by Nina Croft
Was she goddamned crazy?
Just don’t think.
Okay. Blank. Blank. Blank. Blank. Agh!!!
An hour later, we were escorted back to a cell, which I guessed would be our home from now on. It wasn’t too bad really—large, with two beds—and through an archway I could make out a bathroom. And by escorted, I mean I was carried over one of the guard’s shoulders. He actually placed me on the bed very gently and patted me on the head. What was I, a goddamn puppy? I snarled. He grinned. I was so funny.
I was going to kill her. When Rekowski got here, first thing on my to-do-list was to kill that sadistic bitch. Though to be honest, the humiliation was probably worse than the pain. There hadn’t been much of the latter; she’d lubed it up well. But I ached, and I was still going to kill her. I’d probably choke her with her own dildo.
Sarah sat down on the opposite cot, hands on her lap, waiting until the door clicked shut behind the guard.
“You want me to kiss it better?” she asked.
I narrowed my eyes. “You want me to shove my fist down your throat?”
She giggled and then clamped her lips while she got control of her inappropriate sense of humor. “Sorry. But your expression. I wish I’d had a camera.” She bit her lip. “You are okay, aren’t you? You’re not really hurt, or bleeding or anything.”
“I’ll live,” I said grumpily.
“Live to eat pussy another day.”
Chapter Five
Killian
“You’re sure this is the way?” I asked.
“No, I decided to make a detour because I wanted to say hi to my sweet little sister. I haven’t seen her in twelve years. Not since the night she tried to have me murdered.”
Groth warriors were crap at the sarcasm thing.
“And are you sure Ruby will be somewhere close to your sister?”
Zak turned and glared at me. “No, again, I decided—”
“Jesus, I’m just asking. I’m nervous, okay. And I always talk when I’m nervous.”
“Don’t I fucking know it.”
“So, as I was asking—”
“Shut up, Kill. We’re actually not supposed to be here, so maybe a little silence is in order.”
He was right, and I clamped my lips closed. Instead, I studied our surroundings. My skin prickled. This place made me nervous. I’d never been anywhere like it. The floors and walls were white marble run through with veins of gold. The ceilings were arched and painted like a perfect cloudy sky. Maybe one day, I’d have a house like this. But somehow, I couldn’t see it. Apparently, we were in the main residential part of the palace. Zak had led us straight here. But I didn’t get it.
“Won’t Ruby be in the slave quarters?”
“No, my sister keeps a few ‘favorites’ close by just in case she gets the urge. She doesn’t like to wait. Ruby is new. My sister likes novelty, therefore Ruby will be near.”
Zak was dressed in a big purple cloak, the same type worn by the imperial guards. I was in my usual leather trench coat. Even covered head to toe in a cloak, no one was going to mistake me for a Groth. I was tall for a human but fell far short of Zak’s near seven feet. And I wasn’t blue. I had kept the eyepatch over my cybernetic eye. I quite liked it. It made me look like a pirate, and if I remembered right, Ruby liked pirates. Of course, I couldn’t see through it. That would piss me off eventually.
Zak came to an abrupt halt and put his arm out to stop my forward movement. We’d arrived at a corner and he gestured for me to peer around. About ten feet away, a couple of guards stood at attention outside a set of double doors.
“Presumably, those are my sister’s quarters,” Zak murmured.
“You don’t know?”
“She was on the other side of the residence before I left. She’s gone up in the world. This was actually my room.”
“You want us to make a detour and visit. Go tell her…” What exactly?
“How about we don’t tell her anything,” Zak suggested. “We just slit her throat.”
“Hey, this is your sister.”
“I never liked her. Come on, let’s go back. I know another route.”
We turned around and headed back the way we’d come, Zak taking a right turn before we got to the main staircase, and into a narrower corridor. We stopped for a second to check it out. Nothing moved. No guards. “So did you and your sister always get on so well?” I asked.
“Hah. Actually we never really had much to do with each other.”
