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Future Number One... The Cursed.
Chapter One
Erin set down her glass of hard cider on the coffee table, steeling herself as she shifted on her couch to face Teak. The security officer flashed her an overly confident smile, his beefy face stretching tight. He isn’t that bad. A little forceful and not that imaginative, but he’ll do.
“So, tomorrow you’re heading to The Odyssey.” His words were slow and lazy as he stretched one arm behind her.
She wiped her sweaty palms on her shorts. It wasn’t like her to feel so nervous. But, she knew, it was her damned heart’s fault. It was telling her that this man wasn’t Caleb, while her head was screaming that two years was more than enough time to get over him.
Say something! Her brain commanded.
“Yeah, I hope it will be half as fun as being a commander—“
“It’s not like being a lieutenant commander is slumming it with us regular crew members or anything,” he interrupted, grinning. “It’s a step down for sure, but I’d scrub the floors if I got to join the crew on The Odyssey.”
She looked away. Why is this so awkward? Just act normal! “Uh, yeah. Even though it’s a lower position, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
He took another long drink. “I wish my dad was the Fleet Admiral. Not that I’m saying it’s your name that got the job for you. But, you know, it probably didn’t hurt.”
Ass! She unclenched her hands, willing her temper to stay in check. All he is a warm body. A tool to help you move on from Caleb. Stay focused.
Stalling for time, she picked up her glass of warm Paradon Cider and took a long draw. The spices danced along her tongue, heating her entire body. Her limbs felt a little less tense. Relax. You can do this.
“I’m excited, that’s for sure.”
He leaned closer, his breath warm against her face. “It might be the drink talking, but I can’t take my eyes off your breasts.”
She glanced down at the loose fabric of her blouse, the same green as her eyes. It was a little girly compared to what she usually wore, but she’d chosen it for a reason. If you’re finally going to sleep with him, why pretend?
“You’re not so bad yourself.” She forced herself to reach out and run a hand gently along the muscles of his stomach.
He’s muscular, but not like Caleb. My Keltair was pure muscle. Perfection.
But this guy exists somewhere other than your dreams. You can’t live in a fantasy forever.
“Erin, if you keep that up, I’m not going to be able to control myself.” He groaned, chugging his drink and smacking it loudly on the table.
Her hand froze. She took a deep breath. This is what she wanted. Right?
Very purposely, she locked gazes with him. “Maybe that’s exactly what I want.”
He stared. “Really?”
Deep breath. You’re going to go crazy if you don’t move on from Caleb.
“Yeah.”
He leaned in and kissed her. His lips were wet against her own.
She waited for the tingle of attraction, of enjoyment, but nothing came.
Trying to take a breath, his tongue was suddenly jabbing into her mouth. She stopped herself from pulling back in disgust. This guy doesn’t matter, what matters is that you finally let Caleb go. And the best way to get over a guy is to get under one.
Yet, she pulled away from his kiss. Maybe if I just take this slower. Even though I’m leaving tomorrow, I can get to know him a little better. Calm my nerves a bit. “So, uh, what do you like to do for fun?”
“You,” he winked.
Internally, she groaned.
But then, he started talking about his workout routine. Twenty-two minutes later, she finally had to accept that she was on yet another horrible date that was not going to go anywhere. As much as she wanted to just have sex with this guy and feel like she’d done something to move forward with her romantic life, she couldn’t.
It’s one thing to sleep with a mildly attractive guy to get back out there, but this... it screams ‘wrong’ to my core.
“Teak...”
“Yeah, baby.”
She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t think it’s going to happen.”
Desperation filled his gaze. “But, baby, I’ve wanted you since the first time I set eyes on you. Can’t we just give this a shot? I’m awesome in bed. I mean, really awesome.”
And you’re humble too...
She shook her head. “I’m really sorry, but I thought I was over my ex, but I’m just not.”
“But don’t you want one fun night before starting your new position?”
That’s exactly what I wanted, but this isn’t it. “Sorry, no.”
His heated gaze ran over her from head-to-toe. “Too bad.”
She stood and walked to her door, then stared back at him, waiting. “Good night.”
He rose slowly and headed for the door. “Well, give me a call if you ever get lonely on that big ship.”
Not a chance. “Goodbye, Teak.”
The doors slid shut on him.
Maybe this is why I live in a fantasy world. A fantasy of Caleb is still ten times better than other men in real life.
Her gaze went to her bed. I’m going to sleep. I’m going to dream of normal things.
But when she crossed the room and slipped beneath the covers, she was already growing wet. This is wrong. Don’t think of him.
She tried not to, even while her fingers slid down to touch herself. But as she fell into a deep sleep, all she could think of was the sexy Keltair male who’d broken her heart.
––––––––
THE PARTIALLY TRANSLUCENT bubble that surrounded Caleb’s dream shimmered. It was golden today.
Erin inched toward it. You agreed not to go back. What are you doing?
“I tried to stay away,” she argued with herself.
You can still walk away now.
But she didn’t. She strode forward and entered the dream.
It was an unfamiliar one. A beach with maroon sand and purple waters stretched out before her. The sky overhead was a soft gray, rain clouds blocking out some of the sunlight, casting the day in cool shadows.
On the beach, partway in the waters, Caleb lay. One arm was behind his head, the other covered his eyes. She moved closer. His golden body was naked and exposed to her greedy gaze. The purple waves swept over his lower half, teasing the cock that she wanted so desperately to touch.
The sand beneath her feet was warm from the sun, until her toes curled into the damp, solidness of the sand near the naked Keltair. Kneeling down beside him, she ran a hand slowly up his inner thigh.
“I wondered when you’d arrive.” His deep voice, slightly accented by an Irish twang, warmed her insides.
Remember, be the Erin he knew in the academy, or he might suspect something.
She watched as his manhood rose, and she felt heat pooling at her core as she curled her hand around him.
“I missed you last night.”
He missed me? This wasn’t supposed to involve their emotions, just their bodies. If he got too attached, she’d have to figure out a way to stop visiting his dreams.
She briefly thought of leaving.
But then his cock grew harder in her hand. “That feels... oh gods, so good...”
All rational thought fled at the need in his voice. Her inner muscles tightened as she gazed at the sheen of wetness on his mushroom shaped head.
“I’ve been waiting to taste you all day.“
Climbing on top of him, she wrapped her lips around him, glorying in the sweet and familiar taste. Her mouth stretched to accommodate his thickness, and slowly she took him deeper, fighting the instinct to gag.
He groaned and, as the waves rushed over her, she felt her blood racing faster through her veins. Using her hands, she cupped his balls as she drew him in and out. Closing her eyes, she gloried in the feeling of power that touching him brought.
“Enough!” he shouted, his voice filled with desire.
Looking up at him, her gaze met his. Inch by inch she released him, while his gaze darkened.
“Come here!” he ordered.
Leaning on her hands, she dragged her naked breasts up his body.
He reached down and cupped her breasts, slipping his cock between them.
She gasped as his fingers teased her nipples. Moving back and forth, she slid his manhood between the valley of her breasts. He arched into her, squeezing her nipples harder. A shot of pleasure tinged with pain raced through her blood, and she felt her core growing hotter and wetter.
Suddenly, he sat up, grasping her ass and pulling her up to straddle him. His cock brushed the outside of her core and she cried out, longing to have him inside her. Instead, his mouth descended on her lips. He pressed against her, and she parted her lips, eager to feel his magical tongue.
He obliged, his hot tongue sweeping into her mouth.
Then, his lips left her mouth, sucking one of the hardened pearls of her nipples softly. His mouth opened wider, taking more of her breast. She rocked against his cock, wanting him inside her more than she wanted her next breath.
His manhood slowly slid inside her. Pleasure sparked from her core. Shivers racked her body. She dug her nails into his back, crying out his name as he filled her completely.
Her heartbeat filled her ears. Her back arched, and his seeking lips closed around her other breast.
She moaned, shifting her hips.
He growled against her breast, licked her nipple, and leaned back. “I’m going to take you now. And you’re going to scream my name as you come.”
They moved as one, faster and faster. The torturous friction between them had every muscle in her body clenching around him as she built toward her climax. And then all at once, she came, shouting his name just as he’d commanded. Her vision went from black to white. Her body spasmed.
And then he came. His hot seed shooting into her. The sound of her own name on his lips sent her over the edge again.
When she came back to herself, she was lying on top of him on the beach, the warm waves washing over the lower halves of their bodies. He held her loosely. She rested her head on his chest.
This was perfect. This man and this moment.
Except that as much as you love him, he still feels nothing for you.
“I should go,” she whispered.
He kissed the top of her head. “Just a little longer.”
And so, even though all logic told her to step out of the dream, she stayed. Knowing it was wrong, but also not being strong enough to walk away.
Chapter Two
Caleb woke with his boxers wet and sticking to his cock. Again? He ran a frustrated hand through his too-long hair and sat up. He’d dreamed of Erin, just like he did nearly every night. He wanted to forget her. But he could imagine her every time he closed his eyes, long black hair, shockingly green eyes, large, full breasts, and a tiny waist.
He groaned. Wasn’t it enough that he came in his sleep thinking of her? Did he have to obsess about her in his waking hours, too?
You need to bury yourself in a woman.
He knew he should. But he just couldn’t. As much as he hated himself for it, he hadn’t lain with another woman since Erin. He’d tried. But no matter how drunk he got, no woman was Erin.
Because you were reckless. You made her your mate and left after the connection was too strong. There will be no other woman but her for the remainder of your life.
No, you left in time! The connection simply hasn’t faded entirely yet.
Angrily, he climbed out of bed and stripped off his clothes, throwing them in one corner of his spacious room. Then, he froze, staring at the slight mess he’d made in the otherwise neat room. His gaze swept the space. He was a commander now. Second in command on the newest, most advanced starship in Earth’s fleet. He must step lightly. He must not give the captain a reason to regret giving such an opportunity to a half Keltair.
Picking up his clothes, he opened a drawer and hit the button to have them cleaned. A messy room is hardly a reason to toss you out in disgrace. He frowned at the thought. Of course that was true, but still...he glanced from the lush bed, small seating area and even smaller kitchen that made up the large space, and finally to the office area. Everything was in its place. This was how the crew would expect a commander to keep his room.
He took a quick shower and threw on the deep green uniform of The Odyssey’s crew. He strode out of his room, nearly crashing into Hunter.
The other Keltair stood up straighter, shifting into an attention stance. “Commander.”
Caleb felt his lips turn up. “Head Security Officer Hunter.”
Hunter was one of the few people aboard the ship who matched him in height. However, although he was also half human, he looked far more like a Keltair than Caleb. His golden-toned skin was several shades darker than Caleb’s, and his eyes were like polished silver. He kept his long, black hair tied into a warrior tail.
The humans aboard the ship instinctively drew back from the man, even though he lacked the twin horns typical of a Keltair. And even though he’d graduated from the same Starflight Academy as Caleb, he would’ve had little chance at gaining a position on a ship if not for Caleb’s help. Even though the Earth academy was far more accepting of Keltairs than the Turongan academy had been.
“I imagine we’ll have another relaxing day,” Caleb said, unable to hold back the sarcasm that laced his words.
To his surprise, the normally stoic Keltair looked as if he might smile. Almost. “Your agenda for today is lengthy. To put it mildly.”
“So, what’s first?” Caleb asked, as they headed down the hallway containing the officers’ quarters.
“First, the transporter room.”
Caleb held back a sigh. “What important diplomat or government official do we have to suck up—I mean, greet, now.”
Hunter did smile then, flashing his sharpened canines. “Just your new third in command.”
A rush of relief ran over him. “Good. I hope he’s capable. We could certainly use the help.”
And as much as he hated it, he could. Working on a couple of hours of sleep each night was manageable, but he was getting tired of painting on a smile and greeting one important person after another. Especially when, for some reason, they shrank back when he smiled at them. So many people wanted to be a part of The Odyssey’s maiden voyage, but Caleb didn’t exactly excel in the art of small talk and flattery.
He cringed just thinking about how he’d desperately tried to find a topic of conversation and had congratulated an ambassador on her pregnancy...only to discover that she was not, in fact, pregnant. That was an awkward day.
“We’ll quickly get him up-to-date and then give him all the public relations jobs.”
Hunter looked down at his vid screen and started typing. “She.”
Caleb raised a brow. “She what?”
“We’ll catch her up to date. The lieutenant commander is a woman.”
He paused, mid step. A female officer ranking this highly is almost as shocking as a Keltair ranking so highly. There are only a few females it could be.
Erin. His mind went to her unwillingly. No, she would never let herself be put on a ship under my command. Well, whoever it is, I imagine we’ll get along just fine.
“Even better. I don’t need a male trying to compete with me for the greater tasks. She’ll be like a well-trained assistant. No doubt, she’ll excel in all the things necessary to keep all our important guests happy.”
Hunter nodded. “Although you’ll need to be prepared for some female hysterics.”
Caleb held back a chuckle. Most Keltairs didn’t see females exactly as equals. Caleb was considered quite progressive in that regards. But, he’d still discovered that females acted quite subservient around him since becoming a commanding officer. Most simply blushed and stared at their shoes whenever he was around. Which might be the perfect situation for my third in command.
“They are the weaker sex, after all,” Hunter continued, bringing Caleb back to the conversation.
He held back a grin. “My friend, I think you’ll have to work on your delivery.”
The other Keltair raised one dark brow before hitting the button on the elevator. “My delivery?”
“You can be a bit direct. Ah... is she human?”
Hunter looked back at his screen. “Yes, a human female.”
“Then, heed my advice, human women can be sensitive creatures. She won’t respond well to your directness. You’ll need to work on softening your words.”
Both Hunter’s brows rose this time. “My delivery?”
Caleb locked eyes with him. “Are you implying something?”
“Not a thing, Commander.”
There was a brief silence as they glared at each other. Then they both laughed.
Okay, so neither of us are good at coddling others. But as Keltairs, they knew how to be gentle with a female. They would see what she was capable of, and lighten their workload, if only by a bit.
The empty elevator opened, and they both stepped on. Hunter hit the button to the floor containing the transportation room.
“We should grab a drink tonight, if you have time,” Hunter said.
Caleb liked the quiet moments they could have, not like commander and crew, but like the close friends they’d become at the academy. “If my new lieutenant is any good, I should have a bit more time for relaxing.”
The elevator doors opened.
They made their way down another hall. A few crew members nodded as they passed, then went right on with their business. With The Odyssey launching in just two days, no one had time to waste.
At the transporter room, Caleb stared into the eye scanner. A second later, the doors opened.
Inside, the room was dark except for the stage where six large squares glowed. Three men sat behind a desk facing it. The men grew silent as they entered.
“Commander.” The head of transportation said his title respectfully, but anger glinted in his eyes.
As if I need another reminder of all those people unhappy with a Keltair as their leader.
“Opter,” he greeted in return, keeping his voice level. “My new lieutenant should be arriving.”
The man nodded, looking down at the control panel in front of him. “We’re preparing for her arrival now.”
As they waited, Hunter leaned in closer and spoke under his breath. “With her here, you should have more help.”
Caleb nodded, knowing instantly his friend’s mind. “I know you have a lot of other responsibilities. The woman will take over any tasks that you’ve been assisting me with that are outside of your typical job description.”
A flicker of relief came and went across Hunter’s face. “As you wish.”
One of the glowing squares on the stage grew brighter. A stream of shimmering particles, like tiny bits of violet glass rose from the ground until they swirled around the space above the square, disappearing into a similar square on the high ceiling above it.
Caleb took a step back, as was his habit when the contraption started up. Teleporting was a new form of transportation. One he would hold off using for as long as possible. As of now, it only worked when two ships were close to each other. But there were risks. He saw no reason not to simply hop on a transporter ship and travel to the docking bay, but perhaps he was old-school.
The Odyssey was the most advanced ship in the fleet. He’d have to get used to using technology for basic things. Unnecessary things.
A shape began to form in the particles. His first impression was that, although she was smaller than him, she was tall for a woman.
Then, an instant later, the woman fully appeared on the platform.
Black hair. Eyes the color of jade in the sun.
He felt as if he’d been thrown to the ground.
Erin? His Erin?
Chapter Three
Erin blinked into the bright lights of The Odyssey’s transporter room. God, she loved such instant travel. She could get used to this.
She smirked, shifting the strap of her duffel bag. “Thanks for getting me here in one piece, fellas.”
Striding forward, her foot went off the edge of the transporter pad. She barely had time to gasp as she went falling forward.
Instantly, strong arms were around her. Holding her gently but firmly. Her head rested against the broad, hard chest of a man. She inhaled sharply. Spicy but earthy. Something inside her warmed.
Then her every sense went on high alert.
What the hell? When was the last time you reacted like that to a man?
She knew instantly who it was. Caleb.
She shoved at his chest, forcing him to release her. Springing back, the back of her knees hit the transporter pad, and she fell on her ass. Smooth, Erin. Smooth.
“Uh...”
“Are you all right?” A second Keltair stepped in front of Caleb, holding out his hand.
She took the proffered hand slowly, allowing him to help her up.
His silver gaze ran over her. “You don’t appear hurt.”
Clearing her throat, she tried to smooth the fabric on her tight, black shirt. “I’m not. In fact, maybe I meant to do that. To make an entrance.”
The Keltair grinned. “Well, you certainly did that.”
Caleb placed a hand on the other male’s shoulder, drawing him away. And then they were face-to-face again. Time stood still as her eyes traveled every inch of him. He looked better than ever. The material of his deep green uniform stretched over shoulders that were even broader than the ones in his dreams. And, if possible, his arms were bigger, bulging with muscle.
Oh, hell. You’re in big trouble, Erin.
“What are you doing here, Caleb?”
His gaze clung to hers. “What do you think I’m doing here? I’m the commander of The Odyssey.”
Shock struck her like a face full of cold water. She swallowed around the lump in her throat. “Well, it looks like I’m your new lieutenant.”
Her words were met with absolute silence. She tried to read his expression, but Caleb’s face was impassive.
What is he thinking? Is he happy to see me? Or angry?
He has no reason to be angry. He’s the one who didn’t call you back, Erin, remember?
“I gather you two know each other?” The other Keltair said, peeking around curiously from behind Caleb.
Pull it together, Erin. Is this the first impression you want to give your new crew?
She strode around Caleb to face the other Keltair. “I’m Erin Stowe.”
His eyes widened. “I’m Hunter Magnus.”
Grinning, she winked. “Erin and Hunter. I like it. And what do you do here, Hunter? ”
The massive Keltair blushed. “I—uh—head of security—ma’am. I mean, Lieutenant.”
She smiled wider. “Security is my favorite department. I know I’ll sleep better knowing you’ll be protecting me.”
Caleb had rounded on them and watched the exchange through narrowed eyes. “Did you say Stowe?”
Trying her best to look innocent, she nodded. “Yes, Commander.”
“As in Fleet Admiral Stowe? The commander of the entire Earth fleet?”
“Yes, Commander.”
The muscles in his jaw twitched. “I think we have some things to discuss.”
A short man with black hair with green tips suddenly stepped around the transport console, coming between them. “I’m Opter, Lieutenant, and if you want someone to show you around, I’d be more than happ—“
“I’ll take care of that,” Caleb cut in, his voice laced with malice. “Back to your post.”
Erin opened her mouth to reply, but Caleb silenced her with a look.
“If you do your job right, you won’t have time to waste. Follow me.” He strode out the door, leaving the three of them gaping after him. Hunter recovered first, then Erin. She tried to keep her composure as she followed him, nodding at each crew member as she passed. Every guy seemed to do a double take. Hopefully that means I’m looking good today. Although Caleb’s reaction seems to suggest the opposite.
Caleb didn’t slow until he reached the elevator at the end of the hall. He waited impatiently for it to arrive, and a minute later, the three of them were standing, awkwardly silent, in the elevator.
Hunter cleared his throat.
“So.” She turned to Caleb. “I imagine there’ll be lots to do before our first mission.”
Caleb didn’t reply, pointedly ignoring them.
Hunter glanced at Caleb, then answered. “Uh. Yes. Especially when it comes to handling all of the important guests.”
“Erin will be perfect at that.” His voice was acerbic. “She can charm the best of them.” His dark eyes flashed with anger as he stared at the closed doors.
Ass. “Actually,” Erin said, her voice dripping with sweetness, “as the daughter of the fleet admiral, I likely know most of the people on this ship. I’ll do fine with being a liaison between them and my commanders.”
When neither man responded, she continued, “I was actually the commander of my last vessel, so I can help with a number of other things. Including managing the crew and—“
“That is my responsibility.” The elevator doors opened, and for the first time, Caleb turned those angry eyes back to her. “You will do exactly as you are told and nothing more.”
Every muscle in her body tensed. You think so, big boy? Well, you’re going to find out pretty damned quickly how wrong you are.
“Of course, Commander. But remember, my job is to make your job easier.”
His lips drew into a thin line. “Your job is whatever I say it is, Lieutenant Commander. Hunter, you are dismissed. Lieutenant, you’re with me.”
Hunter gave a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. “Should we at least show her to her quarters and allow her to put her stuff down?”
Caleb rounded on him. “Everything I told you about females—ignore it. This one is in a completely different category.” He plucked her bag off her shoulders and shoved it at the Hunter’s chest. “Drop this off in her room.”
Hunter nodded and looked to Erin. “It’ll be on the second floor, room two.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
“Come on,” Caleb barked. “We don’t have all day.”
As she followed him down the hall, every complicated emotion she felt for him hit her at once. It was suddenly hard to breathe. This was the man who had broken her heart. The man who she hadn’t been able to let go of the past two years. Not only that, he was in charge. How in the hell was she going to work with him? For him?
Do what you do best. Pretend. Pretend this isn’t the man of your dreams. Lock the hurt inside and use that energy as fuel to do this job. Because, from what it sounds like, you’ll have to fight every step of the way or become the damned Keltair’s secretary.
Her eyes narrowed in anger and hurt, even as the treacherous part of her gazed at his firm ass.
If he sees an ounce of your feelings, of your weakness, you’ve lost. And you’ve worked too hard to let one man get in your way.
She clenched her fists, preparing for the fight of her life.
Chapter Four
Caleb leaned back farther in the chair in his office, stretching out his booted feet on the desk in front of him. To his extreme annoyance, Erin didn’t even flinch under the intensity of his gaze.
Instead, she stared back, a sexy smile curving her lush lips. Her arms were behind her back, one hand gripped the other arm in a casual stance. But the worst part of it all was that the posture only further emphasized the lushness of her breasts beneath her skintight black shirt.
Inappropriate.
“You can’t wear clothes like that on board this ship.”
Her expression gave nothing away. “Well, I imagine I have a new uniform in my quarters. If we’d stopped there first, I could have been dressed according to my position.”
His blood heated for a moment as he contemplated the image of her room and her bed. He pushed it back. “I mean, you shouldn’t be wearing things like that at all.”
She tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Since when does a commander care what the crew wears in their downtime? Do you intend to raid my panty drawer after this? Because I’d better confess, you’ll find it empty.”
His manhood rose beneath the desk, and he cursed her under his breath. Her attempts to fight him were bringing out his dominant nature. This would be a lot easier if I wasn’t so damned attracted to her. “Is that the kind of reputation you want on board this vessel? You hope to sleep your way to the top?”
“Of course!” She flashed him a smile. “What else could I possibly do, right? Don’t worry. I’ll make sure I dress appropriately for the task at hand. If I’m sucking some guy’s dick beneath his desk, I’ll make sure to wear something low cut. And if I’m having him fuck me on the top of his desk, I’ll make sure I’m not wearing underwear.”
“Enough!” He rose from his desk, gritting his teeth. “Wear clothes according to your position —on and off duty. And don’t try to tempt the crew. That’s an order.”
The smile fell from her face and she strode forward. Her hands clenched the edge of his desk as she leaned in, so that they were feet from each other. She gazed up at him, the fire in her green eyes begging him to find out whether her underwear assertion was true or not. This is what he’d loved about her. She wasn’t afraid to take him on, even though she barely came to his shoulders.
But she left you. You don’t love anything about her. Not anymore.
“Listen very carefully, Commander,” she said, as he tried to clear his head. “If you want a lieutenant, I’m the best. That’s why I’m here. But don’t confuse commanding me on the job with what I do off duty. You don’t own me. Outside of work, your opinion means nothing to me. And if you wouldn’t tell a male how to dress when they’re off duty, then you sure as hell won’t tell me. Got it?”
He narrowed his eyes. “I understand a lot of things, Erin. And I’m only going to warn you once. I’ll put up with a lot. But don’t mess with me. You might find one day you’ll push me too far.”
They stared at each other in tense silence, and he searched her face for some hint of feeling. But she gave away nothing. He hated that her bravado turned him on. That he still wanted her after all this time. He needed to get his mind off her. But coming face-to-face with her kissable lips, tight little body, and fighting spirit after all this time was almost more than he could handle. He reached down and adjusted the front of his pants. “Forget the clothes. Let’s get back to your position.”
Her gaze followed his hands. “My position?” She started to chew her bottom lip.
He sat down, tugging at his collar. How the hell had it gotten so hot? He’d have to talk to someone about the temperature of his office.
Pulling out two vid screens, he handed one to her, then rattled off her schedule for the day. “Tour the ship, get settled in your room, and spend the remainder of your day escorting people from the transporter room and the cargo bay to their rooms.”
“Anything else?”
He opened his mouth, but then his computer buzzed. Clicking the button on the screen, for one minute there was a frozen image of the captain. His bald head and dark eyes, before the connection was made.
“Commander. Is the new lieutenant there?”
He looked over the top of the screen at Erin. “She is.”
“Good,” the older man nodded, “send her to me when you’ve got her settled.”
“Of course.”
The captain clicked the screen, ending the call.
An image flashed in his mind, of the command deck ogling her as she walked past them. Caleb glared at her. “Head to your quarters, and don’t step foot on the bridge until you’re in proper uniform.”
She rose and leaned toward him over the desk. “So, I’m dismissed, Commander?”
Her voice was a seductive invitation.
Damn it.
It took him a second to catch his breath as he stared down her shirt at her ample chest. “I meant what I said, Erin. Don’t push me. We’re not in school anymore. And you might not like what you find beneath the uniform.”
Turning, she strode to the door. But when it opened, she looked back at him. “I already know what’s beneath the uniform. And let me tell you, I like it.”
And then, she headed out into the hall, the doors closing on her swaying ass.
He tugged at the front of his tight uniform pants. I’m going to have to go up a pant size. Tonight.
Closing his eyes, he leaned back in his chair. What am I going to do?
His mind went back to that night at the academy, when he’d poured his heart out to her, and she’d pushed him away. Then, she’d made it clear her career was far more important than him. Does she still feel that way?
It doesn’t matter. He’d learned his lesson. He could not be connected to a fickle human. He needed to make a Keltair woman his mate. Only then would he have a female for life. Only then would he have a chance at not repeating his father’s past mistakes.
But the way he’d reacted to her had him worried.
What if it’s already too late?
Chapter Five
Erin had changed into her dark green uniform, happy to realize it only further emphasized her eyes and the curves of her body. I wonder if Caleb will find this more appropriate?
She laughed as she stepped off the elevator, causing a civilian woman in gray robes to cast her a curious glance. Keep it together, Erin. Remember, when you’re out of your room, you’re the third in command. Duty first. You’ve been born and bred for this.
The eye scanner on the bridge approved her entrance and she strode through the deck, sweeping the busy crew in one gaze. Two people sat at the communications’ console. Five sat at control panels facing the huge window staring out at the wide blackness of open space and the many, many smaller ships that drifted around them. Four other people faced control panels lining the walls.
This is one fine ship. The two men at the communications console looked up at her. One stood up and strode toward her. She had a minute to appreciate him as he crossed the deck. He was incredibly handsome, his hair a deep, dark blue that was almost black. As he got closer, she saw that he had silver eyes, ringed by blue. He was tall, but not nearly as muscular as Caleb.
“May I help you?” His voice was rich and filled with strength.
“I’m Lieutenant Commander Stowe, reporting to Captain Vernan.”
He smiled, flashing a row of even teeth. “I’m Kaden Surleii, Head of Communications.”
His gaze met and held hers, and suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. He made her uneasy, even though she detected no malice from him.
“Nice to meet you.”
He reached out and took her hand, sending a strange tingle racing through her body. “I can take you to the captain, if you’d like.”
She nodded, trying not to snatch her hand back too quickly as he let go. “I’d appreciate it.”
Kaden led her to the right to a door that opened as they approached. Inside, a small, empty hallway greeted them. He took her to the end of the hall to the only door. The eye scanner ran over him, and the doors opened.
The room inside was far larger and far different than she expected. It was like stepping into her father’s study on Earth. Lush carpets covered the floor. A big oaken desk dominated the space, and a wall of windows stared out at space.
A bald man with dark eyes looked up as they entered, the captain. The years had been kind to him. Even though he had far more wrinkles, and a particularly angry vein visible across his forehead, he had changed little. A little more weight around his belly, but he still looked as strong and sharp as ever.
Another, unfamiliar, man turned in his chair. Immediately, she recognized that he was some mix of Vuret and another species. His face was that of a bull, but only a slight dusting of blond hair covered his pale skin. Emotions raced through her body. She’d developed a slight fear of the creatures since stepping into Ahmed Zhou’s dream years before, but she had tried to fight against it. Usually she worked harder to be friendly when she met one of them. But this man...he disturbed her in a way that was hard to identify.
“Erin Stowe, it’s been a long time.” Captain Vernan stood, drawing her attention back to him. He came around his desk, opening his arms.
She smiled and crossed the space between them, folding into his hug. Closing her eyes, she took comfort from his embrace. She’d met the older man many times as a young girl. He’d always been kind, patient, and more than willing to teach the curious child. But she hadn’t been sure she’d made as great an impression on him as he had on her.
It was nice to be wrong.
He drew back from her. “Let me look at you.” His eyes held warmth. “Even after all the praises your captain sang of you, I half expected to greet a little girl again.”
She smiled. “You haven’t changed a bit.”
He laughed, a wonderful sound that came from deep in his belly. “You always were the charmer.”
Then, his gaze went to Kaden. “Thank you for bringing her here. Dismissed.”
The head of communications tilted his head in acknowledgment and stepped out.
“This is Euery Lang, my schedule coordinator.”
Captain Vernan stepped aside and the thin male rose from his seat.
“A pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Commander.”
Shake his hand! It took all her effort to reach forward.
He curled his sweaty hand around hers and gave a smile that made her gut churn. “I’m sure we’ll enjoy working together.”
Please let that be true.
“Euery, you’re dismissed,” the captain said, giving Erin a reason to hastily snatch her hand back.
She focused on the wall as he moved slowly out the door. Only then did she breathe a huge sigh of relief.
“Sit,” Captain Vernan said, indicating one of the chairs in front of his desk.
She complied, then waited for him to take his seat behind the desk. For some reason she was nervous. It was normal for a captain to want to speak to his new lieutenant, right? So why did she feel such a sense of unease?
“I wish we had time for small talk, Erin, but the truth is that it was hard to carve out even this time with you.”
She nodded, folding her hands in her lap. “I appreciate it, sir.”
He rubbed at his face, looking even older and more tired. “I’m not so sure you will in a moment.”
“Sir?”
His gaze met hers. Emotions swam in his deep eyes, but namely, reluctance.
“Before I gave you this position, I met with both the president and the fleet admiral. They shared classified information with me about you and your abilities.”
Her mouth dropped open. Never before had anyone been told about what she could do, outside of her parents and the president. How was it that none of them thought to include her in the decision?
“I know this likely comes as a fairly big surprise for you. But the truth is, I was told because the reward was greater than the risk for them.” He leaned back in his chair, pressing his fingers together in front of him. “We believe all the required pieces have finally lined up to catch Ahmed Zhou.”
Just the mention of the alien who’d hurt her and tried to rape her in his dream sent goose bumps erupting on her arms. Without Caleb’s comfort, her nightmares had roared back to life after that night. Unfortunately, Ahmed made regular appearances in them.
“But...” She froze, unsure of how she should discuss such a personal topic with her superior officer.
“Go on,” he encouraged, his mouth turning up in a slight smile.
“Even when we rescued...uh...even when we caught Ahmed red-handed with women within one of his ships, he still managed to go free. What could possibly help us this time?”
The thought twisted her gut every time she thought about it. Ahmed had managed to pin everything on the captain of his ship, The Magic Spicery, claiming complete innocence. And before the captain could be questioned, he was found dead in his cell.
Ahmed had covered his ass so seamlessly it sickened her.
His smile widened. “They told me about how you managed to save the president’s daughter and her friends by Dream Jumping into that monster’s head. Good work there.” He tilted his head, studying her. “The difference is that two of Ahmed’s associates, Lord Dry-fen and Ambassador Eupher, will be joining us for our maiden voyage.”
She almost jumped out of her seat. “On this ship?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “We believe that with them here, and you able to regularly enter their dreams, it may be the key to finally putting that sex-trafficking piece of shit where he belongs.”
