by Rachel Clark
The guards were concentrating so hard on what Cooper was supposedly doing to Avery that nobody saw Del’s covert movements. Silently, as Cooper and Avery kept everyone’s attention on them, Del managed to dig the poison needle from under his skin, remove the safety coating, and press it against Keytark’s calf muscle. Keytark barely noticed such a tiny sting, his leg not even moving as he became more engrossed by the show.
Del was already lying back in the same “unconscious” position when the room suddenly filled with a most foul odor.
“Fuck!” one of the creatures exclaimed. “Who died?”
Almost as one, they turned to Keytark. The poison Del had used had been specifically chosen for its ability to cause the victim to have a heart attack. Keytark’s species was physically huge, bulbous and muscular in their appearance, but over countless generations of increased physical strength in each generation they’d developed a single weakness. They were especially susceptible to heart attacks. The poison Sarah and Tee-ani had chosen had seemed like the right choice at the time. What they hadn’t expected, however, was for it to work so damn quickly.
Keytark already smelled like a rotting corpse.
Avery had fallen silent, no longer fighting against her supposed attacker, but none of the guards seemed to notice. Cooper kept moving inside her, trying not to blow their cover at least until they figured out what might happen next.
It was almost a relief as the guards started yelling at each other. The two different factions seemed determined to blame the other for Keytark’s death. As words turned to violence, Cooper realized none of them had even given the slaves a thought. The three of them managed to scramble away from the fighting without anyone even noticing. They ducked into a small alcove as heavily armed guards ran into the throne room and started firing their weapons. All hell was about to break loose.
Cooper quickly checked the bump on Del’s head, made certain his eyes were clear, and then ran down the hallway toward the nearest exit. At the last moment, Del turned to the left, not leaving the building, but following a narrow corridor instead.
“We need to be quick,” he said as he indicated what seemed to be an intricate series of locks.
“Del?” They didn’t have time for this. They needed to steal a ship in the chaos and get as far away from here as possible.
“This is where Keytark locks away the untrained slaves. Everyone else in the palace can run, but these people are likely to die before someone remembers they’re here.”
“Okay,” Cooper said, not willing to leave innocent people locked up if they had a chance to save them. He got to work quickly, determined to use every ounce of concentration to find a way to unencrypt the locking sequence.
He barely had a chance to look at the first lock before a guard came around the corner. “What are you doing?” he demanded, his weapon pointed at Cooper’s chest.
“Forgive us,” Del said, his head bowed in a perfect imitation of a well-behaved slave. “We were ordered back to our holding pens, but there was no one here to let us in.”
The guard flinched at the sounds of gunfire coming from the other side of the palace, glanced at the exit, and then as if he’d made a quick decision, stepped forward and released the locks. The door swung open at the same time that Avery used an electronic type of weapon to render him unconscious.
Del grabbed the guy’s weapon and then ran into the darkened area. Avery threw the weapon she had to Cooper, and he was about to follow Del when he emerged again, this time with dozens of poorly dressed, underfed people behind him. Some squinted in the light as if they hadn’t seen the outside of that dimly lit cell in months.
These people weren’t capable of escaping on their own. It wasn’t enough to liberate them from their cells. They needed a ship to get off this damn planet, and now it needed to be a big one.
“Del, which way to the landing bays?”
“This way,” Del said, leading the way. “Stay together.”
It didn’t even occur to Cooper that they were still naked until the two remaining guards standing around the palace’s landing area locked their eyes on Avery’s beautiful body. It gave him and Del more than ample time to shoot the bastards into unconsciousness.
“Get everyone on board,” Cooper yelled to his lovers. “I’ll get the systems up and running.”
Cooper almost laughed in relief when he realized the ship’s encryptions were the exact same codes as the door to the cells. In fact, every system that was protected by a passcode responded to the same one. It seemed that the guard back at the door had inadvertently given them the master code to everything on the planet.
Avery joined him on the bridge of the ship and unerringly moved to the weapons control panel. Del joined them just as Cooper managed to lift the ship off the ground.
“Where are the others?”
“I locked them in the cargo bay,” he said sadly. “We can’t risk letting any of them know they are being rescued until we’re sure none of them are brainwashed and capable of blowing up.”
“Good thinking,” Cooper said without taking his eyes off the radar in front of him. It seemed they weren’t going to be followed from the planet, but they still needed to get through the swarms of Keytark’s guards before they could leave this sector.
A message that seemed to be on an official frequency crackled through the communications panel.
“Keytark is dead. I am taking over. All hail your new ki—”
The words were cut off by the loud sound of weapons fire. A cruel, laughing voice came onto the airways.
“Your new king has been relieved of his throne. I shall be overseeing things from now on.”
The transmission was again interrupted by weapons fire, the loud, violent confrontation coming through the speakers until the signal failed. They crept the ship slowly through the sector, careful to give the impression of moving through the sector rather than away from the fight.
He glanced up from the navigational controls to where Avery stood at the weapons console. She winked at him and then went back to watching the radar and other informational feeds. Only one ship seemed to notice them, but just when they thought it would contact them, it suddenly reversed and headed in the opposite direction. It appeared that whoever was on that ship had decided retreat worked better for them.
