by Jorja Kish
Her eyes itched fiercely from the well of tears that covered the surface. She hissed in pain and rapidly blinked back the moisture. Taking her hand from the wall, she placed her palms to cover her eyes and gently pressed against the sockets. Her tears were hurting her, and the fear of any more pain soon dried the physical grief that shook her body.
“I am Mackenzie Chambers. I’m still alive. I will find my daughter,” she repeated taking comfort in her voice and her promise, concentrating on her voice instead of the pain.
It was all she had now as she roamed what was a circular room. There wasn’t any time to wallow in paralysing fear, because of the circumstances she currently faced. Her only thought was to find a way out of the weird, circular cell and find her daughter.
Shayane was alive somewhere. She had to be.
Chapter 9
Garnished in the severe black uniform of a Horde battle drone, Braydok Hixson marched along the corridor, commanding the space with his muscular build and height. His disguised eyes, which were a clear giveaway of his true heritage blinked behind the lifeless contacts that mimicked the eerie irises of his enemy.
His entire eyes were painted black except for the milky white irises that curled around dead inkblots used as pupils.
“Never thought I’d be here, of all places,” he commented, fighting the urge to rub his eyes.
The damn things itched, were entirely uncomfortable and gave him the vision of a newborn Grencheld. Those little buggers were mostly blind until they matured after two years of literally hanging on their mother’s body.
He stifled the shudder that threatened to wrack his body. The ten-legged, spindly creature was creepy as it was deadly.
If it weren’t for the micro data chip embedded in the lenses, he would be blind.
Braydok snapped his attention back to the mission.
“Come on, it’s game time. No more screwing around,” he muttered.
Striding down the surprisingly bare corridor that caged the countless Terran females, Braydok searched for one particular cell that his bond mate Keene had sent him to find and rescue. His gait never slowed until he found what he was looking for as he stepped in front of the metal doorway.
“Well, here goes,” he mumbled under his breath at the subatomic level while studying the Tech ware.
A rectangular panel positioned at chest-level blinked a series of amber lights that varied in different sequences preventing anyone without a code to enter. The code changed every cycle and from the countdown of the mini data pad strapped under his forearm, Braydok was seriously running out of time.
He took a steady breath and swiftly entered the twenty-seven-digit code that easily came to mind.
There was a method to Keene’s visions when he informed Braydok to recover the female. Not every Liberator that was invading the Horde slave ship had the IQ that Braydok possessed.
It was difficult being a naturally laid-back genius who had impulse issues, sent on such an important mission. However, when his lover ordered him and gave his reasons, Braydok didn’t hesitate.
He was curious, regardless of the Terran female’s importance to his pod. Braydok was all about feeding his curiosity, among other things that Setti and Keene generously bestowed.
The amber lights flickered before transmuting into a bright green flash of sequences. Braydok stepped back, keeping his large frame in front of the door and waited impatiently for the door panel to open.
Despite his calm exterior, his insides clenched and unclenched from the anticipation of this part of his mission. Give him a code to crack or a mainframe to collapse and he was the man, but this endeavour had him floundering in the deep end without a hope in hell of rescue.
The door suddenly hissed open into a room void of light.
Braydok entered and swiftly scanned the interior with the eye lenses that were more than ugly contacts. He found the slumped body of the female he sought in the middle of the domed room. Eagerness to grab the female and go pushed him deeper into the cell as the door hissed shut from behind.
“There you are,” he whispered, more to himself than the unconscious female.
His vision immediately switched to infrared as he silently strode and knelt by the motionless woman. He couldn’t see her features clearly, but the wave of heat that radiated from her body screamed to Braydok that she was possibly in her final stage of the Conversion.
He cursed fiercely before leaning over her body, and gently gathered her in his arms as he stood.
Braydok staggered back when her limp body was suddenly a fury of nails, teeth and well-placed punches and kicks. He nearly dropped her when a knee tried to crush his well-hung balls into pint-sized raisins.
