He hesitated and she held her breath, hoping that his gluttony might work in her favor but he slowly shook his head.
“A shame to waste them, but I must remember my overall goal. Come along, girl.”
“Your goal, Master?” she asked, reluctantly following him along the corridor in the direction of the mines. When he glared at her and raised his fist, she hurried on. “I mean, is there anything I can do to help?”
He slapped her anyway but it was only a casual gesture, meant to reprimand rather than punish.
“Just hope that your limited attractions are enough to convince my visitor to invest.” He shrugged. “If he does, I’ll recommend you as a cook to my replacement. If he doesn’t, you can stay down here until I send for you. A few weeks servicing the miners should make you more appreciative of the generosity I have shown you.”
He stepped into the lift, tugging her impatiently after him when she froze in horror. She could no longer hide her trembling as she realized that he was taking her to join the other female slaves.
The temperature increased the further they descended, but it was nothing compared to the wave of heat that greeted her when the doors opened. She knew the mines were beneath the heated side of the transition zone, but she hadn’t realized how greatly the temperature differed. The cold dampness of her small bedroom suddenly seemed a lot more appealing.
A guard greeted Ukhaan as they emerged, eyeing her curiously. “Greetings, Overseer Ukhaan. I didn’t realize we had received a new shipment of females.”
“We haven’t. She is my cook, but I have a special assignment for her today. Is the first cell available?”
“Yes, sir. I would be happy to install her there and show her what is expected.”
The guard leered at her, and she shuddered, grateful once again for Ukhaan’s lack of interest.
“You will do nothing of the kind,” Ukhaan said forbiddingly. “I have plans for the slave, and I require her to be untouched. For now.”
The guard bowed his head in acknowledgment, and Ukhaan turned back to Joan. “Note that my forbearance only continues if you are successful in convincing Varga to invest.” He shrugged. “Otherwise, I will have no hesitation about letting Piaam—or any of the other guards—use you as they will.”
She did her best not to show her horror, but from the satisfied smirk that crossed Ukhaan’s face, she didn’t think she was entirely successful.
“I see you understand.” Without waiting for a response, he turned back to the guard. “Take us to the cell.”
As the two males started down the corridor, she snuck a quick look back over her shoulder. Could she make it back to the lift and up to the surface? But even if she did, what then? She had no weapons and barely any clothing, but more importantly, she had no way of finding Varga. No matter what he had promised her, this new twist would put a kink in his plans.
And the thought of Ukhaan using her against him made her stomach roil. She suspected he wouldn’t hesitate to agree to Ukhaan’s plans in order to protect her. What were they going to do?
The sharp crack of an electric whip barely missing her hip made her flinch and forced her attention back to Ukhaan and Piaam. Piaam raised the whip again, but Ukhaan shook his head.
“I don’t believe that will be necessary. Will it, girl?”
“No, sir. I’m sorry, sir.” She hurried towards him. “I was just thinking about those lorca steaks. I had planned to serve them with creamed grains for lunch today.”
It was one of his favorite meals and he licked his lips, one hand rubbing his huge paunch thoughtfully. “Perhaps there’s time—, no I must consider the long game. If everything goes well, you will be back in time to prepare them. If not…” He gave a cruel laugh. “I’m sure you will be even more anxious to please me once I release you.”
She forced herself to nod submissively and hurry after them. How ironic that her miserable life as his cook now seemed almost idyllic in comparison to her present circumstances. And the thought of a future with Varga seemed like an impossible dream.
“This one’s empty,” Piaam said, breaking her out of her abstraction.
She followed his gaze to the waiting cell. It contained nothing but a large metal bed clamped to the floor and topped with a thin plastic mattress. An open doorway on one side revealed a basic bathroom. There was no privacy, nowhere to hide, and her cramped quarters behind the kitchen seemed infinitely more desirable.
“In you go,” Ukhaan ordered, and she forced her feet to obey. The door slammed shut behind her with an ominous clank. Her life with Kevin had taught her that begging never helped, but it took all of her strength to resist dropping to her knees and begging Ukhaan to take her away. Instead, she clasped her hands together to hide the trembling and did her best to lift her chin as she looked back at the two males.
A low rumble sounded, and the ground shook beneath her feet, not enough to throw her off balance but enough to make her feel dizzy. When she regained her equilibrium, she saw Piaam staring at Ukhaan.
“That’s the second one today, Overseer Ukhaan.”
Ukhaan waved his hand dismissively. “It’s simply because of the expansion to the mine. It will settle down. Now tell my slave what she can expect if she remains here.”
“Food is delivered twice a day. As long as you behave,” Piaam added with a leer. “New gown once a week so it’s better to remove it before it gets ripped off of you.”
She couldn’t prevent a shudder and both males laughed. Piaam continued, gesturing to a pile of surprisingly clean towels beneath a wall dispenser. “As many towels as you want as long as you throw the dirty ones down the chute. That is, if you care about keeping yourself clean. But don’t fool yourself into thinking that the miners care. No matter how disgusting you are, it won’t stop them. And eventually, I’ll have to come wash you. I suspect I’d enjoy it more than you would.”
