Page 26 of Meteor Storm

Except Thilar.

He was undressing by the cold water, his gaze firmly on me. I tried not to linger, especially when he started to undo his pants. When I turned back around, the valerian woman was watching with narrowed eyes.

I found a spout and dipped my head under it. It was lukewarm at best, but it felt amazing. I could feel the grime and sweat slicking off my body when I stepped fully under the water and started working my fingers through my hair.

Looking down, I could see brown water sliding off my skin, carrying all the dust and blood away. I didn’t want to clean between my legs in front of everyone, but I noticed I wasn’t the only one doing it. And why wouldn’t they when they’d all spent the afternoon getting fucked in the dirt? When my hand ventured there, I noticed just how sore and tender I was. Trying to clean myself in the sink had done very little. Every stroke of my fingers stung like my skin had been rubbed with sandpaper. I knew I’d torn, even if just a little. Thilar wasn’t exactly beginner friendly in size.

“Medicine will be in food,” the valerian said.

“What?”

“To prevent infection. Many get hurt that way in games. And for that,” she said, gesturing toward the abrasion on my ankle.

I winced as I continued to wash myself, wondering how many more times I would get hurt “that way.”

“You are his, then?” she continued.

I blinked. “What is that supposed to mean?”

She jerked her chin in Thilar’s direction as he stepped into the cold pool. The water reached his waist and he began to scrub himself thoroughly.

“One monrian. One human. You give looks like he is yours.”

“He’s not mine.”

“They play, the makers. You bring more credits. They make you fuck a hundred times for more credits.”

A knot formed in my stomach over being forced to do those things, with Thilar or anyone, for the rest of my foreseeable future.

But a large part of me was glad it had been Thilar. The idea of the ape creature or even a gek made me shudder. I had to count my blessings.

“How long have you been here?” I asked.

“Many turns.” She chuffed. “Don’t feel sorry for me. I am not soft.”

I didn’t think she was, but every valerian I’d met was all proper and elegant, like space elves. She was different. So were the two valerian males I’d seen, especially the red one.

I wanted to ask her name, but I wasn’t sure we were there yet.

“What are you called, human?” she asked.

Maybe we were there.

“Penny,” I said.

“I am Sunhai. I like you. Do not worry. They will keep you alive. Unfortunately for the rest of us.”

“Because I bring credits?”

“Exactly,” she smirked.

Once I was done scrubbing my body as best I could, I followed Sunhai’s lead and washed my tunic dress. It made me think that they didn’t give out clothes very often in that place. Putting on a damp dress wasn’t that comfortable, but I was glad it was clean.

The guards started to rush people eventually until all of the prisoners were once again lined up to leave the bathhouse. That time, Sunhai was behind me and behind her, Thilar had taken his place.

Then I heard his deep, somewhat gruff voice. He spoke in his own tongue, his tone hushed. I glanced back to see Sunhai’s head half-turned in his direction. Then she chuckled like what he said was amusing.

“Do you know what he said?” I asked.