Page 12 of Claimed By Brothers

The view around us gradually shifts into a desert nightscape. We’ve been walking for hours, but our captors have given us water to drink and some dried, odd-looking fruits to eat along the way. The latter taste like a combination of bananas and apples but are definitely good enough to make our stay on Sunna slightly more palatable. The suns have already tanned my skin, adding a subtle glow, though it’s nowhere near as powerful as the sun back home.

Ahead, a small town rises on the plateau’s lip. The houses are built of stone and black wood, with animal-hide awnings meant to keep the front doors in a permanent shade during the day. Far to the east, a field stretches out with tall purple grass and a variety of fruit trees, each stranger and more colorful than the last. Men are coming in from the field, their woven baskets loaded with today’s bounty. Children, most of them boys, laugh as they rush over to greet them.

Only a few women have made a home here with the Mal clan, as Binzen and Izzo call their large group. They stay close to their houses, little girls hiding behind their long skirts as they watch our convoy approach. I spot the fear in their eyes long before they see me walking between their leaders, yet I feel strangely at home. It’s hard to describe. Even I don’t know what is real and what is purely the result of some form of hormonal influence that Binzen and Izzo have on me.

“You will be safe here,” Izzo says as we reach the town. “We have night guards constantly patrolling our territory. Across the river is the Hadana clan. We’ll meet with Kai and Maur tomorrow at the break of dawn. That’s their territory, but they’re part of the Fire Tribe. We are friends and allies, so understand that if you try to escape, you will be hunted down and returned to us.”

“You can’t keep us prisoners forever,” I say.

“You are our guests,” Binzen corrects. “And you, Amber, are our wife, whether you are ready to accept it or not. Soon enough, your friends will bond with mates of their own.”

Cynthia rolls her eyes at him. “I’m not gonna let anybody share me like a piece of meat.” She shakes her head as she nods my way. “If anything, I’m wishing you two the best of luck with trying to share Amber. We don’t do that crap in our world, not willingly, anyway. And this one will kick you in the nuts.”

She would probably blow a fuse if she could read my mind at this point, so I decide to ignore the entire statement and look at the tribespeople that are slowly but surely coming to greet us. “Where will we be staying?” I ask. “And will you keep us hog-tied throughout the night? Don’t you people have any manners?”

“Your new home is with Izzo and me,” Binzen replies.

“Your friends will have a house of their own, close to ours. Rest assured, you will all be well taken care of,” Izzo says. “Our land may be small, but it is welcoming and bountiful.”

My new home. This is insane. I could fight them. I could argue against it. But what would be the point? I’m their prisoner for now, with no way to return to Earth. As much as I hate this predicament and despite my body’s slow but definitive capitulation, I have no choice but to bide my time and cautiously work toward an escape plan. Whatever the effect Binzen and Izzo have on me, I’m certain it can be counteracted by my friends’ desire for freedom and far clearer reasoning.

Upon entering the town’s main alley, I find myself staring at every single Sunnaite, my mind racing as I wonder what they’re thinking. We’re clearly the first humans they’ve ever met, and they are just as strange to us. Yet we can all observe the physical similarities, the emotional responses, the stolen glances, and fearful reproaches. They seem peaceful despite their enormous size. But the air still thickens around me, making my friends and me feel even smaller. It’s definitely connected to their biology. It’s a noticeable effect. The intensity, the sexual interest, it’s almost palpable.

I have no idea what the rest of the evening has in store for us, but I am not getting a single hint of violence. The people here are clearly more than capable of it, yet they are restrained and cautious. Most of the tribespeople keep their distance while the convoy behind us disperses to help the others with their fruit baskets and other chores.

“We’re in so much trouble,” Cynthia whispers.

“We stick together, no matter what,” I say.

3

Amber

Of course, sticking together is only a valid option while we’re allowed to be together. Once night falls and the Mal brothers retreat to their home, I am to join them. I should be afraid and resistant, but damn it, part of me is downright excited. It’s infuriating not to have control of my own hormonal responses.

The tribespeople are vocally assured that we are sacred guests here and that we are not to be harmed. On a slightly harsher tone, however, both Binzen and Izzo insist we are not allowed to leave the town without guards by our side. Should we try to escape, we are to be brought back, preferably alive. I didn’t like his use of the word “preferably.”

About an hour later, the girls and I are seated in front of a massive bonfire in the town’s circular center—the sky above us opens up with a sea of twinkling stars as the three moons rise higher and brighter. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that civilizations on other planets have evolved similarly to ours. We are all life, aren’t we? We need food, water, shelter. We need an organized society with rules and customs. We believe in certain things. We seek knowledge. We evolve. They’re the same as us in so many ways. War. Violence. Love. Peace. Family. The same. Once I process that idea, everything else seems to fall into place as I continue to observe their way of life.

The food is surprisingly delicious. The people roast their vegetables on an open fire, then season them with special oils and spices. It turns out that the orchard and the field offer more than just fruits, grains, and vegetables. They’re also home to endemic birds and other animals that provide them with meat and eggs—granted, the eggs are smaller and perfectly round like golf balls, while the meat itself is thoroughly beaten with wooden hammers before it’s cooked. Their seasoning is an interesting mixture of sweet and spicy. Overall, I’m thankful we didn’t land on a desolate planet and that there’s actual edible food here.

“We need to be careful about how much we eat,” Cynthia warns us. “Our bodies aren’t accustomed to any of it, so we may experience some discomfort until the enzymes in our stomachs learn to process it properly.”

“We should drink plenty of water in the meantime,” Alicia suggests.

“It’s hot as balls in this place, anyway,” Jewel mutters, gulping fresh water out of a large wooden bowl. “We don’t have any other choice.”

I nod my agreement. “At least we’re not going to starve.”

“True. We need our strength,” Jewel says.

She’s about to add something else, likely about hatching an escape plan, but Binzen and Izzo return to sit beside me by the fire with smooth smiles stretching across their devilishly handsome faces. “For you, Amber,” Binzen says as he gives me a peculiar-looking fruit that he has already sliced in half.

“You’re supposed to eat the core and the seeds,” Izzo chimes in.

They both watch me as I follow their instructions. I use my fingers to remove the pulp from the dark purple peel, then slurp it piece by piece. It is sweet and tangy, akin to a citrus fruit, but there’s also a hint of something similar to a much mellower kind of cinnamon. It’s good.

“I like it,” I tell them. “What do you call this?”

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