Galen's Pet

GALEN’S PET

Vonna Harper

www.loose-id.com

Warning This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id® e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

***** DISCLAIMER: Many of the acts described in our BDSM/fetish titles can be dangerous. Loose Id® publishes these stories for members of the community in which these acts are known and practiced safely. If you have an interest in the pleasures and pains you find described herein, we urge you to seek out advice and guidance from knowledgeable persons. Please do not try any new sexual practice, whether it be fire, rope, or whip play, without the guidance of an experienced practitioner. Neither Loose Id® nor its authors will be responsible for any loss, harm, injury or death resulting from use of the information contained in any of its titles.

Galen’s Pet Vonna Harper This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Published by Loose Id LLC 1802 N Carson Street, Suite 212-2924 Carson City NV 89701-1215 www.loose-id.com

Copyright © July 2008 by Vonna Harper All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared in any form, including, but not limited to printing, photocopying, faxing, or emailing without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC.

ISBN 978-1-59632-737-5 Available in Adobe PDF, HTML, MobiPocket, and MS Reader

Printed in the United States of America

Editor: Ann M. Curtis Cover Artist: Croco Designs

www.loose-id.com

Chapter One

The Summin fem-beast was more resourceful than Galen had expected. Instead of charging downhill in the futile hope of outrunning him, as others of her kind had done, she’d headed toward the rocks. Smart. Although she risked falling on the uneven ground, it also made maneuvering his space cycle around the boulders damn difficult. Someone with less experience on foreign planets might have given up the pursuit. A brief, cold smile flitted across his face. He wanted this one. After all the time he and the others had spent securing their environment, finally the day for reward had arrived! Galen bent low over his sun-powered, two-wheeled machine, the engine’s power vibrating through his body, and took off after her. He felt alive! Free, for now, from the work, pressure, and politics, to say nothing of the insistent question about his life’s meaning. Blood surged hot through him. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a fellow colonizer closing in on another fembeast. Unlike the one he’d chosen, the other creature lumbered along. She kept looking behind her while she sobbed. What easy prey she was! No challenge, no sense of a job welldone.

2

Vonna Harper

Galen returned his attention to the creature he tracked and noted her long, strong legs and the loose, nearly white hair that streamed behind her as she ran. He gave her credit, she ran with purpose and pride, almost as if she relished the opportunity to pit herself against the enemy. But before he made the mistake of granting her human intellect, he reminded himself that, although she looked human, she was nothing more than a beast. An animal intent on escaping. Stretching out over his machine, he debated capturing her before she reached the rocks. Much as he wanted to get his hands on her, though, he was content watching her smooth, loping stride as she tried to outrun him. The simple garment she wore, made from what looked like woven grasses, barely covered her ass. Although barefoot, the fem-beast gave no sign that the hard ground caused her pain. Quite the contrary; she ran as if she’d been born to run, as if there was nothing she loved more or would rather do, the fear of him and his pursuit having been pushed aside while she reveled in the challenge of escape. To be that free -Teeth clenched, he shook off the inane thought. No way could he possibly envy a simple creature. After six years of service spent on as many planets, he’d learned that lifeforms came in all shapes, some nightmare-producing, while others, like now, tightened his cock. Did this one have a cunt? Were her kind truly clones of Earth’s females? Driven by the need to know the answers to his questions, he pushed his cycle to a dangerous speed. Then, holding on with one hand, he reached into the open pouch behind him and pulled out a snake rope. Because it could wrap itself around whatever it came in contact with, it was perfect for safely bringing down a foe. Straightening, Galen launched the solar-powered snake. The guidance mechanism inside the snake rope, and his considerable experience using it, sent it unerringly toward the fem-beast’s ankles.

Galen’s Pet

3

There! He watched as it latched onto first one slender ankle, then reached for the other, looped itself around that ankle as well, and pulled the creature’s legs together. She fell to the ground. Hard. He expected her to scream out in panic or pain. Instead, she surprised him and grabbed at her bonds. The snake’s free end instantly extended toward her hand, much as a snake’s tongue would. Before it could entangle her hand, however, the fem-beast jerked back. The snake finished the job it had been designed for, circling her legs nearly to her knees, until they were hidden beneath a layer of rope. The fem-beast slapped at her bonds, tried to pull or tug them off, even went so far as to drag herself on the ground. Impressed by her determination and unexpected calm --he’d expected fighting, cursing, spitting -- he studied her. The longer he looked at her, the more convinced he became that she could pass for human. Physically, at least. Too bad preliminary research back on Earth had indicated her brain wasn’t as advanced as her body. Galen got off his cycle, not even bothering to glance and see if it self-corrected so it wouldn’t tip over, and walked closer, then stopped a few paces away. She was smaller than he’d originally thought and probably didn’t weigh much over one hundred pounds. He frowned. Strange. Given her kind’s primitive existence, one would think nature would have made them more substantial, so they could withstand the rigors of this rough planet. He shook his head. Yet, he always learned something new about the universe and the infinite variety of life-forms that existed, many of which totally disproved one’s assumptions. At the moment, looking at the very feminine body before him, he could think of only one other thing he’d rather be doing. A high-pitched, distant scream distracted him from the too-familiar longing for something he could never have. Although he couldn’t see what was going on, he didn’t need to. One of his companions had brought down his own prey. “That’s your fate,” he told her, even though he suspected his pale-haired captive was incapable of comprehending speech. “Until I grow bored with you, you belong to me.”

Vonna Harper

4

For the first time since she’d fallen, the fem-beast looked up at him. The intensity of her gaze gave off an energy that slid down his middle and settled in his groin. As the connection continued, he acknowledged that today wasn’t going to be just a simple matter of learning what he could about one of the lesser beings that lived on this section of Planet 8361X. If she proved to be more female -- he hesitated -- human than beast, he’d take advantage of her sexually. Why not? There was no one to stop him. Not taking his eyes off his captive -- her striking, sky blue eyes held him enthralled -he returned to his cycle and dug in the well-supplied pouch for another rope. This one was much simpler than the snake and required effort from him, something he relished. It gave him a chance to be up close and personal with the fem-beast. Conditioned by years of being in unfamiliar and sometimes hostile territory, as well as around said hostile life-forms, he approached her one cautious step at a time. He watched her upper body tense and her hands clench as he approached, saw how her body tautened like a bowstring as he drew nearer. Interesting. No matter how advanced Earth had become in its twenty-four centuries of civilized existence, there were times when instinct played a greater role than technology. Even this little fem-beast displayed the fight-or-flight instinct. She might not be able to stand, but that didn’t mean she’d given up the fight. As her stiff posture showed, far from it. “You’d like to kill me, wouldn’t you? Slit my throat and applaud while I bleed to death.” As he slowly circled her, she dragged her body around in her own circle, keeping careful watch of his movements, her large eyes reminding him of a beast of prey, vanquished, but not broken. Her mouth was parted, and he heard her quick, uneven breathing. She was alarmed all right, but doing her best not to let it show. Not a skill a beast would use.

Galen’s Pet

5

“What’s under that garment of yours? Maybe you’re armed.” Something in her expression made him wonder if she understood him after all. Relying on a speech chip implanted in his brain, he’d spoken in 8361X’s base language. Maybe the Afras he and his fellow colonizers had identified as X’s dominant species had lied about the Summins’s primitive nature. Either that, or -- was it possible the Summins kept their intellect hidden? Nah. Everything they’d seen so far led him to believe they were simple creatures. The fem-beast’s short-sleeved covering was loose enough that she could easily hide something next to her body. With the low neckline and high hem, she had two ways of reaching a weapon. He snorted. Not like he’d give her a chance in hell. Damn, but he loved a challenge. Needed one. Halfway through his second circle around the slight form, he dropped to his knees beside her. Not giving her time to react, he grabbed her shoulders and flipped her over so that she lay on her belly. Hissing, she fought with such strength he was forced to plant his elbow against the back of her neck and press down to hold her in place. She bucked under him, her hand reaching…not for him, but the bottom of her garment. He grabbed her elbow and yanked that arm behind her back. Only then did he release the pressure on her neck. He quickly straddled her and settled most of his weight on her buttocks. The instant he sat, his cock took notice. With both hands now free, he had little difficulty wrestling her other arm behind her back as well, but every time he tried to loop the rope around a wrist, she managed to pull free. He slid forward onto his knees so that he straddled her waist, his weight on his knees, then forced her hands between their bodies. She tried to see what he was doing as he looped the rope around both her elbows and pulled them together. There. She wasn’t going anywhere.

6

Vonna Harper

He felt a shiver run through her body. Did she just now feel the danger and panic over a stranger tying her up? Breathing heavily, Galen circled her elbows twice more and tied the rope off. Her arms nearly touched behind her. He’d left her hands free, but they were essentially useless. Leaning back, he studied his handiwork and the creature he’d subdued. Her muscles were still taut. At the same time, her entire body trembled. A sense of power he’d seldom experienced filled him. For the first time in years, he understood what it meant to be in control. “I’ve never tamed a wild animal,” he said, sounding breathless to his own ears. “But I’m going to do that to you. Train and ride you.” “It won’t be easy.” The unexpected male voice pulled Galen’s attention from his prize and the thoughts he was having, thoughts he didn’t fully understand. He looked up to see Burg standing a few feet away. “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked his fellow colonizer. “I thought you were chasing --” “I left her tied up.” Burg pointed toward a rocky outcrop. “Thought I’d check to see how the others were doing. Damn, I don’t know why we waited so long to get our hands on these creatures.” “We waited because --” “I know. Because that’s what the rules call for. First, secure safe housing.” Burg nodded at the fem-beast lying beneath him. “Looks like you got the cream of the crop. She sure gave you more of a battle than mine did.” “She sure did, all right.” Reaching behind him, he patted the creature’s thigh. She hissed but didn’t try to buck him off. “Damn, but I love a challenge.” I need it. Otherwise,

the past catches up to me. “You serious, about taming her?”

Galen’s Pet

7

Hearing Burg’s question reinforced that he’d really said what he had. About to laugh off his words so he wouldn’t have to explain his need to have dominion over something, he took note of his surroundings. Most of 8361X was flat and mind-numbingly boring. At least the atmospheric conditions duplicated Earth, eliminating the need for bulky, oxygenproducing packs and allowing them a minimum of clothing. So far, the humanoid life-forms they’d encountered had been similar to what they’d found last year on planet 8361JJ. Primitive by Earth’s standards, there was nothing remarkable about X’s population, and yet, they’d been ordered to spend the next ten months here documenting the planet and its lifeforms. He couldn’t imagine anyone gave a damn about them. Being selected for this particular preliminary space-colonization project had sounded exciting at the time, certainly more interesting than his other option, space politics. Being a Capital Explorer meant a career devoted to public service. Toward that end, he’d been raised in a group home. He’d attended regimented schooling, where group performance and standardization had taken precedence over individual thought and achievement. He’d been in his late teens before he’d questioned what he now realized had been deliberate mind-bending. But although he knew something was missing in his life, what could he do about it? In a society that functioned as a result of regimentation, rebels were treated as outcasts. Outcasts had no place on Earth. More specifically, no way of avoiding starvation. His solution had been to accept his assignment. But before he’d left Earth, he’d -Caught in a too-familiar pain of loss, he fingered the locket at his throat. His heart was wrapped up in what was in the locket. He couldn’t imagine ever sharing that emotion with someone else. “Hey, Earth to Galen. I asked a question,” Burg said. “You serious about turning her into your pet?”

8

Vonna Harper

He’d never had a sex slave -- against regulations -- but the thought of having something or someone whose life revolved around him, someone who couldn’t leave him… “Who’s to stop me? The regulations don’t extend to planet explorations.” “Damn good question. The answer is, no one.”

Galen’s Pet

9

Chapter Two

Even as the man stood and stepped away from her, a low cry clawed at Rei’s throat, yet she refused to let it loose. She’d already revealed too much to the invader. Thank the stars she’d been able to remain silent, because she’d been unable to control her shaking. She’d give anything to rip the man’s throat out. How dare he think of robbing her of her freedom, she fumed, barely able to suppress herself from revealing just how uncivilized she was. The strange rope he’d thrown at her had lashed her legs together so tightly that even if she’d been able to get to her feet, she wouldn’t have been able to take a step. Equally frightening was having the use of her arms taken from her. She’d once watched from her hiding place as the three-eyed Aftras captured two of her menfolk. The Aftras superior numbers and weapons had made resisting futile. They’d marched the captive Summins away with their hands cuffed behind them, their heads hanging in defeat. That tableau should have given her a hint of what it meant to be someone’s captive. Instead, all she could concentrate on were the tight ties around her elbows. That, and her captor’s vow to train her and turn her into his pet.

