Caught by Menace

by Lolita Lopez

  Cutting through the woods, Naya checked the forest for signs to help her navigate. This tree, that rock formation, the winding empty creek beds—all of them helped her stay on course. She estimated she was less than ten minutes from the safe zone and the spot they’d chosen to rendezvous with Josef.

  “Naya!” Jennie’s bloodcurdling shriek ripped through the forest. Spurred into action, Naya sprinted even faster in the direction of the scream. Her stomach clenched so tightly she was sure she would heave her guts. Legs burning and sides aching, she burst through some thick underbrush into a clearing. The slap of the thorny branches left her bare calves nastily scratched, but she couldn’t think about that now.

  Naya’s stomach dropped at the sight of Jennie trying to evade the clutches of the sky warrior with the pale-white hair and green eyes. Refusing to let him Grab her best friend when they were this close to the safe zone, Naya reacted without thinking. She raced across the tall grass separating them and slammed into the man’s side, wrapping both arms around his upper thighs and taking him to the ground.

  His shocked grunt ricocheted off the trees. Stunned she’d been able to throw him off balance, Naya scrambled to her feet before he could recover and grabbed Jennie’s hand. She roughly tugged on her friend. “Move. Now!”

  They ran as if the flames of hell licked at their heels. Naya ignored the pain accompanying every breath. She was certain she hadn’t broken anything, but she’d definitely bruised her shoulder and right side tackling that behemoth.

  “Come back here!” he growled menacingly and chased after them. “You won’t make it. Not both of you!”

  Naya refused to even consider that possibility. They were so close to making their escape. She couldn’t give up hope now.

  “Jennie!” Josef appeared at the tree line. He sucked in ragged breaths, his sweat-soaked shirt clinging to his lean frame. “Jennie! Hurry!”

  Relieved by the sight of Josef, Naya shoved her friend forward. “Move, Jennie. Move! We have to—aargh!”

  “Got you!”

  Naya lurched forward and then snapped back as a massive hand gripped the back of her shirt. She heard fabric tearing as her momentum was cruelly arrested. As if in slow motion, she fell backward, her shoes sliding on the dewy grass and her hands snatching at empty air. “No!”

  Jennie grabbed her hand and jerked but she wasn’t strong enough. “Naya! Naya!”

  “Leave her,” Josef shouted as he rushed toward them. He frantically forced Jennie’s fingers open and hauled her up into his arms. Eyes glistening and chest heaving, he sobbed, “I’m sorry, Naya. I’m so sorry.”

  Panicked and overcome with dread, Naya screamed for help. “Jennie! Jennie!”

  But Josef didn’t stop. He ran. He ran with the woman he loved tucked safely in his arms. Yet again Naya had been left behind.

  Naya shuddered in revulsion as the warrior tried to flip her over. She balled up her fist and whacked him on the jaw as he finally succeeded in forcing her onto her back. He hissed in pain but didn’t strike back. Instead he captured her smaller hand in his and restrained her arm overhead. Shockingly he didn’t try to hurt her.

  “Enough,” he whispered harshly. “It’s done. You’re caught.”

  “Please,” she sobbed, her emotions overwhelming her. “Please let me go. My friends—”

  “They left you. They’re long gone.” The briefest flash of sadness crossed his face. “You’re mine now.”

  Naya dragged a slow, shaky breath into her lungs. She hated herself for crying in front of him. Showing a man—especially one as dangerous as this—weakness was a terrible mistake. “You’re going to regret Grabbing me.”

  “Probably,” he agreed with a sharp laugh. “The same way you’ll regret coming to the aid of your friend. You could have been halfway to space by now if you’d just kept running.”

  “I will never regret saving Jennie from you. She loves Josef. She belongs with Josef.”

  “And now you belong to me,” he reminded her.

  “Not for long,” she warned.

  He laughed again, the sound so cruel. “You aren’t the first bride to threaten that and you won’t be the last.” His fingertips trailed her cheek. “It won’t work. It never does.”

