by Ivy Barrett
Captured for Their Use
By
Ivy Barrett
Copyright © 2019 by Stormy Night Publications and Ivy Barrett
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by Stormy Night Publications and Design, LLC.
www.StormyNightPublications.com
Barrett, Ivy
Captured for Their Use
Cover Design by Korey Mae Johnson
Images by iStock/Kharichkina, Shutterstock/Vadim Sadovski, and Shutterstock/KDdesignphoto
This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Additional Books in the Ventori Masters Series
More Stormy Night Books by Ivy Barrett
Ivy Barrett Links
Chapter One
Celeste Mortenson paced the confines of her small cabin, cursing her impulsive decision to face off with Ram, leader of the Yashonty rebels. She’d been surrounded with massive Ventori Defenders at the negotiation, literally stood beside Chancellor Savator, meanest of all the alien warriors. She’d felt safe, and the foolish presumption had resulted in this. She looked at the dismal cell that surrounded her and groaned inwardly. Becoming a Yashonty captive was not what she had planned.
Her baby sister, Brianne, had disappeared nearly a month ago. All the clues pointed toward the rebels, so Lorna—their older sister—and Celeste switched into rescue mode. Desperate for specific information, Lorna insisted that Celeste slip a tiny transceiver under her skin and then Lorna allowed herself to be captured by the Yashonty.
Celeste had been adamantly opposed to the reckless strategy, but Lorna ignored her objections and set things in motion without Celeste’s knowledge. Lorna intended to transmit detailed intel that would allow Celeste to rescue her and Brianne. It hadn’t worked. Despite Lorna’s best efforts and her willingness to risk severe punishment or even death each time she sent a transmission, none of the facts proved where Brianne was or who had taken her.
Ram led the rebellion. If he wasn’t responsible for Brianne’s capture, he knew who was and could easily find out her current location. So Celeste had focused in on Ram.
Determined to learn from her sister’s mistakes, Celeste had frantically looked for a way to gain direct access to the ruthless Yashonty. She’d studied every scrap of information available on the mysterious rebel leader but came up empty time and again.
That’s when she’d contacted the Ventori Protectorate. The Ventori had rushed to Earth’s defense almost two years ago when a group of hostile aliens known as the Skarilians attacked without provocation. The Protectorate formed when their planet was decimated by the same alien horde. No one understood what the Skarilians wanted or why they destroyed with such impunity but the Ventori did what they could to assist those lacking the technology to defend themselves.
The meeting with Ram was arranged and they tried to anticipate all the curveballs Ram could throw at them. But the surprise hadn’t come from Ram, at least not directly. A traitorous Tavorian gatekeeper, Vikrin, had joined the rebellion and no one knew. He’d opened a portal for Ram, and the rebel leader simply picked her up and stepped from the Colorado foothills to his ship with her slung over his shoulder.
It had been humiliating and surreal. And the worst part was it had likely been for nothing. She hadn’t seen Ram, or anyone else, since her arrival thirteen days ago. After Ram set her on her feet, he simply walked away. She’d been escorted to this cabin at weapon’s point. One of the Yashonty soldiers told her to change out of her business suit into a sheer, sleeveless... nightgown was the closest human equivalent to the shapeless garment. She’d been alone in the room when she changed clothes, but the guard immediately opened the door and demanded her original garments, so she knew they’d been watching her on some sort of surveillance.
That was the last time she’d seen any of the rebels. Her food replication kiosk was activated remotely, and a clean dress/nightgown was placed just inside the door sometime during the night. A tiny bathroom with an even smaller shower adjoined the main living space, so all of her basic needs were met. All she lacked was freedom, mental stimulation, and the ability to help her sisters in any way.
“Having fun?”
Celeste gasped and whipped her head around, jarred out of her frustrated musings. Vikrin, the Tavorian gatekeeper responsible for her capture stood just inside the door. She tensed, glaring at him. He spoke heavily accented Ventori, one of eleven languages Celeste spoke thanks to the comm-bots implanted in her temporal lobe. She also spoke Tavorian, which was unusual for a human. As an envoy for the Department of Alien Affairs, communicating with the visiting species was essential to her job.
She hadn’t heard the door slide open. How had he gotten in here? “What do you want?” she snapped in Ventori. If it hadn’t been for this traitor, the Ventori would have been able to protect her while she spoke with Ram. There was no guarantee Ram would have released Brianne and Lorna, but he might have revealed something important or agreed to some sort of trade.
“You look better than I expected.” Vikrin’s gaze traveled up and down her scantily clad body, gleaming with unwelcome interest. “It’s been almost two of your weeks. Has Ram tired of you already?”
Ram hadn’t touched her. No one had. She certainly wasn’t complaining, but it surprised and confused her. Lorna had spoken with Celeste briefly right after she arrived. Though Lorna avoided details about her situation, it was obvious she’d been claimed. Lorna insisted she was unharmed and that Brianne was also safe. Celeste wanted to believe her, needed to think both her sisters were all right. Even if that were true now, all three were still captives of the Yashonty. There was no telling how long this reprieve would last. Vikrin was proof that her fears were justified.
