Space Invaders

by Amber Kell

  Frey worked in a motorcycle showroom and repair shop. Who knew, but he was obsessed with motorcycles. He’d got his licence recently thanks to some underhand computer work on Miles’ part. God knew what my stealthy friend had pulled, but Frey had ID now. One day Miles would be running the CIA or something. He was one scary dude.

  “Miles and Candy want to see a movie with us tonight,” I said.

  “He is a good master for her,” Frey said and I choked on my coffee.

  “Ah, Frey… Didn’t we have that little talk about women’s liberation and stuff? Don’t call him her master, not in her hearing anyway.”

  “Miles smiles when I call him such,” Frey said.

  I had to laugh. “It’s your funeral.”

  Frey took my hand. “I will walk you to class, yes, my seiðmaðr?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I guess that’d be all right.”

  About the Author

  Jan Irving has worked in all kinds of creative fields, from painting silk to making porcelain ceramics, to interior design, but writing was always her passion.

  She feels you can’t fully understand characters until you follow their journey through a story world. Many kinds of worlds interest her, fantasy, historical, science fiction and suspense—but all have one thing in common, people finding a way to live together—in the most emotional and erotic fashion possible, of course!

  Email: mailto:janmairving@gmail.com

  Jan loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.totallybound.com

  Also by Jan Irving:

  Uncommon Cowboys: Straight Cowboy

  Uncommon Cowboys: Shifter Cowboy

  Uncommon Cowboys: Shy Cowboy

  Uncommon Cowboys: Wounded Cowboy

  Uncommon Cowboys: A Plain, Ordinary Cowboy

  Uncommon Cowboys: Cowboy in Ravenna

  Power Games: The Wizard’s Boy

  Men of Station 57: Forbidden Fire

  Subspace: His Landlady

  RETRIBUTION

  Jambrea Jo Jones

  Dedication

  Joy, thank you for always being there for me when ever I need you. I’m a better writer because of you. You friendship means the world to me. Rhonda, thank you for all of your support. It is for people like you that I write. Your encouragement touches my heart.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmark mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Boy Scouts: Boy Scouts of America Corporation

  Prologue

  “Commander Rave Anders, a panel of your peers has found you guilty of theft of government property. You are hereby dishonourably discharged and sentenced to thirty days on the penal colony Devil’s Island.”

  Rave fell to his seat in disbelief as the panel left the room. Just like that, his military career was gone, like so much smoke. Most would think that was the worst thing, but it wasn’t. The worst was Rave’s lover, Kain, couldn’t be found.

  A hand landed on his shoulder. He turned, hoping to see Kain. His stomach sank when he saw his friend, Sela instead.

  “It’s no use, Rave. It’s as if he’s disappeared. His parents don’t know where he is, either. I’m sorry.”

  He rested his head in his hands. “I can’t believe it, Sela. He’s out there, somewhere, hurt. He’d be here if he was able.”

  Rave looked up at Sela and saw the guards approaching behind her.

  “I’ll do what I can to find him, Rave.”

  He gave a sharp nod and turned to follow the guards to the pod waiting to take him to Devil’s Island, his thoughts in turmoil. How would he survive the next thirty days? Being in the military put a target on his back and Devil’s Island was one of the worst prison colonies in the universe. His heart ached at the thought of Kain, alone and hurt while he could do nothing about it. Nothing really mattered if Kain wasn’t safe. The guard shoved him into the craft and shackled him to the seat.

  After the criminals were processed, the ship started the journey to Devil’s Island.

  “Hey, you’s that military thief? Yep, you is. You’s the guy whose got fucked up the ass, but then, I hear ya like that, don’t ya?” The passenger beside him snickered. “I’m sure you’ll get plenty of action on DI.”

  Rave leaned over and yanked him close enough that Rave could smell the man’s putrid breath. “Shut the fuck up.”

  “No need to gets with the rough stuff. I ain’t after that pretty ass,” the man mumbled as Rave shoved him back into his seat.

