Fenturi Fate (Spacestalker Saga Book 1)

by Bevan Greer

  The vision of loveliness lying so still made his heart race. He’d placed Dare in the unit as he’d found her, stripping away her weapons and boots, but nothing more. The med unit took care of removing clothing and foreign items from the body.

  Now, the lying woman lay naked, her form beyond lovely. High breasts, a trim waist, long legs and toned arms. Her stomach had a slight dip in it, one he’s love to trace with his mouth. To taste her sweetness and savor the tartness of her rebellion.

  He swayed, needing her with more than a physical hunger, but an emotional one as well. Which made little sense. Ren took a deep breath and let it out, trying to clear his head. Yet he couldn’t look away from her. His body reacted, tense and needy. He apparently hadn’t managed to take away all of her weapons, he thought wryly.

  The long, lean lines of her golden skin glowed as the med unit restored her to health. Hell, even her were gracefully arched. She had no body hair that he could tell, only that mane of beautiful color upon her head.

  A recollection of one of the many dreams he’d been having about her hit him hard. In it, he could see himself suck at her breast, laving her pink nipple with his tongue. His hands touched her everywhere, learning her curves and committing her responses to memory. When she arched under him and cried out, he settled between her thighs and…

  Ren swore and forced himself to put those thoughts aside. The little witch enraptured him even as she slept. No wonder Zedrax had hated his mother. Under Garen’s sensual spell, Zedrax must have been unable to resist her.

  Ren turned away from Dare and studied the med panel, fighting to hold onto his hard-won discipline. He knew Dare for what she was—a Fenturi with the ability to sway his passion with ease. His desire perhaps, but never his mind.

  He was not Zedrax. He would never fall prey to a seductive Fenturi, no matter how beautiful she might be. Unable to help himself, he took another glance at her, imagining her soft and vulnerable when he knew she was anything but.

  By rights he should have had one of his men check on her, but he could barely stop himself from opening the med unit and claiming her. He couldn’t imagine Ned or Nesh watching her this way, seeing her stripped bare.

  With a snarl, he grabbed a nearby robe and opened the med unit. Now that she’d completed the second level of her healing, the robe would aid in warming her while the unit took care of her last remaining injuries.

  He lifted her up, marveling at the lightness of her body considering the muscles he’d noticed. Then again, she was female, toned and slender, unlike most hardy Fenturi males. Like him

  Just as he put her back inside the med unit, it beeped. “Scan complete. Subject back at full health. Dispense with the unit and retire to quarters for rest and recuperation.”

  Great. She’d finished. Now where to put her…? He needed to keep an eye on her but didn’t want to put her in one of the prison rooms.

  He rationalized that since the System needed the Mari safe and sound, and he needed to make sure she fully recovered—so that she might again power the Thrax against the Horde—he’d place her where he could best keep an eye on her.

  Into the spare room accessed by his cabin as well as the hallway.

  Taking her into his arms, he left the sick room, ignored the twins’ surprised stares, and hurried through the ship to his room. He walked through it to the back, and using the adjoining panel, entered the spare unit, where he kept a bed for more amorous pursuits. After settling her into the bed and covering her up with a blanket, he studied the space.

  Nothing she could use as a weapon. Good. Then again, one could use a simple writing utensil as a weapon with a little ingenuity. He took everything sharp away, reset the codes at the hallway door so only he could open it, then double-checked the room.

  She had a small writing desk and chair, an extra storage closet where some spare clothing hung, and a bed. Ren looked down at her in the large bed, where he’d taken a pleasurer a time or two, indulging his sex drive before he’d learned to ignore it. Yet as he stared at her, he couldn’t recall what those other women had looked like.

  Foolishness. He shook his head, secured the adjoining panel, and rejoined his men in the control room.

  He’d give the female some time to recover before he’d start questioning her.

  As soon as he’d learned of her location through various sources, he’d hurried to Kre. It hadn’t taken long before he’d felt her presence. Odd, yet he had little time to explore the strange feeling. Not when he had a mission to accomplish and the sense danger loomed close. The presence of an Olm pirate attack had alarmed him. As had his internal warning before the first blast of starfire had ignited, destroying the landing station.

