All males. Big men. Strangers.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded in an icy voice, and she lifted the thin cover in an attempt to cover her breasts. “Get out of my chamber.”
Without a word, the men parted and a woman dressed in black strolled toward her gel-bed. A familiar woman and one she’d last seen chained in her facility.
How? What? If she’d managed to escape, why hadn’t Alain contacted her?
“What are you doing here?” Ursola demanded, turning to Cayle in an attempt to regain control of the situation. “Why did you bring these people to my chamber?”
“My sister wanted to meet you.” Cayle’s gray eyes glittered like the blocks of ice on Manx One—dangerous and merciless—and she kicked herself for not noticing it before. Something inside her cracked, bleeding through her hauteur and confidence, letting in fear. The internal shield that kept her armored—shattered because a man had betrayed her again.
She’d loved him, and he’d deceived her.
Despite the avalanche of emotions, Ursola reverted to normal behavior. She shored up her courage and lifted her chin. “I have nothing to say to this woman. Get out of my chamber.”
“You treated slaves like commodities when you were married to Neot Verona. Part of me understood. That was the way you were raised. You changed when your husband died,” the female slave ground out.
“You killed Neot.”
“We both know you poisoned him and set me up to take the blame.”
Ursola stared into those ice-gray eyes and knew Cayle spoke the truth. They were brother and sister. Stupid, she thought. Too self-involved, seeing only what she wanted to see.
“You lie,” she said calmly in contradiction of her rioting emotions. Despite trying to keep them at bay, the betrayal beat at her mind like a slave wielding a stout whipping stick.
Ah, her panic button, she thought in relief. If she could slide across the gel-bed and get to that, outside help would come from a trustworthy source. A silent alarm. They’d never notice.
“Let me get a robe. We can talk about this.” Ursola glanced at the silent men surrounding the slaves. Her gaze roamed their muscular bodies, and her heart beat a little faster. What a prize they would be. She could force them to wear behavior collars and they’d be under her control. “Perhaps we can come up with a solution.” She kept sliding across the gel-bed toward her goal.
“Wouldn’t touch you with a long pole,” one of them spat, his bright green eyes blazing.
Her breath caught as she saw his pupils narrow to slits. A shifter? Oh, what a stunning slave he would make. Her gaze went to the others and the thrill of discovery pulsed within her. All three men were of the same race. She let the cover fall from her upper torso, a slice of pique grabbing her in a chokehold when not one of the men reacted to her charms.
“Stop where you are,” the female slave ordered.
Confident now of attaining her goal, Ursola ignored the order.
The shot of a blaster rang out. Ursola screamed as fiery pain sliced across her biceps. She slapped her fingers over the spot but lifeforce dripped through her fingers. “You shot me.”
“I warned you,” the slave said.
For the first time true fear filled Ursola. Tears filled her eyes, overflowed and ran down her cheeks. Maybe she could gain their sympathy. Worth a try since it was a successful part of her repertoire.
“Crying won’t help,” the female slave scoffed. “I’m not in a forgiving mood. You gave your men permission to use me.”
“You’re a slave.”
The blaster fired so quickly, Ursola didn’t register the pain in her other arm straightaway. The slave’s eyes glittered, and Ursola knew she stared death in the face.
“Finish it, sweetheart,” one of the men said.
Another male, equally stunning, stepped to the slave’s other side. “You’re better than her.”
“She doesn’t deserve a clean kill,” the female slave spat.
“I’ll pay you.” Ursola rapidly calculated the cost of freedom. “You’ll be rich with more power than you can imagine.”
The largest male started to laugh. “You have no idea who we are. We have plenty of power without taking yours.”
“You can use me however you want,” Ursola said in a seductive purr.
The female slave laughed, the sound containing not a shred of humor. “My mates. They’re not interested in you.”
“Now she admits it,” one of the males murmured.
