Righteous Fury (To Protect and Service Book 2)

by Tracy St. John

  “I haven’t seen any people like that. Only the men with bronze skin. The ones who make us—” She glanced down at the baby suckling. The reserved expression returned, with no hint of motherly softness.

  Kimi had a sudden hunch. “You were raped?”

  “We are all raped, almost every day. Breeding stock, they say. So they can have slaves to sell.” She continued to stare at the infant. The cold, detached expression strengthened.

  “Okay, ma’am. I’d like to repeat what you’ve told me to make sure I’ve got it right. Okay? We’re prisoners on a spaceship. Everyone here has been sexually assaulted by bronze aliens and made to have their babies. The babies are sold into slavery. Do I have that correct?” Kimi could barely squeeze out the words, though her horror was no obstacle to the cop part of her mind working the problem. She’d seen those slaves with the metallic-sheened skin on the Paatiin station. Those must be the kinds of aliens the woman was talking about. What had Laaruu called them? Gilotheans. Hanos’s species.

  Her companion lifted her gaze. Her stare was utterly dead again, void of any feeling. “Stop asking questions. You’ll figure out this hell soon enough.”

  “I’m a cop. I want to help you. Do I have the facts about this correct?”

  “You can’t save us.” The woman shrugged and spoke anyway. “It’s not the bronze men who impregnate us. They inseminate us with human sperm, so the babies are fully human. Then they shove their dicks in us. Over and over.”

  Kimi should have been afraid, but she only felt rage. And shock. For fuck’s sake, she’d stumbled across the abducted women of her Earth, completely by accident. There was no victory, however, not they were worse off than her greatest fears. Not when she was one of them.

  Fuck that. I refuse to become breeding stock. She’d die first.

  She looked around the chamber for a means of escape. When she saw no help in that regard from her perch on the other’s cot, she got up and investigated the room. Inch by inch, she examined the chamber, especially the recessed door that seemed to be the only exit. How it was opened was hidden from her inspection. Failing that, she resumed her search, hoping for a weapon. The others ignored her. She may as well have been a ghost drifting in their midst, unseen.

  The cots were formed seamlessly from metal, appearing to have been forged in their shapes rather than screwed or bolted together from separate pieces that might have served as blunt instruments. They were sunk into the floor, embedded with no way to pick them up. The shower heads and controls offered no tools as far as an offensive attack went.

  Kimi slapped her hand against the featureless wall in frustration. She found nothing that would aid her escape.

  Failing that, she tried to talk to the others, to discover more about the situation and any weaknesses they’d observed in their captors. Unfortunately, none wanted to talk. With hope gone, none had the strength to talk. They turned from her, ignoring her attempts to draw them out.

  She couldn’t give up. No matter what.

  As she approached yet another female, summoning up herculean amounts of patience for what would be another frustrating deflection of her questions (they’re the victims, be caring no matter what, her mind chanted), the lights suddenly intensified. They were so bright that Kimi had to squint to see as her sight adjusted.

  The effect of this abrupt change was immediate. Though they must have been as blinded as Kimi, the women darted to far corners of the chamber, cowering and crying in a startling display of emotion. They clustered in knots, those on the outside trying to force within the crammed bodies.

  As Kimi blinked, she moved into a defensive crouch, bringing her recovering sight to the single door. She reasoned if danger was imminent, it would come in from there. She was right.

  The door hissed, retracting into the wall to admit several bronze-skinned men. They were the same species as the slaves she’d seen at the Paatiin space station, all right. Big, muscular, shimmering with a metallic sheen. Unlike those subservient sex servants, these men appeared ready to pick a fight with anyone. With everyone.

  They noticed her immediately. No surprise; she was the only woman who’d opted to stand her ground. One man, in lead of the rest, grinned.

  The happy expression did his brutish features no good. Even with the bronze skin and silver hair, he barely looked a step above a caveman with a heavy brow and oversized jaw. The scars made it worse. One cheek had been badly burned at some point in the recent past, twisting the flesh. His arm and leg on the left side were encased in a sort of exoskeleton, the one on his wrist ending in a mechanical hand. Somehow, the obvious disabilities didn’t make him appear weak, not when he was built like a tank. He had more muscle in his shoulders than Maurice had in his entire torso. Yet he’d wrapped this made-for-destruction chassis in fine fabrics. The red shirt seemed made of silk, and damn if his trousers and cape—the dude was wearing a freaking opera cape—were black velvet. His boots shone like bronze.

