7. Ivy

The fighter gripped my arm so tight I couldn't move. My feet barely grazed the gangway as he dragged me through the infinite prison hallways.

My sheer slutty dress that I thought had been funny at the time, got the attention of other prisoners who hooted and howled. They tossed down their cards and followed us as Dreth marched me toward his cell.

"Oh, Dreth's gonna get him some skinny pussy tonight!" one heckled.

"I want a piece of that! Hey, Dreth. Don't wear her out! Leave a piece for me!"

Another came too close. I shut my eyes as he reached for my breast.

A guard smacked him in the face with the butt of his rifle and unloaded into him.

The bolts that spat out of the end of the shock rifle struck the prisoner in the chest. He hit the ground and writhed. Something frothed in his mouth as he shook uncontrollably.

The other prisoners took the hint and quietened down after that.

Still, not one of them attempted to help me.

"Let me go!" I yelled at Dreth, thumping him on the chest.

All I did was hurt my hand on his armor. My punches and kicks had no effect. They didn't even slow him.

We headed down two flights of stairs before we came to a stop. His cell door slid open stutteringly, damaged somehow, and Dreth dragged me inside and tossed me on the dirty bed.

"No!" I screamed at the guard. "Don't let him do this! Please!"

The guards gave no indication they heard me, even less that they would do something.

The door slid stutteringly closed again.

The room was small. It had a crummy wardrobe with the drawers that didn't match and a tiny single bed that the prisoner could barely fit on. There was no kitchen or private bathroom. Stains of blood streaked the walls and something black—possibly mold—grew in the furthest corner.

Dreth removed his armor and sat it in the corner.

My heart thundered in my chest and beat so loud I thought it might explode.

"Don't do this. Please. Kren chose me. He's not going to be happy when he hears what you did to me. But if you let me go, I swear I'll tell him nothing happened and he won't do anything."

"My dear girl," he said, stripping off his undershirt. "You won't be telling him anything by the time I'm done with you. You won't be telling anyone anything."

He tore his pants off.

I stared in fear at what hung between his legs. Part of it was biological, the rest was metal with screws sticking out the sides. Half a dozen wires sparked.

"I lost my cock in a bar fight on the outside," Dreth said. "This is what I use now."

I couldn't let that thing get anywhere near me. Definitely not inside me.

Dreth's body was fat and flabby. He was strong but it wasn't through keeping his body in good condition.

"And wait till you see what I can do with my tusks," Dreth said with a sinister grin.

He bent down to grab me.

"Wait!" I said.

He snorted and grinned as I struggled. He grabbed me by the ankles.

"Wait!" I said. "Let me make love to you the way I do it with Kren!"

Dreth paused and looked at me with a curious turn of his head.

"Like Kren? He will do it the same way I do. In and out. That's all there is to it."

"No!" I said, thinking fast.

This creature was as dumb as they came. Over his shoulder, his door sparked and opened an inch at the top, threatening to open completely.

It might be my way out of there.

But I would need to get past him first.

I scrambled for something I could say that would make the creature listen to me.

What did he want? What was his biggest desire?

Me?

Only right now. How about in the greater scheme of things?

"I can make you the champion!" I said.

Dreth's scarred hands froze around my ankles.

"Champion?"

"Yes! I can make you the champion of all the other prisoners in here!"

"You? But you're nothing. You're only a Prize!"

"That's what you think I am. You're the only prisoner brave enough to choose me when the others know Kren always keeps me to himself. There's a reason for that."

"What reason?"

Yes, what reason?

"Have you heard of humans before?" I said.

"Humans? No."

"I am a human and we have incredible powers."

"You're weak and puny. You cannot stop me."

He pulled my dress up and jerked his hips back to slam inside me.

"My powers make others stronger!" I yelled.

The thrust didn't come. Dreth stared at me intently.

"Go on."

"Kren is not strong. He's weak. He's smaller than you. How could he possibly beat you in a fight? He couldn't. Not without me."

I had Dreth's attention. I glanced at the door out the corner of my eye again but focused my attention on the fighter.

"Every day, he wins, and he chooses me as his Prize," I said. "And every day, I give him powers that make him stronger so he will win the next day and the next day."

"How?" Dreth said with his little piggy eyes.

He released my ankles and sat on the edge of the bed. The springs squealed.

I wanted to leap off the bed and bolt for the door, to squeeze my hands in that gap and force it open.

No. The door would crush me.

There. His armor. If I could ease that into the gap and leverage it, I might be able to force it open.

Maybe.

But he wasn't exactly going to sit by and watch me while I did it. I needed to distract him or knock him unconscious.

How? I was too small and weak. I had no chance against him.

Worse, if I failed, and he realized he'd been tricked, it would make him angry.

Really angry.

Then he would treat me even worse than he had planned before.

"I can make you stronger," I said.

"How? I want proof."

"I will show you."

I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

I felt revolted.

He touched where I kissed him.

"What was that?"

"It's called the Kiss. It makes you much stronger. Can you feel it already? In your veins and your body? You feel like electricity."

"Yes. Yes, I think I can. What do I do now? Fuck?"

He reached for my ankles again.

"No!" I said. "Not that."

Never that.

"You need to use the strength I gave you," I said. "Do something you could never do before."

"Like what?"

"Could you destroy that wall with a headbutt before I Kissed you?"

And knock yourself unconscious in the process.

"Yes," he said.

Really? Oh, crap.

"How about force that door open?" I said. "Get your hands in it and yank it open like tissue paper."

He eyed the door uncertainly and pursed his lips. He got to his feet and cast me a wary glance.

I smiled back at him reassuringly.

I coiled my legs under myself to prepare to lunge forward.

If he could get it open, I could leap over him and escape.

He approached the door. It buzzed and the electronics crackled as it slid open. In a moment, it would slide shut again.

Dreth set his feet apart and grabbed the door. With an almighty heave, he forced the door open halfway.

My smile broadened.

This was it! I'm going to get out of here!

Then the door became too strong for him and it snapped shut.

Damn it!

Dreth turned to me.

"Did you see how strong you are?" I said, hedging. "Did you see how you opened it halfway before the strength I gave you wore out?"

"Yes. I felt it. This Kiss. It's real."

My shoulders sagged with relief.

"Then you'll let me give you the power you need and you'll let me go?"

"You'll give me your power," Dreth said with a nod. "But you won't be giving it to anyone else ever again. Especially Kren."

That lump of biological-metal hanging between his legs stiffened as he stamped across the room and threw himself on top of me.