by Lynnea Lee
“What else are you lying about?” Torf had her right up against his face, his vile breath making her choke. “You are going to swim across this river, and if you try anything at all, I’m going to kill you as slowly as I can. Do you understand me?”
Ashe nodded frantically. She doubted they would believe anything she had to say. She hoped that the comm unit was waterproof. The Talleans had such advanced technology that it seemed impossible it wasn’t. The two Talleans were getting ready to get into the water, and they didn’t do anything to keep their blasters dry. If the weapons were waterproof, what were the chances that their communication devices were waterproof as well? Not-Torf swam over first, taking the lantern over with him so that Ashe would have a light to follow. The lantern was also waterproof, which was a good sign.
“Now you, you Earth bitch!” Torf gave her bottom a hard, nasty squeeze and gave her ear a lick. She shuddered in disgust at the contact. “And remember, I’ve got a blaster aimed right at you. So don’t try anything stupid. And don’t think of escaping through death either. I won’t kill you, just maim you. Then I’m going to drag your sorry ass out of the water and fuck every hole in your body.” Then he shoved her into the frigid water.
Ashe was pretty sure she was going to perish of hypothermia. She couldn’t stop her teeth from chattering, and her body shook violently. She fought to control her clumsy movements and had trouble thinking.
When she was fished out of the river, they had bound her hands, no longer trusting her. Her lack of coordination, combined with her bound hands, meant she tumbled more than a few times face-first into the leaf litter. Her face had found a sharp rock on the last fall, and now blood oozed from a cut on her face. The cuts on her leg had started to pulse and burn unbearably hot, despite feeling like the rest of her was freezing to death. She was miserable.
The comm unit, still tucked safely into her bra, vibrated against her chest, jolting her out of her half-conscious daze. Luckily, they never searched her, believing that they had already found the item she was trying to conceal. Had the two men heard the vibrations? Ashe tripped again, this time on purpose; she needed a way to hide the sound. As before, they didn’t help her up, choosing instead to watch her struggle back onto her feet.
Calix must be checking up with her. She had lost track of time and had no idea how much of the night had passed. Maybe dawn was just around the corner. If not, then when Calix failed to make contact, maybe he would decide to start the search early. Help was on the way! The thought gave her a short jolt of energy. But it soon faded as the chill of the night air and her waterlogged clothing won the battle. She faded back into the threshold of consciousness, her legs moving robotically forward. The world took on a surreal cast.
A firm, authoritative voice broke through the numbness. “I told you to bring her back unharmed! She’s barely alive.”
They had reached their destination. She didn’t quite remember where that destination was, though. Everything was so foggy. She knew she was supposed to be looking for something here, but she had forgotten what or who. Her brain refused to work. The man who spoke approached and snatched her away from the man who was holding her up. He looked familiar.
“This is no way to treat a female, not even a slave.”
He bent to untie her hands and rubbed her reddened wrist with his hands. His hands were warm, and despite knowing in the back of her mind that she should not be enjoying this man’s touch, she didn’t pull away. He took off his jacket and draped it over her shivering shoulders and helped her to sit down against a tree. He then turned on the one named Torf and decked him hard, catching him under the jaw. He turned to give his men new orders. None of it made much sense to Ashe.
The comm unit buzzed again in her bra. The fog in her brain lifted just enough for her to know that she needed to hide the comm before they found it on her body. She fished it surreptitiously out of her undergarment and pushed it into the thick cover of decaying leaves.
The man returned, knelt, and introduced himself as Ulrek but instructed her to call him Sir. That name should mean something to her, but the thought remained unfinished in her deliriousness, so she just smiled at him weakly. Ulrek was quite handsome, with strong cheekbones and jawline. His fangs peeked out when he smiled comfortingly at her. His body was that of a trained fighter, fit, and firm. There was something predatory in his light, yellow-green eyes.
He took his jacket from her shoulder, and she started to protest the loss. But before she could work her brain enough to form a coherent sentence, he grabbed her and tucked her against his warm body, spreading the jacket over them like a blanket. She struggled briefly, ineffectively. This man oozed danger. But his hold was firm, and he ordered her to still. His quiet voice demanded obeisance.
The pleasantly masculine scent of the man who held her permeated her senses, surrounded her, and smothered her. He smelled good but wrong. She needed to get away. But her survival instinct told her to stay put and absorb as much of his heat as possible. Weary and groggy from hypothermia, she closed her eyes in resignation and passed out.
Zey watched in dismay as Ulrek’s men returned to camp with Ashe in tow. He had failed to protect her again. Her tiny body shook violently as she struggled to keep in front of the two males who encouraged her forward with rough shoves of their dirty mitts. He worked at his ties but made no headway. Ulrek had taken extra precaution with Zey and had dosed him with a tranquilizer. He was awake, but he didn’t have full control of his body.
“I told you to bring her back unharmed! She’s barely alive.” Ulrek looked pissed. “This is no way to treat a female, not even a slave.”
