Sex Slaves 03 Waiting for Dawn

by Lorie O'Clare

  Dawn pushed the button to shut the doors and hurried to follow. She ignored her crewmates, if that was what she could call her lifelong friends, and assumed the position at the artillery panel when Trent took the helm.

  The engines roared to life, making the walls and floor vibrate with the secure hum of life.

  Dawn had her wits about her now, feeling the fool for her behavior when she’d been on the glider. She’d panicked, plain and simple. Her ship enabled her confidence to return, but she worried she’d ruined her image in Trent’s eyes.

  Preparing her missiles and lining up all lasers, Dawn glanced Trent’s way. His calm stance made her blood burn through her veins. What she wouldn’t do for his warrior qualities, to be strong and self-assured, confident in all matters. Straightening, she stuck her chin out, doing her best not to dwell on how powerful and just plain damned sexy he looked standing at the controls of her ship.

  Trent adjusted his comm to his ear while lifting the ship off the ground. The Bortan would fucking go down tonight, once and for all. They had rallied into that canyon, making themselves a perfect target for some serious house cleaning.

  They hadn’t anticipated he’d find them so quickly. The Bortan figured they had time to regroup. He’d surprised them being on Dawn’s ship. More than likely they had figured out who they were doing battle with. Well, more power to them. They were trapped in that canyon, and now was time for them to die.

  Doing a quick scan, he found the ships he’d demanded in orbit. Damn good thing Por Gree hadn’t let him down. Command Center would lose him if he wasn’t given free rein on this mission.

  He punched in the necessary coordinates and then opened communications quickly, giving the location of the Bortan.

  “We’ve got them on our ass.” The thrill of the fight rang through in Dawn’s voice.

  “Fire at will.” He watched her long black hair sway just above her ass when she turned and reached for the panel.

  Her profile showed the glow in her expression. The way she licked her lips when the screen lit up with light, her gray eyes widening, a smile slowly appearing. Her Gren blood soared through her, the love for battle in her nature. He wondered how she’d managed a life of slavery when she so obviously appeared at home as the aggressor, strong and willing to learn how to take what she wanted.

  “Damn good shot,” he told her when the Bortan ship exploded on screen.

  He’d almost forgotten about the Poltarians hovering in the doorway of the control room until Rayn cheered.

  “Yay, Dawn! You got rid of them.” Reen clapped his hands together, his white hair making his expression appear almost childish when he grinned from ear to ear.

  “Yes, it was.” Dawn ignored the others, Trent being the only person in the room she could focus on. She would make him see that she had it in her to take on battle. He would know that she could stand by him, fighting to the end.

  The way his black eyes glowed when he praised her made her tummy do flip-flops. Once this battle was over, she would see to it that she got some serious alone time with this man. She needed him desperately at the moment. The molten fire that had been creeping through her while cuddled next to him on the glider now raged into a burning flame of lust.

  “We’re coming over the canyon where the Bortan are now,” Trent said into his comm, unable to look away from Dawn.

  Never had he seen a woman so alive from battle. He saw in her what raged through his own blood. The sweet taste of victory would be theirs. He could feel it in his bones. And once they took the Bortan out, he was going to fuck Dawn silly. The woman was consuming his thoughts. No matter how focused he was on leading them into the fight, his cock wouldn’t relax, not with her so near. He had to be inside her soon, or he wouldn’t be able to think at all.

  “That’s a hell of a ship you got there, Dar.” The commander of one of the ships Por Gree had sent out didn’t hide his sarcasm.

  Trent didn’t give a rat’s ass what they thought of Dawn, or her ship. He knew any of them would give his right eye to man a TR-class ship.

  “Focus on the mission,” he ordered, refusing to respond to such a flippant comment. “We’ve got them all rounded up below in that canyon. Let’s make this a clean easy job and be done with it.”

  “I’ve got two ships from Command Center on my screen.” Dawn had moved over to the communications panel, plotting the course to take the ship toward the canyon. “And the Bortan should be appearing on screen now.”