  Rave closed his eyes to block out the upcoming nightmare. He had two hours to devise a plan that would keep him from getting killed while being detained. He had a lover to find.

  One step at a time.

  His thoughts drifted. What had happened?

  That question played over and over in his mind. One minute, Kain had left the ship. The next, the Alliance had boarded the ship and arrested Rave. Two days before the ship docked, the crew had conducted an inventory and those government boxes hadn’t been there. The Alliance had shown up, and suddenly, there the boxes had sat, pretty as you please. Something wasn’t adding up.

  Rave didn’t do suspicion. He placed his faith in all his crew and expected their trust in return. Kain had never given him a reason not to trust him. Hell, Rave loved the man. He couldn’t love a traitor, could he?

  Focus, Damn it! Worry about now.

  The force of take off glued him to the seat. He swallowed then bit his lip. He wasn’t prepared, not really. All the training in the world couldn’t prepare a person for a prison colony—an open world full of the worst criminals in the universe. He couldn’t figure out why the Alliance wanted to send him to a high security planet. He should have been shipped off to one of the minimum security colonies.

  When the flight smoothed out, Rave forced himself to relax. He had to get some sleep. He wouldn’t get much on DI. Rave prayed he would wake from this nightmare, wrapped in the comfort of Kain arms, ready for their morning romp.

  Kain, where are you?

  Chapter One

  Rave stared at the vast space in front of him when a ship invaded the beautiful blackness of the universe.

  “What is he doing here?” Rave wondered aloud.

  “The same as us, I’m sure. This is a refuelling planet.”

  Rave jumped, he hadn’t expected an answer. He shifted in his chair to face his first mate.

  “Sela, I thought you were on planet.”

  “And miss this show? You’ve got to be kidding. I want a front row seat. Got any snacks?”

  Rave stood. He didn’t need any reminders of the man who’d walked out on him and taken Rave’s career and heart with him when he’d left.

  “Since you’re done with leave, you can take over the coms. I’ll be in my quarters.”

  “Running, sir?”

  He answered with a flip of his finger then left the control room. Sela knew the score between him and Kain. Rave wouldn’t dwell on it. The Retribution would be in port until morning. He could avoid the traitor for one night.

  The computer’s musical voice stopped his movement. “Captain Anders, we’re being hailed. Would you like to receive the call here or will you take it on the main deck?”

  He strode to a panel in the hull to answer. “Who’s trying to contact the ship?”

  “Commander Kain Sims. The call is marked urgent.”

  “Patch him through.”

  He didn’t want to take the call at all, but he couldn’t refuse a member of the Alliance. He was lucky they’d granted him the right to own a ship. Still, they waited for him to make one wrong move so they could take that away, too.

  “Anders.”

  “Captain Anders, permission to board?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “No.”

  “I’ll meet you on the main deck.” Rave released the com to end the call.

  Dread pooled in his s
tomach. He’d managed to avoid Kain for a while now. Why had he shown up now, here?

  “Sorry, Rave, I tried to divert the call,” Sela murmured as he entered the bridge.

  “Not your fault. Why don’t you go to your cabin? No sense in both of us being here.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to run interference?”

  “It’s better if you don’t witness this. I’m not sure if I can hold my temper, and someone will have to captain the ship if I get hauled in. We have cargo to pick up on Seid II.”

  Sela left, and Rave wished he could follow her.

  Stop being a pussy. You’re over him.

  If he was so over Kain, why did his heart speed up at the very sight of the tall man striding towards him? Why did he drool when he looked into Kain’s emerald green eyes and want to run his hands through the man’s black hair.

  Rave’s boots gripped the floor as if the anti-gravity locks held him in place. He made Kain come to him.

  “Commander.” Rave inclined his head, taking in the new lines etched on Kain’s face.

  “Rave—”Kain struggled with his words.

  He cocked his eyebrow at the informality, trying to ignore the tingles running through his body hearing his name coming from Kain’s lips. “Is there a reason you’re on my ship, two years too late?”

