“Favored! Bah. Mahlia was supposed to be our gift of a lifetime, yet after less than two years with her, they took her away. The Creators play a cruel game, with us as the pawns.” Bitterness pervaded Malik’s words. “I don’t like the odds, or the rules, and decided long ago never to play again. A beautiful redheaded human is not going to make me change my mind.”
His brother’s face, usually a flat, emotionless mask of indifference, had darkened with anger and what Jaylin recognized as deep-rooted fear. The loss of their beloved wife had been heartbreaking, their grief unremitting. Jaylin thought the anguish would last an eternity. He had struggled to move forward, too, but, after a year had passed, although it still hurt, he realized a long, solitary life stretched out ahead of him if he didn’t break free of the pall of sorrow. And he missed the softness a woman brought to his hard life, the affection, the laughter, and, yes, regular sex.
Not true for Malik, who, as a second twin, had an intense sense of loyalty and devotion, one stronger than his own, it seemed. Five years later, he remained frozen and embittered. It had been as long since they had shared a female, something instinctive, like breathing among their kind. One-on-one sex was possible, physically gratifying, although not more than that. It scratched an itch, but didn’t satisfy the intuitive bonding necessary for a Trilorian male to be fulfilled. Somehow, he had to break through the glacial barrier his twin had erected around his heart and end this self-imposed celibacy, so they could both move on, together, how they were meant to.
He eyed the fiery-haired beauty on the screen. Perhaps someone like Daniella Alltryp could revive his brother’s hibernating sexuality and, once awakened, remind him how much loving—and living—he had ahead of him. After this mission concluded, he’d make getting Malik laid a top priority.
“I know what you are thinking. You can forget it. I won’t go there again.”
Jaylin looked up, certain he’d concealed his thoughts, but after thirty-two years, his twin knew him well.
“I loved her,” he went on to say in a harsh whisper. “I know you did, too. The difference is you’re stronger than me. I can’t endure another loss like that, Jay. It almost killed me. If it happens again, I’m not sure I can survive.”
He didn’t know what to say, stunned his twin’s ever-present shields had vanished. Gone was the mask of cool indifference, and before him stood the man he once knew, one who felt deeply, too much so, because he appeared shaken, raw, and afraid.
Still, it gave Jaylin hope. He hadn’t seen the real man in so long he’d begun to think him lost forever. “Mal—”
“No, please. We’ll find the girl and return her to Alltryp. But I’m keeping my distance, and so should you. Afterward, we reinstitute our no-females-on-board policy.” He spun on his heel and moved to the door. Facing away from him, he added, “I ask little of you, brother. My entire life I’ve followed your lead, watched your back, and have done what you’ve asked. In this, however, I will have my way.”
He glanced over his shoulder at him, and, in a blink, the damned mask slipped into place again. Jaylin wanted to roar in anger, demanding he return. Instead, he stared in helpless frustration at the brother he loved.
“I’ll go set the course.”
For a long time, Jaylin gazed at the empty doorway, at a loss for what to do. But he was stubborn like his twin, maybe more so because the determination to bring his shattered brother out of this perpetual limbo, surged within him. The only question that remained...how.
Chapter Three
Curled into a ball in the corner of the unheated cargo hold, Dani could focus on nothing except combatting the bone-chilling cold. Exhausted by overwhelming fear which had kept her awake these past three days, it didn’t seem relief would be coming anytime soon as she lay on the hard, unyielding floor without a blanket, much less a pillow for comfort.
Bound with her hands behind her back and to the wall by an ankle shackle, she had been this way ever since she awoke groggy from the gas they’d deployed. She hadn’t seen anyone else from her ship. She’d asked about the crew, but her questions had been met by silence from her captors.
Two more attempts to communicate had received the same response with the addition of a filthy rag stuffed in her mouth. It had remained in place, choking her for hours, until she thought for sure she’d die by suffocation. She hadn’t been so lucky, thinking death a better fate than whatever they had in mind for her. Finally, one of them came in with a tray of disgusting food, removed the gag, and untied her. With her throat parched, dry lips sore and cracked, and her stomach in knots, she hadn’t attempted to force a single bite down though she needed to keep her strength up to fight.
