Next
It was the only bed in the room.
She stopped short. She had never shared a bed with anybody, not even when on sleepovers with her girlfriends. Well, not since she had crawled into her parents' bed during thunderstorms. Back when her mother was still...
She quickly pushed that thought out of her mind. She knew that she would never see her mother again, and she probably would never see her father again either.
She also quickly pushed another thought out of her mind. She wasn't about to share a bed with Tillek --- or any other man --- tonight. Pulling the top blanket off of the bed she flung it at him. "You can sleep on the floor. I'm taking the bed."
"We can't do that," Tillek said, walking up behind her, holding the blanket in one hand and rubbing his chest with the other, trying hard not to meet her eyes. "We're going to have to share the bed. Someone might look in on us. A warrior would never sleep on the floor when there's a bed available. And you have to sleep with me. They would never understand a man not sleeping with his woman when she's available."
Leysen knew that he was speaking the truth. She didn't like it, but that wasn't going to change the way things were on this miserable planet. "Okay," she finally replied, turning to face him again. "But you keep your hands to yourself." She raised her hand in the general direction of his chest, as if he needed another reminder.
He immediately took a step back and clasped his hands behind his back. "Of course. I would never dream of touching a Prime."
She was sure that he had dreamed of just such a thing. She remembered the speculations that she and her friends had engaged in, over just how much most Beta men desired Prime women.
And Tillek certainly had gone well beyond dreaming about it. Both he and Velder had touched her more --- much more --- than was strictly necessary while they fed at her breasts.
Nonetheless she got up onto the bed, pointedly keeping her clothes on. She then scooted over as far as she could, against the wall, before turning her back on him. He then got on --- being careful not to touch her --- then wrapped himself in the blanket, turned his back to her, and tried to go to sleep.
He was sitting on the couch waiting for her when she came in. "Did you miss me, Mellek?" she asked, walking up to him and smiling sweetly down at him. She knew that she had missed him --- the worst thing about the class field trip was being separated from him for so long.
"Stars, Leysen," he stood up to his full height and smiled down at her, "you're even more beautiful now than when you left."
Reaching over, she pulled her boyfriend even closer, meeting his lips with hers. He slid a hand between their bodies, cupping a breast and squeezing. As she rolled over onto the couch and onto her back, he brought his other hand to her chest as well. Effortlessly sliding his hand inside the top of her school uniform, he caressed and fondled her breasts. Mmmm. That felt good.
"You did miss me, didn't you?" she murmured into his ear.
His hands told her that he had, continuing to caress and fondle her breasts. It felt even better when he increased the pressure, squeezing her breasts with more than enough force to crush steel.
He then brought his face down to her chest, licking the top of a breast with his tongue. Laughing, she playfully tried to push him away. He held on to her with all of his Prime strength, bringing himself closer and taking a nipple into his mouth. She tried again to push him away, but quickly abandoned the attempt, savoring the feel of his mouth on her breast. Mmmm, that felt even better than his hands had.
One hand started working its way down her body, stroking her stomach before sliding inside the bottom of her uniform.
"Stop!" Her body tensed and stiffened.
"C'mon, you know you want it," he whispered in his ear, his hand continuing to probe deeper.
"No! Not yet!" She tried to push him away from her.
His other hand left her breast, going behind her back. She continued trying to push him away, but he was strong enough to keep them together. Making a supreme effort, she was able to push him away from her, dumping him from the couch onto the floor.
She sat up on the couch and adjusted her uniform. "Please, Mellek. Can we just cuddle?"
"You know you want it, Leysen," he said, coming beside her and reaching for her uniform again.
"No!" She pushed him away again.
The loud THUMP in the middle of the night awoke Tillek. Opening his eyes and looking around in the dim moonlight filtering through the window, he was surprised to find himself lying on the hard wooden floor. Apparently she had moved in her sleep, unintentionally pushing him off of the bed with her Prime strength. At least, he hoped that it had been unintentional. Gathering himself up and looking down, he saw that Leysen was still asleep on the bed, lying on her back, with one slender arm thrown out to the side, with the blanket --- which she obviously didn't need against the chill --- all but tossed aside.
