by Leslie Chase
He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, looking entirely serious. I swallowed, wondering how badly I’d misjudged things.
“You promise you’ll set them free?” I asked. A stupid question — if he’d lied already, why would he balk at one more? But he answered without hesitation.
“Marcie Cole, I swear to you, these people will be safe with me. I will let them free at the first port we come to. The rest we can work out later, when we have more time, but for now all I ask is that you take my word for this much.”
It wasn’t easy to trust him. Bad experiences from the past had left their marks on me and letting go of that wouldn’t be easy. But what choice did I have?
Hoping I wouldn’t regret my decision, I nodded. Together, we started to disconnect the stasis chambers, preparing to move them across to the Atreon’s Revenge.
12
Arrax
The victory celebrations aboard the Atreon’s Revenge were strained. We’d won, and thankfully had few casualties, but the prize had eluded us again. Or rather, I’d thrown it away to save Marcie’s life, and everyone knew it.
Still, we lived to fight another day, and that was worth celebrating. Following tradition, the crew gathered to drink and dance, and I moved amongst them, congratulating those who’d done well on the raid. Being there to hear their complaints helped, and I took the chance to make clear I’d give up my share of the next ship we took to make up for the loss. That helped brighten the mood, and the other officers did their best to help.
Jorn had brought out his best booze. Raxa queued up some fresh music she’d dug out of the Crimson Feast’s computers. And Trin and Vissa put on a show.
The xil pilots danced, knives weaving between them as they moved. A xil knife-dance was a sight to behold, fast and vicious and beautiful, almost too quick to follow. Not one of the rest of us matched them for speed, and the way the two of them moved together was enough to distract anyone.
It helped that both were inveterate showoffs and loved being the center of attention. Everyone watched as their knives flashed and clashed, coming within a hair’s breadth of carving each other open.
Zarr sat nearby, pausing his retelling of an epic battle — there was no point in trying to compete for attention with the xil. Beside him, two of the new Antaran recruits watched the dance with wide eyes. Zarr had monopolized their time since they came aboard, something I’d have to watch out for. He’d gained too much influence already.
The only person who didn’t look engrossed in the dance was Marcie. She sat alone in a booth at the back of the room, nursing a drink and looking into her cup. That wouldn’t do. I picked myself up and made my way to her side, sitting down before she knew I was there.
“You should enjoy the celebration,” I told her. “You’re one of us now.”
Perhaps not yet fully accepted, but that would come with time. And it would come sooner if she joined in. But she stared into her drink and shook her head.
“I nearly killed you,” she said. “How can the crew trust me now? I’ve fucked things up again.”
I put my hand on hers, squeezing gently and taking the tankard away from her. Still mostly full, I saw. Good. Drinking in this mood wouldn’t help.
“You tried to do the right thing,” I said. “Marcie, you tried to stand up for the slaves in stasis. That’s not something many people would have had the guts to do, and I salute you for it. I’m not the only one who appreciates that bravery either.”
Her hands stiffened beneath mine, then relaxed just a touch. Eyes full of tears, she turned to look at me. “How can you be so nice when I nearly blew a hole in your chest?”
I struggled to find an answer to that, or rather to put it into words. Why didn’t I kill her when she threatened my life? Because you’re the most wonderful woman in the universe didn’t sound like a good answer. And while it was true, it didn’t capture the whole truth.
“You were fighting in a good cause, even if it was against the wrong target,” I said. “And you did it knowing you’d probably die in the attempt. That’s bravery, greater bravery than a lot of people here have. I doubt Zarr would put his life on the line for anyone but himself, for example.”
“But—” I overrode her before she started to doubt herself again.
“No buts. You put your life on the line for people you didn’t know, people who had no voice to speak for themselves. That makes you braver than anyone who fights for money or fame. How can I not love that about you?”
