and on Anteros it was dangerous for a nectar slave to be out after dark.

"What in Blessed Arwin's name are you doing up here?"

She whipped around at the angry voice at the other end of the hall. It only took three strides until the large Anterrin was towering over her. He grabbed her arm and hauled her back down the hall, pushing her into the cabin.

Her instincts went on automatic and she dropped to a kneel, her hands out in front. "Sir, I was looking at the stars!" she wailed, terrified of his wrath. "I've never seen so many and I was just looking!"

"Who are you?"

She looked up in confusion, not sure of the best way to identify herself.

"Look, I don't have time for games. The Dstorians will be up here in a few hours to investigate, and if they find out you're a slave—a nectar slave—they'll confiscate you and turn you over to the authorities on whatever planet you were headed for."

"No, please, god, don't let them do that! My name is Keelie, and yes, I'm a nectar slave." Her cheeks burned at the admission.

"I smelled you the moment I took my faceplate off."

She was surprised at the disgust in his voice. Anterrin men usually fell all over themselves to grab and 'sip' human women, which was why she was almost never allowed outside.

"Why the fuck were you out here in space?"

"I'm out here because my master illegally sold me to those tentacle things," she said with disgust.

"The whole fucking universe is falling apart." He swept his fingers through his dark hair. "All right. The least you can do is shower and maybe you'll smell a little less like a _pitir_ fruit gone bad."

She bit her tongue. He was right, even if he was rude. She waited for the order to get up, but he stomped off. She rose uncertainly. He turned and looked back. "Are you waiting for an escort? Get your damn ass into the 'fresher! And don't use all the water!"

She squeezed past his bulk. As the door of the 'fresher closed behind her, she collapsed against it and closed her eyes, wondering what the hell she'd landed in.

Ten minutes later she was clean and dry and peeking out the door, into the main cabin area. He was sitting by a table, turned to the side, and absorbed in his own thoughts. She took the chance to study him for the first time.

Anterrins were tall and broad, and their size helped enforce their dominance over the smaller human females. They had copper-colored skin, ranging from a light brown-red to almost black. When they felt strong emotions, their skin became darker. It happened mostly when they were angry, though she'd heard that intense love could bring out the deepest, most glowing copper color ever seen.

Since their natural pigment varied, it was hard to tell at first in an individual which shade meant calm, and which meant angry. But it didn't take long for every slave to know every nuance of her master's color.

This man was a statue. His skin tone resembled a new copper roof back on Earth. He was broad and muscled from his neck to his toes, and there wasn't a single ounce of fat anywhere she could see. Like all Anterrins, his hair was deep black.

He swung around to look at her and she fought the urge to duck back into the bathroom.

"Come here." It was not a request.

She emerged from the bathroom, still naked, her damp curls hanging down her back. She stopped a few feet away from him. He raised an eyebrow and pointed to the area immediately in front of his knees. She stepped forward and knelt as ordered, waiting obediently.

"What the fu—Get up."

Confused, she stood. His height meant that when he was sitting they were almost eye to eye. Close up, she saw the now-familiar vertical pupils in his eyes, like a cat's, and his startlingly blue irises. Her gaze dropped down to his lap and she noticed with dread the bulge in his pants. Anterrins were also much thicker than human men _down there_ , and it could cause problems for the smaller, human women. He wasn't any different. She gulped and hoped he'd only demand nectar, not sex.

He reached out to cup a breast and play with the piercing. She didn't move or resist; being fondled by strangers was nothing new. She knew her nipple piercings had given away her identity as much as her smell had. The thick rings were set much further back into her areolas than decorative ones. They were sturdy enough to be used to pull, or tug, or connect to a chain. They could also deliver an excruciating shock if she tried to run. One attempt, and one shock, was all it took before most women would know to never try again.

From one ring dangled a copper tag. It was engraved with a picture of an open flower—or the widespread legs of a woman, depending on the observer's point of view. Her former master's name and location were printed on the back. He finished his silent examination and let her breast go, then reached behind his back to the table to thrust something into her hands. With surprise she saw it was a large shirt. She slipped the garment on and the hem went to her knees. It was the most clothing she'd worn in a long time and she was grateful, but she still wished she knew what was next.

She knew eventually he'd order her to lie down and spread her legs. He'd settle himself in between them to lick and suck, and bring her to an orgasm, and then he'd lick and suck again until there was nothing left, because that's what Anterrin men did to human women. She'd yet to meet an Anterrin male who could resist the calm euphoria they received from tasting nectar.

And while he did that, she'd distract herself by thinking about her old life at home, before the lightning bolt hit the ground next to her, before a thick copper arm reached through a rip in the air and yanked her to an alien planet somewhere in the future.

"You smell better."

The words startled her out of her thoughts.

"Not like a spoiled _pitir_ fruit anymore?" She couldn't resist the sarcastic question.

He scowled. "No. Just like any other nectar slave. But I can live with it for now." He pointed to a chair. "Sit."

She perched on the edge, resisting the urge to chew on her lip as she waited to hear what he said.

"I'm Siridin Sens. While you are on this ship, you can call me 'sir.' So, what species was that alien?"

"I don't know." She couldn't face the intensity of his stare, so she looked at the floor instead. "My master never said, and they never changed my translator so that I could understand." She touched the small black disc behind her ear and shuddered, remembering the pain when it was first put in and the wires buried themselves inside her skull. "All I knew was, where he pointed, there I went. The ship we were on was small and full of others like him, and after three days of keeping them away from me, I think he brought me into the lifeboat to get some privacy to... you know. Anyhow, he locked me up on the bed, and a few minutes later there was an explosion. The whole lifeboat lurched horribly, and he hit the wall, slid down, and never got back up. I have no idea how long ago it happened."

"Only Anterrins are allowed to buy or own nectar slaves. Why would he want one, anyway?"

She closed her eyes, trying to push away the memory of the horror of finding out she'd been sold. "I guess there's a couple other species who get the same effects from nectar as Anterrins do. It might be illegal, but we've been seeing more aliens around Eidumea City lately and rumors have been flying about illegal purchases. We were all terrified we might be sent away from Anteros. And then I was." She squeezed her eyes shut, but the tears welled up and spilled out anyway. Anteros was where the slaves arrived when they came through the paraths, the openings, from Earth of the past. No slave had ever been able to go back, but leaving the planet they'd arrived on would destroy any hope they might cling to.

"How long have you been here?"

"Almost three Anterrin years. Are you going to hand me over to them?"

"Depends on which _them_ you mean."

She looked up at him. "Anterrins. Please don't let those other things have me! Please take me back to Anteros!"

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet."

He stood up and opened a drawer. Heat and steam rose out of it, and a few seconds later she had a plate of blue vegetables and fake meat in front of her. She dove into it before she remembered her manners.

"I'm sorry, sir!" She picked up her plate and started to slide to the floor, where she always ate.

"Sit back in the chair. No one eats on the floor here." His voice was clipped and cold.

She resumed her seat and ate in silence. The quiet proved to be too much.

"Is your brother here, too, sir?" She blurted out the question before she thought about the wisdom of asking. Anterrin males were almost always born as twins, and shared a mental bond that could be felt lightyears away. They often lived together their whole lives, taking one wife between them, and raising the children jointly. Females were not born as twins, so the balance of two men to one woman worked.

He stared at her without blinking, and to her dismay, his skin got visibly darker. "Don't ask questions about things that are none of your business." His voice was hard.

A chirp in the direction of the cockpit caught his attention. "You're done eating." He hauled her to her feet and pulled her over to the cabin. "In." He pulled the heavy door shut behind her and she heard the scraping of the lock.

From one prison to another. At least this one had clean sheets.

# 2

"So you thought you would be the hero and burst in to save this Crostis' life? How noble." The Dstorian military official sounded skeptical through the translator. The alien also had his one central eye raised, though it was hard to tell if the gesture meant disbelief. It might mean he had an upset stomach. If he had a stomach.

Siridin affected indignation. "I had good intentions. I came through the cockpit ceiling, and when I called out, he opened the other door and aimed a blaster at me. So I tackled him. We fought. I won." He shrugged.

"And then you left all of those wonderful supplies untouched, until we could come and investigate."

Siridin shrugged again. "Yes."

The alien raised his one eye again. Yeah, it meant skepticism.

"Siridin Sens, prepare to be boarded. We'll be searching your ship from top to bottom for contraband."

"Hey, wait a minute! I didn't touch anything. You can go check!"

"We will be. _After_ we search your ship." The weapons that pointed at his ship from the bigger Dstorian craft meant Siridin had little choice. He slapped the connection shut and swore.

He knew there were only moments before the patrol ship sealed itself to his other airlock, at the far end of the cargo bay. He pounded back to the room Keelie was in.

"Get up. Now." He dragged her out of bed and pulled her into the hall. "We're about to be boarded, so you need to hide." He shoved her into the 'fresher. "There. Down, under the toilet. See that panel in the wall? Push it, and crawl in there."

She dropped to the floor and slipped underneath the shiny bowl sitting only about a half meter off the floor. She gave the panel a push, and disappeared into the darkness. He pulled it shut and went to greet his visitor.

Alone in the dark, she leaned her head against the wall. There was just enough room to stand. She was tired, and as she dozed off the dream that had haunted her for weeks began replaying.

Two Anterrin men stood in front of a small spaceship, hugging and congratulating each other. It was always a short dream.

This time was different, though. One of the men turned to look at her. "You're not safe," he whispered. "Siridin's room is safe."

She woke abruptly. The voice she'd heard in her dream echoed inside her head. _Siridin's room is safe._ She knew she had to listen to that voice. She dropped to her knees, pushed the panel open, and crawled out, pulling the small door shut. As she stepped out of the 'fresher into the main room, she heard the murmur of voices on the other side of the wall in the cargo area. She turned toward Siridin's room, and then stopped. Thinking quickly, she went back into her room and pulled the covers straight. Then she hopped across the hall again. It was hard to make herself go into his personal space, but the feeling was so strong she felt compelled.

_Messy_ was an understatement. The covers from his bed lay mostly on the floor. Clothing was strewn everywhere. A bottle of something alcoholic, and mostly empty, stood on a small table. She shook her head, took a deep breath, and slipped off the shirt.

This Dstorian official was not the same one who had ordered the boarding. This one poked at things thoroughly, clearly obeying orders, but looking like he'd rather be somewhere else. Siridin was tempted to offer a bribe, but that would imply he had something to hide. He followed along and answered questions about his origins (Anteros), his destination (no place in particular, but if the Dstorians had any cargo he'd be happy to earn some credits), and if anything interesting had happened lately (no, except this salvage).

They arrived in the main room and his guest spent a few minutes opening cabinet doors and knocking on walls. They came to the 'fresher. To Siridin's horror, he immediately went to the panel under the toilet, murmuring something about it being standard on this model of ship. He gave a push to the panel and swung it open, shining his light into the space.

