Righteous Fury (To Protect and Service Book 2)

by Tracy St. John

  She was worn out but happy. If she could just sleep for a decade or so, that would have been great.

  Instead, Laaruu checked on a monitor that appeared at his command. He then opened a small compartment and drew out a pouch. “Drink this. It’ll restore your energy quickly.”

  “Quickly, huh? What’s up that I have to be moving?” Damn it, she wanted to sleep.

  “You heard the alert. We’re arriving at the border. The lawgiver space station is waiting for us on the other side.”

  As Kimi sucked on the pouch—it tasted similar to sparkling water—a voice came in over the ship’s communications system. Laaruu listened and smirked.

  “They’re ready for us to dock. I’m impressed. Consolidated lawgiver stations usually demand clearances that take hours to endure before they allow for any Paatiin to board.” He rummaged in an overhead bin as he acknowledged the station.

  Kimi slurped the last of her pouch. She already felt a surge of strength filling her limbs. The need for hibernation disappeared. “I take it Saazeer eased the way for us.”

  “Him and the bastard judge in charge of the station.” Laaruu pulled out a thick blouse with a hood and attached gloves and tossed it onto the bench. Next came a pair of pants—with feet. The set was iridescent black, shimmering prettily. “Rinse off and dress.”

  “Clothes! I’ve never been so delighted. But footie pants? Do I look like a toddler to you?”

  Laaruu snorted but didn’t respond. He went back to searching through the bin.

  Kimi examined her new outfit. It was strange, beyond the gloved hands and attached feet. Thick around the torso, reminding her of body armor. The booties had actual soles on them, impressive treads suitable for hiking rough terrain.

  She blinked as Laaruu pulled on an identical outfit. Though it was formfitting, he tugged it over his body with rapid grace, as if he’d done so a billion times before. He noted her interest as he attached the hem of the shirt to the waistband of the trousers.

  “The camosuit provides some protection from small-arms ballistic fire, similar to your Kevlar. It will also offer you camouflage, should the need arise. Watch.” He tugged the hood up over his head. “Activate camouflage.”

  He disappeared before Kimi’s eyes. The air where he’d been shimmered slightly, an effect she would have missed had she not been staring right where he’d been.

  “Holy shit. That’s amazing.”

  “Deactivate camouflage.” Laaruu was there again, resplendent in iridescent dark. He was striking in the odd getup.

  Not so certain about whether the camosuit would do her any such favors, Kimi put it on. “Are you expecting trouble from these Consolidated types?”

  “They’re often nothing but trouble, particularly the Gilotheans. You’ll learn that soon enough.”

  “Yet the Paatiin make them their slaves. You guys must find something worthwhile about them.”

  “As long as they’re naked and ready to be fucked. It’s when they start thinking they’re our equals—or superior—that we Paatiin take exception to them.”

  “Nice attitude.” Kimi narrowed her gaze at him to show her disapproval.

  “Hanos is a Gilothean. I stand by my view.”

  Kimi struggled with her camosuit, and Laaruu was forced to help her adjust it properly. “This outfit is not exactly user friendly.”

  “You could always greet our hosts with nothing on.”

  “No thanks.” She pulled up the hood and activated the camouflage just to watch herself disappear. Freaky, but fun. She made a face and rude gestures at Laaruu, which would have invited her already well-spanked ass to be further welted for such behavior. She giggled at the childish stunt.

  “I can hear you. I’m guessing you’re doing something that begs for punishment, which you’ll receive at my earliest convenience.”

  Kimi shoved her hood off and deactivated the suit when Laaruu pointed out she was a floating head. “Are we going to wear weapons?”

  “To greet our hosts? They’d be none too pleased with that. Besides, they want what we do—to destroy Hanos in the most painful way possible.”

  “Hey, I call first dibs on that bastard.”

  Laaruu raised a brow at her heated tone. “Don’t be so sure. These people have as much claim to justice as you do. The head judge on this station has more cause to hate Hanos than anyone.”