  She looked up at the large windows in front of them, adjusted for darkness, even though the suns were slowly creeping over the horizon.

  “We’ve got Bortan ships coming in around us.” Trent remained at the helm, watching Dawn when she hurried back to the weapons control.

  “Ready to attack,” she told him, her back to him while her fingers posed over the buttons.

  “Now,” he said, and then watched the view in front of them when one of the Bortan ships blew up in the sky.

  They had the Bortans out of the sky within minutes, thanks to the quick reload power in Dawn’s ships. The other two ships opened fire on the canyon. The Bortan were no match for the attack. Not only were they not prepared, they hadn’t expected to do battle with a ship as quick as a TR-class Gren ship. None of this league were housed on Molten.

  “Dar,” Por Gree’s voice bellowed through the comm. “I want you in my office immediately.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Dawn realized she’d never been alone on her ship since she’d brought it back from Greneen. The first thing she’d done after obtaining it was to find any survivors from Ryl Plantation. On the same note, Rayn, Pahr and Reen hadn’t been off of the ship since she’d found them on Poltar. The three of them had been excited to get a tour of Molten when the lady Gren officer had offered to escort them. Their parting smiles assured her they were happy.

  Meanwhile, Dawn felt like a caged animal. Her ship couldn’t dock on Molten, the landing area wasn’t designed for a ship of her size. But she’d been ordered to stay in orbit, and she knew the tracking devices locked on her ship would trigger the alarm if she broke orbit. At the same time, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand orbiting the manmade moon waiting to see what they decided to do to her.

  Some “thank you” this was after she’d used her ship to eliminate the Bortan.

  It had been over a day since Trent had left with the others to go down to the surface. She wouldn’t leave her ship. And she had no desire to be interrogated, which was exactly what would happen the second she walked into Command Center. If she stayed here much longer though, she would absolutely go nuts.

  She almost jumped when her comm, which sat on the table in the kitchen area of the ship, began beeping.

  “This is Dawn,” she said after affixing it to her ear.

  “Dawn. Go to your control panel. I’ve stabilized a secure channel.” Her father’s voice was a welcoming sound.

  It didn’t take long for her to download the flight path he sent her. Zahn Corl was arranging her secure passage to Greneen. The only catch—she had to leave immediately.

  “Don’t worry about the tracking beam on your ship. We can send in false orders to assure you aren’t followed. I will ensure the safety of your friends from Ryl,” her father told her. “Is there anyone else you need to protect?”

  Dawn stared at the small image of her father. His black eyes stared back at her. She guessed he was asking about Trent Dar, but she wouldn’t ask. Trent didn’t need her protection. She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly too dry. A slow knot twisted unpleasantly in her gut while a foul taste rose in her throat.

  “No. There is no one else.” She plotted the course, knowing this might be her only chance to safely leave Molten, leave Poltar, finally put her life of slavery completely behind her.

  She was sick to her stomach, feeling no thrill of adventure whatsoever when she pulled out of orbit. Her father would secure her passage. Curiosity had her wanting to know how he managed it
. But she didn’t have that relationship with him yet. And it would be easier to pick his brain in person anyway.

  After plotting the course her father had given her, there wasn’t much for her to do—again. And sleep wasn’t an option. The second she lay her head down, images of Trent, those strong arms, that powerful body, his calm presence, swarmed through her thoughts like a plague. She couldn’t quit thinking about him.

  Greneen was the fifth planet in the Ryclox solar system. Small and a soft green from space, Dawn enjoyed the view in front of her when she settled into orbit. She didn’t wait long before landing instructions were issued. This was Trent’s home planet. Thoughts of him continued to overwhelm her as she navigated her ship, taking it off of autopilot so she could bring it into the landing bay.

  “Permission needed for boarding,” the automated female voice said over her speakers, startling her.

