Daughters of Lyra: Heart of a Mercenary

by Felicity Heaton

  Her heart sunk into her stomach.

  Eryc shot her a wide smile and winked before he walked out of the door. She watched Nostra leave, the door close, and then looked at Kosen.

  They were going to sell her on the black market. Panic rapidly filled every inch of her and she did the only thing that she could think of to convince Kosen.

  She kissed him.

  Before he could move away to lock the door, she clumsily pressed her mouth against his and kissed him. Inexperience made fear pound in her heart. She was still opening and closing her mouth, gaping like a Gavaelian carp, after he had backed off a step.

  Miali slowly opened one eye and then the other, dying inside when she saw that Kosen looked as though she had slapped him. His eyes were wide but their black irises held anger. Not quite the reaction that she had expected.

  Perhaps she should have taken her brothers up on their offer to get her a couple of men from Lyra Six, the pleasure planet, for her coming of age present.

  Maybe then she wouldn’t have felt like such an idiot right now and Kosen would have been putty in her hands.

  “I’m sorry.” She looked down at her feet but could only see her cleavage. Her heart was pounding so hard that she could see it beating. A blush of shame coloured her cheeks and she felt as though she was red from head to toe.

  What kind of romantic idiot was she that she thought she could sway him with a kiss?

  Especially a kiss as pathetic as that one.

  He was probably going to tell her how much more she would be worth now that she had proven herself an innocent and was a princess to boot.

  She tensed when his hand came into view. He cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing across it. Her cheek was damp. She had been crying. The galaxy had started to look a little blurred. She blinked and sent the tears running down to her jaw. His thumb continued to lightly caress her face as he raised her head. She looked out of the corner of her eye at the wall, too embarrassed to look at him.

  “I’ll help you,” Kosen said and her gaze shifted to meet his. “Although I’m not offering because you kissed me. Just so we’re straight.”

  “Oh,” she said and bit her lip. Why did he have to add that? For a moment, she had thought that perhaps her kiss hadn’t been that bad.

  “Although...” He dipped his head and her eyes went wide when his lips grazed hers in a light kiss. Her heart thumped so hard that she was sure he would be able to feel it against his chest.

  His hand held her cheek as his other claimed her waist. Her eyes slipped shut when he tilted his head and deepened the kiss, his tongue brushing her lips. She tentatively brought hers to meet it and a jolt ran through her when they touched. A moment later, she melted into him, no longer aware of their surroundings.

  She was only aware of this kiss, of the feel of his body against hers and the incredible warmth that was filling every inch of her as their tongues stroked one another, their mouths fused as though they were one.

  His lips left hers and she stayed there, her head tilted, eyebrows raised, eyes closed and mouth open.

  Her breath left her in a sigh.

  That was definitely a better kiss than the one she had given him.

  “Kosen,” she said and opened her eyes. He smiled at her, revealing sharp pointed teeth that left her wondering how she hadn’t cut herself when they had been kissing. “I’m royalty. Whatever money you need to gain your sisters’ freedom, I can give you it, in exchange for my own.”

  He nodded, as though he had already figured out what she had been about to offer him earlier.

  “I can’t get you out of here though,” he said.

  She looked at the restraints and remembered what he had said.

  Only Nostra could open the cuffs.

  “When?” Miali said, hoping that he wasn’t about to change his mind. He looked worried, as afraid as she felt, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes. Her brothers had that look sometimes, and her father. Normally it was before they did something ridiculously dangerous and heroic.

  “Tomorrow.”

  “At the market?”

  He nodded.

  He was going to wait until the market to set her free. But surely Nostra, Eryc and the others would be there to guard her. She wouldn’t be alone with Kosen. How was he planning to help her escape?

  “I think now might be better—”

  “Not a word,” he said and silenced her with a brief kiss that sent her head spinning. He pressed his forehead against hers and whispered against her lips, “Tomorrow. Only one person is authorised to enter the medical examination room with you.”

  “A doctor?” she said and her breath bounced back from his lips. Her heart skipped a beat and she was thankful that most of her genes had come from her father. Right now, she couldn’t imagine how dizzying the beat of two racing hearts would be.

  “That would be me,” he whispered and reached around behind her. His wrist brushed her neck as he loosed her hair and then ran his fingers through it. “We’ll need to move fast. I’ll plan it all tonight. You must eat to keep your strength up and to silence Nostra. I’ll lock the door with a new combination and keep an eye on everyone to make sure no one comes down here.”

