Enslaved by a King [Sold! 5] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (3 page)

“Great. I’m impressive. Now you want to enslave me just like Hindur did.”

“Not like he did.”

“How would you be any different?” Noah put his hands on his hips, widening his stance. He was now even more visually impressive. Obviously, his stance was his own way of establishing dominance despite his captivity.

“As I said, you would not be a display piece. You would have your own living space.”

“I have one here. It’s a cage.”

“I would not lock you up.”

Noah frowned. “But you said I had to enslave myself to you.”

“I would ask that you not leave, but I would not take steps to make you stay.”

“I would have to stay with you by my own word?”

“Yes.”

“Huh.” Noah seemed to be considering.

“Given your strong sense of morality, I would believe you if you promised me.”

Noah’s expression was unreadable.

“Also, I would not allow others to poke and prod you at their will.”

“Right. You’d reserve that for yourself.”

“I would not molest you.” Mingor found the Earthling mentally stimulating, and physically handsome, but he was not a soul who enjoyed forcing intimacy where there was none.

“What’s to say I won’t go with you to get out of here and then leave you as soon as I can?”

“Nothing.”

Noah’s eyebrows rose.

“As I said, I would trust your word.”

“Why in the world—universe—would you do that?”

“Because a creature who wishes to defend innocents would not lie to another who wished to help him.”

“Fuck.”

The word translated perfectly well, but Mingor was not used to such vulgarities being spoken so effortlessly in his presence. Noah didn’t even stammer when he said the vile word. And then, rather than anger that Noah wasn’t suitably worshipful in his presence, Mingor felt a most curious wave of laughter. Noah didn’t know who he was, so he had no reason to curb his behavior. Somehow, in some strange way, Noah’s irreverent behavior was charming. Not a soul on Thand would dare to even speak unless Mingor spoke to them first. This wonderfully strong yet compassionate soul would be the same with anyone he met. It was beyond endearing.

“I will free everyone here but only if you swear you will enslave yourself to me as my
sephir
.”

The conflict showed clearly on Noah’s features. Would he willingly sacrifice himself for the freedom of every other creature that Hindur held?

“You’ll free them?”

“They will be returned to their homelands.”

“What if they don’t want to go there?”

“Then I will have them taken to where they wish to go.”

“Can I kill Hindur?”

“No.”

“Why not?” Noah’s scowl stripped the handsome off his face.

“I cannot allow you to murder another for revenge.” Doing so was not just, and if this creature were to be his
sephir
, he could not have such smut on his soul.

“Are you going to beat me?”

“No.”

“Rape me?”

“No.”

“Will you make me do anything against my will?”

Mingor considered for a long time. He did not lie so he had to make sure there would not come a time or a situation where he would ask Noah to do something he didn’t wish to do.

“Well?”

“I am considering the question. I would expect you to stay with me even if you did not wish to because you have given me your word. I would not lock you up or harm you in any way, but I do expect you to stay by my side. That is the only thing I could anticipate doing to you against your will.”

“Seriously?”

“I am quite serious.”

“Yeah. I noticed that.” Noah’s attention went to the closed doors. “So all those slaves will be free and the fuckwads who wanted to buy them will get to simply walk away?”

Once the derogatory slur translated, Mingor confirmed, “That is the way of it.” He then considered the internal voice that told him if he were to take this slave and free the others, the time to do so was drawing very close.

“I do not wish to pressure you, but you must decide soon.”

Noah looked at Mingor, the doors, then sighed. “You already know what I’m going to do.”

Mingor nodded. “But you do not believe I can actually keep my word.”

“No offence, but I don’t see what you can do against all those guys in there.”

“Because I am smaller?” Mingor almost laughed.

“Well, yeah, there’s that, but you’re also only one guy.”

“So are you.”

“I don’t get the comparison.”

“By your sacrifice, you will save hundreds, who in turn will undoubtedly bestow kindness on thousands. It is like a ripple in the vast ocean of the universe.”

Noah tilted his head to the side, considering what Mingor had said. There was something very interesting about the way his emotions showed clearly on his face. “I guess I didn’t think of it that way.”

“So we are agreed?”

“Yeah. I’ll be your shield.”

Even though the word didn’t translate quite the same, Mingor knew they had a meeting of the minds. Just like he, Noah was a man of his word. They might be different species, but that didn’t matter when it came to something as universal as the concept of honor.

“And now let’s see you get me and the slaves out of here without killing anyone.”

Lowering his head, Mingor thought of the bodies of all the beings in the house and on the grounds. Their forms were remarkably complex, and each system they possessed was fully integrated into their forms. Each creature was unique, even when compared to members of his or her same species, but the one thing all of them possessed was sentience. They were conscious. Into that shared collective, Mingor pushed. It was a slow process that allowed him to feel all of the beings present. He knew them now in ways that were almost exceedingly intimate. By welcoming their experiences and refusing to judge them, Mingor was able to encourage them to act in their best interests.

“Come.” Mingor lifted his head and offered out his hand to Noah.

“But my collar.”

“Hindur has turned it off, just as he has for the others.” Mingor again extended his hand.

When Noah reached out, it was clear he was bracing himself for a shock, but his expression changed to one of deep confusion when the jolt never came.

“How the hell did you do that?”

“It would take too long to explain.” Besides, Mingor thought, Noah would be far more interested in learning how to replicate his act rather than understanding the process by which it worked. “We will go now.”

