Torment

by Tana Stone

  “He doesn’t belong here,” the boy added.

  “You’re right about that,” Tori said, as they made a series of turns that made her feel like they were going in circles. “We’re trying to get back to his planet.”

  The boy paused in front of an alabaster building with no windows, and huge black doors. “This is it.” He took a breath. “Listen, I know you don’t have any money. I already tried to pick your pocket in the crowd.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “So why’d you help me?”

  “Dunno.” He grinned at her as he moved off down the street. “You looked like the kind of person who might be good for a favor one day.”

  Tori watched him go, shaking her head, then turned back to the house. Her chest constricted. Vrax was in there somewhere, and she needed to get him out.

  Chapter Eleven

  Vrax rolled his head to one side. The bench didn’t feel as cold as usual, but his head ached. He tried to move his arms, but his wrists pinched when he pulled at them.

  Forcing himself to open his eyes, he was surprised not to see the dim light of his cell buzzing overhead. Instead, candles flickered all over the room, and he realized he definitely wasn’t in his cell on the bounty-hunter ship.

  No, this room was much larger, with black walls instead of metal. Sconces holding ivory candles ran the perimeter of the space, but they were not made of any substance that dripped or melted. The warm light cast shadows that bounced across the walls, and Vrax could see that woven rugs covered the floor, and a large bed with tall posts stretched across one wall. Even from where he was, he could see the sheen of the silky, black fabrics covering the bed, and the fluffy, white fur draped across the foot.

  So if the bed was over there, what was he lying on? He lifted his throbbing head enough to peer down at himself. He still wore his pants—that was good—but his arms and legs appeared to be strapped to a platform of some kind. He tugged at the restraints and the table shook, but the straps didn’t budge. At least he wasn’t chained, he thought. And at least he was alone.

  He could hear the faint sound of music coming from outside the room and the rise and fall of voices, punctuated by the occasional scream. Where was he?

  Vrax tried to remember how he’d gotten there, but his mind felt fuzzy and the images were muddled. He swallowed, but his throat felt thick and his tongue heavy. He’d felt a little bit like this when he drank too much fermented wine, although he couldn’t imagine how much he’d been given to feel this groggy.

  The last thing he recalled was being at the slave market. He’d watched the alien in front of him be taken off the stage, and then he’d been pushed on. There had been yelling and whistling, and he’d thought he saw Tori before he was led off and handed off to a female.

  His chest tightened. The female with the hair that was almost no color and the eyes that were hard and glittering. He cast his gaze around the room again, relieved for a reason he couldn’t quite explain to himself that she wasn’t there.

  She’d been the one to buy him, to pay the large amount he’d sold for on the auction block. He’d been sure he would go to the fighting pits, but he had been wrong. He’d come here. Wherever here was.

  Vrax breathed in the cloying scent of perfumed oil, the sweetness mixed with the warmth of the candles making his stomach churn. He needed to get out. Despite the sumptuous surroundings, he could sense the danger in the place. And the fear.

  He jerked again at his bindings. They were a cloth of some kind, and they seemed to tighten each time he tugged at them. He rolled his body on the platform. Maybe he’d have better luck breaking that, as long as it wasn’t steel. He felt the grooves pressing into his back, and guessed that meant it was made of planks of some kind. If he was lucky, wood.

  He threw all his weight in one direction, and felt the table groan but hold tight. It was a start. He lurched in the other direction. Another groan, but he wasn’t able to get the legs to lift off the floor. He let out an impatient sigh.

  “I’m impressed.” The smooth voice behind him made the breath catch in his throat. “Most don’t even think about trying to take down the entire table.”

  He lay motionless as the woman walked into view. She’d removed the black cape, and he could now see the snug, black pants encasing her long legs, and the top that laced up, pushing her breasts up so they nearly spilled out. Her hair looked more gold than white in the candlelight, but her eyes were not warmed by the glow.

