Chosen by the Riexian Prince Read online

  Kyel remained gentle as he helped me get warm in a huge plush towel that practically swallowed me whole. When he realized I didn’t have any clothes since he tore mine apart, he growled in frustration before lifting me back into his arms and taking me back to my pod.

  His goodbye kiss was sweet and disarming. I tried to pull him into my small room, but he would have none of it. With promises of seeing me again soon, he pushed me into my room, and left.

  Grinning, I crawled into bed and curled around my pillow. This time, sleep came easily, my body sore and exhausted from the sex I took part in with the strong Riexian prince.

  9

  Kyel

  The chatter was constant as everyone enjoyed themselves, drinking and eating. There were smiles and laughter, covert glances sent toward the whores in training. A few of them would be fucked before the party ended. Drayl was at my side, his new favorite position.

  I scanned the room, looking for Nora, but the room was packed, full of smiling faces and rosy red cheeks. Why did humans get so pink? That was something I noticed about them, especially after spending time with Nora. Their skin color was always shifting between pale and red, depending on their mood. Nora had gotten very red after I pleased her. I almost sent her to the med ward in case she had gotten sick.

  Every time my thoughts turned to the other night, a smile came unbidden to my lips as I remembered the softness of Nora’s body as she came around my cock, fingers digging into my shoulders. Her hooded eyes so dark that it was hard to tell that they were normally green. Her hair plastered around her face. My favorite part of her were her breasts. They were so soft, softer than the females of my people. The way they bounced, her nipples demanding my attention only made me hard as I stood at a party, surrounded by people.

  “You’re grinning again,” Drayl said, passing me a flute of lykor—a simple drink with bubbles in them.

  “It is a party, am I not supposed to smile?”

  Drayl snorted as he grinned. “If we keep throwing parties like this, the humans are going to think all we do on Ariex is host parties and eat an insane amount of food. Maybe we should switch it up, show them the pool, at least. It’d be bad if we get to Ariex and realize none of the lot know how to swim.” Drayl watched as a human slave walked by. “Their bodies are so frail. It’d be bad if all they do is sink after we toss them in the water.”

  “They won’t sink.” I remembered how Nora floated quite easily. Granted, I held onto her, but she still floated easily. Her hair wet and moving through the water, swaying back and forth like the seaweed in our waters. “They do not need to go to the pool.” The bite in my words drew Drayl’s attention. I stared straight ahead, refusing to look at him. Didn’t mean I wasn’t aware of his eyes narrowing.

  “And how would you know they will float?” he asked.

  “It matters not. Just know, they are more than capable of floating. They are light, their bones not as hard as our own. They will be fine.” I did not want those other humans in the pool, not the same one where I had enjoyed so much pleasure with Nora. If I had to, I’d deny access to the pool, keep it only ours. No one else needed to sully it with their dirty bodies.

  “Even so, it’s probably best to make sure they are able to. I’ll have a talk with the instructors about when they can fit it into their schedule.”

  “No! Don’t you fucking dare do that.”

  Drayl came to a halt and stared at me, surprised by my sudden explosion. His smile slowly slipped into a scowl. “What did you do?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Bullshit. You did something. You never cared about the pool. I doubt you even realized it was there. Now, you don’t want anyone using it? What happened?”

  Silence was always the best response during an interrogation. Making use of that tactic, my lips remained sealed.

  “You didn’t. In the Green Gods name, tell me you didn’t.”

  I turned away from Daryl, but he grabbed my shoulder and forced me to turn to face him. My cold drink sloshed over the rim of my glass, coating my hand.

  “Kyel, you did not bed that woman.” Drayl’s eyebrows shot up, practically into his hairline. “You did. You soiled your father’s mate.”

  “Nora is not his mate. She is mine.” The possessive tone shocked even me.

  Daryl blinked before a low growl came from deep within his chest. He stepped closer, eyes dark with fury. “How could you put yourself at risk like this? There are customs to be met. She needed to be pure for him. We cannot afford to go against your father. Not right now. Not over a female earthling.”