Her scanty garments had shifted in her sleep, exposing one creamy breast and the nipple at its center. The nipple at which he had fed numerous times during the journey through the mountains. She really was a beautiful girl. He thought about adjusting it to cover her. But if she should awake while he was doing so, she most likely would get the wrong idea.
She had already shown her wilderness survival skills. If it hadn't been for her, he and Velder would have starved or frozen to death in the mountains. Or devoured by a santha. But she had pulled them through.
The last thing in the world that he wanted to do was to get her mad at him. Any more than she already was. He rubbed his chest again, remembering what she had said and done the evening before, and knowing that she could easily have crushed his ribcage with just a little push of her slender arm.
He'd had seen enough Betas killed by Primes to know how easy it was, how little value Primes placed on Beta lives. He was certain that some of the more mysterious 'casualties' had been caused by Primes merely amusing themselves with the Betas.
Ignoring her exposed breast, he grabbed hold of her arm and started to move it aside. Even though she was asleep, it took most of his strength to move her limp arm out of the way to make enough room for himself. Finally he was able to climb back onto the bed and lay down on his portion, trying to ignore the beautiful and almost completely naked body lying next to him.
Just then, she stirred again in her sleep. Even though it was just a twitch, there was more than enough power in the slender arm of the young Prime to push him completely off of the bed and onto the floor again. Deciding that he would be able to get more sleep on the floor he pulled her blanket off of her, knowing that the chill air wouldn't bother her any. He huddled on the floor, wrapping himself with the two blankets, and tried to make himself comfortable on the hard wood surface.
Opening her eyes, Leysen was momentarily puzzled by the unfamiliar surroundings, having four walls around her and a roof over her head. Then she remembered where she was. And whom she was with. Or had been with. Taking a quick look she discovered that Tillek wasn't in the bed beside her.
Looking around the room, she eventually found him huddled under the blanket on the floor beside the bed. Propping herself up on an elbow, she rubbed her nose while she looked down at him, pondering why he had chosen to sleep there after all, after his statements of the night before. It wasn't like she had refused to share the bed with him.
"What're you doing down there?" she asked, when he woke up and opened his eyes. "I thought you were going to sleep up here. With me." She patted the bed beside her and actually managed to smile at him.
He made no effort to get up. "I tried, but you threw me off."
"I did not!" Despite her indignation, she managed to keep her voice down. "I would only do that if you didn't behave yourself."
"I swear by the Stars I didn't touch you. But you pushed me off. Twice."
She started to reach for the blanket. Just then, Leysen heard footsteps in the hallway outside, approaching their room. Recalling their conversation the night before and knowing that it would not do to have anybody discover Tillek on the floor, she quickly reached down and grabbed hold of him, lifting him up onto the bed beside her, scooting over to make room for him. She had just managed to place the blanket over both of their bodies when the door opened. Through the open door came a head topped with black hair, followed by the rest of the body large muscular body.
Velder stopped when he saw that the other two were awake. A brief flicker of some strong emotion crossed his face when he saw the two of them in bed together, but it quickly disappeared. "The morning meal is ready," he announced, trying so sound as casual as he could.
Throwing the blanket aside and lifting Tillek off of the bed, Leysen swung her legs under him and got up, stepping away from the bed. "Let's go have breakfast." She crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm not going to feed you two today."
With her back to him, she did not see the expression on Tillek's face as he also got up out of bed. Nor did she see the relief on Velder's face when he saw that the two of them were still dressed as they had been the night before.
After the morning meal, the three of them returned to the room to discuss the day's schedule.
"Take me with you. Don't leave me here alone." Just in the previous evening Leysen had seen and heard enough of the way that the men treated the females here. The morning meal --- which she again ate separated from the men --- didn't help any.
"Are you afraid, girl?"
She stood up as straight as she could. "I am not afraid!"
"Girl, there's nothing to be afraid of."
"I am not afraid!" She put her hands on her hips. "I am a Prime. I am not afraid of anything!" She took a deep breath. "I wasn't afraid of that santha." It wasn't completely untrue, she hadn't had time to be afraid until after it was over.
"Then what are you afraid of now, girl?"
"I'm not afraid. I just don't want to stay here all day."
