The Thief's Dark (Renegades Book 3)

by L P Peace

  ‘Every now and then, I see something on this ship that looks like it was once beautiful.’

  ‘Amaran,’ Daris said. ‘No one knows where Tolomus got this ship, but it was built by the Amarans. They love their aesthetic and colour.’

  At the end of the hall, were two, huge doors. They looked big enough to fit a ship through.

  ‘Look up, Zoe.’ She followed his instruction and found another set of doors in the high ceiling above her. ‘There’s storage up there for ships so the Amarans can accept guests, confiscate enemy crafts, and store ships they won’t be using. Most of this ship is actually storage space for ships and fighters.’

  ‘Fighters?’

  ‘This is an aircraft carrier,’ Daris explained, ‘or, was. A long time ago.’

  Zoe looked around at the ship. She was a big believer in ships having a soul. This ship’s soul had been twisted out of shape; it made her sad.

  Daris poked at the pad on the wall with his tail and the doors slipped open. Zoe’s eyes fell on the only ship in the bay. It looked like one of the trader ships from Sol. The ships Zoe’s father would have called ‘heaps’. She loved it on sight. As faded as the white and red paintwork was, as evident the replaced panels were. This was Daris’s ship. This was the ship they would escape on.

  A blue-skinned Kuyon stepped out of the control booth and walked over, his eyes fixed on Zoe. His black eyes, she realised. From pupil to sclera, if he had such things. His skin was azure, and his short hair was dark electric blue. He smiled at her.

  ‘What a pretty little human you bring me.’

  Behind her, Daris chuckled. Zoe had been expecting it. Daris had deliberately made friends with this male over the last couple of days. Today they were testing whether Zoe was a distraction to him. According to the intense look he gave her, she was.

  ‘You’re not bonding to her, Raday?’

  It was Raday’s turn to chuckle. ‘No, but I wouldn’t mind practising with such a delectable female.’ He moved a little closer. ‘Are you sure I can’t tempt you into lending her to me. She would enjoy the experience.’

  There was a pause. ‘Zoe, do you trust me?’

  Zoe turned from Raday to Daris. ‘Yes. Please don’t make me,’ she whispered. They had planned for this—practised it.

  ‘Of course not,’ he said in a soothing tone that held more than a little of a mocking undertone. ‘You see, Raday? I can only train Zoe with her permission. If I let you borrow her, I betray her trust.’

  ‘Hmm, when my solar is done, you should train my female for me.’ The male laughed.

  ‘It would be my pleasure.’ There was humour to Daris’s tone, but Zoe could hear the strain beneath it.

  ‘Zoe, don’t go far. I must speak with my friend.’ Daris unhooked the leash from her collar.

  Zoe watched Daris guide Raday towards the far wall. She wondered around the bay, seemingly at random. Every now and then, she’d turn to see the Kuyon’s eyes fixed firmly on her. Testing, Zoe raised the hem of Tolomus’s shirt and scratched her upper thigh. The Kuyon’s gaze followed every minute action with black gazed intensity.

  When their conversation was done, Daris called to her to rejoin them.

  ‘I should bring her back to my room.’ Daris hooked the leash back to the collar, then tugged lightly on it. ‘Same time tomorrow.’

  So far, the Kuyon’s eyes hadn’t left Zoe, now they flickered to Daris, before returning to Zoe. ‘I look forward to it.’

  The walk back to the room was quick. Daris drove a hard pace, and Zoe struggled to keep ahead of him. In the lift, she saw his jaw muscles were flinching under the tension of his bite.

  As they walked down the hall to their room, Zoe felt the familiar build-up of tension in her pussy. In the last few days, she’d become Pavlov’s dog, her body responding to the walks with arousal, knowing that soon, Daris would be touching her.

  As soon as the door was closed, she was in his arms, his tail working against the light blue fabric of the set of underwear Tolomus had insisted she wear that day.

  ‘You are mine,’ he growled against her face. ‘Say it.’

  ‘I’m yours,’ she said quickly, feeling a stirring of disgust at her words, her tone.

  ‘I like this,’ he said, pulling on the small chains that acted as the top half of the covering over her rear. His tail slipped inside from behind, and he penetrated her with it almost immediately.

