I had to stifle a giggle. Cronin saw the same thing I did when I’d first laid eyes on Cesar. My lover looked very similar to his brother Jason, only older, stronger, and perhaps a bit wiser.
I cleared my throat and adopted the most severe look I could muster. “Captain Cesar’s brother died as prisoner aboard Gran ship. Serious grievance.” Cesar eyed me suspiciously as he watched me speak the growl-snap-click language of the Gran for the first time. He’d placed his trust in me, and I hoped to live up to it.
Captain Cronin hissed again, his arms flinging out in a dismissive gesture. “The Criminal trespassed aboard our ship. He was a spy! Seven Warriors died defending our ship from your Captain’s unprovoked attack!” Cronin flicked his chin towards Cesar in accusation. “Seven Warriors do not equal one criminal. My grievance is far greater … and he stole my concubine.”
I tried not to laugh in his face. I never imagined such a fierce Warrior could play the injured butt-hurt role. He almost sounded whiny. He missed his poor widdle concubine. I couldn’t keep a smirk off my face.
“What’s he saying?” Cesar’s hand rested on my shoulder and a look of irritation crossed Captain Cronin’s eyes.
I gently pulled Cesar’s hand off of me. “You can’t demonstrate possessiveness. In his world, I am his property. You’re being offensive.” Cesar’s eyes flicked to the Captain, and he nodded, keeping his hands to himself.
I translated the Captain’s issues to Cesar – what we expected he’d say. Cesar looked up to the Captain, his face unyielding. “My brother was loved among everyone aboard this ship. He harmed no one. He was not a combatant. We know the Gran are fierce warriors with superior technology and massive ships that cross the galaxy. My brother was fascinated with the Gran and the rumors of your great wealth. His mission was to investigate the wealth of the Gran, for consideration of trading potential.”
I did my best to relate Cesar’s words to Captain Cronin. The Captain flexed his claws and rolled his powerful shoulders. His searching gaze flicked back and forth between us. “The Criminal never indicated his interest in trade. He did not speak our language. How could he hope to learn of our wealth if he could not speak?”
He thought he had us there. Obviously the Captain had never tried to argue with humans before. We are nothing if not argumentative.
After listening to my translation, Cesar fixed his stern gaze on the Captain. “He was not a criminal. His name was Jason, and he hoped to learn your language. As you taught your language to the Doctors of Nugene Station, you could have taught my brother. There are many factions on Earth interested in trade with the Gran. Wealthy industrialists would like to learn more about the Gran, to make many profitable trade agreements.”
I tried my best to convey these complex weavings of language into growl-clicks and watched the Captain’s face as the realization of a new market and profitable opportunities gradually spread across his features. Cesar didn’t speak Gran, but he spoke to that which motivates us all, the desire for more.
It would seem greed is a universal truth among sentient species.
When the Captain remained silent, contemplative, Cesar continued. “We have both lost good and valuable men. I lost my dear brother, you lost brave Warriors. I propose we set aside our mutual grievances and make an agreement to trade. With Angel as translator we can arrange meetings with the industries of Earthside who would like to trade in minerals, metals, materials and technology. Allow me, with Angel’s help, to open the way to profitable trading with the Empire of the Gran.”
After I translated, Captain Cronin came back with a gleam of something in his eyes, an emotion I was not familiar seeing him express. “I like this idea. Our trade negotiation is separate from Nugene? Correct? The supply of workers must not be interrupted.” He clicked in satisfaction, and folded his long, muscular arms around his chest, just like a human. The Captain was picking up nuances of human communication daily.
When I translated to Cesar, he assured Cronin their business was unrelated to the Gran’s trade with Nugene.
Captain Cronin reached out and brushed my arm, almost absentmindedly. Cesar’s eyes caught the movement and pegged me hard. I pretended I didn’t notice the gesture. I had no desire to explain to Cesar or anyone else the true nature of what the Captain and I had shared.