  Dawn glanced down at her screen. Her father wasn’t supposed to meet her here, his schedule wouldn’t allow it. He’d made arrangements for her to have transport to the housing he’d arranged.

  A chill rushed over her. What would it mean for her father to come greet her in person? A wave of nervous energy made her fist her hands. She needed to learn to be strong, stand before her father without feeling so damned unsure about herself. When she’d been a slave she never had problems standing up to her owners, defying them in any way possible. As a free woman, she should have those same guts.

  “Permission granted.” Dawn left the control center for her landing bay, pressing the buttons on the wall for the doors to open.

  She rubbed her hands along her pants. They were suddenly damp with perspiration. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she gave herself a quick lecture—stand tall, no emotion, give no indication of her feelings.

  Trent Dar didn’t say hi when he walked onto her ship. In fact, he didn’t look happy to see her at all. From the first glance she saw of him, he looked positively outraged.

  Trent reached the panel where Dawn stood and pressed the buttons to close the bay and lock it.

  “I didn’t tell you that you could leave.” He gripped her hair, pulling her head back so that he could stare down at her with his black, non-blinking eyes. His lips formed a thin line, that and shadows under his eyes were her only indication that he wasn’t in a good state of mind—far from it.

  “How are you here?” Dawn couldn’t breathe. He was the last person she’d expected to see walk through her doors.

  “Why did you run away from me?” Her surprise at seeing him simply fueled his fire. He’d been so pissed off when word reached him that she’d broken orbit, disobeyed orders from Command Center, and him, and fled to Greneen.

  Trent pressed into her, pushing her against the wall behind her. He needed to question her, learn the line of thinking behind those deep pools of gray that stared up at him.

  There was no way she could think straight with his body stroking hers. Those bulging muscles, his scent, the way he looked down at her. She couldn’t handle it. Another second in his arms and she would beg him to fuck her. And the last thing he would ever see out of her was docile behavior. She would never submit to anyone—not even Trent.

  Pushing away from him, she hurried out of the landing bay. “What are you doing here, Trent?” she asked as she moved into the control room. Walking away from him allowed her a second to breathe, to regain control of the situation. “And don’t give me this shit about running from you. I didn’t run from anyone.”

  He was closer behind her than she realized. Trent gripped her shoulder, spinning her around to face him again.

  “I told you not to leave. You disobeyed me.” He took both of her shoulders in his grip, giving her a slight shake.

  It was all she needed to completely clear her senses. She brought her hands up quickly, smacking his arms away from her.

  “I don’t take orders from you,” she hissed, pointing her finger at his face. “You don’t own me. I am free to do what I want.”

  The last thing he would be able to stand was Dawn racing through the solar system, giving no thought to him. He’d been nuts from the moment he found out she’d broken orbit. Defying Command Center didn’t bother him. But he’d told her he would be back. She knew he’d planned to return to her. Not even Command Center had mattered to him when he’d learned she was gone.

  He’d given them all the information he’d planned on anyway. When word reached him that Dawn was gone, he’d simply walked out of the debriefing room.

  There had been questions—demands even. But Trent would have none of it. He’d pulled the insignia displaying his rank off of his shirt, and tossed it at Por Gree.

  The astonished man’s face was the last thing he’d seen before leaving to obtain a T-class ship. It wasn’t as fast as Dawn’s, and not as large or comfortable. But he’d pushed it as hard as he could to make it to Greneen before Dawn reached her father. He would interrogate her first. He would know Dawn’s mind before her father had a chance to get his hands on her. And he would know Zahn Corl’s mind before allowing Dawn to get close to him.

  “You will not gallivant around without telling me what you are doing.” He fought the urge not to grab her again, balling his hands into fists at his side.

  “You don’t own me,” she yelled, her temper consuming her. She poked him in the chest, the simple touch sending a rush of charged energy through her. She dared to stand up to him. Trent Dar needed to learn right now that she wouldn’t be his slut. She wouldn’t wait for his word as to whether she could move or not. “I’m not some slave to order around, or to sit obediently until you decide you have time for me.”

