Under By Treaty (SciFi Romance) (4 page)

She tuned her ears to his beating heart. He was high on adrenalin. When it found no outlet, he would be restless. His body would struggle to cope. Thirst and hunger would ultimately be his undoing, although basic bodily functions often defeated all. Few could kneel in excrement. However, she couldn’t stomach the thought of sleeping in its vicinity either. If he did not ask for relief, the cage was designed for this contingency.

*****

Jaden drifted in and out of sleep, finally accepting he had no choice but to endure the agony placed on his wrists every time his eyes closed. Blood alternately dripped and dried on his arms and the floor of his cage. But now the pressure on his bladder was building and sleep was impossible.

He shifted uncomfortably, his knees protesting the movement, but there was nothing he could do to take the weight off them. How long would he stay like this? A night? Days? Weeks?

He listened to Sonil turning over. The lizard wasn’t going to crack first. He could tell. What was he trying to achieve? That he possessed the stronger will? That he couldn’t be broken?

“I’ll
fight
her,” he’d said. Bound and naked in front of Rooster, he’d vowed his defiance. “I’ll fight her with everything I’ve got.”

Jaden
closed his eyes. The pain in his wrists turned to a fiery ache. After a while, he got used to it. He had suffered far worse at the hands of a K’lahn.

Sonil wouldn’t break him.

*****

Jaden
jolted awake and whimpered.

Behind him, the bed sighed as Sonil
found a more comfortable position. He really resented her freedom to do that.

He listened to the gentle
hum of the ship’s engines. Were they in hyperspace? Earth spacecraft capable of hyperspeed emitted a different sound. They had based their design on K’lahn technology salvaged from battles across the solar system, not forgetting the first mothership the early Resistance had brought down on London. Earth technology had leapt ahead in areas of weaponry and space travel. Otherwise, Earth looked little different than it had thirty years ago. People salvaged and recycled what they could – everyday goods a luxury few could afford to waste resources on.

He shifted again
, his bladder a sharp pain in his side. Jaden chewed his lip. How long till morning?

What was morning on a K
’lahn ship?

*****

An anguished wail had Sonil sitting bolt upright in bed. She heard the sound of water being pumped out at high speed from the top rim of Jaden’s cage. One word flooded the room with light. Jaden was thrashing against his restraints as ice-cold water hit his upper body at jet speed.

She rested back on her pillows
.

It wouldn
’t last long – enough to clean both prisoner and floor. The diluted urine would collect underneath the cage and exit through a drain. She checked the time. Seventeen hours. She grimaced. Perhaps she shouldn’t have made that wager with Markl. How could she entice Jaden to break first?

She got out of bed, searched through her closet, and pulled out several warm garments and a blanket. Then she climbed back into bed and
remotely reduced the room temperature.

*****

He was so cold. His damp hair was practically frozen to his head. His only relief was that the water had relieved a terrible thirst. He shivered uncontrollably, every movement a shooting agony that ran from his wrists to his knees and back again. He scrunched his eyes shut to hold back scalding tears. Every second lasted a lifetime. He couldn’t remember what he was doing this for? Then the thought of the lizard ignoring his pleas for mercy forced him to endure a little while longer.

*****

Sonil paced her bedroom listening to Jaden’s heavy breathing. She checked her console. Thirty hours and twenty seconds. She pressed the flashing light.

A voice spoke into the room.
“Forgive the intrusion, Ambassador, but I was just wondering…”

“Congratulations, Captain.”

“I have to admit I’m impressed.”

“I
’m bored,” She was also freezing. “I’m going out.”

“Of course, Ambassador. I
’ll alert the flight deck. Markl, out.”

The tiniest
sigh held Sonil still.

“Don
’t go.” The voice was barely audible. A human might not have heard him.

She
spun around. Jaden was no longer shivering, but his skin looked a little blue. She hated seeing such a full-blooded specimen of a man in this condition, but, this phase of training was always the hardest part. She walked to his cage and crouched just out of sight. “Talk to me, Jaden.”

“I
’m so cold.”

“And?”

He gasped. “I hurt.”

“Yes. I can see that.”

His head dropped. She didn’t think it possible for his body to sag any more, but it did.

“Please
…”

“Tell me what you want, Jaden.”

He didn’t answer. She waited patiently for his brain to figure out what he was actually asking for.

“I want out.”
His words were whispered. His shame shouted loud.

Sonil
’s fingers touched one of the bolts, but then she stopped. There was more to this lesson. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“
I…” He fell silent.

“I will give you five minutes to explain why you didn
’t appeal to me earlier. If I believe you are being honest with me, then I will release you. Otherwise I’m going and you will need to wait until my return.”

She got up and
went to her closet where she pulled out some boots.

“Wait.”

“I’m listening.” She slipped a foot into a boot then joined the seal.

