Cosmic Captor

by Stella Cassy

  He’s not only a talented lover with amazing stamina, but he’s also someone I can really relate to. It dawned on me along about day three that we have several important things in common. We both lost our mothers and an early age and it clearly stunted our emotional development. I just spend all my time fighting my masters instead of doing the smart thing which is going along to get along. Tarion’s fighting his own battles, thinking that if he kicks enough ass and amasses enough wealth he’ll get back all the respect he lost by failing to be accepted by a Drakon mate. We both keep everyone else at arm’s length, but for some absurd reason we trust each other with our innermost secrets. I’m fairly certain he’s never shared that story about being locked in the ventilation system as a child with anyone else. For some godforsaken reason we click and I miss the hell out of him.

  Transforming him into a real dragon is my mind’s way of keeping him at arm’s length. Having said all that, there’s a niggling in the back of mind that something else is going on here. When we are together, I feel an undercurrent of something dark and dangerous. It’s like our connection is more than just the two of us.

  Maybe it’s all in my head. I’ve been in the black for over five days and it’s looking like I might need to make a refueling stop soon. One of my fuel rods has gone dark, and the other four are fading quick. I won’t breathe a sigh of relief until I find a populated planet where no one will ever find me. Keeping a low profile is doable if I keep my head covered and don’t draw a lot of attention to myself. It’ll work because there is no other option.

  Trading in this fighter might be worth the effort of seeking out black market operatives. No legitimate dealer will buy stolen property. Stealing a valuable craft from the only person who ever gave me a chance at something better weighs heavy on my conscious.

  My mind drifts back to the night I ran from Tarion. For some reason, leaving him had been difficult but necessary. Standing at the foot of his bed, he’d been gorgeous sprawled out naked. His wings were folded tightly against his back, covering the nice backside that I was dying to see. His beefy crimson arms were above his head, showing off his bulk. The guy even had nice feet.

  My heart and body were both on the same page, they wanted me to climb back into bed and just forget all about making a break for it. My more pragmatic brain had thought this situation through and knew that in the end, mercenaries always go for the credits. Tarion is a complex being. On the one hand he seemed nice and interested in my life, but on the other, he abducted me and threw me in a cell. He slapped me across the face. It was nice of him to feed me and even nicer of him to let me out of the cage he put me in, but none of that makes him a decent person. He’s the snake that will bite me when I least expect it. If only I have had my epiphany then instead of now, I’d not be running short on everything from air to hydro. Maybe I could have talked some sense into him. Jesus, even now I’m conflicted about him.

  His words whispered through my mind yet again, reminding me that he was the bad guy in our little scenario. The one I can’t trust, no matter how much I want to. I’m glad they put you back into circulation. That statement alone should tell me he doesn’t have a freaking clue. What kind of person is glad about another being made a slave again? Tarion just doesn’t get it and he might never really understand my plight. If all that’s true, why do I miss him so much? It’s obviously because I allowed myself to care. I should have kept to the job at hand, hardened my heart and not gotten sucked in by his sad story.

  Wiping at my eyes, I lean over my console to check my heading. I’m going to be just fine on my own. I don’t need anyone. My insanity has kicked up a notch. Talking to oneself is a sure sign of mental instability and it’s happening a lot more lately. Maybe it’s just an outlet for anxiety. Being tense and looking over my shoulder is mentally taxing.

  Surely this escape will go better than escape from the Pax. I just need to stay strong and keep pushing forward. There isn’t a pirate behind every moon lying in wait to abduct me or anything. Carissa of the Maeberry should know because she looked behind every single one. Unlike Tarion, speaking about myself in the third person seems weird and totally self-absorbed.

  My fighter jerks slightly and I know before I even look what’s happened. Palm smacking myself hard, my brain scrambles to make sense of the situation. How in the name of all that is holy did that ridiculous man catch up with me so quickly? I took so many precautions to make sure this went off without a hitch. I grabbed the food bars, hydro packs and blanket from my old cell to make sure I had enough supplies. I had the ship slingshot me around most of them to save on fuel. Hell, I even zig-zagged my course a dozen times to disperse my exhaust trail, causing it to decay at an accelerated rate.