  “Then I’ll wish him luck beating me to the punch.” Kimi was determined to get her licks in on Hanos. If she could reach him before the head judge with the grudge, the poor bastard would just have to deal with the disappointment.

  * * * *

  There weren’t only Gilotheans in the massive bay where Laaruu landed his ship, but they outnumbered the rest of the aliens that moved about what appeared to be a UFO parking garage. Laaruu had explained that the moon-sized space station roamed the lesser populated areas of the Consolidated Collective’s frontier, dispensing justice, aid, supplies and personnel where needed. Varied species abounded in the traveling station.

  When Kimi stepped out of the Paatiin craft, she was too dismayed by the number of bronze-skinned humanoids to be properly awed by the vast chamber or the more bizarre beings that scurried about. She realized she’d barely glanced at the creepy spider-ish creature that scuttled by to stare at a man who bore a passing resemblance to Hanos. Kimi tried to pull herself together. It was difficult to do so. She had visions of the crime lord and his thugs showing up and starting shit. She couldn’t even enjoy the wide-open port that offered a stunning view of starry space.

  “Kimi! Kimi!”

  Someone shrieking her name got her attention in a hurry. A woman with black, curly hair bolted between the taller Gilotheans and dodged the other strange beings.

  Kimi’s heart stopped for an instant. Then it raced. She shrieked a wordless, unbelieving celebration and ran toward the woman barreling toward her across the crowded landing bay floor.

  “Raven! Oh my God! Raven, you’re really alive!”

  They collided, barely pulling up to keep from knocking each other over. Hugging and laughing and crying, the two women waltzed in a circle, unmindful of any witnesses to their joyful reunion. Kimi clutched the woman she’d considered a sister, then petted and pawed Raven, trying to convince herself she was real. Though she held her, she could hardly hope her friend was alive.

  “It’s you. You’re here,” she jabbered, trying to convince herself. “What happened? All the blood—you shouldn’t have survived.”

  Raven spoke at the same instant, her words tumbling in a stream. “I thought I’d never see you again! How did you end up here? Are you going to stay? I’m fine, I’m fine!”

  Little by little, they calmed, though there was a period of wracking sobs when Kimi truly grasped that Raven was alive. She stared at her best friend, laughing through the tears. “You look wonderful!”

  She did. Hair as black as her name described spiraled in fat curls to her waist. Short but sturdy—and every bit as lethal as Kimi—Raven couldn’t have been more opposite in appearance. She was pale, no doubt from months in space, but she glowed with radiant health. The alternate universe had been good to Raven.

  Kimi became aware of the two men standing behind her friend. She stared at them, her hackles rising as she fought off the sudden instinct to protectively push Raven behind her, to shield her from the pair.

  A Gilothean and a Paatiin. The Gilothean was big, like Hanos, though far handsomer. Sleek golden hair spilled over his wide shoulders, and if his smirk wasn’t entirely pleasant, it softened his well-honed features enough for her gaze to linger on. His black Asian-like eyes twinkled with humor. Nevertheless, he was all Gilothean, and there was a sense of brutality in his aura. Kimi’s immediate reaction was suspicion.

  She wasn’t thrilled with the Paatiin either, despite recognizing him. “Douglas Bringer. I heard you were behind Raven’s disappearance.”

  Raven gripped her arm. “He saved my life, Kimi. If not for him, I’d be dead.”


  “It’s wonderful to see you again, Ranger Furio…even if the delight is on my side alone.” Bringer wore a self-satisfied expression identical to that which Laaruu sported too often.

  The itch to slap that smirk off his handsome mug disappeared after a glance at Raven’s shining face. “If you saved my girl here, I can forgive anything. You can drop the ranger bit. That’s in the past.”

  “Does that mean you’re staying?” Raven’s big, blue eyes widened.

  “Long enough to gut Hanos and take the women he’s hurting home to Earth.”

  “There is a line when it comes to doing horrible things to Drek Hanos. I’m at the head of it.” The Gilothean glowered.

  Kimi sneered, letting him know she wasn’t impressed.

  “Kimi, this is Supreme Justice Vendeen. He’s my…employer.”