“Fuck, will you stop? I’m here to save your ass!” Braydok squeezed his little hellion in a tighter grip that had her gasping for air. He gently shook her until her pummelling fists and deadly knees waivered.
“You-you’re here to save me?” Mackenzie’s eyes filled with disbelief and a large dose of mistrust. She still held her body stiff in the bountiful ripple of muscle that was beginning to feel too good for the dire situation.
Braydok nodded his head before he realised she couldn’t see his response.
“Yes, we haven’t much time. My name is Braydok, and as cliché as it sounds, the clock is ticking and we need to haul ass out of this cell and back to the retrieval sight. I don’t want to be on this slave ship longer than I have to be. And trust me, neither do you, Sheeala.”
Whoa, now why would I use that endearment? Braydok frowned, shaking his head, and decided to let it go for now. He didn’t have time to ponder the reasons. Saying it just felt right.
Confused, Mackenzie shook her head, frustrated that she couldn’t see a damn thing, let alone the man who held her naked body against his chiselled hardness. Was it possible that he was here for her? Did she dare trust this stranger?
“You need to put me down. I can walk.” She trembled in the embrace. Her heart picked up a beat and her lower belly felt hot and achy. She swiftly inhaled when the slick wetness between her legs gently flowed from her exposed pussy.
“Now,” she squirmed and slapped the stranger’s brawny shoulder.
The musky, sweet scent of arousal invaded Braydok’s acute senses, causing him to emanate a low growl from his chest. His arms automatically tightened around the naked bundle, taking pleasure in her soft curves and arousing scent. Unable to stop, he lowered his head and rubbed his nose against the top of her head, marvelling at how soft her thick hair felt against his skin.
Images of her writhing beneath him, surrounded by Setti and Keene as they, too, stroked her silky limbs and snug, wet slit made him moan softly. His cock hardened and poked her belly, before she stopped her squirming and froze in his arms.
He sighed, knowing this wasn’t the time to explore the female in his arms. It was just that her scent ignited a burning inside his chest and anchored in his thickening cock and churning balls.
“I’m not here to hurt you, little one.” He released her gently to the floor and kept a steady hand on her shaking limbs.
Her arousal perfumed the air between them, despite her quick step away from his touch.
“But, like I said, we haven’t much time and I need to cover your eyes before we leave this cell.”
“Wait. Why do have to cover my eyes, and why should I trust you? For all I know, you could be one of the people who kidnapped me, then saved me from a gruesome death, only to torture me with this void. I don’t know where I am, who took me, or why I’m still alive, considering where I was a few hours ago, a few days. Hell, for all know, I could have been gone for weeks and not known it. And here you stand, telling me to trust you to get me out of this cell.” Mackenzie’s chest heaved from the loquacious ramble that had her heart pounding against her ribs.
She grabbed her head, overwhelmed, and tried to grasp some sense in this sick nightmare. She couldn’t. Nothing made sense and it was giving her a low, throbbing ache in the ba
ck of her skull.
She backed away and wrapped her arms around her chest.
“I can’t go anywhere with you. I mean, I’m naked and, well, you know.” She helplessly shrugged her shoulders hating how lame and unsure she sounded.
Lordy, deliver me from my misplaced modesty. Really? I care about standing naked in a cell, with no light, flushing hot and cold, trembling with arousal for a man I haven’t seen yet and wondering every minute where my daughter is and if she’s alive. Fuck, I’m messed up!
She didn’t know how long her silent tirade rambled. The gentle stroke of fingers against her jawline startled her. The touch was light, sending trails of heady pleasure through her body that jolted her out of the nasty headspace that swallowed her whole with uncertainty.
The heat in her face and along her body deepened.
“I’ve never been afraid of the dark, until now,” she confessed softly, baffled at the sudden needed to share that tidbit. It was true, though. She loved the peace that darkness brought, but now, for her it only brought terrible memories, awful things that haunted her. She feared.
