by Gayle Riley
"What do you mean?" she asked, looking at him like he had a bug crawling on his face. "I'm trying to get us out of here, Orion. I don’t think you want to die as a prisoner of the Arkuns," she told him.
"I'd rather that than watch you sell your body to an Arkun commander. And that's if it even works. I can't watch that, Layla. I can’t watch him with you." Layla was taken aback by his anger and desperation. She didn’t understand it at all. Why would he care what she did with another man if it got them out of there safely?
Unsure of what to say, she turned around and faced the other wall, watching some female alien she couldn’t place the race of picking at her tentacles. What had Orion meant about not being able to watch her with the commander?
Layla shook her head and sat down, knowing it was irrelevant. It was the only way for them to get out. She would do it regardless.
Chapter 4
Layla couldn’t believe her luck as she looked up from dozing off and saw the Arkun commander standing in front of her cell and watching her. She glanced over at Orion's cell for a moment and saw that he was passed out. She hoped it would stay that way because she couldn’t have him interfering with what she needed to do.
Layla smiled up at him and got to her feet slowly, giving him the nice, slow motion view of her body. "Fancy seeing you here," she said sweetly as if sugar was dripping off of her tongue. "How can I help you?" she asked, looking him over. He was without his weapons this time, making him appear much more vulnerable. Though, his well-defined muscles were nothing to laugh at. He could probably easily kill anyone he wanted to with his own bare hands. But Layla planned on being someone on his list of not wanting to kill.
"I came to let you know that they are considering a trial for you and your friend there," he jutted his neck out towards a sleeping Orion, and she looked to him for a second. A certain sadness came over her that she couldn’t explain before her eyes met with the Arkun's again. They seemed to swirl like they had a moving substance inside of them. "If you play your cards right, you'll get labor instead of death. Though, I am unsure about your friend since he clearly sent blood off to someone else."
Layla rolled her eyes, knowing the commander had no reason to come tell her anything like that personally. As a prisoner from another planet, she probably didn’t even have any rights. He was all too obvious.
"That can't be the only reason you came," she told him slyly, raising an eyebrow. "Anyone could have told me that."
He nodded slowly, so easily admitting how right she was. This was too damn easy. It was almost laughable. She would deal with whatever Orion’s problem was once they were safely on Earth or back on the ship. He would thank her later for this, and she knew it.
"Honestly, I find you intriguing," he said with a shrug as if he were trying to play off the obvious attraction between the two of them. "I've heard about you and what you do," he added. Ah, so that was it. He knew who she was. It felt kind of nice to have a reputation after all these years of doing all that dirty work.
"So, I take it, you're a fan?" she asked, leaning up against the bars so that her hip was sticking out seductively as if daring him to reach in and feel her curves.
"I wouldn’t say that. What you do is illegal," he snapped back. It was like he was trying to convince himself that he couldn’t like her. "But you could easily have asked to negotiate a deal with us so that you could take resources wherever they were needed and make a trade the legal way. We have had many dealings like this in the last year." It was news to Layla's ears and it made her think slightly differently of the translucent blue warriors that had always been portrayed to her as mighty and greedy.
"I didn’t know that, actually," she admitted. "But it doesn’t make much of a difference. A lot of the people I help wouldn’t have much to give you that you would need." A planet with nearly as much water as Earth that was all clean, accepting water for payment was like a bad joke.
"We are not heartless," he told her, leaning up against the bars himself now, his face only inches from hers like he wanted to tell her a secret.
"Now, that surprises me," she said in almost a whisper, watching the swirling in his eyes again. It was fascinating. "I became a space pirate because every race that had enough to give was so heartless." Layla wasn't sure why she said that. She had never really admitted to anyone her bitterness or her general care for others. But there was just something about this commander.
He leaned in and kissed her on the lips, and his lips were wet against hers like they stayed permanently hydrated. It felt icy and warm at the same time, and she melted into him. He was a good kisser for an alien. He pulled away and smiled, starting to walk away like he needed to get somewhere before he was caught kissing a prisoner.
"Wait!" she called, "What’s your name?" she asked, needing to know it.
"Kraordis."
Chapter 5
Layla had no way to keep track of time, so she had no idea how long it had been since Kraordis walked away when she got another rude awakening, finally finding a way to fall asleep and get some rest.
Feeling not at all well rested, she looked up to see what the racket was about and was met with the sight of two very large and unappealing Arkun guards, trying to wake her up. One of them held keys in his hands and she wondered why.
Looking next to her, she saw that Orion was also awake and curious, watching to see what might happen. The guards could very well be there to take them to their trial, but she wasn’t ready for that yet. She still hadn’t guaranteed Kraordis was her ally. His word was the only way she might get out of a sentence she couldn’t live with.
Layla stood up as the guards unlocked her cell and grabbed her by the arm, grunting things in their own language. She was fluent in several alien languages at this point, but not theirs. Kraordis seemed to be able to speak English, which was often true of any aliens who traded with Earth. So, whatever they were saying, they didn’t want her to be able to understand it. That just served to put her more on guard.
