Pleasure Planet

by Beverly Havlir

  He reached out a hand to touch her, only to stop halfway. He’d better not. He needed to get to his ship. I’ll be back, Ava. Before he opened the door, he did a sweep of the outside. Satisfied that nobody was about, he stepped out and disappeared among the dense foliage.

  At the outer edge of the forest, he teleported back to his ship. Seconds later, he was striding through the transport bay to the operations room.

  “What did you find?” he asked without preamble.

  Logan and Jed looked up from a bunch of imprints from the onboard computer.

  “There some strange readings here, Tris,” Logan replied, pointing to the middle of the imprint.

  Tristan looked at the readouts. “Karn’alian life force?”

  Jed nodded. “Two. But they’re different.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked the younger man.

  “See here,” Jed pointed out. “Karn’alian life force leaves a definite mark, a certain energy read that enables us to find them. These two are of varying levels.”

  Tristan frowned. “Which means?”

  “They’re not wholly Karn’alian,” Logan supplied the answer. 83

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  “We think they might be descendants,” Jed piped in. “But we’re getting no other Karn’alian reading from the whole planet.”

  Peering closer at the imprint, Tristan looked at the coordinates of the reading.

  “They’re far apart.”

  Logan’s blunt finger rested on the paper. “This one is located in the middle of the city. Jed mapped it and we’re fairly positive it’s inside the High Council compound.”

  “And the other one?” Tristan asked.

  Logan and Jed looked at each other before the younger man spoke up. “It’s in the direction of the forest. If my coordinates are right, it’s right where you were last night.”

  Tristan froze in shock. “She’s Karn’alian?”

  “I was hoping you’d be able to tell us,” Logan replied quietly. Tristan could feel himself reddening. He hadn’t bothered to scan because he’d been too busy fucking her. He pulled in a deep breath, cursing himself for getting so easily distracted. “There’s no other dwelling nearby. It’s her.” His lips tightened grimly. “Let’s get a more comprehensive reading on the other spike. Then we’ll head out to retrieve both of them.” He turned away, surprised and pleased at the discovery. Ava was Karn’alian? Even better. Last night he’d made her his. This discovery sealed her fate. He couldn’t wait to get his woman.

  * * * * *

  When morning came, Ava blinked the sleep from her eyes and rolled over. The space next to her was cold and empty, telling her that Tristan had left some time ago. She smiled dreamily. Oh, what a night it had been. She’d lost track of how many times she’d come. She stretched and smothered a yawn. There was a welcome soreness in different parts of her body.

  With a sigh, she hugged a pillow close to her. It had been hours since he’d touched her, but her blood still sang. All night long he’d feasted on her pussy. She grinned. And other parts of her as well. He was a master when it came to giving pleasure. A little shiver ran through her. She could still feel the rasp of his tongue on the tender tissues of her pussy and her clit. He’d made her come so many times that she’d been weak and limp by the time he was done with her.

  All the pleasure implements she’d used before were nothing compared to the real thing. Reality was much better than imagination. A living, breathing man with a fantastic cock beat a toy any day.

  Would she see him again? Would he come back? With a dreamy smile on her face, she snuggled deeper under the blanket. Maybe he’d come back tonight. She hoped so. She’d love to spend another night with him.

  But what if they were discovered? The thought drew her up short, stopping her daydreams. There would be hell to pay if the authorities found out. A long time ago, she’d lost her virginity to a boy who’d actually liked her before he found out that she 84

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  was a half-breed. Since half-breeds weren’t allowed sexual encounters, she’d been locked up in an isolation cell as punishment. She shuddered. She never wanted to go through that again.

  Ava came back to reality with a rude thud. Nothing had changed. She was still a second-class citizen ostracized by a society obsessed with genetic purity. A series of peremptory knocks on the door gave her a start. There was only one person she knew whose knock was as arrogant as that. Malek. With her lips set in mulish lines, she pulled on a robe and opened the door. She deliberately blocked the doorway. “What can I do for you, Malek?”

