Theirs to Correct by Ivy Barrett

Chapter 3

The following morning Emily woke up alone in the rumpled bed reeking of sex and Kobar males. Her body hurt in places she didn’t want to think about. In fact, she didn’t really want to think about anything that had happened the night before. All she wanted was a scalding hot shower and a massive cup of coffee. One was easily attainable in the luxurious en-suite bathroom. The other she would have to investigate once she went downstairs. If she could go downstairs. Worried that the door was locked, she scrambled off the bed and hurried across the room. The door opened without issue, so she went to the bathroom and locked herself inside.

She warmed up the shower while she searched the adjoining closet for something to wear afterward. There was a row of uniforms, several pairs of jeans and a selection of button-up shirts. This must be Nayez’s bedroom. The clothing was enormous. She snatched one of the shirts off its hanger and went back into the bathroom. After setting the shirt on the vanity, she walked into the steamy shower and did her best to keep the memories at bay. The water felt wonderful but all too soon her thought drifted back to the night before.

Lottery girls were sexual servants, so she’d thought she knew what to expect. Having her behind spanked hard enough to make her bawl like a baby had been one hell of a hello. Then came the kitchen counter. She shuddered as a strange sort of longing erupted deep inside her. Brydon had used her body without thought or concern for her feelings. He had been aggressive and selfish—so why had she come so damn hard?

She shook away the memory and turned toward the spray, letting the water shower her face. Nayez and Lahval had been even worse. They made her feel things, want things that were unnatural for her, even shocking. Her body responded to their aggression. In fact, the more completely they controlled her, the better she liked it. And the pain. She shivered and reached for the body wash. She did not want to admit that pain made the pleasure even more intense, but how could she deny it? Each stinging slap Nayez delivered to her pussy sent arousal spiraling right along with the pain.

Desperately needing a distraction, she worked the body wash into lather then scrubbed every inch of her body. Her pussy was still tender and her bottom ached. She had never dreamed of being fucked there, much less being taken in both passages at once. It hurt and yet that made it better somehow. She didn’t understand her reactions, but she was always honest with herself. Something about these males made her crave pain and domination.

She turned off the water and grabbed a towel, tired of the unwanted review. She had no idea how she would make it happen, but she had to get out of this place. The locater chip Nayez inserted last night was a serious complication, but she still had to try.

What about the foundation? She tensed, teeth clenching. Were the Kobar ruthless enough to use orphans as motivation? She wanted to believe that they weren’t. Why would they have funded the orphanages in the first place if they didn’t care about innocent human lives? Still, could she risk harming them because she didn’t want to be a lottery girl? She was far more valuable to the resistance as a lottery girl to Sector Leader Four than a fugitive.

Damn it. What a mess. She pulled on the shirt and buttoned it up, then found a brush in one of the drawers. After working the tangles out of her hair, she searched through the cabinets until she located a bottle of what she hoped was mouthwash. It smelled fresh though slightly astringent, so she used as little as possible.

Having stalled as long as possible, she opened the door and stepped out into the bedroom.

Nayez sat in a chair on the other side of the bed, a steaming mug in his hand. “Feel better?” One corner of his mouth lifted in a faint smirk.

Her nostrils flared and she narrowed her gaze. What a jerk. Was he here to make use of his lottery girl again? Twice wasn’t enough for him? “What do you want?” She hadn’t meant it to sound so accusatory, but uncertainty gave her tone a sharp edge.

“Nothing, at the moment.” He lifted the mug. “I brought you some coffee. Thought you might appreciate it after our… aggressive introduction.”

For a long moment all she could do was glare. The ruthless jerk had had his cock in her mouth an hour after they met. Why bother with pleasantries now? The only one who even pretended she was a person was Lahval, and he ended up being the biggest asshole of them all. She heard her own thoughts and cringed. Bad choice of expletives.

“Well, if you don’t want it.” He shrugged and slowly brought the mug toward his lips.