“But the others.”

“They will be going where they wish to go.” Once Mingor was deeply intimate with all of them, he was best able to match each slave with a means for getting where he or she needed to go.

“How?” Noah was clearly reluctant to simply take Mingor’s word that he would do what he said.

“Hindur’s security will take them. Some of the souls who came to buy them will take them.”

“As slaves!” Noah wrenched his hand away. It was clear from his stance he wished to do battle with Hindur and his fellow slave traders.

“No. They are now conditioned to take them where the former slave wants to go and release them. They will suffer terrible mental unrest if they do not follow that directive.”

“So you mind fucked them?”

Mingor considered. He had not fornicated with their brains, not in the literal sense, but he had altered their mode of thinking so he nodded.

“If you can do that, then why can’t you just fix them so they don’t want to buy slaves in the first place?” Noah sounded exasperated.

Compassion filled Mingor’s heart. “Because I am not capable of changing them that deeply.”

“But—”

“Please. I will try to explain but not here. We must go.” Mingor took Noah’s hand and startled a bit at how enjoyable the contact was. Any contact between souls in this manner was usually pleasant, but Noah’s touch was more so. Baffled as to why this was so, Mingor pushed the curiosity aside until he could examine it at his leisure.

“Where are we going, exactly?”

“To Thand.”

“That’s your home planet?” Noah held a little tighter to Mingor even though he didn’t fear being separated from him. He clung to his hand because touching the beautiful purple man felt good. Really good. But then Noah thought that since he’d been deprived of gentle contact for so long, it might just be a craving for kindness that endeared Mingor to him. The only way Hindur had ever touched him was in brutal ways. The only way his guests touched him was in unwanted sexual ways. Any soft hand holding was striking compared to all of that.

“Yes, Thand is my home world.”

To Noah’s shock, he witnessed the cockroach guys helping slaves down from their pillars and then assisting them out of the house. They were walking almost side by side with him and Mingor but showed no interest in them. As he and Mingor continued out of the house, Noah witnessed Hindur’s guards helping the stunned slaves into vehicles of some sort.

It was the most remarkable display of power that Noah had ever seen. What made it a million times more impressive was that it was all so understated. Mingor didn’t make a big deal about his ability. He simply accomplished his goal and moved on.

“You don’t feel any need to brag, do you?”

“I do not feel a compulsion to boast about my abilities.”

“Can all Thandlings do what you did?”

“I do not know.”

Noah found it unsettling when Mingor simply answered a question without offering more information. He had a feeling that there was a lot going on in Mingor’s mind that he simply saw no reason to share. Unlike humans, who seemed to have minds like a whirling dervish flinging up sand, Mingor’s mind seemed to be calm. There was a huge amount of information swirling around in there, but it was meticulously organized and flowed smoothly, kind of like the rings of Saturn.

As Noah allowed himself to be led by Mingor, he watched as all the house slaves were brought out and then the other slaves, the Vaugars like Hindur, were unshackled and led away from the house. It seemed that all the slave buyers were now doing exactly what Mingor said they would.

“Where is Hindur?”

“He is freeing more slaves. He doesn’t always put all of them up for auction.”

Noah sensed there was something dark behind Hindur holding some back, but he didn’t need further proof that his former master was vicious scum. “How did you know?”

“I found it in his mind when I was suggesting he should free those he’d enslaved.”

“And you’re certain Hindur and the others won’t wake up and then take them all captive again?”

“They are not asleep.” Mingor moved over to a sleek transport that looked like a big, half-melted 1966 Jaguar.

“Okay, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be shocked out of the state you put them in.”

“Nothing will stop them from their mission.” Mingor opened the door to the vehicle and let go of Noah’s hand.

The loss of his touch made Noah sigh with longing. While he’d been holding Mingor’s hand, he’d felt completely safe. Once the contact ended, he felt alone and afraid. “Wait. Are you…” Noah trailed off, unsure how to ask if Mingor was making him do what he wanted him to do. If Mingor had been mucking about in Noah’s mind, would Noah even know? He didn’t feel any different.

“Why would I suggest something to you when you are sworn to come with me of your own free will?”

“Can you read my mind?”

“No.”

Noah waited in vain for more. “You aren’t much of a talker, are you?”

“No.” Mingor smiled at him and then eased his way into the vehicle.

Something about his joy pleased Noah deeply. After a last look at the slaves being moved out of the house and taken elsewhere, Noah decided that he couldn’t stand there or follow every one of them to ensure they were actually released. He was going to have to take it on faith that Mingor would do as he said he would. Given how he’d managed to affect a complete turnaround in all of the beings present, it wasn’t that difficult to trust. Even Fissure Face was escorting slaves out of the house and into vehicles.

Noah slid into the transport and discovered that it was plush without being ostentatious. Since there was only one seat, he sat next to Mingor. Once the door was closed, he realized there was a smell in the vehicle. When he realized it was coming from himself, he hung his head and tried to subtly slide away from Mingor.

“It will not be too long until we are on the starship.”

“Good.” Noah was afraid his breath was as bad as the rest of him. Hindur had given him something that looked like a toothbrush, but without toothpaste, it wasn’t all that effective.

“Why are you suddenly nervous?” Mingor pushed the curious metallic headband and his veil off his head, exposing long gray hair. The strands were thick and gleaming in the subdued light.