Free Chains of Desire by Natasha Moore

realized she hadn’t thought of the other
women or the princess or escape plans since Jarrod stepped into the room last
night. She wished she could have saved them all from the fate they had in
store, but she’d finally accepted the fact that the situation was beyond her
control. She’d resigned herself to the fact that she was going to leave here
and be taken to a slave station on her way to becoming a sex slave for a king.
    Essentially, she’d been serving a king since she was a young
girl. Her years at the palace had usually been boring but also restrictive.
She’d had a few chores, then nothing to do but be ready when the princess
needed her. Nowhere to go but where the princess wanted to go. She’d never been
allowed to follow her own dreams, her own desires. She’d been told what to do
and when and where.
    With a start, Hanna realized that although she’d never been
called one, she’d been a slave all along.

Chapter Four
     
    Hanna didn’t see Jarrod again before she left the slave
ship. She didn’t even catch a glimpse of the other Vanyan women as she was led
away by Crock, the guard who’d chained her up on her first day on the ship. He
seemed to take delight in wrapping one end of a heavy chain several times
around her neck. Then he wound the rest of the chain around his fist before
leading her out of the ship.
    She squinted as they stepped out of the ship into the bright
sunlight. She paused to look around her, but Crock growled and tugged on the
chain. The hard surface of the landing area was hot on her bare feet.
    Dozens of ships were spread out over a huge paved area.
Hundreds of people milled about going to and from the ships. Crock led her out
a guarded gate and toward a group of low buildings not far away. Her heart
thudded so loudly it almost drowned out the din of voices coming from
everywhere.
    She felt so exposed, but no one looked twice at her, naked,
being led in chains through the crowded streets. In fact, every woman she saw
was naked, in collars and cuffs. Was every woman a sex slave here on Noria?
    Hanna noticed in surprise that none of the women had any
hair covering the woman’s spot between their legs. They had to feel so much
more naked and exposed. Or was that normal on Noria? Some of the slaves walked
behind well-dressed men without a lead of any kind. Some followed on leads of
different lengths and types. None of them had heavy chains coiled around their
necks.
    Some of the people they passed had skin as dark as Jarrod’s.
Some as light as hers and many with shades in between. Were they all Norians or
a blend of inhabitants from all the planets she was just now becoming aware of?
Having never seen any people other than Vanyans, she found the differences
fascinating. She had much to learn about the worlds beyond her home planet.
    They turned through a gate and into a large courtyard
surrounded by whitewashed buildings. Hanna was led down a winding alley until
suddenly Crock tugged her inside a doorway. They came to a halt inside a cool,
dark room with no windows. The weight of the chains was lifted from around her
neck and Crock left her with a tall, slender woman. She was beautiful and
graceful, with long straight blonde hair, naked except for a smooth silver
collar and silver cuffs at her wrists and ankles. She introduced herself as
Fawn.
    “This is the slave station,” Fawn told her, gesturing around
them. Her voice was smooth and rich, almost musical. “Here we will prepare you
for your duties before you meet your Master.”
    The slave station! To hear the words out loud made it seem
all the more real. Hanna wished she felt as calm and serene as the lovely woman
sounded. She swallowed her nerves as best she could. “Do you know anything
about the other women who were taken with me?”
    Fawn frowned and immediately Hanna felt chastised. “I can’t
answer any questions about them. You should be concerned about nothing else but
your life as a slave. You should only be