Ursola lunged for the panic button, pressed the white circle with a trace of smugness. “You’re too late. Help is on the way. They’ll capture you, collar you and I’ll take pleasure using you all.”
“The panic button doesn’t work,” Cayle said. “I disarmed it rotations ago. No one is coming to your aid. Finish this, Jannike. The bitch will never repent. She’s too self-absorbed.”
The blaster fire came secs later. It burned through the center of her chest, stole her breath. Two sets of gray eyes stared at her, not in triumph or passion or excitement but in determination.
She gaped back. How had she miscalculated so much? Used one. Loved the other. The thought haunted her as she gasped her last breath and toppled into death.
Chapter Fifteen
Jannike stared at the widow’s body. “I thought I’d feel better.”
Cayle moved to her side, pushing Shiloh out of the way. “Take comfort in the fact she can’t hurt anyone else.”
“Others will take her place. It is the way of this planet.”
“No.” Cayle’s confidence grabbed her attention.
“How are you going to stop a centuries-old tradition?” Jannike demanded.
“Several rotations ago, I helped organize an underground movement to get some of the ill-treated slaves to safety. We’ve managed to rescue many. With Ursola Verena gone, the auctions won’t attract as many buyers. We can get more slaves out, using Ursola’s gold and try to put a halt to the remaining auctions.”
“We should leave,” Ry said.
“Can you take the house slaves with you?” Cayle asked. “Do you have room to take them on your ship? As far as Manx One? I can give them currency and get them help to travel from there.”
“How many?” Ry asked.
“Nine,” Cayle said. “Two males, seven females.”
“It will be crowded, but we can fit that number for a short journey.” Ry didn’t hesitate.
“I’ll get them organized.” Cayle strode from the chamber without a backward glance at the widow.
“I get the feeling your brother isn’t coming with us,” Ry said.
“No.” Now that the widow was gone, Jannike felt empty, exhausted. She wobbled, felt her knees buckle.
Shiloh scooped her up to halt her tumble to the floor.
“Take her back to the Indy,” Ry said. “Kaya and Nanu are still down below. They can help us with Cayle’s people.”
“Put me down. I can walk.”
“As soon as we get outside and onto the skytrain to the spaceport,” Shiloh said.
Jannike knew a compromise when she heard one. The truth was she felt better when either Shiloh or Lynx was touching her. Stronger.
The entranceway was full of confused people.
“Silence,” Cayle hollered and the area fell silent. He started to speak, to explain and it was easy to see the hope spring to life on their faces.
Jannike met her brother’s gaze and hoped they’d have a chance to talk before the Indy left Manx Two.
“I never wanted to return to this planet,” she murmured. “And if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have found my brother.”
“You don’t talk about your family,” Lynx said.
Jannike made a scoffing sound. “You don’t talk about yours either. I know you have a brother and that’s all.”
“Which is more than we knew about your family,” Lynx shot back.
“We’ll have the entire trip to Viros to get to know one another better,�
� Shiloh said.
Lynx and Shiloh shared a glance and Jannike had no trouble reading their concern. “When we separated at the haven, you told me you’d come for me if I was the one who was captured. You told me to survive.” Jannike swallowed, her mind shoving her back into the cell with those men. “You told me you’d come for me. Ry told me he’d come for me. You’re honorable men—men I trust. All three of you came for me, got me out of that cell and allowed me to finish what started rotations ago.”
“Jannike,” Shiloh murmured.
She swallowed again, finding this harder than she’d ever imagined, yet the words had to be said to help slam the door on her past.
“I know I might have nightmares, times when the past clobbers me over the head, but I hope, I hope you’ll both be there. I…I’ve come to admire you both.” As close as she was comfortable in admitting they might have a future together.
“Hope it’s a sight more than admiration, sweetheart,” Lynx whispered. “Because we want you.”
“Maybe a threesome is not the way our people do things, or your race either.” Shiloh’s voice was a rumble against her neck as he strode out into the street still carrying her. “But we don’t care. We’re following our guts.”
