The Thief's Dark (Renegades Book 3)

by L P Peace

  Daris smiled, waiting for the real Edan to turn up. This Edan was watchful, assessing. He wanted to see what Daris had brought to the fight, but when the real Edan showed up, he would become a beast. That was the Edan Daris wanted to fight, to beat.

  He had missed the pit.

  Edan threw himself into Daris and they rolled on the ground before coming to a stop with Edan on top. With furious fists, he wailed on Daris, punching his face. Daris wrapped his tail around Edan’s neck and pulled him back quickly, jumping to his feet while Edan found his. A moment later they launched at each other, clashing with fists and claws. But the expected cheer of the crowd never came. Instead, a hush had fallen over them, though it took both males a moment to realise it. When they broke away and looked around, Daris saw the reason why over Edan’s shoulder—Tolomus was approaching them on the sand. When Edan saw Daris staring, he whipped around, a look of confusion falling over his face.

  ‘What are you doing here, Tolomus?’ Edan called out to him.

  ‘He knows,’ Tolomus stretched out an arm, his finger pointing at Daris.

  Edan turned to look at Daris, his eyebrow cocked as a question.

  ‘Zoe was stock. I stole her,’ he admitted.

  Edan’s eyes widened. ‘You stole a slave. The IGC will put out a warrant for you. Are you a vashni? And you brought this here?’

  ‘She’s my mate,’ Daris said by way of an answer.

  There was an acknowledgement in Edan’s eyes.

  ‘I want him, and my property,’ Tolomus shouted. Several males from The Crucible stood in a semi-circle behind him.

  ‘I can’t let you do that,’ Edan called to Tolomus. ‘She’s his mate. Sell the female to him and be done with it.’

  Daris let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding.

  The look of rage on Tolomus’s face was all the answer they needed.

  ‘What did you do to him?’ Edan’s voice was stern. He looked over Daris’s shoulder and smiled.

  Daris turned to find several pit fighters walking onto the sand, their eyes on Tolomus and his men. ‘Nothing the slaving vrok didn’t deserve,’ Daris said.

  Edan looked at him. There was anger there, but resignation as well. ‘You shouldn’t have brought it here, Daris.’

  ‘I know. I’m sorry, friend.’

  ‘Stand aside, Edan, or I’ll go through you,’

  The Aavani turned back to the Fedhith, a sneer on his face.

  ‘I’ve always hated you, Tolomus,’ he said. ‘Dealing with any slaver makes my skin crawl, but you’re the worst.’

  The Fedhith smirked. ‘Very well. I’ll take what’s mine.’

  Daris looked up at Edan’s balcony, but the pit fighters and Zoe were gone. He looked behind him at the fighters who had joined them and saw the Horran, Jorvath. Jorvath nodded to him, a silent signal that all was well.

  ‘Daris!’ Edan’s voice was harsh, warning. When Daris turned, the Fedhith was running at him, a large dagger in hand. Daris hissed, extended his claws, and ran at the Fedhith.

  The back hold of The Crucible was still open. The ship had landed on a series of massive feet that ran down the whole length of the vessel. Inside, they could see three men walking around, ignoring the back and working.

  Heresh, Thedrin, Karijan, and Vandimir, the Gliedan, jumped up onto the ramp and approached the males. There was a moment of exchange before the Vandimir took down the first alien, and Heresh and Karijan took down the other two. Thedrin signalled for them to move, and Zoe found herself pulled along by Varid, who seemed to have assigned himself her personal protector.

  They ran across the sand from the speeders to the back of the ship. The platform was several feet above her. Varid lifted Zoe, and Karijan pulled her the rest of the way and set her down on the deck, Varid appearing beside her a moment later. The rest of the males had already pulled themselves up.

  They ran up the deck to the elevator.

  ‘Where are we going?’

  ‘I imagine they already know we’re here,’ Zoe said. ‘Do we want to go straight to the cages, or try and find the crew first?’

  ‘Crew,’ Varid said firmly.

  ‘The concourse then.’ Zoe hit the button on the wall. ‘They’ll have weapons.’

  Karijan pulled a weapon that was suspended against him on a strap. ‘We took them off of the three males. If they really are so cowardly against us, we will easily destroy them.’