The Captain’s body language gave me the impression he was finished, ready to leave. He addressed Cesar in closing. “I accept your proposal. Make preparations for your trade offers. I must speak with the Trader’s Guild. Bring your industrialists here. We meet again on our next visit to Nugene.” I mentally did the time crunch and realized he was talking about 90 days. The Gran showed up at Nugene Station every three months, like clockwork, to pick up new shipments of their worker drones.
Elation filled me as I flipped the Captain’s words to English for Cesar. We did it! We pulled it off, with nothing more than a few lines of bullshit and a straight face! My stupid grin refused to go away. No matter how hard I tried to keep from smiling, my lips kept tipping up with the overwhelming joy flooding through me. I looked to Cesar’s solemn business-like face and saw the pleasure hiding in his eyes.
Cesar put out his hand out to shake on the deal, and I batted his hand down. “They don’t shake.” I inclined my head in a little half-bow, and Cesar mimicked me. Then he grabbed my hand.
The Captain’s eyes sharpened on our joined hands and a small growl slipped out between his fangs. “Angel bears the mark of the Gran.” The Captain’s large, powerful hand slipped around my throat to stroke the metallic collar marking his property. He tapped his claws on my collar, sinking his point home. “Angel is my personal assistant. She is a valuable female and serves me well. She will present your trade offer to the Emperor and the Traders Guild.”
My happiness fled and suddenly the room felt lighter. Breathing became difficult. My knees weakened as my world tilted sideways. The Captain’s claws gripped my arm hard and he pulled me in close, keeping me from falling on my face with the powerful rush of vertigo.
He was taking me, again. He wanted me with him, aboard his ship, as his personal assistant.
Cesar realized his mistake and had no choice but to let go of my hand as the Captain pulled me in closer. It was too late and probably never mattered anyway. I could tell by the Captain’s smug satisfaction that he’d intended this all along, regardless. The Captain had come to rely on me to feed his addiction with my body, my pain, my foolish willingness to please him.
Maybe if I’d fought him before, if I’d never submitted to the Captain’s debasement, I might be a free person right now, able to live with Cesar, able to enjoy a normal life. But I hadn’t fought the Captain when he sprayed his pheromones all over me and did things that I enjoyed far more than I should have.
My willing submission had entrapped me in a deal of my own making.
Cesar eyed me. “What did he say, Angel?”
As I translated, the pain in Cesar’s eyes warmed me inside. If he truly wanted me, if he really cared, then he’d find a way. He’d beg, barter, steal or negotiate for us to be together.
Cesar’s face hardened and he looked at the Cat unwilling to release his precious concubine. “She is a valued female aboard our ship. We need her to teach us to speak Gran. We need her knowledge of your customs and ways. Trading will be very difficult without Angel. I cannot allow her to leave.”
I hesitated to speak his words, afraid of the result.
“Tell him what I said, Angel. Don’t fuck around with your life.”
“He won’t like what you’re saying…”
“I don’t give a shit what he likes. Tell him.”
I closed my eyes in a silent prayer to a universe that had never shown me any favor or kindness. I looked up at the Cat who owned me and translated Cesar’s words, trying my best not to sound threatening.
Captain Cronin hissed. Never a good sign. His grip on my arm tightened to the point he was drawing blood, but as my pain switch flipped, I felt only trickl
es of euphoria. He growled low, just a noise, but it set the tone of his words. “Angel is property of the Gran. She is not human. Angel is specially designed stock from Nugene Station, and we are not prepared to negotiate her sale. Angel will assist in our trade meetings. Her translations will improve as she spends more time among the Gran.”
The Captain’s words shredded my last bit of hope. I refused to translate everything he said. I’d never admitted the truth to Cesar or his men. No one but Captain Cronin knew my secrets. Only the Captain knew how special and different I was. Only the Captain knew I was born from the incubation chambers on Nugene, designed as the next step of human evolution, the illegal genetic project of my pseudo-father, Dr. D’Anton Pascal.
D’Anton said I represented the unexplored potential of the human genome, that someday I would change the world and usher in a new age of humanity. But I’d never been Earthside, and Nugene was probably hiding my existence somewhere in their corporate expense accounts.
My destiny was wasted kneeling as a concubine to this powerful male who owned me.
