Intergalactic Loyalties

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  Ariana had been on her way to the planet Narkov as a bride when space pirates overtook her vessel. She’d never been so scared in her life. A mix of races, the pirates had ranged from human looking to the most grotesque beings she’d ever seen. She’d feared for her life, and the lives of the other two brides. The pirates had taken them and locked them in a cell on their spacecraft. It had been weeks that they’d been kept under lock and key, and then they’d slowly been sold off to the highest bidder. Ariana had been the only one sold to the Keshpans, and she often wondered how those other women had fared.

  In the end, Ariana had been lucky. Other than her last day with Arko, he’d been fairly kind to her. That wasn’t to say her life had exactly been pleasant with him, but he wasn’t usually a cruel man. And now she had the joy of being with Bane. Perhaps it had been planned from the moment of her birth that she would end up on Keshpa and in the arms of Bane. She knew they could never be together in the sense of man and wife, but that didn’t mean she would love him any less. And if what he said was true, he loved her just as much, if not more so.

  Now if she could just get rid of the threat of Lafre. She had no doubt the woman was going to cause trouble, or at least try to. A jealous woman could be ruthless, and she would be a fool not to worry.

  * * *

  When Bane came home, all hell had broken loose. There was a major fight going down in the middle of the street. He recognized one of the men as a neighbor from down the street, but the other was a mystery to him. He looked rough though, and he wondered if the man wasn’t a space pirate. Keshpan law stated he had to report it, along with a statement of what he’d witnessed. To fail to do so could result in imprisonment or worse. But the last thing he wanted to do was bring danger to Ariana, and he had no doubt whichever man had started the fight would retaliate.

  Looking toward his house, he saw Ariana standing at the front door and nearly panicked. What if the men saw her, too? He hurried up the walkway to usher her inside. He looked back at the street, watching as the rough looking man buried a dagger in the other man’s stomach. Stepping back, he firmly closed the door, hoping the man didn’t realize he’d witnessed the murder.

  “Are you going to contact the Prime Minister?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “I don’t think that would be wise. What if they came after you?”

  “Bane, you have to tell someone! It’s the law. If anyone discovered you’d omitted your testimony, there would be hell to pay.” Her eyes looked fearful. “He just murdered that man in cold blood. He can’t remain loose.”

  “No one is going to find out we know anything unless you tell them. I doubt anyone saw me.”

  “But you can’t be sure!”

  “No, I can’t be sure. I just have to go on faith that we’re safe. I don’t know what I would do if you were taken from me. I could handle life in prison, but I don’t think I’d survive you being given to someone else. What would I do if you were injured? Your next owner might not be careful with you.”

  “Let’s worry about that when we have to. Right now, I’m more concerned about you. I really think you should call someone. Take the chance that something could happen. You know something bad will happen if you don’t.”

  He cupped her cheek, and she tried not to wince. The redness had faded, but the pain was still there. It didn’t go unnoticed and he frowned. “What’s wrong, Ari?”

  “Nothing. I, um, just bumped my face on the doorframe earlier. I turned too quickly when the COMM came on. Kiro called.”

  He didn’t look like he believed her, and he began running his hands over her body. She fought not to show any expression as his fingers passed over her ribs and abdomen. She knew there was a nasty bruise along her ribs, and she would have to hide it from him. Ariana hadn’t figured out how she was going to manage that, but she was determined that he not find out what happened. She had little doubt he would confront Lafre or her father, and that was the last thing they needed right now.

  One problem at a time. Witnessing the murder was definitely higher up the list.

  “Promise me you won’t bring it up, Ari. It isn’t safe for you to know what happened out there today.”

  “But if we just told someone --”

  “No! Do you honestly think the Prime Minister would protect you if that man has friends? He looks like a pirate, and I won’t chance you being taken -- or worse. As long as we pretend it didn’t happen, we should be fine.”

  Ariana wasn’t convinced, but she wasn’t going to argue with him at the moment. She could tell she wasn’t going to get anywhere. If her body wasn’t battered, she’d distract him with sex, but something told her that wasn’t a good idea right now. One look at her and he’d go off like a roman candle, and then she’d have no choice but to tell him what happened. She didn’t know what she was going to do about Lafre. Maybe something would come to her overnight.

  “What do you say to some comfort food tonight?” he asked. “I’ve become rather partial to several of your Earth dishes.”

  “Can that gizmo make a stuffed roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and honey glazed carrots?”

  He smiled. “Only one way to find out.”

  She followed him to the kitchen where he began pressing buttons on the cooking unit. The screen showed pictures of his selections, and she pointed out the appropriate ones. Once their meal was complete, they sat at the small kitchen table to eat. He told her about his meeting, and that he’d have to go out again first thing in the morning and would be gone until mid-day.

  She was sad to hear he’d be gone again so soon, but she understood he had to work. She was just thankful he did most of his work from the comfort of his home office so she wouldn’t be alone all the time. Not that Arko hadn’t left her alone plenty, but she was happy with Bane, content, and wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. She supposed that’s what love was, to some extent. She’d never been in love before so this was uncharted territory for her.