As they reached the edge of the sector, Cooper engaged the faster-than-light engines and made a beeline to the pirate ship’s last-known location. They wouldn’t be there, of course, but they would be in transmission range. Of course, they’d been expecting a much smaller craft to try and find them. The ship they’d stolen was almost as big as the pirate ship itself.
The farther away they got from Keytark’s palace the more confident they felt that they might actually make it home alive. Avery must have noticed where his thoughts took him once the need for intense concentration lessened. She glanced at Del, who took over the weapons console without saying a word, and then Avery moved into his arms.
“I’m so sorry that we had to put you through that, Avery-girl.”
“I’m not,” she said with a soft smile. “The whole time it was happening all I could think about was how much you loved me. You’re an honorable man, Cooper, and your actions today just made me love you even more.”
He wasn’t really sure how to respond to that. Ruth—after much persuasion—had told him what had happened to her and Avery the day they’d been abducted, but had sworn him to secrecy. She’d finally agreed to tell him so that he would be ready in case something like exactly what had happened set off Avery’s nightmares once again.
He held her closer, aching for the pain she must have suffered at the hands of such brutal and physically powerful men.
“It’s okay,” Avery said as emotion gripped him and he trembled in her embrace. “I had a feeling Ruth might tell you before we left.” He nodded against her head, trying to at least keep his dignity by focusing part of his concentration on the ship’s systems. Avery snuggled close
r into his embrace. “Cooper, what we went through today…it was nothing like the day I was abducted. In your arms, I wasn’t frightened. In a way, I felt powerful. Even as you pretended to do what they’d ordered I knew you’d protect me. I knew you loved me and that your intentions were honorable. I love you, Cooper, and I’m so very sorry you had to go through that.”
She was apologizing to him? Fuck, his woman was amazing.
“I’m getting a response to our signal,” Del said cheerfully. “G’ntriel says to continue on our current heading. They’re less than five minutes away.”
Cooper nodded in acknowledgement. Less than twenty hours ago they’d left on a mission that could have taken days, maybe even weeks, and could even have cost them their lives. Instead, they’d accomplished their task faster than they’d dared hope and caused more damage than they’d dared dream. If the earlier transmissions were anything to go by, Keytark’s “kingdom” was in complete disarray. Hopefully, it would be a very long time before someone else came along who was capable of doing what Keytark had done.
Of course Cooper was also certain that once he and Devlin got the pirate ship back to fully functional, the crew would happily help to keep the slave trade disorganized.
Cooper glanced at the man who’d made it all possible and loved him even more. Without Del’s bravery and willingness to fight to protect others from the fate he’d suffered, none of it would have been possible. Cooper felt a swell of pride and awe as he realized just how incredible it was to be loved by two of the most amazing people in the universe.
He pulled Avery closer, mouthed the words “I love you” to Del, and then settled in to dream about the future they now had a chance to live.
* * * *
Del watched the man and woman he loved and couldn’t believe how lucky he was. Not only had they accomplished their goal, but they’d gotten the miracle they’d hoped for and managed to get out alive. Rescuing dozens of slaves and making off with a large, well-equipped, well-protected ship was an amazing bonus. And just like all of Keytark’s slave ships, it was fully stocked with the most expensive medical equipment available. “‘Home, sweet home’ approaching off the port bow,” he said as the pirate ship came onto their sensors.
He watched the pirate ship that had been his home for the past three cycles approach their position and realized that sentiment was no longer true. Home wasn’t a place, a cabin, or possessions. Home was in the arms of the two people who loved him.
Del smiled as he watched Cooper hold Avery close, his love for her telegraphed in every soft touch, every murmured word. As long as the three of them were together, no matter where they lived, Del knew he would always be where he belonged.
Chapter Ten
Avery ran through the empty hallways. She was already late, but it seemed that no matter how many things she squeezed into a day, there was always more to be done. She was almost looking forward to their next assignment just so she’d have a moment to breathe.
They hadn’t bothered to move back to their individual quarters since defeating Keytark. She loved living with her guys, but the downside was that home was now in the middle of the ship. And she’d promised to be home more than twenty minutes ago.
Damn, time went fast when there was so much to do.
Sarah, Jordan, and their son, and G’baena, Devlin, and Kam, G’baena’s sisters and mother, and several other newly formed families had relocated to the smaller vessels the moment they’d found a suitable planet—one large enough to hide them, small enough to be unknown, and with little if any sentient life.
Without the constant attacks they hadn’t needed to stay on the planet very long for Cooper and his team to finish repairs on the pirate ship. As soon as the new captain had been ready they’d headed back toward the cluster of planets controlled by Keytark’s forces and had spent the past four Earth months disrupting any attempt to rebuild Keytark’s “kingdom.” So far the slave trade in this sector had been reduced to a smattering of smaller operators. None of them had enough contacts to build their business into anything larger before they ran into one of the two ships now working the sector as undercover pirates. It was quite nice to know there was a second, heavily armed ship out there capable of backing them up if they needed.