Cesar moved in closer and looked in my eyes with the knowledge we were losing each other. He waited for my translation, but I could see he already understood the Captain was taking me.
“He says I must go with him. I am property of the Gran.” I ran my fingertips over my metal collar that probably wouldn’t come off of my neck until I died. “He assures that I will be available to translate for our trade meetings, and … I’ll learn to speak better Gran … in his presence.”
I tried to keep my explosive emotions out of my voice and off my face. As I self-destructed inside, I fought to look strong for Cesar. If he knew how much it was killing me to leave, or the sickening details of what Cronin would do with me – there would be no trade. Cesar and his pirates would probably die in a foolish uprising against an enemy they could never defeat.
Cesar’s face twitched as he fought his own war to maintain control. His poker face proved better than mine. I was starting to lose it.
Cronin stepped towards the airlock, pulling me back with him. I looked up with vision blurred by tears I could no longer hold back. “Permission for a moment with Captain Cesar?”
The Cat watched me, looked to Cesar, and then inclined his head and let go of my arm. He controlled the situation and damn well knew it. As soon as I was free I flowed into my pirate lover’s arms and squeezed him so hard I heard his back crack. He squeezed me back, and I kept my head down, buried in his neck, feeling his stubbled face rub against my cheek.
“I’ll find a way, Angel. I will.”
The depth of emotion in his voice had me believing he would try. All I could ask was that he tried. I didn’t hold much hope though. I wasn’t made to find true happiness.
I kissed Cesar and committed the wonderful taste of him to memory. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be back in three months. We can figure it out then…”
Chapter 3
I dried away my pointless tears as I stood in Captain Cronin’s cabin, a lost soul adrift on the ruin of my life. It seemed everyone I loved would be lost to me eventually. First D’Anton and Carver, then Jason. Now, Cesar. The Gran wanted me for my genetic engineering, to breed a better race of human slaves. Captain Cronin wanted me to serve him, up-close and personal.
What I wanted was irrelevant.
I was made special, engineered for life in space, conceived in D’Anton’s laboratory. He’d intended the perfect human being, the next level of evolution, an exploration of the untapped potential of the genome. He’d died trying to protect his creation, and left me to face the Gran alone. With the death of my pseudo father, his grand visions of elevating the human race were over. I had no purpose in this world. So why couldn’t I find my own purpose, in the arms of a good man?
I didn’t care that Cesar was a pirate. I didn’t care if he stole a military Shadow Class jumpship to follow the Gran all over space, trading asteroid minerals or whatever. I just wanted to be loved by someone I loved. I just wanted to belong to someone who belonged to me.
I had never belonged. I wasn’t made to belong.
The Captain came out of his attached bathroom completely naked. He’d used the steam shower and the warm air jet, which left his fur soft and fluffy clean. One benefit of serving the Captain, he had deluxe bathroom facilities. He walked up to me with his third leg dangling in my face and tilted my chin up to look him in the eyes. “Do not fear, Angel. We will have many pleasures together. You enjoyed our pleasures before…”
How strange – he was trying to cheer me up.
He pulled down my Angel treats from the cabinet and laid them out on the table. Liquor and little squares of spiced cake. I recalled the delicious flavor of the brown spongy cake. Now, without Cesar, everything turned grey and flavorless. I could no longer find pleasure in these things which were once delicious. I tried two of the cakes. They tasted stale and I wanted nothing more to eat.
The Captain handed me a cup of liquor. “Drink. Let us enjoy your safe return.”
Returned to a life of enslavement.
I didn’t want it. I didn’t want to be in his room, serving him, letting him use my body for his sick addiction. “No. You took me from my loved ones. Fuck you.” He probably didn’t understand the English curse words, but at the moment, I didn’t give a shit.
He grabbed the zipper on my suit and pulled it down to expose my chest. I grabbed his hand and jerked him away from my zipper. “Stop it you stupid son-of-a-bitch! I don’t want you to touch me. I don’t want to play with your cock. I don’t want you. Don’t you get it? I want my man. I want Cesar!” Still speaking English, I didn’t care enough to speak his language.
