Chapter Thirteen
“I’m going to kill them!”
Ric and Gol grabbed Hul before he attacked Yuv and Tev. “How could you have left her unguarded? Why were you not all with her!” Hul bellowed at the men who were supposed to be guarding and caring for their treasure.
“Oul and Riv took Sarrbeem, Kat was distressing her. It was then we were ambushed. They knocked us over and started a fight, and then scurried away, before we could get back to her,” Yuv tried to explain.
“We should have never left her in the hand of others. We are the only ones who can protect her properly. If anything happens to her, I swear I will tear your whole family apart.”
“Calm, brother, it will do no good in finding our Kat.” Gol let go of his arm, stood in front of him gripping his neck and pressed his head to his brother's.
“Do you not think I feel the anger, too? Right now, we need to stay calm. We’ll head back to our dwelling and activate the bio tracker. Ric did not leave us without a means of finding her, if this ever happened.”
Hul lifted his head, glaring into his brother’s eyes. “You knew this would happen, didn’t you.”
“No, I prayed it would not, but she is an exotic and not like our females. Once the word got out such a female had come to Galafrax, I feared others would try to steal her.”
“Then why are we waiting here? Let’s go get her.” Hul, followed by his brothers, stormed out. No mercy would be shown if anyone had harmed their treasure.
****
Kat blinked against the bright lights when the sack was pulled from her head. She sucked in a lungful of stale, musty air, stained with the foul stench of sweat and unwashed bodies.
Wherever they had brought her, it was hotter than anywhere else she’d been, since her arrival on Galafrax. Her perspiration trickled down the back of her neck and also from her forehead.
Her throat was dry from trying to breathe through the rotten cloth of the sack, now thankfully removed.
“My, what delectable prize have you brought, this time? What flavor of skin do I see, creamy white as lily’s milk.”
Kat squinted to get a better look at the fat, red, Demos man who lounged on a large, red cushioned chair. Behind him, in the shadows, were two more men, she could only guess to be his brothers.
“I heard from one of the returned, quad soldiers a new pale-skinned beauty had come to Galafrax. I happened by the markets today and there she be, guarded but by two. It was an easy capture.”
She snapped her head around to glare at her kidnappers. Strange there only seemed to three of them, not four.
“Pity to those who cannot properly guard their females. They don't deserve them.” The red boss man grinned.
Kat licked her lips. “I don’t know who the hell you are, but if you don’t take me back right now, my men are going to tear you limb from limb.”
“She has the same fire as one of ours. What is your name, pale one? I am the Great Fir, or otherwise known as the Dark Tear of Galafrax. I deal with the darker side of life, meeting certain needs of the Demos males.”
“I personally don’t care who you are. You obviously have no idea who you stole me from.”
“You were guarded only by lower class servants of the Galafrax High Lords.” Her abductors snorted.
Anger boiled in her veins. Swiftly, she got to her feet and everyone took a step back, when she jabbed her index finger at one of her abductors.
“Who do you think they were guarding me for? Ever stop to think about that, you brainless twit! I am promised to the High Lords X’Hani, and I know they’ll stop at nothing to get me back.”
“Silence, female! It does not matter who you were promised to. What matters now is how wealthy I will be. No doubt, you will fetch the highest price in the history of our smallish operation. By then, you’ll be far gone from here, kept, and never to be found again.” Fir grinned malevolently.
The men laughed around her. “Until then, I’ve never had a female who was not a Demos female. What do you say, my brothers, shall we sample this one’s delights before sale?”
From the back of the room, two men slunk forward, tall, lanky and not as pudgy as their brother. Their deep, almost sunken eyes made her shiver in fear.
“Yes, brother, I would like to test the heat of her fires.”
“Good, take her to our chambers. Do not worry yourself too much, little pale one. Once our business is concluded, we shall be along to keep you company, very soon.”
More laughter echoed, as her arms were seized and she was dragged from the room. She fought the men, but they were too strong. They carried her through dim, dingy halls. Crudely cut steam vents lay along the side of the dirty floors.
She didn’t doubt her men were already out looking for her. She only prayed they could find her before it was too late.
****
“What is taking so long?” Ric grumbled, his eyes scanning their surroundings, while they moved deeper into dark territory, home to the criminal element of Galafrax city.
“There is much interference in the signal; my guess is she has been taken somewhere underground.” Gol tapped at the scanner.
“Are you getting a signal or not?” Hul demanded.
“I am, yet it is weak.”
Behind them, the six sets of Quad enforcers followed, awaiting their orders, as they marched determinedly through the black, dirty streets.
The blazing Galafrax sun was setting, but the heat of this part of the city still remained, the air foul.
The angry tension, thickening the air around them, echoed between their minds, and they knew it would not be settled until Kat was found and safe in their arms.
“This way.” Gol took point, hurrying through the narrow streets. Golden eyes peered out from behind drapes. Others scrambled to shut their doors and windows, hearing the low uniform rumble of soldiers’ footsteps behind them.
Gol smiled in triumph, when the signal grew stronger. His pace picked up, and he would have run smack into a wall if Hul had not grabbed him, bringing him to a halt.