  She choked back the sob that threatened to escape her lips. As if curious, he lowered his face until their noses nearly touched. Eyes closed, he inhaled deeply, drawing her scent into his lungs. When his eyes opened again, he tilted his head. “I’m Menace. What’s your name?”

  “Naya,” she whispered. Menace? What the hell kind of name was that? She studied his face but it was pointless. Try as she might, she couldn’t read this man. The unsettling feeling of being completely at his mercy made her stomach lurch.

  “Naya,” he repeated slowly. His fingertips moved down her jaw and along the side of her neck. “I like that. It’s different.”

  Her breath caught in her throat as his fingers glided across her collarbone and down the center of her chest. Her ripped shirt displayed too much flesh. Menace took advantage and swept his fingertips across her bare belly. His touch, so intimate and possessive, caused goose bumps to blossom on her hot skin.

  Pinned beneath his powerful frame, Naya could barely move. Trapped and terrified, she tried to slow her panicked breaths. She fought the claustrophobia gripping her chest.

  Menace must have read the fear in her face. Caressing her arm, he urged, “Easy, Naya. Deep breaths. You’re safe with me.”

  Despite his surprisingly kind voice, she chortled sarcastically. “Safe? With you?”

  His jaw tightened. “Your people may think we’re all monsters, but it isn’t true. I’ve never harmed a woman in my life. I won’t allow you to be harmed either. Do you understand? You are mine now. Mine.”

  The possessive word rang in her ears. Her new reality washed over her like cold water, chilling her right to the bone. Unlike many women in her world, she’d been able to live a fairly independent existence. Even as a homeless, orphaned teenager, she’d found a way to escape the clutches of men who wanted to make her their own. To now be owned by someone—by this stranger—left her feeling ill.

  “I don’t want to be yours.”

  His lips settled into a grim line. “It’s too late for that. I’ve Grabbed you. It’s done.”

  Putting an end to the discussion, he reached into the front pocket of his black uniform shirt and withdrew a thin white collar. Squeezing her eyes shut, Naya cursed the tears that dripped from her lashes onto her cheeks. The collar was slipped around her throat and fastened, not too tightly, but snug enough to remind her that she was this man’s property now.

  “Don’t,” he rasped and wiped the wetness from her face. “I gave you my word, Naya. I’ll take care of you.”

  “Take care of me?” She laughed caustically. “If stealing me away from my planet and forcing me to be your sex slave is your idea of taking care of me, I’ll pass.”

  “Luckily for me, I’m not giving you the option.” He rose to his full height, reached down and swept her up off the ground. His pale eyes fixed her with a warning stare. “Don’t even think about trying to kick or hit me or run away, Naya.”

  She arched her brow and informed him of the obvious. “You’ll have to put me down sometime.”

  Menace snorted and patted her backside. “Don’t worry about that. I’ve got cuffs and a gag waiting on the ship.”

  Her jaw dropped with shock. Indignant, she whacked his arm. “You’re a pig, you know that?”

  “Is that the worst you’ve got for me?” Laughing, he shifted her in his arms and threw her over his shoulder.

  Forced into the awkward position, she stiffened in fear of being dropped right on her head. “What kind of a dirtbag carries around cuffs and gags?”

  “The kind who plans to protect his investment,” he replied matter-of-factly. “I survived some of the nastiest, most brutal battles of the war to gain enough points to Grab a wife. I’m not about to let you run off or get taken by a
nother male. You might not have been the one I wanted, but you’re pretty enough for a consolation prize.”

  His words wounded her more than his fists ever could have. Not the one he wanted? His consolation prize?

  Suddenly she was taken back to the night her mother had packed her bags and left with the sky trader. Only six years old, Naya had tearfully begged her mother to take her along, to please not leave her behind, but the answer then hadn’t been any different than Menace’s cutting remark just now. Her mother had revealed she’d never wanted her and had viewed her as little more than an obstacle in her path to happiness.

  And then there had been her older brother, Nattie. What had he told her the night he’d chosen to take Sindee, his girlfriend, to the colonies instead of her? I love her. She’s everything to me.

