by Lynnea Lee
He thought of the human female in the Vosthean wilderness that now awaited the arrival of the rescue team and himself. This female must mean something special to Zey if he chose to escape the enemy vessel with her in tow. Her human body and lack of claws made her the perfect prey for the predators roaming the grounds. It was hard enough staying one step ahead of Ulrek’s men alone, having a female along meant extra work to keep her safe.
Alone, Zey could rest in the tree branches, without need to set up and tear down a shelter. He could stop and go at any time. There would be no need to rest during the dawn and dusks to avoid the stalkers since he was too big and well-armed with fangs and claws to be a target. He could outmaneuver his enemies easily if he didn’t need to worry about a companion.
Calix knew Zey well; they had been friends all their lives. If Zey didn’t think the female was worth the trouble, he would have left her back on the ship with her own kind.
Zey had spent the majority of his life avoiding commitment to females, and Calix didn’t blame him, considering the type of females he tended to attract. Selene was a first-class bitch, a real work of art. The females from the pleasure houses lusted after his infamy and his currency. And the young females at the compound that fawned over him were more like little sisters than lovers. Calix understood well, for he was in the same boat. Cal couldn’t wait to meet the female that had snagged his friend’s attention.
Out of the three of them that grew up together, Sidas was the first to find a mate. Calix was happy for his friend and appreciated the female’s presence on the vessel; it made some of the long hauls more interesting. Tallean culture was very lax regarding sex, and while a mated couple would never step outside of their relationship, they usually didn’t mind an audience. Their crew especially was tight-knit, having spent years together.
With nothing much else to do during the long hauls, the couple tended to get it on just about anywhere on the vessel. As entertaining as it was, sometimes it made Cal yearn to have something similar, someone to get lost in and spend the rest of his life with.
Calix wondered how the human female would react to Moira and Sidas’s sexual displays. If he understood correctly, humans preferred to keep their sexual forays behind closed doors. How would she react if Zey decided to take her in the common lounge? They were in for some interesting times. But first things first, he needed to get them both safely aboard the Defiant.
“You owe me a ship, you fucking piece of pirate scum!”
Zey grunted as Ulrek landed another punch on his stomach.
A ship? What had happened after he left with Ashe in the shuttle? Did the renegade humans destroy the vessel outright, or did they manage to capture and control it? Whatever happened, it explained why Ulrek was down here with his men rather than giving orders from his ship. It also explained the sheer number of men and why the ragtag team was so ill-equipped. Some of the males were unarmed, and a few were only half-dressed. They must have been in a rush to get to the remaining transports.
Ulrek and his soldiers had gotten uncomfortably close to his shelter. Determined to lead them away from Ashe, Zey had made some dramatically loud splashes in the river. He had led them across the river, always staying just out of sight. That was when he had run headlong into the second search party. The second team had surprised him, as had Ulrek’s appearance. This was an awful lot of men to send down. It made sense now.
If the humans managed to overtake the Dominion ship, then Zey was beyond impressed. From his experience with Ashe, he knew that humans were resourceful and tough despite not having any natural weapons. Maybe their lack of sharp teeth or claws gave rise to their ingenuity. He made a mental note to check on the fate of the former Dominion vessel when he extricated himself from his current predicament. A group with the ability to overtake a vessel with armed and trained crew and guards would be a worthwhile ally.
But he was getting ahead of himself. He needed to take care of Ulrek and his vermin and get back to Ashe. As long as she stayed up in the canopy, she should be safe for a while yet. Eventually, the water in the flask would run out. Without the crampons, which were now in Ulrek’s possession, she would be stuck there until he returned for her. Another blow landed on his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Fuck!
“The innkeeper at the port said you came here with a female slave, one you weren’t willing to sell the service of. She’ll come in handy for me until we get off this forsaken hellhole. She’ll make a good gift for Kean.”