“Our hearts,” Lynx added with a glare at his friend. “We’ll be as patient as you need.”
“Way to go, Jannike!” a familiar voice called.
“Woot. Woot!” Nanu shouted across the street. “See you back at the Indy.”
“Your friends are going to tease you,” Shiloh said.
Lynx’s green eyes twinkled as he winked at her. “Should we punch them?”
“No, they’re my friends. I get to tease them back. About the patience thing. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. This prickling beneath my skin—it’s sending me mad. I need you both.”
“But do you want us, sweetheart?” Shiloh asked.
“I…I think so,” she whispered. “You’re good men. You remind me of Ry, and he’s one of my best friends. I’ve never met anyone like Ry before, and now that I have, I don’t… I don’t know what to do. You’re mates, and I shouldn’t want to insert myself into your relationship.”
“You fought your inclinations. You’re still fighting and putting yourself at risk.” Lynx’s tone edged to severe.
“There was a good chance I’d die,” Jannike said bluntly. “Silly to take you both down with me.”
“You could have discussed this with us.” Lynx’s frown hovered close to accusing. “You know…that talking thing people do?”
“Phrullin’ right,” Shiloh agreed.
Lynx grinned, and Jannike realized, yet again, that two men would be much harder to manage than one. They intended to maintain their chase, no matter her indecision.
Ry, Nanu, Kaya and Cayle arrived at the Indy with the nine ex-slaves. Each carried a small bag of possessions. Some of the younger ones appeared scared and confused.
“Jannike, can we talk?” Cayle asked.
“Do you want one of us to stay with you?” Lynx asked.
“No, it’s fine.”
“Can the slave bands be removed without giving them pain?” Mogens asked.
“Yes,” Cayle replied. “They’re all deactivated and just for show.”
By common assent everyone left the bridge, leaving Jannike alone with her brother. They stared at each other for a long moment.
“I’ve been searching for you for rotations. As soon as I realized Ralcid had sold you… I’m so sorry. He should have sold me. I was older.”
“I was a female, small and puny. I couldn’t work on the land. None of that was your fault.”
“You’re not small and puny now.”
Jannike smiled. “No. Our mother?”
“She died of a fever. Ralcid remarried and had other children. They kept me around to work the land until their other children grew older,” Cayle said. “Ralcid died in a knife fight at the Garter and Star tavern. I saw this as my chance to find you.”
“But you wear a slave band.”
“I learned about the widow and how you’d been sentenced for murder. Your escape didn’t rate a mention. The best way to learn about you was to enter the widow’s household. I asked my stepmother to sell me into slavery. It was good for her since she received currency. I’d learned from my research that Ursola liked strong men and took lovers. I hoped I would attract her.”
“You took a risk. Even with your hair that color, you still look a lot like me.”
“She didn’t recognize me. She fell in love with me,” Cayle said with distaste.
“You—”
“Yes, and it made me feel dirty every time I had to touch her. One benefit though—she gave me more freedom than the others. I saw a chance to do good, and along with some of the slaves from other households, we set up an underground movement and took the opportunity to create havoc with the upper classes.”
“You’re staying.” A statement.
“Yes. Not permanently, but long enough to create a better, fairer system for the poor. No one should own another being, it doesn’t matter what race they belong to. We are all equal no matter what the color of our skin or our planet of birth.”
“You’ll come to Viros?”
“Yes. Once things are settled here.”
Jannike blinked, her chest tight with emotion—hope and love. Things she hadn’t allowed herself to feel when she thought of family. “I can’t believe you allowed yourself to get sold into slavery because of me.”
“Ralcid had no right selling you. Our mother didn’t know,” Cayle said. “She was distraught when she learned what Ralcid had done.”
“She didn’t know?”
“She never forgave him. He told her they couldn’t afford the child they’d arranged through the birth lab, and he’d had to sell you in order to make ends meet. She believed him until she followed him to the tavern one day. He was gambling. He should have sold me. I was older and could take care of myself. I know what the widow’s husband did to you, what the widow did.” His voice hardened. “Dying wasn’t good enough for either of them.”
