Bound: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance, page 1
BOUND
IVY BARRETT
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Afterword
Books of the Exchanged Power Series
Books of the Kobar Mates Series
Books of the Ventori Masters Series
Books of the Captives of Stilox Series
Ivy Barrett Links
Copyright © 2023 by Stormy Night Publications and Ivy Barrett
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by Stormy Night Publications and Design, LLC.
www.StormyNightPublications.com
Barrett, Ivy
Bound
Cover Design by Korey Mae Johnson
This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults.
CHAPTER 1
Tense and silent, Cara sat on the luxury transport, hands clasped in her lap. She stared out the viewport, watching the strange orange and gray planet gradually decrease in size as the ship moved farther and farther away. Everyone claimed Altor was her planet of origin, but she’d spent twenty-two of her twenty-five years on Earth. Her name had been Aspen Hays then. She’d lived a very different life. She might go by Cara Slanar now, but she wasn’t sure who she was, much less where she belonged.
Her ‘parents’ sat facing her. Only she hadn’t known these people existed sixteen days ago. Cara, along with her two sisters, had been snatched from Earth and brought to this star system without their permission. According to these strangers, Cara and her sisters belonged to a powerful group of females called conduits. Odd that their magic had never revealed itself while they were on Earth. She still hadn’t seen any tangible evidence that magic existed.
“Are you going to sulk all the way to the Citadel?” Lezod Slanar, the man claiming to be her father, demanded. His cool, clipped tone made his disapproval obvious.
She glanced at him then back out the viewport. If she didn’t have anything nice to say, she wouldn’t say anything at all. The old adage had served her well for the past few days. When she first arrived on Altor, she had kicked and screamed. She refused to do anything she was told and barricaded herself inside her bedroom. The approach had earned long hours of solitude and a few missed meals. Maybe the silent treatment would finally convince these people to send her home. Probably not. She was too valuable.
Grinnel, Cara’s alleged mother, crossed the aisle and sat beside her. “Your attitude is childish. You need to stop—”
“You said that about my ‘temper tantrums.’” She accented the phrase with air quotes as she turned from the viewport. “I’m being docile now and you’re still upset. Make up your mind.”
Lezod and Grinnel were both dressed in tailored gray suits. Lezod’s was charcoal, while his wife’s was many shades lighter. The same could be said of their coloring. Lezod’s hair was coffee brown, eyes the color of honey. Grinnel’s blonde hair was so light it appeared silver in a certain light, and her eyes were powder blue. Cara wasn’t ready to admit it, but her own coloring seemed to blend theirs. Cara’s honey-blonde hair had always been naturally highlighted with strands of platinum, and subtle flecks of amber peppered her blue irises. Unlike the severe elegance of her parents’ clothing, she had been given a formfitting navy-blue sheath dress to wear that was so short it barely covered her rear end.
“We have done little to correct your behavior because young males of our species thrive on challenge.” Grinnel spoke quietly, hands folded in her lap. She always looked freshly pressed and serene, another indication that she wasn’t Cara’s mother. Most of Cara’s friends described her as lively with a fiery temper. “Taming a feral female will greatly appeal to many of them.”
“Feral?” Cara objected. Stray cats were feral. She was an educated, independent woman, not a wild animal. “I am not feral. I’m pissed off. There is a significant difference.”
“You are rude and disrespectful,” Lezod countered, glaring almost as intensely as Cara. His cold gaze shifted toward his wife and he switched to Altorian. Apparently, he didn’t know Cara had been injected with medi-bots and a nano-translator right after breakfast. “This should be the proudest day of our lives, but I am not sure this person can be deprogrammed. I will never forgive your mother for stealing our sweet, innocent Cara from us.”
He was right. She was no longer sweet and innocent. She was strong-willed and opinionated. On Earth strength and ambition were celebrated. Here they were considered character flaws.
Frustrated and demoralized, Cara turned back to the viewport and tried hard to ignore her parents. This had been the longest two weeks of her life, and it had all begun with a surreal nightmare. She’d been sitting in the parking lot of a restaurant in Juneau, Alaska arguing with her boyfriend. Bill had been so secretive, so dismissive lately that she was ready to end the relationship. Then the passenger door was jerked open and a strange-smelling mist filled the cab. Bill slumped over the steering wheel as a huge soldier in tactical gear pulled her out of the truck. Sudden weakness crept over her body and then everything faded to black.
She woke up in a small windowless room, disoriented yet terrified. It was only after one of the guards slipped a meal tray into her cell that she started to fear she was on a spaceship. The guard hadn’t been a lizard-skinned, bug-eyed alien, but he definitely wasn’t human. She’d been on the first ship a day, maybe two. Then Flora, the older of her two sisters, had stepped into the room. She gave Cara a hug and told her that everything was going to be all right. She promised that they would meet again soon and assured Cara that someone would explain what was going on when she reached her destination. That had been over two weeks ago, and she hadn’t seen Flora since.
