Choosing Riley

by S. E. Smith

  He turned when the lead of Team Three came up. The warrior shook his head. “Nothing, sir.”

  He turned back to the trader who was shifting back and forth on his feet between two warriors who were positioned on either side of him. He took a menacing step toward the sweating male. His face darkened as Team Two reported they had found nothing in the lower cabin areas.

  “Where is she?” Vox snarled, letting his right hand shift until his sharp claws were extended. “I won’t ask you again.”

  “I.… I…. I told you,” Pud stuttered. “I’m just a short-haul cargo freighter. I don’t carry passengers.

  Vox roared, letting his teeth drop down and shifting partially in rage. He could smell the lie on the man, even over the oil and sweat. He raised his clawed hand and swiped it down along the trader’s face, ignoring the male’s screams as he collapsed and gripped his shredded cheek in his palm.

  “You dare lie to me,” Vox snarled out in rage.

  “Sir! We’ve found something,” Team One called out. “There is a cell with the panel disconnected.”

  Vox turned dark, thunderous eyes on Pud. “Bring him. If I find her on this ship, he will die a slow death.”

  He ignored the trader’s pitiful begging. He moved down the corridors heading down to the level where Team One waited for him. His heart thundered in his chest as he approached the door where his men were standing. He stumbled when he saw Lodar, who was kneeling by the bed, look up at him with a tight, grief stricken face. Tor stood rigid by the door, the muscle in his jaw working back and forth.

  “Is she in there?” Vox asked hesitantly.

  “No,” Tor said looking coldly at the sobbing trader.

  “What?” Vox forced out.

  “The blood on the bed matches Riley’s blood,” Lodar said standing up. “She was held here.”

  Vox heard the words ‘Riley’s blood’ over the thunder in his ears. He spun around grabbing the trader by the throat and holding him up against the outer wall of the corridor. He ignored the blood running down the man’s face on to his arm. He ignored the desperate gasps as the trader tried to draw in air from where Vox was crushing his throat. He ignored the men surrounding him as grief and pain unlike anything he had ever experienced washed through him.

  “Where is she?!” He roared so loudly the walls vibrated with his rage. He pulled the trader back and slammed him back against the wall again. “Where did you put her body?”

  “I…. swear…. I…. swear,” the trader tried to say. “I…. swear I didn’t hurt her.”

  Vox’s face twisted in pain and grief. Pulling his left hand back, he swiped the trader across his gut, slicing him almost to his backbone. He dropped the dying male who was trying to hold his internal organs as they spilled out. Vox stepped back from the gore with a look of disgust.

  “Find her,” he ordered quietly. “I will not leave her here.”

  Tor and Lodar nodded. They left Vox, spreading out to search the ship thoroughly. Vox stood standing in the empty corridor watching dispassionately as the slave trader finally quit jerking. A horrible wave of grief overcame him and he roared as the pain swept through him in never-ending waves of agony. Pulling his fist back, he slammed it into the metal wall over and over, ignoring the pain and blood from the strikes. It was nothing compared to the pain in his heart and soul.

  Chapter 25

  Riley rolled over onto her side taking the weight off her expanding belly. She was having the most wonderful dream. Her and Vox were chasing each other around the meadow near the ancient city, only this time the guards weren’t looking. She felt her back leg jerking as if she was running. Suddenly Vox sprang out from behind a bush, tackling her and rolling her over and over. She moaned softly in her sleep as she felt him mount her from behind, his teeth buried in her neck and his cock buried deep inside her womb. Another low moan escaped her before a noise in the cargo area disturbed the dream.

  Wake up! Her cat hissed quietly. I smell danger.

  What? Riley muttered sleepily. Tell it to come back later. Vox and I are getting it on and it is so amazing.

  You are bad as mate! All you think about is sex, her cat hissed back in aggravation. Wake up!

  Riley rolled over with a silent grumble. You’re damn right all I think about is sex. Hell, I was good for the first twenty-four years, for crying out loud! Double hell, if you consider I’m a St. Claire and was a good girl. I think I totally get to think of nothing but sex for the next forty or fifty years at least!