Siridin gaped as it found nothing. The official stood back up. "Almost done."

They entered Keelie's cabin next. The bed should have been rumpled, but it was made up with military precision. Completely confused, Siridin followed the official out and over to his room.

There, on his own bed, lay Keelie, facing the door, with her legs splayed wide and her fingers plunged between her glistening folds. She was masturbating, and as Siridin opened his mouth to say something, she cried out and shook in a magnificent orgasm.

The Dstorian official stood absolutely still for a moment, then backed up so fast he ran into Siridin. "Excuse me, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." The official was stuttering as he pushed Siridin aside to exit the room. Siridin took one last confused look at Keelie, still stroking her folds and giving off soft moans, and followed the rapidly retreating official toward the cargo bay.

"It all looks fine. I'm transmitting the clearance for you to salvage. We'll be notifying the owners within a day, so my advice is to take what you can and get the hell out of here." He disappeared through the airlock to his ship, and it detached so fast Siridin almost didn't get his own airlock closed in time.

He turned back into the ship and toward the galley.

"Keelie! What the fuck were you doing?" The bellow echoed around the empty space as the enraged man headed back.

Keelie knew she couldn't have resisted the urge to do what she did, but she also knew she was in trouble. By the time Siridin emerged from the cargo hold into the galley, she had the shirt back on and was kneeling with her face on the floor.

All she could see from her vantage point were the tips of his boots a half meter away. He said nothing for a moment, merely growling. She would bet her stars he'd turned a beautiful shade of dark copper.

"What the fuck did you think you were doing?" His softly worded question scared her more than if he'd been yelling.

She was not about to tell him she'd been hearing voices in her dreams. "I-I had this feeling I wasn't safe where I was. If he'd found the hiding place we would both be in a lot of trouble. So I figured if I was masturbating, he might get embarrassed, and it would deflect attention from you and the ship. Was I right?" She knew she'd been right.

"That isn't the point. Look, I'm not your master. But I _am_ the captain of this ship, and that's almost worse than being your master. I will not tolerate any disobedience What. So. Ever." He took a deep breath. "When your master punished you, how did he do it?"

Her shoulders slumped as she whispered, "He, um, tied my hands up over my head and whipped me." She braced herself for what she knew was next. The stretch, the burning agony in her arms, and then the fiery lashes of the whip striking her skin. The tip would curl around like a snake and snap against her stomach or breast, usually leaving a bleeding welt behind. She would scream and dance around, trying to avoid the next blow, but it didn't matter; he'd snap the whip again and again until she was hoarse. She'd spend the night in agony, and then in the morning when she was strapped into her place in the nectar house, the men would line up to wait for her. It was folklore that nectar from a whipped human woman was sweeter than usual.

Siridin walked to the table and pulled out a chair to sit. "Come here, now."

She rose on shaky legs and approached him, her eyes noticing every speck on the metal floor.

"I prefer a more intimate punishment." He tugged her to stand by his right side, and then pressed on her back. "Lie down across my lap."

_What? He was going to spank her?_ She hesitated.

"I can arrange for a whip, if you prefer."

At the threat, she draped herself over his legs. He was large enough that neither her hands nor her feet touched the floor.

"Why did you feel you weren't safe when you were hiding?" He was no longer the gruff Anterrin male of a few minutes ago. His voice was almost tender. As he asked the question, he raised the shirt up and stroked her bare back and cheeks. The touch was both electric and relaxing, until his hand caressed the curve of her ass down to the back of her leg. She had no barrier to her most private parts.

"You just tensed up."

"I-I'm sorry, sir. I'll try to relax." Over the last three years, harsh lessons had been learned about who had the right to access her body.

The hand stilled. "Keelie, I'm not going to put my hand—or any other part of me—between your legs, without permission. It's beautiful, it's tempting, and it's wet, but it's yours."

No one had said those words to her, ever, since she had been ripped from her home.

"Okay..." she trailed off, not sure what else to say.

A sudden smack on her bare skin caught her by surprise. "Ah!"

"Okay, what?"

_This_ she understood. "Okay, _sir_."

"You _will_ respect that I'm in charge here. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now, why did you feel you weren't safe?" His hand resumed the stroking.

"This sounds really stupid now. I fell asleep for a moment and had a dream, and someone in the dream said I wasn't safe there."

The hand stilled once more. "Is that all?"

_There was more, but she wasn't going to admit it._ "Yes, sir. That's all."

"The next time you have to choose between a dream and a direct order, what are you going to do?"

"Obey the direct order, sir. I'm sorry."

"In this case, it turned out well. But I can't have you making those decisions, so that's why I'm going to punish you." His hand left her skin for a moment before he slapped it back down with a _crack_ , smacking both cheeks across the middle. It wasn't too bad. The hand came down again, _smack_ , and this one stung a little. She could do this.

Then he started swatting in earnest, and she wasn't so sure.

His hand set up a steady rhythm, spanking each place over and over until each blow felt like a hot coal dropped on her skin. Then he moved, and she got a moment of relief, until the new spot felt like it, too, was on fire. She gasped and twisted, but the large man pinned her easily with his other hand. Her whimpers, squeals, and begging made no difference.

He concentrated on one cheek, then the other, then her upper thighs, each side getting a roasting in turn. Then the smacks moved to where her butt met her legs, and there he spanked the worst of all, much longer than the other places. By now she was shrieking and flailing, until she found her kicking legs pinned between his. He captured her arms, pulled them up behind her and held them in the center of her back. The blows hurt so bad she was certain she wasn't going to survive it. She pleaded and apologized, and finally went limp and cried.

The hand stopped. She was breathing fast, and the pain was awful. And what was he doing now? She tensed again as his hand touched her back, but he only stroked the skin up and down until she couldn't possibly be tense anymore, despite the fire that still danced on her butt.

And then the hand pulled away, and she sensed his outer shell returning. He picked her up to stand on shaky feet.

"No more disobedience."

"No, sir."

"Go get back in bed. You're still recovering, and you need to sleep."

She nodded. "Yes, sir." She walked the few steps to the cabin and once she'd closed the door her hands reached around to her backside, hissing at the touch. She would be sleeping on her stomach.

She'd held herself together since the day she'd found out she was leaving Anteros, but something about this spanking had opened a large hole in her defenses. The tears came pouring out. She cried for her lost life, for the pain of the last three years, for the emptiness that seemed to stretch out ahead of her, for the fear of a future where nothing happy waited for her. She was crying because it felt like she'd been crying for years, which made no sense, but it was what it was.

She folded down onto the floor, rolling to her side when her roasted butt hit the cool metal. And there she lay until there were no more tears, and she drifted into a dream of being held and comforted.

The door to the cabin closed on Keelie, and Siridin stood and stared at it, at a loss for what to do now. For the first time in a long while, he let himself think of Talar, and all the plans they'd made to travel the galaxy together. If his brother were here, they'd probably be playing a raucous game of carribin right now, betting their imaginary fortune back and forth until they no longer remembered who owed what to whom.

But that wasn't going to happen. There would be no more games of carribin, ever. He pushedthe thought out of his brain and stomped over to his cabin.

The moment he entered, he had a vision of Keelie on the bed, masturbating, her pink and swollen folds dripping with nectar. It was as though she was begging him to come drink of the juices that would make him forget his problems. But it was addicting, and he had sworn never to do it again, even though it might make the ghosts in his mind go away for a while.

Ghost. Just one.

He banged open his closet door to change clothes before he started the salvage. His mind wandered back to the spanking, to the small human under his hands.

The one who now occupied _Talar's_ room.

Why the fuck was all this emotional bullshit coming up now? Talar was gone. One stupid argument with the wrong person, and he was gone. Siridin needed to let him go.

At first he was puzzled by the muffled noises coming from across the hall. She was crying. But, why? He'd punished her, and it was over. Sure, her ass was going to hurt for a while, but that wasn't any big deal, and he'd give her some balm later. So what was she crying about? Whatever it was, he wished she'd stop.

It faded out after a while, replaced by snoring, right on the other side of the door. With a sigh, he crossed the hall and pushed it open. It was blocked. He pushed harder, and stuck his head in. Keelie was curled up on the floor in front of the door, still wearing his absurdly large shirt, with her bright red ass peeking out below the hem. And sound asleep.

He squeezed his frame through the door and bent over. With care not to put pressure on her bottom, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. She looked so small and lonely on the sheets. The ghost in his head agreed.

"Lights one quarter," he whispered, and the room lights dimmed. He backed out and closed the door.

He was tired as well, but he needed to finish the salvage. And then they needed to get the hell out of here.

# 3

It took almost eight standard hours to get everything moved. Now he was loaded with food and spare parts, which pleased him greatly. What didn't please him was the lack of power cells. The blast that had propelled the lifeboat away from the exploding ship seemed to have ruptured many of the cells, and the rest were too badly damaged to remove.

That was going to be a real problem. While he didn't have anywhere he had to be, because he was simply running from Anteros to avoid being arrested, he needed to be Not Here. It was too close to the major trade routes, which is why the Crostis were here in the first place. And he was almost out of credits. He and Talar had spent the last few years transporting small cargos from place to place, earning enough to let them stay in space where they'd always wanted to be. But any hope of that ambition was gone, now that he was a wanted man.

For a moment, he wondered what kind of reward he might get for handing Keelie over to either the Crostis or the Anterrins. It might be big enough to let him start over.

He tossed the idea overboard. He didn't approve of the capture and enslavement of human women. The hole in the universe that had opened the rifts between old Earth and Anteros had proved irresistible to the Anterrins, once they'd pulled a few humans through and made them slaves. After the rebellion a couple of decades ago, all the male humans had been killed. But the nectar from aroused human women gave a sense of euphoria to Anterrins, and human women remained in high demand. Big businesses had sprung up around sipping nectar, all sanctioned by the current king. There were calls to send the women back, but no one knew how. Then there were calls to close the portals—and those calls went unheeded by those in power. Nectar was addicting, and Anterrins wanted it.

For now, Siridin needed to get out of here before the Crostis showed up and realized the human hadn't died. Technically, she was property, and ownership transferred to whoever claimed the salvage, but he doubted those facts would matter. They'd gotten their hands on a human woman, a rare prize, and they would want her back.

He settled himself into the cockpit with a weary sigh. He had no idea why he chose the course he did, but it was as good as any. The ship jumped, and as soon as it had safely resettled among the new stars, he let himself drift off. He had a brief thought that he should probably lock her cabin door so she couldn't wander around the ship while he slept, but he faded out before he could move.

Keelie was dreaming a new dream. Not one man, but two, were holding her, stroking her hair, telling her she'd found home. They were big Anterrin men, and she was a small human female cradled between them, completely protected by the bulk of their copper-colored bodies curled around her. She couldn't see the face of the one behind her, but the one she faced was smiling at her. _You will be safe, I promise, because you'll belong to us. But be patient. There is more ahead before this bond can be cemented. He needs to understand it wasn't his fault, and he isn't as alone as he thinks he is._

She woke with a start. What the hell did she just dream? Her imagination was going into overdrive, her longings becoming her dreams.