Finally, more than twenty-five minutes later than she’d promised, Avery reached the closed door of the cabin that she now officially shared with her husbands and hoped she wasn’t the only one to have lost track of time. She scanned her palm—a new security measure to contain intruders that Devlin and Cooper had installed throughout the ship—and rushed into the room.
She was mighty disappointed to find it empty.
Avery was wondering whether to go looking for her men or sit and wait when she heard a soft moan come from the bathroom. She crept into the room, not wanting to interrupt her men, but needing very much to be close to them. She always enjoyed watching them together.
Del was bent forward, his arms supporting his weight as he leaned over the bench. Cooper stood behind him, his hands on Del’s hips as he slid his cock deep into Del’s ass in a slow, steady rhythm that seemed more loving and gentle than erotic.
Avery smiled, pleased that her men could share a connection so strong even when she wasn’t there with them.
“About time, Avery-girl,” Cooper said as he glanced over at her. “Why are you still dressed?”
She giggled, shrugged her shoulders, and quickly set about fixing the problem. As soon as she was naked Cooper held his hand out for her. She took it without hesitation, her nipples already pulling tight, her pussy already leaking juice onto her thighs.
“On the bench,” Cooper said as he pushed to the hilt inside Del’s ass and then helped the man to make room for Avery in front of them. “Lift your feet onto the edge and open those legs wide, Avery-girl. Show Del your pretty, pink pussy lips.”
Del’s eyes were glazed with passion, but the look he gave her practically had her melting at his feet.
“Del is going to eat that delicious pussy while I fuck him. What do you think, Del? Would you like that?”
“Yes,” Del said with such a wicked grin that juice pulsed from her pussy, the warm fluid rolling down her skin toward her ass. Cooper was already bending Del forward to get his mouth closer. The first touch of his tongue had her embarrassingly close to orgasm. Fuck, would she ever get enough of these two men?
“I think she likes that,” Cooper said, moving his hand into Del’s hair. He held their man steady as Del licked and suckled her swollen flesh and Cooper slowly began to fuck him again.
Avery was panting, her pussy muscles pulling tighter, her ass throbbing, her arousal driving higher and higher and higher.
“Fuck,” Cooper growled as he pulled Del away. He thrust into his ass harder and harder, taking Del almost violently, leaving her to watch the pleasure on Del’s face. “Avery, bend over the bench.” The words sounded urgent, on edge, bossy as hell, but just the tone had her quivering with need once more.
She slid off the counter, turned, and leaned over the smooth surface.
Del placed one hand on her hip as he pressed his cock against her slick entrance. He pushed in smoothly, filling her, his other hand caressing her spine as he pressed to the hilt.
“Del, hold her close,” Cooper said on a panted breath. “This isn’t going to be gentle.”
Del wrapped an arm around her middle, his other leaning over her to brace against the bench. Even wildly aroused, her men managed to keep her safe.
And then Cooper started to move, his frantic thrusts meaning that Del’s cock barely moved from her body but the reverberations traveled to her womb regardless. She was panting, gasping, writhing under the strange sensation, feeling Del’s pleasure mirror her own.
“Damn it,” Cooper growled, his control snapping. He wrapped an arm around them both, pulling Avery even closer against Del as he started thrusting harder and harder and harder. The feeling of being fucked by both of them was amazing, but then Del’s hand
moved lower, his fingers deftly finding her clit, and her world exploded.
She screamed as she shook violently. With them holding her so close the vibrations had no outlet, instead bouncing over her again and again, stealing her breath, her mind, her sanity. Del made a gasping sound, his cock pulsing inside her pussy as Cooper slammed into his ass one more time and held still.
Afterward she would have sworn that she felt Cooper’s orgasm just as keenly, but with the aftershocks of her orgasm and the fireworks exploding in her brain all she could do was quiver in their hold and be very grateful for their strength as they held her up. Eventually, Cooper managed to lift away, his jolting movements making them all groan. Del soon followed, his cock slipping from her pussy as he helped her to her feet.
Thankfully, despite his own exhaustion, he noticed her wobbly knees and held her close, supporting her balance as the three of them stepped into the shower area. They cleaned up quickly and headed back into the main room. She reached for her clothing, intending to get dressed so they could head down to the mess hall for dinner, but Cooper lifted the clothes from her hands and encouraged her to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Avery-girl,” he said, giving her a bright, confident smile that didn’t quite cover his nervousness, “Del and I wanted to run an idea past you.”
“Oh,” she said as Del moved two chairs so that he and Cooper sat side by side in front of her. Her nervousness at what they wanted to talk about was almost overridden by the naked beauty of them both, but when Del gave her a worried look her heart rate leapt into high gear.
“Now that the slavers have been mostly shut down we were wondering if you still wanted to be a pirate.”
She smiled at his description. It was true that this vessel was considered the most dangerous pirate ship in the galaxy, but she’d never really thought of it as such. Jordan, and now Judge, had always acted honorably as captain of this ship, even when they were technically breaking a few laws. Everything they’d ever done had been to help people who hadn’t been able to help themselves. It was a noble cause, one she’d always been proud to be a part of, but it didn’t stop her from dreaming of a quiet future somewhere safe where they could maybe raise a family one day.