10

Vonna Harper

What did he mean, his pet? She wasn’t a lap beast. The raw, naked strength of the man reminded her of her precarious position. She shivered inside. Would she survive whatever he had planned? Sudden anger at her people’s leaders distracted her from her discomfort. When the huge sky-craft that had been hovering over her people’s homeland landed, the Summin men had started secretly watching them. They’d eventually reported their findings to the five wise men who provided leadership and guidance for all Summins. The wise men, in turn, had reassured everyone that the newcomers were only interested in making improvements to the deserted Aftras compound they’d moved into. Because the newcomers had shown no interest in the Summins, they obviously didn’t represent a threat. Before long, surely, they’d grow tired of what they were doing and fly off. After all, according to historical records, this wasn’t the first time sky-travelers had spent time here and then left. How wrong the leaders had been. Secure in his total control over her, the man had turned his back on her while talking to his ally. At first, she couldn’t muster the courage to roll onto her side and look at either of them, but as the minutes dragged on, her heartbeat slowed. She forced herself to take her measure of the one who believed he had the right to do what he wanted with her. Other Summins had described the invaders, so she wasn’t surprised by his naked chest and the thick, brown garment he wore that hung low on his hips and didn’t quite reach his knees. His sturdy footwear seemed molded to his feet. No doubt, the large, sturdy-looking carrying bag around his waist contained a weapon. He would be stupid to traverse the countryside without means of protection. She wondered why he hadn’t used it on her, then reminded herself that he’d wanted her alive.

His.

Galen’s Pet

11

She was still trying to grasp the concept of being captured when he left his companion and came back over to her. Much as she wanted to turn away from him, she didn’t. Any moment he might decide he had no use for her after all and kill her. The thought of being unable to stop him from slitting her throat nearly undid her. Then she recalled what the scouts had told them. The invaders hadn’t brought any women with them. Maybe that was why he’d pursued her. He didn’t want a pet, but rather, a sex object. Another helpless whimper clogged her throat, though she kept it from escaping. The knowledge this stranger might want her for sex made her weak. She enjoyed sex, but what if the invaders’ cocks were as sharp and as massive as some of her people had speculated? They were taller and more powerfully built than their own menfolk. How would she survive? “Interesting how human she looks,” her captor said to the man who’d joined him. They both stared at her. “She even looks reasonably clean.” “I noticed the same thing about the creature I brought down.” The other man said. “But I’m not poking my cock in any holes until I’m damn sure it’s safe.” “I agree. First order of business: getting back to headquarters. I don’t care what they say about how docile the Summins are. I’m not about to get ambushed. I’m thinking they’ll want their women back.” The man who hadn’t caught her nodded. “I had the same thought. Soon as I can get my prize roped onto my cycle, I’m heading out. What about you?” Her captor leaned over. Then, to her horror, he settled onto his knees beside her. She clenched her useless fingers. “Same thing. But I want her worn down and domesticated a bit in the process.” “What do you have in mind?” “Making her walk, or should I say, run.”

12

Vonna Harper

The other man shrugged, his facial expression indifferent. “Whatever. It’s not like she’s going to stop you.” “No, she isn’t.” Rei bit her lip. Her captor hadn’t used that tone before. He didn’t sound as aggressive and self-assured as he had earlier. Instead, his voice sounded more contemplative, as if he was truly taking note of her for the first time. Although she kept her gaze on him, she was acutely aware of how vulnerable she looked curled on her side, her legs bent to keep from rolling onto her belly. Her garment had ridden up, exposing her buttocks, and with her weight dragging the top down, the sun heated the tops of her breasts. She groaned. That’s what he was looking at. Even worse, he reached for them. Overcome by anger and the instinct for self-preservation, she tried to bite him. “Fuck that!” Grabbing her chin, he held her head immobile. “You’re going to learn, you animal. Learn to obey your master.” The growl she’d been trying to contain broke free. An instant later, she started screaming. Cursing, her captor rolled her onto her back, her head resting on his thigh. Then he clamped his hand over her mouth, pressing so hard she couldn’t open it to bite. He said something to the other man, but she didn’t hear what was said, concentrating instead on his fingers, which were dangerously close to her nose. Desperate to let him know he’d made his point, she went limp. “Hmm, I didn’t expect that,” her captor said. “A fighter to the end.” “Better than rolling over and playing dead?” The other man ventured, amazement clear in his voice. Rei didn’t even spare him a glance. “Much better.” “You ready?” the other man asked.

No, not more rope ! But that’s exactly what the other man held in his hand. Although she vehemently shook her head from side to side, she was no match for the two of them.

Galen’s Pet

13

They had no trouble gagging her, wrapping the rope around her head and over her mouth several times. A giant wave of helplessness stole her strength and blurred her vision. During the twenty summers and winters of her life, she’d grown to love the open land where she lived. She would have preferred richer soil, more water and vegetation, but at least the other peoples on the planet left her and her people alone. Life had always been relatively safe. Until now. Within the span of a few minutes, her world had changed. Survival depended on her ability to make sense of those changes, and her ability to adapt. “That calmed her. Took that fight you were talking about right out of her.” “My guess, not permanently.” Her head was on her captor’s thighs again, the living pillow both welcome and unnerving. Something pressed against the base of her neck; no, not something -- his sex. He was aroused, maybe because her struggles had stirred the beast in him. But would letting him do whatever he wanted to her -- not that she could stop him -- alter her fate? “Galen, think you can handle her on your own now?” the other man asked. “Don’t push it, old man. I was just letting you in on the action.” “That’s action? What a hell of a disappointment.” Galen chuckled, though she didn’t sense any warmth in the sound. “We’re just getting started. One thing about having been on 8361JJ last year, we were treated to a number of graphic and exciting demonstrations of how to turn a wild beast into an accommodating pet. Too bad you missed it.” Chuckling again, Galen repositioned her so her head dangled just off the ground, and her back rested on his thighs. Having much of her weight on her arms was more than uncomfortable; it effectively reinforced her utter helplessness.

14

Vonna Harper

Knowing she needed to, Rei lifted her head and looked into the man’s dark and soulless eyes. He was so close, so big and powerful, in charge and confident. She saw nothing gentle in his stare, no acknowledgement of her as a thinking, feeling being. To him, she was nothing more than a possession, valuable to him only because his cock was hungry. Burg was leaving. She heard the sounds of his footsteps as he traipsed over the uneven ground. Not that it mattered; she didn’t dare dismiss Galen long enough to check to be sure.

She was already calling her captor by his name. Having her thighs tightly pressed together trapped her in ways she didn’t know how to handle. She prayed he didn’t sense how alive she felt. “Am I talking to a rock?” He placed his fingers over her throat. “You don’t have any idea what I’m saying, do you? Hell, I’m not sure if something as simple as you are is capable of speech.” Exhausted from the effort of holding up her head, she let it drop. From this position, she couldn’t see anything except the sky. Yet, did she have the courage to again look into the eyes of a man with the power of life or death over her? What if he was as inhuman as he’d accused her of being? She concentrated on getting her breathing under control, and it helped a little. So, he didn’t think she could talk. That probably meant he didn’t believe she could understand him, either. Hopefully, she could keep from revealing that she could both speak and comprehend. He trailed his hand from her throat to her breasts. She panted. The position he’d placed her in forced her breasts upward and out. The sun’s heat pounding on the upper swells reminded her of how much she was exposed. “Big,” he muttered. “Firm. Now, there’s a bonus.”

Don’t touch…don’t touch…don’t touch…

Galen’s Pet

15

Ah, harsh, rough fingers slid underneath a breast and lifted, pushing it past the low neckline, freeing and revealing it. She was getting dizzy, but not just because blood had pooled in her head. Instead of releasing her breast, he continued to fondle what he obviously saw as his prize and right. Feeling the weight of his gaze on her pale flesh, her nipple tightened. “What’s that? A response?”

No, she longed to yell, but before she could decide whether to try to force the word out, he pinched her nipple. She gasped. In her mind, she saw a thumb and forefinger clamped around her throbbing flesh. Even more unsettling, she saw the corners of his mouth lift in a superior grin. Desperate to wipe that look off him, she started twisting about. But having her arms under her anchored her, and her legs remained as useless as they’d become when he’d brought her down. She’d been right. He could do whatever he wanted to her. “An interesting development,” he observed, pulling on her nipple. She felt her full breast being stretched and heard him chuckle. She felt his cock trapped under her weight. “You’re capable of more complex sexual responses than the Afras led us to expect. When I said I’d tame you, I said it more as a joke, that at best, it’d be an experiment in frustration. But you’re alive, aren’t you? Alive in the ways that count. Alive in ways that I need.” His body lay under her, something for her to rest against until she decided what to do. But it was more complicated than that, much more. Her trapped nipple burned and pulsed, the sensations reaching out to ignite her other breast. She hated this manhandling, hated it! And yet, what he’d said about needing her…intrigued her. “Later!” he snapped. Releasing her, he clamped onto her shoulders and repositioned her so she was sitting next to him. “First, I’m getting you to a place of security for me.” Frightened by what he’d just said, Rei looked around at the land of her birth. If someone were coming to her rescue, she would have seen movement. She doubted if the men even

16

Vonna Harper

knew what had happened to her and the three other women who’d been out checking on their livestock. Their absence wouldn’t be noticed until tonight, and by then, it would be too late. When the newcomers had arrived in their great, flying craft, they’d taken over a wellfortified but abandoned compound near Calsworm Creek. They’d wasted no time repairing the damage done to the compound during a series of violent storms several winters ago. Rumor was they’d even designed a way to get water up from the creek and could light the area at night without using fire. Once he’d placed her within the thick, high walls, he could do whatever he wanted with her. No one would risk his or her life trying to rescue her. His sex-pet? That was to be her life? Panic grew. She tried to keep it at bay, reminding herself that, so far, he hadn’t hurt her. And the way he’d handled her breast had been pleasant. She groaned. Surely she wasn’t anticipating sex with him, was she? As his sex-pet? At the moment, though, her worst fear was that he’d try to make her stand and, when she couldn’t walk, he’d drag her behind that thing he’d been riding. Instead, he ran his hands down her arms -- almost gently. Reaching her fingers, he lightly squeezed them. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.” He chuckled and slapped what he could reach of her left hip. He left her with her legs sticking out in front and bent forward at the waist so she wouldn’t topple over. As soon as she was sure she was safely balanced and Galen was out of sight, she struggled to tuck her legs under her. Then she twisted to the side and reached for the loops around her ankles. She managed to touch the end of the rope but couldn’t pry it off her. “Don’t even try, pet. That particular invention will remain sealed to you until I order it otherwise.”

Galen’s Pet

17

Galen was standing over her, big and imposing, the sun behind him so that she couldn’t make out his features. Red highlights showed in his short, black hair. Stars, he was strong looking. Fighting the unsettling impact he had on her nerves, she gnawed on the rope in her mouth. “I’ve been thinking,” he said as he reached down, grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her to her feet beside him. Dizziness assailed her. “I honestly don’t care whether you can understand me. I just hope you’re intelligent enough to fathom what’s going to happen, and smart enough to know to adapt and do what’s expected of you.” Turning her from him, he looped his fingers through her elbow restraint. Then he shoved, pushing her off balance, so she would have fallen if he’d let go. A quick yank brought her back against his hard, warm chest. He then released her, forcing her to concentrate on trying to keep her feet under her. By the time she started to sag forward, he’d run a rope around her waist and knotted it in back. Then he again drew her against him and anchored her in place by positioning one of his legs in front of her. Afraid to try moving on her own, she again concentrated on standing as he fastened her wrists to the waist rope. More rope now hung between her trapped legs in back. “Overkill? Maybe.” He seemed to be talking to himself. Her shoulders were being wrenched back while her breasts -- she looked down, saw the one he’d left exposed. She had no doubt he’d done so because he liked what he saw. And to humiliate her, mark her as his. She was nothing now. Only what he wanted, what he trained her to be. By right of conquest, she was no longer her own person, but his. “On the off chance you can understand what I’m saying, my fellow colonizers and I recently spent time on a planet that’s remarkably similar to this one. We were treated…not exactly like royalty, but we were certainly given favored status because we’re males.” He ran his hand down her right hip. “On 8361JJ, males are king, while the females exist to cater to and fulfill their superiors’ needs and fantasies. My companions and I had spent a long time

18

Vonna Harper

alone, without female companionship. We were more than receptive to that kind of treatment.”

What are you saying? No, not being forced to fulfill your fantasies ! Feeling his hands on her thighs, she jumped, then started to topple over. He hooked one arm around her chest, stopping her fall, but his other arm remained by her buttocks. “Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for the males, JJ females initially fight their role and have to be taught the error of their ways. Part of the hospitality package we received included several lessons on training methods to deal with their females. I never thought I’d be putting them to use, but now…” Once again torn between his words and her body, Rei could only stand and shake as he turned her so she again faced him. Then he slid a hand between her thighs and took hold of the dangling rope. He pulled, tightening the rope against her pussy. Horrified, she gasped as he held it up for her to see. “My handle,” he explained. “Makes it simple to control my new pet while ensuring I remain immune to your physical appeal. That’s something I’m going to have to work on.” This was really happening! From freedom to prisoner in a matter of a few minutes. Her life changed. She whimpered. “I didn’t expect that response. I’m beginning to think there very well might be more between your ears than I was led to believe, and more than you’ve demonstrated so far by your responses. I’m looking forward to seeing how much I have to work with. It gives me a reason to -- never mind.” His words and somber tone overwhelmed her as much as her bonds did. To her shock, she felt herself sliding into something dark and deep, almost as if he was hypnotizing her. Her skin was becoming unbelievably sensitive, particularly her trapped pussy. She couldn’t believe it, but moisture began building deep inside.

