Retribution

by Sue Lyndon

  Not wanting him to find her huddled on the shower floor like a coward, she jumped to her feet and exited the bathroom. Her heart skittered at the sight of him, standing so tall and confident in the middle of her cell. But her stomach bottomed out when her gaze fell to his weapons’ belt, which contained a sword, battle-ax, and at least five knives.

  He headed for her and she backed up toward the bathroom, her blood running cold. Why was he carrying so many weapons? Had he had a change of heart concerning her?

  Maybe she’d truly angered him with her reluctance to become his mistress and now he was here to fulfill the act of retribution.

  But he quickly paused and gave her a concerned look.

  “Layla? Why are you so afraid?” He inhaled deeply and she suddenly remembered that he could smell her fear.

  “We-we had an argument the last time we spoke,” she whispered, “and-and you’re wearing all those weapons and…” She lowered her gaze and realized her hands were shaking at her sides. Her throat clogged with emotion and she couldn’t form another word.

  Zamek’s shadow moved back, and she heard him leaving her cell. Relief spread through her, but she was still confused as hell. She chanced a look up. He was standing outside her cell, carefully removing every last weapon from his belt. He also pulled two knives from his boots. He placed all the weapons on the floor of the corridor and then reentered her cell.

  “I have not come to harm you, human.”

  She couldn’t be certain, but she thought she saw hurt reflecting in his eyes.

  “Well, that is a relief,” she said, placing her hand against the wall. Her legs felt so weak from her recent fright that she feared she might collapse.

  “There was a battle,” he said, walking closer. “I’ve just returned from boarding an enemy ship, that is why I was wearing so many weapons, little human. Please don’t think I would ever use them on you.” A note of anguish threaded his voice. “I made you a promise, and I intend to keep it.”

  She swallowed hard and nodded, though she couldn’t seem to stop shaking. “You haven’t visited for two days, General Zamek, and I’m afraid my imagination might’ve gotten the best of me. And then when you showed up looking like that, well, for one brief moment, I feared the worst was going to happen.”

  He rushed forward and took her in his arms. “The last two days have been empty and dark. I was a fool to stay away from you, human.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then swept her up in his arms.

  Chapter 15

  Zamek carried Layla through the corridors of the Tammusha, ignoring the stares of his warriors. She was shaking in his arms and his only care at the moment was making her feel safe. He headed for his quarters, deciding he would deal with the consequences of his actions later.

  It was one thing to secretly keep Layla as his mistress within the privacy of his own home, but to bring her to his quarters aboard his warship? That would undoubtedly set tongues wagging. If the High Council received word of his actions, he very well might be demoted from the rank of general.

  His spirits sank when he recalled Layla’s immense look of fright, as well as the coldness of her terror that had filled his nostrils, when he’d arrived in her cell only moments ago. She’d taken one look at his weapons’ belt and feared the worst. Hurt resonated inside his chest that she hadn’t trusted him not to hurt her. Had she really believed he’d shown up to take her life?

  He hoped that by bringing her to his quarters, where they would be able to spend more time together, as well as share a bed nightly, would help alleviate her lingering fears. Ancient gods, how he longed for her to trust him.

  “Everything will be all right, little human,” he murmured into her ear, speaking in the Sumlin dialect, which he doubted any passersby could understand, as most of the warriors aboard the Tammusha hailed from Brutt District.

  “Where are we going, General?” Layla whispered in his native dialect. She peered up at him, her pretty dark eyes gleaming with concern.

  He walked faster as the door to his quarters came into sight, and the door zipped open upon his approach. He carried her inside and then called out a verbal command for the door to lock. “To my quarters,” he finally replied, as he placed her on her feet in the middle of the room.

  Her eyes widened as she looked around the large space, and a gasp left her when she noticed the massive viewscreen, which showed the aftermath of the battle with the Bexxanian warbird. Wreckage floated around the battered vessel, and though Layla couldn’t see it, the warbird held the bodies of over thirteen hundred dead Bexxanians, most of them killed in hand-to-hand combat after his people managed to board the ship.

