Chapter 2

And we’re tied up again.

This time, however, a simple type of rope is used, wound tightly enough to make my wrists hurt. We can’t fight our way out of this. They’re all ridiculously big and strong, and something tells me their senses are heightened as well. They’d have to be in order to survive this harsh climate. I’ve seen enough nature documentaries to put two and two together, even on an alien planet. But what boggles my mind is the whole wife thing. What did Binzen and Izzo mean?

Truth be told, I know exactly what they mean, but why me?

How did they reach this conclusion? Are they really so desperate that they’ll take anything resembling one of their kind in order to mate? And why is my body reacting to Binzen and Izzo in such a shameful way? It’s as if I cannot control my own instincts and urges anymore. I’m hot as hell and turned on, struggling not to ogle the brothers while I adjust to the constant ache between my legs.

We’re taken farther up the river, sticking to the top of the plateau in order for the Fire Tribe men to have a better view of their surroundings. The girls and I remain quiet for a while, analyzing as much as we can about these creatures’ demeanor. The males keep looking at us, measuring us from head to toe with hungry and curious eyes. They keep a reasonable distance, though.

And when one of us looks at them, they immediately glance away.

“Did you know Umok?” I ask Binzen and Izzo.

I’m walking between them at the head of the group. Cynthia, Jewel, and Alicia are right behind me, flanked by six red-skinned fellas with bare chests and enough muscle between them to crush my friends in the blink of an eye.

“We know of him,” Binzen says, looking straight ahead. I can almost hear his heartbeat echoing next to mine. Izzo’s, too. It’s so strange, yet remarkably soothing. “The plague ravaged our society many moons ago. My brother and I were just children when our mother died. A savage war ensued as more men remained wifeless, motherless, sisterless. It lasted for decades, and many perished as a result.”

“You fought over the women?” I reply.

“Over the women, over the land, the dwindling resources,” Izzo adds. “But mostly about the ideology revolving around the rebuilding of our world. This isn’t the first plague to hit Sunna. Thousands of years passed since the last one, but that was just as dreadful.”

“This one is worse,” Binzen corrects him. “The last one hurt everyone equally. And our people were determined to stick together and survive it. This one is worse because it broke us into tribes.”

“You mean the Sky Tribe and the Fire Tribe,” Alicia concludes.

Binzen gives her a brief glance over his shoulder, but it’s nowhere near as intense as the way he and his brother look at me. “Yes. We of the Fire Tribe managed to save the most women, though they aren’t immune to the plague, either. They’re still dying off, one by one. But we have daughters from them. They’re still young, and we do what we can to protect them. We believe in preserving Sunna and our old way of life. Living in harmony with the fire burns in the belly of this realm. Rebuilding our homes and customs. Our families. One day at a time.”

“And what do those of the Sky Tribe believe?” I ask.

Izzo scoffs, shaking his head in dismay. “They preserved most of the technology we had before the civil war broke out. The ships and the infrastructure of a few cities along the Crimson Sea. Just enough to give them an edge. They made it their mission to go out beyond our star system to find women from other worlds and bring them back here.”

“Oh, well, mission accomplished,” Jewel mutters.

“We never wanted them to do this,” Binzen says. “If we are to perish, then we shall perish. But we do the best we can with what we are given and pray to the suns of Rey and Hyx to save us.” I presume he’s referring to the two suns Sunna orbits. I think I remember spotting at least one moon before things went tits up with Umok’s starship. “But we try our best to stop them from leaving Sunna.”

“See, that doesn’t make much sense,” I reply and lift my hands to remind them of the rope they tied around my wrists. “If you don’t condone your species mating with another species, why are you taking us hostage? Why do you keep saying I’m going to be your wife?”

“You fell from the sky,” Binzen replies, his tone uncomfortably casual for this situation. “And my brother and I have already bonded with you. It’s an unbreakable link. We can’t explain it since you’re not a native of Sunna, but our bodies and our souls have spoken. We cannot go against our nature.”

“How did we bond? When did we bond?”

