JakesPrisoner

by Caroline McCall

  Tanith slid out from under him, ignoring the sleepy rumble of disapproval, and picked up the tunic he had discarded the previous night. Stepping out into the corridor, she startled a female crew member with the demand that she be taken to the brig.

  * * * * *

  Pete nudged Jake. “The big guy looks fairly shook. I heard he was confined to sick bay last night. What the hell happened?”

  Jake didn’t have the heart to tell him. Pete would find out soon enough. When he woke up this morning and found Tanith gone, his heart had flipped. Her side of the bed was cold and empty and he missed her like crazy. Of all the sexual encounters he’d ever had, last night’s was the most intensely erotic he had ever known.

  He had seldom experienced such a rage as he felt when he saw Tanith in Strom’s arms. Although Strom was his best friend, he had an overwhelming urge to kill him. He couldn’t figure it out. It was completely out of character for the big guy to make a play for someone else’s woman. In fact, Strom hadn’t looked at a woman since Ingrid. Poor bastard—imagine falling in love with someone from another time and having to leave her behind when the mission was over.

  “Gentlemen, please be seated.” The doc was joining them today, which was unusual. Although he was a member of Strom’s senior team, his presence was seldom required at meetings.

  “Doctor, if you would like to begin.”

  “Thank you, Captain. We have a rather delicate, if serious, situation on board. Ms. Jasson kindly presented herself for examination in sick bay this morning and the organic samples taken would appear to support my theory. I believe that the Lissa flower on Tyrmania Four has a similar, if limited, effect on some species of insect. But to see such an intense pheromonal effect on a humanoid is quite breathtaking.”

  Pete raised his hand. “Hold on, Doc. You’ve lost me already.”

  The doctor glanced around the table. “You haven’t been in communication about this matter?”

  Jake stared stonily at him. Although Strom was pale, he maintained his usual impassive expression. Pete was utterly bewildered.

  “Very well, I will start at the beginning. Through a series of genetic mutations, Cyraelian males have evolved as sexually passive, while the females are sexually dominant. In fact, there have been some documented instances of female hypersexuality, which—”

  Pete guffawed with laughter. “You mean Jake’s girlfriend is from Planet Nympho?”

  “That is a crude summary of the facts and not necessarily pertaining to Ms. Jasson.”

  Jake glared at him. If Pete didn’t shut up, he was going to punch him.

  The doctor continued his report. “Ms. Jasson has a series of markings on her spine, denoting sexual maturity, called a Dermatrax. Unfortunately, perhaps due to a series of emotionally traumatic events recently, the process has been accelerated.”

  “And the problem with that is?” Pete prompted.

  “The Dermatrax is emitting a pheromone-like substance, which can prove irresistible to an unmated male. Cyraelian scientists have been working on the problem for centuries.”

  “Okay, she’s a honeypot, Doc. But I don’t see why we’re having a doom and gloom session about it.”

  “Chief Engineer Olafson,” a brief hint of annoyance crept into the doctor’s tone, and Strom flashed Pete a warning glance.

  “Data supplied by the Cyraelian Council of Scientists indicates that their females are potentially the dominant sex, although culturally they have been denied this position. If Ms. Jasson were to be allowed to move unfettered throughout the ship, her influence would be such that I estimate that she could seize control of this vessel within a week.”

  “Now you are joking, Doc.”

  “Believe me, Engineer Olafson, I do not joke. Ms. Jasson simply needs to exert control over a few key officers on board this vessel, and that is well within her capabilities.”

  “So keep her locked up.” Pete shrugged. “Sorry, Jake, but it seems to be the only solution.”

  Strom sat back in his chair. “You seem to forget, Pete. Ms. Jasson has been in custody for the past week. During that time, she has hijacked a shuttlecraft, put one of my crew in sick bay with a concussion, caused a near riot outside the brig, attempted to seduce me and, if I am correct in my assumption, succeeded in seducing my first officer.”

  Jake flushed. Put like that, it was pretty damning and after last night’s little escapade, Strom was embarrassed and seriously angry.

