by Cynthia Sax
“Speed has increased to maximum, Captain,” the ship’s guidance system relayed. “The warship has increased speed to compensate and is reducing the distance between us. They will be within firing range in five minutes and twenty-nine seconds.”
Firing range. Shit. Sabria sat down at an empty console.
Darius scowled at his screen. “Our weapons—”
“Our weapons are ineffective against their shields, Captain. This is a class A warship, the newest in the Balazoids’ fleet.”
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” Darius thumped his console with his fists. “We can’t outrun them. We can’t outshoot them. We’re in open space. There’s no place to hide.”
“We can distract them.” Sabria tapped on her viewscreen. “Ship, do we have decoy capabilities?” Nothing happened, her access denied. “I need access if I’m to do this.”
“Grant Sabria full access to the system, Ship,” Darius barked. “What are you proposing?”
“We create a decoy.” She searched through the files, pulling the schematics for a Federation warship. “My brother used them to throw mercs off our tail. I’ve upgraded my skills since then.” She located the information she needed and merged the details into a workable unit, tweaking the image to add life forms and imperfections. “Ship, can you build this and position the decoy on the far edge of the sector, preferably by a planet with a strong magnetic core? I’ll jam their visuals.”
“How will you do that?” Darius loomed over her, casting a shadow on her viewscreen, his body heat distracting.
“Another trick Traz taught me.” Sabria grinned, remembering the years spent on the run, dodging mercs and Federation officers. “It might or might not work, depending on whether or not the warship’s systems have caught up with my hacking abilities. Ship, send the signal from the decoy.” She held her breath.
The warship sped toward them, showing no signs that they’d received the signal. “Shit.” Her heart pounded. “They’re not going for it. I have nothing else, Darius.” I failed him. A trickle of perspiration slid down her spine.
“They are preparing to launch, Captain,” the ship informed them.
“Shields up. Brace for impact.” Darius gripped her shoulders with his long fingers and she leaned back into him, closing her eyes, drawing comfort from his presence.
“They’re slowing, Captain.” The ship’s robotic voice interrupted the ominous silence. Sabria watched wide-eyed as the warship reduced its speed. “They’re turning, Captain. They’ve rerouted to the location of the decoy.”
“Fuck, that was close.” Darius’ hard form sagged against her back. “Get us the hell out of here, Ship.” Stars whizzed by the main viewscreen. “You did well, female.” He patted her shoulders.
Sabria tilted her head back to look up at Darius. “I told you I’d protect you.” She grinned at him, giddy with relief.
He pressed his grim lips against her forehead, his mouth hot on her skin. “You shouldn’t have to protect me.”
“And you shouldn’t have to face them alone.” Sabria’s humor faded. “I assume we’re no longer part of the Balazoid forces.”
“No, we’re not.” Darius stared straight ahead, his jaw jutted, his profile harsh and unforgiving. “No one leaves them alive.”
“You don’t know that.” Sabria searched through the Balazoid system, hacking higher and higher levels of access. “The Federation says the same thing about Gehenna 5. It is all propaganda.” She waved her hand, dismissing Darius’ worries. “Here you are. Yes, they’ve red-flagged you as a threat to Balazoid.”
“Bring the file up on the main viewscreen.” Darius returned to his own seat.
Sabria did as he instructed, watching his face, reading his reactions. Darius’ expression darkened and his eyes sparked fire.
“The council started investigating me prior to the Symrah III campaign,” he thundered. “No wonder that bastard Grok was surprised to see me.” Darius’ fingers curled into fists. “They were targeting me for disposal.”
“My brother has been targeted by the Federation for years and he remains very much alive,” Sabria commented calmly.
Darius flattened his lips, his gaze fixed on his data. Has he never seen his file before?
She sighed. He needs me, desperately. “I’ll erase that flag and reassign you to deep-space exploration as a precaution before I seal your files.” She guessed Darius’ intent, their current route leading them into No Man’s-Land. “Once your files are sealed, no other personnel can view them or open them. If anyone attempts to access them, it will set off the total system self-destruct I built on my last visit.”
