Own Her by Jenika Snow
3
The tavern was transformed into a glamorous auction house meant to have men spend their money in abundance. Her owner tugged her along by yanking on the chain that was attached to the collar around her neck.
She wore a loose pair of pants and a tunic top, all standard servant attire on this planet, but she was thankful that they required the servants to be fully clothed. Although she had never been off of Sessinea, she knew several languages and had only been granted that luxury because her owner required her to entertain and understand clients he brought in.
She kept her head lowered but didn’t miss the naked females being ushered on the stage. They would be sold like cattle, and their species ranged from a few humans to the exotically fish-like species of the Auqamanta.
“Keep up, servant,” her owner said in a low voice. Why he insisted on bringing her to every auction he attended used to be a mystery until she realized very fast that her being at his feet was a degradation all on its own. Other patrons were allowed to gawk at her, insult her, and use her to serve them in a non-sexual way.
But Mekenna was used to the humiliation of being in this life, of this world, and having disgusting males poke and prod at her like she was some kind of attraction.
“Sit,” her owner commanded, and she moved onto her knees. He took the plush-looking seat at the front of the stage, placed his hand on her head as a sign of ownership, and she kept her head lowered. She would be required to stay in this position for the duration of the auction, and when her owner bought his female or females, she would be made to clean them for his vile sexual conquest.
As the minutes passed, she controlled her breathing, closed her eyes, and focused on other things. She imagined herself in another world where she was not chained nightly, was called by her birth name, and where she wasn’t this freak of nature.
The sounds around her slowly faded, but then there was this feeling on the back of her neck, one that told her of something different in the air.
She didn’t dare lift her head to see what it was that caused the hairs on her arms to stand on end, but whatever it was had her entire body warming.
