Sex, Love, and Aliens 2 (12 page)

Chapter 5

Briz was not losing her virginity to a rapist. If she was doing this, it was on her own terms.

Matek was handsome. His long, black hair was in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He had the pallor of a man who’d spent too many years in space, but she suspected he’d tan if he went out into the sun. Big brown eyes had always appealed to her, and he had them. His muscular body and strength was the kind of thing a girl fantasized about, but he was still a pirate.

Blood had said it perfectly—these men would destroy anything for profit. She couldn’t forget what she was dealing with.

She willed herself to stop trembling. She’d seduce him and then sneak off to find the medicine while he was asleep. They probably had her ship in a cargo bay.

“Where are you holding
Earth Spirit
? Is it in a cargo hold, or are you towing her with a tractor beam?”

“I programmed her for auto-pilot to the coordinates listed as home,” Matek said.

Briz couldn’t stop the small cry that slipped from her lips. Her mother would panic. They’d think she was dead. She’d failed, and knowing her father and Xev, they’d come running into danger.

“You’re worried about your people,” her captor made the astute observation, and his tone was almost...remorseful.

“Of course. Wouldn’t you worry?”

“My people are long dead, so I have no one to worry about.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, and she was. He hadn’t said it like he wanted pity, only with the sorrow of the reality of his loss. “My mother lost her whole planet, so I understand. Her loss is my loss too.”

He nodded. A quiet moment of understanding passed between them. If one of these pirates was going to be her first lover, she was glad it was one she didn’t find repulsive. Under other circumstances she might actually like this man, but right now she just needed him sleepy and trusting. She didn’t know a lot about sex, but she’d do her best to tire him out. They’d already had a workout earlier. As a Julius and a survivor, she’d own this battle. She was giving her virginity in exchange for the lives of an entire race. It was a noble cause, or so she told herself as she let go of the blanket.

Matek’s mouth dropped. She saw his eyes darken. He never looked away as she pulled the breast binding over her head and shimmied out of her sensible panties. Somehow she managed to pretend she was comfortable with her nudity.

The man gave her little reaction. She had to act before she lost her nerve. Maybe she wasn’t his type or something.

Briz began unzipping his flight suit. He didn’t stop her. The skin-tight material hadn’t left much to her imagination, but as the black fabric peeled away from his body she gazed at his chest with awe. The sight of his chest was hot, but her courage faltered. Could she really do this? Uncertainty made her pause.

He put his hand over hers, stopping her. “What are you doing?” he asked.

She was worse at this than she thought. Briz stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. She wasn’t sure what to do next. Her mother’s religion and her father’s well known hot-headedness had kept local boys away, except for that one her mother tried to marry her to.

She didn’t know how to kiss. She tried to remember if she should move her mouth. Feeling foolish, she stood there, barely pressing her lips to his. She gazed into his eyes, then she remembered she was supposed to close them. At least she thought she was. Briz closed her eyes.

Matek made a strange sound, and without really knowing how it happened she found him pressing her against the wall and they were kissing, really kissing. Her arms had wrapped around his neck and his lips moved. When she parted hers his tongue snaked into her mouth, and she gasped. Her body responded to him and she kissed him back, caressing his tongue with hers. Lust ignited inside of her. The excitement of giving herself to this man was almost as great as her terror. Her heart pounded, and her breath hitched.

He pulled away. Heat rushed up her neck to fill her cheeks.

“What are you doing?” he asked again.

Briz looked away, ashamed. He took her hand, and she looked down to where his much larger hand held hers.

“I won’t hurt you,” he said in a sincere, soft tone.

“I—I want to save the Talorians.”

He frowned. “So you whore for my favor?”

She bit her lip and fought the tears his ugly words caused.

“I’m not a whore,” she insisted as she snatched her blanket from the floor and wrapped herself in it.

He was still frowning as he picked up a sack and tossed it to her. She clutched the blanket to her chest, but managed to catch the canvas bag. She recognized it as hers. It contained her clothing. She pulled out her custom flight suit, glad she’d packed it, and dropped the blanket to dress. He’d already seen her practically naked, so she dressed in front of him. Wearing clothing restored her confidence a notch.

