by Aubrey Ross
Comet Coalition 1: Rebel
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Comet Coalition 1: Rebel © 2014 Aubrey Ross
Cover art by Dar Albert
Electronic book Publication, March 2014
Other Smashwords books by Aubrey Ross
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Author’s Note: All characters depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.
Comet Coalition 1: Rebel
Aubrey Ross
Rebel leader Corry Reah has a problem. His name is Ashton VinDerley. Though they are sworn enemies, she can’t make herself hate him. Compelling and powerful, he fascinates and seduces her, making her long for pleasures she has never known before. He teases and tempts, caresses and challenges until she forgets who is captive and who captor.
Korbin is having no better luck than his sister Corry. He has promised to keep his hands off stunningly beautiful Danette, but she haunts his dreams, summoning a dark, primitive part of his nature that he hasn’t indulged in years. How can he resist a captive who wants nothing more than to submit? She offers her body without reservation and he is powerless to resist. She is crucial to the upcoming negotiations, but Korbin is no longer sure he can set her free.
Part One: Corry
Chapter One
“They look ridiculous.” Corry Reah shook her head as she assessed the three hostages contained within the holding cell. They sat side by side on a metal bench, leaning against each other in a dazed stupor. Two were dressed in formal finery, the third in flannel pajamas.
Corry’s brother Korbin stood beside her, his expression even less hospitable than hers. “Wait until the sedative wears off. Then the real show will begin.”
“Did the other two give you any trouble?” Her voice sounded hushed, distracted.
From the beginning, the mission hadn’t gone as planned. All three of their targets had been scheduled to attend the New Year’s Gala. Palmer Boehme’s last-minute cancellation had forced the rebels to split up. Corry’s team collected Palmer from his university dormitory while Korbin executed the original plan.
“Danette went out like a light, but VinDerley fought forever,” Korbin explained.
Ashton VinDerley was the only son of Premier Hayford VinDerley, the most powerful man in the Comet Coalition. The other two hostages had similar pedigrees. Danette Tiptonn’s father was admiral of the Comet Coalition’s armed forces. Palmer Boehme’s mother was Chief Justice Renata Boehme.
“So, what’s next?” Corry turned from the vidscreen and faced her brother. This was all new to them. They’d participated in protests, organized rallies and encouraged demonstrations. They embraced the term “rebel”, but this was their first act of outright treason.
Korbin shrugged one shoulder with the practiced nonchalance he used to conceal his anxiety. The gesture didn’t fool Corry. She’d seen it too often over the past few weeks. “I want them to know about each other, so we’ll leave them together as the sedative wears off. Once they’re fully awake, we’ll then separate them and begin interrogation.”
“Do you really think they can tell us anything we don’t already know?”
He grinned. “There’s only one way to find out.”
Corry was uncomfortable with Korbin’s zealous tendencies. She’d been born after the comet hit their homeworld, so she’d only heard stories of what life had been like before the cataclysm. Poverty and hunger were inescapable realities for many on the coalition outposts. Still, she had known no other life.
Korbin refused to accept the dismal existence they were expected to endure while the privileged citizens of Halley Prime reveled in decadent luxury. He’d suppressed his radical ideals and violent impulses in deference to their father. But Simeon Reah was dead now, and Korbin was ready for war.
“When will you contact the coalition?” Corry glanced back at the images of their hostages. Ashton and Danette made a striking couple, both golden and elegant, with all of the physical enhancements money could buy. Palmer was younger. His dark head rested on Danette’s bare shoulder.
“Let them stew for three days. Then I’ll transmit our conditions.”
The executive council would tremble as they pondered the fate of their precious heirs. An unexpected pang of sympathy accompanied the thought. Corry squelched the unwanted pity and strengthened her resolve. The coalition leaders had brought this on themselves with their apathy and double standards.
“Let me start with the princess.” Corry tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she made the suggestion. “You take the college boy, and we’ll work together on his royal highness if we still have time.”
Korbin responded with a salacious smile. “How about I take the princess and you do whatever you want with the other two? Three days should be more than enough time—”
“You’re not going near Danette.” Corry braced for a fight. There was a predatory gleam in Korbin’s eyes every time he looked at Danette.
“I’ve never forced myself on a woman, but thanks for your confidence in my integrity. Do you honestly think I’d put pleasure above the cause?”
“Not intentionally.” She waited until he met her gaze to continue. “We didn’t snatch these three so we could exorcise our personal demons. I know beating VinDerley senseless and seducing the princess would be cathartic, but we have too much at stake to indulge our anger.”
“Fine.” The word sounded almost like a snarl. “But they can’t stay together. There’s strength in numbers and we need them weak.”
“We only have two holding cells equipped with full surveillance,” Corry reminded him. “Danette will be the first to accuse us of mistreatment. We better leave her in one of the cells.”