“And was she always a lesbian?”
“She was into absolutely anything. Total pervert. I’ve been talking to a few people, and I discovered a few things. When they did the coup and deposed me, she married my cousin to strengthen the line to the throne. He was next after me. She didn’t count.”
“Sexist.”
“No. Women can be in line for the throne. It depends on other stuff. Anyway, general opinion is, after the marriage, she turned to women. Did I mention my cousin was only six at the time of his marriage to my sister? Even she wouldn’t go there. The palace wouldn’t countenance her having an affair with a man. But they turned a blind eye to whatever she did with other women.”
“Well, that’s probably better for Ruby.” I’d once had enough money to pay for two girls together. It had been a hot, wild night.
“Not necessarily. Rumor has it my sister has a strap-on dildo bigger than my dick.”
“Ouch. Let’s go find Ruby.”
This corridor was much less fancy than the previous one. The walls were white with a number of doors leading away. Each door had a little grill in the center where you could see the room inside. I’d been in slave cells, and these were paradise compared to those. Hopefully, Ruby was safe and comfortable and soon she’d be out of there.
I peered in each door as we passed and finally, there she was.
I stopped and stared.
She was curled up on a bed, a sheet wrapped around her, her blond curls splayed out across the pillow, her eyes closed. She looked beautiful and unharmed.
I tapped lightly on the glass. She didn’t shift, but across the room there was a movement on the other bed. The redhead from the slave market. As she sat up, she caught sight of me peering in through the door, and her eyes widened. She glanced from me to Ruby, and back to me. Then she pushed herself up and crossed to Ruby’s bed, crouched down, and touched her on the shoulder.
Ruby growled, pulled the sheet over her head, and rolled onto her side. The redhead looked at me and raised a brow. She turned back to Ruby and prodded her in the back.
She shot upright.
The redhead said something—I couldn’t hear through the glass, and Ruby’s gaze swung around in my direction. And it was worth everything just for the expression on her face. Her eyes sparkled, her lips curved up in a wide smile. For about two seconds. Then her brows drew together in a frown.
I turned to Zak who was standing beside me, trying to peek over my shoulder.
“Keep watch. I’ll do the lock.”
I took one last look at Ruby, who had pushed off the sheet and gotten to her feet. Totally goddamn naked. And, by Groth, did she look good. I searched for bruises, found a few small marks on her arms and her thighs. It looked like my people-who-had-to-die list was going to get considerably longer.
“Kill, move it!”
Reluctantly, I crouched down, tugging the glove from my cybernetic hand with my teeth. I wiggled my fingers then extended the middle one. It was supposed to help with taking ore samples, but I’d found it also made an extremely effective lock-picking device.
Luckily the lock was an old-fashioned type. No problem. I pushed my finger into the hole, fiddled about—
Footsteps sounded down the corridor. “Someone’s coming,” Zak murmured.
“Well, do something about it.”
Zak drew his pistol from the holster at his waist, but at that moment, the lock clicked open. I pushed open the door and we both slipped inside, shutting it behind us. Holding my breath,
I peered out the small window as the guard passed; he didn’t hesitate and my shoulders slumped.
As I turned around, Ruby leaped for me, her arms wrapping around my neck, her legs around my waist as she rained kisses on my face.
Hey, she was pleased to see me.
I kissed her back, taking her mouth with mine, pushing my tongue inside, tasting her. My fingers dug into her ass, pulling her closer, rubbing her up against my now rock-hard dick.
Someone cleared their throat behind me, and I slowly raised my head. Then I kissed her one last time, untangled her legs, and set her on the floor.
She slipped past me and stood up on tiptoe and kissed Zak on the cheek. He patted her on the head, which I don’t think went down too well, but she didn’t say anything except, “Hi, Zak.” She turned back to me. “What are you doing here? It’s wonderful to see you, but why are you here?”
“We’ve come to rescue you. Again.”