“That arrogant ass Puxa didn’t find the self-destruct?” Darius grumbled. She glanced at him and raised one eyebrow, having no idea who Puxa was. “He considers himself in charge of the Balazoid security system,” he clarified.
“There’s no indication anyone has noticed my access,” Sabria assured him. “But if they’re as paranoid as the Federation forces are, they’ll have system backups and be able to reinstate the information. This only buys us some time.”
“Your brother taught you all this?” Darius stared at the main viewscreen, his expression once again blank and unreadable.
“Most of it. Some tricks I picked up on my own. I’ve been purging his records from the Federation system for years.” She exited the Balazoid database, locking the digital doors behind her.
“He’s coming for you, isn’t he?” Darius’ words were barely audible over the hum of the ship.
“Yes, he is.” Sabria perused the ship’s system, tightening up controls and looking for weakness. “Even if I send him a message, he won’t trust it, wanting to see me for himself.”
She closed her viewscreen and focused on Darius. “When his ship comes into communications range, let me talk to him first and there won’t be any bloodshed.” Sabria stood, smoothing the wrinkles in her bed-sheet dress, the thought of Darius and Traz facing each other unnerving, her big brother overly protective and her assassin lover even more possessive.
“If he tries to take you from me, there will be bloodshed.” Darius jabbed his personal viewscreen with his fingers, deeming to keep his activities private. “I’ll kill him.”
Sabria moved to his side, needing to be closer to him. “Why?” Tell me you love me and I’ll stay. I’ll stay forever. She brazenly straddled his lap, the sheet riding upward, her hot pussy directly connecting with his leather-covered cock, and she linked her fingers behind his neck.
“You’re my breeder.” Darius didn’t look at her as he scrolled through live images of space, searching for what or for whom, she didn’t know.
“Am I simply a replaceable breeder to you?” Sabria leaned into him, inhaling the light scent of herbs and man, and she licked his neck, his jugular vein pumping against the flat of her tongue. He trembled, the movement faint, yet distinguishable, and she smiled, savoring the small triumph.
“You’re the only breeder I have.” He set aside his private viewscreen and gazed at her, his eyes gleaming.
“You didn’t have a breeder before saving me.” She nibbled along his jaw, tasting the salt of his skin. “And you survived.”
Darius shifted under her. His body was hard under her ass, his cock pressing against his pants, against her. “I’ve…grown accustomed to you.” He bent his head and lowered his mouth.
To me. Not to a breeder. To me. Sabria brushed her smiling lips against his. “Is that all you feel? Accustomed?” She traced the shell of Darius’ ear with her fingertips and a purr of contentment rose from his throat.
“I want you.” He tugged the sheet from around her body and she gasped as the cool air hit her naked skin. “More than I have ever wanted anything or anyone.” He clutched her to him and buried his face in her shoulder, his mouth hard and demanding. “You make me want, need, believe.” He covered her torso with punishing kisses, marking her. “I need to be inside your hot pussy. Now.”
Darius unfastened his pants and freed
his cock. Sabria reached for him and he swatted her hands away. With an anguished growl, he lifted her and rammed her down on his hardness, impaling her upon him, his cock head pushing deep inside her, splitting her open, filling her.
“Yes.” He sighed, resting his forehead against hers, his eyes closed, his mouth curled upward into a smile.
“Yes,” she agreed as he throbbed inside her, big and thick and alive. Sabria unfastened his jacket and slid her hand underneath the leather, resting her fingertips over his heart, the steady beat reassuring her, comforting her. “This connection we have is special, Darius,” she shared, needing, wanting him to know. “I’ve fucked other males and I never felt this way with them.”
“No other males,” Darius bellowed, opening his eyes, his irises a heated red. “You’ll never fuck another male.” He lifted her, his strength impressive, and he slammed her onto him, spearing his cock between her pussy lips, gripping her hips tightly with his fingers. “Never.” As he drove her down on him, the force rattling her teeth, shaking her body, he thrust upward, reaching deeper and deeper within her. “You are my female.”