  I snorted. “Pure? They were about to train her.” I smirked, remember the quivering man I had left behind after talking to Tryel. Amusement and pride ran through me. Let them try to train Nora again. He had no issue stepping on them.

  “To please a Riexian, but not to take one in. You have ruined her.”

  “Good.”

  Drayl let out a stream of swearing I chose to ignore as I turned, still scanning the humans, searching for one specific one. I almost missed her between the crowd, but she finally came into view. Of course, she had food in her hand. That woman knew how to eat. Her attention switched from a group of whores giggling in a group to me, and it was clear she was as excited to see me as I was to see her.

  She dumped her plate on a nearby table and smoothed out her silvery dress. It was a different one, clinging to all her luscious curves that I had the honor of enjoying the other night.

  “No.” Drayl hissed as he dragged me away. “Stay away from her and get that stupid look off your face before the others notice. Do you even understand what you’re doing right now?”

  Nora disappeared as we moved to the other side of the room.

  “Kyel, your father will not just kill you, he’ll kill me, he’ll kill my family, wipe out my entire line. I have a little sister. If you refuse to think about us, then think about Asryn. And if you still refuse to think about any of us, then think about Nora’s safety. You already put her at risk, but at least it’s something we can write off. But if you continue this, your father will kill her, but it will not be quick. He will be sure to make her hurt. Remember Raya?”

  I froze. Yes, I remembered his last wife, Raya, quite well. Her death was reported to be quick, but I saw the body. That hadn’t been the case at all. She had been alive as her flesh was stripped from her body until there was only bone left.

  “He will do worse to Nora if you continue to pursue her,” Drayl said in a softer tone.

  We both looked toward Nora. She was glancing around, obviously looking for me. I liked that she actively searched for me. She had to be as affected as I was to her.

  Drayl moved me away so she was out of sight again. Something heavy sat in my stomach as I came back from reality. I had escaped me for two days, but now it was back, and tore into me, punishing me for not keeping myself in check.

  “You need to end this. Now. It’ll be easier on both of you. Otherwise, you’ll put her on a path where she doesn’t have a chance. She may be with your father for a bit, but he isn’t doing well. She only needs to live and then afterward, once he’s gone, it won’t matter. But you can’t do anything more until then.”

  “I understand.” I yanked out of Drayl’s tight grip. My best friend had always given me good advice. I’d be a fool to ignore them. Looking at Nora, I was tempted to act a fool. My feet refused to move as I spotted Nora once again slowly making her way through the crowd to me.

  “I’ll be listening. If you don’t do it, I will,” Drayl warned. “I’ve sworn in to protect you, and I will. This is best for everyone.”

  I jerked out of his grasp and stalked over to Nora. She spotted me and I could see her warring with her emotions. She fought to keep her excitement down, aware that discretion was needed. It was an odd combination of expression as she tried to smile politely, but not too excitedly, as a slight blush dusted over her cheeks. I wanted to smirk, betting that she was also remembering our time together. Instead,
I forced myself to scowl. My stomach tightened, hating what I was about to do. Every part of me told me to not do it, but I also knew Drayl was right. My father was not someone to go against. He was a cruel man who took delight in other’s pain and misery.

  When her smile dropped into a confused smile, I hardened my heart and went over the reasoning again and again. Maybe if I told myself enough times, it’d get through my thick skull that I couldn’t sweep her up into my arms and take her to another room to claim her. Drayl was right. He had to be right. This wasn’t just for me, but for her too. My father was a true bastard who had no qualms about squashing lives. Nora’s was one I refused to let him destroy.

  “Prince Kyel,” she said in a formal greeting.

  “Breeder.” My response was cold and I gritted my teeth when she winced. I had to curl my hands into fists to keep them at my side instead of trying to reach out to her.

