Page 7 of You're Not My King!

Had I heard that right? Lizard dude had basically waved a giant middle finger at the system and come out of hiding just to jump the queue.

Was he really that desperate for a human slave?

I glared at him.

Zaay-el must’ve clocked my change in attitude, ’cause he huffed a sort-of laugh again, like there was some inside joke I wasn’t privy to, and tugged a small leather pouch from his harness. The contents tinkled, but not like coins, like gems, and wow, okay, I was actually being sold—was it wrong to wonder how much I was worth? He pinned the still disinterested steward with a scowl as he handed the bag over, smashing it into his palm as if this whole interaction was disgusting to him. Which was fucking rich considering one minute I was relatively free, and the next my wrists were being snatched up and bound with weirdly-textured rope. Carefully, but still.

I was too stunned to even resist, eyes fixed on the thick bindings as I mindlessly tested the give. Zaay-el tied the other end of the rope to his harness, and then I was truly like a dog on a leash. I hadn’t expected to be restrained, but the dude insisted, leveling me with a stern look. “Keep close. Forest not safe for small hoo-man.”

“Fuck you, I’m six-foot.” I pouted, but the alien just tilted his head. I huffed, grumbling a reluctant, “Ugh, fine,” through my bared teeth.

The steward snorted, and muttered a half-assed, “Good luck.”

I didn’t know which of us he was talking to.

My asshole ‘owner’ then gently tugged the rope connecting us. “Follow.”

Yes, Master, I thought bitterly, glaring at the back of his space bun head as I trudged behind. I glanced back at the ship, not out of sentimentality, but to gauge the reactions of my travel buddies—now three—standing there. The two who’d made a mess of the cabin were looking understandably solemn, heads bowed and booted toes scuffing the sand, while Tanner (or Ben), seemed spitefully unfazed. I had a feeling he’d do well here, and though I’d always done better without friends, I kinda hoped we’d cross paths again.

He would be useful to have on my side.

The pace my owners set had us eating up the distance between the trading post and the forest in no time. We were almost at the tree line when two more lizards burst through the trees, halting our progress. Christ, was I getting a whole welcome parade? Their equally green eyes met Zaay-el’s and they both nodded respectfully. The dude in front smiled happily, saying something in that velvety language—a greeting, I surmised, since it was aimed at the whole group.

He was like a big, hyperactive teenager with too much energy for his gangly limbs to cope with, and already way friendlier than Zaay-el. The guy he was with was shorter by a head, his hair a lighter shade than the others, and though he seemed older, more reserved and wise, he also gave off an air of shyness. He said nothing, but I felt his gaze boring into me—not unkindly, just unsure—whenever he wasn’t making heart eyes at one of the dudes behind me.

I’d have to make an effort to learn all their names so I could get the gossip.

Zaay-el pointed to where the steward and the other humans were waiting, and it finally clicked. These guys were the escorts. Were they all from the same clan? If so, my guy must have conveniently forgotten to mention his desire to purchase a human, since the talkative dude frowned at me before raising a hairless, suspicious brow at Zaay-el.

The asshole just scoffed one of his half-laughs, tail swishing agitatedly behind him as he said something that sounded both amused and dismissive. It was getting pretty annoying being left out of the conversation, but I supposed I’d have to get used to it, being a pet and all. Not that I cared much about what they were saying, but my nosy ass couldn’t even zone out entirely, especially when the young alien’s eyes widened dramatically at me, and he did a double take. His face broke into a winning grin, every single pearly-white fang on show, and I so badly wished the dickwads at A&R had done me a solid and installed that translator, despite the no-tech thing.

I wanted to know why he was looking at me like I could shit gold eggs.

He rested a hand over his heart, bowing, and the only thought in my head was please don’t say I’m their messiah—saving the world and shit was even less desirable than being abducted by aliens. I shuffled on the spot, squirming under the unwanted reverence until the dude straightened and let out a warm, cackling laugh that had me more confused than anything.

Without another word, he smacked Zaay-el’s shoulder, earning a low, threatening growl that he ignored, then wordlessly beckoned the alien behind him to follow. Obviously they were eager to get on with their duties as they both bounded off with hand gestures similar to a wave, leaving me kinda whiplashed and wondering what the hell I was in for.

The trek through the spooky forest seemed never-ending, and okay, it wasn’t as bad as I’d expected, but walking under those dangling, gummy branches for what felt like hours was still not on my list of favorite things to do.

As we ducked and zig-zagged between the trees, they sort of avoided touching us as if there was an unspoken truce between them and the inhabitants. Every time I thought we’d be hit or groped, I’d cringe away, but the branches would lift or sway in the opposite direction. It was intentional, but I didn’t care to know why. Something about the texture and movement wasn’t right, and I was just pleased not to be violated by nature.

Besides, there were worse things competing to freak me out, like all the bare feet trotting around. It was making me nauseous, but I was in no position to judge. Too ugly for the pleasure planet, remember? Maybe they hadn’t invented shoes or socks yet, or they preferred the feeling of not wearing either. I couldn’t relate. I just forced my gaze to the sky and hoped they didn’t make me take off my booties.

Fuck the trees, that shit would end me.

I’d learned the other guys’ names shortly after we entered the forest. When I was bored, my mouth ran away with me, and to me, it made sense to get to know the lizard dudes I’d be spending the rest of my life with—in a very non-harem type of way. There was Oak-taana, Zaay-el’s younger and just as severe-looking brother, which made sense since they were pretty much a copy and paste job. They both had muscles for days and stood the tallest two of the group. The only difference between them was that Oak-taana had black dust smudged around his eyes like war paint and his hair in two braids instead of space buns.

Eyk-layoo scouted ahead, weaving through the trees as if it were muscle memory. He was lean and nimble, his skin a darker red and hair cropped short. From what I’d seen of his face, he was quite pretty—if that was the right word. His features were softer, not as sharply angled as the others. His lashes were thick and long, and though he was well defined, he had more of a gymnast’s body type. He was the only one who didn’t hide his intolerance of my presence. Not that he’d treated me with outright disdain, but after giving me a judgmental once-over, he’d been quick to distance himself. There was an undertone of frostiness in the way he’d thrown his name at me, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out he wasn’t my biggest fan.

Knee-tar seemed the most caring of the bunch. While I was familiar with the backs of the other three, he kept pace with me, his hand hovering between my shoulder blades whenever I stumbled on the uneven ground. He was patient with me, offering encouraging smiles whenever I struggled, and pointing out every single flower we passed. He also picked and hand-fed me alien berries, which I only allowed because he’d looked crestfallen when I’d refused, and call me a pushover, but I couldn’t deal with that. No one had done anything like this for me since I was a kid, and I couldn’t deny that the berries were a refreshing change from a month of Jell-O cubes. They were citrusy and tart, the juices keeping me hydrated without filling me to the point of bloating. It was weird, but kinda… nice? And with my hands still tied and extended straight out as they were because of how Zaay-el motored ahead, I didn’t have much of a choice.

Nor did I actually mind.

It kept me distracted for a time, until my body started to protest the exercise. We’d probably only covered another mile, but my feet weren’t made for the bumpy rainforest floor, and the A&R space booties I wore were practically paper.

I felt everything.

“Are we nearly there yet?” I complained, surprised when Zaay-el answered. He slowed enough to point up at a craggy pink mountain in the distance, and the noise I released was half-whine, half-groan.

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