Kean! That must be who Ulrek came to see. Zey knew of him. Everyone who ever dealt in the addictive drug known as Euphora knew of him. He was a chemist who once worked for the Dominion developing medicine until they decided to maroon him on a small moon in the middle of pirate-infested space.
He was there studying the unique flora. He believed the special plant life on the moon held the cure to a degenerative disease, one his brother suffered from. When things got tough in that region, the higher-ups had decided that Kean wasn’t worth the effort or cost of a retrieval mission. After all, none of the ruling class suffered from this disease. Every child in the Dominion knew that the Goddess gave Talleans certain diseases as reparations for the way their ancestors treated the Favored centuries past. It was another reason why they believed the two races should never mix.
As for Kean, rumors had it he managed to impress a pirate vessel to take him back to civilization only to find out that his brother had died in his absence. He joined the pirate vessel that rescued him for a while but ultimately ended up on Vosthea, churning out some of the best Euphora ever made. He kept no loyalties except to himself. Ulrek must have known Kean from his Dominion days.
Zey had had more than a few run-ins with him and his Euphora. Amazing shit, but highly addictive. And while Zey didn’t hesitate to sample his wares on occasion, he knew better than to make it a habit. From what he had seen of Ulrek, he doubted Ulrek was an addict. Most likely, Ulrek made some loot on the side, peddling the stuff during his travels.
“I know she’s around here somewhere. I can scent her on you. She smells luscious too.”
A vicious snarl escaped from Zey’s lips, but it was quickly silenced by another well-placed punch in the stomach.
Ulrek needed some stress relief and fast. It had been a long and trying two days. Somehow the human slaves had gotten loose and managed to take over his ship, his baby. Well, technically, it belonged to the Dominion, but he had planned on commandeering it when he and the Dominion parted ways. He, along with a few of his males, managed to get to the shuttle bay and escape the slaughter. The last he heard, the humans were rounding up his men and tossing them out the airlock.
Ulrek fisted his hands at his side, his anger building. He needed to calm down, think clearly.
He ordered two of his crew to search for the female, instructing them to look high into the foliage where she was most likely hiding. With the sun going down, they had the advantage of night vision. Torf had volunteered to search for her. He had a history of molesting and forcing himself on the human females they brought on board. Ulrek warned him not to touch her. He wanted to offer the female as a gift to Kean, and Torf had a tendency to damage the females he played with. Besides, Ulrek wanted to be first to sample her when they find her.
Human females were one of his soft spots. Nothing else quite like them anywhere in the galaxy. Built so similar to his own kind, with all the right equipment but better. Softer. Sweeter. Of course, not every male would agree. Some of his men found them too delicate and meek. But then again, they have only ever had slaves. Ulrek knew better. A human female could be a hellion in and out of bed if given a chance. The dichotomy of a soft, sweet thing being vicious and bold teased at him.
He thought of his most recent sexual conquest, Selene was bold and vicious, as well as beautiful. But the female was anything but sweet. Ulrek knew of her past, the one Zeylum did not hesitate to throw in his face the day he was captured. Selene had sought him out for two rea
sons: his status as captain of the Stellar Fortune and the possibility of revenge against her previous lover. And while Ulrek and partook in fleshly pleasures with the female, he had also made it clear that their relationship was strictly casual.
The Dominion captain bent to check the bonds holding his prisoner. They were good and tight. If only he had proper restraints, manacles. But the escape from the ship was rushed and chaotic; he had been lucky to get off the ship at all. He sent a transmission for a pick-up from any nearby Dominion vessel. If asked why his ship was orbiting this hellhole, he had the perfect excuse: Zeylum. They were tracking him down. No one would suspect him of trafficking Euphora. He settled down with the remainder of his subordinates and waited.
Chapter 10
Gruff voices startled Ashe from her half-sleep. The two male voices were discussing how to get up to the tent; they knew there was a human female inside. Ashe glanced over at the comm unit, no calls. It was still dark anyway, and Calix had said he would be landing at dawn. This meant that the men below were not friendly.
