Page 51 of Kidnapped By the Beast
Well, congratulations, Lexi. You’ve officially wandered into the alien version of the bad neighborhood. Now how the hell do you get out of here?
The stalls here were nothing like the bright bazaar in the part of the market she’d come from. They all seemed to be selling something dangerous or off-putting.
At one stall, gleaming knives and blades were displayed on black velvet, each one curved or hooked in sinister ways. Some had jagged, serrated edges, others were smooth but etched with runes that seemed to pulse faintly in the low light. One massive blade had a handle carved from what looked like bone. The vendor, a pale Terian with sharp teeth, ran his fingers lovingly over its edge until a bead of purple blood welled up. He licked it off and smiled at her.
Lexi shivered and moved faster. No thank you—she didn’t want anything to do with that.
The next stall was stacked with bottles and vials, their contents swirling in strange colors—inky black that seemed to suck in the light…glowing green that cast a sickly halo around them…viscous crimson that clung to the glass like blood. Labels in curling Terian script marked each one. She didn’t need a translation to guess they were either potions or poisons or some combination of the two. Again, no thank you.
Lexi moved on.
The next stall made her cheeks heat instantly. A row of Terian-shaped mannequins displayed various harnesses made of many straps studded with metal spikes. There were also clamps of every size, some glowing faintly as if electrified. Rods of translucent crystal hummed and vibrated faintly, stacked beside rings bristling with tiny barbs. A padded bench with shackles at both ends stood off to one side, obviously for demonstration purposes.
Lexi swallowed hard. Great—an alien BDSM emporium. Just what I needed to see today. At least she was glad Dr. Brandt wasn’t here with her—this display might give him some new ideas on how to “stimulate her nectar production.” Just thinking of that made her blush harder.
She walked on but everywhere she looked, the goods grew more ominous and overtly sexual. A merchant displayed a rack of long, needle-thin instruments that gleamed under the torchlight. He was explaining in a low, pleased voice to a customer that they could pierce “just beneath the nipple for maximum nectar yield.”
Another offered belts designed with rigid rods built in—meant to keep a woman spread open while she was “milked from both ends,” judging by the lurid sketch on the sales banner.
Lexi’s stomach twisted. She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling horribly exposed. The green top she wore, the one she’d been so relieved to find, seemed to glow like a neon sign under the dim lights. She really needed to get out of this section of the market.
And that’s when she noticed something strange about the other women she saw around her.
All of them, without exception, were wearing green breast coverings. Dark emerald…pale mint…lime…jade. And the men in this part of the market were staring at them with open, hungry interest.
Lexi’s unease sharpened into dread. What was going on here? It felt wrong—dangerous somehow. She needed to get away.
But before she could turn back the way she’d come, a tall Terian man stepped directly into her path. His skin was deep violet, his four eyes gleaming like polished stones. His smile was slow and predatory as he looked her up and down.
“Well, well, aren’t you a pretty little thing,” he murmured. “How much?”
Lexi blinked.
“I—I’m sorry, what?”
“How much to have you, little off-worlder?” His gaze swept over her chest, lingering in a way that made her nipples feel tight and conspicuous. “You may only have two breasts, but they’re luscious enough to be tempting. Drinking nectar from an off-worlder would be a unique experience. So—how much coin to let me fuck you until you squirt?”
Lexi stared at him in disbelief—she had never been propositioned like this before. For a minute, she couldn’t even speak. But then she found her words.
“Excuse me? Are you asking to buy me? Because the answer is ‘no—absolutely not.”
The Terian man tilted his head, studying her with mild confusion.
“But…I’m offering to pay.”
“I am not for sale!” she snapped, hugging herself tighter.
He pointed directly at her chest.
“Then why are you wearing that?”
“What are you talking about?” Lexi demanded. “Wearing what? I’m dressed like every other woman here!”
“Yes, I know.” He gave her a pitying look, like she was slow. “You’re dressed like a whore.”
Her cheeks burned.
“I am not!”
