Chapter 45: The attack."Who's my slave now?" Sloan asked as he grinned down at Octnavin. The alien shook with his tongue pole sticking straight up from his mouth. Fat drops of fluid dripped down the sides. Even though Octnavin could toss Sloan off the bed, the alien stayed perfectly still other than his wild purring.-I am all yours.- Octnavin whispered in Sloan's head.So far, in the last three days, that was the most Sloan could get the ruler to admit. Again, Sloan sucked Octnavin's tongue, working the flesh in his mouth. He drew hard on the wet pole while the alien glided his tentacle between Sloan's ass cheeks. Sloan pulled off Octnavin's tongue right before he would have gushed.-Not yet.- Sloan said to the alien in his mind. He smirked and leaned back.Octnavin made a sound that was a cross between a groan and a woman's cry of indignation. Sitting on top of the alien, Sloan traced Octnavin's neck and chest. The Nebos had wrapped around Octnavin's torso pinning the alien to the
Chapter 46: Not dead yet.As soon as Sloan opened his eyes, he panicked. He was drowning. He gulped for air and got a lung full of water. He thrashed as he floated. When he tried to swim to the top of wherever he was, he hit his head on metal. Sloan was in a tube of liquid, and there was no air. There was no place to escape. He pushed at the white frosted glass cylinder. The glass didn't move. He was going to die.-Sloan.- Octnavin's voice speared into his fear, and a calm wave flowed over his mind. -Be still, little pebble. You are not drowning.-Sloan obeyed, but it might have been one of the hardest things he'd ever done in his life. He inhaled and took in the water. He exhaled. Water came out of his nose. -How am I breathing water?--The folantos decided to bring you back to life. You are in their revival cylinder. Stay calm. That is not water.--Are we royally fucked right now?- Sloan asked in his mind. Fifty percent of him didn't want the answer.There was a pause.-For the mome
Chapter 47: We might be here for a while.Sloan explored the steady trickle of water that filled a small rock basin. He ran his hand around the rock bowl and smelled to see if the water was clean. The water looked alright, and since he didn't have much of an option, he guessed he would have to deal with it."What's the plan to get out of here?" He turned to Octnavin and studied the rest of the mud cell."I do not have one yet." Octnavin sat with his back to one wall. His tentacles were crossed over his body. The alien rested his ankles one over the other. He looked like he was sitting on the beach."So the great ruler of the Dagerstanteens just plans to roll over and give up?" Sloan raised one eyebrow. He knew Octnavin would rankle at the jab. However, teasing the king of the Dagerstanteens brought a smile to his face."I never give up. Right now, I am calling for assistance.""With your invisible phone?" Sloan scanned the reclining alien."My hair, as you call it, is not hair. It give
Chapter 48: Learning to fight.When Sloan woke, he was alone in the muddy cell. Octnavin was gone and with him went the warmth and Sloan's ability to see better in the dark.Struggling, Sloan tried to remember where the water stream was located. His eyes adjusted to the slivers of brightness here and there. The tiny lights flickered just enough to help him find the hole to pee in and then stumble to the fruit.Earlier, Octnavin said the light came from the arena and the other cells. He told Sloan that some aliens produced a glow, which Sloan was seeing through the cracks. Even though Sloan was getting better at navigating the low light, he still missed his alien. Without Octnavin letting him use his eyes, he was at a disadvantage. Stumbling around, he finally found the dripping water. He used his hearing to figure out where the drops hit the tiny rock pool. After scooping up the water, he splashed his face and then drank. When he was finished, he sat back on his heels and listened.Af
Chapter 49: Sloan's first fight.Sloan stood in the center of the arena. His blood pumped with excitement. He shook his arms outward and bounced on his toes. He was so ready for this. Octnavin said that there were tons of aliens watching and betting on the other side of the mirrors. Sloan wished he could see the cheering crowd.-No, you do not. A cheering crowd would distract you. Focus.- Octnavin snapped in this head.Sloan jumped up and down to shake out his jitters. He stretched his shoulders. He could do this. Another platform rose near the other side of the dome. A human-sized hamster charged him. What the hell was that thing?-Assess your opponent.- Octnavin admonished in Sloan's mind. -What are you doing? I told you to focus.-Sloan had no fucking idea what he was doing. Razor teeth went for his jugular. Narrowly, Sloan escaped as he rolled to the side. Blood washed down the front of his chest. The giant hamster's teeth had got him. Only his adrenaline shielded him from the pai
Chapter 50: Bigger pebble.By Sloan's count, he'd died once when the snake bitch shot him in the head. Then he'd died four times in the ring. Well, that was it. Five was enough. He wasn't going to end up in that revival tank again. He was going to do this. He had to win this time. Octnavin warned him that the folantos were now bored. His sense tentacle said that they were not even cheering any longer.As Sloan rose up toward the dome, he could hear Octnavin in his head giving a steady stream of battle tips. Sloan had to live this time.When the platform stopped, this time, Sloan didn't wait. He'd learned that lesson already. Sloan rolled off the metal and into the dirt as the hamster rushed him. "Not this time, mother-fucker." Sloan got to his feet. He spun and did a sold kick to the hamster's face. He was never going to own a hamster if he ever got back to Earth. Sloan dodged a swing from the hamster's claws. With wide fingers, Sloan nailed the Malzian in the eyes. The rodent reared
Chapter 51: Helping the great ruler.Sloan snuggled into Octnavin's strong tentacles and listened to a new pair of fighters who entered the arena. After a few minutes, his alien broke their companionable silence."I hid my hunger," Octnavin said with a sigh. "I did not want you to get scared, and it is my burden, not yours. Besides, I am a great ruler.""I'm not scared of any of this weak ass shit." Sloan grinned and then glanced to the empty rind. "And being hungry and needing help doesn't make you any less of a great Dagerstanteen ruler. Okay?""That is an interesting thought." Octnavin fluttered his thick black eyelashes over his green eyes and scanned Sloan's body draped over him."Do you want more fruit smoothies?" Sloan chuckled. "It's not the best, but I can make more for you.""No." Octnavin hugged all six of his tentacles around Sloan and adjusted him until Sloan was straddling the alien's lap. When the alien had Sloan where he wanted him, Octnavin opened the top button of Slo
Chapter 52: Devour.The next few days passed in a blur. Octnavin fought, and so did Sloan. Sloan won his next two fights, but the winning lost its dazzle. Now Sloan felt like a dog in the dogfights that Octnavin called this. He had hated the idea of being a pleasure slave to the great ruler of the Dagerstanteens, and yet now he was a slave to the folantos. Sloan didn't think the irony was funny at all.Sloan didn't remember falling asleep, but he was in Octnavin's warm embrace when he woke. He thought the mighty ruler was supposed to enter the arena again, but he was happy to find that Octnavin had not left yet.The alien was awake, and he traced Sloan's tattoo as if distracted. After Sloan rubbed his eyes and yawned, he caught the flickering lights of the dome. Aliens were fighting in the muddy arena as per usual. In the silence, they both caught the muffled sounds of screams and the breaking of limbs. Sloan wished he had a clock or a way to scratch lines into the walls. He had no ide