Her stomach twisted. A part of her had always known that one day she would have to tangle with Ahmed again. A part of her wanted to. Once you catch him, you’ll be free from his grasp. He won’t be able to haunt you. A soft voice whispered, and you won’t have to think about the other girls who weren’t so lucky to escape him.
“I’m here to serve in any way I can, sir.”
He was quiet for a moment, studying her, his face unreadable. “This is going to be dangerous, Erin. These two men are some of the biggest bastards alive, and the hope is that they’ll lead us right to Ahmed. Are you sure you’re up for this?”
She didn’t hesitate. “It’s my duty.”
“No,” he responded, too quickly, “it’s not. Your duty is to serve on this ship as a lieutenant. Walking into the minds of criminals is going above and beyond. That’s why I’m asking you, instead of ordering you.”
His concern for her was surprising, but unnecessary. “I’ve been doing this since I was a child.”
“I was given most of your files. Erin, to say that I was disturbed was an understatement.” His eyes narrowed. “Off the record, I would understand if you refused this assignment. Even though we need you desperately.”
If only. If only I could.
Images flashed in her mind, and she shuddered. Just over the past two years alone, she’d jumped into the dreams of over a dozen people. Sometimes the dreams were nothing more than exhausting and inconvenient. Other times, she saw things she could never forget. Even though I’ve been careful not to get physically injured since Ahmed’s dream, there’s more than one way to be hurt.
But she’d also saved countless lives.
“I can handle the job.”
He stared a moment longer, then nodded. “Off the record, I disagree with this, but that call isn’t mine to make.” His eyes searched her for a moment. “The information will be delivered to your in-room communicator in a classified, encrypted document. Through reading your files, I’ve determined that they’ve often misused you by sending you to Dream Jump unprepared. This will not happen under my command. You will take the time to study these men and their habits, to speak to them, and whatever else you need to do. And that is an order, do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir,” she responded, although she was utterly confused. Her own parents hadn’t showed this amount of concern about the dangerousness of her ability and what they asked her to do with it. Was the captain overly cautious or were her parents not cautious enough?
“And, Erin?”
She startled out of her thoughts. “Yes?”
“If you need more time to rest or recover after this extra work, you will be given the time. Do not hesitate to ask.”
“Yes, sir.”
He turned to the screen positioned on his desk and tapped, his fingers flying over the screen. “I’m glad we were able to have this conversation.”
She rose, but hesitated.
“Was there something else?”
The question came before she could stop it. “Are you doing all of this because you knew me as a child?”
His gaze left the screen. “Doing all of what?”
She felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment. “Being so protective.”
He frowned. “If you were strictly under my command, I would not allow another officer to take advantage of you the way they have. This has nothing to do with our history and everything to do with what I consider right and wrong.”
“You’re a good man,” she said, again the words leaving her lips before she could stop him.
His smile gentled for a brief moment. “You’re dismissed.”
She left his office, her thoughts a turbulent mess. Her meeting with the captain hadn’t gone at all the way she had planned. In fact, there had been one shock after another. A new person had been included in her secret world. She was going to have to Jump into the dreams of two dangerous sons of bitches, rather than focus on her new career. But more than that, Captain Vernan’s reaction to her situation had made her wonder for the first time if she had more choices that she’d ever considered before.
Maybe one day I can refuse to Dream Jump, and just be a captain. Would that be possible? Could I have some semblance of a normal life?
Because if I could, maybe I’d have time for someone else.
Against her will, her thoughts turned to a certain stubborn Keltair, and her heart twisted painfully. If only.
––––––––
Chapter Six
CALEB STOOD IN FRONT of the transportation pad waiting for the two men he’d been forced to greet because Erin was busy with the captain. He tried to keep his boiling rage hidden, but he knew by the worried glances the two humans were exchanging behind the control panel that he was utterly failing.
His scowl deepened. He shouldn’t be dealing with any of this at all. This was her responsibility.
You’re not angry because of this. You’re angry because she challenges you.
And turns you on.
He pushed the thoughts away. They were poisonous to him. He simply could not get mixed up with Erin again. If he was hurt that way again, he knew he could never recover from it.
Unconsciously, his mind went back to the day he’d revealed his love for her and pushed for her to admit hers. She’d loved him, he knew that, but she couldn’t admit it. So rather than staying near her and solidifying their lifelong bond, he’d fled the Turongan Starflight Academy to join the Earth academy. And I never heard from her again.
Even though his connection had never faded. Even though he’d been plagued with heart-pounding dreams of her nearly every night. He’d held out hope that one day he could move on from her and find love again.
But Father told me if she came back, it might solidify the bond. Now I might never move on.
Two of the teleportation pads began to warm up, sending their strange beam of shimmering purple particles in the air. It’s time to focus on the task-at-hand. He would keep Erin at a distance, and he’d fuel his energy into being a good commander. What else could he do?
A large shape appeared first, before the Vuret came fully into view.
Caleb felt every muscle in his body tighten. Vurets were natural enemies of Keltairs. The creatures were huge aliens, half bull and half man, covered in hair with two twisting horns on their heads, and faces that bordered on deformed.
Many people compared the two races, but Caleb knew there was no comparison. Keltairs were harsh, warlike aliens, but they also fiercely protected their women and children and lived by a code of honor. Vurets fed on the pain and misery of others. They lacked all honor, driving a knife in their mate’s back if it brought them wealth.
Caleb struggled to breathe. At any other time, a Keltair might attack a Vuret on sight. But he was a commander of this ship, and he had no desire to be controlled by his natural instincts. Smile. Breathe.
Another shape came into view, and then another male stood in the shimmering stream of light. He had pale, blond hair slicked back. His irises were red, and he wore no shirt over his pale flesh. A Drysalin.
Again, Caleb felt apprehensive. Drysalins came from a planet sharply divided. The wealthy lived like kings, working their slaves to bring them more wealth. Most of the planet either mined the rare minerals there, or worked to fulfill the sexual needs of their masters. These people disturbed him on every level.
The shimmering purple lights stopped, and the two aliens blinked into the darkness before slowly walking off the teleporting pads.
The Vuret locked eyes with Caleb and reached out a hand. Caleb’s instincts screamed as he reached out. Their hands closed around each other’s arms, and Caleb couldn’t stop himself from pulling the alien closer. They were of nearly the same height, although the Vuret’s strange mix of fat and muscle made him wider.
“You must be Commander Fallow,” the alien growled, the sound low and threatening.
Caleb had to force himself not to bare his teeth. “Ambassador Eupher.”
Their eyes locked, and Caleb couldn’t help but wonder if the Vuret knew he was half Keltair, or if he simply sensed a challenge.
Removing one finger at a time, Caleb released him, and the ambassador took a step back. “I am glad to come aboard your fine, new vessel.”
“We are...glad to have a representative of the Vurets.”
The creature flashed its sharpened teeth. “I’m sure you are.”
Caleb nearly jumped as the other male touched his arm. Turning, his eyes narrowed. Of course a Drysalin could get so close without him knowing. “Greetings, Lord Dry-fen.”
His pale lips twisted into a pained smile, and he held out his hand, covered in massive rings. “Commander Fallow, so good to meet you.”
Repulsion snaked beneath his skin as he took the limp hand of the other alien. “Welcome aboard The Odyssey.”
Lord Dry-fen stroked the back of Caleb’s hand with his thumb. “I’m looking forward to my time here. Especially now that I know the rumor of your...skills weren’t over exaggerated.”
Caleb squeezed his hand harder, leaning forward. “You can feel safe here. It’s no lie that I can kill a man in seconds.”
The lord paled, eyes wide. “O—Oh my.”
Releasing his hand, Caleb led them out of the room toward the elevator. He would drop them at one of the civilian floors and hopefully never set eyes on them again. Then, he realized, they’d be Erin’s problem.
Caleb glanced back at the two men. For some reason, he hated the idea that Erin might have to deal with such scum. These two I’ll manage.
Because you care for her.
He shook the thought away, no because...he didn’t have an answer. But it had nothing to do with the beautiful woman with jade-colored eyes and raven-black hair.
Emotions swept through him as he pictured her. Had there ever been such a defiant woman? Such a sexy woman?
His groin tightened, and he almost swore aloud. No more thoughts of her!
But in the back of his mind he knew Erin would continue to haunt him, like a ghost he couldn’t let go.
––––––––
CALEB SANK INTO BED, more exhausted than he’d ever been before. But he couldn’t sleep.
Because beneath the exhaustion was anger, uncontrollable anger. And the cause of it was clear: Erin.
In less than a few hours, she’d gotten to him. She’d stuck her pretty, little fingers into the cracks of his facade and almost shown the world the man who lived carefully hidden beneath.
Only, the man she uncovered was a complicated mess of rage, jealousy, and desire.
He covered his face with his hands, trying to hide from the darkness. Why has she come back into my life? Why now? But the darkness gave him no answers.
Chapter Seven
After spending half the night reviewing the classified files of Lord Dry-fen and Ambassador Eupher, Erin felt a sick sense of dread as she crawled into bed. These two men were some of the most disgusting, dangerous creatures she’d read about in a long time. Both had killed, raped, and tortured. Yet, it seemed multiple governments had allowed them to continue their violence, because they hoped these men would lead them to Ahmed Zhou.
Of course they care more about catching the big fish than protecting and getting justice for the women who are hurt by them.
She tossed and turned in her bed, her stomach twisting. If she fell asleep, she knew the familiar nightmares would come back. That she’d wake up sweating and crying.
But as the hours ticked away, she slowly closed her eyes.
––––––––
HER ENTIRE BODY TWISTED at the sight of the red dream bubble in front of her. It wasn’t possible that she accidentally jumped into one of the men’s dreams, was it? Her heart raced as she inched forward. Usually she wasn’t on board a ship with the criminals she’d been researching...it was possible.
But instead of finding a nightmare of a dream, she discovered Caleb standing before his desk, papers in his hands. Caleb! Even more than before, she knew going into his dream was a terrible idea, but she also knew that if she left, she’d find herself slipping into a nightmare.
Caution, Erin, this needs to be the last time. It’ll be hard to keep convincing Caleb that these are no more than dreams, if you don’t stop. You’re bound to slip up.
She nodded, a smile coming to her lips despite all logic saying this was a bad idea. After the day she’d had, nothing could please her more than Caleb’s soft embrace. Stepping into the dream, she moved slowly, not wanting to alarm him.
He glanced up, his eyes darkening. “Erin, you’re late.”
She tried to hide her surprise. Was he angry with her? “I’m sorry, Caleb. I—“
“No excuses.” He slammed the papers down on his desk. “And what did I tell you about being dressed properly?”
Glancing down at herself in confusion, she was startled. She was wearing a loose, see-through white tank top, with a lacy red bra underneath. Her leather skirt was so short, she was sure she could feel a draft on the scrap of panties she wore.
Is this how he pictures me?
“Sorry, sir.” She didn’t know what to say. The interactions in their dreams were always sweet and soft, even if the sex often got pretty intense.
She felt herself go hot at just thought of him between her thighs.
He thumped his fist on the top of his desk, startling her. “Sorry isn’t enough this time. Come here.”
Tossing her long black hair behind her shoulder, she bit back a flare of annoyance. This was his dream. She needed to act like herself, but also whoever he wanted her to be in his dream. Marching forward, she came to stop in front of his desk.
“No.” The muscles in his jaw flexed. “Here.” He pointed to right in front of him.
Trying to hide her apprehension, she moved around his desk and stopped just two feet in front of him. She shivered as his earthy, masculine scent washed over her. She took another step closer, close enough to feel the heat of his body.
“You wanted me, sir,” she whispered, her voice husky.
Unable to stop herself, she reached up to rest her hands on his chest, then to slowly draw them up to wrap around his neck. She fully expected him to kiss her.
Instead, he grasped her arms and pulled himself loose. Then, he spun her to face his desk. “Hands down in front of you.”
A tingle of realization ran over her. He planned to take her from behind. Good. She needed him inside her. She reached out far, pointing her ass high in the air.
Sucking her bottom lip, she embraced the heat that rushed over her. Soon his hard cock would be filling her. Her womanhood tightened at just the thought, and she shifted her hips, waiting for him.
She didn’t have to wait long. One warm hand trailed up her inner thigh and pushed back her skirt. She heard him inhale sharply.
“Still can’t find a proper pair of underwear I see.”
Her nipples beaded against the surface of the desk. The desire in his voice matched her own. “Well, feel free to remove them.”
“Quiet, Lieutenant! You don’t give the orders here. You will receive your punishment without speaking. Do you understand me?”
Punishment. Oh yes, she liked the thought of that.
“Yes, sir.”
His thumbs hooked into each side of her underwear, dragging the lacy fabric down to drop to the ground beneath them. She turned her head to observe him.
Again, he seemed to freeze and stare. His eyes had darkened even further. He stared at her backside, his mouth slightly open.
She grew wetter. Knowing she turned this beautiful, powerful man on made her feel light-headed, reckless. Slowly, she drew her legs farther apart, revealing her womanhood to his heated gaze.
“Gods,” he gasped. “You’re so...” He reached out and ran one finger along her outer lips.
Gasping, she rubbed herself wantonly against his finger.
When he drew it back, she groaned. “Caleb, please—“
His gaze snapped to hers, anger roaring to life. “It’s Commander Fallow to you. Now, face forward.”
She did, surprised and excited by this new side of him. It isn’t a new side, though, she thought. This is how he was back at the academy. The idea thrilled her for reasons she couldn’t understand.
“I ordered you not to talk. An order you specifically broke. I will add this new infraction onto your punishment.”
She wiggled her ass, biting down the words please do.
Suddenly, a smack hit her ass. She tried to rise, but a hand pushed her back onto the desk.
“What the hell, Caleb?”
He stroked the spot he’d smacked. “You really aren’t a fast learner, are you?”
Before she could answer, he smacked her again.
She cried out, shocked by the mix of pleasure and pain that swam through her. To her horror, she felt herself growing wetter. But when she tried to close her legs, a warm thigh parted them.
“Get off me!” she shouted, embarrassed.
“What part of silent don’t you understand?” Another smack hit her ass, followed by another, and then a third.
She struggled beneath his hold, bucking at the hand on her ass, trying to force her legs closed around his knee. But all it did was rub her wet, throbbing womanhood against him. And she HATED the thought that he might know how much he was turning her on.
“Are you enjoying your punishment?” He asked, as if reading her thoughts.
She clamped her teeth together, refusing to answer him.
“We both know you are,” he continued, reaching forward to gently squeeze her nipple.
A moan slipped past her lips.
“I’ll stop if you want me to.”
His hands moved down her body, then paused.
She wiggled her ass, hoping he wouldn’t make her beg him to keep touching her.
To her relief, his hands continued downward. “Don’t worry, my tough lieutenant, I’ll punish you exactly the way you want.”
One of his fingers brushed her mound. His voice was gruff when he continued. “Lieutenant Stowe. I knew there was something – extraordinary – about you. So that’s who you are.” He surprised her by landing another hard slap to her ass. “A wealthy military brat. And a liar.”
“I’m—not—a liar,” she panted.
When she turned to glare at him, he grabbed the back of her hair loosely and forced her to look forward. “Keep your eyes ahead!”
“Like hell!” Now, she was really pissed. “Let go!”
But instead, he shifted. Keeping one hand on the back of her hair, pushing her head against the desk, one finger ran lightly along her mound, then slid inside.
She gasped and words tumbled past her lips. “Oh, yes.”
“You’re wet.”
She tried to shake her head, but couldn’t. “I’m not.”
“You’re enjoying this.”
He brushed her inner lips lightly, back and forth, back and forth.
Again, she tried to close her legs, but his knee kept them open for his exploration.
“You’re an asshole.” An asshole who gets me so turned on I don’t even know what to do with myself.
“Better an asshole than a liar. At least people know who I am.” His voice slid along her spine, and as his finger stroked her, sending every nerve singing, he continued to talk. “It all makes sense now. The attempts against your life. The security guards. Even the dean’s reaction to you.”
She bucked, then cried out as his questing, tormenting finger entered her a second time.
They both froze for a moment, and then Caleb’s finger slid out of her. She started to take a deep breath, and then his finger plunged right back in.
“God!”
“You must—“ He was panting now, too. “Think I’m—such a fool.”
“No.” She shuddered. “It wasn’t like that.”
She wanted to explain it all. But he didn’t know. The dream her couldn’t know either.
Suddenly, she wished she could think clearly. Jump back out of the dream before he grew suspicious, but she couldn’t. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess. His hands on her made it even more difficult, and her inner muscles clenching his finger seemed to scream you’re not going anywhere.
“I’m not going to—fall for it again,” he said.
And suddenly, he withdrew his finger from her. His hand smacked her ass cheek again, and she bit down another cry. Six more slaps, each one harder than the next rained down on each side of her butt, coming closer to her mound each time. When he stopped, her inner thighs dripped with her juices, even while her ass felt hot and red.
“You are under my command now, little human female. You will obey me, or you will be punished from now on, do you understand?” He released the back of her hair, trailing a hand down her spine to stroke the small of her back beneath her thin shirt.
She wanted to argue with him, but more than that, she wanted his cock in her. But what if she could have both?
“Maybe that’s true,” she retorted. “But you’d better enjoy being my boss at work, because on my off-time, you can’t control me.”
He leaned over her, his breath hot on her ear. “What are you saying?”
“That while each day you might be ass-fucking me all over the ship as my commander, some other man is going to fucking me every night in my bed.”
Silence followed her words.
“Is that right?”
The danger in his voice raced along her spine. Maybe this was a bad idea? But it was too late to back down now.
“That’s right.”
He leaned forward farther, and to her shock, she felt cold cuffs close over her wrists.
“What the hell?” She struggled against them, but they were chained to the ground beneath his desk.
Damn it. This is why she normally had a rule not to let people touch her in their dreams. They controlled their minds. They could change the ‘world’ around her any way that suited them.
“What are you doing?” she asked, trying to keep her voice firm.
He moved away from her, and to her horror, she felt cuffs clamp around her ankles.
If she could’ve Dream Jumped in that moment, she might have. He was angry, and she was completely at his mercy. As much as she wanted him inside her, as much as she’d always trusted him not to hurt her, a flicker of fear raced through her.
“So, your plan is to torture me then?” he growled angrily. “To parade your many lovers in front of me?”
Be smart. Shut your mouth. But she couldn’t. “If you’re going to dish it out, I’m going to need someone else to ease the pain. I’m sure I’ll find someone who will know how to pleasure me better than you ever could.”
Why, Erin? Why?
But even though she knew how foolish she was being, the spark of rebellion that blazed inside her was hard to ignore. And not something she wanted to ignore.
He shifted behind her, and she turned to see him slowly undressing. She was mesmerized by the sculpted muscles of his chest and stomach. As he unbuttoned his pants and slid them down his thighs, his manhood sprang to life, and her inner muscles tightened. He was so long and thick. Bigger than any man she’d seen before. Beautiful in a way she never thought a cock could be.
Whatever punishment he planned for her she would take, as long as she could have him inside her.
He ran a hand along her spine again, racing goose bumps along her flesh. “So the way I take you is becoming old, is it? You want something new? Better? Is that right?”
She raised her chin and tried her best to look defiant, while being chained over a desk. “You bet, Commander.”
He clenched the muscles in his jaw. “Done. And you’re going to get way more than you bargained for.”
His hand went back to her womanhood, two fingers rubbing a smooth and steady rhythm as she ground herself against them. Suddenly, his fingers grasped the bud of her clit and squeezed.
She screamed, pleasuring crashing over her in a wave that took her breath away.
His manhood brushed her anus. Reflectively, she rubbed against him, wanting his length. His fingers continued to alternate between squeezing and rubbing her clit. As she cried out and bucked, the head of his cock entered her ass.
Freezing. Tremors raced through her legs. “Caleb...”
“Quiet!” he snapped. But then, he spoke more softly. “Do you want me to stop?”
Do I? “No.”
“Are you sure?”
A new, curious kind of pleasure radiated from where he’d inched inside of her. I’ve always wanted to try this... why not now? “Yes.”
“Good.” He flicked her clit, and she cried out as his cock slid deeper into her ass.
Doubt coursed through her. She’d never had a man there before. And besides, taking his enormous cock had been hard enough. If he did this, he’d split her in two.
Am I making a mistake?
“You won’t fit,” she gasped.
“I will,” he ground out. “Trust me.”
I do trust him. I can do this.
Three fingers entered her womanhood at once. They slid in and out, in and out. As she bucked around his fingers, she felt his cock sliding deeper and deeper inside her.
At first it was uncomfortable, something she tried to ignore as her womanhood grew even wetter, her climax building with each stroke of his agile fingers. But then, he entered her completely. She knew by the feel of his hard body behind her.
Then, he began to slide in and out of her ass, his fingers inside her womanhood matching his speed and pressure. She felt a sensation building inside her like nothing she’d felt before. Her hands clenched the desk. She arched to meet his every stroke.
When one of his hands gripped her hip, and he began pounding into her, she exploded. Mind, body, and soul.
Never had sex felt like this before, as if she was being torn apart in the best possible way. As if she was being filled completely. Her inner muscles squeezed his fingers, while her ass squeezed his massive cock.
She screamed his name until she was hoarse. Stars exploded as her vision went from black to white. Coming, over and over again.
And then he came, too, his hot seed filling her ass in a way that sent her over the edge again.
As he lay on top of her, he reached beneath her thin bra with one hand and squeezed her nipple, causing a pleasure so sharp it was painful. “You are mine again, Erin. Mine to command, and mine to claim. If I see you with another male, I’ll kill him. Do you understand?”
She froze.
Does he mean what he says? Is this truly how he feels?
Opening her mouth, she decided to at last ask him how he felt about her, when she went tumbling into darkness.
She hit the floor of her room, panting, her heart racing. A familiar melody played on her computer. Her father. Calling her in the middle of the night.
Shaking, she clutched the edge of her bed and rose to her trembling legs. She needed a cold shower. Not this. But as always, duty came before all else. And if he was calling this late, chances were that something was terribly, terribly wrong.
––––––––
Chapter Eight
ERIN STARED AT HER father on the screen, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. “It’s a little late.”
Her voice was thick with sleep and laced with irritation. But it had less to do with being awakened in the middle of the night for one of her father’s little chats than with her frazzled state of mind.
And Caleb.
She was still reeling from her Dream Jump with her ex-lover and new commander. Her thoughts flashed back to the way he’d chained her over his desk. The way he’d explored her, then punished her. Her inner muscles squeezed at just the thought of it.
She’d never had a man’s cock in her ass before. Somehow she thought the whole thing would be frightening and painful. Yet...it wasn’t either of those things. Instead, she was surprised by the way she’d enjoyed it. And also embarrassed.
The dreams she’d shared with Caleb over the past few years had been passionate and wild, but always gentle and somewhat restrained. She hadn’t seen this fierce, uncontrolled side of Caleb before.
And she liked it.
“I’m disappointed Captain Vernan discussed your newest mission without me,” her father frowned.
She glanced up and caught the badly concealed irritation in his pale green eyes. Even though it was somewhere between the latest hours of night and the earliest hours of morning, his steel-gray hair was neat, his deep blue uniform smartly pressed.
“Why are you awake so late?” She immediately regretted the question. They didn’t discuss personal matters.
But to her surprise, his shoulders slumped. “Your mother’s transportation ship will be docking with The Allure soon, so I have a lot of work to complete before she gets here.”
“Mom left The Allure?” Usually her mom just followed him around like a shadow.
“Yes.” He hesitated. “Actually, she has a surprise for you.”
Great. “Well, have her contact me when she gets in.”
His mouth twisted into a slight smile. “You can tell her in person. We’ll be joining The Odyssey halfway through her maiden voyage.”
Her stomach twisted. When her father was in the vicinity, he treated her like a child. She’d be mortified for the crew to see her in such a position. For Caleb to see it. “Ahh...you know I’ll be working...” Her words trailed off. She didn’t want to anger him.
His smile grew. “As will I. No need to concern yourself with keeping us entertained.”
She nodded, some of her anxiety easing. The fact that her father wouldn’t be demanding her complete attention was a good sign. Hopefully, she could simply check in with them each day, without being smothered by them.
“Have you reviewed the files of Lord Dry-fen and Ambassador Eupher yet?”
Her heart began to beat faster and her palms grew sweaty. “Yes.”
“Remember, this mission is different than usual. It isn’t just about entering their dreams; it’s about discovering the trail that leads back to Ahmed.”
“Got it.”
Although a reminder was the last thing she needed, she was dreading entering the minds of the two criminals with every fiber of her being. She’d be careful, as always, but that didn’t take away the risks. She could still be injured in the dreams, or even worse— end up brain-dead if she is killed within the dream.
“Just don’t waste too much time.” Her father reached for the button on his screen. “Be safe.”
Quite abruptly, the screen went black. She stared at it for a while. Her thoughts went back to the earlier conversation with her new captain. Why had he seemed more concerned with her safety than her father?
She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.
And why do I have the sinking feeling this could all go terribly wrong?
Chapter Nine
Caleb awoke, panting and sweaty. His dream about Erin had been unlike anything he’d imagined before. He groaned as he felt his wet cock and boxers. Again? It’s as if I’m an untried youth.
Rubbing at his face, he refused to get out of bed. His legs were still shaking. Why was it that even in his dreams sex with Erin was earth-shatteringly good?
Even though you punished her.
He froze, remembering how he’d chained her to the desk, stroking her womanhood into a frenzy as he eased into her ass. Keltairs were known for being passionate and powerful lovers, especially with their mates, but they also made sure to treat their females with kindness and respect.
Was I kind to her?
You made her come.
Yes, but....
He rubbed his face. Did it matter? It was just a dream. And yet, it did matter. It was important because it reflected his current state of mind. Right now what he wanted more than anything else was to punish Erin.
You mean to have sex with her.
No. Well, yes. He wanted her in his bed, but he could never allow it. If they had sex again, he knew the mating bond would tie them together forever.
What he needed to do was punish her for breaking his heart, for striding back into his life at the worst possible time. He, a half Keltair, was actually a commander of a ship in the Earth fleet. He could not screw this up. But if Erin kept taunting him, adding fuel to the fire of his anger, he was going to explode. Which would ruin the calm, rational reputation he’d worked so hard to achieve.
What am I going to do? Climbing out of bed, he threw his soaking boxers in the automatic washer and stepped into his shower. The cool water felt incredible over his skin. This was exactly what he needed when the little human female drove him wild: a cold shower.
After showering, he dressed carefully in his deep green uniform and stared down at his pants. The entire uniform fit him perfectly, other than being a bit snug at the shoulders, but that was to be expected. With how much larger Keltairs were than humans, his uniforms always had to be tailored. But if Erin was going to continue causing him to walk around with a permanent erection, he was going to need pants with a little extra room in front. I’ll have to request some before the day is out.
Adjusting the front of his pants, he rifled fingers through his dark hair and headed out of his room. The officers’ floor was busy with uniformed people, mostly humans, but also the odd alien here and there. Most gave him a nod as he walked past, while others had a familiar, wide-eyed oh God, he’s coming right at me! expression right before quickly looking away.
Geez. If I was some blood-thirsty Keltair who wanted them dead, you’d think they’d know I would’ve done it by now.
Or perhaps it’s just that you’re their commander, another voice reassured him. He hoped.
As he hit the elevator, a familiar voice called out, “Commander Fallow!”
He turned as Hunter hurried after him. “You’re up early.”
His friend and head of security flashed him a smile. “You mean, I’m up late.”
Caleb smirked. “That bad?”
“Well...” He rubbed at his golden skin, his trademark silver Keltair eyes going a shade lighter. “Let’s just say not everyone is pleased with the fact that we allowed both a Vuret and a Drysalin on board.”
Caleb scoffed. “Do they want to go back to having the two races as official enemies?”
“I know, I know—“
“We can’t allow a representative of every other species in the Alliance aboard for the maiden flight, except the two worst ones.”
Hunter put up his hands in surrender as the elevator beeped and opened. “You don’t need to tell me. If the humans don’t like them, they shouldn’t ally with them.”
They strode into the elevator, and Caleb hit the button for the floor with the food hall. “Keltairs would never align themselves with a species they despised.”
Hunter cast him one of his obnoxious know-it-all looks. “Like we’re so happy with our alliance with the humans?”
He drew himself up taller, although the fact that they were nearly of the same height made the gesture less intimidating. “We don’t despise them so much as—“
“Find them obnoxious?” Hunter’s lips twisted into a rare smile.
Caleb smiled back. “So why does having Lord Dry-fen and Ambassador Eupher on board result in you staying up all night?”
Hunter gave a loud sigh, uncharacteristic of the large warrior. “The representatives of the other planets all want increased security, especially around their wives and daughters and sensitive cargo, which has created a bit of a logistical nightmare.”
The elevator doors opened.
“Breakfast?” Caleb asked.
Would Erin perhaps already be there? He wasn’t sure what to hope for or how he’d respond to the sight of her.
Hunter didn’t answer for a second. “Hard to turn down a meal.”
“So is that a yes or no?”
Like a Keltair would choose sleep over food.
The warrior followed him out of the elevator. “A quick bite to eat, then sleep. Or at least a nap before this nightmare of a day begins again.”
When they reached the food hall, it was already busy. Several ambassadors and diplomats were already seated at the circular white tables around the room. An entire wall of windows stared out at the stars, giving the room a tranquil feeling, even with so many bodies.
Caleb and Hunter got in line and took their trays. A screen blinked at them with different options as they slid their porcelain trays along the dark marble countertops. Caleb selected a massive helping of bacon, sausage, eggs, and some Keltairian Burlock, which the computer deposited on a plate and he quickly took. His friend’s plate brimmed with a similar selection, although he’d taken three times as much Burlock.
Seeing Caleb’s gaze, a slight smile returned to the Keltair’s face. “The one thing I missed about serving on Earth ships was our food. It’s nice that the ‘latest technology’ means we get something from our homeworld.”
He looked at the dark green meat, and his mouth practically watered. It was salty, fatty, and had the lingering taste of an exquisitely refined human cheese. New technology might not be all bad, after all.
“That’s all you miss from home?”
Hunter’s face darkened, and Caleb immediately regretted his question. Caleb at least had enjoyed a childhood on Earth. Hunter had lived with Keltairs all his life.
His appetite fled at just the thought of what his friend had endured. Hunter said very little about it, unless he’d drank a little too much, but Caleb knew what it was like when the Keltairs saw a male who was obviously partially human.
“I miss the Yertene Jell, too,” Hunter said, his voice taking on a humorous note.
Caleb met his friend’s gaze, knowing he was trying to change the subject. “That stuff tastes like heaven, but doesn’t exactly sit well in my stomach later.”
They both laughed as they reached the end of the line, and the humans in front of them stepped out of the way. Yertene Jell was one of the best-tasting desserts he’d ever had, but it was also something only Keltairs seemed to have a tolerance for. The first and only time he’d tried it...well, it’d been a long night after that.
Choosing a table along the window, they sat together and ate in silence until most of their food was gone. At last, Hunter slowed his pace.
“Do you want to discuss that awkwardness with the new lieutenant commander yesterday?”
“Not really,” Caleb growled.
His friend took another bite of eggs. “It must’ve been more than sex. I’ve never seen you that angry before.”
Caleb clenched his fork, taking a deep breath. Are my emotions concerning Erin really so raw? “I nearly made her my mate.”
His admission dropped into the room like a heavy stone.
It took Hunter a long time to answer. “That must have been...interesting.”
He dropped his fork, food suddenly holding no appeal. “I told her how I felt, and she informed me that she was looking for something more...casual.”
“Ouch.”
Caleb nodded, rubbing the spot on his chest that always hurt when he remembered that day.
“Do you think she led you falsely, or was she just unworthy?”
Caleb had asked himself that question many, many times in the dark of night when he missed her so badly it was a physical ache. Of all the torture and pain he’d experienced in his life, wanting Erin was one of the worst. Sometimes the loss of her was as sharp as the slice of a knife, while other times it was a gruesome pain, like someone twisting a knife that had long ago been embedded in his chest.
He tried to tell himself she wasn’t worthy. Or that she’d lied. But it just didn’t feel right. ”Perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be.”
Hunter nodded. “You’re lucky you were able to severe the connection in time.”
“Yes,” he answered, too quickly. “I was.”
“Good,” his friend responded more slowly. “Then as painful as it must be to see her again, you need to be careful.”
Their gazes met and held. No male would wish for his friend to be forever tied to a female who could not love him the same way. Every male knew instinctively what a terrible life that would be.
“I’m trying to, but the damned female just can’t seem to—“
His gaze caught and held Erin as she strode into the dining hall. He’d hoped seeing her in her uniform would ease the need in his cock. He’d told himself that anything would be better than the tight, clinging material of her clothes from the day before.
But he’d been wrong. Terribly wrong.
Her uniform hugged every inch of her magnificent curves. The deep green button-up shirt strained around her large breasts. The standard uniform skirt didn’t look standard at all on her. It wrapped around her long legs like a second skin, stopping just above her knees.
