by Mel Teshco
The lieutenant’s smile was obscene. “Oh, come on now, that’s not the welcome I’d hoped for.” He lifted his hands, his fatigues blending into the surrounds. “Can’t you at least pretend to be glad to see me?”
Rage filled her from the inside out. “You sick, twisted fuck. Your sexmeth might have fooled me into thinking I wanted you. But no more.”
He chuckled, and chills slipped down her spine, cooling the heat of her ire. “So, what? You’ve moved on to bigger and better things now?”
“Tristan is more of a man than you’ll ever be.”
Zane’s chuckle cut off, a gleam lighting his eyes. “More of a man? He’s a whites prisoner because he murdered his own family.”
She shook her head. Even if she’d accepted such a travesty as the truth, something in his voice didn’t ring true. “I don’t believe he did that any more than you do.”
The lieutenant stepped toward her, driving into her personal space. She resisted squirming as his face moved close to hers. His voice was a deranged whisper. “Then you’d be right. I was the one who ordered his precious wife and fetus killed.”
Oh my god.
She’d thought him capable of a lot of things, but not murder. No. Not even Zane. “Why?” she breathed.
His eyes glowed contemptuously. “My father loved his precious works of art, far more than he did his own family. He was Tristan’s biggest supporter. I guess that’s why he offered Tristan and his wife a suite of rooms at the towers, even as so many of my father’s former friends were outside, hammering on the doors, pleading to be let in.”
“So you killed them out of jealousy,” she whispered. He smiled, and his heated breath fanned her ear. “You’re a monster,” she hissed.
She felt hot and then suddenly cold, a buzzing in her head warning her that she was close to passing out. She took in slow and steady breaths until the sensation passed.
“First I had the pair of them kicked out of the towers, after planting dear old dad’s favorite, priceless sculpture in 1588’s art supplies.” He shrugged. “Father was most distressed. Even I, his precious only son, couldn’t console him.”
“Did Tristan know you’d set him up?”
Zane laughed. “He didn’t even know his patron had a son! I was relegated to a small apartment on the ground floor—nice and close to the dangers of the outside world.”
Rita closed her eyes for a second, needing room to breathe. It explained a little of Zane’s twisted mind, but he’d still endured far less than so many, and they’d turned out far better than he had.
The lieutenant continued. “After they were thrown out, it was all too easy to have them followed while I planned my next move.”
Realization hit her, and her eyes flew open. “You killed Tristan’s family so he’d be under your control. You wanted to be the one holding the power, not your father.”
Zane nodded. “So, you’re not just a pretty face with a hooker’s body after all.”
“And you’ve not forgotten how to charm your way into a woman’s good graces.”
He straightened and stepped back, his fucked-up brow forming a disdainful arch. “Maybe you’re not so smart after all,” he jeered.
“I never said I was perfect.”
“You sure have one prisoner fooled.” His lip curled. “Speaking of whom … if you ever want to see him again, you’d better come with me.”
She resisted telling the lieutenant that at any moment a mound of paperwork would arrive at her cabin, which would allow her to do much more than “see” Tristan. It would also keep the lieutenant well away from her. But telling him that wouldn’t be in her or Tristan’s best interest. Not just then.
She nodded stiffly and fell into step behind him. “What is it you want from me?”
“Oh come on now, surely you understand?” He glanced back at her. “But we both know you’re not going to give in that easily, not this time. Not without some kind of incentive.”
Her hands fisted. “Having me in your bed isn’t really what you want from me though, is it?”
His spine went rigid. “Is that right?”
“Keeping me under your thumb means you also control Tristan, and therefore, to some twisted extent, your father.”
Even without seeing his face, his chuckle was a dead giveaway. She’d hit the nail right on the head. “You know the best thing about all this?” He glanced back at her. “It doesn’t matter that my wine has been taken, they won’t find a damn thing. And I don’t need to use sexmeth on you again anyway. You’ll be as malleable as any puppet.”
Her belly sank to her toes. Did he realize she was the one who’d requested the drug test? It seemed absurd that just a few signatures stood between her and Tristan’s freedom.
Zane’s office was the last place she expected him to bring her. She’d half-expected him to take her to a dungeon or a dark, hidden chamber. Somewhere more suited to the lieutenant’s evil nature.
She stepped into the office, her eyes instantly drawn to the artwork on the wall. It was the picture of Rita and Zane that Tristan had been forced to paint. If one peered hard enough, a person might guess who the pair in the painting was, but Tristan had done a fine job of making them almost impossible to identify, even as the scene screamed passion.
She turned to Zane. “Where is Tristan?”
The lieutenant threw her a mocking look. “1588 will be delivered here shortly.”
He strode behind his desk and poured himself a splash of a whiskey-like substance. So his wine had already been confiscated. The lieutenant must realize she was behind it all. Either way, the amber-colored alcohol clearly wasn’t the ship’s home brew. It seemed Zane’s daddy must have cared at least a little about his only son—he’d clearly made sure he wouldn’t go without the finer things in life, no matter what the rest of mankind had to suffer through.