"You'll be all right, girl." Tillek tried to sound soothing. "Velder and I aren't going anywhere. We're just going to meet with the Council of Warriors."
"Take me with you," she repeated.
"Females don't meet with the Council. We're guests here, and we have to abide with their customs. Just stay here and you'll be all right."
"But... but I don't know what to do. What if they ask me to help cook, or something?"
"I've taken care of that. I told Gharrez that you were still exhausted from yesterday, and that you'd spend the day resting."
"Me, exhausted?"
Tillek turned, as if to leave. "If you're not too tired to work, I'll tell Gharrez that when I see him."
She caught his arm and spun him around. "Don't you dare!" Seeing his wince of pain she relaxed her grip.
"Then you'll behave yourself, girl?"
She let go of his arm and lowered her eyes. "Yes, Tillek."
He shook his arm. "Good girl. Just stay in here, and nobody will bother you."
"Yes, Tillek." She went to the bed and sat down, putting her hands on her lap. "I'll be a good girl."
She remained seated until well after he was gone. "Be a good girl," she muttered under her breath. She dropped her head, burying her face in her hands. "They still think I'm just a little girl." She collapsed onto the bed, fighting to hold back her tears. "They keep treating me like a little girl. Even after all I've done."
She reviewed in her mind the events since their arrival on the planet.
Who got them out of the lifeboat and onto the shore?
Who got them up and down cliffs?
Who killed the santha when it attacked them?
Who kept them warm and fed during the trek through the mountains?
And who took care of those three raiders?
If it hadn't been for her, they wouldn't even have made it this far. If it hadn't been for her, they wouldn't even be alive.
But now that they had gotten here, was she to be discarded as a useless little girl? As someone who doesn't fit into this society?
No, not if she could do anything about it.
"I'll show them," she said through clenched teeth, sitting upright.
Rubbing the bridge of her nose with a finger, she reviewed what she had learned from the hypno-teacher about this world. It wouldn't be easy for her to fit in among the Talisi.
Not like it would be for the two men. As a Prime, she would have a much easier time fitting in if she were male. With just their Beta strength and quickness, Tillek and Velder would be superb warriors. In fact they had been, during their previous stay on Talis.
The sheer irony of it all! The two Betas were to become warriors, while she --- a full Prime --- would be doing domestic work.
Again she had to eat the evening meal separate from the men. But this time she got drafted into helping to serve, carrying pitchers of kifra --- a mildly alcoholic beverage brewed from their staple crop kif --- to the men.
She had never expected to find herself in such a job. This was about the furthest thing from what she had been training most of her life for. It was one thing to be the hostess at a reception that her father was throwing It was one thing to be serving friends at a party. But this! Serving the men, and having to snatch bites of her own meal in between. And not just any men, but the two Betas as well.
Still, the work wasn't very arduous --- kifra was mostly water, after all --- though tedious and somewhat humiliating, especially for a Prime. A Prime shouldn't have to be doing this kind of work. All of these people should have been serving her, not the other way around.
Perhaps it was because she was new here, but for whatever reason none of the men tried to molest her. Afterward she met with her companions, in the same room in which she and Tillek had slept the previous night.
They filled Leysen in on the results of their meeting with the Council of Warriors. "They're willing to let us stay here. That's assuming Velder and I can prove our worth as warriors." Tillek looked over at Velder and smiled. "It looks like we're going to have to do it again, old friend."
"What about me?" Leysen asked. She'd had most of the day to think about her situation. It had galled her to know that the two Betas and the Council were discussing her disposition, without bothering to include her in the discussions.
"Your case was the easy one, girl. A female is always welcome. There's always enough work for her to do."
She started to stand up. "If you think I'm going to..." She then remembered her resolution to do her best to fit in. She sat back down. "I... I'll try. But I really don't know how to do anything. Not the way they do things here."
"You can learn, girl. I suggested that you start in the kitchen tomorrow."
The kitchen? Preparing food? Well, she could think of worse things to be doing.
A horrible thought crossed her mind. "But... but if one of the warriors calls me to his bed..."
"We'll make sure none of them do that."
"How? By having me in your bed?"
"That is one way to do it."