  Vendeen’s brow rose at Raven’s introduction. Bringer hooted with laughter and said, “Much the same as I suppose Laaruu is your employer, Ms. Furio.”

  Raven reddened. Kimi had every idea she was blushing as bright as her bestie.

  She could live with the humiliation of them knowing she was Laaruu’s sex slave. The biggest question on her mind at the moment was whether or not Raven needed rescue.

  “This is a very strange universe,” she muttered, surreptitiously nudging her friend.

  “To put it lightly. But I’m happy here.” Her gaze met Kimi’s and held it without wavering.

  Like Kimi, Raven had been an orphan. Unlike Kimi, she’d never been adopted, had never been granted the loving family she’d deserved. Even though she’d been welcomed into the Furio home as Kimi’s best friend, Raven had always had the air of a lost soul, of the outsider looking in.

  That aspect was gone. She appeared serene. Perfectly at home on this bizarre station. Crazier still, Vendeen and Bringer gazed at her with outright devotion.

  She’s with both of them?

  The details could wait. For now, Kimi was content to discover the broader scope of the situation. “I don’t have to put on my superhero cape and save the day?”

  “I’m as saved as I’m ever going to be.” A broad grin split Raven’s features.

  Kimi nodded, shoving aside her reluctance to accept the scenario. The message was loud and clear: whatever had happened to land Raven in the alternate universe, with two men, had turned out to be a good thing.

  That didn’t keep Kimi from eyeing Vendeen with suspicion. He dipped his head to her respectfully. “I assure you, it was her decision to remain with us.”

  “I understand that. I’m not overly fond of your race, though. Let’s get that out up front.”

  Laaruu joined in the conversation. “Hanos and his thugs tried to make Kimi a part of his breeding stock—before she made him mad enough to try and kill her.”

  Vendeen bared his teeth. “If I know that bastard, the attempted execution was as painful as possible. Congratulations on surviving your encounter with him. You’ve won my respect for that alone.”

  “I’ve heard you have a history with him.”

  “I have every intention of making him history, once and for all.”

  Kimi barely kept from shuddering at the vicious smile that twisted Vendeen’s bronze visage. In that instant, the judge was as scary as Hanos. What had the crime lord done to make a member of the justice system seem capable of horrific murder?

  Chapter Sixteen

  After they’d navigated bustling corridors of the traveling space station, the group arrived at the office shared by Vendeen, Raven, and Daagiis—Douglas Bringer’s Paatiin name.

  The men sat down in a comfortable corner, taking all the chairs. In this instance, Kimi wasn’t worried about the ungentlemanly behavior. Her programming told her that as a slave, she was supposed to kneel at Laaruu’s feet. Fat chance of that in front of Raven.

  Instead, she moved about the room, taking it in. The large table-desk contraption in the corner made her think of the old video gaming tables she’d played back in the day. Players would sit on either side, and the game would appear on the table’s surface itself. Raven, who followed her around playing tour guide, explained it was a computer. The entire top was a monitor and command center, akin to an oversized tablet or smartphone.

  Kimi eyed the photograph on the wall that claimed her attention. Two Gilotheans stared back at her, one beaming and the other glowering. The happy guy was Hanos, but with his own arm and lacking many of the scars he sported nowadays. The other man was Vendeen.

  She glanced over at the breathing version of the judge. “This was taken in better days, before you realized he was a murderous asshole?”

  “Considering he killed my parents in front of me, I knew what he was for a long time. He raised me as his son afterwards, but I was little more than a prisoner. He had me trained as a lawyer and judge to help him escape justice. Instead, I turned on him. Happiest day of my life. Well, until six months ago.” The corner of Vendeen’s mouth jerked upward as he gazed at Raven.

  Raven added, “You can see how angry Vendeen is in that shot. He’d been forced to rule in Hanos’s favor in a court case. He kept it for inspiration to stick it to the bastard as often as possible.”

  “Now I keep it as motivation to kill him. We never found a body after our encounter on Tansur, so the picture stayed up. Now we know for sure he’s still alive.” The Gilothean snarled at nothing in particular.

