“Riley, there are only a few more stalls to go. Do you want to see them before we return?” Doral called out from across the way where she had found a scarf she liked.
“We might as well as I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to return,” Riley answered with a contented sigh. “This has been the best day of my life – well besides the day I met Vox even if I did knock him on his ass.”
Tamia laughed and moved to the next stall. Riley felt a sense of unease as they approached the last stall. It was a little further away from the others and there were only a few shoppers down this way. That wasn’t what had the hair on the back of her neck standing up though. There was something else, as if she was being stared at. She let her eyes wander around the area, pulling on her skills as a bail bondsman to help her. In the shadows near an alley a cloaked figure was standing in the shadows. Riley stopped, focusing on the figure with a frown. There was something vaguely familiar about it. The frown on her face turned into a surprised gasp as the figure emerged from the shadows and lowered the hood covering its head.
*.*.*
Antrox 157 stared with hatred at the female who had destroyed everything he had worked for. He motioned with his hand. Four figures converged on Riley’s small group. The two guards went down with blasts to their backs as they moved closer to Riley when she gasped and froze. The other two females screamed in terror. Within moments, Riley’s unconscious body was being carried past him. He stared in distaste at the limp pale figure as the mercenaries he had hired walked by him. He would receive a king’s fortune in credits for the female. He had sworn he would make her pay for ruining his reputation within the Antrox mining operations. He would have been lucky to hire on as a Pactor supply clerk after what she had done. Now, he would have enough to buy his own mine. It would be small but it was a start. He quickly followed the mercenaries out of the marketplace, ignoring the calls for help from the women as they bent over the still forms of the guards.
“We need to get out before they shut down all leaving flights,” the huge Merc carrying Riley snarled. “You didn’t tell us she was royalty.”
“She is nothing but an escaped acquisition. You were given the credits to capture her. I will give you the other half due you once she is delivered,” Antrox 157 replied coldly. “Otherwise, you get nothing.”
“Damn bug,” another one of the mercs muttered under his breath. “Move it, Garl. I don’t want to stick around for any of these damn cat-shifters. They like to rip you open and watch as you try to shove your guts back in.”
“Prepare the ship for lift off,” a third merc yelled out. “We leave hot and fast.”
“Grun, go ahead and make sure the way is clear,” Tril snapped at the husky red-skinned creature who sped away on four legs. “You better hope she is worth the credits you promised,” he said as he shifted Riley over his shoulder.
“She accepted five mates, three were Sarafin warriors, I have no doubt she will handle whatever the pleasure house sends to her,” Antrox 157 replied, hurrying down the narrow alley.
Nothing else was said as the five figures moved rapidly down the narrow alley and up several flights of stairs until they reached the top of one of the taller buildings in the city. Grun was removing the cover camouflaging the small transport. It was a tight fit but all five plus an unconscious Riley piled into the small ship. Garl shoved at the controls and the specially modified ship rose rapidly before turning and shooting up through the atmosphere. The group was used to retrieving difficult and dangerous merchandise. This mission was especially challenging because none of them wanted to be on the wrong end of the Sarafin warriors who were bound to try to retrieve what they had stolen. They were there to retrieve and deliver, that was all. After the delivery, they would disappear for a few months before regrouping in a different star system.
*.*.*
Riley came to slowly. Her head ached and her stomach churned. She could feel that she was about to lose what she had eaten for lunch.
Being pregnant sucks, she thought darkly, keeping her eyes closed and breathing steadily through her nose in the hopes of not tossing her cookies. I think this should be a totally male thing since they are the ones who want to brag about how potent they are. What the hell do they suffer from? Puffing their chest out too far? They pop the load and sit back while I get to be sick, gain even more weight, and have bigger boobs to carry around while they strut like a damn peacock!
Riley continued listing all the disadvantages being pregnant entailed hoping it would help calm her wayward stomach. After several minutes, it appeared to work as she felt confident she could open her eyes without them being crossed.
She turned her head cautiously, studying where she had been taken. Her heart jerked at the idea of her friends or the guards with her being harmed because of her. Her eyes blurred with anger at the thought of the senseless act.
I’m going to smash that oversized bug when I get my hands on him. I’m going to feed him to the first Venus Flytrap I can find. Or better yet, I’m going to find a really huge spider and watch as he squirms in its web before it sucks all his guts out, she muttered out loud.
A dark chuckle drew her attention to the door of her cell. She stared in fury at the grotesque creature standing on the other side of it. “What are you laughing at you overgrown fleabag?”
“Antrox 157 said you had spirit. I am glad he did not lie. You will bring more credits on the auction block. Many of the more selective guests like a female with a little spirit. They want to see how long it takes to break her,” the snarly voice replied.
Riley slowly sat up, putting a hand to her head to still the spinning. She glared at the creature. It was shorter than her, probably about five feet eight inches, if that. It was covered in gun-metal gray scales and had two red, beady eyes, no nose, and thin lips covering small, sharp teeth.
“Who the hell are you and what are you doing working with a scumbag like that dickless bug?” Riley asked. “Don’t you have anything better to do than kidnap innocent, defenseless females?”
