“No, I said she was sweet. Hard to be good at fucking when you’re unconscious, or beaten so badly that you can’t move. But, then that’s half the fun,” Perkins answered, smirking and rubbing his semi-hard dick through his pants.
“Think I’ll see what makes her so valuable to Lord Malm,” he said as he knelt down next to her and tore her shirt down the middle.
Vivian's instinct was to fight, cover herself then fight. But she forced herself to lie still. Not yet, she couldn’t react yet.
The male unzipped her jeans and pulled them apart just above her pubis.
“You take your prize now, Malm isn’t going to let you have her again later. She’s one of his favorites,” Perkins said, chuckling.
“I’ll take what the fuck I want, when I want,” his friend replied. He paused in attempting to undress her to unbuckle his uniform belt, unzip his own pants and shove them down his thighs. He took his dick in hand and stroked it once, twice. He raised his eyes to Perkins’, “Why fight them when you can take what you want while they lie there waiting for you? I like it much better this way.”
“To each his own,” Perkins laughed.
“Turn around, I don’t need you watching me. The fuck you want to watch me anyway?”
Perkins reacted like he’d been slapped, “I am not watching you! I’m watching her!”
“Well, turn around!”
The moment Perkins turned around, in one quick motion, Vivian’s hand shot out, wrapped tightly in her fingers was the jeweled dagger Quin had given her. She jabbed the blade into the male’s scrotum and swiped up. Since his dick was hard, it gave just enough resistance and allowed her to slice through it while also managing to slice the lower part of his abdomen when she pushed the blade toward him to cut off the length of his dick. He fell over onto her screaming, blood spurting everywhere.
Vivian quickly squirmed out from under him and scurried back away from them both, brandishing her dagger in front of her.
“What did you do?” Perkins yelled at her.
Vivian looked at the still screaming man spraying blood all over the floor and back to Perkins. She smiled, met his eyes and said, “Oops.”
“You stupid fucking cunt, I’ll kill you!” Perkins shouted at her.
“Come on, then. Do your best. I’m right here. Maybe I’ll manage to cut off your cock just like your buddy’s. At least, I think I cut it off — there’s not much lying on the floor there. Is that all he had?”
Perkins bellowed and charged Vivian. He slipped in the pool of blood that was quickly spreading across the floor, which allowed Vivian to dart past him. But he reached out and grabbed her leg, causing her to trip and fall. He gripped her ankle tightly and began to pull her toward him.
Vivian spun to face him, kicking at him with her other foot, screaming. She gave up trying to break free and raised the dagger to try to slash at his hand. Just then she heard a shrill yowl and snarl, and a large bundle of fur flew past her head, landing on Perkins. Kitty had arrived.
Perkins immediately started screaming like a girl, almost as shrilly as the shraler had before it attacked.
Vivian got to her feet and started toward them. She was going to slice him wherever she could manage to slice — she didn’t want him hurting her Kitty.
But then the surrounding area was filled with a sudden surge of very large, very pissed-off males. Zha Quin out in front, all of them shouting instructions, some pulling their weapons and pointing them at Perkins, where he still fought off Kitty, who was using his sharp teeth and fangs to strip away flesh wherever he could get a bite. Another rolling the now dickless man onto his back to see if he was still alive since he’d stopped screaming.
“No!” Vivian shouted, putting herself between the weapons aimed at Kitty and Kitty himself, where he battled Perkins. “Don’t shoot my cat!”
About that time Perkins stopped struggling. In fact, he went rigid and stopped moving or making sounds altogether.
Quin swept Vivian up in his arms, panicked at all the blood she was covered in, and she fought him, too. “Don’t let them shoot Kitty! He saved me.”
“They will not,” he assured her as he checked her over for injury. “Are you bleeding, Ehlealah? Where are you injured?”
“It’s not my blood,” she answered, trying to get away to check on her pet.
Kitty was now sitting beside a wholly immobile Perkins, licking his paw and acting completely unconcerned.
