Mated (The Sandaki Book 1) (4 page)

“So if I wanted to hear something else, what would I do? This noise has gotten on my last nerve.”

“You are stirring up trouble.” Isha smiled. “All you need to do is speak aloud what you would like to hear, and it will change.”

“I doubt if they have anything I’m familiar with.”

“The Silarin download most of the arts from the planets they raid. They want to understand their new acquisitions and think that art is the best way to do that.”

“Really?” Laira smiled, wondering what her captors thought of the reality shows, which ran most nights on every station. If they imagined that would highlight her planet, they were so wrong. “Okay, let’s give this a try.” She thought briefly, “I would like to hear Katy Perry, please. From Earth,” she added. A second later, “E.T.” eased out over the room. She laughed aloud then laughed again at the faces of the people around her. They were a cross between stunned and cringing.

Laira pulled Isha up. “Come on.”

“What are we doing?”

“Dancing,” Laira said, beginning to move to the music. Damn, she felt good, as she shifted her body to the beat. Even being naked didn’t bother her. It just felt good hearing music from her home. Laira whipped her hair around as she swished her hips in a belly-dancing move she had learned from one of her many classes.

Glancing around, she found Isha tentatively joining in with her. Isha moved sensuously as if she swam through the music. She waved her arms in fascinating patterns as the song changed and “Dark Horse” began. As they danced, more of the residents of the room joined them. Laira felt as if she were in a wild club with all the naked women surging and swirling around her. She closed her eyes and moved to the beat as it swept through her body. The music vibrated through her nerves, and, impossibly, she began to get wet. Laira felt sexy and wanton dancing nude, imagining her men from the shower watching and wanting her.

She opened her eyes as she slid her hands silkily across her heated skin. The lighting in the room had dimmed, creating a dreamlike atmosphere enhanced by the shifting and swirling shadows of the other women. Soon, the sensation of skin rubbing against her own made her turn. She found the woman she’d met the first day, Chal, with the beautiful copper coloring, stroking against her like a cat. Without a thought, Laira stepped toward her, until their bodies bumped and eased against one another. Softness against softness; copper against pale white. In her old life, she would never have imagined doing anything like that. This wasn’t her old life, and Laira had a horrible suspicion she was never going to see it again. Taking a deep breath, she danced, reveling in the contact of the women around her; sensing the old Laira quietly slip away, making room for a woman to be reckoned with.

“Are you the one who changed the music?”

Laira opened her eyes to find a woman with beautiful onyx skin standing beside the couch where she lounged. Golden eyes examined her violet ones. Laira figured this must be Garja. Laira studied her curiously; she was truly a beauty with heavy hair pulled into tiny braids and a body to kill for. Of course, they all had that. The Silarin had made sure of it. Bastards.

“I surely did,” Laira said. Why should she lie? She had as much right to listen to music as anyone else did, right?

Garja plopped down beside her. “I like it. I was getting so tired of hearing the music from my home, but no one else ever requested anything. And the silence is even worse. It is like a death chamber.”

Laira sat up, smiling. “I’m Laira, and I’m glad you like the music. I think it stunned most everyone when it first came on.”

“Garja, and yes, you are right. I like it that there are words with your music. My home does not have anything like that.”

Laira sat and talked with Garja throughout the afternoon. What the other women assumed was high-handed behavior, Laira realized, was actually a take-charge attitude. Garja had taken a totally suck butt situation and had tried to make the best of it. Laira found herself really liking her, and, as Isha joined them, the three women talked of their home worlds and laughed. Laira found herself almost content but knew it would not last. One day soon, the Silarin would reach whatever destination they had in mind and attempt to auction them off like so many cattle.

“We’re getting ready to exercise,” Laira said to Garja. “If you want to join us, then you’re more than welcome.”

“Is there a purpose to this…exercise?”

Laira laughed. “Sort of. I’m trying to build up my strength, and Isha does it with me because she’s awesome.”

Laira decided to keep the real reason for what they did to herself. She didn’t know Garja so didn’t want to take the chance the other girl would run to the Silarin. She’d wait and see and if she decided Garja was trustworthy then she’d tell her how she wanted to bust out of their gray prison. She knew the time was coming that the Silarin would attempt to sell them. Laira tried not to dwell on the whole sex slave thing. Sex, to her, happened between two people because they liked and wanted one another. It had nothing to do with money and power, but that’s what the Silarin were doing. They were pimps, and the people they were selling were high-priced whores. The idea almost made her throw up. She shoved away her thoughts since they were useless. She needed to focus on the here and now.

As the three of them began to stretch, Chal came up and watched them a moment then joined in. Laira smiled as she and Isha showed the others the training circuit they’d created. She didn’t know if the other two would stick around permanently, but for the moment it was fun to work out with a small group.

Once they finished and took showers, Garja and Chal joined Isha and Laira for a meal. The four of them sat and talked. Laira thought it resembled a really weird first date, at first hesitant, then more comfortable once they got to know one another. It was funny how much they had in common, though they were from different worlds.

The four women began to spend all their time together so, naturally, Chal and Garja joined Laira and Isha for the daily exercise routine. After a few days, all four of them ran easily. Laira still couldn’t believe she had somehow made not just one friend, but three. Life was so totally strange.

They finished their jog and began to do the rest of the routine. The other women sitting around began to slowly congregate and try the things the four women did. Soon, the whole room was doing, or attempting to do, push-ups, crunches, and jumping jacks. Laira figured by the end of the week, the whole place would look like a big half-naked gym. If they had enough time, they might be strong enough to offer some kind of resistance to the Silarins. Then they could take over the ship… And what? Laira had no idea, but knew she couldn't allow the sale to go through, not if she could help it. She planted the seed in the back of her mind and hoped some kind of plan would take shape.

