She unwound her legs and he set her on her feet. She grabbed the flashlight off the shelf, careful to keep her expression blank. “You would have left me behind if I’d told you the truth. I have to be part of this.”
They were bunched together as it was, but he moved even closer, pressing her back into the clothes. “You’re right. Until my shadow is apprehended, it’s too dangerous for you to—”
As if to prove his claim a strange thunk interrupted his lecture. The sound had been distinct, yet muffled, as if the disturbance had come from another part of the cabin.
“Stay here.”
She cringed at the directive. He was already pissed that she’d lied about the biometrics. If she ignored him now, she’d never earn his trust and any hope she had of learning what really happened to her father would be snuffed out. “Nazerel might have forgotten something,” she whispered.
“Nazerel would have warned us of his return. Stay here.” His steely tone and stern expression emphasized the order. Turning his back on her, he eased the door open and assessed the bedroom before slipping out of the closet.
She flipped off the flashlight and watched his stealthy progress across the room. He’d left the closet door cracked, so she took it to mean he didn’t care if she watched as long as she stayed out of sight. But he quickly reached the doorway and disappeared into the outer room.
Damn. She stayed quiet and still, determined to obey. Seconds ticked by in frustrating silence then she heard angry voices, two or maybe three, yelling in a language she didn’t understand. The voices gave way to progressively louder crashes and she had to turn away from the doorway. Curiosity tugged at her like a powerful vacuum. She wanted, no needed, to see what was going on out there.
Stay here, could also mean the bedroom. She smiled. Her inner voice could rationalize almost anything.
The door flew open, narrowly missing her as she dove for the concealment of the clothes. Someone grabbed her arms and yanked them behind her back as she was dragged out into the bedroom. She caught a glimpse of long, well-muscled arms and a tall, black-clad body. If this was the shadow again, where the hell was Bandar? The flashlight was snatched out of her hand and tossed onto the bed. She gasped then cried out as her captor’s rough hold jarred her shoulders and wrists. Using her arms to effortlessly control and propel her, he pushed her around the bed and toward the doorway. It all happened so fast, she didn’t have time to react, but the situation came into horrific focus as she reached the main room of the cabin.
Bandar’s shadow had returned, only this time he’d brought friends. Bandar and his shadow fought in the middle of the room, their flexblades morphing from one form to another with surreal ease. The coffee table was smashed and a lampstand overturned, yet two of the shadow’s companions seemed content to watch the fight. Both held sleek, compact guns, but neither looked anxious to use them.
Something cold and solid tightened around Ashley’s wrist. Before she realized what she was feeling, her other wrist was bound as well, securing her arms at the small of her back. Her captor moved to her side, one beefy hand encircling her upper arm. He was a hulking mass of aggression all dressed in black. In fact all of the Rodytes wore black body armor similar to Bandar’s. She glared at her captor, but like his companions, his attention was fixed on the fight.
She needed to escape or cause a distraction, anything but standing there like a witless fool. Even if she could get away from the man at her side, the two armed observers were a second line of defense. She’d never get through both. She couldn’t fight them with her hands bound behind her back, not that she could have put up much of a fight even if she wasn’t restrained. Each of these men was as big as Bandar and doubtlessly just as dangerous. She’d never felt so helplessness, or so frustrated.
Both men attacked with determined focus, yet they seemed evenly matched. Bandar drove the shadow backward with a brutal combination of swings and thrusts then was forced to retrace his steps as the shadow rallied. It was savage, yet oddly graceful, each movement skillful and strong.
Her captor growled out a Rodyte command, clearly irritated by the delay.
The shadow attacked with renewed purpose, swinging his long, thin blade in a deadly arc. Bandar spun away, his massive broadsword instantaneously shrinking into an ornate dagger as he thrust for the shadow’s side. The dagger skid across the shadow’s armor, creating a horrible scraping sound. Both men were still unscathed. If a flexblade could fire energy pulses, why didn’t Bandar shoot?