This time, she managed to hide her reaction, and he looked disappointed before turning back to Ukhaan. “Any other instructions, sir?”
“No. Return to your post.”
With a curious frown in Ukhaan’s direction, Piaam obeyed. Ukhaan stepped closer to the bars.
“I suspect I may regret doing this. You are a very acceptable cook. I find that I am willing to offer an additional incentive. Convince Master Varga to make the deal, and I will take you with me when I leave this planet.”
Did he actually mean that? The offer seemed sincere enough, but she suspected that he would have no hesitation in failing to fulfill his promise if it became unpleasant or inconvenient. Nonetheless, she bobbed her head submissively.
“Thank you, Master Ukhaan. I very much enjoy preparing delicacies for such a sophisticated palate. I hope I can return in time to prepare the lorca steaks.”
He nodded complacently, as if she had nothing more in life to wish for than to prepare meals for him, and licked his lips. “I do as well. But if this fails, I shall be very disappointed. I only hope that by the time I recover from my disappointment, you are still capable of cooking.”
She let him see her shudder, and he laughed as he walked away, leaving her alone in the cell. On closer inspection, it was even worse than it had first appeared. The plastic mattress was covered with a horrific array of sticky substances, and a fine layer of dirt covered the walls and floor. With a sigh, she went to fetch a towel, first soaking it in water from the bathroom, then scrubbing down the mattress. If she was going to be raped, at least it would be on a clean mattress.
Three towels later, the mattress was no longer sticky, and she sat down gingerly on one edge. She strained her ears but could hear nothing other than the constant thrum of the mining equipment. But these had to be the cells where the other females were located and she finally gathered up her courage and approached the bars.
“Hello? Is anyone here?”
There was no response, but considering that her voice was barely above a whisper, perhaps that was to be expected. She cleared her throat and tried again.
This time, her voice seemed to echo down the rocky corridor.
Instead of a verbal reply, she heard a wailing cry that made goosebumps prickle her skin. A distant female voice ordered the wailer to shut up, to no avail. A minute later, Piaam appeared, cracking his electric whip.
“Silence,” he ordered, glaring at her as he passed.
She couldn’t see what he did, but she heard the crack of the whip and heard a pained yelp. The wailing ceased.
Backing away from the bars, she retreated to the far side of the room, hoping that Ukhaan’s instructions would prevent the guard from meting out the same punishment to her.
Her hands clenched as she waited. The minutes seemed to drag on forever until the guard finally reappeared. He was refastening his belt, a satisfied smirk on his face.
“Some females learn quickly. I wonder if you will be one of them.”
He laughed and disappeared from view. She stared after him in open-mouthed horror before finally pushing herself away from the wall. She wasn’t going to take the chance on trying to communicate with the other females again, but she couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. The filthy towels she discarded earlier had already been replaced by clean ones, and after another look around at the dirty cell, she went to fetch one. At least cleaning would keep her occupied. But as she started scrubbing the cell walls, she prayed that Varga would come for her.
Chapter Eight
“Come. I have something to show you,” Ukhaan said brusquely.
Varga tried to hide his scowl as he followed the male. The visit to the smelting operation had been singularly unpleasant and brought back painful memories of his childhood. He was more than ready to be done with Ukhaan, with the mine, with the entire planet for that matter. He couldn’t wait until he had Joan alone on his ship.
He was thinking about her so intently that when he looked up and saw her, he wasn’t surprised at first. And then he realized that she was in a cell, covered only by a thin white slave gown.
“What have you done?” he growled.
Ukhaan gave a satisfied laugh. “I knew it. I knew you cared for the ugly little thing.” His voice hardened. “And unless you want her used by every miner in this place, you will agree to my terms. Now.”
Never!
Varga roared and dived for the bastard. The shock on Ukhaan’s face would have pleased him if he hadn’t been so intent on choking the life out of the male. He heard the distant hum of a blaster arming itself, and his skin automatically hardened. There was a brief flare of pain along his side and then a sudden roar of sound just as Ukhaan’s neck snapped.
“Varga!” Joan cried as he heard a sharp crack, and a cloud of dust and rocks cascaded towards them.
He darted for her cell, reaching through the bars and pulling her against him so he could shield her with his body. The roar continued, the air thickening as more dust swirled around them.
His stomach churned with familiar panic as it finally came to an end and he realized what had happened. The diverted blaster shot must have hit a weak area in the roof of the tunnel, and it had collapsed.
Both ends of the corridor were blocked. They were trapped.
“What are we going to do?” Joan’s eyes were wide with horror, but he could tell she was doing her best to keep her voice calm.
He reluctantly released her then bent over Ukhaan’s body, searching through his pockets until he found the keys to the cell. As soon as he unlocked it, Joan rushed into his arms, and he heaved a sigh of relief. The fierce barbarity of his attack had not traumatized her. But then again, this female of his was much stronger than the delicate bird he called her.
“Now we get out of here,” he said grimly. “Do you know anything about the layout of the mines?”