Her cheeks flushed, an adorable sight. Looking up at me, she chewed on her lower lip, searching for words. I looked her in the eye, letting her see my absolute sincerity. So close to me, I felt the warmth of her body, heard her quick breath. Was her heart racing like mine?
Almost, I pulled away. I cannot afford an attachment. I cannot risk her safety by bringing her into my life.
Or was that just my own fears talking? She’d joined the crew, she was in danger anyway. What harm was there in acting on my desire now? And I desired Marcie more than I’d ever wanted anything.
The way she looked at me, the little tremor in her breath when I leaned close, told me she felt the same way. And the way she’d responded to my kiss aboard the Crimson Feast proved it. If I took her to my cabin, we’d both get what we wanted.
But an aura of doubt still hung around her. Fear clouded her mind, fear of me and what I represented. Despite the urgency of my need for her, I wanted to comfort her even more than I wanted to take her to my bed.
“Do you wish to know why I hunt the slavers?” I asked. “It is not a happy tale.”
She nodded quickly, and I drew a deep breath. These were memories I’d buried years ago, ones I’d never expected to speak of again. But Marcie of all people deserved to know.
“Once, long ago, before I was a pirate, I worked aboard a mining station. Atreon, the same place you were traveling to when we met. That was before the Antarans wrecked this sector, before it went to shit.”
Marcie nodded again, and I took a drink. Perhaps alcohol would make it easier to tell the tale I’d buried for so long.
13
Marcie
“I have told no one else this story,” Arrax said, took a deep breath, and began. His voice was low, intense, and I leaned in close to listen. “This nebula used to belong to my people, the kadrans. We were a loose federation of states with no central authority, and that made us easy pickings for the gangs. When the Antarans arrived, their slave raiders attacked everywhere and ground down what forces we had. These days all that’s left of Atreon is a slave trading port, but back then I managed it as a mining station. We thought we had defenses powerful enough to keep the raiders out. We weren’t exactly wrong: for the first few attacks, Atreon held strong. But over time they wore us down, just like they did everyone else.”
I swallowed, holding his hand and listening in silence. Arrax’s deep, gravelly voice filled with pain and his gaze focused on the distance, as though he was seeing the horrors of his past again. Around us the party faded into the background — all my attention was on Arrax as he spoke, drawing me into his memories.
“Eventually, an attack wrecked our turrets. We held them off, but we never had a chance to repair or rearm. A week later the next attackers breezed past what defenses we had left and boarded the station. It was a slaughter. Heavily armed and experienced pirates against miners using their tools?”
He shook his head and paused, summoning strength to continue. I held my breath, trying not to disturb him, trying to simply be there for him and listen. After a moment he let out a long sigh and looked at me.
“I tried to organize a fighting retreat into the tunnels of the asteroid we were mining. Figured they wouldn’t chase us in there, that they’d take the ore we’d already processed and go. Only this time they didn’t want to leave. Why would they? They had the station now, and that made a good base to expand from. That’s how the Antaran pirates always operate — take somewhere over, run it into the ground,
and move on. So they came after us, looking to put us to work in the mines they’d captured. You’ve never seen an asteroid mine?”
I shook my head.
“You’re not missing much. Empty, airless tunnels following the ore veins. The pirates came after us in there, and we met them with digging lasers. It was the worst fight I’ve ever seen, and I would have died if one of the pirates hadn’t fucked up putting his suit on. His airshield leaked and he choked out before he managed to kill me.
“I escaped, just barely. Doctor Jorn did too, and we got out with a stolen ship. And that was when we decided to dedicate our lives to one thing: hurting the bastards who’d killed our friends. That’s what this is about — taking the Antarans’ ships. Freeing their slaves. Making operating here too expensive for them.”
I swallowed again, biting my lip and holding tight. The muscles in his arm were taut, almost solid as he struggled with his emotions, and I didn’t blame him.
That must have been horrible, and it explained so much. I’d tried to imagine what would have turned the mining supervisor I’d come here to meet into a dreaded pirate captain. Now I knew. How much pain had landed on his soul? I shuddered at the thought of it, and of him trying to carry it alone.
