by Averi Hope
A low animalistic growl sounded in the other Keltair’s throat. “The human way failed. Now you will try it the Keltair way. I will do all I can to help, but Kaden will be the most useful.”
Kaden. His other close friend from the academy. He was half Keltair…but it was the other half of his parentage that made him unique. And especially useful in situations like these.
A flicker of hope grew inside him. Then, an image of Erin’s angry face smothered it.
“Even with Kaden’s help, I cannot convince an unwilling female to choose me.”
Hunter smashed his fist on the top of the coffee table and rose. “We are Keltair males. We do not convince our females to choose us. We show them that there is no other choice but us.”
Caleb raised a brow. “Erin is not easy to convince.”
Hunter’s silver eyes seemed to darken. “Show her that you are the alpha. That you will protect her against all dangers. That you will stand before her. That you will rule her.”
Rule Erin? Caleb felt his lips curl into a slight smile. Was such a thing even possible?
His friend leaned in closer. “Brother, she can choose another male. You cannot choose another female. This is one battle you must win.” His voice grew quieter. “Unless you can imagine a world with her in the arms of another male.”
Never! Never!
But then there is only one other choice, a cruel voice whispered in the back of his mind.
Despite the ache that rose in Caleb’s chest at just the thought of fighting for Erin again, he knew the other Keltair was right. Last time, he had revealed his feelings for her and left his heart open. It had made it so easy for her to pluck it out and stomp on it. This time, he would not be so foolish.
But how could he get her to submit to him? To open herself up so that she, too, could feel the way their minds and souls connected?
The answer was simple. He would not make the same mistake as last time. He would teach her to obey him. To see him as the alpha strong enough to rule her. Then, she would come to him, and she would be his forever.
There was no other future for him.
Chapter Fourteen
Erin lay on her bed. Even though she was showered and fully dressed, she could smell Caleb everywhere. As if he was a part of her. She rubbed at the ache in her chest. How am I such an idiot?
Her throat felt tight. The man she’d loved for years, but swore he would never hurt her again, had hurt her…again. Because she was so damn stupid. Because she had drank too much and then welcomed him eagerly into her bed. She’d been won over by all his talk of forever and love.
Had he even said love?
Her heart gave a painful throb. Perhaps she’d just desperately wanted him to say love.
Put these thoughts out of your mind. You have a job to do.
She tried to embrace her anger, to focus on the task at hand. She’d learned that Ambassador Eupher was still sleeping, and she’d realized there would never be a better time to slip into his dreams than after he’d experienced a heavy night of drinking. He’d have less control.
But even that small hope was not enough to ease her tension. I’ve been drinking, too. Images filled her mind of the many dreams she’d Jumped into over the years. It was rare that one didn’t leave a scar inside her soul that could never be erased. She doubted this one would be any different.
Forcing her breathing to remain even, time ticked by. She pictured Ambassador Eupher. The dark fur that covered his massive body. His twin horns. His face, a frightening mix of man and bull.
She stared at the sickly green bubble that surrounded his dream. Her gut turned, but she clenched her fists. After studying his file, she’d already decided who she would look like. A female assistant he’d had for years, one who no doubt knew a great deal about his and Ahmed Zhou’s sex slave operation. Just focus, this could finally be the answer to stopping these bastards.
Her body shifted, and she glanced down to see the jet-black fur that covered her body. To her relief, she was wearing clothes that were conservative for a Vuret. A short, white leather skirt, and a silky top made of a yellow Vureteon snake.
Taking a deep breath, she strode into the dream.
The Ambassador was having sex, and to her horror, it was with her. With Erin. He was thrusting into her from behind. She was screaming, her pain evident as she begged him to stop.
She thought she might be sick. I don’t want to see this!
“Ambassador!” She fought to keep the rising hysteria from her tone.
He turned at the sound of her voice.
“We have work to do.”
“Now?” He glared at her, then slapped the naked dream Erin’s ass. “I’m busy.”
He pulled out of her and threw her to the ground while she screamed and tried to escape him.
Oh God!
“Ambassador! It’s about Ahmed Zhou.”
He grasped Erin’s hair, yanking her head back, then stuffed his dick into her mouth.
I am going to be sick.
“What does that damned Litcak want now?”
She swallowed the bile rising in her throat. “He wants to know how you are progressing.”
He thrust deeper into Erin’s mouth while she gagged. She tried to push at his thighs, scratching them with her nails but he laughed and hit her in the face, hard. The back of her head hit the ground with a sickening crunch, and her eyes rolled back.
“Everything is going perfectly according to plan. I setup the Watcher in Prince Hagtid’s daughter’s room. Our client is very pleased with her. In fact, after watching her undressing, showering, and touching herself this past day, he wants her even more. When we reach Sunja, I have arranged for her to be kidnapped. No one will connect her disappearance to us, and our client will pay us handsomely for having his little sex kitten.” His laugh was sickening. “She will be tied in his punishment chambers until she has satisfied every one of his fantasies. Then, he has guaranteed us that we can buy her back, at a lower cost, since she’ll be so badly used, and we can sell her again.”
