The Bound Prince

by Michelle M. Pillow

  Sam swallowed nervously, before looking around at the men, as she absently adjusted the gun strapped to her leg. “Are we ready to go?”

  “It’s all set.” Lucien gave a hand-held unit to Sam. “Here’s a copy of the master list and what we have to do to fulfill the requirements. Also, bargaining prices are listed. If anyone sells anything, we just enter it into the unit, and everyone else will know. That way we can split up and work the crowds if we need to.”

  Sam nodded. “We need to make sure they know it’s a bid price. That way if someone is willing to pay more, we get more.”

  The men agreed.

  “And everything goes,” Sam said. “All of it.”

  Falke roared. They chuckled softly.

  Walking over to the cage, she stuck her hand in. To her surprise, Falke didn’t touch her. He paced his cage. His rejection stung and she pulled away from him, feeling very hurt and a little sick. Quietly, she amended, “Everything but the prince, of course.”

  “I don’t know,” Rick said, joining them. Lucien gave him a hand-held. “He’s kind of cute. I think I could sell him—ouch! Blessed stars, Evan. Why have you got to keep hitting me? You’re bruising the merchandise. I might be able to rent myself out to some lucky lady for spare cash.”

  “Come on, merchandise, let’s get started,” Sam said amidst the laughter. Viktor opened the cargo doors, and everyone began unloading.

  24

  The Torganian city of Madaga was a dusty spot, with adobe style businesses built up off the brown-gray earth right next to the main complex of metal and glass. The main compound, where Sam and her crew were directed to set up for inspection, was inside one of the largest buildings. On the surface, it looked like a legitimate trading center. For those who knew what to look for, it was a virtual black market of fenced goods and tawdry services. If it was illegal in other parts of the universe and sought after, chances were it could be found here.

  The crowd was the usual mix of humanoids and other beastly creatures. Some looked like human males with only minor differences, like strange protrusions or ripples of flesh on their faces and bodies. Others were hairy, with long arms and massive chests. There were those with the skin of reptiles, large black horns, or flesh of many colors. Some had wings. Some had webbed fingers. Every disreputable low life creature imaginable came to Madaga to mix with the rest of the crowd, such as pirates, crooked businesspeople, slave traders, bounty hunters, and guns for hire. This was no easy place and Sam planned to stay close to Dev the whole time.

  Viktor, Lucien, and Rick were by the cargo, guarding their spot. The last she’d seen, Rick was standing on top of a crate over the compound, arms folded, looking incredibly sinister and mean. Evan and Dev were helping her push Falke’s cage. The pacing white tiger drew a lot of attention from the crowd as it parted to let the group by. They passed near a round bar in the middle of the building, surrounded by tables. Several men were already drinking, maybe still going from the night before.

  “Don’t forget,” Sam whispered, leaning close to Falke. “Act really mean for the judges. If they try to touch you, swipe at them.”

  Falke growled at her, roaring so loud she jumped back as he made a move to strike at her through the bars. He almost hit her too. Sam’s eyes rounded, hurt by his brutal attack. Several of the nearby men started to laugh.

  “You need some help with that creature, sweetheart?” a man with formed brown ridges on his face called. “Perhaps a real man to protect you from the mean ole monster?”

  “Like you’re a real man,” Sam grumbled under her breath.

  “Don’t worry, darling. Come over here and I’ll let you tame my beast. It’ll only hurt for a second!” The creature was so hairy she could barely make out any features. Large flying insects buzzed around his greasy head. The scary thing was that Sam thought he might actually be a human male.

  Sam’s eyes then met the dark gaze of a stranger. His long black hair spilled over his back, pulled up and back at the temples in braids to keep it from his face. He lounged in a chair tipped back on its back legs. By her guess, he was a human male, or at the very least, a humanoid. Black tattoos marked up one of his arms, the symmetrical pattern disappearing up his sleeve only to peek out of his collar by his neck. He was dressed in a loose, white, linen shirt, rolled at the sleeves, and tight black pants. His calf boots were polished to a high gleam as they rested up on the table. Their eyes met briefly as she got a full glimpse of him. He scared her more than the blustering idiots to his side offering to show her a good time. He lifted his cup to her in acknowledgment, before slowly drawing it to his lips. Sam shivered and quickly turned away.