  By the Dark World, such energy in that blast. It had resonated throughout his entire body even before it had exploded. And it had urged him to hurry before he lost her again.

  Finding her, the cat and the blond fighting overwhelming odds, he’d been hard pressed not to interfere at once. But he’d wanted to see her handle herself.

  As with the Shorhu Lord, she fought well. Yet her exhaustion seemed not in keeping with the energy she’d displayed during the bar fight. And he’d known, deep down, that her earlier use of starfire had weakened her.

  Then the pirate had stabbed her before attacking the guidecat. Rage, unlike anything he’d before felt, consumed him. Yet he’d been unable to move when the energy churning in his belly met an answering light in Dare’s glowing eyes. In a flash the pirate had burned to a crisp.

  And Dare loomed on the verge of passing out.

  Unfortunately, the pirate captain also seemed to realize Dare’s remarkable feat. Ren had killed him before he could do more damage to Dare and her crew. Taking care of the remaining pirates had been both necessary and pleasant. One more blight upon the system vanquished. And if the pirate couldn’t speak of Dare’s secret, so much the better. For the mission, he reminded himself. His actions were all for the mission, not just for her.

  But the imprint of her eyes lingered on his mind. That bright blue glow had affected him in some way, for even now he felt a tingling in his belly. A flash of starfire seemed to ignite him from within, and he had an absurd notion to join Dare in the room, on the bed, and sample what belonged to him. Such sweetness and passion in the woman… Such raw, beastly joy…

  “Damn me. I’m losing my mind.” He bit his lower lip until he drew blood, centered himself, then entered the control room.

  “Everything’s set, Captain. Uh, Ren, do you think, maybe…” Primo floundered.

  “What?” Ren barked, in no mood to play guessing games, not with his skin still itching to feel Dare sliding against him.

  “What the nabob is too scared to ask you—” Nesh started.

  “—because you’re standing there looking as fierce as a Dark World cloud,” Ned took over.

  “Is since we’re taking a while to get to Nexios for your captive, why don’t we linger outside of Vembi for a night while she recovers?” Nesh finished.

  Castor nodded. “That’s not a bad idea. Ren, the men have been working pretty hard. It wouldn’t hurt for everyone to let off some steam since we’ve got the time. And Vembi’s on our way. What’s the harm?”

  Ren considered the idea and thought it had some merit. The men had been working nonstop these past few weeks to find the Mari, and now they had her. Besides, maybe some time with a pleasurer would relieve his own stress. Something had to give before he did something he’d regret.

  “Fine. I’m not an unreasonable man.” He frowned at Castor’s bark of a laugh. “We’re much closer to accomplishing the king’s task.”

  Ren ignored the face Castor made. Unlike his feelings for that bastard Zedrax, Castor had always respected Zebram and made no effort to hide his respect from Ren. Since the young prince had never hid his affection for Ren, he’d earned Castor’s devotion.

  “You might as well acknowledge your relationship to the boy,” Castor had said time and time again. “He loves you,
and you deserve some softness. Not everything on Bylar is as ugly as Zedrax would have it, Ren.”

  Ren was still loath to do so. The royal house Vinopol had been his curse for years, a dead weight around his neck that would never get lighter. He was both proud of his heritage and at the same time hateful and resentful of it.

  His father had hated him with the same passion he’d hated Ren’s mother. As much as he’d loved her. The dichotomy of emotions had confused Ren for years, because he’d wanted to love his mother, that “treacherous Fenturi witch who’d seduced Zedrax away from reason.” He’d heard the stories too many times to count, and his contradicting feelings for his mother—and himself—had never resolved.

  And now he had his own Fenturi witch locked in a small room right next to his own.

  His thoughts grew dark with memory, a desire for retribution, and unwanted carnal need.

  Castor warily tapped Ren on the shoulder and sighed with relief when his friend’s dark brow rose in question.

  Lately, Ren’s moods had been as changing as the Ocaian tides. The more Castor wondered about his friend’s state of mind, the more he realized Ren had been acting strangely since he’d met Captain Dare—The Mari. The old king’s death hadn’t helped matters either.

