Stolen

by Tana Stone

  “New Zealand,” Hope corrected. “There are really other Kiwis on the station?”

  Reina nodded. “Not a lot, but there are some. Tribute brides come from all over. I know you’ll make some good friends once you get to know them.”

  Hope returned Reina’s eager smile. She wasn’t so sure about that. Making friends had never been one of her strengths. It was why she’d spent the past few years traveling around the world as a travel blogger. She preferred to be on the move, meeting new people all the time, but never stopping to get too attached to anyone.

  It was the same philosophy she had for men. Meet a bunch, have fun, move on. No one got attached. No one got hurt.

  “Maybe,” she said, trying not to make any promises she couldn’t keep.

  Reina patted her hand, opening her mouth to say something as the door to their cell swung back.

  Both women jumped to their feet. No one had come in since they’d been pushed inside days ago. Meals had been passed through a slat at the bottom of the door and no one had responded to her pounding.

  The tall, bulky alien who stepped inside carried a large weapon of some kind, his gaze raking over both of them. It settled on Reina. “You’re a Vexling?”

  Reina worked her hands together, letting out a small squeak in response.

  The alien pirate with dark dreadlocks jerked his head. “Come with me.”

  Reina looked at Hope. “I can’t leave my tribute. You see, I’m a liaison for the tribute brides and I can’t leave her alone—”

  “Now!” The yell made both Hope and Reina jump as he lifted the hefty weapon onto his shoulder and aimed it at Hope. “Unless you want me to eliminate your reason for staying behind.”

  Hope grabbed Reina’s hand and squeezed it. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine.” She didn’t believe a word she was saying, but she needed the Vexling to go without either of them getting hurt.

  Reina’s lips became a thin white line, but she nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m sure they just want to talk to me. I’ll be back before you know it.” She squeezed Hope’s hand back. “Serge is in the cell next to us, and the other brides are across the corridor, so you’re not totally alone.”

  The alien pirate snorted a laugh. “You mean the Gatazoid? We sold him yesterday. His kind fetch a high price on the market.”

  Reina’s hands went limp in hers. “You sold Serge?”

  The pirate’s lips curled into a sneer. “And the other females. No one had seen humans before, but apparently the small creatures appeal to some.” The way he looked at Hope, she knew he did not count himself in that group, which was fine by her. “You’re the last one to go, Vexling.”

  “Go?” Reina’s voice was barely audible. “You’re selling me?”

  “That’s right. We’ve got a buyer looking for a Vexling.” He shrugged. “Something about protocol.”

  Hope instinctively tightened her grip on Reina’s hand. “You can’t just sell people like this.”

  He laughed and his belly shook. “Beg your pardon, girlie, but we can. Don’t worry, though. We’re not selling you.” He looked her up and down. “The captain likes the look of you.”

  Hope’s mouth went dry. That didn’t sound good. When had the captain even seen her? She glanced at the window in the door. Unless he’d been watching her when she didn’t know it. She rubbed one arm, the thought making her skin prickle.

  “Move it, Vexling,” the pirate yelled again. “Before I have to come in and drag you out.”

  Hope released Reina’s hand and gave her a little push, even though what she really wanted to do was jump in front of her to keep her from leaving. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

  Reina’s wide eyes glistened with tears, and Hope forced a fake smile onto her face.

  “The Drexians are coming for me, right?” she whispered. “Well, when they do, I promise to come find you and get you back.”

  Reina stumbled forward and let herself be taken out of the cell, her gaze never leaving Hope’s face. When the door slammed shut, Hope staggered back and collapsed onto the bench, trying to steady her ragged breathing and keep herself from crying.

  She may not have known Reina well or for long, but the blue-haired woman had been kind to her. And they had been in the mess together.

  Now she was alone. Again.

  Three

  Kos swiped at his damp brow. “More.”

  Captain Brok stepped back, readjusting the long curved blades in his hands. “You’re not bad. You ever consider Inferno Force?”

