Page 29 of Kidnapped By the Beast (Beasts of the Kindred #11)

LEXI

Lexi hadn’t expected to find herself wandering around an alien farmer’s market with her grumpy Beast Kindred employer-slash-owner. Yet, somehow, that’s exactly where she’d ended up.

It had started that morning.

She’d woken in the soft moss-covered bed in her Terian guest room with her breasts still aching faintly, her nipples tender from the last session with the suction cups.

She’d braced herself for the usual routine—Brandt coming in to take her to the milking lab…

checking her body and hooking her up to the milking machine…

then murmuring scientific observations while she tried not to die of embarrassment and pleasure.

Instead, he’d stood in the doorway with his arms folded across his massive chest, his golden eyes unusually thoughtful.

“It’s market day,” he’d said without preamble.

She’d blinked at him from under the moss-leaf covers.

“Uh…what?”

“The Terians hold a grand market once every seven cycles,” he explained. “Merchants from across the region gather to trade food, crafts, clothing, and other items. It’s quite a sight.” He paused, his voice softening slightly. “I thought you might enjoy seeing it.”

Lexi pushed herself up on one elbow, squinting at him suspiciously.

“Wait. You’re saying instead of strapping me to the dairy machine and milking me, you’re going to take me shopping? Why do I feel like there’s a catch?”

Brandt’s mouth quirked slightly, almost breaking a smile.

“No catch, Alexandra. You’ve been producing nectar reliably.

Dr. T’Oo-loo has confirmed the Bacillus is thriving in your system, so we’ll be leaving in a day or two.

But before we do, I want you to experience some of the culture here.

What’s the point of going to a different planet if you only see the inside of a lab? ”

Something in his tone—gentler than usual, almost indulgent—had made her stomach flip. Was this a date? Or just a Kindred science field trip with his human cow?

It was hard to say.

Still, Lexi had agreed eagerly. Which was how she now found herself in the middle of a sprawling Terian bazaar, surrounded by more sights, smells, and sounds than she could process at once.

The market was enormous—stretching as far as she could see, every stall draped in fabrics that shimmered like iridescent beetle wings.

The air was thick with scents—roasting mushroom meats…

sweet alien fruits…sharp herbal smoke from incense braziers.

Music drifted from somewhere, high-pitched and haunting, played on instruments that looked like glass spirals and emitted chords when light passed through them.

Crowds pressed in on all sides—tall, purple-skinned Terians with their four eyes blinking curiously at her. And every single one of them seemed fascinated by her chest.

Lexi tugged irritably at the slight, gauzy scrap Brandt had insisted was enough clothing. Her nipples tightened under the breeze, making it obvious she was bare under it. She had on a short skirt—though no panties—which covered her bottom well enough, but her breasts were definitely on display.

“Remind me again,” she muttered, leaning closer to him, “Why exactly I had to come topless?”

“You’re not topless,” he corrected mildly, leaning down from his great height to murmur in her ear. “You’re wearing Telinga gauze, which is one of the only fabrics that won’t inhibit your nectar production.”

She shot him a look.

“Oh, well, in that case, I guess I’m totally covered. Clearly my dignity is safe.”

His golden eyes glinted with amusement. “Nectar production is best when your breasts are unrestricted. You know that.”

“Yeah, but do we have to advertise it to the whole alien farmer’s market? Look at them.” She gestured toward a cluster of Terian women, their lavender heads bent together as they whispered and stared. “I’m like a sideshow act.”

“They are curious,” Brandt admitted. His voice softened as he bent closer to murmur near her ear. “But they’re also impressed.”

That gentler note made her heart give a weird little flutter.

Stop it! she scolded herself. He’s not flirting. He’s just making scientific observations about your boobs.

Still, the way the big Kindred stayed close to her side, occasionally brushing his hand against her back to guide her through the crowd, felt…date-like. Which only confused her more.

Instead of thinking about it too much, she tried to concentrate on the sights around her. The stalls were endlessly fascinating.

At one, a Terian merchant proudly displayed racks of sunglasses—if they could even be called that. Each pair had four interconnected lenses, stacked in two vertical rows, connected by delicate filigree metalwork.

Lexi picked one up, turning it over in her hands.

“Huh. So this is what happens when you’ve got twice the number of eyeballs. I’m sure they’d be a hit at Coachella.”

Brandt raised a brow.

“Coachella?”

“Never mind,” she said quickly, putting the glasses back before she was tempted to try them on.