“I’m sorry, Sheeala. Truly, I wish this never happened to you, and to the others, but you need to trust me for a bit longer. Then we will explain everything to you, I promise.” he said urgently, with a hint of remorse in his rough voice. “I need to bind your eyes to keep them safe. The light outside of this room will harm them. Let me help you,” Braydok pleaded softly, sincerity ripe in his words.
Mackenzie raised her eyes toward the sound of the man’s deep, accented voice. He had a voice that made her ache, the type she loved to listen to for hours on end, much like a cross between a Scottish burr and an Irish brogue. It was sexy as fuck.
What in the hell is wrong with her? Why did she suddenly want to surrender to this man and trust in him to keep her safe? She focused her eyes and tried to see his features in the darkness, but gave up when her eyes began to ache from the strain.
Shaking her head, Mackenzie didn’t know what to do. Then again, she hadn’t had that cold, dreadful sensation nestled into her gut since the stranger opened the door. Taking a leap of faith, and praying to whoever or whatever was out there, Mackenzie nodded her head and whispered, “Okay, let’s do this.”
The sound of the man’s relieved sigh brought a quick tug on her lips.
She jumped when he touched her shoulder and trailed his strong fingers down her arm to her wrist. He lightly gripped one and twirled her around so that her back was facing him, keeping several inches between their bodies.
“Take it easy, I’m not going to hurt you,” Braydok said.
The heat wafting from her body scalded him, confusing his senses with a rush of need he only felt for his bond mates. Why he was attracted to this slip of a female, he could only guess. It didn’t matter. Well, it did, since Keene was adamant about her rescue. However, he didn’t have the time to sort through the chaotic mess in his head. He had one of the most important missions to complete.
The strong hand released her and an unknown ache and feral heat struggled inside Mackenzie. She moaned from the loss of his touch, before squeezing her lips tight and prayed that he didn’t hear the sound.
A swift inhale from behind blushed her cheeks and made the muscles in her lower belly quiver. Soft material was draped across her face, settled against her eyes and carefully tied to her head, making sure none of her hair twisted in the knot. Mackenzie closed her eyes and shivered from his thoughtfulness. It was stupid of her to trust him to bind her sight, but she did. She couldn’t help herself, despite everything that happened.
A hot shiver tingled her insides from the barest touch the man made against her skin. Another wave of heat moistened her pussy further, forcing Mackenzie to bite her lip and clench her thighs together. Beyond embarrassed and a bit worried, she inhaled a deep breath to try to calm her frayed nerves.
Oh, Lordy, Mackenzie, now isn’t the time to think about how erotic it is that a stranger with a sexy voice and gentle, callused hands blindfolded you.
It didn’t help when the stranger’s scent, masculine, woodsy with a hint of fresh mint, invaded her senses.
“Hurry,” she murmured as a deeper craving uncoiled which frightened her more than what she had faced earlier.
This man was doing something to her and she was clueless to his power over her good sense and treacherous body.
Braydok wanted to step closer to the woman, his eyes rolling to the back of his head when her scent made him shudder. The heat that radiated from her limbs made it harder for him to concentrate as he tied the strip of protective cloth over her eyes. Gently, he turned her around and laced his fingers with hers, smiling from the shiver her body gave him. He raised his hands, guided her hand to his shoulders before he dipped his head, swiftly inhaled her unique feminine scent and whispered in her ear, “You need to hold on to me tight. I have something that will cover you, but you must remain silent and completely still. No matter what you hear, remember not to move, okay?”
He waited for her to answer, feeling the slight nod, before her soft reply had Braydok carefully picking her up and holding her tightly against his length. He bit back a groan from the heat of her body and her wetness that pooled against his muscled belly. Swiftly, he strode to the cell entrance while trying to ignore how her softness rubbed against his hard muscles.