Galen’s Pet

19

“This.” He gave the pussy-pressing rope a quick tug. She inwardly groaned. “Is one of the most useful things I was introduced to on JJ, but hardly the only one. I’m looking forward to demonstrating my newfound knowledge -- and seeing what that knowledge does to you. JJ’s females became quite devoted to their superiors. “I wonder what a Summin woman’s response will be.” Words swirled around her, coming at her as if in a fog. A hand on her shoulder to help her maintain her balance, and his grip on the rope kept it taut on her cunt. Her useless arms and legs no longer mattered as her world centered and coalesced into this moment. Only his presence mattered. “You’re going to walk, my little captive,” he whispered. “That’ll give you plenty of time to contemplate what’s ahead of you, if you’re capable of contemplation, that is. And if you aren’t, I have every confidence that by the time I’m done training you, you will have learned to live to serve me.” What he’d just said continued to spin around her. At that moment, all memory of the living arrangement she shared with the other single young women, the periodic gatherings when Summin men and women shared teasing looks, looks that sometimes resulted in nights of hot sex -- all evaporated. There’d be something approaching sex with her captor, but on his terms. Always, she suspected, on his terms. How often? How would she respond? A quick, sharp jerk on the cunt rope pulled her onto her toes. She fully expected to fall. Instead, the strands around her legs loosened and fell away. She shook her head in disbelief and looked down. “That’s one of the most useful inventions of the twenty-fourth century,” he said as he retrieved the snake rope. “Hard to believe an object can respond to mind commands, isn’t it?”

20

Vonna Harper

He looped the snake around his upper arm. That done, he tucked the cunt rope under the loop around her waist. Then he stepped back and pulled on what he’d called a handle. Unwilling to subject her pussy to more punishment, she stumbled toward him. As had happened before when they’d been in close proximity, his body heat slid around her, stroked her skin. She wished she could trust her body’s reaction around him, but she didn’t even know if she could trust him not to kill her. “Great progress.” Once more, he pulled up on the rope. He kept her on her toes while he yanked up on the hem of her garment where the crotch rope held it against her belly. When the cloth was nearly to her waist, he reached under it. Shocked out of her stupor by the latest assault on her body, Rei tried to draw away but stopped when the pressure against her pussy lips became more than she could bear. While she struggled against the unwelcome tingling that reached from her crotch to her breasts, he boldly ran his hand under her clothing. “What do you know?” He held up the slender knife she’d sewn into the inside of her garment. “Sorry, but I have no intention of letting you use this on me. Of course” -- he brought his face close to hers -- “you’d have to be able to get your hands on it, and I have no intention of letting that happen, either. In fact…” He ran the side of the knife over her exposed breast. “It’s going to be a long time before you have use of your hands, and then only so you can pleasure me.” He stepped back, and she watched as he threw the knife as far as he could. She stared after it as he started leading her toward the strange thing he’d been riding. Trying to protect her sensitive tissues, she walked quickly behind him, her legs spread. She tried to make her mind go blank as he secured her tether to the back of the machine. Feeling a great deal like a piece of livestock, Rei waited as he placed the rope that wrapped by itself in his bag. Having already learned one lesson in submission, she didn’t try to back away when he returned to her. If only she could stop shaking.

Galen’s Pet

21

“No need to make this any more uncomfortable than it has to be,” he informed her as he untied her elbow restraints. “At least, not at this point.” He rubbed her flesh where the rope had dug into her. “You are a beauty. Maybe you don’t know what the word means, but you are desirable. And after what life’s been like for me, I’m not at all inclined to get rid of something I find…desirable.”

22

Vonna Harper

Chapter Three

As befitting his status as senior colonizer, Galen had taken possession of the largest apartment in the compound. Built from what passed for stone on 8361X, the entire structure would last forever. Unfortunately, nothing had been done to transfer water up from the nearby creek and remedying that shortfall was one of the first things he and his fellow colonizers had done. Built on top of the highest point of land made the compound easy to defend and thus immensely valuable. For a backward, primitive society, he admired the labor and thought that had gone into the building, even though he didn’t believe they had ever known war. He slowed his space cycle and eased through the main entrance and on into an inner courtyard. Several of his companions were about, and he nodded as they passed them. Obviously curious about the bound figure trailing behind him, he headed toward his quarters without stopping. The others who’d accompanied him in the search for Summins would soon arrive. He’d let them explain. Feeling a tug in the hand that held his captive’s lead rope, he glanced behind him. He had checked on her condition a number of times during the hour-long journey, but once

Galen’s Pet

23

again, he was struck by how human she looked. Not only did she have curves in all the right places, her exposed breast would be the envy of any Earth woman. He was a bastard for leaving her breast uncovered, a bastard intent on beginning the training process. Studying her slender neck and the long, sweaty hair now sticking to it, he amended his earlier opinion that some of the time he’d spent on JJ had been wasted. He’d learned some vital lessons about how to make female slaves subservient to their sexual nature. He could barely wait to put his education to work with this creature. His inner voice asked, Why ? Unnerved, he shook it off, only to have it return. Why

don’t you want to see her as anything except a possession? After driving up to his door, he grabbed his pack and dismounted. Then he reeled her in. Sweat coated her smooth, young skin. Her legs trembled, and she kept swallowing, undoubtedly because she was thirsty. But although she looked worn down from having to jog the whole way, she didn’t look done in. Anger still glowed in her eyes. Good. He didn’t want her beaten. Pushing the heavy, woodlike door open, he stepped into the dark and cool entryway. His pet resisted. He used her defiance as an opportunity to show her the error of her ways. He gave a jerk on the lead. She lurched toward him. “Fighting’s not going to do you a damn bit of good,” he curtly informed her. “That will be the first bad habit I intend to break you of.” Reading her expression with the gag in place wasn’t easy, but once again, he sensed she understood some of what he said and right now, disagreed with him. The living room lay just beyond the entryway, and he headed there. It had been empty when he’d taken possession of the apartment, but he’d filled it with serviceable -- if uninspired -- furniture he’d bought from the Afras. In the other decently sized room, he’d fashioned a bed out of packed material stuffed into a mattress he’d gotten in a trade. He bypassed the bedroom, though, because he wasn’t sure he’d ever share his bed with her.

24

Vonna Harper

The roof consisted of parallel beams with a number of large, fernlike leaves layered on top of them. Thick fibrous strands anchored them in place. Those sturdy fibers had sagged and stretched over time, and loops hung down from the rafters. Inspiration struck. He dug out the snake, then commanded it to travel upward and through the loop closest to the middle of the room. The fem-beast’s eyes went wide, and she tried to back away. Thanks to her crotch restraint, he had no trouble keeping her in place. Spinning her away from him, he freed her wrists. Determined not to give her time to comprehend what he had in mind, he yanked one hand in front of her, lifting at the same time. A mental message to the snake rope guided it around her wrist. The instant it was in place, he reached for her other hand, but she tucked it against her body. Much as letting her fight intrigued and invigorated him, his need for a certain vital piece of information about her sexual anatomy made up his mind. Grabbing her around the neck, he pulled her roughly against him. Once he had her off balance, capturing her free hand was easy, as was securing it overhead next to the one already there. Reluctantly releasing her hot, struggling body, Galen stepped back. Although the snake prevented her from moving about, she was able to bend her elbows a little. Before starting the journey back to headquarters, he’d pulled her garment back down her thighs, which had afforded her a small amount of modesty. But being stretched the way she was now had hiked her covering back up until it barely covered her ass. His fingers itched with the wish to explore what lay between her legs, but the rope he’d placed there made that difficult. He could have moved it aside. Instead, ordering his cock to shut the hell up, he took another step back. He’d seen females thus secured on JJ. Ever since, his dreams had included vivid images of their helpless and oh-so-available bodies. Nudity was standard for sex-pets, yet having part of her hidden from view fed certain flames. She was his to do what he wanted with her -unless a well-aimed kick on her part had him writhing on the ground.

Galen’s Pet

25

“That’s what you’d love to do, isn’t it? If I get too close, you’ll kick me in the groin as hard as you can. I’ll bet, though, that you haven’t thought about what will happen to you if you injure me.” He leaned forward, more to intimidate her than to get her attention. “No one would hear your cries for help. Even if they did, they wouldn’t interfere.” He let that sink in. He added, “You’d have to stand there until I recovered. And when I did, I’d be angry. You do not want me angry.” She looked up at her arms, then down. He saw her gaze follow the rope that encompassed her waist and slithered between her legs. After staring at her naked breast, she looked at him. Something in her expression spoke to him, except he didn’t understand the message. Galen stepped behind her and removed her gag. He again put distance between them and watched as she licked her lips. Ah, if it could only be him running his fingers over those soft lips instead. He wanted her naked. Her eyes alive with comprehension of her fate. Accepting that fate, and him. Understanding what brought him pleasure and gifting him with her knowledge. “You won’t like me,” he told her, pulling himself away from his thoughts. “I wasn’t raised to be a compassionate or gentle man. That’s why I was chosen to head this mission. I put responsibility and commitment first. My task -- mine and the others’ -- is to assess the usability of the planets we land on. Are there resources Earth’s population can use, life-forms with value? We’ve identified planets, their civilizations advanced beyond ours, and avoid them.” Until now, he’d had her full attention. Irritated because she no longer studied him, he followed her gaze to see what she was looking at. She’d spotted his personal water storage container. Eventually, water would be piped into his apartment, but for now, the bucketsized container met most of his needs.

26

Vonna Harper

Seeing her thirst as an opportunity to provide a lesson in his superiority and her helplessness, he used the crotch rope to pull her around so she could no longer look at the storage container. Since he needed his hands free, he fastened the rope to a table leg. When he was finished, he had her stretched out, her thighs straining, pelvis forward, and her back arched back because of her secured wrists.

You’re a bastard, a damnable bastard. “This planet -- we’ve labeled it 8361X -- was chosen because it is relatively primitive, or should I say, what passes for humans here are primitive,” he said, in part so he wouldn’t have to listen to and acknowledge his inner voice. “Your weapons are a joke; your civilization has light-years to go before it approaches Earth’s level of sophistication.” He’d been about to give her an example of what made Earth technologically superior when he fell silent. The world he’d come from had made nearly unbelievable advances in the past couple hundred years, and he’d be the last to question the successes of the regimented social structure behind his rearing. But right now, he felt nearly as primitive as the life-forms he’d encountered since leaving Earth. And the prime reminder of that stood in front of him -- and what he’d just done to her. Shaking off a wave of self-disgust, he ran a hand inside his garment and closed his fingers around his cock. His thoughts spinning, he closed in on his possession. Keeping a hand around his aching organ, he covered her naked breast with the other. Tempted as he was to expose her other breast, he concentrated on what he was doing, the feelings he was experiencing. Yes, there it was; something beat beneath the surface. Galen frowned. Maybe there wasn’t any difference between them after all. Not wanting to embrace that possibility, he turned his attention to finding answers to other questions he’d had about the Summins. He began by working her garment even higher,

Galen’s Pet

27

no easy task thanks to the bonds that stretched her body. When she twisted to the side, he allowed her that small piece of resistance. Feeling bold and adventurous, along with the hot level of curiosity running through his veins, he stood where she could see him and removed his weapon. Then he yanked off his garment and stepped out of it. Leaving his boots on helped give him an aura of authority. As for what she thought of his engorged cock, he’d soon know. “Do you know what this is for?” he taunted, pointing at himself. Determined to make his point remembered, he slapped her naked breast. “Are your males so equipped?” What was that, a nod? Trying not to read too much into her response, he aimed his cock at her crotch. After giving her time to hopefully comprehend the wordless message, he removed his hand from his cock. The crotch rope still caressed her belly and, he hoped, was having the same effect on her. The rope obliterated his view, but he hoped her sex organs were the same as earth women. He couldn’t do a thorough examination of her with the rope in place. Galen wanted her to not just understand his intentions, but to also experience her new lot in life.

Bastard. His intention had been to study her expression, but the moment he guided the rope to the side, he had to see what he’d exposed. Her legs were as close together as she could get them. He nudged them apart.

Beautiful. She was a living work of art.

On the brink of sliding a hand over the spot where the rope had been, Galen stopped. His position on Earth had given him the right to collect valuable artwork. If he’d wanted, he could have claimed paintings, sculptures, even the amazing three-dimensional seascapes where complex tidal patterns were played out and birds endlessly searched the surf. He’d never felt the need to surround himself with inanimate objects, no matter how exquisite or

28

Vonna Harper

expensive. Now he was looking at a tired, sweating, thirsty creature and wanting to possess her. Or was it possession? Maybe he wanted someone to hold onto and thus make the pain of what he’d left behind on Earth more manageable. A whisper of caution warned him to walk out of the room until he’d gotten a handle on his emotions, but his hands and libido had other ideas. He positioned the rope to the side even more, then ran his fingers up the inside of her left thigh. A long, fine shudder ran through her, and her breathing quickened. His mouth dried. Closer, slowly, ever closer he came to her core. With each invasion, he became more convinced that she was human -- at least, her body was humanoid, which was the only thing that mattered to him. He blocked out the fact that humanoid meant brains. Intellect. Emotions. Feelings. She felt soft, sleek, and loose. Her tissues were so delicate; he was grateful he’d been careful not to let the rope abrade them. And in the center of that warm, puffy flesh was what caused his cock to grow even harder -- her sex hole. His head buzzing and his nerves screaming, he slid his finger into her.