  After their meal, she convinced him she was tired and went upstairs to bed while he went to his office to work for another hour or two. She hated crawling into that bed all alone, but it was better than him trying to make love to her tonight. There was no way she could put him off for days though, so she would have to come clean sooner or later. She just hoped she had the situation in hand by then.

  Ariana closed her eyes and breathed deeply, ignoring the pain in her ribs when she did so. She thought about the state of affairs with Lafre, and the only solution she could come up with was to speak with Vryl. She doubted he would want to hear that his daughter was unstable enough to attack another woman. He might not even believe her, but she had to do something. She couldn’t very well stoop to Lafre’s level and hit the woman back, even if the idea was tempting. As a slave, Ariana knew she had no rights so going to the authorities about the attack wasn’t an option. If she were bonded to Bane, it would be different. Oh how she wished that could be the case! She couldn’t think of anything she’d love more.

  With a sigh, she rolled over and studied the moons through the window. There was no point wishing for things that would never come to pass. She’d heard that Vaaden had become advanced enough that their warriors were allowed to marry their slaves, but Ariana wasn’t fool enough to believe something like that would ever happen on Keshpa. There was nothing wrong with Keshpan women, other than their lack of stamina when it came to sex. If Keshpan men were given the chance to bond with their slaves, women who were more than capable of keeping up with them in the bedroom, then things would drastically change on the planet. She knew their government wasn’t ready for such a step, but it was a nice thought.

  Maybe she and Bane could move to Vaaden, she thought with a smile as sleep finally overtook her.

  Chapter Four

  Ariana stretched the next morning and slowly blinked to adjust to the bright light spilling through the window. A glance to her right showed that Bane was already dressed and gone for the morning. She wished he’d
woken her to say goodbye, but she knew he probably had thought it best to let her sleep.

  Pushing herself up in bed, she turned her head first to one side then the other in an attempt to crack her neck. She felt stiff, even though she’d had a good night’s sleep. Ariana shoved the covers off her and put her feet on the warm floor. She frowned, wondering if she needed to alter the temperature of the house. Was the heat from outside starting to seep through the walls and floor? The controls were the same as the ones in her previous living quarters so she knew how to work them.

  She padded around the foot of the bed, intent on the panel on the wall. As she fiddled with the buttons, trying to figure out what was wrong with the thing, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Her head didn’t turn quite fast enough and a large object barreled into her, knocking her flat. As she gasped, trying to gulp down much needed air, she realized it was a male body smashing her into the floor. How had he gotten in without the alarm going off? Had Bane forgotten to set it?

  Cold metal settled at her throat, and she realized he had a blade in his hand. The only people she knew of that dealt with old-fashioned blades and not lasers were pirates. Had Bane been right to be worried last night? Had the man in the street sent someone to harm them?

  “You’re much prettier than she said,” he said with a sinister smile. A predatory gleam entered his eyes, as he looked her over. “I bet I could get a good sum for you.”

  “My owner will give you whatever you want as long as you don’t hurt me.”

  “You’re never going to see him again. You might want to remember that and be nice to me.”

  Just the thought of being “nice” to the leering man on top of her was enough to make her shiver in revulsion. She had little doubt that he wanted her in his bed, and that was the last place she wanted to be. The only hands she wanted touching her body were Bane’s.

  “We’re going to take a little trip,” the man said. “I’d suggest you not scream or struggle. I’d hate to have to hurt you, but I’ll do what I must.”

  “I won’t fight,” she said softly. “Just don’t hurt me.”

  “That’s a good girl.”

  He lifted his body from hers and pulled her up off the floor. Reaching behind him, he pulled a rope out of his pants and quickly tied her wrists together. He leered down at her as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against his body.

  He pressed a finger against his ear, and she realized he had some sort of miniature COMM unit in it. “I’m ready, Xan. I have the package.”

  Warmth engulfed her body, and she gasped as the room around her shimmered and disappeared. In the amount of time it took for her to blink, she’d been transported from the comfort of her bedroom to a ship of some sort. Maybe she’d been right to assume the man was a pirate.

  The man’s arm loosened around her, and he began steering her through a door and down a long corridor. Stopping at a silver door with a small window, he entered a code and the doors slid open. He dragged her inside and shoved her down on the small bed. A quick glance around told her it wasn’t a cell, exactly, but she had no doubt that she was a prisoner.

  He lifted her bound hands, slid the knife between her wrists and began sawing at the rope. It broke and fell to the floor where he kicked it to the side. He’d tied it so tight there were red marks on her pale skin, and he rubbed them gently. It was a definite contrast to the man who’d tackled her in the bedroom.

  “This will be your room for as long as you’re with us, at least, until we decide what to do with you. Once we’re paid and you’re ours, things will change.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  He smiled, and it wasn’t a pleasant one. “Someone is paying good money to get you out of the way. She paid half up front and promised the other half once you were gone. Said we could do whatever we wanted with you.”

  She? Lafre! That bitch! Maybe keeping things from Bane hadn’t been such a great idea after all. If she’d said something last night, told him what happened, perhaps he could’ve confronted Vryl and done something. Now it was too late. What the hell was she going to do?

