by Stella Cassy
How we were going to accomplish that plan, though, was still up in the air. I decided to sleep on it and give fresh orders when I arose.
Although my sleep was short, it was deep, and filled with conflicting dreams, all jumbled together. There were dreams of bloody combat mixing with the more intimate battle of bodies between me and the human slave. Talia. That was her name. It wasn’t important, but for some reason I felt like I should remember it. Perhaps it would be useful if I could negotiate a ransom for her with the bankers of Minapolis. Or what was left of them.
When I awoke, it was because someone was at my door. Thrantok, my first officer.
I rose and greeted him about as politely as he deserved having interrupted my sleep.
“What?”
“Sir, you have a call.”
“Put it through to my comms unit then, you—” my eyes flicked across the room and I half raised my hand at the memory of what I done earlier. I could still feel it and I would for some time to come. I paused a moment. “Clear the recreation room. I will take it in there.”
I didn’t need to ask who it was. There was only one person it would be. Ranel Hielsrane, contacting me from back on Thirren, our home planet. It could be nothing good.
Our ship’s recreation room was nothing to write home about. Not unless you wanted to embarrass yourself in front of everyone you knew. It consisted of four tables for dining and a couple of video screens. That, and the stowaway medical bay I had used earlier.
I activated one of the video screens and saw the frozen image of Ranel, indicating that he was still waiting for me to answer.
When I had confirmed that I had the room to myself and sealed the door, I tapped the screen to connect the call.
Ranel was somewhat senior to me and was now head of security back on Thirren. I knew he wasn’t particularly excited about the position since there were no more battles to be fought except for those of the administrative kind. But it was a powerful position, and one worthy of respect. I would do my best.
“Greetings,” I said.
“Rethryn. Is it true?”
“Perhaps. To what is it that you are referring?” I didn’t call him sir. I would be respectful, but not over-the-top.
“We have heard word that you destroyed a Minapolis National Holdings branch and stole a slave. We’ve also learned that some of their bankers are no longer banking. In fact, they’re still smoking. Is that true?”
I shrugged nonchalantly. I was sure he would understand. After all, I knew he had the blood of the warrior in him, like me.
“They disrespected us. I had no choice.”
It was sometime before Ranel spoke again. “I thought your orders were very clear. You are to secure the loan we need for reconstruction. If we wanted you to declare war, we would have given you a warship. Not the Ambassador class vessel you were assigned. This was supposed to be a test of your abilities. At the moment, it looks like you’re failing.”
I dug my talons into my palms until it hurt. I tried to keep my expression sober. I could not let my true feelings show, otherwise Ranel and I would be due for a mortal duel.
“They wanted to enslave us. They did not want to offer us a loan, they wanted to buy us out, make us work for them forever. It was unacceptable. When I heard their terms, I had to defend the honor of our people.”
“If their demands were really so outrageous, you should have contacted us for further guidance. We need that funding. I am ordering you to reinitiate negotiations. I have contacted another branch, and due to the sums involved, they are willing to listen one more time.”
He wanted me to go back. He wanted me to go back, cap in hand, begging.
“But what if their terms remain the same?”
“Then,” Ranel said very slowly and clearly, “you will do your best to negotiate them down and agree to whatever you have to agree to.”
“But—”
“—Quiet! I know what you’re thinking. But listen. Who’s to say that we can’t renegotiate the terms, in a few years’ time? When we’ve rebuilt and rearmed. We will be in a… stronger position to negotiate then. Do you see?”
I slowly blinked, taking his words in. He was thinking about the longer-term. Perhaps he was right. We would not be enslaving ourselves but engaging in some subterfuge. We would agree to their ridiculous terms now, but then in a few years, when we had re-amassed our power, we could obliterate them. Or renegotiate anyway.
“I understand. If I had known that was our intention originally, perhaps I would have agreed to their ridiculous terms instead of trying to defend our honor.”
“It’s always good to defend our honor. You have shown them what a Drakon scorned can do. Perhaps they will be more amenable now. I want you to return that human girl that you stole. Tell me, is she attractive?”
His question caught me by surprise, and I was immediately wary.
“I wouldn’t know. I am betrothed.”
Ranel laughed, and I felt my dragon begin to mutter inside me.
“Just because you’re betrothed doesn’t mean your cock has lost its own mind. Some of those humans are delightful. So soft and warm, you could just eat them up.”
“I suppose she is… attractive,”
Ranel’s eyes narrowed and he peered at me. “Did you use her?”
“No.”
There was no advantage in telling him the truth. While my betrothed was not who I wanted to be with, I wasn’t going to throw her to the curb until I had secured a much better offer. It would be foolish to do otherwise. But my current betrothed was not the kind of person who would be happy to know that I had been enjoying myself with a slave. She was not that kind of female at all.
“Good.”
He stared at me a moment more before continuing. It was funny, when I told him that I hadn’t slept with Talia — if you can call the frantic, furtive fucking we did ‘sleeping’ — I felt something strange. I felt slightly… bad? It was odd. I shrugged it off. I wanted to finish this call as soon as possible and worrying about a slave girl wouldn’t assist matters.
