Chapter 11
Sleep did not come easily, despite the exhaustion thrumming through her bones.
Lena didn’t have her meds, and without whatever drugs Screl had injected her with last night, her fatigue transformed into anxiety.
Eventually, she got out of bed, freshening up with the toiletries someone had left in the bathroom, a human toothbrush and hairbrush, which at least felt like some sense of normalcy.
After pacing around for a long while and trying to calm her mind, she considered skimming through the console, but that would only add to the buzz of electricity coursing through her, and her goal was to stifle whatever strange interest she had in Screl.
Especially after all the things he had done in the past day.
Insomnia was nothing new, but after seeing a man’s hands sliced off at the wrist, it was no surprise that she couldn’t sleep.
Every muscle ached with weariness, a headache tightening like a band around her head, but she knew that lying back down would be useless.
When she closed her eyes, all she saw was Screl.
She imagined his tentacles holding her down and spreading her wide, fantasized about him killing anyone who had harmed her.
Eventually, she put on the navy dress and stomped up to where she knew the door to be, running her hand along the smooth walls to try to find some invisible button or latch, but there was none. She slammed her fist against the non-door, over and over, shouting to whoever might hear.
A moment later, it whirred open to a Thren eyeing her with suspicion.
“Are you alright?”
It wasn’t Dronzal, but appeared to be a larger male. Her sleep duty guard.
“I want to go for a walk.”
The Thren grumbled, shaking his head.
“You are not supposed to leave the room.”
“Please!” she begged, clasping her hands together in desperation. “I need to stretch my legs.”
There was another grumble, but this time the Thren glanced around the empty hallway before gesturing for her to join him.
They walked side by side, neither one really leading the way, though the Thren pressed on a wall here and there to usher them down a different hallway.
She tried to ask him questions, but he was stubbornly silent, not even willing to answer innocuous ones that had nothing to do with Screl or his ship.
Eventually, they came upon some sort of observation deck with panoramic windows, the glimmering stars causing Lena’s breath to catch. The curved, transparent panels offered an uninterrupted view, glowing orbs casting ambient light on the walkway leading to the windows.
A walkway with a figure standing on it, one who delivered a glare aimed directly at them.
“Commander Screl,” her guard said hastily, bowing as the commander ambled over.
“What is my little pet doing out of her cage?”
The guard stumbled over his words before Lena took over.
“I needed to stretch my legs. I was feeling too… stifled in my room.”
Screl’s gaze darted between her and the other Thren, and she couldn’t tell if he was angry or amused.
“Why is it so difficult for my crew to follow directions?” he asked, cocking his head.
Lena stepped between him and the guard, anxiety electrifying her nerves. If she were the reason Screl harmed another, she would never forgive herself.
“It’s not his fault. I forced him to take me for a walk, but we can head back now.”
“That is not necessary,” Screl said, focusing on the guard. “Leave. I will return the human when I’m done with her.”
The Thren bowed deeply before hurrying from the observation deck without so much as a glance her way, and when Screl turned his gaze to her, a cold icicle of dread wound its way through her nerves.
“Are your accommodations not satisfactory?” he asked, stepping close so she had to strain to look up.
Lena bit her tongue, trying to tamp down her fury, knowing it would do little good. The audacity to ask about her accommodations when he’d literally kidnapped her from her bed.
“They’re… fine. I just couldn’t sleep. Not after…” she trailed off, not wanting to flood her mind with images of the screaming man once again.
“I am sorry if I disturbed you earlier, but it was the right thing to do. That male deserved what I did to him.”
Was he trying to make himself sound noble? It was clear he had only done it for his own hubris, never mind the wicked thoughts racing through her head of Greg and the others.
“What happened to him?” she asked, feeling breathless in Screl’s presence.
“Do not worry your sweet little head about that.”
Lena swallowed hard, unsure if that was supposed to ease her anxiety or exacerbate it.
“Normally I have my meds to help me relax,” she said, though her voice wavered.
“Well, I can assist you with that, little human. I can put you right to sleep.”
Somehow, that sounded like a threat, the menacing grin doing nothing to quell her fear.
“If my pills don’t work, I usually read,” she said, ignoring his offer. “But your selection is a bit… interesting.”
“Oh? Do you like them?”
Screl took a step closer, a grin on his face, and Lena backed up to avoid his grasp. Another game of cat and mouse, though this one ended quickly when her back pressed against the cool wall of the hull.