She was certain they would be grabbing Orion as well, but as they began to lead her away from the cells and back to the main hallways where they had come in, she glanced back at him with a worried expression. He shrugged but also looked terrified. Why were they leaving him behind?
She was half-carried through the large structure that extended further than it looked like upon first glance, taken down several flights of stairs so that they were completely underwater now.
A hall extended in front of her, looking whitewashed like a psych ward in a hospital back on Earth and there were rows of doors all around. She was taken to one at the end of the hall, even more confused than before when she heard the commander's voice coming from within.
"Bring her in and set her on the bed," he said. The two guard did as he said, though Layla noted that they didn’t look too happy about it. Then, they just left. Layla found herself staring over at Kraordis in confusion, watching him for his next move, like a cat ready to spring. She didn’t know what to make of the encounter or if she was in any danger. He could easily finish her off right then and there and no one would miss her. And then Orion would either become a slave or be taken out as well.
"You don’t need to look tame like that," he said finally, looking her up and down as if he were studying her as well. "I brought you in here because I couldn't imagine you being out there in that cell. I don’t think you're the definition of a criminal," he admitted, waiting for her reaction.
Had it really been so easy to convince him? Layla felt a slight pang of guilt at trying to use him; not that it would stop her. It was just harder now that she realized he was a good guy instead of some selfish brute like she expected.
"I don’t understand," she said, shaking her head. It was too confusing. Layla had confidence in her prowess but not so much that one conversation would save her.
"I take it you haven’t come across a whole lot of kindness in the pirating business?" he asked in a teasing manner with a chuckle. It was the firs
t time she had ever seen an Arkun laugh or even smile for that matter.
Layla shook her head. No, she truly hadn't. Mutual needs usually meant for a great working relationship, but kindness for no reason wasn’t something she had seen. And she still doubted an Arkun, even this one, was capable of it. So, she kept her guard up as she pretended to warm up to him.
"So, what am I doing in your room?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at him.
"I thought you could use a break from the cell and we could talk. I might be able to help you at your trial. Why don't you go get cleaned up and then we'll see if you're more in a mood to talk about a negotiation." Layla was feeling surprised and glanced towards the bathroom. It wasn't quite like a human bathroom; alien ones never were. But she knew there would be a shower, which is what she needed most.
"What about my second in command?" she asked, referring to Orion.
"We can talk about that too."
Layla nodded, not waiting to see if he would change his mind as she took to the shower, stripping her clothes off without an ounce of modesty. She really didn’t feel the need to be so bundled up all the time. Her body was nice and she knew it. But even if it wasn’t, it was just something natural. Most of her crew had probably seen her naked at least once.
What shocked Layla was that Kraordis didn’t seem to have followed or even snuck a peek as she got into the odd shower, trying to figure out all the strange controls. Finally, spritzes of warm liquid began to hit her skin in several places, chipping away at the dirt and sweat that covered her body like a film.
The warmth of the water was perfect. You couldn’t take such a clean and warm shower like that on Earth anymore. The water often smelled of sewage and didn’t stay warm long enough to enjoy anything. but this, this was heaven.
Layla began to moan at the loosening effect on her muscles and the fact that she was getting truly clean for the first time in a while. She had gotten lost in the sensation and pretty much forgotten about Kraordis being just feet away.
A knock came at the door, and she turned to see that Kraordis was standing there, trying to avert his eyes. She made sure he got the full-frontal view, leaning on one side of the wall.
"I am sorry, but you were making some strange sounds and I wanted to be sure you were all right." Layla couldn’t help but laugh at Kraordis's assessment of her moans.
"It’s a sound humans make when something feels really good," she told him as she continued to grin at his worry. "The water is just really warm. You want to join me?" She asked him that question before she even had a chance to think about it.
Kraordis had about a million emotions cross his features over the next minute ranging from scared to bashful.
"I won’t bite unless you ask me to," she added with a cheeky grin. That seemed to snap him out of it, and he removed the Arkun idea of clothing, which wasn't much. It was a wonder their skin stayed pale blue and didn’t burn to a crisp in the sunlight.
She noted his muscular body from head to toe as he stepped into the jets of water with a look of determination. "See," she said, looking at him but careful not to be the one to make the first skin contact. It had to be his idea. "It does feel good."
Kraordis nodded and turned to her with a strange gleam in his eyes before pressing her up against the wall with his own body. It felt rubbery and slick but warm against her, and she swore she could feel his heart beat as his lips pressed against hers.
Layla relaxed into the sensation as water dripped down their entwined bodies. She felt his shaft, a little longer and more muscular than a human’s, creep up her thigh and sighed. This was going to be an interesting night, and her body was so ready for it.