  They’d been sparring in the bare-bones ring for a while and both Drexians shone with sweat. Although the Inferno Force captain was skilled, Kos was faster.

  Kos shook his head. “Weapons were never my strong suit.”

  The captain cocked his head to one side. “I’m not so sure about that. You’ve been out-maneuvering me this entire time.”

  “That’s because of my practice on the Boat’s holodecks,” Kos said, sucking in a breath. “I like to keep up my practice with the traditional Drexian blades.”

  Brok slashed at him again. “Not many officers do that. Most are content with blasters once they finish the Drexian Academy.”

  “Blasters do not help when you are fighting a Kranji master. Even a holographic one is deadly.” Kos feinted to one side. He did not say what he wanted to—that he could not be most officers. He had to work harder and be better. He had to prove himself to be worthy. And that meant doing things other officers did not. Like grueling Kranji practice every day after his shift.

  “Kranji? That explains it then. Who introduced you to the alien martial art?”

  “My captain on the Boat.”

  Brok dragged the back of his hand across his slick brow. “I heard that about Varden. He is a master, no?”

  “He is.” Kos did not say that his skills were coming close to equaling those of his mentor.

  “You aspire to be captain of the Boat one day?” Brok asked, ducking Kos’s lunge.

  Kos had never thought about taking Varden’s place. The work, and receiving recognition for his achievements, had always been the goal. When he thought about filling Captain Varden’s shoes, he twitched.

  “No?” Brok heaved in a breath.

  “Captain is a huge honor,” Kos said.

  “I know it is, but you must have thought about it.”

  Had he? Or had he been so focused on his work that the advancements had passed by in a blur? He couldn’t imagine ever matching up to the honor and valor of his captain. Or of this Inferno Force captain.

  “I suspect you underestimate yourself,” Brok said, moving around the edge of the ring. “Just as you now underestimate your ability to beat me.”

  Kos didn’t answer.

  “The only difference between Inferno Force and the rest of the Drexian fleet is that we never believe we will be defeated. Ever. We go into every battle assuming we will win. Not just prevail but win decisively. We know without a shadow of a doubt that we will crush everyone in our path. Always.”

  “And do you?” Kos asked, adjusting his grip on the curved blades in his hands.

  Brok gave him a half grin. “Always.” He spun and lashed out again, but Kos blocked him, dipping low and kicking out a leg.

  Brok dodged, but quickly spun and attacked. Kos sidestepped just as swiftly, pivoting and flipping over the captain so that he came up under him with his blade extended.

  The Inferno Force captain let out a loud bark of laughter. “I may have to steal you away from Varden’s bridge whether you like it or not.” He stepped back as Kos stood. “I haven’t had a sparring partner as creative as this in years. Most of my warriors rely on their brute strength and aggression. You use strategy and cunning to your advantage.” He nodded, looking Kos up and down. “It’s easy to see why you’re first officer.”

  Pleasure flushed Kos’s cheeks. “Thank you, sir.”

  “All we need to do is give you some of my team’s brazen confidence and there will be no one you cannot
defeat.”

  It was an honor to be commended by the Inferno Force captain but doubt still lingered in the back of Kos’s mind. Doubt that he was good enough. Doubt that he deserved what he’d worked for. Doubt that he even deserved a tribute bride. He’d failed once before, when it mattered most, and he’d been chasing redemption that never came ever since.

  Memories flooded him—unwanted memories—and the sweat cooled on his body as cold chills went through him, make him shiver violently. He just needed to work harder, be better. He gave himself a shake and adjusted the grip on his blade.

  Brok cocked his head at him. “You okay, warrior?”

  Before Kos could assure the man he was, static filled the room.

  “Captain.” The voice over the comms system drowned out the sound of their heavy breathing.

  “Yes?” Brok lowered his blades and dropped his fighting stance.

  “We have the Ganthar pirates on our sensors,” the warrior’s voice continued. “We’ll be on top of them soon.”

