The Thief's Dark (Renegades Book 3)

by L P Peace

  ‘You’ll escort her—and them—to the cells.’ The Walian nodded, indicating the line of dosed and compliant humans standing behind him.

  Daris heard a hiss. While he’d been looking away, the Walian had dosed Daris’s mate with the sedative. He looked down at her and found her staring back with a glazed, empty expression.

  At least she won’t remember me betraying her.

  Reluctantly, he put her down.

  Ariana was standing next to her. They looked at each other. Zoe felt like she should feel worried, but it wouldn’t happen. She looked to her other side and saw the dark-skinned devil standing next to her. Eyes filled with concern stared down at her. He seemed to be worried enough for the both of them.

  The floor moved, and Zoe’s stomach lurched. ‘Oh, god,’ She closed her eyes and concentrated on not losing her recent dinner and hot chocolate on the floor.

  She felt a hand at her back. It was him; he was hovering over her like a protective parent. There shouldn’t be anything soothing about him, but there was.

  The room was an elevator. Zoe stood impassively and waited for the doors to open and looked around at the few familiar faces. Though she knew them, she couldn’t focus on them.

  The elevator stopped with a lurch that caused her stomach to spin. The doors opened, and the devil led her out onto the floor.

  In front of her were dozens of cells, the crew of Endurance inside many of them. The devil led her past several rows of cages and down one small corridor between rows. All of the women were pushed inside that one, the males pushed into another cage next to them.

  Zoe saw him staring at her through the bars. There was an odd look on his face. She walked over to him. He whispered something to her in his strange, harsh language, then with everyone else already leaving, he walked away.

  Turning into the cage, Zoe looked at the familiar faces of her crew. She concentrated on trying to feel something, on trying to feel frightened. Instead, she sat down with her back to the bars in the subdued room and waited.

  The elevator opened again, and the cell next to theirs was filled. Dimly, Zoe was aware of the passage of time and the cells around them, one by one, filling with the last hope of humanity.

  She didn’t want to see this. Didn’t want to see her crewmates being led, like the children of Hamelin, to their fates. She imagined the dark-skinned devil as the Pied Piper, wearing stockings and a silly hat and a pipe and wanted to giggle, but despite the ridiculous imagery, she couldn’t connect to the humour.

  Instead, she looked at the other occupants of the cell and tried to place them. The first face she recognised was Lieutenant Commander Abrami. Her eyes moved wildly, her head moving from side to side.

  ‘They drugged me,’ she called out. Her voice was slurred and slow.

  ‘They drugged us all, sir.’ Zoe looked up at Farah Bennett, the head of security. ‘Focusing on something, my hand, is helping.’

  Zoe saw Abrami hold up her hand and stare at it. Zoe copied her. More time passed and slowly, by degrees, her mind cleared. As it did, the full horror of the past few hours crashed over her.

  Along with Lieutenant Commander Abrami and the security chief, Farah, she was sharing the cell with five other women. She recognised Ariana. She had seen her while they were eating dinner a short time ago. Pyri was there. Her red hair had fallen out of the hairstyle she wore. Kayleigh Bankes was a fighter pilot friend of Sophia’s, and she recognised Ensign Danai Delgatti standing next to the bars glaring at the room. That one seemed to have recovered faster than anyone else.

  Sitting in the corner nearest to Zoe was Addison. She was pulling at one of her dreads, whispering, crying and rocking. She stared out of the cage, and from the distant look in her eyes, Zoe was certain she didn’t see anything.

  ‘Oh, god,’ Zoe whispered. Her body was shaking and cold. ‘Oh, god.’

  Ariana sat down next to her and pulled her into a hug.

  ‘Oh, god, Ariana!’

  ‘I know.’ Ariana stroked her hair. ‘I was taking Sakura to my quarters to finish her tattoo.’ Zoe felt Ariana shake her head. ‘All I can think about is how she’ll be sold, and some asshole alien won’t have a clue what it is, or what it’s for.’ Ariana laughed. ‘Stupid, isn’t it?’

  ‘Oh my god.’ Zoe doubled over in Ariana’s arms.

  When she was done crying, she stared at the floor, not wanting to meet anyone’s eyes. Slowly, she became aware that someone was murmuring and had been for some time. She turned to see Kayleigh Bankes talking to herself with an angry look on her face.