  Slamming my fist down on the console, I curse, “Hell, fire and damnation, what does a girl have to do to catch a freaking break?”

  Bellying up to the console, I decided to fight. Why should I let him drag me back into the sewer just to make a quick buck? He’s turning me into a total nut job. At times I don’t whether I love him or I hate him. The one thing I’m pretty sure of is the only thing he feels for me is lust.

  Switching off the automatic pilot, I punch up my remaining power and try to break free. Even accelerating at maximum speed, the fighter can’t break free of his tractor beam. Unafraid to play my one remaining card, my fingers fly over the controls, launching every weapon this small fighter has. All of them are heading in his direction. It’s not enough to cause any damage to their ship, but that’s not what I’m after. Watching breathlessly, I’m praying for their shields to drop or weaken. Just a second is all it will take for me to make a clean getaway. Their shields don’t even crackle.

  My anger explodes. “I hate my fucking life!”

  Flinging myself back into the pilot’s seat, I seethe as my mood blackens. I’m going back and it’s not fucking fair. I don’t even fight the big brutes that come to drag me out of the fighter.

  The top of my flight suit is pulled open and hanging down around my waist. Underneath I’m wearing some kind of Drakon pullover made of thin fabric that I’ve ripped to fit me better. I know my midsection is exposed and if the warriors aren’t careful, the bottom of my boobs will be flying in the wind. Luckily the flight suit is designed to tighten up to fit the wearer, so it’s not falling off me as well.

  They drag me before his majesty of grumpiness and I smile brightly. “Honey, I’m home.”

  Fury is radiating off my crimson friend like steam. My little joke escalated the situation. He takes a step closer and glares at me with menace playing across his handsome face. “You dare to run from me?”

  “I ran from slavery, not you.”

  “You lie.”

  “Only when absolutely necessary and I never tell lies without a really good reason.”

  “You shot at my ship.” His voice sounds kind of growly and I feel a little guilty for upsetting him, but quickly remind myself that he’s the bad guy. Me? I’m just the woman trying to be free. Therefore, I let him have it. “You started this grudge match by abducting me, not once but twice.”

  “Stop talking. I have no time for your petty manipulations.” Taking another step closer, he gets into my personal space. “You no longer have to worry about being sent back to your rightful master.” Sliding one razor sharp claw through the side of my hair, he stares me down. “I don’t suspect you’ll last the night, much less until we get to a proper trading center.”

  He’s bluffing and we both know it. That belief makes me braver than I might otherwise be. “Have you ever fought a fair fight in your entire life? Every time I get pulled onto this stinking vessel, it’s me against a half-dozen warriors. Do you gang up on everyone or just the small defenseless brooders?”

  Though I loathe that term, it’s gratifying to see the insult I carefully crafted just for him hit its mark. He jerks slightly and drops my hair. Keeping his eyes locked on mine, he states flatly, “Take her to my quarters. I want her chained to my overhead.”


  “Yes, sir.”

  While we’ve been having our little staring contest, I notice something. He truly looks like shit. Struggling to look back over my shoulder as they drag me away, I’m shocked at the transformation that’s taken place in my crimson dragon. He looks like he hasn’t had a bath the entire five days I’ve been gone. His hair is dirtier than ever and he has deep maroon circles under his eye. The edges of his wings are pale and his claws are a mangled mess, like he’s been fighting nonstop. Turning around I let them lead me to his quarters. After thinking it over, I decide that I’m truly worried about him.

  Images of him losing a battle or being hurt in a sparring match float through my mind. Glancing to one side I realize one of my handlers is the guy I hit over the head the night I left. He still has a bit of a bump. For it to be that size now, it must have originally been gigantic. “I’m sorry about your head. I didn’t mean to hit you so hard.”