Pud laughed. It was a shame he needed to deliver the pale female so quickly. The owner of the pleasure house wanted to test her out before he put her to work. It appeared the owner was bored and had become intrigued by the story behind this particular female. He rubbed the front of his pants wondering if he could chance having a sample before he delivered her.
“You make me hard, female,” Pud told her with a nasty grin. “I like that. It has been a while since a female has done that.”
Riley rose up enjoying the way the filthy creature took a step back when he realized she was taller than he was. “Don’t even think of it, you little squirt, I’ll rip your dick off and feed it to you before you even realized that little worm in your pants was gone,” she snapped out.
Pud’s beady eyes glowed in anger. “Shut your mouth, female. I can understand why Antrox 157 wanted to see you suffer. You have a big mouth on you.”
Riley grinned nastily at the creature. “All the more to bite your head off, you miserable little rodent. You just wait until Vox gets here. He’ll make you wish you had never been born.”
“Vox?” Pud asked taking another step back and turning pale. “Vox d’Rojah, the Sarafin King?” He asked hoarsely.
“That’s right, you steaming pile of cow paddy. I am MRS. Vox d’Rojah! You’ve messed with the wrong bitch this time!” Riley snapped back in triumph exaggerating a little about her new status.
It was only a matter of time before it became official. She was wearing Vox’s ring so as far as she was concerned it was practically a done deal. They were just waiting for Tina and Pearl to show up before having the official ceremony.
The beady eyed creature muttered a long string of curses as he turned and hurried down the corridor. She bet he was wishing he hadn’t taken on this assignment now. She was going to make sure he and that bug-eyed walking stick paid for hurting her guards and taking her.
“That’s right, you shitless piece of crab
poop! You’d better run but you’ll never be able to hide!” Riley yelled out behind him before giving a cackling laugh that would have made the Wicked Witch of the West shit her pants.
She was just thankful the slimy little bastard couldn’t see how badly her hands were shaking. “Vox, you better get your ass here soon. I am totally scared out of my mind, you adorable puddy cat.”
Chapter 24
“Give me a status report now!” Vox growled out as he strode onto the bridge of the Shifter.
“We have five targets we are pursuing. From the reports we have received so far from our tracking station, a transport left the ancient city traveling at a high rate of speed. It docked with a trader ship on the outer rim of the star system. Four transports separated from the trader and headed in different directions. Battle cruisers have been dispersed after those. We are following the trader’s ship,” Tor reported as he came to stand next to Vox.
“Conference room,” Vox growled out, feeling his stomach tighten.
Lodar and Tor followed Vox into the conference room located next to the bridge. As soon as the door closed, Vox turned and glared at his friends. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t get anything past the lump that had suddenly formed in it. He cleared his throat and tried again.
“What do you have on the attack in the market and about the ship’s identification?” He asked hoarsely.
“Tamia reported they saw an Antrox before the attack. She said Riley appeared to recognize him before the guards were shot,” Tor responded.
“One of the men is in critical condition. The other is stable,” Lodar added. “Neither one of the other females was injured. It appeared Riley was the target.”
“The trader ship is registered out of the Guambian star system. I have a feeling we will find out the documents have been forged. There were no identifying signals from the other four ships that departed from it. More than likely mercenaries who were hired to capture Riley. They typically use this type of method to escape. It is easier for them to escape and makes it difficult to catch more than one.”
“The question is – what do they want with her?” Lodar asked rubbing his hand down his face.
Vox’s face was frozen in rage as he remembered Antrox 157’s threat to sell Riley to the pleasure houses dotted throughout the star systems. He should have made sure that slimy insect had been dead before he escaped the mining asteroid. He had hoped that the cold-blooded insect had blown up. He would not make that mistake again. The Antrox had signed his own death sentence by taking Riley.
“He plans to sell her to a pleasure house,” Vox said thickly.
“Gods!” Both Lodar and Tor exclaimed at the same time in horror.
Vox turned to look at them. “Get me to that damn ship. She had better be on it. I’m going to rip out the guts of any male who has touched her.”
Tor looked at his friend and leader with fire burning in his own eyes. “I’ll be there to help you, my friend,” he said before turning on his heel and striding back onto the bridge barking orders to the helmsman to give him everything the Shifter had.
Lodar walked over to where Vox was staring out into the darkness of space. He stood next to him for a few moments in silence, not sure what he could say to help his friend. His own mind was picturing Riley’s infectious smile, the delighted twinkle in her eye when she was causing mischief, and her lush figure that affected every male she met.
“I want you near when we find her,” Vox said quietly in a husky voice. “If …” his throat worked up and down. “If we do not get to her soon enough and …. and she has been harmed, I need you there to help heal her,” he finished thickly.
“Of course. You don’t even need to ask,” Lodar said placing his hand on Vox’s shoulder and squeezing it briefly in comfort. “You are not the only one who has fallen in love with her. She is a very special female.”
