“I will meet you on the bridge shortly. First, I am going to deal with my slave.”
Chapter Sixteen
Jakkar strode down the passageway, his emotions in a tangled knot. Anger was still riding close to the surface, anger that another man had dared to lay a finger on her, and anger that she had dared to deny his claim on her. The rage only added to the desire that was always present whenever he touched her and breathed in her delicious scent. Her response to his kiss and her soft body squirming against his as he carried her to the cabin had him so hard it was almost painful. He stalked into the cabin that had been assigned to him and dropped Anna on the bunk. She immediately jumped up.
“What do you mean I’m a slave?” she cried.
“I told you that you belonged to me,” he bit out, trying to keep his rage from resurfacing. While the four of them had been alone, there had been no doubt about who she was with. With the arrival of the other Sardorans, his first instinct had been to establish his claim. Declaring her as his slave had done just that and there was no Goddess damned way that he was letting anyone think she was available.
“I just thought that meant that you lov— that you cared for me.” Her eyes were enormous and he could see tears glistening in their crystal depths. The pain on her face tugged at his heart. He reached for her but she pulled away.
“Don’t touch me,” she snarled. “Go find another one of your slaves.”
“I don’t have any other slaves,” he roared, outraged at the accusation.
She paused but then her eyes narrowed. “What about other women? Do you have a Sardoran woman?”
“No, I don’t want a Sardoran woman. I want you.” The truth in the words echoed through his head.
Tears were spilling down her cheeks. “You don’t want me as a person. Telling me that I’m a slave just means that you want to own me. I’m sorry that I ever came after you.”
In the turmoil of the past few minutes, Jakkar hadn’t thought about the fact that she had shown up on the ship. His blood chilled at the idea of his woman trekking across the desert alone and the barely suppressed rage came rushing back to the surface.
“Why are you here? I told you to wait for me.”
“I was worried about you. You didn’t take a weapon.” She raised her chin and stared at him defiantly. Anger pulsed through him so hard he couldn’t see straight. She not only disobeyed him, she doubted his skills as a warrior. He advanced toward her and she squeaked and backed up, hitting her legs against the bunk and falling down on to the mattress. Before she could move, he pounced, pressing her down into the bunk with the weight of his body while he released the hidden chains at each end.
“What is it with you people and chains?’ she yelled as he swiftly fastened a cuff around each wrist and ankle. She was spread-eagled beneath him but she was still squirming, fighting against him, and he wanted to fuck her senseless, fuck her until she surrendered and admitted that she belonged to him, but with his rage enhanced strength it would be too easy to hurt her fragile body. Forcing himself up, he moved away from the bed.
Even at a distance, the sight of her chained to the bed tore at his control. Her cheeks were flushed and her nipples were tight buds thrusting against her jumpsuit. Despite her anger, he could smell her arousal. She was panting, her gaze still defiant as he leaned back over her. He pulled out his knife and her eyes widened in shock as he deliberately sliced off the jumpsuit, leaving her in only the tiny pieces of cloth she had worn by the pool. Defiance turned to fear.
“What are you doing?”
He bent closer and bit down on the soft curve of her breast, tasting her, marking her, using every ounce of discipline he had to control the bite as she moaned and swelled against his mouth.
“We will finish this later,” he promised. Her outraged yell followed him as he strode out of the room.
Jakkar marched on to the bridge and threw himself down in the command chair.
“Finished with your slave already?” Dragar asked.
“I left her chained to the bed,” he muttered.
“Well, that has possibilities,” Dragar grinned. “Do you remember when we—”
Jakkar cut him off with an impatient gesture. He and Dragar had often discussed women, but he didn’t like him talking about his little human. Instead he turned to the holographic display of the planet floating in front of the other man.
“How is the testing?”
Dragar’s voice was casual, but there was an edge of suppressed excitement as he answered. “Flawless, so far. There is only this one main continent but it’s huge and very diverse.” He gestured at the wide strip of land that ran from pole to pole on the display. “At the top of your cliff, there are vast grasslands with several varieties of grazing animals – and the corresponding predators.” The men exchanged a fierce grin and a longing for the hunt tugged at Jakkar.
“No signs of sentience or any type of civilization,” Dragar continued. “Also, while water covers the remainder of the planet, there are many islands large enough to support a clan city and maintain a wild area.”
Jakkar studied the image for a long moment. Was it possible that they had finally found a planet to claim? Could this be their new home? The flitter had not yet returned, still sweeping the surface for indications of anything that contravened that possibility.
He stretched in the chair, his leg throbbing slightly. He had set a fast pace across the sands and he was paying for it now, but the urgency of determining if there was danger to his party had driven him on. Circling the ship, he had waited for an indication of the inhabitants and had been rewarded almost immediately when Dragar had emerged from the hold. His surprise at seeing the scarred warrior appear on this isolated planet had been nothing to his relief that the clan brothers he had thought were dead were still alive.
