by Renee Rose
Then he allowed himself to check the security feed on the pod for Mina’s location.
There. He found her in the Great Room, with the other females in the pod, playing games with the three young Tomis had brought from Zandia.
These holograms were the extent of his interaction with Mina since she’d walked out of his room four nights ago. Erick’s chances of ever getting Mina—or Tara, as she went by at the pod—alone again seemed to drop each planet rotation. She’d been avoiding him at every turn.
The better part of him wanted to respect her wishes. He understood—she wanted to bury her past as a sex slave. But veck if he would let her bury him with it. Or rather, he’d accept her burying his shameful part, if only she’d consent to letting him into her new life. He wanted to know Tara as thoroughly and intimately as he’d known Mina.
And it wasn’t just about sex. Their chemistry was incredible, that was true. Not a nanosecond had passed since he’d claimed her that he didn’t long to have her smooth skin under his palms again, coax those sexy moans from her lips, or make her cry out in pleasure as he sank into her wet heat.
But his attraction to Mina went far beyond her glorious, nimble body. He admired her courage, her strength. Tara was every bit the warrior her father was. And when they’d been together in his chamber, he’d been electrified by her presence. It was as if the piece missing from his life all this time had fallen into place. He used to think he ached for Zandia. Or his parents. But the hollowness in his core filled just being near her. It was as if his purpose crystallized—and it was to be worthy of Mina. To protect and provide for her. To be her mate.
Unfortunately, she didn’t feel the same way.
For four planet rotations, he’d stalked her about the pod, attempting to lure her into conversation or gain even a moment of her attention, but she always dodged him. His only dim satisfaction lay in the fact she hadn’t engaged with any other males, either.
Thank veck. As it was, he wanted to throat punch every male who looked at her. Her father excepted, of course.
But her apparent dissatisfaction with her new life bothered him even more. His female observed the workings of the pod without engaging. She stared out windows more often than spoke. Even now, she smiled and engaged the children far less than the other females.
Something was wrong.
Mina had wilted in her new environment and his need to fix anything and everything bothering her eclipsed all else. Even his problem with the missing galactacarriers.
~.~
“If you weren’t Master Seke’s daughter, I think you already would have been carried off over one of their shoulders,” Bayla, the pregnant human mate of the pod’s doctor remarked, lifting her chin toward the three guards crowding the doorway to the Great Room.
Mina had joined the other females of the pod—Bayla, her sister, Lamira, and Leora to mind the three young from Zandia while their mother was undergoing her “reconditioning.”
Mina forced out a laugh. The male attention didn’t bother her—she’d been a sex slave for the past five solar cycles, after all—but she had no interest in any of the warriors, no matter how big and strong and masculine they may appear.
She wanted Erick. She’d seen him in action during her escape—he was as much a warrior as any of these males. And so much more. Intelligent. Refined. With a little prompting, she’d learned from her father that Erick had generated millions of steins for Prince Zander through investments and trade. In fact, his business prowess was the sole reason the Zandians were now positioned to take back their planet.
Unlike her former master, Dorhock, who considered himself something of an investor, Erick didn’t exhibit the healthy ego she might expect from a being so potent.
“Don’t look now,” Talia murmured. “But one of them is coming over.”
She stifled a sigh.
The guard cleared his throat when none of them looked at him. “Do you females need anything?”
“No, thank you, Derk,” Lamira answered, beaming a smile up at him. “But we’ll let you know if we do.”
Mina had never seen a human female in a position of power before. Granted, Lamira didn’t lord over any Zandian. Instead, she presented a friendly, we’re-all-the-same-status attitude, which seemed to make her popular with servants and warriors alike. Her status might be the same, for all Mina knew. The human still wore a slave’s collar, although it was bedecked with hundreds of Zandian crystals and was probably worth a fortune.
Derk adjusted his sword belt. “Right. Very well.” He stood a moment longer before he swaggered back to his post.
“I feel like a collector’s prize,” she muttered. She adopted an auctioneer’s tone, “Step right this way for a glimpse of the one and only single Zandian female alive!”
Talia snickered. Leora sent her a sympathetic look. “Breeding season makes it even more difficult for the males here. You have to remember, they’ve been without females on this pod for fifteen solar cycles.”
“How long have you all been here, then?”
“I’ve been here one solar cycle. I was the first slave they brought in for breeding,” Lamira said. “Your mate’s idea.” She winked at Bayla. “Then Zander bought my mother as a gift to me, and assigned your father as her master. It didn’t take them long to mate. Zander found my sister, Lily, next. You haven’t met her yet—she’s mated to Rok, the pilot training Zander’s human army. Next came Bayla, also brought on for breeding.”
“Actually Master Daneth hoped to implant me with a Zandian egg, but the experiment didn’t take.” Bayla patted her belly.
Mina liked the human, who seemed more similar to her than her own sister. Probably because she carried the air of open sexuality trained into sex slaves. “So, he had to use the old-fashioned method?”
“Yes. He didn’t mean to, because he thinks his genes are too old, but it happened, anyway.”