She rolled over and felt the ache of her spanked butt. For some reason, the memory of the spanking made her smile, which was ridiculous considering how much punishment she'd been subject to since arriving on Anteros.

Then her bladder caught her attention and she forced herself out of the soft bed. She had no idea how long she'd slept, or what time it was. She opened the door of her room and crept out, uncertain where Siridin was, until she glanced up the short hall to the cockpit and saw him slumped in a chair, snoring softly.

She turned the other way and saw what he'd been doing. Piled in the middle of the small living space, and on the table, were boxes and cartons, all the emergency supplies from the lifeboat. And then she had an idea.

Thirty minutes and two burned fingers later, she pulled a bowl out of the cooker, inhaling with pleasure. Memories of her mother making almost the same dish welled up. She put the bowl on the counter and leaned her head against the cabinets as she struggled not to cry.

She heard movement from behind. She hastily dried her eyes and grabbed the edge of the bowl with her burned fingers. She yelped and dropped it back to the counter. Before she could turn around, two copper-colored, heavily muscled arms appeared over her head, and a large body pinned her in place.

"What are you doing, little girl, and how did you hurt yourself?" His voice purred softly in her ear.

She turned around hastily and looked up. He was close, so close, and damn, he smelled good. "It's nothing. Um, I thought I'd make something to eat, and I burned my fingers a little bit." She held out the digits, seeing with dismay the blisters forming on the tips. He took her tiny hand into his giant paw, examining the burns as gentle as a mother with a baby. The change in his demeanor was unsettling.

"Does it hurt?"

She looked at him in confusion. "You didn't seem to care if it hurt when you spanked me."

"That was supposed to hurt. This is different. Wait here." He let go of her hand and moved away, and the space around her felt empty. He was back in a moment with a tube in his hand. He took her wrist and tugged her firmly toward the table. When he sat down he was eye to eye with her again, but she found herself so shy she stared at the floor. He spread some of the cream on her fingers, easing the pain immediately, and then wrapped a bandage around both of them. Ordering her to sit, he dished up the food into two bowls and when he sat down across from her, he looked at the bowl in front of him.

"All right, what is this supposed to be?"

She smiled shyly. "It's called spaghetti Bolognese." She chuckled. "Except the noodles are usually white, not brown, and the sauce is made with something called tomatoes, which are red, though these green _sava_ fruits taste almost the same. And then there's the fake meat you served yesterday, too. So it's brown and green instead of white and red. But it tastes pretty similar."

He brought a large forkful to his mouth. He chewed and considered, and finally swallowed. "Not bad."

She beamed with pride as he finished the bowl.

"Thank you. This is the first time anyone has cooked for me in a while. My brother used to be the cook..." His voice trailed off and he stared into the empty bowl. She stayed silent, hoping he'd talk more. But he cleared his voice and looked up.

"Tell me about you. Before you came, and after." His voice was quiet.

Now it was her turn to stare in her unfinished bowl. How to share what her life had meant to her and what had been ripped away? She inhaled. "I was living with my parents and my sister while I was in college." It seemed like a lifetime ago. "I was coming out of a gym, which is a place to get exercise, when a storm blew up out of nowhere. There was a bolt of lightning nearby, and then the air next to me opened up. A large arm reached through the rip and grabbed me, and I fell through the hole." She paused and ran her fingers through her hair, leaning her elbow on the table.

"What happened then?" he asked.

"You really want to know? It isn't a very nice picture of Anterrin society."

He cleared his throat. "I have no lofty ideas about Anterrin society." He stared at the table but didn't elaborate. "Please, continue."

"There were other women there, too, when I arrived. At first, we didn't understand that we weren't even on Earth any more, and way in the future, too. And then they inserted the translator chips into us, and told us where we were, and why, and that we'd never be going home again." Her voice faltered. "It was my sister's birthday. Mom was making her a cake, and we'd planned a barbecue outside. But I never came home, and they'll never know what happened to me..." She closed her eyes to keep the tears from leaking out, and was startled when his large hand closed over hers.

"I ended up in a public nectar house. 'Strict rules and standards,' we were told. Maximum of four hours a day, no more than four orgasms an hour, good food, no illegal supplements. Bullshit. It was nine or ten hours a day, sitting upright on little platforms sticking out from the wall, knees pulled so far apart I couldn't walk the first week, and bound to anchors on the wall on each side of us. They stuck those damned little vibrating things on our clits to force orgasms out of us every few minutes. Anterrin men lined up, eager to suck and lick and bite, mad if we didn't produce as much as they thought we should, mad if we were so worn out we couldn't come within two or three minutes, and always trying to get away with something if they thought no one was looking.

"And my owner would get furious if we took too long to come. We had a quota, you see. Six orgasms an hour, every hour, and whippings on our pussies for each orgasm we missed. And then the next day, we'd be so sore that every tongue felt like sandpaper." She stopped to breathe. "And the supplements he made us drink to flavor and increase our nectar were not the legal, approved ones. They made some of the girls so sick they couldn't work. Those girls didn't stay long. I don't know what happened to them."

He gripped her hand so hard it almost hurt.

"I know some women are in better places, and it's not so bad for them. And I know some land in worse. I shouldn't complain."

"It's not a competition. You have the right to claim your own misery."

She nodded. "I know." She picked at her food in silence.

"Eat. You're too thin." His voice had become stern again.

"I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat anyway."

She threw down her fork and stood up. "No. I'll eat later." She carried her bowl to the counter.

"Keelie, that was not a request."

She ignored him as she dumped the remains into the waste receptacle.

"And we do _not_ waste food out here where we can't get any more. Come here."

She moved around to the table and approached him. He took her wrists and pulled her between his legs. This time she stared into his eyes, the irises so blue they reminded her of a summer sky back home. Right now they were in an oval, halfway between the slits they became in bright light and the perfectly round irises they became in the dark. This was the closest she'd ever been, and she found herself studying them with curiosity.

"Why were you crying earlier?" he asked. "Was it the spanking?"

She chewed over her words. "Before you started, I was really scared and angry you were going to hit me, just like all the other men here. And then it felt so good when you stroked my skin, but I knew you were going to claim your right to my nectar. And then... you complimented me, and then you told me it was my pussy, and you wouldn't touch it until I asked you to. I didn't have any idea what to say." Her cheeks felt hot and red. "When you started spanking me, it hurt, a lot. I've never been very good at holding still, or being quiet, and that usually gets me more punishment. But instead of getting angry, you just held me tighter. And then it was done. You asked me if I understood why I was spanked, and reminded me who was in charge on this ship and your orders had to be obeyed—oh!" Her eyes flew up to his.

"Yes?" he queried, a small grin on his face, the first she'd seen.

"I just disobeyed you again," she said softly.

"Mmm hmm."

"Are you going to spank me again?"

"Mmm hmm."

Her heart fluttered, and there might have been a little tiny ache between her legs, something so foreign to her after hundreds of forced orgasms that she wasn't sure what it meant. He grabbed something out of a drawer, and her heart sank when she saw it was a wide wooden spoon. He turned her sideways and pressed her back lightly, and she bent over his tree trunk legs without resistance.

Like the last time, he stroked her back, and she relaxed. When his hand was replaced by the coolness of the spoon, she tensed in anticipation. He chuckled.

"Why are you here?" His tone became all business.

"I disobeyed you again, sir."

"That's right. Each time I have to punish you it gets a little harder. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," she whispered.

"There are some rules. You will not kick up, you will not try to twist away, and you will keep your cheeks soft, not tense, to show that you accept the pain of this punishment."

"I don't think I can do that!"

"I'll help you. I'm going to smack you five times. Stay still and soft for those five. You can grab my leg if you need to."

She grabbed one leg and held on for dear life. She felt the spoon lift off of her skin, and tried not to get tense—

The spoon smacked down across the softest part of both cheeks. It stung, but not too horribly. She clenched reflexively after the smack, then unclenched and waited. He smacked her again. A little more sting, but she took some deep breaths and held still. Then three in quick succession. She grabbed his leg, _don't tense up, don't tense up, don't tense up_ , and managed to stay still.

"Good. Very good." He stroked her cheeks again, and she sighed at the blissful feeling. She thought she heard another chuckle from above.

"Now the next five. They're going to be faster, and sting more, but you're not going to clench. You can grab my leg, but keep those cheeks soft and those legs still."

The spoon smacked down again, still on the pillow of her cheeks, and then four more times in rapid succession. She squealed, but didn't move.

"Good." He rubbed again. "Someday I'd love to train you to take a punishment completely silent, so that I can decide when you've been punished enough by the redness of your ass, not the noises you make."

She let out a quiet moan. She was pretty sure the bulge under her thigh twitched too. She hardly had time to register what had happened when he smacked her three more times on the same spot. She barely bit back a shriek.

"How many more?" she asked, trying to steel herself for what was coming.

"A question like that will get you spanked between the legs if you ever ask it again. And the answer will always be: until I feel like stopping."

She whimpered. She felt the spoon lift up, and she gripped his leg hard, as he started up again—five smacks, rest, five smacks—until her butt once more felt like it was on fire. She abandoned her thin thread of control and started pleading and struggling. He merely gripped her tighter and kept going, not pausing, until she was sobbing out her apologies and promising never to disobey again.

At last it stopped.

"Shh..." he whispered as he stroked her back. "It's over now. You did fine. And I know you'll remember this lesson."

"Yes, sir," she hiccupped.

There was nothing angry in his tone. There was only gentle touching now. She was so confused by her reactions and his, and it only made her weep harder. She didn't know if he understood, but he gently turned her over and sat her on his knees, and held her against his chest without saying anything.

Eventually the crying stopped.

"You did good. We'll work on it."

She shook her head vehemently. "I'm never going to do anything wrong ever again to be there."

He started to say something, then stopped, and instead helped her to stand. She looked down at his thighs and to her horror realized there was a huge wet spot right over the bulge on his trousers. She'd leaked nectar during the spanking?

He followed her gaze and chuckled.

She was horrified. She turned and ran into the 'fresher and slammed the door. She stripped off the shirt and turned on the shower and soaped and rinsed until there was no lubrication anywhere between her legs. Her humiliation was total and she vowed to stay in the shower for the rest of her life.

# 4

As he heard the shower start, Siridin finished clearing the table and putting away the extra food. He'd enjoyed the spanking a little too much. When she'd declared she'd never do anything wrong again, he almost told her that he'd spank her anyway, just to hear her cries and feel her wiggles on his lap. Her physical response had surprised him. He'd been skeptical that someone who'd been forced to produce nectar day after day would get aroused by anything, much less a spanking. She probably didn't understand it herself. And speaking of surprising responses—he glanced at the boner between his legs. It had responded to a woman for the first time in...