She’d been dreaming about this revolting creep, woke up twice with her heart pounding. She couldn’t remember what he’d been doing in the nightmare, but it left her feeling weak and nauseous.
Like ice creeping over a lake, dread spread through Celeste. Was Vikrin here to make her nightmares real? He was Tavorian, and they were known to be xenophobic snobs. “Do you have a reason for being here or did you just come to gloat?” She refused to show fear, to reveal any emotion but hate to this disloyal bastard.
Vikrin moved closer. She held her ground, glaring into his strange fluorescent blue eyes. Most Tavorians had gray eyes or grayish blue, but there was no hint of gray in Vikrin’s piercing stare.
“Has anyone used you?” He sounded baffled, even disappointed. “The change should be well underway by now.”
“What change? What the hell are you talking about?”
He shook his head, ignoring her questions as he looked her up and down. “This makes no sense. They should be mounting you like a bitch in heat.”
“Go to hell,” she sneered, but her hands were shaking.
He chuckled, but horror echoed in his gaze, horror every human understood thanks to the Skarilians. “I’ve already been and have no intention of ever going back. Now answer the question.”
“No.”
“No, you won’t answer, or no, they haven’t enjoyed that firm young body?” Hi
s gaze fell to her breasts and lingered. “There is certainly nothing wrong with the presentation, must be the personality.”
She said nothing more. If Vikrin intended to rape her, he’d have one hell of a fight on his hands. Unlike the warrior races, the Tavorians depended on magic more than physical brawn. She tensed, self-doubt making her legs weak. Who was she trying to fool? Celeste had survived FBI training, barely. But unlike her sister Lorna, Celeste had never been a field agent. In fact, she’d never even been in a fight. She was an envoy, a diplomate. Her battles were fought with words, not weapons.
Well, she’d better start talking her way out of this, or she’d regret it for the rest of her life.
Vikrin fell silent as he circled her slowly. He muttered under his breath, apparently lost in thought. When he finally faced her again, his eyes were gleaming slits. “Why take you if he has no interest in fucking you? And why is he not interested? You should be irresistible to them by now.”
What was that supposed to mean? “Must have realized I’m loaded with STDs.”
He rolled his eyes. “Has Ram even tried to fuck you?”
She just glared.
“No matter. If Ram doesn’t want you, one of his officers will. Everyone knows there’s a new female onboard. It’s only a matter of time before one of them demands access to you.”
She agreed, which was why she’d barely slept for the past two weeks and jumped out of her skin each time she heard footsteps in the corridor. “Thank you, Captain Obvious,” she muttered.
“Captain Ob...” Understanding dawned, and his expression hardened. “I’ve been debating if the third injection is necessary.”
Injection? Her stomach clenched, and her heartbeat faltered. Had her nightmares been more than disturbing dreams? Had this fucker been sneaking in and injecting her with who the hell knew what? She was so horrified by the thought that she almost lost track of his tirade.
“This step stimulates attraction, makes it so intense it can be dangerous. If they aren’t fucking you bloody by now, you clearly need it. But I had been dreading what they might do to you. Your attitude makes this easier.” With no other warning, he lunged for her.
Instinct took over, and she swung her elbow toward his face as she brought her knee up into his groin. Both blows encountered empty air. The gatekeeper was suddenly behind her, arm wrapped tightly around her neck. She screamed and thrashed, reaching back and arching wildly as she stomped on his instep. It did no good. He jerked her head to one side and injected her with something that stung like hellfire. She screamed again.
“What the fuck is that!” His hold on her neck suddenly released. Stunned and terrified, she rubbed the area just below her ear as she spun around.
Gone. He just wasn’t there. If the side of her neck didn’t burn like fire, she’d wonder if she’d imagined the entire incident. Twice now, Vikrin hadn’t opened a portal. He’d simply... flashed from one place to another. She’d never seen a Tavorian do that, wasn’t aware that any of them could.
She sank onto the edge of her bunk, dazed and extremely concerned about what he’d injected into her body. If Vikrin wanted her dead, why wait three days to kill her? Because Ram hadn’t wanted her? No, the gatekeeper gained nothing by Ram ‘using’ her. The sting was starting to fade, but her heart still thudded madly.
Now that her panic was starting to recede, she was able to think more clearly. She believed in critical thinking. If she analyzed this objectively focusing only on facts, she could figure out what the hell just happened. Tavorians were separatists and pacifists. It went against everything they believed for Vikrin to join the rebellion. So why had he switched sides? Maybe if she could unravel his motivation for throwing in with Ram, she’d be able to figure out what Vikrin had done to her.
The door parted, the two halves disappearing into the wall. Celeste shot to her feet and prepared to defend herself, but it wasn’t Vikrin. Actually, it wasn’t just Vikrin. Ram, obviously angry, dragged Vikrin in by the front of his shirt and threw him halfway across the cabin.
“Is this what I think it is?” Ram held up an injector identical to the one Vikrin had used on her. Was it the same one? Ram spoke in clipped Ventori. It must be the only language both Vikrin and Ram knew.
