by Lolita Lopez
If it was, she received his message loud and clear. He wasn’t going to come to her rescue again. Once she hit the arrivals deck, she was on her own. Like always…
“Come on.” She grabbed Irina’s hand. “Let’s get this over with.”
Flanked by the small group of women, Ella followed Raze and his SRU team. While she mentally prepared for the fight of her life, she avoided the intense stares from the soldiers and airmen lining the edges of the path they took. Unlike her earlier visit to the Valiant when she had traversed only the civilian spaces of the ship, tonight they were moving through the unseen corridors where the engineers and mechanics worked.
Before she was ready, they were standing on the arrivals deck. This late at night—or early in the morning, as it were—the space was totally empty except for two customs officers, General Vicious, Admiral Orion, a line of airmen standing at attention and another SRU team.
She noticed Mayhem instantly. The handsome soldier strode toward Raze and gave his update. “We’ve got this deck locked down. No one is getting in or out unless we make it so.”
“Let’s keep it that way.”
“Understood.” Dismissed, Mayhem broke character briefly to wink at her. It wasn’t a flirtatious overture but almost brotherly, the sort of thing she would expect from Danny if he was trying to set her at ease.
Surrounded by the massive bodies of Raze’s SRU team, Ella lost the ability to see anything but the wall of broad shoulders and backs. She could hear Raze and Torment exchanging greetings with the general and admiral but that was it. The woman on her left side reached out with shaky fingers to grab Ella’s free hand. She gave the red-haired woman a reassuring smile and tried to slow her own fast breaths.
“We had nine take the offer,” Torment announced. “They’ll have to pass through a background check since we haven’t had time to vet them and their connections but they seem to be quality women and probably good breeders.”
Ella’s teeth clenched together at the way Torment described them like prized livestock. Despite her irritation with the Shadow Force operative, she focused on the way he put so much emphasis on breeding. Was that her golden ticket out of this mess?
“I’ve already briefed my men on the issue. They’ve agreed to take their brides on a three-day probationary status. It takes your operatives less than two days to vet the women who show up on the Grab lottery lists. I can’t imagine it would take much longer to do these extras.”
“I’m sure we can get it done, Admiral.”
“This is outrageous, Orion.” Ella recognized the general’s harsh voice from their brief meeting those many weeks prior. He was the sort of man a woman never forgot.
“No,” the admiral calmly replied, “this is proactive. Vicious, your Land Corps contingent has grown to three times the size of my own Sky Corps and it’s only going to get bigger. Your men, even the NCOs and enlisted, have more valor points than most of my officers.”
“For good reason!” Vicious snapped. “My men fight on the ground. They are mired in the blood, the sweat and the pain. We’ve seen death up close and personal, not thousands of feet above the ground in cushy airships.”
“Which is exactly why your men get first dibs on all the Grab slots that become available every quarter,” Orion retorted. “The men I’ve picked tonight have been on the Grab lists since the quarter you chased Hallie. My men have earned the right to a mate. These women want strong males to protect and provide for them. I’m making it possible for everyone to get what they want.”
“Until morning,” Vicious growled. “When the rest of the men in the sector find out that these nine were allowed to jump the line, it’s going to be absolute pandemonium.”
“Maybe the war council will finally consider the proposal I sent them,” Orion said. “We need better options. We need more brides.”
“And your proposal suggests a way to broaden and speed up the supply chain?”
“It does.”
Ella couldn’t believe the way these men discussed the situation. To the two commanding officers, the women involved in the equation seemed to be as interchangeable as any other commodity. It was as if they were talking about running out of bread and wanting to build a new bakery. It was callous and cold.
“You said nine, Torment. I counted ten women,” Admiral Orion said.
“Yes, sir. One of the recovered assets.”
“Only one?” Vicious interjected.
“Yes, sir. The other one seems to have made it out on her own.”
“Then toss this one into the mix,” Orion ordered. “I’ll have another man brought in to pick.”
“Sir,” Swift respectfully interrupted, “I’d like to give up my slot in tomorrow’s Grab for the chance to choose tonight.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Because of this tenth woman?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let me see her, Torment.”
The admiral’s order struck fear in Ella’s heart. What if he decided he wanted her? She doubted a man that powerful would be easily swayed to leave her be.
Both Irina and the red-haired woman dropped her hand. So much for mutual support, she groused silently. Cipher and Fierce both stepped aside but Raze refused to move. Finally, Torment addressed the SRU Major. “Move.”
With obvious reluctance, Raze stepped to the left and allowed the admiral to get a look at her. Like Raze, Admiral Orion had darker hair and incredible height. He wasn’t quite as brawny but was still rather imposing. His kind expression eased some of her fear. He wasn’t interested in her in that way. He was simply curious.
“Yes, Swift, I see why you’d be willing to throw away your Grab slot.” Admiral Orion nodded. “I’ll allow the trade.”
Raze shifted his weight and cleared his throat. She noticed General Vicious glance at him. They shared a look, and the general finally spoke. “Now, wait a minute, Orion. This one didn’t choose to come with our men. She was taken from the surface. Clearly that puts her in a different category than these other women.”