Perkins was lying on the floor, so stiff he looked as though rigor mortis had set in, but he was still breathing, his eyes darting back and forth, trying to watch everyone at once. Which reminded Vivian, she hadn’t killed him yet.
“Why is he not moving?” she asked Quin.
“Kitty stung him. The venom is coursing through his body. It prevents him from moving, and it is excruciatingly painful.”
Vivian struggled to get down, pushing at Quin, “Let me go!”
“I will not allow you to be injured, Vivi!”
She looked him right in the eyes, her nose almost pressed to his, “I want to kill him! He raped me. He admitted to his friend that he’d raped me several times. He beat me, and he raped me! I want to kill him. I DESERVE to kill him!”
Zha Quin wanted to make the male suffer, but his Ehlealah needed to make him suffer more than he did. “Yes, my Sirena, you do.”
He put her on her feet, but followed closely as she approached the man lying prone on the floor.
Vivian leaned over him, watching him watch her. “How does it feel? Knowing that you are at the mercy of anything anyone wishes to do to you. Knowing there is no chance to defend yourself. No matter what twisted idea they come up with, you will endure.”
Perkins watched her, pure hatred in his eyes.
“Oh, did I make you angry?” she cooed to him. “Let’s see how you like this?” She knelt down and jabbed her dagger into his shoulder. A high-pitched squeak sounded in his chest but because he couldn’t open his mouth, he couldn’t scream.
When Vivian stood, she almost lost her balance in the blood covering the floor from Kitty’s attack and the castration of Perkins’ friend, but caught herself at the last moment. Kol whistled. Vivian’s eyes flashed to his. He grinned at her and showed her his battle sword. It was long and slender, with a double edged blade. She wouldn’t have to bend down to torture Perkins anymore. He raised an eyebrow, offering it to her.
Vivian nodded, “Thank you, Blue-Dude. Yes, please!”
Quin stepped toward Kol, who tossed it to him. Quin caught it and turned, handing it to Vivian.
Vivian immediately turned and held it over Perkins, a psychotic look in her eye, “Look what I have! Fun, fun!”
Then she dragged the edge of the blade slowly down Perkins’ body, allowing it to slice through his clothes and into his flesh just deeply enough to draw blood. When she got to his groin, she prodded around with it, as one would a meat thermometer to check the temperature of a roast beef.
Tears were now flowing freely from Perkins’ eyes, and unsteady broken squeaks muffled through his chest.
Vivian said, “Oh, does it hurt?” She lifted the blade of the sword and punctuated each of her words with a deep stab to his genitals, “I. Hope. So. You. Fuck!”
She took two steps up toward his head, smiling at the inner scream he couldn’t release. He sounded like a wounded rabbit, squeaking, his body twitching, beginning to bleed from the mouth.
She pressed the tip of the sword into the hollow of his throat. His eyes raised to her, and she smiled at him, “How does it feel to be completely at the mercy of another? And to have that person completely unconcerned with your welfare, to be completely merciless? To take pleasure in your pain?”
Perkins whimpered.
“How many times did you rape me? How many times did you beat me into unconsciousness? Did you pay for the privilege, or did you win the right to torture me?”
Perkins whimpered again, the tears still flowing almost as plentiful as the blood now soa
king through his uniform pants.
Vivian applied a little pressure to the blade at his throat, then she said, “Just so we’re clear, I earned the right to torture you. I earned the right to every fucking moment. And the beautiful part is that when I leave this room, you will never be thought of again. You won’t even be a distant memory. You’ll be completely forgotten. Because you earned this as well. Every” — and she pushed a bit further, “Single” — she pushed more, “Moment” — and she pushed the sword through until it clanked when it hit the floor beneath his body.
Blood started gushing up through the wound and pouring from his mouth. His eyes fluttered opened and closed.
Vivian watched him for a moment more, then she turned and walked right up to Quin, wrapping her hands around his waist, burying her head in his chest. “I want to go home. My head hurts,” she said, raising her fingers to the bruise at her temple, “Can we go home now?”