  “There is a difference between being a slave, and simply showing respect. You knew where I was, what I was doing. You had to have known I wouldn’t stand for you running without knowing what you were getting into.” He wouldn’t lose his temper. As much as she pushed him, he wouldn’t lose control and force her submission. The woman was out of control, running into a beehive she knew nothing about. It didn’t surprise him when he’d unburied the scrambled transmission between her and her father. But until he knew the man’s motives, he wouldn’t allow Dawn to be controlled by the man. And that was what was happening here.

  “Respect is earned.” She wanted to scream at him, pound his chest until he showed a little emotion. His calm tone, his strong manner as he stood so coolly in front of her made her want to fly into a rage, force his hand into showing a little emotion. “And I had no idea what you were doing or when you would come back. Did you think I’d just stay in my ship all alone waiting submissively until you had time for me?”

  “I was defending you as the rightful owner of this ship, defending your knowledge of the Bortan.” He saw how she shook with emotion. It hadn’t surprised him a bit that she struck out at him with her frustration. He didn’t doubt sitting and waiting had made her nuts. But she had so much to learn, and sometimes biding her time instead of jumping the moment she was told to, would save her ass. He pulled her into his arms, feeling her heart race in her chest when he embraced her. “Why did you run here the second your father beckoned? Is it time for you to report in to him?”

  Dawn went still in his arms. It shouldn’t surprise her that he knew about her father’s transmission. She wondered if there was anything Trent didn’t know. Emotions surged through her that were too intense to handle all at once.

  “I don’t report to anyone.” Already he’d witnessed her inexperience in battle. He’d seen her panic during the attack on the Bortan. Somehow she needed to show him she was strong, capable of taking on life by herself. That mattered so much to her that he realize she didn’t need to be taken care of. “There was nothing for me on Poltar.”

  “But there was someone there for you,” he whispered into her hair, his hands moving over her back. “Don’t ever take off without me again.”

  The way he caressed her, branding her skin wherever he touched, made her want to melt at his feet. The hardness of his body press
ed against hers. He was so damned strong, so powerful, so incredibly sure of himself. Looking up at him, adjusting herself in his arms so she could see his face, she almost went weak in the knees when she saw the intensity of his emotions swimming in his gaze.

  “Damn it. Trent.” She couldn’t take it anymore.

  Moving her arms, she embraced his neck, pulling his face closer to his. Her hand tangled through his thick black hair, holding tight while she pulled him closer to her so that she could kiss him.

  Trent had no intention of protesting. He loved her aggressive nature. She was so damned defiant, a wild woman in dire need of training. She’d been given power, and along with her intense beauty she was an incredible weapon. But not one to be abused. She might not see it, but he did. Trent would ensure she kept her freedom, and that she wasn’t abused.

  Claiming her mouth when she demanded his, he pulled her hard against him. The gasp she let out into his mouth sent him over the edge. She wore the black attire commonly worn among Gren women, and the simple pullover shirt she’d tucked into her black pants loosened easily when he pulled on it.

  He devoured her, the energy she returned in the kiss feeding the fire that raged through him. Tugging her shirt free from her pants, he brushed over the smooth skin of her waist. Her breathing quickened as he stroked her smooth skin, felt her heat scald his hands.

  “Woman. You’re on fire.” Gripping her hips, he lifted her onto the counter that housed the controls for the ship.

  She brought her long slender legs up and he took hold of one of her boots, pulling it free and then tossing it behind him. He did the same with the other boot and then ran his hands down her thighs. The sultry look she gave him, her long black hair falling over her full breasts had his cock raging for freedom in his pants.

  “I didn’t like waiting so long for you to fuck me.” She spread her legs around him, pulling her closer to him until his swollen cock pressed against her throbbing pussy. “And I didn’t appreciate being left in orbit around that damned moon.”