Gol glanced up. “She’s beyond these walls.” A huge uiron, metal gate stood barring their way.
“I should have known.” Hul pulled out his Phase Disruptor. “This is the stronghold of the Brothers of the Dark Tears. The home guard has long suspected them of a running an underground market in abducted, Demos females.”
“If the scanner says Kat is in there, then we have every legal right to do a forced search,” Hul said.
“We must take care. If she is in there, then they may try to kill her to cover up the abduction.” Div’s face was a mask of trepidation for Kat’s safety.
“Soldiers forward.” Gol turned towards their troops. “Bring the Phase Cannon. We’re going to hit them and hit them hard and fast. There are females in there. Take care to protect them and get them to safety.”
“Yes, my lords.” The lead soldier swiftly bowed his head before he turned to the others, reissuing the orders. The men organized, taking up certain points to surround the building, making sure no one would get away during the attack. Gol and his brothers took point in front of the gate, while they waited for the Phase Cannon to arrive.
“You think she’s alright?” Ric asked.
Gol watched his brother’s jaw clench, reflecting the tension they all felt.
He glanced down at the scanner, showing Kat’s life signs. If it stopped, then he would know she was dead. Until then, it gave him hope.
“She is strong and will fight them, if she is able. Still, she is small and frail.” Gol swallowed, fear making his chest tighten.
“I know, brother, she is the gift of the flames. Fate delivered her to us, and we cannot do without her.” Hul’s voice was solemn.
“Then, we are in agreement.” Gol nodded, before looking each of his brothers in the eye. “If they have harmed her in any way, nothing will stop us from tearing them apart, limb from bloody limb.”
Chapter Fourteen
It
wouldn’t have mattered if she were only fighting one of them, but three? She tugged at the collar around her neck, trying to find some weak link. She growled in frustration and gave up on the collar. Instead, she began yanking at the chain. They clipped the chain onto the end of a bedpost.
There was no way in hell she was going to go down without a fight. Just when she thought she found some stability in her life, since her kidnapping from earth, this had to happen.
“Normal life?” She snorted. “Wake up, girl. Since when has anything in your life ever been normal?” Kat seriously doubted there was such a thing. It didn’t mean she had to give up and take the shit thrown at her.
“Auugh!” Frustration and anger made her scream. She slumped down to the floor, breathing hard, her fingers and hands throbbing from trying to pull the chain out of its hold. She wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry.
Her gaze scanned around the room, looking for some kind of weapon. The gleam of a knife caught her attention. It lay by a plate, on top of a rustic looking black table. But, it was too far away, as she couldn’t move but a foot in either direction.
A weapon. All she had were her words, and if they freed her for a second, she’d use the knife as well.
The door slid open. Kat’s stomach pitched, knowing her time was fast running out.
Fir strode into the bedchamber, flanked by his two brothers. Their hungry, lust-filled gazes made her shudder with disgust.
“Nice of you to have waited.” Fir laughed at his own joke.
She glared at him. “Last warning, my men will skin you alive, if you lay one finger on me.”
“Oh, we have no intention of laying just one finger on you, little one. We shall lay many fingers on you.”
She wanted to slap the smirk from his arrogant face. Keep him talking. Stall for time; it’s all you have.
“I thought Demos men came in sets of four; yet, there are only three of you.”
Fir and his brothers’ faces darkened. “We don’t speak of our lost one.”
“Let me guess, you were rejected by the band of brothers project. There was no one low enough to want to be a part of your brotherhood,” she sneered.
Rage filtered over the expressions of the brothers.
“Enough talk, prepare her for me. I will mount her first. Then we shall see how fast and sharp her tongue is.”
Kat backed up as far as the chain would allow and the two brothers moved in. She kicked out at them. One brother caught her leg, before she could deliver a blow to his groin. The other clamped his cold, clammy hands around her wrists. They undid the chain, while the collar remained on her neck.
She screamed and struggled, while they lifted her and placed her onto the bed. Fir went to a chest and removed small, plastic-looking bracelets. Each had several little, glowing lights.
“Ever seen these before, my little pale one? They are grav cuffs, most useful when we have ones like you who like to struggle. Demos men are so used to fighting to obtain their pleasure from females. It is a rare treat to have them unable to do so.”
He snapped two cuffs around her ankles, before placing the remaining two on her wrists. The moment they were in place, Fir’s brothers stepped back. A small smile played upon their normally expressionless faces.
The moment she was free, Kat scrambled to roll over on the bed and race to the end of it, towards the knife. A little beep and she came to a sudden halt, pulled back by her wrists.
She screamed in frustration, as she was slowly dragged back by the force around her arms and ankles.
They were drawn together, her body lifting off the floor. What the hell?
“Fun, are they not?”
She twisted her head to see Fir with a little control device in the palm of his hand.
He laughed, watching as she was deposited back onto the bed, unable to move, her limbs stretched wide, until she lay spread-eagled on the bed, her chest heaving with the effort to breathe. Struggling was utterly useless.
“Scream all you wish, our chamber is soundproof,” Fir said, lowering himself onto the bed. He placed his hand on her leg and slid it up, catching the hem of her dress and taking it with him.
