Ravenous Virtue

by Tracy St. John

  Vendeen yawned. “Delightful, isn’t it?”

  “Vendeen will be muzzled.” There was a note of triumph in Daagiis’ tone when he said that. “I will claim he has tried to bite others, but of course it’s to keep his identity hidden. Would you like to choose your name for this adventure, or do you wish me to give you one, Vendeen?”

  “I will go by Abnet. It’s an ancestral name, but one Hanos is not aware of.”

  “Abnet it is. I do have one concern when it comes to meeting with Saazeer.”

  Vendeen nodded. “The claim of due property.”

  Raven asked, “What’s that?”

  Daagiis’ smile disappeared entirely. “Saazeer’s family and mine arranged for our pairing when we were still children. Mate contracts stipulate that if one party refuses to wed, they relinquish all property to the other. When I chose to stay with Vendeen rather than fulfill my contractual obligations, I had to surrender all my lands and belongings to Saazeer.”

  Raven whistled. “That’s pretty rough. Did you have a lot?”

  He nodded. “I was extremely well off. Should Saazeer suspect either of you were my slaves at the time I broke the contract, he will demand I hand you over.”

  She stared at the face-changer. “You mean, we’d have to be Saazeer’s sex slaves?”

  “Yes. No doubt he has brought along enforcers and protectors as part of his entourage, who will see to it all contractual obligations are met.”

  Raven was not pleased by this turn of events. “But you don’t really own us. I wasn’t around when you broke up with Saazeer.”

  “True. I doubt there will be much difficulty with convincing him you cannot be seized. However, he knows I did not return to Paatuun because my heart had been taken. He will suspect Vendeen is the cause of that.”

  Raven rubbed her hands over her face. “Oh boy. This is getting complicated.”

  Vendeen nodded. “It is. The truth is, there was a time before Saazeer called on Daagiis to swear his vows when the roles were reversed. For a time, I was under the control of Daagiis. Under Paatuun law, I am property that can be confiscated.”

  Daagiis’ eyes narrowed. “We are not in Paatuun space, and I am not about to let Saazeer have you.”

  Raven fingered a knife on her belt. “Me neither.”

  Daagiis sighed. “It could be we will all be killed by Saazeer’s people, sparing Hanos the pleasure.”

  Vendeen offered him a grim smile. “I guess we have to take whatever good we can out of the situation.”

  Conversation died for some time after that. The flight was several hours long. Raven thought it might have even stretched on for over a day, though she didn’t ask to confirm it. They ate re-constituted food. Slept. Talked.

  Daagiis gave Raven pointers on how to behave like a Paatiin slave. All the rules made her head spin until she finally spluttered, “Why don’t you just download it into my head? I’m never going to remember all this!”

  “You’ll be fine. I’m going to tell them you’re fairly new anyway, which is true. They’ll expect mistakes, and it will be even more proof to Saazeer that you are new and not eligible for his claim.”

  She blew out a breath. “Have I mentioned how this totally sucks?”

  “Many times.”

  “Good. Then there’s no chance you’ll think I feel otherwise.”

  Vendeen chuckled. “Our Raven is made for stand-up fighting, not subterfuge.”

  The only escape from the mingled boredom of the flight and tension from what lay ahead was sleep. Raven took advantage of that as many times as her body would allow, curling on Daagiis’ lap with her head supported on Vendeen’s thigh. She fell asleep with their hands stroking her hair, face, and body. It would have been nice if she hadn’t been so worried about their mission.

  Despite all her concerns, their touches lulled her, and she was able to rest. When a sharp pinging sound woke her, she sprang to her feet, alert and ready for trouble.

  Daagiis looked at the monitor in front of them. “That’s the Tansur Colony. We are on final approach.”

  Raven looked at the bright blue moon on display. It orbited a large gas giant in the solar system they’d come to. The planet was impossible for human life, but the men had assured her Tansur was completely habitable. There was even a small city on its surface, run by a lawless group of smugglers and pirates. A perfect place for Hanos and Taambaa, in short.

  Vendeen grimaced as he climbed to his feet. “Time for the slaves to get naked.”