  At the continued ruckus, Dev grabbed her wrist and held it up high. He jerked her roughly to his side and set his black eyes on the two who had dared speak. In a gravelly voice that was truly demonic, he growled, “If you want to barter for my property, you’d best come prepared to pay. Otherwise, leave her be.”

  The onlookers laughed as both suitors lifted their hands and shook their heads in denial. They turned back to their own discussions. Dev dropped Sam’s arm and said no more. Evan continued to push the cart, pretending like he didn’t care either way.

  Sam didn’t care that Dev had just called her property. It was quite possible he’d saved them all from a fight. She glanced at Falke whose blue eyes were narrowed. What was wrong with him? Why was he so angry with her? Her heart broke a little at his distance. She was sorry the guys had asked him to do this. He shouldn’t have said yes if he was this angry about it. They never meant for him to be degraded.

  They rolled the cart to where the others had set up their cargo. There were already judges looking over what they’d brought. The two round, blue creatures were nodding over a string of large Phlio red pearls and talking amongst themselves. The strange clicking noises they made were only slightly abrasive to humanoid ears.

  Sam took a deep breath, watching Falke pace. He did look livid. He was beginning to terrify her and she hoped it was all just an act. She couldn’t wait until it was over, and she could finally talk to him.

  They wheeled Falke into place and backed up. Sam motioned Rick down from his perch. He jumped to her side. Looking nonchalant, she inquired, “Well?”

  “They scolded us for being late,” Rick answered.

  Evan crossed his arms and stood at Rick’s side, pretending to survey the crowd as they talked. Dev moved possessively close to Sam, touching his arm to hers. Falke roared, drawing a lot of curious eyes.

  “Other than that,” Rick continued, “it seems to be going well. They’ve been looking at those damned pearls for a long time. I think we could win if we offered to make them a gift.”

  “Evan,” Sam said. “Try to get a reading. See if it will work. Just in case.”

  Evan nodded and made his way close to the judges. He pretended to study an unambiguous, sexual enhancing artifact from the Zenni District. The judges glanced at him and then the pearls. Evan smiled slightly in acknowledgment. They finally set the pearls down and moved on.

  “Everyone wants a piece,” Rick chuckled. “Lucien and Viktor are already taking bids. We hope to be rid of almost everything by the time the judges have finished looking at it.”

  Sam saw the disturbing man from the bar looking at her. He stood nearby at a competitor’s cargo area. When she acknowledged him, his dark eyes moved to the cage that held Falke. She shivered. “Yeah, get rid of what you can as soon as the judges say they’re done. I don’t like the look of the crowd here today. I’m getting a bad feeling.”

  “It’s just this place that makes you feel that way. That and you’re so cute,” Rick teased. “The guys can’t help staring at you.”

  The judges worked their way to Falke and were looking at him in admiration. They went to touch his bars, and he roared, putting on a great show of fury. The judges backed away, nodded their heads frantically. Sam hid her smile.

  “It’s working,” she whispered, her voice excited though she tried to ke
ep the pleasure out of her face. “He’s doing it.”

  “Yeah…” Rick gasped, stopping suddenly to stare. “Oh, baby, come to Rick.”

  Evan joined them, and they all turned to follow Rick’s eyes. A group of Galaxy Playmates walked by, surrounded by some very large, very mean looking bodyguards. Men began whooping and hollering at them. The women giggled and waved like superstars. Sam’s mouth fell open. They were hardly wearing a decent stitch of clothing amongst the dozen of them.

  “I didn’t know they were performing here,” Evan said, swallowing. His head tilted to the side as he stared at a lush backside wiggling beneath a transparent robe. The black haired woman wore a thong. The robe was bare along the back and only covered her breasts in the front with a thin strip of fur.

  “Ah, Cap, you have to let us take something for trade, like...maybe...ah...” Rick began, looking at their cargo. His eyes moved back to the women.

