He helped her off the table to stand. “What?”
She gazed up at him, craning her neck because he was almost a foot taller, and he stood so close. “The slaves are thrown into the arena from the stands. Only one person ever walks out of the arena alive. That’s the rule. The women are raped and then murdered by the criminals who win the fights. If they make it extra entertaining for the audience, by prolonging the abuse, they’re offered more incentives…extra food, time off to heal before their next fight.”
He snarled.
She snatched her hand of out his. The sound he’d made was terrifying.
Cavas backed away. “My anger isn’t directed at you. Apologies. The idea that Crath might have been taken to fight for his life…that’s what upsets me. You’re in no danger. I give my vow.”
“You believe they took him to the pits?”
“It fits. Tryleskians mostly run that planet. To have one fight would draw spectators. My brother is an excellent fighter. The criminal who took him might want to make some money off Crath.”
She nodded hesitantly. “I’d really like that shower and clean clothing now. You said there are other humans here? Could I meet them?”
He nodded. “Of course. Follow me.”
Cavas tried to get a handle on his boiling rage. Had Beltsen Vellar known how sick and twisted his old friend Trevis had become? What had his father been thinking by putting Crath’s life into a criminal’s hands?
He opened the door to the guest cabin next to his and waved the female inside. “You never told me your name.”
She entered, openly gazing around. “Jill. This is very nice.”
“It’s your new home for now.”
She spun quickly. “I live alone? No one is going to bother me?”
“Yes, alone. This is your private cabin. No one on The Vorge will harm you in any way. As a matter of fact, all the male crew members, besides the Pods, are already life-locked to females. It means they would not have an interest in you.”
“The Pods?”
“Small white aliens.” He demonstrated their low height with a motion of his hand. “The Pods don’t take mates or have sex with others. When they reproduce, they just decide to, and they have little Pods on their own. I should also warn you that they can read minds. It’s not something they do to invade your privacy. It’s just as natural to them as us seeing or hearing with our senses. They don’t share what they learn with others, unless my brother has concerns. Cathian might ask them to scan your thoughts to make sure you’re not a threat to his crew or this ship.”
That stunned her. “Me? Is that a joke?” She wanted to snort. Then Jill remembered that she’d already told him she’d killed the alien who’d bought her. “The bug alien’s death was self-defense. I can’t say I’m sorry he’s dead, but I didn’t want to be raped.”
His expression softened. “I’m glad the slave owner is dead. No one here would think badly of you for that. Truly. If you’re unsure whether I’m being honest, or believe this is a trick to falsely earn your trust, maybe thinking of doing something rash or trying to escape…there’s no need for that. This ship is a human sanctuary. All the females willingly agreed to life-lock with the males they’re with. They have deep feelings for each other. Tryleskians with honor do not believe in slavery or rape. We abhor it. Cathian is the ambassador who represents the residents from our home world. He’s also my brother. We have honor, Jill.”
She stared at him with trepidation. It reminded him of how fragile her race must feel around aliens that were bigger and stronger. Humans didn’t have sharp teeth, claws, or even the muscle mass to defend themselves against most alien kind.
“You’ve been through a lot, from what you’ve shared with me, including your own planet Earth betraying you.” He reached up and touched his chest. “I give my solemn vow that everything I say to you is true. The Vorge is a sanctuary. On your planet, does that word translate into a safe place to live, where no harm befalls you?”
“Yes.”
“No male will force anything on you. You are not a slave anymore. This is your home.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it.
“My cousin’s life-lock, Lilly, has family on Earth. It’s not safe for her to visit but my brother said she communicates with them every few weeks using the bridge to call home. We know your planet hasn’t been honest with your people about selling females to other races, nor have they admitted to nearly causing wars by their actions in space. They’ve attacked a peaceful planet to steal from them. There have been more transgressions, but that is the most widely known. It wouldn’t be safe to send you back. Those in power on Earth could kill you to prevent their lies from being exposed.”
“That sounds about right.” Her thin shoulders slumped. “I already figured out I can’t ever go home. They’d just sell me again, especially after I’ve been labeled a criminal.”
She looked too defenseless to ever be a threat. “You said not having a job is a crime there?”
“Apparently. That’s what they said when they showed up at my place to arrest me, two hours after I quit my job.”
“Why did you quit?”
“My boss was a creep. He wanted me to blow him. I flat-out refused, so he tried to force me. I had to punch him in the face to get away, and I immediately quit. I knew I couldn’t ever go back.”
“Blow?” He didn’t know that term.
Her pale cheeks turned pink. It was oddly attractive. “All employers have access to our medical records. He must have looked mine up, because he knew I wasn’t on an implant to prevent pregnancy. That meant he couldn’t have sex with me. Instead, he decided my mouth would work just as well. It’s called oral sex. Putting my mouth on his dick. Is that clear enough to understand what he wanted? He had grabbed my hair and tried to push me to my knees in front of him. I fought back and got away.”
Anger boiled under Cavas’s skin yet again. “Why wasn’t he arrested? He should have been stripped of power, whipped, and locked away for such a crime.”
The pink left her cheeks, and she studied him again before speaking. “It used to be like that. I mean, men got punished for sexually assaulting women, but then the birthrates drastically changed over several decades. Women fought hard for equality ages ago, but it all went to hell real fast when there were way fewer boys than girls being born. You’d think women would rule then, but that wasn’t the case. Men were given unfair advantages, including jobs that put them in charge and earning more money.
“Bottom line—men are rare. Women are plenty. To put a man in prison is seen as a bad thing, since men have sperm. They control who can have babies, with some women even paying huge amounts of money for the privilege. A man would have to kill a few people just to be considered dangerous enough to be arrested. Crimes like beating up a woman or even sexual assault are…”
She trailed off, shaking her head. “The police will just tell you to stay away from the man to avoid it happening again. Most women don’t even bother to file charges. There’s no point, since they won’t do anything to the men. I had a friend who was raped a few years ago. Do you know what the cops said to her?”