Dragar had explained that another ship carrying Sardoran warriors had shown up shortly after he and Melia had departed in the escape pod. Together they had turned the tide, although Gandur—the most badly wounded of his team—had not survived. The Gliesh had provided the current ship and a small crew so that they could search for Melia. In the meantime, Trondar had managed to identify a trace signal from the escape pod but all of that had taken time. Dragar had been uncertain that Jakkar was alive but had sent the flitter out to search shortly before Jakkar had walked out of the desert. By that time, the first survey results were coming in and, despite a brief internal struggle, Jakkar authorized the testing to continue. He didn’t like leaving Anna—or Melia and Demil—alone, but they were safe in the cave and he trusted Rantor and, rather to his surprise, Teron to protect them. Once the flitter returned, he could return to the cave in a few minutes and the ride would be easier for Melia and the child. Instead of waiting for him as he instructed, his little human had come after him.
Brooding, his thoughts turned to the infuriating woman chained to his bed. It was not uncommon for a Sardoran to take a slave for sex or to take care of his household. It was considered an honor to be owned by a warrior, but as he kept only a small home on Sardor and preferred uncomplicated sexual encounters between missions, he had never bothered before. Now he had chosen to honor the little human with his claim and she had tried to deny him. Her question about other women nagged at him. He had responded without thinking but his immediate response had been completely honest; he didn’t want any other woman.
“It shouldn’t be much longer,” Dragar announced. “Then we can send the flitter to fetch our missing lady and leave this planet. Are you ready to return to civilization?”
Jakkar started to agree and then stopped as he considered the question. He had spent most of his childhood training in the arts of war and all of his adult life on campaigns or warrior contracts. The past few weeks should have left him edgy and ready for action. But he hadn’t even missed it. Instead, exploring this new world, caring for his little group, making a home for Anna – it had all been deeply satisfying. Making a home…
“I want to c
laim my human as my mate,” he said, feeling the truth in his words as he spoke.
Dragar turned to him, face and voice expressionless. “You know the Elders would never allow it. A Sardoran may only claim another Sardoran as a mate. If you claim this human, you would be declared Outcast.”
Jakkar stared at the scarred warrior, the term echoing uncomfortably in his brain. A warrior declared Outcast was forbidden contact with Sardor or other Sardorans—it was the worst penalty inflicted on a Sardoran warrior. The Outcast sentence usually had a fixed term but most of those who were declared Outcast never returned, it could easily be a death sentence for a man separated from his home and kin. Not just because of the lack of any support, but because a warrior’s clan was such an integral part of who he was as a man. Dragar knew the penalties of being declared Outcast only too well since he had suffered that exact fate.
He and Dragar had grown up together, trained together, and gone on many contracts together. And yet Dragar had not contacted him during his trial, a trial that Jakkar still found inconceivable. He could not accept that the man he knew so well had ever behaved without honor. When he learned of the sentence, he immediately started discreet inquiries but no one would provide any information about what had happened. Desperate to help his friend, he had started leaving messages for Dragar wherever and whenever he could. The man had never responded, even when his sentence was officially over. However, once Sardor’s plight had become known, Dragar had reappeared and offered to serve under Jakkar. He still refused to discuss the judgment or what had led up to the punishment, but Jakkar had never questioned his loyalty or his honor, even if some of the other warriors still kept their distance.
Dragar shrugged and continued, pulling Jakkar’s attention back to the immediate problem. “If you want her with you, keep her as your slave.”
“She doesn’t want to be a slave,” he growled, distinctly uncomfortable with the admission. He knew Dragar was right and the idea of claiming her as his mate, however right it felt, would never be allowed. But he would never let her go.
“I wasn’t aware that was a requirement.” Dragar’s voice was amused and Jakkar glared at him. He continued more seriously. “Even if she doesn’t want to be a slave, does she want to be with you?”
The question stopped him cold. She doesn’t have a choice, part of him immediately insisted but another part wanted to know that she was with him because she wanted to be. He remembered their afternoons by the pool, the way she curled into him at night, how her eyes sought his whenever he appeared; they were not the actions of a reluctant lover.
Dragar waited for him to answer but when he didn’t respond, his friend continued. “You know that the only people allowed on Sardor are Sardorans, slaves, and business partners. If you want her with you, the only option is as your slave.” He hesitated. “Of course, you could release her.”
“Never.” She belonged to him; he would never release her. If the only way they could be together was for her to admit that he owned her, then she would admit it. He remembered her body spread-eagled across the bed and a smile started to tug at his lips as he considered ways to make her surrender. She always yielded willingly to his touch and she would yield this time as well.
Decision made, he turned to Dragar. “When the flitter completes the first set of test runs, send Grimur after Melia using the directions I gave you. Remember, the Ithyian is not an enemy. He has proven himself a man of honor.”
Dragar raised a skeptical brow but didn’t respond until Jakkar rose to leave the cabin. “Where are you going?”
“To make my little human admit that she belongs to me.”
Anna tugged against the chains, angry and afraid and, as embarrassing as it was to admit it, excited. Her breast still throbbed from Jakkar’s parting bite and there was an answering throb deep in her pussy. She could feel the moisture gathering between her thighs. Damn the man. How could he do this to her? She had been so sure that he cared for her but instead she was just a possession. And she, she had been foolish enough to fall in love with him. Slow tears trickled down her cheeks.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear the door open and she jumped when she saw Jakkar looming over her in the dim cabin. His face was hard and unreadable but little bubbles of anger still sparked in his eyes.