  The man standing outside her door was typically Erosian. Handsome and physically perfect, but hollow inside. He gave her a mocking smile. “Pleasant morning to you, too, Ava.”

  She hastily wiped all expression from her face. It wouldn’t do to let this man have even a quick glimpse into her mind. Malek was a scheming, cunning, ambitious snake. As special advisor to the Erosian High Council, he held sway over some very important decisions and was privy to the goings-on inside the council chambers. He smoothly slid inside, brushing against her so close she had no choice but to move back and let him in. She didn’t miss the sweeping glance he gave the room. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the doorknob tightly. “Looking for something?”

  Malek turned in a slow circle, his sharp eyes taking in the mussed sheets of the bed.

  “I had a report of a slight disturbance last night.”

  Ava schooled her features into a blank mask. “Disturbance?”

  He stared at her for a moment before he nodded. “Yes. The guards I posted outside thought they heard a man’s voice.”

  She tilted her head and met his gaze head-on. “They’re mistaken. Why don’t you check the vid-monitors you installed in here?”

  Malek pursed his lips as he looked at her, ignoring her comment. “I want to remind you that you are not allowed to entertain men here. Nor are you allowed sexual assignations.”

  “How can I forget?” she snorted. “The guards you have following my every move remind me of it all the time.”

  His eyes turned dark. “You are a half-breed, Ava. A half-breed promised to the King of Neehaleese.”

  “You want me to whore for Eros.”

  Malek’s nostrils flared. Ava glared at him in defiance. One’s physical appearance had nothing whatsoever to do with the ugliness they harbored inside. Malek was proof of that.

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  “The Neehaleese ruler has taken a fancy to you. He’s been waiting for a long time, Ava. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to go to Neehalee and fulfill your part of the bargain.”

  “A bargain that I did not make,” she snapped with cold fury. His eyes flashed in anger. “May I remind you that the only way you can secure your brother’s release is if you cooperate?”

  She threw him a bitter look. “How can I forget? Every day I wake up, I remember that you hold my brother captive against his will.”

  Malek’s smile was smug. “Yes. I’m glad you haven’t forgotten that one small detail. If you care for your brother, you will not disobey the Council on this, Ava.” He raised an eyebrow. “Unless you want him sent to the mining colonies?”

  Ava’s eyelids lowered, hiding the hate she felt for this man and everything he represented. The Council knew she would never let her beloved brother be sent to the awful mining colonies. “I know what my obligations are. You have no need to remind me,” she declared in stiff tones.

  His cold Erosian-gold eyes slid over her body. Lust flared in their depths, and a sliver of dread crawled down her spine. Ava drew the edges of her silk robe tighter together.

  “There is another way.”

  Her skin tightened with revulsion at his words. She knew what was coming next—

  she could almost see the words forming in his mind.

  “You’re a beautiful woman, Ava. Quite stunning.” Malek walked in a circle around her. Though she didn’t turn, she
felt the imprint of his gaze. She tried to suppress the shudder that tore through her.

  Malek halted in front of her. “I could convince the Council to send another woman in your place.”

  Ava glared at him, anger welling up inside her.

  He ran a fingertip down her arm. “I could give you a better life. Take you away from this little cabin in the middle of the forest.”

  “In exchange for what? Becoming your whore?” she retorted bitterly. He shrugged. “You’re willing to whore for an old King, why not me? I could secure the release of your brother and send him someplace else to live the rest of his life.” His tone was persuasive, smooth. “Think about it. No more enduring the stigma of being a half-breed. If you were mine, nobody would dare say anything about you.”

  She sniffed disdainfully. “I’m not interested.”

  His nostrils flared in anger. “You would rather let that gnarled, old Neehaleese monster put his hands on you?” He advanced toward her. “He’s pushing ninety. Rumor has it he needs extra stimulation to get aroused. He likes his cock sucked for hours, Ava, before he can achieve an erection.” His lips parted in a malicious grin. 86

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  “Would you rather do that? Or would you rather sleep in my bed and let me rut between your thighs?”

