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He placed a supple animal hide collar around her neck, cara but not bothersoathered her hands behind her back and cuffed her wrists together with bands of what felt like the saentle, considering the strength behind it

Cuffing her was entirely unnecessary She’d never win in a struggle against his species, and there were guards everywhere Nor could she ever leave the Zandian’s guardianship They had knowledge about her past that would have her executed by the local species, the Ocretions, i her was for effect To show his dominance, his mastery over her

This ain

He propelled her forward, his touch still light, but the direction plain

Hoould he do it? Intimately? Or publicly? It would be physical punishment; she had no doubt Lamira had intimated Zander spanked her

In the factories where she’d rifarhter Lareedy Ocretion masters, they’d used a shock-stick to keep the human workers in line The pain froe in the nerves and eventually in the brain

But in the short tiuest on Zander’s pod—since he’d bought her as a gift for her daughter, whom he loved—she’d seen no shock-sticks There’d been no abuse She and Lah it was understood they were slaves They ate delectable food, slept in luxurious surroundings, and were not required to labor in any hter wore a collar and cuffs, they were decorated with priceless Zandian crystals—part of the Zandianritual, and she’d been well cared for here Leora knew Zander punished Lamira, but in private They hadn’t spoken of it, but Lamira had never seemed to resent it In fact, from her blushes, Leora suspected there was an enjoyable aspect to his mastery

Was that why Seke was in charge of her? Had he asked to be the one to punish her? Since the very first planet rotation she arrived, he’d been solicitous with her, almost protective

Am I to become Seke’s sex slave?

The h her head, she stu a patience that, again, i in her core pulsed with excitement, even as herher resistance Though she had little choice but to ultimately submit, that didn’t mean she had to make it easy on Seke

He led on, down a brightly colored corridor, the polished s Everywhere she turned, the opulence served as a reminder of the coiant spacecraft parked over Ocretia, was the sole seat of the Zandian kingdom until their species reclaimed their planet from the Finn

He stopped before a door, which swished open when he placed his palainst the panel beside it He pushed her into what had to be his chamber

It was beautifully appointed, as was every room in the palatial pod An oval sleepdisk hovered on one side, suspended as if by ic The thick reen, and ht, ht and airy A workstation hugged one wall

But what e suspended in the corner The punishment apparatus on the bed The tall basket filled with various manual implements, all

designed to inflict pain