“I didn
’t want to be dependent on you.”

“
Dependent on me for what?”

“For m
y comfort.”

“I can give you comfort and pleasure, Jaden. I can as easily replace it with pain and misery. Ultimately, the choice is yours.”

She nearly didn’t catch his response. “Fuck…” She smelt his fury. This was the Jaden whose pheromones drove her to the edge. This was the man the Qui required for true culmination.

“Forget it,” he snarled. “I want nothing from you.”

“You want to stay put?” Sonil sighed and pulled on the other boot. “You know, Jaden, pain and misery is the easy choice. I’m going out. Give you time to think. If you still want out when I get back then all you have to do is ask. I will reward you for good behavior and punish you for bad. You will slowly learn which is which. I must be honest with you though. I had a wager with the captain you would crack before thirty hours were up. He won a night with you. You can assume the night will involve torture and humiliation. I never renege on a wager. I will see you later.”

*****

Jaden couldn’t speak. Hot tears burned a track down his cheeks. He had endured torture at the hands of a K’lahn once for days and not broken. This was nothing! And yet, somehow, Sonil’s tactics hit to the core of his psyche. His head dropped and, too late, he realized his tear had fallen and was about to hit the floor.

For a second, he thought he had got away with it, that whatever sensors set the cage off, one tear wasn
’t enough. After all, it hadn’t reacted to sweat or blood.

He was wrong.

Water shot out at him.

“
Nooo!
” He cringed from the icy blast soaking his head and his back, every part of him. His body detonated into a shivering mass of pain. “
Sonil
!” he cried, his voice hoarse and croaky. “
Puhlease
.”

The ice-cold water stopped.
His wrists dropped to his side. He folded forward unable to support his upper body and his head slammed into iron bars. He heard bolts being thrown then the ringing sound of iron hitting the floor. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t tell if he was hallucinating, or if it was real.

H
ands touched his ankles, a pressure lifted away.

Still he could not move.
There was a brief silence.

Help me, please.

Then hands were under his armpits. He felt himself lifted up. Sonil pulled his right arm up over her shoulder and hauled him to his feet. He remembered she was very strong.

His feet dragged uselessly on the floor. She was carrying his whole body weight
with ease. A door opened, and she placed him down on a tiled surface.

“
Water, tepid.”

More water drenched him
, this time scalding hot. He cried out and tried to crawl away. Hands caught his arms and pulled him into a hug. Leather-coated legs and boots wrapped around him. She began to rub his arms.

“
It burns!” he protested.

“
No. You’re just very cold. Give it a moment and it will feel better.”

The water became bearable.
It dribbled into his mouth, slaking his parched throat.

“Increase temperature one degree.”

His shivers died away. He began to relax.

“Feeling better?” she asked. She sounded amused. “I can
’t believe you relieved yourself again.”

“I didn
’t,” he rasped out.

“Then?”

He hesitated.

“Holding out on me is bad, Jaden. Whatever it is, it
’s surely not worth going back in the cage.”

Jaden agreed. Right
at this moment, the idea of rebelling seemed pointless. He wasn’t sure he understood what he would be rebelling against. Was this Stockholm syndrome? A mental block. His confession tumbled out from nowhere. “It was a tear, one stupid tear.”

“I
’ll get the sensors recalibrated.”

“
I feel so much better.”

“
Careful,” she warned. “Temperature up one degree.”

Jaden
was too tired to fight her. Heavy eyelids shut the world out. He was beginning to feel warm and comfortable, the back of his head resting against her soft curves.

“Shower off.”

Warm air blasted them both.

He opened one eye.
“No towels?”

There was a brief pause. “Air off.” Then she was climbing out from under him.
She plucked at her leather pants. “Skal! These are ruined.”

She leaned him against the wall and carefully walked across the slippery floor to
a panel. She pressed it and took out huge fluffy toweling. She left the bathroom for a second then returned. For the second time, she hauled him up. This time he managed to hobble. She led him to her bed where the towel was laid out waiting. He sat his bare ass on it, she swung his feet up and he lay back, going with the flow. His arms were useless anyway.

She
covered him with the other towel. “I’m going to dry off and change.”

His eyes closed
.

Chapter Four

Sonil
watched Jaden sleep. The wounds on his wrists were healing nicely. She frowned, puzzled as to why he didn’t need medical attention. She touched the light scar where she had stabbed him. It had healed remarkably quickly. She hadn’t noticed before. Nothing in her reports indicated this kind of physical resilience from humans. She would have the ship’s medical officer check him out.

She unsealed her boots
, grateful she hadn’t worn her pull-ons. Then she peeled off her ultra-tight pants. Her shimmery top came off easily. She returned to the bathroom and showered properly, washing her hair then drying off in the hot air.

