by Aria Bell
There was a disturbing silence from the other end of the comm.
“Far’lak?”
“I’m sorry, Captain. They were standing right there.”
Wonderful. So greed had gotten the better of Far’lak, too. I knew leaving Gren’don on the bridge was a bad idea. Even if it was lower on the scale of bad things than letting Gren’don lead the boarding party.
Damn that man.
Far’lak had effectively backed me into a corner with the crew. Even though I was captain of the Defiance Blade, it didn’t mean I wasn’t under a continual state of challenge. I’d stained my blade with my share of challengers in my time, and I expected I’d do so again in the future. But I couldn’t have a struggle for leadership while we were sitting unprotected in busy Galactic Imperium space, with a hold full of stolen cargo, far from the lawlessness—and for us, the safety—of the outer rim.
“Ransoms are dangerous. You know that,” I said, hoping that maybe just saying it out loud would gain his agreement.
“Gren’don said we could easily triple our take, maybe quadruple it.”
I bit off a searing curse. No matter how much I disliked taking prisoners, and no matter how dangerous the ransom game might be, I had little choice in the matter now. I’d promised my crew a big haul if we ignored the usual trade routes and risked heading toward the galactic core instead. And now that they knew the take could be even higher than the loot from the pleasure cruiser alone, I’d be hard pressed to deny them. Not if I expected to still be in the captain’s chair tomorrow morning.
I had to go along with it.
For now.
I made my way over to Captain Sylvis Trasker. She turned to face me, her expression cold. With a flourish, I gave her my best bow, sweeping back the leather sides of my coat, as courtly as I could be. I was, after all, dealing with a noble lady.
“Captain Trasker,” I said, keeping my tone both calm and serious. “I’m afraid I have bad news.”
She didn’t flinch. I had to give her credit.
“What is it now?” she asked carefully.
There was no easy way to break this to her. Even one of my smiles wouldn’t diminish the blow. “Your presence is required aboard the Defiance Blade. Congratulations. You will have the distinct honor of being be my guest for the foreseeable future.”
CHAPTER THREE
Captain Sylvis Trasker
For a moment, I couldn’t move a muscle. I felt frozen solid, nothing moving except for my heart, which was racing at a thousand kilometers an hour. They must know somehow. The pirates must have discovered who I was, who my parents were, when they hacked the systems of the Mero Tallasa. My crew didn’t know. Even Bestri didn’t know.
At least Captain Dra’sten hadn’t been smiling as he told me he was taking me prisoner. If I had to look at one of those cocky grins right now, I’d probably snap and try to kick him in the considerable bulge in the front of his leather pants.
He must have seen something in my eyes, because he watched me closely, and his voice had a placating tone to it instead of the usual mocking edge. “You will be safe with me, Captain. You have my word.”
I huffed out an annoyed breath and sneered at him. “The word of a pirate.”
“No, the word of Kash Dra’sten. I will guarantee your safety until your parents meet our demands.”
I started to laugh. My father would never agree to ransom the daughter he’d disowned. I doubted he would even pay to have me cremated. “Oh, Pirate, you’re going to be so disappointed.”
His eyebrows shot up. The look in his intensely blue eyes was momentarily surprised before his raging overconfidence flooded back and that cocky grin found its way onto his face again. “What, you don’t think they’ll pay your ransom?”
I wiped my eyes, my laughter finally dying down to a quiet chuckle. “Let’s just say you’ll be waiting for quite some time.”
He smiled again, letting his gaze slide down my body in a way that made my body suddenly feel very warm. “Well, if they don’t, then you’ll simply have to stay here and become a pirate with the rest of us.”
I stared at him.
He stared back at me.
I burst into another round of laughter. “Become a pirate? I’d rather blow myself out the airlock.”
As soon as I said it, I realized it was stupid. This wasn’t a joke. These men were robbing my ship, taking me hostage. Insulting their captain was probably not the best course of action.
I expected retaliation, anger, maybe even a blow for my insults. He was so much bigger than I was…and so much bigger than the male officers behind me that he made them seem like boys. He was a good foot taller than the tallest of them. But instead of anger, he only bowed again.
“If my lady wishes to blow herself out the airlock, it would be an honor to assist her highness in any way a humble brigand such as myself might be of service. But only after we have the ransom.”
I turned to my crew. They were watching me with wide eyes and fearful expressions.
When I began speaking, I surprised myself at how calm my voice sounded. “It appears as if I’ll be leaving with our unexpected guests.”
Bestri was on the bridge, working to restore our systems and control of the ship. I’d ordered her to remain there in case something went wrong in the loading bay. I really wished I’d had the chance to say good-bye to her. “First Mate Bestri Zrahm is now in command. After we leave, provide medical attention or trauma services to those who need it and get the Mero Tallasa back to port right away.”
I made sure to look each of them in the eye, one by one. “I’m counting on you to get our passengers home safe and sound.”