  Because, in the end, Naya had meant nothing to him. After she’d risked her life to make the money they needed to run, she’d been disposable. Nattie had easily discarded her in his quest for freedom and a new life with his girlfriend in the colonies.

  Forced to relive some of the lowest memories of her life by Menace’s cruel remark, Naya fought the urge to punch him in the kidneys. Just the knowledge that his three hundred pounds of dead weight would crush her on the forest floor stopped Naya from taking some revenge for his hurtful words.

  All the fight left her then. She sagged against his powerful shoulder and let his thick, corded arms bear her full weight. This would go down as one of the worst days of her life. She’d been abandoned by the last person she’d loved and trusted and captured by a man who didn’t even want her. Now he was taking her back to his ship where he would force her to do all kinds of degrading and perverted things.

  But that didn’t mean she had to go quietly. She’d make him so miserable he’d trip over himself to put her on a transport ship bound for the colonies just for some peace and quiet. Oh, she’d let him think he’d won this battle, but their personal war? It was far from over.

  Chapter Three

  Menace rubbed the back of his neck and paced back and forth in his bedroom. He had the door to the playroom cracked open so he could hear Naya and come to her aid if she needed him. Not that she’d let him help her. The woman was so stubborn and rude she’d probably refuse his help even if he were the last man in the universe and she faced certain death.

  He blew out a frustrated breath and tried to figure out what the hell to do next. He had been warned that some brides could be testy after a Grab, but nothing had prepared him for this. Carrying her out of the forest, he’d felt the fight leave her. He hadn’t been stupid enough to believe she’d willingly submit herself to him as a wife, but he had hoped she would be amenable to giving their new situation a try.

  All that hope had been shattered the second he’d taken her onboard the transport ship. Such a string of filth and cursing he had never heard! And that was saying something coming from a man who had served on the front lines with the infantry for nearly two decades. The colorful combinations that she abused him with had left more than one fellow soldier snickering.

  Not even gagging her with one of the soft training gags had been enough to shut her down. She had simply grunted and kicked and jerked at the cuffs he had used to keep her in her seat. Worried she would injure herself, he had been on the verge of requesting a sedative from one the medics. Apparently the idea of being drugged scared her because she had quieted down almost instantly.

  After the nightmare trip from the surface to the docking station on the Valiant,Menace had dreaded taking her through the intake procedure and medical exam. To his utter shock, she’d behaved herself. It wasn’t until she’d nearly completed intake that he realized why she was being so cooperative. That sharp, intelligent gaze of hers was scanning the ship. He’d almost been able to hear the gears turning in her head.

  Concerned she would try to run—or worse—Menace had blindfolded her for the trip to his private quarters. As smart as she was proving to be, Menace doubted it would even slow her down if she escaped his quarters. He was certain she’d memorized every step, every turn and every ding of the elevator as it moved between the floors of the med bay and the housing section. Just in case, he had put travel restrictions on her ID chip to prevent her from leaving his quarters without him or one of the escorts on his emergency contact list.

  It wasn’t supposed to be this way. After seeing the way Hallie made Vicious smile and laugh, he’d let himself dream of this moment. With envy, he had watched their gentle interactions, the soft words and lingering touches, and yearned for it. He’d yearned for a woman to ease his burdens, to bring him happiness and show him love. Instead of finding his helpmate, he’d Grabbed a woman who seemed intent on making his life miserable.

  But it didn’t have to be this way. She wanted control, right? Well, he’d give her a choice and then she’d be free to choose to be happy with him.

  He strode to his closet, pushed aside the sliding silver door and rifled through his sock drawer for the one pair of white socks he owned. A white flag of surrender wasn’t standard issue for the duty uniform. A sock was the best he could do.

  Nearing the door to his playroom, Menace realized Naya was being awfully quiet. The fine hairs on the back of his neck stood on edge. He tapped the doorframe, activating the mechanism that pulled it wide open, and stepped into the room. The sight that greeted him left his mouth gaping wide open. “How the hell did you get loose?”

  “Oh, nice of you to come check on me now!” She shot an angry glare his way. With one ankle still cuffed to the chair where he’d placed her after her shower, Naya frantically worked to pick the lock. “What if I’d passed out chained to this chair?”