  The thought of him leaving her alone again made her want to protest but she knew better than to say anything. He was doing all that he could to keep her safe. He had even fought one of his comrades. If he didn’t go back to the others, they would become suspicious of him. She could only wait and pray.

  “We will drop to sub-space again.”

  Those words made her feel sick. He opened a pouch on his belt and took out a yellow pill.

  “Swallow this. It will ease your nausea and help you sleep through the journey.”

  She opened her mouth, willing to take the pill if it meant that she wouldn’t be ill when they went into sub-space. Kosen had no reason to lie to her about it or try to poison her. She could see in his expression that he only wanted to help her.

  When she had swallowed the pill, he turned away from her.

  He picked up the protein pack and bit into the corner. The thought of having to swallow the disgusting liquid made her stomach turn but Kosen was right. She had to keep her strength up.

  She closed her eyes when he brought the pack to her lips and grimaced as she swallowed down its contents. The gooey liquid made her want to retch but she held it down. When the pack left her lips, she opened her eyes to find Kosen smiling at her.

  He really was handsome. His smile made her heart flutter and sent warm tendrils outwards from it. They stretched through her until her whole body was hot, yearning for his touch and the feel of his lips against hers. Her hair floated upwards and his smile widened when he stroked his fingers through it.

  “This is beautiful, honest,” he said in a low voice as his gaze followed his fingers through her hair. Her breath left her when his eyes met hers and he whispered, “You’re beautiful.”

  “Kosen, I...” There was so much that she wanted to say but, when she thought about it, it all sounded so ridiculous. She wanted to tell him that she thought he was handsome, that a male had never affected her this much before, and that she wanted him to kiss her again.

  “Try to get some sleep,” he said and she nodded.

  She watched him leave, her heart heavy with regret. Now that he was gone, the words came easily, but it was too late to say them. She held them inside, thinking about them and wondering if they were real and not just a reaction to her situation.

  The door locks clicked into place.

  The lights dimmed.

  With the darkness came the creeping doubts but this time the chill didn’t reach her heart. She stared into the darkness, at the point where Kosen had stood not moments before. Tomorrow they would take her to market.

  She closed her eyes when she felt the ship shift into sub-space and was relieved when she didn’t feel sick. Her head felt strangely heavy and she yawned as a sudden wave of tiredness broke over her. Unable to
fight it, she began to drift off, wondering what Kosen was planning and whether it would work.

  In the comforting blackness of sleep, her mind surrendered its fight against her feelings and her heart took over. She realised that she hadn’t kissed Kosen purely to make him help her. She had kissed him because she was attracted to him, because she saw a good man in him, one that she was falling for. She wanted to help him too. She prayed to Iskara that Kosen’s plan worked and they would both be free.

  One fear settled in her heart and wouldn’t leave.

  Would he stay with her?

  Or would he leave her once he had his sisters?

  ****

  Chapter 6

  The cuffs bit into Miali’s wrists, holding them behind her back. Her eyes darted around the dark market. Stalls draped with tattered rich brown and dirty grey coverings packed the large space. The air was thick with the smell of spices, food, and medicines. An acrid stench wafted from one of the small tents that they passed and she glanced in, only to choke and turn away when she saw a big fat blue Sekarian male dissecting a young child and dropping pieces into a flaming pot.

  Kosen’s grip on her right arm tightened, as though he was silently asking if she was all right. She tensed her arm to try to tell him that she was. She had never imagined how horrifying the universe could be. This was worse than any report she had ever read or anything she had ever seen. And she was about to become a part of this darker side of the galaxy, if Kosen couldn’t save her. She kept her head turned towards him for a moment longer and then glanced to her left.

  Her other arm was held by a man that had to be Sasue. He was at least a head taller than Kosen, and as broad as Nostra. Patchy black matted hair half hid his ugly scarred face. The long strands were each the width of her finger and shifted as he moved, swaying side to side with his heavy gait.

  He grinned down at her, his smile showing every disgusting perverted thought that crossed his mind. His muscles rippled under the tight black flight suit when he gripped her wrist a little tighter. She turned away from him, frightened of the things she had seen in his eyes and the way his thumb stroked her arm as light as a lover’s caress. Soon she would be free of him. Soon.

  Nostra walked ahead of them, his bulky frame and confident swagger clearing a path through the crowd. The people that passed them were mostly males, all as dirty and dangerous looking as Nostra and Sasue. Kosen didn’t seem to fit in this underworld. He was pale, face clean, his black hair spiked up. His flight suit fit snugly over his slim, toned body. A glimmer of intelligence shone in his eyes. He was the opposite of practically every male here.