He swallowed. If that wasn’t bad enough, between her pale skin, black hair neatly pulled back, and emerald green eyes, she had the kind of beauty that would drive every other male wild.
His manhood strained painfully against his too-tight pants. He shifted, but his cock only gave a desperate throb. Bury yourself in her. Spread your female’s creamy thighs and enter her slowly. Torture her as she tortures you.
He shook his head and cursed. She’s not my female!
“I don’t envy you,” Hunter mumbled.
Caleb turned to find his friend’s gaze raking over Erin. “There’s more than one female on this ship, so consider her off-limits.”
Hunter laughed and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I might look, but I would never touch.”
Caleb glared. “You sure as hell won’t.”
Caleb forced himself not to watch Erin. He could not be drawn in by her seductiveness again. He’d eat quickly and leave. When he reached his office, he would send his lieutenant her daily schedule, and hopefully could go the entire day without seeing her.
Yeah, right. Keep dreaming.
When he’d forced himself to finish the last few tasteless bites on his plate, he gathered his tray and rose, with Hunter right behind him. But as he turned, he discovered the most improbable sight imaginable. One that stopped him short.
Erin was eating breakfast with Lord Dry-fen and Ambassador Eupher. She can’t be this stupid. Both aliens were sizing her up as if she was dessert for the breakfast so blatantly displayed before them. Lord Dry-fen’s red eyes ran brazenly over her breasts, which seemed all the more inappropriate because he sat shirtless. Drysalins rarely saw the need to be clothed at all. Usually the wealthy had a slave or two sucking their cocks or rubbing their breasts over their master’s face, whether they sat in a busy room or by themselves.
And Ambassador Eupher was no better. The half bull, half human stroked the brown hair on his hairy throat, the gesture disturbingly sensual as he eyed the gorgeous woman at the table. The creatures treated women like garbage, to use and throw away.
These were the last two people Erin should be anywhere near.
What the hell was she thinking?
Slamming his tray back down, he stomped across the room toward her. The day had barely begun and already the little human female was making it clear she needed to be told exactly what to do. She needed to learn how to obey him, because obviously Erin simply couldn’t be trusted to make her own decisions.
Her recklessness ends now.
She would learn who was in charge, no matter how much he had to dominate her. Punish her. Spank her firm, little... damn it, he growled inwardly. I’m going to need another cold shower before the day is out.
After I deal with Erin.
Chapter Ten
Erin dreaded sitting with the two disgusting criminals, but the better she knew them, the easier it would be to Dream Jump. Already, she was getting a clearer sense of who they were. Reading their files was helpful, but this is what she really needed if she hoped to stay safe during her mission.
Which is exactly what she wanted.
“So, Lieutenant Stowe,” Lord Dry-fen spoke her name with an intimate emphasis, “what does it take to become such a high-ranking female in the Earth fleet?”
She forced a smile. “Hard work and a determination to be great.”
The Drysalin patted his lips with a handkerchief, wiping away the green liquid he’d been sipping. “I hope my words aren’t meant as an insult, my dear, but I’d been told a woman had to know how to handle a cock to move so highly through the ranks.”
Erin sighed internally. It’s good to know men of all species are pigs.
“You’ve got the perfect cock-sucking mouth if I’ve ever seen one,” Ambassador Eupher grunted, staring at her lips.
The things I do for my job.
“Eupher!” Lord Dry-fen scolded. “Where are your manners? I apologize for my friend. He doesn’t associate with your class of women very often.”
Erin hoped her complete and utter disgust wasn’t written all over her face, because she felt like it was oozing out of her. “No need.” She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. “But to be honest with you both, I’ve done as much cock handling as the men in higher positions. You can decide on your own what that means.”
The Vuret roared with laughter.
“What the hell are you doing?” Caleb growled, his breath tickling her ear.
She froze. She’d been aware of Caleb the moment she’d entered the dining hall. His presence was dominating. Even creatures like the Vuret, who rivaled her half Keltair in size, didn’t dominate a room the way Caleb did.
But after her dream with him, she’d wanted some time to gather her thoughts and figure out how best to handle him. The last thing she wanted to do was get stuck in an argument with him before she’d even finished her morning coffee.
Taking a deep breath, she forced another smile. “Gentleman, may I introduce you to Commander Fallow?”
“Her superior officer,” Lord Dry-fen giggled.
Caleb’s scowl deepened. “Morning. I’m sorry to interrupt your breakfast, but I need to confer with my lieutenant about an important matter.”
Erin glanced up at him, rebellion in her eyes. “Of course, Commander, we were just talking about how you rose through the ranks so quickly.”
“Oh, my!” Lord Dry-fen said, pressing a hand to his lips as another giggle exploded.
Caleb glared. “And what exactly did she say?”
Her eyes widened. “Only that you worked long hours, never stopping until the job was complete.”
Now the Vuret’s booming laughter joined that of his friend.
If looks could kill, she would’ve been dead.
“Get up,” Caleb growled into her ear.
She drained the rest of her coffee. “Thanks for sharing breakfast with me, gentlemen.”
Striding out the door with Caleb at her heels, she felt a tiny flicker of regret. The last thing she’d wanted was to truly connect herself to the two criminals, especially at Caleb’s expense. But somehow, Caleb always brought out the worst in her.
“Ready for The Odyssey’s launch tomorrow?” she asked him, nonchalantly.
“We’ll discuss this in my office.”
She glanced down. “Am I dressed appropriately for that?”
“Be quiet, Erin.” His tone held no room for argument.
She probably should’ve felt afraid, but an image of his dream from the night before filled her mind and she shivered. Heat pooled at her core. Would he punish her? God, she’d love to have the real Caleb touching her. Inside her. Filling her like no other man could.
Their awkward elevator ride and silent walk down the hall finally came to an end with the door of his office closing softly behind them. She drew herself up, pushing down her erotic thoughts. This is reality, not a dream. And if you let him, this man will reduce you to nothing more than his secretary. You haven’t fought this hard to let one ex-lover stand in your way.
“You,” he said, turning around and standing over her, “will listen to me.”
She inhaled his masculine, earthy scent, pushing down the warmth that spread through her body at his scent. He towered over her, his big body crowding her space. His dark eyes had darkened further as anger flickered in their depths.
Keep it together!
“I’m listening.”
His mouth drew into a thin line. “If common sense didn’t tell you to stay away from those two cretins, then I’m going to make it an order— stay away from them.”
Huh? Why does he care? It isn’t his business.
“You told me my job was to handle public relations, right? That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
She heard his teeth as they ground together. “I am your superior officer. When I give a command, you’ll obey.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, knowing her face said exactly the opposite. “So which of your orders would you like me to follow? Handle public relations, or stay away from the guests? Or would you like me to check in each morning, in case you’ve changed your mind?”
“Enough!” he barked. “You will handle everyone else. I will handle those two dangerous thugs.”
That made her pause. Was he actually trying to protect her? For some reason that pissed her off even more. She didn’t need protection. He sure as hell didn’t care how she’d been these past two years, why should he start now?
“I’d glad to, sir, but Captain Vernan specifically asked me to handle them.”
She shouldn’t have loved the confusion and rage that came over his face, but she did. Good. Let him see that as much as he wanted to control her, he wouldn’t be able to.
It seemed to take him a very long time to answer her. “The Odyssey will be leaving for its voyage tomorrow. Everything must go perfectly.”
The tension in his voice was almost palpable. “Of course, sir.”
He circled to his desk and sat down, his back stiff. “Take a seat.”
She did, perching on the edge of the chair. What now?
“The civilians on board will be experiencing a mixture of fear and excitement. Your job is to build on their excitement and control their fear.”
Finally, she relaxed a little. She loved talking about her job and loved doing it even more. The Odyssey would be twice as fast as any human starship built before. The civilians might be worried about the new technology failing, but the crew was not. They would not have allowed civilians on the ship if there was even a tiny sliver of doubt that it would fail.
“I can keep them calm. It isn’t as if we’re the first species to use M-warp drives.”
He nodded, and she swore some the anger faded from his face. “Tonight there’ll be a massive celebration in the civilian relaxation deck. They’ll be a lot of drinking, dancing, and general revelry. In other words, it will be complete and utter chaos. Security will be on high alert for problems, but they’ve also been instructed to treat our important guests as respectfully as possible.”
She grinned. “So they’ll be managing a bunch of rich, drunk people,and they can’t just stun someone if they get out of line? I’m sure Hunter will have a blast with that.”
Anger flashed across his face once more. “I’m the commander. I’ll be the one handling things.”
Was he jealous? She liked imagining he was.
She tilted her hands, staring down at them for a second before glancing back at Caleb. “Well, you’ll be commanding Hunter on how to handle things. But frankly, I don’t think he’ll need it. He seems like the kind of man, strike that, Keltair who can take whatever we throw at him.”
The muscle in his jaw twitched. “I’m giving you the night off.”
Her brows rose in surprise. “Isn’t this exactly the kind of night where—“
“My Gods, are you this insolent to all your superiors?”
She tried to look serious as she leaned forward. “Only you, Commander Fallow.”
He gritted his teeth. “Enjoy your night off.”
For a second she wanted to argue, but she had a better idea. She smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Commander.”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re simply going to obey me?”
“Of course.” She laced the words with enthusiasm. “You are my commanding officer, after all.”
He watched her through narrowed eyes. “Well, let’s go over the rest of today. I need to brief all the crew members and check in with each station. You have the rest of the guests to greet, and you should walk the civilian floor, ensuring that everyone is happy and comfortable.”
Like a damn maid at a hotel. She swallowed down the thought. Today, she might have to be his bitch, but he’d regret it tonight.
Her smile grew as she nodded along as he spoke, all the while the plans in the back of her mind fell into place.
Chapter Eleven
Caleb nodded at the two security officers guarding the outside the civilian relaxation deck. One hit the red button and the doors slid open, a booming music blasting out into the hall. Caleb blinked as he stared. The bar that was typically a quiet place for civilians and crew members alike to unwind had been turned into a club of some kind. The room glowed with blue lights that made the light colors shine and the dark colors disappear into blackness.
This should be fun.
He stepped in and was immediately accosted by a woman. “No shirts tonight!” she screamed, grabbing his shirt and ripping at it.
His top four buttons popped before he grabbed her wrists and pulled her away from his clothes as gently as he was able. Great. He’d have to have it fixed now.
“My uniform stays on.”
That was the first time he realized she was topless. Her little perky breasts had been painted so that they glowed, and fuck me had been written just above them.
“See something you like?” she asked, leaning in closer.
He took a step back, realizing that the door had already closed behind him. “I’m on duty. Thank you.”
And then she was smearing something on his chest. For the second time, he drew her arms back.
“Just to make you glow,” she shouted above the music.
A man stumbled past them and poked at the words on her chest. “I’ll fuuu-ccc-k you.”
She grinned. “Back there.” She pointed to a corner, then took his arm and was gone.
Caleb’s temple throbbed along with the music. It is going to be a long night. There was a section of elevated tables in the back reserved for important guests. The captain had already informed him where his spot was at the tables. He would sit there and count the hours away until he’d stayed long enough, then slip out. As much as he dreaded the evening, at least he had a plan.
He started the painfully slow process of weaving through the crowd of humans and aliens. It wasn’t exactly that there was a dance floor, but more that every available inch of space was taken up by dancing bodies. Some of the women wore hats that looked like lamp shades, flashing in colorful patterns. Different-colored glowing paint decorated most of their topless bodies.
Males fondled the females at leisure, regardless of their species. Some of the men wore masks. Others wore fake heads that looked like those of different animals, a few human mammals, like horses and pigs, but also creatures Caleb had never seen before.
What have I gotten myself into?
He thought back to his conversation with the captain earlier that night.
These are the wealthiest people in the universe. Most of them spend their time engaged in drugs, alcohol, and sex. Whatever you imagine a party to look like, this will blow it out of the water.
He gritted his teeth. The captain wasn’t joking.
This is a whole new level of insanity.
He’d almost reached the table when a woman bent down in front of him, spreading her legs. Almost as quickly, a man wearing a mask had unzipped his pants and entered her from behind. Caleb stepped around the couple fucking like animals.
Where is their common sense? Do any of them wonder what consequences their poor behavior will bring?
Probably not. He doubted these people had ever had to deal with real problems in their lives. Any trouble they get into, they can probably buy their way out of.
A security guard nodded at Caleb as he stepped up to the V.I.P. section and opened the rope to let him pass. He sat at the table with the most empty seats. Only one couple sat on the opposite side of him, the female in the male’s lap as they made out.
He was glad when a waitress dropped a drink in front of him. Picking it up, he slammed it back. She set another drink in front of him, but this one he simply sipped. He had no desire to get drunk, but he’d needed the one drink to calm his nerves. This is definitely not my scene.
The music seemed to get louder after that. A low voice sang a song that seemed to race through his blood as the bass enveloped him. He became aware of scents, strong perfumes, the harsh tang of liquor, sweat, and the heavy scent he associated with sex. The lights swam before his vision, and warmth spread throughout his body, sending tingles into his toes.
Frowning, he glanced down at his glass. It’d gone down so smoothly. And one glass, regardless of what it was, shouldn’t affect him in such a way.
He waved the waitress over. “What the hell is this?”
She flashed him a smile beneath her glowing green mask. Leaning in, she shouted in his ear above the music, “The good Ambassador Eupher laced the V.I.P. drinks with ambrosia.”
His thoughts twisted slowly.
Ambrosia? His pulse jumped. “Ambrosia!”
She winked at him and sauntered away.
He felt an immediate need to leave. Ambrosia was a very powerful drug. It not only made the user feel drunk as hell, it made them horny as hell, too.
No wonder everyone is fucking on the tables. A few drinks of ambrosia, and they won’t care who their partner is.
Damn it, this is just what I need. As if I wasn’t already going crazy because of Erin.
Taking deep breaths, he reminded himself that the captain had officially asked him to make an appearance and that running off now would hardly be doing his duty. But the logical part told him to sit exactly where he was, talk to no one if he could help it, and leave before the hour was out. He gritted his teeth. It was a new plan, but a smart one.
He leaned back in his chair, determined not to move no matter what.
Which was exactly when he saw her.
Erin wore a pale skirt that seemed to float around her knees and a tight black shirt. It dipped dangerously low in the front, revealing a tantalizing display of her flesh. Someone had painted her chest with something that glowed white.
His cock hardened. He leaned forward, watching her as she weaved through the crowd. A waitress handed her a drink off a tray. She downed it gracefully and handed back the empty glass.
Caleb prayed she would march right up the stairs, approach his table, and lean over so he could push aside her barely there shirt and taste her sweet nipples. His cock gave a throb. With that skirt, he could put her on his lap. His fingers could push aside whatever tiny pair of panties she’d worn and touch her hot, hot core.
If she was wearing panties.
His muddled mind seemed to remember her mentioning a lack of undergarments.
He rose from his seat.
She didn’t look in his direction. Instead, she started to dance. Two men crowded her.
Fury rose within Caleb. What the hell!
As he stormed across the room, the logical part of him nudged the back of his thoughts. She’s dressed fairly conservatively, at least compared to everyone else. She’s keeping the two men at a decent distance. But the louder voice in his head roared, Mine. Mine to touch. Mine to taste. Why does my mate taunt me with these other, lesser males?
His head spun as he shoved people aside on his way across the dance floor.
When he reached her, he grabbed the throat of one of the men and pulled him close, the shorter man’s legs dangling a foot or more off the ground. “Walk away from her. Now!”
He dropped the man. The world seemed to spin as the human male glanced up, eyes wide, then ran.
Caleb spun to the other male and crowded him. “You,” he growled.
The man was human, wearing nothing but a cloth covering his cock. Or at least it should have been. His erection stood out, peeping out the side of the useless covering.
Blood roared in Caleb’s ears. Has this male touched my female? Rubbed himself against her?
He barely felt Erin grasping his arm, but her angry response, “Stop it right now,” rang through his mind as clear as day.
“You want to fight or something, man?” The male clenched his fists.
He’s big. But I’m bigger. He will learn to stay away from my female.
Suddenly, Erin was between them, grabbing Caleb’s face and pulling it down so their gazes met. “Calm down.”
Every muscle in his body tightened. “We’re leaving.”
Her green eyes blazed with anger. “You don’t own me. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“Yeah,” the other male said. “We were having a good time.” The male’s dark eyes swept over her.
Caleb looked down at his female. She was intoxicating. Her firm, round breasts glowed beneath her shirt. Someone had reached beneath the thin fabric to touch them, to ensure that even her hardened nipples stood visible beneath the fabric.
His cock throbbed painfully. If it had been a male, he would die. No one touched her breasts but him. No one ran their hands along her creamy flesh, lingering on her tender, pink nubs. No one but him.
He reached down to trail a finger in the valley of her breasts. “Mine,” he told her.
He felt the shudder that ran through her. His cock grew harder. Tonight she would do more than shudder beneath his touch. He would make her come. She would wither and spasm as he stroked her wet womanhood. His mouth would follow the trail of his fingers stroking her nearly to completion. And then his cock would finally enter her, wet and ready for him.
“Do you like that?” He leaned in closer, his hand moving beneath her shirt.
She grabbed his other arm as if to steady herself. “What’s gotten into you?”
“You.” The word sounded like a groan on his lips. “Always you.”
And then, she was pulled from his grip.
The other male had his arm around her waist. “I saw her first.”
Erin frowned and tried to pull away.
“Don’t struggle, baby!” he shouted, winking at her. “You’re going to like what we do together.”
“Seriously,” her brows rose as she spoke, “You’re going to want to let me go. Now.”
He held her tighter, then reached for her hand, pressing it against his cock.
The world stood still as red-hot fury overtook Caleb. He would rip the piece of shit in half! He would tear his hand from his arm and—
Erin tore out of the man’s grip, and turned, kneeing him firmly in the groin. The man made a strangled sound and slid to the ground. Then, Erin whirled on Caleb. She marched up to him and poked him in the chest with one long finger.
“Go take a cold shower and calm the hell down.”
It took his head too long to process her words, and then she was gone. He turned to find her slamming another drink in the V.I.P. section. His gaze turned to the smiling waitress who’d served him earlier. There was something she had said—
Another male was speaking to Erin.
Caleb’s teeth clashed together. Enough!
He hurried through the dance floor and up the stairs. Standing behind her, he leaned down. “We need to speak. Now. And that’s an order.”
She turned to look at him, anger blazing in her green eyes. Her full, pouty lips were drawn into a line. “Yes, Commander.”
He tried to place a hand on the small of her back as he rushed her down the hall at the back of the club. She shrugged away from his touch. His blood boiled with frustration and rage. He could barely control it. Pulling her against him, he leaned down. “Why do you defy me at every turn?”
Her mouth opened to answer, but whatever her response, it was cut off by the people behind them. “Move out of the way.”
He pulled them both out of the path, shifting to lean his back against the wall. A second later, he was lying sprawled on the floor on his back, Erin on top of him. He looked around wildly. A door tried to slide shut, but his legs stopped it.
The damn hidden room. Of course! He remembered something about it from his tour of the ship, although that felt like a lifetime ago.
The door tried to close against, hitting his calf. He drew his legs up, sending Erin forward, straddling his cock. He couldn’t stop the groan that exploded from his lips, as the door closed.
She rocked on top of him, and he threw back his head with a growl, aching from the need to take her. Calm down. This is not how a male mates his female.
“Where are we?” She sounded breathless, and he realized that most of the noise of the club had been silenced.
With effort, he looked around. Distract yourself. Control yourself.
It was a large room with a row of seats around the outside and a pole in the center. Windows lined most of the room, staring out at the blue lights of the club, and the people who danced. Two couples were pressed against the one-way windows, their naked bodies thrashing together as they had sex in the main room of the club.
“This is the V.I.P. lounge,” she noted, shifting again, drawing a groan from him.
“W-What?” He could barely think —think of anything but the way she straddled him, pressing against his throbbing manhood.
Confusion blossomed in her face as her brows drew lower. “God, I feel so—“ She touched her forehead. “Do you feel —?”
He couldn’t help himself, as his gaze slid over the valley of her breasts. He reached up and swept aside one side of her shirt, then leaned up and took her nipple in his mouth.
She gasped and bucked against him.
His erection throbbed with a need to be inside her. But an old instinct reared up, You must mate your female slowly. She must find release over and over again. It isn’t about one night. It is about forever.
He sucked harder, then slowly drew back to lave her breast with his tongue.
She grasped his hair and drew him closer, moaning his name.
He took her other nipple next, letting his teeth lightly brush the sensitive nub.
“Oh, Caleb!” she cried, tugging him closer.
He continued to lick her breasts, to lavish attention on the beautiful mounds. How many years had passed since he touched her last? It felt like a lifetime.
“Stop,” she groaned.
He froze.
“I want you inside me.”
Looking up slowly, he took in her beautiful face. She was flushed, her pupils dilated. Her lip was clenched between her teeth.
“You want me,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady.
She closed her eyes and nodded.
He reached between them and touched her panties. They were hot and wet.
“Caleb!” Her eyes flew open.
With one finger, he pressed between her lower lips, allowing the thin underwear to stop him from going too far. “Is this where you want me?”
She nodded, eyes wide.
He pushed the cloth aside and cupped her mound with his fingers. “I need you to say it.”
She trembled above him, her hands still tangled in the back of his hair.
Frustration mounted inside him. He allowed one finger to stroke her, not quite entering her hot center.
“God!” She bucked against his touch. “Please...”
“Please what?” he growled.
Her gaze met his. “Fuck me, Caleb.”
A shiver went through his body. “I will, but not here.”
Desperately, she rubbed against him. His finger entered her warm womanhood, and they both gasped together.
“You’re so wet,” he ground out, trying to keep control.
She rubbed against him, and he let her. The look on her face was enough to make him come right there. She was so beautiful, spreading her legs wider and wider to his touch. Her lips opened slightly as he stroked her center.
He wanted to be inside her. More than anything he’d wanted in his life.
But not here. She is my mate. And mating sex cannot be rushed.
He withdrew his hand. She whimpered.
“We need to go.”
“Go?” Her eyes widened. Then narrowed. “Was all of this just some sick game to you? Torturing me as a damn lesson?”
“No—“
“You bastard!” She climbed off him, closing her legs just as his gaze swept over her swollen womanhood. Her eyes flashed and her body trembled before him. “If you like games so much, I’ve got a fun one for you! Good-bye!”
“This wasn’t...” He felt a rush of dizziness. Closing his eyes, he tried to phrase his words just right.
Music from the club blasted. For a second, he blinked into the darkness as blue lights flashed on the ceiling. The room grew silent again.
“Erin, I—“ He looked for her, but she was gone.
He frowned and sat up, glancing around in confusion. Someone beat against one window. He glanced in the direction of the sound and saw Erin, a man’s back against the glass. A second later, she was kissing him.
No! He rushed to the glass, pounding against it, his voice hoarse as he screamed. A second later, she drew back from the man, glared over his shoulder, turned and strutted away.
Your mate challenges you. She seeks to know you are a worthy male.
He turned around the room. Where was the damn door? How the hell did he get out of here?
He’d find a way out. And when he did, his rebellious female would learn to obey him. She was his. His to mate. His forever. He would show her.
Chapter Twelve
Erin shook as the cold water from her shower rained down on her. She felt tense in a way she never had before. Her body ached for Caleb. Her womanhood felt painful and swollen. She needed release. She needed him inside her.
“No!” She pounded a fist against the wall of the shower.
This was all a game to him. He sought to break her. To make her obey him. In the worst possible way.
And she’d failed. She’d trembled under his touch. She’d spread herself for him to fondle, to bring her nearly to release. Embarrassment rose, and she felt her cheeks flame. How was she ever going to get him to respect her, when she was sure their moment together was burned in his mind as surely as it was burned in hers?
She gripped the side of the shower, her legs shaking. What the hell had been in those drinks? She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so completely drunk.
“Shower, off.” The water stopped.
Stepping out on trembling legs, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself.
In her room, she stared at her bed. She should sleep. But she wasn’t tired. She was painfully horny.
Rocket. Her newest vibrator wasn’t the same as Caleb’s long, thick cock, but at least it should take the edge off. Going to her dresser, she opened the top drawer and pulled out Rocket.
Dropping her towel, she lay down on her bed. Hitting the on button, it shook as she slowly lowered it to her throbbing clit. She groaned and bucked as it finally made contact. She was on fire. She needed release.
“You think that tiny plastic object will satisfy you?”
Her eyes flew open. Caleb towered in the doorway of her bedroom, his gaze darkened by desire, trained on Rocket.
“Get out,” she ordered, pulling her vibrator away and closing her legs. “Get out, you asshole.”
“No.” He shook his head, drawing closer. “Open your thighs.”
“I’m not playing your game.”
He growled, a sound unlike anything a human male could make. “Not a game. You are my female. I am your male. Tonight I mate you.”
Mate me? “Like hell.”
He reached the end of her bed. She watched him, torn between anger, frustration, need, and curiosity. What will he do now?
As if to answer her question, he began to undress. Already the top buttons on his shirt were open wide, but he finished unbuttoning his shirt, then dropped the green uniform to the ground. She drank in the sight of his broad shoulders, sweeping down the hard muscles of his chest, and the firm expansion of his stomach.
I hate him.
No, you want him.
Who could blame her for feeling conflicted? No woman could see such an appetizing sight and not respond.
Her womanhood throbbed as if to confirm his effect on her. This hot, sexy alien was like a fire, blazing through her blood, driving her crazy. And yet, she hated him.
“In the club, you wanted to stop.” Her words came out less an accusation and more a sentence laced with hurt and confusion.
He reached for the button on his pants and undid it with an agile finger, then drew down the zipper and stripped off his pants. “Didn’t want to. Needed to.”
Her mouth dropped open, seeing him in nothing but his boxers. His massive erection, straining against the dark material, was incredible. She swallowed past the lump in her throat as his fingers hooked the sides of his underwear.
“This will take all night. Then, you will be mine. Forever.”
Heat blossomed in her core as her head spun. He removed the rest of his clothes, then stood before her lustful gaze. He was bigger. Bigger than in their dreams. So big he shouldn’t be able to fit inside her.
Climbing onto the bed with her, she gasped in surprise as he pulled her against his chest. His lips sought hers. They brushed softly against hers and then captured her mouth against his. His touch inflamed her. Sizzled through her blood. Her womanhood grew wetter, and she arched her naked breasts against his chest.
“So beautiful,” he groaned, capturing one nipple and rolling it between his fingers.
“God!” she gasped, clutching his shoulders.
And then he was turning her, pulling her on top of him so her face was even with his cock. Reality struck as she felt his warm breath against her womanhood.
“Caleb, don’t—“
“First the mouth,” he whispered. “Instinct knows even if we don’t.”
“What?”
And then his tongue flicked against her.
“Oh—oh!”
He spread her lower lips and pressed his mouth against her molten core. Her mind exploded. She shook as he slid his tongue slowly along her womanhood, touching everything but her sensitive nub.
She ground against him, the movement sliding his cock against her cheek. He wants to drive me crazy? He’ll see how it feels!
Twisting her fingers in the bedspread, she fought the urge to buck against him as she rose slightly and licked the tip of his manhood. He froze. Let’s see how you like it. Very slowly, she took the tip into her mouth. He moaned as she took him in further and further.
I thought dreams with him were enough, but they were nothing like this. This felt more real. Like the difference between watching a vid and living life. How had she kidded herself into thinking otherwise?
He was so large, so thick she had to make an effort to keep her mouth wide. So long she thought she’d never reach the end of him. Several times she began to gag, but when his cock jerked in her mouth she felt powerful beyond words. Now who was in control?
And then he licked her clit.
She took him all the way into her mouth, groaning around him, rubbing herself wantonly against his mouth. She was so close.
It wasn’t just the feel of his breath against her sensitive womanhood, or the way his tongue licked her, causing pain and pleasure like nothing she’d felt in so long. It was the feel of him inside her mouth. He tasted sweet. Sweet in a way no man should. She liked the taste of him. And suddenly, she knew what she wanted.
Moving in unison with him, she pulled his long cock out of her mouth, then slid him back in. He grabbed her ass tightly in his grip and began to suck. Their groans rose together in a chorus of pleasure. She took him in and out of her mouth, moving faster and faster, even as two of his fingers slid inside her.
She gasped around his cock. His tongue continued its assault on her clit as his fingers moved faster, plunged deeper. Her pleasure built higher and higher. Her head felt light. His cock seemed to swell in her mouth. She twisted her hands tighter into the blankets.
“Yes! Yes, Caleb!”
And then she exploded, pleasure heated her blood to a boiling point. She was screaming his name around his cock as she thrashed against his mouth and fingers. Her vision turned to white. Stars exploded.
That’s when he came. Filling her mouth with his hot seed.
With any other man she would’ve been annoyed or even angry. With him, the taste was incredible. She swallowed his sweet seed, then pulled back so she could lick the rest of him clean.
“Erin. Oh Gods, Erin.” He stroked her ass.
At last, they both lay still.
He shifted them again, turning so they lay face-to-face. “That was incredible,” he said, cupping her cheek.
She stared into his dark, dangerous eyes. I’ve missed him. Missed him more than I ever let myself acknowledge.
“When you wanted to stop, I didn’t think you wanted me anymore.”
His eyes darkened. “Of course I want you. You are my female. But making love to you in such a place is disrespectful. And if we had gone much further, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself.”
She shivered at the sheer intensity in his eyes. “Well, uh, I’m glad we got to finish.”
One of his large hands cupped her breast, teasing her nipple as she gasped. “We aren’t finished. We’ve barely begun.”
After her earth-shattering orgasm, she thought it’d be awhile before she wanted him again, but already heat was pooling at her core. His manhood touched her stomach. He rolled slowly on top of her. “It is our mating night. Neither of us will be satisfied until it’s complete.”
There was that word again. Mating. She wondered briefly what it meant. Sex? But why hadn’t he referred to it as that before?
But before she could think of a reasonable answer, his cock was teasing the entrance to her womanhood. She dug her fingers into his shoulders, shocked by the waves of pleasure that curled through her.
He looked at her, their gazes locked. “I shall fill you with me. Mine forever.”
Forever. The word rang through her mind.
They were both drunk. In the morning, no doubt, he’d regret making such empty promises. But for tonight, she would pretend he meant them. Pretend that, even though he left her after she poured her heart out to him so many years before, she was something more to him than just a good lay.
Maybe not forever then, but tonight would have to be enough for her.
She curled her hands in his hair. My love. Her lips longed to say the words aloud, but as he thrust inside her, she repeated them in her mind over and over again. Caleb, I love you.
Chapter Thirteen
When Caleb awoke, he felt like hell. His head pounded and every muscle in his body ached. But he also felt good. Whole in a way he never had before.
With his eyes still closed, he touched his chest. Why did he feel so different?
And that’s when it hit him, he didn’t feel alone. He felt happy, complete.
But why?
Opening his eyes, he turned to find Erin lying naked next to him in the bed. He shot up. Gods above! He didn’t!
I did.
The events of the night reeled through his mind. His stomach turned. For years he’d wondered if he’d accidentally mated Erin to him — he knew so little about the actual process of it. Now he knew.
He’d been connected to her, somehow, mind and soul. But it wasn’t until last night that he solidified the bond, connected her body to him, too.
Sliding silently out of the bed, he staggered. I’ve done exactly what I promised myself I would never do. I followed in Father’s footsteps. I’m bound to a woman who feels nothing for me. Nothing but lust.
His head spun with the implications of his actions. He’d mated this female. Filled her with his seed. Any Keltair male who smelled her would know she was his.
I’m tied to her forever. A woman who made it clear she didn’t want anything serious. Who taunted me with other males, even last night.
He threw on his clothes and headed for the door, but at the last minute, he looked back at her. His cock hardened. She was so damn beautiful, her black hair spread around her like a veil, her pale, flawless skin, the tips of her breasts peeking out of the blankets.
Turning, he strode out her door. What in the world was he going to do?
He nearly crashed into Hunter, stopping just short of him.
“Caleb! I mean, Commander, you’re up early.” Hunter’s gaze went from Erin’s door to his ragged state. “Or, perhaps, you’ve been up late.”
“Funny,” he grumbled.
“Wh—“ Hunter froze, then inhaled sharply. Confusion gave away to realization. “Do you need to talk?”
He smells me. He knows I am now a mated male. Caleb gave a sharp nod.
He led his friend to his room just down the hall. Once the door was closed, he collapsed onto the couch, pressing his face into his hands. “I’m screwed.”
And he was. If he thought he couldn’t resist Erin before, he knew those feelings would pale in comparison to how he felt now that they were bonded. Logic might be able to control his Keltair instincts normally, but all males were helpless when it came to their mated females.
Hunter sat down quietly at the large chair not far from him. “Few males wake from a night of mating to say such a thing.”
“Most males aren’t foolish enough to mate themselves to an unwilling female.”
That’s because most Keltair bond with Keltair females. Our own females will not bond a male to them, not unless they themselves choose to bond with the male. But with humans... they don’t understand what mating sex is. They don’t understand that, for us, mating is for life.
Which is why I’m such a fool.