“I’m sorry about the situation, but Blood will not become merciful. The man is pure evil,” Matek said.

“Then why work for him?”

“That is not your concern. You are my responsibility. If he decides I’m not keeping you in line, he’ll give you to the crew.”

Her stomach rolled. The idea of being mauled by the others was terrifying. Kissing a man she desired was one thing, but being gang raped would destroy her. Still, she had to try to save those people. Her options weren’t looking good.

* * * *

Matek had managed to find the strength to push the beauty away. It had been far too long since he’d experienced the comfort of a woman, and this one was extraordinary. He’d love to be the hero she wanted and save those innocent people, but he was so close to his goal.

Blood was going to take them to his home world after this job was finished. His mother and sisters lived on Indra. Matek could have killed Blood a thousand times, but he wanted the man to live with the pain of loss. That was the revenge Matek desired.

Blood, the psychopath, only cared about his female relatives back in the village of his childhood. Killing those women was the only thing that would equal the lives of the people Matek had lost.

If he saved these strangers, he’d never have the vengeance he needed to quiet the nightmares and appease the souls of those who died such violent death ten cycles past. He wished he was still a good man, but loss had changed him. He was death. There was no peace for death.

Briz walked around the circumference of his small space. He hoped her captivity was sinking in. She seemed to be studying his personal effects.

“I was a good man once,” he said.

She didn’t look at him. He turned to the small window. Space stretched out before him. The lonely void was like his soul—dark and cold. She was behind him, and he started to turn, but then pain radiated through his skull and he grunted.

“I’m sorry, so sorry,” she said.

More agony. Matek dropped to his knees. She’d hit him—hard. Darkness.

* * * *

Briz held the case tight as she rushed through the corridors. She’d been lucky to find it right where she’d suspected it would be.

When she’d been paralyzed she’d counted turns. Because she knew ships, she headed straight for the most logical location for the shuttles. She hoped she’d find a craft full of fuel and in good running order.

She’d hated attacking Matek, but an entire race mattered more than one man, even if that man was the first one she’d ever kissed.

Alarms sounded with headache-inducing intensity. Light glowed and died over her shoulder. To her horror, she realized someone was shooting at her.

* * * *

Matek groaned. He was on the floor of his cabin. His head hurt and nausea twisted his stomach. He rolled over to his side and saw his meditation cube. The heavy stone lay carelessly beside him.

“Damn the gods!”

He couldn’t believe she’d attacked him. He should have just fucked her, but she’d seemed so innocent he’d slowed her down.

An image of her lying broken and bloody in the middle of his charred village flashed through his mind, and he made a long, low sound of frustration. His people were gone, but she might still be alive. Making the claim had tied them together, even if she didn’t seem to realize what it signified. He’d lost himself, but for the first time since the awful day he’d come home to find his community gone something was more important than revenge.

He took a deep breath and ignored his pain as he stood. She might be a pain in his ass, but she was his. He’d claimed her.

Matek grabbed his duffle. He felt his hip and realized his weapon was still there. She was unarmed. Panic made him move faster, and he headed straight for the shuttles. They were close enough to the planet that a short-range craft would be sufficient, and she’d know that too. Now he understood why the first question out of her mouth had been the whereabouts of her ship.

He took a shortcut through the engine room. He could hear the sound of running and shots being fired. His throat ached. There was no reason he should care, and yet the image of her death was worse than the knowledge his long-sought revenge was slipping from his grasp.

He rounded a corner and saw her...wounded, but alive.
Briz.
Joy leapt inside of him. His hand went to his side, and he unbuttoned the fastener holding his gun in the holster. In a smooth motion, he pulled it out and walked out from his hiding place, firing. She gasped and turned toward him.

“Go!” Matek ordered. She opened the sliding door panel, and he joined her inside. He shot the control panel, disabling it, to buy them some time.

