Captive Read online

  Captive

  by Hannah Steenbock

  writing as Joanna Steenen

  Book I

  The Franssisi Four Chronicles

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Preview of 'Fugitive'

  More books by Hannah Steenbock

  The Cloud Lands Saga

  The Cloud Lands Beginnings

  Short stories

  German Tales

  Dear Reader

  About the Author

  Captive

  Prequel to The Franssisi Four Chronicles

  Copyright © 2021 F. Möbius,

  All rights reserved.

  Cover: Frauke Möbius

  Image Source: Depositphtos

  Editing: Frauke Möbius

  This is a book of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogue are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Published by

  Bühsteppe Verlag

  Frauke Möbius

  Westring 270, 24116 Kiel

  Germany

  Visit the author at:

  www.facebook.com/hannahsteenbock

  www.twitter.com/FirleF

  www.hannah-steenbock.de

  Chapter 1

  It was over.

  Four Diles held him down, one kneeling on each limb. Zell stopped fighting them, it was too painful and also quite useless. They ripped off the torn leather shirt and the loincloth he wore, and there was nothing he could do to prevent being exposed to their prying eyes.

  A fifth Dile arrived, with a satisfied smile on his flat, green face. Zell knew at a glance that this one was the Master of the four, simply by his bigger size and by the more ornate belt he wore. Probably the Hunt Master.

  “Well done,” the Dile said, and Zell’s captors smiled back. “Hold him just a bit longer.”

  The Hunt Master knelt and put a metal collar around Zell’s throat. Then he knelt a second time, and tightened a belt around his belly. Finally, he put shackles on each of Zell’s wrists and ankles. Ropes were attached to the shackles, and the four Diles took one end each. When they jumped up and let Zell go, they just walked far enough to stretch him out and then stepped on the ropes to keep him down.

  Zell was even more a prisoner than before, spreadeagled on the ground. He didn’t waste any energy on struggling.

  The Hunt Master stepped between his legs and touched his private parts with his toe. “You’re fit, it seems,” the Dile said in the Tribal language, which gave Zell a bit of a shock. “You should be worth taming.”

  “He put up quite a fight,” one of the Diles said in their language, not knowing that Zell could understand him. “He is strong.”

  “Good. Very good. He should make a nice pet. He’s also handsome enough for the ladies, with that red hair and green eyes.” The Dile nodded happily to his own words. “I like having options for my catches.”

  “He could go to the Games, too,” another Dile said. “They love Wild Ones, so it would be an easy sale.”

  Zell had heard of the Hunting Games played with captives like him. Sometimes, a man could save himself that way. Usually, however, they led to a painful death. If it were up to him, he’d prefer the ladies.

  The Hunt Master turned to Zell again, once more speaking in his language. “Get up!”

  The two Diles holding the ropes to his arms gave him some slack so that he could push himself to his feet.

  “Good,” the Dile purred. “Here is your first rule: Never speak until asked. And always address me as ‘Master’.”

  Zell simply nodded. He would play along with those rules until he understood the situation completely, and then he would make his move.

  They twisted his hands on his back and fastened them to the belt. Then they added a leash to his collar and removed the ropes. The Master tweaked the leash, and Zell realized that the collar was of the choking kind. He hid a sigh.

  Well, these Diles were professional Hunters, he told himself, and he was just a beginner at this game. He had to learn fast.

  “Come!” the Hunt Master ordered and tweaked the leash again. Zell did as he was told, and was soon loaded into the cargo hold of an aircar, made to kneel and had his leash tied to an eye on the metal wall with barely enough slack to move his head. Two of his captors took seats at the partition to the driver compartment, leaning back with a gleam in their eyes that warned Zell things were about to get unpleasant.

  With his hands still on his back, kneeling on the blank metal of the floor was an uncomfortable position, made worse so when the aircar began to move. He spread his legs as much as he could when the bouncing of the aircar began to throw him around. Of course, this was an early test. He was certain that his guards would only step in to save him from death, but not from pain caused by the choking collar if he lost his balance. He pushed himself back against the wall and managed to stay on his knees until the aircar pulled up at its destination.

  His guards were disappointed, which showed in the rough way the Diles pulled him back on his feet and shoved him out of the aircar. More than once, the collar tightened painfully around his throat when he stumbled on numb feet.

  When they dragged him into a large building, he took one last, good look at the sky and the sun, knowing it would probably be a long while before he saw them again. If ever.

  Soon, Zell had been spray-cleaned and was stretched out on a metal table, shackled again. He told himself that this must be normal procedure for fresh captives. They needed to assess his body, his health and possibly his genetics. He knew it was rare to have red hair, green eyes and still tan easily. It had made Elera notice him, and he hoped it would make him special enough to avoid the worst fates that awaited captives.