Ulrek approached Ashe and spoke to her softly, gently. Too soft and gentle for Zey’s liking. He watched as Ulrek draped his Dominion issued jacket onto her petite shoulders. He knew that Ashe was suffering from hypothermia and needed to be warmed, but it hurt him terribly that his enemy was caring for her. Zey knew the man could be deceptively charming and charismatic when he wanted to be. The man preferred to use honey to lure his victims in. Ashe seemed too weak to fight back anyway.
When Ulrek turned to give unheard orders to his team and discipline the male he recognized as the one who had attacked Ashe back in the hold, Zey kept his eyes on Ashe. She reached into her top and took something out. The comm unit! Zey knew that his crew was close by. They would arrive on the planet any time now. If they failed to make contact through the comm unit, they would follow the signal to its location.
He watched as Ashe buried the comm into the leaf litter. She understood even in her dazed state that their enemy must not know of the comm’s existence. And it seems she also understood that the comm was not safe on her body. It would not remain hidden for long once Ulrek got to her.
The Dominion captain knelt and returned his attention to his new toy. When Ulrek wrapped the little female possessively into his arms, Zey had to bite his tongue to stop from roaring out in anger. How dared this piece of brainwashed Dominion scum touch his female! Ashe was his!
For a second, Ashe looked as if she was going to attempt to fight off the captain, but she soon stilled. While his logical mind knew that her lack of fight probably served to keep her safer, it still hurt terribly that she allowed Ulrek to warm her body. She should be fighting him! Would she allow Ulrek to have his way with her without a fight? Had she given up already?
Zey closed his eyes to block out the image. He wanted to scream, to tear the bastard away from her then pummel him into the ground. But he knew that if he made as much as a peep and gave away how much Ashe meant to him, Ulrek would try to use her to hurt him. He was already outnumbered and out-gunned; he wouldn’t give Ulrek another weapon against him. Not to mention, the drugs in his system made him not much more useful than a paperweight. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay quiet, silently hoping that Calix would get to them on time.
A warm, spicy scent filled her nostril. The scent was pleasant. But something felt wrong. Ashe fel
t heavy hands roam her body as they removed her wet clothing. A hand moved under the stretchy waistband of her yoga pants and shoved them, along with her undies, down her legs and off her body. Her top was already off, and now the hands fiddled with the clasp of her bra. The owner of the roving hands must have gotten angry with the undergarment because she felt a strong tug and heard a loud ripping noise before her breasts were freed. Rough hands palmed her breasts and pinched her nipples.
Her foggy mind started to clear as her body woke. This man was not Zey. Her eyes popped open, and she shoved the brash extremities away. The cocky Dominion captain loomed above her, straddling her hips. He had his pants pushed down to one ankle, his erection very evident. He licked his lips, seeming delighted that she was awake and aware.
“Ah, so the lovely female finally awakes.” He captured her hands and held them above her head, shackling both wrists. “I hated to start without you. I hope you don’t mind. I took the liberty of removing your clothes while you slept.”
“Get off me!”
“That’s not how you treat the male who just saved you, now is it?” His fangs flashed menacingly behind a grin. “Who do you think warmed your freezing body?”
He placed his other hand on the side of her face, caressing it almost tenderly. Ashe felt a sense of dread, a sinking in her stomach. Instinctively, she turned her head and bit at his hand. He snatched it away just in time, but his salacious grin only widened.
“You like to play rough? Good! So do I. We’ll get along splendidly.” He caressed the side of her face with his free hand again, rubbing lightly at her cheek. Then without warning, he slapped her. Stars exploded in her vision, and her head reeled from the shock. Again, his hands stroked the side of her face, tracing her jawline gingerly. He leaned forward and planted a loud kiss on her cheek, and she flinched away.
“I’m sorry, my dear. Human females feel and smell so good I sometimes forget how frail you are.”
He hit her again, just as hard, and followed it with another noisy smooch. The sudden switches between violence and gentleness were extremely disconcerting. Ashe pulled uselessly at her hands and tried to buck him off her body. Ulrek took the bucking as an indication she was ready for more. Ashe screamed. Something in her mind broke, and she didn’t stop screaming. She was fighting him in earnest now, kicking her legs and writhing violently.
Somewhere nearby, an angry roar sounded. Zey! Zey was here and watching all this happen. Ashe turned her head frantically looking for him and found him thrashing wildly in his bindings. Their eyes met. This was hurting him more than it was hurting her; she saw it in his eyes. She needed to stay strong for him. The dim light of dawn was filtering through the foliage, making it possible for her to see in the first place. Calix and his crew would save them.
This is just sex, she told herself. It was only physical. Nothing compared to the turmoil Zey must be feeling, able to watch but not to intervene. Her screaming must be making it worse. She knew he took the task of protecting her very seriously. Ashe forced herself to restrain her reaction. She closed her eyes and pretended to be somewhere else. She hoped to hide the ugliness of what was happening from Zey. Besides, she didn’t want to give Ulrek the satisfaction of her reaction.
“I can’t leave you unsatisfied now, can I?” Ulrek sneered. He fisted his cock and pumped it a few times. His weapon was just as long as Zey’s and thick too. Panic set into Ashe again, and despite not wanting to give Ulrek the enjoyment of watching her react, she shrieked and pounded at his belly with her hands, which he had freed to grab himself.