His friend inhaled sharply. “Are you saying...?”
Caleb dropped his hands and looked up at his friend, feeling foolishly desperate. “We had ambrosia.”
“That’s not enough,” Hunter said, frowning. “Males don’t accidentally tie females to them, not without a real connection. It just doesn’t happen.”
“I know,” Caleb said, embarrassed by what he was about to say. “I wish I could say it was just the drug. But the truth is, I think even sober I would have foolishly bound her to me.” Because I love her beyond reason.
There was a moment of silence.
“So, she doesn’t wish to be tied to you?”
“No. No, she does not.” His voice sounded harsh, even to his own ears.
Hunter shifted closer, drawing his gaze. “Now you must prove to her that you are a worthy male.”
He stared at his friend. Hunter sees things the Keltair way, he could never understand how different human females are from our own. Erin didn’t care that he was worthy of her, she didn’t want him for reasons he could never understand. Perhaps because one male is simply not enough for her. Perhaps you are not enough for her.
“I tried once and failed.” He bared his shame before his friend, feeling as if his heart bled.
Hunter’s silver eyes filled with anger. “And what did you try?”
It took him a painfully long time to answer. “I told her how I felt, and she spurned me.”
A low animalistic growl sounded in the other Keltair’s throat. “The human way failed. Now you will try it the Keltair way. I will do all I can to help, but Kaden will be the most useful.”
Kaden. His other close friend from the academy. He was half Keltair...but it was the other half of his parentage that made him unique. And especially useful in situations like these.
A flicker of hope grew inside him. Then, an image of Erin’s angry face smothered it.
“Even with Kaden’s help, I cannot convince an unwilling female to choose me.”
Hunter smashed his fist on the top of the coffee table and rose. “We are Keltair males. We do not convince our females to choose us. We show them that there is no other choice but us.”
Caleb raised a brow. “Erin is not easy to convince.”
Hunter’s silver eyes seemed to darken. “Show her that you are the alpha. That you will protect her against all dangers. That you will stand before her. That you will rule her.”
Rule Erin? Caleb felt his lips curl into a slight smile. Was such a thing even possible?
His friend leaned in closer. “Brother, she can choose another male. You cannot choose another female. This is one battle you must win.” His voice grew quieter. “Unless you can imagine a world with her in the arms of another male.”
Never! Never!
But then there is only one other choice, a cruel voice whispered in the back of his mind.
Despite the ache that rose in Caleb’s chest at just the thought of fighting for Erin again, he knew the other Keltair was right. Last time, he had revealed his feelings for her and left his heart open. It had made it so easy for her to pluck it out and stomp on it. This time, he would not be so foolish.
But how could he get her to submit to him? To open herself up so that she, too, could feel the way their minds and souls connected?
The answer was simple. He would not make the same mistake as last time. He would teach her to obey him. To see him as the alpha strong enough to rule her. Then, she would come to him, and she would be his forever.
There was no other future for him.
Chapter Fourteen
Erin lay on her bed. Even though she was showered and fully dressed, she could smell Caleb everywhere. As if he was a part of her. She rubbed at the ache in her chest. How am I such an idiot?
Her throat felt tight. The man she’d loved for years, but swore he would never hurt her again, had hurt her...again. Because she was so damn stupid. Because she had drank too much and then welcomed him eagerly into her bed. She’d been won over by all his talk of forever and love.
Had he even said love?
Her heart gave a painful throb. Perhaps she’d just desperately wanted him to say love.
Put these thoughts out of your mind. You have a job to do.
She tried to embrace her anger, to focus on the task at hand. She’d learned that Ambassador Eupher was still sleeping, and she’d realized there would never be a better time to slip into his dreams than after he’d experienced a heavy night of drinking. He’d have less control.
But even that small hope was not enough to ease her tension. I’ve been drinking, too. Images filled her mind of the many dreams she’d Jumped into over the years. It was rare that one didn’t leave a scar inside her soul that could never be erased. She doubted this one would be any different.
Forcing her breathing to remain even, time ticked by. She pictured Ambassador Eupher. The dark fur that covered his massive body. His twin horns. His face, a frightening mix of man and bull.
She stared at the sickly green bubble that surrounded his dream. Her gut turned, but she clenched her fists. After studying his file, she’d already decided who she would look like. A female assistant he’d had for years, one who no doubt knew a great deal about his and Ahmed Zhou’s sex slave operation. Just focus, this could finally be the answer to stopping these bastards.
Her body shifted, and she glanced down to see the jet-black fur that covered her body. To her relief, she was wearing clothes that were conservative for a Vuret. A short, white leather skirt, and a silky top made of a yellow Vureteon snake.
Taking a deep breath, she strode into the dream.
The Ambassador was having sex, and to her horror, it was with her. With Erin. He was thrusting into her from behind. She was screaming, her pain evident as she begged him to stop.
She thought she might be sick. I don’t want to see this!
“Ambassador!” She fought to keep the rising hysteria from her tone.
He turned at the sound of her voice.
“We have work to do.”
“Now?” He glared at her, then slapped the naked dream Erin’s ass. “I’m busy.”
He pulled out of her and threw her to the ground while she screamed and tried to escape him.
Oh God!
“Ambassador! It’s about Ahmed Zhou.”
He grasped Erin’s hair, yanking her head back, then stuffed his dick into her mouth.
I am going to be sick.
“What does that damned Litcak want now?”
She swallowed the bile rising in her throat. “He wants to know how you are progressing.”
He thrust deeper into Erin’s mouth while she gagged. She tried to push at his thighs, scratching them with her nails but he laughed and hit her in the face, hard. The back of her head hit the ground with a sickening crunch, and her eyes rolled back.
“Everything is going perfectly according to plan. I setup the Watcher in Prince Hagtid’s daughter’s room. Our client is very pleased with her. In fact, after watching her undressing, showering, and touching herself this past day, he wants her even more. When we reach Sunja, I have arranged for her to be kidnapped. No one will connect her disappearance to us, and our client will pay us handsomely for having his little sex kitten.” His laugh was sickening. “She will be tied in his punishment chambers until she has satisfied every one of his fantasies. Then, he has guaranteed us that we can buy her back, at a lower cost, since she’ll be so badly used, and we can sell her again.”
Her heart pounded in her ears. What a sick piece of shit.
“He wanted to make certain that no one would tie this back to him.”
He laughed, a horrible sound as he continued pounding into her unconscious mouth. “We have been very careful. Every bit of information has been encrypted and hidden in Lord Dry-fen’s necklace. He is safe.”
She slowly backed out of his dream. “Very good.”
The real Erin narrowed her eyes. Enjoy your dream, asshole, because when I get done with you, you’ll be the one who’s fucked.
Chapter Fifteen
Erin Stowe glanced at Caleb out of the corner of her eye. His stern gaze was trained on the many important guests staring at the viewscreen. Don’t look at him!
But she couldn’t help but drink him in. He looked fine in his dark green uniform. It stretched across his broad shoulders and had been tailored to reveal his narrow waist. He’d cut his dark hair recently, but even so, it had a shaggy quality about it that made her think of a wild animal.
Against her will, her thoughts turned to their night together just two weeks before when he’d snapped, touching her the way she’d longed to be touched. The night they’d made love.
Don’t you mean had sex? the voice in the back of her mind snapped. When he used you?
She tensed as a familiar rush of embarrassment and anger came over her. It wasn’t that she thought he owed her something; it was the hard truth that she’d had to face afterward. She still loved him as fiercely as she had years ago. And when he’d touched her, speaking of forever, she’d fooled herself into believing he’d meant it.
That was until she’d woken up alone.
Her heart lurched. Being abandoned after their night together had been bad enough, but spending the past two weeks having him all but ignore her was even worse. He acted as if it’d never happened. More than that, he acted as if she meant nothing to him.
Before at least she’d been able to bait him into a fight. Now, he seemed to avoid her at all costs. When she picked a fight, he barked out an order and left.
Our night together was probably just his way of showing me who is boss. The asshole.
“In just a moment, we’ll be disengaging the M-warp drive,” Caleb announced to the room, tearing her from her thoughts.
Reluctantly, she looked away from Caleb to the viewscreen. Stars were streaks of white against the blackness of space. This was the first Earth ship to be built using an M-warp drive, so to most of the humans, this was a huge moment. Erin, on the other hand, had traveled on many alien crafts with her father, so she wasn’t the least bit impressed with the technology.
Suddenly, there was the slightest shift beneath her feet, and the streaks of light changed, narrowing from streaks to pinpoints of light. A pink-and-orange planet came onto the viewscreen, surrounded by a sky full of stars.
“As you can see,” Caleb continued, “we’ve disengaged our M-warp drive and arrived at Sunja in half the time it typically would have taken.”
Applause broke out over the eighty or so guests reclined in large chairs in the lavishly decorated lounge. Most of the humans looked relieved. The alien guests looked drunk or bored.
“The captain will be down soon to discuss the agenda for going planetside,” Caleb finished.
The clapping slowly stopped, and the buzz of conversation filled the air. Illumina Bugs flew lazily above the guests’ heads, their gentle golden glow giving off a soft light, not unlike a hundred tiny candles. A band of Sunja singers in one corner began a high-pitched song in their expressive language.
The party was beginning. Time to slip out.
But a tingle ran across Erin’s skin, rooting her to the spot. Her gaze swept across the crowd, briefly lingering on Lord Dry-fen and Ambassador Eupher who were smirking and whispering to each other. Her gaze unconsciously went to the golden chain around Lord Dry-fen’s neck. They’re no doubt talking about the young woman they plan to sell as a sex slave soon, the perverts. It’ll be fun when they realize I’m one step ahead of them.
But they weren’t the ones making the hairs on her arms stand on end.
Her gaze finally connected with Kaden Surleii, the half Keltair head of communications.
Just my luck that Caleb brought both of his half Keltair buddies from the Earth Academy to make my life just a little harder. Fate had no doubt brought the three handsome men together at the academy, since the Earth Academy had just recently started allowing Keltairs to attend, but bad luck had certainly brought them all to her ship.
Okay, so not luck. Getting any kind of position would’ve been almost impossible without Caleb’s help. The two other men just looked too much like Keltairs, and the prejudice against their people still ran too deep. Even though she felt an uncomfortable admiration for Caleb for sticking his neck out for his friends, when being a half Keltair himself would make his life hard enough, it didn’t make the fact that Kaden was always staring at her any easier.
His blue eyes ringed with silver held her with an intensity that took her breath away. He was handsome, with his hair so dark it was almost blue and classic good looks. And yet... he creeped her out more than the two sex-trafficking monsters put together.
Probably because at least you know what kind of sickos the two perverts working for Ahmed are. There’s something...off... about him.
Uniformed servers entered the room, blocking her view of the strange half Keltair. She blinked, freeing herself from his spell. I bet his buddy Caleb knows why he always seems to be staring at me. The two probably have a good laugh whenever they talk about the pathetic human who slept with him so easily.
Or maybe Caleb never talks about me at all.
Her chest ached, but she clenched her fists, focusing on anything but the hurt searing in her heart. The servers handed out a bubbly pink drink, the official alcoholic beverage of Sunja. She shook her head as they offered her a glass, and she noted Caleb did the same. Guests accepted the drinks readily before more servers entered the lounge carrying more trays, these ones with delicacies from the planet below.
Caleb turned and walked past her, so close that she caught his powerful scent, earthy and masculine rolled into one. Foolishly, she inhaled sharply. God. How she missed the smell of him. Seriously? That’s just pathetic, she scolded herself.
“Lieutenant Commander, with me,” he ordered harshly, not bothering to turn back around once he’d passed.
She jumped a little at the sound of his voice. That’s what I get for being lost in thought when I should be focused on the job at hand.
Clenching her fists until her nails cut into the palms of her hands, she willed herself not to strike him right there. How dare he make her love him again and then act like such an ass! She strode after him, glaring at his back. Wishing, desperately, that she could take her anger out on him. Shooting lasers from my eyes seems like a damn good idea right now!
When they reached the doors to the exit, he paused. “I want you to coordinate with the head of communications about transportations for our guests to and from Sunja.” He gestured at someone behind her.
You’ve got to be kidding me. Not Kaden Surleii.
“Commander Fallow, did you need something?” Kaden’s soft voice came from directly behind her.
She stiffened, but refused to show the two males how much she disliked this arrangement. And how close both of them were standing to her.
“Yes.” Caleb cleared his throat. “Lieutenant Stowe will be your liaison for everything regarding the civilian visits to the planet.”
“Very good, Commander.”
They both looked at her expectantly.
“Yes, sir,” she responded to Caleb’s order.“Also, I need to inform you that my father will be joining us on Sunja.”
Shock filled Caleb’s dark eyes. “Fleet Admiral Stowe will be on the planet’s surface?”
For some reason she enjoyed the fact that the captain hadn’t told him. “Yes, Commander. And he’ll be joining us on board until his liaison with The Allure.”
He clenched his jaw and took a step closer to her. “Why wasn’t I told?”
It was hard to look innocent, but damn it, she tried. “Maybe the captain thought it was on a need-to-know basis.”
His eyes narrowed, probably because of the satisfaction so poorly concealed in her voice. “I’ll have a word with him. But next time, you can consider me one of the people who should be included on such information. There are preparations to make.”
“Yes, Commander,” she said, her response containing a bit of mockery. “So, would you prefer someone else handle coordination details with my father?” Her last sentenced held just enough innocence that she could visibly see his irritation rising.
“You damn well know I won’t be the one to take the admiral’s daughter from him.” He leaned over her, his intoxicating scent surrounding her as powerfully as his gaze held hers. “But you will still work with Communications Officer Surleii until then.”
Just spit out the words ‘yes sir.’ Stop trying to antagonize him because you’re angry.
But she couldn’t.
She looked back at Kaden, allowing her gaze to slide down him slowly. “Yes, Commander. I’d be glad to.”
Caleb’s gaze was as dark as an approaching thunderstorm. His eyes flashed like lightning. He opened his mouth, then clamped it shut. Spinning on his heel, he stormed from the room, sucking all the air out with him.
It was wrong, but she felt hope surge inside her. So he does still care about me!
Kaden cleared his throat behind her.
She sighed. She might have won this battle, but she certainly lost the war.
“Shall we get started then?” she asked, not allowing her tone to give away exactly how much she wished she could do anything but that.
She stared at the door where Caleb had exited. Why is it that every time he leaves it hurts all over again?
A short time later, Erin was staring across her desk at the half Keltair whose easy smile made her feel as if insects were crawling on her skin. Why is it the first friendly Keltair I’ve met has to be so strange?
She clenched her fists. Stop staring at me. Erin glared at Kaden over her cup of coffee.
To her surprise, he stiffened and looked away, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Are those all your orders, Lieutenant Commander?”
Her office chair squealed as she shifted in it. She tried to look intimidating, even though her office was just about the least impressive room on the ship. A damn shoe box on a brand-new ship. Nice. I’d earn more respect if I met this Keltair in a closet. Her gaze flickered around the beige walls, dark wood desk, and the two matching chairs squished in front of it.
Remember, it isn’t about the luxurious perks; it’s about my resume. This will take me one step closer to my goal.
No matter how awful it is working with Caleb.
Against her will, her thoughts turned to him. Again. She hoped he was going nuts, imagining what trouble she’d get into with the handsome alien in front of her. But her brain said he probably hadn’t given her another thought. I shouldn’t be thinking about him, either.
She took a slow sip of her coffee, realizing that Kaden was staring at her again. What were they talking about? Oh yeah, her orders...
“Inform the civilians they have three days on the planet’s surface. Stick to Alliance-approved areas of Belta only, and no animals or vegetation may be brought aboard. As long as you’ve got that, it should be good enough. Also, let them know to check their transportation times carefully. If they miss a pickup, they’ll need to wait until the next one arrives. And if they miss our final one, they’ll have to hitch a ride to the next planet on our list to meet up with us there.”
He gave a sharp nod. “I’ll translate it to all requested languages and make sure both our alien passengers and our Sunja officials know the expectations.”
“Very good,” she said. “I guess that’s all.”
He closed his screen, but didn’t rise from the chair in front of her desk.
“Is there something else?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “It’s nothing, Lieutenant Commander. At least, it’s on a personal note, and I didn’t want to...”
Curiosity sparked to life inside her. “You have my permission. Please continue.”
But to her surprise, the strong lines of his face shifted into a troubled expression. “Why are you and Caleb not together?”
Her jaw dropped. Of all the things I expected, this is probably the last.
“We... well, that is pretty personal.” She looked away for a moment.
“Forgive me,” he said, his beautiful silver-rimmed eyes running over her face. “I just didn’t understand how two people so clearly in love aren’t together.”
Love? “Caleb doesn’t love me.”
His lips curled into a smile. “And why would you think that?”
“Because.” She was glaring again. “There are a lot of reasons.”
He shrugged. “If you don’t want to discuss them, that’s fine. I just...I know what’s in his heart, even if you don’t.”
His heart? Her pulse sped up. Had this man really spoken to Caleb about her, or was he just guessing?
She took another sip of her coffee, thoughts racing. There might never be another opportunity to discover an answer to the questions in her heart. “I know Caleb doesn’t care about me.” She took a deep breath, taking a calculated risk. “Do you know in all my years of having sex, the first time I’ve woken alone was after being with Caleb?”
To her shock, he didn’t look the least bit surprised by her revelation. “Sometimes a male needs to organize his thoughts after such a thing.”
She snorted. “I thought that was the woman’s line.”
One of his brows rose. “Well, perhaps, when a woman breaks a man’s heart, he might be reluctant to repeat the experience.”
“Breaks his heart?” She was outraged. “Is that what he told you?” For years, she’d held onto the guilt of their final moments together. When she’d told him she wasn’t prepared for anything serious, and he’d walked out the door without a second glance. But I poured my heart out in my message; he didn’t even care enough to respond.
“You rejected him,” Kaden said, his tone neutral.
Springing to her feet, she slammed her coffee down on the desk. “I did, but my message more than made up for it. So, I won’t let you or him make me feel guilty for needing a couple of hours to figure out if I was willing to throw away my entire carefully planned-out future for a man I barely knew!” Her chest heaved. She didn’t even care if he knew how angry she was. “Besides, that doesn’t justify the way he took off after we were together the other night.”
“I apologize. I didn’t mean—“
The panic in his expression only further pissed her off.
“I don’t know what game you assholes think you’re playing. If you think that him fucking me and then you making me feel guilty about what happened four years ago is going to make me bend over and take every one of his orders, you’re wrong. Caleb might be my commander now, but one day he’ll sure as hell be taking orders from me. Get out of my office!”
He leaped to his feet. “Yes, Lieutenant Commander.”
But he moved slowly to the door, pausing before it. “But please, hear me. If you think we’re playing a game, you couldn’t be more wrong. There’s nothing more serious to Keltairs than mating. I believe you and Caleb need to talk.”
She eyed her coffee mug. Throwing it at him is probably some kind of human resources violation. “It’ll be a cold day in hell when I sit down and have anything to say to that...asshat.”
“Or maybe you’re angry because you love him,” The Keltair said quietly.
She was tired of sparring with him. “Dismissed.”
He exited with a gracious nod.
After he left the room, she realized her legs were shaking. She crumpled into her chair and stared at the closed door. Why had she reacted like that? Because he’s right. You do still love Caleb. It would’ve been smarter to simply dismiss the crazy idea that Caleb loved her. But she couldn’t. Because it hurt. Because it was what she wanted more than anything else.
It was also something she knew without a doubt he didn’t feel. He had sex with me only because he was drugged. Then he left so he didn’t have to explain. It was that knowledge that had kept her even from his dreams the past two weeks.
She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, feeling foolishly vulnerable. For some reason, this time losing Caleb felt even worse. Now she’d even lost her dream Caleb, and each day she was reminded that she’d lost the real man, too.
Her room felt cold and far too quiet as she stared at the beige wall, feeling alone. Soon she would need to go down to the planet and pick up her father. Tomorrow she would have to help prevent a princess from being captured by the sex-trafficking slime bags on the ship. But for now, she was just going to drink her coffee and swallow her pain.
She had no other choice.
Chapter Sixteen
“What message? I never received a message.” Caleb frowned at Kaden, confused by his recollection of his time with Erin.
“She said she sent you some kind of message that should’ve more than made up for the way she’d left things with you.” Kaden stretched his legs out in front of him, excitement flashing in his eyes.
Caleb shook his head, thoughts spinning. “Are you sure she was telling the truth?”
Hunter frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’ve been wrong before...”
Kaden suddenly looked uncomfortable. “You know I don’t like to say specifically what I hear in the thoughts of others.” He took a deep breath. “But she was telling the truth.”
A message? What kind of message could she possibly have left for me? And how did I not receive it?
If Kaden wasn’t half Empatica, he wouldn’t have believed him. But Caleb knew from personal experience that his friend was one of the best mind-readers he’d ever encountered. He had to believe him.
Whatever was going on, I’m going to find out.
“There’s more,” Kaden said, looking between the two men in the room. “Erin loves you. Of that I have no doubt.”
Caleb felt as if the air had been knocked from his lungs. She loves me? Is it even possible? It took him a second to find his voice. “You’re sure?”
His friend relaxed into the chair across from him. “I said I had no doubt.”
Caleb nodded, still unable to truly accept it. His female loved him...really loved him?
“I knew it,” Hunter said, his eyes narrowed.
“Now, hopefully you and Hunter were able to come up with a plan, because that I have no clue about,” Kaden said, grinning.
Hunter was back to frowning. “I have told him that he must prove to her that he is a male of worth.”
Kaden flashed a row of even teeth. “I don’t envy you, my friend. Sitting in a room with such a powerful female is like waiting for a Keltairian Dragon to snap. When I find my own female, I’ll make sure she’s submissive.”
Caleb’s eyes narrowed. “You should only be so lucky to have a female like Erin.”
“I can’t believe you still have a hope of finding a female,” Hunter said, clearly trying to lighten the mood. “If you hadn’t accepted it before, seeing Caleb should serve as a lesson to you.”
Kaden looked between them. “I think I’m going to shut my mouth now. Discretion being the better part of valor.”
“What about you, Hunter?” Caleb asked.
Hunter’s harsh features grew harsher as his jaw twitched. “No Keltair female will accept a half-breed, and no other species mates for life the way we do. Choosing a mate will bring nothing but heartache.”
“You don’t have to look for a mate, exactly,” Kaden said, winking at Caleb. “More of a shapely female to warm my bed. Or better yet, a couple of them.”
Hunter made an angry sound at the back of his throat, his golden skin turning a shade darker. “For you this is fun and games. For Caleb, and for me, this is life.”
His words seemed to lie heavily on the room.
For just a minute, Caleb had been too caught up in their bickering to think of his little human female, but now his thoughts were consumed by her once more. If she loved him, then he could find a way to convince her to be with him. But this time around, it had to be a life commitment, not just her desire to share his bed.
And I’ll have to find the message she mentioned.
“I have thought of how to win your mate,” Hunter said, slowly.
“But what about your great plan to show her you’re a male of worth? I thought it was flawless, myself.” Kaden wiggled his brows at Hunter.
His stoic friend frowned. “I meant...I think now that you know her father will be here. You should try to impress him. Females want a male like their fathers, but better. Show her that is who you are.”
Caleb had no doubt that plan would fail. “Her father is the fleet admiral. The last thing he’ll want for his daughter is a half Keltair. What father would?”
“You are an honorable man. Maybe you need to show him that there’s more to you than your blood,” Kaden said, both men looked up at him in surprise. “You are the commander of a Level 8 starship. The newest, most advanced starship in the fleet. You have the trust of the military behind you, and your captain. He’ll respect you for that, if nothing else. ”
Hunter was silent for a moment. “Perhaps he’s right.”
Kaden glanced at the vidscreen in his hands. “Looks like I’m out of time, gentlemen.”
“Of course,” Caleb said, his imagination painting a vivid picture of what meeting the fleet admiral would be like. “Thank you.”
Both men rose.
At the door, Hunter looked back. “No matter how impossible, just remember, she is your one and only female. You must make her yours.”
Caleb nodded. “Will you have your team look into the message she spoke of?”
“Yes,” Hunter answered without hesitation, then left without another word.
His friend was the best at what he did, and his security team was second to none. If anyone could find the missing message, it was him.
If one truly exists. Caleb pushed the thought away.
When the door closed behind them, Caleb threw himself into his work, although his thoughts were far from focused. He would do as his friends suggested. In the morning, he would go with Erin to meet the fleet admiral, and he would find a way to prove to them both that he would be a good match for her.
But even if her father doesn’t agree, I will stop at nothing to possess Erin.
An idea began to form. One that might finally guarantee him the female of his dreams.
Caleb was lying on his bed when Erin entered his room. “You’re here,” he whispered.
Her gaze was hesitant. “Do you want me here?”
He nodded, sitting up. “More than anything.”
She walked slowly toward him, not her usual confident stride, but a hesitant one that somehow had heat rushing over his flesh. His manhood rose beneath his covers, drawn to this unexpectedly shy side of her. She also wore something completely unlike his usual Erin. The tiny gown was white. It barely allowed her ample chest to peek out of the top. In some ways it was conservative. Innocent. But the way it clung to her curves as she moved...
“Come here,” he commanded.
A moment later, she was standing at the foot of the bed. He could practically hear the way her heart raced. Her breasts rose and fell rapidly, their hard tips clearly visible through the sheer fabric.
His need grew. Climbing to the edge of the bed, he reached for her.
She took a step back. “Caleb, I shouldn’t be here.”
“Yes, you should,” he said without hesitation. “Your place is at my side. Or better yet, beneath me.”
Her stunning green eyes widened, and her pale skin seemed to go a shade lighter. “You don’t really mean that.”
He was shocked by the hurt in her voice. “Oh, my little human, what could possibly make you say that?”
Who was this vulnerable creature? The Erin he knew crushed balls beneath her booted feet. The Erin he knew was confident in all things.
She wrapped her arms around her waist, which only further emphasized the swell of her breasts. “You left me alone after our night together. You’ve ignored me since.”
Were those tears in her flawless eyes?
He reached out and pulled her into his lap.
For one moment she seemed to struggle, but a second later, she stopped. Her head rested against his heart, as he stroked her long, silky black hair.
“Do you know how much I wanted to stay with you?” The rush of emotions that came with the memory of her filled him. “You were so beautiful. So perfect. Everything I’ve always wanted.”
She made a sound, some mix of a laugh and a sob. “I find that hard to believe. You’ve barely looked at me since.”
His heart ached. Putting his hand beneath her chin, he drew her face up. Their gazes met, and he was surprised to see her eyes filled with tears. He’d hurt his Erin? He would never forgive himself. “I’ve looked at you a thousand times since then. I’ve memorized every line of your face, every curve of your body, even the sound of your voice.” He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I’m sorry you didn’t know how I felt. I was simply giving you time to come to me. I was showing you that I was a strong male, a leader. A man worthy of your love.”
She reached out and ran her fingers along the roughness of his beard. His entire body reacted to her touch, as goose bumps erupted on his arms. ”I’ve never doubted that.”
Warmth filled his chest. “I love you, Erin.”
She seemed to process that for a moment, then a breathtaking smile blossomed on her lips. “I love you, too, Caleb.”
He crushed his mouth against hers, and time seemed to stand still. The heat and intensity of their kiss reminded him of the first time they’d kissed, years ago, when they were younger and more innocent. His fingers tangled in her hair, and she opened her mouth, welcoming him. His tongue slid inside and she groaned, clutching his shoulders more tightly.
Pulling back from their kiss, he panted as he spoke, “I’ve missed you, Erin. So much. Missed every part of you.”
His lips went to her neck and she shuddered in his arms as he found a tender spot under her ear.
He could feel his erection as it strained against his pants, pressing against her firm ass, begging for more.
Looking down at the swell of her breasts, he tugged the conservative white gown downward until her breasts leaped free. He groaned at the sight of them. Cupping one breast, he ran his thumb along the perfect pink bud.
She gasped, and her excitement only added to his arousal.
He twisted and set her on the bed. She crawled to the head of the bed and lay down, her breasts still swelling out of the top of her gown. To his surprise, she closed her eyes.
She’s waiting for me. Open to me and only me.
Standing, he took a deep breath. This was it. She had admitted she loved him. His mate was his forever. And when he took her like this, something would change within her, too.
Running his fingertips along her legs, he moved slowly upward, pausing at the hem of her gown. She tensed, waiting. Slowly, he drew the gown up and stared at her womanhood. Bare and open to him, he gloried in the sight of her swollen and ready.
The need to touch her was like lava boiling through his blood. She was his female now. His in every way.
He slid his fingers into her warmth, but didn’t enter her. Instead, he stroked the outsides of her lower lips, his desire building as she grew wetter and wetter for him. Her groan of pleasure made his manhood jerk, straining within his pants. One fingertip flicked the pink nub of her clit, and he gloried in the strangled sound she made as her body rose off the bed.
His teeth snapped together as she ground against his fingers chanting his name. Using two fingers, he finally entered her. Her body clenched around him. He entered her faster and faster, stopping just as she was about to reach her climax.
Then, he withdrew.
She whimpered in protest.
Don’t worry, my love. Soon you’ll be coming around me as my hot seed fills you.
Shedding his boxers with trembling hands, his painfully hard manhood sprang free. The heat in her gaze as she took him in was almost too much.
“My turn,” she said softly.
His mind clouded with desire as she pushed him into a sitting position on the edge of the bed, then knelt between his legs. She moved so that the tips of her breasts rubbed the insides of his thighs.
Reaching out, he tugged the clothing off and threw it to the floor. The sight of her hard pink nipples drew him to her. His fingers slid along the curves, then stopped to gently twist her nipples.
She cried out.
“Do you like that?” He twisted harder, then rubbed their tips.
“Yes,” she said, her voice shaking.
He grabbed her breasts, forcing her to move even closer. Sliding his cock between the perfect mounds, he groaned at the exquisite feeling. She seemed to sense what he needed, because she used her hands to press her breasts more closely around his erection. His fingers teased her nipples as he slid in and out over and over again.
His head felt light. A thousand sensitive nerves were screaming in pleasure as he touched her, while she touched him. Then, he felt her lips around his tip.
Crying out, he opened his eyes. There was his female. Proud. Confident. Untouchable. Naked before him, her mouth wrapped around the tip of his cock. Her breasts holding him tightly.
Watching her, he thrust in a steady rhythm, feeling his ecstasy growing closer and closer.
“Enough,” he growled, but she only took him deeper into her throat. “I’m going to—I’m going to—“
To his shame, he came. His hot seed filling the mouth of his waiting female as her breasts held him tightly. He expected her to spit, to turn an angry gaze on him. Instead, she held his eyes as she swallowed his seed, then sucked harder.
He groaned, “Erin!”
Her tongue came out to lick him clean.
“Why?” he asked, torn between amazement and arousal.
She pulled back and gave him the sexiest smile he’d ever seen. “I’ve always wanted to taste you. To feel you as you released into my mouth.”
He took a steadying breath. “Get on the bed.”
She rose slowly. “Won’t you need time—“
“You’re my mate now. Once is never enough.”
And as if to prove it, he climbed on top of her, sliding into her slickness.
She cried out, nails digging into his back. Her womanhood held him in her wet tightness.
“Please,” she begged.
He complied, matching the rhythm of her body with his thrusts. When she came, it was like an explosion. Her entire body tensed, her head thrown back as she screamed his name.
The sight of his female was too much for him. A moment later, he came again, exploding into her heated center. His hot seed filled her, claiming her, as her body held him tightly.
Neither of them moved or spoke for a long while, content to simply hold one another.
Caleb closed his eyes, loving how it felt to still be inside her.
And to think, for years I hoped our connection would fade. But through some power I’ll never understand, it didn’t. I’ve never been so grateful for my years of torture. All of it was worth it to have her now.
Closing his eyes, he smiled.
Chapter Seventeen
Erin hated that she was nervous. In the silver reflection of the elevator door, she could make out a blurred woman in a deep green uniform with dark hair pulled back. The lieutenant commander of The Odyssey. A woman who had to be strong and powerful at all times. Or at least that’s what the world needed to see.
Her father had never visited her on one of her ships. All she could hope was that he didn’t embarrass her. It was bad enough that after leaving the academy she’d been forced to use her real name. The last thing she wanted was to remind people even more that she was the daughter of such a high-ranking officer.
But this is necessary.
And not at all what I’m really nervous about. She took a deep breath and tugged at her ear, still uncomfortable with the tiny device inside it. Let’s hope everything goes according to plan.
A tiny voice whispered in the back of her mind, What could possibly go wrong with putting myself in horrible danger, not to catch anyone, but to create a trap for an even bigger predator?
The doors opened on the busy docking bay. She inhaled the pleasant and familiar scent of fuel and metal. For some reason, just the smell of the place was enough to calm her nerves. Slightly.
Until she stepped out into the chaos.