  It was such a male thing to say. Zoe smiled, grateful to have them there, but hoping they weren’t underestimating the slavers.

  The lift arrived and they got in. Vandimir and Thedrin pulled in a large crate which, thanks to the size of the lift, fit in easily. Karijan and two of the aliens whose names she didn’t know took position behind it. Varid pulled her to one side of the lift and covered her with his body. Thedrin holding another weapon, stood in front of them, covering one flank, with Vandimir covering the other. The rest of the males spread themselves between the two sides.

  When the doors opened, three shots were fired with quick succession into the lift, hitting the crate and the back wall.

  Karijan looked over the edge and fired. With that cover, Thedrin and Vandimir took aim and fired into the wide, long concourse.

  ‘One shooter,’ Zoe said, having seen the direction the fire came from. He’s hiding in a doorway.

  ‘Can you shoot?’

  ‘All of us are weapons trained. I can get him.’

  Thedrin handed her the gun.

  Varid stepped a little to the side, and Zoe waited until the alien peeked out. She fired, missed, reoriented quickly, and when he appeared again, hit his shoulder. There was a yell, then the sound of someone falling heavily to the ground.

  ‘Everyone, go!’ Karijan yelled.

  The lift emptied quickly. Thedrin took his weapon back. When everyone was already halfway up the concourse, running towards the body, Varid pulled her out of the lift. Depositing her by a crate, he stood behind it, watching everything.

  Behind them, the lift closed.

  Zoe looked at it, horror dawning on her. They hadn’t used anything to wedge the doors open to prevent it being used as a point of ingress.

  ‘We have to move,’ she said to Varid. ‘Now!’

  Varid pulled her out from behind the crate and after the rest of the pit fighters.

  There was nowhere for them to hide when the lift at the other end of the concourse opened, and several males stepped out, weapons firing. Varid pushed Zoe to the wall. She hit it hard but recovered quickly to duck to the floor.

  Behind her, she heard a grunt. When she looked, Varid was lying in the middle of the deck, bleeding from a wound to his shoulder.

  ‘Varid!’ Zoe got on her belly and began to crawl over to him.

  ‘No, little human, stay there!’

  Ignoring him, Zoe reached him. Quickly she assessed his wound. It was bad, but not serious. He was obviously too hurt to pull himself to the wall, and she was too weak, but by working together, they could make it.

  Zoe pulled and Varid pushed against the deck. Thankfully it was smooth and they were able to get to the wall. Behind her, she could hear the weapons fire they were barely dodging. It slowed, then stopped.

  Zoe looked up, frightened that her pit fighters had been caught or killed, but instead, it seemed the ship’s crew had run out of ammo. The fighters realised a moment later, and with a roar, they charged at the crew.

  ‘Shoulda gotten them to leave us a gun.’ Zoe laughed, looking down at Varid.

  ‘You should have,’ a voice said.

  Zoe looked up into the grey-skinned face of the alien Daris had fought in Endurance’s hold weeks before. His tentacles moved around him. Excited.

  He kicked Varid in the face, and orange blood splattered across the deck. The alien grabbed Zoe, pulling her up by under her arm and grabbing her throat. Without another word, he picked her up and walked back to the lift. He dropped her on her feet; she stumbled before he pulled her to him. His t
entacles wrapped around her.

  ‘Did the Maruzen turn you into a good submissive? Or will I still have to train you?’ he whispered in her ear.

  ‘Fuck you!’ Zoe hissed.

  ‘Train you it is.’

  The doors closed on the battle, and any chance of help, or escape. When the doors reopened, they were on the auction floor. Zoe struggled against the strange tentacles the creature used to bind her to him, but they were stronger than she would have thought.

  Without warning, he opened them. Zoe shot out, running as fast as she could. She’d only gotten a few feet when he wrapped one tentacle around her calf and pulled. She cried out as she hit the deck.

  ‘Fuck!’ She looked behind her to find the alien watching her with a predatory, anticipatory grin on his face. He was playing with her, like a cat, trying to extract maximum enjoyment from his prey.

  Zoe bounded to her feet and ran. This time, she was expecting the tentacle. When she felt it against the left side of her right leg, she turned right, lifted her left leg over it, and tripped away as he tried to compensate. She pushed harder, determined to put distance between herself and the alien, all the while knowing, as long as he was near the lift, there was nowhere for her to go that was safe.