“I don’t need rescuing. I’m on a mission, and I have to finish it. We went through this.”
“But then we didn’t know all the facts.”
“And now you do?”
I shrugged. “Well, maybe not all the facts, but more than we did then.”
“Tell me. Then you have to go.”
No way.
But we’d have that argument if we needed to. I was hoping she’d hear what I had to say and agree to go with us. If that didn’t happen, I was tossing her over my shoulder and hauling her ass out of here. She could even bring her friend. But she wasn’t staying.
“After you left, we got a comm from the guy who’d hired us to get you off that ship.”
“What did he want? Why did he rescue me?”
“He didn’t. He wanted us to strangle you and eject you out of the airlock.”
The color faded from her cheeks, and she took a step back and sank onto the bed behind her, wincing as she hit the mattress.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “Has anyone hurt you?”
“I’m fine.”
I gave her my best I-don’t-believe-you-tell-me-what-the-fuck-is-going-on look, and she shrugged. “Okay, I’m a little sore. I had an encounter with the lesbian from hell.”
“A big blue woman with a strap-on bigger than Zak’s cock?”
Her eyes narrowed. “You know her?”
“Of her. That’s Zak’s sister.”
Her gaze shot to Zak. “No.”
“Sorry,” he muttered.
I studied her closely, but she looked okay. “Are you hurt? Damaged?”
“A little sore, that’s all.”
I leaned in closer. “You want me to kiss it better?”
Her friend sniggered, and Ruby shot her a sharp glance. “Not right now, thank you,” she said primly. “So who wants me dead? I mean, I could understand why someone would want to stop the mission, but how does anyone know? It was supposed to be a deep, dark secret.”
I sat on the bed next to her, took her hand because I liked touching her. “So who did know for sure?”
“Just Pendleton—”
“That’s the guy who’s the liaison with the Federation on Earth?”
“Yes. And his assistant, Rekowski, who’s also engaged to Pendleton’s daughter, Yolanda.”
“The girl who got kidnapped and started all this.”
“That’s right.” She chewed on her lip as she thought it through. “I can’t see why either of them would want the mission to fail. They want Yolanda back in time for the vote. And presumably Rekowski loves her or something.”
“Well, it’s one of those two or someone else has found out.”
“Very useful,” Zak muttered. “Basically it could be anyone.”
“No, it has to be someone who benefits from the Earth becoming part of the Federation.” I got to my feet. “Anyway—that’s something we can find out later. Right now, we have to get out of here and off this godforsaken pile of shit planet.” I held my hand out to Ruby. She looked at it but made no move to get up. Crap.
“No,” she said.
I tried to be patient. “Sweetheart, ‘no’ is not an option here.”
“I can’t leave. I have to be here when Rekowski turns up. Otherwise, he’ll never find this place.”
I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm my frayed nerves. I’d always known this was a possibility. “What if this Rekowski is the one who wants you dead?”
“He’s an asshole but I don’t believe that.”
She looked so sweet and sexy and…stubborn. And those chains dangling from her nipples kept distracting me. My dick twitched.
I had to find some way to convince her.
I turned to Zak. “Why don’t you go and keep watch outside?”
Zak frowned. “And what will you be doing?”
“I’ll be persuading Ruby that it’s in her best interests to come with us right now.”
He snorted. “Fucking her more like.”
“Maybe it’s the same thing.” I turned to Sarah. “How about you go with him?” I was probably going to beg here, so the last thing I wanted was an audience.
“You know, I have just seen your girlfriend fucked with a big blue dildo. I doubt I’ll see anything to compete.”
I hadn’t needed to hear that. I pointed at the door. “Out.”
She shrugged but followed Zak out of the room, and I turned back to Ruby.
Chapter Six
Ruby
The door clicked shut, leaving me alone with Killian. God, I’d forgotten how gorgeous he was. I pushed myself to my feet, took the few steps that separated us, wrapped my arms around his waist, and laid my head on his chest. I listened to his heartbeat, while I tried to work out the best way to tell him no.