  “What’s going to happen to me?” she asked.

  The man shrugged. “Pretty as you are, could go one of two ways.”

  She swallowed hard. “And those would be?”

  “Well, you’re a slave so I’m sure you understand your value as a slave. Wouldn’t be hard to get a good sum for you, or we could trade you for weapons or other goods.”

  Slavery again. Didn’t that just sound peachy. “And my other option?”

  He rubbed a hand across his scruffy chin, the beginnings of a beard forming there. “Well, it gets rather lonesome travelling through space. Whores are available at just about any port, but it’s not quite the same as having a soft willing woman lying in your bed night after night. I suppose you could pick a crew member to partner with.”

  She tried not to throw up. Either way, she was looking at prostitution of some form. As a sex slave, and who knew what species she’d end up with next, or a “willing” partner to someone on board.

  A voice came across the COMM on the wall. “Bynt, report to the captain’s quarters. There’s been a new development with the slave.”

  He frowned. “What new development?”

  “That crazy woman has decided she isn’t paying our final payment until she’s bonded to the slave’s owner. But we’re still to hold her prisoner until the task is accomplished. Something about holding a death threat over his head. The slave’s I’m assuming.”

  Bynt sighed and shook his head. “Tell the captain I’ll be right there.”

  The COMM unit clicked off and Bynt turned his gaze back to her. “You’re a bit of trouble, aren’t you?”

  “You could’ve left me there. No one forced you to take the job.”

  He grinned. “True. But then, what pirate wouldn’t jump at the chance to abduct a beautiful woman?”

  “Who said I was beautiful? You hadn’t met me before you kidnapped me.”

  “A woman would only be jealous of someone beautiful, and I could tell that viper was plenty jealous of you. Besides, if a Keshpan was choosing you over one of his own kind, then there must be something special about you.” He raked her with his gaze from head to toe. “You don’t look very experienced to me, though.”

  “Bane didn’t choose me because of my sexual experience. He loves me, and I can promise he’ll stop at nothing to get me back.”

  “I’m kind of counting on that. I left a calling card of sorts when I took you. But I had my own reasons for doing so.”

  She wrapped her arms around her waist. “And what were those reasons?”

  “I’m hoping by the time he finds you, you’ll have settled on one of us. Imagine seeing the look on his face when his prized possession is completely content in another male’s arms. Not to mention, I’m always up for a good fight.”

  “Bane isn’t much of a fighter. He’s an inventor.”

  Bynt raised a brow. “We could use one of those on board. Wonder if he’d consider joining the crew.”

  Ariana fought back a laugh at the thought of Bane as a space pirate. He was such a gentle soul. She couldn’t imagine him pulling a dagger on anyone or getting in a fistfight, or any kind of fight really. He was a lover, not a fighter. Which made her situation that much more dire. Even if he found her, there was no way he was walking away with her, possibly not walking away at all.

  Bynt touched his brow, giving her a salute. “Later, princess. I need to see the captain. I’ll make sure someone checks on you in a bit.” He pointed to another door on the far wall. “If you want to clean up, you can do so in there. It’s small, but serviceable.”

  She watched as he walked away and part of her wanted to call him back, if for no other reason than she didn’t want to be alone. Yes, he’d kidnapped her, held her at knifepoint, but he hadn’t hurt her. Not really. Under other circumstances, she would probably like the pirate. His teeth were a little
more pointed than a human’s, his nose flatter. His eyes were a pretty gold color. There was only one thing he could be -- Tarnan. She’d heard of them, even seen pictures before she’d left Earth. They were known as warriors but it was also said they protected women, having lost most of the females on their own planet.

  Were the other crew members Tarnans, as well? There was no telling whom she would meet on this horrible trip. Best to prepare herself for the worst. She only hoped they didn’t have any Zarltans. Nasty, ugly creatures! If moles were snotty and walked upright like a human, they would be Zarltans. That’s the closest comparison she could come up with. She’d seen one when she’d been captured before and hoped it would be the last time.

  Ariana got up and explored her small quarters, stopping to look out the window. There was an endless sea of darkness with thousands of twinkling stars. She could even see other planets in the distance. She had no clue where she was in space, but she hoped it wasn’t far from Keshpa. Even if Bane did figure out who had her and decided to go on a rescue mission, he’d still have to requisition a spacecraft and crew. Something that would take time. Whether she liked it or not, she would be here for a while. Her life depended on her making the best of the situation. Perhaps if the crew thought she was trying to get to know them, they would be nice to her. It was worth a shot, anyway. But hell if she was going to sleep with any of them!

  * * *

  Bane felt his heart racing as he began to panic. He’d searched every room, twice, and still he couldn’t find Ariana. There was no note telling him where she’d gone, and as far as he could tell, she hadn’t changed out of her nightgown. He walked through the bedroom once more, and something went skittering across the floor. Frowning, he bent down to retrieve the metal object. It was a small disc but not just any disc. It belonged to some of the most feared pirates in the galaxy, the crew of the Lynten 12.