The Bound Prince

by Michelle M. Pillow

  Well, whoever he is, he won’t catch me off guard again, Sam promised herself.

  “It’s not our fault you are all a bunch of pussies and can’t hold your liquor,” Evan was saying.

  “I can’t believe you went without us,” Viktor grumbled. Sam grinned despite herself, hiding around the corner where they couldn’t see her. He sounded so forlorn.

  “So, what happened?” This time it was Rick. She’d know his laughing tone anywhere. It matched his easy-going features and the devil-may-care glint in his brown eyes. Only, in Rick’s instance, Devil did care. Dev was all about maintaining order. Rick was all about breaking it. It often led to humorous fights. Sometimes when the crew was bored, they’d provoke them into an argument for entertainment.

  There was a strange silence, and Sam crept closer to hear the answer. She really couldn’t remember anything but bits and pieces of the night before. Maybe if she heard what happened, she wouldn’t appear so clueless to the others when she walked in.

  “Ah,” Evan began.

  “Well,” Lucien added. “We don’t exactly remember.”

  “I think we captured a wild animal, but I’ve got no clue what we did with it,” Evan said.

  “You remember that, too? I thought it was a dream.” Lucien’s voice was awed. A round of laughter burst forth. “I think we brought it back here.”

  “Great, it’s probably out stalking the halls.” Sam could just picture Evan shaking his head. “Wonderful.”

  Sam sighed. Well, at least she wasn’t the only one with a faulty memory of the night. Taking one last calming breath, she walked around the corner. She went to the food simulator, and said to it, “Coffee, dark, dark black.”

  “You look like I feel,” Evan greeted. Sam ignored him.

  “Hey, Captain, hair of the dog?” Rick smirked.

  Sam turned to him and lifted her drink. Pointing the mug at him, she said, “I never understand half of what you say. You really should get your head out of that twentieth-century memorabilia.”

  “Twenty-first.” Rick’s grin widened.

  “Whatever,” Sam mumbled between sips.

  “So, Captain, what ya do last night?” Viktor asked, blinking so innocently she’d have bought it if not for overhearing their conversation.

  “Obviously, I kidnapped a naked man,” Sam said dryly. The men started laughing, not believing her. Hell, now that she was beginning to feel more alert, she wasn’t sure she believed her. She nudged Lucien in the hip with her boot, and he dutifully moved over to let her sit down on the bench seat. Blessed stars, but her head was throbbing again.

  “You three look as if you were crushed with a landing pod,” Viktor said. “What were you drinking last night? Just that whiskey?”

  Evan, Lucien, and Sam all shared an amused look. They didn’t even try to hide their mischievous grins. All three turned to stare at Viktor.

  “What?” he demanded.

  “Ah, you know that secret stash you have next to the lavatory?” Lucien asked, doing his best to maintain a straight face.

  Viktor turned serious and defended, “Hey, those magazine chips are purely for the articles. I swear I hardly even look at the holographic images.”

  A round of laughter exploded. Viktor even joined in.

  “Not those, rocket boy,” Lucien said. “The alien liquor you’ve been holding out on us.”

  This time Viktor genuinely looked confused. “Liquor? What liquor? And why were the three of you looking at my magazine chips? Please tell me I didn’t miss out on anything good.”

  “Nothing happened,” Sam mumbled. Well, at least she was pretty sure nothing had happened. She absently scratched her armpit, remembering waking up naked. Her cheeks colored slightly. If there was a man in her room, had she undressed for him before passing out? Did she undress him? Evan’s voice startled her, and she lost her train of thought. It was as though a mist had settled over her brain, making it difficult to concentrate.

  “The Torganian rum,” Evan said. “We found it.”

  Viktor paled even more. Slowly, he shook his head.

  “What?” Sam demanded. There was something odd in the way he was looking at them. “What is it?”

  “It’s not Torganian rum. It’s pronounced roome-ah,” Viktor answered. He studied them intently. “It’s not even liquor.”

  “Well,” Sam demanded. “What is it?”