Reminding them of their duty seemed to put some heart back in them. I turned back to the big pirate captain who was watching me more intently than I liked. I set my jaw and nodded for him to lead the way, refusing to be intimidated or show him how afraid I was to be taken hostage by a bunch of shirtless alien pirates the size of icebears.
He spun back to his dropship, his dark synth-leather coat swirling around him dramatically.
“Ignorant, foppish pig,” I grumbled under my breath.
Dra’sten glanced my way with an eyebrow raised and that damn smile on his face. “Excuse me, Your Incredible Ladyship, but we’ve already discussed this. Ignorant pig is fine, but I prefer dashing.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“See that you do.” He headed for the dropship. Two of his pirate lackeys fell in on either side of me with big swords in their hands, looking at me as if I were a piece of meat they wanted to skewer.
I followed Dra’sten up the ramp to the dropship. Inside, it was stuffed to bursting with all the things they’d stolen. Seeing it made me seethe. The other pirates were strapping themselves into their seats along the side of the cargo area. There were two empty seats that probably belonged to the pirates Dra’sten had assigned to hijack one of our cargo shuttles.
Captain Dra’sten waved a hand at one of the empty seats. “Strap yourself in, Your Glorious Highness. I’m a superior pilot, but we can’t go risking our precious cargo.”
“I’m a lot less precious than you seem to think,” I snapped.
He gave me a considering look, purposely drawing the moment out. “Oh, did you think I meant you? I was talking about the reactor fuel cells.”
I glared at him. Without another word, I sat down and strapped in.
Captain Dra’sten made his way through the door to the cockpit. The inside of this ship was nothing like our cargo shuttles, which were elegantly designed even though they were only used to move freight. This ship was stripped down, dirty, and had seen some hard times. It seemed strange that the captain would fly his own dropship, but it actually stirred a desire in me to fly again, too. To have a flight stick in my hand and thrusters at my control again. It had been years since I’d flown anything myself. I realized that I missed it.
Although if I survived this, I might end up behind a flight stick soone
r than I’d like. After the Xexe Moray Corp fired me for everything that had happened on this voyage—even before being boarded by pirates and robbed blind—I’d probably end up flying garbage transports for a living.
Thinking about garbage transports had me remembering how Captain Kash Dra’sten had insulted my ship. The bastard. I’d never met someone so arrogant and infuriating. Now I was his prisoner. My stomach felt cold, and a trickle of sweat ran down my back. I didn’t think Dra’sten would hurt me… I was too valuable to him. Or at least he thought I was valuable. His opinion would change when he actually contacted my father, the great Duke Archa Trasker.
Then what would happen to me? I doubted it would be good.
The dropship thrusters engaged. The ship began to move. I stared out one of the small, portside windows as Dra’sten steered the ship out of the docking bay and the atmo-fields and into space. We headed toward the pirate ship. Its aggressive shape was like a missile or a sword with its long, tapered hull and massive engines. Ugly and all business, not like the elegant lines of the Mero Tallasa.
Soon we were flying through the landing bay slot at the bottom of the pirate ship. What had Dra’sten called it? The Defiance Blade? Only a male would name a ship something like that. Mero Tallasa meant Star Jewel in Dalmoran. A much better name for a ship.
The dropship shuddered as it touched down inside the frigate’s landing bay.
“She’s the captain’s booty,” one of the Jardan pirates was saying, catching my attention and sending alarm racing through me. “Lucky bastard gets a little something to warm his bed, while we had to do all the work hauling the goods.”
Another of the Jardan, this one missing an eye from a jagged scar that cut across his face, glanced at him and grunted. “Stop whining, Tleg.”
My heart was thudding in my chest. Would Dra’sten keep me in his chambers as some kind of concubine? Not if I had anything to say about it. I’d bite off his nose before I let him put his filthy hands on me.
But Tleg wasn’t done. The hair stood up on my arms when I realized he was now looking straight at me. He unbuckled himself from his seat and stood, his hand on his sword. Tleg, like the rest of the pirates, wore no shirt and had light blue skin with lots of scars. His head was shaved, though he had a short beard of blue-black hair. He sauntered over to me.
“Maybe I’ll get me a taste before the captain uses the tiny human all up,” Tleg said. He was grinning at me, but unlike the captain’s annoying, trying-to-be-charming grins, this one was predatory. “What do you say, terosi mihn? They say human pussy is hot and sweet. Maybe I’ll find out for myself.”
I fixed him with my coldest stare, showing my teeth in a silent snarl. “They say Jardan blood is hot and spicy. Come over here and let me find out for myself when I bite off your lips.”
The Jardan pirates all laughed and cheered, clapping and hooting. Tleg wasn’t amused by my threat. His expression darkened, rage burning in his eyes. He took a step toward me with his fists bunched.
Out of nowhere, Captain Dra’sten suddenly appeared, his fist connecting with Tleg’s face. I felt the vibration of the blow through the hull and the bottom of my shoes. Tleg went flying. He slammed into the opposite bulkhead and crumpled to the ground.
Dra’sten glanced at me. “Are you okay?”
