Chapter 11

AVA

I immediately slip back into the role of demure little human slave, staying several steps behind General Koza. I keep my eyes locked firmly on the cool marble floor below my feet.

The High Commander and the general exchange a very elaborate and formal farewell, thanking each other ad nauseam for this and that, and I mostly tune it out.

My eyes trace the subtle gray veins in the marble over and over, until I unexpectedly feel a light hand on my elbow. I manage not to jump at the sudden interruption, raising my eyes slightly to see Zynett gesture me forward to where the two men still stand.

~I must have been summoned by the High Commander.~

I gulp nervously, but dutifully step to Koza’s side without hesitation. While I am no longer afraid of Koza hurting me, that absolutely does not remotely apply to the High Commander.

He’s terrifying.

“Good morning, High Commander,” I greet him, as I dip into a low curtsy.

~Fucking nailed it that time, I’m practically a curtsying champ.~

The High Commander flicks out his tongue, his nostrils flaring as his beady black eyes move down my body and then back up. He gives me a smirk, as much as a lizard can smirk.

“I trust you will continue to keep our esteemed general very well satisfied, little human,” he drawls, before flicking his fingers at me dismissively.

My cheeks heat with embarrassment as I give another small curtsy and step back into my previous position behind the general.

After a few more torturous minutes of formal declarations and goodbyes between General Koza and the High Commander, during which I keep my eyes firmly locked on the floor at my feet, we are finally dismissed.

I feel like a giant weight has been lifted from my shoulders as soon as we walk down the ramp that leads out of the High Commander’s ship.

When my bare feet hit the shiny and cool metal floor of the main cargo bay, I cast a final glance over my shoulder at the bulbous shape of the space vessel behind me.

“Fuck off with your horrible space butt plug,” I mumble at the sight of it, before hurrying to catch up to Koza and Zynett.

General Koza gives me a look that is both perplexed and relieved as I reach his side. “Do I even want to know why you compared the High Commander’s pleasure ship to an anal blockage, little one?”

My cheeks burn with embarrassment as I stammer an excuse about what must be a poor translation of an Earth thing. But he merely gives me a crooked smile before placing a gentle hand on my lower back to lead me through the docking bay to the landing ramp of a small, sleek ship in a tight row of many very similar vessels.

Zynett stops at a black-and-white ship and types on some sort of podium on the edge of the dock. The computer chirps commands in a high-pitched tone.

This ship fits General Koza somehow. It is simple to the point of plain, but the black-and-white surface is smooth and unblemished, and if I had to guess, it was considered to be high end.

If the High Commander’s ship could be described as a cruise ship, this would fall into the realm of a personal yacht.

A whirring noise tears my gaze away from the spaceship, and I watch as a mechanical walkway extends from the edge of the cargo bay toward the vessel. Zynett wastes no time, striding quickly down the walkway before it even reaches the smooth outer wall of the ship.

An opening appears as he approaches the vessel, and he disappears inside. Koza gestures for me to precede him with a sweep of his arm, and I follow, pushing away the sudden sense of nervousness that swirls ominously in my chest.

We go straight to what my limited sci-fi movie knowledge tells me must be the control room. Zynett is already typing away at a panel, and I can hear the hum of engines powering up as Koza leads me to a row of chairs.

I sit in the one closest to me, fumbling awkwardly with the straps and buckles in confusion. I have no idea how they go together.

~This one over my shoulder and this one…where?~

Koza gives a light huff of amusement, pulling the strap out of my hand lightly, untangling them deftly, and securing them over my chest and lap.

His touch is light and businesslike, but I still feel myself squirming slightly in my chair at the heat of his hands over my lap as he clips the last strap in place.

A flash of a memory of me riding his hand as I came makes me suck in a sharp breath.

He meets my eyes briefly at the sound, his stare dark and intense with heat, before he abruptly tears his gaze away and takes his own chair.

“Ready for departure, General,” Zynett announces from across the room.

“Secure yourself for launch, Zynett,” Koza responds. Zynett nods sharply, taking a seat at a solitary chair at the base of the control panel. He presses a blinking light as soon as he finishes strapping in, and the ship gives a lurch as it begins to move.

I watch with interest as the ship moves slowly between the other ships still docked around us, until we enter a metal tunnel and begin to pick up speed.

The walls of the tunnel narrow closer and closer around us, and I squeeze my eyes closed as the engines hum louder and louder. The force of our movement presses me back against my chair.

Suddenly, the sound ramps back down to a barely noticeable hum, and I open one eye tentatively to see nothing but black on the panel at the front of the room. Blurs of light whiz by as we speed through space.

“Fucking wild,” I blurt out loud at the sight. I can’t help the thrill and excitement that blooms in my chest.

The two aliens politely don’t comment on my childish awe, but I notice Koza has already unstrapped himself from his seat. I hurry to do the same.

Unhooking proves to be much easier, and the straps fall away quickly.

“Come, I will show you to the guest quarters,” Koza tells me, reaching out a hand politely to help me from my chair.

I place my hand in his, and it looks so small in his enormous grasp.

I try not to think about how nice his skin feels.

~When did I turn into such a horndog? One night filled with the best orgasms of my life will do that, I guess.~

The room he leads me to is well-appointed, furnished with a bed along one wall and a small sitting area with a table and two armchairs.

Koza remains in the doorway, his posture stiff and his arms clasped behind his back.

“We will reach Darsherva in about two standard day cycles,” he tells me in an oddly formal voice. “Please make yourself at home while you are on board. There is a kitchen stocked with a meal dispenser at the end of the hall.”

I turn back toward him, a thank you on my lips, but the look on his face makes me pause. He looks…uncomfortable.

“I owe you an apology, Ava. I never meant for things to go as far as they did last night. The nectar…was difficult to resist.”

I frown in confusion. I thought we had spent a perfectly normal morning together. Well, as normal as breakfast on a spaceship with an alien with a tail could possibly be. Where is his regret suddenly coming from?

He must be able to read the puzzlement on my face, because he clears his throat awkwardly before continuing in a low voice.

“Now that we have boarded my own ship, I am able to speak freely. I never wanted a slave, it was not my choice, you understand?”

I nod, shock and confusion and relief washing over me.

~Why was he at the market if he didn’t want a slave out of it?~

“I could not offend the High Commander by refusing you, it would make certain aspects of my job…difficult. But I never intended to let matters go as far as they did. I assure you, I will not put you in such a position again.”

I flare red with unexpected embarrassment and hurt. Also, if I must admit it, a good bit of disappointment.

~Don’t be stupid, Ava, I chide myself. This is literally the best-case scenario. Think of what the other girls may be walking into right now. Do you actually WANT to be a sex slave?~

“I am afraid you must stay with me, at least until the High Commander moves his attention away from me,” he continues, his tone gentle and soothing. “But your time will be yours to do what you please, and nothing will be expected of you.”

I’m stung at his last words, fighting off the negative self-talk in my head.

His face is blank, his hands are still clasped behind his back rigidly.

Did you expect him to beg to eat your pussy again? I ask myself harshly. Get over yourself, Ava.

“Thank you, Koza,” I say with forced cheer. “That’s great. I’ll stay out of your hair, don’t worry about it.” With that, he gives me a slight nod before turning and striding away, leaving me staring at the doorway as the door slides closed, alone and dejected.