Intergalactic Loyalties

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  The pirate Bane had seen murder his neighbor hadn’t been a Tarnan so he knew the man wasn’t responsible, even if the murderer had tracked Bane down first thing this morning to threaten him. Or more accurately, he’d threatened Ariana. It seemed the pirate had seen her standing in the doorway and knew Bane had witnessed the murder. It was simple really. As long as Bane kept his mouth shut, Ariana would be safe. And if he didn’t… well, the pirate had let him know in detail what would happen to his beloved if he dared to speak out about what happened.

  He looked down at the coin in his hand. If the coin was here and Ariana wasn’t, there was only one explanation. They’d taken her. But why? He couldn’t imagine a single reason why the Tarnans would want her. He hadn’t angered them or had anything to do with them, for that matter. How had they even known that she was living with him?

  All he knew was that he had to get Ari back! There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her. He was about to contact his brothers for assistance when the door chime sounded. As if he needed the hassle of company at a time like this!

  He rushed downstairs and jerked the door open. He was more than a little surprised to see a smiling Lafre standing on his doorstep. Looking behind her, he didn’t see her father anywhere. What could the silly creature possibly want?

  “May I help you?” he asked, trying to keep the tension out of his voice.

  She stepped up close and placed her hand on his chest. It took everything in him not to jerk away from her. Instead, he took a step back. Unfortunately, he allowed her entrance into his home.

  “We have a few things to discuss,” she said.

  “Now isn’t a good time, Lafre. I’m sort of in the middle of something, something time sensitive. You didn’t, by any chance, see any strangers around the house today, did you?”

  She pouted and shook her head. “This isn’t about that wretched slave of yours, is it? Because you’re much better off without her.”

  So Lafre did know something. “Did you see who took her, or know how long she’s been gone?”

  Lafre walked her fingers up his chest and threw her arms around his neck, plastering herself to the front of him. “I know exactly where she is, and it’s where she’s going to remain. And as long as you keep me happy, she’ll stay in one piece.”

  “What are you talking about? What do you know of her kidnapping?”

  “Oh, she wasn’t kidnapped. Not exactly.”

  He frowned and untangled himself from her. “What did you do?”

  “Don’t worry about what I did. All you need to know is what you need to do to keep her alive.”

  He strode across the room, reaching for the COMM unit. “I’m going to call the Prime Minister.”

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. The crew of the Lynten 12 will need to hear from me soon. Otherwise, some rather unpleasant things might happen to your precious slave. Regardless, you’ll never see her again. I forbid it.”

  He felt his cheeks heat in anger. “And who are you to forbid me from doing something?”

  “Your future bonded mate. Oh yes, you’re going to bond with me, and we’re going to live a long, happy life together. Or…”

  “Or what?” he bit out.

  “Or Ariana is going to be sold to the Maltheans. I’ve heard their prince is looking for a new pet.”

  A cold knot of dread formed in his stomach. “No one survives in the prince’s care.”

  “Exactly. So you’re going to do everything I say. Is that clear?”

  “You aren’t going to get away with this.”

  She patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll give you two days to adjust to the idea of being my mate. You should probably go ahead and make arrangements for the ceremony. I’d hate to leave everything to the last minute.”

  Bane growled at her. “Get the hell out of my home.”

  She smirked at him and sauntered out the door, closing it behind her.

  Hurrying to the COMM unit, he contacted all three of his brothers and demanded an audience immediately. They agreed to meet at Cael’s home. Bane rushed out the door, jumped on his Eavo and sped away.

  When he reached Cael’s, he didn’t bother knocking and just strolled inside, slamming the door behind him. His other brothers were already there and gave him worried looks. He hadn’t told them what had happened, just that he had an emergency, and he knew they must be worried.

  “What’s going on, Bane?” Arko asked. “It isn’t like you to be so cryptic.”