  “Don’t you even think it, Rick. Those super sluts are how we got into this mess in the first place,” Sam growled, hitting his arm. Rick flinched, but couldn’t take his eyes off the brigade of sexy women.

  Sam saw that Evan and Rick weren’t the only ones. Falke was even turned in the direction, but at least he was growling, even if she thought it was more of a low seductive sound than an actual roar. She reached forward to hit his cage in a jealous fit when Dev caught her arm and jerked her back. She blinked in surprise at her own actions.

  “What if we win?” Rick asked, swallowing. “Can we...go...oh, baby, that’s nice when you walk like that. Can we go and see them, Sam, please?”

  “Fine,” Sam growled. She glared at Falke and tried to calm herself. He wasn’t looking at the women anymore, but she was still irritated by it. “If we win and sell everything you guys get one night on your own. But no siphoning fuel this time, you hear me? Once you’re out of the space credits I give you, you’re done. And make sure you have your shots up to date. I don’t want you coming back diseased and leaking green ooze. That’s one thing I won’t help you out with.”

  Rick grinned, slapping Evan on the back. “See, buddy. That’s why I love her!”

  “Interesting specimen you have here.”

  Sam turned to the cage. The low voice was full of appreciation. The man who’d been silently watching her since the bar stood admiring Falke. His linen sleeves rustled as he lifted his arms over his chest. He was well built, handsome in a very roguish sort of way. Falke was bigger, but this man could definitely hold his own. Sam’s stomach knotted. She had the strangest urge to reach for Falke, wanting his comfort, but held back.

  “How much?” the man asked, lifting his eyes from the tiger to them.

  “He’s already spoken for,” Sam answered, wishing her voice held a harder edge.

  The man nodded. “I can pay more, much, much more. I know someone who’d just love to have him.”

  “He’s spoken for like the lady said,” Dev repeated. “No sale.”

  “I thought you said she was property,” the man asserted, smiling a cocky grin that lit his face in amusement. Sam narrowed her gaze on him. He was up to something.

  Dev merely smiled back coldly, not answering.

  “I see,” the man turned to Sam and smiled. “You won’t reconsider?”

  “Nope,” Sam stated. “Sorry. He’s taken.”

  “Very well.” The man gestured his hand lightly, uncrossing his big arms. He looked at the tiger and then back again. “Better luck next time.”

  Sam nodded. She didn’t like the hidden meaning in his eyes when he studied her. The man turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

  “Keep an eye out for that one,” Sam ordered. “I don’t like the looks of him.”

  The men nodded, and Sam’s attention was distracted by a group of Pothinians wanting to bargain over blue slime. The slime was a hard sell, so Sam let them have it for twenty-five credits. The judges finished their tallying and left. After that, more people came by, and there was hardly time to stop, let alone talk to the rest of her crew. Sam kept an eye on Falke in his cage, feeling guiltier about keeping him trapped as the minutes slipped into hours.

  Falke paced around in his cage. It wasn’t difficult to act mean and angry. He was feeling mean and very, very angry. Looking at Sam, he roared loudly. She was going to up and leave him as soon as this was over. He meant nothing to her, nothing at all. She’d made that perfectly clear when talking to her crew, her friends. Somehow, Falke wasn’t satisfied leaving it at that.

  Falke walked in a small circle, coming back around to look at Sam. She was talking to a very thin, reedy couple covered in shining gold. They’d been at it for nearly four hours by his estimation and seemed to be doing fairly well. She’d spent all day avoiding him, not that he could blame her after the swipe he’d taken at her earlier. His anger helped the day go faster, even if it was passed inside a cage.

  Falke took a deep breath and let it out. It wouldn’t be much longer now. Soon he’d be free, and Sam would be in his complete control. She thought she’d get rid of him. Well, he had a little surprise in store for her. Like it or not, she was going home with him.

  25

  Sam and her crew worked all day, selling their goods. Almost everything was gone by the time they were ready to finish up. Evan was sent with Rick to purchase fuel. Sam didn’t trust Rick with their money, not when the Galaxy Playmates had been led by several times during the day as an enticement. She’d like to think that he would behave himself. Well, she’d thought Rick and Viktor wouldn’t have siphoned their fuel in the first place.