Binzen’s gaze darkens, but he doesn’t answer. Izzo, on the other hand, sports an amused half-smile as he gives me a sideways gaze. “Don’t you feel it? Doesn’t your heart beat faster when we’re close?”

I can’t answer that. I can feel my friends staring, their outraged gazes burning holes in the back of my neck. All I can do is scoff and look straight ahead, pretending I didn’t hear a word he said. The truth is far too uncomfortable.

The view around us gradually shifts into a desert nightscape. We’ve been walking for hours, but our captors have given us water to drink and some dried, odd-looking fruits to eat along the way. The latter taste like a combination of bananas and apples but are definitely good enough to make our stay on Sunna slightly more palatable. The suns have already tanned my skin, adding a subtle glow, though it’s nowhere near as powerful as the sun back home.

Ahead, a small town rises on the plateau’s lip. The houses are built of stone and black wood, with animal-hide awnings meant to keep the front doors in a permanent shade during the day. Far to the east, a field stretches out with tall purple grass and a variety of fruit trees, each stranger and more colorful than the last. Men are coming in from the field, their woven baskets loaded with today’s bounty. Children, most of them boys, laugh as they rush over to greet them.

Only a few women have made a home here with the Mal clan, as Binzen and Izzo call their large group. They stay close to their houses, little girls hiding behind their long skirts as they watch our convoy approach. I spot the fear in their eyes long before they see me walking between their leaders, yet I feel strangely at home. It’s hard to describe. Even I don’t know what is real and what is purely the result of some form of hormonal influence that Binzen and Izzo have on me.

“You will be safe here,” Izzo says as we reach the town. “We have night guards constantly patrolling our territory. Across the river is the Hadana clan. We’ll meet with Kai and Maur tomorrow at the break of dawn. That’s their territory, but they’re part of the Fire Tribe. We are friends and allies, so understand that if you try to escape, you will be hunted down and returned to us.”

“You can’t keep us prisoners forever,” I say.

“You are our guests,” Binzen corrects. “And you, Amber, are our wife, whether you are ready to accept it or not. Soon enough, your friends will bond with mates of their own.”

Cynthia rolls her eyes at him. “I’m not gonna let anybody share me like a piece of meat.” She shakes her head as she nods my way. “If anything, I’m wishing you two the best of luck with trying to share Amber. We don’t do that crap in our world, not willingly, anyway. And this one will kick you in the nuts.”

She would probably blow a fuse if she could read my mind at this point, so I decide to ignore the entire statement and look at the tribespeople that are slowly but surely coming to greet us. “Where will we be staying?” I ask. “And will you keep us hog-tied throughout the night? Don’t you people have any manners?”

“Your new home is with Izzo and me,” Binzen replies.

“Your friends will have a house of their own, close to ours. Rest assured, you will all be well taken care of,” Izzo says. “Our land may be small, but it is welcoming and bountiful.”

My new home. This is insane. I could fight them. I could argue against it. But what would be the point? I’m their prisoner for now, with no way to return to Earth. As much as I hate this predicament and despite my body’s slow but definitive capitulation, I have no choice but to bide my time and cautiously work toward an escape plan. Whatever the effect Binzen and Izzo have on me, I’m certain it can be counteracted by my friends’ desire for freedom and far clearer reasoning.

Upon entering the town’s main alley, I find myself staring at every single Sunnaite, my mind racing as I wonder what they’re thinking. We’re clearly the first humans they’ve ever met, and they are just as strange to us. Yet we can all observe the physical similarities, the emotional responses, the stolen glances, and fearful reproaches. They seem peaceful despite their enormous size. But the air still thickens around me, making my friends and me feel even smaller. It’s definitely connected to their biology. It’s a noticeable effect. The intensity, the sexual interest, it’s almost palpable.

I have no idea what the rest of the evening has in store for us, but I am not getting a single hint of violence. The people here are clearly more than capable of it, yet they are restrained and cautious. Most of the tribespeople keep their distance while the convoy behind us disperses to help the others with their fruit baskets and other chores.

“We’re in so much trouble,” Cynthia whispers.

“We stick together, no matter what,” I say.