Well, for a long time, it seemed.

He liked her. But she was a temporary detour, not part of his plan.

_What plan_? _And if she's a detour, why did you say you'd like to train her to stay silent? That you would work with her on it?_

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He'd started talking to himself at some point since Talar had died, probably because he wasn't used to being alone.

Anyhow, he still wasn't sure what to do with her. Right now, they were trying to get away from Dstorian space so the Crostis couldn't track them. He'd made three more jumps and hoped his trail was sufficiently covered, but he needed to stay aware for a while longer.

As he made himself a strong cup of _mara_ , his thoughts drifted back to how much he missed Talar. They'd talked for years about what kind of wife they'd like to find when they were financially settled.

_Keelie is exactly like the woman we talked about._ The voice in his thoughts interrupted again before he pushed it firmly away. No, Keelie was human. Not anything like the tall, slender Anterrin women they'd always thought about. He swore he heard a sigh behind him and whirled around, but no one was there. The reality was, no Anterrin woman was going to be interested in half a mating, with only one man.

_Keelie isn't Anterrin!_ This time he knew he heard a sigh.

She was taking too damn long in the shower and she was going to run him out of water. All right, he couldn't really run out—everything was recycled over and over, but that was beside the point.

Or maybe he was looking for a reason to spank her?

Why was this fugitive nectar slave occupying so much of his thoughts? He had no idea what to do with her. He wasn't the right person to try to help her. He couldn't take her back to Anteros. He couldn't keep her.

_Why not?_

Because, dammit! Hell, he hadn't even been able to protect his brother, the one person he loved more than anyone in life, his other half, the calm antidote to his fiery outbursts.

If he hadn't gone into that public house, curious to see what all the fuss over nectar slaves was about, he would have been at his brother's side that evening. If he hadn't been more than a little drunk on nectar when he left, he might have sensed the danger when Talar came across one of the king's personal guards beating a nectar slave to death. By the time Siridin had wandered drunkenly around the corner, Talar was already on the ground, with one of the king's men standing over him, still pointing his blaster. The slave was in a heap off to the side, her head lying in a bloody pool. Siridin had acted without thinking, and a moment later, his brother's murderer was also dead.

A capital offense.

Siridin had grabbed Talar's lifeless body and staggered home. He didn't have to be sober to know the trouble he was in. He gathered up the few personal possessions not already on the ship, and carried his brother all the way to the landing field. He requested permission to leave, chewing his fingers until it was granted, which meant he hadn't been tied to the crime yet. And then he'd left the beautiful planet he'd always called home, knowing he could never come back.

Nectar slaves were at the root of all his grief. But this one, here on his ship, was attracting him like a magnet, and he didn't know why, or how to stop it.

Keelie emerged from the shower and scooted around the corner without looking at him. He could see the blush of her cheeks, so much paler than women of his own species. She darted into the room and shut the door.

He needed something else besides _mara_. The light green bottle next to his bed held the promise of oblivion. But before he could answer that siren call, a beep let him know it was time to make another jump. He headed forward to the darkness of the cockpit. It took a while to make this jump and check out his position to be sure, and by the time he was done, his earlier nap seemed far away. He needed some real sleep.

But he couldn't let his guest wander about while he slept. That had been a mistake, though he had enjoyed the food she'd made. _And the chance to spank her._

He knocked on the door and slid it open, intending to tell her he was going to lock her in for a while. She was asleep again, mumbling something. He crept closer out of curiosity, and the mumbling became cries of anguish as she struggled through a nightmare. Before he knew what he was doing, he scooped her up and held her close. He'd lied to her about her smell. It was intoxicating. His dick jumped in his pants, longing to be let out.

He considered sliding into the bed next to her, but the sterility of the room bothered him. Refusing to think too much about his decision, he turned with his soft bundle and walked back over to his cabin. He dimmed the lights most of the way, then lay down on the bed, never letting go of her. She'd grown quiet as soon as he'd scooped her up, and she didn't wake as he pulled the covers off the floor, up over both of them.

Lately, he hated sleeping. Too many memories and regrets flew around inside his head as he tried to lie still. But tonight, all that was in his head was her face and her scent, and that was just fine with him.

She woke with a start, confused. When she realized where she was, she almost screeched. How the hell did she end up in his bed, in his arms?

And then she realized she was nestled at his side, the same way she'd been in the dreams. Strong copper-colored arms wrapped around from behind, giving her a sense of security.

Understanding flooded her mind.

If one of the men in her dreams had been Siridin, then the other must be—

"Hello?" She felt stupid as she thought the greeting in her mind.

_"Hi, Keelie. I'm Talar, Siridin's brother."_

She came very close to jumping out of bed and running for the airlock.

_"Please don't,"_ the voice in her mind chuckled. " _It would wake him up and he really needs to sleep."_

Oh, fuck. He could read her mind. He was _in_ her mind.

_"No, I'm only here when you let me in. You can shut me out if you want to. That's why I'm having such trouble getting this dumbass next to you to listen to me."_

She came very close to laughing out loud at the description of his brother. _"But... how are you in my mind? You're..._ "

_"Dead. It's okay to say it. I don't know. Maybe it's the bond he and I had. It was so close and tight, maybe a part of me lives on in his head. I've never heard of this happening before."_

_"But why are you talking to me_ now _?"_

_"Keelie, I've been talking to you for weeks."_

_"The dreams?"_

_"Yes. I didn't know exactly what was going on, but I knew you were going to be very important to him. So there's a reason all these things happened to you. He needs you. He blames himself for my death, and it's stupid. It was just a bad accident, but it happened while he was having fun, and he can't forgive himself for that."_

_"So what am I supposed to do?"_

There was a long pause. _"I honestly don't know. And it's possible he could still reject you and refuse to let me in, and I have no control over that."_

_"I, um, have an idea. But I can't do it if you're hanging around in my head."_

She could almost feel a smile. _"I'll leave the two of you alone. But I really hope someday it will be the three of us."_

_"Uh, that's more than I can cope with right now."_

_"Understood. I'll see you later."_

_"And no hanging around in his head, either."_

_"Well, shit. Okay. I promise."_

She felt the presence leave her mind. And then the doubts crept back in. Was this just an elaborate dream? Why would any _Anterrin_ men want her, a human?

She looked up at the large man gently snoring, his arms still wrapped around her. Dream or not, he'd brought her in here, so she was going to take the next logical step. She reached out to touch the bulge in his pants that never seemed to completely go away. He was as attracted to her as she was to him. Her hand wrapped around it as much as it could from the outside and it stiffened harder. The material was going to split open at this rate. She couldn't let that happen, so she slid her finger down the front opening. It parted, and his dick sprang free. He had nothing on underneath, and she wondered if all Anterrin men went commando.

Her fingers brushed the length of his massive member. Nectar slaves like her didn't often see this part of Anterrin men—only their leering smiles and big tongues as they bent their heads between her legs to lap at the juices produced after her forced orgasms.

Anterrin women could accept something this size without much trouble. But Keelie was about to be stretched to the limit. She couldn't even grip it all the way around.

She managed to turn over without waking him and maneuver herself further down. She bent over his dick, now jutting straight up. She stuck out her tongue to the glistening drop emerging from the top, catching it and lifting it back up to her mouth. It was salty-sweet and not unpleasant at all. She took a deep breath and opened her jaw wide enough to feel the strain, and lowered her mouth around the bulbous head. She could barely get the whole thing inside. She slid her tongue underneath, wondering if Anterrin men had the same sensitive spot as human men.

They did. His eyes flew open and he sat up with a jerk, pulling himself out of her mouth, but she crawled closer and bent over again and got her lips around the head.

"Keelie?" His voice was strangled. "What the fuck—" She licked the underside once more and his head fell backwards. "Ah!" His groan was long and loud. His hands reached to her shoulders and gripped her. At first he was pushing her away, and then as she resisted and continued, he pulled her closer, forcing the huge head into her mouth much further than she could have done on her own. She gagged and her hands flew up to push him out. Instead, he grabbed her wrists and twisted them behind her back, holding them both easily in one of his hands. The other hand gathered her hair and held her head tight.

"If you're determined to do this, we'll do it my way." His voice was strained. "I'll decide how deep and how fast. If you gag, well, you should have thought about the consequences before you started."

Her pussy had never ached this much in her entire life, and she didn't need anyone to tell her she was dripping wet right now. But she was scared. Her eyes raised up to find him staring at her. She decided to trust him, and nodded.

"Oh, little one, I hope we both don't regret this." He pushed her head down until his cock filled her mouth and touched the back of her throat. She gagged again, and fought him without thinking. He pulled back until just the head was still inside. She was hoping he'd pull all the way off and let her catch her breath.

He must have read her mind. "Nope. My dick doesn't come out of your mouth until we're done, one way or another. You'll have to learn to cope." He stopped talking to push her head down again, triggering another round of gagging. He exhaled loudly and pulled her head back.

"I'm going to train you to take me all the way down. Your throat will have to stretch around me, and it won't be easy or pleasant for you to learn, but you'll do it anyway, won't you?"

She locked eyes with him again before she nodded. He smiled and pushed her back down, deeper this time. She felt the enormous cock slide a little down her throat, cutting off her breathing, and she panicked, twisting and yelling around the thickness.

He pulled her back, still keeping the head in her mouth. She sucked air through her nose rapidly and shook her head, pleading with her eyes that she'd had enough.

He lifted his eyebrows. "You need to get used to not breathing, if you're going to take it all the way down. I know it's not comfortable, but I won't let you suffocate, I promise." Before she could respond, he pushed her deep again. She tried to calm the panic and trust him. Just when she was about to lose it, he pulled back.

"Good girl." He smiled at her and she felt a burst of pleasure at the compliment. But she hoped they were done now. She was tired, and her jaw ached, but it seemed he had other plans.

He pushed her down and pulled her back, setting up a rhythm she had no choice but to surrender to. It didn't take more than a few minutes until she heard another strangled groan that needed no translator chip. She desperately hoped he'd pull out before coming. He didn't. He pushed her head deep and she felt warm fluid gush into her throat. She swallowed. The action set off another loud groan, and more fluid came out. She had no choice but to gulp it all down or choke. Her face was pressed against him with an iron grip and she was running out of air by the time he let go.

She fell backwards, gasping and coughing. At last she lifted her head to look at him. He was sitting back against the pillows, his eyes closed, his mouth smiling. His hand fisted his cock, and to her astonishment, there was still a stream of cum leaking out and over his hand. His eyes opened and he looked at it, and then at her.

"Finish."

She crawled back to him on shaky hands and knees and bent over his hand to lap at the sticky thick liquid covering it and the head of his cock. She lapped and sucked and licked for long minutes until it stopped flowing and his hand was clean. She fell to her side in exhaustion.

