me on display in front of a crowd like that. “You will let them look at you tonight, let me touch you in front of them. Just me, no one else. Only then can I guarantee your life and safety.”
“I—I can’t...” I hated the way my lip shook, and my voice trembled. I hated the feeling of being all alone, already exposed and vulnerable, even if still fully clothed.
Heaving a sigh, he said in a somber voice, “You have to.”
I shook my head, wrapping my arms tightly around myself.
“Svetlana.” The sound of my name from him shook me. I snapped my gaze to his face as he stared at me imploringly. “I want you to live.”
I hated him so much at that moment. He even somehow schooled his features into a kind expression, using a soft voice with emotion, even saying my name to get his way.
One thing he had been right about: it really didn’t matter what I wanted.
He had the means to make me do what he wished. Whatever sick game he was playing here, I could only play along. At least for tonight.
Then, I would start working on my escape plan from this hell. On my own.
I was glad that he hadn’t let me share the details of my idea with him. I’d have to do it without his assistance, and against his “laws”.
Stepping closer, he suddenly placed his hand on my throat, causing a spike of panic. His expression remained calm, if severe. This gesture, however, could mean anything, from anger, to aggression, to threat. His grip remained gentle enough, though. He wasn’t compressing my throat, just touching it.
His face came close enough for me to see the true color of his eyes for the first time. They were of an intense shade somewhere between brown and yellow—burnt orange—with black pupils shaped like vertical slits, like those of a cat.
I stilled under his intense stare, the fur on the back of his hand tickling my chin, the warmth of his hand seeping through my skin.
“Will it be just you tonight? Touching me?” I croaked, not believing myself. Was I actually about to go through with this perversity?
“Yes,” he said softly.
“No one else?”
I’d glimpsed enough slimy tentacles, hard scales, and sharp talons on some of the males to make my stomach drop with terror at the mere thought of those coming anywhere near my naked body.
“No,” he promised.
“And you won’t hurt me? I mean no physical pain?”
The focus in his eyes sharpened. “Unless you want it to be—”
“No!” I shook my head vehemently. In no way did I trust anyone here, Vrateus included, to deliver any kind of erotic pain. “Please, don’t hurt me.”
“I won’t, then.” He held my stare, keeping his hand on my neck.
“I have to change,” I half-whispered, unable to stand the contact any longer.
He had made an excellent point when he said I shouldn’t wear my own clothes for this.
“Right.” He let go of my neck, and I drew in a breath.
Even though his grip on my throat hadn’t been tight, his mere proximity seemed to have deprived me of oxygen.
“Can you leave?” I asked. “So I can change?”
“No.”
Fine. Over seven hundred men were about to see me naked. It might as well start now.
I tugged down the front closure of my suit. Vrateus, at least, had the decency to turn around when the suit opened.
Walking over to the rack, I yanked the first garment off the hanger, something in canary yellow. I got out of my suit and threw the dress on over my bra and underwear. It had a long puffy skirt and a wide belt that I tied around my waist.
The entire process took me only a few seconds.
“I’m ready.”
He turned around, giving me an assessing look.
“Do you want to change out of your boots, too?”
“Really?” I huffed a sharp laugh.
Did he need me in a well-coordinated outfit for this?
Arguing, however, would only prolong the whole thing.
“Fine.” I kicked off my boots and rummaged in the long chest on the bottom of the clothing rack.
Finding shoes that would fit me wasn’t as easy as the dress. Many had been worn by alien women with feet shaped differently than mine. Some were long and flared at the toes, some had been obviously made to fit over hooves. Finally, I fished out a pair of golden sandals with adjustable straps.
“Done.” I straightened after fastening the straps over my feet and around my ankles.
The sooner this nightmare started, the sooner it would be