She rushed over and took it from him, wanting the coffee more than the momentary defiance. She took a sip, and then another, savoring the smooth taste. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” His smirk broadened into an actual smile. For half a second his gaze warmed and she acknowledged the undeniable appeal in his sculpted features. Then he inhaled and the smile faltered. “Did you shower?”

The accusation in his tone shattered the brief moment of normalcy. They were back to being alien invader and human slave. “How can that possibly surprise you?”

“You must ask permission to rid yourself of our scent,” he stated calmly as his gaze swept over her body. “You were unaware of the rule, so I will not punish you this time. If you wash without permission again, however, you will be disciplined.”

“I have to have permission to shower?” She’d intended to behave, to lure them into thinking she was broken. But this was just stupid. “Do I need permission to pee?”

Without answering her question, he stood and took the half-empty mug from her hand. “Your attitude needs to change immediately or you are going to spend the next year with a very sore bottom.” He walked past her and set the mug down on the nightstand.

She glared at his back, but smoothed her expression by the time he turned around. Think of your foundation. The orphans need you and so does—she stopped herself before allowing the damning thought to form. Many of the Kobar had psychic abilities. She might not be able to control her responses, but she could be more careful with her thoughts.

Nayez walked back to her and began unbuttoning the borrowed shirt. “You need permission to cover your nakedness. Your body belongs to us now, and we enjoy looking at it.”

“That’s ridiculous.” She didn’t bother trying to stop him, refused to give him an excuse to spank her.

“You do not have to agree with our rules to be held accountable for them. Keep that in mind.”

She had given in to her temper last night and it ended badly. This time, she fought back her temper and tried to reason with him instead. “In my opinion, you’ve created rules you know no human female will follow so you have an excuse to punish us.”

“Your contract states that you are ours to use in any way we choose for the next year. I find the most pleasure when I dominate my lovers, and in certain circumstances I thoroughly enjoy dispensing pain. I don’t need an excuse to discipline you. The rules are for your safety and to maintain an orderly environment.”

A chill dropped down her spine and her core tightened for no reason she could understand. She hadn’t expected him to come right out and admit that he enjoyed hurting her. She’d had several more points to make about how unfair their rules were and how her needs should account for something in this fucked-up situation.

“I was honest with you. Are you ready to admit that being disciplined arouses you?” he challenged. “Or are you still in denial?”

“I’m in denial,” she admitted facetiously. She started to cross her arms over her breasts, but he caught her wrists and moved them back to her sides.

“I’m not done looking.”

Was he here just to annoy her? Didn’t he have work to do? “As soon as you are done looking, will you please leave? I’d rather finish my coffee alone.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure you would, but there are three of us. It is unlikely that you will ever be alone.”

She felt the blood drain from her face. How could she possibly escape if they never left her alone? Forget escape, how was she going to survive this?

She had to. It was as simple as that.

“Don’t like that idea?” Nayez reached over and took her by the hand. “Private time is a privilege like any other. It can be earned through good behavior.” He led her to the foot of the bed. “Sit down and spread your legs.”

The sitting down part was simple, but she couldn’t make her legs part. She didn’t want him to fuck her again, and that was clearly where this was leading.

He moved his chair to the foot of the bed and sat down, then placed her feet on the armrests of his chair. Mortified by the indecent position, she closed her eyes and tried to calm down. He’d already seen her naked body. Hell, he’d fucked her twice.

He scooted his chair closer, which opened her legs even more obscenely. “You blush easily.” He ran his hands up her thighs and then back down.

The amusement in his voice only made her blush harder.

“When did you lose your virginity? You don’t seem used to having males look at you.”

“I’m not used to being put on display like this,” she countered, forcing herself to open her eyes.

“You are lovely. All of you.” His smoldering green gaze swept from face to pussy and back. “Beauty like yours gives you power over males. I’m glad you have yet to learn how to use it.”

He slid his hand up her side then casually cupped her breast. She belonged to him for the next year. Why shouldn’t he touch her? She willed her body not to respond, but her nipple tingled and so did her clit. One reacted to his light touch, the other to the lack of attention.

