by Kiersten Fay
“What are you going to do with me?”
He shook his head. “I’m taking you to another location. You don’t need the doctor anymore.”
She gathered up the blanket and pil ow and stood, clutching them as though she expected them to be ripped away from her.
“You won’t be needing those.”
Her grip tightened for a moment, then, eyeing them with sorrow, she reluctantly dropped them on the cot. The strange action made him even more curious about her, but he refused to let himself get involved. Someone had to have treated her badly. He ignored the ire that arose with the thought.
What did he care?
Because of the wards he was stuck with her for a time. Once the mission was over he would put her off his ship and out of his mind. The wardsseemedto be intact, so she must have been on the ship before they went up.
Once again she fol owed close behind as he led her out of sickbay. This time she didn’t marvel at anything. She kept her eyes to the ground. Lost her vitality so easily? He was irritated that he might be somewhat responsible for the change in her.
After walking for some time he stopped in front of a door and opened it, waving her inside. Hesitantly she peered into the darkened room, unmoved. She didn’t trust him. Why should she? He entered the room, which il uminated instantly at his presence. Analia just stood at the door. A tiny spark of interest lit her eyes, but stil she didn’t enter.
The room was of decent size, a bed against the wal to the left, couch and table near the center, through a doorway to the right was a personal bathing chamber. It was one of the nicer rooms on the ship. He told himself he was offering her this room because it was one of the only ones available. But that wasn’t true. There were a few smal er unoccupied rooms. For a reason beyond his comprehension he wanted her impressed.
“This can be your room as long as you vow not to hurt yourself. You’l have this room al to yourself.”
Final y entering, she peered around the room but didn’t respond.
“If you can’t promise me that, then I’l take you back to the doctor and leave you there til I find a place to drop you off for good.”
Hereyes blazed at that. “Drop me off?”
“Yes, we have a task to complete first, but after that I’ve decided I’l leave you at the nearest spacecity.” The smile she gave him weakened him, as wel as doubled his interest in her. Did she not care where she’d be dumped? “Uh, can you promise me that?” He ground out.
“Yes.” She rushed out, smiling wider. But then her face dropped and she eyed him with sadness. “Is this a trick?”
“No.”
Studying him for a moment she shook her head. “This is just a trick. You don’t just give a trespasser room and board. What do you want with me?”
Sebastian let out a breath. “This is not a trick. We have a long way to go and, no matter where you came from, you’l need to stay on the ship til we’ve reached our destination. Where would you rather be? Here? Or lying on that cot for months?” As she gave the room a second glance he proceeded to show her around. When he got too close she skittishly backed away from him. “I won’t hurt you.” Warily she continued to watch him. For now, he decided to let it go. “The bathing room is in here. I’l leave while you clean yourself and return with something for you to sleep in. In the morning I’l show you around the ship before you begin your new job.”
“Job?”
“Of course, this isn’t a free ride. You’l work for your room and board, just like everyone else.”
“What kind of job?” She raised an eyebrow.
“I haven’t decided yet.” He moved to leave. “I’l be back with clothes for you, soon, so if you don’t want me here while you’re stil naked and wet you’d better hurry.” With that, she rushed into the bathroom closing the door behind her.
Amused, Sebastian left the room. Unfortunately his teasing had backfired, hardening his already painful y stiff shaft. Imagining her damp body glistening with dripping beads of water, her blond locks the only thing clinging to her as they wound down her shoulders and around her naked breasts. He imagined himself licking and sucking those breasts between his lips, licking the wetness from every inch of her. His hands cupping her ass, her soft moans of pleasure in his ear as he drove into her.
He found himself rushing to get back.
Chapter 5
Analia studied the shower stal . She’d never seen one like this before. The wal s were decorated with a mosaic of color andahazy translucent door separated the stal from the rest of the washroom. Bottles of cleaning liquids rested on a smal shelf. She noted a smal button on the wal just outside the stal . It could either control the shower or the waste disposal unit.
Click.
Waste disposal unit.
After searching the room for a way to activate the spray, and finding nothing, she stepped into the shower stal to look there. Warm water instantly bombarded her. Shocked, she jumped out of the stal , the flow immediately stopped.
Water? Real water?
Every time she bathed in the past, it was in a smal bland cubical with a powdery enzyme spray.
With delight, she tore off the old ratty dress and dove back into the stal , al owing the water to wash over her. It soaked her hair, then the rest of her. The sensation of it running down her body tickled and soothed her skin. The spray was rough against her back but it was like a hundred fingers massaging.
She sighed loudly as her muscles began to relax from the heat. A cocoon of steam rose up around her. Closing her eyes she al owed herself to become immersed.
Taking her time with the soap she scrubbed every inch of her skin from head to toe, washing her hair twice. Then she stood there and reveled in the feeling of the water splashing on her skin, committing it to memory.
Stepping out of the shower she had never felt so clean in her life. A fluffy white cloth draped nicely against the wal . She dried off thoroughly before wrapping it around herself, noting the softness of it. Everything here was soft,and cozy,and warm. These were the kinds of thing others enjoyed, not her.Wait,that’s not true, she corrected. She was free now. Sebastian had told her he would let her go free.