  “It’s difficult to explain,” Viktor answered. “For the Torganian it’s a psychotropic. It makes them see their dream visions. A shaman gave it to me for enlightenment. For most species, that’s all it does, gives pleasant dreams. But, in humans it doesn’t work the same. From what I understand, it acts like a numbing agent to the human mind, scrambling your head so you can’t think straight for long periods, hell maybe even short periods. I don’t really know for sure. It dulls the brain of rational thought patterns and makes a person act carelessly. Reactions are delayed. And all this is on top of the visions. Sometimes the effects are said to be permanent. As none of us are full-blooded human, I can’t say how it would affect us.”

  Sam, Evan, and Lucien sat in silence.

  “Do you guys feel any different?” Viktor asked, concern in his voice. Even Rick eyed them with worry.

  “Why would you have that stuff?” Lucien frowned at his brother.

  “I don’t know,” Viktor answered. “Novelty? Truth serum for human captives, if we ever had any? I certainly didn’t expect any of you guys to steal it from me. Blessed stars, how did you even manage to swallow it? I’ve tried just a bit on the tip of my tongue once and nearly puked.”

  Sam blinked, feeling sick to her stomach. Maybe that was it. Maybe the man in her room was a hallucination. She was half Ticara, though she often chose to deny that side of herself. Maybe she wasn’t just mind-numb, but hallucinating as well. If there was a man in her room, wouldn’t she be freaking out right now? Should she be freaking out right now? Why wasn’t she freaking out right now?

  “Sam? You all right?” Rick asked.

  “Where’s Dev?” Sam blinked, looking around the small dining cabin. “I need everyone to come with me.”

  “What’s going on?” Evan was instantly concerned.

  “Computer, have Dev meet me in my quarters,” Sam announced, pushing to her feet. Her mind was still fuzzy, but that made sense now. It’s why her reaction time was slow and why she couldn’t focus on one thought for more than a moment. Sitting with her crew, she’d actually managed to forget there was a naked man in her room. Or was he there?

  “Yes, Your Highness.”

  “Viktor, so help me...” Sam began, stiffening. Without even looking at him directly, she lifted a fist in annoyance.

  Viktor threw up his hands. “It’s done. It’s gone. I’ll reprogram it.”

  “Thank you,” Sam whispered, her lips tight with annoyance. Then, seeing them all standing, waiting to follow her, she grimaced. She was doing it again, losing her train of thought. Her voice serious, as she tried to concentrate, she stated, “Come with me.”

  Dev was already at her door waiting when they arrived. His black brow arched slightly on his red face, but he said nothing. Stepping back from the wall, he let Sam pass. Sam stopped by the door, hesitating. Glancing at Dev, she saw him frown. His oversized presence gave her some comfort.

  “Sam?” Evan began, confused. “What’s going on?”

  Sam placed her shaking hand on the scanner and watched her door slide open. Her eyes automatically went to the cage. The prisoner stood up as she walked in. The crew followed her. His face was rigid as he eyed her crew. Sam was unable to look away from him. She wouldn’t be surprised if he were a figment of her imagination. If she were to imagine a perfect man, this guy would be it. Well, except for the overlarge limb between his strong thighs. Oh, that was still there as well, though the erection had gone down some. “Tell me. Do you see him too?”

  “Blessed stars!” Viktor and Lucien swore in perfect unison.

  “What the…?”
Evan whispered.

  “I’ve seen bigger,” Rick announced, chuckling though there was a manly awe and appreciation in his tone that could only come from such an insane moment.

  “You see it, too?” Sam asked. She turned to Dev. “Dev?”

  Dev nodded. As usual, he was silent.

  “Who is he?” Evan asked.

  “He says we kidnapped him,” Sam answered, keeping her tone low. None of them approached the cage but stood close to the door staring at the man. “Last night. He says I shot him with darts.”

  “No, you shot an animal with darts,” Lucien said. “It attacked you.”

  Viktor hit him in the chest hard. “Does that look like an animal to you, moron?”

  “Ow!” Lucien swore.

  “Pussy,” Viktor mumbled.

  “But, that’s what I remember…” Lucien defended.

  “Shut up,” Evan hissed. “Not now.”