  She ran a single fingertip from his wrist all the way down his arm, lingering on the markings that ringed his bicep and making a humming noise in the back of her throat before continuing down his chest. She stopped when she reached the vee of ridges below his stomach, and arched an eyebrow. “I’ve also never seen these before.”

  Vrax had been holding his breath, trying not to physically react to her touch. He had a hard time reading much off her except her desire, although it did not come to him as fiery heat, but as cold need. He suppressed a shudder.

  “What are you?” she asked. “I’ve had all kinds of delicious aliens come through my house, and I’ve never seen one like you before.”

  “I am Dothvek.”

  She tilted her head, making another small noise of delight. “Dothvek. Even the name sounds so primitive. Do your people travel among the planets?”

  He pressed his lips together. He did not want to tell this creature about his people.

  She leaned over him so that the top of her breasts brushed his bare chest. “Playing coy? That’s fine. We have all the time in the world to get to know each other.” She gave him a predatory smile and straightened. “I’m Meridia, your hostess.”

  He suspected that hostess was not the right word, considering that his arms and legs were bound.

  She continued walking down the length of his body, tracing her finger down his hip bone and his leg until she reached his bare foot. She stood at the end of the table, holding one foot in each hand and dragging her fingernail slowly from the ball to the heel.

  “As you might have guessed, you’re in a house of pleasure. The most illustrious house of pleasure in all of Kurril. My clients come from all over the galaxy to experience things they can’t find anywhere else. I provide the exotic, the unusual, the extreme sensations of pleasure and pain.” She stretched her arms out, one on each of his thighs and squeezed. “The moment I saw you, I knew I had to have you. Everything about you looks dominant and dark.”

  She crawled up onto the end of the table, and he realized for the first time that it was bolted to the floor. He fixed his gaze to the ceiling as she crept up his body, her own rubbing against him as she moved.

  “You’re so big and powerful,” she said, her voice a purr. “I’m sure you could snap me in two if you weren’t tied down, couldn’t you? But that’s the fun, isn’t it?” She straddled him, grinding herself into his cock and letting out a moan. “Controlling this much power and strength.”

  Vrax did not want to react, clenching his jaw to keep his body from responding as she moved on top of him. As much as he tried to think of anything else, his body betrayed him. His cock hardened, reacting to her steady strokes as if she wasn’t a terrifying female who had him tied up.

  “That’s better,” she said, shifting herself down to rub him with her hands and gasping slightly. “I had no idea how much better.”

  As much as he did not want this female, he felt almost powerless beneath her. Anger simmered inside him, his heart pounding. He tried to focus on how he could get away, but her fingers were slipping underneath the top of his pants.

  “Do not,” he warned.

  Her fingers stilled and she laughed, low and throaty. “Is that a threat?” She dipped her fingers farther. “How do you plan to stop me? From what I can tell, you don’t entirely mind, do you?”

  He growled and jerked his body up, making her grasp the sides of the table to keep from flying off. “I am not yours to take.”

  Her smile faltered for a moment as she righted herself.
“But you are mine. I paid for you. Your body and your life belong to me, now. I can do anything I want with you. I can be nice.” She bent over him and closed her teeth over one nipple, giving it a sharp bite. “Or not.”

  He clenched his hands into fists, ignoring the pain. He did not know if provoking her would douse her desire or enflame it. As she sat back up, her eyes blazing, he felt pretty sure that inflicting pain did nothing but arouse her more.

  He tilted his head up and stared at the dark ceiling, the light dancing across it, and tried to take his mind away. He imagined the wide open sands, the heat of the suns on his back and the shimmering powder warming the soles of his feet. He pictured himself running across the dunes, his legs kicking up sand behind him. And Tori.

  She was running beside him, her mane of curls flying behind her and her face set in determination as she tried to push herself to keep up with his longer strides. Her well-muscled arms pumped hard, but her smaller body was no match for him. He remembered that body nestled against his as he kept her warm on the bounty hunter ship, his head resting on her soft hair, and her eyes dark when he touched her.

