Mated to the Alien Pirate: Celestial Mates

by Leslie Chase

  I turned my head, staring them down one by one. No one wanted to challenge me, not here and not now. But that only put off the confrontations.

  “All will be well,” I said to Marcie softly, squeezing her tight once more and then letting go. As much as I wanted to comfort her, right now I needed to deal with the situation before it got any worse. Whatever chance I had to salvage the situation would slip away if I didn’t grasp it.

  “Report,” I said into my communicator.

  “Space is still clear,” Raxa replied from the bridge of the Atreon’s Revenge. “No sign of an escort.”

  “Hold’s secure,” Zarr added. “Killed five Antarans, taken six prisoner. No casualties on our side.”

  The blood-lust in his voice made me grimace. The Antarans were my enemies but killing for the sake of killing was a bad sign. Still, he’d done his job well.

  “Well done,” I said aloud, looking around at the chaos on the bridge and sighing. A mixed success — we had full control of the Crimson Feast, had taken minimal casualties, but the profit wasn’t there. “Get the cargo transferred to the Revenge as quick as you can. Strip the crew for valuables. Raxa, dock and get over here. I want the ship’s computer stripped for information as soon as possible.”

  Perhaps there was another nearby target, and this time I wouldn’t wreck it when we took it. I glanced at the wrecked bridge equipment and gritted my teeth. Even Raxa might struggle to salvage anything from this mess.

  The Crimson Feast’s crew watched me as I stalked their bridge. I knew exactly what they were afraid of — they’d resisted pirates, and now we were frustrated and angry. That might end badly for them.

  “You are in no danger as long as you don’t resist further,” I assured them. No need to risk someone panicking and trying some last-ditch attack. “We will leave you aboard, along with enough supplies to last until rescue. Any of you who want to try the pirate life can join us, if you’ll take me as your captain and swear to obey my rules.”

  They didn’t look convinced, but it was all I had to offer. I breathed out sharply, rubbing the back of my neck and trying to get my emotions under control.

  The Feast’s crew weren’t the ones who’d destroyed the computer. They weren’t the ones to blame for this mess, I was. And standing here glaring at them didn’t make things any better. Turning on my heel, I stalked towards the door.

  “Elisan, keep an eye on the prisoners, make sure they don’t do anything stupid,” I ordered, leaving without waiting for a reply. Standing around on the bridge helped no one, so I might as well help loading the cargo.

  Hurried footsteps behind me warned me I wasn’t alone, and I glanced back to see Marcie following me. Her face pale and hands shaking, she looked terrified.

  I stopped to let her catch up, but she didn’t come close. We stood, just out of arm’s reach of each other, until she broke the awkward silence.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, her trembling voice almost too quiet to hear. “I fucked up and—”

  “No.” I interrupted, cutting her off sharply. She winced and stepped back, and I reined in my emotions. “No, Marcie, it’s me who owes you an apology. I should never have let you come on this raid.”

  “But I insisted,” she protested. “It’s not your fault.”

  “I am the captain. It’s my responsibility.” I took a step forward, and she backed away. With a frustrated growl I looked up at the ceiling and tried to get control of myself and the situation. “Marcie, I let my feelings push me to make a poor decision for you, and for the rest of my crew. That’s on me, not anyone else.”

  She looked at me as though she wanted to be convinced, and I forced myself to relax. To let go of the unproductive anger. “I could have forced you to stay aboard the Revenge, but I didn’t. And I am sorry for that.”

  “I wanted to come. I made you take me.” Marcie said, a fierce look entering her eyes as she refused to let me take the blame for my actions. Unexpectedly, I laughed.

  “No, you can’t take responsibility for my choices. I let you come, and I fired the blaster.” I sighed. “We lost this prize, but at least we’ll make a profit with the cargo. Maybe Raxa will find more prey to hunt, maybe not — but I made my choice and I don’t regret it.”

  “It’s going to cause trouble, isn’t it?” Marcie asked, and this time she was the one who stepped closer. Close enough that I felt her presence, close enough to touch if I wanted to.

