Chapter song: Honey by Torres
I drifted weightlessly among the stars, relishing in the feeling of absolute freedom. Out here I could go wherever my heart desired and become someone completely different. I no longer had to be afraid or weak. I discovered planets, named constellations, and even explored other galaxies. It was perfect.
I flew by a blue planet and quickly became fascinated with its beautiful color. I had seen that color before, and in the back of my mind I knew it reminded me of something, but I couldn't remember what. As I placed my foot down onto the planet, it sank into the ground, trapping me like quick sand. I tried to pull myself out but the harder I struggled, the deeper I sank, and eventually I was devoured by darkness.
I inhaled loudly as I woke up, still frightened by the nightmare I had just experienced. Slowly I opened my eyes and realized I was not in my cell. I quickly sat up in a large bed that was not mine, and noticed right away how comfortable this one was. It reminded me of my bed back home. It even had sheets and a comforter that felt like silk, but the frame of the bed reminded me of Ronan's throne, and the thought of that made me frown.
As I looked around the room, I couldn't help but notice how grand this room seemed in comparison to my old cell. The ceilings were probably fifteen feet high and there were elaborate carvings in the walls that reminded me of ancient Aztec. The room was dark like the rest of the ship, but there were several wall sconces that emitted the same bluish-white light as I had in my previous cell.
I warily stepped down from the bed, wondering why I wasn't in pain. I didn't feel sore anywhere on my body, which was weird considering I was hit by a meteoroid. I looked down at my body in confusion, looking for any signs of trauma or abuse, but there wasn't a single bruise or scratch on my body. I was even still wearing my jeans and tank top.
There were three doors in my room. Every wall had a door except for the wall of my bed. The door opposite my bed was the largest of the three, so I assumed that was the door that led into the hallway. I walked to the second door, which was located on the left side of the room, desperately hoping it would lead me to a shower. I pulled on it, but it seemed to be locked. I walked to the opposite side of the room and tried the other door, this time being successful.
I slowly opened the door and found myself very pleased with what I saw. Inside was a large bathroom, completely covered from floor to wall with dark slate tile. Everything in the room looked surprisingly modern and very similar to a human bathroom, except the appliances were made of a shiny metal not found on Earth. To my right was a slate tile shower, complete with a glass door and a waterfall showerhead. To my delight, there was an oversized, metal bathtub right next to it. It looked extremely complicated to use with all of its nozzles, but I was determined to figure it out.
After ten minutes of twisting on various nozzles, I finally figured out how to get the water to come out. I quickly began filling the metal tub up and stood there impatiently watching with excitement. I pressed down on another nozzle which produced a clear liquid that smelled similar to eucalyptus. I tried another and happily found it to smell like rosemary. As the tub started filling up with bubbles, the alluring aroma of eucalyptus and rosemary suffused the room, and I closed my eyes relishing in its scent. I stripped my clothes off and sank into the deep tub, unable to suppress the moan that escaped my lips.
The water felt heavenly on my skin as I dunked my head under water. The scented liquids had an oily base to them, but it didn't make my skin or hair feel greasy. Instead, it felt like the oils were cleansing and moisturizing my skin and hair at the same time. I had never felt anything like this before and it felt amazing. I rested my head back against the tub, closing my eyes and sighing contently, as I momentarily forgot about my problems.
"You're awake," I heard a familiar deep voice say. My eyes popped open in surprise at the sound of Ronan's voice and I immediately became self-conscious of the fact that I was naked. Fortunately, the tub was still overflowing with bubbles, so my naked body remained hidden from his sight.
"Get out," I shouted in embarrassment as I sank deeper into the bubbles, so only my head was poking out.
"No, this is my ship," he muttered angrily, stalking over to me. "You would do well to remember that. Now rise and dress yourself. It is time we discuss your fate," he said looking down at me, his eyes roaming over the bubbles that concealed my body.
"I will get dressed when you leave," I said quietly, suddenly becoming nervous. I felt my stomach tighten at his words, wondering if he was finally going to kill me, and noticed my mouth had become dry with fear.