People were everywhere. Wealthy humans and aliens alike were rushing around her, hurrying to board their various crafts in order to be shuttled down to Sunja. They gathered at silver doors on one side of the room, all connected to little ships whose whole purpose was for ship-to-planet transportation. The rest of the massive space was filled with boxes upon boxes of supplies, some metal and some wooden. And at the far back, human mechs worked on small malfunctioning ships.
A tall muscular man leaned against a box in one corner. She could tell little else about him. He seemed more shadow than man. In fact, if she hadn’t been looking specifically for him, she didn’t think she’d have noticed him at all.
She climbed down the steps and made her way confidently toward him, weaving through the path between boxes. When she reached him, the outline of his body shimmered, and then he vanished.
“Are you prepared for her?” she asked, hating to speak to the Intaqual, even though he was the best man for the job. Her father’s man.
“Her departure time to go planetside is four hours from now,” he whispered, his hot breath in her ear. “My men are already gathering at their locations.”
She shivered, urging herself not to move, even though she could feel his body heat along her back. “Are you sure they can keep her safe? If this plan fails...”
“We will do our part,” he insisted. “The rest is up to you.”
She knew her father’s men probably felt annoyed that she’d been included on this mission. But with all the Dream Jumping I’ve been doing, I’m the only one who can actually lay this trap. Besides, they don’t need to know why I’m here, just that I am.
“Good,” she said. “Remember, tell me the moment you see her in the docking bay. The moment.”
The silence that greeted her words made her wonder if she was only imagining the feel of his breath against the hair of her nape.
“And you remember, this might be your first time working with us, but we are your father’s team. This is hardly our first time with such a mission.”
She held her breath, not releasing it until she was sure he was gone.
These men probably thought she was some rich brat getting her kicks on this little mission. How could they possibly understand that just her experiences in the dreams of these criminals made her more like them? She wasn’t craving excitement and adventure from her dull life. In fact, she wouldn’t have minded a bit less exciting of a life. The fact was simply that she knew she was the best person for this job, and she wasn’t about to trust something so important to someone else.
Ahmed had hurt her. He’d hurt her friend, and countless other innocent women. It was time he paid for it.
And he’s continuing to hurt them, even now, she thought, a shiver racing down her spine. She imagined the hidden area in his ship, hiding all the naked young women he’d captured to be sold as sex slaves. She remembered the way he’d pinned her down in his dream, nearly succeeding in raping her.
Following his two lackeys might finally give them the proof to take down Ahmed once and for all. But if they messed up, it might just cost Princess Jewta her life...or at least send her to an unspeakably awful fate. Along with destroying my chance at taking him down once and for all.
She clenched her hands into fists. First she’d deal with her father, then she’d finally take down the bastard who’d filled her dreams with nightmares for years.
Leaving the storage area of the docking bay, she followed the path, avoiding the ridiculous crowds. I’ll have to talk to Kaden. It’s as if none of these people received their carefully organized schedules with their departure times.
She was so lost in thought that when she came to docking bay twelve, she nearly crashed into the massive figure before it.
“S-Sorry,” she stuttered out, before looking up. “Caleb? What are you doing here?”
To her surprise, he had shaved. Entirely. She’d never seen his face free of some kind of scruff before. The strong lines of his face, finally entirely visible, made him seem less imposing, but somehow even more handsome. He took her breath away.
Images of the dream they’d shared the night before filled her mind, and she blushed, looking away. He’d confessed his feelings to her there. But the truth was, in the waking world she couldn’t be 100 percent sure he meant what he said.
“Lieutenant Commander,” he said, slowly. “Erin,” he greeted even more softly.
She met his dark gaze, something within her chest fluttering.
“I’m traveling down to the planet with you.”
For a second, she was so surprised she couldn’t answer. “Why?”
He avoided her gaze. “I’ve decided to help you accompany the fleet admiral back up to The Odyssey.”
“Why?”
His shoulders stiffened. “I’m your commander. You don’t need an explanation.”
The door in front of them slid open, and a group of ten or so chattering women exited the ship as they stepped aside. Every single woman stared at Caleb as they passed, some letting hungry gazes slide over him as if he was the only single male in the universe. Two women simply giggled.
A pretty redhead stopped, putting a hand on his arm. “Commander Caleb, so good to see you!”
Why does she think she can touch him? Jealousy, hot and red, sizzled through Erin’s blood.
He glanced in the woman’s direction. “Lady Hu, of course.”
The redhead smiled, a sexy smile. “If you’d like to stop by my room later, I have some questions about the remainder of our trip.”
Is she actually—?
His brows rose. “All questions should have been thoroughly answered on your agenda. Did you not receive one?”
A blush darkened her cheeks. “I—“
Her companions burst out laughing.
“I’ll send you another one,” Caleb said, frowning.
She mumbled something, then hurried after her friends.
Erin let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. It felt good to see Caleb so easily dismiss her. But it doesn’t mean they haven’t been together. A hand squeezed her heart painfully. Why had it never occurred to her that Caleb might have been ignoring her because he had other women to keep him company?
But in his dream—
You know dreams aren’t always accurate!
A voice came from above the door, telling them that it was now their time to depart.
She strode past Caleb and into the ship. Plush seats lined every wall of the area built for a maximum capacity of ten citizens. The small cockpit was visible at the front of the ship, empty because manual piloting was unnecessary.
Seating herself, she focused on working her straps as Caleb sat down directly across from her.
“Are you well?”
“Yes,” she snapped. “I just don’t understand why you need to come with me.” She didn’t even know why she was so irritated, except that he wouldn’t give her a reason.
He was quiet for a moment. “You don’t need to understand. It’s none of your concern.”
“Like hell!” she shot back, glaring at him. “Don’t you have more important things to do?”
He finished strapping himself in, then met her gaze. “There is nothing more important than this.”
“What about Lady Hu?” she shot back, then clamped her mouth shut.
Nice going. Subtle.
“What about her?” He frowned. “I’ll make certain she gets her agenda.”
“I bet you will.” Shut up!
His eyes narrowed. “Do you think that by not going to her room I’ve somehow failed in my responsibilities as a commander?”
“What? No!”
“Then, why...?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling ridiculous and foolish and not sure how she was going to get out of the awkward conversation. The doors slid shut beside Caleb, and a voice started the countdown to take off.
“Why are you upset, Erin?” he asked, over the countdown.
“I’m not upset,” she ground out.
His complete and utter look of confusion ticked her off.
“I can’t imagine what you’d do if I was going to the suites of male guests and bringing them agendas.”
Rage flared to life within his dark eyes. “You should never be in the quarters of another male...wait.” The rage faded as a slight smile curled his lips. “Is that it? You’re jealous.”
She stiffened, feeling her cheeks heat. “Never!”
His smile was so damn sexy it was hard to be angry with him. “Erin Stowe, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you jealous before...but I’m definitely enjoying it.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she was saved from answering him by the roar of the engines. There was a slight shaking and motion beneath her feet, and then they were soaring away from the ship, a line of windows giving them the view of the flawlessly white starcraft as they left it behind.
“You know you never have a reason to feel jealous.”
She looked away from the window to the man so handsome it hurt to look at him. “And why is that?”
“You know why.”
No, I don’t. She wanted to ask him, but she also knew that she couldn’t handle another heartbreak on such an important day. If she lost her focus, even for a minute, the consequences could be deadly. So she said nothing.
Caleb watched her carefully. “What’s your father like?”
Why does he seem so nervous? “Just a classic guy in a leadership position...you know, arrogant, organized, and too smart for his own damned good.”
Caleb frowned. “But there has to be something more to him. Something personal.” He was quiet for a moment. “How did your parents meet?”
For some reason, the question settled uneasily within her. “They were in The Hawks together at the Turongan Starflight Academy.”
His brows rose. “I didn’t know your mother was an officer, too.”
“She’s not,” Erin said, trying to keep the disgust from her voice. “She threw it all away to follow him around as the fleet admiral’s wife.” She rolled her eyes. “I can’t think of a less dignified position for such a promising mind.”
He shrugged. “If she went to the academy, she made it through years of extensive training, which means she’s likely intelligent. The position might not be as terrible as you think.”
She felt strangely defensive as she spoke. “That’s right. She gave up a lifetime of preparation to follow around a guy for love.”
His gaze held hers. “I can think of a worse fate.”
“I can’t,” she said, looking away. “A woman shouldn’t have to give up who she is for love.”
Silence stretched between them.
“Love usually requires sacrifice. But it’s rarely one-sided.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “It was with them. It is with most couples.”
“It doesn’t have to be,” he said, his voice strong with certainty.
Don’t look at him! She could feel the significance of their conversation washing over her like a wave. But she had a feeling if she gave into it, she’d risk drowning.
Later. For now, focus on what you must do!
“My mother will be there today. I bet she’s pretty thrilled. She doesn’t get out much.”
“Really?” One of his brows rose. “I’d think following your father around would be pretty exciting.”
“She mainly stays aboard The Allure, or in our mansion back on Earth.” Something flashed in his eyes, and for some reason, she desperately wanted to find out what it meant. “You said you grew up with your mother.”
“Yes.” His voice was sharp, but then he sighed and she saw him relax ever so slightly. “My mother lives in a place called Ireland, on Earth. Her home is a short walk from a small village that looks like something straight out of a history book.”
“What was it like growing up there?” she asked, genuinely curious.
He smiled, a slight sparkle flashing in his dark eyes. “Perfect. She was gentle and kind, but also creative. When it rained, we danced beneath it. On the night of a full moon, we swam in the ocean...at least when it was warm enough. She loved life more than anyone I’ve ever met.”
“Leaving her must have been terrible.”
He nodded, a troubled expression replacing his smile. “I knew my father was an alien. How could I not?” Glancing down at himself, he shook his head. “Even as a child, I was larger than most grown men. And my golden skin...even then it marked me as a Keltair offspring. But the day my father came in his spaceship, it seemed more nightmare than reality.”
Caleb sat back and ran his fingers through his hair. “He landed beside our home. My mother raced out, her beautiful blond hair flying around her gentle face. Her eyes were wild. But when she told me to run, I just couldn’t. I stood in front of her, watching as my giant of a father stepped out of his ship.”
“And then he took you?” she asked, spellbound by his memories.
“No. He stayed.” He took a deep breath that seemed to shake his whole chest. “He wanted my mother to come with him...tried to convince her. That was the first time in my life I realized something. In all our days and nights together, I’d thought of my mom as the most exciting person in existence. I never considered some of her...eccentricities might be because of a different reason.”
“Reason?” She prodded.
A sadness touched his eyes. “My mother was a weak woman. Alone in our tiny house, mostly separate from the world, she kept her weakness hidden. But when he came back, it blossomed to life.” His gaze met mine. “She was afraid to leave Ireland, afraid to leave Earth. But I realized that despite who she was, my father still loved her.”
“Did she love him?” she asked, surprised.
“I think she did...if he been able to give it all up, to stay with us in our little home, I think he could have taught her to love him more than she feared him. But he couldn’t, he had a son to train. To prepare for the bigger world. So, he took me. My mother watched us leave, tears streaming down her pale face. For days all I could think of was her, but eventually, I learned that I was the one that needed to be afraid.”
“Because of your father?”
He gave a humorless laugh. “No, my father would be my protector in all things. It was more that I’d been living in a dream. A world free of any harm or danger. And the world my father brought me to...it was all darkness and cruelty. My ignorance of the Keltair way nearly cost me my life.”
“Your training was rough?”
He took a long time to answer. “My days were spent fighting, pitted against other boys my age, forced to fight to survive. My nights were spent in a dark room where we all slept, waiting for the attacks that would surely come throughout the night. The Keltair boys liked to cut each other with their horns. I had no horns, so I tried to sharpen my nails...but it was not enough. I became like a wild creature, jumping at every sound.
“But, I think, in the end I became more dangerous than all of them. I hadn’t had a lifetime of cruelty to contend with. I was simply suffocated by it one day. I didn’t know how to be one of them, so I became something worse. A wild animal. I survived on instinct alone. Their constant attacks made me stronger, more aware of my surroundings. By the time I moved onto the training for manhood, many of them had grown to fear this half-breed.”
“But that’s not where you got the scars on your chest...?”
One of the first dreams she’d shared with him had been on some hot world. He’d been surrounded by jutting stones formed in vivid oranges and reds. But his gaze had been cast to the blazing sun above as he lay alone, bleeding to death. Yet, he’d been a young man then, not a child.
“In the children’s training area, we’d been carefully watched. If a wound became infected, we were taught to treat it. No one allowed us to starve to death. There were always eyes watching us.” He cleared his throat, his jaw tightening. “When I was a young man, a dozen of us were brought to Otelur. Our goal was to hunt one another down and fight until one was victorious. There were tiny Watchers, little cameras that floated and followed us, transmitting the images of our hunts to the observers in their spaceship above the planet. When they deemed a fight complete, they would announce it through the Watchers. It was dangerous, but it wasn’t a place men went to die. It was a place young males were taught to become men.”
She frowned. “But that wasn’t what happened.”
“No,” he said slowly. “It wasn’t.”
“They hurt you.”
He nodded. “Instead of each of us hunting each other, they worked together to hunt me. Their goal was to kill me. And the observers let it happen.” His expression was blank, faraway. “All my training. All my false beliefs that I might finally be accepted once I could pass the test...all of it vanished that day.
“My father must have suspected it, because he came to check on me. Something that was forbidden. He saved my life, and he extracted revenge against all those who had harmed me. My father, a powerful Keltair male, should have felt shamed. First he had chosen an unworthy human as his mate, then he’d had a half-breed son, and finally he’d discovered that the son he’d worked so hard to raise would never survive among his own people.”
For a moment, a light lit Caleb’s eyes. “But he didn’t feel that way. Instead, he became a liaison between humans and Keltairs, and fought for a place for me at the Turongan Starflight Academy. He had me trained in the skills I needed for the academy. He accepted that I could never be the Keltair son he wanted, but I could be his human son. His pride meant nothing. His goal became to protect me at all costs.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, and meant it.
He shrugged. “What is done is done.” Then, his gaze sought hers. “We are both lucky you know, to have fathers that protect us the way they do.”
She stiffened, not liking how the conversation had made its way back to her. “I guess. I mean, if I hadn’t been throwing his name around at the academy when we’d got into trouble...I don’t think either of us would have liked what happened. So there’s that.”
He cocked his head. “Is that how you were able to save me from that bastard killing me and laying the blame of the attack at my feet?”
“You bet,” she said with a grin. “I mean, I would’ve preferred to take them all down myself, but there’s some benefit to having the fleet admiral as my father.”
He nodded. “I was angry at you for lying to me. I hated the idea that you were just playing a role when we were together, but I guess I should thank you and your father for what you did for me then.”
She laughed. “Seriously, Caleb, you’re the one who saved my life. Several times actually.” And then, after a pause. “I wasn’t playing a role either. Being the fleet admiral’s daughter is a role. Being Erin...that’s just me.”
The computer announced they were descending into the atmosphere. They both grew quieter as the shuttle shook and a gentle music started to play over the turbulence. To soothe the civilians who would normally be travelling with us.
When they finally touched down in the busy city of Belta, Erin glanced at Caleb one more time. Somehow, their flight together felt precious. She knew in just a moment they’d go back to commander and lieutenant, but she wanted to memorize his face as just Caleb, her lover.
Especially if something goes wrong on the mission and I never make it back.
She pushed the frightening thought away. She’d deal with her father, then she’d throw herself into danger. But she had her father’s team with her, so everything would be fine. Yet, the tension curling in her belly only grew worse. Ahmed has always been one step ahead of the authorities. Why do I think this time will be any different?
She took a deep breath. It’s now or never.
Chapter Eighteen
Caleb walked closely at Erin’s side as they made their way through the busy market square. Belta was a strange place. Centrally located in the Axian galaxy, it attracted a diverse crowd. But because most of their wealth went to their emperor, the city had a strange mix of poverty and prosperity. A shining building with flashing signs sat in the middle of a ring of small market stalls. People were everywhere, slaves or servants following behind the affluent, arms loaded down with their purchases.
Erin froze beside him, and Caleb followed her gaze to a couple seated at one of the tables just outside a stall. Immediately, he knew they were her parents.
The man held himself as if he owned the planet, back straight, navy blue uniform tailored to reflect his surprisingly fit body for a human of his years. Dark hair was styled meticulously, with streaks of gray at his temples. He smiled at the woman beside him while she laughed. She too wore a navy blue uniform. She filled out the uniform more than most, with pale brown hair pulled back from a face lightly wrinkled, and a full mouth painted in red.
He heard Erin sigh beside him, then she drew herself up and marched toward them.
Caleb swallowed his nervousness and followed beside her.
The couple turned to them as they approached and rose to their feet.
“Erin,” her father greeted with a nod.
But in seconds, her mother’s arms were thrown around her shoulders, drawing her in to a tight hug. “Erin, oh my sweet, darling girl.” She pulled back, her gaze running over her daughter’s face. “How is it possible you get more beautiful each time I see you?”
Caleb looked between the two women, Erin with her black hair and emerald green eyes, and her mother with her light brown hair and dark brown eyes. It was almost unbelievable that they were mother and daughter. And yet, they both had the same graceful beauty.
“Mom?” Erin stared, eyes wide. “Why are you wearing a Starflight uniform?”
Suddenly the older woman looked a little nervous, dropping her hands. “I went back through the academy and graduated.”
“You graduated!” Erin’s jaw dropped open.
“Yes, I’ve already received an assignment...a healer’s assistant aboard The Allure. This is my little break before I start.”
It took Erin a second to answer. “So, you’ll be working for Father?”
Her mother laughed softly. “Yes, but it won’t be all that bad.”
“Bad?” her father cut in, raising a brow. “Didn’t I promise to stay out of your hair?”
The two women looked at each other. “Because he’s so good at that,” her mother said, winking.
Erin stared between her parents, obviously in shock. “I’ve got to say, all of this is a bit of a surprise.”
Her mother tilted her head, her gaze running over her daughter’s face. “Are you upset?”
“No, no of course not,” Erin rushed out.
“Good,” her mother smiled. “Now, it looks like all the Stowes are officers.” Her gaze landed on Caleb, and her eyes widened. “And who is this?”
“Commander Caleb Fallow of The Odyssey.” He reached out and took her hand, shaking it gently.
“Caleb...Fallow,” she spoke his name slowly. “Weren’t you the cadet at the academy with my daughter? The one who saved her life?”
He nodded, watching her closely.
Tears filled her eyes and suddenly her arms were around him, hugging him as best she could for such a short woman. “I can’t believe I finally get to meet the man responsible for protecting my baby. For years I’ve wanted to...but it doesn’t matter, I get to say it now.” She withdrew from him. “Thank you. Our family owes you a great debt.”
The fleet admiral cleared his throat. “Commander Fallow, it’s wonderful we finally get to meet in person.”
They shook hands, each grasping the other firmly.
Fleet Admiral Stowe met his gaze, and he saw that the older man was judging him. Weighing his value. “I’m told you were the head of your class at the Earth Starflight Academy, and that your commanders praised your hard work and level head at your past post.”
Caleb tried not to show his surprise. “You’ve been following my career?”
A slight smile curved the corner of the older man’s mouth. “Who do you think recommended you for your position aboard The Odyssey?”
Caleb’s mouth gaped. The man had actually...
“That my daughter refuses my help at every turn makes sense to me. So she can earn her own way to the top. But you...you’ve proven yourself over and over. However, no one was going to give a half Keltair any kind of command position.” He tilted his head. “And I was pleasantly surprised to learn you’d used your power to help your Keltair friends. I believe all of your positions will help greatly in peaceful relations between our two peoples.”
It was hard to put his feelings into words. “I could’ve earned my place, too.”
The fleet admiral smiled and let go of his hand. “I’m sure eventually you could have. But it’s almost impossible to earn something no one will ever allow you to have.”
“I—I hate to interrupt, but I’ve got to take care of something,” Erin said, tugging at her ear with a frown. “Caleb, can you escort my parents back to the ship?”
“What’s wrong?” Caleb and the fleet admiral asked at the same instant.
She gave an unconvincing smile. “Nothing, I’ve just got business to attend to.”
Erin backed away from them, her smile wobbling.
“Erin,” her father said, emphasizing both syllables.
“I’ll be fine.” She turned and jogged away.
Something squeezed in Caleb’s belly as he watched her hurrying deeper into the marketplace. Whatever his female was doing, he didn’t think he’d like it.
“Should we get back to the ship then?” Caleb asked, his gaze never leaving Erin.
“Lead on,” the admiral replied. But his tone was edged with worry.
Is there something the old man knows that I don’t?
Chapter Nineteen
Erin felt as if her entire insides were twisting. At first it had been the terror of watching Caleb meeting her parents for the first time, but then it had been the tiny voice in her ear that made ice run through her veins.
“The princess has already arrived on Sunja.”
Damn, damn, damn.
Pushing down her annoyance, she tugged at her ear. “How did this happen?”
It’s too soon. They should’ve had at least a couple of more hours to prepare, so how the hell hadn’t her team at least known the second the princess arrived in the docking bay aboard The Odyssey? How did she get all the way to the planet’s surface without anyone warning her?
Something is wrong.
“Somehow she slipped past us.”
“Where is she?” she demanded urgently.
The Intaqual’s voice came through the device in her ear. “Already at the location.”
Her head spun, and she tugged her ear again. “Is your team in place?”
Silence greeted her question.
“Hello?! Is your team in place?”
More silence.
Shit! Why isn’t he answering?
She didn’t know if their ship-to-planet communication was being interrupted or if the little prick was just not bothering to answer, but for once, she hoped for the latter. But this would be highly unusual for my father’s team. Something’s wrong.
But this was likely the only time they’d actually be able to trace these criminals. So regardless of whether or not they were in their places around the market square, she would be in hers.
When she arrived in front of the clothing shop, she hesitated momentarily. It looked like any other run-down market shop. What could the princess and her entourage possibly find of interest in there?
But when she pushed aside the heavy curtain door, she stood still, stunned. The place was huge, exotic clothing and sparkling jewelry dangling from every inch of the walls. Tables spread in every direction with even more clothing and trinkets to buy. One wall was a rainbow of bright, gaudy outfits that looked more like lingerie than actual clothes. A second wall was devoted to different leather clothing with chains and jewels dangling from the various articles.
This is the perfect place for a rich, tasteless brat to waste some of her father’s wealth. Not that Erin didn’t know what it was like to have her father throw money at her instead of attention; she’d just never taken an interest in spending money just to spend it.
Three women, including the princess, strutted from one corner of the shop, three merchants trailing them, arms overflowing with their selections. They circled around the giant racks of clothing, and Erin got her first close-up glimpse of the princess. She was wearing a scarlet wig that came to her shoulders. The woman certainly likes to stand out. Luckily for me, her strange ensemble will make my job even easier.
Her outfit was a low-cut leather number that ended just before her bellybutton. Her skirt was the same black leather, so short that her panties—made of silver chains woven intricately together—could be seen from the back.
The princess pranced past in thigh-high black boots, making her way to the changing rooms. One corner held six changing rooms, three rooms on either side facing each other, heavy scarlet curtains covering the entrances. The three women each entered one, followed by their attendants.
One man came back out. He was an older Sunjaran, with hair the color of lavender and eyes to match. He wore a sweeping black robe, decorated with the face of a grinning demon. When their gazes met, he nodded.
My contact.
He ducked in and out of the changing rooms, finally coming back to her. “Madame, your room is ready,” he told her, his pleasant northern Sunjaran accent sliding over her flesh.
Leading Erin to the back, he swept back the curtain. Inside, the princess’s clothes lay on a bench. Erin handed the merchant a wad of bills. Without counting them, he slipped the wad into a pocket in his skirts, and nodded at her.
“I’m sure you can keep the princess and her friends entertained for awhile.” Erin said, holding the old man’s gaze.
She was glad that he had worked with her father’s men before. Erin’s role in their plan was hard enough without worrying about the princess leaving the shop and blowing her cover. The old Sunjaran would no doubt have the young woman shopping far past nightfall, leaving them plenty of time to accomplish their plan without the princess ever being the wiser.
Or accidentally putting her own life in danger.
“Give us as much time as you can,” she added, trying to swallow down her sense of unease.
He nodded again. “As you wish.”
As soon as he left, she slipped out of her Starflight uniform and twisted her hair up. She slid the scarlet wig immediately onto her head. It sucked her scalp in a way that made goose bumps erupt on her arms. The outfit was trickier because Erin was a bit bigger than the princess. By the time she’d squeezed into it, she had to admit that the slightest breeze would have her naked breasts bursting straight out of the top of the tight leather.
Still, as she eyed herself critically in the mirror, she had to admit that she made a good replacement. The boots were a nice fit, and lucky for her, she was an avid fan of boots. They felt like a second skin.
Beneath the clothing, she found the tiny bag she’d been hoping for. She palmed the golden necklace in one hand, then unsheathed the Muscle Blades.
Just as she’d been instructed, one looked like any other Muscle Blade, a metal so dark it was almost black. But the other...this was the important one, its entire blade was coated with a shimmering substance. Tracking nanos. Perfect.
She resheathed the blades and put them on her back, just low enough that the tight shirt kept them hidden. Instantly, the unique material of the blades melded to her flesh. An uncomfortable sensation to say the least. But it wasn’t her first time wearing Muscle Blades.
Strutting out in her best imitation of the princess, she pulled a pair of large green sunglasses from one of the tables. Just in case.
She put them on and stepped out into the bright daylight beyond the curtain. Picking the planned destination, she casually tugged at her ear and whispered, “The cat has replaced the mouse.”
No answer.
Her stomach did an uncomfortable flip. Should I abort this mission?
But she knew she couldn’t. The lives of too many women depended on her, and time was of the essence. If she let this opportunity slip through her fingers she would be forever haunted by her failure.
Like the last time.
She stood up straighter. Let those bastards see how much trouble one woman on a mission can be.
Pretending to peruse one of the tables, a man stepped out of the shadows of the alley beside her. “A beautiful woman like you deserves a beautiful jewel,” he said, his strange accent giving the statement a dangerous quality. He opened his palm to reveal the largest moonstone she’d ever seen in her life. “And who could resist it—at half price?”
The logical woman within her told her it was a trap. A badly concealed one. And to walk the hell away. But she knew the airheaded princess would never think of such a thing. And this is why you’re here. Fighting her instincts, she pasted an excited expression on her face.
“Half price?” she inquired, hoping she’d captured the lilting accent of the princess well enough to be convincing. She moved over to him, stepping into the shadows as he slowly drew back.
Even though she was expecting it, the hand that clamped over her mouth made her jump. And then she was being dragged from the busy street into the deathly silent alley. She struggled, but only enough to be convincing of the weak woman she played.
Seconds later, she was pressed against a wall, three men surrounding her. The original man with the moonstone had vanished. The three who stood before her wore masks, but she could have recognized Lord Dry-fen and Ambassador Eupher, even without the golden necklace hanging from Lord Dry-fen’s neck.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, trying to imitate the high-handed princess.
The mystery man’s hand clamped over her mouth. “Quiet.”
“You’re sure this is her?” the mysterious man in the middle asked.
“Very certain.” Ambassador Eupher’s gaze raked her barely concealed breasts. “I’d know that body anywhere.”
“Do we have time for a little taste?” Lord Dry-fen said, his fingers tugging at the bottom of her short skirt.
Her stomach turned. She’d thought she would do anything to catch these bastards...but she hadn’t thought they’d try to rape her so quickly.
Ambassador Eupher slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch the goods.”
Lord Dry-Fen rounded on him. “I don’t like the way you’re treating me. Perhaps this deal isn’t working out.” He turned back to Erin, sliding his hand up her skirt this time. “Kegler won’t mind—she’s not a virgin anyway.”
“No,” the mystery man cut in, stopping them. “There’s no time. It won’t be long before her companions realize she’s gone missing.”
Lord Dry-fen frowned. “Then stop torturing us with her delicate flesh. Take her off to her new master.”
She straightened, trying her best to look arrogant. “Do you three have any idea who I am? My father—“
“Your father,” Ambassador Eupher interrupted, “will never know that you’ll be spending the remainder of your days being kept in Prince Kegler’s room of pleasures.” He paused, grinning. “Did you really think such a rich and powerful man would allow you to keep teasing and rejecting him?”
She filed the name away, then opened her mouth to speak.
The mystery man pressed a hand over her lips. “No need to speak, Princess. There’s nothing more we care to hear.”
Knowing this was her chance, she flailed about, catching Lord Dry-fen’s necklace and ripping it from his neck.
He cried out, grasping at his throat.
She reached behind her and slid the necklace into the back of her panties as she thrashed, then swiftly switched the replacement necklace from one hand to the other. Just in time for Lord Dry-fen to pry the necklace from her grip.
Step one, complete, she thought, satisfaction and fear fighting for control.
The mystery man picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.
Take a deep breath, she ordered herself. As long as my team is in place, everything is still going according to plan.
She tugged at her ear. “No, please let me go!” she screamed, hoping to hear an answer from her team.
Instead, Ambassador Eupher’s fist slammed into the side of her face. She tasted blood as her vision darkened, but she forced herself to remain calm, to focus. Slowly, her vision returned.
At the end of the alley, a small landing shuttle waited. The sight of it sent fear streaking through her belly. If she was on her own, the last thing she’d want was to be removed from the market. On her own, entering the craft meant any chance at escape was gone.
Please, please let my team be watching me. Let them know where they’re taking me.
Because she would need them to rescue her after she’d accomplished the final part of her plan, slicing her unique blade carefully into the flesh of the men who directly worked with Ahmed. Her targets.
But when the three men dragged her to the landing shuttle and opened the door, there were no fewer than a dozen men aboard.
This operation is bigger than I thought. A lot bigger.
And as they dropped her in the ship, with the dozen leering men surrounding her, she suddenly realized that if her father’s team wasn’t watching, she was gambling with her life.
And it looked as if she might just have lost.
Chapter Twenty
Caleb was back aboard the The Odyssey, in Captain Vernan’s office.
He felt sick to his stomach as the captain finished a long explanation about Erin’s secret activities.
Unexplainable warning bells still rang through his mind. Find Erin! She needs you!
But disbelief and pure shock was numbing them to silence.
If what the captain had just said was true, Erin could probably take care of herself. She’s been living a double life the entire time I’ve known her.
Silence enveloped Captain Vernan’s office.
The older man cleared his throat. “You must understand what an unusual situation this is. And that you’ve been trusted with information that can never leave this room.”
It took Caleb a second to find his voice. “I understand, sir. Thank you for trusting me with this.”
The captain rubbed his bald head, dark eyes blazing. “Dream Jumping is difficult for her, and dangerous. And if this mission today is a success, she’ll need your help a lot in the days to come. In order to close in on our target, she’ll have to use her skills almost to the point of abuse. I’m making her your responsibility. This means I’m trusting you with a valuable government asset, but I’m also trusting you with her life.”
“I understand,” he repeated.
Erin. His Erin. She could...Dream Jump? He’d never even heard of it before. She could really go into the dreams of people whenever she wanted? The dreams of criminals? And find out information? The implications of it stunned him. The government would never want to let her go.
For several moments, he worried about her. But then visions of the nights he’d spent plagued by vivid dreams of Erin flashed in his mind. She’d seemed so real—he felt he was actually touching her.
Had it really been her—Dream Jumping? Could she be so cruel?
And even worse, if it was her, what had he told her in his dreams? She knew the truth of everything he felt about her. How much he loved her.
While she was no doubt secretly laughing at me, knowing I loved her, and remembering how she discarded me.
He’d left the top Starflight Academy in the universe for the one on Earth, so that he could gain some distance from her. So that he could have a chance at separating himself from her, to keep from tying them together forever after she’d said she didn’t want him.
He’d always wondered why he couldn’t let her go. Now, he might have an answer.
Hot rage coiled through him, replacing the urgent, fearful emotions swirling through his body.
Why did she spurn me, then Dream Jump me so I couldn’t let her go?
He didn’t know, but he sure as hell was going to find out. The second he saw her again.
Now, where the hell is she?
Chapter Twenty-One
As they bound Erin’s hands in front of her and put a gag in her mouth, she silently cursed her father’s team. Where the hell are they? The largest kidnapper had thrown her, none too gently, to the floor of the small shuttle. Inside, half a dozen men stared down at her, wearing pale Sunjaran robes. Their gazes burned as they took in her barely present clothing. Why did the princess have to choose this outfit today? Goose bumps erupted along the flesh of her arms.
This is bad, really bad. I was supposed to pretend to get abducted...but it looks as if my backup has disappeared. Everything about this feels too real.
She felt the cold metal of the necklace currently concealed in the back of her small pair of underwear and prayed that it could stay put long enough. It played a huge part in all of this. If she lost it, she’d be missing a giant piece of the puzzle necessary for their plan.
All I have to do is get it back to The Odyssey. It isn’t enough just to be rescued in time. I need evidence to finally destroy Ahmed once and for all. And I need to stick my damn nano-laced Muscle Blade into one of them.
That’s not a lot to hope. Not a lot at all.
“This is where we leave you,” Lord Dry-fen said, still standing in the alley outside the shuttle. “Give Ahmed my deepest regards.”