  And I did want to. Very much.

  “Zarr will use it as ammunition against me, yes,” I said. “Let him. I would rather have that fight and you alive, than this ship in my hands without you.”

  Her mouth opened into a silent ‘oh’ as I admitted that, and I no longer had the strength to fight the inevitable. Taking the final step between us, I picked her up, and this time she didn’t resist. Her arms wrapped around me, drawing me close and holding me as I pinned her to the wall.

  Our lips met in a kiss, and the powerful urgency of it drove all other thought out of the way. We were together, and we were alive — the frustrations of the raid, my questions about her, my concerns about my crew, all of that meant nothing compared to Marcie in my arms.

  Her heart raced, and mine answered it as her lips parted under mine. Our tongues touched and she moaned into the kiss, sending a fiery pulse of need through me.

  Nothing mattered apart from her, and I forgot about the loot. All I wanted from the Crimson Feast now was to find a bed and some privacy. To claim Marcie as my own, to bury myself inside her.

  Hands slid inside my coat, tugged at my shirt, and Marcie’s caresses made me growl hungrily. I wasn’t the only one who wanted more, Marcie pulled me to her eagerly. Her human frame, small and fragile, felt perfect against me. Made me want her as I’d never wanted anything before.

  I’d never been so hard. Marcie gasped as she felt me through our clothes, and her eyes widened.

  Sliding one hand between us, she gripped me through my pants and moaned softly. I grinned, kissing her neck, teeth grazing her pale skin just above her collar and enjoying the little whimper I got from her.

  My drone’s communicator buzzed and I ignored it, focusing on Marcie, on exploring her with my hands and mouth. On the delightful temptation of her touch. Red Sun, I wanted her more than anything. Wanted to strip off her airshield, peel off her clothes, see her naked and shuddering in pleasure.

  Another buzz. With a growl, I swatted the drone away, trying to shut it up. But it wouldn’t be ignored and with a reluctant sigh I stepped back, putting Marcie down. She bit her lip, looking disappointed as I snarled at the comm.

  “What is it?”

  “The computers are fried,” Raxa reported without preamble. “Nothing to salvage here, so we’re pulling back to the Revenge. We need to get out of here.”

  I took a breath and counted to three before responding. It wasn’t her fault she’d interrupted us, and I had nothing to gain by snapping at her.

  Especially since she was right.

  “I’ll help Zarr with the cargo and see you back aboard,” I told her, shutting the connection. Beside me, Marcie straightened her clothes and blushed.

  The sooner we were back on the Revenge, the sooner we’d get back to what we’d started. My heart thumped at the thought, but duty came first.

  I took her hand and led her into the depths of the ship. We both knew that the sooner we got this done, the sooner we’d have time to ourselves.

  We passed Zarr’s men carrying crates of goods with antigravity harnesses. At least this time it looked like we’d found enough goods to be worth taking — it wouldn’t make up for the lost profit of the ship itself, but it might take the sting out of it.

  A couple of the workers were Antarans, disarmed but working alongside my men. I frowned at that. Recruiting dissatisfied crew from our targets wasn’t unusual, and as an officer Zarr had the right to offer them a place. But adding extra shares when we were already light on loot was a bad decision. Another conversation for later,
though. This wasn’t the time to pick a fight with Zarr over recruitment.

  “In here, Captain,” Zarr called out from one of the holds as I approached.

  I stepped inside and stopped dead. We’d known that this was a slaver ship, but it still surprised me to see a cargo hold full of stasis chambers. More than I expected, hundreds of them, enough to make my blood boil. The mines must be killing them faster than ever, I thought, baring my teeth.

  Each chamber held a slave on their way to market, hundreds of slaves from dozens of different species in the coffin-sized boxes. Cheaper than feeding them for the journey, even with the energy cost of keeping them in stasis — this way they wouldn’t lose value on the trip.

  Zarr nodded to me as I entered, his hands on his hips as he looked the chambers over. “You’ll have to bring the Revenge around if you want us to take these, Captain. Lugging the chambers across the walkway will take too long, see?”