This wasn’t a real fight. It was a pissing contest.
With another impatient command, her captor drew his sidearm and shot Bandar with a defused blast of energy.
She screamed and rushed forward as Bandar collapsed. Tugging against her restraints, she awkwardly knelt at his side and rested her head on his chest, listening for signs of life. All she could hear was the frantic thud of her own heart and her anxious panting.
“He’s just stunned. Relax.”
She looked up at the shadow, so angry she shook. “Who the hell are you and what do you want with us?”
“Us? One night in his bed and it’s us?” A lascivious grin curled the shadow’s lips and his companions chuckled, warning her that they could understand every word. “If I’d known a rough tumble was all it would take to gain your cooperation, I would have stabbed you with my other sword.”
“You’ll likely get a second chance,” her captor grabbed her arm and hauled her back to her feet. “But we don’t have time for this right now.” He motioned the two observers forward with a curt, “Restrain Bandar securely. He’s slippery as a Bilarrian slime eel.” Then he turned back to Ashley, forcing her to tilt her head way back to meet his gaze. “Is your father’s research here or not?”
“What’s your name? I’m Ashley.” She’d heard somewhere that forming a connection with her kidnappers would increase her chances of survival. Make sure they called her by name, saw her as a person rather than a means to an end.
His smile was even more lurid than the shadow’s had been. “You’ll call me master before the night’s through, so be a good girl and answer the question.”
“No.” She kept her face absolutely void of emotion.
He shifted his hand to her hair and narrowed his blue-ringed gaze. “No, the research isn’t here or no, you won’t answer my question?”
“There used to be a safe in the office.” She motioned toward the other side of the cabin. “It’s gone, not empty, actually gone.”
“Then what were you doing in the bedroom?” The shadow stepped over Bandar as he waited for her answer.
“What people usually do in bedrooms.” She shot him a provocative smirk, hoping anger would distract him from his purpose.
“The bed hadn’t been touched and you were in the closet,” her captor reminded. “Odd place for a lusty romp.” Without further explanation, he released her hair and grabbed her arm, dragging her back toward the spare bedroom. They retraced their steps with him in front this time. The shadow followed silently, his expression tense and watchful. When they reached the closet, her captor muttered, “Watch her.” Then stepped into the tiny room.
The shadow moved in close. She tried to retreat, but he wrapped his arm around her waist. His touch was firm without being hurtful. Still, his nearness was unsettling. “Don’t provoke him. You won’t be harmed if you cooperate.”
She whipped her head around and glared at him. “Says the man who tried to kill me.”
His voice dropped to an urgent whisper and his grip on her tightened. “If I’d wanted you dead, little girl, you’d be dead. You were never in any real danger. I knew Bandar would take you to his ship.”
“Then why did you stab me?”
“I’ll explain what’s going on as soon as it’s safe to do so. For now you’ll just have to trust me.” He nodded toward the closet. “That’s Erkott. I’m Letos. Bandar will understand the significance of those names. I mean you no harm, but Erkott is extremely dangerous.”
>
Had he lost his freaking mind? There was no way she would trust him. She looked at him with utter confusion, but Erkott returned before she could reply. Letos buried his face in her hair and slowly reached for her breast.
Erkott slapped Letos’s hand away before he actually touched her, almost as if Letos had planned it that way.
“She’ll be given to me first,” Erkott snapped. “We both know she will. So keep your hands off my slave.”
A chill sped down her spine as indignation surged. “I’m no one’s slave.”
Erkott ignored her objection and motioned toward the closet. “Open the safe or I’ll shred your clothes and let my men enjoy the view. No one will touch you until I’ve had time to break you in properly, but think how much more vigorous they’ll be if they’ve had a preview of your assets.”
Break you in properly. The hateful phrase echoed through her mind as dread unfurled within her. She glanced at Letos, but he was glaring at Erkott. Letos said she wouldn’t be harmed if she cooperated. It sounded more like she wouldn’t be killed. Harm was definitely still on the agenda.