  “And tagged.” Daagiis smiled as he held up what looked like a metallic gun. Raven eyed it with suspicion, but when Vendeen began to undress, she followed suit.

  Daagiis watched them strip with undisguised pleasure. His crotch swelled as he looked back and forth between Vendeen and Raven. “My darlings, you two are just too beautiful. I might be disappointed if Saazeer doesn’t try to confiscate you.”

  “I wasn’t aware you wanted to see him dead,” Vendeen said. He turned so his ass was in Daagiis’ face. “Go ahead and get this over with.”

  “As you wish, my darling.” The face-changer pressed the barrel of the tagging gun to the base of Vendeen’s spine, just above the beginning swell of his buttocks. It made an unimportant clicking sound.

  Vendeen didn’t even wince. “Painless, at least physically,” he told Raven.

  She traded places with him. The cold metal against her skin made her shiver, but there was absolutely no other sensation as the gun clicked again. She felt no different.

  “Kneel,” Daagiis commanded.

  Both Vendeen and Raven immediately fell to their knees. They both shot glares over their shoulders at him.

  He shrugged. “Just making sure the commands work properly.”

  “You can see they do,” Vendeen said. “Now release us.”

  Daagiis chuckled as he got to his feet. “You are free. For now.”

  The moment Raven rose, the face-changer swept her hair to one side and began fiddling with her collar. “I’ll keep this with me in case you get separated and we need to track you,” he said. “It’s programmed to a signal in the brain matrix, so if someone does decide to steal you, we’ll be able to get you back.”

  “That’s a relief,” Raven said. She tried not to notice how vulnerable she felt without Vendeen’s symbol of mastery on her when Daagiis removed it. Instead of being relieved to lose the weight, she felt lonely. Adrift.

  Daagiis twirled the golden ring around one finger as he went to the far wall, where there were no seating benches or a monitor. At his command, the wall separated much as the exterior one had to allow them to board the ship. Daagiis reached in and drew out what looked like ceremonial robes. They were a vertical rainbow of startlingly deep colors and shimmered with a metallic sheen that reminded Raven of Vendeen’s skin.

  Taking the one-piece bodysuit off, Daagiis slipped the robes around his body and tied them off with a black belt. Into that he slipped the knives he’d worn on his bandoleer. He put on socks with rubbery soles that looked good for traction.

  “I don’t like that you’re not wearing the armored onesy,” Raven scowled.

  He glanced at her, one eyebrow rising. “I don’t like that you and Vendeen aren’t wearing armor either. However, it would be unthinkable for my slaves to be clothed, and it would be seen as a challenge to Saazeer for me to be armored. The more defenseless we appear, the less call he has to attack us. The knives are allowed because they are often as much ceremonial as they are weapons.”

  Daagiis brought out a bin with a handle and placed all their clothes inside it. Raven saw more folded pieces in the small suitcase-like tote, including what she thought was her camosuit and a few guns.

  “What if they decide to search that?” she asked.

  “Then I will have much to explain,” was his dry response.

  The ship pinged again, and Daagiis spoke quickly in his own language. When he was done with that, he gave Vendeen and Raven a weak smile.

  “We are in fina
l approach and docking within three minutes. I have one last thing to take care of.”

  He reached in the closet and drew out a face mask that seemed to be made of thick gray leather straps. The horrid thing reminded Raven of Hannibal Lecter’s headgear in the movie Silence of the Lambs. Her stomach lurched.

  “That thing is awful.”

  Daagiis nodded his agreement. “It will keep Vendeen unidentified, and therefore, alive. Slip it on, my darling, and I’ll secure it for you.”

  Vendeen made a sound that was very much like an angry dog’s growl, apropos for what he was about to wear. Despite his obvious dislike of the situation, he put it on. It covered the top of his head, his temples, and everything from just beneath his nose to his chin. It really was an excellent disguise, Raven thought. Perhaps Hanos would know Vendeen if he got up close and had a good look, but from a distance, his identity wouldn’t be obvious.