  Shit, why did I say that? Damn it. And why does he look so good.

  “Yes, but I don’t have time to go into it. You’re going to have to trust me,” Kain pleaded

  “Trust you? That’s classic. Answer my question, why now?” Rave wasn’t going to give Kain an inch no matter how much the man’s voice affected his libido.

  “The Alliance needs you.”Kain’s voice sounded stronger now.

  “Fuck the Alliance and fuck your cryptic bullshit.”

  Kain ran a hand through his hair, betraying his frustration. Well, screw him.

  “They’re calling you back to service,” the man whispered, almost as if he didn’t want the words to be spoken.

  “No fucking way. They court-martialled me!”

  “No, they didn’t.”

  Rave couldn’t have heard that right. No way could the Alliance fuck up his life again. “What?”

  “You were never court-martialled. They staged the whole event. No one told me about it until after it had happened. That day—”

  “Stop.” Rave held up his hand. “Tell me why they staged something that ruined my life then get off my ship.”

  He clenched his hands at his side, proud at how calm he sounded. He’d dreamed of confronting Kain with the betrayal he felt. How could the man he love disappear only to show up again working for the very system that sent an innocent man to one of the worst prisons in the universe? What he didn’t expect was how hard his dick would get in Kain’s presents. The attraction still held strong, but it was lust, no way could he still love the man in front of him.

  “I had no—”

  “Don’t finish that sentence. I want to hear about my ‘call’ to service.” There was only so far his calm could go. The rage building in him would explode soon. He was pissed at himself for still feeling attracted to the handsome man before him.

  “The Alliance wanted you to get your own ship and set up a trade route. They hoped their enemies would contact you. Once you were established, they planned to bring you into service so you could take down the smugglers.”

  “And someone couldn’t have told me this?” Did the Alliance arrogance know no bounds? “I would have gone undercover. Before I realised what a chump I was, I would have done anything for the Alliance.” He head ached and his emotions tangled inside him. He didn’t expect to feel hurt, but he did. His life had been the Alliance and Kain before he’d been ripped from his world on a whim.

  “There’s a leak. No one knows how far up it goes. Right before you were taken into custody, someone murdered Commander Roth. He’d been undercover for a couple of months. The Alliance needed it to be real for this to work.”

  “So, why did they send you?” Rave couldn’t keep the anger out of his voice this time.

  “We didn’t hide the fact that we were a couple. The Alliance kept me away from you. They told me you’d die if I contacted you before they were ready. I wanted—”

  Rave wasn’t going to listen to this shit. He couldn’t care about what Kain wanted. Not now. His emotions were already on edge. “You have to leave. Now.”

  “I can’t.”

  “What do you mean, ‘you can’t’.”

  “My ship has been impounded. The minute I stepped onto your cruiser, I became a target. The official word is you’ve kidnapped me.”

  “I see.” He didn’t really, Rave was pissed almost beyond words and couldn’t understand why he got the shit end of the whole deal. “So it’s okay for you to go undercover, but I had to be lied to.”

  “No. The official word is also that you’ve taken me hostage. The truth is I’ve walked out of the Alliance…to find you, to finally tell you the truth. This was my first chance to get to you.”

  Rave grabbed for his chair and fell into it. He couldn’t believe what Kain had told him. Could it be true? Had he lived a lie for the last two years? Shock reverberated through his body. Maybe Kain hadn’t deserted him after all. Rave crushed such thoughts. No, the man before him had to be following orders, no matter what he might be saying. And what truth could Kain possibly have for him?

  Kain took in the pain and disbelief on Rave’s face. He wanted to soothe it away, but it wasn’t his place anymore. I told them the kidnapping plan wouldn’t work. Damn it, I need this to work.

  His thoughts on the matter were never taken into consideration, one more reason to leave the Alliance behind for good.