Her heart pounded in her ears. What a sick piece of shit.
“He wanted to make certain that no one would tie this back to him.”
He laughed, a horrible sound as he continued pounding into her unconscious mouth. “We have been very careful. Every bit of information has been encrypted and hidden in Lord Dry-fen’s necklace. He is safe.”
She slowly backed out of his dream. “Very good.”
The real Erin narrowed her eyes. Enjoy your dream, asshole, because when I get done with you, you’ll be the one who’s fucked.
Chapter Fifteen
Erin Stowe glanced at Caleb out of the corner of her eye. His stern gaze was trained on the many important guests staring at the viewscreen. Don’t look at him!
But she couldn’t help but drink him in. He looked fine in his dark green uniform. It stretched across his broad shoulders and had been tailored to reveal his narrow waist. He’d cut his dark hair recently, but even so, it had a shaggy quality about it that made her think of a wild animal.
Against her will, her thoughts turned to their night together just two weeks before when he’d snapped, touching her the way she’d longed to be touched. The night they’d made love.
Don’t you mean had sex? the voice in the back of her mind snapped. When he used you?
She tensed as a familiar rush of embarrassment and anger came over her. It wasn’t that she thought he owed her something; it was the hard truth that she’d had to face afterward. She still loved him as fiercely as she had years ago. And when he’d touched her, speaking of forever, she’d fooled herself into believing he’d meant it.
That was until she’d woken up alone.
Her heart lurched. Being abandoned after their night together had been bad enough, but spending the past two weeks having him all but ignore her was even worse. He acted as if it’d never happened. More than that, he acted as if she meant nothing to him.
Before at least
she’d been able to bait him into a fight. Now, he seemed to avoid her at all costs. When she picked a fight, he barked out an order and left.
Our night together was probably just his way of showing me who is boss. The asshole.
“In just a moment, we’ll be disengaging the M-warp drive,” Caleb announced to the room, tearing her from her thoughts.
Reluctantly, she looked away from Caleb to the viewscreen. Stars were streaks of white against the blackness of space. This was the first Earth ship to be built using an M-warp drive, so to most of the humans, this was a huge moment. Erin, on the other hand, had traveled on many alien crafts with her father, so she wasn’t the least bit impressed with the technology.
Suddenly, there was the slightest shift beneath her feet, and the streaks of light changed, narrowing from streaks to pinpoints of light. A pink-and-orange planet came onto the viewscreen, surrounded by a sky full of stars.
“As you can see,” Caleb continued, “we’ve disengaged our M-warp drive and arrived at Sunja in half the time it typically would have taken.”
Applause broke out over the eighty or so guests reclined in large chairs in the lavishly decorated lounge. Most of the humans looked relieved. The alien guests looked drunk or bored.
“The captain will be down soon to discuss the agenda for going planetside,” Caleb finished.
The clapping slowly stopped, and the buzz of conversation filled the air. Illumina Bugs flew lazily above the guests’ heads, their gentle golden glow giving off a soft light, not unlike a hundred tiny candles. A band of Sunja singers in one corner began a high-pitched song in their expressive language.
The party was beginning. Time to slip out.
But a tingle ran across Erin’s skin, rooting her to the spot. Her gaze swept across the crowd, briefly lingering on Lord Dry-fen and Ambassador Eupher who were smirking and whispering to each other. Her gaze unconsciously went to the golden chain around Lord Dry-fen’s neck. They’re no doubt talking about the young woman they plan to sell as a sex slave soon, the perverts. It’ll be fun when they realize I’m one step ahead of them.
But they weren’t the ones making the hairs on her arms stand on end.
Her gaze finally connected with Kaden Surleii, the half Keltair head of communications.
Just my luck that Caleb brought both of his half Keltair buddies from the Earth Academy to make my life just a little harder. Fate had no doubt brought the three handsome men together at the academy, since the Earth Academy had just recently started allowing Keltairs to attend, but bad luck had certainly brought them all to her ship.
Okay, so not luck. Getting any kind of position would’ve been almost impossible without Caleb’s help. The two other men just looked too much like Keltairs, and the prejudice against their people still ran too deep. Even though she felt an uncomfortable admiration for Caleb for sticking his neck out for his friends, when being a half Keltair himself would make his life hard enough, it didn’t make the fact that Kaden was always staring at her any easier.
His blue eyes ringed with silver held her with an intensity that took her breath away. He was handsome, with his hair so dark it was almost blue and classic good looks. And yet… he creeped her out more than the two sex-trafficking monsters put together.
Probably because at least you know what kind of sickos the two perverts working for Ahmed are. There’s something…off… about him.
Uniformed servers entered the room, blocking her view of the strange half Keltair. She blinked, freeing herself from his spell. I bet his buddy Caleb knows why he always seems to be staring at me. The two probably have a good laugh whenever they talk about the pathetic human who slept with him so easily.
Or maybe Caleb never talks about me at all.
Her chest ached, but she clenched her fists, focusing on anything but the hurt searing in her heart. The servers handed out a bubbly pink drink, the official alcoholic beverage of Sunja. She shook her head as they offered her a glass, and she noted Caleb did the same. Guests accepted the drinks readily before more servers entered the lounge carrying more trays, these ones with delicacies from the planet below.