He pulled her into his lap, holding her against his chest, stroking and petting her in the silence.

"Thank you," he said at last. She nodded, too tired to speak. His hand wandered down to her stomach. He circled it with his palm. "You have a belly full of my cum now. It wouldn't be a lot for an Anterrin woman, but I'm sure it's a lot for you."

She realized that yes, she felt very full. She'd never had that experience before. It felt odd.

"If we'd talked about this before you started, I would have told you that the first time a woman swallows the cum of an Anterrin man, her body often sees it as an intruder, and tries to get rid of it by making her sick. But you were impatient, little one, and so now I want you to do your best to resist it. It's a point of pride for a woman to accept a man's cum no matter how awful it makes her feel."

Oh, god, now that he mentioned it, she felt a rolling in her stomach that was not at all pleasant.

"How long does it last?" she asked, trying not to get sick right then.

"A few hours. Well, for Anterrin women. I'm not sure about human. And the second time, it doesn't last as long. Each time it gets a little better."

She nodded and curled over, feeling worse by the second. He eased her down to his pillow.

"I'll be right back." He left her side for a moment, and when he came back he had a cool wet cloth for her forehead. It helped.

She lay without moving for hours, trying not to throw up, even though her body fought her hard. He sat next to her on the floor, wiping her brow and talking softly, telling her stories about his childhood that she only half heard. At one point he excused himself to go to the cockpit, saying it was time to make another jump.

While he was gone, she felt a persistent nagging in her head. When she realized it was Talar, she opened up to him.

_"Keelie, I'm sorry! I thought you were going to have sex! I would have warned you if I'd realized—"_

_"Don't talk so much."_

_"Sorry."_ Incredibly, she felt a soft coolness wipe across her forehead, just as if Siridin had been there, but he wasn't.

_"Thank you,"_ she whispered silently. Another wave of nausea swept over her and she breathed tiny little pants until it had eased. _"Talar, I'm not sure I can do this."_

_"Siridin was right. It's not as bad the second time."_

_"Second time? I'll be damned if I ever want to do this again. Do you realize how unfair this is? You get high from licking us, and we get sick from swallowing you."_

_"I'm sorry."_

_"So am I."_ She pushed him out of her mind, slamming the mental door shut. When Siridin came back, she managed to push herself to a sitting position. "I want to go back to my room."

He looked like he was going to object, but nodded and helped her stand. The walk to her room was the longest of her life and she collapsed onto the cool sheets in relief, curling up again, facing away from Siridin.

"I'd really like to try to sleep now."

"All right. Keelie—"

"Please."

He left the room silently and she fell into an uneasy sleep.

# 5

She woke after a while, and the nausea was better. Her frustration and anger were not. She was feeling manipulated by both men—the real one and the ghostly one. She had given Siridin a blowjob, nothing more. In return, he had forced her to accept something he said she'd get used to _in time_. Except he'd said he had no intention of letting her stay. And then his brother, who somehow was living in both her and Siridin's minds, expected her to figure out some way of making him want her enough to keep her around. And what did she get out of this arrangement? A bellyful of nauseating cum.

Talar knocked on her mental door but she ignored it.

She lay on her back and looked at the gray ceiling. It mirrored her gray soul. There was nothing joyful left in her life at all. She'd probably be back on Anteros soon, where she'd have to behave much better if she hoped to not be sold off again. And it would be day after day of strange men fondling her, licking her, making her come six times an hour, until the day she went insane and disappeared, like two of the other women in the public house had.

She was weirdly hungry, so she rolled off the bed and slipped out into the common area. Siridin's half-closed door and his regular snores made it clear where he was. She padded over to the galley area and opened the doors of the food storage area. It was a mess. It looked like Siridin had tossed the lifeboat food in with his own stores. She poked around for something she recognized. At that moment in time, she would have given several fingers in exchange for something familiar. A bowl of oatmeal. Toast. _Bacon._

She settled for some off-white squares wrapped in paper with no label on them. They reminded her of crackers. A small nibble told her they were tasteless, which was exactly what she needed to finally calm her stomach. She couldn't believe Anterrin women willingly went through this for their man. Or men. They probably had to do it twice as often, if they had two husbands. And what was all that macho bullshit about keeping it inside to make her man proud? She almost wished she could go throw it up now just to spite him, but the moment had passed.

She'd finished four or five crackers when a movement out of the side of her eye made her look up. Siridin stood in his cabin doorway, looking from her to the remains on the table and back. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine now. How long did it last?"

"Well, it's been about eight hours since you..." He trailed off.

"Since I gave you a blowjob and ended up in the middle of some sort of bizarre bullshit ritual that protected your honor." She didn't mean for her words to come out this harsh, but she was tired.

"Keelie—"

"Am I right in assuming this is usually an act done by a man with his mate? I sure can't see doing this casually."

"Yes—"

"Well, since that obviously isn't going to happen, I suppose it doesn't matter that I threw it all up a while ago." It felt wrong to lie to him, but she wanted to wound him. She felt mental fingers trying desperately to tear open a connection to her mind.

He stiffened, then slumped. "No. I suppose it doesn't matter. I'm sorry."

"I need a new shirt."

He looked puzzled at the change of subject.

"I've been wearing this same shirt since I arrived, and I'd like to change it, please."

He nodded and turned back into his room briefly before emerging with another shirt. As she took it from his hands, an electric current ran up her arms. She screeched and dropped the shirt.

"Keelie? What's the matter?"

"Did this shirt belong to your brother? To Talar?"

His cat eyes constricted to tiny slits and his skin darkened so fast she knew she was in trouble.

"How do you know his name? Have you been snooping?"

"No, Siridin—"

"I told you never to ask about him."

"Siridin! Talar is here, in my mind! He'd be in your mind too if you'd let him in! We've been talking since yesterday and I've been dreaming about both of you for weeks, except I didn't know it was you until yesterday—"

He lunged forward and grabbed her arm so fast she didn't have time to move. "Stop!" he roared. "Stop talking about him! He's dead! I ejected his body into space myself, on the worst day of my entire life!" He tossed her over his shoulder and stomped into his room.

He dropped her in front of his bed and yanked the shirt up, pulling it over her head but not off her arms, twisting it, and pinning her wrists to the middle of her back.

"Siridin, please, listen! He's not dead, not really! If you just let your mind open he'll talk to you too!" She barely got the last word out before he'd pushed her face down into the bed. One hand pressed on her back, pinning her in place. She barely had time to think before a searing pain lit across her butt. She screamed and thrashed but the big hand had her trapped.

He leaned over and spoke quietly in her ear, which frightened her even more. "I told you it would be worse each time. This is a cane, and you're going to remember this for days." He stood up and barely a second later, another searing line was painted across both cheeks. She cried and begged him to listen to her, but he was beyond hearing, and the cane came down over and over while she screamed.

He paused as she sobbed into the sheets. "Now, did my brother talk to you, or not?"

She knew what he wanted to hear. But she couldn't lie about it. "Yes, he did!"

The cane resumed, searing her skin, traveling down the back of her legs while she howled and begged.

He leaned over again. "Are you ready to apologize for lying?"

"I'm not lying!" she said through gritted teeth. She braced for more pain, but it didn't come. Instead, he yanked her to her feet. He untwisted the shirt from her hands, stripping it completely off her body. He propelled her out his cabin door, across the hall to hers, where he flung the door open and shoved her in.

"Hayden's Planet is two days from here. There's an Anterrin embassy there. I'll leave you nearby, and you can hope they find you before anyone else does. What they do with you after that, I don't care."

The heavy door swung closed and she heard the screech of the lock being pulled.

"Siridin!" she screamed, but the door stayed shut.

He had two goddamn days to wait until he could get rid of her and he didn't have a clue what he could do to pass the time. He tried cleaning his bedroom—Talar had been the neat one—but the sheets smelled like Keelie, and in his anger he tossed all his bedding into the airlock and spaced it. And then he threw everything else in his bedroom at the wall before his anger finally calmed. Fortunately, there was very little that could break, and all he did was make more mess.

He rediscovered the bottle of spirits under his bed, and spent a half-day or so blitzed out of his mind. He dreamed of Talar, of the adventures they hoped to have along with their new mate when they found her. He dreamed Talar was shouting at him, but he couldn't make out the words, so he stopped listening after a while.

He woke later, hearing a pounding on the door to Keelie's— _Talar's_ —cabin and he staggered over. She was yelling, too.

"I have to pee and if you don't let me out I'm going to do it right here on the floor!"

With a sigh he unlocked the door and yanked it open. She stood there, so small, but with her hands on her hips, a scowl on her face and fresh tear tracks. He'd never given her another shirt after she'd dropped the one in the galley, so she was stark naked. His dick tried to cut through its alcoholic haze to rise up and salute her, but he was too drunk, and it gave up.

"It's about goddamn time!" She marched out of the room and around the corner to the 'fresher. He cringed to see the red, black, and blue stripes across her ass and her legs.

She slammed the 'fresher door in his face. A few minutes later he heard the shower start. That was not what she'd been brought here for, and he tried to open the door, but she'd locked it. He beat on it a few times before giving up and slumping back against the wall.

The shower finally turned off, and a few minutes later she emerged. "I figured this might be the last time I get to shower for a long time, so I'd better do it." She sniffed. "You've been drinking. Talar was right. You _are_ a dumbass."

He stood there, shocked that she'd had the nerve to say those words to him. Before he could react, though, she marched back to her room and shut the heavy door in his face.

He slid the lock shut as hard as he could, then retreated to his room. He didn't have to look in the mirror to know his skin was about three shades darker than normal.

The ship, barring any unforeseen calamity, was on autopilot for the next eighteen hours. In the meantime, there was another bottle of liquor in one of the storage cabinets, and he intended to use it to pass the time while he lay on the bed with no sheets, because they had smelled like Keelie.

The insistent beeping woke him out of another dream about Talar. Every time his brother tried to talk to him, something would interfere. The dream-wife was always there, but he could never see her face.

He groaned and rolled to his feet. He felt like shit, and the empty bottle next to the bed was a silent accusing witness to his stupidity. There was a tickling in the back of his head that was driving him nuts. He stumbled to the cockpit to shut off the alarm, which he'd set to give him an hour notice before arriving at Hayden's Planet. Enough time to shower and change clothes. Maybe then he'd feel better.

The shower helped. The shirt he'd tried to give Keelie was still lying on the galley floor. He snatched it up and felt a strange shock up his arm, but he shook it off and donned the shirt. It was Talar's, and it had been a favorite of his, and Siridin wore it any time he needed to feel less alone. He wasn't sure why he'd given it to her.

The trousers came from a pile of clothing thrown on the floor during his tantrum yesterday.

He brewed himself a cup of _mara_ and downed it scorching hot. At least he was awake now. After he grabbed a couple of items, it was time to face her.