  “I knew you could not resist me for long.” Meridia’s voice cut through his memories, bringing him crashing back to the room and the table and her hands on him.

  Thinking about Tori had been a mistake. Not only was his cock hard and throbbing, but his heart now ached at the thought that he might not see her again. How long would she search for him before she left the planet? How would she get inside this sexual prison even if she did find him? He knew Tori was resourceful, but she was one female in a dangerous city. His stomach tightened, and he sent up a silent prayer to the goddesses to keep her safe.

  “I think I’ve been patient enough, don’t you?” Meridia asked, a sharp edge to her voice as she gave a hard tug and pulled his pants down to expose his cock.

  Vrax jerked his body again in attempt to send her flying, but she grasped his bare hips and dug her fingernails into his hard flesh.

  “As long as you keep moving like that when I’m riding you, barbarian,” she said, laughing.

  He wanted to scream as he felt her hands on his cock, but he knew it would do no good. He knew from the little he’d heard that screams were nothing unusual in her house. No one was coming to save him, and she would only enjoy his anguish. He would not give her the satisfaction.

  Vrax squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the sensations and think of anything to make his cock not hard. But the more he tried to put Tori from his mind, the more she filled it. Then he even heard her voice.

  “Get off him, you bitch.”

  Meridia froze on top of him. Vrax opened his eyes and saw her head snap to the doorway. He arched his head back, relief and irritation flooding him.

  Tori stood silhouetted in the doorway, her metal sticks in her hands and her expression murderous. He’d never been as happy to see anyone before or as angry.

  Her rage and relief was palpable, and he could almost feel her body shaking from across the room. “I said, get your hands off him.”

  “I don’t know who you are,” Meridia said, her voice calm as she released her grip on his cock. “But you just signed your own death warrant.”

  Tori grinned and raised one of her needle-like sticks over her head. “I don’t think so.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Tori didn’t take her eyes off the woman who was sitting astride Vrax. She’d released his cock, and Tori had to work hard not to let her gaze drop to it. She also had to work to keep her rage at a controlled boil since she saw that the Dothvek’s huge cock was standing up ramrod straight from his body.

  Was this what he liked? Being tied up? She saw him struggling with the bindings holding his hands and feet in place, and guessed maybe he didn’t.

  The woman with the long, white-blonde hair was sliding off the table, holding her hands up. “You don’t think you’re really going to get out of here alive, do you?”

  Tori watched her, never relaxing her fighting stance. She was ready to flick her sticks at a moment’s notice, and the first one was aimed straight between the bitch’s eyes.

  “I know we have a better chance of surviving than you do,” she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. She’d managed to eliminate the guards downstairs, and had locked everyone else in their rooms—thanks to the psycho who’d equipped all the rooms to locked from the outside—but she didn’t know what other backup security the place had, or what she was dealing with when it came to Meridia.

  The alien madam didn’t look especially dangerous. She looked more like a dominatrix than anything else, but Tori didn’t see any weapons nearby, or even any torture devices. After what the street kid had told her, she’d felt sure she’d have seen whips and shackles.

  “So it’s we, is it?” Meridia asked, her gaze dropping to Vrax. “You think you have some claim on this alien?”

  Tori wanted to snap back that she had no claim on him, but she didn’t think that would help. If it was true she had no claim on him, then why did it feel like a punch to the gut when she’d seen the woman touching him? Why did it make her want to tear the bitch’s hair out of her pretty little head? If she was being honest, what she really wanted to do after walking in and seeing Meridia straddling him and fisting his cock was turn on her heel and leave.

  “Yes,” Vrax said. “She has a claim on me.”

  Tori looked at him, hoping her face didn’t show her surprise. “That’s right. And I don’t like anyone touching my man.” She almost choked on the words, hoping they didn’t sound as ridiculous to the woman as they did to her.