When Cara was moved to the second ship, she’d been put into a cabin with her younger sister, Raina. They quickly determined that neither of them understood why they’d been kidnapped, but Flora seemed to know a lot more than they did. That wasn’t really helpful because Flora had been taken away before she could explain anything.
About an hour later, their grandmother walked into the cabin looking sad and regretful. Iris was in her mid-sixties. Her light brown hair was liberally threaded through with gray and her eyes were also light brown. “They’ve only allowed me fifteen minutes, so please let me finish before you start asking questions.”
Cara had been shocked to realize her entire family had been taken, so she sat quietly and listened while Iris spoke.
“You were born on a planet called Altor. That is where we are heading now. The people on this ship believe they are rescuing you, but Autumn and I had very good reasons for why we took you off world. My bloodline carries a very powerful… I guess you would call it magic. We are known as conduits, and without us other empowered people are unable to reach their full potential.”
Despite her intention to remain silent, Cara couldn’t help but ask, “If we have this powerful magic, why have we never seen you use it? Why have none of us even sensed it?”
“Autumn and I bound your abilities when we left Altor, but I was not strong enough to maintain the spell once Autumn died.”
Why did she keep referring to their mother by her first name? It was not her usual habit.
Before Cara could ask about the anomaly, Raina’s gold-green eyes narrowed and she asked, “What does a conduit do?”
“We are part of what is called a power triad. As the name suggests, there are three parts—a source, a controller, and a conduit. The other two gifts are relatively common, but conduits are rare. So rare in fact that we have been hunted and enslaved down through the ages. Laws were passed designed to protect us. Unfortunately, the policies weaponized our abilities and enabled those with wealth and authority to determine how our abilities would be used. Autumn and I didn’t want to subject you to an environment that seemed to value your abilities more than your thoughts and feelings, so we left.”
“Why is Mom suddenly Autumn?” Cara arched her brows. Her heart was racing and she wasn’t sure why she felt so agitated. “You’ve never referred to her like that before.”
“I gave birth to three daughters—Grinnel, Settari, and the woman you knew as Autumn. Each of my daughters also gave birth to at least one girl. You are my granddaughters, but only Flora was Autumn’s daughter.” Iris looked at Cara. “Your mother is Grinnel, my oldest daughter. Aspen is not your real name. Your Altorian name is Cara.” Her gaze shifted to Raina as she said, “My middle daughter Settari is your mother. Your Altorian name is—”
“Raina is the only name I have ever known,” she insisted hotly. “I’m not changing it now.”
Cara understood Raina’s decision, but she wasn’t sure she agreed. If Aspen Hays was a fabrication, she didn’t want to continue living a lie. The problem was she wasn’t sure if Iris had been lying then or if she was lying now. “You referred to Autumn in the past tense but not your other daughters. Are they still alive?”
She nodded. “Your parents and Raina’s are alive and anxious for your return. Raina has two younger sisters. You have three older brothers.
Cara glanced at Raina, needing to see how she was reacting to this fantastical tale. Did it matter that they were cousins rather than sisters? They had been raised in the same house, slept in the same bed for the first six years of their lives. Cara wasn’t sure why, but it mattered to her. It all mattered. She would not perpetuate Iris’ lie!
Anger lit Raina’s gaze, making her eyes gleam with emerald fire. “So according to you, we aren’t ordinary humans scratching out a living in a secluded part of the U.S. We’re alien refugees with magic powers and our mother is really our aunt. Also, our long-lost families are waiting on Altor to welcome us home.” A soft scoff illustrated just how ridiculous Raina found the tale. “You should write for a soap opera.”
Cara stood and moved closer to Iris. The cabin wasn’t large, so they soon stood toe to toe. “You took us to Earth without our parents’ permission, didn’t you? That’s why the Altorians consider this a rescue. You are the kidnappers. You and Aunt Autumn.”
“This is nonsense, Aspen. I don’t believe a word that comes out of her mouth.”
Unfortunately, Cara believed Iris was finally telling the truth. “We’re on a spaceship, for God’s sake. If this isn’t real, then how do you explain what’s happening right now? And my name is Cara, not Aspen.”
Raina pivoted toward Iris as she challenged, “Show us. If this conduit thing is real, do something magical.”
“It is not that simple,” Iris said. “I have been separated from my triad for two decades and my age—”
“You’re full of shit,” Raina concluded. And then called out, “Get this person out of here. I’m finished listening to her lies!”
The door burst open and an armed guard dragged Iris from the cabin. His alien origins were even more obvious than the guard Cara had seen before and a shiver dropped down her spine.
“This isn’t real,” Raina insisted, but the wild look in her eyes told Cara that she was terrified that it was true. “It can’t be real.”
