by Renee Rose
How would she like to be Lundric’s prisoner? Tied up and available for his use. Or bent over his knee and punished for disobedience.
I will whip your ass until you scream.
Why did she almost want to push him into delivering such a consequence?
As if conjured by her lustful thoughts, Lundric strode in. He appeared tired and a little pale but still panty-dropping gorgeous. She hoped the pallor wasn’t from blood loss. If he’d been a human, that wound she’d inflicted could’ve been deadly. She shuddered to think how horrible she’d feel if Lundric were lying in the sick bay now, fighting for his life because of her. Sweet Mother Earth, how she prayed he hadn’t been downplaying it for her sake.
Rok launched into some kind of introduction, but she only had attention for Lundric. He stood at attention behind Rok, but his gaze immediately fell on her, as if he’d known where she sat from the moment he walked in the door. His eyes blazed with heat and a promise. A tingle of warmth swept through her, the memory of what they’d done the night before barreling into her mind and making her belly flutter. Veck, was she blushing?
“Looks like you’ve found a Zandian admirer, too,” Lily murmured.
“I stabbed him last night with his own dagger.”
Lily stifled a giggle, finally tearing her attention away from her mate to look at Cambry. “Well, I guess that’s the key. Maybe you have to significantly offend them to win their undying love.”
Undying love.
Her stomach clenched. That wasn’t what she and Lundric were about. Shared lust, yes. Mutual pleasure, absolutely. She’d already decided she wanted more. But she wasn’t looking for a mate. She had one boot out the door. As soon as she found her chance, she was escaping. And yeah, stealing one of their ships, just like Lily had. Heh.
Maybe Lundric would take her prisoner. Except she couldn’t be caught, and she wasn’t playing around. She needed to find and free her brother. Only then could she consider any kind of future with any species of being. Who knew? Maybe the Zandians would win their planet back, and she could return the ship and waltz back into Lundric’s life.
But no, her gut said he’d never forgive her for deserting.
She considered the intensity with which he’d treated her—watching over her, securing her safety, washing her leggings and returning them neatly folded in the middle of the night. He might not think this thing between them was as casual as she did.
Even that niggling worry couldn’t dissuade her from wanting more of Lundric, though. And soon.
~.~
Lundric couldn’t stop watching Cambry, his beautiful female. She’d blushed when he first saw her, her porcelain skin turning an enchanting shade of pink beneath the smattering of freckles. He wondered how she’d look with that mane of hair flowing free over her shoulders and around her face. Like a vecking goddess. He wanted to bury his fingers in it, wrap it up in his fist, tickle her breasts with the ends.
Rok gave the refugees the rundown on how training was going to go. Lundric had to admire Rok—he wasn’t one to hear himself talk. He kept it brief then ordered them to break into groups of twelve and assigned a Zandian warrior to each group.
“Take them to a ship. Let each one sit in the cockpit and handle the controls. There’s no better way to learn than doing. Test them until they have it down.”
He marched over to take Cambry’s group, which also happened to contain Rok’s female. Rok squared off with him. “I’ve got this one.”
He willed his jaw to relax. “You’ll need to make the rounds and supervise. I’ll take this group after you’re finished demonstrating.”
Rok’s mouth flattened into a thin line. Lily slipped her hand through his arm, and his shoulders relaxed by a fraction. She murmured something only he could hear, and Rok’s expression turned musing as he contemplated Lundric. When he turned to give Cambry the same look, though, Lundric growled.
Rok’s lips twitched. “I see. All right, Captain. We’ll go to the ship together, then.”
Lundric fell in beside Cambry as they walked to the hatch, where they each took an oxygen helmet for the short walk from the pod to the battleship. He resisted the urge to double-check Cambry’s to be sure she had it on correctly. Not only was she an intelligent, capable female, but she wouldn’t appreciate his treating her like a child. He’d seen the way she’d sat front and center for the meeting. She was there to learn. The best thing he could do was stay out of her way.