Erin tensed at the mention of her target. I can’t believe this. They’re actually going to lead me right to that raping bastard. She’d thought it’d be necessary to trace all his minions to him before ever actually catching him red-handed. If she caught him now...victory was so close she could taste it.
As long as my team is still in place. The device in her ear stayed mockingly silent, as if to say, of course they’re not.
Despite herself, memories flashed through her mind. Of the night she’d entered Ahmed’s dream. Of how he’d pinned her down. Of the girls who stared helplessly, trapped within their own living nightmare because of him.
She shivered. Even if my team has abandoned me, I’ll do my best to stop him. And I’ll die before I let that monster touch me again.
Ambassador Eupher made a rumbling noise in the back of his throat, a sound that fit the half bull, half man. “Tell him we hope he has time to sample the wares beforehand.” His dark gaze swept over her, making her stomach churn. “I, for one, wish we had.”
Erin tried to stuff her anger deep inside. She was playing the part of Princess Jewta. It wasn’t enough that she was strapped into the young woman’s tight leather outfit, or that her hair was concealed beneath the blood red wig, she needed to act like the woman, too. Trying her hardest, she widened her eyes and made shrieking sounds around the gag in her mouth.
Lord Dry-fen and the ambassador exchanged a pleased grin.
“Don’t worry, my sweet peach.” Lord Dry-fen’s smile widened. “Where you’re going they’ll be plenty of pleasure...well, pleasure for your new master. I doubt you’ll enjoy it very much.”
“Enough of this krukos, it’s time to fly,” the large man hissed with his Sunjaran accent, glancing around him as if the very shadows were watching.
“No need to be rude,” Lord Dry-fen responded with a huff, his red irises going a shade darker. “We have plenty of shopping to finish before going back to The Odyssey. You men have fun with your little project.”
He and the ambassador gave her one last stomach-churning look, then turned and strutted away. The largest man slid the door shut on their retreating forms. Suddenly, she was trapped in the small space surrounded by the enemy, still on the floor.
Take deep breaths. This is all part of the plan. Mostly.
A second later, the boosters kicked in and she felt them rising. The shuttles couldn’t leave the planet’s surface, so she could only wonder where these men planned to take her. Probably to a ship where the man who bought Princess Jewta will be in for a rude surprise when he discovers I wasn’t the woman he planned on being his permanent sex slave.
One man kicked at her nearly bare breast, straining against the tight black leather. “Do we have time to play?”
Erin glared at the men. Her sunglasses had been lost sometime during her struggle in the alley. But with the ambassador and Lord Dry-fen gone, she wasn’t as worried about being recognized. None of the strange men in the room knew Erin Stowe.
The largest man knelt down and pulled down her gag. “What do you say, Princess, want a hard cock in that pretty little mouth of yours?”
“You’re certainly in a hurry to get the damn thing bitten off, aren’t you?” she spat without thinking.
Rage flared in his eyes. One leg swung back, and he landed a crushing blow to her stomach that knocked the air from her lungs. He kicked again and again.
“Turten, no.” A man stepped between them. “She was not to be hurt.”
“She disrespected me!” he shouted, trying to reach her around the other man.
Curling around her injured stomach, she struggled for breath. At least one of her ribs was broken, she was sure of that. She saw halos around her vision as she panted harder and harder, trying to draw in enough air.
“You’re right, my brother,” the largest man said, sitting down on one of the benches lining the walls around her. “When we have our money, we can spend it on whores even more beautiful. And more than glad to take our cocks in whatever parts of their bodies we say.”
She felt a wave of relief. She was safe. At least for now.
It wasn’t long before the shuttle finally touched down. Immediately, she was hauled to her feet and dragged out into the bright sunlight. Without the buildings of the market, the harsh sun of Sunja’s desert beat down uncomfortably. The heat made her uncertain stomach flip, and she prayed she’d be able to keep her breakfast down.
In the distance, the market was still visible. But around them, there was no more than a massive gray tent and a large ship dominating the space behind it.
She swallowed. This was it. Ahmed was inside. If the team swept in, they’d finally have proof of his sex-trafficking ring.
A hand settled on her lower back, just below her Muscle Blades carefully hidden against her shoulder blades. They led her, the group of men surrounding her in a ring, toward the tent. Four guards waved them in.
A slight tingling against her flesh was the first indicator of the forcefield. Inside, however, the chilly air unnaturally contained within the tent told her that Ahmed had spared no expense on capturing the princess.
The two men in front of her parted, and at last, she could see the room. Men in dark clothing lined the walls, arms behind their backs, gazes trained emotionlessly in front of them. At the far end of the room, a strange Vuret sat in a massive chair. Gold chains decorated the horns on his head and his bull-like face was pierced with dozens of gems. At both his sides, naked women rubbed his bare upper body with oils.
“Gentlemen,” he greeted, without getting up. “Your mission was successful, I gather.”
The largest man thrust her in front of him, so hard she stumbled and fell to her knees. “Master Kurfter, your princess.”
She gazed around the room. Where the hell was Ahmed?
Apparently, they were back to plan A. Of course I should’ve known this wouldn’t be that easy.
Master Kurfter scanned over her with bored eyes. “I prefer my females with fewer curves.”
“And a penis,” the large man beside her said, his words cutting.
The man in the throne narrowed his eyes. “What did you say, Sunjaran?”
He scoffed. “We’ve brought the female. Give us our gold, so we can be gone.”
“Of course,” the Vuret said, but the words held a warning.
One of the women reached into a chest beside him and handed her master a blue bag. He held it out in his furry hand, a sickening smile on his almost-human face.
“Come take it then.”
The hairs on the back of Erin’s neck stood on end. But apparently her kidnapper didn’t sense the same impending doom. He strode forward, his flowing robes twisting around his ankles as he moved. When he was just a handspan away, Master Kurfter turned the bag over.
Gold coins spilled on the carpet floor.
“Oops.”
The kidnapper glared, cursing as he knelt down.
And then, everything happened at once.
The frozen men lining the walls leaped out. A knife flew into the back of the neck of the largest kidnapper. He was struck three more times, blood flying from the knife, before he slunk onto his side. The men around her struggled with their own foes, while she looked between them, instinct and her commitment to the mission warring within her.
But before she could come to a decision, the men in robes were lying on the floor, pools of blood seeping out beneath them. Her heart hammered in her chest as she let her gaze slide from one blood-splattered man after another, before finally turning back to the man in his throne.
“I’m glad that’s done,” he said, smiling at her. “Now, boys, back to your places.”
“Please,” she whispered, finding it easy to play her part. “Let me go.”
“Oh, my dear Princess, I’m afraid that’s just not possible. You see, you’ve caught the eye of a very powerful man who grew tired of your rebuttals. Now, he will be able to fully enjoy you, and you’ll get to learn the most important lesson a woman can learn.”
He pushed away the women at his sides and lumbered to his feet. Standing, his massive erection drew her eyes as disgust flared to life inside her. Crossing the room until he stood just in front of her, he pulled her to her knees. “Do you know what that lesson is?”
Erin shook her head.
He ran one big, furry finger along her lower lip. “That a woman’s place is on her knees, servicing her man.”
She shifted back on her heels, away from his touch.
“How amusing.” He cocked his head. “You really think you can refuse me.”
He circled around her, and suddenly, he placed a firm hand on her back, pushing her forward. She caught herself on her elbows, her bound wrists lying on the ground. Terror raced through her. Please God, even if my team can’t hear me, let them be watching.
A strong hand ripped her underwear down.
For a second she was too overcome by shock and shame. But then she remembered the golden chain and horror filled her. She tried to pull away, but he held her firmly in place.
“What might this be?” He slid one finger along the line of her ass. Then, he held the gold necklace in front of her face. “What possible reason could a princess have to be hiding jewelry in her ass?”
“It wasn’t in my ass,” she answered, gritting her teeth.
He curled the jewelry in his hand. “Well, you might just be more interesting than I expected.”
“Let me go!” she cried, panic turning her blood to ice.
Now, he has the chain, and he has me at his mercy.
One finger caressed her buttcheeks. “I’m afraid I have a better idea.” He exhaled slowly.“ Have you ever had a Vuret cock in your ass? I will say, with how large we are, you human females tend to scream things like ‘you’re splitting me in half.’” He chuckled. “So let’s play a game. We’ll see how far I can thrust into you before you tell me about this chain.”
And that’s when it hit her that her team had been silent for too long. They didn’t know where she was, and she was about to be raped by the enemy.
Her only chance to save the mission was to get that necklace back and stab the massive Vuret with the nano blade. She honestly didn’t know if she could win, but she sure as hell was going to try.
Time to fight, even if it means death.
Gritting her teeth, she reached for the blade at her back.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“What do you mean something is going wrong with her mission?” Caleb asked, a note of panic lacing his words.
“That’s all I know,” Captain Vernan said, his image frowning on Caleb’s screen. “Find out why ship-to-planet communication is down, and take a shuttle to Sunja.”
“Yes, Captain.”
The second his image faded, Caleb contacted Hunter.
His friend’s serious face appeared on the screen. “Yes, Commander?”
“I need ship-to-planet communication reestablished now!”
Hunter’s brows rose. “My team has done everything it can, but we can’t work around this problem.”
Caleb clenched his fists, his heart hammering in his chest. “And why the hell not?”
“There’s been some kind of solar flare. It was small, but enough to knock out communication both on the ship and, from what we understand, on the planet’s surface, too.”
Caleb cursed, rising to his feet. “Fine, keep working at it, but I need a shuttle to Sunja. Now.”
“Done.”
It took everything in him not to race down the hall. What kind of trouble could Erin possibly be in? He’d been ignoring the panic building in his chest, imagining it had more to do with learning that his mate had been living a double life all along. But now he knew he’d been a fool, his Keltair side had been screaming that his mate was in trouble.
And he’d been ignoring it.
When the elevator doors opened, he stepped inside, his thoughts spinning. The captain had told him little about what Erin was doing, other than trying to provide evidence to take down a criminal. But how that equated to her being in danger on the planet’s surface, he didn’t know.
The truth is, you know nothing about her. She’s been lying all this time. Lying about who she is and what she can do.
Probing into your most private dreams and exploiting them for her own benefit.
Anger rushed to the surface. I’m going to make her life hell.
The second he knew she was safe.
In the docking bay, he was directed to door number two. He alone took the shuttle down to the planet, asking himself if he was rushing to save Erin because he loved her despite what she’d done, or because he’d been ordered to.
She’s my mate; I can’t help but love her. He pushed the thought aside.
I’ll never be able to forgive her.
I’ll be like Hunter—accept that there’s no room in my life for a mate.
I’ll forget Erin and move on.
After I am sure she is safe.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Erin’s bound hands closed around the blade. The nano-laced blade. I might not be able to get the necklace back, but at least I can accomplish one part of the mission. She twisted and caught sight of her target one second before she lopped off his cock. Blood splattered across her face and the floor. A scream ripped from his lips, a horrible sound that seemed to cut right into her head.
She leaped to her feet, heading for the open tent flap. Three more steps. Two more.
Two silent men cut off her escape, their daggers held out before them even while their faces remained impassive.
Her heart hammered in her chest. Blood pumped through her limbs. Either she killed these men or she stayed and faced the angry Vuret. And he’d be pretty angry now. She clenched her blade tighter and narrowed her eyes.
The Vuret’s screaming cut off behind her, followed by ragged panting. “Bring her back to me,” he snarled, her death in every word.
The two men in front of her came closer, their lifeless eyes staring through her.
She tensed, preparing for her attack. Sweat dripped down her spine.
Suddenly, a blade pressed against her throat from behind, jerking her neck back. She felt the prick of the sharp edge slice into her neck, followed by a warm trickle of blood against the cold air.
She bit down on her hiss of pain. On both sides of her, more of the silent men had closed in. And that’s when it truly hit her. There was no escape.
Her blade, with its shimmering edge, was knocked from her grasp. It tumbled to the thick carpets, lying so close, even though it didn’t matter. The man with the blade hauled her back and threw her down in front of Master Kurfter.
The Vuret held his severed penis in one hand, while the other squeezed the tiny stump that remained. His chest heaved, his eyes wild as he gazed down at her.
“Kill me then,” she spat.
He stared for a painfully long time. “No. That would be too easy.”
Her body went cold. What the hell will he do to me now?
“You carved me up, little human, now I’m going to carve up every inch of that pretty flesh.”
The hairs on her arms stood on end as she forced her terror down. “Sure you have time for that? Because I’m no doctor, but I think you might want to hurry if you want that thing to be more than dog food,” she said, gesturing at the tube of flesh in his hand.
He roared, eyes flashing. “We’ll see how funny you are in a minute!”
“Master Kurfter?” A man’s hesitant voice came from the opening of the tent.
The Vuret whirled. “Prince Kegler, you were supposed to remain in the ship.”
Prince Kegler raised one finely sculpted brow, staring down a narrow nose. “It was taking too long. Have you got her or not?”
There was a moment of strained silence. “I got her, but you can’t take the bitch yet.”
He crossed his narrow arms over his sunken chest. “And why exactly not?”
“Just look at what she did to me!” he screamed, spit flying from his mouth, shaking his severed cock with one angry hand.
The prince finally seemed to notice the item in his hand, and the blood streaming down the large creature’s furry legs. “This tiny princess was able to wound you? Well, apparently, Ahmed exaggerated your abilities.”
The huge alien took a step toward him. “She needs to pay for this.”
For the first time, the prince’s gaze swept over the other men in the room. “I allowed you a dozen of my finest guards, and still you allowed one helpless female to attack you? No, Master Kurfter, she will not be paying for this. You will be.”
He turned, speaking behind his back. “Men, take her. And kill him.”
“No!” she cried, before realizing she’d spoken.
The Vuret was useless to her dead. The nanos that were currently flooding his body from the wound in his groin were her best chance at finally taking down Ahmed, now that she’d lost the necklace. Somehow, she needed to do more than survive. She needed to keep Master Kurfter alive and get her necklace back.
“Did you say something, my sweet?” the prince said, his gaze lingering on the swell of her breasts. “Perhaps you plan to beg for your release. I’d really like to see you beg...”
“No,” she said, more softly, imitating the princess’s voice. “I want you to leave the Vuret alive, and have him return my necklace to me. He stole it.”
The prince raised an arrogant brow, his ice-blue eyes sparkling with interest. “Even on your knees, you’re making demands. How very...like you. Perhaps I should give into you, what do I care about one stupid henchman?”
A wave of relief swept through her. If he did as she asked, she could still try to escape the second they exited the tent. He wouldn’t expect it if she played along. And what was more, her mission would also be a success.
He strode across the room. Tension built in the room like an explosion.
His men had silently gathered more closely to the Vuret, crowding both her and him. A soft sob reminded Erin of the two naked women concealed behind the throne. The prince ignored all of them, instead reaching for Master Kurfter.
“Give me this necklace she cares so greatly about.”
The Vuret held it out, soaked in his blood.
Prince Kegler didn’t reach for it. His nose scrunched up. “You really want this so badly? Some cheap gold, with what? Is that...wait...that’s the symbol of the Goddess of Lust.” His eyes narrowed. Unbuttoning the top of his white shirt, he withdrew a matching necklace. “What the hell trickery is this?”
The necklace holds all of Ahmed’s plans. Is it possible all of his more important henchmen carried the same information in identical necklaces?
Things had just taken an interesting turn.
The Vuret shook his head, his voice filled with pain. “My prince, she had it concealed in her ass.”
For the first time, the man turned his gaze on her. “You were carrying jewelry in your ass?”
“No,” she denied. “In my underwear.”
“And why exactly were you doing that?” His narrowed eyes slid down and stopped between her legs, where she was sure her ridiculously short leather skirt barely concealed her womanhood. “Think carefully before you speak.”
She swallowed around the lump in her throat. My life probably depends on answering him correctly. An answer she didn’t have. But she did have something else.
Moving slowly, while he watched her suspiciously, she slid a finger slowly between her breasts. His gaze snapped to the sight. The pure hunger in his slackened face made her sick.
“Do you like touching yourself?” he asked, his voice thick with need.
She hesitated for only a moment. “Yes.”
He was silent for a long second. “The things I’ll do to you...” He cleared his throat. “But it still doesn’t explain how you came by this necklace.”
She forced down her rage and disgust, keeping her tone even. “I found it in the market.”
“And why exactly was it in your ass?”
Gritting her teeth, she gave the only lie she could think of. “It’s a bit of a fetish of mine.”
“A fetish?” Excitement laced the words.
“Yes,” she said, striving for shy and embarrassed. “I like things...you know...”
He groaned. “Just wait until you see my special shelf. There are items in every shape and size...perfect for sticking in whatever hole I most want to see them in.”
She shivered, hoping he would think it was with desire. What a sick piece of shit.
“Let’s stop wasting time then.” He grabbed her arm and started hauling her out. “Master Kurfter, it looks like you’re going to live another day.”
Looking back, she gave a prayer of thanks that he’d left the Vuret alive, but wished she’d retrieved the necklace. I can’t be sure the prince’s necklace has the same data.
Can I escape and grab the one from Master Kurfter? Probably not.
Outside, the entrance to the ship was too close. Summing up all her strength, she kicked as hard as she could at the prince’s knee and took off running. Her pulse beat in her ears, her legs pumping as she watched the market slowly growing closer. But it’s still so far away.
Tugging at her ear, she muttered, “I’m just behind the market. A gray tent. A large ship. I’m almost—“
A heavy body slammed into her, and she went crashing to the ground, the hot sand tearing into her bare flesh as she slid along the surface. Not pausing, she rolled into a standing position and faced the silent man in dark colors. He hadn’t pulled out his blade, so she knew she had a chance.
“Come on then!”
He ran at her.
At the last second, she spun, kicking him square in the face. Blood spurted from his nose, but he didn’t react. Reaching for her, he grabbed one arm. She kneed him in the crotch, but his viselike fingers simply bit deeper into her. He started to drag her. Stumbling she fell to her knees, grasping his pants as she fell to the ground.
She gasped. The space between his legs was nothing but a mangled scar.
“He’s a eunuch,” the prince said, and suddenly shadows blocked out the light. “We take them as little boys. Some get to keep their cocks, and learn how to use them to please their masters. The others are taught to fight...something they certainly don’t need a cock for. You can guess which lucky one he got to be.”
He knelt down in front of her. “Now, Princess Jewta, how in the hell did you learn how to fight like that?” And that’s when his eyes widened, running over her face for the first time. “Wait a minute! You’re not the princess. Who the hell are you?”
Master Kurfter spoke from behind him, his voice strained. “Whoever the hell she is, can we both agree we don’t need her alive any longer?”
A coldness rushed over the prince’s face. “I thought I finally had her. I could finally make her mine. Whoever you are, you ruined that. And yes, I agree with my weak friend, I certainly don’t think we need you alive.”
A blade touched her throat. “If you have a god,” the prince’s harsh voice slid over her, “I think it’s time you pray to—“
The prince’s pale eyes widened. His mouth opened and blood gushed out.
“What the hell?” Master Kurfter said, stepping back.
Bodies fell to the ground all around her.
The Vuret screamed and started running for the ship.
Erin rose to her feet, staring around her at the bodies that littered the ground.
“Shall we go after him?” A familiar voice whispered in her ear.
The Intaqual!
A wave of relief swept through her. My father’s team. I don’t know how they found me, but thank God!
She released the breath she hasn’t realized she’d been holding. “We need him alive.”
But he has the necklace!
Turning, she raced after him. Almost in slow motion, she saw him enter the silver ship and watched the door slide closed. A second later, a roar surrounded her as it rose up into the sky, hovered for a moment, a massive shadow over them all, and then shot into space.
Frozen, all she could do was stare.
She couldn’t call her mission a complete success, but she hadn’t failed, either. I can pull the identical necklace off the prince’s body and see if it has the same information. And when I get back, I can make sure the nanos are working inside the Vuret’s body.
Sinking to her knees, she took a moment. A moment to gather herself before she had to report to her father.
Chapter Twenty-Four
When Caleb’s shuttle finally reached Sunja, a message full of static came through the ship.
“Erin will be meeting you at the shuttle as soon as you land. Please escort her back to The Odyssey,” the captain commanded.
Caleb froze. Erin is okay? He felt a rush of gratitude. As he’d sat impatiently in the ship, he’d begun to imagine every kind of awful thing that could’ve befallen her. It’d made his anger seem so trivial.
But now that he knew she was safe, he didn’t know how to feel. What would he do when he finally saw her? What would he say?
The doors to the shuttle opened, and he stepped out.
She was standing perhaps a hundred feet away with her back against a wall, and her eyes closed. She looked tired. Her mouth was pulled into a narrow line, her complexion pale. Almost ashen. The top two buttons on her uniform were left open, and the entire uniform was slightly wrinkled.
His heart lurched. What had she been through since the last time he saw her?
He went to her, as if compelled by some force greater than himself. He stood still just in front of her, watching as her stunning green eyes flashed open. She stiffened, then winced, looking away from him and to the ground.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. There was no attitude to her words, no fight.
A million responses leaped to his mind, but instead he simply said, “I came to collect you.”
She followed him into the ship, easing herself into her seat. It took her a painfully long time to reach for the straps of her belts. But when she did, she fumbled with them, hands shaking.
Kneeling down, he buckled them for her.
“Thanks,” she mumbled, exhaustion and surprise coloring the word.
He sat down across from her. “What happened?”
She was silent for a long moment. He held his breath.
“Too much shopping,” she said.
It felt as if a cruel hand clutched his stomach. “Shopping?”
She nodded, then let her eyes close as she leaned her head back.
“Yet, you didn’t buy anything.”
“I meant helping our guests with their shopping.”
How easily she lies straight to my face.
“What guests?”
“Princess Jewta and her friends for one.”
He clenched his hands. “They returned to the ship about an hour ago.”
At last, she opened her eyes and looked at him. “I was helping the guests with their shopping, okay? What’s your problem anyway?”
The shuttles’ engines roared to life, and a moment later they were rising into the air, the cabin shaking slightly around them.
“You want to know what my problem is?” He felt the muscles in his jaw twitch. “I know you’re lying to me. Lying straight to my face.”
Her expression gave away nothing. “Believe it or not, I don’t give a damn.”
His knuckles cracked as he clenched them harder. “So what? I’m just a fool to you?”
“You said it, not me.” Her words were laced with arrogance.
He snapped, the words exploding, “So you weren’t hunting the criminals you’ve been investigating through their dreams?”
Her brilliant eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open, “How did you—?”
“I know,” he said, his anger making the words an accusation. “I know everything.”
She shook her head. “That’s impossible—“
“Tell me, how long have you been going into my dreams, Erin?”
Her chest heaved. “I haven’t.”
“More lies?” he hissed the words. “How long?” he demanded.
The room hummed with tension, like the ground sizzling after a strike of lightning.
“Since the first time I met you.” She put her hands on her knees and pressed her face into her palms. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”
Knowing the truth and hearing it out loud were two entirely different things. Every muscle in his body stood tense. His lips moved without his mind processing the words. “I will never forgive you for what you’ve done. Anything that might have been between us is gone. In fact, I hate you.”
“Caleb,” she whispered, not looking up at him. “You don’t understand.”
But he did understand. This woman was an imposter. An actress playing her part so well he’d convinced himself she was real. He could never love a liar.
She’s my mate. I have no choice.
The thought burned in the back of his mind, but it was wrong. He did have a choice. He chose to live a life without love. He might never be able to have another woman. He might never be able to entirely let her go, but he would move on with his life. Over time, the gaping hole in his chest would heal.
His life would be empty. Incomplete. But incomplete was better than having this weak, treacherous female.
Anything was better.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Erin paused outside the elevator door, leaning against the wall of the hall. Thankfully, no one was watching her in such a weak state. Her legs shook, and her thoughts churned slowly in her mind.
It’s the medicine, she thought. Not what Caleb said.
She touched her stomach. Beneath her uniform, her stomach had been wrapped by the healer on her father’s team. The broken rib hurt less with the painkiller, but it was still difficult to breathe. She felt as if she had broken glass scraping along her lungs.
But at least the princess is safe. She didn’t know what the hell her father had said, but a shuttle had left with the princess, the king, and a team of security guards not long after Erin had returned from her mission.
I wonder how much longer it will be before Ambassador Eupher and Lord Dry-fen know their kidnapping attempt went terribly wrong? We’ll have to keep a close eye on them, or they’ll make a run for it.
Moving cautiously down the hall, she leaned heavily against the wall. I don’t want to think of any of that now. All I want to do is lie down. Her wrist gave a throb of protest, but even though she knew the ropes had cut deeply into her flesh, the strange compound the healer had smeared on her hid the marks from view. The same compound had sealed and concealed the cut on her throat.
I look just fine. I just wish I felt as good.
She wondered if Caleb would’ve been so cruel if he’d known what she’d been through. Caleb. Her throat constricted. He knew. He knew what she’d been doing all these years, and he hated her for it. A sob built in her chest.
This time I’ve really done it. I’ve lost him for good.
Blinking away tears, she hit the button next to her door, rounding her shoulders as she heard the elevator doors open and loud crewmembers exit. The second she could, she stumbled into her cabin and slid onto the couch.
Pressing her face into her hands, she sobbed. Right now, she should be feeling good after a successful mission. Her father’s team was going to scan the prince’s necklace and determine what, if any, information was stored there. They’d already checked on the nanos in the Vuret’s body, and they were working flawlessly.
Soon Ahmed will pay for every woman he’s hurt.
But still, she felt like a failure. She’d always considered herself confident, almost arrogant in her belief that she could handle anything that life threw at her. After years of undergoing painful surgeries on her brain as a child, she’d found a way to seal away all her doubt and fears, to live life because she knew what a precious gift it was.
Yet, today she’d been afraid. Terrified. She hadn’t wanted to die. She hadn’t wanted to be raped. The whole experience left her raw, aching for comfort. If there had ever been a time when she wanted to curl up with Caleb and feel his love and strength, it was now.
But he won’t. He will never hold me or love me again.
She sobbed harder.
“Sweetie?”
Erin’s head shot up. Her mother stood just behind the couch. Feeling foolish, she rubbed at the tears streaming down her face. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you.” She wasn’t wearing her uniform, but a red blouse and neat black pants. Her pale brown hair flowed around her round face, and as always, her lips were painted a stunning scarlet. “What happened?”
Erin couldn’t face her mom. Not in this moment. Not when she felt like every wall, every defense she’d ever put into place to face the world had crumbled down.
Her mother sat down beside her. A hesitant hand reached out and took her own.
At first, Erin’s hand lay clenched in her mother’s, but slowly, she relaxed.
“Your father told me about the mission...at least the basic details.” She paused. “I’m proud of how you handled yourself, even though I think it was ridiculous to ever have you act as the sacrificial lamb in this whole dangerous idea.”
“No, Mom, I wanted this.”
She squeezed her daughter’s hand harder. “No, you wanted to help stop a monster, that doesn’t mean you wanted to be in danger.”
“Mom—“
“No.” She turned her, holding her gaze. “You’re my child. I know you better than you know yourself.”
Erin laughed, a hollow sound that exploded before she could stop it. “We’ve barely seen each other since I started training for the academy, and that was years ago.”
Her mother’s red lips turned into a sad smile. “It doesn’t matter.” She touched her chest with one hand. “You are my child. You’re a part of me in a way that no one else will ever understand.”
Guilt blossomed in her chest. “I just meant that I chose to be a Starflight commander. It’s a position I knew would lead to danger, so I’m not exactly unprepared for this kind of thing.”
“Stop it,” her mom said, shaking her head. “You can tell that to your father, and even to yourself. But you can’t fool me. Beneath that arrogant little stride of yours is the heart of a little girl who experienced pain and fear unlike anything most people could imagine.” She froze, her eyes filling with tears. “I can still picture so vividly in my mind, my tiny girl, strapped to that table, screaming, writhing in pain. I can hear the sounds of your suffering in my sleep. Sometimes I can even see you. Your head wrapped in bandages, those big green eyes of yours enormous as you pleaded for me to kill you.”
“Mom...” Erin didn’t know what to say. Those memories...the ones that haunted her nightmares, she tried to pretend they weren’t real. The thought that her mom remembered them so vividly somehow breathed life into them.
She shivered. “Mom, that was a long time ago.”
“I know,” she said, voice shaking as she wiped a tear from her cheek. “But the little girl is still right here. All grown up, but still the same. That child who looked me in the eye and said, ‘no one should suffer like this.’ I saw you try to figure out how to help others, how to protect them, and then you became obsessed with joining the Earth fleet.”
Erin felt like a deflated balloon. Somehow, remembering that she’d once been a victim made her feel weak. She didn’t want to remember that desperate child who wanted to change the world. She wanted to be nothing more than a strong women, hell-bent on succeeding in this world.
But we’re the same.
She closed her eyes. “I wanted to help people. But...”
Can I really tell her the secret I’ve buried so deep I never thought to speak it aloud?
Opening her eyes, she held her mother’s gaze. “I don’t want to keep Dream Jumping.”
Her mother pulled her into a hug. “My sweet, sweet girl. You shouldn’t have to! That operation wasn’t your choice. You didn’t want this power, and you shouldn’t have to keep using it.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. “But I help so man—many people. I just want to prove that I can keep help—ing. I just...”
“You just what?” Her mother pulled back, no judgment in her kind features.
“I just hate Dream Jumping.” She clenched her teeth as they chattered. Why was she suddenly so cold? “Do you know what it’s like to see into the minds of the most despicable people in the world? I’ve seen so many things...things I can never unsee. Things that haunt me.” She took a deep breath. “I have to be Lieutenant Commander Erin Stowe, because just Erin...she’s afraid of everything, Mom.”
Her mother stiffened, her eyes flashing. “Mark my words, you’re never going to Dream Jump again.”
“No.” Erin rose on shaking legs, suddenly feeling panicked. “I can’t just hide my eyes and pretend that monsters don’t exist. I want to help...just maybe, I can help like I did today. I can go on missions and—“
“The world is not your responsibility! I can’t tell you how long I’ve been wanting to put a stop to this.” Her mother rose, too. “Ten. You were ten the first time they exploited your gift. Did you know that?”
Erin nodded. “I’d finally thought I was almost normal. Yeah, I accidently slipped into the dreams of my friends and family, but it wasn’t so bad. And then that day everything changed.”
The older woman placed her hands on her hips. “Well, now it’s going to change again. You’ve done your time. They’ll just have to go back to catching the scum of the world without putting you through hell.”
God, if only. “Wait, listen.”
Her mom’s gaze softened. “Always.”
“I want to do this one last thing. I want to catch Ahmed. And then...then I’m going to ask them to release me.”
Silence enveloped the room.
Please, please let her understand. I won’t feel safe until he’s caught.
And you’ll feel too guilty to finally ask them if you can stop.
“Why is this so important to you?”
Erin wrapped her arms around herself. “I don’t know, but I just need to do this.”
They stared at each other. Mother and daughter.
“All right. This last mission. Then, it’s done. Just remember, my daughter, you only get one life. So live it the way you want.”
“I can’t without Caleb.”
“Caleb?” Her mother stared.
Crap, did I just say that out loud?
“Sit and tell me.”
The older women went to the small kitchen and reached into a brown sack Erin hadn’t noticed before. Erin moved slowly back to the couch and closed her eyes, leaning her head back. She’d barely spoken to her mother over the years. And when she did, she’d kept things superficial. It just felt as if they were living two different lives.
And you were angry with her.
It was true. A part of her never forgave her mother for the operation. Even though it saved your life. Never forgave her for waking alone, screaming, suffering from a burning that seemed to light her head on fire.
But you forgave Father. Yes, but Father wasn’t weak like Mother. Her mother had failed to protect her. Her mother lived her life in the comfortable bubble of her father’s position, while Erin fought to be healthy, to be strong. She fought to learn how to walk, read, and write again. Every step she took was small and riddled with pain that kept her awake at night. But she never gave up, because she didn’t want to be her mother. She wanted to be a powerful woman who could stand on her own two feet.
Maybe it’s time to let go? To move on.
It wasn’t as if she had a surplus of friends, of people to confide in. Her closest friend, William, had betrayed her without thinking twice. Perhaps she couldn’t afford to throw away people.
“I’m in love with him,” she admitted.
“So, what’s the problem?”
She laughed, a terribly sad sound. “A better question is, what isn’t a problem.” Taking a deep breath, she took a step, right off a cliff. “I don’t want to be you, Mom. I don’t want to throw away my career for a man.”
Opening her eyes, she glanced at her mom.
The woman picked two mugs off the table and walked toward her, but to Erin’s surprise, she was smiling. “Is that what you think happened?” She set the two mugs of steaming dark liquid on the table.
“Well, yeah.”
Her laugh was like the jingling of bells. “Darling, I didn’t give up my career for your father. I gave it up for something far better.” Her dark gaze connected with Erin’s. “I gave it up for you.”
Erin inhaled sharply.
“Take this,” her mom said, pushing the mug into her hand, “I got some real Earth hot chocolate, your favorite.”