Glory be. Galen closed his eyes and threw back his head. No matter that his purpose had been to simply take inventory. He found that he was incapable of dispassionately doing so. Her opening was deep and warm and inviting, giving way as he explored, only to engulf his finger like a lover each time he ceased movement.

I’m sorry. If the crotch rope harmed you, I’m sorry. He opened his eyes, his exploration turning into a gentle massage. Over and over again, he stroked where the rope had been, and when he was done, he guided his finger back inside her. Moist warmth engulfed him, prompting him to lightly stroke her inner walls. So soft. So wonderfully soft. An almost childlike cry shot out of her. Her head had drifted to the side, and her eyes stared vacantly. She’d closed her mouth once he removed the gag, but now it was open,

Galen’s Pet

29

stretching wider even as her lids slid over her bright blue eyes. A second and then a third faint cry drifted around him. Forcing himself, he withdrew his finger. Her next cry was, he told himself, filled with hunger. Releasing his cock, he positioned himself so he had full access to her inner thighs. Pushing his feet against hers kept her splayed as he took his first look at her sex. There, her pink silky flesh, a tiny hard nub nearly hidden in the folds, and behind that -- ah, yes, that hot, glistening opening. So the fem-beast had an Earth woman’s organs, did she? And like an Earth woman, moisture slid out of her and revealed her secrets. He had her in ways she couldn’t possibly comprehend. Didn’t he?

30

Vonna Harper

Chapter Four

Rei’s arms burned. Her calves and thighs ached, adding to another kind of heat she couldn’t handle. But what made her feel the most out of control was the look in the eyes of the stranger who’d done this to her -- that, and his hands plundering her most private place. She had no doubt what he intended to do, just as she knew in her heart of hearts that she couldn’t stop him. To go from freedom to helpless captive in less than a day… Rei despaired. How could she hope to cope? Before she could begin to answer her question, his exploration became even more intimate. He again invaded her most personal space. But it wasn’t the bold assault that kept her off balance; it was her reaction to his fingers, his touch. Ah, stars, she swam in sensation and swirled somewhere between pleasure and pain. She tried to tell herself he hadn’t yet pushed her most sensitive triggers. But then, he wouldn’t be touching her where he was, if he didn’t know about those triggers and her weakness, would he? He buried a finger in her. Her breathing stopped. Heat surrounded her breasts, the sensation radiating up to inflame her throat and cheeks. She might have been able to clamp down on her reaction to his bold invasion, if only the fire in her cunt hadn’t become even more intense.

Galen’s Pet

31

She didn’t want this! She didn’t! She hated him. Her body strained toward him, wanting contact, and she cursed her body’s lack of willpower. Her mind might hate him, but her body felt…

Alive. Wrapped in hunger. No longer fighting. Her legs trembled. Her body wanted him, this stranger, this invader who had stolen her and now meant to claim her. “What’s this?” he asked, probing deeper, pushing wider. “You like that I’m doing this to you?”

No ! She nearly screamed, but silence might be the only defense she had left. Her head became so heavy, she could barely hold it up, and she wanted him to never stop. She longed to concentrate on what was happening to her pussy, to dive into the hard energy and warmth, but if she surrendered, she might never regain her self-control. From the moment he’d started pursuing her, chasing her across the plains, she’d known her life would change. She hadn’t suspected, though, that the change would be this overwhelming or happen so quickly. Fresh sweat bathed her body from the strength it took for her to resist him. She couldn’t swallow, her dry throat making her gag. She hung between her restraints like some tethered animal, twisting uselessly, his feet keeping her legs separated and exposing everything. She didn’t want this and yet, she did. In ways she didn’t dare examine, she’d never wanted anything more. He was going deeper still, impaling her on a single finger while the other fingers stroked the area around where his finger lie buried, opening and widening her even more. Her sex muscles clenched. Although she felt the pull in her arms, the sensation of being bound and spread no longer registered as pain. This was his gift to her. He’d immobilized her, so she’d have nothing else to do but concentrate on him, his fingers, what he was doing to her. Everything was about her.

Vonna Harper

32

At that moment, her pussy belonged to him, not her. He controlled and teased nerves she’d barely known she possessed. What had he called himself, her master? Rei relaxed back into her bondage, relishing the release he gave her so she could fully concentrate on the feelings he aroused. She didn’t want anything else from life. She tried again to swallow, only to start coughing. Her eyes teared. Even when she lifted her head, she couldn’t stop the spasm. The longer she coughed, the less aware she became of the rest of her body. He was pushing in and sliding along her nether lips, turning his finger about, pulling out, then delving so deep that she clung to him. Yet, although she longed to, she couldn’t concentrate. “Not -- can’t,” he muttered. She was trying to make sense of what he was saying when she realized he’d pulled out of her and was stalking away. Turning her too-heavy and pounding head as much as she could, she followed his progress as he walked naked over to the water container. His buttock muscles tightened and relaxed, tightened and relaxed. Her throat threatened to close down, from thirst as well as from lust. She struggled not to beg him to return and finish what he’d begun. He returned to her holding a cup filled with water in his big hand. Her captor placed his free hand on the underside of her exposed breast, cupping her breast, then held up the cup, keeping it just out of her reach. “What I’m doing now serves as an example of how dependent you are on me,” he said, almost gently. “Whether you have anything to drink or eat depends on me. I decide how long you remain like this and when, or if, you’re allowed to use your arms. Please me, and I can be a generous master. Resist or anger me, and I’ll punish my pet. Do you understand?” The life-affirming smell of water filled her nostrils. She extended her tongue and begged with her eyes. “You understand, don’t you? Resisting is the last thing you want to do.”

Galen’s Pet

33

Water. Sliding down her throat. Able to swallow again, if she obeyed. Defeated, she nodded. “That’s what I thought. Now for your reward, one I’ll withdraw the moment you displease me.” His hand remained on her breast as he tipped the cup. She swallowed greedily, quickly, water running out of the sides of her mouth. She’d drained his gift before she could concentrate on what he’d just said. Was that her life, then? Her treatment was totally dependent on his mood -- on whether she pleased him? If she did, would he grant her more of the pleasure she’d just experienced? “You’re dirty,” he announced after what seemed like a long silence. “I don’t want my pet to be dirty.” Was he going to throw water on her? Maybe she should have been appalled, to be treated like a piece of livestock in a stable, but her people valued cleanliness. Now that he’d brought her condition to her attention, she acknowledged her sticky skin and the smell of sweat that clung to her. Once he’d turned her from dirty to clean, would he want to fuck her? Did it matter? No matter what he decided to do to her, she couldn’t resist. After dropping the cup to the floor, he untied her slack crotch rope from the table leg. She lowered her head in gratitude. And yet, at the same time and against all rational thought and everything she believed in about the concept of independence and freedom, she wanted back the ropes, the ultimate in helplessness. Mindful of how easy it had been for him to separate her legs, she kept her stance wide as he freed her from the intimate strands that not long ago had caressed her like a lover. With the rope no longer in place, her dress slid back down over her hips. Except her breast remained exposed; she took little comfort in the small measure of modesty he’d granted her.

34

Vonna Harper

“Don’t make the mistake of trying to kick me,” he said, his face inches from hers, his hand reaching for her throat. “Do you understand?” She nodded and came close to telling him she did. But his expression told her he was determined to learn everything he could about her. When she nodded again, he stepped deeper into the space created by her open legs and ran his hands over her hips. Even though her garment was back in place, she swore his cock touched her skin. Whether he was gentle or strict with her didn’t matter anymore, only this exploration and the sensations he created did. What was it she’d confessed to her sister only a few days ago, that she’d do anything for cock? How close those words were coming to being fulfilled. His hands seemed to be everywhere at once. Every touch possessive. She, who’d known freedom and self-determination all her life, had no defenses against this invasion on her personal space. But did she truly want to resist? “Listen to me. We’re going outside. There’s a communal space out there, where you will bathe. My companions will observe everything and anything I do to you. They’ll expect certain behavior from me, a demonstration of my mastery of you. No one will try to stop me. Do you understand?” He’d already said something like that, hadn’t he? “Do you” -- taking hold of her nipple, he twisted slightly -- “understand?” “Yes,” she blurted. “What?!” he demanded. “What did you say?” “I understand. I understand.” Barely hearing herself, Rei tried to jerk free. “Goddamn. Damn, damn.” Suddenly the discomfort to her breast ended. He still held it, but he was no longer squeezing. He studied her as if he’d never seen her before. Then he tightened his hold once more.

Galen’s Pet

35

“Why didn’t you tell me that you understand?” he demanded.

Say nothing. Protect what you can. “Why didn’t you?” Shocked by his sharp tone, she shook her head. “Are you defying me?” This time, she was careful not to move. “So that’s how it is. You deliberately kept things from me, something I will not allow. Sing for me, my sex-pet,” he said. “Show me how many songs you know.” He squeezed again. “Please, don’t hurt me.” “Yes, you do understand, don’t you?” She gasped and nodded. “But you thought you could keep that from me. It was your attempt at rebellion?” “I don’t know. Please, don’t hurt me.” “Hurt? I haven’t begun to show you what I’m capable of.” His threat might have been her undoing if he hadn’t suddenly released her and backed away. If only she could fold her body in upon itself, maybe that would speed the end to the burning in her breast, but he’d made that impossible when he’d secured her arms over her head. She didn’t try to fight this latest wave of helplessness, and when he reached up and freed her from the all-powerful rope, her arms fell heavily in front of her. She offered no resistance when he bound her wrists together. Having released her, Galen folded his arms across his chest. His gesture drew her attention, not to her fragile freedom, but to his chest, a chest designed for a physical life. A dusting of fine, light hairs covered the taut skin. A thin scar ran along a rib. Except for his

36

Vonna Harper

boots and a slender necklace with a small carrying case fastened to the chain, he was naked. She wondered what he might have put in the case. Why she cared. Standing near him with only her hands immobilized seemed unnatural after what he’d put her through. And yet, she understood that her body was no longer hers. It was as if he’d taken ownership but had granted her these fragile moments in which to remember what she’d once taken for granted. She’d never tell him, of course, and could barely acknowledge what she’d just discovered, but she found that she wanted it this way between them. He wasn’t gentle, but neither, so far, had he been cruel. Surely, even knowing she was capable of speech, he still saw her as a wild animal, something he intended to turn into his pet. She was, after all, inferior. What would it be like, being turned into a sex-pet? His sex-pet? Would her body truly sing for him? His expression unreadable, he snagged her wrists and drew her hands up and against his chest. “You intended to keep your comprehension from me, didn’t you? To act like a dumb animal, so hopefully I wouldn’t expect much from you. I’d fuck you, but that would be all; no turning you into something useful.” With his warmth penetrating through her fingertips and up her arms, she couldn’t grasp what he meant. “What was your plan?” He yanked her closer so that he loomed over her. “To present yourself as an untrainable beast? You hoped I’d grow bored and frustrated and let you go?” “No.” “No?” Wrapping an arm around her back, he leaned over her until she was forced to give way and bend. “What then, pet? What was your plan?” Maybe anything she said would anger him. If he became angry enough, would he punish her? She looked up, hoping to find the answer in his eyes. His hold tightened, and she bent backward farther, once more in danger of losing her balance.

Galen’s Pet

37

“Tell me, damn it!” “I…you’d gagged me.” His response was a faint nod. Widening his stance, he planted his legs on either side of hers. He was warm, but not just from the sun. His erection pushed against her. The message was clear. What his cock wanted, it took. In her mind’s eye, he’d slide deep and strong into her, invading, demanding, shaking her smaller body until she ceased to be anything except his vessel, his pet. What would that be like? Would she truly do anything for cock? Her mouth went dry again. She lifted her arms and brushed his chest. Her fingertips touched his necklace. “No!” He shoved her away. She started to fall and twisted in a desperate attempt to let her hands cushion her landing, only to hit the floor ass first. Unable to right herself with her bound hands, her upper body tilted out of control, and she keeled over, striking the back of her head on the hard surface. Stars filled her vision. Her head throbbed. “Are you all right? Damn it, I didn’t -- sit up.” Was it her shaken mind, or had he really been concerned for her well-being, only to hide his concern under a command? Mindful of his inherent dominance, she rolled onto her side. Using her elbow for leverage, she did as he’d commanded. The effort left her dizzy. What had set him off? Her touching his necklace? “Stand up.” Letting him know they spoke the same language hadn’t changed anything between them. Rei forced her legs to hold her weight and tried to keep her despair at bay. He didn’t offer any help. She’d been a fool to think he might see her as an equal, or that he had humanity in him. He was her captor, nothing more. One with an insistent cock. Much as she wanted to defy him, being knocked to the ground had reminded her not to cross certain boundaries. He was taller, bigger, stronger, and free. He also fascinated her.