  He made a good point, even if it was irritating. Carrying them through one by one wasn’t practical, though redocking the ships would be a painful maneuver when one was dead in space. No help for it, though. I wasn’t about to leave these slaves behind.

  As I gave the necessary orders, I realized that Marcie was no longer at my side. Looking around, I saw her staring at the stasis chambers with a look of horror on her face.

  “You’re trading slaves?” Marcie’s voice was loud, unsteady. Panicked almost. I took a step towards her, hands spread, ready to explain.

  And then she had a blaster in her hands, pointed at my chest. Caught flat-footed, I stared at her. The weapon was too big, too heavy for her grip. It shook in her hands, but at this range she wouldn’t miss.

  11

  Marcie

  My hands shook, the gun felt heavier than it had any right to be, and the muzzle wavered dangerously. But I refused to stand by and let this happen.

  Arrax turned slowly, his hands spread wide and empty. I kept the gun aimed at his chest, my finger on the trigger, and tried to keep an eye on all the pirates.

  The slavers. It made me sick to think I’d joined their crew when they traded in human misery like this.

  “I’m not going to let you do this,” I said. Some of the pirates chuckled, an unpleasant sound, and I tried to keep them all in view. It would only take one of them getting behind me and I’d lose the small advantage I had.

  “You don’t have a choice, girl,” someone said, and the pirates began to spread out around me. I’d taken them by surprise, but that only bought me one shot. After that, well, they’d kill me or capture me.

  I glanced at the stasis tubes full of slaves headed to market. If they caught me, would that be my fate too?

  I’d just have to try not to get caught. Gripping the pistol tighter, I narrowed my eyes and focused on Arrax. This wasn’t a fight I had any chance of winning, but maybe, just maybe, I’d be able to do some good before I lost it.

  “You’re going to jettison this cargo pod,” I said, trying to keep my voice firm and strong as though I knew what I was doing. “Turn on its emergency beacon and launch it. Then you get the hell out of here.”

  It wasn’t much of a chance for the hundreds of slaves packed in tight, but it was the best option I saw. With luck, a Galactic Patrol ship would find them before some other slave traders did. Unlikely, but possible.

  “You don’t understand,” Arrax said, a strange expression on his rugged, handsome face. Something like a smile, but not quite. His emotions were impossible to read as he took a step towards me. “We aren’t slavers. Trust me. Put down the gun.”

  I took up the slack on the trigger, keeping the weapon pointed at his chest. Trust him? Impossible. I’d fled Earth to escape slavers, and now it turned out that the man I’d run to was one himself.

  Is it better or worse that he steals the slaves from other slavers? I didn’t know. Too many questions buzzed around in my head and I tried to focus on what to do next. Staying with the pirates would be suicide. I had to take my chances with the slaves in their stasis, as bad as their odds were.

  Mine would be worse. At least in the stasis chambers they wouldn’t starve or run out of air while they waited for someone to find them.

  I gestured with the blaster, trying to herd the pirates towards the door. Zarr backed off, others followed, but Arrax didn’t move. I glared at him. How the hell had I found him attractive? He traded in human misery. I mean, piracy was bad but slave trading was oh so much worse.

  “Marcie, do not do this,” he said. It was half an instruction, half a plea. His shoulder drone spread its wings, agitated, and I tried to focus.

  “Shut up,” I told him. “I can’t believe I almost trusted you. Get out of here, launch the pod, and keep the hell away from me.”

  He growled and off to the side, one of the other pirates grabbed a weapon. I moved my blaster to cover him. And then things happened very quickly.

  Arrax lunged faster than I’d imagined possible. His hand slapped the blaster aside even as I squeezed the trigger, and the bolt of light passed harmlessly through the space where he’d been a moment earlier. Another shot burned past us, missing by inches to strike the wall behind me. If Arrax had been a fraction of a second slower, that blast would have torn through my head instead.

  He’d saved my life from his own man.

  My blaster flew from my hand, my fingers numb, and Arrax hit me like a freight train. The impact carried us both to the floor, his strength and weight pinning me easily as I screamed and swore. Other pirates rushed forward but he roared at them.

