Saving Attractions
Rebecca Airies
Adalyn Jameson fears she and her trade ship crewmates will die on the uninhabited planet where they’ve been stranded by pirates. Before panic sets in, Zarain shifters arrive to help them. Ada does not fight her intense attraction to one of the brawny shifters. A short, sizzling affair with this man is the perfect way to occupy her time before she goes back to normal life.
Jagger Antein thought babysitting a stranded crew until they could be evacuated from the planet would be an easy assignment. He never expected to find his mate among those he rescued. Now that he has, he’ll seduce her and keep her close before he claims her. When members of the crew are attacked again, he’ll have to discover who’s behind it and what they’re after if he hopes to keep his mate safe.
A Romantica® science fiction erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
Saving Attractions
Rebecca Airies
Chapter One
Ada lifted her head from the cold gray deck of the holding cell. She didn’t even need to look out to know that they were still aboard the pirates’ ship. The entire crew had been taken from the Setona, a trade ship, and brought here.
The pirates wanted them away from the easy means of communication there. They also seemed to believe there was something they’d missed when they’d raided the ship. Screams of her crewmates being tortured in the large area beyond her prison had drawn her from the numb daze she’d fallen into after the brutal agony caused by the villains’ methods of questioning. When would the torture stop?
Her red hair matted to her face and fell across her eyes, blocking her vision. She slowly rolled her head until she could see. Pain pounded through her head and body. Stilling, she tried to remain motionless to let the wave of discomfort pass. She looked around the holding cell, hoping to see the rest of her friends. The captain sprawled on the floor not too far from her, and blood dripped onto the metal floor from his lip and nose. He looked unconscious.
Where is it? We know it’s been sent. That’s all the men had asked her, over and over again. Each time she didn’t answer, they’d pressed a silver rod against her skin. She’d never seen anything like it, although it could have been some kind of modified pulse weapon. Surges of energy had coursed through her muscles, causing them to spasm. She didn’t know what the pirates wanted. By the end of the torture, she would have told them if she had. When she couldn’t tell them what they wanted, they’d beaten her to try to draw answers out of her.
What the hell was it? Fucking space pirates. It wasn’t enough that they’d stolen the cargo and crippled the vessel. No, they had to torture the crew. She didn’t even know what they’d done with the Setona. If they were still asking about something that might be on it, it was probably in one piece, but that didn’t mean the ship would be in working order.
They had all the cargo. What else could they want? The pirates asked for it. Nothing more than that. How was she or any of the other trade ship crew supposed to know what it was if it wasn’t among the cargo? That was the only thing of value that was on board.
She’d heard about the pirate attacks over the past months but never expected pirates to attack the Setona. The Setona wasn’t from one of the huge lines. Most of the freight runs were routine. She’d thought they’d be safe because of that. The pirates seemed to target those larger ships and the pricey goods they hauled. The Setona didn’t transport much valuable cargo or even weapons. On this run, it only carried supplies.
She hung woozily between consciousness and oblivion. Her mind circled around the question of what it was. When the pirates began gathering the crew of the Setona and taking them somewhere, Adalyn didn’t know what to think. They might have gotten their answer and decided to dispose of the unwanted passengers. Her heartbeat raced as fear chilled her. Her mouth dried and her breath caught. She didn’t want to die.
When they came for her, two pirates roughly jerked her to her feet. She stumbled as they urged her forward, her muscles slow to respond. Her mind still felt disconnected. At one point, the blows and the jolts from that rod had blended together. She wondered if they’d drugged her while she was out after the beating but couldn’t come up with any answers. It would explain some of the detachment she felt, but then again she’d been tortured and beaten. She might be in shock.
She eyed the dark gray walls and empty corridors, trying to get some kind of idea of the size or type of the ship. She wanted to be able to identify something about this ship and the men if she survived. It didn’t take many hallways to reach the destination though. Ada was surprised when the pirates ushered them into a shuttle bay and straight to a waiting shuttle.
She saw eight to ten of the crew in the shuttle, along with two of the pirates at the front. The Setona’s crew numbered twenty with the captain. Some of them were missing. Glancing around before they shoved her fully into the vehicle, she tried to catch sight of the others but didn’t spot anyone familiar. She couldn’t remember seeing the other people for a while. Blearily, she realized the shuttle wasn’t large enough for all the crew members. Still, she worried about her friends and crewmates. Where are they?
Two pirates operated the controls of the shuttle while the Setona’s crew sat in the rows of seats behind them. Ada knew there would be no chance to take over the shuttle. A shield separated the pilot and copilot’s seats from the rest of the shuttle. Not that she could have done much. Ada’s body screamed with the pain from the torture and beating. She was in no condition to try to take over the shuttle, and the others were likely in the same condition.
The shuttle dipped and a difference in gravity grabbed her attention. She focused her gaze on the control panels. From what she could see on the monitors, they’d entered a planet’s atmosphere. The discovery left her with more questions than answers. What planet? Is it a habitable world or are we going to be left to die? Her heart slammed in her chest and her nerves stretched tight.