They removed the constricting shackle every so often to drag her to the toilet. Everyone gave her a few moments of privacy except Nestor, a disgusting, bug-eyed pervert who leered at her, making lewd comments. She tried to ignore him, but he made it impossible by insisting she beg to be untied. When she refused, he threatened to leave her bound and take down her pants and panties himself, something far worse since it meant he’d be touching her.
Hopelessness assailed her, and she closed her eyes, tired of fighting sleep. Except, in the dark, the sounds in the room grew louder, from the click of her chattering teeth, to the chug of the engines which had to be situated against the wall behind her because it vibrated with a metallic ring. All of it combined to keep her frazzled nerves on edge.
A boot jabbing into her ribs told her she was no longer alone. She flinched, guarding her tender side since this tended to be their typical greeting. Any movement wracked her body with pain. To prevent another kick, she forced her stiff body from its cramped position, a tug on her tender ankle reminding her of the heavy chain and shackle she wore.
When she didn’t move fast enough, an angry curse accompanied another sharp blow. Whimpering in agony, she rolled onto her back, her body weight pinching her hands against the hard floor. At the sight of the ugly, hooked nosed, sneering face leaning over her, she shrank back, although it wasn’t far enough to escape his breath which reeked from his rotten teeth.
If she’d had anything in her stomach, it would have come up all over him, earning her yet another hard boot tip between the ribs.
“Daddy’s time is up, princess,” he informed her, a cold edge to his nasty tone. “He didn’t pay, so you get to.”
She snorted in derision. “My father cares about two things, himself and lining his pockets. I told you he wouldn’t part with any of his precious credits, you fool—”
Another vicious jolt rammed home, this one aimed at her belly. It knocked the wind out of her, making her wheeze and cough until her eyes watered.
Spittle spattered her face when the captain shouted at her. “I told you to stop calling me stupid, bitch.” Hard fingers dug into her arms as he hauled her to her feet, and shoved her at one of his men.
Other rough hands caught her, and the man turned her to face him. With his pockmarked sallow skin, sunken eyes, and one brown snaggletooth hanging down in front, this pirate terrified Dani the most. Because, as cruel as Captain Rondo Cobb ever thought to be, this man, who they called Nestor, was worse. And he had one thing on his mind—getting in her pants.
“Strip the slut,” Rondo ordered. “And get pictures of all her fuckable parts. We’ll upload her profile to the intergalactic slave auction. Her pretty white skin, big tits, and fresh pussy should earn us enough to make this fiasco of a kidnapping worth our while.”
“No, please,” she cried.
The third man, who didn’t say much, grabbed her ankle and released the shackle. He got her feet while Nestor took hold of her under the arms, and, together, they lifted and started carrying her. Sobbing and struggling, she kicked, twisted, and clawed, not caring if she fell and broke her neck. They dropped her on a hard, flat surface, pinning her down with harsh hands. Nestor’s malicious grin filled her vision. He leered at her, licking his lips obscenely which sent a chill racing down her spine. Her reaction didn’
t go unnoticed, and he laughed.
Wasting no time, he ripped her already-torn dress down the front, tugged down her bra, putting on a show like he was following orders and stripping her, but, really, he groped what he had lusted after for days.
“Can I have me some before we sell her, Cobb?”
“I don’t give a fuck, and neither will her buyers.” The captain’s orders for her to remain unharmed and the expected ransom from her father had been all that stood between her and certain rape. She had to endure Nestor’s lewd looks and sly touches whenever Rondo wasn’t around, but nothing more, except their rough handling. With her protection eliminated, he was free to molest and rape at will, which he clearly intended to do straightaway.
He tore apart the front clasp of her bra, baring her breasts then began pinching and twisting her nipples. Her cries of pain and pleas for mercy only entertained him. Dani tried to get away. With her hands still bound and his buddy holding her ankles—waiting to be next in line, no doubt—her weak efforts were futile.