Once everyone had suited up, they stepped into the interim chamber then out onto the barren land of Shooku, the uninhabitable planet where the pod had crashed. Waterless and made of red dust, the planet’s landscape looked the same in every direction. Its air didn’t have enough oxygen content for their lungs, and the temperature was hot enough to make his clothes stick to his body within moments. They quickly boarded an airship and closed the hatch, crowding into the small cockpit.
“The only way to learn to fly is by practicing,” Rok announced, guiding Lily into the pilot’s seat. “That’s how I learned. It’s how you will learn, too. By the time we enter a real battle, you will know how to fly the hell out of these things.” He then explained every button switch and control on the panel.
One of the human males cleared his throat. “So, how exactly will this battle look?”
Rok flicked a glance at Lundric. A smuggler who had been raised away from Zandians, Rok wasn’t really one of them. He’d earned his position by being the best pilot of their species. “I’m not sure yet. My job is to ready pilots for the fleet. But Prince Zander and others like Captain Lundric have spent most of their lives preparing for this. Isn’t that right?”
He couldn’t deny the flare of satisfaction at the curiosity in Cambry’s gaze. “That’s true, yes.”
“How old were you when Zandia was invaded?” Rok asked.
He cringed. It was odd to have this bonding moment in front of every riveted being on the battleship. “Seven solar cycles. You?”
“Eight. How’d you survive?”
He swallowed hard. The memory wasn’t a pleasant one—not in the least. “I got lucky. I was off-planet at the time with my grandparents.”
Rok leaned past Lily and flicked on the engine then dropped into the co-pilot’s seat. “I escaped with a guard who was able to fly an ancient airship we found, no bigger than this one. If he hadn’t known how to fly, we would’ve died. It’s a skill every being should have. So, let’s get started.”
He instructed Lily and allowed her to take off and fly a few hundred meters before helping her land. “Lundric, take my seat. Let each student practice takeoff and landing—three times each, until they get the feel of it.”
“Yes, Captain.” He didn’t know what Rok’s exact title was, but since he answered to him, he thought he ought to give him one.
Rok’s lips twisted into a lopsided grin. “Am I a captain, now, too?” He bent his arm at a ninety degree angle in the traditional formal Zandian greeting but then threw it away with a cavalier, “Thanks, friend.”
Lundric lifted his chin at Cambry, inviting her into the pilot’s chair. He slid in beside her. She’d paid attention to Rok and was quick to execute the steps necessary for takeoff, as if trying to do them all before he prompted. He closed his mouth and let her do her thing, waiting until she had a question.
“So—like this?” She pushed on the controller.
He covered her hand with his, mostly because he couldn’t stand being near her and not touching that smooth pale skin again. He bumped the level to a higher speed. “Now, push it away from you, gently.”
The ship lifted, wobbled, and touched back down with a sickening jolt. All the beings groaned and shouted in protest as heads bumped and bodies jostled. Yeah, Rok’s method of training probably wasn’t the safest. They didn’t even have seats and harnesses for all the beings crowded on the ship. But who was he to complain? He got to tutor Cambry, which was all he really cared about.
“Let’s try again.” He hadn’t ta
ken his hand off hers. “Don’t think of the ship as separate from you. Become the ship. Close your lids and just feel—no, really—there’s nothing out here to hit. That’s it, shut your eyes and pay attention to how it feels. When is the right time to lift off?”
She accelerated, this time pressing down to launch the craft at exactly the right moment. It wobbled but immediately stabilized.
“You did it!”
Her lids flew open, and she beamed. “I did it!”
Stars, he loved that smile on her. It transformed her taut, serious features into divine radiance.
“Now, land. Eyes open, this time, but imagine you’re a bird alighting on the ground. You don’t want to stumble or trip as you come down. Adjust your speed—slower!—that’s it. Pull up now.”
She pulled up too hard, and he applied pressure to the back of her hand to level the craft out. It bumped and skidded to a stop, and the whole group laughed with exhilaration.
