Captured & Seduced (5 page)

“I like the way you think.”

Camryn gave a gasp of mortified horror, her face flaming. “Get out of my head.”

“I—”

The wail of sirens brought a curse. Ry scooped her up like a troublesome parcel and dumped her on a chair. She’d scarcely settled her butt on it when Mogens leaned over and buckled her into a harness. He sat beside her and strapped in, his body tense while he surveyed the blackness outside the ship.

“What is it?” Camryn finally gathered the courage to ask, alarm swooping through her belly when the ship suddenly dropped. Her stomach followed, feeling as if it’d landed on the floor at her feet. “What’s happening?”

“Pirates,” Mogens said tersely, his attention on the porthole and instruments.

Pirates?
Camryn craned her neck, watching the fast-approaching black ship with acute trepidation.

A violent explosion seared her retinas. Their ship tilted. A second explosion tossed the ship in the other direction, forces throwing Camryn against her harness. A squeak squeezed past tight lips. She glared at Ry, casting blame. His fault. All of it.

Hell, she was gonna die.

“Another black ship at Nor-nor-west,” the man at the controls said in a tense voice.

“I see him. Three total.” The captain sat totally at ease.

Why weren’t they firing back?

“Looks like Banio colors,” the warrior said, her blue eyes narrowed to angry slits. “How the hell did they know we were in this part of the universe?”

“Get ready to fire,” the captain said.

“Ready to fire,” the pilot answered.

“Ready to fire,” the warrior confirmed.

Camryn grasped the edge of her seat with a white-knuckle grip. Scared rigid, she closed her eyes to shut out the ships firing on them and almost immediately opened them again. A harsh sob jammed halfway up her throat.

“Fire.” Cat Man—Ry—finally gave the order.

The ship bucked. Camryn’s stomach dive-bombed south again. Yesterday she’d have welcomed a reunion with Gabriel. Now, in the face of death, she learned she wanted to live.

Flashes of light detonated across the black depths of space. Had they hit the other ships? Blind from the bright flares, Camryn couldn’t see. A ship returned fire. Their pilot attempted evasive action but wasn’t quite quick enough. The ship tilted at an acute angle. Shook wildly. Alarms screeched. One of the aliens cursed.

“Fire in the hold,” Ry shouted. “Nanu and Kaya to the hold.” Two of the crew unbuckled and leapt to their feet.

“Come in,
Indefatigable
,” a mocking voice transmitted. “We have you, Monsieur Coppersmith. Surrender so we can claim the
très bien
bounty on your pretty head, no?”

“Fukk you, Banio. Fire!” Ry took over Warrior Woman’s gun.

Simultaneous shots rang out. A ship exploded in a fireball. Scant seconds later something clipped their ship, sending it into rapid rolls. The other crewwoman flew from her seat, belting into a fixed chair with a sickening crunch. She moaned.

Ry fired his gun again. “Yep, hold steady. Mogens sitrep on Jannike.”

Mogens unfastened his harness, grabbed his satchel and scrambled across the bridge to the woman.

“Camryn, man the gun,” Ry ordered.

“Me?”

“There’s no one else. When I say fire, push the black button.”

Camryn fumbled with the harness release. She teetered across the bridge with gangly foal steps.

“Buckle the harness.”

Another order. Damn, she didn’t want to die. Shaky fingers clicked the harness into place. When she stole a glance at Ry, his green eyes held approval. Calm confidence.

“Ready?”

Camryn licked her lips and nodded, the ball of nerves inside her stomach huge and bigger than any pre-race nerves. This couldn’t be any worse than killing aliens on a computer game. Surely? “Yes,” she said hoarsely. “Black button. Push on command.”

“Line her up, Yep. They’ll expect us to go for the stricken ship. Target the other first. Bloody mercenaries.” Ry glared out the porthole. “On three, Camryn.”

Camryn gave her palms a furtive wipe across her trouser legs. She swallowed, wished for a shot of whiskey. Her knees quaked and she felt strangely disembodied. Just a game, she told herself. A silly kid’s game.

“One. Two. Three. Fire!”

Camryn’s sweaty finger slid across the black button, depressing it. The ship bucked, a metallic screech grating against her ears.

“A hit! Great shooting,” the pilot shouted.

“Once more,” Ry ordered.

The pilot lined them up. Ry shouted orders. Camryn fired. When she focused, after a huge explosion of bright light, not a single ship showed in the black vacuum outside.