  “Understood.” Brok hooked his blades back on the wall and motioned for Kos to do the same. “We’re on our way.”

  As they walked through the ship, Kos ran a hand through his choppy brown hair. “I should get my uniform, sir.”

  “Negative,” Brok said. “We don’t want you looking like the first officer of a pleasure ship. We want you looking like a Drexian warrior who’s ready to rip some space pirates limb from limb for taking his tribute.”

  Kos’s chest swelled, the adrenaline from fighting the Inferno Force captain still surging through his veins. He clenched his fists. He did want to make the Ganthar pay for taking his female.

  Brok cut his eyes to him, and one side of his mouth twitched up. “Just like that.”

  When they reached the compact bridge, Kalex had an image of the pirate ship on the view screen. The ship was long with two segments connected by a disc-shaped center. It did not look like a ship built for speed or battle, but Kos knew looks could be deceiving.

  “Weapons?” Brok asked, leaning his hands against the back of an empty swivel chair.

  “Moderate. Nothing we can’t handle,” Kalex said. “And our other Inferno Force ships are right behind us, so the Ganthar are about to be seriously outmatched.”

  Brok nodded. “We’ve dealt with them before, though. They could very well be hiding another ship or two nearby.”

  “No moons or other planetary bodies to hide behind here. Unless they’ve developed stealth technology since our last encounter, we’ll see them coming.”

  “What’s the strategy?” Kos asked, folding his arms across his chest, his muscles still tingling from the workout.

  Kalex glanced at him, his eyebrows popping up when he saw the Drexian shirtless and gleaming with sweat. “Looks like we’ll make an Inferno Force warrior out of you yet.” When the captain tapped his toe on the floor, he cleared his throat and continued. “The plan is to threaten to blow them out of the sky unless they turn over our people.”

  Captain Brok glared at the image of the pirate ship. “Which is not a threat.”

  Kos flinched. “My tribute bride is most likely on that ship. We should negotiate for their release. The pirates aren’t stupid. They’ll know the humans are valuable to us.”

  “You are right,” the captain said. “They’ve got something we want. We need to go on board and take it.”

  The console beeped, and Kalex looked down. “They’re hailing us.”

  Brok exchanged a glance with Kos. “On screen.”

  Kalex tapped the console, and the view screen filled with the image of a wild-haired alien with dark skin. He was flanked by several menacing figures.

  “Inferno Force,” the pirate captain said. “What an unexpected pleasure.”

  Brok braced his hands on his waist, flexing the muscles of his broad, bare chest. “You have some things that belong to us.”

  The pirate tilted his head and gave a cold smile. “Do I?”

  “We are prepared to come on board and negotiate for their release,” Brok said.

  “Our sister ship just jumped in,” Kalex said low enough so only Brok and Kos could hear.

  It was clear from the flicker on the Ganthar pirate’s face that he was aware of the second Inferno Force ship’s arrival. “We welcome you on board to look at what we have for sale.”

  Kos tried to keep his face impassive even as he felt his arms twitch. He wanted to reach through the screen and rip the pirate’s smug smile off his face.

  “Expect our arrival,” the captain said, slashing a hand, indicating that Kalex should end the connection. When the screen returned to the view of the ship, Brok put a hand on his pilot’s shoulder. “We’ll take the shuttle. Keep weapons locked on until we’re clear. And keep communications open.”

  Kalex gave a curt nod.

  The Inferno Force captain turned to Kos. “Let’s go get your tribute.”

  Four

  “Where are you taking me?” Hope jerked against the tight grip of the pirate as he practically dragged her out of her cell. Even though she hadn’t been crazy about being locked inside, she knew that being taken out meant that she was being sold. Or worse.

  “The captain requests your presence.”

  Okay, that was worse than being sold. She had no intention of being the pirate captain’s booty call or concubine or anything like that. “If you think I’m going to…”

  Her words died in her throat as she entered a large circular space with a metal chair at the far end. A man with a mane of black hair sat in it, his hands gripping the arms and his gaze locked onto her. Other men stood behind him, and from what she could see, they were the definition of a rag-tag bunch. They wore no uniforms, and most of them looked like they’d scavenged their clothes. Only the leader looked as if he hadn’t taken his clothes from a rubbish bin, his brown pants and shirt topped with a heavy fur cloak.