Raina was taken to a different location as soon as they arrived on Altor, so Cara faced the next two weeks entirely on her own. There was no denying that she was on an alien planet. Altor bore little resemblance to Earth. She met her biological parents and they quickly confirmed much of what Iris had said. Living in denial was nearly impossible when everything around her supported her grandmother’s story. Like it or not, she was Cara Slanar, an Altorian conduit.
The only part that had yet to be confirmed was the magic. No one had conjured a rabbit, or made anything disappear. If she was a powerful mystic, why didn’t she feel any different than she had on Earth?
“If you would simply talk to us, Cara, this would go more smoothly.”
Grinnel’s coaxing tone drew Cara back to the present and the ordeal awaiting her at the Citadel. She’d spent the past two weeks learning everything she could about Altor. Most Altorians had some sort of paranormal ability, but only the best and most powerful were chosen for training at the Citadel. Of those chosen, only a few dozen qualified to form power triads.
Reluctantly, Cara found the idea exciting. She had watched too many superhero movies to not secretly wish she had a paranormal ability. And then she found out how power triads worked. Sources and controllers were always male, and conduits were female. Triads weren’t just military teams. They were domestic units. They shared their lives and their bodies with each other.
Growing up in Alaska hadn’t given Cara a lot of opportunity to explore her sexuality. She wasn’t a virgin, but having sex in the back seat of a car was about as adventurous as she’d ever gotten. So when she learned that she would soon have two mates, she found the idea titillating. Then her research revealed that Altorian males were sexually dominant. Having sex with a couple of gorgeous men was a fun fantasy, but she had no interest in putting up with two overbearing jerks for the rest of her life.
“We do not want to make this decision without knowing your opinion on any of it,” Grinnel was saying. “You are leaving us no alternative.”
The absurdity of the statement made Cara laugh. “I don’t want to be a conduit! Send me back to Earth.”
Grinnel sighed, starting to look as frustrated as her mate. “You were born a conduit. It is not something you choose. Refusing to cooperate with this process only hurts yourself.”
Rather than reply to the statements, Cara asked, “Where are my sisters, or pardon me, cousins? I want to see them, at the very least talk to them.”
“Holo-comms are privileges, and you have not earned any,” Lezod reminded her.
Leaving her room was a privilege. Walking in the garden was a privilege. Using the entertainment library was a privilege. Access to the central data stream was a privilege. She had heard it all before. If she didn’t bow to their will, her life would remain a living hell, or at least a limbo of utter boredom.
“Did you even glance through the dossiers I gave you?” Grinnel continued, ignoring Cara’s question entirely.
Cara had done more than skim. She’d carefully studied each one. There was nothing else to do while locked in her bedroom. The reports had been surprisingly comprehensive. Each applicant had recorded a video introduction, as well as including video clips from work and leisure activities. She’d been able to witness their behavior in a variety of situations, including how they behaved around females. Of course, the clips were carefully curated by the applicant to make them look good.
“I looked at them,” Cara admitted. “Altorian males are esthetically pleasing, but they are also aggressive, chauvinistic, and condescending.”
“The applications were submitted before you were involved. They were compiled with Altorian females in mind. We expect our males to be strong and protective. We do not consider those qualities chauvinistic. Several of the teams asked if they could submit an application packet specifically tailored to you, but I felt like that would be dishonest.”
Finally, something on which they agreed. She looked at Grinnel and nodded. “Thank you. None of these males are going to change who they are because my cultural expectations are different from theirs. Lying to me now will only make things worse in the long run.”
Grinnel hesitated, appearing uncertain. “You are part of Altorian society now. Is there any chance you will adjust your cultural expectations to more closely match ours?”
Cara had actually thought about this a great deal. “I was an exchange student for my junior year of high school. I went to a country called Japan. I worked hard to learn their language and become acquainted with their culture and traditions. I felt it was important to be respectful because I was the visitor.”
“Is that yes or no?” Lezod grumbled impatiently.
“I would approach this situation in exactly the same way—if I had come here willingly.”
Lezod shook his head and looked at his mate, switching to Altorian again. “She cannot be trained until she is broken. We must keep that in mind when we choose her mates.”
Cara didn’t bother telling him that she could understand him. It was more than likely that her prospective mates would feel the same way, so she better figure out what she was going to do about it.
Tense silence descended as they continued on toward the Citadel. Her parents hadn’t given her much of an idea what to expect. She knew they had narrowed her choices down to three teams, each containing a source and a controller, but they had not told her which teams they had selected.
The Citadel came into view a few minutes later and Cara sucked in a deep, shaky breath. She felt restless and agitated, wanting to be anywhere but where they were going. “If I don’t like any of these guys, will you start the process over?”
Grinnel started to respond, but Lezod cut her off with an upraised hand. “If you do not like any of these males, you will like the others even less. These teams are the very best, the most powerful and accomplished. Any of them would be capable of protecting and providing for you, and that is all that matters.”