  Behind the wreckage field rested the five Kall warships who’d joined the Tammusha for battle. Before the Kall left this location, reports would be compiled, the Verrsuan’s cargo would be retrieved, and the Bexxanian warbird would be stripped of any useful technology.

  Zamek surveyed the aftermath of the battle with a sense of pride. It had been a good fight and the Kall had prevailed, slaughtering every last enemy alien and avenging the Bexxanian attack on the Verrsuans.

  “Is that a Bexxanian warbird?” Layla asked, moving closer to the viewscreen.

  “It is,” he replied. “How did you know? Few Kall have ever seen a Bexxanian vessel, and I would think few humans have either.”

  She turned to face him. “A couple of years ago, I was visiting the tourist planet Hoonni, when a Bexxanian fleet passed through the skies of the capital city. Everyone ran for cover, believing the fearsome aliens were going to attack. But they didn’t attack, and I later learned that the Hoonni government paid them a ransom to protect the planet.”

  He reached for her hands and drew her closer. “I hope the battle didn’t frighten you too much, human,” he said, keeping his voice gentle. “I-I should have warned you that we were closing in on a Bexxanian warbird and that there would likely be a battle.”

  “I’m not going to lie,” she said. “It wasn’t fun being stuck in that cell with no viewscreen and no idea what was going on. But I’m glad it’s over, and based on the appearance of the Bexxanian ship, I suppose the Kall have prevailed.”

  Zamek nodded. “We have, and we are also hoping to use technology from this damaged ship,” he said with a gesture at the enemy vessel, “to more easily locate other Bexxanian warbirds. Sometimes they elude our sensors.”

  “Will there be a war?” Worry clouded her eyes.

  “It is possible. The Bexxanians have never attacked a Kall ship or a Kall settlement, however they have recently started going after Verrsuan trading vessels. The Verrsuans are one of our closest allies and we will not stand by while our allies are suffering.”

  She turned to stare at the wreckage again, though she didn’t pull her hands from his. After days of not visiting her in the brig, the skin-to-skin contact felt like a balm to his tattered soul.

  She inhaled a shaky breath and turned to face him. “General Zamek, why-why have you brought me here?”

  He released her hands, but only so he could grasp her upper arms and pull her closer, so near the heat of her body wafted against his. He leaned down slightly and inhaled her feminine aroma. “Because I want you to stay in my quarters.”

  “Like… permanently? Or just for a few hours?” A pained look crossed her face. “Will you return me to the brig later?”

  “I will not be returning you to the brig, human.”

  She fell silent and appeared deep in thought. Eventually, she asked, “Am I free to leave your quarters and explore the ship? Or is this basically my new prison?”

  General Zamek growled, and if he wasn’t holding Layla tight, she would have stepped away from him. “Are you trying to start another argument, human?” He grasped her chin and lifted an eyebrow at her in censure, though he kept his tone calm.

  “I know I should be grateful to you, General,” she said, “and I am. I really am. You spared my life and you showed me mercy. But knowing I’ll never be free… well, it’s d
ifficult to accept. I’d almost accepted the fact that I was going to die in that courtroom, but it never occurred to me that you might keep me. It never occurred to me that I might spend the rest of my life as a prisoner.”

  He frowned at her, and she suddenly felt guilty. She understood Kall culture well enough to know General Zamek was already bending the rules for her. Why wasn’t that good enough? But try as she might to accept her new situation, she still felt trapped and restless, and she still mourned the loss of her old life, even if she hadn’t been very happy on Earth before the general took possession of her.

  “If the Kall Custom of Retribution wasn’t a thing,” she said, choosing her words carefully, “I would still be on Earth, and while my life on Earth might be a mess right now, at least I would have the freedom to make my own choices and strive for a better life. At least I would have the freedom to go wherever I wanted and see whoever I wanted. But no matter how kindly you treat me, General, I’ll always be locked in a cage.”