He looked up. “I don’t suppose you’d like to partake?”
She didn’t bother replying. Instead, she stood still and frigid. She could play the waiting game.
Perhaps five minutes later—she was counting every second—a knock sounded on the door. Zane leaned back in his chair, a bemused and arrogant look on his face. “Come in.”
The door clicked open and Tristan was led into the room. Three guards held him, all of them people she knew, or had come to know.
Beth was stony-faced and silent. Stuart appeared mildly flustered, his jaw clenched, dimples nowhere to be seen. Then there was the guard who’d shepherded her from class. She’d never noticed his name despite the fact it was on his uniform.
More mind games from the lieutenant? He’d get off on the fact that the few people she’d come to know would be commanded to do something to hurt her. It was a shame Beth was her only true ally.
Like a magnet, her attention was drawn to Tristan. Though visibly tired, he appeared otherwise in good spirits. He was far from beaten down.
“1588,” the lieutenant drawled. “Take a seat.”
Tristan kept whatever thoughts were going through his head to himself. He did as he was bid and lowered his big frame onto the plastic orange seat on the other side of the desk.
Zane pushed back onto his feet, then leaned forward and thrust his outspread hands on his desk. His focus was entirely on the prisoner. “I guess you know what this is all about?”
Tristan appeared nonchalant, even relaxed. “You want me to stop seeing Rita.”
Zane smirked. “Exactly. Glad we have an understanding—”
“Not. Going. To. Happen.”
The lieutenant’s smirk was wiped right off his face. And although Rita wanted to kiss Tristan full on the mouth, all her joy was tied up in the countless knots in her belly. Within less than a minute, Zane had lost control. He’d hate that, particularly in front of his subordinates.
The lieutenant’s jaw tightened. “Are you disobeying an order, prisoner?”
Tristan’s eyes blazed. “You’re not my commander. You’re nothing but a murderer.”
&
nbsp; Rita pressed a hand to her mouth. What the hell? How had he found out? Even Zane stood silent and staring for a second. Then he nodded and the unnamed soldier pulled out a pair of bolt cutters and pushed Tristan back into his seat.
Zane turned to her. “The prisoner will have one finger taken off at a time until he agrees to keep away from you.”
The knots in Rita’s stomach tightened. Tristan just might lose every finger he owned. She stared aghast at Zane. “You know you won’t get away with this.”
Zane straightened, his arms crossing over his brawny chest. “Don’t you understand? I already have. I’m the lieutenant. I keep law and order. I ensure the prisoners know their place.” He shook his head, his hard stare boring into hers. “And they do know their place … until someone like you comes along and makes them forget they have no rights.”
Tristan didn’t struggle. All his attention was on her. “I won’t listen to him, Rita. I won’t let him control me. If we give in to him now we’ll forever be dancing to his tune.”
It was like being in a nightmare and having no way of waking up. Her breathing was ragged and heavy, her heart about to explode from her chest. She couldn’t let Tristan lose his fingers. Not being able to paint would be worse than a slow death for him.
She turned her attention to the guards. She read the first one’s shirt and acknowledged him at last. “Jackson.” She turned to the other guards. “Stuart and Beth. You don’t want to do this.”
Beth bit into her bottom lip. Even Jackson looked indecisive. Stuart was the only one she had to worry about. He hated the prisoner, or at least, hated the fact that one of their own had chosen a whites prisoner over an officer.
Zane’s laugh was malicious. “Are you trying to get these lawful soldiers to disobey a direct order?”
She looked Beth full in the eye. “The lieutenant was putting sexmeth in my wine. It’s why I stayed with him … why I thought I wanted to be with him.” She looked at the men. “But it’s rape, pure and simple.”
The guards exchanged horrified looks. But this was the time to stand up for herself. Tristan couldn’t lose his fingers, his tools of trade. If he couldn’t paint, he’d be branded useless and unwanted. He wouldn’t even be able to do hard labor on Solitaire.
“That’s a lie.” But Zane’s bluster held little conviction. “The little gutter slut loves to fuck.” He swept a hand toward Tristan “Why else would she have slept with me and then a criminal? An insane one, at that?”
Stuart nodded, then took the bolt cutters from Jackson’s hands. “I’m not afraid to do the dirty work for my commanding officer.”
Rita stood tall, her voice ringing out. “I’m your Chief Officer too. And sexmeth is illegal. Surely your loyalty doesn’t go that far?”
Zane’s stare hardened. “No more talking. Private Stuart, take off the prisoner’s thumb. That’s an order.”
Rita stepped toward the soldier and put a hand over the bolt cutters in his shaking hand. “I have paperwork signed by the Major himself confirming that Tristan and I have full backing to stay together.” Her stare dropped to Tristan’s. “As husband and wife.”
“Bullshit!” Zane bellowed, his voice thick with ill-concealed rage.
“Is that true?” Tristan asked her quietly, intently, as though there was no one else in the room.
She nodded. “It is.”