  He doesn’t reply. Of course he doesn’t. What was expecting, forgiveness? More importantly, do I deserve forgiveness? Deep down inside I know that I probably don’t. This nice pirate might not be innocent of all serious crimes and misdemeanors in general, but he didn’t do anything to deserve getting knocked out cold by me. I hurt him to get my freedom. Being so desperate, I wasn’t careful and innocent people got hurt. Why the hell is life so unfair?

  They bind me to a metal bar running around the top of Tarion’s round bed. Glancing up, I realize it’s not meant to hang drapes on. It’s meant to hang women from. I should have known the damn sadist would have a special place for tying up his victims. My toes don’t entirely touch the floor. Squirming, I try to free my arms. They don’t budge, cause the one I bludgeoned was thoughtful enough to wrap the ropes all the way down each arm past my elbows. I honestly can’t tell if he’s doing me some kind of favor or not. Being tied like this takes the weight off my thin wrists but it makes getting loose impossible. Why am always and forever trying to get away from someone?

  For the first time in my life, I begin to honestly doubt myself. Tarion was good to me. He was patient, kind and generous with his time and resources. Images of all the amazing sex we had drifts through my mind. He was open and vulnerable with me and I walked out like what he was offering like it didn’t mean a thing. I repaid his kindness by hurting one of his crew and stealing a valuable space craft. I can’t imagine him ever forgiving that kind of betrayal.

  My handsome crimson dragon looks terrible. He’s let himself go. I can tell because he looks slightly thinner and his eyes have lost their mischievous glint. When we first met he was proud, arrogant, witty and smirking all over the place. I really liked those things about him. Now, my naughty guy seems miserable. The mischievous glint in his eye has been replaced with darkness and he’s not willing to joke around with me at all.

  Whether from grief over losing me or pure blind fury at being betrayed by a lowly slave, my leaving affected him in a very negative way. I deserve to be free, but I can now see that betraying his trust had been damaging to him. That realization causes my world to shatter into a million pieces. Shame and regret war with each other for the top spot in my emotions.

  I’ve accidentally broken the strong warrior. Granted, he was pretty broken before, but not like this. This kind of broken deprives him of all the things that made him unique and special. Tarion losing his spark for life makes the universe a much less interesting place.

  10

  Claiming My Mate

  ~ Tarion ~

  I walk back and forth in my office, trying to cool my raging emotions. Seeing her in the flesh shook me to the core. How can I still have a semblance of affection in my heart for this wretched creature? I’ve been unable to eat, sleep or concentrate on anything for days. The little sleep I’ve gotten has been riddled with dreams of chasing her down in my fighting form. Why am I allowing one small human to upset me so?

  I need to be rid of her once and for all. Heading for my quarters, I frown as a plan forms in my mind along the way. I’ll use her hard, forcing her to right what her betrayal has wronged in me. Once I am myself again, I will put her down on some isolated planet and be done with her. It’s a sound decision. I’m sure of it right up until I open the door and see her hanging there looking like every male’s dream. With her hands strung up high, her torn shirt is riding up to reveal the bottom of her pale breasts.

  Lifting my eyes from her breasts to her eyes, I can’t help but notice her expression is pained. Of course it is. She was forced back into my quarters. I decide that for tonight she will behave like a proper pleasure slave. It matters not that the client isn’t to her liking. I am the aggrieved party and therefore this is about me, not her. I’ll make her breathless with need. No woman can resist my mating scent, least of all this deceitful brooder. Thinking of her as a brooder now seems wrong in my mind and I don’t fully understand why that is.

  Opening one sharp talon, I slide it up the thin fabric of her shirt and rip it all the way down the middle. Her breath hitches but she doesn’t beg me to stop or tell me to keep my slimy claws off her like she did before. This time she just stares at me with big eyes and moist lips to match the color or her nipples. Shoving the fabric roughly aside, I cup a breast in each hand. Then I squeeze until I’m sure she’s uncomfortable, but not in actual pain. She lets out a little squeak that tells me I’ve hit the right balance. Staring at my own hand, I wonder if she sees me as strange since I only have three fingers and a talon sitting above my primary digit. Perhaps to her I am more animal than humanoid with my wings and caudal. I think this is why she runs from me. I am not to her liking.