The shuttle lurched forward and rocked slightly to the side in a bit of a rough landing. Before the pirates made any move to open the hatch or even say anything, the speakers on the shuttle beeped, followed by an almost inaudible stream of curse words. She frowned, listening, trying to make out any kind of message there.
“You’d better be on your fucking way back up here. The scanners just picked up a large-ass ship heading straight for us. If you’re not up here before we’re prepped and ready, we’re leaving you,” the voice snapped with urgency and abruptly cut off.
The copilot stood and pulled out his weapon. “Get out now.”
The hatch opened. Warm air rushed in, along with the smell of flowers. She was relieved that it was breathable. She stood as the others on her row of seats moved to the door. She jumped down onto the ground, clutching her ribs and groaning as she stumbled but caught herself before falling.
The other crew crowded out behind her as she moved away from the ship. As the last of the Setona’s crew left, the shuttle lifted off and headed skyward. A rush of heated air rushed outward, buffeting them. It stung her skin but wasn’t hot enough to burn. She watched the ship, looking for any identifiers, but found no name or numbers on the side or bottom.
The shuttle took a sharp angle upward and fired its rear thrusters in a rush to get up to the larger ship. She didn’t think they’d make it before the pirate vessel fled. Generally, it took less than five minutes to ready a ship from a full docking stop if the crew was sharp. The pirate craft hadn’t been at a complete stop so it should take less than that.
She looked around and saw the rest of the crew emerge from the trees across a large grassy field. That answered that question, but they still had plenty of problems. Food, shelter and survival came first now. Although she was fairly sure
this planet was uninhabited, they’d have to search. They needed to find a way to get off the planet and alert the authorities.
Dumping them on a world with people already on it made no sense when thought about from the pirates’ perspective. They wanted to make it hard for their victims to be found. Leaving their captives on an uninhabited world could delay the news from spreading until someone chanced upon them, if that happened. Ships still went missing at times on well-traveled trade routes. Although she hoped the ship whose arrival scared off the pirates did more than a cursory scan, there was no guarantee she and the other crew members would be found.
* * * * *
Jagger rushed into the control room of the Sentinel, a Combulus-class scout ship crewed by the Shadatai Zarain. A steady beep from one of the stations to his right assaulted his ears. He blinked, his eyes still trying to adjust to the bright light. The blare of an alarm had jolted him from sleep. He knew what it meant. The pirates had taken another ship and stranded the crew.
He eased around the light-green rectangular workspace that housed the communications and navigations workspaces. None of the people looked away from their work. The taps of fingers and the light clicks continued steadily as they focused on the incursion. The sharp scent of anger hung in the air. He could also see the tension in the set of their shoulders and the stiffness of their movements. Dace Jastien sat in a black chair near the center of the room with the other stations arranged around his. The blond man leaned forward, focused on one of the several monitors in front of him. As Jagger strode forward, he saw that Dace was studying a sector map that flared red at the alarm point. Dace was probably trying to decipher where the pirates had come from and where they were likely to go.
In this area, no Common Space buffered the border between the Shifter-Protected border and that of Galactic Central Command. Every ship near the border was on alert and the boundary alarms beefed up and changed since the pirates had begun entering their territory. Several ships and crews had been stranded on their side of the border. Jagger knew the pirates hoped to delay the report of the theft so they could sell the sensitive merchandise before it had been registered as stolen. Galactic Central Command operatives had shared some theories that there might be inside help on some of the attacks.
“What’s the situation?” Jagger asked. He didn’t know how much sleep he’d gotten, but adrenalin pushed the fogginess of any lingering tiredness away.
He looked to Dace at the command post. The blond man’s short hair stood on end as if his fingers had been scraped through it one too many times. That didn’t bode well for the situation. Both of them held the same rank of Terchal, commander or assistant to the Achan, and had been given joint command here by their Achan, their leader, since he knew that there was a good possibility one would have to watch over survivors while the other chased pirates.
Up until today, the mission had been so routine he’d almost wished he’d been left on Baratille, their home world, to act as a sort of supervisor or manager. When he had the duty, he watched over the businesses, the homes and working buildings of a Zarain holding. He was in charge during the Achan’s absence. As a Terchal, he’d taken the duty a few times. Although it was far from his favorite duty, it wasn’t ever boring. Annoying, yes, but that was another matter.
“An unidentified incursion. Scout-sized ship, although we weren’t able to get a positive read on its identification. We tracked a shuttle going down to Astelle twice, but it didn’t get a chance to return to the ship before the larger ship fled.” Dace turned to look back at him. He rose to his feet and walked over to meet Jagger.
Fuck. That meant there were probably people stranded down on the surface of the planet. Not only that, but at least one damn pirate ship to round up. The shuttles were loaded and ready with supplies. Men from each shift had been selected and most likely already notified and urged on their way down to the bay. The Sentinel would chase the pirate vessel and either catch them or drive them straight into the hands of the Central Command ships, which had also stepped up patrols.