“You didn’t have it easy either,” Jannike countered. “Neither did any of the other slaves. You—we—can’t let past experiences color our future.”
Cayle’s glance held shrewdness, understanding. “Sometimes it’s hard to let go entirely.”
Jannike fought the shiver that racked her body.
“Jannike.” Shiloh burst onto the bridge, Lynx following close behind. “What’s wrong?”
The worry on their faces, the way they scanned the bridge for signs of danger. They were behaving like Ry.
“I’m fine. Cayle and I were talking.”
Lynx shot Cayle a hard look, his green eyes distrustful. A growl rumbled from him.
“Stop it,” Jannike ordered. “Cayle is my brother. He won’t hurt me.”
“I’ve been searching for her for rotations,” Cayle said to Shiloh. “I’d run out of leads and didn’t know what had happened to her after she left Manx Two.”
“And now you know she’ll be on Viros,” Lynx said.
Cayle folded his arms across his chest. “My turn to ask questions. What do you do on Viros? How can I be sure you’ll look after my baby sister?”
“We’re traders,” Lynx said after a quick glance at Shiloh. “We would never hurt Jannike, but she is a warrior, capable of caring for herself. She has friends who will kick our arses if we even thought about mistreating her.”
Shiloh met Cayle’s gaze with directness. “She is our mate, even though she still fights her body. We’re a team, and we’d rather cut off our right arms than hurt her.”
Cayle gave a crisp nod. “Where will I find you when I arrive on Viros?”
Shiloh and Lynx exchanged another look.
“We’re not sure where we’ll be because we haven’t discussed our future yet, but I can give you my brother’s link code. He’ll know where we are, should we decide to leave Viros,” Shiloh said.
<
br /> Cayle accepted the code and walked over to her. “I’d better go. We need to prepare for the backlash that will come from the ruling class.”
Jannike stood and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. She leaned against his chest, drew his scent deep into her lungs. She felt his lips move against her temple and sighed while trying to store up memories of her big brother. She’d never thought she’d see him again and had never let herself dare to hope. A visit to Manx Two was dangerous, out of the question.
Despite everything, she couldn’t be sorry because she’d gained a brother.
Family.
She smiled as she stepped away from him and took in Shiloh and Lynx.
Yes, she’d gained family and the opportunity for so much more if she faced the risk.
I feel as if I’m bursting out of my skin, Lynx said to Shiloh. Before, when I thought of touching Jannike, the worst thing that happened was a sense of disloyalty to you.
The same with me. But we can’t rush her. She seems all right but that phrullin bastard abused her. We have to take this easy, let her call the pace.
Lynx sighed. At least we have each other. That should take off the edge.
“I guess you’ll be sharing my quarters. I’ll show you my cabin and give you a quick tour. You’ve already seen the bridge.” Jannike’s rapid steps took her away from them. Lynx exchanged a glance with Shiloh, unsure of their next move. Neither of them knew what to do with this efficient Jannike who had to be hurting inside.
Jannike will like Cimmaron.
Yeah, they’re very alike, Lynx replied.
“Galley. Dining room. If you use the galley clean up after yourself. Ry likes to keep things tidy. We take turns cooking. Can you cook?”
Lynx spluttered out a laugh while Shiloh plain cackled.
Finally, Shiloh wiped his eyes, and they moved past the square room with its tidy racks of ship ration packs and other pieces of equipment Lynx had never seen before. The dining room held one big oval table, both it and the chairs fixed to the floor in case of turbulence. Colorful pictures covered the walls, many of them depicting Jannike and her friends. It was almost homey, Lynx thought, full of family memories.
“I can cook,” Shiloh said. “If we want to eat, we shouldn’t rely on Lynx. He can burn a cooking vessel without breaking a sweat. He even manages to muck up ration packs.”
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