After they’d showered, Laira spread out on a pile of pillows. The other women seemed to be a little peppier after the exercise, which was good. The Silarin guard standing by the door looked vaguely bored, or at least that’s what Laira assumed. The lone person assigned to the room stood in the same spot and never moved until someone came to spell…him? She wasn’t even sure of the sex of the person watching them. Not that it mattered. If he or she was a Silarin, that equaled enemy.

Garja eased onto the pillows beside Laira. The woman appeared worried, which put Laira on alert. Garja had never looked that way before, or hadn’t for the few weeks Laira had known her. She could feel a ball of acid begin to build in her belly.

“The Silarin have set up a private auction which will take place soon.”

“Shit,” Laira muttered. “When?”

“I do not know. I overheard two of the guards talking.” Garja glanced around to make sure no one else was listening to them. “The Silarin are attempting to do this in secret so they will not have to pay the Slaver’s Guild any profit.”

“Slaver’s Guild? There’s such a thing?”

“Yes. All slave auctions take place on a station called Abos. The Guild provides a secure place for the sale to go forward, and in return they are paid a percentage.”

“So the Silarin are going to try and cheat these people?”

“That is the idea.”

“How much danger are we in? Okay, beyond the fact that they are going to sell us like a bunch of cattle?”

“Cattle?” Garja shook her head. “I do not know what this is.”

“It’s a creature on Earth that is bred for milk and food. Are we in danger?”

Garja leaned even closer. “Yes.”

Laira nodded, feeling the knots in her stomach grow tighter. What could be worse than being sold as a sex slave? The thought was almost dizzying.

“We will be entering Sandaki space very soon. This is where the Silarin think no one will find them.”

“Okay.” Laira nodded. “I guess I don’t get it. Who are the Sandaki, and what does it matter we’re in their space?”

“They are the most fearsome warriors in the galaxy. They are highly territorial and savage in their protection of what belongs to them.”

“Damn.” She slumped back on the couch. “What do the Silarin think they’re doing? Do they think these people won’t find out we’re here?”

“I do not know.” Garja shook her head, braids swaying with the motion. “I have a horrible feeling we will find out what the Sandaki will do.”

“So what’s the plan?”

“Plan? We cannot make plans for something like this.”

“Why not?” Laira leaned forward. “We have nothing to do with what the Silarin do. We’re just prisoners.”

“The Sandaki do not care. They do not take prisoners, ever.”

“Fuck.”

“Exactly,” Garja whispered. “I will find Chal and tell her. You tell Isha.” She rose and walked away.

Laira leaned back against the pillows and stared at the ceiling. How could the Silarin be so stupid? Did they actually think they could invade someone else’s territory, have a secret auction, and slip away unnoticed? Hell, what did she know about it anyway? She was a woman from a planet that had only walked on their own moon. There was nothing in her experience to prepare her for any of this. If she knew people, and Laira felt she did, and these Sandaki were as fierce as everyone thought, there was no way anyone could slip into their space unnoticed. She just hoped that when the time came, they would actually be open and listen and not just kill the prisoners out of hand. Then again, if they were men, what would she expect? Bastards. All of them were heartless bastards. From the men who’d used her mother to the Silarin who’d kidnapped her, every single one of them was an asshole that so needed to get kicked.

Laira gave a short laugh.
And what? You’re Super Girl and can fix all this? Singlehandedly, without a cape. You’ll crush them into dust. Get a grip, girl. Just take everything one day at a time and hope you’re alive to meet the next one. That was depressing.
She rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in the covers.
But what do you expect? Sunshine and roses? Hell, you’ve just gotten vaguely used to being here and now an auction is looming. What to do? Well not give up, that’s for sure. You’ve made it this far, you can keep going.

“Laira, what’s wrong?”

She turned over to find Isha watching her quizzically. She sat up and patted the spot next to her. She related everything Garja had told her.

“This is not good, not good at all.” Isha twined a lock of her emerald hair around one finger. “The Sandaki are feared, and for good reason. Their battle ability is enormous. The known worlds are terrified of them.”

“So what do these guys look like?”

“No one knows, because no one can get close enough to find out. They guard their territory. Period. I have heard of whole fleets disappearing because they entered Sandaki space.”

“Wow, we’re royally fucked. Okay, so we still need some kind of plan.”

“Plan for what?”

“Isha, no matter what, the Silarin are going to try and pull off this auction. And as soon as they do, the Sandaki are going to be on them. We need to figure out how to make sure none of us die in the cross fire.”

“I wish I had words of comfort for you.” Isha leaned forward to grasp Laira’s hands. “The Sandaki are predators, and no matter what the reason, we are in their region. I cannot see how we will get out of this.”

Laira nodded, but her gut did not agree. No matter what, she was not going to die. Not after everything she’d been through. She refused to give up.

Laira felt rough hands shake her awake. For a brief moment, she thought she was a kid again, and her mom was waking her up to leave so she could entertain a boyfriend. She opened her eyes to find a gray, squat alien standing beside her bed. Nope, not mom. She shook her head and sat up as the Silarin ordered her to stand and join the other slaves.

“Fucker,” she mumbled under her breath and brushed her sleep-tousled hair out of her face.

She stumbled over to join Isha, Chal and Garja. The Silarin escorted the group from the bay, down a long hallway, and through an unfamiliar door. Her stomach clenched. Could it be that the auction was here? She looked around, trying to assess the situation. If she were to going to fight back, now would be the time. She tried to shake off the sleep and watched carefully as they entered a huge room. They were descended on by Silarin, who proceeded to buff and shine each person. Just like pampered show dogs, she thought as she too was guided to a chair to begin the process.