  You have to be alive to have it, her cat reminded her with a huff.

  Great! Just great! Everything has to have strings attached. You have to be alive if you want to have sex. Fine! I’m awake, Riley growled silently to her cat. So, where is this danger?

  I not know. I just feel danger, her cat replied. Funny smell makes my nose burn. I not smell anything right.

  Well, don’t stick your big-ass head up like a target. Just keep quiet, lay still, and wait. That is what the cats on my world do. Then they pounce when the target gets close, Riley responded logically.

  I wait, her cat promised.

  Riley kept her head down, letting her ears flicker back and forth trying to pinpoint where the sound that disturbed her came from. Everything appeared to be quiet but the hair on the back of her neck was standing straight up telling her that she wasn’t alone in the cargo bay any longer. Her ears flickered again, perking up when the door to the cargo bay suddenly opened. She froze, barely breathing as she heard the sound of footsteps entering the room. They seemed to echo overly loud in the silence.

  “This is the last room that hasn’t been searched,” a deep voice whispered.

  Riley shivered as she heard the footsteps divide before everything became silent again. Whoever was searching was very light on their feet. Riley curled up into a tight ball, trying to make herself as small as possible on the top of the crate. She heard the door open again and the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the cargo bay.

  “Have you found anything?” A familiar voice called out harshly. “I want every crate opened and searched thoroughly.”

  Vox! Our mates! Riley and her cat both cried out in excitement.

  Riley uncurled her huge body and stood up on shaky legs. Damn, she was a nervous wreck. She was so going to be a total crybaby when she got Vox’s arms wrapped around her. She shook her body and moved over to the edge of the crate. At the same time, a movement between two crates a short distance away caught her attention. Antrox 157 stepped out raising a laser pistol, pointing it at Vox’s chest. Riley didn’t even think about what she was doing. Her horror and fear for her mate overrode all thought. Leaping from the crate at Vox, she shifted as she fell towards him screaming for him to look out at the same time as Antrox 157 fired the laser pistol.

  Riley felt her body jerk when she hit Vox in the chest as he turned toward her scream. They tumbled down, rolling over and over until Vox lay sprawled over the top of her. She gripped his shoulders tightly in panic.

  “Are you okay?” She asked in a frightened voice.

  “Yes, you….” Vox tried to speak over the sounds of laser fire.

  “I’m good,” she smiled up at him, brushing her palm against his cheek. “Go get that bastard,” she gasped as laser fire barely missed them.

  “With pleasure,” Vox grinned, showing his sharp teeth.

  Riley lay still as Vox rolled off her and called out commands to his men to surround the crate where Antrox 157 was hiding. She reached down and touched her side that was beginning to burn fiercely. Her eyes widened when her fingers came away covered in blood. From the feel of it, the damn Antrox hadn’t missed after all. Riley coughed slightly as her throat filled, beginning to choke her as she tried to breathe in.

  We hurt, her cat hissed frightened. I feel essence leaving. We hurt bad.

  Our baby? Riley begged.

  Our poor baby, her cat moaned softly. Our poor baby.

  No! Riley screamed as she struggled to draw in a breath.
No! She cried out as darkness blurred her vision. No, damn you! I won’t lose them. I love them both too much. She whispered, fighting against the pull on her to give up and let the pain go. Never! She thought as she felt the tug of hands and the cry of despair shattering the sudden quiet of the cargo bay.

  *.*.*

  Vox motioned with his hand for the four warriors on each side to circle around the crate. There was nowhere for Antrox 157 to go. He was dead, he just didn’t realize it yet. Vox looked up and with a swift leap, he landed on silent feet on top of the crate. Running along the edge, he could see the Antrox jerking nervously back and forth trying to keep the openings to the crates in his view. He never looked up. If he had, he would have used the laser pistol on himself instead of worrying about the other warriors. Vox dropped down behind him when 157 turned again. He reached his hand around and gripped the thin creature’s wrist, snapping it like it was a twig. Antrox 157’s screams filled the cargo bay before they were silenced as Vox lifted the creature up and slammed him against the crate with a grin.