  Kimi was further startled by the rich, cultured bass that came from the leering mouth. He spoke to the goon on his right. “Here we have the lovely prize snatched from one of my enemies. Bring her to my private chambers, Tum.”

  He turned on his shiny heel and marched back out, the rest of his party scrambling to move out of his path. Three of his companions advanced on Kimi.

  She bladed her body and readied for the battle. A decidedly unfair battle considering that though these thugs weren’t as beastly as their apparent leader, each had at least a hundred pounds of muscle on her. They outnumbered her, with another four waiting next to the door.

  She’d fight anyway. It beat the alternative.

  The man in front, the one who’d been named as Tum, his long hair gleaming a bright as a new copper penny, laughed at her stance. “Are you going to struggle, little bitty girl?”

  Kimi smiled her own unpleasant sneer. “Why not? Scared?”

  Tum had no sense of humor. Or maybe he was smarter than he looked. He snarled to the other two moving forward, “Take her down, but don’t mark her. That privilege belongs to Lord Hanos.”

  “Hanos? Drek Hanos? That ugly old thing was him?” Despite the danger before Kimi, excitement pulsed through her. Laaruu had been right. The bastard was alive.

  “You’ve heard of him, Alt-Earthling?” Tum’s black-hole eyes, missing any sign of colored irises, widened.

  “Only that he’s a big turd that’s stinking up this universe.” Kimi baited him, seeing if he could be goaded into a foolish charge that would give her the upper hand.

  Instead, he scowled. “Bring her along. She can share her thoughts with Lord Hanos. I’m sure he’ll find them fascinating.”

  While he ordered his behemoth pals, Kimi was struck with a new idea. She couldn’t hope to fight these assholes and win, hadn’t even considered it as a possibility. Her sole aim had been to strike in pride and hopefully, score a quick death rather than whatever breeding hell they had planned for her. However, the presence of Hanos, in the midst of the horrible misery of fellow Earth women, had changed the game.

  If I can get him alone—

  It hurt her dignity to pretend her nerve broke when the men neared. She played the part anyhow, screaming and running from them. She mollified her bruised self-respect by leading them on a chase that went on for so long, the rest of the party was compelled to join and box her in.

  Compared to her, the lumbering creatures were not that fast. She faked being weaker than she was as they loomed close. She pretended not to notice the numerous openings they gave, in which she could have kicked a break in an ankle, tripped someone to the ground, planted a fist in a groin, or have incapacitated any of them in many ways. That hurt her pride too.

  I need to get close to Hanos. Maybe score some weapons.

  She settled for scratching and biting, letting on to none of her abilities to tear a man apart. It got her shoved around, but the demand she not be marked kept the assholes in good order. Another weakness Kimi ached to exploit.

&
nbsp; Eyes on the bigger prize. Duty first, Ranger Furio.

  After the briefest excuse of a tussle, she was herded out of the chamber, heading to who knew what. It wasn’t hard to shed a few tears, because Kimi was afraid. Fortunately, fear had never stopped her from doing a job before. She kept the vision of the captured, their battered bodies, and the children destined for slavery foremost in her mind.

  Tum and his buddies yanked her through several corridors of what was apparently a sizeable ship. Kimi couldn’t scrutinize her surroundings, what with hulking Gilotheans surrounding her. She had an impression of light-panel ceilings, beige walls and matching flooring. At least it was warmer than the meat locker where they kept the women.

  They ended up in front of a recessed door that hissed open once the bronze-skinned Tum waved his hand in front of a panel. Another thug gave her an impatient shove into the room beyond.

  The lighting was soft, but decent enough to see by. A massive bed, covered with luxurious fabrics, was front and center. Its four corners were marked with marble-like columns. Had a gold human-sized cage not been close by, Kimi might not have noticed it in her awe.