“We got ’em, Captain,” the pilot shouted in jubilation. “They’ll think twice before they engage a frigate again. Long-range guns get them every time.”

“Don’t get too cocky. They managed to inflict some damage. Yep, keep an eye on things. Don’t engage autopilot until we’re sure we’ve lost the bad guys.”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Fire’s out,” Kaya said, thumping onto the bridge.

“No serious damage,” Nanu added, the beads on the end of his braids clacking together as he bounced up and down on his heels. “I’ll have it fixed in no time.”

The captain unbuckled and strode to Mogens. “How’s Jannike?”

“Alive.” Jannike sat up with a pained groan. “Damn, my head hurts.”

“She has a hard head, Captain,” Mogens said, rifling through his satchel and pulling out a jar of salve.

“Maybe next time she’ll strap in properly,” Ry said. “Then her head won’t suffer. Set course to Ornum, Yep.”

“Aye, Captain.”

Camryn couldn’t stop shaking. This was more excitement than she wanted, and they’d just started.

* * * * *

Ornum, Penal Colony.

“This is the planet Ornum.” Ry took Camryn’s arm in a possessive manner. He noticed the smirks from his crew and knew he’d hear about it later. Not that it was any of their fraggin’ business. “Stay close. This is a convict planet and new arrivals are easy pickings.” Ry stared at Camryn, trying to impress the need for caution. Part of his mind railed at his stupidity in keeping her with them while the feline wanted petting. He scowled, taking no pleasure in the slight widening of her eyes or the nervous tic pulsing on her smooth jawline. He forced away the tender feelings and concentrated on their real purpose.

A feral smile curled across his lips, replacing his frown. Judgment day neared. Talor would rue the day he’d posted a bounty on him. Almost time to settle the score, and meantime he’d kick his brother’s butt and discover why he’d entered a common race on a convict planet, a hot humid place with no luxuries and little society. Talor had an angle. All Ry needed to do was find it.

“I thought Mogens said you had a price on your head. Aren’t you in danger here?” Camryn asked, tucking her shaking hand out of his sight. “What about the bounty?”

“I’m wanted on Ibrox. You won’t be in danger here, not when the authorities are more interested in the planets willing to pay incarceration fees to house their prisoners.” He offered her a cocky grin. “I suppose someone from Ibrox could capture me, take me back to claim the bounty. Haven’t had a problem so far. It’s been safe enough to use my own name in business dealings. Besides, I’m not the only man here who’s on the run. Trust me, you’re safe.” His brow puckered when he witnessed the way her limbs twitched and shuddered. When he’d asked Mogens about her shakes, the seer had told him alcohol addiction caused the problem. It would pass. Ry hoped so. They needed her fit to train their hell-horse.

“And if that changes? We’re together now.”

Ry bit back an appreciative snort. Clever woman. “We’ll protect you.”

He strode along the uneven dirt road, keeping a watchful eye on Camryn and passersby. The main business center reminded him of a border town. The buildings consisted of scrap and cheap prefabricated material shipped in from other planets. Slapped together and patched in places, they weren’t pretty but did the job as shelter against the elements. Clouds of black fog screened the view beyond the town, the rays of the hot sun barely piercing the dark blanket. The pungent scent of chemicals filled the air, a byproduct of the ore manufacturing plant, the planet’s main source of income. The humidity sent a bead of sweat trickling down his chest.

As they neared a marketplace, the crowd thickened. Beggars scuttled around the fringe, stall holders scrutinizing them with disfavor while shouting about their wares. Flags and banners unfurled in the fickle wind. They announced that the governor of the planet Laurans Swithin was the sponsor of the upcoming race.

“Where do we pay our entrance fee?” Jannike asked. Like him, the tall blonde constantly surveyed the crush of people around them, searching for signs of trouble.

“At Manx manor,” Mogens said. “The administrator is taking registrations.”

Five mins later they reached the better part of town. Fewer people loitered on the streets. Those who did were part of work parties and under the control of marines. The rattle of chains and shuffling gangs of convicts were a common sight.

“There’s the manor over there,” Jannike said, pausing to make way for a weird six-legged animal pulling a cart.

“It doesn’t look like a manor,” Yep said with clear doubt when they stopped to study the squat, dirty-gray building. Different species were here to try their luck. A cacophony of clicks, groans and grunts filled the air as hopeful entrants shouted over each other and attempted to enter the building to plunk down their entry fee.