At another stall, women’s clothing hung in shimmering rows—garments clearly designed for four breasts.

Some resembled bikini tops with double tiers while others were like elegant gowns with strategically placed cutouts.

All of them were draped over armless, headless mannequins that had four breasts instead of two.

Lexi grimaced as a realization hit her.

“Well, I guess that explains all the staring. I’m basically defective stock—I only have half the required parts,” she remarked.

“You are not defective,” Brandt said, frowning, his golden eyes locking with hers. “You’re beautiful, just as you are.”

Lexi’s breath caught in her throat. The sincerity in his tone made her chest ache but she tried to push the emotion away.

Stop it, Lexi. Don’t read into it. He’s just being polite—nothing more.

But when Dr. Brandt turned away to look at a rack of embroidered scarves, her cheeks were still burning.

Food stalls beckoned next. One vendor handed her a stick of something that looked like fried chicken but tasted like steak wrapped in crispy blue batter.

However, due to the Terians all being vegetarians, Lexi was sure it was some kind of fungus.

It was delicious, though. Another merchant pressed candied fruit slices into her palm that fizzed and popped like Pop Rocks on her tongue.

“Oh my God.” Lexi fanned her mouth. “This is like eating soda and Skittles at the same time!”

T’linga, who was strolling along beside Lexi on Dr. TOo-loo’s arm, laughed.

“It is good, isn’t it?”

At yet another stall, they sampled crunchy nuts coated in salt and finished in a sweet, crispy glaze. Lexi closed her eyes, savoring the flavor.

“Okay, these are dangerous. I’d demolish a whole bag if I wasn’t careful.”

Dr. Brandt frowned.

“Why would you need to be careful? And how can nuts be dangerous—unless you have an allergy, of course.”

“Well because—they’re fattening,” Lexi said, frowning. “Which means if I eat too many I’ll get huge!”

Dr. Brandt gave her a serious look.

“You need to eat to feed your curves, Alexandra,” he lectured. “Don’t deprive yourself for foolish reasons. Didn’t I tell you that you’re beautiful just as you are?”

“Oh, well…” Lexi wasn’t sure what to say to that. She just blushed and looked away, her heart pounding. What did he mean saying things like that? Was it possible he was having feelings for her?

Luckily, she had the market to distract her from her foolish thoughts. There were many more food stalls to look at and samples to try…but not all the alien foods were pleasant. At one stall, a vendor proudly presented a slimy, wriggling creature in a bowl of thick gel.

“Wait—are these the things that clean out your digestive tract?” Lexi asked. They did look remarkably like the see-through creatures Dr. TOo-loo and T’linga had offered them during their first meal here.

“Ah, no, lovely lady—the cleaners you describe are purely medicinal,” the vendor said, shaking his head. “But these…now these colorful worms are for fun. How would you like to expel waste that is all colors of the rainbow when next you relieve yourself?”

“Uh, no thank you.” Lexi shook her head. Pooping a rainbow was not high on her list of fun activities.

“You don’t know what you’re missing!” The vendor insisted, but Dr. Brandt shook his head as well.

“Thank you but we don’t need your wares. Expelling rainbow waste is not appealing to either of us.”

Lexi grinned despite herself as they moved on.

Okay, so at least we’re on the same page about not eating alien tapeworms.

The next stall nearly made her choke.

Spread across velvet pads were unmistakable toys—sexual devices in all shapes and sizes. One looked like a set of nipple clamps with writhing tendrils… another was a double-headed dildo glowing like molten glass, its shifting colors pulsing faintly.

Lexi went beet red—mostly because she was remembering the other toy Dr. Brandt used on her when he milked her.

The big Kindred’s gaze flicked to her, watching her face.

“Are you curious, little Lexi? Should I buy one of these to try on you?”

“No! Absolutely not.” Was he teasing her, she wondered?

Maybe so, because his lips curved faintly, as though he found her embarrassment amusing.

They moved on and paused at a jewelry stall glittering with delicate, intricate pieces. Necklaces of liquid silver, bracelets that coiled like vines, and earrings like little spirals of crystal were laid out on deep blue velvet cloths.

Lexi’s eyes were drawn at once to a pendant on a silver chain—it had a glowing green stone the exact color of her eyes set in silver.

She lingered on it, aching to touch it, imagining it against her skin.

It was the most beautiful thing—so exotic and obviously alien yet delicate and perfectly formed.

It would make a lovely keepsake of her time here.