  He released her with a jerk and narrowed his eyes at her. “What would you have me do, Layla? Take you back to Earth? Set you free? It’s unheard of, and I’ve no doubt Kall forces would capture you and make you pay.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If I took you back to Earth and freed you, even if I’m not technically breaking Kall law, I would be going against tradition. A Kall court charged you with your husband’s crimes and if they see I haven’t punished you—by taking your life, as is expected of me—they will quickly arrest you, toss false charges at you, and you’ll either be sentenced to life in prison or, more likely, death.”

  She felt all the blood drain from her face. Her stomach twisted. What he said made sense. The unfairness of the whole situation settled over her, a heaviness that made it difficult to breathe. And fuck if the hurt in General Zamek’s eyes didn’t make her feel like an ungrateful asshole. He was showing her more leniency than any Kall warrior might. Most of his kind would’ve already seen her dead.

  “I won’t let any harm come to you, human,” he said, piercing her with an intense look. His eyes shone with emotion. “That is why I will never consider freeing you, but it’s not the only reason why.”

  “What’s the other reason?” She held her breath, awaiting his response.

  He stood taller and his muscles tensed. “Because I simply do not want to let you go.”

  Layla didn’t know how to respond to that. She peered around the room for a moment, then brought her gaze back to him. There was a vulnerability to his demeanor, but he also appeared agitated. Whether he was agitated with her or himself, she didn’t know. Perhaps it was both.

  “You will remain in my quarters, human,” he said, his voice resounding with authority. “Try to escape, and I’ll redden your bottom. Do you understand?”

  She thought of the light spanking he’d given her during sex and flushed all over. But he didn’t sound like he was playing around now, and a quiver raced across her bottom cheeks. Once more, she recalled his exact promise regarding the strap and implements in general—he’d specifically promised never to use an implement on her again, but he hadn’t promised never to punish her. Kall males expected obedience from their wives, mistresses, and slaves, and she had no doubt he would follow through with his threat.

  He closed the space between them and grasped her chin. “Defy me in this, Layla, and you’ll receive a spanking. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, I understand,” she whispered, barely able to get the words out.

  His nostrils flared and shame washed through her. Oh God. Oh no. The threat of a spanking had caused heat to surge straight to her core. Everything between her thighs felt achy, and General Zamek with his damned heightened Kall senses could detect her sudden arousal.

  “Naughty human,” he said, a smirk taking over his features. “If you enjoy being spanked so much, you need only ask. I confess I enjoyed smacking your little bottom. I also liked watching how wet you became while I disciplined you.”

  Her breaths grew faint, and her excitement only increased. She’d almost forgotten how good he was with the dirty talk. As his grip on her chin tightened, she felt like a quivering mass of need, aching and throbbing for his touch.

  He started leaning closer, and she shut her eyes and lifted her face, realizing he meant to kiss her. But just as his lips brushed against hers, a low buzzing noise made him stiffen.

  Chapter 16

  Fluxx. With great reluctance, Zamek pulled away from Layla and glanced down at his wrist comm. He gave her a look of regret.

  “I’m afraid I’m needed on the bridge.” He smoothed a hand through her hair, then pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. “Stay here, human, and behave.”

  “You’re locking me in, aren’t you?” she asked. “I don’t expect I have a choice then.”

  This argument again. He was growing weary of it. He gave her a stern look. “Do you have any idea how lucky you are, Layla?” He backed her up toward the wall. Releasing her chin, he placed his hands on either side of her and gave her a sharp look. “Yes, you’ll always be locked in a cage, as you put it, but you’ll also have my protection.”

  She drew in a quick breath and opened her mouth, appearing as though she were about to argue, only to press her lips together in the next instant, looking rather chastened.

  “Now, I must go, though I hope to return soon. There is food in the kitchen area over there,” he said with a flourish of his hand, “in case you get hungry, and I will see that a servant brings your belongings from the brig here soon.”