  Meridia looked between the two before smiling and putting her hand on his arm. “I take it you like your females as ferocious as you. That’s good. I could use a female warrior in my stable.” She tapped a finger to her chin. “And there are many who would enjoy watching two warriors together. Or would like to join you.”

  Tori felt a rush of heat between her legs at the thought of being with Vrax then almost instantly went cold at the idea of being watched or joined by Meridia’s clients.

  Now it was Tori’s turn to grin. “I would never join your stable.” She spit out the last word.

  “You say that as if you have a choice,” Meridia said, fluttering her eyelashes, then darting her gaze at the weapons in Tori’s hands.

  Before she could realize what was happening, the sharp sticks flew out of her hands, clattering against the far wall and falling to the floor. Tori glanced at her own hands, as if they’d somehow thrown the weapons without her knowledge. What the hell?

  Meridia gave quick look toward the door behind Tori, and it slammed shut. She spun and tugged on the handle, which held tight.

  Turning around, she narrowed her eyes at the creature standing next to Vrax. She’d heard of some alien species who could move things with their minds, but she’d never encountered anyone who possessed the trait. She guessed it was pretty rare. At least now she knew why everyone was scared of Meridia and how she could keep such a stranglehold on her workers, although it would have been nice if the street urchin had mentioned that the madam was telekinetic.

  “Now you understand?” Meridia asked, her tone light, as if they were discussing the weather.

  “I understand you’re a witch,” Tori growled, moving closer to Vrax. Maybe if she could free him, the two of them together would stand a better chance against the alien.

  The closer she got, the more she could feel his anger, and she wanted to tell him to knock it off. She knew Dothveks were empathic, and that Danica and her new Dothvek mate could sense what each other was feeling. To be honest, she thought the whole thing was creepy, and she did not need to deal with his rage and hers.

  “The more I think about it,” Meridia said. “The more I’m warming to the idea of you two working as a team. Not only would I love to see you two fuck each other’s brains out, I know my clients will pay handsomely to take a turn.”

  “No one touches her,” Vrax said,
his voice such a low rumble Tori almost didn’t hear him.

  This crap again? She wanted to remind him that she wasn’t his to protect, not that he was in any position to protect anyone. The guy was still strapped to a table with his pants down.

  Meridia’s face lit up. “Protective of her, are we? How charming.” She drummed her fingers along her jaw. “That could certainly be part of the show. You get to fight off the other males for mating rights.”

  This was going from bad to worse. Tori scanned the room, searching for anything that could be used as a weapon. Nothing. Not even the candles had actual flames. Shit.

  Meridia let out a soft moan, and Tori looked back at her. Her face seemed transfixed, her eyes half-lidded and her cheeks flushed. What the hell?

  “I had no idea,” Meridia said, her voice high and breathy.

  One glance at Vrax told her what was going on. His eyes were shut, and his hands were clenched. Somehow, he was sending her his thoughts. They must be pretty intense, she thought, as she watched Meridia roll her head back. She fought back a flash of irritation, reminding herself that he was doing this to get them out of there.

  Moving slowly and trying to keep out of the woman’s line of sight, Tori crept to the table and untied Vrax’s hands. He didn’t lower his arms or even indicate that he knew she’d released him, so she moved stealthily to his feet and unfastened those.

  Keeping her gaze firmly fastened on Meridia, whose breathing was now shallow, Tori edged around the room until she retrieved her weapons, tucking them against her forearms.

  She looked back at Vrax and saw that sweat was trickling down his face. She’d never seen him sweat before, not even when it was a boiling hot as they rode across the desert on the galaxy’s least-graceful animals. Was he frying his brain to save them?

  “Stop,” she said, rushing over and putting a hand on his chest.

  His entire body seemed to give out, his head lolling to the side. Meridia seemed to snap out of it, too, swaying in place as she blinked a few times.