It changed things, too. I’d been thinking of him as Captain Arrax, bloodthirsty pirate and scourge of the skies. Sexy? Hell yes, but terrifying too. Now, though… he was fighting to free people and avenge his fallen friends. My heart raced as a weight lifted off it. He was not just a sexy badass, he was a good man. I didn’t have to fear him any more.
Didn’t have to avoid my feelings for him, either. A tingle ran through me at the thought of surrendering to the desire I’d felt since the first time I’d seen him.
But it didn’t explain everything. I licked my lips, trying to calm my nerves. “Why did you attack the Jester’s Last Laugh, then? It wasn’t a slave ship.”
Arrax surprised me by rumbling a laugh. He turned to look at me, those strange eyes of his sad and lonely, and I wanted to hold him and never let go.
“We thought it was. Or, if not slaves, that it worked for the Antarans.” He shook his head. “Who else would go to Atreon now? It’s a slave port and nothing more. It was only when we boarded that we found out the ship didn’t belong to one of the cartels. And by then I’d seen you.” The last was said with a strange note in his voice.
“I couldn’t let you go on. At best they’d have dropped you there, helpless and alone. At worst… well. Humans are rare out here, Captain Falbad would have made a pretty profit if he chose to sell you.”
I winced at the thought. Falbad had seemed nice enough and I didn’t want to think that of him… but he’d been willing to take me to a slaver’s port without warning me what I was flying into. Maybe that was carelessness, maybe it was malice. I’d never know, not now.
“Lucky you came along then,” I said. “My hero, kidnapping me for my own safety.”
“Not just that,” he said with a smile that made his strong, handsome features light up. The sadness still lurked in his eyes, dark and brooding. “You were irresistible. Impossible to leave behind. So perfect I wondered if you were a trap, a spy or something. How else would we have met under such circumstances?”
Taken by surprise, I laughed at that, then caught myself. The idea sounded ridiculous, but Arrax was serious. My blush deepened and I squirmed in my seat. It was a strange sort of compliment, being told a man this gorgeous thought of me as the perfect bait for a trap.
“Arrax, uh, this is a weird question, but do you remember signing up with the Celestial Mates agency?” I asked. He frowned, turned his head quizzically. It took him a long moment to answer.
“Long ago, yes,” he said. “Before the Antarans came with their cartels, I was lonely on Atreon. But I never received a match, and after the attack I forgot all about it. Why do you ask?”
I took a deep breath. Once I admitted why I was here, there’d be no going back. But he deserved to know, and I wanted him to know. I ran a hand up his arm, feeling the muscles shift as he moved, and chewed on my lip. Looked up into his eyes, my body tingling and pulse racing.
“Because the reason I was on the Jester’s Last Laugh, the reason it was taking me to Atreon Station, was that the Celestial Mates matched me to you.” The words tumbled out in a rush. It took a second for that to register with him, but then his eyes widened, and I said, “I’m here for you Arrax.”
14
Arrax
The room seemed to stand still around me. Behind me, the sounds of the party faded into the background and all I heard was the pounding of my own heart.
Marcie looked at me, tense and frightened, and I stared back. Drinking in the beauty of her, how well she fitted my needs and desires, how perfectly she fit me. Of course we were meant for each other. I should have seen it before, but I’d been too busy trying to protect her — from myself as much as anything else.
Bringing a woman into the life of a pirate was no kindness, but here she was. She’d come here to find me, but not as a spy. Not as an agent of anyone but herself. Her beautiful, desirable, perfect self.
Not just beautiful, but brave. Resourceful. Willing to face impossible odds to save those who needed her, even if it meant standing against me. I’d fought my attraction to her this long but now the floodgates were open and all my rational thought washed away in the torrent of emotions that poured through my soul.
Words failed me, so I did what came naturally and pulled Marcie to me, bringing her mouth up to my lips and kissed her hard. She squeaked, shocked, but her arms slid around me and held me close as her lips parted under my tongue.