Somehow, he wasn’t surprised when she nodded. “I caught a few glimpses of the blueprints when Ukhaan was debating which direction to pursue next. And Rummel has told me about some of it as well.” She glanced around, carefully averting her eyes from Ukhaan’s body, and crouched down to sketch a quick map in the thick layer of dust.
“Ukhaan’s quarters and the rest of the mining corporation offices are here, on the cooler side of the transition zone, along with the barracks for the guards. They form a fortified block between the hangar and the mine entrance.”
He nodded in agreement. “I studied that layout because I thought we would be escaping through there. Unfortunately, I did not spend a lot of time on the plans for either the slave quarters or the mines themselves.”
“As far as I know, this elevator is the only direct connection between the two levels.” She indicated a square on her drawing. “This is where I came down. There’s a guard station there and I also think the lift is biometrically coded to the guards. The sleeping quarters are to the left of the lift and the mines to the right. We’re on the path between them. At shift change, the miners are paraded past here so they can see the rewards they can reap for the highest production numbers.”
Her voice was perfectly calm, but he could see her hands shaking. Anger roared through him, and he wished he could kill Ukhaan all over again. How dare he have threatened Joan with such a fate. But his anger would not help her. Instead, he gently covered her hands with his own, and she gave them a grateful squeeze before resuming.
“I know there’s another route to the surface from the mines because they use it to transport the ore up to the transport ships, but I don’t know exactly where it is.”
“An ore ship wouldn’t be much use to us. They are usually remotely operated and not equipped with life support. But if we could get to the surface that way…”
Her eyes widened. “Ukhaan said the surface can’t support life.”
“That’s not strictly true. It’s a harsh environment but not instantly fatal.” He hummed thoughtfully. “I saw one of the ore ships leaving as I arrived. It is not a great distance across the surface from where it left to the location of my ship.”
They stared at each other, and he did his best not to reveal his dismay at his own conclusions. The last thing he wanted was to venture into the mines, but he didn’t see any other viable option.
“As soon as they realize that Ukhaan is missing, they’ll go into lockdown. And since we most assuredly do not want to go back in the direction of the guards, I think we would be better off going through the mines and across the surface,” he said finally.
“Are you sure?”
No, he wasn’t sure. In fact, the thought of going deeper, of risking another cave-in, made his skin crawl, but he had promised to rescue her and he was not going to let his female down.
“I’m sure.”
From the way her eyes studied him, he didn’t think she entirely believed him, despite the confidence he had attempted to convey, but she didn’t argue.
“Then we’ll start at this end,” she said with a smile and bent to pick up the first rock.
“I can do that.”
She actually laughed. “I know you can, but I’m going to help. I may not have all those muscles, but I’m not helpless.”
The admiring glance she cast at his arms caused an entirely inappropriate reaction from his cock. He tossed the rock aside and pulled her close, bending down to kiss her. Her response was as sweet and eager as if they had been back in his room. She melted against him, her soft curves cradling his erection as she explored his mouth. He had his hand on the lush swell of her ass, lifting her against him, before he came to his senses and gently placed her back on the ground.
“Later, little bird. Right now, there is work to be done.”
Despite Varga’s objections, Joan kept working at his side. Even though she could only clear away the smaller rocks, every little bit helped. Even with Varga’s impressive strength, he couldn’t move as quickly as he would obviously have preferred because the wall of debris was so unstable. Several times, he pulled away a large rock only to have more tumble down after it. The third time it happened, he swore and frowned at the rubble still blocking the corrido
r.
“I wish I was more familiar with this material. On Sorvid, the natural stone is denser and does not crumble as easily.”
“We’re making progress,” she said soothingly, pointing to an upper corner through which a faint light shone.
“Not quickly enough.” He studied the end of the tunnel that led back to the guard station. There hadn’t been any sound from that direction yet, but it was only a matter of time. She was actually surprised that no one had tried to come through so far. The guards had access to much more sophisticated equipment.
A chirp sounded, interrupting her thoughts, and she looked up to see George poking his head through the small opening at the top of the tunnel.
“George!”
He came skittering down the rubble, surefooted despite the constant small movements of the rock, and jumped into her arms when she crouched down to greet him. She hugged him to her chest and scratched behind his ears.
“Where did you come from? Is this where you spend your days?”
“Your pet seems to be well equipped for maneuvering through the tunnels,” Vargas said as he bent down next to her. “Did you train him to come looking for you?”
“No, but he’s very smart. He comes to visit me every day. Just like Rummel.” She sighed. “I wish he was here. He knows these mines.”
George chirped, his head tilted to one side as if he understood her words. If he did…
“Do you remember Rummel?”
George chirped again, in what sounded like agreement.
“Could you find him? And bring him here?”
“Sweetheart, I’m sure he’s very intelligent, but I don’t think that’s going to work,” Varga said gently.
“It worked for Lassie,” she muttered, looking around for some way to send a message. In the end, all she could think to do was rip off a small portion of her tattered gown and offer it to George. He studied it for a minute, then took it in his jaws.
Joan and the Juggernaut: A SciFi Alien Romance (Alien Abduction Book 10) Page 5