"You do not set the conditions here, Terran," he said in a low voice, his eyes burning into mine. We stared at each other for several seconds as I remained in the tub, unmoving. With his mouth turned down in irritation, he turned sideways still looking at me. "Do not keep me waiting," he warned as he strode out of the bathroom, roughly closing the door behind him.
I sighed in relief as I watched him walk away, becoming genuinely surprised that he didn't just pull me out of the tub. I sat there puzzled by his behavior, wondering what it could mean, but I honestly couldn't figure the man out. I stood up shakily from the anxiety that plagued my body and climbed out of the huge tub. I walked over to a cabinet full of towels and wrapped one of the silky sheets around my body. By the sink I found my tooth brush and paste, and I quickly began brushing my teeth, not wanting to keep Ronan waiting too long.
When I opened the bathroom door, I saw Ronan standing on the opposite side of my bed, unmoving as he watched me gingerly step out of the bathroom. I walked to the side of the bed closest to me and ran my fingers over the silky sheets, trying to appear unafraid. I looked up at him from across the bed and saw him frowning at me, almost like he was bothered by my casual demeanor.
"So… you wanted to talk," I said slowly, looking back down at the bed, still running my fingers back and forth along the soft fabric. The motion seemed to have a therapeutic effect on my nerves.
"No one has ever escaped from the Dark Aster before, especially not under my watch," he said, his voice reverberating around the room. I could feel his eyes watching me, and I shifted nervously on my feet.
"You impressed me, Terran," he said, his voice giving away nothing. I looked up at his words, shocked by what he said.
"Impressed," I said bewildered. I stared at him with my eyes narrowed in confusion, placing my hands on my hips.
"Indeed," he said raising his chin. "Your Terran body was able to endure the harsh extremities of space. Your recovery was uncertain, yet here you stand," he said, almost sounding proud.
"How long was I out for?" I asked surprised.
"Ten days," he said, his eyes closely watching my face.
"Why didn't you just let me die?" I asked, confused by his actions. This didn't make any sense. Why would he waste his time treating me when it would have been easier to just let me die out there?
"You have proven yourself useful. With proper training you will become a worthy asset to my army," he said, his eyes darkening as he gauged my reaction. I stood there with my mouth hanging open, shaking my head in morbid disbelief.
"What is the MATTER with you?" I asked, bringing my hands up to my head in a frustrated manner. I was genuinely questioning his sanity at the moment. His eyes widened with anger as I continued to speak.
"I haven't forgotten about you destroying an entire planet! You are fucking crazy if you thought I would go along with this. Putting me in a nice room is not going to make me OK with your psychopathic tendencies," I said angrily, motioning dramatically with my hands. By the time I stopped speaking, Ronan was scowling at me furiously.
"I saved your life and you dare refuse my offer?" he said, his voice growing louder as he spoke.
"I didn't ask to be saved - I was trying to escape you! I would rather have been that bastard's whore than your assassin!" I shouted bitterly, my eyes watering with anger.
"Is that so," he said in a dangerously low voice, his face turning deadly serious.
"Yes," I answered weakly, unsure where this was going. He slowly started walking around the bed, his eyes filled with malice as he glared at me.
"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice rising in panic as he reached the foot of the bed.
He remained silent as he continued stalking towards me, which made him even more frightening. He chillingly reminded me of a lion right before it attacks its prey. When he reached my side of the bed I panicked and jumped onto the bed, trying to cross over before he reached me.
As I reached the middle of the bed, I felt a strong hand wrap around my ankle and violently pull me backwards, forcing me to fall facedown into the mattress. I screamed as he pulled me backwards towards him, my hands pulled the sheets along with me as I desperately tried to escape him. As my legs fell over the edge of the bed I started to stand up, but as I did Ronan roughly bent me over the bed. He leaned over my back, pushing me down with one hand in between my shoulder blades, and forcefully spread my legs apart with his feet.