38

Vonna Harper

He must have convinced himself that she was capable of standing, because he left her and picked through the pack he’d had with him when he’d captured her. The bundle had contained the magical rope along with several ropes. What else was in there? The answer came all too soon. “Another gift from JJ,” he informed her as he placed a strap around her neck and fastened it in place. He tied a rope to the metal ring in front, letting it dangle. She’d used collars and leads to control her livestock and understood only too well the object’s purpose. Yes, his possession. “I’m going to clean you up,” he said. “And because I don’t want you causing any problems while I do, I’m going to see if this does the trick.” He fingered her collar. “And then…” She didn’t want to know about and then, and yet, she did. Didn’t want to think about his hands all over her body and his cock claiming her, and yet… He led her toward the front door, opened it, and dragged her outside. She should be hurrying to keep the strain off her neck. Instead, she kept her steps measured. With each one she took, she acknowledged the transfer of ownership from her to him She, who had never thought what it might be like for an animal to have to bend its will to hers, was being taught what the process felt like. Overwhelming, yes. Fearsome, to some extent. And yet, she anticipated this strange new future, his hands doing everything he wanted to her, her body bending to his will, existing to please him and in turn, experiencing a form of pleasure she’d only rarely contemplated. The men she’d fucked had approached sex as recreation. They were interested in satisfying themselves. If their partners had a good time, fine. If they didn’t, the men didn’t seem to care. As a result, too many times she was left with a limp cock sliding out of her before she could come and the crazy impulse to force that cock back inside her until she did. Whatever her master, this otherworld visitor, Galen, did would be different.

Galen’s Pet

39

The sun beat down on her, but she didn’t care; its touch was reassuring. It was the gazes that followed her procession across the courtyard that pulled her out of her selfimposed stupor. They were back in the area they’d passed through on their way to the place they’d just been -- where she assumed he lived. She’d barely taken note of her surroundings before. Now she saw the large pondlike structure that stood in the middle of the courtyard, the nearby sitting area, a stone oven, and a long table and benches. She also noted the trio of menfolk reclining near the pond. Another walked toward them, a naked woman trailing awkwardly behind him, her long hair hiding her face. “There you are,” one of the reclining men called out. “Surprised to see you so soon. We thought you’d be too busy.” Shrugging, Galen continued toward the stone-encased pond. They reached it about the same time the other man did with his prisoner. Hauling her close once again, Galen nodded to acknowledge the other man. “Looks like you have the same idea, Jeof,” he said. “Gotta start with a clean pet.” “Indeed, indeed.” Jeof tweaked his captive’s nipples, causing her to moan behind her gag. “I’m still mulling my options with this creature, trying to decide what she’s capable of.” Holding the neck rope high so Rei had to stand on her toes, Galen fingered her breasts. “Take my word; she’s a lot smarter than she’ll let on.” “What do I care? This is all that matters.” Jeof ran a hand between his captive’s legs. The instant he did, the woman threw back her head and moaned. “Raw material, Galen, raw material. By the time I’m done, she’ll willingly do whatever it takes to please me.” Horrified, Rei stared. This wasn’t just another Summin! It was her sister, Lissa. A little more than a year older than her, Lissa had recently declared she had no intention of marrying any of the Summin men courting her. None, she claimed, were worth the aggravation. What was the point, she’d told Rei, of marrying someone who bored her both in and out of bed?

40

Vonna Harper

Now, studying Lissa, Rei admitted her sister looked anything but bored. Quite the opposite. Her eyes had taken on a sleepy, sensual look. Jeof had secured her arms behind her via wrist ties. In addition, he’d wrapped rope around her body, effectively holding her arms against her sides. She also wore a wooden bar held in place with several straps that prevented her from closing her mouth. Lissa stared back, embarrassment warring with something else in her expression. Another bar affixed to her ankles forced her legs apart, leaving Jeof total access to her pussy. He’d taken advantage of her sister’s vulnerability by subjecting her to a pussy rope, much like the one Galen had placed on her. Lissa’s bondage rope bit into her belly before disappearing into her sensitive, reddened flesh.

“Sister, how did you let this happen to you ?” Rei asked with her eyes. “I couldn’t stop him,” Lissa answered in the same way. “Now I’m not sure I want him to.” “You haven’t wasted any time,” Galen said. “You’re positive this is what she needs?” “No.” Jeof winked. “I’m not. But finding out is going to be one hell of a ride. What about you?” He nodded toward her. “Think you have a true submissive on your hands?” Galen had been looking at Jeof and Lissa. Now he turned his attention to her, and Rei felt as if a blanket enveloped her. Galen was the fabric, the warmth and weight. “A submissive?” he said. “I’m a long way from knowing the answer to that, but I’d like nothing better than researching the answer. What about you?” “Sure as hell beats cataloguing plant life.” Jeof laughed. Reaching for Lissa’s crotch, he did something that brought her onto her toes. Lissa whimpered, but from the sound, Rei was certain she wasn’t in pain. She envied her sister. Perhaps Galen knew what she was thinking, because his hold on her leash tightened, and he too forced her onto her toes. She tried to reach for him, only to stop because her

Galen’s Pet

41

hands were tied so that her fingers were curled toward her chest. She concentrated on breathing. Breathing deeply himself, Galen yanked up on her leash so the collar tightened against her neck. “You fascinate me,” he told her. “I don’t know if anything or anyone has ever interested me more.” She might not have paid attention to the words, if his voice hadn’t trailed off at the end. He was fingering his necklace. “Why are you doing this?” she rasped. “Why? Because I can.” “Did you hear that?” a man called out. “The creature is talking.” “Right you are,” Galen replied. “So much for the accuracy of the information we were given.” “That changes things,” Jeof said. Keeping her on her toes, Galen reached under her neckline and pulled out her other breast. Roughly fingering it, he said to Jeof, “And to think we didn’t want to be on JJ, let alone come here. If I’d known I’d be putting what I learned there to use on an intelligent being, I’d have paid more attention.” “So would I. I don’t know about you, but I can hardly wait to get my prize back inside.” A prize? Was that what she’d become?

42

Vonna Harper

Chapter Five

Looking at Jeof’s pet, Galen forcefully reminded himself of what today represented. As the colonizer with the most experience, the others would learn from his direction. In the past, he’d relished the opportunity to share that experience with them. Today, however, was different. Today, he had control of -- not a possession, as he’d initially believed, but an intelligent being. He wasn’t about to relinquish control. Far from it; he could hardly wait to get her back into his apartment and explore the breadth and depth of her sexuality. At the same time, he didn’t want those who looked up to him believing they could treat their human possessions like animals. Yes, humans, he repeated to himself. “Don’t hurt her,” he told Jeof. “The next time I see her, there’d better not be marks on her.” “What about you?” Jeof shot back, speaking in their own tongue. “You can handle that sweet flesh and not want to mark it? That was the highlight of what the men on JJ did with their pets.” Galen answered back in kind. “I haven’t forgotten. That’s why I’m saying it. No whipping.”

Galen’s Pet

43

Dismissing Jeof and his captive, he turned his attention to the woman he’d forced to the ground earlier today. If someone asked him why he hadn’t already stripped her naked, he wasn’t sure he’d have an explanation. Especially since he stood there wearing nothing but his boots and the necklace he had every intention of wearing to his grave. Both of her breasts were now exposed, she had to work at breathing, and her hands were useless. And yet, she retained a certain dignity, a calmness, a separateness apart from him and his people. And at the same time, he had her total attention. He didn’t want her to remain apart from him. He needed her ego to bleed into his, her body to live for his. To have one thing in life that was his and his alone. Averting his eyes to keep her from sensing his inner battle, he set her on the mound of rocks over the runoff drain. Jeof did the same with his captive so that the females stood backto-back. He tied the leash to the closest reservoir support, then reached for a bucket to fill and pour over her head. Just then, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Spinning around, he saw her twist toward the more severely tied captive. Lifting her bound arms, she slipped them over the other woman’s head and pulled her close. Both started crying. “What is this?” Grabbing his captive’s hair, he yanked. At the same time, Jeof wrenched her arms off his pet. “What the hell?” Jeof cried. “What are they trying?” Galen’s captive shook her head, but although he was concerned she’d injure her neck if he continued to hold onto her hair, he couldn’t let go. Her breasts were doing an intriguing dance, their shimmering movement enticing. Determined not to let his hard-on get the upper hand, he jerked a little more firmly on her hair. She started to fall backward, prompting him to wrap his arm around her and ease her down to the rocks on her knees. Then he stepped on her leash, forcing her head forward and nearly to the ground.

44

Vonna Harper

“What the hell was that?” he demanded. She tried to rake his leg with her nails. Startled, he bent her even lower. Her breasts scraped the rocks, her buttocks laid fully exposed. She did belong to him, didn’t she?! His. Completely. Then why did he hate himself? “My sister.” Not sure he’d heard correctly, he stared at Jeof’s pet. True, both females had pale hair, large, high breasts, and long limbs, but did that mean they were related? “Is she speaking the truth?” he demanded of the gagged woman. She looked up at Jeof, then nodded. “Well, what do you know?” Jeof shrugged. “Not that it makes a damn bit of difference. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got much better things to do than trace family lines.” Galen understood where Jeof was coming from. After all, it wasn’t as if family and blood ties had meant anything on Earth for generations. He was still trying to comprehend why his captive had risked his anger by trying to comfort her sibling. Studying her deeply bowed back and luscious buttocks, he acknowledged his growing hunger for her body. If he wasn’t careful, it might become more than physical craving. He might want to know what she was like as a human being, a sister, a daughter. A lover. More unnerved than he had any intention of letting on, he lifted his foot off her leash. After a moment, she straightened, but didn’t look at him. This time when he went after the water bucket, she remained in place, and although she gasped and shivered as he poured cold water over her, she didn’t try to get away. Of course, the leash made escape impossible, but he wanted her to fight. Resistance and battle would turn them into enemies while this thing that had suddenly opened between them -how ill equipped he was to handle it.

Galen’s Pet

45

A second bucket followed the first. He aimed the third at her hair, then commanded her to work the water through the white strands as he poured. Still not looking at him, she obeyed as best she could. “You want a knife?” Jeof asked from where he was doing the same to his possession. “Get rid of that thing she’s wearing.” What she wore hardly served as clothing any more, not with her breasts out there for everyone to see and her naked buttocks dripping, but Jeof was right. He began by sliding the offered blade under the hem where it rested on her backside. She caught and held her breath, then shivered anew. The fabric was tougher than he’d thought it would be, but finally he’d sliced it all the way to the neckline. He yanked down, frustrated because her captured wrists prevented the ruined mess from sliding off. “Stand.” She did so quickly, gracefully. Spotting the indentations the rocks had made on her knees, he cursed himself. Her wet and glistening body, naked save for what dangled from her wrists, nearly brought him to his knees. He’d never seen anything so exquisite, so his. Touching the back of her neck with less than steady fingers, he slowly traced down her spine until he reached her rear crack. Her breath held, she straightened and drew her legs together as he ran his thumb along the hot channel. Remembering her reaction when he’d lightly stroked her pussy, he kept his touch gentle. Although tension continued to run through her, it seemed a little less intense than it had been a few moments ago. Interesting. Empowering, maybe. Then he probed deeper, and she sighed. A life of belonging to no one and having no right to the only person who meant anything to him slid away like fog on a warming day. This graceful creature had been delivered into his hands. He could, and would, keep her for a long time. Maybe forever. He had the necessary skills to make her want him, didn’t he? Not just as his pet, his human possession, his slave. Something more. Life-changing.

46

Vonna Harper

And dangerous. Jeof had bound his captive so tightly that she couldn’t question her position as more animal than human. In contrast, except for her collar and wrist restraints, his whatever-shewas could pass for free. Granted, having shredded her only garment had to have made its impact on her. He watched as she ran her fingers over what she could reach of the remains of her covering. That’s what was wrong! He’d given her too much movement, too much freedom, and too many opportunities to control the world he’d thrust her into! Memories of a scene that had taken place on JJ rose unbidden in his mind. Holding onto it in sharp contrast to his initial reaction, he untied her wrists and yanked off what remained of her garment. Jeof was leaving with his possession. “I love you,” his pet called out to her gagged sister. She started to reach for the other female, only to draw back her hand when he slapped it. The loungers were watching. After giving fleeting thought to exploring her ass while allowing the others to watch her reaction, he decided he didn’t give a damn about them. Or maybe the truth was, he’d already wasted too much time toying with breaking her down. Breaking her down? Was that truly what he wanted to do? He pondered his answer as he forced her arms down by her sides and wrapped his rope around her upper arms and then over and under her breasts as he’d seen done on JJ. Once he’d trapped her breasts between the strands, he bent her elbows behind her so one forearm rested on top of the other. He restrained them via several loops around her forearms and secured the loops to the breast ties. Not content with that image, he drew out first one breast and then the other, running yet more rope around her elongated mounds. That he kept in place via a loop around her neck. Feeling weak and out of control, he stepped back to assess his accomplishment. Granted, he’d tied her before, but this was more complete, more erotic. In essence, he’d

Galen’s Pet

47

turned her upper body into an immobile unit. She could touch her elbows with her fingertips, but that was all. Even more demeaning, at least from her point of view, had to be the breast bondage. Her appearance said one thing; she was his. Taking hold of her leash, he started for his apartment. “Damn good job,” one of the loungers called out. “You were paying attention that night on JJ, weren’t you. When you’re done with her, how about --” “I’ll never be finished with her,” he said over his shoulder. He reinforced his comment by hauling her to his side and rubbing her buttocks.