“And what category is that, V?” Ella found the admiral’s use of a nickname rather telling. Whatever their disagreements, these men were obviously old friends.
“That’s not up to me. That’s a question for someone from legal.”
Orion made a frustrated sound. “Are you seriously suggesting we haul in a lawyer at this time of night?”
“I’m suggesting that we put her in one of the medical quarantine units or—hell—just send her home with me. I’ll put her in Hallie’s care. We’ll let immigration and the embassy lawyers figure it out in the morning.”
“There’s nowhere for her to go,” Torment insisted. “If we send her back to the surface, we’re signing her death warrant—or worse.”
Worse? Ella’s eyes widened. What could possibly be worse than death?
As the general and the admiral began to argue among themselves, gruesome images popped into her head. Torture, rape, starvation—all the nasty, ugly things rumored to happen in the work camps she hadn’t believed existed until the secret police had nabbed her a few hours ago.
“Let me have her, sir.” Swift sounded only too happy to make that offer. “I’ll keep her safe and make sure she’s available to the Shadow Force for whatever questioning they might have.”
Before the admiral could answer, Raze snapped, “It’s not happening, Swift. She’s a special case.”
Admiral Orion’s eyes narrowed at Raze’s outburst. “I’m sorry, Major. Did I miss your promotion? Are you now the commanding officer of the Valiant?”
Raze’s jaw clenched with obvious frustration. “My apologies, Admiral. I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“But you did,” Orion replied. Hands clasped behind his back, the admiral studied her for an unsettling long period. Eventually, he exhaled a loud breath. “The laws are fairly clear in this area. She came onto one of my ships illegally. She has no papers—and I’m certain her own planet will classi
fy her as a political dissident or an escaped prisoner by morning.”
“Then she ought to be available to a man from either branch,” Vicious interjected. “You’re getting nine brides tonight, Orion. Don’t be greedy. Let my men have one.”
“Greedy? That’s awfully rich coming from a man who takes seventy-five percent of the Grab slots every quarter!”
“They’re slots my men earned!” Vicious scanned the faces surrounding him. “Let one of the SRU boys have her. Cipher has the most points.”
Ella glanced at the genius engineer who had made her laugh with his jokes in the lead up to Dizzy’s wedding. He was kind and wouldn’t force himself on her. He wouldn’t try to keep her either.
“Tempting as the offer is, sir, I have to say no.” Cipher kept his gaze fixed forward. “You know my feelings on this matter.”
Vicious grunted. “Then the choice goes to Mayhem.”
“No,” Orion interrupted with a slash of his hand. “Swift has more than twice the points of any SRU man.”
“Except for Raze,” Vicious corrected.
“Not happening,” Orion declared. “He had his chance once and squandered it.”
Ella looked at Raze. His cold, distant expression told her there was an ugly, painful story there. Had he been married—mated—before?
“Orion—”
“Swift,” the admiral spoke over the general, “take her. She’s yours.”
“No!” Ella finally found her voice. “I’m not a toy you guys can pass around and give away. I’m a human being. I have rights!”
“Not on this ship,” the admiral replied matter-of-factly. Then, with a small shrug, he said, “I’ll give you a choice. Go with Swift—or you can go into a holding cell as a stowaway.”
“I’ll take the jail cell.”
Admiral Orion’s face registered shock. “You can’t be serious.”
“As a heart attack,” she said and held out her hands. “Cuff me and lock me up.”
“The hell with this,” Swift grumbled. Showing his namesake skill, the pilot snatched her up with such speed it astonished her.
“Let me go!” She screamed with fear and panic as he dragged her away from the group of women. Her bare feet kicked wildly and slapped against the floor, squelching on the slick and gleaming surface.
“Stop fighting! This is for your own good!” Swift squeezed her a little tighter. “I’m trying to protect you.”
“No! Let go!” Maybe he was trying to save her. Maybe did only want to protect her but Ella didn’t care. She wanted to make her own decision. “Stop!”
As she fought with Swift and tried to keep him from pulling her into an elevator, she heard raised female voices behind her and men gruffly shouting at each other. She managed to jerk free from Swift and made a run for it. Not sure where she was going, Ella nonetheless ran like her ass was on fire.
“Come back!” Swift snatched at her dress. He grasped a handful of the delicate fabric and wrenched her around to face him, tearing the cloth in the process. Thrown off balance, Ella fell forward and slammed into the ground hard. She let loose a pained cry as her knees impacted the unforgiving metal.
The thunder of heavy boots slapping against the floor filled her ears. She pushed up on her palms just in time to see Raze wallop Swift. One expertly landed punch dropped the pilot like a sack of rocks. Limp and passed out cold, Swift bounced twice and landed right next to her.
“Raze!” General Vicious shouted angrily and rushed toward them but Cipher and Harm were faster. The SRU tech expert was busy tapping at the small handheld device he seemed to carry everywhere.
Peering up at Raze, Ella was taken aback by the fury and need burning in his dark eyes. Wordlessly, he reached down and swept her into his arms. Cradling her close, he moved toward the elevator, stepped inside and slapped at the navigation screen.