Reflecting on what Sebastian had said she stil didn’t trust him and wasn’t sure if she should believe him. Would he real y set her free? He’d lied to her already. But what choice did she have?
When she left the bathroom Sebastian was already back, standing next to the tan colored sofa. When he saw her his golden eyes flared, turning to liquid amber. She shivered at the sight, her mind going blank. It wasn’t til Sebastian began to stalk toward her that she recal ed her situation. She was wet and half naked, in a room, alone, with a strong brutish male with unknown intentions.
He was upon her before she could react, backing her against the wal . His body pressed against hers, a thick thigh settled between her legs.
Analia froze in a panic and was confused to find her nipples growing hard at his touch, a shiver escaped her. Sebastian moved his leg against her core, rough but with the touch of an expert. After letting a smal moan slip she pursed her lips closed.
“Anya.” Sebastian nearly growled. The epithet and his breath at her neck caused another shiver and liquid pooled between her legs. She sucked in a harsh breath, grasping for control. “You’re scent is intoxicating.” His husky voice whispered next to her ear.
She should have been terrified at his words but she found her body relax against his, a single compliment melting her completely. His strong arms surrounded her, his hands seeking the smal of her back. The heat of his lips on her neck reunited her with her sanity.
“Se … Se … Bastian,” She squeaked.
“Hmmm.” He rubbed his mouth against the line of her jaw, almost making her forget herself again. She quietly whimpered and found she was gripping his shoulders.
How could this feel so good?
“You must stop.” The words came out as a whisper.
A low,slow growl rose from somewhere inside
him, reverberating through her core. With his hands pressed firmly against the smal of her back he pul ed her against him with a possessiveness that both startled and excited her in a primal sort of way.
Analia almost let out another needy moan. She could feel the strong muscles of his chest while his thigh pushed further against her wetness. She gasped as he opened his mouth to her neck and nibbled.
She wanted him to stop, needed him to.Didn’t she?
“Please,” She wasn’t sure if the smal sound was meant to stop him, or if it was a plea for more.
But his body stil ed.
He took his lips away from her neck, then, as if it pained him to do so, he final y let her go and backed away. His eyes were stil molten, devouring her.
Instantly the heat from his body against hers faded, and she was left with a chil where he had touched her.
After a moment he seemed to regain his composure. Voice stil rough he handed her a large shirt, “You’l sleep in this for now.” He was averting his gaze now, as if he were … embarrassed? “I’l return in the morning to show you around the ship and then to your new job.”
Analia couldn’t yet speak so she nodded in answer. Then he was gone, rushed out the door, leaving her alone and … desperately aroused for the first time in her life.
Her actions had shocked her. Twice she almost gave in and wrapped herself around him. She had never reacted that way before. Of course, there had never been anything likethatbefore. The intensity of it was almost overwhelming.
And he stopped.
She was baffled. She had asked him to stop and … he stopped.
Not only that, but his touch had been unexpectedly tender. His lips had electrified her skin, making her want more. Even now she could feel them on her.
Absently she realized she was stil being supported by the wal and was stil half naked, the thick white cloth stil wrapped around her.
The things she imagined Sebastian doing to her, the things she imagined doing to him … she had never wanted these things,would never want them. It was only because she was in a new place, with a handsome overbearing male, that she was feeling these strange feelings. And the fact that Sebastian hadn’t actual y hurt her … yet. Once he did—and she was sure that he would—she would be back to normal. She would see things clearly again.
After slipping the shirt over her head and hanging the cloth to dry, she surveyed the room. The large bed in the corner of the room reminded her too much of the one in Darius’s chamber. She couldn’t sleep there.
Deciding on the couch she transferred the pil ow and blankets from the bed and snuggled in. It was lumpy but not bad. It was stil more comfortable than a cold lonely floor. Before she drifted into sleep she al owed her mind to wonder at the possibilities of tomorrow. What does Sebastian have planned for her?
Temporarily insane!
That’s what he was. When the chit had come out of the bathroom in only a towel, stil damp, her scent had assaulted him. Instinct took over and he had to have her. He didn’t remember moving,but before he knew it she was in his arms. She had let out a soft feminine sound and at that moment he needed her as he needed air. The force of it was like a punch to the stomach. When he tasted her his mind had descended into a haze, lost to his lust, it was al he could do to keep from shoving inside her.
When she asked him to stop he had barely been able to comprehend her words. She’d been aroused, absently rubbing herself on his thigh. Even now her scent stil clung to him, urging him to go back and finish what they’d started. He could stil taste the sweetness of her skin on his tongue.
Pul ing away from her was like ripping a hole in his chest, but that was precisely why he was able to do it.
He had never before experienced a need so deep, and it felt … threatening. With al the women before he kept himself detached, using them for what he needed and then leaving them soon after. He never gave them a chance to cling, or ask for more, because he would never give more of himself to a woman.