“There’s also Cambry, a human warrior, mated to a Zandian,” Lamira said.
Mina sat up straighter. “A female?”
“Yes. She’s part of the human army. Her mate, Lundric, killed another human defending her. Woe to any male on the training pod who even thinks of harming her—not that she can’t defend herself.” Lamira grinned.
“So your sister and Cambry are on the training pod? Is Lily a warrior, too?”
“Yes.”
“I want to go there.” She hadn’t meant to say it out loud. The words had almost ejected themselves from her mouth. But they were true. The palatial pod held nothing for her. She wanted to crawl out of her skin most of the time, not knowing what to do with herself, who to be. Hating the secret she carried of who she used to be. Hating how out of place she felt.
Hearing they allowed females to train as warriors thrilled her. This was what she’d been born for. It made sense—she was the daughter of a warrior. And she wanted to be of use to Prince Zander, to aid her father. He was over on the training pod now. She wanted to go there to be with him.
“Good luck with that.” Talia’s tone was dry.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean there’s one thing more important to the Zandians than taking back their planet, and that’s ensuring the species won’t go extinct.”
Her brow furrowed. “So what are you saying?”
“The chances of Zander or Father letting you into any dangerous situation are nil. You and Eslyn and I are the only—”
“I’m not capable of breeding,” Mina interrupted. “I’ve been hormonally modified to not conceive. For another two solar cycles, at least.” She’d refused to let Master Daneth examine her when she arrived, or they would have known. “Maybe I should make that information more public—it might cut down on my admirers.”
The females gaped at her, and she realized what she’d revealed. Only sex slaves were given hormonal implants to prevent pregnancy. Other slaves’ owners expected breeding, even encouraged it to multiply their holdings.
“I’m sure Daneth can reverse i
t, if you want,” Bayla offered.
“No. I want to train with the warriors, not stay around here and make babies. No offense,” she added, realizing how insulting she must sound. “It’s just… I’ve spent the last ten years caged. I want out. I never expected to trade one cage for another.”
“I’ll take you to the training pod.” Erick’s deep masculine voice boomed from the arched entryway, sending tiny shockwaves through her entire body. She would know the sound anywhere. It created a riot of emotion in her. Thrills, mostly, followed by dismay. She couldn’t let this male take her anywhere. She’d ended things with him several nights ago.
Which didn’t mean she hadn’t thought about him nearly every moment of every planet rotation since.
Erick entered the room but hung back, giving her actual space, even though he’d just invaded her psychic space in every possible way. Leave it to him to offer the one thing she couldn’t refuse.
Of course, any other warrior would take her. Or would they? Perhaps not, if Prince Zander forbade it. But Erick was an esteemed master here. He came and went as he pleased. In fact, the guards who’d been gathered at the door had dispersed, as if his mere presence sent them packing. Or maybe he’d actually ordered them away. She wouldn’t put it past him.
Talia and the humans looked between the two of them with interest. Because she wanted to minimize their opportunity for observation, she surged to her feet and met Erick where he stood.
“When?”
He inclined his head in a show of deference. The chivalrous male who turned to beast in the bedroom. No, don’t think about him in bed. Do not remember the way he looks with his shirt off. Or the rough command of his touch.
As if he knew her thoughts, one corner of his lips kicked up, his brown eyes deepening to purple. “Anytime. Now, if you like.”
“Yes. All right. I’ll just grab my things.” She hated how breathless she sounded. It certainly wasn’t because she was excited about being alone with Erick. Definitely not.
He didn’t step aside, forcing her to crowd against his large frame to get through the arched doorway. Her tummy and arm grazed against his hard muscle, sending skitters of heat racing along her skin. She pushed past, not daring to look up into his face for fear she’d stop and drag his lips down to hers.
This was a bad idea. Still, it was better than sitting around entertaining someone else’s young all day. She jogged to her chamber and packed the few items of clothing the pod servants had provided her. She, Talia, and Bayla had put in an order for new clothing, but it hadn’t arrived yet.
When she exited her chamber, she found Erick waiting outside, leaning against the wall with a casual grace.
“Ready?” He took her bag from her, even though it wasn’t heavy.
“Yes.” She fell into step beside him, stealing a sidelong glance at his handsome face. Why had she decided she couldn’t be with him? It seemed silly now that he was here again by her side and she could breathe again.
“What’s the purpose of the trip?”
They fell out of stride when her step faltered. “Does it matter?” she asked tightly.
He held up his palms. “Veck no. I’m just glad to have a chance to, ah, be of service.”
“You mean to get me alone.”
He grinned widely. “That, too.”
“I already told you—”
“Yes, I heard you. I won’t force it.”
Too bad. She rather enjoyed the way he forced things. And though it was wrong and backward to think it, her life had been cleaner when she had very few choices.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t employ every means of persuasion I know.”
She stopped walking, putting a stride between them before he caught on and turned.
“All pleasurable, I assure you.”
“Erick, this isn’t going to work.” She shook her head and started to reverse her direction.