“Raze! Don’t you dare take that woman! Raze!” But General Vicious wasn’t fast enough. The doors slid closed and sealed them inside. “Cipher, you open this fucking door now!”
The elevator shot straight up and the squabbling sound of male voices faded to nothing. Dazed by everything that had happened, she gazed up at Raze, taking in the hard angles of his face and the shadow of stubble now darkening his skin. He breathed heavily and seemed to be trying to regain control. Something told her this brawny beast of a man was about to upend her world forever.
“Raze? You can put me down now,” she spoke softly and hoped to soothe him.
“No, I can’t.”
She swallowed nervously. “Why not?”
His smoldering gaze locked with hers. “Because you’re mine now—and I’m never letting you go.”
Chapter Five
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Silently cursing his stupidly impulsive decision to attack Swift and steal Ella, Raze raced out of the elevator and down the hall of the SRU headquarters to the office he shared with Venom. He kicked the door shut behind them, carefully placed Ella on his desk and then ran back to disable the unlocking mechanism. Touching his forehead to the cold metal, he closed his eyes and tried to calm his racing heart.
What the fuck do I do now?
Swift would demand that Ella be returned to him, and Vicious would be forced to go toe-to-toe with Orion. Even though Raze knew he was in the wrong, he wouldn’t be abandoned by any of his fellow Land Corps officers or his SRU team. They would all fight for him, just as he would fight and defend any one of them.
He couldn’t put his friends and teammates in that position. He had to come up with a solution, and he had to come up with one fast.
“Raze?”
Ella’s frightened voice speared him with guilt. Turning slowly, he leaned back against the door for support and stared at her. She gripped the edge of the desk and had her ankles crossed. Sitting there, she looked impossibly small and fragile. These Earth-descendant humans were just so damned tiny.
It occurred to him suddenly what had to be done. It wasn’t the way he had imagined it happening. It wasn’t the way she deserved. She would probably hate him for putting her in this position and forcing her to choose the lesser of two evils but he didn’t know what else to do.
With a steadying, deliberate breath, Raze pushed off the door and crossed the distance between them. “Take off your panties, Ella.”
Ella reeled back with shock. “What?”
“You heard me.” There was no point in repeating himself. He started to unzip his tactical vest. “We don’t have much time.”
Shrinking in on herself, Ella’s expression turned dark with betrayal. “I thought you were different than the rest of them.”
Her remark hit him like a slap to the face. It finally dawned on him that she thought he was going to assault her. “Ella,” he took two big steps back toward the door to give her some space, “I’m not going to force myself on you.” Realizing he had fucked this up, he rubbed the back of his neck and explained, “They won’t separate us if we’ve been together.”
“Together?” She eyed him warily. “You mean if we fuck?”
He winced at the sound of such rough talk coming out of that sweet mouth. Considering the circumstances, he decided to give her a pass. “Yes. We need to have sex. If we’ve been together, Orion won’t go against Vicious, and Swift will drop his pursuit of you. It’s the win-win situation for everyone.”
“You mean it’s a win-win situation for all you men,” she corrected. Shaking her head, she asked, “What about me? What about what I want?”
Hating that it had to be this way, he closed the distance between them. Very slowly and giving her a chance to decline his advance, he gently clasped her nape and tilted her head back. Gazing down into those kaleidoscope eyes, he asked, “Do you want Swift to come claim you?”
“No!”
“Do you want to take your chances with the other men Vicious or Orion might choose?”
“No!”
“Then I have to make love to you,” he said plainly. “It’s our way of sh
owing ownership. Once I’ve spilled my seed inside you, I’ll have claimed you as my property. No other male can separate us.”
She recoiled at the harshness of it, but he wasn’t going to apologize for his culture. Her lower lip wobbled pitifully and he felt like the biggest bastard in the world for putting her in this position. “Raze, I just want to go home.”
Caressing her face, he laid it out in black and white. “If you go back to The City, George will kill you. I refuse to let that happen.” In case she doubted his commitment to her after stealing her away, he vowed, “I will never let anyone hurt you again. You’re mine to protect now.”
She gazed up at him, her beautiful eyes searching his face. She seemed to be playing out the different scenarios in her head. He could tell the exact moment when she reached the same conclusion he had. With a resigned sigh, she stepped away from him, spun toward his desk and leaned forward on her elbows. As she lifted her torn skirt, he swallowed hard at the sight of her perfect heart-shaped bottom presented to him in a way that he had fantasized about more than once right here in this same office.
But she wasn’t offering herself to him because she was overcome with need for him or a desire to please and submit. No, she was offering herself to him with cold and distant efficiency. A phantom dagger stabbed his chest as he imagined what she was feeling right now.
As if to drive that dagger in a little deeper, she quietly requested, “Just make it quick.” In a pleading tone, she added, “Please don’t be too rough with me.”
Raze went cold. Ever so gently, he grasped her by the waist and slowly spun her back around to face him. Boxed in against the desk, she put her hands on his chest, her fingers curling around the tactical loops, and stared up at him with a look he couldn’t quite place. Running a finger down her cheek, he said, “When we’re together, it’s not just about my pleasure, about me coming first and fast. It’s about us finding pleasure together.”