“Very well. Return the girl and apologize to the bankers.”
My momentary calm disappeared in an instant. Ranel had been reasonable for a brief period. But this — apologize? Me? A royal prince, a Hielsrane captain, apologize to the soft-handed cowardly bankers?
“I will not apologize.”
Ranel’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned in toward the screen. “You will apologize. You will return that human girl. You will get on your knees if you have to. Obtaining that currency is of the utmost importance. Far more so than your pathetic pride.”
I nearly ruined it. I nearly told Ranel what he deserved to hear. But somehow, some way, I managed to control myself. But only for two seconds.
“Yes, sir,” I forced out. Immediately I thumped the screen to disconnect the call. Then I thumped it again, using the brace on my hand to smash through this screen like I had the one in my cabin earlier.
I dropped my head back and roared a growl that rapidly turned into a shriek of anger. It echoed around the ship, bouncing off the walls, no doubt causing my crew to cower on the bridge where they were on duty.
I smashed the screen again, making sure the job was truly done. It was ruined. Another one. I didn’t care.
Seething, I stomped out of the room. It was like the whole universe was against me.
10
Talia
Talia
The cheek of it! Can you believe it?
As soon as we finished, my latest escape plan failed, he threw me back into my cell – but not without gagging me first. I mean, who did he think I was going to call out to? It wasn’t like I had friends onboard. And after we just had sex, too. I mean, while I initiated it as a distraction, I thought it was more than that for him. He certainly seemed to enjoy himself anyway.
Well I wasn’t standing for it. While he had been binding my wrists, I had made a concerted effort to keep them just a tiny bit apart. Just enoug
h so that I would be able to wriggle one hand free once he was gone. I was grateful to all the Nancy Drew books I read as a kid that taught me that little trick. I never thought they would come in handy in space though.
Luckily, Rethryn used the remains of my slave’s robe rather than something more substantial, like a pair of handcuffs, to secure me. I wriggled my hands over and over, until finally I could get one, then the other, out. Then it was on to the gag. It took some work with my fingers, feeling the knot out, and trying to work out just which bits to pull, but again I was glad for the forgiving material that had been used. After a few more minutes pulling at the ends of the knot, I managed to get it free.
When it fell to the floor, I stood there panting for a moment. Next, I bent over and picked up the largest remaining piece of my robe, wrapping it around my waist at some attempt at modesty. Not that anyone else seemed to ever care about that off Earth, especially where slaves were concerned. But the new, scrappy loincloth I fashioned did provide a bit of protection from leaning against the metal bars. One small mercy about this ship was that at least it wasn’t cold. The Drakon seemed to like warm, toasty temperatures, and in my current state of undress that was just fine with me.
I thought about what had happened with Rethryn. How I had just seduced him — if that was the right term for what had happened. Was that a mistake? It probably was. But like a lot of the mistakes I’d made back on Earth, it was a pretty fun one.
When I’d woken up on Minapolis that morning, it wasn’t exactly how I thought I’d be spending my day. Speaking of which, I had no idea how much time had passed since then. Was it even still the same day? It was probably nighttime by now, if it was.
Not that it mattered. I didn’t exactly have a schedule to keep.
There was a hissing sound from across the cargo bay as the automatic door opened to reveal another Drakon. I’d seen this one before, when Rethryn and his crew had been at the bank. It was one of his more junior men. Although it may not have been the correct term, it was easy to think of them as men, especially after what I had just done with Rethryn. The bastard.
I folded my hands across my chest to avoid giving this one a view he hadn’t earned.
“Food.” This Drakon seem to be a little younger than Rethryn, though I wasn’t an expert at telling their ages.
Interestingly, he didn’t seem to notice that I had escaped my restraints. Perhaps Rethryn hadn’t told him that he’d gagged and bound me. Perhaps Rethryn didn’t want me telling other members of his crew what we had been doing together. If true, that was some valuable information. I locked it away in my mind. Knowledge is power, and I needed all the power I could get.
“Not hungry.”
Peering through the bars I could see steam wafting off of a bowl. It appeared to be some kind of stew-like concoction, though goodness knows what the ingredients were. One slight positive I’d found since I’d unceremoniously been ripped from my home planet and thrown out into the universe was that what provided sustenance for one bipedal species, seem to work well enough for any other. It didn’t mean our tastes matched though. I’d eaten some truly horrific things on Minapolis, taste wise. This stew didn’t actually seem to smell too bad though.
“Suit yourself.”
The Drakon began to turn away, but the smell of the food had awakened my own little dragon inside me. A hungry one who hadn’t eaten since Minapolis.
“No, wait. I’ll take it.”
As he stood outside the little jail cell holding the bowl, he realized he couldn’t put it through the bars. Well, he probably could, but only by twisting it so that the entire contents would fall down onto the deck. We both peered down.
That’s when I got an even better idea. Food could wait.
“I am hungry. So hungry. And that food looks very nice.”
The Drakon set the bowl down outside the cage and unlocked the door. Then, he bent down to pick it up again. He held it in one hand and pulled the door open, offering me the bowl.
I smiled at him, letting our eyes meet. He blinked in what seemed to be confusion.