“Yes, Ehlealah.”
He lifted her into his arms and looked at Ba Re’, “Advise Rel that he may stand down. The immediate threat has been contained. Instruct General Lo’ San to remain on high alert. We are not sure these were the only males aboard.”
“Yes, Sire. I will.”
Zahn was busy gathering the devices Perkins and his partner had used to communicate with Malm. “We’ll need these,” he said when Quin walked past him headed back toward the ladder they’d climbed down to get to Vivian. Vor, Asl and Kail had fallen into step right behind him, and Bart right behind them.
“Yes, we will,” Quin answered. Then he turned back to face the rest of the warriors still standing there watching the males Vivian had taken her vengeance on slowly bleed out. “When you are done here, come to my quarters. We need to discuss Malm.”
“It may be a while. We will allow them to suffer the full effects of her vengeance,” Kol answered, his eyes glittering with his need to watch them suffer as long as possible.
“Understood,” Quin responded, with a single nod before turning to walk away. The last thing they heard was Quin’s voice as he issued a sharp, “Come, Kitty!”
And surprisingly, Kitty leapt over the two bleeding men and followed right along at Quin’s command.
Chapter 27
Jhan watched the access ladder that led to the maintenance level. His eyes never wavered, and his finger was tight on his weapon. He was focused, on alert. Excelling at what he was trained to do. He was an assassin — trained to kill, and those he focused on were usually dead before they even realized they’d been targeted. Now if the irritating, green, tentacled creature, currently squelching back and forth in the corridor, waiting for word on Vivian, would get the hell out of the way, he’d have a clear shot. Jhan hadn’t made him move because, honestly, he was a good distraction — less chance his targets would notice him if they were preoccupied with the Communications Master squelching around. He sighed, somewhere between irritated and appreciative for his presence.
Then suddenly horns cleared the top of the access area. Jhan lowered his weapon and left his hiding spot. It was Zha Quin. He was coming up the ladder quickly, using only one hand. Jhan headed toward him and quickly, but he slowed his step and raised his weapon just in case. Once Quin’s body came into view, he understood why he was climbing with only one hand. Quin had Vivian in his other arm, cradled against his chest. As soon as he stepped out of the recessed access area and onto the deck, Vor’s head cleared the opening, followed by Asl and Kail. Zahn was next, followed closely by Bart, who could be heard grumbling with every step he took up the ladder. “Cannot believe I’m doing this. You sting me, or bite me, I will throw your ass back down this ladder — you understand me?”
Bart’s threat was met by a yowl and a hiss.
“Yeah, you get me. I don’t like you much either.” Bart hurried the last few steps up the rungs of the ladder. The moment his feet were back on the supply deck, Kitty started squirming and clawing to be put down. Bart happily obliged.
He heard snickering and looked up to see most of the warriors standing there grinning at him. “What? I had to get the shraler up here. You know Vivian would be upset if her pet wasn’t brought up.”
“We’re just laughing because one of us would have brought him up for her. We’re just glad you did it,” Kail told him, smiling cheekily.
“How did he get down there anyway?” Asl asked.
“I glimpsed his tail as he dove down the other access opening, while taking up my position in the west corridor. My guess is he heard our Sirena scream and decided he was needed,” Rel explained as he walked toward them.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Quin stepped onto the deck and looked around. He knew that Jhan would still be watching with his weapon trained on the maintenance access ladder. He breathed a sigh of relief when he spied Jhan striding toward him, knowing there was no weapon aimed at his Ehlealah. “The threat has been neutralized,” he started to explain to Jhan, but before he could get more than those few words out, his Communication Master practically accosted him, “No! No! Were we too late? So much blood! Does she breathe still? Sire, please tell me, does she breathe?!” he begged as he squelched quickly toward them. Vivian heard an unfamiliar voice and at the translation, raised her head to see who was there that was unfamiliar to her, yet concerned about her welfare.
“Oh, hi, Vennie,” she said quietly. “Why are you hanging out here?”