  She helped Daagiis strap it on. They had just finished when a voice suddenly spoke, filling the ship’s cabin. It was in the language Daagiis had used before, and he answered. They went back and forth for a couple of minutes, the tension apparent in the tones and in Daagiis’ expression. His lips thinned, his eyes narrowed, and his posture went stiff as the conversation went on. Raven watched him and worried.

  At last the exchange ended. Daagiis offered her and Vendeen a tight smile. “Saazeer’s security head challenged our approach, and I made the request that we might join his delegation in his Tansur lodgings. After much haggling, Saazeer has agreed to meet with me. Remember, do not look them in the face, do not speak, and obey whatever you are told to do, no matter what it is.”

  Raven swallowed. Daagiis’ instructions left a lot of potential trouble for her and Vendeen.

  Daagiis shifted. His appearance became more androgynous, with his chiseled perfection softening, hovering between the masculine and feminine. His hair lengthened to lay slightly below shoulder length and became brighter, almost matching Vendeen’s for its gold glory. His shoulders remained broad, but the hint of breasts swelled the top of his robes, and his hips curved outward, giving him a more hourglass appearance.

  At Raven’s questioning stare, Daagiis smiled bitterly. “This was always how Saazeer preferred me to look. Hopefully, it will aid my negotiations with him.”

  His voice muffled by his mask, Vendeen said, “It is how you looked when we first met. Now I remember why I keep you around.”

  Daagiis gave him a sly wink. They all started as soft thuds sounded in the ship. There was the sensation of settling.

  “We’ve landed,” Daagiis said. “All right, here we go.”

  He stood before the wall where the hatch had appeared when they’d first climbed aboard. His head was up, his smile cocksure and slightly arrogant. Raven crossed her fingers for a moment, a superstitious attempt at making this endeavor go well. She took her place behind and to Daagiis’ left while Vendeen positioned himself at the right. They bowed their heads, and Raven’s curtain of black curls swept forward, hiding much of her face.

  She didn’t see the hatch draw open, but the light footsteps of others entering the ship alerted her to the fact they were no longer alone. Then movement happened at the top of her sight. With her head lowered, Raven could only see the hems of robes similar to Daagiis’ as he was greeted.

  To Raven’s surprise, the smooth tenor spoke in the language she understood rather than Daagiis’ native tongue. “Greetings Daagiis, child of the esteemed Taanaan.”

  Daagiis answered. “Greetings, Laaruu. It has been a long time.”

  “So it has. I see you brought peace offerings.”

  “You know me better than that.” Daagiis’ tone held a note of warning.

  Laaruu sounded amused. “I do. However, the esteemed Saazeer might see them as such. Troublesome one here?”

  “Abnet is a bit problematic, but I haven’t had him very long. I didn’t want him gnawing off the esteemed Saazeer’s arm or leg.”

  It took Raven a moment to remember ‘Abnet’ was the name Vendeen was going by on this mission. She scowled to herself. If she called him by his real name by mistake, such a small slip could be enough to undo them. She would have to keep her wits about her better.

  Laaruu said, “I will have to see that their tags are properly set and that they carry no weapons secreted on their persons.”

  Daagiis sounded bored. “Of course. I would expect nothing less of the head of the esteemed Saazeer’s security. Mind the female, though. She is new and a bit feisty at times.” He eased back to stand between Raven and Vendeen. “Step forward for inspection, my darlings, and behave yourselves.”

  His ‘slaves’ obeyed him. Robed Paatiin surrounded them, the man who’d spoken to Daagiis coming up to Raven. She dared to peek up through her mass of curls at him, hoping the heavy tresses would shield her action.

  Laaruu’s hair was as pitch black as Raven’s and long to his waist. His features were androgynous like the way Daagiis currently appeared. It made him seem a beautiful boy until one noted the swell of breasts beneath his robes. His eyes were an amazing turquoise shade, his lips full and kissable. As lovely as Laaruu was to look at, Raven wondered why a face-changer in charge of Saazeer’s security wouldn’t make himself much more masculine and powerful.

  It could have something to do with creating an aura of non-threat. If Laaruu was half as dangerous as Daagiis, the false sense he created of someone who wasn’t much trouble could lure the nefarious out into the open.