  There was something more and more urgent about Daris’ touching every time now. He had woken her every morning for the past three days with his tongue inside her pussy. Grinding on the bed as he brought her to orgasm. He would do the same in the shower, insisting on spending that time with her and only satisfied when she came. There was something deeply scent-driven about him and his actions.

  He would pleasure her, dominate her, after their walks and again before they slept. The reins of his control were slowly slipping, and Zoe knew it was because they hadn’t had full sex yet. There was something about it that, she could feel, would complete what was happening between them. The lack of that completion was having a detrimental effect on him. For Zoe, she both wanted it and feared it.

  As for the domination, there was still a part of Zoe that despised her weakness. But when he held her, commanded her, made her wait and cum, she felt entirely at peace, probably for the first time in her life.

  Each session of domination was briefer than the one before. But each time, Daris made her wait until she felt like there was a bowstring, stretched and taut inside her, and when he flicked her just the right way, her orgasm crashed over her until time and space ceased to be. There was only the comforting, warm strength of Daris at her back.

  When she finally came to her senses, they were lying on the bed, Daris ritually cleaning her with his tongue. As per every time, he made her cum again, then pulled her into his arms and stroked, whispered, caressed her.

  More and more, the tension stayed away longer. For a time, Zoe felt safe, complete.

  His lips fell to hers, and they kissed until nothing but them seemed to matter anymore.

  ‘How long will you be?’ Zoe was on the bed, kneeling, her legs kicked out slightly from under her. She looked at Daris with an earnest, fearful look that brought on instincts Daris fought to quell.

  ‘I’ll be back soon, ahdali.’ Daris grabbed the bag from the shelf above the bed and dropped it in Zoe’s outstretched hand. He took hold of her wrist before she could bring the bag to her nose, leaned in, and kissed her, only satisfied with his effect on her when he heard a small moan.

  ‘These are the last of the things we’re bringing with us.’ He pointed at the bag on the table.

  ‘And we leave after our walk tomorrow?’

  Daris smiled and nodded, not wanting Zoe to see the anxiety that was, along with the increased mating fever, was making it harder to be with and without her.

  It was getting harder to leave his mate alone for any period of time. Already Daris had claimed her shower time. If she used the facilities for longer than a handful of metri, Daris was at the door feeling anxious. He needed to complete the bond soon, or he wasn’t sure how much of his fragmented reason would be left to rescue.

  Daris took the lift down to the docking bay and walked in, entering his ship moments later. He dropped the bag on the bed and opened it.

  He’d gathered quite the haul.

  Tolomus had delivered a lot of the strange ‘underwear’ to Daris over the rotes. Most of it was unworn, the best pieces. Daris had saved them, left them unsullied by the gaze of other males. He had plans for everything she had worn, and it didn’t include taking them with him. Especially Tolomus’s shirts and the vrokking collar and leash. Some Maruzen were into that. Those that had never suffered humiliation didn’t feel it when wearing items like that, and that was all well and good for them. But for an orphan who’d been made to feel like every bowl of vrokking durv he’d been fed was better than he was; humiliation was not something Daris wanted to experience again or
inflict on his mate. Especially when it seemed like she was sensitive to it.

  He emptied the bag and opened one of the hidden drawers in the wall of the ship. He laid out the ‘underwear’—vrokking indecent stuff—and stared down at it. He would have to visit Caras and get her more. There were other things he wanted to buy as well. Restraints being chief among them.

  Daris returned to the bag and was about to pull out some of the cleaning solutions Tolomus had bought for Zoe when the Fedhith himself appeared at the top of the stairs.

  ‘Leaving us?’

  For a moment, Daris’s mind went completely blank. He forced a slow grin onto his face.

  ‘The opposite,’ he lied. ‘I’m sick of coming back to the ship for things. I’m moving more of my things to my room.’

  ‘Glad to hear it,’ Tolomus said. ‘I want you to consider staying permanently.’

  ‘Permanently?’

  Tolomus walked further onto Daris’s ship. ‘There are so few of these males I can trust,’ he said. ‘They’re all too obsessed with human cunt.’