  Ren shook his head and moved to his chair to make notes in his journal while the twins conferred with Primo about where to settle on Vembi. All three of the resident Fenturi seemed agitated, full of nervous energy.

  Lately Ren’s eyes seemed to glow, a soft green that grew more brilliant when he burned with emotion. Just like the twins, though their eyes were a bright blue. And their skin seemed luminescent at times too. Though Ren had begun undergoing these changes since meeting the twins, they’d grown more obvious since running into Dare.

  Personally, Castor would have loved to have a Fenturi heritage. He gave no credence to Bylaran law that outlawed the native race. The Fenturi could run faster, had considerably more stamina and strength than a human, and typically had the good looks and sensuality inherent to their race that made mating an easy and pleasurable task at all times.

  The twins knew a good thing and used it. They never wanted for female companionship and were better than Bylaran gold in battle. If you could get over that annoying habit they had of finishing each other’s sentences, you couldn’t ask for a better pair of warriors to stand with.

  But Ren… The female would be his downfall or his salvation. She was devious, beautiful, and possessed the sensuality of her kind—an impossible temptation to a man constantly fighting an inner beast. Castor knew she would drive Ren to distraction.

  Something his friend dearly needed.

  By the Dark World, Castor had been amazed by her attractiveness right off, and he was Bylaran. He’d seen Ned and Nesh conferring when Ren had brought her on board, had seen the gleam of hunger in their eyes that they’d banked when Ren spoke with them.

  But who could blame them? Whereas the stubborn captain refused to fully accept his nature, the twins embraced theirs. It had often been a long-standing joke that to defeat a Fenturi, one merely had to keep them from mating and the Fenturi would beg for surrender.

  Castor understood why Ren had so readily agreed to the visit to Vembi. He no doubt felt sexually frustrated and yet still angered over Dare’s deception.

  Perhaps she could heal what years of Zedrax’s hate and fear had harmed. Ren needed to understand what made him such an amazing warrior. He needed a wake-up—to realize his Fenturi blood was not the evil taint Zedrax had accused it of being, but a gift from the Goddess. A gift not unlike the attractive female healing on board.

  “Shall I contact the king for you? So you can report that we captured the gorgeous, shifty little Mari?” Castor saw Ren’s thinly veiled control and tried not to smile. He could feel another I told you so coming to the fore.

  “Fine.”

  “Do you want to take the call in your quarters?”

  “No.” Ren paused. “The Mari is in my adjoining chamber.” He bent to scribble something more in his journal. Castor met the twins’ surprised look.

  “Oh?” Castor asked knowing he shouldn’t have, but was unable to resist baiting Ren. “Are you sure she’s not warming your bed instead?”

  “She can warm mine anytime,” the twins said as one.

  “What?” Ren snapped.

  “Nothing,” the Hams mumbled and returned to their station work.

  “I find it curious you don’t put her in a prison cell,” Castor said, unable to stop pricking Ren’s temper.

  “She’s important to the king, so I’m treating her as such. The little Fenturi witch tries anything, though, and she’ll pay.” Ren stared through the forward portal, mostly likely seeing Dare, not the stars.

  “I’m pretty sure she’s not fond of the pet name, Little Fenturi Witch. You might try calling her Dare.”

  Ned coughed and Nesh bit his lip. Primo suddenly buried his face in star charts.

  “Castor, you’re very, very close to being spaced.” Put out of an air lock into the cold death of space.

  “Promises, promises,” Primo muttered.

  “Do it. Then you’ll have to corral the Stalkers all on your own.”

  “Bastard,” Ren mumbled.

  Rolling his eyes at Ren’s stubbornness, he contacted the royal house.

  “Vinopol Protocol One Five Seven,” a pleasing female voice answered.

  “This is Castor Nizbe of the Eyshan6 with a message for King Zebram, courtesy of his brother, Captain Garen,” Castor said in a booming voice.

  “Oh, well. Hello, Castor. Greetings to Captain Garen,” the feminine voice warmed. “Please stand by.”