  ‘Kayleigh?’

  Black irises looked up at her from dark brown skin. Kayleigh’s hair was tied back in a bun at her neck. She shook her head, and her eyes flashed with anger.

  ‘I never thought I’d see the day,’ she shook her head again. ‘I can’t believe it.’

  ‘Me neither,’ Zoe agreed.

  ‘Not this,’ Kayleigh muttered. ‘I mean, I didn’t expect this, but I knew it was a possibility. I mean Sophia.’

  Zoe went cold. Not Sophia. ‘What happened?’

  ‘She abandoned us,’ Kayleigh said. Zoe could hear the heartbreak in her voice. ‘Mid-fight, we were outgunned, so every fighter mattered, and she just went. Jumped out.’

  ‘Fighters don’t have jump capability,’ Zoe said, shaking her head in denial.

  ‘Hers did,’ Kayleigh said. ‘And she used it.’

  ‘Shut up.’

  Zoe looked up to see Abrami glaring at them.

  ‘Sir?’ Kayleigh looked at the Lieutenant Commander. ‘I think this needs saying, sir.’

  ‘This,’ Abrami hissed, ‘is the last thing that needs saying.’

  ‘Sir? She abandoned us—‘

  ‘She didn’t abandon you,’ Abrami hissed. ‘Her ship didn’t just happen to have jump capability. It was there on purpose. She was ordered to jump out.’

  ‘Sir?’ Kayleigh stared at their CO. Confusion on her face.

  ‘Leave it there, Lieutenant,’ Abrami hissed. ‘We’re in enemy territory.’

  Zoe looked at Pyri, and realisation crossed her face at the same time as Zoe realised Pyri was right.

  ‘I knew it,’ Pyri said.

  Zoe looked at Abrami, who must have noticed the realisation on her face.

  ‘Not a word, Lieutenant,’ She ordered.

  ‘No, sir,’ Zoe responded.

  ‘That woman.’ Abrami dragged in a long, shaking breath. ‘Will get it done.’ A single tear tracked down one cheek. Abrami wiped it away with annoyance. ‘The rest of us are fucked.’ Her voice was angry, bitter.

  Through teary eyes, Zoe looked around at each face. Farah looked restless. Danai and Kayleigh were angry, though now there was a tint of confusion to Kayleigh’s face. Pyri was breathing with purpose, trying to calm herself as she stared at the floor.

  Zoe couldn’t see Ariana, who was still holding Zoe, but next to them, Addison was falling apart.

  Zoe thanked Ariana and moved next to Addison. She may not get her, but Sophia liked her, and with the weight that now sat on Sophia’s slender shoulders, the least Zoe could do was look after her friend.

  As soon as Addison saw her, she held up her hands like a barrier and shook her head, closing her eyes.

  ‘It’s okay.’ Zoe sat back a little way from her and cuddled her knees to her, giving Addison space. ‘Do you wanna talk?’ Zoe asked, pushing a little closer.

  Addison closed her eyes tight.

  ‘I’m here to help,’ Zoe said, putting a hand on Addison’s shoulder.

  Addison recoiled like she’d been burned. Zoe frowned, and tried to ignore the sting of rejection. Addison wasn’t her family, and she was obviously going through something. They all were, but Addison’s reaction was more intense. Was she reliving some trauma? Did this remind her of something? Why was she having so much difficulty coping?

  Bullshit neuro tests.

  Sophia’s words scorched a path of understanding in Zoe’s mind. She closed her eyes, feeling like
an idiot.

  Addison was neurodivergent. That’s what Sophia hadn’t said.

  Zoe knew almost nothing about the spectrum, but from the way Addison was acting, she was guessing she was autistic.

  Zoe remembered three weeks before, she had walked into Sophia’s room and found her sitting, legs crossed, with Addison behind her plaiting her hair. She plaited tiny braids, then wove those together until, by the time she left, Sophia’s hair was a single rope made up of smaller braids.

  When Zoe had asked her why, Sophia had shrugged her shoulders and answered, ‘It’s calming.’

  ‘Addison, would you braid my hair please?’

  Addison stilled and, for the first time, she looked into Zoe’s eyes.

  Zoe turned and submitted her hair for Addison’s attention. For a moment, she sat there waiting until she was convinced Addison wasn’t going to do anything. Tentative fingers slipped into her hair and went to work.