  “Jake, will you please drop those ridiculous charges against her so that we can take her to the nearest spaceport and send her home.”

  “Absolutely not, do you know what those Cyraelian bastards will do with her? If Atam doesn’t get his claws into her, they’ll lock her up in some kind of prison until she agrees to marry a genetically suitable male. Then she’ll live under virtual house arrest for the rest of her life.”

  “I’m sorry, Jake, but I have a ship to run and that woman is a complete menace. I want her off my ship.”

  “She didn’t look so menacing when she was in your quarters last night, Strom. You’ve been like an iceman ever since you left Ingrid. You want to get rid of Tanith because she got under your skin.

  “Damn,” Pete said glumly. “How did I miss all the fun?”

  “Lieutenant Svenson,” Strom sighed with frustration. “Jake. You created this mess, now you can deal with it. Ms. Jasson will be released into your custody today. If there are any further incidents during the next week, I will override your charges and release her. Do you understand?”

  Jake nodded. He had no doubt that Strom would do exactly as he said. “I take full responsibility for her, Sir.”

  Strom’s glare wiped the grin off Pete’s face. “And Engineer Olafson, I haven’t forgotten your part in this matter. You will stay with her when Lieutenant Svenson is on duty. She is not to be left alone at any time. Dismissed, both of you.”

  * * * * *

  Tanith opened her eyes sleepily. Jake’s techie friend, Pete, was watching her through the door of the cell. “Hi, Tanith, you’re getting out of here.”

  “What? You mean I’m going home?” For a brief moment she didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed. After last night, she didn’t want to get away from Jake anymore. The Dermatrax was so calm that she was barely aware of it. Hopefully it would stay like that for a few days.

  “No such luck,” Pete muttered. “The captain has released you into Jake’s custody.”

  Memories of the previous night flooded back. Poor Strom, he had been so sweet and unexpectedly vulnerable. Tanith tried to focus on what Pete was saying. She wasn’t going home, she was staying on board, and Jake or Pete would be with her at all times. They stared awkwardly at each other for a few moments. Of the three of them, the techie was the one she knew least and he seemed to be sizing her up.

  “Okay, Tanith, before I let you out of there, let’s set a few rules. You will not use your pheromone stuff on me—Jake is in enough trouble as it is. I may be on duty when I’m babysitting you and you may not touch my personal com. Some women are useless at that kind of thing, so please wreck Jake’s stuff instead. And I would prefer if you wore some clothes, apart from a bathrobe.”

  He had to be joking. If it wasn’t for the force field, she would have punched him on the nose, the arrogant lump of space rock. “I am in a bathrobe because that is what I was wearing when you kidnapped me. You are the last man in the galaxy that I would use my pheromone stuff on, and for your information, I had a job in tech services before I left Cyraelia.”

  “Really? Doing what, sweetheart?”

  “I engineered com viruses for a military intelligence consortium, now open the damn door.”

  Chapter Seven

  An hour later, she was wearing a pair of Jake’s pants, rolled up, belted and pulled tight at the waist and a dark shirt. Jake’s personal com was already set up to accept commands from her. She selected something called jazz from his music database, playing it low in the background. The techie w
as busy, running a job in engineering. Although he looked up from time to time, he had barely said two words to her.

  Tanith discovered a holo-projector and ordered it to display Jake’s collection of personal images. She recognized some scenic images from Cyraelia, but all of the others were from off-world. Her heart fell as she viewed them. There were quite a lot of women. One pretty, dark-haired girl appeared in several images. Tanith glanced over at the techie. Could she ask him about her? The worst thing he could say was no. “Tell me about this one?”

  Pete glanced up from his com and smiled when he saw the image she had chosen. “Now that was one great night.”

  He got up from the table and came to join her. “We were on secondment to the Department of Temporal Security at the time. That was taken at a burlesque club. You know? Dancing girls?”

  Tanith sighed with relief. The dark-haired female was just someone Jake had met in a bar. But why had he kept her image? “So the woman with Jake is a dancer?”