“M-Maybe,” she stammered, clearing her throat. “Do you?”
He narrowed his eyes, though the amused smile didn’t leave his face.
“I do not have much time for reading.”
“Is that the game you play with your escorts? You hold them down while they beg you to stop?”
She immediately regretted her words, her pulse quickening as Screl grabbed her arms and pinned them above her head with a snarl. He held them there with a tentacle, and she couldn’t shirk his grasp, the appendage impossibly strong.
He brought his face close, his breath tickling the skin of her neck as his hand wrapped around her throat.
“If you’re so curious about the games I play, then why not let me show you?”
He brought his mouth to her heated flesh, pressing a soft kiss against her neck, which forced an undignified whimper from her throat.
That only made him chuckle, two tongues flicking out and tracing along her skin, fangs nipping at her ear.
He breathed in deeply, like he was taking in her scent, a sensation which sent a shiver up her spine.
Lena gasped, trying to control her breaths even as arousal cascaded through her, sending shocks of need to her core.
Another tentacle traced its way up her leg, dragging the skirt of her dress up as it warmed her skin. There were no undergarments to stop him from delving through her slickness, a jolt electrifying her nerves as he stroked over her slit.
Lena cried out, trying to jerk her arms from where they were pinned, but it was fruitless.
“So wet for me, little human, and yet you resist. Do you want me to hold you down and fuck you?”
The words were abhorrent, and yet they sent a twinge through her, her cunt throbbing from the erotic threat.
With one last swipe, the tentacle slid in, and Lena gasped, slamming her eyes shut. It felt strange inside her, running against her inner walls and flicking repeatedly over the right spot. Her legs trembled, but Screl held her up, not letting her slide down the wall.
“You want me to spread your thighs and take what I want from you, don’t you, little pet?”
Lena moaned, trying to focus on the strange sensation of his tentacle and not his vile words, no matter how much they made her drip with need.
He was at her neck again, nipping at the sensitive skin and swirling circles with his tongue, marking her as his. A thought flashed through her mind, of how else he might mark her—with his seed—one which she tried to force back down to the depths of her psyche where it belonged.
She gasped when the tentacle slid out, but had no time to protest before it was prodding at her tight ring of muscle, pushing past the resistance as she cried out.
He was far gentler than she expected, coaxing her open as her own slick arousal eased the tentacle’s way into her ass.
There was pressure, but no pain, just her cunt throbbing with need as the appendage brushed over the gossamer-thin barrier inside her.
Another tentacle coiled up her leg, filling her cunt once more as the one in her ass thrust gently, more gently than she wanted.
“Does that feel good?” Screl asked, his voice hoarse as if he were experiencing the same lust as she.
Of course he was. He got off on holding women down, doing what he wanted to them whether they liked it or not. And as much as she didn’t want to admit it, she enjoyed it, being powerless while he gave her pleasure, played with her like a toy.
“Answer me,” he hissed, nibbling at her neck and adding to the sensations coursing through her.
“Yes…” she mumbled, wishing she could will her arousal away.
Screl chuckled, a tentacle brushing her hair and another flicking against her lips.
“I can fill you better than anyone else. Fill every hole until you’re a sobbing mess. You can cry and beg me not to, pretend you don’t like it, but I know what you want. Such a needy little pet.”
She didn’t want it to be true, but her body tensed as he brushed her interior with rhythmic strokes, gearing up for release.
His grip on her neck tightened, cutting off her breath, stars exploding behind her eyes as her orgasm slammed through her. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, just rocked her hips against his tentacles as he continued fucking her, her ass and cunt clamping down hard on their intrusions.
When her vision started graying, he finally released his grasp on her throat, petting his hand across her cheek in a gesture so tender that her eyes watered. Her chest heaved with shame, with anger, all manner of emotions whirling through her like a tempest.
Lena shrugged out of his grasp when he released her arms, fixing her dress as his tentacles slid away from her.
Screl’s eyes were wide, and for a moment she wondered if there was guilt roiling through him or if it was just shock.
The air was thick with tension, and she wrapped her arms around herself, sniffling hard to stifle the tears. She kept her eyes glued to the window, focusing on glittering stars instead of the male standing before her.
“I can help you sleep,” he said finally, breaking the silence and forcing her to look his way again.
Before she could tell him to fuck off, he slid a tentacle around her neck, and her body went limp, every muscle weak as she slumped into his arms. She tried to fight the exhaustion, but it was impossible, her eyes shutting as Screl heaved her into the air.