The sight that greeted him when he unlocked the door was not what he'd expected. She sat primly on the bed, hands folded, stark naked. Her dark copper hair was neatly braided down her back, a skinny piece of sheet tying it at the end. When she saw him, she stood.

"I yelled, and tried to hold it as long as I could, but you must have been drunk, so I had to pee over there." She pointed to a small pile of sheets in the corner.

He couldn't deny the accusation, so he nodded curtly. He held out another shirt. She grabbed it cautiously, as though she were wary of touching it, but donned it immediately. He held up the item he'd collected. She eyed it suspiciously.

"Restraints? Really? This is hardly the time to play bondage games."

"I don't want you deciding to wander off and try your luck with anyone else."

"Fuck you. Why do you care? You're dumping me. Besides, I'd rather spend the rest of my life being licked by Anterrins than spend another day with _you._ "

He wanted to turn her over his lap. His hands itched to stroke her smooth skin before he spanked her silly for being so rude.

He resisted the urge.

Instead, he whirled her around and captured her wrists, snapping the metal cuff on her, a one-piece affair with the wrists crossed over each other.

"Now sit while I get landing clearance." He pushed her back down on the bed and left.

There was no guarantee they wouldn't know who he was the moment they identified his ship and hailed him. He was so far away from Anteros now that he thought they'd be safe, but it wasn't a sure thing. He tried to concentrate on the upcoming communication. Instead, his mind drifted back to Keelie, bound in Talar's cabin. The image in his mind stirred parts of him he thought would never emerge again. Not only a desire to fuck her. He wanted to tie her up and tease her until she begged to be allowed to come. To give her a sensual spanking more pleasure than pain. To slip his dick into her hot, tight pussy and listen to her groan as he stretched her to the very limits her body could cope with. He suspected she'd willingly explore all the different games he and Talar loved to play with women.

_"That's why she's perfect for us. Siridin, please don't—"_

The strange intrusive thought was interrupted by the expected communication from the planet's security forces. He identified himself and the ship, and stated he and his slave were here for pleasure. The official winked at him, since Hayden's Planet was known for its brothels, where alien love of all kinds could be purchased.

Once he was officially cleared he muted the communications portal and sighed with relief. He retrieved Keelie from the cabin and brought her up front. "We have to strap in for landing. I want you up where I can keep an eye on you."

She glared but sat down in the copilot's seat, which used to be where Talar sat. Why did every goddamn thing have to remind him of what he'd lost?

As he strapped her in, she grimaced.

"Yeah, I imagine that cuff isn't too comfortable. You'll live."

He fastened himself in, and as he began the landing sequence, he had the fleeting thought that he hoped he was making the right decision.

He understood why sex was so popular on this planet. There was nothing else to attract anyone. The second of two suns was setting, casting an orange glow through the polluted and smelly air. The ground was bare and dry and there wasn't a green thing in sight. He thought of Anteros, of the thousands of clear blue lakes, and the green lush islands thrusting up out of the water. Most of the small cities had been built on those islands. Homesickness flooded over him.

The first sun wouldn't come up for two more hours, so he had just enough time in the darkness to secure her somewhere safe, and slip out before anyone could even see him to wonder who he was.

The part of his brain that wasn't sure he was making the right decision was getting more annoying by the moment. He powered down the ship and grabbed a small bag, then unstrapped Keelie and held her by the elbow as he opened the exit door. She didn't resist as he tugged her down the ramp. He turned in the direction of the embassy compound and set off, still pulling her along. Less than a minute in, she stumbled and let out a curse. He'd forgotten to give her shoes and the ground was uneven and rocky. He gritted his teeth and picked her up, cradling her much the same way as the day he'd found her. To his surprise, her initial tension at being picked up seemed to ebb away, and she relaxed into his arms. She dropped her head to the side, to lie against his chest.

Dammit! He had to get out of here as soon as he could. He was starting to feel physically sick on top of it all.

After the longest ten-minute walk of his life, they arrived at the gates of the Anterrin embassy. It was closed and dark, as he had hoped it would be. He knew surveillance devices probably surrounded the place, but he hoped to be back in space before anyone had a need to look at them. After they found Keelie.

He set her on the ground. Out of his bag he pulled a short length of chain that locked to itself.

_"Look at her once more before you leave her behind."_

That damn ghost. _"No! I'm not looking back. It's over."_

_"You don't understand what you're about to lose."_

_"There's nothing else I could do."_

There were two voices inside his head and he had the most splitting headache of his life. He turned without looking and walked away.

# 6

He looked longingly at the bars on the way back, the sound of raucous laughter and the smell of alcohol pulling at him, telling him he could forget it all for a while. But he had to get out of here. His headache was getting worse and by the time he stumbled back to the ship he could hardly walk. He made it to the med cabinet and ran the Diagnoster around his head.

"Error," it read. "Duplicate readings. Please move all other persons away."

He threw the instrument across the room, and grabbed an auto-injector loaded with pain medicine. The relief was almost immediate. He slid down the wall to the floor, suddenly overwhelmed at the mess he was. He'd handled Talar's death, his flight from Anteros, and finding Keelie, without pausing, because he'd been in survival mode. Until now. He'd been running, but he couldn't run anymore. He needed to stop.

The ship was quiet. He knew he should get up and go to the cockpit, but he didn't care anymore if he got away or not. The days ahead of him stretched out lonely and empty.

Where had everyone he'd cared about gone?

_"You've pushed us all away."_

The ghost voice again.

"Please, just leave me alone!" he begged out loud. He was too tired to shove it away this time.

" _Siridin, you are a first class dumbass, you know it?"_

The thought rang out in his head loud and clear. He froze.

_"I've been trying to crawl into your brain for weeks now."_

_"Talar?"_

_"Who else could it be? I'm not dead, brother. At least part of me isn't. I don't understand it either. I've been able to get into Keelie's dreams for weeks, but you've been too closed off to let me in until now."_

_"You've been talking to Keelie?"_ She'd told him, and he'd caned her.

_"She's the only one who listens, though she pushed me away, too, after she nearly lost her insides. Why the fuck did you let her swallow all that cum? You knew what would happen."_

He had no answer. He didn't know why, either. _"She threw it up, though. Doesn't that sort of negate the pledge?"_

_"Maybe, if she'd done that. She lied to you."_

_"What? Why?"_

_"Because she was angry. She deserved an apology, and all you could tell her was it meant a lot to you if she didn't toss her cookies, but oh, no, you weren't going to promise her any future."_

_"Ow! What are you doing?"_

_"I'm slapping your head from the inside, for being an ass."_

_"Yes, well, we've established that. Can we move on, please?"_

_"Keelie is our mate. Don't you see it? I've been in her head, in the background, for weeks now. I don't know why, and I had no idea she was going to be important to us when I started feeling her thoughts. But she kept her mental door locked, too, and I couldn't get in until a few days ago."_

"And I've screwed it all up," Siridin whispered in horror. "I lost her."

_"Not totally, maybe. They've found her. She's inside the embassy now. You're going to need something more than your good looks to get her back."_

_"I have no credits at all. That's another reason I couldn't keep her. I have nothing to offer her. Ow! Stop hitting me!"_

_"If you'd let me in a while ago, I could have told you there's an emergency fund in the box of my stuff you brought with you. You never looked in it. That's the real reason I told Keelie to leave the hiding place and go to your room when the ship was being searched. If the Dstorian soldier had found it, he'd have either accused you of something illegal, or confiscated it."_

_"Just how much is in there?"_ He pushed himself off the floor to his feet. To his surprise, he felt fine now. The voice laughed.

_"You feel better because I'm not trying to hammer your brain to make you listen to me."_

The box had been shoved to the back of the closet. With shaking hands he unlocked it and raised the lid. There was the expected stuff—photovids of Talar and Siridin as kids, a weird carved figure from some planet they'd visited, and a deck of carribin cards. Underneath, though, was a huge pile of credits, all in the highest denomination possible. He slipped his hand through it in wonder.

_"I was the neat one, and the saver,"_ Talar chuckled. _"Siridin, get moving. She won't let me in anymore, but I know she's scared. The ambassador and his staff will be delighted to have a nectar slave. They'll sample her as fast as possible."_

Siridin looked up. "That's _my_ nectar!" he roared, stuffing his pocket with credits and then throwing a few items into a bag. As he tore out the ship's door he heard Talar's voice, ringing through his head.

_"Go get Keelie, brother. Go get our mate."_

Keelie stood naked before the group of Anterrin men, refusing to look down at the floor anymore. They hadn't removed the binders, nor had they asked her any questions. They didn't care. She was a nectar slave, dropped in their laps, and they didn't need to know more, before they descended upon her like wolves on Earth.

Talar had promised she'd be okay. As she'd huddled in the dark and cold, waiting, she'd let him inside her mind again. He'd promised Siridin would come back for her. But she knew he couldn't control Siridin's actions, and at this point, it might not matter even if he did come back. The ambassador had her and wasn't going to let her go. Anyway, she wasn't sure she'd forgive him if he did.

A male in a uniform came in with a tablet and showed it to one of the men. He nodded. "Do you have an ID yet?"

"No, Ambassador." They conferred for another moment and he left.

"Your master was not very pleased with you, was he?" He addressed her for the first time.

She didn't know what the best answer was, so she stayed silent. He strode forward, looming over her and forcing her to look up. "I require an answer." He slapped her cheek hard. She staggered and fell to the floor, unable to catch herself with her bound hands.

"That's better."

She stayed down, but set her jaw and looked up at him again.

"Presentation position!"

She didn't move. He nodded at two soldiers, and they snapped to attention at his side.

"Hold her."

One of them rolled her to her back, her butt resting on the metal cuffs and lifting it off the floor. She struggled as hands grabbed her knees and pulled them wide. Her pussy was once again spread for the use and entertainment of Anterrin men. The ambassador approached and knelt down, a hungry look on his face. His fingers reached tentatively for her folds. She struggled in the grip of the two soldiers, but they held tight. His large hand stroked her clit, pulling a groan out of her as his finger slid back and forth. She bucked and cried out as the touch changed from unwanted to desperately wanted. She closed her eyes and thought of home.

_"Keelie!"_

_"Go away. You can't help me anymore, and this is hard enough without reminding me of what I almost had."_

Tears leaked from her tightly closed eyes as her body responded to the touch. Nectar flooded her pussy, and a twisting took hold in her gut. She hated how her body betrayed her day after day, obligingly leaking any time she was touched in the right places. She hated that the touches made her crazy for more touching until she'd orgasmed, and she would realize what was being stolen from her and sink into despair, until it would start all over again.

_"Keelie! He's on his way! Hold on..."_ His voice faded as she clamped down her defenses.

The touches stopped. She opened her eyes, the remaining unshed tears spilling out. The Anterrin sat back, holding his hand in front of him with a confused look on his face. At the same moment, loud voices in the hall grabbed everyone's attention.