Except for her hair, she was dry. Her eyes told him she understood nothing of what was happening to her. Stepping back, Galen again studied his prize. Now that his eyes had had time to adjust to the quieter lighting in his apartment, he was able to leisurely study the only life-form to ever be under his control. For which he was responsible. It was a heady feeling, to be responsible for someone. He’d never known what that felt like. To be cherished and taken care of. Being nude had stripped her -- not so much of her dignity as it did a little of the presence she’d commanded when she’d been in the apartment earlier. At least, that’s what he told himself. He was responsible for the strands that caressed her flesh; the strands would remain in place until he decided otherwise. She had to be trying to come to grips with the strict bondage he’d woven over her upper body. What could she do without the use of her arms? Her breasts were available to him. She belonged to him, all of her. He dropped the leash and fantasized about running his fingers over her tightly controlled breasts. Just looking at what he’d done knotted his cock. “Your sister,” he said, the word unfamiliar on his tongue. “Do you have others?”

48

Vonna Harper

Mouth firm and unmoving, she stared at him. “Answer me. Do you have other siblings?” For the briefest of moments, he thought she was going to cry. “You can’t care,” she whispered, her voice choked. “But I do. All right? I do.” “One other sister. And two brothers. Lissa and I are the only unmarried ones.” Surprised, both because he honestly wanted to know and because she’d volunteered more information than he’d expected, he stepped into her personal space. Strange how

someone so helpless could command the air around her. His hands tingled, but instead of engulfing her breasts in them, he ran his fingers between his legs and held up his cock for both of them to see. “Will he hurt Lissa?” she asked. Her mind should be on him, not the other female. But maybe that was how it was between relatives here. “I doubt it.” “But you aren’t sure?” “I don’t care.” “Of course you don’t, but I --” “Silence!” He slapped her cheek so hard, her head snapped to the side. Grabbing the tie between her breasts, he hauled her to within inches of him. “You will speak only when I give you permission and say only what I want you to.” Eyes heavy with anger but not fear met his. “Why? Because you’re afraid of what I might say?” “I fear nothing.” He slapped one breast and then the other. “How dare you say --” “You were afraid to let me touch your necklace.”

Galen’s Pet

49

Her words fell away, but he heard their echo. He should have gagged her again, maybe blindfolded her as well. But would robbing her of her senses change the truth or make him feel less exposed? “What’s in there is precious to me,” he said softly. “I refuse to risk --” “All I did was try to touch it.” “And I say you have no right.” They were sparring with each other, the confrontation unequal and yet powerful. She seemed to have forgotten her bonds, and although he did nothing more than blink, at the moment he didn’t see her as his prisoner. “What’s your name?” he asked. “You care?”

Yes. “Answer me.” “Rei.” Not just a pet anymore, but a female -- a woman named Rei. “Listen to me,” he said, determined to return to the earlier balance of power. “I have only one use for you. If it wasn’t for this” -- he slid a hand between her legs -- “I would have left you out there.” She tensed, then relaxed. “I wish you had.” “Do you?” Making no attempt to hide his interest, he studied her expression while his fingers glided slowly yet relentlessly over her hot skin. She’d responded to his touch earlier, and he intended to get the same reaction again. For reasons he’d never been able to understand, a woman’s sex had been designed so it was hidden from view. But once breached, females turned out to be as vulnerable and responsive as any male. That’s what he intended to exploit. Not just her sexual needs, but also her weaknesses. Once her body pulsed, she’d forget about everything except pleasing him, and in turn, being pleased. “Tell me, Rei.” He rolled a knuckle along her opening. “You don’t want this to be happening, to feel what you’re feeling.” “I…” a breathy voice escaped her.

50

Vonna Harper

“I can’t hear you.” Pressing a little, he buried his knuckle deep in her damp heat. “Not that I need to.” He moved his knuckle, twirled it inside. “Don’t try to lie, because your body speaks the truth. You don’t really want to be free right now, do you?” Lowering her head a little, she arched her pelvis at him. “Does it matter?” “Maybe it doesn’t,” he acknowledged. “Only you can decide that.” “I don’t know. I don’t know.”

Be careful. Don’t trust her. But what could she do? Confused at his conflicting thoughts and emotions, he dragged her over to the nearest corner. Kicking her feet back, he positioned her so her forehead rested against the wall. Now she was looking at stone, not him. And her body was his for the taking. Fighting emotions he wished would leave him the hell alone, he forced her to widen her stance. Then, drawing out the moment of supreme control, he touched the upper swell of her buttocks. Her fingers dug into her elbows, but she wasn’t trying to close herself off from him. “How does it feel to know you can’t stop me? Knowing I possess every part of you. What does that do to you?” Her silence didn’t surprise him. Besides, it didn’t matter, because her quickening breaths gave her away. Taking hold of her right ass cheek, he drew it to the side. The shadowed proof of her womanhood below beckoned to him. He pressed a thumb against the puckered flesh of her ass. “I touched you here when we were outside. Remember how you reacted, the way your body relaxed.” “No.” She tried to straighten. Staying with her, he said, “Yes, you do. And so do I. Having my hand here” -- he began a small, tight, circular motion -- “takes you places you don’t know how to handle.” “Hmm,” she moaned. “Mmm.” “What is this, pet? Surrender.” He pressed again.

Galen’s Pet

In response, she lifted her buttocks toward him.

51

52

Vonna Harper

Chapter Six

Nothing like this had ever happened to her. Even in her most private dreams, Rei hadn’t imagined being manhandled. And his touches excited her. Perhaps most remarkable of all, the strands caressing and confining her arms and breasts were changing her from a free woman to something she couldn’t comprehend. But wanted. She was standing there like some dumb beast while a man she had every reason to hate explored, not her pussy, as she’d tried to prepare herself for, but her rear opening. She couldn’t imagine he’d want to touch her there, had believed she’d be left with a small measure of self-possession. But she’d been wrong. More than just wrong. Her body had never hinted it was capable of such hot hunger. She wanted him on her, in her, touching every inch of skin, making her scream. “What were you saying?” Galen asked, his finger still threatening its invasion. “Not that you hate me for doing this; I didn’t hear those words.”

Silence. That’s your only defense. Maybe. “You’re so smooth back here, your flesh soft and warm. Tell me something, Rei.” His thumb still against her, he began slapping her buttocks. Over and over again, he subjected

Galen’s Pet

53

her to quick jolts that brought her onto her toes and clenched her teeth. She tried to concentrate on something, anything else, but the teasing spanking had no rhythm, nothing to become accustomed to. Even as she gnawed on her lower lip, her body begged him to continue. Out of control. In his world. Under his command. Discovering how skillful he was with her body. And finding she was loving it. How sick did that make her?

The pressure against her rear opening increased. His nail slipped in, then the tip of his finger, then a little more, stretching her tissues, stopping to give her time to adjust and adapt. He no longer slapped her ass. That should have helped bring her world back into balance. But then a calloused hand closed around the breast closest to him. The ropes had forced increased blood into her breasts, causing them to swell, her nipples to harden even more. “Please,” she whimpered. “Please.” “Please what?” His hold on her breast tightened, his strength closing around her. His finger, where no man’s had ever been before, remained in place. Lightheaded and weighed down at the same time, Rei pressed her forehead against the stone in a futile attempt to distract herself. Her legs moved of their own accord, not trying to protect her, but opening to him, welcoming him. “You were saying something.” He spoke into her ear. “What was it? You were going to beg me to stop?” “Yes. Yes.” She sounded like a small, lost creature. Her untouched cunt wept wet heat. “But I’m not going to. Surely you understand that.” He couldn’t want her to affirm his power, he couldn’t! Seeing the pond outside had brought back memories of carefree childhood swims in creeks and lakes. What he was doing

54

Vonna Harper

to her triggered the same sense of floating, of having nowhere to go and no desire to stop drifting. Her world revolved around this all-knowing stranger. Why wasn’t she ashamed? Or afraid. Breathing deep, he ran his tongue over her ear. A heated wave washed over her to flame her cheeks and forehead. It closed around her neck and ran down her breasts. She tried to straighten only to be forced to admit she’d lost all leverage. Not only couldn’t she push him off her, she was locked in place. Helpless. Hapless. Living through him. She knew only one thing. The hand that had invaded her hole was no longer there. After wiping his fingers on her inner thighs, he stroked the space between her anus and sex channel. She struggled to get away. Again she failed, and this time, she couldn’t stop her breath from whistling. The hand between her legs was on the move once more, now lightly touching the flesh standing futile guard over her entrance. “No, please,” she whispered. She didn’t fight, didn’t struggle, didn’t try to look at him. “I don’t think so, Rei. You want this.” “No. Please, no.” “Be quiet.” She could do that, maybe. Certainly that was easier than ignoring the thumb and finger closing around a nipple or another sliding past the flesh between her legs. What was the thought she’d had a few moments ago, that she felt as if she were floating? No, this was more like drowning, sinking beneath the surface and being unable to breathe. She didn’t care whether she ever took another breath, because her body cried out for this man. This possessor. “What does what I’m doing feel like?” he asked. “Is it something you can dismiss?” Before she could comprehend what he was talking about, he ran his finger along the front of her pussy. Her clit! Ah, her desperate clit! Much as she longed to throw back her

Galen’s Pet

55

head and howl, she couldn’t move. Her legs shook, and her calves threatened to cramp. Digging her nails into her elbows, she fought the crying need he’d created in her. Relief! Him, no longer torturing her nub. The sensation lasted only a heartbeat, and then he was going at her again, a finger inching over her pussy, slipping in.

Can’t think! As he’d done when he was probing her anus, his invading finger suddenly stilled. Her pussy muscles clenched down around him, and she shook her head as best she could when he tried to pull free. “What is this?” he demanded. “Rebellion?” Giving up on her attempt to keep anything from him, she tightened her hold, clenching over and over again. “Maybe you haven’t won after all.” “Is that what you think this is, a war?” She was hardly some armed foe, so why that question? Her need for answers nearly overriding everything else, she willed her cunt to relax. The effort had her trembling even more violently. Short seconds later, he pushed further into her, bending his finger and stroking at the same time. Grinding her teeth until her jaw ached kept her from crying out. Total exposure waited a half breath away. Muttering a curse, he went deeper and caressed longer.

Don’t react! Don’t let him know. “Damn you,” he hissed and withdrew. Panting, she waited for his next move. Her pussy tightened, held, relaxed, only to tighten again. If his finger had still been in her, she might have come. “You can’t win this, Rei. In the end, you’ll be on your knees before me, begging me.”

56

Vonna Harper

“What will you have proven?” she demanded, suddenly furious. “That I have a woman’s body?” “Maybe that’s enough.” That was all he wanted from her? Should she give it to him? Holding her nipple again, he curved his hand and ran his fingernails over her flank. Shuddering, she tried to lean away. He raked her again, closer to her buttocks this time. “My war,” he said. “My rules.” “Why? Why are you…” He scraped her naked flesh once more, along the front of her thigh and close to her mons. “Am I hurting you, Rei? Causing you pain?” “No. No!” She strained against her bonds, muscles tight and burning. Her effort earned her playful slaps on her buttocks, followed by a forefinger against her navel. She opened her mouth to protest, only to swallow repeatedly. “You fascinate me,” With his finger still in her navel and her nipple surrounded by him, he licked her ear. Gasping, she again struggled to lean away, but when he abruptly released her and stepped back, she cried out, weaker this time. Hungry. “Do you hate me?” It was his voice, stronger than it had been a moment ago, but not as masterful as he’d sounded when he’d first captured her. Sweat pooled under her arms, and she couldn’t stop her legs from trembling. He seemed to be everywhere, not just standing by her side, but over and around her as well. Even the air carried his energy. “No. I don’t hate you.” “You should. If it was me -- but I’m not you, am I? I don’t know what you’re feeling.” But he did, she admitted as he took hold of her shoulders and drew her upright. He wouldn’t have done the things he had, if he hadn’t sensed her hunger. As her vision cleared

Galen’s Pet

57

and the throbbing in her head slackened, she risked a look at him. One hand extended toward her while the other cradled his cock. There was a dusky quality to him, a darkness she hadn’t seen before. And something else. Vulnerability? “What are you thinking?” she asked. His slow blink said he hadn’t expected the question. When the muscles around his mouth tightened, she knew he wasn’t going to answer. “I don’t know anything about you,” she continued even as her pussy leaked and her legs refused to close. “Where you came from, your world, how you got here. What you want from me.” “Isn’t that obvious?” He stared at his cock. “But after that? When your cock no longer needs a cunt, will you let me go?” “That’s what you want, isn’t it, to be free?” She wanted to throw angry and powerful words at him, to walk away and forget everything that had happened and been said between them. Most of all, she didn’t want to want him. “You have no right to do the things you have, or to force me --” “Force?” “What do you call these ropes? If it wasn’t for them and your strength…” He kept studying her as if waiting for her to go on, but she couldn’t bring herself to admit how much his strength and knowledge of her body had changed her. She couldn’t possibly want this existence, or him. Could she? But what if his sweet strength was inside her and tearing down the differences between them? She’d dance on his cock and scream as it moved inside her. She’d climb, cry out, climb some more, and leap into nothingness when her pussy exploded. Afraid her expression would give her away, she turned her back on him. “Return to where you came from,” she told him. “Go see your family and friends. Forget --”

58

Vonna Harper

“Family?” “Yes. Parents. Brothers, sisters, maybe a wife. Children.” Silence dragged out. It became heavier with every passing second until she spun around. He was running a forefinger over his locket, and his eyes were misty. He didn’t seem to be aware of her scrutiny, and his cock wasn’t as engorged as it had been the last time she’d looked at it. Studying him, something essential shifted inside her. Even with his ropes pressing against her arms and breasts, she no longer cared about herself. What he might do to her no longer mattered. Was that loneliness she saw in him? “What is it like?” she asked, hoping she was saying the right thing. “Being so far from home and maybe not knowing whether you’ll ever return. Was coming here something you wanted to do, or were you forced to --” “Forced?” His head came up. He blinked, then blinked again. “No, I accepted my assignment.” “But you have regrets.” His hands turned into fists, and she was certain his eyes had never been this dark. The mist that had hovered around his edges seemed to be closing around him. He still held the necklace. “Don’t lie to me, please,” she begged. “You left something vital behind. What is it?” “I don’t owe you anything, pet.”