She walked naked through her bedroom, humming as she chose fresh clothing. A tingling sensation made her turn and check Jaden. He was watching her.
His stint in the cage hadn’t lessened those unruly pheromones. The man positively reeked of arousal, and it was all she could do to keep from attacking him.

He seemed clueless
to his effect on her. These primitive primates had no idea they sent out chemical signatures of their every emotion. It’s a wonder they ever evolved to become the dominant species of a planet.

“Do you like what you see?”
she asked him.

“You
’re more human-looking than most K’lahn. I can hardly see any of the scales, it’s all… shimmery.”

“Don
’t evade my question, Jaden.”

He sighed. “
You can probably sense that I do, why force me to admit what you already know?”

“
Answer the question.” She opened a closet and selected a whipping cane. When she pulled it out, his expression darkened.

“I like what I see.”

She put the cane back. “Very wise.”

Undecided
over what to wear, she pulled on a simple robe, and tied it around her waist. When she looked at him again, his eyes were shut and his breathing was the sound of deep sleep, his heartbeat slow and steady. His pheromonal assault on her senses had subsided. She picked up her wet clothing and disposed of it down a chute. Now she could stop watching over him so closely, she decided to catch up on reports from the Empire in her main quarters. Settling in front of her console, she browsed the numerous activities ongoing throughout the Empire and filed her comments.

She sat thinking.
“Captain?”

The ship
passed her comment through Communications.

“Ambassador?”

“Please route the ship to the D’ron system. I have Qui business to attend to there.”

“Immediately, Ambassador.”

“Oh, and Markl, Jaden is now asleep on my bed.”

“
That was a close call, Ambassador. However, I still claim my evening.”

“I have warned him
.”

“I thank you, Ambassa
dor.”

“
I may have exaggerated your cruelty a little. We will discuss boundaries when the time comes. He will not be ready for a while. Sonil, out.”

Her sharp ears detected movement. She rose to her feet and padded across to the bedroom. Jaden was sitting up. His
apprehensive glance created a strange sensation in her belly.

“Are you hungry?” she asked him.

He nodded. “Thirsty, too.”

Sonil moved to the panel by her bed and pressed a button. “All the controls are keyed to my DNA and voice. Unauthorized use will be strictly punished.”

“Thereby keeping me dependent on you.”

She backhanded him, a swinging blow that caught him unawares and sent him flying
across the bed.

He lay there stunned, the towel tangled in his legs. Then his hand wiped blood off his lower lip. He tasted the cut. His eyes flashed anger.
The general was back with something to say.

“I can have you back in the cage in a second, Jaden. Feel free to test me.”

He mulled his chances over then shook his head.

“Good.”
Sonil walked over to a drawer and pulled it open. She lifted out a pair of black thongs with a wide band that hung low on the hips. She threw them at him. “You will wear these.”

He picked them up, looked at them in distaste, but pulled them on. His arms were visibly shaking from the exertion and his legs didn
’t hold him up for long. She walked over to him with a matching wrap. She pulled him to his feet then tied it around his hips. It just covered his cock and behind. She reached down and fondled his balls until they firmed in her hands.

“
Much better,” Sonil whispered. She heard the sounds of food being delivered. “Can you walk?” He nodded, his jaw tense, and her eyebrows lifted. “If you don’t make it to the table, I will cane you.”

She saw fear hit him.
He could barely stand. Understanding dawned in his eyes. “You want complete honesty,” he stated.

“Your training depends on it.”

“I won’t make it to the table.”

Sonil fetched a cane.
“Then you will learn this lesson.”

His
rigid jaw worked overtime, his anger building again. She wished it would. He’d denied her some downtime and her need to release energy was rising. Finally, he turned towards the door and took a shaky step forward. He made it to her main quarters before his right leg seized up on him. He dropped to his knees and a jolt of pain shuddered through him.

“On all fours,” she ordered.

“
For fuck’s sake
.”

*****

She struck him across the back of his legs and Jaden yelped. He was almost grateful. He needed the reminder that she was a heartless Lizard bitch out to break him. Hungry and tired, he just wanted this lesson over. She wanted honesty? In future, he wasn’t going to hold back.

He haul
ed himself back to the required position when the cane lashed his ass across the left cheek. He grunted. The wrap provided no protection. He felt the flexible wood sting his right buttock and yelled, “Fuck!”

He
moved fast, twisted away when he reached the table. Gripping his arm, Sonil all but lifted him onto the chair.

“Eat.”

Jaden stared at the dome-covered plate. Suddenly, he had a bad feeling about this. He managed to force his hand up to remove it. He stared down at the slimy, yellow slop on the plate.

“What is this?” he whispered.

“It’s very nutritious. I believe you would describe it as a sort of jelly-fish. It’s full of protein.”

“I don
’t think I can.”

