The Accidental Slave (Aya's story Part 1) (12 page)

“When I arrived here a year ago, I was honestly
shocked by the condition of the country. I mean my father had
glorified it, but it was a war zone, a hell hole.”

“And yet you stayed?”

“I don’t think I understood that once you join
the war you can’t leave. The Masi fighters who try to leave are
killed. This is not something you do for a while and then return to
your normal life. Once you’re in it, you’re stuck.”

“So do you still believe in the cause?” she
asked him.

Kato looked away and tightened his jaw.

“Do you?” she repeated, and the tension between
them grew when he ignored her question.

“I think your questions are up, Aya,” he
murmured.

“At least tell me if you have any news on
Aston,” she begged.

Kato stuffed a handful of grapes into his mouth
and looked away. “I will answer that question if you allow me the
same courtesy and answer a few of my questions.”

Aya nodded. She had nothing to hide.

“Aston is with the healer; I saw him today. He
was sleeping, but she said he will heal in time. That’s all I
know.”

“Is this healer a real doctor?” Aya wanted to
know.

“No, she’s a slave.”

Aya threw her arms in the air. “Great, so what
does she even know about his chances of recovery?”

Kato narrowed his eyes. “Sybina is no ordinary
slave. She’s a trained healer, and I know many soldiers who owe
their life to her.”

Aya calmed down. At least Aston was in the care
of a healer and not just left to die. Part of her wanted to yell at
Kato for not knowing more.

“My turn,” Kato said. “How long have you been
with Aston?” The question was loaded.

“What makes you think I’m with Aston?” Aya
replied.

“The way you flirted with him in the marketplace
and the way he dragged you around and cupped your face and kissed
you gave it away.”

“Really?” Aya said, amused at how certain Kato
seemed to be and how wrong he really was.

“It looked very intimate.” Kato was scowling,
and Aya wondered what his problem was.

“He kissed me to make you believe he was my
boyfriend but he’s really my friend and colleague.”

“Aston wants to be more than a friend,” Kato
stated.

“I doubt it, and besides, you don’t even know
him, so you can’t possibly know that.”

He arched a brow. “Don’t insult me. I’m a man, I
can tell that sort of thing.”

“Sure, then maybe you can also tell me what
happened between you and me when we collided that day on the
market.” Aya instantly regretted asking and wished she could take
it back. Her question revealed far too much if she didn’t want Kato
to know that she found him attractive. Kato looked surprised by her
question.

“Actually no, I can’t tell you,” he
answered.

“Oh, I thought you were an expert… or does that
only relate to Aston?”

“I can’t tell you because I’ve never experienced
anything like it.” His honesty was disarming and made Aya
momentarily unable to come up with anything better than a low
“Ohh.”

“What do you think happened?” Kato wanted to
know. He set down his plate of food and moved slightly closer.
Arghh, here it comes again, that stream of pulsing energy –
how does he do that without even touching me?
Aya noticed
the warning signals and felt flustered by Kato’s closeness.

“Just forget it,” she said, “It was a stupid
question.”

“Why?” Kato’s voice was seductive. “Do you
remember what you asked me that day?”

“Of course. I’m not senile yet… I asked you if
we had met before.”

“And what did I answer?”

“You didn’t!”

“So… do you want my answer?”

“I already know the answer. I’ve had time to
think about it. We never met.” Aya spoke with authority.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Absolutely.”

His lips curved. “Then how come we both had a
feeling of instant connection?”

“I didn’t say I had a feeling of instant
connection,” Aya objected.

“But you felt you knew me and you couldn’t stop
staring into my eyes.”

Aya shrugged. “I was confused.”

Kato smiled. “Listen, Aya, I have no problem
admitting that I was blown backwards by you… but you already knew
that.”

“Stop it, Kato.” Aya held up her hand.

“Stop what?” He smiled innocently.

“Stop trying to seduce me. Whatever physical
attraction I might have had for you at the marketplace disappeared
when you kidnapped me and I found out whose side you’re on.”

Kato pulled back. “So you admit that you were
attracted to me?”