  “Welcome, my dear,” he said, his voice artificially pleasant. He waved her forward. “We are expecting some guests who are very eager to see you.”

  Hope allowed herself to be prodded forward until she stood in front of the captain. He looked her up and down and smiled coolly. “I’ve heard of the humans the Drexians obtain for mating purposes, but you and your friends are the first ones I’ve seen for myself.”

  She held her head high even though her hands shook by her sides. She would not let them see how scared she was.

  The captain shrugged. “I can see the appeal, although I cannot speak from personal experience.” He leered at her. “Yet.”

  Hope swallowed the bitter taste of bile that threatened to rise up in her throat. Play it cool, she told herself. Do not throw up all over him.

  “Yeah, that’s never going to happen,” she said, with as much disdain as she could muster.

  The captain’s eyes flashed for a moment, then he threw his head back and laughed. “You have spirit, I’ll give you that.” He leaned forward, smiling with a mouthful of teeth as brown as his skin. “A spirit I might enjoy breaking.”

  Hope refused to look away, although his leering grin made her heart pound even harder. It took every ounce of self-control—and that wasn’t something she was known for—not to make a run for it. “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll pass.”

  The captain’s grin faltered. “We’ll see about that.”

  She swallowed hard but didn’t drop her eyes. She would not let him see that her hands were trembling or that the blood was pulsing so loud in her ears she felt lightheaded.

  All the crew tensed as heavy footsteps echoed in the corridor. The pirate who’d brought her from her cell pulled her to the side, positioning her behind the captain. Hope let out a breath, relieved not to be facing off with the captain anymore, although the way the crew was reacting, she wasn’t sure if what was approaching would be any better for her.

  Whoever was coming to look at her had to be pretty important and pretty scary for these tough pirates to be so tense. When the two aliens entered th
e space, she had to admit she was startled.

  She’d expected some sort of shocking giants, or an impressive group of terrifying creatures, or a massive fleet of soldiers with huge guns, but it was only a pair of shirtless guys with blades and blasters hooked to their belts. They were big, she’d give them that, and both were seriously built, with bulging biceps and massive chest muscles. One had longer hair and tattoos across his chest and arms, while the other had brown hair cut short.

  It was the one with short hair who made her catch her breath. His gray eyes held hers from across the room, and she felt her chest lurch. Why did she feel like she’d met him before? The way he stared at her, he definitely thought he knew her. Had she met him on the space station?

  Her time on the Boat was a bit of a blur. She’d spent most of it pitching a fit and refusing to believe that she’d been abducted by aliens. It was very possible she’d met the guy and didn’t remember, although she liked to think she’d remember someone as hot as him. No, most of her interactions on the fancy space station had been with other tribute brides or funny-looking aliens like Reina and Serge. Plus, the guys on the station had all been in stiff, dark uniforms, not shirtless and wild-looking like the two aliens in front of her now.

  You’re imagining things, she told herself. You would definitely remember a gorgeous guy like him if you were introduced to him on the Boat, and where else would you meet someone out in space?

  She tried to pull her gaze from his, but couldn’t, and had to remind herself to breathe.

  The pirate captain swiveled his head to look at her, his head tilting in curiosity. “It looks like no introductions are needed, although I think I should be jealous. Our remaining female guest has never looked at me like this before.” He grabbed her hand and jerked her forward, then slapped her ass. “Who is this warrior to you?”

  Hope struggled in his grip. “Get your fucking hands off me, you wanker.”

  The pirate captain grinned widely but tugged her closer, and Hope noticed the warrior who’d been staring at her flinch, his expression darkening. She tried to steady her breathing, and she saw that the heavily tattooed man shot the other a look of warning before stepping forward.