  Her initial thought was how huge the songbirds were in this alternate dimension. Then realization kicked in, especially when she saw the shackles at the top of the cage. They were perfect to hang a sex victim from.

  A dark stain pooled on the white carpet beneath the cage. Dried blood. A lot of dried blood.

  Fighting off a rise of nausea, Kimi continued her examination of the quarters. Unfortunately, the other large piece of furniture appeared to be a bench with a lot of tethers. Behind it, the wall was festooned with whips, floggers, straps, and any number of terrible instruments—terrible because of the monstrosity who must wield them. The monstrosity who stepped close to her.

  As she faced Hanos’s leering face, Kimi forced herself to breathe steadily. That came with its own difficulties. The room reeked of sweat and piss. A lot of agony had happened in this chamber of horrors.

  Hanos rubbed his crotch with his flesh-and-blood hand while his gaze lingered on her pussy. “Tum, did you find the location of Vendeen’s station?”

  “I was about to ask your indulgence to leave so I could find out why there hasn’t been a report from our operatives yet.”

  “Go. Take care of whomever isn’t doing their job.”

  The door hissed open and closed behind Kimi, leaving her alone with the silver-haired ogre and two guards. Damn it, why did he have to be so fucking humongous? She’d taken down muscled behemoths before, but it was hard not to acknowledge a twinge of intimidation. Certainly, she’d not had to fight three at once before.

  Just once, I’d enjoy facing off with some puny little asshole. Just once, it would be nice to not have to overcome the odds.

  As he leered at her sex, stroking the python that was straining the crotch of his pants, Hanos licked his lips. It seemed he had nothing to say. The fiend was all about drawing out his anticipation and her dread. Probably waiting for her to beg for mercy. If Laaruu had impressed any characteristics about Hanos on her, the crime lord was the kind of fuckwad who would get off on that sort of sickness.

  Affecting a lack of concern, Kimi crossed her arms under her breasts, refusing to let him think she cowered in any respect. “So. You’re Drek Hanos. What a pleasure it’s not.”

  His eyebrow twitched, perhaps a concession to surprise she wasn’t blubbering. Otherwise, his attitude remained unchanged. He pulled at a cock too massive for Kimi to contemplate without screaming while he scrutinized her mound. “I take it Laaruu gave you his opinion of me. Be assured, mine is no higher of him or his asshole prince, Saazeer.”

  “Why? From the looks of that bay I came from, your inventory took no damage when they tried to kill you.”

  “Stupid girl. Sometimes it’s not about lost profits or the headache of having to move my stock a few at a time to a new location. Your new master and his master disrespected me. The moment I learned Laaruu had gone to Alt-Earth in pursuit of a human slave, I knew I would have my revenge.”

  “By kidnapping me.” What a chickenshit. He didn’t have the balls to face Laaruu, even with a bunch of goons at his back. That shored up Kimi’s shaken self-confidence.

  “Stealing you from him is a start. Hurting you as you’ve never imagined you could be hurt adds to my fun. Not just your body, but your mind as well. I’ll show you how powerless you are by fucking all your holes.” He finally lifted his gaze to her face, searching for her fear as his guards laughed.

  “The hell you will. You’ll have to kill me, and I don’t die easy.”

  “So dramatic! Ah, but I’ll fuck you, while you’re very alive. And your pussy will be exactly how I prefer when I do so…bloody and torn.”

  Hanos turned to the wall of dreadful instruments. He plucked a metal-studded rubber paddle from its surface, a horror that made Kimi cringe inside, though she maintained an impassive façade.

  His brow twitched again, but he rumbled laughter. “Play tough for as long as you’re able. You’ll scream and cry for me soon enough when I beat your cunt, you stupid slut. You can thank your master Laaruu for every single blow.”

  He stepped toward her, stalking her, mean and dangerous. Kimi backed away, between the snickering guards. Other than the wall of whips and straps on the other side of the room, she saw no weapons. Even the guards possessed no objects she could have called guns or bludgeons.

  Hand to hand, then. Kimi watched Hanos, tracking his movements with a practiced eye, searching for weakness.