“
Was
is the key word here.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” Aya said firmly. “And anyway it
was a purely physical thing… silly, really.”

Before she could think, Kato was kissing her.
His lips were insistent and hungry and Aya kissed him back. It was
one of those things where mind and body are completely out of sync.
The raw desire she had felt for him since their first meeting
overruled every rational thought. He tasted sweet from the grapes
and his skillful tongue was playfully distracting her from any
coherent thought. After a long, deep, and passionate kiss Aya
gasped for air and heard Kato chuckle. “Just a silly attraction,
you say… I don’t think so.”

And then Aya stiffened when an unwelcome thought
struck her.

Kato tried to caress her face, but the passion
from before was still pumping through her veins and now she used it
to push away from him. She got up and crossed her arms to create
distance from him.

“Aya, what’s wrong? It was just a kiss.”

“That’s why I was kidnapped, wasn’t it? Because
of our attraction?”

“What?” Kato stiffened too.

“You wanted me that day, so you took me. Like I
was nothing but an accessory you could pick up in a marketplace and
own.” She shot him a disgusted expression.

Kato shook his head and gave her a strained “No”
in response. “It wasn’t my idea to kidnap you, it was Jonul’s. I
wanted to talk to you that day in the marketplace. I was so drawn
to you, but you were with Aston and I knew you wouldn’t want me
once you understood I was a Masi warrior.”

“So you kidnapped me instead… Wow! I’ve been so
blind that I didn’t see what you were doing. I was never Jonul’s
slave, was I? You wanted me so you made him almost rape me to make
you look like the good guy that I would come to trust. You
manipulated me from the beginning,” Aya accused him.

Kato stared like he was unable to understand how
only a few seconds could take them from the most passionate kiss to
heavy accusations and mistrust.

“If you think I would ever come up with
something as elaborate as that, then you’re greatly overestimating
me, Aya. I wish I had influence over Jonul, but I’m afraid he
really did intend to rape you because you are his slave.”

“I belong to no one,” Aya snarled.

“You’ll have to explain that to Jonul tomorrow.
Right now it’s time to get some sleep.”

Aya was confused and upset when they went to
bed. Kato kept to himself and didn’t speak to her; instead he
turned his back to her and moved as close to the wall as
possible.

Aya couldn’t sleep and thought back to yesterday
when Jonul tied her to his bed. Kato was right. There was nothing
pretend about it; Jonul had wanted to rape her and he would have
done so if he hadn’t been interrupted. All the fear she had felt
earlier today returned and she couldn’t hold back her tears. Her
body was shaking in suppressed sobs, and it made Kato turn to her
and place a hand on her back.

“Aya,” he called softly.

Aya moved her shoulder to shake off his hand and
succeeded. “I want to go home,” she cried.

Kato didn’t answer but he stroked her hair, and
it gave her the courage to turn and look at him with huge pleading
eyes. “I’m so scared, Kato.”

Kato instinctively reached for her and pulled
her close to him. He kissed the top of her hair and whispered
calmingly to her: “I won’t let him hurt you.” Aya remembered his
words from before when he said that he didn’t have influence with
Jonul, but for now she chose to trust that he really could help
her. They slept entwined in each other with Aya resting her head by
his neck, taking in the masculine scent that had such a calming
effect on her.

Aya

The next morning Aya and Kato were awakened
early by loud banging noises on the door.

Kato didn’t let go of Aya but they exchanged
looks of concern, and then he kissed her forehead as a silent
promise of protection.

Kato got up and walked over to open the door.
Outside stood Jonul, still not in the best shape but remarkably
better than yesterday. He aggressively tried to push his way past
Kato, but Kato wouldn’t let him.

“I want her back in my bed.”

“I know you do,” Kato said coolly but didn’t
move an inch.

Jonul snorted. “I’m not asking, I’m ordering, so
you better step aside.”

Aya pushed herself backwards against the wall,
pale with fear.

“I can’t do that,” Kato said calmly.

Jonul took a moment and looked like he was
weighing his options. Kato squared his muscular shoulders,
signaling that he wouldn’t back down without a fight.

