Free Kidnapping Keela by Cathy McAllister

or lack of one, with his brother.
    “I’ll tell you something. If you don’t hurry up, another male will come and claim her. Then she’s lost to you, you know that.”
    “She is not mine to claim. She’s not my mate!”
    “I’m sorry, brother. I see things differently. I have eyes in my head. You look at the little one as if you want to swallow her alive. But fine, if you don’t want her perhaps I should go after her and claim her. Yes, that might be a good ...”

    Berka took the punch with a grin. He knew that his brother would get jealous at just the slightest provocation. Although he may be denying it right now, Marruk had found his mate, and Berka had, too. He just had to convince this stubborn woman that she was his. And until then he had to take care of his own manhood if he did not want to lose Amber. This little witch was dangerous. It seemed that the women on planet earth were more fiery than the women in his world. That made the whole thing more exciting. Smiling, he watched his brother storm out of the hall like a mad man.
    “What’s going on here then?” asked the queen, suddenly appearing next to him.
    Berka turned and smiled at his mother.
    “Oh, Marruk has just found a new mate at last.”
    “Has he?”
    “Yes. Only he doesn’t seem to quite get it yet.”
    “And what’s going on with the two new women? I can’t see either of them.”
    “Well, yes, Amber is not ready to come. We had a – misunderstanding.”
    The queen raised an eyebrow and looked closely at her son.
    “ Misunderstanding ?”  
    Berka nodded.
    “And the other girl?”
    “She charged out of the hall in anger when Marruk explained to her about the situation with the claiming.”
    The queen sighed.
    “You men always have to charge in like a bull. I think I’m going to have to take this in hand.”
    With these words the queen walked away from her son and left the hall.

    ***

    Keela was walking angrily up and down her room. What had she done to deserve all this? She had been rescued from a slave trader just to be put into slavery again. Her situation here could not be described in any other way, if any passing alien could simply come and claim her for himself. Whether he was going to pay money for her or, in caveman style, just swing a club and say “ugah-agah, now you’re mine”. What was the difference? If she really was going to enter a relationship with one of the Carthians, then it would only be because she wanted to and not because someone came along and beat on his chest. These Carthian men really did all seem to be alpha-men. Emancipation here was a totally foreign word. She really was amazed that such a Stone-Age culture was technologically so highly developed. One would think that a race so highly developed technologically would have also developed to a high level culturally. Damn muscle men! Primitive beasts! She would show them that she was not going to be treated in such a way. Perhaps the women here were used to being treated like decorative ornaments without a brain or any sense, but she had learnt to use her head. She was not a naïve, silly little thing and she would definitely not fall for such a sex beast - at least as long as he did not have turquoise-coloured eyes and a damn firm …
    Damn it! I really do need to watch where my thoughts are wandering.
    There was a knock at the door and Keela froze. Her heart was beating wildly. Had Marruk followed her? She hoped he had not. She really did not feel like speaking with him right now. - or speaking with anyone at all. She began to panic.
    There was another knock.
    “May I come in?” asked a woman’s voice.
    Keela sighed with relief. It was not Marruk. Perhaps it was a maid. She would ask for something to drink - something alcoholic - the stronger, the better!
    “Yes!” she called finally and the door opened.
    The middle-aged woman who entered was clearly not a maid. Her priceless dress and the gem-embossed tiara on her brown hair were hardly going