“You’re very good at that,” Wanda murmured one evening after the lights dimmed and the children had fallen asleep.
“My grandmother used to tell me stories.” The other woman’s voice was unusually soft in the quiet cell.
“Is she… I mean, will she be worried?”
“No. I didn’t leave anyone behind.” Alicia turned her back, her voice cold once more.
After they had been on the ship for about a week, the glass wall opened again and a fifth person was thrust inside. Obviously of the same race as their captors, she was female and heavily pregnant at that.
“Perhaps this will teach you to obey,” hissed the male who pushed her into the cell. “You need to remember that you’re no better than they are.”
The female sobbed as she collapsed onto the last empty bunk. Alicia and Wanda exchanged a look, but the older woman only shrugged and raised an eyebrow. Obviously it would be up to Wanda to make the first advance.
Cautiously, she went and sat down next to the newcomer. “Hi. My name is Wanda. What’s your name?”
The female gave her a shocked look. Wanda realized she was quite young, her features softer than the other aliens.
“You wish to speak to me?” Her voice was almost too soft to hear.
“Well, yes. We’re all in this cell together.”
“But I’m Vedeckian. I’m one of the ones who took you.”
“Are you responsible for the abductions?”
“No, but my—the captain is responsible.”
“But that’s not your fault. What’s your name?”
“I’m Kareena.” The other female managed a shy smile.
“When is your baby due?”
“Perhaps another month.” More tears filled Kareena’s eyes. “And then I’m going to lose her.”
Kareena explained that children were a valuable commodity because of a plague called the Red Death that had swept through their civilization some years earlier. She had thought she would be allowed to keep her child, but when she had protested the treatment of the humans, the captain had made it clear that he had every intention of treating her the same way.
She didn’t know if he would have left her with them until after the baby was born, but another week later, alarms started flashing outside their cell. Davy started to rock and protest, and Darla had to carry him when two guards appeared at the cell door and ordered them out. The Vedeckians marched them along a white corridor, through a cargo bay, and into a lifeboat.
It all happened so fast that Wanda hadn’t even had a chance to protest or attempt to ask questions before the door was being slammed behind her. Kareena urged them all into the padded seats against the walls. She had just shown them how to fasten their harnesses when the lifeboat was jettisoned, tumbling out into space in a dizzying rush. When it finally stopped tumbling and the artificial gravity kicked in, the only thing they could see through the small portholes was empty space.
Unlike the larger ship, there were no periods of darkness to mark the days, and time had drifted by in a curious combination of boredom and terror. In many ways, it hadn’t been that different from being in their cell, but at least they didn’t have the constant threatening presence of the Vedeckians. The vessel had proven to be adequately stocked with food and water, and Kareena assured them that it would be emitting a beacon to notify any nearby ships.
And then Mganak had pulled them on to his ship and everything had changed again.
Chapter Three
After a short trip to the bridge to set their destination, Mganak stalked down the corridor. He needed a session in the training room. His muscles were tense both from the presence of strangers on his ship and from fighting an urge to return to Wanda.
Was he doing the right thing? He could have done as she requested and sent them on their way, although he would have tried to contact the Patrol to come and pick them up. But even as he considered the idea, he dismissed it once again. Aside from the strange attraction that he—and his tail—seemed to have for the human female, he couldn’t leave any of them alone and unprotected. He would take them to the nearest station at Ayuul and then they would be the responsibility of the Patrol. At least he knew they would be safe there, even though the idea of letting Wanda go already disturbed him.
As he passed the crew cabin, Sagat appeared in the doorway. The rajpar had long ago figured out how to operate the control panel next to the doors. Mganak peered through the door and saw that both children were asleep.
Good. It was probably for the best.
He closed the door and frowned at Sagat. “Are you ready to pay attention to me now?”
Sagat yawned, but then butted against Mganak’s thigh. He winced at the heavy impact of the big head. “You will have to be careful with the children. They are not strong enough for that.”
Sagat gave him an affronted look and stalked off, offended dignity in every line of his body. Mganak laughed and headed for the training room.
Half an hour later, he was dripping with sweat, his muscles aching. He had worked himself hard, but he obviously needed to put in more time in the training room. After he took a quick shower, he would see what kind of food he had on board that might be suitable for his visitors.
As he picked up his discarded uniform top, he heard a gasp and turned to find Wanda watching him, her eyes wide. A small pink tongue flicked out to trace those tantalizingly full lips as she studied him. His body responded as her gaze traveled across his chest and down the ridges of his abdomen to his suddenly fully engorged cock.
“Oh my,” she whispered and he watched in fascination as a tide of pink swept up across her cheeks. She yanked her gaze away. “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”
“I was finished. I was just going to take a shower… That is, if you do not mind me using the sanitary facility in your cabin.”
“No, no of course not. It’s really your cabin.”
“It is yours,” he said firmly as the vision of her sprawled across his bed danced through his head. Would it ever feel like his cabin again? “But the other facilities are in the guest cabin and the crew quarters and I did not want to wake the children.”
“I doubt Alicia would appreciate you coming through her cabin either.” She smiled and gave him a quick look, then murmured softly, “Or perhaps she would.”
Her obvious appreciation was doing nothing to quell his unruly cock, but he did his best to ignore it. Despite his good intentions, he didn’t pull his shirt back on. It would be foolish to get it dirty before he had a chance to take a shower, he told himself. The fact that she watched him so appreciatively had nothing to do with it.
“Were you looking for me?”
“Yes. I was wondering if I should bring some protein bars from the lifeboat.”
He gave an exaggerated shudder. “I think I can provide something more edible than those.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to take all of your supplies.”
His tail curled around her back as he led her gently out of the training room. “I’m on my way back from a successful sale. I restocked while I was there. I have plenty of food.”
She didn’t protest, and she didn’t move away from his tail just as she hadn’t moved away from him as they stood in his cabin looking at the stars. This close to her, her sweet floral scent filled his head. He wanted to pull her closer to find out what was concealed under that flowing garment, to see if she tasted as wonderful as she smelled.