“Let me go,” she demanded.
“Are you prepared to admit that you belong to me?” His voice was cold and just as hard as his face.
“No. I am not a slave.”
“Then what are you?”
“I’m human. I’m free to do whatever I want, and be with whoever I want.”
His eyes flared white gold at the last words and he leaned over her, his mouth so close she could feel his warm breath whispering across her skin as he replied. “Never. You will never be with anyone else.”
Her heart jumped at his words and she almost responded that she didn’t want to be with anyone but him; however, he hadn’t said anything about who he could be with. Taking refuge in defiance, she turned her head away from him and stared at the wall. She felt him move away but refused to look in his direction. There was a soft rustle of cloth and then she felt the heat of his body, shocking against her naked skin. Startled, she looked back toward him and found him sitting on the bunk, his large body tucked into the curve of her waist.
Gold was starting to flare in his eyes and a shiver of excitement trickled up her spine. “What are you doing?” Her voice was breathless and even she could hear the arousal underlying the words.
“Your planet is not part of the Empire.” His voice was quiet but still hard as he slowly pulled down her top to reveal her breasts. The tips immediately tightened. “Therefore, you have no political standing.” He skimmed his hand lightly, too lightly, across her taut nipples before sliding his hand down to the scrap of fabric that covered her groin. “Of course, you could have a business contract with one of the accepted members of the Empire. Do you have any business contracts?” He wrapped his hand around the cloth and began to tug on it in a gentle rhythm that pulled it tight across her clit each time his fingers curled. She forced herself to concentrate on his words.
“No. You know I don’t.” The words were defiant but her voice was husky.
“Then you have no legal standing at all.” His voice was still cold and even but his fingers were pulling harder and more quickly, rocking the fabric into the swelling bundle of nerves at the top of her cleft. The cloth was dampening with her increasing desire and she could feel it working deeper between her nether lips and into the crevice of her buttocks. She was starting to pant just a little.
“You have no ties to anyone. No one to own you and protect you.” His voice deepened on the last words and Anna felt a sudden sense of desolation that made no sense. When had she become so dependent on his protection? Why did she feel as if he were taking something valuable from her? Biting her lip to avoid blurting out her confusion, she twisted her head away again.
“Since you do not challenge these statements, you are merely a prisoner. A slave has certain rights, but I can do whatever I want to a prisoner.” The threat in his words penetrated and she turned a startled gaze to his face. His eyes were a blaze of gold but his face was absolutely expressionless. Helplessly she tugged at her chains but she was still fastened securely to the bunk. Somehow the knowledge increased the arousal that had heated her skin since he had chained her to his bed.
“Who do you belong to?” The words dropped into the quiet cabin like stones into a pond, sending answering ripples through her body but she bit her lip again and shook her head.
“No one,” she whispered. “I don’t belong to anyone.”
“Very well.” His eyes closed for just a moment and a flash of something that might have been pain crossed his face, but when he reopened his eyes the expressionless façade had returned.
With shocking quickness, he wrenched the small pieces of fabric from her body. Instinctively she flinched, feeling naked and vulnerable even though
the cloth had provided little protection. Before she had a chance to recover, he was on top of her and his mouth closed hard around her breast, pulling the entire tip into the heated depths of his mouth with an intensity that made her back arch so she could press closer. He growled and switched to her other breast with the same voracious hunger, adjusting his body so that he was kneeling between her legs, stretching her thighs further apart and leaving her even more open to him. His teeth closed over her nipple and she cried out, the quick sharp pain adding to her excitement.
She tried to thrust more of her breast into his mouth but he lifted his head and trailed wet kisses down her stomach, nipping at her skin and sending sparks of need rippling through her body each time his teeth closed over her. Spreading her thighs even wider with his big, strong hands, he paused and looked up at her.
“Who do you belong to?”
The fire in her body was playing havoc with her control but she forced herself to shake her head. “No one.”
Without a word, he lowered his head and licked her from anus to clit in one long, hard stroke. As he passed over her swollen bud, she cried out again but he didn’t stop, repeating the movement over and over. The intensity built and she was so close, she just needed a little more pressure… He stopped and poised his mouth over her clit, not touching her but letting her feel his warmth breath swirl across the engorged flesh. She tried to push up against him but he kept up the taunting distance as one thick finger slid slowly into the tight depths of her pussy. Pleasure flowed through her veins like honey as he slowly withdrew the digit before thrusting in with two fingers. Helplessly, she clenched around his fingers as he stroked them in and out with agonizing slowness, his tongue flicking across her clit hard enough to add jolts of fire but never hard enough or long enough to push her over the edge.
His thumb briefly joined his fingers before sliding back to caress the puckered rosette of her anus. The probing touch started firing additional nerves and she writhed under him as he pressed his thumb deeper. In and out he rocked, fucking her slowly with his hand and stars started to dance behind her eyelids.
Anna and the Alien: A SciFi Alien Romance (Alien Abduction Book 1) Page 13