“Thank you,” I said in a throaty, sexy voice. Slowly, I raised a hand and brushed my thumb against the Drakon’s cheek, earning a deep but quiet growl of pleasure from somewhere deep inside him.
I took the bowl from his hand and lifted it up to my face, withdrawing my other hand, and wrapping it around the vessel. I inhaled deeply as if enjoying the aroma. Which I pretty much was.
“Smells good.”
The Drakon grunted but didn’t move. Like he was waiting to see if I would do anything else. I noticed his eyes flicking down to my bare breasts. I smiled at him again.
“But not as good as you.”
There wasn’t much distance between us, but with a little half step I got even closer to him, the bowl right between our chins. When I saw his eyes flick down again, I made sure my grip on the bowl was tight, then slammed it hard into his face. At the same time I danced around him, slipping by and sprinting for the exit.
I heard a roar of rage behind me, but this time, I managed to escape the Drakon chasing me. I don’t know if it was because he was slower than Rethryn, or whether I was just getting better at escaping Drakons. They say practice makes perfect.
As soon as I was out of the small cargo hold, I exited onto a small hallway. I dove to the left, sprinted around the corner, and up the ramp that led to the ship’s other level. I could hear thumping footsteps behind me, but he wasn’t shouting out. He probably wanted to recapture me before his colleagues found out that I had escaped. Having seen their handiwork down on Minapolis, I knew they didn’t exactly have the best of tempers. At least not the ones I’d met.
I slammed my hand against a button to open a door, and as soon as it swished open, I slipped inside, closing the door immediately behind me. I leaned back against it, sinking down to the ground, knees pulled up against me, as I heard thumping footsteps rush past me. I’d done it. I’d escaped. I hadn’t exactly gotten far, but it was the furthest I’d gotten from any of my captors since being kidnapped from Earth.
Back on Minapolis, I hadn’t yet made a serious escape attempt. I needed to combine any escape attempt with a time at which I could get the keys to my collar. I hadn’t managed it yet. My hands went up to my neck and I felt it again. The metal ring around my neck was always there, a constant reminder of my position now. And I was a long way away from the keys. I was going to have to find some other way to get this accursed thing off me.
I stood up to survey where I was. Perhaps there would be something useful in the small room. Like, a gun. A big one, that could take down an elephant — or a dragon. Or better yet, maybe a magic doorway back to Earth. I snorted. I hadn’t unfortunately run across any of those in my intergalactic travels. I’d seen teleports, but they only worked over relatively small distances. It seemed the only way to get around the galaxies themselves was to get into a spaceship and fly there.
Perhaps I could kill every Drakon on the ship and take control, I mused. The odds were stacked against me, but it always seemed to work in movies, right?
I began to slowly walk around the room. Then I found myself shaking my head, amused and disappointed. I knew whose room this was. It was Rethryn’s. The reason I could tell wasn’t because I could detect his faint scent or feel an aura of his presence.
Nope.
It was because the arrogant jerk had covered the walls with pictures of himself in various different outfits. Who does that?
I looked around the rest of the room, but there wasn’t much to it. He had what appeared to be a dining area, with some tables and chairs which were slightly too big for a human such as myself. It would be like being a little girl again, sitting at them. Not that I intended to sit down and enjoy meals with my new captor. Though maybe one more ride of his dragon…
On one wall was what looked like to be a work area, with something similar to a human desk, and above it, a comms unit. Well, the remains of one. I’d seen similar ones d
own on Minapolis, but those ones hadn’t had fist sized holes put through them — if your fists were the size of a small boulder anyway. That Rethryn definitely did have a temper. Hot-blooded.
And a big, hard— I shook my head angrily. Earlier I had been using him, that’s all. Nothing more. Just because I got a bit of pleasure out of it didn’t mean…
He tied me up again and gagged me. He was a super jerk. I stomped around the room, annoyed. Finally, I found something useful. On the wall, above the desk and beside the comms unit as a kind of declaration, was a long, large knife. As big as the biggest ones that Frantew had used in his kitchen. I withdrew it from its leather sheaf, impressed with its length and the sparkling cleanness of its metal. It looked incredibly sharp. I placed it down on the desk, intending to pick it up again when I had finished my inspection.
He had a big bed. It was longer and wider than any I’d seen on Earth — and we had the biggest, most luxurious beds you could buy. There was certainly a lot of room for… sleeping.
I grabbed a handful of the sheets, feeling them between my fingers. They were better than the ones back on Minapolis, but nothing like the luxurious Egyptian cotton all of our residences had back home.
Annoyed at the way I’d been treated, I yanked at the bedsheet, ripping it off the mattress below which seemed to be made of some kind of spongy material.
I let the remains of the robe I had wrapped around my waist fall to the floor. This bedsheet would make a much better replacement. Back on Earth, I had gone to a joint sorority-fraternity party once, dressed in just a bedsheet. It was only later that my friends told me that they had actually worn underwear underneath theirs. Not me. The dress code said sheets only, so that was all I wore. I’m a stickler for the rules — unless I don’t like them, and then I’m a stickler for definitely not following them.