  And with a bit of luck, his sacrifice would keep the Tribe safe. Elera was smart enough to get away and make it home.

  His thoughts wandered to his life in Elera’s Tribe, and he immediately squashed them. Such thoughts were a weakness now. So he closed his eyes and endured the prodding and poking and occasional pain when they took samples.

  The hand on his member surprised him, even more the fact that they stimulated him until his body bucked and he exploded in a strong release. He still kept his eyes closed, not fighting the abuse, knowing it wouldn’t help his situation.

  “That is a nice sample,” someone said in the Dile language, and Zell hid a grin. He had always been proud of his abilities as man.

  “He might have potential as Stud,” another voice added.

  Zell was pleasantly surprised to have that option mentioned. It meant a much higher life expectancy than the Games.

  “So he’s a good catch at any rate.” That was the Hunt Master’s voice.

  “His health seems excellent. No STDS or parasites, either. Blood is looking good. I took care of the body hair, as well. However, we’ll have to wait a day for the DNA results.”

  “That’s fine. Send them when you have them. Oh, and I
want him chipped.”

  “Already done. I know he’s good enough he’d need one.”

  “Perfect, thank you. I’ll show him to the Master immediately, so his training can start.”

  Training. They would try to break him, to turn him into an obedient pet. And his task would be to fake that obedience and keep his wits and will intact. He hoped he could win.

  But he was chipped already, which made escaping practically impossible. Elera had taught them all what that meant. The chip in his body would allow the Diles to locate him anywhere on this planet. And it would clearly identify which Dile owed him.

  Before he could think more about this, Zell found himself on his feet again, controlled only by the leash and the collar. He was taken back to the aircar for another ride. This time, they gave him more space to sit, and the guards had changed. He was grateful for small favors.

  He was unloaded in a large area without windows, and moments later, he was following the Hunt Master again, the leash almost slack. He thought about fighting for a moment, but it was utterly useless. There were at least two Diles behind him, considering the steps he heard. And he didn’t even know where an exit was.

  So he went with the Dile, who took him deeper into the complex. A few turns later, they stopped at a place where the corridor widened. Another Dile was waiting there, even larger than the Hunt Master.

  “Thank you for bringing him right away”, the big Dile said. “You’re right, he is very unusual.” With a quick gesture, he took Zell’s lead, then nodded to the Hunt Master. “A very good catch. I will hire you again.”

  The Hunt Master left, much to Zell’s relief. Somehow, the big Dile was less intimidating, even though he was bigger. Before he had time to think about that puzzle, the big Master turned to him.

  “Come.” He pushed against the wall, and a part of the wall receded and wooshed open, revealing a room beyond it.

  Zell had only heard of such doors, but he kept his surprise to himself. The Tribe lived out in nature, coping with all the dangers this world presented. And enjoying the blessings.

  Stop that, he told himself. Those days were over.

  The room wasn’t big. But what it held was the biggest shock of the day.

  Chapter 2

  A Human girl was stretched out on a bed, wrists and ankles tied, completely naked. Her eyes were wide with fear and almost black. Her slightly tanned skin was perfect, not a scar or blemish on it, a stark contrast to her jet-black hair.

  “Help me,” she babbled, struggling with her bonds. “Oh, please help me!”

  Zell sighed and gave away his knowledge of the Dile language. “I’m sorry. I’m a captive myself.”

  “So, you know the language after all.” The Master shook his head. “Not what I expected. But speak only when I allow it, even to her.” He raised a finger at the girl as a reminder.

  She gulped.

  The door closed behind Zell. Shuffles told him that those two Diles had taken up position at it.

  The Master removed Zell’s belt and leash but left the collar on. Zell frowned.

  The Dile smiled at his confusion. “You were expecting torture, not? That is not my way. Do as I tell you, and your life will not be hard. Resist, and you will suffer the consequences. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “Your name is Red.”

  Zell managed not to grit his teeth at this new sign of domination. “Yes, Master.”

  The Dile smiled again, showing the rows of tiny teeth in his mouth. Then he gestured to the girl. “This is Toy. Take her. Make her like it.”

  This time, Zell’s jaw did drop.

  The Dile laughed, a hissing noise. “That is your task today. She is to please me soon. She has to learn how to do it well. I was told she is still a… virgin? Is that what you call it?”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “Your size is like mine. Make her like it.”

  Zell swallowed. He had always thought he was good with women, but to perform on command and on display was… discomforting, to say the least. He looked around.

  The Master Dile grinned again and settled on a chair. “Yes, we will watch.”

  Zell closed his eyes. That Dile had a strange understanding of the concept of training.

  “What is your problem?” The Master Dile sounded annoyed.

  “Humans prefer to do this in privacy.”

  The Dile laughed and laughed. “You are pets now. I know that Choomans always want sex and have it as much as possible. Do not pretend otherwise.”