He opened his hand and one of the brothers placed a shiny, sharp blade into his palm.
Kat’s breathing hitched in fear, and her muscles tensed, as she stared at the curled blade pulling up close to her heaving breasts.
He laughed at her fear. “I will not outwardly mark your body; it will devalue your price.” He put the blade under the fabric of her dress and slid it down. Easily, the material fell from the blade into pieces, leaving her in her panties and bra.
“Oh, these are most tantalizing.” Fir pushed aside the remnants of her summer dress to cup one of her large breasts through the material of her bra. “What do you call them on your world? Are your males fond of them?”
Kat shuddered in disgust at his touch and turned her head, refusing to answer him.
“It matters not. I know every Demos buyer will be as fascinated as I am.” He dropped the blade by her side along with the controls, taking the time to squeeze and play with her breasts.
She gritted her teeth against his touch, but gasped when her panties were suddenly torn from her. Kat twisted her head back to see one of the brothers now gazing down at her exposed sex.
Fir picked up the knife and cut her bra in half, freeing her breasts. He tossed aside the knife and dipped his head forward, nuzzling his face between her breasts, while his hands roamed over her body.
Kat whimpered in humiliation, while another set of hands skimmed up her legs.
“Please stop, you can’t do this,” she begged. “I’m human and more fragile than your Demos females.”
“Then we will take care. It is a good note to pass on at the buyers' market.” Fir stood up and started stripping off his robe. His brothers followed suit. All three men stood naked around the bed.
Her heart pounded in her chest, in both fear and panic. Oh, god, this was it. They were going to rape her, and there was nothing she could do to stop them.
Everyone jumped when a loud boom sounded and the doors to the bedchamber suddenly blew apart. Metal shards flew in every direction, snagging the brother to the left in the shoulder. Red blood oozed from his gaping wound.
Fir snatched up the blade and controls, while his brothers charged at the first two men barreling into the room.
“You’re in trouble now.” Kat grinned, seeing the fierce expressions of Gol and Hul, when they ducked the first swing of fists. The blades in their hands easily sliced through the brothers.
Fir, obviously knowing he was in trouble, punched a lever on the grav cuffs, and she was suddenly free from the force, only to be snatched up. Fir dragged her up against his body. She felt the cool sharpness of the blade pressed against her throat.
Hul and Gol paused when Div and Ric entered, their weapons raised and aimed at Fir’s head. Their steady gaze flying to her and to the blade Fir held at her throat.
“So, she did speak the truth. The High Lords of Galafrax; take one more step and your lovely, little prize will be no longer.”
Kat tried not to panic. Surely, her men had been in hostage situations before, and they would know how to get her out.
“Let her go now. You’ve nowhere to run; your brothers are dead.” Gol’s voice seemed calm, almost too calm.
Kat dropped her chin, placing her mouth under the flesh of the arm holding the knife. She glanced up at her men, winking at Gol, hoping what she was about to do would work.
A frown creased his forehead for a split second, but that was all she had. Kat moved fast. She gripped at the fist holding the knife and at the same time opened her mouth and bit down hard on the arm.
Fir cursed. She dropped her weight, sinking under his arm, away from the knife and onto the floor.
A sharp trill sound pierced her ears. In the next moment, Fir dropped to the floor beside her, his eyes wide, and a large hole clean through his skull.
Her
scream caught in her throat. Ric and Div were suddenly by her side. Div lifted her into his arms, swiftly carrying her from the chamber. Her body trembled in shock. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face against his chest.
“We’ve got you now, my sweet. No one will ever harm you again. We swear it.” He kissed the top of her head, taking her from the room. “Here, we must cover you.”
Div put her on her feet, while Ric put a blanket around her body, before Div again picked her up, carrying her out of the horrid place, where she was almost raped.
Outside, she heard the deep rumbles of their voices, as her men commanded a fleet of soldiers. Kat sighed and took comfort in listening to the steady rhythm of Div’s heartbeat.
“Kat, my love, are you hurt? Did they?”
She lifted her head to look into Hul’s worried gaze.
She swallowed. “I’m a little bruised and sore, but no, they didn’t get that far. You came for me just in time,” she whispered. “They were going to sell me. There are other women in the place, somewhere.”
“I know, love, we have found them. See?” Hul pointed to a group of quad soldiers, carefully carrying several Demos women in their arms.
“We’ve found eight females. They will be identified, their statements taken, and they will be returned to their families.” Gol joined them. “Fir’s operation, no doubt, has been going on for some time. We’ve shut this one down, but how many more are still out there?” Gol shook his head, his gaze lifted to meet Kat’s.
“You won’t stop searching, will you?” Kat asked “For the other female slave markets?”
“No, we will not. It is a high crime to sell a Demos female. But while there is such a shortage of women to men, it makes the men desperate. I am sorry, my precious one, we have brought you to a desperate and dying planet.”
“Don’t give up hope, Gol, there is always a way forward.”
Gol leaned down and kissed her lips tenderly. “Let us take our sheraz home.”
Cosmic Bounty Page 9