“I could’ve handled him,” I lied. I didn’t even know why I lied. It was stupid. Everyone here knew the truth. And yet whenever the chance arose to contradict Dra’sten, my mouth always took it. It was automatic, like breathing. Dra’sten took one side. I immediately took the other.
Dra’sten only smiled and nodded. I couldn’t read that particular smile very well, but I was pretty sure he believed I was full of crap. The jerk.
Tleg stumbled back to his feet, rage in his eyes. He was clutching the side of his face where Dra’sten had hit him. His hand dropped toward his sword. I tensed, dreading where this was going. If Dra’sten was killed, what would happen to me?
“Don’t you dare draw that blade,” Dra’sten warned, his hand lingering above his own sword. That slow, lazy smile crossed his face again. “Unless you think you’re fast enough to be captain.”
Tleg hesitated, then he turned his angry gaze to me. I stayed exactly where I was, unwilling to get involved in their violence despite my bold words only seconds ago.
Then Tleg grabbed for his blade. He didn’t get the sword halfway out of the sheath before the captain had his sword free. The captain’s blade flashed in an arc so fast I literally saw a blur. Then Tleg’s severed hand flew across the dropship and landed in another pirate’s lap. The pirate brushed the hand off onto the floor with a look of disgust. Tleg sank to his knees, clutching his arm stump, his eyes wide with shock as he roared with pain.
I didn’t make a sound, not believing what had just happened right in front of me. I hadn’t been prepared for the sudden brutality. Dra’sten was more vicious than I’d believed.
The captain put the tip of his bloody sword at Tleg’s neck. His smile had vanished. “I’ll cut off the hands of any Jardan who touches her. Disobey me at your peril.” He looked around at the rest of his pirates. “Am I making myself clear?”
They answered with quick shouts of “Aye, Captain!”
Dra’sten stared them down for a moment longer, then sheathed his sword. He turned to me. His voice was utterly calm, as if he’d just sliced himself a piece of cheese instead of a hand. “I apologize for the unpleasantness, Captain Trasker. I don’t believe we’ll have any more problems from here on out. Now, if you’ll come with me, I’ll show you to your quarters.”
I unstrapped myself from the chair harness with shaking hands. Dra’sten walked to the back of the dropship and used the control panel to lower the ramp. On the way, he stepped over Tleg’s severed hand as if it were a piece of refuse and not part of one of his pirates only seconds ago. Tleg was cursing quietly to himself as one of the other pirates applied a tourniquet to his arm.
I stepped over the hand, trying not to look at it. If I looked too hard, I thought I might be sick. My stomach was queasy enough already. I didn’t want to sacrifice what little dignity I still had by losing my last meal all over the deck like a recruit fresh into flight school. Even though I was trying not to look at it, I still couldn’t get it out of my mind. Especially how fast things everything had happened.
Finally, the curiosity got the better of me. “What about…his hand?”
Captain Dra’sten paused and glanced at it, a slightly puzzled expression on his face. “What about it?”
“Are you just going to…leave it there?”
He gave me a look as if I were crazy. “We’re pirates, not barbarians. Someone will take him to the medical bay. They can reattach it there.”
Not barbarians, eh? Could have fooled me. I was certain I was now hostage on a ship full of the most ruthless, barbaric pirates in the quadrant. Probably because they were the only pirates in the quadrant, which was just my luck. In all the years I’d been flying, I never once heard of pirates anywhere near this deep into Galactic Imperium territory. Pirates stuck to the outer rim, where the law was a far more fluid, and where proper, upstanding citizens had no business going. With my luck, the galactic police would shoot first and ask questions later, and blow me up right along with the ship.
It was clear Captain Kash Dra’sten was far more dangerous than he first seemed, with that cocky grin and charming—no, sometimes charming—smile.
More pirates waited outside in the landing bay. All of them had swords. None of them were wearing shirts. Not much of a uniform, but at least they all had pants. They did make the captain seem overdressed with his unbuttoned synth-leather long coat showing me glimpses of his hard pecs and the ridges of his abdominals. Distracting. Irritatingly distracting. I had to keep looking him in the eyes because I didn’t want him to know I was ogling his chest.
“Empty this dropship,” Dra’sten ordered his crew. “Pherro, make sure you track everything we took in so everyone gets their
cut. Then start on the cargo shuttle we stole.” He settled his hand on his sword hilt. “Oh, and someone help Tleg and his hand to the medical bay and put him back together again.”
His crew scrambled to obey his orders. He seemed pleased at their hustle. He caught me eyeing him and gave me another one of those annoying, mocking bows. Whenever he bowed, his abdominal muscles crunched together making a ripple of hard ridges that sent a thrill shooting straight from my brain to my pussy.
I shook my head and looked away, annoyed. Why didn’t anyone wear shirts? Barbarians. And Dra’sten was the worst of them all.
As we walked through the landing bay toward the far door, Dra’sten activated the computer link terminal in his ear. “Gren’don, we’re on board and all accounted for. Engage the cloaking device and get us out of here. Head for the Teron asteroid belt and find us somewhere to lay low for a while. I have to tend to our special guest.”