He nodded. “VinDerley is going to be our biggest challenge. Let’s take him out to the abandoned cellblock. It’s isolated enough no one will hear him scream.”
“That’s not funny,” Corry snapped. “The prisoners can’t be harmed. We have to—”
“I’ll give you round one.” He turned back to the vidscreen, his expression inscrutable.
“Round one?”
“All three hostages are yours to do with as you will until we have the first response from the coalition. If the leaders choose not to cooperate, I take over.”
It was a better compromise than she’d expected from her hotheaded brother. “Agreed.”
“Keep me informed of anything you discover. I’ll tell everyone this is your baby, at least for now.”
Corry nodded and Korbin left the control booth.
* * * * *
“Where are we, Ashton?” Danette asked quietly.
“I don’t know.” All Ashton had seen of their surroundings was the sterile holding cell. They could be anywhere in the star system.
The drug-induced haze had dissipated, but his limbs felt awkward, encumbered. Was this weakness a side effect of the sedative or were their captors using some sort of gravitational field to hamper their movements?
As if to answer his unspoken question, the pressure shifted. Ashton sighed and stretched his tired muscles. The gravitation in the room normalized, confirming his suspicion.
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The door panel raised and a woman strode into the room. Her thick dark hair was pulled straight back away from her heart-shaped face and clasped at the nape of her neck. Her head would tuck neatly under his chin yet authority emanated from her bearing.
Flanked by two uniformed guards, she was dressed casually in black slacks and an olive-green blouse. She wore no jewelry and no cosmetics that Ashton could detect. Dominated by large, bright green eyes, her features were too sophisticated for pretty yet not quite striking enough to be termed beautiful.
She approached Danette, grasped her shackled wrists and pulled the blonde to her feet. A small length of chain between the ankle cuffs made walking possible but awkward.
“Where are you taking me? Who the hell are you? What do you want with us?” Danette began immediately.
“You won’t be harmed if you follow my instructions. If you give me any trouble, I’ll leave you bound and gagged until this is over.” Though Danette was both taller and more voluptuous than the brunette, the stranger easily controlled the situation.
“You can’t treat us like this.” Uncertainty crept into Danette’s tone. “Do you know who we are?”
“This wasn’t a random act, Ms. Tiptonn. I’m fully aware of who you are, or more to the point, who you call ‘Father’.”
That shut her up, at least for the moment. The brunette motioned Danette from the cell, the guards following close behind. The door panel lowered a second after the guards cleared the threshold.
“They didn’t reactivate the gravitational field,” Palmer whispered.
“Then I doubt she’ll be gone long.”
“Did you recognize her?”
Ashton shook his head.
“Will they ransom us?”
“This isn’t about money.”
Confusion creased Palmer’s brow. “Then what the hell is going on?”
“The rebels claim the outposts are being neglected by the executive council. They’re dissatisfied with the living conditions and feel—”
“Why do you know so much about the rebels?” Palmer’s dark gaze bore into his.
Despite their dire circumstances, Ashton managed a smile. “I’ve been doing some research for my mother.”
“Your mother is interested in the rebels? They’ve been stirring up trouble longer than I can remember. Why does your father put up with it?”
“Why does he put up with the rebel demonstrations or why does he put up with my mother’s interest in them?”
“Both.”
The door opened and the woman stood in the opening, her arms clasped behind her back. Where were her guards?
“You will come with me, Mr. VinDerley.”
“For what purpose?” Ashton scooted to the edge of the bench and looked into her eyes.
“For the purpose of avoiding corporal punishment.” She delivered the statement without inflection yet suppressed emotion shimmered in her vivid green eyes.
He should do as she asked. He should cooperate, learn more about their situation, but she was such a tiny little thing. His pride let out a mighty roar. “Corporal punishment?” Pushing to his feet, he glanced into the corridor behind her, easily seeing over the top of her head. “And you intend to administer this punishment all by yourself?”
Palmer chuckled. The softness in her gaze vanished. She stalked toward him, pulling a small metallic wand from its clasp at her waist as she went. Before Ashton could anticipate the threat, she touched his shoulder with the wand. Intense, burning pain shot down his arm and across his chest. Ashton gasped, jerking back from the device.
“At a slightly higher setting it’s not necessary to touch you to cause you pain. At its highest setting you would be instantaneously incinerated. Do you require a more elaborate demonstration or shall we proceed?”
Spasms cramped his arm and shoulder. “What the hell is that thing?”
“A motivator. Don’t be fooled by my size or gender. I can control you and I will.” She nodded toward the door.
Ashton staggered past her as the pain began to recede. “What have you done with Danette?”
“She pissed me off, so I gave her to my men.”
He narrowed his gaze on her face. Was she provoking him or was she the heartless bitch she appeared? Power stirred within him, innate abilities he hadn’t utilized since his formal training eleven years before. “And how many men do you have?”