“You—why?”

He grinned at her expression. She appeared caught between confusion and mortification. He kissed the furrow in her brow.

“I claimed you. You’re mine.”

She flinched, and her eyes widened. “Don’t seriously think you can claim me if I don’t want to be claimed.”

He shrugged. “Looks like you don’t have a choice, beauty. Take the
Star Cat
, she’s fast and new. Blood never sends her out, so she should be fully fueled.”

“Thanks,” she muttered as she ran around the shuttle.

He shook his head. This was life and death, and yet the woman was doing an inspection.

She opened a hatch, and he watched her put the case inside.
Smart.
He’d misunderstood her search of the craft’s exterior.

They climbed in just as the first shots hit the side of the
Star Cat
. Briz flipped the ignition and taxied out on the launch pad. The doors were closed, but she kept going, heading straight toward them.

“Are you crazy?” Matek asked. He didn’t know her. She could have a death wish.

“Are you a good shot?” Briz retorted in a sassy tone.

“Damn right I am. Why?”

“Hit that red flashing light on the wall, and we’ll be good.”

She opened the glass that encapsulated the cockpit, and he took aim. Fire came at them, but managed to miss them and the control panel. She half-stood, grabbing the emergency latch to prevent the glass covering over the cockpit from completely opening. He heard her cry out as the brightness of laser fire lit up the dim space.

“Are you hit?” he shouted.

“I’m okay,” she said in a rushed, strained tone. “It’s superficial.”

He didn’t like the pain in her voice, but kept his aim focused, knowing escape depended on him. There was no time to waste. Breathing out slowly, he pulled the trigger and hit the target. Sparks danced from the wall, and overhead warning lights in red and yellow flashed, making the cockpit strobe with color.

“Air lock opening, seal this section,” said the monotone emergency system over the speakers.

Briz pulled down hard, moaning with agony, and closed the glass over the cockpit as the airlock opened. A man—he thought it might be Roget—was sucked out into space. Any equipment that wasn’t locked down flew out the door after him. Warning sirens blared so loudly they could hear them inside the airtight craft. Briz punched the engine as the doors began closing. Matek held onto the dash with a white-knuckled grip and closed his eyes.

Briz gave a happy little hoot and he opened one eye, then the other. She’d done it, they’d escaped.

“I guess you’ll be looking for another job,” she commented. He could hear the relief in her voice as some of her sassiness returned.

“The benefits weren’t that great anyway,” he quipped. “You were hit, is it bad?”

“Are you worried I’ll pass out and crash us into an asteroid?”

“Not until you just put the idea in my head.”

She chuckled. “The big blue button that says
auto
will keep you alive if I faint, but the good news is it’s just a burn. I’ll have an ugly scar, but I’ll live.”

“Scars give you character. Nothing about you will ever be ugly.”

She was quiet for a moment before she gave him an amused snort and punched the speed up. They streaked past the stars, and the light stretched out like stripes on black cloth. He’d never gone this fast in a small craft, and because of his injury he was already feeling queasy. Matek groaned and leaned back with his eyes closed.

“Sorry I hit you,” she said. “You’d never have helped me. Why did you decide to join me?”

He shrugged, staying in his awkward position. “Like I said, you’re mine.”

“I’ll eject your ass if you say that again.”

He chuckled. “I was only here for revenge against Blood, but I realized that the best way I could honor my dead is saving the living. I just wish I hadn’t needed someone to knock the sense into me.”

“I feel awful. I really wish I hadn’t hit you.”

“Well, here we are,” he said.

“Yep, here we are. The Talorian colony isn’t too far away. We should have the medicine to the people who need it in a few solar hours.”

Chapter 6

Ric and Xev exchanged stiff nods of agreement. They’d just finished watching the security footage from
Earth Spirit
. Kateri was in the prayer garden crying. His little girl was in the hands of pirates. The odds that she was still alive and unharmed were slim. His throat ached, and he rubbed his temples. The dull ache made it hard for him to think with a clear head.