  Those strangely beautiful eyes searched her bowed head, as if trying to see past the mass of black curls. Raven dropped her eyes before she could be caught looking.

  The robed group of greeters moved all around Raven, looking her over. There were three of them. Raven saw they were heavily armed with pistols and knives where their thin but complicated layers of robes separated here and there. Raven wondered if the Paatiin firearms had the explosive bullets; the real versions of the sim guns she’d practiced with.

  Laaruu passed a small handheld wand over her body. Raven did a quick access of her programs to discover it was a scanning device, a piece of Paatuun technology that searched for weapons secreted in orifices. It also gathered information from the tag Daagiis had implanted at the base of her spine.

  None of the Paatiin touched her, but they studied her closely, so closely that she could feel their breath on her skin and the heat of their bodies. They smelled as Daagiis did. A light and extremely pleasurable aroma like that of expensive cologne wafted from them.

  Laaruu spoke again. “The tags are good. Both are fairly new.”

  Daagiis sighed. “As I said.”

  “You did. Freeze them for internal searches, if you please?”

  “Of course.” Daagiis said something in his native tongue.

  The Paatiin that had so scrupulously kept their hands to themselves abruptly touched Raven all over. Her ears and nostrils were inspected, and fingers shoved into her mouth to feel all over. The worst part was the thorough examinations of her pussy and ass, however. She squealed at the discomfort and indignity as the Paatiin’s fingers delved deep inside. Next to her, Vendeen’s growls rose over the face-changers’ snickers as they treated him similarly, though his mouth was left covered by his mask.

  Laaruu himself took great pleasure in poking and prodding Raven, his fingers reaching deep inside her sex while he stared into her face with an evil grin. “They are new. I wouldn’t mind helping you train them properly in terms of respect for their betters, Daagiis.”

  “You know how horribly greedy I am. It’s my great failing.”

  “Funny. The esteemed Saazeer has a long list of your shortcomings, and that’s not the one I would have picked.”

  At last the humiliating search ended, and the security detail stepped away. Laaruu said, “Come. The esteemed Saazeer is waiting. I will have attendants gather your belongings.”

  The Paatiin ranged around Raven, Daagiis, and Vendeen. Daagiis stepped slightly forward to walk at Laaruu’s s
ide, while Vendeen and Raven assumed their assigned places as his slaves.

  Raven felt twitchy after the unexpected cavity search and hoped there would be no further nasty surprises from Saazeer’s group. Through her concealing veil of hair she glared at Daagiis’ back. She decided that the cavity search was as close up and personal as this situation was going to get.

  Chapter 16

  They hurried across the landing pad where Daagiis had docked. Having to keep her head down, Raven got a bare impression of many buildings nearby with other ships docked on either side of Daagiis’. They trooped across a well-lit expanse of something that reminded Raven of concrete, though it felt springy beneath her bare feet. Moments later, they walked into the open doorway of a structure built of blocks so white they seemed to glow.

  She peeked through her hair to get an idea of the dimmer surroundings of the structure’s interior. They walked down a midnight blue velvet-draped hallway. Her feet sank into a floor covering so plush and delightful she nearly groaned in delight.

  A few steps brought the group to a wide doorway that went into a room. Though Raven was stuck looking at only feet and the hems of the Paatiin’s robes, she got the idea the room they entered must be immense. The light around her was golden-hued, as if she was bathed in the morning sun. They padded over a thick white cover of more soft flooring for at least thirty yards before everyone stopped.

  Through the thick strands of her hair, Raven watched Daagiis bow so deeply that he nearly bent double. “Esteemed Saazeer. It is good to see you again.”

  Remembering his earlier instructions, Raven knelt. She felt horribly aware of how exposed she was as she assumed the position he’d taught her, her legs spread wide and hands laying palms-up on her thighs. Vendeen mirrored the pose.

  An amused trill of laughter made her skin erupt in gooseflesh. The voice that followed was deep and melodious. “Is it truly good to be in my presence, Daagiis? Somehow I doubt you mean it, but it is nice of you to say so.”