Vox didn’t respond. He simply stood ridged, staring out into space. He knew the moment Lodar left. That was the moment the tears he had been holding back broke free and his shoulders began to shake. Never in his life had he cried. Not when he watched men he considered his friends fall during the war, not when he was tortured - never - but the idea of his beautiful, delicate mate suffering the assault of another male was too much for him. He cried silent tears of rage, hurt, and fear before he ran the sleeve of his shirt over his eyes. He felt the chill of ice as it coursed through his blood. He would kill any and everyone involved in hurting his mate. The Gods would have no mercy for them.
*.*.*
“Sir, the last of the four transports has been searched. Lady Riley is not aboard it. That leaves the trader’s ship. We are almost within range,” the helmsman informed Vox who stood rigid on the bridge.
“Hail the trader’s ship. Tell him to prepare for boarding,” Vox instructed in an emotionless voice.
Information about the trader had come from Adalard. His warship had intercepted one of the transports. After interrogating the Merc on board, he had been informed the trader’s name was Pud. Adalard had forward the translated information the Merc had on the trader to Vox. It had not taken long for the Curizan to decipher the files. Mercenaries were renowned for having information on those they did business with in case they needed something to blackmail them with later on.
The information had almost driven Vox crazy. The trader was a known sex slave trader, stealing and sampling the females before he delivered them. The females were always physically alive when he delivered them but their mental state was questionable. The information gave graphic detail about his sexual preferences. He knew his cub would not survive an assault by the trader. That was the first thing that came to his mind. The trader liked to use tools on the females to clean them out first before he sampled them – repeatedly. Lodar and Tor had reviewed the information as well, becoming quieter the more they read. Lodar excused himself shortly after the report was finished so he could prepare a bag with the items he would need to help Riley.
Vox straightened and clenched his fists tightly when the beady-eyed creature answered the Shifter’s hail. “This is Captain Pud Rasp. State your business.”
“Prepare to be boarded,” Vox said stiffly.
“Why are you boarding me? I am not in the Sarafin star system. You have no call to board my vessel. I am a legitimate short-haul freighter,” Pud said nervously.
“We are boarding you. Don’t try to stop us,” Vox said with a wave of his hand to cut the transmission. “Prepare the fighters. Take out his engines. I don’t want to take a chance he has modified them. If he has any weapons, take them out as well but do not breach the hull. We do not know where he may have hidden Lady Riley.”
“Raghu, you have the bridge. Do not let that bastard out of your sight,” Vox ordered to the current first officer on duty.
“Yes sir,” Raghu responded taking over command.
“Let’s go get my mate,” Vox bit out to Lodar and Tor.
*.*.*
Riley worked the cover off the control panel with the Leatherman she had in her purse. She flipped it around until it had the pliers showing after she tossed the cover onto the bed. She was not about to sit around waiting to be rescued. Hell, she thought, cold, dank, and ugly might decide to test her theory about ripping his dick off. The thought of touching him was enough to make her want to vomit.
“That is so not going to happen,” she muttered as she studied the wires.
With a shrug, she snipped the red wires crying out in startled pain when she cut the back of her hand on a sharp edge of the panel when she jumped at the sparks flying out at her. She cursed and reached over to wipe the blood off on the cover of the bed before pulling a bandage out of her purse and covering the cut. When she was done, she quickly snipped the rest of the wires being more careful as the sparks flew. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally heard the click of the door.
“At last,” she sighed impatiently. “Now, to do the amazing disappearing act. And they thought Houdini was t
he only one who could do it,” she giggled. “And now ladies and gentlemen, the amazing Riley St. Claire-d’Rojah performing her ‘I’m-getting-the-fuck-out-of-here’ act!” She said with a flourish of waves and smiles for her non-existent audience.
She slipped out the door and moved rapidly down the corridor. She would hide on a different level. She decided that to drive the space ship you probably went up so she would go down. After all, someone had to drive the damn thing, didn’t they? She reasoned. So, as long as monster man was up top she wanted to make sure she was as far away from him as possible.
She quickly slipped down the ladder between levels and kept going. She wound up one corridor and down another. After half an hour she decided she was so lost that she wouldn’t even be able to find herself. That must give her some advantage. She trotted down another corridor, skidding to a stop when she realized she was in some type of cargo area. There were huge crates everywhere. She looked up at one group and decided if she could get to the top of it, she could lay down and no one would be able to find her. She bit her lip before an excited grin crossed her face and she shifted.
In her four-legged form, jumping from crate to crate was easy. She was also warmer with the fur coat she was wearing. She turned in a circle several times before she laid down on the top container, exhausted. She opened her mouth in a huge, sharp-tooth yawn and settled her head down on her front paws.
Nap-thirty, she thought drowsily. Escaping and getting lost is hard work.
She rubbed the side of her mouth against her paw as her mind began to cloud over with sleep. She would just wait here quietly until Vox came. It shouldn’t take him long and she would be much more of a help once she was rested.
Baby makes us sleepy too, her cat yawned before the exhaustion they were feeling overwhelmed them both.
*.*.*
Vox stood frozen in frustration. The damn trader had released some type of fragrance bomb into the ventilation system. The entire ship smelled of oil and sweat. The two smells covered any scent he would have had of Riley. On top of that, the slimy bastard had rubbed the same stuff all over his clothing.