Red Sun, she felt perfect in my arms. Nothing in the universe compared to this kiss. Her body pressed against me, soft and warm and wonderful. Even through our clothing, her warmth and the tremor of desire that ran through her were unmistakable.
When we broke our kiss at last, Marcie breathed quickly and unsteadily, and my own pulse raced. I brushed a finger across her cheek, caressing her flushed skin and enjoying the moment.
Glass broke behind me and someone roared in mock-anger. That was when I remembered that we weren’t alone here, that someone might interrupt us at any moment. These parties were wild at the best of times, and after a raid like this, with little profit to show for it, the crew wanted to blow off steam.
In my experience that meant drinking, fighting, and fucking. Drama that would force me to pay attention when Marcie and I should be doing some celebrating of our own.
I looked around. Trin and Elisan glowered at each other over a spilled drink. Money changed hands around them as the crew placed bets on the inevitable fight, but neither held a blade. This would play out like a thousand other little brawls. Pirates fought to release tension, and if I tried to bottle it up the anger would come out in worse ways later. Sometimes the best option a captain had was to not notice these things and let them pass.
If I stayed here, something would happen that I couldn’t ignore. And right now, I the last thing I wanted was to be dragged away from Marcie. I caught Jorn’s eye across the room, and he grinned and nodded, waving me away. He’d look after things while I was away.
“Come on,” I said to Marcie, standing and offering her my hand. “We need to talk, and we can’t do that here.”
Talk. That wasn’t what I wanted to do with her, at least not until after I’d torn her clothes off and ravaged her. She blushed as she slid out of the booth, her body brushing against me, the touch making me growl.
It might have been an accident, but the second touch wasn’t. Her little grin as she moved past me, too close, told me that. I took her hand in mine and pulled her out of the door. “Behave, Marcie.”
Her laugh was like sweet music. “Or what?”
“Or I shall take you here and now,” I told her. “I have little enough control as it is.”
Marcie swallowed, nodded, bit her lip. Her breath caught and I knew that my words weren’t much of a threat to her. If anything
, the opposite: neither of us wanted to wait, not now. But she followed me out of the door and into the corridor, and I led her away from the noise of the party towards my cabin.
There was nothing in the universe that I wanted more than her.
Marcie followed, just as eager. Her presence consumed my attention, my focus, and if we passed anyone in the corridors, I didn’t notice. At last we came to my cabin, and the door slid open at my command.
A moment’s hesitation and then Marcie followed me inside. For the second time we were in my rooms alone, and this time we both knew what we were here for. I turned, swept her into my arms and pressed her back against the door as it slid shut behind us.
Her sweet mouth opened eagerly, and she groaned into my kiss. Her arms slid around me, pulling me to her tight and strong, and my cock hardened, straining against my pants. Marcie moaned as she touched it, squirming against me. Her delightful wriggling made thought impossible.
But who would want to think at a time like this? Turning, I carried her to the bed and threw her onto it, its gravity field catching her and holding her in the air. She squeaked in surprise and then grinned as she floated, watching me pull off my coat and throw it aside.
Her eyes wide, Marcie licked her lips. I pulled off my shirt and she gasped, a flush spreading down from her cheeks. Curious to see how far it went, I reached for her and she let out a little whimper.
Impatient to see her, I pulled at her top, tearing it from her body. I would tolerate no barriers between us. Marcie gasped again, breathing fast, her full breasts heaving. I knelt astride her, fingers running across her skin and teasing her, prolonging the moment.
Under the shirt she wore a strange garment that cupped her breasts. Presumably there was some way to take it off, but I didn’t look for that. A strong tug snapped it and they were free. Reverently, I caressed her delightful skin, making her moan as I brushed her nipples. Marcie reached up to stroke my arms, her fingernails scratching gently down my skin, and the growl of hunger that escaped me made her shiver.