Growling at my dissention, he smacked me to the floor. Before I could regain my feet, my pain switch tripped, sending little ripples of euphoria through me. Smiling with the joy of my pain, I launched into a snapping kick – right into his big, furry balls.
The bastard hit the floor and puked green gruel all over the place. I stood over him, shaking with fury. “Stop trying to fuck me you asshole. I don’t want you. I don’t want to be touched!”
I grabbed the cup of liquor he’d poured for me and downed it. The burn seared my throat all the way to my belly. I needed a drink, badly. I poured another cup full and drank it down too. I knew I was going to pay for hitting him, but I couldn’t find the will to care. All I wanted was to burn Cesar out of my mind. If I could forget Cesar for a few minutes, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to let the Captain do his worst to me. Maybe I could find pleasure in the Captain’s sick addiction instead of pining for Cesar.
I downed another cup full of liquor as the Captain regained his feet.
From the look on his face, I knew he was going to hurt me, and I still couldn’t give a shit. I could hurt him too, if I wanted to, if he made me angry enough. I could probably kill him. But then where would Cesar be with the Gran? Where would I be? Strung up to die probably. I couldn’t take on this entire ship filled with Warriors.
I downed another cup of liquor, fast reaching the bottom of the bottle.
The Captain used a cloth to wipe his mess off the floor. Fastidious bastard. I found the smell of his puke particularly offensive.
Instead of striking me or chastising me as I expected, he clicked approval and grabbed another bottle of liquor from his cabinet. He poured my glass full once more. After the fifth cup, I felt nothing. No desire for Cesar. No need for Cesar. No desire to be rid of this tall, furry, striped son-of-a bitch with his huge cock swinging in front of my face. I felt nothing but a floating haze of inebriation.
Liquor was the answer to my problems.
After the sixth cup, I’d was a grinning fool who could barely stand, perfectly content sprawled across the Captain’s lap, my cheek rested against his thick, warm cock. There was something about his gloriously large cock that made me happy, even though I’d never get it inside me.
I buried my fingers in the fur of his thighs, giggling and enjoying the feeling of h
is powerful musculature. I rubbed my face against the soft fur on his chest. I knew what he wanted, the same thing every male wants. Instead I teased him and avoided his ever-hardening cock. When I tried to stand up I fell over and found myself whisked into his powerful arms. He laid me out on his couch-lounger and hovered over me, a look of satisfaction on his face.
“I understand you, Angel. I know you are pained by the loss of your men. For this reason I forgive you … this time.”
He unzipped my suit and I did not fight him. He stripped my one-piece off and all I could do was giggle. He grabbed my knees in his clawed grip and squeezed hard enough to draw blood. The pain brought more trickles of euphoria and a smile to my face. It didn’t matter if he wanted to hurt me. He’d already destroyed me when he took me from Cesar. Physical pain was nothing more than pleasure to my twisted nervous system.
Bleeding and smiling, I curled up naked in his arms, loving the sensations of his slippery, soft fur on my skin. I had to face the fact this was my place, right here, playing pretend for the Captain. If I couldn’t be with Cesar, I had to try to salvage a future.
I had to accept the harsh truth: I was not made to be loved. Who could love a thing designed in a laboratory, an experiment? No love for Angel. But I could still have fun. Lots of fun.
My fingers entwined and twirled in the sensual feeling of the Captain’s smooth, striped fur. He brought the head of his monstrous cock up to my lips and I opened wide for him. He couldn’t really fit in my mouth, but I gave it my best. My hands found his girth and stroked him up and down as I sucked as much of his meaty cock as would fit past my teeth. As he grew and hardened in my hands, it was all I could do to reach his large balls and stroke him. His cock almost matched the length of my arms.
He flinched as my hand hefted the weight of his tender balls, one at a time. He didn’t trust me. I couldn’t blame him – I could stroke his soft fur or crush his family jewels. Lucky for him, I liked the feel of his warm, slick fur in my fingers.
Angel 6.0: Enslaved (Space Opera Romance): (Angel 6.0, Book 3) Page 2