“How many human males have enjoyed this cunt?” He slipped one of his fingers inside her.

“It’s none of your business.” He might control her body temporarily, but he did not own her.

He caught her nipple between his finger and thumb, squeezing slowly as he gazed into her eyes. “Tell me.”

“Why do you care?” The pinch hurt just badly enough to make her squirm.

“I do not care about the number. I am trying to understand your responses, to glimpse behind that indignant mask.” He raised his other hand and gave both nipples a cruel twist.

Emily cried out as pain lanced through her chest. Her clit twitched and her core tightened, her entire pussy feeling warm and swollen. It was happening again. Pain was making her wet. A development her current position wouldn’t allow her to hide for long.

Leaning forward, he replaced his fingers with his mouth, sucking hard enough to make her moan. “How many?” He switched sides and sucked even harder.

She arched, pushing her nipple deeper into his mouth. It was the sweetest kind of torture and she already felt her stubbornness giving way to drugged surrender. “Four, all right? I’ve had four lovers. All of them before.”

His hand still squeezed her breast, but he raised his head. “Before what?”

Blowing out a ragged breath, she resisted the urge to roll her hips and draw his attention to her aching pussy. It was pathetic how quickly his touch eroded her determination. There had to be something about the Kobar that made her so damn horny. It definitely hadn’t happened with any of her human lovers. “Before your arrival. After the invasion, my mother doubled my guard. It made social interaction of any kind almost impossible.”

“Last night was the first time in three years that you’ve had sex?”

She turned her head, humiliated by the pity in his eyes. “Please change the subject. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“Your poor neglected pussy.” His fingers brushed down her torso and across her abdomen. “We’ll have to make damn sure that she doesn’t feel abandoned again.” He lightly stroked her folds, spreading the slick proof of her arousal all over her. “Look at me, Lottie. Acknowledge who is touching you.”

Lottie. There was that name again. Lottery girl. His sexual servant. His toy.

Two of his long fingers pushed into her core and Emily moaned, head dropping back with the pleasure of being filled. How did they make her desperate so easily? Sure, they were physically appealing, but she wasn’t even looking at him right now. It had to be their scent, or a chemical produced by their skin. There had to be a reason.

“I said look at me.” He twisted her nipples with one hand while the other slid between her thighs. “Look at me now, or I’m going to spank this naughty pussy.”

With a helpless whimper, she shifted her head and met his gaze. His eyes brightened, nearly glowing as he watched his fingers possess her trembling body.

“We’ll make damn sure this soft, wet pussy gets lots of Kobar cock.”

She lifted into his next thrust, no longer caring that her desire gave him power over her. She needed a break from the conflict, a pleasurable distraction that wouldn’t endanger or harm anyone. “Please,” she whispered, tightening her inner muscles around his sliding fingers.

“Lie back.”

Unable to resist the urges of her body, she obeyed. He draped her legs over his shoulders then cupped her ass with both hands and lifted her toward his mouth. She gasped then moaned as Nayez’s mouth settled over her slit. His tongue swiped up and down several times before zeroing in on her clit. Her fingers twisted the bedding as sensations gathered beneath his tongue with staggering speed. Already her head was swimming and rhythmic spasms rippled through her core. How the hell did they do this? She never came this fast.

“I sent you to invite her to breakfast, but you’re the one I find eating.”

Emily gasped and whipped her head around to find Brydon standing just inside the door, arms folded across his chest.

Nayez just laughed and went right on devouring her pussy.

Brydon watched silently for a moment then walked across the room. “Do you like having your pussy licked?”

“Yes,” she panted. “God, yes.” Nayez caught her clit between his lips and sucked on the sensitive nub. She cried out sharply and bucked against his mouth. So close. She was already so close.

Sitting down beside her, Brydon stroked her breasts as he leaned down and kissed her mouth. This was as unexpected as Nayez’s attention and she wasn’t sure how to react. Brydon had been so cold last night, almost indifferent to her. His lips slid over hers now, tongue teasing at the seam. Intoxicated and confused, she opened for him. His tongue pushed between her lips, filling her mouth with his taste. Exotic, yet familiar, the flavor sent her head spinning and instantly made her want more.