  “Thank you,” Sam acknowledged, in no mood to be distracted by a fight between the two brothers.

  “Where’d you guys go last night?” Rick asked.

  “Just outside,” Lucien said.

  “What’s the planet’s name?” Rick insisted.

  “I can’t remember,” Lucien said. When he glanced at Sam and Evan, they shrugged. “We were too wasted.”

  “Man, that explains why my controls were all messed up this morning,” Rick grumbled. “I wasn’t going to say anything because I was afraid I’d taken us for a joyride again.”

  “The planet has to be close,” Sam inserted. Looking at the stranger, seeing his dark eyes boring into her, she suddenly wanted to run away. She felt dizzy, faint. Maybe she wanted to run to him. No, that was insane.

  “Close to what?” Rick asked.

  “Close to here,” Sam growled in frustration, looking at him. She waved her hand past the cage to the far wall that separated them from outer space. “Close to us. We couldn’t have taken the space pod far, especially not weighed down with any kind of transporter. Look at him. He’s as big as Dev. We couldn’t have darted him and then carried him ourselves.”

  “Yeah, but Captain,” Rick reasoned. “We’re no longer in the Y Quadrant.”

  “What do you mean?” Sam asked, turning on Rick. Damn, so much for just kicking their prisoner out into the space pod and taking off. A sinking sensation knotted her stomach. The full realization of what they’d done started to overwhelm her. They’d kidnapped an alien being, a being from outside the Federation’s boundaries. Just the size of him made her think of a warrior race. Even now they could have hundreds of starships on their tail.

  “You told me to get us moving when I got up this morning.” Rick shrugged.

  “Then take us back,” Evan said evenly. “Now.”

  “I wasn’t paying attention when we took off,” Rick answered, shrugging again. “We were in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t think it mattered. If you remember, we traded the computer’s log component to an Ulori to get the ‘non-humanoid green liquid’ thing on the list.”

  “What in the hell are we supposed to do with him?” Sam began to shake. The man in the cage wasn’t moving. He just stood, staring at her in his cold, empty way. She shivered anew, wondering if that was possessiveness in his eyes or just scorching anger. He was nearly impossible to read.

  “He’s not my type,” Rick chuckled. “But you could keep him for yourself. When we get to Torgan, if you’re bored with him, you could always sell him as a sex slave. With his...ahhh...yeah, he’d fetch a good price.”

  Sam punched his arm. She knew Rick was kidding. None of them would ever sell another being into slavery, no matter the profit to be had by it. “You’re so not funny!”

  “Then why’d you take his clothes off him, if you’re not interested?” Rick teased.

  Sam paled. Had she taken his clothes off? Her eyes flew back to the man. Just looking at his firm, naked body was doing strange things to her. She swallowed, suddenly nervous and a little too hot.

  “Damn, just look at him,” Rick said. “He is well hung, Captain, you’ve got to admit.”

  “Quit being lewd, Rick,” Lucien scolded.

  “Can I say something?” the man in the cell asked. Sam shivered. His voice was deep, smooth as silk, but as hard as the metal wall of her ship. “I mean, if you’re all done staring at my manhood?”

  The whole group fell silent, as they suddenly realized they had their conversation in front of the cell where he could hear them. They did that sometimes. After spending months aboard the ship, they just fell into the habit of excluding others from their conversations, even when the others were right there. Rick had the decency to clear his throat and to look embarrassed. Everyone’s eyes darted away from the prisoner’s naked waist.

  “The planet you’re thinking of is called Qurilixen,” the prisoner stated, sounding bored.

  “Oh, that was it,” Evan exclaimed, snapping his fingers.

  Sam glared at Evan before taking a step forward. “What is your name?”

  “Prince Falke of the Var,” Falke answered. His face was full of pride. “Commander of the Var Armies.”

  There was a stunned silence. Rick started chuckling softly, nervously saying, “Yeah, right. Good one, buddy. You got us.”

  “I don’t think he’s kidding,” Evan whispered. Sam swore. Evan’s limited telepathic abilities made him very adept at reading people.

  “Blessed stars,” Viktor said with a sigh. “What did you guys do?”