  His arms ached to cradle Rave. Their time apart had felt like a lifetime. Rave had changed in their time apart. He’d bulked up. Kain could see the muscles ripple when he gripped the chair. Rave’s brown eyes flashed from anger to shock and pain before the wall came back up. Then Rave’s gaze held determination. His body hadn’t been the only thing to change. Rave’s face had a steely quality. Kain missed the smiling man from the past. The only thing really that had stayed the same was Rave’s short military hair cut. Kain took a step forward, wanting to run his hands through his old love’s hair, but Rave’s glare stopped him. The hurt in the man’s eyes made his heart twinge. He’d put that look there, whether he’d intended to or not.

  Kain swallowed and moved forward to stand in front of Rave despite the frown marring that beautiful face. Before he could halt his movement, Kain caressed Rave’s cheek. He almost lost it when Rave closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. Kain fell to his knees in front of Rave, grabbed his ex-lover’s head in his hands then took his mouth in a kiss. Rave stiffened, but Kain didn’t let him think. He licked Rave’s lips until they opened for him. He heard a groan, but he wasn’t sure if he’d made the sound or if Rave had as Kain poured every ounce of the loss from the last two years into that kiss.

  Rave thrust him away and left his chair. The shock of the ship’s metal-grate flooring smacking his ass surprised Kain. He pressed his fingers to his lips, the taste of Rave still lingering, as he looked up at the angry face of his former lover.

  “Fuck you, Kain! You can’t waltz in here after all this time and expect me to fall all over you.” Rave wiped his hand over his mouth as if rubbing off the kiss.

  Kain bowed his head. What did you expect? Going into this situation, he’d known it would be difficult. A dull crash reverberated through the room, and he lifted his head. His jaw dropped. Rave’s fist had made a dent in the wall.

  Kain jumped to his feet. “Are you okay?”

  “Stay away from me, Kain. I’m not going to tell you again.”

  “I’m sor—”

  “I really don’t want to hear your apologies.” Rave turned to glare at him.

  Kain stepped back at the hatred in Rave’s eyes. He’d changed in the years they’d been away from each other. Rave had become what the A
lliance had wanted him to be—a cutthroat trader.

  “Will you do it?” He hated the weak tone of his voice, but if he had to beg, he just might.

  The laugh that echoed around the bridge caused Kain to cringe.

  “Brilliant, just brilliant. I have no loyalty to you or the Alliance. Why should I help? Give me one good reason.”

  “Melanie.” He knew putting Rave’s sister’s name out there would give the man pause. He hadn’t changed enough not to care about family.

  Rave clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. “Explain yourself. Now.”

  Kain knew the calmness in Rave’s voice hid the anger racing through him. He reached into his uniform to pull out a vid stick, which he tossed to Rave.

  “The cargo you’re picking up on Seid II is a T-15K Laser.” Kain nodded towards the stick in Rave’s hands. “Watch the test if you don’t believe me. It’s a planet killer. The Royalists are using you to smuggle it to the New Moon colony. They plan on launching it in two weeks to show the Alliance that they’re ready to take over.”

  “How do I know this isn’t another fucking trick?”

  “I wish it were. But it isn’t. If we don’t stop this, Melanie and New Moon will be dead.”

  “What’s to stop me from taking her off planet?”

  “Nothing, but I know you, Rave. You may have changed some, but there’s no way you’ll let a whole planet of innocent people die because you’re pissed off.”

  The alarms on the Retribution blared out in warning.

  The computer generated voice cut through the noise. “Captain, an Alliance ship has locked weapons on the Retribution.”

  “We have to leave, Rave. Now.”

  “Why? Just tell them you’re on board. Plus, my crew is still on planet.”

  “What you don’t understand is not everyone is aware of the plan. We need to keep on schedule, and getting detained here is not an option. Is anyone on board?” He rushed through his explanation.

  “Just Sela.” Rave sounded put out.

  “Damn it, we need to get her off ship. The two of us should be able to man the Retribution. Your crew would be safer out of this anyway.” He needed to get Rave away from port before something else went wrong. He wouldn’t put it past the Alliance to change plans mid-mission.