  Behind her, he laughed, the sound booming across the room, echoing, mocking her.

  She cast her eyes across the room, looking for something she could use as a weapon. To the right of her was the stage where the female whose skin was poisonous had sold her crew, her friends. Her fate in this room could be just as bad if she was right about the kind of male this was.

  Her eyes were drawn to the balcony where Daris had calmed her that first time. Where she’d become aroused the first time he restrained her. What would happen to him if this male killed her? He’d be devastated. Zoe had been so determined to save her people, her crew, that she hadn’t taken Daris into consideration. If she died, how would he cope? He wouldn’t, she knew it deep in her bones because she felt the same way.

  The thought of anything happening to Daris sideswiped her, stealing her breath. She pushed harder—she had to live, for no other reason than Daris had become everything to her. He mattered more than her, more than Earth, more than her crew. That didn’t mean she’d abandon them, but if she could do this over—if she could wait for the Tessans… Why hadn’t she waited for the Tessans?

  A tentacle hit her waist, creeping around it. Zoe dodged, reaching the stage. She could feel the alien right behind her. Reaching the edge of the stage, she was preparing to jump when she was tackled into the edge of the stage. The full weight of the alien bore into her from behind, knocking the wind from her. She tried to drag in breaths, but her diaphragm was temporarily paralysed.

  The alien spun her around, one hand fisting her hair, the other roaming her body.

  ‘Time to find out if human cunt is as good as everyone claims,’ he hissed at her.

  Two tentacles restrained her arms as his hand moved to the long dress she wore, pulling it up. She still didn’t have underwear and fear jolted her as she finally tore in a ragged breath. Two tentacles slipped around her ankles, then began to spiral up her legs. The alien grinned down at her in a terrible rictus.

  The lift doors opened.

  The alien stopped and turned his head, Zoe following suit, hoping the pit fighters had come for her.

  ‘What do you want, Adosian?’

  ‘A tasty piece of human cunt,’ the grey-skinned horned alien replied. This was one of the aliens Zoe had seen on the bridge during the jump. His eyes raked over Zoe, lust on his face.

  ‘She’s mine!’ the alien holding Zoe hissed.

  ‘You won’t share, Orthali? I can pay you.’

  The alien froze, he looked at Zoe. ‘I vrok her first, then you can have your ‘taste’.’

  The Adosian crossed the room.

  ‘Vrok off! She’s mine first!’

  ‘A simple smell, so I can anticipate. I’ll pay extra.’

  The Orthali nodded. The Adosian closed the distance quickly, his eyes fixed on Zoe. He licked his tongue over his lips before bending over and taking in a deep breath near her pussy.

  The Orthali hissed. Zoe assumed the Adosian had gotten too close for his liking. Instead, the Orthali took several steps back, his tentacles loosening.

  Zoe watched him go, unsure what was happening, then a spurt of dark grey blood sprayed across her body from a wound in the Orthali’s stomach.

  The Adosian rushed him as the Orthali seemed to regain his senses, turning to brace himself against the impact.

  Zoe ran, whatever was going on, she didn’t believe it would end well for her either way. A tentacle wrapped around her, holding her tight in place as she heard the Orthali hiss once more. She was facing away but turned her head to find the Adosian was punching the Orthali over and over, but instead of fists, there were knives in both of their hands, and his were covered in the creature’s blood.

  By the time the Orthali’s grip loosened on her enough to get away, he was dragging her to the floor. Shoving the tentacle off her, she stood and ran, only to find herself gripped in strong arms less than a moment later.

  The Adosian spun her to face him.

  ‘I’m not going to hurt you, female.’ His voice was harsh.

  Zoe stared at him, not believing him.

  ‘I’m going to take you back to the males you arrived with.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I’m not a slaver, I’m an agent for the Adosian government. I’m here to prove Tolomus is dealing in illegal slavery.’ The look the Adosian gave her was pure fury. ‘I’ve got to get you off this ship before you bring down a two-solar investigation.’

  ‘It’s already too late for that,’ Zoe said. ‘The Tessans will be here any minute to take custody of Tolomus.’

  The look the Adosian gave her was one of sheer disbelief. Quickly, it changed to frustration and anger. ‘The human vessel.’ It wasn’t a question.