Galen’s Pet

59

Chapter Seven

That single word shattered the fragile bond between them. Pet. Seconds ago, they’d connected in a way she’d give anything to comprehend, but he’d destroyed what had begun. Maybe there was only one way to break down the barrier he’d just erected. But if she tried, would she survive? Did she care enough? “No, you don’t owe me any part of you,” she admitted, a little bitter. “You believe I’m yours to mold into whatever you want. You don’t see me as your equal, because you don’t want to. Like other outsiders, you believe the Summins are simple creatures and as such, worthy of nothing except your contempt. I’m surprised you want to touch one.” “Simple?” He frowned. Then to her surprise, he smiled and nodded. “That’s how you’ve survived, isn’t it? As long as everyone believes the Summins are beneath them, they leave you alone.” It felt wonderful to share a smile with him, and although it was fragile, she held onto hers as long as he did. “But you aren’t simple,” he said. Maybe she should ask what he intended to do with his knowledge, but he’d already evaded one question. At least his eyes no longer carried the fierce message they had when

60

Vonna Harper

she’d tried to ask about his personal life. Like his cock, her cunt had quieted. Looking at him reawakened it. If he wanted her as his pet, that’s what she’d be -- at least, until he’d satisfied her ache. Unless she was never satisfied. Invading his space with a single, dangerous step, she rubbed her breasts against his chest. Her nipples were so tight they throbbed. Touching him made them even more sensitive, but she couldn’t make herself stop. Sensing his greater size and strength throughout her body, she leaned into him. Blood rushed to her cheeks and throat. Then he cupped his hand around her throat and blood-heat slid over her breasts, along her belly, and into her pussy. He stroked her throat while her legs shook and threatened to give way. Dipping her head, she licked the back of his hand. Shivering, he pushed her away, then drew her back against him. He trailed his hands over her shoulders, down her arms, caressed what flesh he could reach. Her breasts flattened against his chest, the rope a rough counterpoint to his skin. Pushed back again, space between them, his gaze raking down her while her cunt wept. She longed to wrap her arms around him. Not being able to made her pulse race. Lowering his head, he sucked a breast into the damp warmth of his mouth. Locking her knees, Rei arched toward him. Cried out. A moment later, he released her. Then he spun her around so her back was to him. She expected him to rake her buttocks and thighs again, wanted the mix of pleasure and pain. Instead, he began doing something to the ropes. Suddenly her forearms were free, blood again rushing through them. And although rope still curled around her breasts and upper arms, she could use her arms, at least a little. When he turned her toward him once more, she reached for his cock. Her fingertips barely touched the sleek tip, but that was all it took to trigger a response that had her pressing her breasts against him again. Widening his stance, he offered her a home between

Galen’s Pet

61

his legs and wrapped his arm around her back. Feeling secure and safe, she looked up at him. His features blurred. Only his necklace remained in focus. “I want you like this.” Looping a hand through the rope separating her breasts, he lifted her onto her toes. “Accessible to me at all times. Knowing I can turn you on with a touch.” Red and orange flashes going off in her mind further compromised her ability to read his expression, but she had no trouble shrugging off all lingering unease. She wanted the same things he did, to be accessible to him. Possessed. His possession. To have this man care about nothing except her sexual responses -- how could she possibly want anything else? Could anything be more dangerous? “Stand there.” He ordered, although maybe it was a promise. “Don’t move. You can do that, can’t you?” “I don’t know.” “Try. On your toes, legs spread.” She felt awkward doing what he wanted and hated that he’d backed up a step, because she could no longer touch his cock. “Hands at your sides.” He went on, his voice low and compelling. “No matter what I do, they are to remain like that.” “Galen?” Instead of responding, he released her, giving her the opportunity to prove she could stay on her toes on her own. Had he really bathed her earlier? The way sweat stuck to her heated skin, she wasn’t sure. “I’ve told you a bit about the things I learned on JJ,” he began. “Techniques the males in the dominant race there utilize to develop control over females they consider inferior and thus theirs by default.”

Inferior ? “What kind of techniques?”

62

Vonna Harper

“Some involved pain. A kind of discomfort I was informed a number of females find impossible to differentiate from sexual pleasure, especially when their bodies are being

conditioned to accept the connection.” All she could do was stare. “But that’s not what I want to do,” he continued. “The results, I believe, are better when a woman’s natural sexuality is encouraged rather than forced.” Just trying to imagine what he had in mind made it nearly impossible for her to remember how to stand. His words were reaching her core, trailing over her labia, invading and arching her pelvis toward him. “And that sexuality exploited,” he said. Brought back to reality by his words, she watched as he extended a hand toward her pussy. His eyes had locked on her face. She wanted to meet them, needed to trade strength for strength, but she didn’t dare take her attention off his hand. His fingers were both broad and long, the lines in his palm deep. Then he reached out a little more, and she could no longer see his hand, because her breasts were in the way. “Remember what I said about staying on your toes with your pussy accessible to me. No matter what I do or you feel, you will remain in that position.” She didn’t have to obey! She wasn’t some mindless pet! But if she resisted, she’d never know what he’d learned about tapping into a woman’s sexual needs. Lifting her head, she stared into his dark, beautiful eyes. Her calves were so tight she didn’t know how much longer they’d support her weight. And if what he did to her pussy -A touch. The pad of a single finger gliding effortlessly over her slick clit. Shock slammed through her. A harsh and hot shiver lapped at her spine. She was still trying to make sense of what had happened when he touched her there again. This time his finger

Galen’s Pet

63

lingered, pressing slightly, moving almost imperceptibly. Heat raced up and then down her spine, and her breasts caught fire. “Galen? Please.” “Just getting started, Rei, just getting started.” At least he was being gentle, she reassured herself the next time he claimed her hungry nub. Each touch was akin to a lightning strike, but it was quickly over, giving her a few vital seconds in which to try to pull herself back together. “A change, Rei. Or perhaps, I should call it a fresh challenge.” Before she could ask what he was talking about, he cupped a hand around her mons and shook it with such force she nearly lost her balance. “Ah, I --” “No speaking, Rei. Only experiencing.” He’d stopped shaking her while issuing his order. Now, however, he lit into her again, the movements so rapid-fire she didn’t know how he could keep up the pace. She again started to lean backward. A now-familiar grip on her breast bondage brought her upright. He wasn’t letting up, was no longer giving her body time to regroup. Yes, his hand had left her mons, but having it slide over her pussy was even more unnerving. Abandoning her attempt to make sense of his expression, she strained to see what he was doing. Was this why he’d bound her breasts the way he had, so she couldn’t look down at herself and thus anticipate? “Please, please.” “What did I just say? You need to be quiet.” Hopefully he didn’t expect a response. With the pressure against her pussy increasing with each second, nothing else registered. She remembered the heady moments when she’d closed her cunt muscles around his finger and held him prisoner. The simple gesture had filled her with a brief spurt of power.

64

Vonna Harper

There would be no personal victory this time. There’d be nothing except sinking deep into something without words, comprehension, or a way out. Another change caught her unaware. The pressure on her clit ended. His hand was on the move again, running deeper along her crotch until a finger toyed with her asshole. Head lolling to the side, she granted him even more access and surrendered yet more of her will. She forgot who and what she was. “That’s what I want, Rei. You in the moment, with no existence beyond what’s happening between us.”

I’m there. What more do you want from me? The answer came, swift and once more unexpected, when he dropped to his knees. He’d done so without robbing her pussy of his touch. With him no longer anchoring her upper body, she settled onto the balls of her feet. Her inner thighs felt as if he’d run scalding water over them, not to burn her, but to keep her awareness where he wanted it, on the interplay between them and lessons being taught. Two fingers glided into her sopping hole. Moaning low and long, she bent her knees in an attempt to increase the contact. “Where is your mind, Rei? What are you thinking?” “Thinking?” Once more his fingers were on the move. They slid deep and deeper still, his palm slipping over her labial lips and trapping them under his heat. “What do you feel? Answer me, what do you feel?” Words would never explain the crash of sensation. She lifted her forearms only to let them fall. Her fingers reached here and there but found only air. If only she could touch him! Let him feel -- what?

Galen’s Pet

65

A hand flattened against her left buttock and anchored her in place. But before she could thank him, gratitude for the assistance shattered. She felt trapped and lost. His breaths washed over her belly, and once more her knees threatened to give way. “Do you know what a fem-slave is?” he asked. “She’s a creature with no control over her body, less than a pet, molded so she becomes whatever her master wants. She can be punished or rewarded, with no regard for anything except her master’s will.” He was saying something she needed to pay attention to. Maybe they were warnings she must take to heart. But his fingers were relentless, plundering and voracious. Their movement mimicked the sex act but lacked the intimacy she’d always associated with fucking. This wasn’t about shared pleasure, a journey taken together. He’d turned his hand into a powerful tool designed for one purpose -- to break her down. She should fight both him and her body, stop crying out like some trapped animal, back away, kick him! In her mind she rammed her foot into his crotch and bellowed in satisfaction when he doubled over. In her mind, his fingers were no longer in her, no longer tearing her apart and throwing her about. Her body was returning to her, no longer a hot, swirling mass desperate for release, sane once more, pride returning, self-respect reestablished. In her mind. But in the real world marked by his walls, ropes, and hard knowledge, his fingers continued to fuck her. And she worshipped him for it. “Can’t…can’t…please, oh, please, stop!”

Vonna Harper

66

Chapter Eight

“Have you come?” he demanded. Pulling out, he tapped her pussy. “You’re a river down there, and your muscles are jerking. But did you come?” What should she answer, that he could make her do anything he wanted? If she said the words he doubtless wanted to hear, maybe he’d leave her alone. And desperately hungry. Still craving completion. “Answer me, Rei!” One quick blow after another quick, yet light, blow stung her and sent vibrations throughout her shattering system. “You’ve climaxed? You need me to stop?” “Don’t stop! Please don’t stop.” “Listen to me. Hear the words and nothing else.” Slap, slap, slap. “We’re on JJ. You’ve been presented to me as my pet for as long as I have a use for you.” Slap, slap, slap-slap-slap. “Taking my cue from my hosts, I begin by ramping up your sexuality. Soon nothing matters to you except the heat and my hands all over you, bringing you to the edge only to pull you back.” One moment he was peppering her pussy with blows akin to feathered drumbeats. The next, he’d plowed into her again. This time he filled her with three fingers, and her cunt flowed. Her body felt as if it had been shaken by a hot wind. Up, down, up, down, he worked

Galen’s Pet

67

her until her tissues had been stretched so wide and deep, it felt as if his fingers had reached her hips and ass, even invaded her belly. She fought the storm, fought her body and him, twisting about without concern for her balance, clawing at the air, her breasts straining against their restraints, widening her stance even more. “Stop…stop…stop!” “Not yet. Not until I’m your everything.” Empty, full, empty again. Forefinger and thumb grabbing her wet, hot meat and shaking it. “Stop! Sto…” Her climax, a powerful and beloved monster, hit. It tore at her, pulled her apart, wiped her clean of any awareness beyond gripping muscles and the man who’d brought her to this place. Still soaring, she started crying. The sounds were meaningless and primitive. Wave after wave rolled throughout her and exploded out her shoulders. She was everywhere and nowhere, fragmented pieces of skin and bone. “Oh, god, oh, god, by the -- oh, god!” “Ride it, Rei. Worship your body.” “Can’t…can’t…” Sanity started tiptoeing around her, starting with awareness of her still-captured upper body. Next, she felt her poor exhausted legs and the stretching deep in her core. Weak and afraid of both of them, she began to draw her legs together, only to stop because his hand pressed against her inner thighs. “I’m not done with you, Rei.” “I can’t…do…this again.”