“Yours.” Sabria rode him, leveraging off his heaving shoulders, maintaining his relentless rhythm, her ass slapping against his leather-covered thighs, the sting accentuating her pleasure. “I’m yours.” She panted, her pussy gushing with her juices, slicking his shaft, easing the friction between them. “Your breeder.”
“My breeder.” He twined his fingers into her hair and pulled her head back, raising her face to him. “You’ll never feel this way with another.” Darius claimed her mouth as he claimed her body, completely, brutally, without mercy, demanding her surrender.
She parted her pulsing lips and he filled her mouth with tongue, her pussy with his cock. There was no escaping him and she didn’t want to flee, her body his to abuse, to pleasure, her heart in her assassin’s skillful hands.
My heart. Oh shit, I love him. She dropped her gaze, hiding that realization from Darius. He’s a Balazoid, a male who won’t admit to any weakness, any soft emotion, and I love him. She writhed upon him, tormented by despair, unable to avoid the heartbreak fast approaching.
He groaned into her mouth and rubbed his chest against her breasts, the ribbed leather of his jacket teasing her sensitive nipples. She arched into him, shamelessly naked on the bridge of his ship, wantonly offering him everything, her heart, her body, and her soul.
Darius, being a Balazoid, a ruthless killer, a deadly assassin, took her offer, pounding into her with reckless abandon, remaining nearly fully clothed and in control, emotionally untouchable. She mewled with frustration and raked her nails along his exposed chest. He hissed, his reaction pleasing her, and he moved faster, thrusting harder, deeper, their bodies slapping together.
She burned, her thighs, ass and breasts ablaze with connection, her lips smashed against his, the taste of her own blood in her mouth. He fucked her as he’d never fucked her before, branding her skin with his.
“Darius.” As Sabria quivered and shook, struggling to hold back her orgasm, she dug her nails into his flesh, piercing his skin.
“Yes, mark me,” he demanded, raking his teeth over her shoulder, the pain exquisite and real. “Claim me as I claim you.” He fastened his mouth over the curve of her neck and bit.
“Darius!” she screamed, breaking orbit, spinning along the blackness of space, an inconsequential planet spiraling into a glorious sun, the entry scorching, burning away her inhibitions. She ripped at his skin with her fingernails and clamped down on his shaft with her pussy muscles.
He shouted her name and surged upward, bathing her pussy with hot cum. Sabria held on tightly, riding his wildly bucking hips, not allowing him to displace her. Darius was hers, no longer her captor, but her prisoner, and she would never release him.
He quieted and his breathing leveled, his limbs stilling. She loosened her grasp, her fingernails reddened with blood and her body covered with a sheen of perspiration. “I hurt you.” She licked the stripe of red running across his pale skin, the coppery taste of his blood coating her tongue. “I’m sorry.”
“Did you mark the other males?” Darius gazed at her, his eyelids partially lowered, shading his crimson eyes. “Did you claim them?”
He knows how I feel for him. “No.” She shook her head, her cheeks heating. “I’ve only claimed you, Darius.” She laid her head on his chest. “Only you.”
Chapter Six
Darius tracked the progress of the approaching merc ship, dread settling low in his stomach. I must please Sabria more, sexually binding her to me before her brother arrives. He scrolled through the Federation-sourced humanoid sex manual, seeking to expand his limited knowledge.
Darius rubbed the scratches on his chest, the lingering pain a stimulating reminder of how he’d satisfied her. I’m the only male she’s marked.
“The USS Freedom is requesting we open hailing frequencies, Captain,” Ship informed him.
Fuck. Darius flicked through images on his private viewscreen and located his female. Sabria remained in the breeding chamber, her plump lips twisted in concentration, her gorgeous ass raised in the air as she repaired the chair he’d never again subject her to. Darius ignored his arousal and fastened his jacket, concealing the scratches on his pale skin.
“Comply.” Darius fixed a bored, blank expression on his face, disguising his dangerous, confusing feelings for Sabria, feelings her brother Traz could use to manipulate him.
“Captain Traz of the USS Freedom speaking, presenting a proposition benefiting the Balazoid military.” A scarred male with one artificial eye and Sabria’s coloring glared at Darius through the main viewscreen. The male, Sabria’s brother, had his arm wrapped around the neck of a pale-haired, violet-eyed female.