  ‘You trust me?’ Daris grinned sardonically.

  ‘I trust no one,’ Tolomus said through gritted teeth. His eyes scanning the room, passing over the still open drawer of Zoe’s things. Though he was too far away to see inside. ‘But you’ve proved your worth in the time you’ve been here; much more than most.’

  ‘Once I’m done training little Zoe…’ Daris stood and walked over to the bridge, pulling Tolomus’s attention away from the drawer. ‘I had intended on leaving with my own female. But I will definitely consider it,’ Daris lied.

  ‘Which brings me to my other reason for being here.’ Tolomus continued perusing the room, getting closer and closer to the drawer. ‘Tonight, after Zoe’s walk, I will be joining you.’

  Daris’s stomach clenched.

  ‘I am done waiting. I want a child. Tonight, she will accept my bite and I will breed her.’

  The look on Tolomus’s face was resolute. Daris smiled. ‘Of course. I will ensure she’s ready for you.’

  ‘Have you pleasured her yet?’

  The beast inside him clawed at Daris’s skin to get at the threat to his mate.

  ‘Yes,’ Daris said.

  ‘And?’

  ‘Exquisite.’ It was the only reply Daris could force himself to make. It seemed to please Tolomus though, who smiled and descended the stairs out of view.

  Daris listened to Tolomus leave the ship, heard the tell-tale sound of the bay doors opening and closing. He stood there for several long metri trying not to chase the Fedhith down and snap his vrokking neck.

  His mind projected an image of Zoe with the Fedhith’s teeth piercing her skin. It poured a hot lava of rage into his blood. He wanted to tear the ship apart, tear every slaver keth on it to pieces, then return to the room and pour himself into his mate, claiming her once and for always.

  Somehow, he crossed the room and pushed the drawer closed. Then, choosing a panel with nothing behind it, Daris punched it, shouting out his anger into the small space. He hit the wall again, and again, shouting rage and curses until the edge was gone.

  After, he coolly assessed the panel. It was dented. He’d need to explain it to Zoe and replace it at some point. He regretted taking the anger out on his ship, but it was better than allowing his mate to see how affected he was.

  He cleaned the midnight-blue blood from his hands and wrapped a cloth around it. Then forced himself to walk casually back to his rooms, smirking at every male he encountered on the way.

  When he entered the door, Zoe was still sitting on the bed. She was wearing his shirt and licking chocolate off the end of her thumb.

  She froze when she saw the look on his face. ‘What happened?’

  ‘Tolomus intends to claim you tonight,’ he said. ‘We need to make this walk our last.’

  A look of fear emerged and then was gone. Zoe looked down at the floor, her brain working behind her grey eyes. ‘Good. I can’t wait to get off here.’ She looked up at him. ‘We’ve already been too long. We need the Tessans on this.’

  ‘Get ready. We’re going now.’

  Zoe frowned but didn’t move.

  ‘Zoe?’

  ‘I want to go,’ she said. ‘Quickly, more than anything. But if you’ve just found this out and we leave, go out on our walk ahead of schedule, don’t you think that will be a red flag to Tolomus?’

  ‘Red flag?’

  ‘Erm, alert him.’ She kicked her legs out and got off the bed. ‘I want to go, but Daris, we need to be smart.’

  ‘I can’t be smart,’ Daris growled. ‘My mate is in danger and all I can think about is getting her off this vrokking ship.’

  ‘Daris?’ she whispered, concern on her face.

  ‘I need you to be safe, Zoe.’

  She walked over to him, reaching up to stroke his face. ‘We need to be smart, now more than ever.’

  ‘I can’t be smart,’ he repeated, looking down into her beautiful face. ‘My instincts are screaming at me to get you off this ship.’ There was a keenly desperate edge to his voice now.

  ‘Daris,’ she whispered, pulling his face down to meet hers. ‘Let me take the edge off for you.’ She kissed him.

  ‘What do you mean?’ he asked, feeling her lips against his as he spoke.

  She kissed him again. ‘Let me show you.’ A moment later, she was on her knees before him, slipping his erect cock out of his pants.

  ‘Oh, vrok.’ Her touch seared pleasure through his whole body, which bucked, and he cried out as it scorched his mind clean of thought.