Their tongues slid and curled, breaths mingling as the kiss deepened. She raised her hand to Brydon’s face, shocked by the control in his kiss. When he fucked her, it had been nearly frantic. This was intimate and tender, rather than selfishly brutal. They were giving rather than taking, and she found it even harder to resist.

Disconcerted and overwhelmed, she tore her mouth away and turned her head. “I’m going to come,” she warned. “It feels too good.”

“Not yet,” Brydon told her. “I’ll tell you when you can come.” He focused on her breasts, sucking one nipple while his fingers worked the other. Soon her nipples were throbbing in time to her clit. She wiggled and moaned as tension gathered in her core. She needed the release desperately, but stubbornly fought against it.

“Please,” she murmured. “Please.”

He smiled down at her, his yellow-green eyes warm rather than mocking. “Come. Accept this gift. Nayez doesn’t offer them often.”

Nayez pushed his tongue right into her aching core as he rubbed her clit with his thumb. Emily cried out sharply as the orgasm claimed her and reality blurred. Pleasure pulsed through her entire body, bowing her back and curling her toes.

“You are so damn beautiful when you come.” Brydon brushed the hair back from her face, then traced her lips with his thumb.

“Do all humans taste this good?” Nayez licked her several more times before lifting his head from between her thighs. He shifted his shoulders and her legs slipped down his arms, catching in the bend of his elbows.

“I’ll have to taste her before I can answer that,” Brydon pointed out with a grin.

Emily sprawled half on the bed, half in Nayez’s lap. Little aftershocks of sensation left her feeling unusually emotional. They shifted with the wind, one moment cruel, then seductive as hell and dangerously focused on her. How was she supposed to defend herself when their strategies kept changing?

“Can I get up, please?” She needed a moment, or ten, to regain her composure.

Nayez pulled her up off the bed, but she ended up on his lap, legs draped over the armrests. Her swollen pussy pressed against his cock. “Are you sure I can’t fuck her until after breakfast? She’s sopping wet and ready for more.”

Brydon picked her up and set her on her feet beside the bed, then surprised her further by helping her into the borrowed shirt.

“Thank you,” she said, not looking at either of them as she worked the buttons. She was on the verge of tears and wasn’t sure why. They were treating her decently for a change, so why was she so upset?

Brydon cupped her chin and lifted her face. “What’s the matter?”

“How can you ask me that?” Her voice broke and the tears came flooding out. “You hunted me down like an animal then fucked me like a whore. Now you’re being nice to me. I don’t know how to react to you!”

Clearly fighting back a smile, Brydon scooped her up in his arms and sat down on the edge of the bed. Then he rocked her in his arms like a frightened child. She sobbed helplessly, releasing the built-up emotions she’d been fighting since Daniel burst into her bedroom and told her about the lottery. She’d been afraid and exhausted for days, and now she found captivity more confusing than traumatizing. Their behavior last night had been exactly what she expected. This, however, made no sense. She pressed her face against Brydon’s chest and wrapped her arms around his warm body. It felt so good to be held, to feel sheltered, even if by an enemy.

* * *

Half an hour later, Brydon sat back and watched his cadre interact with their lottery girl. There was no denying she was beautiful and intelligent, but were these fragile human females strong enough to nurture and birth Kobar young? With spun-gold hair haloing her face and her dark eyes glowing with warmth and humor, Emily looked more like a mythological princess than a warrior’s mate. And his cadre members were not common warriors. They were responsible for one of the most important sectors on this planet.

“You didn’t eat much, Br—Master,” she said quietly, addressing him directly for the first time.

“I’m distracted,” he admitted with a faint smile. Now that her spirit had returned, he found her more interesting. “I’ve read your profile. Now tell me what’s not in it.”

“I don’t know what is in it, so I can’t offer something that isn’t.”