"Get off of me! What are you doing?!" I screamed angrily as I tried to reach behind my back to hit him. In an instant, he had my arms pinned behind my back with both of my wrists in his hand. His other hand wrapped itself in my hair and harshly turned my head to the side, pinning it to the bed.
"You would rather be a whore," he growled into my ear, causing goose bumps to appear on my neck. "I will grant you your request," he said darkly as he let go of my hair and slid his hand down to my waist.
"No! Stop it!" I cried out desperately, suddenly becoming terrified. I began screaming with fear as I felt his fingers pull on my jeans, causing them to rip down the middle.
He let my arms go so he could use both of his hands to pull my shredded jeans off, allowing me the opportunity to crawl across the bed. As I stood on the opposite side of the bed wearing only my tank top and thong, he casually threw my jeans off to the side, and stared at me menacingly. I turned and ran to the door behind me, pulling desperately on it as I cried, but it was locked just as before.
When I turned around Ronan was already on my side of the room, his eyes dark with determination as he walked towards me. There was nowhere for me to go as he trapped me in the corner, and I began crying with fear as my back hit the wall. I held up my hands in front of me, trying to keep him away, but he easily grabbed them and pinned them at my sides.
"You defy me at every opportunity, yet you always end up crying pathetically," he said mockingly as he looked down at me.
"Fuck you!" I shouted before I could stop myself. My eyes were overflowing with tears as I struggled desperately against his grip.
"Perhaps breaking your pride will make you more compliant," he said, his voice rough with anger.
He picked me up by my upper arms and sent me flying in the air with no effort at all. I roughly landed in the middle of the bed on my back, and before I could sit up Ronan had my arms pinned above my head, with both wrists in one hand. His armor felt hard and cold against my legs as he spread my legs open with his knees. His eyes burned into mine as he held his face only inches above mine.
"Wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it," I cried out, looking at him pleadingly. "Please don't do this! I'll do anything," I said as I sobbed uncontrollably.
"I warned you that your actions will have consequences," he growled as he ripped my tank top off of me as if it were made of paper.
"Nooo! Please!" I screamed hysterically, feeling as if my heart were about to explode.
I struggled madly underneath him, trying to twist my body away from him, but his hand and knees had me pinned to the bed. He smirked down at me as he watched me uselessly struggle below him, seeming to enjoy my discomfort. As I felt his hand reach behind my back to unclasp my bra, I started shaking my head and kicking my feet as I cried below him. This couldn't be happening to me.
"Ronan, please! I can't do this! I've never done this before," I begged, my voice hoarse from screaming. His head snapped up at my words, looking at me like he didn't understand me.
"Never done what before?" He growled, yanking my hair back so I was forced to look up at him.
"This!" I cried desperately. "I've never even been naked in front of a man," I said closing my eyes with shame as his stare suddenly became intense.
"You've never lain with a Terran before," he said quietly to himself as if he couldn't believe it.
He looked down at me with a mixture of disbelief and hesitation as I continued to cry with fear, and quickly lifted himself off of me, letting go of my wrists as if they burned him. I quickly pulled the sheets over my half-naked body and sat up staring at him warily as he stood by the bed with his back turned to me. After a few seconds he turned halfway around and glanced at me, and I couldn't help but be surprised at what I saw. Regret.
Without saying a word, he walked out of the room and slowly closed the door behind him.
I sat there in disbelief at what just happened. He actually stopped when I told him I was a virgin. He could easily have raped me, but he chose not to. Did that mean he wasn't a complete monster? Why would he care if I was a virgin anyways? I didn't actually expect him to stop when I told him that.
Regardless of the reason, I was beyond relieved.
I lied there in bed for hours replaying the traumatic event in my mind, until Nebula briskly walked in and placed a tray on my nightstand along with a new change of clothes. I sat up and examined the new clothes, surprised to find several pairs of panties in the pile. They were made of a soft, satin-like material and they actually looked comfortable. I felt my face flush as I looked up and realized Nebula was watching me with an amused look on her face.
"I don't know why Ronan is keeping you alive, but you do keep things interesting around here," she said sarcastically as she walked around the room.