  I’d rather die. She retreated until the small table behind her stopped her movement.

  “The Council has decreed that no full-blooded Erosian can mate with a half-breed. You can’t break the law.”

  Malek’s chest puffed out in an arrogant gesture. “You underestimate my power and influence over High Councilman Drago. A well-placed suggestion, a word of advice in his ear, and he’ll be convinced he’s doing the right thing in letting me have you.”

  Ava lifted her chin in defiance. “This alliance with the Neehaleese King is too important for Eros. The Council won’t renege on the agreement.”

  “Do you think you’re the first? Hardly. There have been three before you, Ava. Three women sent to the Neehaleese King to use and discard.” His gaze was triumphant as he watched all the color drain from her face. “He’s convinced he’s still able to sire an heir, and when the women don’t quickly become pregnant, he gets rid of them.”

  “You’re lying,” she whispered in horror.

  “Believe what you like. But the Council turns a blind eye because they need Neehaleese aid too much to stir the pot.” He shifted closer. “You’re not the first and you won’t be the last.”

  Ava swallowed the bile in her throat and forced her gaze to meet his head on. Showing him any kind of weakness would be fatal.

  “You care about your brother, don’t you?”

  She didn’t answer.

  His lust-filled eyes roamed over her barely covered form, lingering on the soft thrust of her breasts against her silk robe. “You’d do well to remember that I could give Kell the protection he needs. It would be such a tragedy if he was to suffer an accident and perhaps…die.”

  She clenched her fists in anger. “You bastard!”

  “Tsk, tsk. Name calling will get you nowhere.” He touched her cheek. “I could make life very difficult for you and your brother.”

  Her eyes threw off sparks of amber fury before she averted her face. “If you think that threatening me will make me change my mind, you’re mistaken. I’ll find a way, Malek. I’ll find a way to get my brother out of the prison you’ve put him into and get us off this planet.”

  “I do believe you just threatened to commit an act of sedition,” he stated in a smug voice. “That will earn you some punishment. Guard!”

  The door opened and a guard came in, holding his weapon in his hand. His glance flicked from Malek to Ava. “Yes, Sir?”

  Malek strode to the door, pausing to talk to the burly man. “She threatened to escape. Take her to an isolation cell until further notice.” He gave her a last glance. “If 87

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  you know what’s good for you, you’d do well to curry my favor. Maybe a few days’

  confinement will help you see things my way.” His eyes slid lasciviously over her one last time before he walked away.

  The guard grabbed her arm and snapped on magnetic handcuffs, tightening them brutally. Ava winced in pain and struggled wildly. “At least let me put on some clothes.”

  He shot her an evil grin. “Just following orders.” He stared at her chest, exposed between the lapels of the robe that had gaped open in the struggle. She pulled it closed, grimacing in pain from the handcuffs, and gave the guard a malevolent stare. “Touch me and they will kill you.”

  He laughed. “You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?” He pulled her roughly along, tossed her into the back of a hover cruiser and took her to a remote part of the forest. In a few moments, he stopped the vehicle and led her to the isolation cells buried underground. He took off the magnetic handcuffs and pushed her into the small chamber. Ava landed with a small whoof, curling her legs protectively underneath her to soften her fall. Rubbing her reddened wrists, she looked up in time to see the smirk on the guard’s face before the door slammed into place, plunging the cell into darkness. Hot tears of impotent fury rolled down her face. Oh, how she despised that man!

  Malek was becoming more and more dangerous, far too aggressive, and this time he hadn’t hesitated to dole out the punishment he knew she hated the most. She’d always been afraid of tight, enclosed spaces. She trembled, fear clutching at her insides. The isolation cell, buried eight feet from the surface, had no lights. A thin sliver of sunlight shone through the slats that allowed fresh air into the cramped, stuffy room. At night, it was the worst. It was so dark, Ava couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. The walls felt like they were closing in on her.