  “Now, you die,” Vox said letting his right hand shift. “Slowly,” he added before he ran one razor-sharp claw across Antrox 157’s stomach. “You will never harm my mate again,” Vox said dropping the Antrox when he heard Lodar’s desperate cry for him.

  Vox spun around, squeezing through the opening of the crates. He stopped in horror when he saw Lodar kneeling over Riley, his hands covered in blood. He moved with jerking, running steps toward her. Dropping down next to her, he cupped her face turning it toward him.

  “What have you done now?” He croaked out.

  Riley tried to smile up at Vox as he stared down at her face with worry. “Guess I’m not okay,” she whispered weakly. “This sucks.”

  “Yes, yes, it does,” Vox said tenderly. “You are not supposed to get hurt. I do not like it when you are hurt.”

  Riley’s eyes filled with tears. “I… don’t want to… die,” she choked out. “I thought… I was… the heroine this time.”

  “You are,” Vox whispered as he stroked her cheek with trembling fingers. “You will always be my heroine.”

  Riley smiled softly before her eyelids flickered and closed peacefully. She looked so beautiful. Her hair was spread out in a curly mass of waves around her, making her look just like he had made love to her. Her eyelashes lay like crescents, begging him to kiss them until she woke up.

  Vox looked at Lodar in panic. “Help her,” he begged his friend. “You have to help her.”

  Lodar shook his head. “I would need to get her into a regen bed,” he said. “There is none of this ship and she won’t survive if we move her.”

  Vox shook his head in denial. He couldn’t lose her. He just couldn’t lose her and their son. His shoulders shook as the magnitude of the situation flowed through him. Never had he expected to find his mate. Never had he expected to love someone so much she would become the very fabric of his existence.

  “Sir, look!” One of the warriors exclaimed as he picked up the spilled contents of Riley’s oversized purse that she carried everywhere. “She has everything in here!”

  Lodar glanced up, his eyes widening when he saw the portable regen device the Curizans had developed and kept secret. His breath escaped him in a disbelieving chuckle. Only Riley would have a top-secret medical device the Curizans prized in her purse.

  “Give that to me!” Lodar demanded, holding out his hand and waving his fingers urgently at the man. “What else does she have?”

  “Everything!” The warrior laughed. “She has medicine in here that will take care of everything from a toothache to ulcers to internal bleeding,” he replied bundling up all the small vials of medicine Riley had taken from the medical unit on the asteroid.

  Lodar pulled the portable regen open, attaching the probes to her temple to keep her brain functioning before he used the scanner to start the healing process. He ordered one of the men who worked with him in medical to begin using the vials she had taken to stop her internal bleeding and prevent her from getting an infection. They worked steadily while Vox knelt beside Riley, talking to her about all the things he was going to do to her when she woke up.

  Twenty minutes later, his voice was hoarse from relating every threat and punishment he could think of. He blinked furiously when Lodar told him Riley and his son would make it. He looked at his friend’s exhausted face and tried to thank him but his throat was too tight to get the words out. He felt the dampness on his cheeks, and for once, didn’t care that his men could also see it. He was going to have to punish Riley for this too. He had never cried in his life and now she had made him do it twice in as many days.

  “You can’t punish me,” Riley murmured huskily, her eyes still closed. “Your dad said you had to give me whatever I wanted. By the way, I spent a fortune of your credits at the market.”

  Vox’s head jerked down to stare at his mate’s beautiful, flushed face. “You did? What did you buy?” He asked in a husky voice.

  Riley’s brilliant, baby blue eyes opened to stare up at him. “I bought the most beautiful oversized purse you’ve ever seen and the most God-awful jacket. You aren’t allowed to kill this one. I love it.”

  Vox’s relieved laughter echoed as he threw back his head and shouted with joy before he gently drew Riley up into his arms. “You can buy whatever handbag and hideous jacket you want. I promise not to destroy it.”

  Riley’s eyes softened. “Can we go home now? I don’t like this place.”

  “Yes, my mate. We can go home now,” Vox promised.