The door flew open, a man in a uniform walking backwards through it, his hands held out, trying to prevent someone from coming in. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait outside until—"

Siridin appeared in the doorway, his gaze finding her immediately. Her heart leaped, even as her brain told her not to get excited.

"Ambassador. A thousand pardons. This is my slave. I'm afraid this was just a punishment that got out of hand. I had no intention of actually leaving her, but I was tired of her rebellion and she needed to learn a lesson she wouldn't forget. I was supposed to be back before the embassy opened up, and well, I went to a bar to have a few, and you know how that goes."

As he talked, Siridin walked closer. His skin was very dark and she wondered why he was mad. Why he was here.

"I have her ownership papers right here." He pulled out a document from his pocket and waved it in their direction. "You guys have probably figured out why I got her so cheap." He looked around, as if he was expecting someone to nod. Instead, they looked confused.

"I know." The ambassador who'd fondled her spoke up. "She smells horrible."

Keelie had a flash of irritation at the insult.

"Yes, she does." Siridin nodded solemnly. "I use her mostly for fucking, actually. She's worthless as a nectar slave."

She rolled herself over and managed to get up off the floor, ready to fling an insult back at him. Instead, she found a bit gag shoved between her teeth by her would-be rescuer. She flashed him a look of hate as he secured it behind her head, tighter than she thought he really needed to.

"Fucking? Really?" The ambassador was incredulous. "I find them too fragile for that. Give me a strong Anterrin woman any day!" He laughed as though he'd made some incredible new joke. "So what did she do that made you threaten to leave her behind?"

"She was complaining about everything, any time I let her talk. I kept reminding her she had it good compared to her old life, and I punished her hard. You can still see the cane lines from a few days ago. Still, she got so annoying I told her fine, I'd leave her at the embassy, and you'd make sure she got back to Anteros, but considering she couldn't really be a nectar slave, I wasn't sure what use you would put her to. I chained her to your gates, meaning to come back after she'd had a good fright and promised to behave, but there was this bar that served Anterrin ale, and I haven't had any in a long time..." He raised his eyebrows and held up his hands and shrugged.

The ambassador nodded.

"I'd like to express my apologies, and make up for the trouble she's caused." Siridin patted his pocket and Keelie heard the rattle of credits. "Perhaps a donation to your retirement fund?" He pulled out a small bag and held it in front of the ambassador, whose eyes lit up.

"Why, you're very kind. The cost of living has gone up considerably in the last few years."

"So I've heard." He placed the bag in the Anterrin's outstretched hands. "May I take my slave back to my ship now? I'm fond of having her around, despite her smell, and I have a cargo I'm scheduled to pick up that's a ways from here."

"Fine, fine." The ambassador waved his hands in dismissal. Keelie almost passed out in relief, though she was still royally pissed at Siridin.

"Thank you, Ambassador."

"And thank you, Talar Sens, for a most entertaining morning!"

Keelie looked at him in confusion. He ignored her and took her still-bound arm to guide her out of the room, down the hall, and out into the sticky hot sunshine. Once they had passed the gates, he took a big breath and his shoulders relaxed. He removed the gag. As they walked, his skin color began to lighten.

"Ownership papers? You don't own me, _Talar_ Sens." Why was she picking a fight with the man who had saved her life?

"It's actually a list of favorite bars on planets I've been to. And Talar is not a wanted man, so it's safer to use his name instead of mine."

She tugged on her cuffs. "Can I get these off?"

"Nope. Not yet. Slaves don't get to walk around like free people. I want everyone to see how disobedient you've been."

Her eyes widened and she was about to call him an asshole, when Talar's chuckle rang clear inside her head. _"Don't get all upset. He's playing the part, in case anyone is watching. Besides, he likes seeing you like this. I do, too. Although, gagged, like you were a few minutes ago, is even better."_

_"You're talking to each other?"_ She was thrilled. And then it occurred to her exactly what Talar had said. Her eyes widened and her cheeks blushed bright red. She dropped her gaze to the ground and thought about nothing, just in case, until they reached the ship.

# 7

Thirty minutes later, Hayden's Planet was behind them. Keelie was strapped in the copilot's seat, still cuffed. She'd protested, and he'd shoved the bit gag back in. Now she was spitting fire. He avoided looking at her at all as he got clearance to leave and the ship took off at a steep angle. She'd tried talking to Talar, but for once, he wasn't talking back, so she sat and fumed.

Siridin stared out the large window for a few minutes. She hoped he didn't take too long, because her arms had gone from agonizing to numb over the last few hours.

Finally he stood up and came over to her. He unstrapped the straps and leaned her forward. The cuffs fell off, and her arms fell to her sides.

He picked one up and massaged it gently. She opened her mouth to him, silently asking for the gag to come out, but he shook his head and picked up the other arm. Then he rubbed her shoulders, and when he was done she was almost falling asleep. She still had little voluntary movement in her arms, but they didn't hurt.

He sat down next to her. "Keelie, I'm going to leave the gag in for a little longer, because I want to speak uninterrupted, all right? You'll have your turn, too."

Translation: he figured she'd erupt as soon as the gag was out, while he was trying to say something. Okay. She could agree to listen. But when the gag did come out, he was going to listen to everything _she_ said.

"I know how incredibly angry you are."

She rolled her eyes.

"No, I really do. Talar can feel it, and he told me."

Great. As long as she had this dead guy in her head she had no secrets.

"I'm so, so sorry."

The apology caught her off guard and she stared at him.

"I really am. I'm sorry I let you go through with the mating ritual, I'm sorry I was an ass about telling you to hold it in, I'm sorry about caning you, and most of all, I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you said you could talk to Talar."

She'd expected justification, or excuses, not an apology. All her righteous indignation had fallen away with one sentence.

He continued. "I don't know how this connection between the three of us exists, but I know why. You _are_ our mate."

She didn't show any reaction to the statement, so he sighed and leaned forward. "Your turn to talk." A moment later the gag was out, and she was reacquainting her imprisoned tongue with the rest of her mouth. She cleared her throat.

"I. Do. Not. Stink."

She could feel Talar erupt in laughter. "Shut up, Talar," she said out loud.

Siridin's brows furrowed. "Um, well, about that. Normally, you smell lovely, like ripe fruit. But, um, today, you really don't smell very good."

"What? I showered!"

He looked like he was trying to contain a volcano of amusement. "Well, um, you know those white squares you ate the day before yesterday?"

"The crackers?"

"I don't know what you call them, but they're not for eating. Oh, they're not poisonous. Actually the opposite. They're a food additive that warns about poisonous or spoiled food by emitting a smell. They probably came in contact with some of your human digestive enzymes they hadn't encountered before, and got activated. How many did you eat?" he asked with a grin.

"Four." She was humiliated. "Maybe five."

Talar started laughing again. This time Siridin responded. "Shut up, brother." The laughter continued.

She could feel her face getting red as she stared at her hands. "How long before it's all out of me?"

"Another day or two. And don't worry. It's a very localized smell." He picked up her hand and kissed it. "I can't smell it here." She knew she should yank her hand away, she wasn't done saying her piece, but a thrill went up her arm to her brain, and then straight down to her clit. She said nothing, though.

He must have taken silence as encouragement, for he leaned closer and kissed her hair. "Mmm. Now, that smells nice. I'm so glad your hair is the same color as our skin."

"Now, hold on there! I'm not done being mad!"

"That's okay. You can be mad."

He swept her up into his arms and headed out of the cockpit. "I'll just entertain myself by kissing you until you're not mad anymore." He placed her gently on his bed and touched his lips to her forehead with a surprising delicacy given his size. She closed her eyes and shivered.

"Tell me why you're still mad?"

"Because, um, because you—" She never got to finish, because his lips brushed hers and all coherent thought fled. He touched her lips again, this time for a single heartbeat, and when he came in the third time she met him halfway, her lips crushing onto his, her hands reaching up to cradle his face. His skin was dark, darker than she'd ever seen it, and she wondered at that before his hand was on the back of her head, holding her captive. Their lips sought each other's, dancing close, then pulling away, but never apart longer than the space of a single breath.

And then the oddest thing happened. If she closed her eyes, she could feel herself being kissed by two men. Not one. On her lips, yes, but also on her cheeks, and her neck, and then her chest. She held her breath, waiting, but there were no kisses where she really wanted them.

"Please..." she begged in a whisper as she thrust her breasts up at them. She felt the pleasure of both men in her head, and suddenly there was a mouth on each nipple, sucking, kissing, biting, licking. Her stomach twisted, followed by her lower abdomen, and a tornado of desire spun up and up, finally exploding into an orgasm unlike anything she'd ever felt. She cried out with a pleasure she hadn't felt for a long time.

The last nibble and lick before they pulled away sent little shockwaves through her. She finally opened her eyes, knowing she would only see one man, but still surprised when only Siridin was there. He was grinning.

"I didn't know humans could come from having their nipples sucked."

"I didn't either!" She'd never felt anything like it. She could sense Talar's smugness. She rolled her eyes.

"Hey!" _"Hey!"_ Both men spoke at once, outside and inside her head. "New rule. No rolling eyes at us."

She stuck her tongue out. "I'm still not satisfied, though."

Siridin's face was a picture of confusion.

"You want me to be your mate, right?"

She saw and felt the affirmations.

"Well, aren't you going to ask _me_ if _I_ want to be your mate? After all, _I'm_ the one who's going to get stuck cleaning this awful room, and since you said Talar was the cook and you not so much, I'll be doing that too. By the way, what happened to your sheets? They were nice. And then I'll be satisfying the needs of _two_ of you, once you taste me, since I have no doubt I'll be very aware of Talar also when he wants to taste me, though I'm kind of relieved I don't have to swallow both of you, 'cause that would be tough. So, what exactly is in it for me?"

There was a long pause, and she got the feeling they were talking to each other without including her. "Hey! I'm still here, you know."

"Ready?" asked Siridin.

_"Ready,"_ replied Talar.

Siridin flipped her over and onto his lap. Her head and chest rested on the bare mattress. Unseen hands grabbed her wrists and pulled them up over her head, pinning them onto the bed. She squealed and wiggled and screeched as Siridin's huge hand made sharp contact with her skin, but the grip on her wrists held firm.

"Now, little one, I have a question for you. Will you agree to be our mate? And let me warn you, if you say no, I'll spank you."

_"Careful, Keelie. He spanks hard_. _"_

_"I know!"_ "But what if I like to be spanked?" She couldn't resist.

"Let's say, I'll spank you no matter what your answer is." His large hand slapped her tender skin again, and it stung like hell.

"Yes!" she squealed. "Yes! I'll be your mate, both of you! But I don't do dishes!"

_"Start spanking, brother. She's going to need it frequently, I think."_

"Very frequently." Smugness radiated off both of them like a furnace. She tried to give _her_ opinion but the flurry of spanks that started to rain down made speech and thought impossible.