She stood up and took a step toward him, her fists clenched at her sides. "If you think I'm going to..."
Tillek all but fell over backward in an attempt to evade her. Even Velder backed away, edging toward the door. "No, no, girl. We'll be sleeping in the same room, just like last night, but I won't touch you."
She backed away and sat back down. "Can't you just tell them I'm too young?"
"For how long?"
"And frankly, Ley," the normally quiet Velder added, using her Talisi name, "you don't look too young, if you don't mind my saying so. Not by Talisi standards."
She turned to face Velder, not sure whether she should be offended or flattered by the remark. Like most human women, she didn't like being told that she looked old. On the other hand, she had grown weary of the Betas treating her like a little girl. And she knew that some of her classmates --- the ones that had been aboard the lost Jiltan'th ---- had known men. Still, it just wasn't the kind of thing that a Beta ever said to a Prime.
Eventually deciding that Velder hadn't meant to offend her, she relaxed. She turned back to Tillek. "So I'm doomed to spend every night with you? Or are you planning to let Velder have me on alternate nights?"
After convincing her that neither man had any intentions of trying to take advantage of her, Velder left to go to his room. As Leysen climbed onto the bed and scooted over against the wall, Tillek went to his pack and rummaged around before approaching her.
He held something out in his hand. "Put this on, girl."
She rolled over and looked at what he was holding out to her and recoiled. The two gold chains from her gym classes --- the chains that she had thought that she had lost the first day on the beach. "You... you want me to do what?"
"You heard me, girl! Put the gold on!"
She sprang up from the bed. "Why?" She pushed him in the chest, throwing him against the wall. "So you can have your way with me tonight?" Getting her hand on his chest again, she pinned him to the wall. "After what you and Velder just got done telling me?"
"No, no!" he gasped out. She relaxed the pressure enough to let him breathe. "I... I just don't want you throwing me out of bed like you did last night."
She dropped her hand. "I did not throw you out of bed last night." She turned and walked back to the bed.
"Girl, just put your gold on."
"Why don't you just sleep on the floor, like you did last night?"
"You want to sleep on the floor?"
"I'm going to sleep right here." She rolled over and faced the wall again.
"Please, Leysen." He sat down on the edge of the bed.
At his use of her name, she rolled over to face him.
He continued to plead with her. "I just don't want you killing me in your sleep. And I don't want to sleep on the floor again. Please. I won't touch you." He held out the chains to her.
"I'll wear one, but that's all," she told him, reaching out to take one of the chains from him and putting it around her throat.
"But..." He held the other chain out to her.
She took it from and slipped it into a pocket. "I'm not putting the this one on."
As it turned out, Leysen didn't start out in the kitchen. She started the day washing and mending clothes, along with the younger girls --- those too young to go work out in the fields.
But the afternoon was indeed spent in the kitchen.
This was just like going to school for Leysen. Except --- unlike aboard the Empress Jiltan'th --- she was the only student in her class. Even the girls half her age --- some of whom had been sewing with her in the morning --- knew their way around the kitchen as they pitched in for the day-long task of making sure that there was enough food for everyone in the village.
As a Prime, she'd had no practical experience preparing food, no more than she'd had washing and mending clothes. Even on special occasions with her father --- such as birthdays --- they'd always had Betas around to take care of such mundane tasks. She'd never been involved with the actual preparation of the food, nothing more than simply laying out the table occasionally.
Heating food by placing it over a wood fire! Arions only did that on special occasions. Or in the field, when there was no alternative. But that was the way that the Talisi did it all the time.
And the fires weren't all that hot, either. A couple of times, she caught herself about to reach in with her hand to retrieve something from them. It struck her as an awkward way to go about it, using tongs and forks instead of simply using her hands.
Again, the irony of it struck her. Here she was, stuck in the kitchen --- while the two Betas were out there somewhere, becoming warriors.
Beta warriors and a Prime cook! It should be the other way around, the Betas doing the mundane tasks and freeing the Primes to fight. It had been the other way her entire life. She and her father had always had Betas to serve them. Now, she was having to serve the Betas.
Her entire world truly had been turned completely upside down with the destruction of the Empress Jiltan'th.