  “There are sensors in the cuffs. They measure your pulse and respiratory rate. If you’d been in any distress, I would have been alerted.” Menace shook himself from the stupor of finding her nearly free. “How the hell—”

  “For a soldier, you’re really bad at frisking.” She stuck out her tongue at him. “Always check the cheek, Menace. You’d be surprised how easy it to hide something like, oh, a hairpin in there.”

  He remembered the small black pins she’d been wearing in her hair during the Grab. He’d been sure he’d taken them all when he’d pushed her into the bathroom for her shower. Apparently he’d been wrong.

  In a flash, she worked the final cuff free and jumped to her feet. She raised her hands as if prepared to fight him. “Get back, Menace!”

  “Or what?” He laughed and shut the door. He pressed his thumb to the keypad there, activating the biometric lock. “You’ll stab me with a hairpin?”

  She glared at him, her dark eyes flashing with such intense hatred. “Don’t tempt me.” She snatched up the chair and wielded it like a bat. “Maybe I’ll knock you upside the head with a chair. How does that sound?”

  “Like first-degree assault,” he muttered.

  “Exactly! Now get my clothes and get the hell out of my way.”

  Menace let his interested gaze rake her naked form. His cock instantly responded to the sight of so much silky, brown flesh. The memory of her struggling beneath him in the forest sent heat rolling through his stomach. So small and hot, her body had instantly called to him. The sight of her naked skin made his heart race.

  Her perky breasts heaved with every shallow breath. Her nipples had drawn tight to dusky peaks. Not from arousal, of course. Fear. Cold. All those things could elicit the same response.

  His needy gaze moved lower. His fingers just itched to ride the gentle slope of her curving waist to her full hips and thighs. Though petite, she carried more weight than most of the women he’d seen from her planet. She had the sweetest curves he’d ever seen. What he wouldn’t do for the chance to worship between her thighs.

  “Are you deaf? Where the fuck are my clothes?”

  Her waspish tongue ripped him from his lusty thoughts. Frowning, he said, “They’re in the laundry. I’ll give you clean clothes in the morning. If you cooperate,” he added, figuring
this might be one of the few bargaining chips in his arsenal.

  “Cooperate?” She scoffed loudly and let the chair drop with a noisy clatter. She gestured to the wall of implements he’d so carefully organized. Some of the floggers and crops and canes he’d had for years. Others, like the gags and clamps and toys, he’d chosen in preparation for bringing home a new wife. “Look, I don’t know what you think is going to happen tonight, but I’ll tell you this, Menace. The only person getting their ass beat tonight is you.”

  And there it was. Under all that bravado, she was afraid. She was scared. Of me.

  The knowledge hit him hard. Realizing he’d gone about this all wrong, Menace quickly reassured her. “Naya, I told you earlier today that I will never hurt you. I meant that. Never will my hand or any of those things,” he pointed to the wall, “touch you without your consent.”

  “Well, don’t hold your breath! My consent to be battered and abused will never come.”

  “Battered? Abused?” He reeled in shock at her strong language. “Naya, domestic discipline and a little rough love between a husband and his wife is not abuse. So long as there is consent,” he added. “It’s sexy. It’s exciting. It’s intimate and loving.”

  “Sexy? Intimate? Loving?” Eyes wide, she vehemently shook her head. “I’m sorry but this torture chamber isn’t inspiring any feelings of sexiness or intimacy.”

  “That’s because I’ve screwed this up,” Menace admitted. He took a cautious step forward. “I should never have followed the usual protocol for claiming a wife. I should have done this differently.” He exhaled roughly and ran his fingers through his hair. “Can we just—can we call a time-out here?”

  Her expression softened. The fists that had been raised and ready to pummel him slowly dropped. “All right.”

  “Thank you.”

  She gestured to his hand. “Why the hell are you carrying around a sock?”

  He glanced at the white sock and sheepishly smiled. “I came in here hoping to offer you a truce. I didn’t have anything else white in my quarters.”