Something is wrong. Darius stared at the image, seeking physical evidence for his suspicions. “State your proposition, Captain Traz.”
“I wish to trade future-bender Falyn for your breeder.” Sabria’s brother held his gaze without blinking.
He’s a worthy adversary. Darius noted Traz’s strength. And a worthy protector for Sabria, a small voice inside him added. “Future-bender Falyn?” He leaned forward, seeing nothing special in the female. “It has not been reported missing from its station.” He tested his theory.
A soft growl rolled through the audio link. “She completed her assignments and the Federation won’t discover I’ve taken her until next cycle.” Traz’s human eye blazed with anger and Darius smothered his grin, easily reading his opponent’s emotions. “Timing can be crucial, don’t you agree?”
Sabria’s brother wants the future-bender. The Balazoids will want her even more. Darius’ lips twitched. Once I have her, I can have everything—Sabria, freedom, happiness. “It can be.” He scanned Traz’s ship and detected only two life forms.
“I don’t have time to waste, Balazoid,” Sabria’s brother barked, trying to rush a decision Darius had already made. “The future-bender for your breeder, yes or no?”
“The future-bender for your sister.” Darius curled his top lip, cutting through the bullshit. “You human males with your attachment to your females.” He disguised his intentions behind mockery.
“If you wish to negotiate such a ludicrous trade, I won’t stop you. Why would I? For the cost of a replaceable breeder, the glory of capturing the Federation’s prize future-bender could be mine.” Darius punctuated his stream of meaningless words with a curt nod.
“’Til we meet, Captain Traz.” Darius ended the transmission, freezing the last image on the main viewscreen.
He thinks I’m a fool. Darius started at the arm Traz had wrapped around the future-bender’s neck, the merc’s grip not strong enough to restrain a struggling child. No fear shone in the future-bender’s revealing eyes.
He plans to secure the future-bender and Sabria. Darius pressed the tips of his fingers together, tapping them against his lips. But I’ll be the one to secure them, trading the future-bender to earn us a more stabl
e future, a future without fear of persecution.
Awareness shimmered over him and his cock hardened. Darius turned his head. Sabria stood in the doorway, wearing one of his black shirts, the hem grazing her knees.
“She’s beautiful.” Sabria nodded at the main viewscreen.
Is she? Darius studied the female and frowned, finding no appeal in the future-bender’s pale hair and soulless violet eyes. “A future-bender is a highly prized breeder. The council will give me anything for her.”
“Including acceptance?” Sabria raised one fine black eyebrow.
Including our freedom. Darius remained silent, not wishing to raise Sabria’s hopes by promising her an uncertain future.
“I see.” Sabria’s smile was too bright to be genuine. “I’ve repaired the breeding chair, but you shouldn’t put her in it, Darius.” She looked over his left shoulder, not meeting his gaze. “It’ll hurt her.”
As it hurt her. Regret sliced through his heart. “I’m not putting anyone in the breeding chair,” Darius promised. “That was a mistake.”
“You should hold her and comfort her. She’ll be scared.” Sabria twisted her hands, her anxiety transferring to Darius. “Talk to her. Tell her you want her, you care for her and you will protect her.”
“I want you and I’ll protect you.” Darius stalked toward her. Sabria must have been scared and I didn’t comfort her. He raked his fingers through his humanlike hair, his frustration building. Fuck. I did everything wrong. “I’m no good with words. I’ve spent my life alone, in darkness and silence.”
“Try.” Sabria bowed her head, her long black curls shielding her beautiful face. “I want you to be happy, Darius.”
He heard the good-bye in her words and a wild, desperate fury gripped him. “I’m not letting you go, Sabria.” He lifted her chin. Her brown eyes shone with unshed tears and his aggravation increased. “You’re my breeder.”
“But…” She glanced at the main viewscreen.
“But nothing.” Darius redirected her gaze to him, pinching her chin between his thumb and index finger, securing her. “I’ll kill to keep you.”
