“What the fuck! Let me go!”
“Don’t fight it, man! They always get what they want,” a deep voice called out, using Standard, a language used by many races to facilitate trade. He’d tried using it with Laylla in the hopes that she knew it, but she’d just stared at him blankly. But it seemed that someone here knew it! Thank God! Now he’d actually be able to communicate with these people. He looked over at where the voice had come from, and one of the older men waved at him cheerfully.
“You speak Standard? How?” he called out.
“I’ll tell you later, once they’ve cleaned you up. Don’t fight it!” he yelled back as the two women pulled him through an open doorway and into a smaller room. In the middle of the room rested a large bath, but it was like nothing he’d seen before. It looked like it had been carved from a piece of stone and could hold about four people. The water inside it had steam rising from it, so it had to be warm. The women stopped and let him go. But they didn’t leave. Instead they stood there, waiting.
“What are you waiting for?” he snapped. “You can go.”
One of them gestured at him then pointed at the bath.
“Yeah, I’m gonna get in as soon as you leave. Haven’t you ever heard of privacy?”
They appeared confused and spoke quickly to each other. Then one moved forward and pulled at his clothes. He slapped at her hands and attempted to push her away. But she wrapped her hair around his wrists, pulling them behind his back.
“Let me go!” he yelled. Damn, it might be sexy when Laylla bound him, but right now, he was furious. He’d never felt this helpless in his life.
Suddenly, the woman ripped at his clothing, tearing the now useless pieces of cloth from his body until he stood there, naked.
“This is not okay,” he told the bitch who just stared at him calmly. What the hell was wrong with these people? “What am I supposed to wear now?”
The female stepped back and pointed at the bath. He glared at her but stomped over to the bath. At least it would provide some protection from their gazes. He felt like a piece of meat on display.
“Don’t think Laylla won’t be hearing about this,” he muttered. Not that he had any way of telling her, and for all he knew she’d ordered this. Although he didn’t think she had. He was pretty certain those old bats had something to do with this.
Another female turned up and tried to wash him, but he flung her hands away. “Do not touch me.”
Surprisingly they let him bathe on his own, although the two women who had dragged him in stood at the entrance to the room and chatted. When the water had cooled, and he thought he could no longer procrastinate, he stood and looked for a towel. One of the women called out something, and the female who had attempted to bathe him appeared with a large, thin fur.
When he stepped out of the bath, she tried to pat him dry. He growled at her and snapped the fur out of her hands. “I’ll dry myself, thanks very much. And what do you expect me to wear now?” he snapped at the other women. “You ruined my clothes.”
They watched him suspiciously. He was wrapping the fur around himself, figuring that would have to do when another female came in, holding up one of those skirt-like garments the other males had worn.
Oh, fuck no.
***
Laylla wiped the sweat from her face as she made her way down to bathe in the stream. She’d worked until near nightfall on the wall, trying to use the physical exertion as a distraction to stop herself from worrying too much about Rich. Now she had just enough time to bathe before it grew dark.
“Laylla, wait up!”
She gritted her teeth, forcing back her irritation as she turned and waited for Amira to catch up. She liked Amira, she was her friend, but right now she wished to be alone with her thoughts.
“I should warn you, I am not good company right now.”
“You are worried about your male.” Amira bumped into her as they walked along, her limp more pronounced tonight. Laylla knew better than to ask her if she was okay, though. It was a sensitive subject, and none of them liked to admit to weakness, Amira included.
“Yes,” she said simply.
“I have heard that he is giving them trouble.”
Laylla stopped, alarmed. “Is he well? What is wrong?”
“He didn’t want to be bathed, and he seemed to protest rather vehemently to being clothed.” Amira looked confused. “Did he want to go naked? Considering that he cannot speak or understand our language he does seem to have a way of getting his thoughts across.”
She bit back a smile. “Yes, he does. They have not harmed him?”
Amira’s eyes widened. “Of course not. He will be abed soon.”
Yes, and somebody else would be easing him before he slept. Jealousy swept through her, shocking her with its intensity. It was not normal to become jealous over a male, not even a claimed male. Yes, it should be her responsibility to take care of his needs, but there would be times she couldn’t be around to do that. When she would have to entrust others to take care of his needs.
That thought made her uneasy. She shouldn’t feel this possessive over a male. It was not the way of her people. Yet, Rich was different. And sometimes she didn’t always believe their ways were best.
“Laylla, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Really? Because you look angry.”
Laylla glanced down at her clenched fists and forced herself to relax them. “It is nothing. He does not understand what is happening.”
“You sound like you…care about him.”
Laylla forced himself to laugh. “Of course not. Only as much as one should care about their claimed male. He is mine to protect. I merely want to ensure his health and well-being.”
Amira looked skeptical but nodded.
“I must bathe. I will see you in the morning.”
“Sure.”
***
Rich lay back on the furs and stared up at the ceiling. After his bath and being forced to wear this ridiculous skirt-like thing, he’d been marched back into the main area and plonked down on some furs. Plates of food had appeared soon after, and despite his wish to fight the good fight and rebel against these evil bitches, he was starving.
He was going to need to keep his strength up if he was going to escape, anyway.
His gut clenched at the thought of leaving Laylla. Of not saying goodbye. But there was nothing else he could do. There were less than four days until his team arrived. It could take him that long to get back to his crashed ship.
If he could even find it.
He looked around the large room. Most of the men were engaged in conversation or eating. Surely, it wouldn’t be too hard to escape once night fell. There were a few females around, but most of their attention was occupied in catering to the men’s needs. He spotted one male getting a blow job from the female who’d tried to bathe him earlier. All their needs it seemed.
“No privacy around here, I’m afraid.” The male from earlier sat next to him with a groan. “Sorry, old bones.”
Rich turned to him, grateful to have someone who understood him. And who might have an idea of the best way out of here. Although if that were possible wouldn’t this male have left already? He didn’t look like the other males, his skin didn’t have that deep bronzed look, and he was taller, a bit rounder in the middle as well.
“I’m Nate.”
Rich took the hand he offered. “Rich. You’re not from here.”
Nate chuckled. “What gave it away? No, I’m from Linida. I was part of an expedition that landed here about thirty years ago. When I heard you yelling in a strange language I figured you might speak Standard.”
“What happened to the rest of your crew?” he asked.
“They left after discovering this planet is matriarchal. I decided to stay.”