“Looks like the contest is popular,” Jannike added. “Are they limiting entries?”

“No, but we just made it back in time. Entries close tomorrow at dusk.” Ry studied the milling men. Some he knew while others he knew by reputation. He couldn’t see his brother or any of his staff, but they’d probably completed formalities already. “I’ll take care of the entry fee. Why don’t you take some personal time? Meet back at the ship at sundown.”

“What about the girl?” Jannike asked.

Ry glanced at the wide-eyed Camryn. Easy picking for any rogue, and none of his crew wanted to baby-sit. “She can stay with me.” The sooner they captured their hell-horse and trained it, the quicker they could return the Earthling to her home. Ry ignored the tiny voice of protest. Number two on his list—a willing woman or two. He’d go out later tonight and leave Camryn safe on the ship.

The crew rushed off, leaving them alone. The jostling of the crowd shoved Camryn against his chest, inciting a riot of lust inside him. He breathed shallowly, groping for restraint, mentally slapping his feline into submission.

A team of Red Mumber guards exited the building, pushing the eager entrants into a formal line, using brute force. Weapons gleamed from holsters at their hips, and they brandished silver blades, their red-toned faces bearing a touch of cruelty.

Ry sighed in frustration. “Looks like this might take a while.”

“When we’ve finished here, could we see the hell-horses?”

Not a bad idea. Although Camryn’s expression didn’t change, she shook violently as if she had palsy. Ry noticed the beings around them stood back, suspecting her of harboring disease. Mogens had assured him the woman was strong enough to train a hell-horse. He hoped so since discussions of the beast’s ferociousness fueled conversation at the spaceport and in the city. According to rumor, the hell-horses had killed several contestants already.

“What’s the prize?” Camryn whispered.

“Money and the hand of the governor’s daughter in marriage.”

Her brown eyes widened in astonishment. “You want to marry the governor’s daughter?”

Hell no. Life on the run was no picnic. He’d never subject a wife to that. “I have a private bet with my brother. All the rest is unimportant.”

“What—?”

“Shush,” Ry interrupted. “We’re drawing attention.”

Camryn gasped when a Red Mumber snarled in her direction. To Ry’s relief, she stopped her questions.

Finally they reached the front of the line and paid their currency to the gray-haired administrator who sat behind a bulky desk. The man scrawled on his parchment, his quill scratching loudly.

“Entry fee is one thousand quid.” He peered at them, picking up a quizzing glass to study Camryn. “Is she healthy? The ruler is seeking women for his harem. This woman would be to his taste. Give you two thousand quid for her.”

“No.” Black fury gripped Ry, tightening every muscle in his body. His jaw set hard and he glared at the administrator for his audacity. “She is not for sale.” His tone should have ended the matter, but the administrator smiled with smug confidence.

He lifted his quizzing glass to survey Camryn again. “Five thousand quid. That’s my final offer.”

“My woman is not for sale.” Ry gripped Camryn’s forearm, willing her to remain silent.

“Very well.” The administrator didn’t sound happy, and Ry knew he’d have to guard Camryn well. The administrator’s offer was as good as a price on her head to any being who’d eavesdropped. He stared a challenge at the Red Mumber waiting behind the administrator until the guard shifted his attention to his sandaled feet.

They completed formalities, were told the areas they could hunt for their hell-horse, accepted their entry number and a copy of the rule book before leaving. “We’d better return to the ship.” Ry didn’t release her arm, dragging her from the manor and down the road in the direction of the spaceport.

“I thought we were going to see the hell-horses.”

“New plan.” Ry stopped abruptly with his back to the nearest building and scanned for trouble. Sensing the Earthling’s streak of obstinacy, Ry explained. “A lot of people overheard the administrator make an offer for you, which makes you a liability.” A bigger problem than she was already.

“It wasn’t my fault.” Camryn scowled when she took his meaning. “You mean they’d force me into captivity, to be at a man’s whim because of my looks?”

“Yes.”
But not if he had his way
. Ry propelled her along the rutted road.

“Don’t walk so fast. I can’t keep up.”

Ry glanced over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of a Red Mumber—the same one who’d stood with the administrator. The back of his neck itched in warning, especially when he caught sight of a second Red Mumber, the muscular beings contrasting with the dingy gray buildings. Damn.