Caleb turned and walked past her, so close that she caught his powerful scent, earthy and masculine rolled into one. Foolishly, she inhaled sharply. God. How she missed the smell of him. Seriously? That’s just pathetic, she scolded herself.
“Lieutenant Commander, with me,” he ordered harshly, not bothering to turn back around once he’d passed.
She jumped a little at the sound of his voice. That’s what I get for being lost in thought when I should be focused on the job at hand.
Clenching her fists until her nails cut into the palms of her hands, she willed herself not to strike him right there. How dare he make her love him again and then act like such an ass! She strode after him, glaring at his back. Wishing, desperately, that she could take her anger out on him. Shooting lasers from my eyes seems like a damn good idea right now!
When they reached the doors to the exit, he paused. “I want you to coordinate with the head of communications about transportations for our guests to and from Sunja.” He gestured at someone behind her.
You’ve got to be kidding me. Not Kaden Surleii.
“Commander Fallow, did you need something?” Kaden’s soft voice came from directly behind her.
She stiffened, but refused to show the two males how much she disliked this arrangement. And how close both of them were standing to her.
“Yes.” Caleb cleared his throat. “Lieutenant Stowe will be your liaison for everything regarding the civilian visits to the planet.”
“Very good, Commander.”
They both looked at her expectantly.
“Yes, sir,” she responded to Caleb’s order.“Also, I need to inform you that my father will be joining us on Sunja.”
Shock filled Caleb’s dark eyes. “Fleet Admiral Stowe will be on the planet’s surface?”
For some reason she enjoyed the fact that the captain hadn’t told him. “Yes, Commander. And he’ll be joining us on board until his liaison with The Allure.”
He clenched his jaw and took a step closer to her. “Why wasn’t I told?”
It was hard to look innocent, but damn it, she tried. “Maybe the captain thought it was on a need-to-know basis.”
His eyes narrowed, probably because of the satisfaction so poorly concealed in her voice. “I’ll have a word with him. But next time, you can consider me one of the people who should be included on such information. There are preparations to make.”
“Yes, Commander,” she said, her response containing a bit of mockery. “So, would you prefer someone else handle coordination details with my father?” Her last sentenced held just enough innocence that she could visibly see his irritation rising.
“You damn well know I won’t be the one to take the admiral’s daughter from him.” He leaned over her, his intoxicating scent surrounding her as powerfully as his gaze held hers. “But you will still work with Communications Officer Surleii until then.”
Just spit out the words ‘yes sir.’ Stop trying to antagonize him because you’re angry.
But she couldn’t.
She looked back at Kaden, allowing her gaze to slide down him slowly. “Yes, Commander. I’d be glad to.”
Caleb’s gaze was as dark as an approaching thunderstorm. His eyes flashed like lightning. He opened his mouth, then clamped it shut. Spinning on his heel, he stormed from the room, sucking all the air out with him.
It was wrong, but she felt hope surge inside her. So he does still care about me!
Kaden cleared his throat behind her.
She sighed. She might have won this battle, but she certainly lost the war.
“Shall we get started then?” she asked, not allowing her tone to give away exactly how much she wished she could do anything but that.
She stared at the door where Caleb had exited. Why is it that every time he leaves it hurts all over again?
A short time lat
er, Erin was staring across her desk at the half Keltair whose easy smile made her feel as if insects were crawling on her skin. Why is it the first friendly Keltair I’ve met has to be so strange?
She clenched her fists. Stop staring at me. Erin glared at Kaden over her cup of coffee.
To her surprise, he stiffened and looked away, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Are those all your orders, Lieutenant Commander?”
Her office chair squealed as she shifted in it. She tried to look intimidating, even though her office was just about the least impressive room on the ship. A damn shoe box on a brand-new ship. Nice. I’d earn more respect if I met this Keltair in a closet. Her gaze flickered around the beige walls, dark wood desk, and the two matching chairs squished in front of it.
Remember, it isn’t about the luxurious perks; it’s about my resume. This will take me one step closer to my goal.
No matter how awful it is working with Caleb.
Against her will, her thoughts turned to him. Again. She hoped he was going nuts, imagining what trouble she’d get into with the handsome alien in front of her. But her brain said he probably hadn’t given her another thought. I shouldn’t be thinking about him, either.
She took a slow sip of her coffee, realizing that Kaden was staring at her again. What were they talking about? Oh yeah, her orders…
“Inform the civilians they have three days on the planet’s surface. Stick to Alliance-approved areas of Belta only, and no animals or vegetation may be brought aboard. As long as you’ve got that, it should be good enough. Also, let them know to check their transportation times carefully. If they miss a pickup, they’ll need to wait until the next one arrives. And if they miss our final one, they’ll have to hitch a ride to the next planet on our list to meet up with us there.”
He gave a sharp nod. “I’ll translate it to all requested languages and make sure both our alien passengers and our Sunja officials know the expectations.”
“Very good,” she said. “I guess that’s all.”
