Page 75

7

Ifeel faint. I lean back against Marcel and take comfort in his huge, protective bulk. Marcel’s thigh alone is like a tree trunk – stabilizing me, and giving me strength.

There’s no way out of this. Either Tessa or myself will have to be hauled up onto stage and…

…I can’t think about it.

But I have one goal – I just need to get out of this throne room alive.

I don’t want to be the one sat next to Lord Oblog – Ican’tbe. If I leave the vicinity of these Aurelians for even a second, I might lose their protection forever.

But I know what the alternative requires.

So does Lord Oblog, who struggles to stand once again, his legs wobbling under the exertion.

“One thing is for certain, my big, strong Aurelian friends. Only one of those women is leaving with you today. Choose which one.”

Then, Oblog sits down heavily again, his point having been made. The throne squelches beneath the cushion of his thick, wet buttocks.

The Bullfrogs step forward – the circle of them closing around us.

It’s just one step, but the room suddenly feels so much smaller. Oblog has clearly chosen the biggest and strongest of the Bullfrogs for his personal bodyguards. Most of them stand ten-feet-tall – towering over even the Aurelians.

Perhaps Marcel, Quint, and Lucius could take them on in a fair fight – but Toad-kind has long since learned that victory is not achieved by fighting fairly.

Right now, these Bullfrogs outnumber us ten to one.

My mouth is suddenly dry, even in this wet, humid throne room.

Lord Oblog is going to force the Aurelians to fuck either Tessa or myself – right here, in front of a crowd of disgusting Bullfrogs and Toads.

The other will sit and watch the proceedings – in the slimy grip of Lord Oblong, as they witness the huge Aurelians lose themselves in the mating frenzy and rut the other woman like a mare in heat.

The worst part of all this? As I stand there, I feel the fabric of the pleasure dress start squirming across my skin - clinging to my body and touching me obscenely.

I know it’s designed to do this – to stimulate a woman, especially in circumstances that might otherwise horrify and disgust her. That’s why they’re the standard outfit of slaves – because they keep the human females in an artificial state of arousal, so their masters have a warm, wet hole to satisfy themselves with at any moment.

But there’s more to it than that – a dark and hidden part of myself that is as insistent as the pleasure dress.

For a moment, I imagine the humiliation of being fucked in front of this jeering, laughing crowd – in front of every important Bullfrog and Toad on this mothership.

I visualize them watching the tall, proud Aurelians lose themselves to the mating frenzy. According to the whispered rumors, Aurelians lose all rational thought when the frenzy overwhelms them. They’ll lose their proud demeanor, and their icy control. Instead, they’d become rutting, feral beasts.

What would it look like if Tessa was on the receiving end of that? I suddenly imagine her on her hands and knees – Marcel’s huge fingers curling around her hips as he pounded her roughly from behind.

A surge of hot, red jealousy bubbles up inside me. Even with my life on the line, I don’t wantherto be the one they take.

But it’s not simple jealousy – it’s more. Lucius told me that I smelt ‘right.’ The three Aurelians haven’t been able to take their eyes off me – even when Tessa stands by my side, taller and more beautiful.

There’s a connection between me and the three Aurelians, and my surge of emotion wells from somewhere much deeper and more evolutionary than mere fleeting jealousy.

One thing is certain, though. Whether it’s Tessa or myself, it will be impossible for the Aurelians to ever come back from descending into slathering beasts and claiming one of us.

If they can’t get us off the ship before tonight, the footage of our mating will be secured by Lord Oblog, and used for his nefarious purposes. Even though it’s not their fault, the footage will be enough to earn Quint, Marcel, and Lucius a place on the Aurelian Law Enforcement Kill List instantly.

One of the most foundational rules of modern Aurelian slavery – all mating must be consensual, and slaves are by definition unable to consent.

Tessa or I might be as willing as the Aurelians are, but in the eyes of the Aurelian Law Enforcement, they will be guilty of one of the most egregious crimes.