“You either eat it or I will force feed it to you and you will spend the night in the cage. You will never refuse food from me again.”

She removed the dome from her own plate and his eyes widened to see she had the same. She took a spoon, cut out a section, lifted her mouth to the ceiling tilting her neck up and let the glutinous mess slide down her throat. He watched her swallow.

“Don
’t chew,” she advised. “That is disgusting.”

Jaden
decided he didn’t have a choice. He cut off a large piece, determined to get rid of it as quickly as possible. He spooned it up, looked up and dropped it in, gulping down and then gagging as he felt it slither down his throat. He shuddered. Then decided it hadn’t been as bad as he’d feared. Sonil was watching him with studied amusement.

“Well?”
she asked.

“It
’s okay.”

“See.”

He spooned another piece without looking at it. “Am I going to stay here with you?”

“Would you like to?”

Jaden regretted he’d asked as he tried to work out an answer she’d accept. This wasn’t the honesty he had in mind.

“I
’m not sure. I don’t know the alternative.”

Her lips pursed.

“One more try.”

Crap.

“Then yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t know what the alternative is. And the shower was hot. And you walk around naked. And it probably beats a cell. And I figure you’d make my life hell wherever I stay. Is that honest enough for you?”

She laughed. “
Yes.”

Jaden blinked
. “Okay. How does this training work?”

“Usually fairly well.”

“You’ve done this before.”

“The knowledge is passed down.”

“Now you’re evading the question.”

“
I
don’t have to be honest.”

Jaden looked at the slimy goo on his plate. “
May I have some water?”

Sonil rose to her feet and moved to a sideboard holding a tray
with a jug and what looked like a pitcher of wine. She poured him a glass of water.

“Thanks.”

“You’re handling this better than I expected.”

“I think I
’m in shock.”

“You didn
’t expect Rooster to change his mind.”

“More that I didn
’t expect Johnson to go along with it.”

“How do you feel about
that?”

“You a closet shrink?”

She looked puzzled. “Shrink?”

“Psychiatrist. Mind doctor. Therapist.”

“No. And you haven’t answered my question.”

Jaden considered his answer.
“I feel betrayed. Wasted.” He hesitated, struggling to get his head around the concept.

“Say it.”

“Abandoned.”

“That is an honest answer.
Finish your food.”

Jaden obeyed. He was feeling
a little better, so long as he didn’t shift around too much on the chair – he could feel the stripes on his ass and he felt generally sore all over. His leg muscles kept jumping, although his wrists were only bruised now, not open wounds. The nano-proteins evidently took longer working their magic on the deeper tissue.

Sonil poured a glass of wine. She sipped it and watched him eat, her fin
gers lightly stroking the stem.

“I will sometimes leave you to your own devices, Jaden. You may use the bathroom, bed
, and seating areas. You will not touch any storage or work areas. You may help yourself to water. Food will be provided. You will not leave any waste. You will keep the bed made and my quarters tidy. I will give you reading material on the Qui Empire and its history. Read it. I know you have a rudimentary knowledge of our language – you must become fluent. You may exercise. If you are given an order by anyone on board this ship you will obey it as if it came from me.”

She
raised an eyebrow and he nodded slowly. His throat felt dry and he took a sip of water.

“
Now you will make love to me.”

Jaden sprayed water across the table. She laughed and he realized she
’d timed that on purpose.

“I
’m deadly serious,” she advised him, still lightly stroking her glass.

Jaden suddenly realized what she was doing
. And it was working. He had a hard-on for her. Shit. Was he actually considering it? His ass was sore and he could barely stand. He should be plotting a way to kill her, take over the ship, and use it as a weapon against them. Some dynamic had changed since being put in that cage. He felt trapped. Sucked into a world where he was a stranger dependent upon her every whim. He was scared of what she could do to him. It shamed him, and his parent’s memory.

“What are you thinking?”

“That I will fuck you because I’m scared of you.”

She frowned. “
I do not ask to be fucked. You speak of the act of sex with such disdain.”

Jaden shook his head. “
Then I can’t do it.”

“Do what?”

“Fu… make love to you.”

“
I can’t force you, but I do want to know why. You said you found me attractive, and I can smell your desire.”

“I said you were hot! Sexy. Beautiful. Attractive? Obviously. But I don
’t fucking
love
you! How could I? I’m here against my will. You’re my enemy. My captor. You intend to beat me into submission so your Qui can culminate, discover I hate her fucking guts, kill me, and then kill all my people. On what planet do you think I’m capable of making love to you?”

He swept his arm across the table
sending glass, plates, and food to the floor.

Sonil didn
’t move, but her eyes turned glacial.

“Suppose you
’re gonna punish me for that, now.”

She looked down at the mess
. Sheer terror brought Jaden to his feet. He never saw her move. Then his arm was being twisted behind his back. Her voice was at his ear.