After only a moment’s pause, Erkott moved forward and grasped the hem of her sweater. “Last chance.”
A sudden burst of angry words in the outer room was followed by a yelp of pain.
“Sounds like Bandar’s awake,” Letos muttered.
Erkott called out in rapid Rodyte and the two soldiers guarding Bandar dragged him, kicking and twisting, into the bedroom. Another curt command from Erkott prompted one of the guards to press his pulse pistol to the side of Bandar’s head. Though his expression remained murderous, his struggles slowed, then stopped.
“Unlock the safe or you’ll watch Bandar die,” Erkott told her.
Bandar’s gaze locked with hers. Give them nothing!
He pushed the thought into her mind so forcefully she gasped at the sting.
“Oh, I see,” Erkott sneered. “We have a martyr on our hands. Then how about if I bend her over the bed and we’ll take turns riding her until you reconsider your position?”
Bandar responded in gruff Rodyte, but his gaze burned so brightly his phitons were visible through his contacts.
“How big is the safe?” Letos asked, his expression suddenly shuttered.
Erkott’s brow arched as he shifted his gaze to Letos. “Are you so damn squeamish you can’t stand a bit of bed sport, or are you really foolish enough to think you can keep her for your own private pet?”
“I thought we were in a hurry. Wasn’t it you insisting that ‘we don’t have time for this’ a few moments ago?”
“You’re right.” Despite his capitulation, Erkott was obviously pissed off by the logic. Nodding toward the closet, he snarled, “Yank, tear or cut the safe free. We’ll blast the thing open once we’re back on the ship.”
Chapter Five
Ashley had been dying for a glimpse of a spaceship ever since Bandar admitted that he’d arrived aboard one. However, this wasn’t the Crusader and a glimpse was all she’d received. She’d been streamed, along with Bandar and the other four Rodytes, from her father’s cabin to the “security portal” on board the Relentless. The destination sounded a lot more impressive than it turned out to be. They materialized in a holding cell, separated from security guards and technicians by transparent walls. They were quickly scanned for weapons, harmful pathogens, and God knew what else before they were allowed out of the area.
Without explanation Letos took off, leaving her and Bandar with Erkott and his two guards.
Erkott faced Bandar, pulse pistol aimed at the middle of his chest. “Hand me your weapons, slowly. Then take off your armor.” His gaze drifted toward Ashley as he waited for Bandar to obey. Was she next? This jerk had been threatening to strip her naked, and worse, since he found her in her father’s cabin.
Bandar handed over a small pulse pistol and a conventional knife, but he drew his flexblade with obvious reluctance. “If anything happens to this—”
“You’ll sic your brother on me?” Erkott snatched the weapon from Bandar’s hand with a scornful laugh. “I’ve got a big brother too. Your tired threats don’t scare me.”
“Garin doesn’t fight my battles for me.” Bandar clenched his fists, likely keeping himself from punching the smug bastard. “Generals are bound by rules and obligations. I have far fewer constraints.”
Erkott looked as if he’d say more, then glanced into the distance and muttered several phrases in rapid Rodyte. Apparently, someone had just given him an order and he didn’t seem pleased by whatever he’d been told to do. “Take off the armor. Now!”
With obvious resentment, Bandar pressed his middle finger against the upper edge of the suit. A previously invisible seam appeared down the front. He pulled the sides apart then peeled the supple material down his torso and off his arms. It looked more like a wetsuit than armor, but she’d seen the material deflect a thrusting knife and absorb bursts of energy. She wasn’t sure it would stop a bullet, but it was obviously a lot tougher than it looked.
She tried not to gawk, but all Bandar wore beneath the armor were clingy undergarments. The tan material outlined every bulge and ripple of his incredible body. At a glance, he appeared naked and her body was reacting accordingly. Heat unfurled between her thighs and anticipation tingled across her skin. She felt almost lightheaded as desire swarmed through her system. What the hell was wrong with her? They were prisoners of war and she was thinking about sex?