  The original plan had been to cart Falke back to the ship, let him shift, and then finish the sales. It seemed, however, that he was the big draw to their merchandise, and it was impossible to break away and cart him back. Several times Sam caught his eyes on her, studying her, glaring. She was almost afraid to approach him and asked Rick to see if he minded staying longer. When Rick came back, he shrugged, and answered, “I think he said he didn’t mind.”

  Now, as their cargo load was nearly depleted, and the market hall was beginning to clear of the main crowd, Sam took a deep breath. She walked over to Falke’s cage and hesitated, before stepping closer. “How you doing in there, Falke?”

  Falke snorted and lowered his head. He bared his teeth, his lip curling up.

  “That good, huh?” She laughed weakly and decided to pretend like nothing was amiss with him.

  Falke snorted again.

  “Thank you for doing this,” she whispered. Sam took a deep breath. “We appreciate it.”

  “Sam,” Dev said. “I think I just got rid of the last of it. We can get out of here, just as soon as everyone settles with us.”

  “How’d we do?” she asked.

  “Fair. Better than we estimated,” Dev answered.

  Sam glanced at Falke and took a step away from him, drawing Dev with her. When they were out of earshot, she asked, “Do we have enough to buy Falke passage home?”

  “You haven’t changed your mind?” Dev asked. “You know what happens to the baby if...”

  “Yes, I know. And no, I haven’t changed my mind,” Sam said. “I’ve given it a lot of thought, and it’s best for everyone.”

  Dev touched Sam’s arm where her mark was covered by her sleeve. “But, it’s not what is best for you.”

  “Dev, do we have the extra credits or not? I’ll take it out of my end.” Sam insisted, not wanting to discuss it, not now and probably not ever. “I’d rather just get it over with now, but if I have to, I’ll take him back and drop him off. So tell me, please. Can we buy the passage?”

  “Yes,” Dev stated honestly though he didn’t look happy doing so.

  “Good.” Sam sighed and fidgeted with her hands.

  “But we’re in this life together,” Dev added. “It comes out of all of our ends.”

  A tremor of pain washed over her. She’d been silently wishing she’d be forced to spend more time with Falke. Only, in the end, she knew it would mak
e it harder on herself. No. For her sanity, she needed to get away from him. She needed to be allowed to heal. “Now, if they’d just get those blasted hunt results out, we’d be free to go.”

  “Viktor scoped the competition earlier when he worked the crowd. He says we only have a few of them to worry about. Only three of us had completed lists,” Lucien said, coming up beside them. He was soon distracted as he went to exchange merchandise for credits as more creatures came to claim their items.

  “I wonder what’s taking Rick and Evan so long,” Sam said. She glanced at Dev. “You don’t think they got sidetracked, do you?”

  “I doubt it,” Dev said. “Look, Viktor just got back. Let’s get Falke to the ship and out of that cage.”

  “All right,” Sam answered. Looking to the side, she saw Evan and Rick coming toward them. When they were close, she called, “Taken care of?”

  “Yep.” Rick grinned. “What? Didn’t trust us?”

  Sam snorted. Rick and Evan chuckled. They looked mildly guilty, and she didn’t bother asking about it.

  “I see he’s still here.”

  Sam turned, seeing the dark haired man standing before Falke’s cage. She shivered, wondering how long he’d been there.

  “Not for long,” Sam said. She motioned for the guys to help her with Falke. Their cargo was completely empty, except for the red pearls, which Rick stuffed in his pocket. Dismissing the man before he could say more, she said, “Enjoy your evening.”

  “I certainly will,” he murmured back.

  “I certainly will.”

  Jarek watched the woman walk away from him with his brother in the cage. He’d been waiting for their arrival and was a little surprised to see them carting Falke in his shifted form. It didn’t matter. Jarek recognized him as easily as if he’d looked human.

  He had hoped the woman would be willing to sell Falke to him. It would save a fight and get his brother out of that damned cage. However, Falke seemed determined that they take the woman as a prisoner. He wondered what had happened to make the commander so angry. Usually Falke was levelheaded, even when on the losing side of a fight—which was rare.