Since Dace was on command here, it was Jagger’s duty to go down to the planet with some of the other men to hunt for the pirates there and keep any stranded people safe until help could arrive. They had prepared for this. He and Dace had decided that whoever was on duty would remain on the scout ship so that there was no need for a change in command or confusion.
“You catch these fuckers. We’ll need a small slowdown to disembark, but otherwise, it shouldn’t delay the chase too much.” Jagger took a deep breath and focused on what needed to be done. He tried to think of anything that wasn’t already on the shuttle that might be needed to help the survivors.
“I’ll do my best. Keep the survivors safe. We’ve gotten word that the Achan is on his way, but it will take time, even on the Vigilant.” Dace clapped him on his shoulder.
Jagger didn’t have to go by his quarters to get a bag. His clothing and equipment were already on board. They’d wanted to be prepared either way. He went to the shuttle bay and supervised the readying of the shuttles. The rest of the small crew gathered and boarded. He helped the doctor carry on some last-minute supplies and then entered himself. Activating the hatch closure, he made his way to the front of the shuttle.
He took the copilot’s seat and buckled in a moment before a slight dipping sensation in his gut told him they’d lifted off. The Dagger, the shuttle Jagger had chosen, led the second shuttle out of the ship. Almost as soon as the second shuttle cleared the bay, the Sentinel increased speed to close some distance between it and the pirate ship.
Jagger focused on the nearby planet. They’d have to do some scans to find any survivors and the pirates. The survivors held the highest priority. From the injuries listed on some previous victims, they’d need help and protection. The pirates should keep their distance, but Jagger wasn’t going to count on it.
Before the shuttle entered the atmosphere, they launched a small satellite. First, it allowed for communication with the Vigilant and the Sentinel and secondly offered surveillance capabilities. As long as the pirates didn’t pose a threat and were a safe distance away from the victims, he’d leave them alone. It made more sense to focus his resources where they mattered than to chase someone who was trapped here.
They had no place to secure a captive or captives, if there was more than one. If the Zarain captured someone, it would mean having men stand guard around the clock. It was a waste of time and energy if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. The pirates weren’t going anywhere. Ordinary transport shuttles weren’t equipped for deep space travel. They were meant to transport supplies or people from a ship to a planet or base. They didn’t carry enough supplies, and the speeds wouldn’t allow them to reach a port from this location before the oxygen generators were too taxed and the filters too dirty to work efficiently.
The Zarain crew began receiving transmissions from the satellite before they cleared the clouds. The shuttle was easy to find. It was on a beach on one of the larger islands off the coast of a huge continent. Scans indicated two people hiding in the foliage near the vessel.
Finding the survivors proved more difficult. The satellite scanned while they did searches with the instruments on the Dagger. They found the group of people on a continent to the east of the island where the pirate shuttle had landed. They’d probably fled there hoping to go undetected if anyone checked for survivors. Jagger and his crew would keep an eye on those two and make sure that both were pirates. If one of them was a prisoner, they’d have to rescue him or her.
As the shuttles landed, the survivors remained hidden in the group of trees. That didn’t surprise Jagger. Given past examples of the pirates’ work, the crew had reason to be wary. If anyone on the Zarain crew had been smaller or less threatening, he’d have them approach the injured people, but everyone on the Dagger and for that matter, the Sentinel, was Zarain and all the males were large and muscled. Because of the danger of the pirates, no female had been chosen for this mis
sion. A female would have been more approachable, but they didn’t want to risk one of their females getting hurt if there was a fight with pirates.
The Zarain male’s size and muscularity were partly due to the type of shifter Jagger and the other men of the Sentinel were. The other reason for their bulk could probably be attributed to the fact that the Zarain had always been warriors. The Zarain animal form had been known to send people running the other way by sheer size alone. The head of a shifted male Zarain often rose above the shoulders of a male human. Shaggy, coarse hair covered the huge muscled body from the tips of the ears down to the long claws on its paws. The sight of the long, sharp canines at the end of the long muzzle only added to the intimidation factor.
Chapter Two
Jagger ordered most of the men to begin raising some temporary shelters and told them to focus on getting the medical tent set up first. There was a large enough clearing next to the river where they could set up camp. They’d be safe until the Sentinel or the Vigilant arrived.
As he walked toward where they’d found the heat signatures, his eyes swept the cluster of trees and finally, he spotted them. A few of the men had stepped out of the shelter of the tree line. Maybe they noticed the gray uniforms, or perhaps they’d seen a difference in the shuttles. Jagger didn’t know, but he was happy he didn’t have to pursue them into the trees. Confronting them wouldn’t induce a relaxed, calm attitude.
A light breeze carried the people’s scents to him. He could smell blood and the pain of the men and women watching them from across the glade. The sharp scent raised all his protective instincts. Something else nudged his instincts, but with all of the mixed scents and distance, he couldn’t quite decipher it.
He carried the physician’s extra bag and walked with him across the clearing. From what he could see, there were nearly twenty people. The men kept the women to the back of the group, and the ratio of male to female looked about normal for a trade ship. Males outnumbered females, especially on the smaller trade ships. Only six women warily watched Jagger and Kairn approach.
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