His Human Vessel (Zandian Masters 5)

Please.

Where would a human slave go? And why would she leave the incredibly luxurious comforts of her current situation? Her life had suddenly improved in almost every aspect—from food to surroundings to her new master. She wasn’t going to make a run for it and risk the Ocretion death penalty for runaway slaves.

Nope, she wasn’t stupid. She’d lucked into a decent situation for the first time in her life and she intended to work it to her advantage as long as she could. She just needed to figure out how to stay here but avoid the pregnancy part.

~.~

Daneth held the chain attached to Bayla’s collar and escorted her down the corridor. Her full lips parted as she took in her surroundings. “Where are we?” she breathed.

Since he hadn’t spoken to her first, he didn’t answer. He didn’t want to establish a situation in which she could interrupt his thoughts with every foolish question that popped into her head.

To his satisfaction, she lowered her eyes and muttered, “Forgive me, Master.”

Excellent. A quick learner.

They passed the great room, and she slowed, drawing in an extended breath. He was about to jerk the chain to hurry her up when he caught the childlike wonder in her eyes. Against his better judgment, he slowed his steps. “This is the great room, where Prince Zander receives his species once a week.”

“It’s...incredible.” She craned her neck to take in the vaulted ceiling and crystal-amplified skylights.

He never paid attention to his surroundings, but, seeing it through her eyes, he supposed Zander’s palatial pod was quite opulent.

He and several other palace officials had managed to get the young prince out of Zandia alive, along with enough Zandian crystal to purchase this pod. When Zander became a young man, he’d dedicated himself to strategic trade, increasing his wealth exponentially. Enough to fund the war to take back their planet.

It was Daneth’s life’s work to ensure there were Zandians left to inhabit it when that finally happened. Encouraging the young prince to mate had been his first project. Now that the next being in the royal line had been conceived, he’d returned his focus to the project involving Bayla, his intended vessel.

“Master, please tell me—what is this place?”

He could hardly issue a rebuke when she asked so sweetly. Veck, the way she stared up at him with those pleading blue eyes made his resolve crumble to pieces. But he was smart enough to know that it was an act on her part. She’d learned to play the part of obedient slave and eager sex kitten. It was probably what kept her from beatings or ill-treatment.

“You’re in the Zandian palatial pod, temporary home to Prince Zander, until we retake our planet.”

He saw the flicker of intelligence as she digested that information. Yes, she may play the part of a simpleton, a childlike female who’d learned to be docile and subservient, but he’d be wise not to underestimate his beautiful human.

“Where is the pod? There is sunlight here.”

“We are stationed in Ocretion airspace, above their planet. They granted Prince Zander asylum when we lost Zandia.”

“How did you lose your planet, Master?”

“The Finn overtook it and killed most of our species. That is why my work is so important.”

She paled. “H-how many of you are there left?”

“Probably less than two hundred. And most are my age or older. There are no females of breeding age whatsoever.”

She peered up into his face in a way that made his pulse jump. “How old are you, Master?”

Was it wrong that his dick hardened every time she called him master? Stars, he hadn’t expected to get a power trip over owning a slave. It had been a necessity for his experiment, nothing more.

“I’m fifty-two.” Too old for you. Why then, had the urge to breed her overcome him seventeen times since he’d purchased her?

His hand drifted down to mold over one cheek of her ass, bare beneath the tunic. It was a proprietary gesture. He’d given in to the urge to touch that soft flesh simply because he could. She belonged to him and her body was his to train, touch, and use as he required.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw flashing on his cuff. Thirty percent aroused.

His cock thickened. His fingers twitched toward her core, wondering if he’d find her slippery and wet between her legs again. But this behavior was foolish. He had things to do, and the girl hadn’t been fed yet.

He gave her ass a light slap. “Let’s go, slave.”