Though when she stopped and thought about it, she realized that it could have been worse. At least she was still alive --- none of her classmates were.
Much of the time in the kitchen was spent working with a young woman named Mai, who took it upon herself to teach Leysen everything that she needed to know. A few years older than Leysen, Mai was an attractive woman with light brown hair. Not quite the gold of the Velorians, but still somewhat unusual among the predominantly dark-haired Talisi. Rather tall for a Talisi female, she and Leysen were nearly equal in height --- Leysen being the taller by about a fingerbreadth --- the two tallest females in the kitchen.
Mai definitely knew what she was doing in the kitchen. Not only that, but she seemed to be happy working in the kitchen --- something that Leysen thought she never would be.
She did see the two Betas again that day until the evening meal. She did not have the opportunity to talk with, to ask them how things went, however, as she was kept busy helping to serve the food.
Tillek hardly spared her a glance, as he was seated next to Gharrez, the two of them deep in conversation. Velder kept looking at her when he thought that she wasn't looking, but he made no attempt to talk to her.
She also noticed that Velder wasn't the only man who was looking at her. Several other warriors seemed to be taking an interest in the new female. The young warrior she had admired during the trip to Panture --- and who had been admiring her --- raised his cup to signal for more kifra.
As she headed toward him with another pitcher of kifra, a warrior named Bander --- the scarred warrior who had been among the group initially escorting them to Panture, and who had been continually leering at her --- grabbed her arm and tried to pull her to him. He came halfway out of his seat before she reined in her strength, allowing him to pull her down into his lap.
Even as he continued holding her arm, she felt his other hand groping her breasts. Fighting back the urge to break both of his arms, she instead dumped the pitcher of kifra on his face.
As she had hoped, that did the trick. Sputtering, he let go of her as he mopped his face with his hands. She took the opportunity to get back up to her feet and out of the range of his grasping hands.
As she continued to back away from him, she bumped into somebody else. She whirled around, ready to dump the rest of the kifra on him. She stopped just in time to avoid giving him a good soaking.
"Are you okay, Ley?" Velder asked, keeping an arm around her waist.
"I'm fine," she replied, gently grasping his wrist and prying his arm away from her waist.
Even as she was disentangling herself from Velder, Bander got up to his feet and towered over her, kifra still dripping from his hair. He reached out for her, his huge hand wrapping completely around her upper arm.
Velder stepped forward. "Let her go!"
Letting go of her arm, Bander put his hand on Velder's chest and pushed. The smaller Beta might be stronger, but he didn't weight as much. He stumbled back a couple of steps. "She's not yours, Velder."
"No, she's mine." The new voice belonged to Tillek, who had risen and now stepped between the two men.
The two men stared at each other, all but ignoring the girl who was the source of the confrontation. The girl who had more strength in her little finger than either man had in his entire body.
She thought that it was absolutely ridiculous. Two big men about to come to blows over a young girl who could easily kill both of them with a single swing of her arm.
She was just about to step in to separate the two men when Bander shot Tillek a parting glare and then sat back down in his seat. "Kifra, female!" He raised his wooden cup and waved it around. "And this time, get it in here where it belongs."
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she walked over and poured the kifra into his cup. He pointedly ignored Tillek and Velder as he raised the cup to his lips and drained it in one swallow and then held out the cup again to her, fire in his eyes. Without meeting his eyes she filled it again, and then turned to walk back to the kitchen.
She did not get back to the kitchen, however. Another hand grabbed hold of her arm and tried to pull her down. She resisted for a second before recognizing Tillek's face. Instead of pouring the remaining contents of her pitcher on him, she sank down onto his lap.
"Thank you, Tillek," she whispered to him in Arion. "I was about ready to kill him." She really hadn't needed his help --- after all even a Beta girl could easily defend herself against any Talisi's unwanted advances --- but it had been gallant of him to come to her rescue. And Velder, too.
"Watch yourself, girl," he replied, also in Arion.
She stiffened. Was he implying that she had started it? That she had somehow encouraged the warrior to make a pass at her? "I didn't start it," she said.
"I didn't say you did, girl." He put a hand on her arm in what he probably thought was a reassuring manner. "But after that, you are going to have to spend the night with me."