  That was interesting, and Zell would have loved some time to process the statement and all it implied, but the Dile was getting impatient. So he walked to the bed and sat down on it.

  He glanced at the Dile, and the Master nodded, giving him permission to speak. “I will need to talk to her.”

  “Permission granted.”

  Zell turned back to the girl.

  She was watching him with desperate eyes. “Will it hurt?” she whispered.

  Zell shook his head. He hoped that the Dile would give him enough time to make the girl enjoy his lovemaking.

  He reached out and moved a strand of soft, black hair out of the girls face. “Relax. Feel your body, and only that. Can you do that?”

  She gave a single, jerky nod.

  “Good.” Zell put a hand on her shoulder and gently stroked her arm with his other hand. “I want you to feel my touch. Focus on it.”

  Once again that jerky nod.

  He caressed her cheek, and tears collected in her eyes. “It’ll be okay,” Zell whispered. “It’ll be okay.”

  He let his hands roam over her body, staying away from her breasts and the place between her legs until she finally started to relax a little.

  “Good.” Zell leaned and kissed her, first on the cheek, then on the mouth. She didn’t respond, so he started nibbling on her throat. That did make her sigh a little.

  “It’s okay to enjoy it,” Zell said. “How does that feel?”

  “Tingly,” she answered after a while. “Nice.”

  He lay down next to her, moved his kisses to the base of her neck and nibbled. Her breath caught. Zell smiled to himself.

  Carefully, he moved his kisses further down, first around her little perky breasts, then onto them. His hand was caressing her belly.

  Her body moved a little under his hand, and he smiled again.

  “That feels nice, too,” she said in a slight voice.

  “Let yourself enjoy it. This will probably happen often from now on.”

  “Oh.”

  He moved his hand to her legs. As she was spread out on the bed, she couldn’t fight him, but he was careful not to scare her and stayed on the inside of her legs rather than move his hand up too far.

  “Mhm,” she said. “I want something, but I don’t know what.”

  “That’s very good.” Zell took a deep breath. Now he just had to avoid scaring her out of her beginning arousal. His member signaled that it was ready for more action, but he told it to be patient. Maybe it was good she couldn’t see it just yet.

  He kept kissing her breasts, nibbling them once in a while, and stroking her legs. He could hear her breath coming faster, and he carefully explored her tiny folds with his fingers. She arched her back.

  A little hissing from the side reminded Zell that the Diles were watching. He forced his attention back on the girl.

  Yes, she was opening to him, getting wet and ready. That was very good. Gently, he inserted one finger and hid another sigh. She was very tight, and he would most likely hurt her. There was only one way to avoid that, and it meant taking the time to arouse her body to a frenzy. He rubbed her belly, and she arched her back again, inviting his finger to explore her more deeply. He withdrew and entered her with two fingers, gently stretching and widening her entrance.

  With his fingers in her, he went back to kissing her breasts. She gasped and writhed on his fingers. He used his thumb to rub her little nub of joy. Yes, she was g
etting there. Zell relaxed a little bit himself, knowing that he could do his job now.

  Very carefully, he positioned himself between her legs. She lifted her head and looked at him, and then her eyes fell on his large member. She gasped again.

  “Yes, it’s big, but it’s okay.” Zell smiled at her, and was stunned at the sudden trust in her eyes. She closed them, lying back down, giving herself to him.

  Zell gently opened her with both hands and entered her well with the tip of his member. His own body shook with desire and need now, but he held himself in check.

  She was so tight.

  He withdrew and went back to exploring her with his fingers, still stretching her, still going deeper, still rubbing her nub. She was quivering under his attention, invitingly wet. When she gave a little moan, he could no longer hold back. He slipped his member into her body, encountered the barrier, withdrew a little bit and thrust hard.

  She gasped.

  Carefully, Zell started the game of entry and withdrawal, riding her body’s desire, pushing deeper and deeper with each slow thrust, hands and lips busy keeping her arousal as high as possible.

  She found his rhythm and moved with him, faster and faster. They were both breathing hard, and Zell drove her all the way to her very first, glorious release before allowing himself the same.

  Finally, they lay on the bed, panting and fulfilled. Zell was still caressing her, while she made soft sounds of enjoyment.

  “Well done.” The Master’s words tore Zell out of the peace he had found for a moment. “We will leave you here. You may untie her. Food and sanitary functions are provided.”

  Zell stared at him, and the Dile laughed his hissing laugh again.

  “I told you that your life would be easy if you do what I say. Enjoy her.”

  True to his words, the Dile left and took his minions with him. The door slid shut and the light in the room dimmed.

  Chapter 3

  Zell blinked. The door stayed shut, but lights indicated two more doors on the other side of the room. In a flash, he was off the bed. There was enough light to see that the girl had indeed been tied with ropes. He undid the knots quickly.