Page 78 of Warrior
A family.
It didn’t matter where they went as long as they were together.
Wrapped in each other’s arms, they were home.
Epilogue
Clara
My first few weeks as an alien abductee hadn't been all that bad—all things considered.
They’d fed me well, decked me out in grandeur, and the best part was the machine that de-aged my body a good thirty-plus years. I didn’t even mind the copious amounts of alien porn always available on the holographic projector in my private room.
Of course, when you took into consideration, I now lived aboard an alien whorehouse, and the "porn" served as training videos, so I’d know how to pleasure any manner of alien species. Well, my situation turned from"not so bad"to "downright terrifying."
Still, if someone had to end up in an alien bordello, out of all my friends, I’m glad it was me. While I didn’t relish what awaited beyond the carved wooden door to my gilded cage, I expected to handle this particular scenario better than my friends.
Honestly, I’d enjoyed exploring parts of the seven-floor bastion of hedonism, like Vegas on steroids.
Lots of steroids.
The first floor hosted a massive restaurant, where an army of chefs turned out the most delicious dishes imaginable. Granted, it wasn’t Earth food, but I’d still gained a pound or two since arriving a few weeks ago. The second floor devotedto gambling was kind of fun, especially watching what stood in for horse racing in this section of the universe. I’d even won a few credits, the money system for aliens reminded me of thin, metallic poker chips. The third floor, where the addicts reveled in the copious amounts of drugs and alcohol provided.... I stayed away from there, never had been my cup of tea.
I’d rather stay away from level four as well, home to twenty-four-hour strippers, sex shows, and porn. Unfortunately, the alien, who thinks of herself as my new owner, insisted I visit this level for training purposes. Granted, I learned a new move or two, but the genitals on some alien species were the stuff of nightmares.
I knew the fifth level well since it was home to girls like me, although I was the only human among the hundreds of prostitutes aboard the ship. The sixth level was devoted to fighting. Thankfully, I wasn’t required to visit there, which left the seventh level.
I wasn’t exactly sure what happened on the ship's lowest level, only what the other girls whispered. Which was that nobody ever returned from the seventh level.
Ever.
Thankfully, the creature calling herself my owner seemed relatively nice for running a brothel. She was a species called Ntavian and genetically modified to give and receive pleasure. There were rumors she possessed two vaginas, but I couldn’t get past the six breasts she always shoved in my face to worry about her undercarriage. Luarian ensured I felt comfortable in my good-sized, albeit gaudily decorated room, and kept me dressed and fed well. She also allowed me time to acclimate to my new life aboard her ship, the Hartouk Lenaii.
But that time was up.
When she visited my room this morning, it was to relay in no uncertain terms, that I needed to entertain my first clientwithin the next twenty-four hours. If not, I would be put on the auction block. Luarian might seem nice, but she was a businesswoman, and apparently, the amount of money paid for me was too much not to generate some sort of return.
There was no telling what kind of Jello blob, hedgehog, or praying mantis-looking alien would pay the exorbitant sum for an hour of my time, but I knew exactly which alien would buy me.
He’d already offered—several times.
The creature made me think of a walking, talking teddy bear. If that teddy bear was the star of a psycho horror movie. He’d smacked his lips and ran his long, thick tongue over his fangs as he gazed at me, which made my stomach bottom out with fear. And this was before I’d learned that his species, the Kerzak, enjoyed the taste of human flesh.
I had no choice if I wanted to stay alive.
Tonight, for the first time in four years, I would have sex... with an alien stranger.
I wasn't a prude like my friend Daisy, but I hadn't touched another man since my husband Curtis died. I’d gone on dates with the handful of men my friends in the Tuesday night Outlander Book club set me up with, but when it came time for intimacy... I balked.
Curtis was the love of my life. My hero. Being intimate with anyone else just felt wrong.
But tonight, I had to put those feelings aside. Maybe just sex for the sake of sex alone would be easier to get through. There would be nocamaraderie, no getting to know one another. Just pure carnal action. Slam, bam, thank you, ma'am, pay the cashier, and goodbye.
I just needed to deal with being completely grossed out by whoever darkened my doorway.
Maybe I’d get lucky, and it would be him.
I’d only seen him once, but it left a lasting impression.
Tall, muscular, and dressed head to toe in black leather with thick, dark brown hair piled into a loose, sexy man bun. His skin was golden suede, highlighted at his shoulders with black tattoos resembling Nike swooshes. His most stunning feature was his eyes, like nuggets of gold floating in a cobalt sea. Those eyes tickled my skin when I’d caught him watching as Luarian led me and a few other girls from dinner one night.
At first, I thought he was watching my companions, exotic alien beauties, all of them. But then our eyes met, and he’d given a slow nod, his golden gaze traveling over my body. I may not have six boobs, but with my twenty-something body, I was no slouch. From the smile that curved his broad, full mouth—he didn’t think so either.
That moment was four days ago, and I hadn’t seen him since. Although, the sight of him stayed with me, especially when fear of what sort of hideous alien might buy my body taunted me in the dark. He was on my mind when I sent up a silent prayer for what loomed on my horizon.
It might not be so bad if my first client looked like him.
Hell, I might even enjoy it.