"Get your hand off of me," she hissed through clenched teeth.
He immediately pulled his hand away from her arm as if it had suddenly burst into flames.
She was just starting to stand up when she saw his hand dart away. She stopped, remaining in his lap. He hadn't touched her inappropriately yet, she didn't think that he was likely to start now.
With Tillek, she knew that she could sleep in peace. It wouldn't be so with a warrior like Bander. Not unless she did something about it, like breaking both of his arms. She really didn't want to do that to one of her hosts, even if he did deserve it for the way he'd been treating her, leering at her all the way to Panture and then grabbing her earlier this evening.
No, Tillek wasn't doing anything wrong. Along with Velder, they were the only Arions here. Tillek was just trying to protect her from the Talisi. "Sorry," she whispered in Arion. Taking a deep breath, she then switched to Talisi. "I have to get more kifra." With that, she stood up and made her way toward the kitchen. She was relieved that he didn't try to stop her.
While she had been talking with Tillek, Bander and been staring at her with an expression that was a mixture of lust and thoughtfulness. As she went into the kitchen, she didn't see him get up and go to the head table, bending down to whisper something to Gharrez.
He had given all the proper responses when he heard what had happened to the Empress Jiltan'th. He'd known a number of the girls that had been on their class field trip aboard the luxury liner. The boys had been on their own trip, spending time on a wilderness planet.
Mellek could still remember the hush of anticipation that descended over the packed auditorium when General Estrad Strahzi stepped up to the podium. It wasn't very often that the school had such an important and distinguished visitor come and speak to them. Especially an unscheduled talk like this one.
Not in an official capacity, at any rate. He had a daughter at the school, but in all previous visits he had come merely as a parent.
It was a totally different kind of hush that descended over the auditorium when he had finished his short statement. It was several seconds before the news sank in and the exclamations of shock and grief rang out from the audience.
Mellek --- like most of the other boys in his class --- had wanted to go with the girls, but of course the school wouldn't have any of that. Not that they had bothered to ask him or any of his friends their preferences.
Who wouldn't have preferred to be with the girls onboard the luxury liner instead of backpacking halfway across a planet, living off of the land? Some of those girls were very pretty.
Now for the first time, he was glad they he hadn't gone with the girls.
He would miss Leysen. She wasn't one of the prettiest girls in her class, though she was far from the ugliest. And her father was a general --- a guy could advance quite rapidly in the military with a general for a father-in-law.
Still, Leysen wasn't the ideal girl. For one thing --- unlike some of the other girls --- she didn't put out. He'd succeeded in getting the top off of her delectable body only once. And even then she'd only let him briefly touch her breasts. Nothing more.
Not like some of the other girls, she wouldn't go any further, let alone all the way.
Not at all like Sarryn.
Just a year older than Leysen, Sarryn was much more sensible. None of that sappy romantic stuff that Leysen was always prattling on about. Either that, or all of the brave stuff that she was going to do once she finished her training, to follow in her father's footsteps as an officer, to kill a Velorian Protector in order to avenge her mother.
Not only was Sarryn more sensible than Leysen was, she was also much more experienced. And knowledgeable. Among other things, she knew how to take off the top half of her uniform.
She was doing it right now for him --- a delicious strip tease. She knew just how to get him excited, slowly exposing her nipples to his view.
He reached out, getting an arm around her waist and pulling her to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the embrace. He ran his other hand across her smooth breast. Pulling her even closer, he closed his mouth on her other breast, flicking his tongue across her nipple as it firmed up under his touch, until it was harder than steel. If it had been mere steel, it would have been bitten off when he clamped his teeth down on it.
His hand slid down her back until it was on the waistband of the bottom half of her uniform. Soon it was off as well, joining the top half on the floor.
He pulled her down on top of him as she pushed him down onto the bed. His clothes quickly joined hers on the floor.
Not only did Sarryn have a delectable body, but she also knew how to use it. Stars, did she know how to use it! Something that Leysen still had to learn, and now never would.
She lowered herself down on him and began using her body in the best way, driving all further thoughts of Leysen from his mind.
The time for mourning was over. It was time to get on with the rest of his life.
No, he wouldn't miss Leysen too much.