  She paced back and forth in the tiny space, wiping away her tears with determination. Malek would not win. She wouldn’t allow him to win. One way or another, she would get her brother off this hateful planet. She had to think of a plan and act soon before it was too late. She needed to get Kell out of his confinement and secure passage to somewhere else, anywhere else, as long as it was away from here. She would do anything to protect Kell. Her brother was her only family, and they had sworn to their mother to take care of each other. She wasn’t about to stop now. I’ll get us off this planet, Kell. I promise. How, she didn’t know. But she had plenty of time to think, now that Malek had thrown her in the isolation cell. She had to come up with a plan. The sooner the better.

  * * * * *

  A three-dimensional image of the topography of Eros appeared before the three warriors. Jed pointed at a location in the middle of the image. “This is the High Council 88

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  compound, comprised of ten buildings. Somewhere in here is the other Karn’alian reading.”

  “Security?” Tristan asked.

  “Heavy,” Logan replied. He punched some buttons and more images came up.

  “Security towers, one through five. Elevated, manned continuously. Only one entrance and exit and security clearance is needed.” He looked at Tristan. “No clearance, no entry.”

  Tristan grunted. “We’ll find another way.”

  “I’m already on it,” Jed reported. “It’ll take me a couple of hours. I’ve launched a subterraneous probe to see if we can dig under.”

  Logan shot Tristan a curious look. “So she didn’t say anything that might have given you a clue to her identity?”

  A dull flush crept up Tristan’s cheeks. “Didn’t have the chance to talk,” he muttered.

  Jed masked his laughter by pretending to cough. “I wouldn’t waste my time talking either.”

  Logan stifled his own grin. “Good enough for me. At least we still have a tracker on our other quarry. We can find her easily enough.”

  Jed punched some buttons and frowned when nothing came up on the screen.

  “Huh,” he mumbled.

  Tristan’s gaze was sharp. “What is it?”

  “No reading on the tracki
ng device. Let me try something else.” Jed made some adjustments and tried to pull up the signal. “Nothing.”

  Tristan sought to calm the alien feeling of fear that gripped him. “Try again,” he commanded in a calm tone. “She’s still on the surface, correct?”

  “We’ve monitored all departures, and I’m positive she isn’t on any ship that left,”

  Logan replied. “Jed, you’re the best at this. Find her.”

  “I’m trying,” Jed muttered. “Nothing’s coming up. I’m not even reading the tracking device.” He glanced at Tristan. “It’s possible she’s out of range, or surrounded by interference.”

  Tristan’s went cold all over. Where the hell was she? Something was wrong, he just knew it. “We have to find her now,” he decided abruptly. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.” He led them to the transport bay. Pressing a button, a panel slid open noiselessly to reveal a cache of weapons. “Be discreet. We don’t want to alert authorities to our presence. Blend in. Find her and get out. Choose light weapons.” He picked a menacing, five-inch curved Karn’alian knife and holstered it to his side.

  “Do you want us to bring her here to the ship when we find her?” Logan asked, picking his own weapon of choice, a lethal pair of double-edged blades. Tristan nodded. “Make sure she’s unharmed. I want to know the second you find her.”

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  “Sure thing, boss,” Jed piped in. He chose a deadly sword and slipped it into its holster. Karn’alian Cyborgs were trained in the art of fighting with their hands, their minds and the use of their superior physical abilities. Even without weapons, they were a deadly force.

  They teleported to an isolated spot on the outer edge of the city. Their arrival was automatically masked with a holo-imager, and only a slight distortion could be detected visually. At Tristan’s signal, they set out in different directions. Jed and Logan headed to the heart of the city. He decided to go to the pleasure resort and start there. Entering the ornate foyer once again, Tristan pulled the cowl of his cloak lower, hiding his face. He glanced left and right, deciding to walk into the lounge where Ava performed the night before. It was empty.