“It will not kill her,” the gatekeeper insisted. “The compound has been tested extens—”
“Which compound?” Ram snapped. “What the fuck did you do to her!”
If the rebels had been spying on her, why hadn’t they seen Vikrin sneak in here before? He’d said this was the third injection. Celeste crossed her arms over her breasts and waited for the gatekeeper to answer. He was a head shorter than Ram but equally arrogant.
Vikrin’s pale gray lips curved into a sly smile as he said, “I’ve granted your fondest wish, General. Just say thank you.”
“I’m not in the mood for your word games. Explain.” Ram’s voice dropped in both tone and volume, becoming an ominous growl. Of all the species she’d encountered since the Skarilians attacked, the Yashonty were the least human-looking. Ram was about the size of a Ventori, well over six feet tall, but he was more leanly muscled. His skin was ink-black with a fascinating blue cast that was accented by light. His features were sharply angled, cheekbones high and hollow, and the unusual tilt to his eyes made them appear even more exotic than their lavender color. A bony ridge encircled the back of his head from temple to temple. Ash-gray geometric markings ran up both sides of his neck and covered the hairless top of his blue-black head. What hair he had was white and only grew below the bony ridge. She didn’t consider him ugly, just strange and menacing.
“We can give you access to the Skarilian base,” Vikrin told Ram. The raw power emanating from Ram made Vikrin appear even smaller. His waist-length hair blended multiple shades of gray and blue into a color uniquely his. His features were balanced, and the paleness of his skin made his bright blue eyes even more piercing. “But as things stand, you still need the Ventori for compatible females.”
Celeste tensed. If this had something to do with genetic compatibility, it couldn’t be good news for her. The Ventori controlled the process enabling human females to produce offspring with aliens. The technology had only been tested with the Ventori, but rumors indicated that the process could be altered to accommodate a wide variety of species.
“Did that answer my question?” Ram’s pale purple gaze drifted toward her, then back to the Tavorian.
“I’ve made her a life-bringer,” Vikrin stated emphatically.
“You lie!” Ram looked at her again, his eyes lingering this time. “The Yashonty code is not yet ready. Noj told me he’s weeks, perhaps months away from human trials.”
Vikrin was using her as a guinea pig? Celeste staggered back a step, horrified at the possibility. If what he said was true, he’d injected her with a protein, enzyme, or virus that would trigger targeted mutations in her genome. She only knew enough about genetic editing to be utterly terrified.
“Prime Medic Noj might be struggling, but Pryar is not. According to Pryar, the resequencing is complete. Now all you need to do is fuck her repeatedly to find out if the revision was successful.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Celeste blurted. As usual, Vikrin was full of shit. She was not going to become Ram’s fuck-toy because of this bastard’s lies! “The Ventori couldn’t accomplish what you’re claiming, and they’ve been working on this for months.”
Vikrin glanced at her but continued to speak with Ram. “Pryar knows more about the process than any human. The Ventori are warriors. Their weapons might be more advanced than ours, but our understanding of genetics is unprecedented. Why do you think I was so insistent that you capture these three females? If you had taken me seriously to begin with, none of this would have been necessary.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Celeste snapped, moving closer to the Tavorian traitor.
Vikrin finally addressed her directly, his expression tense and impatient. “As you know, your bl
ood type makes you more compatible with alien males. Further testing revealed that you and your sisters already possess a rare genetic mutation that will make this process particularly effective. If it works as well as Pryar’s team believes, they will replicate your anomaly and incorporate it into the transformation process, thereby increasing the success rate and making the option available on a much larger scale.”
“You will reverse this,” Ram ordered. “Whatever changes Pryar made must and will be undone. I never agreed to human testing, and I never would have forced this on anyone!”
Vikrin shook his head. “It’s much too late for that. The mutation is nearly complete.”
This couldn’t be happening. Celeste’s heart thudded in her chest, mouth so dry she could barely swallow. “Who the hell is Pryar, and how did he get my DNA?” She’d had Lorna’s, Brianne’s, and her blood tested when she heard about the Rh-negative connection, but she knew nothing about a genetic anomaly.
“Ram has as many spies among the Ventori as Savator has among the rebels. Maybe more,” Vikrin said with a smirk. “The Ventori are notified of all Rh-negative findings.”
Human females were unaware of this, of course. Most had their blood tested because they were afraid of being targeted—which was exactly what the testing did. Just when she thought things couldn’t get worse, she’d learn something like this. Celeste raised her hand to her mouth and blinked back angry tears. If she’d inadvertently brought her sisters to the attention of the Yashonty, she would never forgive herself.
“The Ventori scientists flagged your and your sisters’ blood for further study,” Vikrin continued, “so Ram’s agent passed on a portion of your samples to us.”
“Is this why Brianne was targeted?” She dreaded the answer, but she had to know. Had she done this to Lorna and Bri? She’d been trying to protect them.
“Yes and no.” Rather than explain, Vikrin looked at Ram. Was he unsure how much the general wanted her to know?
After a tense pause, Ram began, “My crew is too well-trained for their own good.”