She dug in the pack and felt around for the blaster. It was too dark to see anything. She won’t be able to aim the damn weapon. What if they had Zey tied up and gagged below? She could very well shoot him instead of the enemy. Blindly shooting was not an option. She made sure the safety was on and tucked the weapon into the back of her waistband. Maybe they wouldn’t search her.
One of the voices sounded familiar, and she tried to recall the Talleans that had guarded the hold. A chill ran through her. She knew that voice. It was the scumbag who had hit her the day she met Zey. She knew he was bad news. Ashe was not the first female in the hold that caught his attention.
At the beginning of their captivity, he had taken a petite blonde out of the holding cell and raped her brutally on the floor of the cargo hold. He was excessively rough with her, and when she refused to scream to feed his sadistic hunger, he broke one of her fingers just to force the sound from her throat. So much for hoping that she wouldn’t be searched. Considering the opposition, she’d probably be stripped naked the moment they reached her.
“We know you are in there. Why don’t you be a good little female and help us get you down? I won’t harm you. I swear.” The voice belonged to the other man. Ashe heard the sound of something being thrown and dragged over the branch, a rope maybe.
Ashe kept silent. Maybe if she stayed really still, they would think the tent was empty. Yeah right! You keep telling yourself that.
“Come on, you can’t stay up there forever. You’re going to have to come down eventually. Your pirate isn’t coming back. We’ve got him at the camp.”
Her heart dropped. She already guessed as much, but confirmation sucked. She heard more sounds of a rope being maneuvered around the branch.
“Is that why you are shy? Did the pirate hurt you? Males like him are lawless criminals. Only rotten pirate scum like him would drag a defenseless female around Vosthea just to have something to warm his bed. I’m not like that, I promise. Trust me. I won’t hurt you.”
The jab at Zey’s integrity did it. “Go to hell!”
“This is bullshit!” It was the lowlife from the hold speaking again. “First, Ulrek demands that I save her for him, and now you want to sweet-talk her down? I’ve got a better idea. Listen, bitch. I’ve got a blaster aimed at your tent, and if you don’t get out right now, I’m going to blast you sky high.”
Ashe froze in place. The other man continued working on the rope, feeding one end through a loop he had made at the other and pulling it tight to secure the rope to the branch.
“Or maybe I’ll shoot the straps holding up the shelter and let you fall. You might suffer a broken limb or two, but you’ll be down. A whore doesn’t need all her limbs.”
Maybe blindly shooting was a good idea, after all. She wanted this asshole dead. Violence and gore didn’t seem so bad anymore, not against people like him.
“You have three seconds starting now. Three…two…”
Ashe found her voice. “Wait, I can’t climb down even if I wanted to, I’ll fall.”
She decided to play the sweet innocent young thing role. Maybe if they thought that she had no loyalty to Zey, that she was willing to side with whoever kept her alive, they would be more lenient and neglect to search her.
“I didn’t mean to tell you off. I’m just really scared. My leg is all clawed up, my hands hurt, I’m out of water, and I’ve been alone all night. I was beginning to think that I’ve been left to die now that he’s gotten bored of me.” She managed to make her voice crack at the end, mimicking the sound of sobbing. She fooled them once; she could do it again.
The other man spoke. “Calm down. We’ll help you get down. Torf is just kidding about shooting you. I’ve got some water here for you, and I’m a trained medic, I can take a look at your injuries.”
His tone sounded genuine, but Ashe knew that even if he was a nice person, he was still the enemy and following Ulrek’s orders. Ashe was sure now that Zey wasn’t down below. They had confirmed that he was at their camp. The two officers were alone. She was sure of it. Did she want to shoot, or did she want to use them to get to Zey?