  Kimi and Raven joined the rest. Standing next to Laaruu, Kimi gave him a pointed gaze. “Big lack of seating in here.”

  “Since when do the Paatiin allow their slaves to use chairs?” Vendeen sounded legitimately confused.

  Kimi sighed. Laaruu laughed. “You could always sit on my lap.”

  “I’ll stand. If that’s allowed.” She wasn’t sure how she managed to keep her tone respectful.

  Daagiis scowled. “You’re setting a bad example, Laaruu.”

  “I like it. You guys need reminding once in a while that you’re mere mortals.” Raven chuckled and winked at Kimi. “Even if you accept the master-slave dynamic, you can’t let these guys feel too superior.”

  That earned laughter from Vendeen and Daagiis. The Paatiin said, “Superior to you? Hardly. There are other reasons to have you kneel.”

  Raven turned beet red. Kimi couldn’t miss the warmth her masters regarded her with. The relationship was real. There was love between the three.

  It came with a sense of danger. Vendeen’s demeanor was particularly evaluating as he gazed at Raven, an air that reminded Kimi of how Laaruu had overwhelmed her with a heady mixture of pleasure and pain. It made her wet in an instant.

  Fortunately, her own master moved on to business. “As esteemed Saazeer discussed with you, our attack group awaits on the other side of the border. The Alt-Earth prisoners rescued from Hanos’s ship are on board a transport, which also followed us here.”

  “In medically-induced comas, was my understanding,” Daagiis emphasized.

  “It seemed the best course to take, for the women’s well-being. They are traumatized beyond our ability to help them.” Laaruu addressed Vendeen. “Gilothean physiology is more similar to the Earthlings than that of the Paatiin. You are in agreement for the procedures to introduce amnesia to these victims?”

  “Our doctors are certain they can erase the memories of their abductions and experiences since they were brought to our dimension. They’ll be returned home with no idea of where they’ve been or what they’ve endured. All physical wounds will be healed as well.”

  “Hopefully, they can resume the lives they were taken from with little to no psychological harm.” Raven settled on the arm of the Gilothean’s chair. Vendeen rubbed her back.

  “What about the children? There were babies too,” Kimi pointed out.

  Laaruu looked again to Vendeen. “Your people are far better suited to the issue of integration.”

  “The matter has been addressed to the governing council of my planet. We’ve formed a committee, on which I chair and Raven serves as an
advisor. We’ll ensure the children are raised in a group by caring people. They’ll be educated to the greatest of our ability and allowed to colonize their own planet or moon as their population grows. Until they are ready to do so, they’ll have a place in our society, treated as equals, which you Alt-Earthlings appreciate.” He grinned up at Raven.

  Kimi glanced at Raven too, pleased with the solution. With her as a guiding force for human children in this alternate universe, she felt reassured for the babies’ futures. Besides, who better than a once-unwanted orphan to take care of such children? Raven was the best possible choice.

  “That’s settled then. On to the hunt for Hanos.” Daagiis leaned toward Laaruu. “If you’ll give me the frequency signature of the tracker you put on his associate Tum, I’ll attempt to trace his whereabouts.”

  Kimi uttered a curse and glared at Laaruu. “You’ve been tracking him all this time? You didn’t tell me?”

  “I feared the signal would disappear. Which it did as soon as it crossed into Consolidated Collective space. I had no hope of re-acquiring it without the Gilotheans’ help.”

  As she fumed, he handed Daagiis a computer drive. The other Paatiin stood and went to the table. Curious to witness the device in action, Kimi followed him.

  Daagiis plugged the drive into an input along the side of the table. Kimi whistled as it powered up, displaying a huge computer touch screen. Her program allowed her to read the Paatiin characters that notated a star chart. Impressive.

  “Nice, huh?” Raven and the other men joined them.

  Laaruu stood close enough that he brushed up against Kimi. She stiffened at his touch, then decided to let the matter go. She was miffed at Laaruu for keeping the tracking information from her, but when was she not mad at him? The only time he wasn’t somehow pissing her off was during sex. The irritation was becoming downright comfortable.