The comment verged on being sassy, but he let it slide. This was their first meal together. They were still establishing their expectations. “I know about your foundation, and I’ve met your mother. Tell me about your sisters.”

“My sisters?” She seemed confused by the suggestion. “Why do you want to know about my sisters?”

“I don’t. I want to know about you. Are you and Lily close? There is only fourteen months separating you.”

“We were typical sisters growing up. One week we were inseparable and the next we refused to speak to each other. Now that we’re both adults, we’ve found common ground. She lives in Ireland with her husband, so I don’t see her as often as I’d like, but we keep in touch.”

“And the youngest one? I can’t remember her name. How was your relationship with her?”

Emily shrugged and reached for her coffee mug. “Her name is Charlotte. Lily and I are much more outgoing. Charlotte is the quiet, bookish one.”

“The quiet ones are often the most dangerous.” Brydon looked at Lahval pointedly, but she didn’t yet know them well enough to understand the significance. “Are you a protective big sister or did you torment her?”

Emily shrugged. “A little of both, I guess. There is eleven years separating Charlotte and me, so we didn’t have much in common. Still don’t. I was often annoyed by her, but if anyone else messed with her they answered to me.”

His smile was less forced this time. “I have two younger brothers, so I am well acquainted with the concept.”

“Are they…” Compassion warmed her gaze as she looked into his eyes. “Did you lose them six years ago?”

Brydon tensed. He preferred to live in the present. Most Kobar did, but he had introduced the subject so it would be rude to refuse to answer. “The youngest died in the catastrophes, along with my parents. Rytez serves aboard the Exlotiss.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. I know how intensely death can impact those left behind. What happened to your planet was horrible.”

He waited for the proverbial but, the complaint about their choice to solve their problems by taking control of Earth. She wanted to finish the thought. It was there in her expressive eyes, but she picked up her coffee instead and took several sips.

“How much younger is Rytez?” she asked a few moments later. “Are you close?”

“He was born less than a year after me, and my relationship with him sounds rather like yours and Lily’s. We immediately defend each other, yet often quarrel.”

Nayez and Lahval laughed then Nayez explained, “Understatement of the century. Their fights are legendary. The supreme commander decided that the only way to keep them both alive was to forbid them from ever being on the same planet at the same time. That is why he assigned Rytez to the Exlotiss.”

“Are the three of you related?” she wanted to know. “I heard many cadres are.”

“We are cousins,” Lahval told her. He had finished eating and was now focused entirely on her.

She smiled at him. Not surprisingly, she seemed most comfortable with Lahval. He was the youngest and least intimidating. “Do you have siblings?”

He shook his head. “My mother got it right the first time.”

Nayez laughed. “What does that say about my parents? They had six.”

“I always got along better with my cousins than my sisters,” Emily told him. “We were less competitive.”

“Oh, we are still plenty competitive,” Nayez explained, “but our skillsets are more compatible.”

“What does that mean exactly? Which skills do each of you possess?”

She was definitely more comfortable with Nayez than with him, but Brydon couldn’t really blame her. He had done nothing to put her at ease.

“Brydon makes all the decisions, I do all the leg work, and Lahval provides all the information.”

Brydon chuckled. “That’s an extreme simplification, but it’s more or less accurate. Nayez specializes in field work. He is better than anyone I know at searching out clues and sweet-talking information out of witnesses. Lahval, on the other hand, is more effective with data. He can identify patterns no one else sees and his memory is almost infallible.”

“And you?” she prompted, a hesitant smile bowing her lips. “What are your special skills?”

Desire spiraled through his entire body. Was she flirting with him? That seemed unlikely, but he couldn’t resist. “Would you like a demonstration?”

“Probably not.” She dropped her gaze and added softly, “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“I’m not offended, Emily. Relax. When I want you on your knees, I’ll let you know.” Her only response was a tense nod, so he tried again to engage her in casual conversation. “I know your foundation keeps you busy, but how do you spend your free time?”

“I don’t have a lot of free time, and most of the things I did enjoy have been discontinued because of the reorganization.” Bitterness crept into her tone and she met his gaze again.