He grinned, reluctantly removing his palm from Cambry’s slender hand. “Next.”
~.~
Cambry would give anything for a shower.
With no water source on Shooku, the Zandians had ordered water on the pod be rationed. It could only be used as fast as the pod could recycle it, which was teeth-gnashingly slow. Captain Rok had announced while he understood every being wanted to bathe, they would only receive the privilege once a week, and they would not be permitted a shower or tub, just one small basin-full. Enough to dunk her head, not her body.
Cambry received her wash-card, and it was for five planet rotations from that day. After their flying lesson, which had been a thrill beyond what she’d hoped, there’d been more housekeeping. They were each assigned chores as the Zandians worked to establish routines and order from the chaos.
Lundric had disappeared—she presumed to sleep. At some point, he’d installed a simple but effective latch on the inside of her door, so even if she wanted him to, he couldn’t sneak into her room that night.
She perched on the edge of her cot, loneliness gnawing at her. Not the ache of missing Tal, which was still there, but a fresher sort of emptiness that could be caused only by the enormous horned warrior who’d taken an interest in her.
A tap sounded at her door, and she leaped up, forcing the grin from her face. She’d known he’d come. “It’s me,” he said softly.
It’s me.
Were they already at that stage? Shouldn’t she play hard to get, still?
But she already had the door unlatched, and he shoved it open.
“Take me to a shower, and I’ll let you take me.”
She hadn’t seen the cocky young warrior lose composure before, but he did now. Lundric’s jaw dropped then snapped shut with a frown. “What the veck?” he spluttered, clearly angry at her request.
Why? Because she’d propositioned him? Hadn’t that been what he was after?
She didn’t play the sexual card—not ever, but it felt easy with him. It felt safe. She leaned in and let the tips of her breasts brush against the hard ridged muscles of his stomach. “I don’t want you to touch me until I’m clean. It’s been a really long time since I’ve had a chance to bathe. Please, Lundric?”
The muscles in his jaw eased, somewhat, but he grasped her wrists and pressed her back against the door, wrists pinned beside her head. He was seven feet of solid, aggressive male giving off a threatening vibe, but she wasn’t scared. A low, persistent hum had started up between her legs.
“Do you make bargains like that often?” he snarled.
Ah. Jealousy. She could handle that. In fact, she rather relished it.
“No, Captain. Never.” It wasn’t a lie.
His eyes narrowed as he studied her face as if to determine culpability. “Sex is not a commodity between us, little female,” he growled. “It’s not something you trade or use to manipulate. You already belong to me.” He knocked her feet apart, shoving one hard thigh between her legs and pulling his knee up until he lifted her to her toes, suspended by her crotch. She rocked her pelvis forward, grinding her clit against the solid muscle.
“If you get my cock, it’s because I decide you deserve it. Understand?”
She sucked in a breath, too shocked to speak. White-hot anger flooded through her, along with a trace of fear, but behind it came fully charged lust, which overpowered her indignation.
He doesn’t mean it, she chanted to herself. This was the way he approached sex. She’d seen last night how he liked to dominate.
And still her hips undulated over his knee, as if he’d been offering her sex instead of threatening to deny it.
She moistened her lips, knowing it would catch his attention, loving the hungry way he stared at them. “Wh-what do I deserve tonight?”
His cock lengthened against her belly. When his mouth descended on hers, flames erupted behind her eyes, turning her vision to a lustful haze of sparking lights. He dragged his open mouth over hers, sucked her lower lip, nipped it. Magically, he had both her wrists pinned with one hand as the other cupped her throat, squeezing only enough for her to register the threat, not enough to hurt or actually block her windpipe.
Her pussy clenched as she neared orgasm from a kiss, alone.
She’d thought she knew what sex was all about. Had practiced with a few partners—other slaves at the factory. But this—what Lundric did to her—proved she’d never left the training ground. She knew nothing about blind pleasure, bone-melting desire, a willingness to give herself over to a male who wasn’t even remotely safe. He bit her lower lip again as he pulled away and stared down with a heavy-lidded gaze.