  “Tryel talked to me about the change in my curriculum. Thank you for stopping him.”

  “It is expected of me,” I replied, sounding too robotic to my own ears. “I’m not going to drag this out.” Straightening up and pulling on my prince façade, I said what needing saying. “The other day was a mistake. I should have never touched you. You will be mated to my father and I will respect that. Anything we did was wrong and we can’t—”

  “Stop right there.” Nora’s face was red, but this time, it was different. It wasn’t the red of passion or excitement. This was the red of someone angry. “I came on this damn ship to avoid certain death. I chose to be sold away like some chattel and instead I’m property to some old man. No. Fucking no way. I’m no one’s property.”

  Her body shook with her rage. I wanted to say it was all bullshit, that I agreed. But that wasn’t true.

  “You’re wrong. You are property. The moment you agreed to sign up with TerraLink, you became their property. And they are giving you to Ambassador Kryn. Do not forget your position, breeder. You belong to him now.”

  “Bull-fucking-shit.” Cold wetness dripped down my face and my reaction was delayed in realizing she had thrown her water in my face.

  She stood before me, looking up at me, her body shaking, face red with pure rage. She tried to say something, but instead, clamped her mouth shut and stomped off, hopefully safely to her pod.

  Drayl grabbed my shoulder, squeezing it. “This is for the best.”

  Never before had I felt the need to bite his hand off. It felt more like a shackle than anything else in that moment. Not wanting anyone to touch me, I shrugged him.

  “I need to go change again,” I growled and stalked away, leaving the party. It seemed I was always exiting a party after some kind of consumable was tossed on me. Not an image I wanted to keep promoting amongst the attendees.

  10

  Nora

  Somehow, I managed to stomp my way back to the pool without being stopped. My flats were kicked off by the chair and I paced back and forth, the cool tile nipping at my skin. The water mocked me, reminding me of exactly what had happened there. I could still feel him between my legs, the movement of his hips as he pounded one of his cocks into me without restraint. The build up of pleasure until I…

  No. I couldn’t think like that.

  “The rat bastard,” I grumbled. “How dare he toss me to the side that like that? Treat me like a common fucking whore.”

  Damn it. How did I get myself into this? Why did I think this would be better? I traded one miserable life for another and I wasn’t sure which was worse. The Dranks was a different kind of nightmare than this, but still one. It was hard to know which was preferable: Being an old man’s whore, or starving on my planet.

  I was beginning to think that starving would have been better. I didn’t have much. I lived in caves on barren mountains, stripped of all its life except for the creatures too mean to stay dead. There were raids happening often enough that no one bothered with keeping anything that was worth something. And the sun flares. Hunger and dehydration was one of the most common ways to die, but sun flares were at the top. They had claimed my family when I was a little girl. They had nearly claimed me too many times to count.

  Rubbing my stomach, I thought about all the food I had now compared to the endless nights of hunting while sleeping in the caves during the day to stay out of the heat. Running out of steam, my anger beginning to recede, I went over to the pool and lay next to it, staring at it with my hand emerged into the water. It was peaceful, calming, relaxing.

  I was touching what had only ever been a dream to me in the Dranks. Water. A pool of it. I could slip inside of it, give in to its cold embrace. Something that had always been impossible on my home planet.

  The sound of the door opening got my attention. Kyel stood there, glowering at me, his suit still damp from the water I tossed on him. The man managed to make me waste water on him.

  Glaring, I said, “If you’re here to force me to grovel and apologize, it’s never going to happen.”

  Kyel stepped further into the room, his expression darkening more. “No one has ever talked to me like this before.”

  That baffled me. Of course no one would dare to talk back to a prince. Not willing to let him scare me into following his orders, I said, “That’s unfortunate because you need a slap up the ass for how much you tend to talk out of it. Everything you say reeks of absolute shit.”

  Kyel stalked forward until he was inches from me, the heat coming from him intense with the anger that he felt. “Careful, breeder. Something like that can get you whipped. It’d be a shame to damage such beautiful soft skin.”