68

Vonna Harper

“Yes, you can, and that’s the beauty and hell of what I’ve learned.” He stood up, his knees popping a little, his master’s hand still in place and her body splayed to accommodate him. “More listening, Rei. That and obeying.” Her legs, although still strained and taut, had begun to feel a little stronger. And the crashing numbness that had stolen over her pussy following her climax started to back off. Unlike the cocks she’d experienced, his fingers remained full and strong. They were as insistent and dangerous as ever. Instead of fearing that powerful danger, she sucked him deep and held on. Trapping him gave her such a sense of power, she didn’t note what he was doing until pins and needles began attacking her breasts, then her arms. For the first time in she didn’t know how long, she could move her upper arms. Nodding, Galen finished untying the ropes single-handedly. Although feeling hadn’t completely returned, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her body close to his. By the time she realized he’d withdrawn his fingers from her core, it was too late. “I’m sorry,” she said, contrite. Despite her apology, she couldn’t bring herself to increase the distance between them. Neither had her pussy stopped looking for him. “I just wanted…something.” “Maybe it doesn’t matter,” he muttered as he slid his arms over her back and waist, sealing the connection. His cock, trapped between them, served as proof of how little he’d gotten out of the last few minutes. “I’m sorry,” she repeated. “Why? Because you disobeyed me?” “Maybe. My body -- I have so little control…” What had she been about to say and did it matter? Between their shared body heat and his impatient rod, she couldn’t get her mind to hold onto anything. Only that’s not the truth,

Galen’s Pet

69

she admitted to herself as the seconds beat on. Embracing like this, the blood racing through her upper body, opened her mind to a new realization. They were equals, finally. They were now just a naked man and a naked woman, experiencing an intimate embrace. Her breasts were on fire, and his cock made no secret of its matching flames. Her attention shifted to his necklace. She was still staring at it when he slid his arms down her sides and over her buttocks. Shivering, she tightened her hold on his neck and touched her mouth to the base of his throat. “Thank you,” he whispered Before she could ask what he was thanking her for, he spread his fingers over the backs of her thighs and lifted her. Feeling weightless, she wrapped her legs around him and started to tighten her hold, then made herself relax. Looking down, she took note of the misalignment between cock and cunt. She slipped lower, sighing as his cock glided over her mons. With his help, she tilted her hips and came at him straight on. His cock dove into her, glided sweet and full along her channel walls. Sex. Intercourse. No longer his fingers exploring her cunt but the hard length of male meat. She’d just climaxed, and her body was so sensitive that the line between pleasure and pain was a thin one, but she embraced the everything that they’d created. Gripping his neck and keeping her upper body sealed to his, Rei shifted as much of her weight as she could off his arms. Reckless beyond all sanity, she offered her pelvis to him and swallowed yet more of his cock. When she swore he’d reached her belly, she arched away, feeling nothing except his maleness stroking what wept anew for him. The rhythm, what there was of one, became a hard, grunting dance. His forearms were so taut, she wondered if they might shatter. Tension tracked down his back. His buttocks quivered each time he thrust into her, and sweat coated both of them.

70

Vonna Harper

Turning her head, she again licked the base of his throat, tasting, experiencing, taking his taste into her throat when she swallowed. He trembled, clutched her against him, reared back, only to hammer into her with such force he nearly lost his hold on her. She dug her heels into his ass, but sweat had made her slippery. The next time their bodies came together and then fell apart, she started to slide down his arms. “Wait!” Leaning to the side, she freed her right leg. Clutching him as if her world depended on it, she lowered that leg to the ground. Standing on tiptoe kept him inside her, and when he curled himself over her, the union strengthened. She was anchored to him, his arm looped under her lifted leg with his fingers spread over her buttocks, his other arm embracing her waist. Turning them into one. Laying her cheek on his collarbone, she nibbled the side of his neck. He twitched, started to pull away, sighed, and again offered his throat to her in a wordless message of trust. Their lower bodies spoke a simple language, thrust and withdrawal, swallowing him fully only to grant him a measure of freedom. He varied his attack, sometimes spearing her, sometimes a slow and gentle stroke her rasped tissues were grateful for. She loved the variety, even the pain-pleasure jolts she took as miniclimaxes. He could keep her like this forever, couldn’t he? For as long as their strength held out, her pussy would embrace and celebrate him. Her hot inner flow was endless. The two of them swam, floated, raced down a waterfall. One moment she was on top of her sensations and living fully and joyfully in the moment. The next, her cunt spasmed out of control, and she screamed helplessly. He began grunting, his sounds making no sense, inhuman and determined. His muscles turned tighter than the tautest rope, his body more and more insistent, and she knew he’d passed a certain point. There was no holding back for him now, no sanity or wisdom, only an animal pronouncing that it was male. Doing what being male was all about.

Galen’s Pet

71

Responding with the same ferocity, she met him thrust for thrust. When her muscles threatened to unravel, she pulled his strength into her and became powerful. His cock plowed deep and hard, slid away, only to furrow her channel. She became a river of heat, muscles loosening and feeling as if they’d dissolved. This wasn’t a simple climb to a climax, no familiar gathering of her body followed by swift, shaking release. Instead, she climbed and climbed, seared her body to his, and joined him in his fierce journey. When the joint thunderclap struck, she bit his necklace and screamed around it. Fire rolled through her. It seemed to pick up speed as she fought for breath. Filling her lungs with air changed nothing. The fire remained, scorching every inch of her, feeding the need clawing at her pussy and turning flames into a beloved monster. “Yes, yes!” The voice, hers? Maybe, but perhaps belonging to something savage and wild. “Yes,” she cried. “Oh, yes!” Suddenly newborn weak, she burrowed into his still-surging strength and felt his cum throughout her channel. Wanting more than animal fucking, she again took hold of his necklace. She didn’t move until he began shrinking inside her. It was all right, because he’d given her everything she needed. For the first time in her adult life, she wanted nothing more. Trembling, he released the leg he’d been holding, and she lowered it to the ground and took back responsibility for her body. Shivering herself, she tightened her weakened pussy muscles around the now limp flesh she still housed, her mouth playing with what she understood meant everything to him. Then he was pushing her back, his fingers digging into her hips. “Enough,” he rasped. “That’s all I have, for now.”

72

Vonna Harper

Believing he meant he wanted to have sex again, she let his cock slide out but didn’t unlock her jaw. The necklace had a slightly unpleasant taste, but she didn’t care, as long as it carried his warmth and housed his secrets. “Let go,” he ordered with his hands on her cheeks and his breath lifting the hair at her temples. “Don’t damage --” “What would you do if I did?” she managed, despite her clenched teeth. “Punish me?” “No.” He sounded horrified and not at all like the stranger who’d roughly captured her. “But if anything happened to what’s inside --” “What is it?” He didn’t answer, just increased the pressure on her cheeks. On the brink of rephrasing her question, she opened her mouth. As the locket slid out, she closed her hand around it and held it as if it were a fragile bird egg. Her body still spoke to her of sex and release, and his breathing remained rapid and deep. She longed to lose herself in the aftermath of what they’d done and nothing else. To live through him. But what if he was as vulnerable as she felt, maybe as in need of honesty?

Grab this moment. Embrace it. “Why are you afraid to tell me what this is?” she asked as she ran her fingers over the slender chain. “Afraid? I would never --” “What?” she prodded. By way of response, he closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. “All right, not fear then,” she tried. “Why is it so hard for you to tell me what this represents? Galen, what’s locked up inside you?” “Don’t.” His voice hummed with warning. “Just, don’t.”

Galen’s Pet

73

Alarmed by his tone, she let go of the necklace; her arms dropped to her sides. He’d released her cheeks, but now his hands rested on her shoulders. If he wanted to capture her again, it would happen. But she had to gather what passed for strength and do whatever she could to find her way through his protective layers. Otherwise, there was nothing between them. Not really. And if she succeeded, what then? “Galen, you had access to every inch of me. You still do. And it’s more than that. You reached inside me and changed me from what I always believed I was.” “Which was?”

Be honest. Give him something to feed off. “A woman. Free. I became” -- she ducked her head -- “your pet.” “I’m sorry.”

Sorry. Speechless, she could only lift her head and blink him back into focus. There was something she hadn’t seen before in his eyes, not just a lessening of the arrogance and aggression that had defined him at the beginning, but vulnerability and a humanity she’d never have expected from him. “You are who you are,” she said. Trying not to cry took everything she had. “Am I?” His hands were still on her shoulders, as if he needed her support, something else she hadn’t expected. The longer she looked at him, the deeper his vulnerability became, until she’d all but forgotten that she’d worn his ropes a short time ago. She’d never want to imprison him the way he had her. Quite the opposite. If it was in her power, she’d slash at the invisible bonds she knew were wrapped around him until nothing of them remained. Until he was free. Of what?

Vonna Harper

74

“This is what it’s about, isn’t it?” She touched her lips to the locket. “My acknowledging it has forced you to, what, reopen an old wound?” Keeping his features impassive, he ran his hands down her arms. Reaching her hands, he laced his fingers through hers. Then he drew her arms around his waist so she was slightly off balance with his resting cock cradled between them. “I need more than a year here,” he said softly. “Why?” As he’d done a few moments ago, he closed his eyes. “Because I want more than that with you.” She closed her own eyes, breathed deeply, then opened them to see him looking down at her. “I want the same thing,” she whispered. “But no more ropes.” “No. No more ropes.” How many times today had she been on the brink of tears? “Galen?” Sliding along his belly and chest, she once more touched her mouth to the strangetasting object. “Please tell me.” He released a deep-throated sigh, followed by a long silence. Then: “My son’s hair is in there.”

My son. The tears that had been threatening rolled down her cheeks. She couldn’t speak. “Before I could leave on my space assignment,” he said, his voice low and tight, “I was expected to produce a child. The woman was chosen for me because she had compatible genetics. Her fertile period was determined and marked on a calendar. We had sex as often as I could perform during that time. She became pregnant. Then I presented myself at the Space Academy to begin my training.”

What was she like? Did you love her? Did she feel the same way about you ? “That…that was it? Your only responsibility was to breed her?”

Galen’s Pet

75

“Yes. My training consumed all my time.” The tightness hadn’t left his voice, making her ache for him. But if she said too much or let him know how deep her own emotions ran, he might close up. “Your son’s hair, how did you get it?” Looking off into space, Galen spoke of the day he’d received word that the woman had given birth. He’d been granted a short leave and had gone to the birthing facility where she was learning mothering techniques. The building, filled with women and infants, had been so foreign to him that he’d nearly walked out without seeing his child. But something had kept him there. He’d found his son’s mother sitting in a glass-walled room with the sun streaming in. She’d been asleep, her head back, rocking a little, their nearly naked infant at her breast. “He was beautiful,” Galen whispered. “The most exquisite creature I’d ever seen. Tiny and helpless. Trusting. He opened his eyes and looked at me and…” Taking hold of his wrists, she placed his hands over her breasts. Then she took a deep breath to steady herself. “And you fell in love with him.” A low and lonely sob tore free. His lashes became wet, and he nodded. “You’d never felt anything like that, never suspected it was possible,” she said, because she knew what words he’d use if he were capable of speaking. “You wanted to protect him, to hold and rock and love your child. To put him first in your world. To truly connect with another human being.” Her throat contracted. She couldn’t go on, could only cry with this man who might never see his only child again but would die with his offspring’s hair next to his heart. “I’m so sorry,” she said at length. “Many people call us primitive, but they’re wrong. We put the heart first, before knowledge and advancement, before exploring the stars and walking among other civilizations.”

76

Vonna Harper

His fingers curled inward, pressing against her. “I wouldn’t have met you if I hadn’t been given this assignment.” “If you’d remained on Earth, maybe you would have been allowed to be a real father.” When he shook his head, it took all she had not to touch her lips to his in sympathy. “On my planet,” he said, “men are needed for only one thing when it comes to maintaining the population. Placing sperm inside a female.” “How is --” “It wasn’t always that way. Centuries ago, things were quite different, but -- many factors, many reasons, putting technology at the forefront…” “It’s not the same here. Creating life is only the first step a man takes. Even before his child is born, he begins preparing for fatherhood. It -- he and the child’s mother join in planning their son or daughter’s future and creating a home.” Standing on her toes, she did what she’d talked herself out of a moment ago. His lips were soft and sweet, warm and alive. They promised of something deep and lasting. Back on the balls of her feet, she looked up at him. She smiled, because he was smiling at her. “Parenting is something the sexes do together among people you call primitive. We love. What you feel for your son, the same kind of emotion gave me the courage to embrace my sister, even though I knew you might punish me for it.” “I understand, now.” “Then you’ll understand why I’ll fight for my sister’s freedom.” “There won’t be a need; I’ll make sure it happens.” “Thank you,” she whispered. “Primitive? How wrong I was to once think that of your people. I’ll never make that mistake again, and I’ll make sure no one else does.” “Because?” “Because of you, Rei.” He swept her into his arms.

Galen’s Pet

77

Cradled against him, she licked away his tears. They might cry again before the day was over, and the night might be for secrets and dreams shared. But right now all she needed was him. To give herself to him and watch him smile again.

Vonna Harper Mild-mannered, mostly harmless, with out-of-control imagination. Loves mountains, early morning walks, her grandchildren, and “hot” books. Has no marketable skills beyond writing which is no problem because there's nothing else she'd rather do. The product of the ultimate in a rural upbringing, Vonna has no interest in cities or panty-hose, but is passionate about plant nurseries and baseball. She's had over fifty books published, all but one fiction. Visit Vonna on the Web at http://www.vonnaharper.com.