  Pulling at her restraints, she tried to get closer to me. “Tarion, I…”

  I cut her off before she can spout more lies. “Do not speak, for your word cannot be trusted.” My tone was more biting than I had intended.

  Removing one hand from her breast, I slowly wrap her hair around my palm as I look into her betraying eyes. Tugging it firmly, I tilt her head, back exposing the front of her pale neck. She swallows thickly, making me wish I knew the thoughts circling around in her head at this moment

  “I can scent your fear. Are you afraid that I’ll sink my teeth in to your soft flesh? If not, you should be because it’s what my inner dragon wants me to do. He wants you to pay for all the pain you caused us.”

  A single tear meanders down her cheek, begging me to be weak and show mercy. “Tarion, please let me talk.”

  Shaking my head slightly, I struggle to keep my emotions under control. “No more talking. If you speak again without permission, I will gag you. I do not think you want that.”

  I can tell she wants to beg and plead with me, but instead she uses good judgment and keeps her pretty mouth closed. That’s a good start. It allows me to keep my emotions in check.

  Running my talons over her delicate flesh pleases my dragon. The creature is telling me to take her now and keep her for my personal brooder. The thought of keeping her all to myself is tempting. However, unlike my dragon, I’m not a mindless beast. He grumbles at that thought. I would have her this once. Afterwards I will grant her that which she most desires. Freedom. How I hate that word, for it takes from me that which I most desire. Tarion of the Hielsrane is destined to travel the stars without a brooder to tend his needs. I can see that clearly now.

  I realize my talons have been caressing her skin as I pondered what to do with the object of my desire. Rather than being frightened, she’s growing ever more aroused. Her nipples have drawn into two sharp points, proving she becomes easily aroused at my hands. She presses her body closer to mine. It angers me that she desires my touch and enjoys my company but continues to run from me. The gods must truly hate me.

  Moving so fast my hands are a blur, my talons rip all the clothing from her body. Beginning with her uniform, the uniform of my fleet, I rip the fabric from her hips and legs. Normally, it would please me greatly to see the female I care for in my colors. Today I see it for what it is, a disguise to trick me into thinking s
he’s one of my own.

  Ripping away the thin undershirt and fabric covering her sex, I want nothing between us when I exact my revenge. Not only is she not objecting, she shifts her body to make my quest easier. It’s almost like she wants to be naked before my fury.

  I take her lips. It’s been five long days without her. Five days of worrying about her safety. Five days of longing for her touch. Pouring all my need and desire into one kiss, something loosens in my chest when she opens for me. When our tongues touch it feels like drinking from a pure cool spring after being parched. I can’t stop. I won’t stop. The rougher I am, the more excited she gets.

  My dragon roars to life and the moment I pull back he urges me to use my breath on her. Having her soft form pressing against mine scorches away any resistance I might have had. Pulling back I cover her in my heat. Starting at her neck, my mouth roams over her breasts, taking time with each delicious nipple. Encouraged by her throaty moans, I move down her stomach and lift her high to reach the part that smells and tastes best. Holding her up, I feast as she writhes in my arms. I like to make her wild and wanting. Her need for me salves my wounded spirit. She does want me though she does not yet see it. I stop before she convulses in my arms, slipping my forked tongue right back into my mouth. I hold her with one hand and open my pants with the other.

  She’s angry at being denied and tries to kick me away. One stern look quiets my impetuous female. If she is only mine for the moment I will force her to obey. She will learn that when she is with me, I am in charge. The way she’s looking at me down tells me she does not hate that idea. Her blue eyes roam over my body, making me proud to be a warrior this day. She squeezes her legs together, hoping to secure the release I denied her. Seeing her wanton and needy for cock makes chasing her down worth every bit of the bother.