Page 3 of Selected By the Dragon Alien

“Maybe,” said Sevas, putting down her own weaving, which was never her strong suit anyway. “I can’t stand the thought of bringing another person intothisworld.”

Fivra, whose hair had turned pink recently, was the youngest of them. The gold spots on her forehead, that also indicated fertility, were bright on her skin, but so far, her father wasn’trushing the bondmating. Of all of them, Fivra had the kindest father. He was quiet and thoughtful, and ran his farm quietly. “We are here to support Turi, not speak of impending doom.”

“We are supporting her,” Sevas said, holding up her mangled grasses. “We’re doingthis, aren’t we?”

“It’s fine,” Turi said. “The only good thing about being bonded to a male is getting these off my legs.” She nodded to the part of the bonding process that was hated most of all—the deceptively delicate-looking strip of cloth that ran between Turi’s ankles and was secured by metal cuffs. It was made of some type of uncuttable alien fabric. A male could choose to have his future bondmate hobbled like this, so she couldn’t try to run away, and the woman’s father had to comply.

Turihatedthe hobbles. It limited her stride, chafed her ankles, and was a constant reminder that her life was not her own. She was being “given” to someone who would do whatever he wished to her.

The final member of the group looked up with her light gold eyes, which matched her forehead spots. Cerani had only arrived in the settlement four months earlier, during the end of the cold season, but she had an interesting presence. Her face often had a faraway look, but she was quick to smile and everything she did seemed to have an artistic beauty to it. Even the dead grass, which was to be braided and woven, was anything but simple. Hers used a gradient of grasses and she had incorporated loops and whorls to her work. “We didn’t do this at Settlement 112-4. And the hobbles weren’t optional. So enjoy this.” Cerani turned a warm smile to Turi and touched her cheek with her calloused fingers. “This is the last time we six will all be together. Let us talk of lighter things for the time we have left.”

If that was meant to lighten the mood, it didn’t. Turi’s shoulders dropped slightly as that reality became clear. She would never return here after tonight. She’d have to make newfriends in Settlement 112-2, if her new mate allowed it. Only one settlement away, but it might as well have been on the other side of the planet. The shadows under Cerani’s eyes from constant work and the bruises on Nena’s jaw were plain evidence of how little control they had over their lives.

Sevas looked off into the distance. “They say there are beasts living to the west. They hunt and have settlements in the forest. I’d rather live with them than here.”

“What’s trading one beast for another?” Lilas sneered with a shrug. “Fekthem all. I’d rather live to the east,alone, in the shadowlands over the ridge.”

“The shadowlands are deadly,” Fivra said with a frown. “The specters live there. It’s said they eat living flesh.”

It was common knowledge that what lay on the other side of the ridge—where the overseer’s fortress lay—was a barren, long-dead forest infested with formless dark beings whoweresaid to feed off the living. The west, as Sevas mentioned, were wild lands that no one knew much about, but accounts of beast-males who howled at the stars kept the Terians to their settlements and farms. Also keeping them in place was the overseer who presided over all four settlements. He returned any straying Terian back to the Riests for punishment for fleeing. Usually, it was females who did the fleeing, hence the hobbles.

“Better to be eaten than…” Lilas didn’t finish her sentence. Her words trailed off and her dark gaze fixed on something in the distance.

They all turned to see a starship quietly approach. It wasn’t large, or attacking them, but it was astarship, and the only ones they ever saw were the simple weekly transports sent by the Axis to pick up the food they grew and take it away. This wasnothinglike that. It was narrow and silent and moved toward them almost like a predator stalking prey.

The woven grasses fell from their fingers.

“We need to leave,” Nena said. “Now.”

No disagreements. The six females jumped to their feet and made to run back to Turi’s family farm. Not Turi. The hobbles kept her from more than a few shuffling steps at a time.

The ship was much faster than them. It instantly repositioned itself between them and their escape route.

“Who is this?” Fivra whispered. “What do they want?”

“Us,” said Turi as the six of them huddled in a tight ball. “For what, I don’t know.”

The ship lowered until it hovered just above the dusty ground. A ramp descended and five beings disembarked. The ship may not have been bristling with weapons, but these individuals were. They were large and stocky with long snouts and beady eyes. They looked male, sporting only armored pants and boots for clothing. On top, they wore unmatched harnesses and holsters for their weaponry. Their gray skin was covered in scars. The females were quickly surrounded.

“Who thefekare you?” Seras spat in the common tongue, which they were all forced to learn.

One of the beings snorted, like a laugh. “Keep calm and this will be much easier for you, little ones.” He gestured to the others in his party. “Round them up. Get them aboard quickly.”

Turi tensed and grasped the closest wrist to her. “We’re not going with you.”

“Yes, you are. And we’ll get more credits for you if you’re uninjured, so be good little chits and come along without a fuss.”

So, they were to be sold. Turi’s stomach twisted into a knot. And she had thought nothing could be worse than being given to a strange male while wearing hobbles.Nope. This was much worse.

The group of aliens tightened the circle around them. Weapons charged up with ominous whines as the males’ gazesmoved over them—not with desire, but with appraisal. The females were products, nothing more.

The sound of huge flapping wings drew everyone’s attention. Turi turned her head to see the overseer descend and land beside the group of alien males. She hadn’t seen him in the years since he’d left that mark on the door of her family’s home. Even then, it had been a brief glimpse in the darkness. His presence overwhelmed her, making the frightening situation even more intense. On one hand, she had been raised to fear him. On the other, he might be the only one to save her and her friends from being abducted and sold.

“Release these females and leave,” the overseer said in a deep, oddly vibrational voice. “You have no claim over them.”

The snouted alien who seemed in charge let out another of those snorts and tossed his head back. “Ease off, Zaruxian. We have no dispute with you. The Axis granted us permission to take a clutch of females as payment for services rendered.” The male gestured to his guards to hold their position. “I can show you the contract.”

Zaruxian?Turi had never heard of the term. Perhaps that was the overseer’s species. Of course he belonged to one. The Axis hadn’t conjured the overseers from thin air, although the Riests believed that they were created by the Axis.