He stroked her flushed cheek with his thumb. “It’s over now, pet.”
Her breath slowly quieted. She still lay folded over the edge of the bed, rosy red ass on display.
His cock stirred. He wanted her again. But he wouldn’t take her. She needed a good meal and some rest. Tomorrow, he could whip her again, if he liked. Take it slow and show her how pain could bring pleasure when applied just right.
He stood up. “I’ll get you some food. Crawl up in the bed. Don’t move from it, or I’ll punish you again when I return, and I’ll make that last beating seem like a caress. Understand?”
She immediately obeyed, crawling up to flop on her belly on the bed.
He gripped one ass cheek, thumb nested down against her anus, and gave it a possessive shake. “Answer me, pet.”
“Yes, master—I mean, Rok.”
“Good girl.” Satisfaction at her easy obedience made his chest hum. She didn’t seem resentful over her punishment, which came as a relief.
He slipped out and locked the door from the outside, setting the controls so only his handprint opened the door from either side. Almost immediately, his body rebelled at being apart from her. He wanted to keep her close, as if her body provided some energy he required just to live.
Jaso and Janu were in the kitchen, preparing a basic meal of grain, dried fruit, and erk bird meat. Both his foster brothers narrowed their eyes and watched him with an accusing stare as he walked in and dished a helping into a bowl.
He didn’t require food as often as most species—only once every dozen planet rotations, as long as he stopped at Zander’s pod for a crystal recharge at least once a month. Growing up on Stornig without the crystals, he’d had to eat more frequently, and even then had been weak and unhealthy. He hated that he needed to recharge with something he didn’t control, although Zander never charged his species for their use, and made his palace open once a week to those who needed it.
“I seriously hope you have a plan for recuperating the steins you just lost us in taking that ship-stealing piece of human filth,” Janu said.
“You’re going to turn her in for the warrant money or sell her to the Zandian prince so he has a twin set, right?” Jaso challenged.
His lip curled, annoyance flashing through him. He may very well have been planning to bring her to Zander, requesting, of course, compensation for the loss he took in “rescuing” her. But his brother’s insinuation that Lily would become Zander’s second sex slave bothered the piss out of him. So did the reference to her as human filth.
He didn’t know much about humans, but they seemed to be of great use to the Ocretions, and this particular one was not unpleasant to look at it. To say the least.
“Yes,” Janu jumped in. “Please tell us this isn’t about getting your big purple cock sucked by a pretty little mouth, because we could’ve bought you a human slave a year ago and saved all of us a world of trouble.”
He scowled, tempted to stalk away without giving either one of them an answer.
But that wasn’t fair. They had suffered as much as he had as a result of Lily’s deception. Of course, it wasn’t all her—there had been close to two dozen other stowaways who’d helped her take the ship.
“I plan to punish her, which you know I shall enjoy, and then, yes, collect a ransom on her, either from Prince Zander or the Ocretion slave enforcement.”
A smirk formed on Jaso’s lips, appeased now that Rok had admitted to his fetish.
“I’m not thinking entirely with my giant purple cock.”
Janu tossed a cleaning cloth at his face. He ducked and let it fly over his back.
“You sharing her?”
That same current of irritation ran through him. “No,” he growled. Then, realizing he’d spoken too sharply, he tried to make it light. “I thought you considered her
filth, anyway.”
Now Janu smirked, too. “Beautiful filth. That Zander knew what he was doing when he bought her sister.”
His teeth clenched. “Right.”
Discussing Lily and her sister had become no less annoying to him, so he picked up the food and left the twins to their own meal.
In his chamber, Lily appeared to have obeyed, still lying in the position he’d left her. The sight made something high in his chest squeeze. A fierce, protective urge rose in him. This fragile human, this delicate, lovely female’s safety lay in his hands now. He would make sure to keep her safe.
She lifted her head, eyes on the food, and a pang for not feeding her first ran through him. She hadn’t eaten for several planet rotations, judging from the attention she paid the bowl. She eased up to kneel, wincing when her ass hit her heels then choosing instead to stand on her knees.