  Castor transferred the call to Ren’s station and waited for the inevitable fallout.

  Beside him, Nesh whispered, “Fifty beks he and the Mari shack up before we leave Vembi.”

  “I say they wait until we’re at Nexios.”

  “You’re on.” Castor agreed with Nesh.

  Then Primo wanted in on the action, and Castor recorded their bets while watching Ren talk to his brother, the king.

  As usual, Ren cleared his face of any feeling and spoke into the headset like a well-trained soldier.

  “Good to hear from you, finally,” Zebram said with enthusiasm. “I heard our Legionnaires had a time of it with the Olm pirates on Kre. That can’t be true. You’re the best.”

  Ren could almost see his brother cheering him on in the palace. He stifled a sigh. If Zebram meant to be as hard a leader as Zedrax, he was going to have to curb his enthusiasm and remember to act more self-important.

  “We successfully captured the Fenturi and are headed to Nexios, as you ordered.” Easier to pretend he followed a royal edict than bring Myla’s importance into it all.

  “Yes, good. I’ll tell Myla,” Zebram just had to say. “But what is the Mari like? Was he cooperative? Does he know about his connection to the Thrax? Give me some details.”

  Details? Now that he thought about it, Ren realized Dare looked very much like the archetype of the Fenturi female. Why he hadn’t seen it until now he didn’t know. Her dark-hued hair and golden skin only accentuated the brightness of her eyes, the sensuality dormant in her full lips and generous curves.

  “The Mari is a she, and she was anything but cooperative,” Ren admitted.

  “A female? Interesting. And you say she wasn’t willing to go with you?”

  “Yes. Look, I’ll introduce her to you myself when we arrive home. But first, we’re going to Nexios to meet Methan. Hopefully we’ll find what we’re looking for there, or at least get a clue of where to start looking.”

  Zebram agreed. “Good. The sooner you get there, the better. I’m getting more reports of the Horde around the Outworlds. Supposedly, two Ragil scout ships have been spotted lingering uncomfortably close to Ocaia.”

  “That close?” Ren asked, disturbed.

  “Yes. Do what you can to speed things up. I don’t suppose I could talk to her? The Mari?” Zebram
still sounded like a child obsessed with all things Fenturi. But unlike his older brother, he’d been coddled and indulged with care.

  “You could if she were able to talk. She had a slight accident on Kre and is healing as we speak.”

  “What? But she—”

  “My king, the woman is fine. She just needs some time to heal, so we’re taking an extra day to reach Nexios.”

  “Fine. But protect her with your life, Garen.” Zebram speak with a commanding voice, sounding for the first time, very much the king he was.

  “Aye, my lord. We’ll keep in touch.” Ren ended the connection.

  He thought for a moment before he glanced up. “Men, as soon as we leave Vembi we’re going to be extremely busy. Pack in as much enjoyment as you can stand into a short time. With Primo’s direction, we should make it to Vembi within six hours. I give us a day before we leave for Nexios.”

  The men nodded, and Castor asked, “How go rumors of the Horde?”

  “Not good. Apparently they’re openly scouting near Ocaia now.”

  Castor frowned. “That’s not good at all.” He opened his mouth as if to say something more, then closed it. “We’ll do what needs to be done.”

  “I know.” And he did. Ren trusted Castor like no other. Castor knew him, sometimes better than Ren knew himself. “Oh, and men, stay clear of the green room above deck. The cat has made it hers for the time being.”

  Just like Dare has made everything she touches hers. And if I’m not careful, I’ll be next.

  ***

  Dare slowly opened her eyes, still dazed. She stared up at an enclosed ceiling. By the sound and feel of things, she lay in a ship.

  She opened her senses but didn’t smell anything familiar. Groaning when she opened her eyes wider, she flinched at the dim light and blinked to clear her vision.

  She looked around and saw nothing but cream-colored walls and a dark flooring. The large bed in which she lay felt comfortable despite its utilitarian design and sat flush against a wall. Opposite the bed she noticed a storage door. An entryway appeared next to the storage door and was flanked by a small desk and chair.