  Epilogue

  “Where’s my God damn gun!” Pearl snarled. “I’m going to fill his ass with lead if he doesn’t get it down here! Forget the salt. You damn creatures just lick that shit up, even if it’s in your own ass.”

  Viper clenched his fists tightly at his side and counted to twenty backwards. It was one of the few things that helped prevent him from putting his hands around Riley and Tina’s grandmother’s neck. Even so, it was still very, very tempting.

  “He will be here for the ceremony,” Viper growled out. “And I did not lick my own ass.”

  Pearl looked at Viper with an expression that clearly said she didn’t believe him. Tina stood to the side, refusing to look at him which was even more infuriating. He would have thought saving her life would have made her more receptive to him, but no! She kept a wall of ice between them so thick, he really did feel like his dick might freeze off. If it hadn’t been for that one night….

  Viper cursed again when Pearl asked for her shotgun. “I am not giving you that damn gun! You are dangerous enough without it,” he snapped.

  “Don’t you dare talk to my poor, defenseless grandmother like that!” Tina said, glaring at Viper in anger. “If she wants her shotgun, you should give it to her. It is her property after all,” Tina pointed out in a frigid voice.

  “Yes – that she keeps pointing at me every opportunity she gets,” Viper snarled back. “Let her fill your ass with rock salt and see if you like!”

  Pearl chortled at the thought. “I bet he would volunteer to lick it off, Tina girl. Want to see if he will?”

  Tina blushed a bright red and glared at her grandmother before sniffing and turning her back on both of them. “You’re right, she doesn’t need her shotgun,” she muttered under her breath.

  Aryeh, Rosario, and Illana chuckled as they watched Viper run his hands through his hair in aggravation. All of them stopped and turned when they heard the music of the wedding march begin. Vox rushed down the aisle to stand next to his brothers who were lined up, chuckling under their breath.

  “Did you get it?” Walkyr asked quietly.

  “Yes, she really, really wanted it,” Gable added.

  “She said she wouldn’t marriage you without it,” Qadir added with a huge grin. It had been his turn to come up with something for Vox to hunt down and he had made sure it hadn’t been easy.

  “Guall’s balls,” Pallu muttered trying to keep a straight face.
“If Riley doesn’t kill him, her grandmother will. You are late for your own marriage ceremony.”

  The four brothers laughed as they glanced at Pearl who was standing waiting for her granddaughter to walk down the aisle on Bob and Fred’s arms. They had never seen anything like the slender older woman with white spiked hair. She was wearing more leather than all four of them put together. Pallu looked at his brother Viper who was staring – still – at the petite dark haired female on the other side of Pearl. Viper was the only one who wasn’t celebrating. Pallu’s eyes widened as he saw the brief look of sadness in his brother’s eyes as he gazed at the little human female before he covered it. There was more to the story than just Viper returning with Riley’s family.

  All eyes moved to the back of the room as Riley appeared dressed in a flowing white lace gown covered in tiny blue stones the color of her eyes. She glowed with happiness as she walked down the aisle toward Vox who was smiling just as broadly. The swollen roundness of her stomach sticking out in front of her. Bob and Fred walked slowly as the music continued to play. Once they reached Vox, Bob and Fred held out each of her hands to him.

  Vox growled loudly before he grinned. “I do. We marriaged now. I want to go back to our living quarters.”

  Riley’s face creased into a frown and she stamped her foot. “Oh no, you don’t! You are not getting out of this. I want it done right,” she growled back before turning to Titus. “Titus, get your ass up here and say the things I told you to write down. This big ox is going to agree with every one of those vows or I want my Taser and pepper spray back.”

  “I’ve got a new Taser, Riley, if you need it,” Pearl volunteered, pulling it from the waistband of her black leather pants.

  “Oh Gods, no you don’t! I thought I took all of those damn devices from you,” Viper roared, reaching for Pearl.

  “Don’t you manhandle my poor, elderly grandmother, you jerk,” Tina erupted in fury, grabbing the Taser before Viper could and pressing it against his chest in warning. “Now get back in line so Riley can have her wedding.”