He saw a third body in the doorway of a storage closet.
“David? Laith?” Jordan’s quivering voice grabbed his attention, and he moved toward her. Without thought, he scooped her up in his arms and hugged her tightly.
“Sh,” he murmured as he rocked her. “I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”
“I’m so sorry for running away.”
He pulled back and stared down at her. “You will be punished.”
She bit her lip. “Another spanking?”
“Hey, Jordan,” David called out. He had turned off the air compressor and looked from the dead Xyran guard toward her. “You turned an air compressor into a gun?”
She nodded.
“That’s fucking hot that you knew how to do that.”
She grinned. “Why is your skin black?”
“Camouflage,” Laith replied.
“Thank you for rescuing me. You might have been somewhat correct that escape was slightly futile.”
David’s eyebrows shot up. “What did I just hear? Jordan Kuper admitting she was wrong?”
Her chin jutted up. “I didn’t say I was wrong. I just said you might be somewhat correct. There’s a difference.”
He folded his arms. There came a little snicker behind him, and he and Laith glanced at each before bending a little to see into the storage closet.
“Who else is in there?” David raised his blaster.
“No!” Jordan cried and hurried forward, placing her body between David’s weapon and someone in the shadows.
“Is that a child?” he asked.
“She’s been kidnapped, like me, only I promised we’d take her back to her parents.”
Laith frowned. “Why would you promise something like that?”
“Oh no, don’t start being an asshole again.”
Laith bent down to look at the little girl. “Which tribe do you belong to?”
The child shifted a little and peeked at him. He jerked to his feet, pointing.
“She is Alphan,” he whispered.
The girl shrieked and wrapped her arms around Jordan.
“Damn it, Laith, you scared her.” Jordan turned and hugged the girl, who was shaking. “It’s okay, Rell. He’s a good Xyran.”
“Jordan, where did she come from?” David asked.
“She was in the room with me. I can’t leave her behind. Do you know how to get to her planet so we can find her family?”
“She is Alphan,” Laith repeated himself, as if that explained everything.
“Yes, you said that. So?”
“We can’t go to Alphan space. There is probably a massive manhunt for her.”
“Oh, so you know who she is?”
He shook his head. “It does not matter who she is, it’s how rare she is.”
“What do you mean?”
“Many years ago Planet Alpha was struck with fertility problems,” David explained. “Which is the reason they made a treaty with Earth. Females to mate with in exchange for sanctuary. Alphan children are extremely rare, but the fact that you found a female Alphan child, well, Kath could name his price for her on the Targin Market.”
“Her abduction might even reignite the war,” Laith said grimly.
“We have to go, Laith,” David urged. “Kath’s raiders are going to figure out quickly that both of them are gone. We need to leave this station.”
Laith shook his head. “If Kath is here—”
“It doesn’t matter if Kath is here,” David interrupted. “He is not important right now. Look at the girl. Look at Jordan. If you ever wanted to escape your sins start with them, right now.”
Laith’s dark eyes flickered over to them. The anger inside clawed his gut, demanding to be released. His need for vengeance was a bitter knot in his throat. But … he felt himself nodding in agreement.
“She’s coming with us,” Jordan said. “She can’t stay here with those barbarians.”
“Agreed,” David said. “Now, come on. Hide her as best as you can.”
****
They had made it back to the hanger and Jordan thought they were in the free and clear, but when Xyrans began scattering in all directions she knew they were in trouble.
“Get down!” Laith yelled and pushed her toward a tower of storage containers. Now, normally she’d be the first person rushing toward the fight, but she couldn’t since she had Rell and all her protective instincts rushed to the surface. Which surprised her because she’d never really considered herself as a motherly type person. But knowing this little girl depended on her changed her perspective on a lot of things. Jordan held her blaster close because if any person besides Laith or David came around the corner, she was going to shoot them to kingdom come.
It was two against how many? She heard blaster shots and grunts as fists hit flesh. What if David and Laith lost? The thought made her stomach drop sickeningly because somehow they’d morphed from asshole captors to … what? What did they mean to her now? Jordan shook her head to clear it. Right then was so not the time to become introspective.
Bottom line was she didn’t want them to die, and not because they were the lesser of two evils. She had to make a choice.
She bent down until she looked Rell in the eyes. “I need you to stay here.”
Rell shook her head forcefully. “No. Please. Don’t leave me.”
Jordan felt torn in two and she bit her lip. “I need to help David and Laith. The good Xyran and the human, remember?”
“There aren’t any good Xyrans,” Rell whispered, holding tightly onto her.
“I guess for you there aren’t. But, sweetheart, if David and Laith don’t win this fight we’ll be taken again. I have to help them.”
She wanted to help them, be by their side as they fought for their lives. But the situation was taken out of her hands as the sounds of the fight abruptly died. Jordan’s heart jumped, and not in a pleasant way. She held up her finger to her mouth in a silent gesture for Rell to stay quiet. Rell nodded and shrank into a little ball in the corner. Jordan brought the blaster up and waited, determined Rell wouldn’t be taken again.
