Page 68 of You're Not My King!

There was only one way to find out.

I turned on my heels, but smacked face first into the chest of a straggler from behind, the beady dickwad grinning from ear to ear. I just had time to gasp and curse my fucking luck before a sack was dragged over my head and the beautiful glade turned black.

Abducted by aliens twice in one lifetime?

Fuck me. I’d just wanted five minutes peace.

REUBEN

To nobody’s immediate surprise, I was taken to the traitor clan I’d been hearing so much about.

The two-day journey alone was an absolute pig. The soles of my feet were rubbed raw, and my wrists under the bindings fared no better—made worse by the bracelet Puka had given me all those weeks ago, chafing in between, but I wouldn’t remove it even if given the choice.

I knew the place was the farthest clan away from mine, but Christ on a stick, was a leveled-out path too much to ask for?

Nothing could beat the dead silence that had accompanied me the entire thirty-odd-mile hike, though. As if I’d needed to be tortured anymore. The rat dudes had proven themselves to be the shittiest travel companions. They were sadistic, totally uncaring that humans had needs, and would only begrudgingly let me stop to piss whenever I threatened to sing “Three Blind Mice” at the top of my lungs the rest of the way. I had even rewarded them with a preview, but they weren’t feeling it. The surly dude with an eye patch, especially, was not impressed.

So fucking rude.

It was safe to say I was tired, sore, and filthy by the time we broke through the tree line, and after a quick scan, maybe even a little terrified. From what I saw, it was run like a prison camp, with armed lizard dudes stationed around the perimeter, and everyone either busy working or marching around in a uniformed line. It was as if I’d teleported to a different planet. While the people looked the same, they acted like… slaves—something I hadn’t seen, despite my initial judgments, in any other clan.

If Zae’l hadn’t picked me up at the trading post, and I’d been escorted here on my first day, I would have gotten exactly what I’d expected from being sold like cattle. This was how I’d imagined life after being abducted by aliens. And yeah, I was glad to have been wrong, but my experience didn’t change the outcome for all the other humans here who hadn’t been so lucky.

I got the vibe that the humans were treated as lesser beings, and while the aliens didn’t look to be regarded much better, they were still on top. Who exactly was the guy in charge? Fiona had told me his name before, but I couldn’t remember. However, if he was the alien responsible for the ambush and Vo’ak almost dying, then I already knew he was a tyrant.

Parading through the camp only strengthened that assumption. It was decent land, more rocky than other parts of U’suhk as it sat right at the bottom of a mountain, but it was kinda run down, like the villain hideouts in every single movie known to humankind. It was still surrounded by greenery—or redery?—with a river trickling through the center, but there was zero personality. No little vegetable patches outside the huts or even a communal fire pit for meals. It was all just really… minimal.

It was also obvious that the place was less visited by Vo’ak and his crew. I was confident it wouldn’t have been so bleak and unhappy, otherwise. Part of the treaty they had was for the Great Leader to leave them to govern themselves without interference—except in cases of treason or broken laws of the planet. The chief apparently skirted around the rules, testing the very limits while also paying their respects when asked and falling into line for appearances so nothing could be done.

I couldn’t imagine the stress Vo’ak had been under, knowing they were deliberately pushing his buttons, trying to get a rise out of him, but not being able to do a damned thing about it until he had proof of an actual violation. Like the attempt on his life that he couldn’t act on because, technically, these rat fuckers were responsible. I wouldn’t lie, I’d probably have killed them all anyway, but I guessed that was why the Great Leader position wouldn’t be passing to me anytime soon.

Or ever.

Hardly anyone eyed me as I passed. There was a quick glance here and there, but they were mostly too focused on their tasks to bother with the newbie. I liked it better that way. It would’ve made me even more of a nervous wreck having beady eyes following my every move.

I, however, did the complete opposite. I was a nosy bitch, sue me. I wanted to get a feel for the peeps I’d be bunking with for the next… hopefully not long. There were definitely more humans here than in any other clan across U’suhk. Not that I’d been to many, but from what Fiona had told me, there was a pretty even distribution. I’d already counted three in one little corner of the camp, so I dreaded to think how many more there would be.

We passed a small group of aliens preparing their latest kills, and my stomach did a somersault. I’d never entertained the idea of becoming a vegetarian—I liked meat and hated vegetables—but did these dudes have to be so fucking brutal? It felt unnecessary. Before I could look away, though, something familiar caught my eye, or rather, someone. I did a double take, and my steps faltered.

Tanner.

Or Ben, I couldn’t remember. It was the dude I’d arrived with, the scary-looking, tattooed mountain of a man. He was there, nestled in between two aliens, skinning and cleaning the rabbit-thing in his hands. I almost tripped over thin air, and Tanner must’ve clocked the fumble, because he glanced up at me, brows rising briefly in recognition before returning to his natural stony mask. I’d forgotten about him, which I felt shitty about now considering he’d ended up here of all places. He did kinda seem to fit in, though, and by the looks of him, I doubted he’d let anyone push him around, so he was probably doing okay.

Or that was what I would tell myself.

One of the rat guys nudged at my back, barking something at me that sounded like, “Keep moving.”

“Alright, alright,” I grumbled. “Chill out, jeez.”

We reached the biggest hut at the far end of the camp, and the rope tying my wrists together was tugged harshly by the guy in front, dragging me into line beside another human who lingered outside. I was left there with an uninterested Ly’zrd guard while the rat dudes stepped into the tent to do God knew what—probably haggling for the best price.

“A-Are you new here, t-too?” the guy beside me whisper-stuttered, sidling closer to me when our jailor wasn’t paying attention. He looked younger than me, no more than twenty or twenty-one, and had that kind of innocent, golden-boy shine to him. The dirty blond hair and tanned skin—not to mention those doe eyes and the freckles across his nose—made me wonder why the fuck he was here and not on the pleasure planet. He was pretty. Not my type, but I couldn’t see any “ugly” attributes. Had he been picked up by mistake, too, or was he just not alien bait?

He probably didn’t meet the height restrictions.

He was kinda short.

“Uh, no. I’m from another clan.” I held up my bound wrists, laughing wryly. “Been kidnapped.”

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