“Enough to keep her busy for quite some time.”
Pausing long enough to send a calming pulse through Palmer, Ashton moved into the corridor, the woman directly behind him. She held the wand in her right hand, a silent reminder that she expected him to behave.
“Where to?”
“Walk down that hall on your left until you reach the door.”
Accompanied by the musical jingle of his ankle restraints, Ashton headed down the corridor. Who was this woman? Why would she participate in treason? Ashton kept his empathic touch light as he scanned her emotions. Few could sense his presence. Still, he needed to be careful. Even those without telepathic abilities could learn to shield their minds. His greatest advantage came while others remained unaware of his abilities.
The intensity of her personality assailed him like a gale-force wind. Uncertainty twisted around rage. Grief distorted by frustration. He sensed the depth of her devotion and unflagging loyalty. Amazed by the purity of her dedication, he recognized the nature of her calling. She was a patriot, a true believer in her cause.
Ashton withdrew from her mind, reluctant admiration reshaping his initial impression of the little rebel. How did she maintain control in the face of those emotions?
In the midst of her anger and resentment, he’d also sensed isolation, a gaping void, a soul-deep longing for someone to share her life with. It was a weakness easily exploited, if he were ruthless enough to use her loneliness against her. She certainly hadn’t hesitated to use her weapon on him.
Moving up beside him as they reached the door, she pressed her palm against the security scanner. Her soft, floral scent drifted to him and instinct took over.
He leaned toward her and inhaled deeply, whispering in a sexy purr, “Very nice.”
Her gaze snapped to his as the door slid open. “Out.”
“Why do you bother with perfume when you’re trying so hard to be intimidating?”
She raised the wand. “Out.”
He stepped through the doorway and caught a glimpse of orange-tinted sky before they reached a tunnel entrance. Diffused lighting inset in the tunnel’s walls guided their steps. The concrete floor angled gradually downward before leveling off. The tunnel extended farther than the limited light allowed him to see.
Three of the six coalition settlements were located on planets with orange-tinted skies. This narrowed the possibilities somewhat—if he was still on a coalition planet.
The woman remained a step behind, but he could picture her delicate features clearly in his mind. His simple taunt had worked better than he expected. Frustration radiated off her in waves, like smoldering embers he would be happy to ignite.
The tunnel sloped upward. He slowed, searching the walls for surveillance equipment. “Do you have a name?”
“Yes.”
He glanced back and saw amusement gleaming in her eyes. “May I know it?” Pivoting on the ball of his foot, he blocked her path with his body.
She raised the motivator, her expression carefully guarded.
“Whose idea was it for you to handle me? Somehow I don’t think you came up with this yourself. Who put you up to it? They sure as hell know my taste in women.” He circled her, just out of reach. She’d said she could discharge the weapon, but he was nearly certain she hadn’t changed the setting. “Are they hoping I’ll overpower you? Will that give them justification to torture me? You’re very tempting bait.”
“No one is going to torture you.” She followed him with her gaze but not her body. “Just cooperate and no harm will come to you.”
He st
opped directly behind her, leaning in almost near enough to touch her. “There’s no surveillance in this tunnel. It’s just you and me.”
“And your restraints and my motivator,” she returned in the same silky tone.
“So the question becomes, can I snap your neck before you touch me with your magic wand?” Truth be told, he still felt woozy from the sedative and his muscles protested every movement. Could he push through the pain?
“I just adjusted it to kill and it’s pointed at your chest. Can you snap my neck before I push the button?”
He looked at her hand and found the wicked little wand skillfully reversed and angled in the general direction of his heart. “How about we barter?”
She stepped forward then spun around. “How about you do as you’re told while I still have a sense of humor?”
Her nipples formed distinct points against the sturdy fabric of her blouse and a deep flush colored her cheeks. Danger excited her. Or he excited her. His cock hardened, eager to explore her reaction.
“Tell me what to do.” He focused on her mouth. “How can I follow your directions when you haven’t told me to do anything?”
“Move down the tunnel—now!”
“Your nipples are hard, little rebel. I bet you’re soaking wet too. Did they tell you to fuck me or do you just want to?”
“Shut up!”
She darted behind him and gave the middle of his back a forceful shove. Ashton laughed. “Feel the front of my pants, sweetheart. They’re setting us up. Why are they dangling you in front of me like red meat before a lion? Make that soft, pink, succulent—” She slapped the back of his head, but Ashton only smiled. If she’d really wanted to hurt him she’d have used her magic wand. “Maybe they just want to watch. I’m game. Are you?”
Despite his provocation, she simply marched him out of the tunnel and toward the entrance to a long, low structure. Again Ashton had only a moment to survey his surroundings before they entered the building. There were other, similar barracks arranged in neat rows.