  Something hot and wet enclosed him, pushed down onto him, licked up and down him. Demanded he give all of himself to his mate and this sensation. Moments stretched out into aeons, in which Daris was lost to something his body had never experienced before.

  Desperately, he clutched at the fading edges of his mind.

  ‘Not… on this…vrokking ship.’ His voice sounded like it was on another plane of existence. He latched onto the sound and pulled himself back.

  Zoe was on her knees, her mouth stretched around his cock. The sight was fascinating, the sensation tearing away at him. Gently, he pulled himself out of her mouth. Disappointed grey eyes looked up at him.

  ‘No, Zoe,’ he said, reaching down and picking her up. He held her close, seeing hurt begin to edge into her expression. ‘That was…’ he gasped, half-tempted to give in to his angry cock, which throbbed its displeasure at his mind’s interference and let her down to finish. A frustrated groan tore from him. ‘That will be…’ He shook his head, unable to find the words to adequately describe what he had just experienced. ‘But the first time I cum inside you, it will be inside your cunt, and it won’t be here.’ He looked around the room with a critical eye. He looked at her pointedly. ‘It will be on my ship. In my bed.’ He smiled. ‘You’ll be tied and blindfolded.’ He groaned at the thought. ‘And mine to do with as I please.’

  At his words, a familiar musty scent permeated the room.

  Daris pulled her further into his arms and slipped his free hand under her shirt.

  She was bare.

  She parted her legs, and he slipped a finger inside her.

  ‘Did you get wet while you were sucking on my cock, my sweet ahdali?’

  ‘Yes,’ she gasped.

  ‘Hmm, so many possibilities with that information,’ he mused, feeling his control sink deep inside him, anchoring his mind and clawing back his sense against his instinct.

  Zoe’s eyes were closed, lips parted, her face contorted in ecstasy. Her breathing had become erratic as quiet moans poured from her lips in small gasps. Why had he been facing her away from him all this time? Had he known he was missing out on this sight; he would have had her face him every time.

  Daris knew he wouldn’t be able to take the look of her like this much longer. He was going to make her cum, but he realised this was what he needed. His fingers were wet with his mate’s arousal.

  ‘Ahdali,’ h
e whispered, ‘you’re even more beautiful like this. I didn’t know it was possible.’

  He added another finger inside her, then a third, teasing her clit with his thumb, stroking her thigh with his tail. He pumped into her until, finally, she tightened around him. Her body grew stiff, she cried out into his shoulder, clamping her teeth onto him and conjuring a groan from Daris.

  When she stilled, he licked his fingers clean. Then laying her on the bed, and with renewed vigour, he went to work cleaning his mate.

  Daris’s reaction to her touching him had been…

  Oh, fuck!

  She couldn’t stop thinking about it. How Daris’s body bowed and he was completely lost he had become in the moments she had explored him, his cock.

  And what a cock it is!

  As soon as she had seen the ridged textured… It wasn’t like a human cock, that was for sure. Some elements seemed familiar. He had foreskin, though the ridged, slightly harder skin on the topside, which promised to rub on some interesting places, was definitely new. The helmet wasn’t the smooth helmet of a human male, but was thicker and had valleys and little ridges, and it seemed that some designer had gone to work with pleasure in mind.

  The feelers had been off-putting at first. They wrapped in coils under the helmet and had unfurled in her mouth. Surprised, Zoe had spat the whole thing out and examined them, touching her finger to him. The feelers had coiled around her fingers, then unwrapped and coiled back around Daris’s shaft. When she slipped him back inside her mouth, they had uncoiled, felt around the roof of her mouth and tongue for a moment, before returning to his shaft.

  The guy was definitely an alien. As if the size and look of him weren’t enough to give it away, his tail and cock absolutely confirmed it.

  Returning to the head, Zoe had gone back to work, gently stroking her fingers over the swelling and hoped they weren’t sensitive to pain.

  When he lifted her from him, she’d been hurt, though that had quickly gone away when she saw the look on his face and listened to him grasp for words. Words were important to Daris, that he lost them filled her with pride and something else, something more that she didn’t want to examine too closely.