“Which activities do you mean specifically?”

“I used to love the theater, any live performance really, concerts, comedy clubs, the ballet. Nothing matches the energy of live performers and a large audience captivated by the spectacle.”

“Once humans have accepted the new reality, such things will be reintroduced,” Brydon assured her. “Our focus right now is ending the resistance.”

“I’m aware,” she said sharply. “They have no hope of winning, so why do you pursue them so ruthlessly?”

Surprised by her vehemence, he asked, “Do you know any of the rebels?”

Her dark gaze darted away again. “I know lots of people who are sympathetic to the resistance, but I don’t know anyone actively participating in the attacks.”

He hadn’t been suspicious of her, until now. She was fidgeting like a child and looking anywhere but at him. “What about Marissa Scott,” he persisted. “Do you know her?”

“We went to school together, but we weren’t close. Is Marissa part of the resistance? She’s always been sort of frivolous. Doesn’t seem the type to get her hands dirty.”

Something about Emily’s claims rang false. He’d just been making conversation, but his instincts engaged in a way he hadn’t expected. “And you? Are you part of the resistance?”

She laughed as she dragged her gaze back to his. “My mother is president of the United Americas. I would never embarrass her by directly participating in something so utterly pointless.” She was clearly lying. He just wasn’t sure which of her statements had been untrue. Was she indirectly involved with the rebels or was she simply covering up for them?

Brydon watched her closely as she turned back to Lahval. Even if Emily was a rebel, she was no longer in a position to do any harm. Still, he would make sure all of her communications were screened and her data stream access restricted. There was no way he was going to underestimate her again.

The rest of the day passed quickly. Three different times he heard cries of pleasure in various parts of the house, so he knew Nayez and Lahval were making use of their lottery girl. Brydon resisted his needs until after the evening meal when he bent her over the table, fucked her fast and hard, then returned to his office.

“Does he have something against beds?” he heard her ask as he strode down the center hallway. The question made him smile, but his reason was simple. He didn’t want to form an emotional attachment until he determined whether or not he could trust her. Hoping to deal with that issue, he closed the door and sat down behind his desk. After activating a privacy filter, he requested a holo-comm with Jesorax. The supreme commander had studied a wide variety of females from prestigious backgrounds before compiling his notorious list. Emily hadn’t just made the list. She had been one of the top five. Her profile had been detailed, but Brydon needed to know all of the things Jesorax’s researchers uncovered but hadn’t included.

“Spirit of Creation, why are you still working?” Jesorax muttered when he saw where Brydon sat. “You should be in bed with Emily. Even I don’t work this hard.”

They had been friends since childhood, so Brydon didn’t mince words. “You have to know more about the females than you put in the profiles. Why did you leave so much out?”

Jesorax shrugged. “A lot of what my research teams uncovered is rumor and speculation. I didn’t want your impressions to be tainted by information that may or may not be accurate. So, what is your impression of Emily?”

“I think she’s a fucking rebel,” he snapped.

Surprise registered on Jesorax’s face as he asked, “Really? There is a web of indications woven through the entire list, but Emily seemed to be one of the few completely separate from it. What made you suspicious of her?”

“I don’t know.” Brydon heaved a sigh of frustration and pushed back from the desk. “I could be overreacting. She is not what I expected. And my cadre is acting irrationally. Lahval is convinced he is in the grip of bonding fever and he has just about convinced Nayez that he is too.”

“They might not be exaggerating,” Jesorax cautioned. “This isn’t the first report I’ve had of males reacting that way.”

This wasn’t the response he’d expected from his friend, but he tried not to let it anger him. “And it never occurred to you to warn me?”

“Again, I didn’t want to color your thinking or your reactions when you interact with her—which you should be doing right now.”

“Send me the rest of the research on Emily. I’ll draw my own conclusions.”

Jesorax chuckled. “No one else dares to order me around. One of these days I’ll have to knock you on your ass for it.”

Brydon arched his brows and countered, “You’re welcome to try.”

Jesorax transferred the file then ended the comm.