However much I wanted to, I could no more go with him now than I could have stayed on the Helldiver the first time.
Nothing had really changed.
Except now, someone wanted me dead.
Before, I’d felt small and anonymous. Now I felt like I had a great big beacon flashing on top of my head.
But I still had to find Yolanda Pendleton, and hope that her fiancé, Rekowski, would get to us before the person who wanted me dead found some way to make me that way.
And then there was Sarah and the others. This wasn’t just about me. However much I yearned to fly away and forget all this, I couldn’t do it.
I took a deep breath and straightened, peering up into his face. He was wearing an eyepatch just like a proper pirate, and a smile tugged at my lips. Reaching up, I slipped the patch from his face, revealing the silver metal of his cybernetic eye. I stroked my finger down over the scar from his eye to his upper lip.
He cupped my face between his big palms and kissed me, gently this time. My mouth filled with the spicy taste of him, my nostrils with the slightly metallic twang of his body. The familiar scent heated my blood, and I stepped closer.
I couldn’t go with him, but I’d thought I’d never see him again, and here he was. Happiness bubbled up inside me.
I didn’t believe in love at first sight. I didn’t love Kill, but he made me feel alive. It was as if the universe was filled with limitless possibilities, as endless as space itself. And that maybe one day, all my dreams could come true.
“You think you’re safe here, but you’re not,” he said, pulling me from my happy thoughts.
“What’s the worst that could happen?” Anal sex with that huge dildo jumped to the forefront of my mind. I pushed it back. Never going to happen…I hoped. “I keep my head down, do what I’m told, and I’ll be fine.”
“You don’t know the sort of people you’re dealing with. They’re not like you and me.”
“They’re like Zak, and he’s a good guy.”
“Maybe. But Zak says his sister is prone to rages. When she was sixteen, she had one slave beaten to death. I’m sure there have been others since.”
“I’ll be careful. I won’t provoke her. It’s only until Rekowski turns up. He’ll be here soon.”
�
��What if he doesn’t come? What if he thinks you’re dead?”
I didn’t believe that. But was it just wishful thinking? “He doesn’t think I’m dead. He’ll come.”
“We won’t leave you here. Not this time. Not when we know someone is out to kill you.”
Something warm and snuggly woke inside me. Just the thought that he’d be somewhere close by would make anything bearable.
Well, maybe not the…
Shut up, Ruby.
He stepped back, stood with his hands in his pockets, watching me, his expression brooding. “You do realize the longer we stay around, the more chance there is that someone will recognize one of us? And if we’re caught here, then they’ll kill Zak, and they’ll send me back to the mines, with a few more stripes on my back.”
I’d seen his back, and it was crisscrossed with old whip marks. I couldn’t bear the thought of someone hurting him and all because of me. “Then you should go.”
“I can’t leave you here.”
“Why?” I asked, suddenly needing to know.
His brows drew together, and I was pretty sure he didn’t have a definitive answer to that question. Then he shrugged. “I don’t know. I like you. But it’s more than that. I once swore I’d never be responsible for anyone again, but with you…somehow I can’t stay away.” He grinned then. “I think it might be your tits. I fucking love your tits. Especially with those dangly bits. Shit, the dangly bits are hot.”
He was so deep and meaningful.
“Come with us,” he said.
I shook my head. “I can’t. What about the others? What about Yolanda?”
His face hardened. “Fuck the others. You have no responsibility to save the whole goddamned world. You think your fancy Yolanda would raise one finger to save you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Most people don’t give a shit about anyone else.”
“I don’t want to be like that.”
“Ruby-fucking-Robbins, savior of the universe.” He banged his fist into the wall and I winced. “What about me? What about saving me? Just for once, I’d like someone to put me on the top of their fucking list. Save me, Ruby.”
My eyes pricked and I sniffed. There was so much bitterness and loneliness in his words that for a second, I wavered. But only for a second.