  It became clear in the space of seconds that if Hanos did have any physical vulnerabilities, they were damned few. His movements as he leisurely pursued her toward a corner near the door were as fluid as a stalking tiger. The exoskeletons on his arm and leg appeared solid and unbreakable.

  He gloated as he closed in. “After I’ve had my first round of pleasure, I’ll have an array installed in your brain. I’ll program you to obey my commands. You’ll be fully aware of how much torture you’re to endure, but you’ll have no choice but to submit.”

  “Hard to order me around with your tongue cut out.” She was running out of space to run.

  “Do you think you’ll get the chance? For our beginning play, you’ll be tied down. Every time afterward, you will spread your legs with only a word from me. You’ll allow me to beat you without defending yourself, even unto death.”

  “A little touch of sadism, Hanos?” She smirked at the flash of uncertainty her insistent boldness brought from him.

  “You have a big mouth. I’ll put it to use often and send Laaruu the footage of each magnificent second. I’ll really enjoy ordering you to hold yourself open for daily pussy beatings from this—” he shook the awful paddle at her “—and hearing you scream while you obey. I’ll send Laaruu that recording too.”

  He was just out of reach when he paused to cock his head, regarding her with those obsidian eyes. “I hope your attitude of toughness isn’t false. I pray you’re made of strong mettle. It’s so much fun to break someone with a spine.”

  Kimi had heard enough. The moment had come to fight. The hard edge she possessed, the same hard edge that had enabled her to kill with her bare hands when threatened, was actually looking forward to it. She crouched and bladed, readying to tear into any who came at her.

  Hanos grinned. “Grab the bitch and tie her to the bench so I can beat that cunt to perfection.”

  Chapter Ten

  The guards, who’d been watching and snickering as Kimi tried to keep distance between herself and Hanos, straightened at their boss’s order. They moved toward her, their attitudes casual. Exactly how Kimi needed them to be. She gave herself a mental high-five for showing fear earlier. Their complacency would give her a chance to kick their asses.

  Concern for her safety switched off. Fear of injury switched off. In battle mode, Kimi became an instrument, almost detached, as she gauged every nuance of the enemy’s movements, of the openings it gave her. She’d lost
that quality after Raven’s disappearance and assumed murder, and it had made her weak when it came to Laaruu. But in this moment, squaring off with foes who wanted to do her real harm, she found the killer’s instinct that had saved her before.

  Though she was naked, her swings and kicks had power. A foot to one attacker’s belly doubled him over. Heel of hand to the other’s nose smashed the cartilage to pieces. She returned to the first, who was hunched in pain and surprise. Cupping the back of his skull in her twined hands, she yanked down while meeting it with her knee. Blood sprayed, but she was already concentrating on the second assailant, who hadn’t finished staggering, his hands over his ruined features. She shoved her knee so far into his crotch, she expected his balls to fly out of his wide-opened mouth.

  Back and forth, tearing them apart, her brain cataloging the next attack as it assimilated the opponents’ positions, where they were most vulnerable. Only seconds went by, but time slowed, allowing Kimi to reset for each barrage and carry it through to conclusion.

  One went down, his black eyes rolling before closing. The other was still on his feet, reeling in agony and confusion. Kimi noted the direction his momentum went in, grabbed his long, ebony hair, and used it to smashed him face-first into the wall. The surface had no give, but his bones did, and they crunched. Again and again, she pounded his features into jelly against the wall.

  Though all moved in slow motion, a portion of Kimi’s mind registered that less than half a minute had passed. She let her foe loose. As the man slithered to the floor in a limp heap, she turned to Hanos.

  The crime boss was in shock from seeing a naked, unarmed woman take his thugs down. His caveman visage darkened, and his eyes bulged. He roared at Kimi, a maddened bull ready to charge.

  She knew that look. It was the mask of someone who’d lost all control. It was the expression of the psychotic out of touch with reality, of the crack fiend who’d lost all conscience in the haze of drugs and adrenaline. A man in such a state wouldn’t feel hurt, wouldn’t comprehend fear. He’d take a bullet without a blink, a stab to the gut without notice. He’d keep coming and coming and coming unless someone hit him with a goddamned grenade.