  Zoe allowed Addison to place her head where she needed it. The movement of Addison’s fingers as she quickly put together one, then two, and before long, eight braids, was hypnotising. Not to mention the feel of her hair moving on her scalp. Despite the situation, Zoe found herself relaxing.

  The alien’s stare was burned into her mind. His flint grey eyes looking at her with such need and desire. Zoe had been terrified. From the moment she heard the doors to the cargo bay open, her brain had stopped working, and her plan of climbing to the top of the stacks and lying there until the aliens went away had come to nothing. She had crept through the room to get a look at him. Of course, she had seen Makios Desares and Dairon Ethallion on the TV during their many supply runs to Earth. They always visited Rhona Desares’s human family on Mars and occasionally came to Earth where the press would follow them relentlessly. Everyone was fascinated with the first aliens who came to Earth to help.

  But Zoe had never seen an alien in real life. Even when the seal on the Endurance had been made, her first thoughts were of hiding. She ran to the cargo bay and looked for a place, just settling on climbing the stacks when the cargo bay doors opened. Unable to resist, Zoe crept towards the doors just to get a look. That was when she had noticed the huge seven-foot alien with his hands down his black pants, stroking himself.

  Zoe strongly felt like she should have been disgusted with him. Instead, she had been confused, wondering what he was doing, because apparently, she was a naïve idiot. Instead of having her question answered, she’d given herself away when she realised the dark, dusky- purple-skinned alien was masturbating. She wasn’t sure what shocked her more—realising his hand was wrapped around his cock, or the shock of desire that had gone through her.

  That desire had quickly turned to horror when he chased her. Hearing him stalk her through the stacks was terrifying.

  When she had seen him appear, she found herself drawn to him. There had been something about him, something magnetic. Even in anticipation of what he might do to her, she found herself entranced by him. The way he moved, liquid and sensual. The way he looked at her, with an intensity that frightened her—but did other things too. When he pushed her against the wall, rough and gentle at the same time, her body had responded to him in a way that frightened her more than he did. The touch of her hand on his chest felt like fire, the press of his body to hers when he buried his face in her hair. It had been the most erotic moment of her life.

  Right up until the moment he came in his pants while groaning in her ear. That had definitely put a damper on her curiosity.

  Still, just the look of him was enough to make her aware of every inch of her skin, like it was waiting for his attention.

  What is wrong with me?

  Zoe had three brothers, Carl, Michael, and Nathan. Growing up with them and her parents had been strict. They were a military family; both her mother and father were captains of ships in the ISAF, Earth’s Interstellar Armed Forces. Her brother Carl had joined the Martian marines, and her other brothers were climbing the ranks in ISAF.

  As a child, Zoe wanted to be a ballet dancer. No one in her family considered that to be a suitable career choice. They’d always acted like there was something wrong with Zoe. Like she was wrong. Perhaps they were right all along. Maybe there was something fundamentally flawed about her. Why else would she be attracted to an alien that had delivered her to the slave cells?

  ‘Why am I like this?’ she whispered to herself.

  ‘Something to say, Lieutenant?’

  Zoe looked up into Abrami’s curious hazel eyes. She shook her head, feeling the weight of the braids, and Addison’s grip, pulling against her scalp.

  ‘No, sir.’

  Abrami looked Zoe up and down, a sneer appearing on her face. ‘You seemed to be cosy with that alien when you came on board the ship.’

  ‘I… I wasn’t.’ Zoe looked around the cell. The rest of the women were looking at her with curiosity.

  ‘He was carrying you in his arms,’ Abrami said, disgust clear on her face. ‘I saw him before that fucking red guy injected me. Post-coital hug?’

  ‘Abrami.’ It was a one-word censure from a male voice in a nearby cell. Zoe looked around to see Commander Marcus Davenport staring at Abrami. ‘Last I checked, these aliens weren’t looking for permission.’

  Abrami glared at the commander but nodded.

  Davenport glanced at Zoe, a look of pity in his eyes. She wondered if he assumed the alien had assaulted her.

  ‘Where’s Captain Durrani?’ Zoe, restricted by Addison’s braiding, asked while she tried to look around the room. Her voice had taken on that bitter tint again. ‘We abandoned the bridge and were looking for escape pods. She insisted we all go ahead of her, that she would hold the rear, then I looked back. She was gone.’ Abrami looked at Zoe properly. ‘Sophie didn’t abandon us, but Durrani did.’