“Who?” Quin asked.
Laying her head back on his shoulder, Vivian said, “Green guy — I call him Vennie. There is no chance of me pronouncing his name, so… Vennie.”
“Why Vennie?” Jhan asked.
“Because he’s from Venus 1 — Vennie.”
“He is from Venal 1,” Bart corrected, still brushing blood and shraler fur from his clothes.
“You may call me Vennie, Sirena. I am honored to be known by your name for me,” Vennie hurried to interrupt. “Are you well, Sirena? There is so much blood!” Vennie asked, sincere worry in his voice.
“It’s not my blood. I’m fine, Vennie. Thanks for asking,” Vivian answered, her face still pressed into Quin’s shoulder.
“Oh, many thanks! I was in time, then. It wasn’t all for naught,” Vennie said, more to himself than for anyone else’s benefit.
Vivian raised her head again, “What do you mean? Wasn’t all for naught?”
Quin said, “Vennie?” and he looked to her for confirmation that he said it correctly. When Vivian nodded, he continued, “guided us to you. He was contacted by another and recruited to assist in your kidnapping. He came to us instead.”
“Well, of course he did, he answers to you.”
“No, Vivi, he did it because you were kind to him. Because he has formed a loyalty to you. Without him, we may not have been in time.” Quin looked at Vennie, “Please return to your quarters. Rest. There will be much to discuss tomorrow. We will call for you when we begin planning.” Then remembering about the communications device, “Did you leave the device activated once you contacted your brother?”
“No, Sire. I powered it down and left the device in General Lo’San’s care,” Vennie answered. “He now has control of it.”
Quin nodded once, acknowledging his approval
Vivian swallowed visibly, then looked at Vennie. “Thank you, Vennie. I owe you my gratitude. I don’t know what I’d have done without you guiding Quin to me.”
“I do,” Asl said. “You’d have kicked ass. We didn’t have to do a damn thing — you and your Kitty brought them both down!”
“She did what?” Jhan said, surprise clear both in his voice and on his face.
“The threat is, as I said, completely neutralized.” Quin looked down at Vivian in his arms, “My Ehlealah has eliminated all threats.”
Slowly a smile spread across Jhan’s face, “A true warrior Sirena.”
A round of ‘Yes!’ and ‘Absolutely’ passed among her guard, her nephew and her male.
“But she will, without exception, advise her guard of every mo
ve she makes in the future. She will NOT escape her guard by slipping away from them, nor will she be without Kitty for one single moment. Will she?” Quin demanded in his best Commander’s voice.
“She’ll try,” Vivian answered, her voice again muffled by Quin’s shoulder.
“She will do more than try, or she will be locked in quarters!” Quin growled.
“Hmpf” was the only response she gave.
Quin decided not to argue with her in front of an audience, rather he said, “I’m taking my Ehlealah home. She needs rest. This was not an easy day.”
Immediately Vor and Kail took the lead, Zahn stepped up to walk beside Quin, and Rel and Asl brought up the rear. Jhan turned and led the way back to Quin’s quarters, appearing relaxed, but with his weapon always at the ready just in case. They’d just eliminated two conspirators aboard and as of yet were unsure if there were more.
When they were far enough away for Vivian to see Bart over Quin’s shoulder, she called, “Venus, Venal, they both start with a V.”
“They do, but they are not the same,” he called.
“Respect your elders, boy,” she shot back at him without looking up.
Bart chuckled and looked down at Kitty still sitting at his feet. “They’re leaving us. You coming?”
Kitty jumped up and started trotting after the group now approaching the end of the hall. Bart followed, smiling at the change in Vivian. It was as though she’d found her confidence. She’d retaken her life. She was no longer the victim. She was not a survivor. She was a warrior in her own right.
Quin entered his quarters, Jhan and Bart with him, Vivian’s guard taking up their positions outside the door, no longer staying out of sight.
“A bath, Ehlealah?”
“Yes, please,” Vivian answered.
Haven 1: Ascend Page 24