With the soldiers left with no choice but to restrain their lieutenant, Rita knew she couldn’t wait any longer to reveal the depth of her true feelings. She dropped onto one knee, her attention solely on the man she loved. “Tristan, will you marry me?”
His smile was all lopsided and tender, his eyes glistening. “Chief Songworth, I thought you’d never ask.”
“Give me those!”
Rita tore her stare from Tristan’s as the ballistic lieutenant broke free and grabbed hold of the bolt cutters. She stood and murmured, “One second.”
As Zane twisted to face his prisoner, she pulled back a fist and slammed it into his face. Pain radiated down her arm even as blood gushed from Zane’s nose.
The bolt cutters clanged onto the floor. “The bitch broke my nose!”
Stuart muttered something about the hospital before he and Jackson dragged Zane from the room. Beth didn’t bother covering her grin. Giving her a lewd wink, she said, “You know where to find me if you need a witness.”
When Beth had left the room, Rita refocused on Tristan. She bit into her bottom lip. “Sorry, I know that was probably the one thing you most wanted to do to the lieutenant. But I didn’t want you back in the Box. And I have paperwork stating he’s to keep away from me. It was self-defense.”
She prayed the paperwork had arrived. Either way, she thought the Major was a fair man, despite being old money like the lieutenant.
Tristan grinned, his eyes alight with love and adoration. “I can’t say I’ve ever been more turned on than I am now, watching my woman defend my honor.” He stood. “The only thing I ask is that I get to carry you across the threshold to your room, right now.”
She giggled as he swept her up into his arms. He kissed her, slow and sweet and hot. “I love you,” he said huskily.
Her heart swelled, her emotions running unchecked. “I love you too.”
Ten minutes later, when she finally managed to unlock her door, much to Tristan’s amusement, she realized that no matter what the future held, no matter which planet they lived on, she’d found true happiness.
Tristan MacFallan. Her lover. Her soul mate. And her soon-to-be husband.
About Yours to Command: ES Siren 2
He would do anything to protect her, if only she’d let him.
Corporal Sienna Jade wasn’t given a choice about joining the mission to Unity. Seen as a troublemaker after reporting an assault by a senior officer, the army wanted her gone. Sienna resents the army for assigning her to Earth Ship Siren, and suspects the fleet's Unity mission will fail. But others would do anything to escape Earth ...
Alex Tariel knew his only chance to get a place on ES Siren was as a prisoner, so he stole water rations. As a former construction foreman, his skills make him a valuable prisoner on board, but still a prisoner unable to control his own life. Instead of keeping his head down, he gets involved in the fights set up for gambling privilege tokens, the only currency aboard ship among the prisoners.
Getting patched up by Corporal Jade might be the best thing that’s happened to Alex on the trip so far, but becoming her ship husband puts him between her and the lieutenant who tried to kill her for kicks on Earth. While Sienna tries to keep control of her feelings for Alex, Alex would do anything to protect her, if only she'd let him.
As ES Siren faces its first crisis, a little trust and love goes a long way.
For more information, please visit momentumbooks.com.au/books/yours-to-command-es-siren-2/.
About Yours to Desire: ES Siren 3
A man more potent than any drug.
It’s 2202 and on board ES Siren, the brilliant Doctor Lily Kwan has worked in secret to develop an antidote for the aphrodisiac rape drug, sexmeth.
She’d be overjoyed if it wasn’t for an embarrassing problem: the antidote has no effect on her extraordinary reaction to Connor Madison, the Siren’s tough quartermaster. Scientifically, it should be impossible, but the man's a raging fever in her blood. If a single dark glance sets Lily on fire, a kiss might kill her dead – but what a way to go!
A former gang rat from the slums of a dying world, Con came up the hard way, so when geeky Doctor Kwan tops his hit list of possible drug runners, nothing's going to save her—not her family’s money, nor her clever mind.
Not even the smile in her eyes.
For more information, please momentumbooks.com.au/books/yours-to-desire-es-siren-3/.
About Mel Teshco
As a rather quiet, introverted child, Mel Teshco would never have believed it possible she’d one day be making a living writing hot, erotic stories and meeting so many other wonderful writ
ers. She can most often be found at her computer, giving into her childrens’and/or cats’ demands and occasionally/often drinking home brew, which brings out her sociable (i.e. loud) side. Her long-suffering husband is still waiting for retirement.
She loves hearing from readers and will answer all emails from her [email protected] e-address.
First published by Momentum in 2014
This edition published in 2014 by Momentum
Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd
1 Market Street, Sydney 2000
Copyright © Mel Teshco 2014
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. This publication (or any part of it) may not be reproduced or transmitted, copied, stored, distributed or otherwise made available by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical) or by any means (photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.
A CIP record for this book is available at the National Library of Australia
Yours to Uncover: ES Siren 1
EPUB format: 9781760081935
Mobi format: 9781760081942
Cover design by Danielle Maait
Edited by Vanessa Lanaway
Proofread by Thomasin Litchfield
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