They were bigger, stronger, and had probably eaten in the past few days, where she had not. Desperate, she used the one weapon available, her teeth. When he rolled her toward him, to strip off the rest of her clothes, she bit the fleshy part of his arm and clamped down hard.
His sudden shriek of pain startled his partner who loosened his grip. Free, Dani came off the table. Without a plan, other than getting away, she lurched forward. She didn’t get far before a hand caught her hair and spun her back around, at which point, Nestor repaid her by landing a vicious backhand slap across her cheek and sent her reeling.
“Idiot!” Cobb roared. “Her price will suffer if she’s marked. Fuck her all you want, just be careful with the merchandise.”
“The bitch made me bleed,” he spluttered. “She deserves to suffer.”
“Go easy or you’ll get no pussy at all, hear me?”
“Won’t you get more money for a virgin?” she cried out, frantic to stop Nestor, who bore down on her.
“She’s lying,” he accused.
“I’m not. I swear. If my father won’t pay, contact Prince Ivar.”
“Quit spewing stories, cunt,” her would-be rapist ordered. His fingers curled into the waistband of her panties and twisted. They gave way like tissue paper in his grip, leaving her bare except for her shoes.
“Please, I’m telling the truth!” Sobbing and screaming at the same time, she made a desperate plea to the captain. “Do you think the Elzorian prince would consider me for his bride and the mother of the heir to the throne, if I wasn’t pure? He’ll pay. I know he will.”
“Hold,” Rondo called. “She’s right. If Daddy won’t meet our price, maybe her pathetic excuse for a groom will.”
“Aw, fuck, Cobb,” Nestor whined. “I need it bad.”
“And I don’t give a shit. Haul her back to the table. I’ll examine her and see for myself if she’s telling the truth or just lying to keep from taking your disease-riddled cock.”
“You know I took the medicine to clear that up,” he grumbled, though still followed orders, hauling her up by her hair. “Damn. You won’t ever shut up about it. I make one mistake with a whore and I’m tainted forever.”
At the thought of him passing something nasty onto her, she gagged, tasting the bitter gall rise in her throat. Back at the table, he twisted the fistful of hair, pulling her across the top, when a deafening bang and violent shudder rocked the ship. Everything not nailed down went flying, including Dani. When she landed, her shoulder took the brunt of the impact and exploded in agony.
The next instant, the ship shook again, this time listing sharply sideways. Again, she slammed into something hard, this time a shipping crate. Before she could get her bearings, the breath left her body with a whoosh when a heavy weight fell on her back, trapping her beneath it and the floor.
“What the hell?” Cobb growled close to her ear, which explained what had landed on top of her. Another bang and the ship shuddered again.
“We’re under attack,” someone yelled.
The old spacecraft creaked and groaned, then tilted the other way. She and Cobb began sliding. Still bound, Dani only had her feet to try to save herself. She kicked out wildly, hoping, as her world shifted, she could catch herself before she slammed into something for a third time. Clawing with her fingers, she tried to grab hold of anything. Once, she caught a seam in the floor, but couldn’t stop her momentum and she lost her tiny grip, ripping out a nail or two in the process.
Another thunderous boom rocked the ship. She shifted direction, colliding with something soft and warm for a change. It ended up being the pirate captain tossed about as if he weighed nothing, too.
“Someone find out what the fuck is going on,” he roared, making her ears ring more than the nonstop shriek of the alarm.
“We’re taking heavy fire from an unidentified craft,” a voice shouted over the speakers. It was Rylon, the fourth man who had apparently been left in control of the bridge.
“What’s the damage?” Cobb barked while scrambling to his feet, uncaring that he stepped on her.
“Stabilizers are out, and we’ve had a hull breach— Brace for impact!” he screamed right before a bone-jarring thud shook the ship.
“Evasive maneuvers or return fire, dammit. We can’t sustain much more of this.” His words hadn’t faded when a flash of brilliant light filled the room.