  “Hell no.” Pete reached out and touched the image fondly.

  Tanith experienced a sudden pang of jealousy as she looked at the image again. Their faces were close together and Jake’s whole attention was focused on the girl. He looked as if he cared about her. “Was he in love with her?”

  “Who, Jake? Maybe, I think we were all a little in love with Ingrid then, but…”

  Pete’s com buzzed and he returned to the com, muttering under his breath. Tanith continued to look at the image. So this was Ingrid? She glanced over her shoulder. Pete was still busy, so she searched for other images from the same night. She was sorry when she found them. Jake and Ingrid dancing together, Ingrid sitting on Jake’s knee with her face buried in his neck and finally one of them kissing. Ingrid—the woman Jake had shot Raoul for.

  Pete’s com buzzed again. “Pete, Tanith, you’re needed on the bridge immediately. We’ve just been intercepted by a Cyraelian ship. Their captain has hailed us. She’s requesting permission to come aboard.”

  Tanith’s eyes widened. “Jake, did you say she?”

  “Oh yeah, she’s definitely a she.”

  Tanith followed Pete as he hurried to the upper deck. It was inexplicable that a Cyraelian female would hold the rank of captain. No male would serve alongside her and a Cyraelian male would never permit his mate to engage in a career that involved so much time away from him. The doors to the bridge opened and Tanith stepped inside. The crew was at their stations and Strom sat in the captain’s chair, flanked by Jake.

  “Pete, show Ms. Jasson to my ready room. Then open an AV channel to the Cyraelian ship.”

  Pete showed her into a meeting room and switched on the monitor. “Strom wants your input on this. You can watch from here. I have to get back to my station. Just don’t say anything and try to stay out of trouble.”

  The bridge of the Cyraelian ship looked like a trade fair advertisement for the starship construction sector. At each post sat a long-legged model wearing a tight cutaway leather flight suit. When one officer crossed the bridge, Tanith could see that the suit was open to the waist at the back and the female was proudly displaying her skin markings.

  “Sweet stars,” Pete hissed. “I request an immediate transfer, Sir.”

  A deep throaty chuckle was audible as a stunning brunette approached the view-screen. “That’s very flattering but I have an all-female crew, and I’m not sure whether you could keep up.

  “Captain Hallstrom, our paths haven’t crossed before, how nice to finally meet you.”

  “The pleasure is all mine, Captain.” Strom responded smoothly. “But I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage.”

  “Captain Alaysha Zander,” she inclined her head. “I’ll come straight to the point. You have a Cyraelian female aboard your craft, but her departure from home appears to have been unplanned. Consider this a social call.”

  “Ms. Jasson is a guest aboard my ship. I will see if she is prepared to receive visitors and get back to you. Good day, Captain.”

  At Strom’s signal, the com link was disconnected. “Jake, find out what you can about Captain Zander. Pete, I need a full report on that ship in the next ten minutes.”

  Tanith waited anxiously as the crew filed into the ready room and within a short while the room was full. Strom was the last to enter. He darted a quick glance in her direction and then took a seat as far away from her as possible. Strom’s face was an expressionless mask, but she could see a small pulse hammering in his throat. Poor human, he was obviously uncomfortable in her presence. She hadn’t meant to do this to him.

  “Pete, I need that report.”

  “It’s a Delta-class transporter that’s had a number of enhancements. The weapons systems have been upgraded and the engine’s got some kind of muffler on it to mask the output signature. She runs fast and silent and, from the shielding, I’d say she expects trouble. A pirate, maybe, she’s definitely not delivering cargo.”

  “Jake?”

  “Captain Alaysha Zander, Cyraelian citizen, aged twenty-seven. Daddy’s a high-ranking Cyraelian diplomat, or he was until Alaysha decided to abscond on her wedding day. Rumor has it that she stole her own dowry and used it to buy the ship. No criminal record, but our intelligence reports suggest a link with Atam Sorza. We also have one unverified account that she faced off three ships and whipped them into oblivion with some kind of viral com weapon.”