Reflectively, her hand curled around the hot cup. “What do you mean, for me?”
Her mother settled back in the chair beside the couch, and put her slippered feet up on the table, crossing her ankles. “I got pregnant with you while I was attending the academy. The yearly shot didn’t work for me, for reasons no one could quite figure out, but it didn’t really matter.”
“So you quit the academy because you were pregnant?”
She took a sip of her hot chocolate. “Not exactly. I saw no reason I couldn’t finish. I wasn’t due with you until a couple of months after graduation.” She cleared her throat. “But then I found out about your brain.”
Numbly, Erin reached up and touched the tiny scar just below her hairline. “You had other options.”
An anger like fire spread across the older woman’s face. “No, I didn’t. You were mine. Mine from the first time I saw you, a squishy shape that didn’t quite look human on the scanners. Your heartbeat, so incredibly strong. They told me you’d never survive outside of my womb, and I told them all they could go fuck themselves.” She inhaled sharply and sat up. “I started researching. I found options, choices. But I couldn’t get you the help you needed and complete my time at the academy, so I made the only choice I could make.”
Erin rubbed at the goose pimples that had spread across her arms. “You gave up your dreams for me.”
“No, sweetie,” her mom said, smiling, “you became my new dream.”
She hung her head, tears filling her eyes. I’m such a fool. My mom gave everything up for me, and what did I do in return? I was embarrassed by her. I looked down on her.
“I didn’t know.”
Erin took a deep breath, trying to push back the explosion of tears threatening to unleash themselves. “I ruined our relationship based on so many misunderstandings.”
Her mom laughed again, her beautiful laugh. “We’re sitting together drinking hot chocolate. Does it look like our relationship is ruined?”
I’ll never be able to forgive myself for keeping such a distance between my mother and myself all these years.
“Is your hot chocolate good?”
With numb hands, Erin raised the mug to her lips and sipped. “It’s really good. It tastes just the way it did when I was a kid.” Memories poured forth as she drank it again. “What’s that flavor?”
“My secret recipe.” Her mom leaned forward and whispered, “Just a pinch of salt.”
Despite herself, Erin smiled. “It’s delicious. Thank you.”
“Now, do you want to tell me about Caleb?”
So, Erin started talking. And once she started, she couldn’t stop. She told her all about the academy. About their time together. How Caleb had saved her life. And about when she’d let him walk away, followed by her frantic, desperate message that he’d never returned.
Barely breathing between sentences, she gave her the PG version of her Dream Jumping with Caleb, and their time together since working on The Odyssey. When she finished, her mother’s expression was calm.
“Well, at least this is a simple problem.”
Erin shook her head. “You’re joking, right?”
“No,” her mom said, setting down her mug. “All you need to do is tell Caleb how you feel and apologize for lying to him and breaking his trust.”
“But he said he didn’t love me. He said he didn’t want anything to do with me again.”
She grinned, waving away her daughter’s words with a hand. “Men are all bark and no bite. He was angry. He didn’t mean a word of it.” When Erin’s frown only deepened, she continued, “From what you’ve told me, the Keltair has chosen you as his mate, so he’s not just going to throw away his partner for life.”
His what? “Huh?”
Her mother’s brows rose. “Erin, you can’t tell me you don’t actually know...my God, you don’t. Well, you never were a big fan of studying about different cultures. Keltairs mate for life, darling. So, for him, it’s either you or no one.”
Erin put a hand over her mouth. It couldn’t be true. Could it?
Chapter Twenty-Six
Throughout the week, Caleb had managed to either avoid Erin altogether or make certain when they did speak, it wasn’t privately. But you can’t keep this up forever. He angrily pushed the thought aside. He could, and he would.
As he leaned back against the headboard of his bed, he stared at his silky blue sheets. His bed had never felt emptier. His life had never felt emptier. But when he watched Erin desperately trying to engage him in conversation, all he could think was: she tied me to her purposely, even though I was nothing more than a plaything to her. The knowledge always brought his anger freshly to the surface, threatening to boil over like a Vitrian soup pot.
And thankfully, his dreams had become strangely gray. He knew they weren’t as real as they’d been when she’d entered them. The shocking difference made him realize that he should’ve known something was wrong all along. What was I suppose to think, that she had a superpower and could slip into my head?
It didn’t matter. The Erin in his dreams now acted exactly the way he wanted, and not at all like her. The woman’s touch lacked fire. And passion. And when he woke, his chest swelled with a sadness that made his entire body ache.
It might hurt, but now I’m finally free.
He stared down at his hands. Why does freedom feel so awful?
His computer beeped impatiently. Sighing, he swept off his covers and padded across the room in bare feet. Briefly, he considered putting on a shirt, but then shrugged and sat down in his chair, touching the screen.
Captain Vernan’s face filled the screen, deep lines forming at the corners of his stern mouth. “Commander Fallow, I’m glad you’re awake.”
“Of course, sir. What do you need?”
The man rolled his neck. It popped loud enough that Caleb flinched. “We’ve discovered some new information on Erin’s target. She’ll be Dream Jumping tonight, and she’ll need you there. Go right away. Understand? And help her anyway you can.”
A sliver of ice sliced into his heart. “Yes, sir.”
“Good.” The older man touched the screen, and his image disappeared.
Caleb sat for a painfully long time. Of all the things he wanted to do, this was the last. At least I’ll get to see how she does it. How much she enjoys sticking her claws into the heads of others and pulling their greatest secrets out like a greasy-fingered robber.
He clenched his jaw and rose. It took him only a moment to throw on a white T-shirt and slip into a pair of sandals. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted the crew to see him in, but Erin’s door was only a few down from his own.
Striding down the hall, he tried not to think of what he might find when he opened her door. Would she be wearing some barely there negligee, her hard nipples pressing through the thin material, begging him to touch them? He groaned aloud and ran an angry hand through his unruly hair. Get a hold of yourself!
He hit the button to her room and desperately tried to cloak himself in confidence and anger. It took her too long to answer the door, but when it finally opened she stood in the doorway looking small and confused.
She was wearing an oversize Starflight Academy shirt, that stretched so wide it left one of her creamy shoulders bare. It ended at her mid thighs, leaving her long, perfect legs bare for his hot gaze. Gods, why does she have to be so beautiful?
“Caleb?” Her voice was so soft, like a caress.
His cock hardened even further, and he chided himself for wearing nothing but the long boxers. As if she could read his mind, she glanced down. Her pink tongue darted out and slid along her lower lip in a display that had his blood roaring in his ears.
“Wh—why are you here?”
Her question hit him like a bucket of cold water. To watch her work.
“The captain ordered me to help you with your Dream Jump tonight.”
Her big, green eyes widened. “No. No need. I can do it myself.”
He gritted his teeth. Afraid I’ll learn all your secrets? “It was an order.”
Striding past her, he entered her room, which was identical to his own. She came behind him more slowly.
“So, what first?” he asked, turning to face her.
She nibbled her bottom lip. “I have to lie down. In bed.”
Shit. Geez. “All right. Then, let’s get this over with. Tomorrow, we’ll be arriving at Ortago, and I’d like to do so with at least a couple of hours of sleep.”
Walking slowly, she reached her bed and sat down, wincing and breathing deeply for a moment before pulling her legs up. As she lay there, too still, he noticed for the first time the dark bruises and scrapes along her legs. More marks covered her wrists and the long scratch along her throat looked as if it’d been painful.
“Were you hurt?” he asked, the words coming out softer than he’d intended.
Her expressive eyes met his. “The last mission was a rough one.” Reaching across herself, she pulled the covers up to her chest and slid down slowly.
He stared at her, not knowing what else to do.
“This won’t work with you staring at me.”
“Fine.” He turned and went to the couch, sitting down. But, he still looked over the back of it, watching her pale face, eyes still open. “Whose dream are you going into anyway?”
She took too long to answer.
“I’ve been given clearance to know about you and your missions, so I can either ask you or the captain—I don’t care who.”
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I’m just not used to being able to talk to anyone about this. It’s been classified for so long.”
He pushed down the whisper of guilt that slid through him. What must it be like to keep a secret like this?
“There’s a criminal I’ve been tracking since my time at the academy. He slipped through my fingers then. I don’t want it to happen again. This is one of his lackeys. I’m hoping that by going into his dreams, we’ll finally be able to find out enough about his operation to catch him red-handed, once and for all.”
“All right then.” Caleb could think of nothing else to say.
Her eyes closed. His lonely gaze swept over her pale face. Did she look thinner?
His stomach clutched in an unexpected way. He was here to watch her work and give her assistance if she needed it, not to feel sorry for her. She’d misused her abilities to pry into his most private thoughts, so she didn’t deserve his sympathy.
Closing his eyes, he refused to look at her. Hours ticked by as he listened to her even breathing. He almost fell asleep himself when she made a small whimpering noise in her sleep. His eyes flew open. There! She moaned again, tossing in her sleep.
He rose from the couch and padded over to her on bare feet. Her face was scrunched up as if in pain. What if she was? Damn it, why hadn’t he asked anything about his job? How did he know how to protect her?
And then, she started to scream, thrashing wildly on the bed.
“Erin? Erin?” Memories came back to him of years before at the academy when he’d struggled to wake her from a dream. Had she been Dream Jumping that night?
“Wake up!” He shook her shoulders, then picked her up in his arms.
Her entire body went rigid as she continued to struggle, screaming wildly. The shower! That’s what worked then!
He entered the bathroom. “Computer, Erin’s setting three!” The shower poured down steaming water as the walls of the shower rose at the base, transforming into a bath, as well. He carried her beneath the waters.
Her struggling grew more frantic. A bloodcurdling scream, filled with pain and terror, escaped her lips as her head jerked to the side. And then, her head lolled back. Her body went limp.
“Erin?” He caressed the side of her face, heart pounding.
Deep red blood leaked out the side of her mouth, and he suddenly became painfully aware that her frantic pulse had stopped. His gaze snapped to her chest. Which no longer rose and fell.
This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t possibly die in a dream.
Could she?
––––––––
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Where the hell am I?
There was something terribly wrong. It wasn’t just that she couldn’t see. She couldn’t feel her body. Everything felt disjointed.
Slowly a bright light seemed to grow larger and larger until it surrounded her. She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t.
Minutes or seconds passed, she couldn’t be sure, as a scene appeared before her. It looked like a horror movie. There was blood everywhere, spatterings of it covered the walls and the floors of the tiny white room. A man stood in one corner staring with an annoyed expression at a body that lay beneath a white sheet on the floor.
At least that’s what she assumed it was, based on the pale hand peeking out.
Watching the white sheet, there wasn’t the slightest hint of movement. Whoever it is, it looks like they’re dead, she thought, a prickling climbing along her brain. But, she couldn’t quite place her unease. Just that same strange feeling of wrongness.
The man shifted, reaching for a bloody knife at his side. Using a flawlessly white cloth, he cleaned the blade. Her attention jerked from him to the weapon. Something about this felt strangely familiar.
He was half Vuret. His face was that of a bull, but his body looked oddly human, with nothing more than a dusting of longer and thicker-than-average blond hair.
She shivered at the sight of him. Something about the man increased her unease.
“This wasn’t how this was supposed to go,” he said, his dark gaze focusing on the white sheet. “You were supposed to tell me what I wanted to know, before it came to this.”
So the victim had been tortured. Her gaze returned to the sheet. Blood had started to seep from beneath one side.
She gasped as a horrible pain radiated through her, shaking her vision. What the hell had that been? It felt like a mini-explosion, but the man in the white room didn’t seem to notice.
“It was your fault, you know,” the man continued, wiping at a dot of blood that had appeared on his green uniform pants, “you picked the wrong man to mess with. I know you thought you were so important. So powerful. But everyone eventually learns that Ahmed is more powerful.”
Ahmed. The name hurt her mind. Where had she heard it before?
Another explosion sent her heart racing and her lungs burning. If she could feel her hand, she would have clenched her chest. What is that?
“And the best part of all of this is that you were so close to catching him. Do you have any idea?” He smiled at the sheet and set down his tools of torture in a neat row. “At Ortago, Ahmed will have the largest auction, of the rarest women this universe has ever seen, and then he’ll finally amass enough of a fortune to step out of the business forever. His men will keep running it, of course, but you’ll never have another chance to catch him.”
She was on fire. Her chest was burning. Her vision was swaying as sweat oozed down her face. She blinked, trying to clear her vision, but all she could see was the man as he knelt down beside the sheet.
“Such a waste,” he said. “Such a perfect specimen of a female.”
He drew back the sheet.
The explosion came again, ripping through her insides. She screamed as her vision sought the other woman’s face. Her mind froze. Her own face stared back at her. What—What am I looking at?
Big green eyes stared at nothing. Her throat had been cut, along with thin lines along her arms, bare stomach, and legs. She was naked. A white, limp body lying in a scarlet pool.
She had the urge to hurl, and then she felt herself being sucked toward the body. She fought. As much as someone without a body could fight. But then she went slamming back into the body.
Pain beyond anything imaginable awoke inside her. The sound of her own screaming filled her ears, and then—
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Wake up, damn it!” Caleb screamed, pounding her chest, then leaning over to breathe into her mouth once more.
This isn’t working. I need to get help!
But if I stop, she’s going to die.
One more time. Just one more time.
Come back, baby.
Maybe the medics can do more than I can. Pushing on her chest one more time and leaning down, he breathed into her mouth.
“Come back, damn it!” he yelled at her. He’d never been more scared in his life.
It seemed to work.
She came back to him, screaming the most awful, pained scream into his mouth.
“Erin!” He shook her, trying to bring her out of it. “Erin!”
Her pupils were massive, darting all around. Moving, but not seeing.
“Erin, it’s me!” He held her to his chest for a moment. “It’s Caleb. You’re safe. Safe.”
She struggled like an exhausted child, her body twitching more than moving. He ran fingers through her soaking wet hair, murmuring comforting nonsense. The bath had filled up around them, while the shower still rained down warmth. But she was shivering, shaking like a leaf. Blood still smeared across one of her pale cheeks, despite the water.
As he stroked her hand again, he saw that it was shaking, too. “It’s okay. You’re back. It was only a dream.”
Tears filled her eyes, and her mouth moved.
He leaned in, finally catching her choked words. “You should’ve...let me...die.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Erin lay in her bed. For two days, the only people she’d seen were her parents and the medic on her father’s team. But she hadn’t spoken. Not to any of them. She’d simply closed her eyes and wished them gone.
And eventually, they’d all left.
Her body still hummed with the pains of her Dream Jump. Even though her throat hadn’t actually been slit, when she tried to speak into the darkness, her voice came out raspy.
She didn’t want to remember what happened to her. But she did. She remembered every second of the torture. And she’d never been more afraid in her life of what she’d learned. All logic told her she needed to speak, to tell the others what she knew, but terror held her in its claws.
It held her prisoner in the room far more than her injuries had.
She’d gotten up at night. Limped around the room wondering if she’d ever walk normally again. He’d broken so many bones. She shivered, the sound of the limbs cracking filling her ears like the shrieks of a ghost.
A bottle of pills lay on her nightstand. She reached for them, then stopped herself. At a certain point, she would have to deal with the pain. She’d have to face reality.
Was she ready for that now?
I might be, if my brain wasn’t foggy.
She let her hand drop.
Because right now she was scared. Scared of everything. But with each passing hour, another desire was slowly rearing its head. A desire for revenge.
And that’s what made her most afraid. If she told the others what she knew, they’d stop her from accomplishing her revenge. Something I can’t allow.
Her door beeped. She looked away. If I ignore them long enough, they’ll go away.
A minute later, the door to her room opened. She refused to look up. They could question her all they wanted. She wouldn’t tell them a damn thing. This was her secret. She could not risk the others carrying out her mission without her.
“Erin?”
Her head snapped to the male standing in her living area. Caleb. His dark hair looked wet. He’d let his beard grow a little longer than usual, and there was a wildness to his eyes that she couldn’t look away from.
Anger?
Desire?
Does he feel what I feel?
She took a ragged breath and let her gaze run over him. He wore a tight black shirt and jeans. It must be night, if he’s out of uniform. Her body responded to him in a way she never imagined it would again. It did more than notice the firm muscles that swelled his arms and chest. It brought to life a flicker of desire inside her.
How can I want him, even now?
Now that I’m broken in a way that can never be fixed.
“May I come in?”
For some reason, she felt a sob building in her chest. Turning away from him, she curled into a tight ball, pulling the cotton sheets more tightly around her shaking body. She couldn’t face all that was between them and find the strength to leave this bed and kill the men she needed to kill. There was no way to do both.
A minute later, he sat at the foot of her bed, the motion shifting the mattress beneath her. “They said I shouldn’t come to see you. That it might remind you of when you woke up and send you into shock again.” His voice was ragged, hesitant.“Were they right? Was I wrong to come?”
The hurt in his voice had her answering without thinking. “No.” The word sounded rough, like an animal learning to speak for the first time.
“May I—May I hold you?”
She stiffened, shocked by his question. She’d thought he was there to pry her dream from her, not to comfort her. He hates me. He’ll never forgive me for Dream Jumping into his mind. This is nothing more than pity.
But for some reason, she nodded.
His shoes hit the floor, and he slipped beneath her sheets, curling around her from behind. The heat of his body seemed to wrap around her. She shuddered.
“Cold?” he whispered into her ear.
But before she could respond, he very gently wrapped his arms around her, drawing her even closer.
“You don’t have to,” she rasped.
It took him a moment to answer, but his words held a dangerous hint. “I want to.”
She closed her eyes. Maybe for a moment she could pretend she was safe. Pretend that she hadn’t experienced death. Pretend that the man who broke her, who shredded her body, wasn’t walking freely around the ship.
“You’re trembling,” he said, simply, drawing her back into the present. “Are you cold or afraid?”
“Both.”
He brushed her tangled hair back from her face. “I can fix both, if you let me.”
If only. A hot tear rolled down her cheek. “You can’t.”
“Let me try,” he said, his breath warm against the top of her head.
There were so many things she suddenly wanted to say. Desperately. Everything she’d experienced, everything she knew, suddenly felt like poison flowing through her veins.
“He broke my bones,” she whispered, clearing her throat. “He cut my body. I watched my blood decorating the walls. And then...then he slit my throat.”
His breathing was fast. His heart seemed to pound against her back, matching her own. “And you remember it all.”
She clenched her hands. “I felt it all.” Then, more softly. “I still feel all the wounds. But I’m getting better. Stronger.”
He stroked her hair, slowly and softly. “I didn’t know how it worked. I didn’t know you could die in your dreams. I’m sorry. If I’d known—“
“You couldn’t have stopped this. He was prepared for me.”
“How is that possible? Only a handful of us know...”
She was silent. Because he knows everything the captain knows.
“I won’t tell you.”
“Why?” he asked, his hand stilling.
“Because I plan to kill him.”
“That’s funny,” he said, softly. “So do I.”
She turned, hissing at the pain as she shifted to look at him. His eyes were serious. In fact, the look on his face was almost frightening.
“Do you mean that?”
Rage flashed in his eyes as they became more black than brown. “He hurt my mate. He’s going to die. I just need a name.”
It took her a minute to breathe. “Caleb. You don’t want to get mixed up with this. I don’t plan to just kill him. I plan to make him suffer.”
A grimace of a smile twisted his lips. “So do I.”
Her heart squeezed. I was a fool to doubt him. He’ll kill for me without a second thought. But I can’t let him do that.
They’d never been able to convict a criminal based on what she saw in her dreams. They had to find real-life proof of their crimes. But this man...he deserved to pay for what he’d done to her in his dreams.
Not that the government would sanction it. What she was doing would look like nothing more than murder. “I’m doing this on my own.” Her voice was hoarse.
He cupped her cheek. “No, you‘re not.”
Her breath hitched. He might be tied to me forever, but I don’t deserve him. I’ve already hurt him enough for a lifetime.
“Your battle is my battle,” he said, his words soft even as his eyes flashed with anger. “You are my mate. You have saved my life, and I’ve saved yours. This time won’t be any different than the others.”
Except that this time I have a choice whether to put him in danger. And the danger I face... more powerful people than us have died at Ahmed’s hands. Logic says I’ll die, too, but my sacrifice will not be in vain.
Caleb is blinded by his love for me. He doesn’t realize that if I was a normal human woman none of this would have happened.
He deserves better than me.
“You don’t need a freak as a mate. You should have a normal woman with normal problems.”
“A freak?” His brows rose. “How are you a freak?”
She closed her eyes. “I was born with issues with my brain. After various operations they were finally able to give me some sort of a normal life, but then I was able to Dream Jump. I’ve seen terrible, terrible things. Things I can’t forget. And I can’t allow you to tie yourself to me until I’ve found a way to make peace with all of it.”
By making them all pay.
“Oh, Erin.” He brushed her eyelids, and she opened them almost against her will. “I’m already tied to you. This thing between us...it can never be undone. And I don’t want it to be.”
He’s right. As much as she might want to distance herself before him before her mission, it wouldn’t matter. If she died, it would impact him the same. So maybe we can both have one last good thing before the world goes to hell.
Even though his words had only further convinced her not to drag him into her mess.
“Make love to me.”
His eyes widened, his gaze going to her lips. “You’re hurt.”
“So be gentle.”
He started to shake his head.
Reaching down, she wrapped her hand around his hard cock, straining against the front of his jeans.
He clenched his jaw. “Erin. You’re my female. I should be helping you heal, not...”
She stroked him, slowly, glorying in the feeling of him hardening in her hands.
He closed his eyes. “I love you. The way you touch me. The way you make me feel.”
With fumbling fingers, she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, pulling his cock through the slit of his boxers.
He gasped. “We can’t.”
Precum already made his hard tip wet. She slid along him, feeling her own desire growing. This is it, Erin. The last good thing I’ll ever feel. Because if I think I’m going to survive this, I won’t. Enjoy this. Burn the memory of this into my brain.
“I need something good. Please, Caleb. I’m so tired of hurting. Of remembering the pain.”
His eyes opened. He brushed a kiss against her lips, his breathing fast. “All right. All right. But gently, sweetheart, gently.”
“Am I not being gentle?” she asked, squeezing him harder.
He groaned and pulled her hand away. “It’s been too long for me. I need to stay in control.”
Very carefully, he undressed himself. Then, he reached for her oversize Starflight Academy shirt. With cautious movements, he slowly removed it from her. It fell to the floor as he stared at her.
For a minute, she wanted to hide herself from his sight. There are no scars, stupid, she reminded herself. At least not any scars he can see.
“Is it possible for any female to be this beautiful? You take my breath away,” he murmured, touching his forehead to hers for a moment. “I tried to stay away for so long...but I can’t even remember why. You’re my everything.” Reaching out, his thumb brushed each of her nipples.
She gasped at the shot of pleasure that went straight to her core. Yes, this is what I need. Pleasure, not pain.
He lay down beside her and ran a slow hand along the hairs at the nape of her neck, then buried his fingers in her loose, black hair.
His mouth slanted over hers and pressed down. For a minute, he was gentle, his pressure soft. But when she parted her lips, the pressure grew stronger as his tongue swept into her mouth.
Her nipples tightened as her head swam and her tongue met his.
His touch felt so good. So right.
Then, one hand brushed the side of her body. Goose bumps erupted along her arms, and she arched, begging him to touch her breasts. He sensed her need as his kiss grew more urgent. His hand cupped her breast, squeezing gently before his finger brushed the delicate flesh and started to tease her nipple.
She gasped, arching, silently asking for more.
He broke off the kiss, his dark head moving down to catch the nipple in his mouth.
Explosions of pleasure went off inside her, and she spread her legs slowly, wrapping them around him. She felt her womanhood swelling with need.
His crafty tongue lapped at her breast, before he took the tender nub between his teeth and bit gently.
She cried out, burying her hands in his hair, pressing him more closely.
After a second, his hot mouth left her breast, and she tugged at his head in desperation, trying to get closer.
Then, his lips closed around her other breast. Her head spun as she grew wetter.
His touch was everything she needed and more. Gentle. Loving. Intense.
His thumb brushed at her womanhood. She spread her legs farther as he ran fingers along the bare surface, teasing her.
“Please,” she begged.
One finger started to part her outer lips. She bucked against his hand. He shifted, and suddenly she was deliciously aware of his hard manhood pressing against her leg.
Closing her hand around it, she tore a moan from his lips. As she started to stroke his hard length, she marveled anew at its size. It was large and beautiful, just like Caleb.
His finger entered her, teasing, brushing everything but her clit.
She bucked harder, desperate for his touch. She knew she was wet. Hot. And she didn’t care.She slid her hand down his length and back up, gripping him harder.
“Shit, Erin!” he groaned, his mouth breaking away from her breast. He gasped as she stroked him, his hot breath continuing to tease her nipple.
His thumb finally found her sensitive nub and she cried out.
“Please,” she begged again. “I need you. Need you inside me.”
His hand froze.
Their gazes met.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
She stroked the stubble on his face, her heart swelling. “You won’t. You can’t. You’re not capable of it.”
He bushed a soft kiss against her lips. “Tell me what you need. I can go slower. I can do anything you want.” He was positioned over her, hovering but not putting his weight on her.
“All I want is you inside me. Your strength. Your heat.” To emphasize her point, she curled her legs higher around his waist and brought him lower.
To her immense relief, her legs gave only a tiny twinge of protest.
His cock brushed against the outside of her womanhood. She lifted herself, brushing against him, drawing him deeper. Need sparked from the contact. She felt hot, too hot. She rubbed against him again.
“Slowly,” he said, through gritted teeth.
Leaning down, he captured one of her hard nipples in his mouth and sucked.
She cried out at the distraction, digging her fingers into his hair. Yes! Yes, this is what I needed.
Painfully slowly, he brought his cock to her entrance and eased himself in, one inch at a time.
Her body squeezed him as her inner muscles protested the sheer size of him. But she already knew she could take him. She bucked against his manhood, drawing him in deeper as his body shuddered over her.
He moved to her other nipple as he finally buried himself all the way to his hilt. Staying still, he teased her nipple as she thrashed beneath him. Needing him. Desperate for more.
When he finally slid out of her, she cried out in pain and pleasure. And then he returned, thrusting into her as they gasped together.
He entered her over and over again, building her need higher and higher.
He released her nipple, then pressed his face between her breasts, rubbing the stubble of his jaw gently on the sides of her breasts. The motion nearly sent her over the edge, but she forced it back, wanting to wait for him.
His thrusting became more frantic as her legs squeezed him, forcing him deeper and harder.
Heart racing. Head thrown back.
I can’t hold back any longer.
She came.
It was an explosion of pleasure. Her inner muscles squeezed him tightly as he joined her, his hot seed exploding within her as she screamed his name. Every nerve ending was electrified. Her nipples felt swollen, sensitive. Her vision swam.
For a long time, neither of them moved.
“That was amazing,” she whispered.
He raised his head. “Are you sure? I didn’t... I didn’t...”
“It was perfect.” And it was. Closing her eyes, she stroked his hair until he finally rolled to her side.
“I love you,” he said into her hair.
She stilled. Why now? He’s everything I ever wanted. But I can’t stay with him.
“I love you, too.” As she said the words, she knew they were true to the very deepest part of her soul. She was his only mate – and he was hers.
Time fled. She held herself perfectly still until his breathing remained even for long enough that she was certain he wasn’t just asleep, but deeply asleep.
At last, she slowly untangled herself from him. Crossing to her dresser on unsteady legs, she debated showering. No, you should die smelling like him. Leaning against the wall, she put on her bra and underwear, then struggled into her jeans, white shirt, and boots. She was panting when she finished.
I didn’t want to use it, but it’s the only way.
Keeping Caleb in her sights, she reached under the bed and pulled out the small case. Inside, she pulled out the two small Muscle Blades she’d kept, and the package of soft leather. Forcing herself to walk across the floor to the bathroom, she slid down the wall, taking deep breaths. This has to work. I can’t wait any longer. Another day, and it’ll be too late.
Unrolling the leather package, she stared at the four injectors. The Intaquals said this gives them a burst of strength and stamina, I hope it’s enough. Pulling out one, she put her finger on the trigger, took a deep breath, and jammed it against her neck.
Fire burned from the spot, spreading out like an inferno. Oh God! This was a mistake! Her hand fell limply at her side as she struggled to breathe. Her body tingled, her limbs twitching like a fish gasping its last breath on land.
And then something incredible happened. All her pain stopped.
It stopped completely.
Tears welled in her eyes. She pressed her hand to her mouth, trying desperately to silent the sob welling in her throat. I cry because I’m in pain, then I cry because I’m not in pain. Stop being pathetic! But even as she scolded herself, she took a shaky breath. Even with all the medicine, this was the first time her body felt like her own again.
She stood slowly on legs that felt strange. There was no pain, no sweeping wave of exhaustion.
It worked.
She rolled the rest of the injectors back in the leather and slid it down her back, tucking it into her jeans. Next, she took the Muscle Blades and pressed them to her back, down just far enough that her shirt hid them. The odd sensation came again as they melded to her flesh, and then she looked at herself in the mirror for the first time since her Dream Jump.
Hollow cheeks. Circles under her eyes. Thinner than she would’ve thought possible in just a few days.
Moving closer, she ran a brush through her hair and swept it up. The girl that looked back at her looked sick, weak, but the fire in her eyes said it all.
Today someone is going to die.
Chapter Thirty
Where the hell did she go?
Caleb circled the room like a bloodhound, his anxiety at the breaking point. Erin hadn’t left her bed in days—and now she was simply gone?
She better not have...
But the sinking feeling in his stomach told him that’s exactly what she might have done.
He hurried down the hall. There’s no way she would’ve tried to pursue the man who hurt her alone, right? And in her condition? He scowled. She’d been really shaken. He wouldn’t put it past her.
Except, her strength had been fairly low when he’d finished making love to her. He doubted she could’ve even made it to the elevator. Something isn’t right.
When he reached his room, his computer blinked annoyingly. He rubbed his temple, praying one of the messages was either from Erin, or about Erin. Clicking, he pulled the first one up.
Hunter’s face came onto the screen. His friend, and head of security, almost looked excited. “My team was able to track down the message from Erin that you asked me to look into. I’ve attached it to this. We also got an image from your living ship, Zenon, from the moment the file was hidden. I think you’ll find it interesting.”
Caleb frowned as the video immediately began playing. A younger, familiar version of Erin popped onto the screen. She was wearing her blue Starflight Academy uniform, and her stunning eyes were filled with something that took his breath away.
“I’m so sorry. Somehow I always thought that I couldn’t have love and my career. I was afraid that if I ever let myself get too close to anyone, I’d end up like my mom.” She smiled softly, brushing a loose strand of hair back from her face in a nervous gesture. “But I realized I don’t care. We can make this work. It doesn’t matter if I have to sacrifice, because I love you.” Her smile spread into a grin. “I love you, Caleb. I want to be with you. Please, come back. Please.”
She reached forward, about to stop the message, but froze. “I’ll never forgive myself if my issues, my damn fears, ruined this for us.” And it ended.
He finally remembered to breathe. Memories poured back through him of the day he had left the Turonga Starflight Academy and headed to the slightly less prestigious academy on Earth, determined to break the connection between Erin and himself. His father had come to collect him. Caleb had left feeling as if his heart had been ripped from his chest when Erin had told him she needed more time, that she wasn’t ready for something serious.
But her message had to have come when he was leaving the academy with his father, so shortly after their conversation. If he had heard her words, he would’ve returned in an instant. Why didn’t I get the message?
A second later, a still image of his father’s frowning face appeared on the screen, leaning over the console in Caleb’s liveship, Zenon.
Father?
Time seemed to stand still. Was it possible his father had actually hidden the message from him?
No...he wouldn’t do that...couldn’t do that to his only son...could he?
Leaning his face into his hands, he tapped his fingers absentmindedly on the screen. He couldn’t worry about this now, he needed to find Erin. No matter how angry I am.
A soft beeping came and, a second later, he glanced up to find his father’s face on the screen. Shit! I actually called him! The older Keltair’s black hair was a mess, his two sharp, white horns poking from the nest of hair. He was shirtless, his trademark golden Keltair skin looking darker than usual.
“Son, there better be a damned good reason for waking me so early—“
Caleb didn’t wait for him to finish as rage washed over him. “Did you conceal a message Erin sent to me two years ago?”
The anger drained from his father’s face. His dark gaze locked with his. “I...thought it was for your own good.”
Caleb felt as if he’d been punched in the stomach. “You betrayed me.” His voice shook with rage.
“No.” A troubled expression crossed his normally fierce face. “You are my blood. I would never betray you.”
He clenched his fists. “You stole my mate from me.”
“She wasn’t your mate yet,” his father growled. “You should be thanking me for protecting you from repeating my past mistakes.”
A coldness spread through Caleb’s veins. Was it a mistake? What if he was wrong about that, too? “She is my mate now, and I’m starting to realize something. A mated pair are one and the same. We are strong or weak together. You tore us apart. Why?”
His father’s jaw worked, but he didn’t speak.
“I’ve also realized something else that I don’t want to say to you, but I have to. You and Mother are weak because you are apart. But I don’t think you’re apart only due to her decisions. It’s because of both of you.”