  “It’s Ariana. That viper next door to me arranged to have her kidnapped and if I don’t bond with Lafre, she’s going to have Ariana killed. The crew of the Lynten 12 have her.”

  Cael whistled. “So what are you going to do?”

  “Get her back, what else? Lafre gave me two days. I’m going to make them count. I figure we could use the coin the pirate left behind to track their coordinates. I was checking it over when Lafre interrupted me. I think there’s a chip inside.”

  “So the pirate wanted to be found?” Arko asked with a frown.

  “So it seems.”

  “This could be a trap, you know that, right?” Dar said. “You could be going to your death.”

  “I’d rather be dead than live without Ariana. She’s everything to me.”

  The brothers nodded.

  “What do you need us to do?” Cael asked.

  “I need a ship and a crew, and I need a way to activate the chip in this coin,” he said, holding it up, “so I’ll know where to find them. And I need it to happen now. If Lafre doesn’t contact them in two days, they’ll kill Ariana.”

  Dar took the coin from him. “I’ll work on the coordinates. You three worry about the ship and crew. Bane, be ready to leave by the end of the day. One way or another, we’re going after your mate.”

  “You mean his slave?” Arko asked.

  Dar shook his head. “Do you really think he’d be this worked up over a slave? It’s obvious he wants to bond with her, even if it’s forbidden. From this point forward, Ariana is considered family.”

  Arko looked surprised but didn’t say anything.

  “Come on, I’ll help you pack,” Cael said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Then we’ll head to Transit and see what we can do about a ship. Arko will find you a crew.”

  “Thanks. I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage this on my own.”

  Cael smiled. “What are brothers for?”

  Instead of taking his Eavo, Bane rode in Cael’s Solaris with him. He cast a quick glance at Lafre’s home but didn’t see anyone outside or standing at any of the windows. The last thing he needed was for her to see him walk out with a bag. He hurried inside and ran up the stairs to his bedroom, taking them two at a time. The sight of the unmade bed made his heart ache, but if all went well Ariana would be back in his arms tomorrow.

  He snatched up his bag, threw in several changes of clothes and ran back downstairs. He handed his bag to Cael when he reached the bottom. “If Lafre is looking, I don’t want her to realize the bag is mine.”

  Cael raised his brows. “You don’t think she’ll find it rather odd that I’m coming out of your house with one when I haven’t been staying here?”

  Bane cursed under his breath and took the bag back. “You’re right. I’ll just have to be careful. If she thinks for one minute that I’m going somewhere, she could contact the pirates and have Ariana executed.”

  “We’ll be careful. I’ll head out first and give you a signal if it’s all clear. Sound good?”

  Bane nodded.

  Cael opened the door and strolled outside, looking as if he hadn’t a care in the world. He casually looked around when he reached his Solaris, then gave Bane a signal. Setting the alarm and closing the door, he walked briskly away from his home. He settled his bag in the back seat and climbed inside, shutting the door firmly. Cael slipped into the driver’s seat and they were off.

  Chapter Five

  Ariana didn’t know how long she’d been staring out the window
, but she turned in surprise when she heard the door to her room open. Another Tarnan entered, this one even taller than the one who’d captured her. They both had dark hair and heavy five o’clock shadows, but that’s where the resemblance stopped. This one had hair past his shoulders, eyes a green-gold. She wondered if perhaps he was a mixed breed.

  “I’m Ghel,” he said, as the door slid shut behind him. “I just wanted to check on you, make sure you had everything you needed.”

  She looked down at her nightgown. “Something to wear would be nice.”

  With a smile, he stepped over to the control panel in the room and began pushing buttons. A moment later, a drawer slid out with leggings and a cropped off the shoulder top, both in green. At least it would match her eyes, she thought ruefully. Too bad there wasn’t a bit more to the outfit, say a few more yards of material. Why did everything in this galaxy have to be skintight and the tops so revealing?

  She took the clothes from him and waited. He didn’t budge.