This type of fear was something she was used to, but she pushed it down. Every day in the camp she lived in fear that her true identity would be found out. It was the main reason she trained so much with Mr. Meier, sometimes pushing her body until it collapsed. Right now, standing between whatever bad guys were coming and the little girl depending on her, she realized those lessons had prepared her for a lot more in life. Namely, to stare down death if need be.
“Jordan!” Laith called out, and she sagged in relief.
She rushed from behind the hiding spot and saw Laith holding tightly to a wounded David. Around them lay the bodies of four Xyrans in uniform, and before her eyes she saw their skin turn an ugly dark grey. Purple blood was everywhere. Ignoring the obvious battle that just happened, she ran up to Laith, dropping the blaster to check David. Her heart stuttered when she saw his purplish blood covering one side.
“Is he..?”
“I’m not dead,” David said through clenched teeth. “Just hurts like a motherfucker.”
“We need to get to the ship,” Laith told her.
Jordan nodded and hurried to get Rell.
The people on Station Three began to come out from hiding now that the battle seemed to be over, but Jordan ignored them. She could only imagine how ragtag they looked as they limped their way to the dock that held their ship. The old Xyran she had kneed when she ran earlier waited for them. When he saw her he instinctively covered his groin area. She wanted to apologize, but there wasn’t any time. Jordan saw his surprised look at Rell, but she pulled the little girl along until she reached the small cell she’d occupied earlier.
“You can keep the door open, but I need you to hide in here until we’re safe, okay?”
Rell nodded and crawled under the bed. Jordan handed her a pillow and blanket, and, feeling better that Rell was safe, she turned and hurried back to David’s side.
Laith nodded and let her take over as he said something to the other Xyran. The older man shook his head, and a moment later, he left the ship. As Jordan led David to the quarters, she felt the inertial dampeners kick on as the engines flared to life. She took a moment to close her eyes and breathe in relief, knowing they were all alive and safe.
****
Commander Kath looked at his dead men. He was having a difficult time controlling his emotions and keeping his skin an even color. The last thing he wanted to do was alert everyone just how close he was to erupting.
“Who did this?” he asked the people around him. “If information isn’t forthcoming, I will punish all of you.”
A commotion drew his attention, and he saw some station workers bringing forth an old Xyran mechanic.
“This one helped them escape.”
Kath slowly walked toward the struggling Xyran. He grabbed his jaw and squeezed, causing him to squirm painfully. “I recognize you. You sabotaged my ship. If you tell me who these traitors are, I will spare your life.”
The mechanic spat in his face. Without flinching, Kath brought out his nano-blade and plunged it into the big belly of the mechanic. The old Xyran collapsed in death. Kath pulled his blade free and glared at the station worker. “Get me his itinerary.”
Chapter Eight
David passed out. Jordan found a first aid kit in the bathroom, and although some of the stuff she didn’t understand, she proceeded to use her rudimentary knowledge of first aid to clean and bandage the wound. She couldn’t find a pair of scissors, so she had to peel his clothes off. He wore some type of body armor that fit him like a second skin, and she had the devil of a time taking it off his big body.
Under the coat was a long sleeve black shirt. A burnt hole ripped through his side, but upon closer inspection, she saw that it wasn’t anything serious. A blaster shot had ripped through the area under his arm, near his armpit, cauterizing as it went along. No doubt the energy exchange was what knocked him out. She carefully washed the wound, applied cream and taped a surgical pad on it before tucking the sheet around him.
She left the bedroom to check on Rell, and found the little girl sound asleep on the floor, wrapped in a blanket. Poor little thing, this was probably the first decent sleep she’d had in ages. For a moment, Jordan had the overwhelming urge to cuddle the little girl but didn’t want to disturb her rest. She rose and left the room, heading to the last person on the ship.
Laith sat at his console in the cockpit, looking thoughtful. She wondered what was going through his mind. She plopped down into the seat next to his.
“Are we heading toward Planet Alpha?” she asked.
He frowned. “No.”
“Why not?”
“How is David?” he asked instead, blatantly ignoring her question.
“David is fine. He’s sleeping off the blaster shot, which only nicked him. But you’re dodging the question.”
He sighed. “What am I supposed to do with the Alphan girl, Jordan?”
“I don’t understand. We take her home,” she said, enunciating slowly.
He shook his head. “I already told you, I can’t go into Alphan space. They’ll blast us out of the sky first without asking questions.”
“She needs her family, Laith. And they need her. Can you imagine what her parents must be feeling, knowing their daughter is lost?”
She saw Laith’s mouth flatten into a hard line. “Believe me when I say I know exactly how they feel.”
“And my mother is feeling the same thing right now, thinking I’m lost to her. When is this going end, Laith? You can’t keep kidnapping women. It’s wrong. Don’t Xyrans have any type of honor?”
His dark eyes flashed warningly. “We are a ruthless race, Jordan. We care about the battle, about wealth. We gather power through sex, which is the reason why we deal in sex slaves.”