"I just want to go home," I said sadly as I tucked the bed sheets under my armpits.
"You should be grateful. Ronan was in here every day checking on you after that meteoroid. He's obviously intrigued by you," she said sounding annoyed. "I've never seen him take interest in anyone before," she said bitterly as she looked at me from across the room.
"Well, he almost raped me today, so I don't want his interest," I said angrily as I rubbed my sore wrists.
Nebula looked at me, her eyes momentarily widening in surprise at what I told her, and finally settled into a look of understanding.
"He's not used to someone challenging him - no one else is stupid enough," she said sarcastically as she walked back over to the bed. "You really must get under his skin," she said stopping in front of me, looking at me curiously.
"Now eat, and take the pill. It will help," she said as she walked out.
I stared at the door as she closed it, reflecting on what she just said. So what if he wasn't used to people standing up to him? That didn't give him the right to hurt them. That just seems like a horrible excuse to inflict pain on others. Still, he didn't actually go through with raping me, and the thought of that left me feeling confused and curious.
I looked over at the food on the tray and saw a delicious looking soup that made my stomach growl in response. There was also the familiar sour-dough bread and a fruit that looked like a giant blueberry. I quickly scarfed down the food, not realizing how hungry I was, and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
I glanced at the pill on the tray, wondering if I should take it or not, because I wasn't sure if I was ready to ignore what happened earlier. The pill would make me feel like everything was OK, when in fact, everything was complete shit. I lied back down on the bed and closed my eyes, hoping to fall asleep fairly quickly.
After hours of tossing and turning in bed, my mind filled with images of Ronan ripping my clothes off, I gave in and decided to take the pill. Within ten minutes I was gratefully lost in la-la land, completely oblivious to the troubles around me. I stumbled out of bed and pulled out the clothes Nebula had brought me earlier, laughing at how futuristic they appeared. There was a black, one-piece suit that was made out of some leather-type material and it zipped up the back. There were also two more shirts and two pairs of pants made out of the same material, and everything was black. Talk about drab.
I pulled out one of the satin panties and tried it on, only to find that it covered half my ass, but I think it was meant to be like that. I walked around the room in only my bra and panties, tracing my fingers along the elaborate wall carvings. It looked like the carvings were moving, and I quickly became entranced by the sight. I only looked away when I noticed the door to my left slowly open up.
I turned towards the door and was unsurprised to see Ronan step through. As he came in, he stopped when he saw me standing there in only my bra and panties, and looked questioningly at me. My gaze slowly drifted downwards to examine my body and I realized I had completely forgotten that I was undressed. I lazily walked over to the bed, willing myself to move faster, but my legs seemed unable to move at a quicker pace. Damn, fucking pill.
When I finally reached the bed, I sat down and pulled the sheets over me, not even fully covering myself. I stared groggily at Ronan as he walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed next to me.
"You shouldn't be here," I slurred, leaning back against the headboard.
"I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier," he said looking over at me, his eyes narrowing as he took in my inebriated state. "But clearly now is not the time for this discussion," he grumbled irritably and looked towards the door.
"Why didn't you… do it?" I asked slowly, forcing the words out of my mouth. He glanced sideways at me with his mouth drawn tight as if he was angered by my question.
"Despite what you think, I am not evil. It was never my intention to go through with it," he said as he looked away.
'You scared me," I whispered, examining his profile. He looked awfully sullen at the moment.
"That was the point," he answered seriously, staring back at me. "The life of a whore is not one you want, I can assure you of that. You would not last a day, Terran," he uttered quietly as his eyes roamed my face.
I couldn't help but notice how pretty his eyes looked right then. When he wasn't angry, they appeared to be a much brighter purple, like shining amethysts.
"You're...kind of...beautiful," I mumbled as my eyes started to drift closed.
He stood up and leaned over me, pulling the comforter over my body.
"Sleep well, Silvia," he said, his deep voice flowing through my body.
I felt a hand slowly stroke my cheek as I drifted away into peaceful slumber.
It was a shame I would not remember this tomorrow morning.