“Come on, time for our daily walk.”
“A walk? Are you serious?”
Nate laughed. “Exercise is good. Stops us from going soft.”
Rich stood and walked beside him. “Hate to tell you this, old man. But you’ve already gone soft.”
“That I have. That I have.” They walked out into the village in rows of two. Now, this held possibilities of escape. He surveyed the area, noticing at least eight females watching the thirty-odd males. Not great odds of escape when they were equipped with that freaky hair.
Shit. He didn't like his chances.
They were walked slowly through the village, and he took in as much as he could, knowing he might need to figure his way out of here quickly, and in the dark. But all too soon they were back in the building that housed them.
Fantastic.
“Come, sit and talk with an old man about your plans to overthrow a government. Not often I hear that.”
He might as well. He had nothing else to do. As he followed Nate through the large room, someone called out something. He ignored it, guessing someone was getting a bit excited during their blow job. These guys really seemed to enjoy them, but who could blame them there was nothing else around here to break up the day.
But when Nate stopped and turned, Rich turned as well.
A blond-haired man stood a few feet away, two other men stood behind him. He looked younger than most of the men around here. He pointed at Rich and barked out something.
“That’s Eion,” Nate explained. “He wants to speak to you.”
Rich snorted. “I’ve got nothing to say to him.” He turned his back and walked away.
Nate whistled. “Brave move. He’s got a lot of power around here.”
“I thought the females had all the power,” he commented.
“They do. But Eion is the grandson of Elder Maren. He is very doted on, I guess you might say.”
“So, he’s a spoiled brat?”
Nate’s lips twitched. “Something like that.”
Rich wasn’t worried. The male yelled out something again, and he ignored him.
“He just said that you stole his female and he is going to ensure that the elders break your claiming.”
Rich sighed. “Tell him to go fuck himself.”
Nate said something back and then the room went quiet. Hmm, probably not good. As he was turning, he saw Nate stiffen, his eyes widening. Then someone slammed into him, sending him hurtling towards the ground. Rich rolled, throwing off Eion who slammed against the ground. Rich ignored the shouting around him as he jumped to his feet. Eion did the same, watching Rich with a snarl. He threw a punch. It was slow and clumsy. Rich easily ducked. He might not be a fighter, but he had a few moves. He swung back, slamming his fist into the other man’s stomach then followed up with a punch to his nose.
Fuck! That hurt!
Rich danced backwards, fighting the urge to cradle his hand. He waited for Eion to follow up, but the other man just fell to the floor, crying.
Jesus, that was embarrassing.
Females raced forward, pulling him back. His hands were secured by his back as other females hovered over Eion, seeing to his care. Rich turned away in disgust as he continued to sob.
Seriously. This place was fucked up.
***
“Laylla! Laylla!”
Laylla stood up and wiped the sweat off her face as Amira half-ran, half-walked towards her.
“What is it?”
“It’s Rich. There has been some trouble.”
Laylla raced over to her, alarm filling her. Trouble? What sort of trouble? “What happened?”
“Apparently, Eion attacked him.”
“Is he all right?” Eion was a bit bigger than Rich. Had he hurt Rich? What would she do if he had?
“I do not know. All I heard was that Eion attacked Rich and they had to be separated. They have both been brought before the elders.”
Laylla raced towards the building where the elders lived. There was a crowd outside, but everyone moved aside when they saw her coming. She moved past the guards posted and ran inside. The three elders stood on the small platform at one end of the building. Kneeling before them were Eion and Rich. She moved forward, her gaze fixated on Rich. He stared up at her, his gaze angry and confrontational but there was no blood or bruises that she could see. He wore the clothing all males wore, so his arms, chest, and legs were bare.
“Rich. You are well?” she asked, even knowing she didn’t understand.
He continued to glare at her but then turned his gaze to Eion. She followed his gaze, gasping as she took in the sight of the other male. His eye was swollen shut and there was blood under his nose.
“What happened?” Laylla turned to the elders.
“That is what we are determining,” Elder Maren said. “My grandson has been gravely injured by your male.”
Laylla straightened her shoulders. “I had heard that Eion attacked my male. If this is the case, then I shall demand restitution.”
“Call forth the witnesses,” Elder Torin commanded
Two of the female guards, Asta and Nastan, came in, along with three males, Roick, Masan, and Nate. The two guards spoke first, but they had not seen who instigated the fight, so they could only speak of how they separated the males.
Roick came next. “The foreign male started the fight,” he stated. “Eion defended himself.”
Eion smiled briefly, and Laylla’s suspicions were raised. Elder Maren gasped and glared at Rich. If he was found guilty, he could face punishment. One she would have to administer.
Nate stepped forward to testify next. “I am afraid that I have to call Roick a liar.” The small crowd that had been allowed inside erupted into murmurs.
Elder Torin tapped her stick. “Quiet or you will all be forced to leave.”
Silence fell.
Nate looked around with a small smile. “I was talking to Rich as we walked across the sleeping hall when Eion called out to Rich. He stated that Laylla was to be his female and accused Rich of stealing her.”
What? Laylla glowered at Eion. If she had returned in time for the ceremony, he would have taken part with her. But that did not mean she was going to claim him. Personally, she had little liking for the entitled male. He seemed to be under the impression that he was more important than everyone else because his grandmother was an Elder. Well, so was her grandmother and she was treated the same as everyone else. Who your family was did not matter. What you did mattered.
“My friend, Rich, doesn’t understand our language. He does speak Standard, which I also speak.”
Another muttering went through the crowd, and Laylla looked at Nate in surprise. He understood Rich. That meant she could learn more about him. Where he came from, how he’d come to crash land on Tiran.
But it also opened other possibilities. Things she didn’t like to think about. Like, was he already claimed by a female?
“Rich did not turn with Eion called out as he clearly didn’t understand that Eion was speaking to him. He had his back to Eion when Eion attacked, slamming into him and sending him crashing to the ground.”
“You say that Eion instigated the fight,” Elder Maren said with a frown. “Yet it is Eion who is injured.”
“Because he’s a terrible fighter,” Nate stated baldly. Nate turned to Eion. “A bit of advice. Don’t start a fight you have no chance of winning. Rich fought back because he wasn’t about to lie there and allow Eion to harm him. Will you condemn him for defending himself?”
Nate stepped back, and the Elders spoke in whispers. Laylla remained tense. It was Roick’s word against Nate’s. Everything rested on Masan’s shoulders. Masan was a quiet man, but sensible. She watched Rich, but he didn’t look worried. He’d crossed his arms over his chest and looked somewhat bored. Probably because he didn’t understand any of what was being said. But his bored look calmed her worries slightly.
She could tell Nate was telling the truth and he had no reason to lie.
The Elders finally parted. “Masan, you may speak.”