Jordan’s heart broke, although she quickly pushed the feeling aside. She’d known all along that nothing could come of her attraction to these two men.
“Then I’m warning you, the first chance I get I will escape and take Rell with me. I would rather die than live the future you chose for me.”
She rose to leave, but he grabbed her hand. Jordan tried pulling away, but he wouldn’t let her go.
“But I am no longer that type of Xyran,” he whispered.
She stopped struggling. “What?”
“There are … factions … within our society that work to free slaves.” He stared at her intently. “Secret factions.”
“Are you saying you’re part of those factions?”
He shook his head. “No. What I am about to tell you will change everything. I would be executed if anyone found out.”
“Then why tell me?”
“Because I do not want you to think badly of me, although I do not understand why.”
She studied his face, trying to understand between the lines. Was he being honest? It was hard to believe since he and David had abducted her for that very reason. Tentatively, she sat back down.
“I may know of a way to get Rell back to Alphan space,” he said.
“How?”
“You will have to trust me.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Of course you have a choice, but this ship is ill-equipped for any type of battle, and if I boldly fly us into Alphan space we’ll be brought down immediately. So I will make a deal with you.”
She folded her arms and waited.
“I know someone who can smuggle Rell back to her people if…”
“If what?” she demanded.
“If David and I can have you.”
Her eyes popped open wide. “What?”
“I believe you heard me.”
She surged to her feet and raised her hand to slap him, but he caught her arm and yanked her until she fell off her feet and into his lap. His arms went around her, trapping her like steel bands. She tried to knee him, but her awkward position didn’t allow any leverage.
“Calm down, you little firecat,” he muttered.
“Asshole! I should’ve known. You get one chance to do something nice and you’ve got to put an ultimatum on it.”
His tongue flicked out and scraped against her chin. “When I first tasted you, I thought there was something unusual about you. David knew immediately, but I’ve been stubborn. Until now. Now I’m ready to admit it.”
“Oh yeah? Admit what?”
His nose nuzzled her neck and he took a bit of skin between his teeth and sucked. The shock sent shivers down her body and made her nipples bead. She shifted a little, which brought his hardness in direct contact with her aching pussy.
“You are my mate,” he whispered in her ear.
“W-what?”
“You, Jordan Kuper, are my mate. And you are David’s mate. You belong to us.”
She shook her head and pulled away. After a moment, he let her go. She stood, shaking, her mind racing with so many things she wanted to say. A big part of her wanted to beat him up, but she couldn’t force herself to turn around. Where was her anger? She’d always been able to grasp it before because it burned right below the surface, so why wasn’t she angry?
Laith’s hands settled on her shoulders. “Jordan, I know you feel it.”
“I don’t feel anything.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I don’t want to feel anything,” she amended.
“I didn’t want a human to be my mate, but I can smell you,” he murmured. “Taste you. You drive me up a wall, and sometimes that’s a bad thing. But sometimes it’s exactly what I need. David grounds me, supports me, but you keep me on my toes.”
“But what does this mean for me? For us?”
“We want you. Say yes, Jordan.”
“There are more issues than what I feel,” she whispered. “I left my mother back on Earth. And I refuse to
be a sex slave.”
“You would not be a sex slave, Jordan. In public there would be requirements on how to act. Xyran society does not recognize humans as mates. But in private you would be my mate. You would be David’s wife. And you are more than a match for us. Say yes, Jordan.”
Laith kissed the back of her neck and rubbed his cheek against the sensitive skin, causing her gasp. She had never realized how arousing her back could be.
But could she follow her desire and give in? She’d spent her whole life fighting against surrendering to anything, and it almost seemed like a betrayal if she did say yes.
Perhaps he understood how difficult it was for her to answer because he took control. She distinctly heard the rustling of clothes and realized that Laith was disrobing. Her heart slammed forcefully in her chest as she realized the implication of what was going to happen.
Oh God, she was going to have sex.
Laith’s hands slid around her, halting her panicked thoughts. He cupped her breasts, filling his palms. She’d always been small and often wondered if binding her chest so tightly as a blossoming girl had kept her breasts on the slight side, but Laith didn’t seem to mind as he massaged the plump mounds, teasing the nipples until she thrust her chest out with a moan. His forked tongue snaked out and teased the skin on her neck.
“Do you know how much I want you, Jordan?” he asked seductively. He turned her head toward him and leaned over to kiss her. His mouth formed a seal over hers as his tongue slid against hers, causing another little moan to rumble through her body.
Without breaking the kiss, he turned her in his arms until she was pressed against him. Something from his chest poked her in the chest, and she backed away to look down. One crystal clear gemstone winked at her, and she traced over it lightly.
“What is this?” she asked.
“A memory.”
Then he nibbled his way to her ear and down her neck, and she soon forgot about the gem. He leaned over her, kissing his way down her body as he loosened her shirt and peeled it from her body. He nipped and licked all the way down, until he fell to his knees in front of her, pushing his own pants down from her hips, exposing her inch by inch to his gaze.
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