He lunged and caught her arm. “Wait.” When she looked pointedly at his hand holding her arm, he immediately released her. “What if I promise not to touch you for the entire trip?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Zandian’s honor?”
His lips quirked, as if he already knew he’d won. “Zandian’s honor.” He lifted his fist at a 90 degree angle.
She resumed walking, unsure if her disappointment stemmed from his promise or her own lack of resolve.
~.~
Erick had never been so conflicted about winning a bargain before. Not touching Mina would be torture, but it was one he deserved. His behavior with her had been reprehensible from the beginning.
This would be a good chance to show her they had a connection that went beyond sex. Prove that he could be a mate to Tara as well as to Mina.
He led her to the dock and onto his ship. It wasn’t one of the new battleships Zander had bought for war, but his old travel ship. The same one Master Seke had used when he taught him to fly fifteen solar cycles ago.
He waved her into the co-pilot’s seat. “Buckle up, little warrior.”
She paused on her way to sit. “Why did you call me that?”
“I saw you escape from Prium’s Emporium. It took courage and strategy—discipline, your father would say.”
“Do you think he’ll let me join the army?”
It took all his own discipline not to crush the controls under his palms. Not to shout, over my dead body. This was important to Mina. He heard the hesitant way she’d asked it, the lift of hope when he’d called her a warrior.
He opted for a diplomatic reply. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate your desire to help.”
“That wasn’t an answer.”
He loved that she was such a straight shooter. She deserved his honesty. “No, it wasn’t.” He lifted the airship off the dock and eased it out the hatch. “Tara, your father suffered terribly for these past years. He thought his entire family had died on Zandia and blamed himself.”
She went still, twisting in her seat to stare at him. “Why?”
“He saved Prince Zander—got him safely off the planet—but I suspect he always wondered if he could’ve saved you and Talia instead. Or your mother and baby sister. I don’t think it was possible, or he would’ve done it, but that hasn’t stopped his anguish.”
She swallowed, audibly.
“So I’m just guessing he’d be loath to put you in mortal danger again if he can help it.”
She turned away, staring out at the air traffic around them. He maneuvered the ship through the congestion of Ocretian airspace, heading away from the planet, toward free space.
“You’re looking for a purpose, aren’t you?” Finally reaching space, he set the coordinates and powered the ship into warp speed.
Mina’s fingers tightened on the armrests. “Yes,” she croaked. “How did you know?”
He shrugged. “You probably dedicated a lot of brain space toward navigating your escape from slavery. Now that you’ve achieved your goal, I suspect there will be an emptiness until you figure out how to fill it.” Mina made a choking sound, and he finally gave in to the temptation of looking at her. Veck. She’d pressed a fist to her mouth, as if stuffing a sob back down her throat.
He swiveled his knees toward her and opened his arms. “Come here. I know I promised not to touch you, but—”
She unbuckled her harness and stumbled toward him. He caught her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap, tucking her head under his chin and stroking her silky hair. His heart squeezed for her.
“I’m sure you feel like a stranger in your own life, right now.”
“Yes!”
“You’ll find your purpose. I know you will. A female as smart and capable as you will surely find a way to help the Zandian cause, if that’s what you want to do.”
“It is,” she sniffed. “I can’t stand sitting around the palatial pod doing nothing. It kills me.”
“I understand. You don’t have to.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
&n
bsp; He closed his eyes and breathed in her scent. His palm coasted up her back, rubbing a slow circle.
Mina shifted her weight, swinging her leg around to straddle him.
He choked on the sudden intake of breath. What in the hell was she doing?
She rocked her pelvis, rolling the heat between her thighs over the bulge of his cock.
He groaned and palmed her ass, yanking her hard against his heavy length. “What are you doing, little female? I promised not to touch you.”
“Well, you already broke your promise, didn’t you?” Her breathy voice dripped with seduction. Tara had turned back to Mina.
No. He shouldn’t impale her with his cock and make her ride him until she screamed. He’d given his word. And he needed to prove to her he could be trusted. And that—-
Oh veck.
In a single, fluid motion, she pulled her top off and tossed it to the floor, still undulating over his lap.
He squeezed one breast, holding it captive for his mouth. The sound that came from her lips turned him rock hard. He sucked and pulled on her nipple, grazed it with his teeth.
“This isn’t what you wanted,” he managed to say hoarsely.
He couldn’t even hear if she answered. Not when the sight of her semi-clothed body submerged him in the deepest pit of lust. One hand rubbed her ass crack while the other kneaded her breast.
He needed her naked. Now. Mina let him guide her to her feet so he could tear her leggings and panties off, get at that sweet spot between her legs.
In two seconds, he surged up and had her flattened over the dash to the left of the ship’s controls, one hand wrapped around her throat, the other cupping her mons, his middle finger working her clit. “Veck, Mina. Don’t let me do this.”
Except he’d already pulled his cock out, already had the head rubbing over her dripping entrance.
She wanted it, too. There was no denying it. Still, if she told him no, he’d find a way to stop himself. Somehow.
“Last chance, beautiful. Say something or I’m taking what I desperately need.”