“You can’t be serious,” Jonul sneered. “You
would fight me over
her?”
He spit the last word like Aya was
a piece of trash. And then he grinned. “I’ll make you a deal.”

Kato waited.

“You can buy her from me on one condition.”

Aya held her breath. She hated the idea of being
a slave to anyone, but of the two men in front of her she would
take Kato any day.

“What’s your condition?” Kato said in a
controlled voice.

Jonul looked past Kato to Aya on the bed. “You
share her with me.”

Aya closed her eyes to break the connection with
Jonul, who was looking at her with horny hunger.

“You already know the answer to that,” Kato sat
firmly.

Jonul growled at him. “All right, but then I
want to watch when you break her in.”

Aya kept her eyes closed, unable to comprehend
the cold business transaction that was taking place in front of
her. They were trading her body and her life, and none of them even
bothered to involve her.

The long silence made her open her eyes again.
Kato was tense when he asked: “You won’t do anything but
watch?”

“Don’t worry.” Jonul held his hands up and
grinned viciously. “I’ll just watch, nothing else.”

“Okay.” Kato reached out his hand to strike a
deal.

“No! I’m not letting him watch anything,” Aya
protested.

“Give us half an hour,” Kato said in a far too
calm voice.

“Fine, but I want you to fuck her in the living
room.”

“Okay,” Kato agreed shortly.

“And I want 10,000 for her.”

Kato nodded before he closed the door.

Aya looked at him with an open mouth, unable to
articulate the many ways this was unacceptable.

Kato shot her a direct glance and with a
no-bullshit tone he said, “It’s your choice, Aya, you can go to his
room or we can meet his demand and you can become mine. What do you
want?”

“I… I…” Aya was shaking her head. “This is
absurd. This is so sick and twisted. Don’t you see that, Kato?”

He nodded. “I know, but I’m working with what I
can to protect you here. If there was a third option of getting you
safely home I would pick that one, but for now there’s not, so your
choice is between going back to Jonul’s bed or having sex with me
in front of him.”

With a distant voice Aya whispered in disbelief.
“You want to rape me?”

Kato frowned. “No, of course not, I told you I’m
not into that shit. If we do this you have to do your part and play
along. Just pretend it’s only you and me.”

Aya shook her head, forcing herself to think…
“You say that like it’s a given – that I would want to have sex
with you if it was just you and me.”

Kato raised a brow. “Your body does, Aya, you
admitted that yourself.” And then he sighed. “Listen, I know this
is not on your top-thousand list of things to do before you die,
but in case you haven’t noticed, we are both in a shitty situation
and I’m trying to help you out here.”

Aya’s limbs felt heavy as all her energy was
rushing to her brain trying to come up with a solution. She doubted
she would even be able to move from the bed. “Isn’t there another
way? One that doesn’t involve sex?”

Kato took a few seconds before he squatted down
in front of her. “Is the thought of having sex with me so repulsive
to you?”

Aya shook her head slowly. “No, but the thought
of being forced and having sex in front of that creep is repulsive
to me.”

Kato looked down. “Yeah, well, it doesn’t excite
me either.”

“So why are you doing it?” she whispered and
dried a single tear away.

Kato looked up again and tugged a strand of her
hair behind her ear. “To keep you safe from him.”

For a moment they looked at each other without
speaking.

“So what do you choose, me or him?”

Chills ran down Aya’s spine. She was faced with
a choice between brutal rape or forced sex, and she felt like
suffocating with panic. “I can’t move. I’m so scared,” she
whispered.

Kato pulled her up from the bed and into his
arms.

“It’s going to be all right. I won’t hurt you,
Aya, but it has to be your choice. Me or him?”

The situation was nightmarish, like choosing
between swimming with sharks or crocodiles when she really didn’t
want to swim at all. Aya closed her eyes and took a deep breath…
she knew very well what her answer would be, she just wished she
was free to choose a third option and walk away from both men and
this horrible place.

With tears pressing she looked up at Kato.
“You.”