  ‘Stow that shit, Lieutenant Commander.’ Davenport stepped up to the cells with an angry look on his face. ‘We have no idea what happened. Don’t speculate.’

  ‘With all due respect, sir,’ Abrami hissed the word ‘sir’ like a curse. ‘We know exactly what happened. She—‘

  ‘Lieutenant Commander, get over here right now.’ Davenport’s enraged voice carried through the whole room. Behind Zoe, Addison went still.

  Abrami laughed. ‘We’re not in OSAF anymore, sir. We’re fucking slaves now, and I won’t take another order from you—‘

  ‘On your feet, Lieutenant Commander.’

  Davenport’s voice was filled with authority, so much so that Abrami was on her feet before she could stop herself. ‘Now get your ass over here,’ Davenport commanded. Abrami hesitated for a moment until Davenport sucked in a large breath, a sure sign that his patience was wavering, and she crossed the cell.

  ‘To the corner,’ he said leading the way. ‘Everyone, give us some private time.’

  People crowded away from Davenport and Abrami as they took to a corner. Zoe glanced over for a moment. Davenport’s face was a mix between commander and friend as he spoke quietly with Abrami.

  Zoe had long gotten the impression from the commander that he didn’t like Abrami. She was a bully and caustic to the familial feel that a ship needed to function correctly, but he was a professional, a lifer in the service. He wasn’t going to let a simple fact of slavery stop him from respecting the chain of command.

  We’ll need that in the days to come.

  Behind her, Addison was unmoving.

  ‘Is my hair done?’ Zoe moved her hand over it and looked at Addison, who was openly staring at Abrami and Davenport. Abrami caught her looking, her face flushed red, her lips disappearing into a grim line.

  ‘Addison.’ Addison glanced at Zoe before returning her gaze to the corner. ‘She’ll give you a hard time if you keep watching her,’ Zoe said.

  Addison switched her gaze back to Zoe. ‘Sorry.’ She shook her head and refocused on her task. ‘Abrami’s freaking me out a bit.’

  ‘Abrami freaks everyone out.’

  ‘I’m almost don
e,’ Addison said.

  ‘Well, when you are, if you want to unravel it and start again, I’m up for it. It’s actually really relaxing, and it’s helping.’

  ‘It helps me too,’ Addison whispered. ‘Thanks.’

  Addison had finished, unravelled, and restarted Zoe’s hair by the time Abrami sat down again. From the look on her face, when she glanced at Addison, she hadn’t forgotten that Addison was watching.

  Zoe grimaced. Addison’s condition, whatever it was, had been a secret. Zoe knew that the neuro tests, that every person who joined OSAF in whatever capacity were put through, filtered for conditions such as neurodivergence. It was an automatic fail. If Addison had tricked the tests, then she was intelligent—no, brilliant. Sophia had hinted as much in their last conversation.

  No, not last. She’d see Sophia again. Zoe had to believe that.

  Still, Zoe couldn’t let Abrami bully Addison. But if Abrami knew, would she stop? She would be betraying a confidence Addison hadn’t trusted her with. She’d be betraying Sophia. Her best friend.

  Feeling like she had little choice, Zoe moved, setting herself between Abrami and Addison.

  Abrami’s anger-filled eyes turned on Zoe. Zoe shrank under the heat of her gaze, but she stayed where she was.

  He’d just have to buy his sweet mate. That’s all there was to it. Daris had savings. With the cost of slaves, particularly desirable human females, most of it would be gone. But he’d still be paid for his part in the raid, so there was that compensation at least, however distasteful it was.

  The Crucible was a monster of a ship. The back was given over to the primary purpose of the vessel. It was an Amaran aircraft carrier or had been, until it was decommissioned after the war that the Amarans, among others, had fought against the Enhari attempts of expansion. That was hundreds of years ago, but Amaran tech was built to last. The aircraft landing pad extended out of the back of the lowest level of the ship and lowered, allowing fighters to take off and land. The Amaran aircraft carriers could be deployed both on and off-planet. For this purpose, there was a forcefield that separated the emergency repair area from the runway. A damaged fighter could penetrate the shield, where the techs could enact a quick repair and turnaround during battle. This had given the Amarans a distinct advantage during the war.