They'd kept her in the dark for more than two weeks about their destination. Every time she brought the subject up, Siridin spanked her. She suspected that _he_ suspected she was doing it on purpose just to get spanked, because none of them were particularly harsh.

The sweet spot between her legs was pleasantly sore. She'd taken another look at Siridin's enormous cock, this time in the light, and skittered away, asking if she could be their mate without having sex. He'd said no, and that was enough to melt her into submission. But it took almost five days of gentle stretching before he finally pushed his hungry member into her tight channel. It still hurt awful, and she cried. Siridin held her and comforted her, but didn't pull himself out. Talar was more hesitant, and at her tears he anxiously asked if she needed to wait a little longer. Keelie told him no, she wanted Siridin there, even if it hurt. Siridin told her she was a good girl. He also told her he intended to take her in her other, tighter hole, eventually, and she grew faint at the idea, even as she spilled rivulets of nectar.

He reassured her she smelled like sweet ripe fruit again. But neither of them brought up the idea of tasting her or giving her orgasms by rubbing her clit. Eventually, she knew she would invite them to do it, but right now the bad memories made that idea more than she could handle. And besides, they'd gotten really good at giving her orgasms from wonderful, awful nipple torment.

As they'd spent time together, she began to sense Siridin's emotions as well as Talar's. A few days ago he'd burned his hand on a hot pipe in the cargo area. She'd been in the cockpit watching the stars, and his pain radiated through her as if she'd been the one burned. She knew exactly where he was, too, and was there in seconds. It hadn't been serious, but it had marked the first time she'd clearly read him without going through Talar.

She often wondered at the connection. She'd never been a huge believer in the idea of pre-destiny, but being found by these two men pushed hard at the edges of her disbelief. What if Siridin hadn't stopped to investigate the wreckage of the Crostis ship? Would their paths have crossed at some later point? Or would Talar's dreams have faded out eventually? She shuddered at the thought.

"What's disturbing you, little one?" Siridin's arms held her tight as they lay in bed together one morning.

"Nothing serious. Figuring out the workings of the universe, that's all."

He laughed. "For such a small person, you have big thoughts. But today is not a day to linger in bed. You need to go shower and get dressed, and eat."

_"And don't come up to the cockpit yet_. _"_

She was getting used to the idea of a threesome, even if she couldn't see one of them.

"No morning spanking?" She stretched. It had become a ritual, a way to start the morning off fresh. She enjoyed rubbing her tender red butt all day and smiling. Talar had discovered he could somehow deliver a pretty solid spank or two himself, and he delighted in sneaking one in when she didn't expect it.

"Not this morning. Be ready in thirty minutes, all right?"

"Ready for what?"

_"Don't ask so many questions_. _"_

She stuck out her tongue physically and mentally to both, and received the solemn vow that her butt would be crimson before night fell. She hoped so.

She was ready as commanded, still dressed in Siridin's shirt, which she'd altered into a serviceable dress.

Siridin came into the galley area and she stood to give him a kiss. He sat down and pulled her between his legs.

Talar spoke first. _"Keelie, we wish there was a way to return you to your first home_. _"_

She smiled. "I know you can't. But I'll be happy just to be with you both."

"And at the same time, I'm afraid I'll be a fugitive forever," Siridin added. "I can't continue to haul cargo, because one day I'll cross paths with someone who knows who I am, and I'll be arrested. So the three of us need to find somewhere to live."

_"And we think we've found the right place. But you have to help us."_

"Me?"

Siridin stood and held her hand as he tugged her toward the cockpit. "We've done all we can to arrange this."

_"The last step is yours_. _"_

She emerged into the darkened cockpit. Filling the screen in front of her, so close she was sure she could touch it, was a beautiful planet, all blue and white and green. And as she watched it rotate ever so slowly, she gasped. She knew the landmass coming into view. And the one east of that, and yes, up there she saw the big lakes...

"Earth?" she whispered.

_"Not of your time, but yes. Earth."_

"Keelie, I've been in touch with officials for days making arrangements. They're waiting for one last thing. You have to formally request asylum here. I can't do that for you."

She nodded, unable to take her eyes off of the sight she thought she'd never see again. Then she looked in a panic at Siridin. "You can come with me, too, can't you? I'm not leaving you guys, no matter what!"

"Yes. As your mate, I can come with you."

_"You couldn't keep me away if you tried."_

She turned back to the screen. "Then I'm ready."

Siridin pushed a button. "Thank you for waiting. Here she is." He nodded to her and she moved closer to the speaker panel.

"My name is Keelie Johnson, and I formally request asylum on Earth." Her voice wobbled on the last few words.

"Welcome back to Earth, Keelie Johnson. As a refugee from Anteros, you are hereby granted immediate citizenship. Please proceed to the following coordinates. Once you land, we'll have immigration meet you and get everything started."

"Thank you." Tears streamed down her face as she turned to Siridin. He held out his arms and she buried herself inside their copper warmth as Talar stroked her hair.

"Thank you for bringing me home."

# Glossary

**Anteros**

A watery world with mostly smallish islands that jut up out of the sea, sometimes almost vertically. The vegetation is mostly tropical. Gravity and air are almost the same as Earth. There are a few bigger landmasses that have cities, and those are often the capitols of the different countries. It has two suns, two moons, is very hot in the day and cold at night, and very bright.

**Anterrins** are considerably taller than humans, with jet black, straight hair. Their eyes are oval, with vertical slit-like pupils, like cats. In bright light, the pupils are slits. In darkness, or when they are high on nectar, they're wide open and almost round. Their pupils can be any color, from amber, to blue, to red. Their skin tone ranges from tan to almost completely black, though most fall in the bronze-to-copper range. When they have extreme emotions, either anger or passion, they get darker. Most males are born as twins and the bond is very close. Females are born as singles. The typical relationship is two brothers with one mate.

**Paraths -** The openings between Anteros and Earth. They appear at random inside caves on the many islands that jut up out of the seas. Most of the openings occur in Raelia, which has become the center of the nectar slave trade.

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**_Socio/political terms_**

**Raelia** – The country the story is set in. Officially known as The Most Holy Seat of Raelia.

**Acestes** – King of Raelia, also known as a **Dolaidh**. He is the Ruler of the World that is Seen.

**Castellan** – High Priest, also known as the **Dolaigh**. He is the Ruler of the World that is Unseen. Brother to **Acestes.**

**Blessed Arwyn** \- Name of a female deity. Some Anterrins worship her; most use her name as a clean expression of surprise.

**Eidumea** – Capitol city of Raelia, where most of the stories are set.

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**_Slaves_**

**Nectar slave –** a human woman who is forced to become aroused and then orgasm. The liquid she creates gives Anterrin men a sense of euphoria, much like pot. Many human women are given supplements to affect their arousal levels, ability to orgasm, and the taste of their nectar. Most Anterrins prefer to 'sip' it directly from between the woman's legs immediately after she comes.

**Gola'a Nectar Slave (from "Owned") – __** the term means 'unspoiled'. This kind of slave does not taste pleasant after an orgasm ('spoiled'). However, if she is aroused with fennock leaves, the nectar she creates before she orgasms is the most sought-after and expensive nectar on the planet. If she has an orgasm, the nectar is tainted for several days, and if she has sex with an Anterrin male, her nectar will never taste right again.

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**_Food_**

**Mara –** coffee-like beverage

**Fennock leaves** \- what to feed a gola'a nectar slave to bring out the taste of her nectar.

**Pitir fruit** \- sweet, pleasant fruit

**Rala eggs** , cooked, chopped, with sauce - safe for humans

**Suribar** \- looks like bacon, tastes like dirt.

**Telger meal** \- add sweetener and tastes like oatmeal with brown sugar

**Warfa juice** – like orange juice

**Mina berries** – small wild brown-red berries

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**_Miscellaneous_**

**Scara** \- illness unique to human/Anterrin children

**Shirat** \- card game

**Carribin** \- a card game that involves betting

**Omnia** \- portable communication and information device. Some of them are thin and flat with a physical screen, and some are thin and long like a pencil and when activated the screen pops out to hover in the air. Text messages can be sent that will appear off to the side of your vision and you can speak your answer.

**Caelestus** \- big moon

**Iactar** \- small moon

**Laris** \- flower that blooms on the hillsides of the steep mountains just once a year for a few days. All colors suddenly spring to life. Big bets on when it's going to happen from year to year down to the hour.

**Darnaeus** \- large creature that lives in the water and will wrap a tentacle around a leg and drag you under until you drown - not safe to go swimming unless it is a protected pool.

**Seawallai** \- huge fish

**Photovids** \- photographs that move, like gifs

**Swear words** \- shist, puka

# Also by Sophie Kisker

Fear and Desire

The Punishment Tour

(FREE with newsletter signup)

Revenge Served Hot

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**_Finding Home: An Erotic Tale of Slavery, Love, and War_**

Odyssey

Sanctuary

Refining Fire

* * *

**_Midrosian Slave Chronicles:_**

Memories of Surrender

Longings of Surrender

Tears of Surrender

* * *

**_Nectar for the Gods_**

Claimed

Owned

Saved

(out summer 2018)

**_Surrendered Brides short stories_**

And He Shall Rule Over Her

# About Me

I was delighted to find out that others shared the D/s fantasies that I'd been writing about for years and hiding in my computer. Now out of the closet, I split my time between being mother, wife, overworked employee, and slave to the cat. Most evenings I can be found hiding in my office cave to write, where I only care about my internet signal and the strength of my coffee.

* * *

Sign up for my newsletter and get a FREE BOOK as thanks! You'll be the first to see new covers and hear all about what's happening.

I'm on Facebook, and join me in my group Sophie Kisker's Dark Corners, where you will see excerpts, pictures, and can chat about all things kinky.

* * *

Visit my _really cool_ blog at www.sophiekisker.com

* * *

Email me any time at sophiekisker@gmail.com. I write back!

# Preview of "Owned"

### Nectar for the Gods Book 1

_The mating bond_

A cool wetness on her tight hole made her stiffen. Behind her, Keilat's fingers circled the target, igniting nerves that tingled all the way up to her ears. She jumped when a finger slipped inside.

"Ow," she whispered. He didn't pause. The finger slipped in and out, going deeper each time. It was the strangest feeling she'd ever known. It was a burning, invasive feeling, something that felt wrong - and yet she knew she was gushing nectar at the same time because Keilat kept swiping it up with his other hand and dripping it onto the hole where his finger continued to slip in and out.

More pressure announced his second finger going in. She hissed as it passed the tight ring of muscle. From underneath her, Joram groaned.

Keilat chuckled. "Doing okay up there, brother?"

"Every time you move your finger, she clenches her cunt. I swear I'm going to come without even moving."

"Tressa, relax. Do not clench. If he comes before I'm inside your ass, I'll punish you hard."

She caught her breath.

"Dammit, that made her clench even harder! Just shut up and keep going!"

_Available Now_