His father growled deep in his throat.
This will hurt him, but if being away from Mother hurts him half as badly as it hurts me when Erin is away, I need to help him. Neither of them deserves to keep suffering.
“Thinking back, Mother wasn’t always the way she is now. You said so yourself. When you first met her, she was brave and adventurous. You fell in love with her spirit. But after I was born, something changed within her. She grew fearful. Her mind started to come undone. You shouldn’t have seen her need to escape back to her birth town as a strike to your pride. You should have seen it as a sign that she needed your help.”
“You know nothing!” his father shouted, slamming his fist on his desk. “I tried to get her to fight whatever had a hold of her, but she pushed me away.”
He may hate me for this, but he needs to hear it.
“And you left,” Caleb said, holding his gaze. “When you should have stayed. When you should have shown her she could be safe with you. When you should have taken her to doctors and tried to understand why she changed.”
The older Keltair’s mouth opened, but no words came out.
“Our mates need us most when they are weak. And strong males protect their females, not abandon them. She didn’t fail you. You failed her.” His fingers trembled with rage. “And you forced me to abandon mine. When she sent me a message, you didn’t permit me to choose for myself, to make my own decision. You forced me to repeat your mistake.”
The hairs on Caleb’s arms stood on end. He hadn’t planned to say these things to his father. He didn’t even truly understand where they came from. But deep in his heart, he knew that seeing Erin almost die had changed something within him. He forgave her for prying into his dreams. How could he be angry that she’d kept them tied together all these years, when he’d never really wanted to be without her, either?
His father exhaled loudly. “You are no son of mine.” He hit the button on his screen and was gone.
Caleb stared, his heart twisting in his chest. He hadn’t really wanted to hurt his father. The man had protected him all his life, ignoring his faults, and focusing on what he excelled at. No boy could have a stronger role model growing up. But for the first time in Caleb’s life, he felt he had something to teach his father. Just like the man had allowed love to rule his pride when it came to dealing with his child, his father needed to do the same with his mother. I’ll fix things with him later. But now I need to focus on my mate.
Absently, he selected the next blinking message waiting for him. It had come in recently, likely right before he’d arrived back in his room.
The captain’s pale face filled the screen, and everything in Caleb stiffened, focusing on the shock and horror on the older man’s face. “I need you to come to come to my assistant’s room.” He swallowed. “To Euery Lang’s room. It seems he’s been murdered. Quite brutally, and all signs point to Erin as the killer.” He rubbed a spot on his bald head, shaking it. “I think this is tied to her mission. I feel there’s an explanation. But right now, I need help making sense of this.”
The screen went blank.
As his shock faded, another unexpected emotion rose to the surface. Fear. Euery Lang must have been the one to hurt Erin, and she must have extracted her revenge without Caleb, that much was clear.
But none of that concerns me as much as where Erin is now.
Chapter Thirty-One
Erin should logically have waited to kill Ahmed’s little traitor, but she just couldn’t. Chances were Erin wouldn’t survive her plan, and she couldn’t risk that Euery would get to keep his life. Not after what he did to me. She lucked out, though. Euery wasn’t expected to check in until the next morning...if things went as planned, Ahmed would be caught long before then.
She clenched her fists and looked at herself in the dressing room of the small shop she’d found in Ortago’s main city. The perfect place to change my clothes...and my appearance.
She was now wearing a light blue leather jumpsuit. It clung to every curve of her body, the wide V displaying a ridiculous amount of her chest. And the tiny recording device in my ear is completely invisible to the naked eye.
Almost perfect.
“You can get clothes anywhere,” the tiny woman with cat eyes and stripes across her flesh said. “You must have come here for more than that...”
She’s right, even though I wish the clothes were enough.
“My hair.” Erin gestured to it, catching the eye of the attendant. “Make it platinum.”
The woman stepped forward and took a metal tool off the table next to her. She swept it slowly down her long hair. Beneath it, her head tingled as her black hair slowly lost its color, until it shown a flawless silver.
“And my eyes,” she said, knowing that their unique color alone might give her away. “Change them.”
“What color?” the woman asked, her harsh accent making the words sound annoyed.
Erin shrugged. “I don’t care.”
The woman made them golden, with silver sparkles shimmering around black pupils. It was more eerie than pretty.
“Makeup, too.” Before the woman could ask, she added, “I don’t care. Just make me look different.”
Closing her eyes, her flesh tingled, burning almost uncomfortably.
“There.”
She opened her eyes. Ahmed would never recognize her. The woman had made her lashes long, shimmering, and golden. She’s drawn black across her eyelids like smoke. Tiny gems ran the length of her cheekbones, and her lips had been painted silver.
“Perfect.” She handed her a card to scan. “Anything else I should know?”
“When you are tired of your new appearance, simply shower it off, ”the woman said, as she charged her fee.
Erin nodded. Good to know.
Stepping out into the chilly city, one of her legs unexpectedly crumpled beneath her. She staggered back onto her feet, leaning against the side of the shop for support. Her breath came out ragged. Pain began to snake through her body like a living creature. She made it the five steps to the alley and sank down. I need more of the injections.
Pulling the small, leather package out from her boot, she unrolled it and pulled out one of the injectors. Taking a deep breath, she stabbed it into the side of her neck. There was a burst of sharp, almost suffocating, pain and then it all vanished.
The world around her felt surreal. Like a dream... a dream that will lead to my death.
A chilly breeze swept down the alley, carrying with it the contradictory smells of Ortago. Tiny purple flowers drifted through the air, snagged from the many ancient trees lining the street. But with the delicate scent of flowers came the harsh scents of the modern world.
Above the street, the wealthy soared in quiet crafts through the tree-lined streets. There were a few smaller, metal buildings, but most of the city was a crowding of towering metal skyscrapers, with ancient nature weaved between.
Erin wrapped her arms around herself, trying to ignore the way her stomach lurched. This was not the day, the time, or the place that she’d originally thought she’d die. But from the moment she woke up from the nightmare, in the back of her mind, she’d already accepted that today would be the day. I didn’t want it to happen this way, but my heart knows it has to.
But first, my task.
Rolling up the leather, she hid the remaining two shots in her boot, then climbed to her feet. As she wandered off the smaller street and onto a main road, she merged with the crowd around her, everyone rushing to their own destinations. A city full of criminals and the wealthy. Or both. Like Ahmed. A wealthy criminal at its worst.
As she weaved down a smaller street, heading toward the poorer part of the city, the day grew darker. Overhead, gray-and-black clouds crowded the oddly deep blue sky, a warning in their depths. A grumble of thunder came, then a small flash of lightning.
Great. Does it have to be so damned ominous?
It took her twenty minutes to catch sight of the building. But when she did, she froze. The buildings in this end of town were mostly short, metal domes, with little to distinguish one from another.
Except for the red door on that one.
Walking with her head held high, the metal flickered and transformed to glass on a building next to her. Inside, bathed in an orange glow, a half-naked woman danced. Every step she took brought to life window after window of women. Above their heads, sharp numbers indicated each woman’s price.
Like an object to purchase.
Anger grew in her belly. This is exactly what she was fighting against. Yes, technically these women were allowed to sell themselves, because they made the choice. But there might have been reasons they couldn’t control for that choice. The world needed to change its perspective on people being bought and sold in any context.
When she was nearly to the door, she stiffened and stood straighter. If I don’t do this right, I’ll be dead before I’ve even gotten started. She stared for an extra minute, touching her ear. Whatever I see and hear, they’ll see and hear, so I’d better make sure I get what we need. Because regardless of what happens to me, tomorrow morning the captain and my father will both have the recording of everything.
Striding to the door, she hit a red button next to it. Immediately, the doors opened into a small, cold entryway, where two guards stood unmoving next to a metal door.
She took a deep breath. “I’m here to make a very expensive purchase.”
One guard, a massive Vuret, clutched the weapon at his side. “And the password?”
Tossing her head in an annoyed gesture, she tried to calm her racing heart. “Kiss.”
Holding her breath, she waited. The coward Euery had been too terrified to lie to her, right? She’d felt so confident that he’d spoke the truth, but now, uncertainty made the hairs on her arms stand on end.
The guard shifted, entered a code beside the door, and it opened.
She swallowed around the lump in her throat. “Thank you.”
As she passed through the door, she cried out as something stabbed her arm. Jumping back, she looked down at her skin. There was a small dot of blood and nothing else. Drugs, she thought. That cowardly traitor had said something about blood before she died...but whatever he’d tried to explain, she’d never know.
Because you killed him, a tiny voice whispered. She clenched her fists. Some crimes deserve death.
“You may enter,” the guard said, eyeing her curiously.
Focus! Damn it! She scolded herself. This is no time to draw attention to myself.
Two more sets of doors surrounded by guards wound down a steep flight of stairs, before she finally came to the room.
At first she wasn’t sure exactly what the room was for. Wealthy men, women, and aliens leaned over a huge circular railing, staring into what must have been a bright room in the center of the room below them.
A naked purple alien, with a wide gold collar, stepped forward. She was small and lithe, with straight blond hair and enormous purple eyes flecked with gold. “Your credits?”
Erin nodded and handed her the card containing a massive amount of credits and her alias. After a moment, the alien flicked her tail and handed her the card back. Then she reached into a pocket hanging from a golden chain around her waist, giving Erin a small device. She frowned down at it.
“First auction?” the woman asked, shifting closer. Her large nipples, pierced with thick gold rings, brushed Erin’s arm. “This button makes an offer. Each time you push it, it increases your offer to one hundred credits above the highest offer. This section allows you to type in an offer. Any other questions?”
Erin didn’t want to look foolish, but she thought the slave might be the best person to ask. “And where are the slaves exactly?”
The woman tilted her head, her big purple eyes filled devoid of emotions. “Why in the showroom, of course!”
At once, the slave turned on her nine-inch spiked heels and teetered to the edge of the railing. Erin followed, all questions dying on her lips as she looked down. A naked male slave had been chained in the center of a room. His legs were spread wide, revealing a massive erection bathed in a pale blue liquid.
Erin swallowed around the lump in her throat.
“Put this in your ear,” the slave whispered.
Erin chose the ear without the recording device and was instantly assaulted by sound. “Prince Haryek is the wealthy youngest child of the royal family of the Snoran Empire. He’s known for being a cocky bastard. And as you can see, it’s probably for his rather large endowment. Now, do I hear five hundred credits?”
A soft ticking sound came, and Erin watched as numbers slowly rose on a screen that floated around the room above the head of the man below. The prisoner below thrashed against his restraints. A female Vuret strode into the room. Wrapping her hairy hand around his cock, she started to stroke him faster and faster. The human male looked as if he was cursing. Pleasured pain and angry resistance warred in his expression. But within seconds, cum squirted from him an impressive distance, bathing the Vuret female’s hand and part of the stage.
She smiled up at the crowd. “He is large and fertile. And the Blue Lasting drug will allow him to come over and over, not being satisfied until long after you are. Each buyer will receive a healthy supply of the drug as they train their new slave, with the option to purchase more.”
Erin stared without seeing. Even though she didn’t want to see the look of pure agony on the man’s face, she needed the evidence. But where was Ahmed?
“Is he not what you are looking for?”
Every hair on her body stood on end as she slowly turned to face the devil himself. Ahmed smiled down at her, his towering figure dwarfing her. A smile curved his bull-like face.
It took her a second to find her voice. “Not exactly.”
“Then what are you looking for exactly? We have the best of everything.”
Her heart raced in her ears. “Someone bigger.”
He laughed and leaned closer, his hot breath in her ear. “Come with me. I have exactly what you need.”
She took a step back, the backs of her legs hitting the railing behind her. “Thanks, but no. I—I enjoy the buying process, and I’ll know what I want when I see it.”
His grin widened, and she noticed for the first time the two guards that flanked him. “Oh, Erin, let’s stop playing this game.” He leaned closer to whisper in her ear, “Because, little human female, we’re not in my dream anymore. In this world, you’ve already lost.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Euery was the traitor,” Caleb whispered, turning his back to the man massacred in the small bedroom.
Captain Vernan and Erin’s father, the fleet admiral, exchanged an unreadable look.
“What traitor?” Fleet Admiral Stowe asked, anger dancing in the depths of his pale green eyes.
Oh, right. Erin didn’t tell anyone what she found.
“When she entered Euery’s dream, he was already expecting her. He knew about her abilities and had arranged to kill her in her dreams.” Caleb took a deep breath. “He tortured her horribly, and Erin planned to return the favor.”
The fleet admiral frowned. “She did this for revenge?”
Caleb hesitated. “I think perhaps a little bit. But, I believe, it was mainly to discover information.”
The fleet admiral’s silver brows drew together. “The golden necklace that we hoped would contain all the same information as Lord Dry-fen’s ended up being empty. Erin was obsessively watching the nanobots in Master Kurfter, as well as exploring his dreams. Somehow, she must have discovered that Euery was involved.”
“Shit!” The captain raked an angry hand through his hair. “The coward must have found out about Erin through my files.”
Lightning seemed to sizzle between the two older men.
“You were responsible for keeping this secret. For keeping Erin safe. You failed on both accounts.”
The captain hunched his shoulders. “I was careful, but—“
“Not careful enough,” the fleet admiral interrupted. “And now, you will clean up this mess and make certain that none of this is ever connected to my daughter.”
Captain Vernan’s eyes widened. “You can’t expect me to cover up a murder!”
Erin’s father stalked closer to him, leaning over the captain. “If you’re not willing to do this for the sweet child you know and love, then you’ll do it because otherwise I will ruin you.”
Neither spoke for a long moment.
“I’ll take care of it.”
Erin’s father nodded and turned to Caleb. “Now, the question remains, where the hell did Erin go?”
“If I were to bet...I’d say she went after Ahmed personally.”
Her father nodded. “She did discover that the largest sale of sex slaves will be happening soon. On Ortago. And that if we don’t catch Ahmed now, we never will, since he plans to ‘retire’ after this.”
Caleb had told himself he already knew where she had gone, but he hadn’t. Suddenly, he felt an icy chill run through his veins. “Does anyone know where exactly it’s supposed to take place?”
The fleet admiral shook his head.
Suddenly, terror ran down Caleb’s spine like a ghost’s fingers. Erin! Erin’s in trouble!
“I have to go—go find her,” he said shakily, every nerve in his body on edge.
Turning to go, a hand stopped him.
Erin’s father dropped a tiny earpiece into the palm of his hand. “I already sent my team of Intaquals down to the planet’s surface. They’re the best, but they need to be able to find Erin to help her.” He hesitated for a moment. “Is it true that Keltairs have a sixth sense when it comes to their mates?”
Caleb swallowed around the terror that was Erin’s. “Yes, sir.”
“And you’ve made my only daughter your mate?” The words were laced with an unspoken threat.
“Yes, sir,” Caleb said, forcing the confession past his lips.
“Can you sense her, even now?”
He nodded.
The fleet admiral cracked his neck, danger in his gaze. “Then you may be the only person who can find her. But you alone won’t be enough to stop Ahmed. Lead my team to Erin, and let them do what they do best.”
“Yes, sir.” Caleb spun on his heels and had nearly reached the door when Fleet Admiral Stowe’s voice stopped him in his tracks.
“When my child is safe...you and I will have a long talk.”
Caleb didn’t bother answering. As much as a tiny part of him dreaded the idea of sitting down with such a powerful man, a man he needed desperately to impress, most of his focus was on the stomach-turning sense that his mate was deeply in trouble. He moved with incredible haste as he went to his room and dressed in his civilian clothes, dark jeans, a black shirt, and a leather jacket he used to conceal his Keltairian blade. The sharpest blade in the universe.
Whoever is scaring my mate will feel my blade as it slices them into pieces.
He took a shuttle down to the planet’s surface and then exited onto the cool planet, ignoring the brewing storm. Freezing raindrops splattered, thinning the crowds of people usually congesting Ortago’s streets. A smell uniquely Ortago filled the air, flowers, fuel, and rain.
Thunder shook overhead as lightning split the sky.
Caleb closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. It wasn’t quite that he could smell Erin’s sweet scent; it was more that it helped him sense her.
He walked without seeing, following an invisible pull that sent him down dark alleys and farther and farther into the poorer areas of town. It seemed fewer and fewer people walked the streets, but those that did seemed to peer at him from the shadows.
Don’t get jumpy. Stay focused.
“Move faster,” a deeply accented voice whispered in his ear.
He spun around, punching out without thought. His fist connected squarely with something hard.
It struck the wall in front of him, the boxes near it tumbling over, with a loud crash. A series of heavily accented curses filled the air.
Caleb flinched. Oops.
After a moment, the cursing stopped. “And here I thought the good fleet admiral had warned you,” the voice said, a touch angry, and not quite so close.
“Well, maybe next time you’ll know better than to sneak up on a Keltair.” He hated that the creatures could make themselves invisible. It set him on edge.
“Lesson learned,” the Intaqual grumbled.
Deep breath. You need these damned creatures.
Another, deeper, voice spoke from the other side of him. “There’s more of us, Keltair, so maybe calm your nerves.
Caleb slowly unclenched his fist. “So this is his team?”
“Of course,” the first voice said smoothly, slowly growing closer. “And if you want to find your little girlfriend, you may want to move a bit faster. If Ahmed gets his hands on her...”
Caleb didn’t need him to finish. “Let’s go.”
As they moved, Caleb spoke softly over his shoulder. “How many of you are there?”
“Enough.”
His jaw twitched. I hope he’s right.
“And you’ll be right behind me the whole time?”
“Yes.” Then, after a minute. “We’ll try to extract the girl as quietly as possible, without risking the mission.”
“Erin is the mission,” he said without thinking.
The creature gave a soft bark of laugher. “No, we’re here to finally take down Ahmed. If we rescue the fleet admiral’s daughter in the process, well, that’s icing on the cake.”
I don’t give a damn what their mission is, all I care about is Erin. He increased his speed.
It took him a painfully long time of stopping, breathing in, and switching his direction before he spotted the building with the red door. Ignoring the half-naked dancing women in the windows lining the street, he hit the button beside the door. Two guards waited, their eyes narrowing.
“Password?”
Hell.
“I’ll take the right one,” the voice whispered in his ear.
Caleb nodded, moving closer to the guards.
“Password!” one of them ordered, reaching for his blaster.
Using his Keltair speed and strength, he pulled his blade from its sheath and leaped, slashing out at his throat. The guard fell with a spurting of blood. Beside him, the other guard struggled with something around his throat before slowly sliding to the ground.
He reached for the door, but froze. “Damn it. Do you have the code?”
“One second,” the disembodied voice replied.
A second later, the doors parted.
He weaved down flight after flight of stairs. Two doors lined with guards parted before he entered the new area.
In the room, men cheered and shouted as they stared over the railing at something below.
“Credits?” a naked purple female asked.
He almost shook his head, when he felt a card slide into his hand. He closed his fingers around it and handed it to the alien. She handed him a device and explained how it worked. Then, he put a tiny earpiece in his free ear.
A voice boomed into his head. “That’s right, friends. Fleet Admiral Stowe’s daughter of the Earth fleet is here for the taking. Look at her rosy pink nipples. And this pussy, fellas! I’ll tell you—I haven’t felt a tighter one.”
Caleb’s eyes narrowed and his gaze went red. Another man has stuck his fingers inside my mate? Those fingers will be the first to go. Then the arm. Then the rest of him.
“Calm yourself, Keltair,” the Intaqual whispered in his ear. “I’m recording all of this, and we need more. Remember the mission.”
Like hell!
He distantly heard the man continue, “So, let’s start the bidding at a thousand credits. And as a special for all our customers, the winner of this pretty little human will be allowed to try her out before he purchases her.”
Caleb’s steps were quick and angry as he walked to the railing, shoving two men out of the way. When he looked down, Erin was tied below, soaking wet and shivering. Her legs were spread wide. Her body naked for the leering gazes of the perverts in the room. A massive Vuret male reached between her thighs and parted her lower lips.
He wanted to roar – but not yet. He had to stay calm, to save her first. But everyone who’s touched her is going to die.
Numbers were called out. A screen changed rapidly as the numbers grew to ten thousand. But it all came at Caleb as if he was seeing it underwater, all he could see was Erin’s face leeched of color, even as she glared at the room of men.
I can’t wait any longer. Anger roared through Caleb’s veins. Jumping over the edge of the railing, he pulled his blade free and leaped down, slashing the throat of the Vuret who’d touched his female.
To his surprise, the crowd above began to cheer. Bloodthirsty bastards. They would kill their own mothers just for some entertainment.
Breathing hard, he reached down and pulled the key from the dying man’s waist as he gurgled blood. Two more guards were on him before he could get to her, and his knife made quick work of the first before stabbing the second straight through his eyeball.
Caleb grabbed the digital key again and pressed it to the locks on Erin’s wrists, hearing the click as they snapped open. Yanking off his jacket, he threw it over her, then reached for her as she reached for him.
“Can you stand?” he asked, looking for backup.
She shook her head slowly, closing her eyes and falling forward.
Caleb caught her before she slumped to the floor.
Where is that damn Intaqual bastard and his team? The fleet admiral’s daughter should be more important than taking down these animals. Wasn’t that truly what her father sent them for...?
Suddenly, he had the sinking sensation that the creatures might actually let them die if it helped their mission.
We’re on our own.
The ground beneath them shook as a Vuret, larger than any he’d seen before leaped into the sand on the opposite side of the ring from them. He wore a loose, purple robe, with nothing beneath it. His naked cock stood at attention.
Gasps from the crowd showed their excitement at seeing the fight between them.
Caleb’s gaze went to the two blades in the creature’s hands.
“Why don’t we settle this like men, little human?” the Vuret asked silkily. “This female belongs to me.”
Caleb bared his teeth. “No. She belongs to me.”
The Vuret threw back his head and roared with arrogant laughter. The people in the stands above laughed right along with him.
“Either you are extremely foolish, or you don’t know who I am. My name is Ahmed Zhou. Leader of the Venomous Cocks. In my lifetime, I have sold thousands of aliens to satisfy the pleasure of others. I have sold for years before you were even born, and I will be selling long after you have died.” He flicked his blades together so they sparked. “And now, little human, do you wish to kneel before me and take a fast death? Or do you plan to use that tiny blade against me...and die slowly and painfully?”
Caleb clenched the hilt of his knife. “We’ll see who’s going to die today.” He moved so that he stood before Erin, protecting her too-still form. Where is my fucking backup?
His eyes narrowed. Regardless of when those invisible bastards show up, this man’s death is mine!
Ahmed came at him with all the recklessness of a bull. But the creature was expecting a human male. He had no idea he was facing a Keltair, an alien stronger and faster than nearly all other species.
The Vuret slashed down at him.
Caleb feinted, then kicked one blade out of his hand, while his Keltairian blade clashed against the Vuret’s other blade. Sparks flew. They drew back and clashed again.
The smell of hairy animal enveloped him.
“You’re faster than you look,” Ahmed said, his rotten breath heating Caleb’s face.
He didn’t bother to answer. Their blades twisted away from each other, then came together again in a shower of sparks. Caleb sprang back, and this time the Vuret kept his distance.
They circled each other, looking for weaknesses. The Vuret slashed out with the knife, and at the last second landed a punch from the opposite direction.
Caleb ducked, then landed a punch to the other creature’s throat. The blow would have crushed the throat of a normal human, but the Vuret was much stronger.
Ahmed gasped, grasping his hairy throat with his free hand and stumbling back.
That was for Erin, you bastard. Now I’m going to kill you for the rest of them.
It took only a second for his opponent to recover before he was charging again. This time, Caleb was ready. He ducked and lifted the Vuret off his feet, throwing him over his shoulder, but Ahmed’s blade sliced his back on the way down.
Caleb bit down to keep the sounds of his pain from exploding as he swiftly turned to keep his eyes on the enemy.
The crowd above had gone from chanting “human human” to “Ahmed Ahmed”.
These bastards really have no loyalty. He shook his head. Oh well, nothing like being the underdog.
He felt the hot blood trickling down his back, but he didn’t care. This was nothing. He knew real pain. Real pain was being surrounded by people who he thought were his brethren and being surprised when they carved him up like a piece of meat.
This I can handle.
The next time Ahmed charged, Caleb buried his blade in the creature’s stomach, pulling it back out just in time to roll, avoiding his enemy’s blade.
Ahmed staggered, his expression no longer one of confidence. “You’re no human.”
Caleb clenched the hilt of his blade tighter. “Afraid of taking on someone your own size?”
Suddenly, Caleb heard a sound behind him. Two more Vurets entered the room, their blasters calmly held out before them.
Shit. “What kind of coward can’t handle one man?”
Ahmed smiled. “I’m afraid I’m more a lover than a fighter.”
“Rapists aren’t lovers,” Caleb said, inching closer to Erin. “And slave traders are no better than dogs.”
The Vuret growled. “I’m going to make sure you’re sold to some giant male who wants to use you as a pincushion.”
He saw a movement out of the corner of his eye, and suddenly, the roar of a blaster filled the air. It fired over and over and the sand puffed out around them.
Caleb dived, covering Erin as best he could, only to find she was awake, clenching a blaster covered in blood. One that was pointed toward Ahmed.
Caleb sprang up again and whirled on the two other Vurets, who had jumped into the ring with them. He knocked one to the ground, burying his blade in his eye socket before spinning around and slicing out at the other alien’s legs. He let loose a bloodcurdling scream and crumpled to the ground.
Above them, screams from the stands began to fill the air. Caleb dived for Erin, pulling her into his arms even while she continued to fire. The lights in their room darkened, while in the area above them the lights grew brighter.
He suddenly realized that it was the Intaquals, not Ahmed’s men, who surrounded the room. No longer invisible, their blades flashed as they attacked.
One of them met Caleb’s gaze. “The fleet admiral orders you to get his daughter to safety, then go and see him.”
Caleb’s grip tightened around Erin, who looked small and pale in his arms.
I’ll take her back to the ship, but I’m not leaving her side.
With or without her daddy’s orders.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Erin lay in her bath, Caleb’s big body surrounding her. It was déjà vu, but in the best sense. She knew she should probably move, at least to brush aside the bubbles that were tickling her nose, but she couldn’t find the strength. It’d been the longest day of her life.
Ahmed had been taken into custody. Even though she’d blasted the crap out of him, she hadn’t been aiming for anything vital. Instead, she’d shot at his cock until all that remained was a massive wound. And nothing else. If I keep that up, I’m going to get a reputation.
She smiled at the thought.
“What are you smiling about?” Caleb’s keen eyes watched her, the corners of his mouth quirking slightly upward.
She stiffened. Somehow, telling him about Ahmed’s missing cock didn’t sound quite right. So she settled on something a bit less crazy. “What happened today.”
He ran long, strong fingers through her hair, his touch gentle and soothing. “You took down Ahmed’s entire operation in one fell swoop.”
No, she almost corrected him. Everyone had played their part. Her father had thrown Lord Dry-fen and Ambassador Eupher into cells, confiscating the necklace with encrypted data about Ahmed’s entire operation. He’d discovered enough information to send the force of the fleet out to round up any and everyone involved with Ahmed. The result was that the universe was a hell of a lot safer place now.
And then Caleb saved me from a fate worse than death.
She shivered. “Without you, I’d be dead. Or wishing I was dead.”
His hand froze on her hair. “I’d never have allowed that to happen. You’re my mate.”
Mate. The word was full of meaning, and filled her with both elation and fear.
“I owe you an apology,” she whispered.
“For what?” There was a smile in his words.
She took a deep breath. “For going into your dreams these past two years, for tying you to me. But I want you to know, I never knew what I was doing. I never meant to tie you to me.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “I couldn’t control it. I would end up there every time I was too tired, or afraid...or lonely for you.”
He reached down and tilted her chin up, so suddenly she was staring into his dark eyes. “What you did...it was the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me. I loved you. I didn’t want to lose you.” His thumb stroked her bottom lip, his gaze worshiping her face. “And I have an admission of my own.”
“What is it?” she asked curiously.
“I never got the message you sent after I left for the Earth academy.”
She simply stared at him for a moment. It was taking her a long time to understand. “You never received my message?”
He shook his head. “No, I didn’t. But after you mentioned it to Kaden that day in your office, I had Hunter do some digging. He was able to uncover your message to me from when I left the academy. Apparently, my father hid it to protect me.
If I had heard it, I’d have turned right back around. You and I would’ve never been apart.”
Tears prickled her eyes. “You don’t mean that. You hate me for betraying you. For entering your dreams and—“
He silenced her with a kiss, his lips warm and insistent. Perhaps he doesn’t hate me. Perhaps he really does love me. Her heart swelled. She parted her lips, allowing his tongue access. The instant his tongue slid into her mouth desire like a rushing river moved through her. She caught his tongue with her teeth, sliding slowly down.
He groaned and heat sparked inside her. Shifting, she rubbed against his growing cock as it pressed against the side of her thigh. Trailing her fingers down his chest and belly, she closed her fingers around his hard length.
A growl, low and dangerous, emanated from the back of his throat. “Careful. You don’t know how much I’ve missed you. How much I want you.”
She laughed, grasping him more tightly in the palm of her hand. “It hasn’t even been a day yet since we were last together.”
His muscular chest rose and fell rapidly beneath her. His eyes were squeezed shut. “You should know, Keltairs are known for being horny as hell.”
Very slowly she stroked him, loving the sound of his heart pounding beneath her ear. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Suddenly his hand grabbed hers, stopping her movement as his dark eyes flew open. “I need to make something clear to you before we go any further.”
Her humor fled in the face of his serious expression. “What is it?”
He eyed her warily. “I cannot do this halfway.”
“Good, because I prefer when we go all the way.” She could see her attempt at humor had no effect on his mood. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “Go on.”
“I’ve already made you my mate. You know that.” His chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath. “There can never be another woman for me than you...but I know you still have a choice what you want from our relationship.”
“Caleb—“
“Let me finish,” he said, pausing for only a moment before continuing. “If you cannot give yourself to me entirely, the way I give myself to you, I need to know right now. Because if so, I need to walk away from this. I just can’t handle it.”
His gaze slipped away from her, focusing on the white tile wall above her head.
She brought her hands up to cup his face, tipping it downward so he looked into her eyes. “I’m all in, Caleb, now and forever.”
A slight smile curved the corners of his lush mouth. “Are you sure? I need you to be sure.”
Grinning, she pressed her breasts more fully against his chest. “I’m sure. I love you, and I never want us to be apart again.”
His hand released hers, allowing her to stroke his cock once more. A second later, he was cupping her breast, his knowing thumb teasing her already hardened nipple.
“Then, enough of this,” his husky voice slid down her spine like the tips of his fingers, “I think it’s past time we go to bed.”
Hauling her out of the water, she gasped in surprise. “But—but we need to report to my father. We need to speak to the captain. We need—“
He silenced her with a kiss. “The only thing I need is to have you. To kiss. To touch. To protect. And to love.”
She laughed, even though her insides were on fire with craving for him. “But don’t get too big of a head, my sexy Keltair warrior. Because even though I’m going to be your female, I’m never going to stop challenging you.”
Tossing her onto the bed, he climbed on top of her. “Or I’m going to teach you to obey.”
She spread her legs wider, biting her bottom lip. “You can sure as hell try.”
Epilogue
The wedding came as a complete surprise, but no one was more pleased than Caleb and Erin themselves. As they held hands on a hilltop in chilly Ireland, Erin stared from the stunning sunset to the small collection of guests bathed in the brilliant orange-and-red light.
“This is one of the best moments of my life,” she whispered, squeezing his large hand.
He squeezed back, his gaze catching hers. “Just wait until our wedding.”
Oh boy! That’ll be quite the spectacle.
Erin laughed softly at just the thought. “I thought Keltairs don’t get married.”
His gaze swept to his mother, wearing a soft lavender-colored gown, flowers weaved through her hair. “If my father can embrace such a human tradition, I don’t see why I can’t.”
She tried to hide her grin, but failed. “Does this have to do with that captain hitting on me?”
He growled low in his throat. “Apparently if you were wearing a ring, he would’ve known you were taken.”
Silly, jealous male!
She rolled her eyes and looked at Caleb’s father. The Keltair had tied back his long black hair into a warrior’s tail. Pride radiated from him as he stared at the woman he’d spent the past year slowly wooing. Maybe a wedding wouldn’t be all that bad.
“I guess we can think about it. If Captain Vernan ever gives us leave for more than a day or two.”
He pulled her against him, his hands on her waist. “I’ll ask when we return. And tell him it had better be soon.”
She pushed against his chest, but his strong arms held her close. “Caleb! People are staring!”
“Good.” His gaze went to her lips. “Let them watch.”
As his mouth captured hers, a feeling of joy beyond anything she had ever felt swept over her. Never in her life did she imagine she could have love and her career, but she’d been wrong. Her life was like a dream.
And since she no longer had to Dream Jump after catching Ahmed, that meant both her days and her nights were filled with her incredible Keltair lover.
This is happiness. This is perfection.
He pulled her closer.
And I’ll never need anything more.