Ashe knew that Calix was on his way, following the signal sent by the comm unit; they just needed to survive until morning. If she shot the two goons now and waited for Calix to come for her, they would still have to find Zey. And that was assuming she managed to hit both of them in the dark before they shot her down. If she concealed the comm unit on her body and allowed them to take her to their camp, she could lead Calix and his team directly to Zey. She stuffed the comm into her bra, hoping the goons wouldn’t find it before they got to their camp.
“Okay, I’ll come down.”
“Good, can you make it down on the rope, or do you need one of us to come up to get you?”
“I’ll manage.” She didn’t want to give either of them an excuse to touch her. Torf mentioned that Ulrek wanted to save her for him, and she hoped that meant she would be safe from molestation at least until they got back to their camp.
She looped the lantern through her arms, turned it on to give herself more light, and started down the rope. She used her good leg to stop herself from banging into the tree. The rope was rough, and it cut into her already rope-burned hands. She tired as she neared the bottom, and her grip slipped. She let out a small shriek but quickly stifled it as big hands caught her and lowered her to the ground. She tried to play the amiable, obedient female, but couldn’t help but shrink back away from his touch. Their eyes gleamed, reflecting the light of the lantern. They reminded her of crocodiles. Odd how this feature no longer looked so threatening or even alien on Zey.
“I remember you! You’re the bitch who kicked me.” Torf advanced on her, and she backed away as she swung the lantern at him. “You’re not going to get away this time. I’m going to fuck you real good. You’ll scream until you’re hoarse.”
He reached for her again, and she dodged behind the other alien and clung on to his shoulders, trying to keep him in between them.
“What the fuck are you doing, Torf? Ulrek said not to touch her.” He shoved Torf away, and then he turned to face Ashe. “Let me see your leg.”
Ashe lifted her leg; she hoped that he wasn’t going to lick her as Zey had. She didn’t want anyone else to put their mouth anywhere on her body. To her relief, he took a small spray bottle from his pocket and gave her wounds a good spray, saturating the area. She felt the numbing effect almost immediately. She then held out her palms to show him the burns, and he sprayed them as well. Then as promised, he gave her a sip of his water.
The two thugs then led the way through the forest. During the entire trip, she tried to keep the nicer of the two, not-Torf, in between her and Torf. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and thought of the comm unit in her bra. She hoped they were taking her to the same location they had Zey. Once together, it would be just a matter of staying alive until help arrived. Calix an
d the rescue team better be coming in fully armed and ready for a fight. Considering that it was Zey’s crew, she wasn’t too worried. Zey didn’t seem the kind of captain to lead an inferior crew.
Using her existing injuries and lack of shoes as an excuse, she exaggerated her limp to slow down their progress. The sooner they got to the camp, the sooner she would have to deal with Ulrek. She knew exactly what Ulrek wanted her for. It was something she didn’t want Zey to witness. Something told her that he would not take it very well, considering how protective he was of her. He might even blame himself for not being able to safeguard her.
That was the last thing Ashe wanted. She understood the danger of letting herself be brought to camp, and she was willing to sacrifice her body for the hope that it would get them both rescued in the morning. She just didn’t want Zey as an audience. She didn’t want it to change the way he saw her.
Eventually, they came to the river, and it was obvious to Ashe that they wanted her to swim across. Upstream, she could see the cliff that she and Zey had rappelled down yesterday. She remembered the fight with the stalker. She remembered Zey’s strong and sure body and his roar of victory, and it gave her hope that they would win this next fight as well. Still, she needed to slow down their travel as much as possible.
“I can’t swim,” she lied.
“Bullshit, I’ve seen you humans swim just fine.”
“I never learned. I swear!”
Torf came right up to her and grabbed her by the shirt, lifting her up onto her toes.
“What the fuck!” her other captor bellowed. But the anger wasn’t directed at Torf, it was directed at her. She felt something being removed from her waistband. The blaster! The pulling up of her shirt had revealed the blaster tucked into her waistband at her back. “You’ve been acting the part of a harmless slave, and you’ve had a weapon on you the whole fucking time? I should have let Torf have his way with you. You lying piece of shit!”