  He departed his quarters and made haste for the bridge, though he suspected this argument with Layla was far from over. She was a stubborn but lovely creature, and pride swelled in his chest knowing that such a strong female belonged to him.

  As he hurried to the bridge, he used his wrist comm to order his personal servant, Drias, to gather Layla’s meager belongings from her cell and bring them to his quarters. She didn’t possess much—just some clothing, the electronic library, and a few hardback books he’d given her, but he didn’t wish for her to become bored in his quarters and having reading material would certainly help.

  Once they reached his home in Sumlin District, she would have the freedom to wander his vast property. He would do everything in his power to ensure that her cage didn’t feel so restricting.

  As he went about his duties on the bridge, overseeing the extraction of valuable technology from the Bexxanian warbird, his crew discovered that the alien vessel had run out of reactor fuel and that’s why it had been stuck in one place. A distress signal had also been sent to the Bexxanian Empire, requesting assistance, but thus far, the Tammusha’s sensors showed no sign of approaching enemy vessels.

  After conferring with the other Kall warships, General Zamek ordered the vessels to spread out and sweep the sector for any sign of the Bexxanians.

  On his return to his quarters, Amorrga approached him in the corridor, his purple eyes lit with post-battle excitement.

  Amorrga greeted Zamek with a Verrsuan handshake. “I cannot thank you enough, General, for helping my people get justice against the Bexxanians who attacked us. To know that all the Bexxanians on the warbird that attacked our trading vessels are dead is a great comfort. I will sleep better tonight and so will my comrades, and I will make sure Verrsuan leaders are made aware of all the Kall have done to help us.”

  Zamek nodded. “It was a quick battle, but a good one,” he said, the surge of bloodlust filling him once more. Just seeing Amorrga’s excitement brought it all back. The thrill of forcing a dock between the Tammusha and the Bexxanian warbird, then charging onto the enemy vessel, weapons raised and ready to spill enemy blood.

  “I killed twelve Bexxanians today,” Amorrga said, “and I couldn’t have managed it without your help. I wish to also thank you for teaching me battle techniques, General, and I want you to know that my experience with you and the Bexxanians has revealed a new life path to me—one as a warrior. I intend to lea
ve my profession of trade behind and train to become a Verrsuan warrior. I also hope to convince my people that we need a larger force of warriors to better protect ourselves.”

  “I wish you good fortune in your new endeavor,” Zamek said, truly meaning it. He respected Amorrga’s enthusiasm for battle, as well as his desire to protect his people—admirable qualities in a warrior, to be sure.

  After saying goodbye to Amorrga, Zamek hurried for his quarters, anxious to hold Layla in his arms, even if they were currently in the middle of a disagreement. His blood heated at the prospect of taming her rebelliousness. He didn’t wish to quell her spirit, but she needed to come to terms with her new life, as well as the fact that he expected her obedience.

  They hadn’t known each other for long, but they were also stuck with one another, their lives irrevocably entwined, and he resolved to make the best of it. If he couldn’t marry again and she would always be under his ownership, it made sense for her to become his mistress. Perhaps the position offended her, but didn’t she realize the protection it afforded her?

  He entered his quarters to find her standing at the viewscreen. When she turned and met his gaze, a warmth unlike any other filled him. He rushed toward her, grasped her face, and pressed his lips to hers, putting all his yearning and frustration with the little human into the rough kiss.

  All rational thought faded as General Zamek pressed his lips to hers. Layla moaned as his tongue delved inside her mouth, sensually sweeping along hers, as a low growl rumbled from his throat, sending delicious vibrations through her.

  Heat pummeled her core, and she pressed her legs together as the longing inside her built. She was still conscious of the tension between her and the general, but she couldn’t deny the chemistry either. Maybe she needed to stop thinking about how wrong their attraction was, maybe she needed to accept the blessing that was staring her in the face.