  “I’ll take the blame for this,” Sam whispered, really nervous about what might happen to her if anyone came looking for her.

  “Sam—” Evan began.

  “Prince Falke,” Sam didn’t want an argument. She was the one who shot the dart, so she was the one who would face whatever consequences. Looking at the warrior man, she really hoped there were none. She did her best to remain calm. Quickly pointing to everyone, she made introductions. Then, she added, “I’m Samantha Dorsey, Captain of the...” Closing her eyes, she fought a blush. “Captain of the Bound Virgin. We’re going to change the name of the ship. But, um, it’s just that Federation paperwork to do so is surprisingly expensive, and we can’t seem to agree on a name.”

  Falke didn’t move. He appeared unimpressed with her babbling explanation. Sam cleared her throat. Since when did she babble? Damn, it must be the effects of the drink.

  “Listen,” she said. “There has been a terrible mistake.”

  Falke’s brow rose on his stoic features. Sam’s heart fluttered in her chest. She couldn’t lose her control, not now in front of the men.

  “You are not, by any means, a prisoner here,” Sam said, trying to give a placating smile. She didn’t want to have warrior royalty on her ship. “In fact, you’re more...you’re more like an honored guest.”

  Sam forced a wider, hopeful smile. He didn’t look convinced. In truth, he only looked angrier. His hands were on the bars, gripping them so tightly that his knuckles were white.

  “Ah, I told you that Scavenger Hunt was a bad idea,” Evan swore under his breath.

  “Shut it,” Sam growled, turning to glare at him, before turning back to the Var commander. “Ah, Rick, why don’t you go get the prince here some food? He must be starving.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Rick said, turning to leave.

  “Evan, go let the good prince out of the cage,” Sam said.

  “Uh, no,” Evan denied. “You do it, Lucien.”

  “Not me,” Lucien answered. “He’ll bend me in half.”

  “Fine,” Sam answered, not bothering to hide her irritation. Blessed stars! The prisoner was handsome. Her eyes dropped down, but it was a mistake for his arousal stood robust and proud from his hips. Her face drained of color, and her heart beat exceedingly fast. What had she been about to say? “I’ll do it.”

  Falke watched the slender woman with irritation from his cell. Her wide violet eyes looked at him, frightened. She hardly looked fit to be the ship’s captain. She lacked discipline, as did her crew.
To be an effective leader, one had to be in complete and utter control of the situation at all times. She let these men talk to her as if they were on the same level.

  Falke felt his body stir. Even through his irritation, he found her very desirable. He wanted to kiss her tightly pressed lips until they relaxed. He wanted to feel her skin, caressing her until she panted for more and sighed his name in her beautiful voice. Such a woman wouldn’t make for a good commander, but perhaps if she was the one being commanded? His body lurched and he fought hard to keep his body from becoming obviously aroused. He didn’t want more attention drawn to his shaft.

  Falke was used to being naked in front of his own soldiers and wasn’t by any means modest, but none of his men stared at him with the open curiosity these people showed. The only one he instantly thought a worthy adversary was the red creature who stood silently next to the captain. His arms were folded over his chest. Now that was the man who should’ve been in charge.

  No wonder they were all allowed to run wild, kidnapping strangers off their home planets. Hell, they probably didn’t even realize he was a shifter. He wasn’t stupid, even if he’d hardly ever left Qurilixen in his eighty-two years of living. If they were heading to the Torgan slave auctions, undoubtedly they were dealing with the black market. Falke had never been there, but Jarek had mentioned the planet in his transmissions home. His hands tightened on the bars. He’d be damned if he’d let them sell him as a sex slave.

  “Fine,” Sam repeated. She didn’t sound too enthusiastic about her decision. “I’ll do it.”

  The red one’s hand shot out to her arm, stopping her. Very quietly, Dev said, “No.”

  “Dev?” Sam asked in her soft, tinkling voice.

  “I don’t trust him. We don’t know who he is. For the safety of the crew, you should leave him where he’s at.” Dev’s expression was neutral.

  Falke frowned, irritated. It was exactly what he would’ve done in their situation.