  His dark eyes held a spark of concern when they met hers. She went to smile but stopped herself, aware that someone was watching them.

  Behind them walked the female crewmember, a beautiful young Minervan with pale gold streaks in her black hair. The gun that she carried looked far too big for her to handle but something told Miali that she wouldn’t have a problem. There had been a dark look in the female’s eyes when she had seen her. It spoke of hatred and violence. She was as heartless as the male crew was.

  Eryc walked beside the female. He wore a black flight suit similar to the Minervans, as though he was a part of the crew now. His cocksure smile hadn’t faded. Miali was itching to wipe the intensely smug look off his face and make him pay for what he had done to her. If she couldn’t get revenge on him for his betrayal then she hoped that Nostra killed him when she had escaped. He had to pay.

  Gunfire erupted, bright yellow laser streaks flashing through the air, illuminating the market.

  Miali dropped to her knees, her heart beating painfully fast and her body trembling. Kosen dropped with her and, when she looked at him, she saw that he was holding a weapon. He had a gun. Perhaps they could escape after all.

  His body covered hers, his arm tight around her, shielding her. A loud blast shocked her hearing into deafness on her left side. She wished that she could cover her ears when Sasue fired the massive rifle again. He slowly walked forwards until he was beside Nostra.

  Nostra held his hand up and Sasue stopping firing. Miali looked through the gaps in their legs at the market ahead of them. There was a fight. One male with a laser gun was facing off against three others. Several dead bodies lay at his feet in a creeping pool of blood. Another blast lit the air and the remaining male fell to join his comrades. A matter of seconds later, the market was back to normal, as though nothing had happened.

  Kosen pulled her up onto her feet and held her wrist again. Sasue dropped back and grabbed her other arm. Again, she was walking forward towards her fate. She glanced down at the dead men as they passed, forcing herself to look at them and see what was happening in the universe. Their skin was charred black from the blasts of the laser guns. Blood coated the floor and their bodies. Lifeless eyes stared into infinity.

  “Come,” Kosen said close to her ear and Miali realised that she had slowed down while she had been looking at the dead males.

  Miali turned away from them and held her head high, blinking away her tears as they entered an open square. There were several cages in the centre. Their walls of solid steel bars held the females they contained captive while giving the males milling around a perfect view of them. The females were nude, all huddled together in the middle of the cages, desperately trying to cover themselves. Males patrolled the area, occasionally prodding the females with long poles to make them come out of their huddle. In the midst of the cages was a raised platform. She knew what happened there. If Kosen couldn’t save her, she would soon be in one of these cages, naked for every man to letch over, and then she would find her fate on that stage. Her heart continued to beat hard and fast, adrenaline and fear making her shake. Kosen had to save her. She didn’t want to become some sick male’s property.

  The group stopped and Kosen’s hand again tightened around her wrist. She frowned at Nostra as he spoke to someone a short distance away. The slim blue hairless Sekarian male glanced across at her, running his gaze down her body, and nodded as though in approval. A twisted smile touched his dark blue lips and a satisfied look entered his all-black eyes. Nostra grinned along with him. Eryc moved past her and Nostra glared at him as he spoke to the Sekarian. She wished that she could hear what they were saying. They were discussing her fate. She wanted to know what it would be if she couldn’t escape.

  Her heart picked up speed when all three men turned to look at her. It jumped against her chest when Sasue pushed her forwards and she walked towards the Sekarian. His grin widened when she reached him and he moved around her. She turned her head, trying to see what he was looking at and flinched when he placed his hands on her, patting and touching every part of her.

  “Well?” Nostra said in Sekarian, an impatient look on his face.

  “I will bill her,” the Sekarian said and moved around in front of her. He preened a hand over his bald head, stroking it as he smiled. She hated the thought that he had placed those hands on her. He stepped forwards and she tried to back away.

  Her stomach turned when he cupped her breasts and looked as though he was considering opening her flight suit to inspect them.

  “She will need medical,” he said and released her breasts. “We make sure you not lie.”

  Sekarians were an ugly race with an ugly language that she was starting to wish she didn’t understand. Some of the languages that the crowds around her were speaking were unrecognisable without her translator. She stopped herself from looking at Kosen. How many languages could he speak? Could he speak enough to get them off this backwater spaceport and across the galaxy to somewhere safe?

  “Who is medical officer?” The Sekarian looked at all of the men.