  I snorted in disbelief. “And who would do the whipping? You? Your daddy?”

  “My father would kill you.” Kyel’s voice was impossible deep, rumbling from deep within his chest. It set the little hairs along my neck up in warning. He cupped my chin, his grip just shy of being painful. Anymore pressure and he’d leave a bruise. “My father would destroy you simply for looking at him with such a defiant look like the one you have now.”

  “So you then,” I forced out, unwilling to back down from him. “Ridiculous. But for you, I guess it makes sense.” I sneered at him. “Punish others for telling you when you’re being a complete idiot.”

  “Idiot? Watch yourself, Nora.”

  “Or what?” I challenged. “Is the little Prince going to punish me? All I did was speak the truth. You’re spineless.”

  “The countless battles that I have fought and won say otherwise.”

  Needing to egg him on more, wanting to push him over the edge, I snorted. “All it proves is that you’re a violent bastard who thinks like a complete barbarian.”

  “Hilarious that this comes from you, a person from the Dranks if my memory services me correct. Isn’t that the very definition of barbaric? Living in caves? Scrounging for food?”

  I shoved at him, my anger spiking, trying to overwhelm the hurt and humiliation he made me feel. “It’s called surviving. It’s call living. I at least have a reason. But you? What is your reason to act like that? To use people and then toss them when they are no longer convenient. You’re a spineless bastard. The moment things get tough, you back down. You’re bark and no bite.”

  Kyel grabbed my hand and pulled me closer. “If I were you, I’d be very very careful about what you say next.”

  “Or what? Are you going to get daddy to punish me for you? You can’t touch me. If you do, you might potentially piss off your daddy and you’re too much of a coward to do so.”

  “You do not know what you are speaking of.”

  “No? I thought Riexians were a warrior race, but the men back home have bigger balls than you do.” My gaze dropped down to his crotch before smirking up at him. “At least when they see something they want, they take it. You can’t take anything without getting permission from your own father—a weak old man.”

  “Stop, Nora.” He was inches away from me and all my instincts were going off to get away from him. But I couldn’t back down. I couldn’t le
t him walk all over me. Use me again.

  “Why should I? Because I speak the truth? Because I’m hitting the mark? You want me, I know you do. But you’re only a puppet. Spineless man.”

  “Enough. Why can’t you understand I only ever do everything for you.” He yanked me until I was pressed against his chest.

  I went to snap something back at him, but before I could open my mouth, he claimed my lips with his in a different kiss than he had shared with me before. It wasn’t demanding or angry. It was more like a plea. His lips begged me to listen to him.

  Heat spread through my veins as my body sparked alive. All my thoughts grew erratic as all I could taste and smell and feel and see was Kyel.

  “Wha—”

  Kyel bit at my bottom lip, stopping me from talking. “No one. Not my father, not TerraLink, not even me. None of us are allowed to hurt you. I won’t allow it.” He swooped me up until I dangled over his shoulder. “But if you want me to act like a barbarian, then I will. I’m going to punish you, Nora. I’m going to remind you why I’m not spineless. When I’m finished with you, you’re going to be screaming my name while your ass cheeks are smarting and my cock is buried deep in you.”

  “What? You can’t do that.” I pounded on his back, but he was too big and hard for me. I risked damaging myself than I did him. I tried to kick out.

  Kyel responded with a slap to my ass, making me yelp as the sting traveled deep within me, making my pussy quiver in response.

  “Behave or I will do it where everyone will see us.”

  I forced myself to settle down. Somehow Kyel managed to stay out of everyone’s sight as we took twists and turns. He hit a button and a door slid open.

  The room whirled and before I knew it, I was on a huge bed, soft enough to meld around my body. Kyel was stretched out on top of me, pressing into me.

  “You can’t do this,” I said, needing to fight him even though my body was coming alive by his close presence.