"So, as long as I find a way to blend in and I stick with you and follow the rules, Orion and I will be left alone?" Layla asked, looking up at Kraordis. He had just come back from a training exercise and a meeting with the leader and high council. The leader, Braunis, was not delighted to have two human space pirates in his midst, but whatever Kraordis had said about Layla had been convincing enough to allow them to not have to go to immediate trial or be punished in any way.
"You'll eventually have to find a job and a home of your own. I only stay here because I am the commander. But, yes, just lie low and you'll be fine." He leaned down to kiss her sweetly on the lips and she wondered what would become of her future there. How long would it take to get a hold of a ship or get in contact with her crew to come and pick them up? It was still too risky now, but she couldn’t see herself settling down, even as much as she liked the way she felt when she was alone with Kraordis.
Layla blinked up at him and smiled as he pulled back from her lips. He hadn't expressed any specific words of affection, but she got the feeling that once she high-tailed it out of there he would be at least a little broken.
"Oh, I will have our seamstress bring by some cloths you can choose from to make you some traditional clothing. I don’t think it’s reasonable to keep walking around here in that black leather," he told her with a wink before stripping down and heading for the shower. He had to be tired from working all day.
"Oh, well I could just walk around without any clothes on. I don’t think anyone would mind that," she teased, causing him to turn around and give her a hard look.
"I would." Layla giggled, and then she heard the shower turn on and knew he was in it. Layla decided to relax and play on the small game pad that she was given. It was something younger people on the planet sued for entertainment, but it was the only thing she’d had to do for the last couple of days while cooped up in Kraordis's room. But then she was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Kraordis was still involved in his shower, so she closed the door to the bathroom and walked to the door that led to the room she had first been taken to around 48 hours before. When she opened it, she expected to find some other Arkun there on official business, but instead, she found a frightened looking Orion.
"When they let me go, I asked where you were, and they sent me here. I thought that you had been taken as some sort of slave or something already, but you look fine. Are you fine?" he asked, a slight relief coming over his face. Layla began to notice reddening around his eyes and tear stains like he might have been crying. It was not an emotion she had expected out of her second in command.
"Of course, I'm fine. I told you this would work," she whispered, pulling him in and shutting the door behind him. "Kraordis is in the shower," she warned, hoping he would understand he needed to watch his tongue. She didn’t need him ruining the freedom she had just won for them.
"What do you mean by this?" Orion asked, looking down at her with something in his eyes that she couldn’t quite place.
"Being with the commander. He talked to the leader, Braunis, today, and he said as long as we follow the rules and fit in for a bit, we'll be fine," Layla told him with a happy smile, but his reaction was not like she had expected.
"You mean, you're actually with this guy by choice?" he exploded, and Layla put her hands up, begging him to stop and be quiet. The last thing they needed was for Kraordis to come in there and find Orion in that mood. "I can't believe this, Layla. This whole time I thought he was forcing you into something. I told you not to do this. Not to sell yourself short like that. Damn it, Layla! I was so sure one day you would figure it out."
He started pacing, running his fingers through his dirty blonde hair in frustration. Layla just watched him incredulously, unsure of what to make of this new side of Orion.
"Figure what out, Orion? You’re acting like a crazy person and Kraordis is right there in the shower."
"I don’t care," Orion replied, taking a challenging step towards her. he was right in her face, their toes touching. "I love you." Before she could respond to that he pulled her face to his with his hands and forced his lips to hers, moving hers with his own. She had no say in the matter, and she was left stunned and breathless.
"What is going on out here? I heard yelling..." Kraordis trailed off, walking out dr
ipping wet and covered in his cloth but nothing else just as Layla finally yanked herself away from Orion.
"What the hell is this?" Kraordis asked. "You're kissing him right after I told you that you had to stick with me and follow the rules. This is NOT how we behave, Layla." He looked furious. Layla didn’t know what he might do next.
"Please, let me explain," she tried, but Kraordis wasn't hearing it. In his mind, she had betrayed him and Layla knew just how things looked.
"I'm going to have to report this, Layla. The two of you are playing games with the commander of the royal army!" His voice was booming, bouncing off the walls at a frightening volume. Layla shrank back, not knowing what was going to become of her and Orion. They could very well be dust in a few moments.
Chapter 6
Layla tried to keep her head down, feeling like the complete opposite of her usual, strong self as she and Orion trudged their way through the cafeteria of sorts, chained to one another by the wrists and feet. Many of their freedoms had been taken away as soon as that kiss between them had happened, and Layla felt ashamed to be this chained slave who couldn’t even decide where to go most of the time or even where to sit to eat. The only reprieve she got was that at night, she was still allowed to be in Kraordis' room as long as he wanted her there. It was something she owed him for. It was the best part of her day, and he sometimes let Orion come in there to shower and relax as well. Otherwise, he was locked in a tiny room with nothing but a cot and water.
Kraordis's reasoning for being so kind to her and Orion was that he needed to give her the right to figure out if there was something between the two of them. Layla had finally been able to share with Kraordis what had happened; that she had not kissed Orion. But Kraordis seemed to think there could be feelings there she just hadn't explored and resolved.