  “Ms. Jasson?” Strom’s voice dragged her attention away from Jake and back to the meeting.

  “I’ve met Alaysha. She went to the same college as Raoul.”

  “Did she know him?”

  Tanith nodded. “Yes, they were lovers.”

  “Damn,” Pete muttered. “Then this isn’t a social call.”

  Strom sat back in his chair, considering his options. “I’m not happy about bringing a bunch of sirens onto my ship, but let’s find out what the good captain wants. Jake, see that she is contacted and organize a greeting party in shuttle bay four. No single crewmen and the deck is to remain off-limits until the visit is over. Ms. Jasson, please remain here for a few minutes. Everyone else is dismissed.”

  Jake raised an eyebrow at the last command and flashed Tanith a worried glance. After they left, Strom stayed as far away from her as the confines of the small ready room would permit.

  “Ms. Jasson, before we meet Captain Zander, I think there is something that you need to be aware of. Ship’s com, access security file, Jasson, Raoul.”

  Tanith heard the doors open and close behind her. Strom was gone. She cleared her throat and stared at the view-screen. “Display file.”

  Her brother’s face flashed across the screen. There had been rumors about Raoul at the trial, but the truth was much uglier than she could ever have imagined—bombings, hijackings, so many needless deaths. He had left a trail of carnage and destruction across several worlds. Worst of all were the children, a school transport of little ones. The images were graphic. Her stomach heaved and she ran for the bathroom.

  Tanith leaned against the sink, mopping her face with a towel. Everything made sense—Raoul’s constant absences, his crazy friends and the hint of danger that always surrounded him. Her job at the military consortium—Raoul had organized that for her. He said that someone owed him a favor and she had believed him. Her stomach heaved again. How many people in the company thought she was like him? That she knew what Raoul had done and didn’t care? A quiet tap came on the door. Tanith splashed her face with cold water and returned to the ready room to face Strom.

  “I’m sorry, Ms. Jasson, but you had to know the truth. I don’t know what Captain Zander wants, but I have a crew of two hundred and nineteen men and women on board my ship. Their lives are my responsibility and I will not expose them to unnecessary danger. Do you understand?”

  Tanith nodded miserably.

  “Now before we meet our visitors, I need to ask you a question and please be honest with me. Am I in danger of…” he hesitated. Strom’s eyes met hers briefly and he looked
away. “Does Captain Zander or her crew present a danger to me personally?”

  He was asking about the Dermatrax. How could she have ever thought that trying to seduce the captain was a good idea? Now Strom looked so uncomfortable that she wanted to hug him, but after last night that would terrify him completely. “No. It’s an exclusive thing until it wears off or we are mated, then it would become permanent.”

  His face flushed. “Thank heavens for that. I mean…”

  Tanith sighed. “I know exactly what you mean.”

  The engines of the sleek shuttlecraft powered down and Captain Zander emerged, flanked by two females. Tanith heard Pete whistle under his breath and she was tempted to giggle. If they were back on Cyraelia, Alaysha and her crew would have been locked up.

  “Captain Hallstrom,” Alaysha almost purred as she offered him her hand. Tanith caught the heady scent of pheromones. Pete looked decidedly interested in her.

  “And Tanith, how good to see you again. I was sorry to hear about your loss.” When she snapped her fingers, the crewperson disappeared into the shuttle and returned with a box. “Just a few little gifts, darling, I wasn’t sure what the facilities would be like on a human ship.”

  “The facilities are fine, Alaysha. Thank you.”

  “Speaking of which, perhaps you and your crew would like some refreshments.” They followed the captain to the reception room and Tanith watched as Alaysha tried in vain to work her charms on Strom. Maybe last night’s exposure to the Dermatrax wasn’t such a bad thing after all. While he was under the influence of hers, Strom would be immune to other Cyraelian females. Pete was another story. He followed the redhead around like a puppy until Jake took him away to deal with an urgent problem in engineering.

  Alaysha made her way across the room. “I’m sorry you had to deal with all that unpleasantness alone, Tanith. Raoul didn’t tell me that he was returning to Cyraelia.”