When it dissipated, the form of a large man became visible for a split second before the lights went out and blackness engulfed them. After that, all she could see were flashes of weapons firing, red from a photon torch, beams of blue from where she’d last seen the stranger. One of the men cried out in pain.
Terrified, Dani curled into a ball on the floor, longing for her quiet, solitary existence back home. With certain death a heartbeat away, she closed her eyes, covered her head with her arms, and prayed for it to be swift and painless.
“The last hit took out environmental controls and life support, and there’s a fire in the engine room,” Rylon announced, his voice shaky with undisguised panic. “I got smoke on the bridge and nothing is responding. Hellfire, Cobb, we’re sitting ducks.”
“Open communication. Tell them we are willing to negotiate. Find out what they want.”
“I want the girl,” a deadly cold voice stated. “A demand which is non-negotiable.”
“No!” Nestor roared.
The captain shouted, “Take her, but leave us in one piece.”
“The hell with that!” her primary tormentor called out. “He can’t have her. She’s worth a fortune and I haven’t gotten to fuck her yet.”
“Get your mind off your prick, asshole,” Rylon grumbled through the speaker. “It’s give up the girl, or get blasted out of the sky.”
“If we give her up, what’s to keep them from doing it anyway?” Nestor demanded.
“Nothing. It’s a chance we gotta take, like it or not, when he’s the one with the fucking gun and his ship is pummeling us with vortex cannon fire,” the captain snapped. To the stranger, he growled, “You can have her.”
“Smart,” came his low, rumbling reply, barely audible over her would-be rapist who angrily cursed a blue streak.
“Shut up, you idiot,” Cobb raged. “You can’t get any pussy when you’re dead.”
“Enough squabbling!” the newcomer warned. “I’m taking her now. The first one that moves I blast into bits.”
Heavy footsteps approached at the same time the auxiliary lights came on.
“At least something works on this tin can,” the captain grumbled.
Temporarily blinded by the sudden flood of light after total blackness, Dani squinched her eyes shut. She thought she heard someone running and some scuffling. Next, came a ghastly choking sound. Squinting against the brightness, she could make out the outline of two men.
One was huge and made Nestor look petite while holding him with one hand by the throat, his feet dangling above the floor by a foot. Then, w
ith what to her seemed like an effortless flick of his wrist—like the two-hundred-pound man weighed no more than a pesky fly—he launched him into a stack of shipping crates. The nasty pirate fell hard, landing with a sickening crunch of bones, lying in a motionless heap, his head at an awkward angle. Although it seemed wrong, Dani reveled in his death and would have cheered if she hadn’t been paralyzed with fear.
Done with Nestor, the big man turned, his gaze sweeping over the two remaining pirates. “Any other heroes who want to meet their Creator today?” he drawled coolly.
A pulse beat later, Rylon’s voice filled the room.
“Cobb, the ship identifies as the Renegade, and the captain is—”
“Mother fucking Jaylin Sin-Naysir,” he finished for him. “I know. I’m lookin’ at him. He’s the same bastard who’s been a thorn in my side for five goddamn years.”
Dani looked at him, too, which required craning her neck, considering there was a lot of him. Several inches over six feet tall, with thick blond hair reaching past his shoulders, and he had golden-hued skin, indicating he wasn’t human. Although battered and banged up, she could still appreciate all that he was—the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on.
In the next instant, he smiled, revealing gleaming white teeth, and her heart fluttered.
“Rondo Cobb.” He chuckled, the huskiness of his laugh washing over her, creating goose bumps across her skin. “You’re the oily pirate whose ass I’ve been kicking all over the galaxy. Even though I have thoroughly enjoyed doing it all this time, I can’t say I’m pleased to meet you.” His eyes flicked to Dani for a split second before sliding back to Cobb, all amusement wiped from his face. He raised his weapon, aiming it dead center at the captain’s chest. “You put the mark on her cheek?”
The Renegades' Reward Page 4