“You vicious little minx! Hit me harder if you want. Scratch me, bite me. It turns me on.”
And Ashe saw that it was true. He moved to position himself between her legs, holding her stationary by the thighs. A few yards away, Zey thrashed and bellowed like a madman.
Unbeknownst to the three of them, the camp had erupted into chaos. Curses and exclamations filled the Vosthean dawn. It wasn’t until gunfire rang loud and clear that either Ashe, Zey, or Ulrek were snatched out of their personal scrape. The cavalry had arrived.
“We have to go now!” Moira ground out, looking at him with pleading eyes.
“No, we wait until our sniper takes out a few of his men first.” Calix remained firm. “We are outnumbered. That’s an awfully large team. You’d think he took most of his crew.”
“We can’t wait! Please, we must save her. If we wait, it’ll be too late.”
As the only female crew member, the medic’s mate insisted on coming along to help welcome their captain’s new female into the fold. But now, Calix watched as Moira wrung her hands in frustration as the Dominion captain violated the female. But Calix had his reason for waiting.
“We have to go now!” Her tone was desperate.
“Wait!” Calix’s word was final.
A motion flashed from the tree line, and suddenly one of the enemy troops dropped to the ground. Then before those in the camp could react, one more on the outskirts was taken out by their silent sniper.
“Now!”
By the time Calix and his men reached the camp, the headcount for their sniper totaled six, bringing their opponent to more manageable numbers. Calix made his way to the center of the camp, where he found Ashe desperately working at his captain’s binding. Calix nudged her aside and cut through Zey’s binding with his boot knife. He clutched his best friend to his chest with a one-armed hug and then offered him a blaster and a pair of knives, which Zey quickly tucked into his boots.
“Let’s get your female to cover.”
Zey gathered the trembling Ashe into his arms. But it was obvious within a few steps that the effects of the tranquilizer had yet to wear off completely. His knees wobbled, and he stumbled. Calix caught them.
“Here, let me carry her.” Reluctantly, Zey transferred his precious cargo to his first officer. “This time, try to stay out of trouble, will you?”
Chapter 11
The fight didn’t last long. The Dominion troops, once bested by the element of surprise, chose smartly to retreat and regroup. During the hasty retreat, Zey managed to sink a thrown boot knife into Ulrek’s shoulder. With the drugs in his system still playing havoc on his body, his aim was too high to hit any vital organs. Ulrek had escaped, but the encounter had left him with a bruised ego and a smaller contingent. Zey hoped that the experience would prove too costly for the Dominion captain and convince him to stop pursuing him and his bounty. But somehow, he knew that was not the case. If anything, Ulrek now had a personal vendetta.
Zey waited outside the med bay aboard the Defiant, pacing a trench into the floor of his own ship. When he awoke after sleeping off the sedative, they told him that Ashe had decided to stay in the med bay rather than move into the captain’s quarters. Not only that, but she also didn’t want any visitors. He had not reacted well. That was hours ago.
When Sidas, his medic, came out, he demanded again to see Ashe. This was his ship, damn it! They couldn’t keep him out of his own med bay. They couldn’t keep him away from his own female. Sidas shook his head and called in an extra male to guard the door to the infirmary and suggested that Zey get some rest in his own quarters.
“Zey, you are one of my most trusted and dearest friends, and I honestly think you should give the female the space she asked for. She needs some space after what happened.”
“But—”
“But nothing! Moira is watching her now. She will talk to her.”
“Stars! Everything is a fucking mess.”
Zey punched his fist into the metal of the wall and immediately regretted it. He knew destroying his own ship would do nothing but cost him more in damages in the end. But what hurt more was that Ashe didn’t want to see him. All he could think about was her. He wanted to hold her, kiss her all over, and run his hands through her hair. He needed her, but she had told Sidas that she didn’t want to see him. Zey believed that he had failed to protect her. It seemed as though Ashe believ
ed so too.
Sidas took his childhood friend by the arm and led him away from the med bay. Calix joined them down the hallway and suggested they hit the common lounge for a drink.
“Are you sure alcohol is such a good idea?” Sid was always the cautious one. Zey had thrown Sid against the wall when the male had prevented him from going into the infirmary.
“Give the guy a fucking break, Sid!”
Calix took over and led Zey towards the lounge. Zey followed without enthusiasm. His companions sat him down and poured him a strong drink of Rhean spirits.
“Drink!” Calix demanded. He then poured himself a small glass and knocked it back without hesitation. The thick base of his tumbler hit the table with a loud thud.
With a grimace, Zey downed the bitters in one gulp.
“Now talk.” This time the demand came from Sidas. “I want to know what happened after you were taken from New Rhea.”
Ashe wrapped the blanket around her body, feeling sorry for herself. The room smelled sterile and antiseptic. She closed her eyes tight to shut out the interior of the ship’s infirmary and pretended she was in a hospital somewhere back on Earth. Slowly, she counted to ten.
One.
Two.
Three. She breathed the antiseptic scent into her lungs.
Four.
Five.
Six. None of this happened.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine. It was all a dream.
Ten! She opened her eyes. She was still in the med bay, Zey’s med bay.