Page 39 of My Alien Sunshine

I step in. “She,” I correct him. At his questioning look, I explain, “Cai said she wanted to be considered a female. So…don’t call her ‘it’.”

“Of course.” Laughing, D’Aakh shakes his head. “Like I said, curious. But not dangerous.”

“As if we needed another female on the team,” the winged Quintran, Omni, smirks. “Lyriana is already way more than enough. Let’s go already. I can’t wait to buy me some new weapons.”

Lyriana smacks the top of his head. “You do know we’re not really here to shop for weapons?”

“Why not?”

“Because they’re illegal?”

Omni rolls his eyes. “So? We’re outlaws now, we can—”

“No, we can’t!”

“Shut up, both of you,” Tareq interrupts them. “Focus on the mission. Let’s go.”

To my dismay, he hands my chain leash over to Lyriana, who immediately tugs on it, making me stumble. “Come on, slave,” she teases. Bitch.

Tareq and Lyriana take the lead, Astra and I trailing behind our “masters” being led like sheep to the slaughter. Once we pass through the airlock, the Arcade’s guards scan us all for weapons, then direct Tareq to the best locations on the ship to sell his “merchandise”. Even I can tell that these guards are much better trained than the ones Drayth employs.

Entering the main marketplace, I find myself both impressed and appalled in equal measure. The place is enormous, larger than the largest market on the Farpoint Gateway. It’s difficult to believe we’re still on a ship. The stalls stretch as far as the eye can see and the ceiling is so high that the ambient yellow lighting creates the perfect illusion of daylight.

If the local aliens were selling fruit or kitchen wares, it would be a wonderful place. Instead, I see a peddler offering samples of O to anyone who passes by. An Ataxi a few stalls down is selling prosthetic limbs riddled with secret compartments and weapon attachments. Another is surrounded by dozens of cages containing various animals I don’t recognize.

D’Aakh and Omni separate from us to peruse the weapons stores while we head deeper into the chaos of the marketplace.

I hear it before I see it. An auction. It’s rather old-fashioned in its set up, with a crowd of aliens yelling their offers at the auctioneer who’s standing tall on a raised platform in the center of the plaza. Next to him stands a young, short Katerelan, his blue skin paled into a washed out shade of gray. He’s completely naked, his trembling body covered in lash marks.

Without even realizing it, I take a step toward him. To what ends, I don’t know. Something, anything. The sharp yank on my chain has me stumbling backward. “Not now,” Lyriana hisses.

To an outsider, she must look completely aloof, unmoved by the scene unfurling just a few feet from us. But I can see how the corners of her eyes crinkle as she plasters on her furious scowl. How her fingers grip the chain tightly enough to turn her knuckles white and her mouth tightens into a thin line. She’s furious and for once, it’s not at me.

As we make our way through the crowds, someone touches my hair, quickly following it up with a grope of my breasts. “Good,” he grunts, his desire obvious under his bulging pants. “How much?”

Lyriana smirks at him. I think it’s her meanest smirk yet. “More than you can afford. Piss off.” She wraps the chain around her hand a few times to shorten my leash, forcing me to step closer to her. “Stay close,” she orders before adding, “It’s not safe here.”

Well, duh. I suppress the urge to roll my eyes because it’s probably not something a good slave would do.

I do my best not to imagine Ellen being forced to walk this same route. God, she must be terrified! Is Faelin with her? Is he protecting her like he promised? I want to believe that he is keeping his promise, but with all of the disappointment I’ve been through, it’s difficult.

Would he leave Ellen behind to save himself? Eyeing the short length of chain between my collar and Lyriana’s hand, I dismiss the idea. Even this female, who openly dislikes me, is risking her life to save my daughter. And Faelin…well, he doesn’t dislike me, which is a miracle given everything I did to him.

Will he still want me once all of this is over? A whore with a half-alien child? I’m not exactly high up on the “date-ability” scale. And why do I even care? It’s not like I want to stay with him. Do I?

Lyriana suddenly stops and stays motionless for a few seconds. “Alright, thanks,” she says into her comm. Fortunately, the guards let the crew keep them, so we can communicate easily. She grabs my collar, pulling me close to whisper into my ear. “D’Aakh found the location of the transfer cells.” Before I can ask her anything, she adds, “Sorry about this.”

The slap is so fast I don’t see it coming but my cheek feels the after effects. Even though Lyriana was clearly holding back, it still hurts like a motherfucker. “Stupid bitch,” she shouts. “Will you never learn?!”

“I-I’m sorry, M-Mistress,” I stutter, playing along with whatever she has in mind. If it gets me to Ellen, she can slap me all she wants.

“Sorry?” Lyriana repeats mockingly. “You will be sorry. Excuse me?” she asks the nearest guard. “Is there somewhere private I can rent out to discipline my slave? A cell, maybe?”

Tareq joins us, dragging Astra along by her wrist. “Is the bitch giving you trouble again?” he asks, shaking his head. “You’re really bad at training them, L. Look at mine.” He gestures at Astra. “Perfectly obedient. Aren’t you, sweetheart?” Grabbing Astra’s hair, he pulls her in for a passionate kiss, then gives Lyriana a smug smile. “See?”

“Shut up, asshole,” Lyriana barks. “So, is there anywhere available for rent?” she asks the grinning guard, her glare sharp enough to skewer him.

“You can discipline her here. No one will mind,” the guard suggests. The audience we’ve picked up agrees wholeheartedly. Lyriana just stares at the guard, unswayed by his suggestion, or the crowd’s enthusiasm. “But if you do want something private,” the guard continues, seeing she won’t be swayed, “you can use one of our transfer cells. Charges apply, though.”

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