He’d learned his lesson after he witnessed what had happened with Calic. Cale had become a different man after his mate’s treachery. He had become a harder man, nearly emotionless. Demons mate for life,and Sebastian knew that Calic had been destroyed that day, carried the pain of it stil .
Sebastian vowed to always protect himself from that.
He would have to be cautious around Anya—no, he corrected,Analia. He would not use that endearment again. He realized she had nearly done the same to him? She had almost cal ed him Bastian. Only his family and Marik wereal owedto cal him by the epithet. Yet, when she said it,he had only wanted her to say it again, only in a scream of pleasure as he settled between her legs.
Shaking the thought away he decided that tomorrow he would show her where she was al owed on the ship, then take her to Marik, and be done with her until the mission was over. Soon enough she would be gone. His fists clenched.
Sebastian entered the pub and spotted Sonya instantly. After ordering aflaminginferno, he downed the ful glass in one gulp. Sonya raised her eyebrows at him.
In a slow cautious voice she asked, “How’s Analia?”
“In need of clothing.” His voice was guarded. But Sonya’s sense of smel was as good as any demons and he hadn’t thought to shower or change before coming here. A slow smile spread across her lips.
“Is that al she needs then?”
“Yes.” He snapped. “I’m putting Marik in charge of her,and you too. She’l need a female companion to keep her … occupied.”
“Are you done with her so quickly?”
“There is nothing to be done with.”
“No?”
“It’s not what you think. Nothing happened between us.”
Sonya snorted. “Something happened.”
Sebastian bowed his head into his hands. “The only thing that happed was that I practical y attacked her. That’s why I’m putting the two of you in charge. It seems I lose control when I’m around her. Have from the start. But tonight was … it won’t happen again.”
Considering his words for a moment she replied, “Did you hurt her?”
“Of course not!”
“Did you want to?” She refil ed his drink, pouring the liquid to the brim.
“No … I wanted something else, not to hurt her. But I’m certain I frightened her.” Sebastian recal ed the fear in her voice. Even though she had been aroused, she had been deathly afraid. He took the drink same as the first, one gulp.
Someone at the other end of the bar cal ed for service and Sonya went to refil his glass with something that looked like a mixture of oil and water.
Sebastian knew that drink, he couldn’t remember the name,but it could knock you on your ass. He should order that next. When Sonya came back she said, “The girl is about my height. I can scrounge up a few outfits for tomorrow, I’l ask around for donations.”
Sebastian nodded his approval and got up to leave, deciding against the knock-you-on-your-ass drink.
“Does Marik know he’s on babysitting detail?”
“Not yet.”
Sonya laughed at that.
As Sebastian left he waved the back of his hand at Sonya. He decided to head toward the gal ey. It was time to give Marik the good news.
The only way to get to Marik’s gal ey was to go through the salon, where the crew gathered to eat. The salon was a large L shaped room with an arched ceiling, painted in warm hues of brown. A long window exposed diners to the ever-changing scenery of space. The gal ey was separated from the salon by two thin wal s. A slim rectangular window with a smal counter al owed Marik to put out orders without leaving his space.
Luckily when Sebastian arrived Marik was closing up for the night and no one else was here. Good, no one to witness the ire that was about to be sparked.
Marik’s brown hair was cut short. He was built much like Sebastian and Cale, tal with a strong physique, typical demon features. Prominent scars ran the length of his arms, disappearing under his shirt. Sebastian
knew those scars didn’t stop there. “Marik,” he cal ed with a smile, trying to set the mood.
After the demon war, Marik had been taken as a slave. He’d been enslaved for four hundred and fifty years when,by chance,Sonya and he had come across a slave auction,in one of the many space cities they frequented.
As is their nature,demons don’t submit to anyone, unless they want to, or are forced to. Marik had looked strong and proud up on stage, even though he’d obviously been poorly taken care of. The look in his eyeshad been nothing more than that of a beast, which spoke volumes about the tortureMarikmust have endured.
Sebastian had decided to spend the last of their supplies money to win the wild eyed demon’s freedom. Staring down anyone who dare bid against him with a look of pure malice. At that point in time demons had developed a bad reputation as slaves,and most had been freed or kil ed. They were labeled as extremely difficult,and dangerous in captivity.
After the auction was won, Marik, not understanding the situation,and half in a rage, fought against his restraints and against Sebastian. It took him, with the help of Sonya, a good twenty minutes to calm Marik enough to explain to him that he would no longer be a slave and that he had nothing to fear from them. He even offered Marik the chance to refuse to come with them.
Marik had just stared at them for a time, without saying a word. He’d been quiet so long that Sebastian thought he might refuse. But in the endMarikdecided to join them.
When Sebastian had arrived on the ship with the newly purchased Marik, Cale appraised him with a quick glance and then shot Sebastian a look that saidyou had better be able to control him. Ironical y, after his fifty years of freedom, Marik was now the more gentile of the four demons on board.
Marik stopped what he was doing to glance up at Sebastian. “Hey Captain. What’s up? I just put everything away but if you’re hungry—”
“No, I came to give you some good news.”
Marik slowly set down his cloth and eyed him warily. “Yeah?” He said slowly.