  “Back! Get back!”

  Pinning my hands to the deck, he sat astride me. I bucked wildly, all my strength against his, but it was futile. He was too strong, too fast, and too skilled. I’d wasted my one shot.

  Eventually my strength ran out and I lay panting under him.

  “Are you done?” Arrax asked me, and I nodded unwillingly.

  “What are you going to do to me now?”

  With an angry shake of his head he let go of my wrists and sat up. I resisted the urge to punch him — as tempting as that was, I’d only hurt my hand. I settled for glaring up at him, waiting for an answer.

  The rest of the pirates were waiting too. For a long, painful second, silence hung in the air and I waited to learn what would happen to me. Thrown out of an airlock? Put into stasis with the other slaves? Or something else, something worse?

  Arrax sighed and stood, turning towards his men. “Get out of here. You’ve got work to do.”

  “But—”

  “No arguing. Get the loot loaded and have Raxa bring the Revenge around.” His tone brooked no argument, and the pirates reluctantly filed out until the two of us were alone in the slave hold.

  Turning back towards me, he sank down on his haunches and looked me over. “You do not make things easy, Marcie.”

  “Oh I’m sorry, am I meant to be okay with you trading slaves?” I sat up, flexing my wrist as stinging sensation returned to my hand. “No one sent me that memo.”

  “I do not trade slaves,” he said. I gestured towards the stacks of stasis chambers and he sighed.

  “If I had realized the strength of your feelings on the matter, I’d have made sure you understood,” he told me. “We do not sell the slaves we take, we rescue them.”

  I blinked. Looked towards the hundreds of slaves and then back to him. That possibility hadn’t occurred to me, perhaps because that stack of slaves was worth more than any other cargo the Crimson Feast might haul.

  “You expect me to believe you just give up that much money?” I blurted out, flustered. “You’re a pirate captain, and I’m not stupid.”

  For the first time the anger that flashed in his eyes was directed at me and I flinched away. But he didn’t move closer, didn’t threaten me.

  “I am not a monster,” he told me, “and you know nothing about why I do what I do. You come here, turn my life upside down, and you judge me based on so little.”

  “Based on the fact that
you kidnapped me,” I reminded him, scrambling to my feet. “And now this. You want me to trust you? Then tell me what’s going on, don’t hide things from me.”

  That was, I realized as soon as the words were past my lips, deeply hypocritical. I’d never told him why I was here, hadn’t trusted him with that. Why should I expect him to trust me more?

  Because he has all the power, I told myself. He’s the one with a ship and a crew. He’s the one who can do whatever he wants to me.

  Not that I entirely minded the idea of him doing what he wanted. He’d shown me what that was, and my body still tingled at the memory of his touch. And he had saved my life, twice in the last hour. It wasn’t easy to stay angry with him after that.

  Plus, even furious, it had been quite something to be pinned under Arrax. My cheeks heated as I struggled for control, and Arrax watching me with burning intensity didn’t help.

  Grinding clangs against the hull reminded me that we didn’t have all the time in the world to discuss this. Soon the hold would be full of pirates again, and if I still tried to fight… I didn’t know what would happen, but it wouldn’t be good.

  Not for me, and not for Arrax. These were his crew, and he’d already chosen me over them. Do that enough times and mutiny would look like a smart option.

  The memory of Zarr’s shark-like smile flashed through my mind. The expression he’d had when I made my ill-considered promise to come on this raid. He’d goaded me into it, and he’d known what he was doing. Okay, there was no way for him to predict exactly what would happen, but I suspected he’d gotten what he wanted.

  And I didn’t want to help him any more than I had to.

  The clatter of metal on metal stopped, and the hold’s big doors started to open with a groan. We were out of time. Arrax took a deep breath.

  “Fine. I will let you choose,” he said, eyes glinting. “If you insist, I’ll jettison this cargo hold. That will mean these people are either caught by other slavers or die out in the cold of space when the stasis chambers’ batteries run out. Or we can take them with us and make sure they reach a safe port.”