  “I’m just going to go slip these on,” she mumbled as she beat a hasty retreat into the bathroom. Once inside the small space, she drew her nightgown over her head and put on the new clothes. It took a bit of wiggling to get the pants pulled up, and the top barely covered her breasts. She was obviously more endowed than their usual female passengers.

  Ariana opened the door and peeked into the room. Ghel was still there, waiting patiently. She left the safety of the bathroom and approached him. He eyed her up and down, the light of appreciation gleaming in his gaze. She was used to the attention of men, but there was only one man she wanted looking at her like that and he wasn’t here.

  “Come on, Ariana. I’ll take you around the ship so you won’t get lost.”

  “Lost?” she frowned. “You mean I’m not confined to this room?”

  He smiled. “Of course not. We’d never dream of locking a woman away, not unless you didn’t give us any other choice. As long as you aren’t violent, I don’t see any reason you can’t have free run of the ship.” He raised a finger. “Just stay away from the holding cells. We have some unsavory types down there right now. I’d hate for you to get hurt.”

  She was rather touched at his thought for her welfare. It just proved what she’d always heard about Tarnans, they took care of their women. Bynt might have held a knife to her throat to get her here, but she doubted he would’ve used it. She’d probably been as safe as a kitten. He’d only tackled her because she’d tried to run. If she’d gone with him peacefully, he probably wouldn’t have laid a hand on her.

  Ariana followed Ghel out of the room and down a long corridor. There were many doors down the hall, and she questioned him about them.

  “Living quarters,” he answered. “We have a crew of six and everyone has their own room.”

  “Only six?” she asked in surprise. “I thought pirates always traveled in groups of ten or more.”

  He laughed. “Well, I guess we aren’t your typical pirates. We mostly deal in goods. Slaves aren’t the norm for us.”

  “If you don’t keep slaves on board, who’s in the holding cells?”

  “Other pirates, criminals, anyone who crosses us. We’ll trade them to their people for things we need.”

  She nodded and followed along. The corridor opened into a large room, and she peeked around Ghel to see three large Tarnans sitting at a table. All conversation stopped when they saw her, and the largest of the three rose and came to meet them.

  “I see you have our honored guest with you, Ghel.” He gave her a disarming smile. “I’m Lees.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” she said softly, still not comfortable enough to come out from behind Ghel. Being in a room full of large warriors was a little disconcerting, even if she knew they meant her no harm.

  The other two came to greet her as well. “I’m Fenir,” said the shorter of the two.

  “And I’m Torl.”

  “I’m Ariana,” she said. “Have I met everyone now?”

  Ghel smiled. “Almost. There’s still the captain. We’ll head that way now. I’m sure Bynt is with him.”

  Ariana smiled at the three Tarnans she’d just met and allowed Ghel to guide her toward the front of the ship. If she had to guess, the captain was in the command center.

  She’d never been in the command center of a ship before. When they entered the room, she stared in amazement at all of the panels of buttons before looking out the large window at the front of the ship. It was a breathtaking view, and she could tell immediately that they had begun to move. Where were they going?

  “Ghel, have you been giving our delightful guest a tour of the ship?” the captain asked.

  “Yes, sir. Captain, this is Ariana. Ariana, this is our captain, Sol. He also doubles as our medic since we don’t have one on board at the moment.” Ghel gave her arm a gentle squeeze.

  “Why are we moving?” she asked.

  “It’ll take us a week to reach Tarnan. The sooner we get moving the better. That should give you plenty of time to decide,” Sol said.

  “Decide?”

  Sol smiled. “Of course. You need a protector. There are six men on this ship. Surely one of them will meet your standards.”

  Her jaw dropped. “You expect me to just pick a guy within a week, and what? Spend the rest of my life with him? As what, a slave?”

  “Not as a slave,” Ghel assured her. “We would never enslave a woman on Tarnan.”

  “Then --”

  “As a life partner,” Bynt told her.