After pulling his legs from the suit, Bandar kicked it across the floor toward Erkott. Tension rippled across Bandar’s shoulders and down his arms. He was clearly spoiling for a fight and Erkott looked more than willing to oblige him.
Erkott signaled one of the guards on the other side of the security portal and the guard triggered an opening in the containment. One of Erkott’s guards led the procession, Erkott followed Bandar and Erkott’s other guard followed Ashley. They didn’t go far. They walked down a short corridor and into a large open room.
“What is this place?” She moved closer to Bandar as Erkott broke formation. Bandar’s calm strength helped her maintain a brave façade. On any other day being captured by hostile aliens would have been enough to completely unravel her, but so much had happened in the past forty-eight hours that she was starting to feel desensitized by the upheaval.
“Rather than fixed holding cells, the newer ships have gone to a grid system,” Bandar told her in a low, tense voice. He might appear unfazed by their capture, but she knew better. His gaze took in every detail of their surroundings, analyzing each advantage and searching for opportunities. “The energy grid can be arranged in a variety of formations, depending on the crew’s needs at any given time.”
“But there are no solid walls. What happens if the ship loses power?”
“Rodyte ships have redundant power systems. Total power loss is virtually impossible.”
“And even if the impossible were to happen,” Erkott interjected, obviously following their conversation. “The detention area is secured by physical barriers, so the only people the detainees would have access to would be other detainees.”
She shivered, suddenly glad she and Bandar appeared to be the only detainees.
Erkott guided them to the back corner of the open room. “Move over,” he told Ashley.
When she didn’t immediately comply, one of his guards urged her to the designated position and kept her there at gunpoint.
“If she is harmed in any way—”
Erkott interrupted Bandar’s threat with a backhand, but Bandar easily dodged the predictable blow. Erkott drew back his arm, ready to try again, then something or someone stopped him. His features tensed and he muttered a sharp stream of Rodyte to the unseen speaker.
Finally, with anger burning in his gaze, he motioned Ashley back to Bandar’s side. “He wants you two together.”
Bandar held out his hand toward Ashley, his gaze still boring into Erkott.
Thrilled by the development, Ashley ru
shed to Bandar’s side and wrapped her arms around his waist. He spanned her shoulders in a protective embrace. It shouldn’t make sense—she’d only known Bandar for a day—but somewhere along the line he’d become her haven. When the world stopped making sense, which was becoming a frequent occurrence, all she had to do was wrap herself around Bandar and she felt safe again.
“Keep her warm for me,” Erkott sneered. Then to Ashley, “I’ll see you soon.” When Bandar only glared, Erkott strode from the detention area, followed by his guards.
The outer door shut with a metallic clang and then the energy grid engaged. The vertical fields were transparent and colorless, surrounding them on three sides. Only a faint hum and a mild visual distortion told Ashley where the barriers were. A bunk lowered from the wall, like an ultramodern drawbridge, and a sink/commode combo unit slid outward as well. This was basically a jail cell, so she hadn’t expected creature comforts. Still, the absolute lack of privacy was horrifying. They would be on display during every minute of every day.
“We have to get out of here.” She turned into his embrace and pressed her face into the warm curve of his neck. His scent surrounded her, calming her, as his arms pressed her securely against his chest.
“They’re required to bring us blankets and a pad for the bunk. I’ll use a blanket to shield you from view whenever you require privacy.”
His offer was sweet, but answering nature’s call with him standing right in front of her wasn’t much of an improvement. Rather than dwell on the humiliations ahead, she savored the warmth of his arms. “Why were we allowed to stay together? That was obviously not what Erkott had planned.”
“I’m not sure, but don’t forget they can see and hear everything that goes on in these cells.” He looked into her eyes to make sure she grasped the significance of his casual statement. “Only Akim has the authority to dictate to Erkott, so it must have been Akim who gave the order.”
“There has to be a reason. Why would Akim want us in the same cell?”
Crusader Page 10