She’d been wrong. His irises weren’t brown—they were violet. And his horns had thickened and leaned toward her, as if they, too, wanted to dominate.
“Oh I definitely think you deserve a vecking,” he rumbled. With his body flattened against hers, his deep voice reverberated through her, sending shock waves down her inner thighs to her curling toes. He nipped her earlobe. “Long, hard and from behind. While you shower. Come on.” Abruptly, he released her, and she registered the loss of his body with acute disappointment.
He picked up her hand and led her out of the room, pulling the door shut tight, as if she had something in there worth stealing. Her palm felt small engulfed in his larger one, and she marveled at the gesture. It seemed like it ought to feel far more foreign to her than it did. She couldn’t recall anyone ever holding her hand before, and yet Lundric’s grip felt so right, so easy and normal and perfect. She followed him through the corridors, not caring about the curious glances they received from Zandians as they passed.
He took her to a small washroom and locked the door. His tunic and undershirt came off in one fluid motion over his head, during which time he bored a hole in her with his hot gaze. She gasped when she saw how much his stab wound had healed. It appeared weeks old instead of one planet rotation.
Lundric frowned. “Clothes off by the count of three. One…” His pants came off, and she stalled in her stripping as she stared at his gigantic cock. “Two.” His voice held a distinct note of warning.
She fumbled with the tie of her tunic and wrestled it off.
“Three.”
She shoved her leggings down off her legs.
“Too slow, baby. Next time I tell you to strip you’d better move faster or there will be consequences.”
Her pussy and anus clenched at the same time. Even her butt cheeks gave a little squeeze at the threat of punishment, the memory of his spanking the previous planet rotation making her breath quicken.
He strode to the shower, his huge cock bobbing as he walked. She joined him when he turned on the water, but he held her back with a hand on her forearm. “Wait, it’s too cold.”
Thoughtful warrior.
“Now.” He dragged her in.
She turned in the spray of warm water, not sure how long she’d have and wanting to get every part of her wet. Lundric turned it off and accepted a dollop of soap from the automatic dispenser.
He rubbed a lather between two palms. She moved to get her own soap, but he spun her around and shoved her up against the wall, his soapy hands coasting up and down her sides, over her backside, down her thighs. He lathered her inner thighs, stopping agonizingly close to her pussy but never touching it. He gave breasts the full treatment, however, kneading and squeezing them until they grew tight and heavy, pinching her nipples until her pussy spasmed.
“Spread your legs, Cambry.” Lundric’s voice sounded rough and gravelly.
She obeyed.
“How do you think I should veck you?”
“H-hard. From behind.” Wasn’t that what he’d promised?
His hand smoothed down her hip. “Good girl,” he murmured thickly just before he speared her with his erection.
She shouted at his girth, her body stretching to accommodate his enormous size.
“Good girl,” he repeated, moving with the most miniscule and maddening pulse inside her as she got used to being filled by him.
The words fell like jewels, glittering between them. No one had ever praised her, nor had she wanted anyone’s approval. But hearing his satisfaction made her belly flutter with excitement. She pushed her hips back to take him deeper.
He groaned. “You feel so good, Cambry. So. Vecking. Tight. He started to rock with more movement, filling her and easing back. He brought his mouth close to her ear, one hand sneaking around the front of her to stroke her clit. “You’re lucky I’m back on shift soon, or I’d veck you all night.”
She made a humming sound in her throat.
“Tell me something. Do you like having my cock inside you, pretty girl?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Who does this tight little pussy belong to?”
She balked at his possessiveness, but her hesitation only made him slam into her harder, lifting her to her toes and making her scream with pleasure. “You!” she shrieked. “It belongs to you, Lundric.”
He gentled his movements again, scything in and out in maddening thrusts. “That’s right, baby.” He traced a light circle over her clit. “My pussy. Mine.”