  “You took me from the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with,” she told them. “I was happy before you stole me away from my home.”

  “Happy?” Bynt sneered. “You were a possession, a piece of property. You were bought and paid for.”

  “It isn’t like that. Bane loves me!”

  The other Tarnan in the room gave her a contemplative look. “He has feelings for you?”

  “Not just feelings. He loves me,” she said adamantly.

  “He’ll come for her,” Bynt said.

  Ghel moved closer to her. “I want her, Captain. I’ll protect her if he comes here.”

  “He can’t win against us,” Bynt said. “He isn’t a fighter. She said herself that he’s more the intellectual type.”

  The captain looked at his men. “And if he comes here and you see for yourselves the depth of the feelings she has for him, will you stand in her way of being reunited with him?”

  Ghel looked grim. “No, I couldn’t make her unhappy.”

  “So if Bane comes, I can leave with him?” she asked.

  “Yes and no,” the captain answered. “We won’t stand in the way of the two of you being happy together, but there’s the little problem of the woman who’s paying us.”

  “Surely she’ll leave us alone when she realizes she failed.”

  Ghel shook his head. “I doubt it. There is one thing though. While her crime against you isn’t really considered a crime, seeing as how you’re a slave on Keshpa, she did commit a crime against Bane by attempting to blackmail him into bonding with her.”

  “So all he has to do is go before the Prime Minister with his complaint, and she’ll be… what, imprisoned, reprimanded?”

  “Bonding is very serious. I imagine she’ll either be imprisoned or exiled from Keshpa.” Bynt folded his arms over his chest. “The only way you’re walking out of here with your lover is if he agrees to press charges against her. The woman is crazy, and she’ll do you harm if she remains free. We’re not animals. We don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  Sol nodded. “I agree. For now, Bynt and Ghel will stay by your side. We’ll see if your Keshpan shows up soon. If you were mine, I’d follow you as quickly as I could.”

  “Thank you, Sol.” She smiled. “I know Bane will find me.”

  * * *

  Bane paced the control room. “I don’t understand. You said we’d find them in this exact location.”

  Dar rubbed the back of his neck. “T
hey must be on the move. If I were them, I’d head for home if I had a female on board. You know they’re scarce on their planet. I suggest we head in that direction and see if we can catch up to them.”

  Bane nodded at Cael. “Give the order. I’m going to make sure my room is ready for her. Let me know if they’re sighted.” He walked away with a heavy heart. He didn’t know what he’d do if they didn’t catch up to the pirates. Ariana was his whole world, and without her he was nothing. He’d already decided he wasn’t going home without her. If that meant he had to sign on with another vessel so his brothers could return to their lives, so be it. But as much as he wanted her back, he knew going to Tarnan alone was not a good idea. The warriors would tear him apart in order to keep Ariana. Facing a spacecraft with a limited number of them was one thing, facing a whole planet was another.

  Entering his quarters, he looked around. It wasn’t much, but it was all he needed. A bed, a table with two chairs, and a control panel that would give him access to food, clothes and anything else he desired. The vessel they were on had teleporting abilities which meant he could sneak onto the Lynten 12 undetected, hopefully long enough to find his love. Once she was within his grasp, he could transport them from the Lynten 12 back to the borrowed spacecraft and they could hit hyper-drive mode to get out of there, if they were lucky, before anyone noticed her absence.

  As far as plans went, it was kind of flimsy, but it was the best he’d come up with. He supposed they could board, guns blazing, but Ariana might get hurt that way. And if he were caught, then he’d face the consequences, whatever they may be. She was worth any amount of pain they may administer. He would face slavery or even death for her.

  He wasn’t sure how long he brooded in his room, staring out at a vast nothing, before the COMM came online. “Bane, we’ve found them.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked Arko. “You’re positive it’s the Lynten 12?”

  “Yes, we’re positive. And we’re within range if you’re ready to implement your plan. I still say you’re crazy, but I know I can’t talk you out of it.”