The length of her legs wrapped around his hips and her smooth arms against his shoulders and neck were heaven for the Liberator. The wet spot leaking onto his belly made his dick harder each time she moved against him.
Growling softly, Braydok wondered why, out of all the captive females he rescued in the past, this female twisted his insides and made his dick hard. He was attracted to males, not females.
This moment wasn’t the time to linger on such thoughts. There would be time later once he sequestered her on his pod ship and rendezvoused with the Solace Dawn.
His eyes narrowed and the data chip in the lenses pinpointed the panel that would release the lock on the door. Within seconds, the door opened. Braydok stepped out of the cell with a purpose. His long strides carried the two of them down the corridor and away from the cellblock.
The female shivered in his arms, but she didn’t move. He was thankful.
Keene’s clever mind set in motion the use of the camouflage material in the suit he wore for this mission. It may have appeared as the uniform of a Horde drone, but in reality, he wore his combat-issued jumpsuit.
The cloaking modules laced throughout the material were an ingenious and smart disguise. Now, all the liberators wore the material, making it easier to rescue the captives as they, too, appeared as the uniformed Horde drones.
“Okay, Mackenzie Chambers, here we go,” he said softly.
Mackenzie gave a slight nod against the scratchy material of the outfit he wore and tried not to think what was going to happen to her. A poke against her consciousness had her frowning. Something he said troubled her.
She didn’t know, but—Mackenzie stiffened her muscles as her throat constricted with wariness and fear. He knew her name. How did he know her name? More importantly, why wasn’t she struggling to get away from him?
Chapter 10
Lordy, Mackenzie, see what kind of a pickle you’re in right now?
Somewhere, she bounced between a feral heat boiling her insides to icy paralysation that made her feel weak and lethargic. Regardless of which way her body swayed, and the questions she had storing in her head for later, she knew something was wrong with her, something she couldn’t stop.
The sensual creature that lay dormant inside her for too many years stirred and stretched her lithe, primal nature. It was as if the controlled floodgates of her libido opened and every longing, wicked thought and forbidden urge rushed forward in a tremendous wave of lust.
Whoa there, missy, get a hold of your reins. Concentrate on how he knows your name, not how he makes you burn with desire to see him naked.
The fierce craving she had for t
his stranger was consuming, and that scared her.
It didn’t help that the sensitive spot below her indented bellybutton and the silky, smooth expanse of skin at the top of her hairless mons swirled with a languid, heavy pressure that made the inner muscles of her pussy quiver.
Her cheeks blossomed pink from the unmistakable threshold of her impending orgasm that hovered on eager threads. One glorious push and she would come in this stranger’s sculpted arms.
Oh god, what is wrong with me?
Against her will, she pressed her naked body closer to the hulking man and bit back a soft whimper. Unfortunately, a soft moan escaped when one of his large hands glided down her naked back and cupped one side of her nicely rounded butt cheek. The muscles beneath her tensed, but the heavy weight of his hand pressed deeper, kneading her soft but firm flesh.
So good, your touch feels so good.
Mackenzie bit her lip as she burrowed her face into his broad chest, and silently panted into his uniform, dampening the utilitarian material. She gripped the back of his tunic overcoat with her long nails that seemed to have grown longer and sharper than a few hours ago.
His chest rumbled and the swift intake of his breath was the only warning she had when distant clomps of uniform footsteps marched down the corridor they were travelling.
She tensed and folded her body tighter into the safety of her liberator. Gone was her arousal, washed away with fear. Mackenzie closed her eyes behind the smooth material that blinded her sight and put her fate in the powerful arms of a stranger. All she heard was the steady thudding of his heart. Please, please get me through this, get us through this, she pleaded silently.
Braydok slowly eased his hand from the generous, silky curve of their woman’s ass cheek. His surprised shock flared in his eyes, neatly hidden behind the eerie contact lens he wore.
“Their woman,” now where in the hell did that come from then? Then again, I’ve been calling her Sheeala since I laid my eyes on her.