  Zoe nodded in answer anyway.

  ‘Vrok! I knew that was a bad idea. I told the vrokking Fedhith as much.’

  ‘I’m sorry about your investigation, but I have to get my crew back and finish my mission.’

  ‘IGC membership?’

  Again, Zoe nodded.

  The Adosian released her. The anger on his face was unabated. ‘We’ll get your crew off. Then, when the Tessan’s arrive, you’re going to help me get access so I can question Tolomus. Understood?’

  Zoe grimaced. ‘I’ll do what I can,’ she agreed before turning and walking to the lift. She felt the Adosian at her back. They were almost at the lift when the doors opened, and Karijan, Heresh, Volder, and Vandimir, supporting Varid, ran out. They looked panicked, almost stricken. When Karijan saw her, he snarled at the Adosian behind her.

  ‘It’s okay.’ Zoe put her hands up, stepping in between the hulking pit fighter and the equally hulking Adosian, ‘he saved me. He works for the Adosian government.’

  Karijan reached out and pulled Zoe behind him. Zoe smiled at the gesture.

  ‘You here to help?’

  ‘I have no choice,’ the Adosian snarled. ‘You’ve brought down an investigation I’ve dedicated solars of my life to.’

  ‘Show us where the humans are,’ Karijan said before turning back to the lift. He placed himself firmly between Zoe and the Adosian and together they entered the lift. The doors closed.

  ‘What’s your name?’ Zoe asked.

  The Adosian glanced at her, then stared ahead at the door. For a moment, Zoe thought he wasn’t going to answer her, then he sniffed. ‘Thelan,’ he said.

  ‘Thelan,’ Zoe repeated. ‘Okay, Thelan, help us get the women out of the cages. Also, there was one of the males he wasn’t able to sell.’

  ‘The one with the mouth and demands,’ he said.

  Mouth and demands. Yeah, that was Whittaker. ‘Where is he?’

  ‘In one of the cells upstairs.’

  ‘Right, you go up and get him. Volder, can you join him?’


  ‘Of course, Zoe,’ the winged alien said.

  ‘What gives you the right to order me, female?’

  ‘Zoe. Or Lieutenant Winters,’ Zoe snapped at him. There was a look of anger in his eyes. ‘And right now, I’m the most senior officer from my ship in this lift. I’m here to get my people out in the most expedient manner before things go bad. I need everyone on board, or to get the hell out of my way. So either show Volder where Whittaker is or leave.’

  The anger in the Adosian’s eyes flared, then faded before he nodded.

  The doors to the lift opened into the cage room. In front of Zoe were far fewer human women than she would have liked to see. They stood at the sight of her.

  The pit fighters emerged from the lift, and the human women took several paces back. Zoe stayed behind for a moment, holding the lift doors open as she looked at the Adosian.

  ‘I don’t know who you are or, frankly, what you are. I don’t care. Those women in here are my crew. I’m in charge of this operation, and I don’t give a crap that you don’t like taking orders from women,’ she saw a flare of acknowledgement in the alien's eyes. ‘So it is my sex that offends you?’

  ‘Adosian females do not order their males. They submit to us.’

  Zoe thought about Daris. The way he demanded her submission in the bedroom, but everywhere else, he built her up. Supported her. ‘Every human woman in this room is going to hate you,’ she said honestly. ‘I want you back as soon as you have Whittaker. We have to get these women out of here and somewhere safe.’

  Zoe walked away before the Adosian could speak again. She heard the lift doors closing behind her, turning her eyes and thoughts to the room in front of her.

  The women pressed themselves to the bars, far from the pit fighters who, having seen their reactions, had stopped moving into the room.

  ‘They’re afraid of us,’ Karijan said quietly as she approached him.

  ‘They’re afraid of most aliens. Our experiences haven’t been great.’ With that, she stepped forward, taking in the faces before her.

  Farah was gone, probably sold since the auction Zoe had witnessed. There was no sign of Kayleigh either. In fact, in the cage they’d been in, only Abrami was left. She stared at Zoe, several emotions vying for room on her face. Zoe did a quick count. Out of more than one-hundred crew on Endurance, there were only twenty-three women left in the pens. With Whittaker, that made twenty-four members of her crew who she might be able to save if everything went well.