Living among the Stars (Sky Riders #2) (19 page)

              Chills ran up and down her spine as Zol’tsa’s breath tickled the inside of her ear. She was in a world of trouble and Kharis was nowhere near her in order to rescue her.

             
Parath! Help! Help me!
She screamed out in her mind for her beloved dragon. How stupid she had been not to call for Parath when her captors had first discovered her last night. This could prove to be the biggest mistake she has ever made. Parath was going to be furious with her and not to mention Kharis!

             
What is Kelly? Are you alright? I was not able to hear you last night. The ship must have gone off course!
Parath’s voice was filled with dread.

             
It’s Zol’tsa! He’s here!

              What?
Parath roared in her head.

             
I…I was caught last night, Parath, and have been sold. He…he bought! Oh God, Parath! What am I going to do?
Her fear ebbed up into her throat rendering speechless. She stared forward as her new “owner” looked over his merchandise, but she could feel every little movement of his eyes as they roamed of her nearly naked body.

              “Yes, you are going to be a beautiful addition to my collection.”

              She could hear him talking as she continued to communicate with her dragon.

             
I told you not to leave your hiding spot! You didn’t listen! Your mate is going to be furious with you! If I were your mate, I would put you over my knee and give you a gigantic spanking when I found you!
Parath threatened her.

             
Oh, shut up, dragon and help me! We are about to leave this place and I don’t know where we are going!
Kelly mumbled in her head.

              I am on my way to inform your mate of your new situation. This is not good, no it isn’t! I will not let you out of my sight again once we get you back!

              “Let’s get moving, shall we?” Zol’tsa said as she clasped his cold fingers around her bare upper arm.

              He guided her out of the building and into the bright sunlight of the early day. She had to trot alongside him as he dragged her down the street with an apparent destination in mind. He didn’t pay much attention to her or to her state of appearance as they forged through the growing crowd in the street. She could tell they were nearing the edge of town and grew extremely anxious. The man must have a ship or a shuttle nearby in order to get off the moon in a hurry. Her other captors had their ship parked on the landing pad with a lot of other ships, Zol’tsa obviously had special privileges.

              “Come on, move it!” He jerked her again causing her to stumble.

              She regained her footing and tried to jerk back from her rough treatment. “Look Buddy! If you haven’t noticed, I don’t have any shoes on, so it’s a bit difficult to walk on the stones!”

              Zol’tsa, shocked by her outcry, glanced down to her bare, finally noticing they were indeed bare. To her utter amazement, he nodded at her then restarted their trek to his ship, though this time a bit slower. Was there possibly a shred of decency in the man?

              Finally arriving at his ship, they entered the small vehicle and took a seat at the front. Kelly was surprised once again when he didn’t even bother to secure her to a chair, but rather left her to strap herself in. Without so much as a warning, the ship lifted off the ground scattering dust and dirt in their wake. It didn’t take long for the ship to reach its destination since the largest ship in orbit around the small moon loomed in their path.

              With practiced ease, Zol’tsa steered the ship into the open bay doors and set it down gently in the middle of an empty space.

             
Parath, we are on board Zol’tsa’s ship
, she informed her dragon. She wasn’t about to lose contact again with Parath and Kharis.

             
Kharis wants to know what the moon looks like now that you are off it again.

              I didn’t get that good of a look at it, but it’s mostly blue with a few patches of purple scattered over it. Looks like storm clouds or something. It’s also orbiting a vast, a very orange planet. Pretty ugly looking if you ask me. That’s all I know. We just landed inside his ship, so I can’t see anything else.
Kelly gnawed on her bottom lip anxiously as she waited for Zol’tsa’s instructions.

             
Good enough! We are not far from there. About six solar hours behind you. Kharis has the ship at max speed, so we should be able to catch up to you soon. Just stay out of trouble! We have a pretty good idea where he is headed now, so just behave.

              Please hurry,
she begged.

              “Well, what are you waiting for?” Her owner stood over her glaring down at her.

              “I was waiting for your order, sir!” Her comment was dripping with sarcasm that he evidently caught on to. 

              “If you are waiting for orders then I will be happy to oblige. Get. Your. Ass. Off. This. Ship. Now.” Each word was clearly enunciated and left her with no mistake in assuming the threat behind the words.

              She unstrapped and off the ship before she even realized it. Once she was in the grips of the new leader, he guided her out of the docking bay and down a long, narrow corridor. They came across several humans, which shocked the hell out of her, as they stormed through the crowded hall. Several sets of eyes watched her as she was lead to her unknown destination. What the hell were humans doing onboard this ship? And walking around freely at that!

              “Why are there humans here? Did you buy them too?” she wanted answers but was unsure if she would get any.

              “That, my dear, is one of the great things about your Earth. So many people are willing to leave it to seek a new life, even if it is an uncertain one. There are those who didn’t choose to come with me, but were forced instead.”

              “You mean you kidnapped them too? How very thoughtful,” she commented.

              They turned a corner and started down a much brighter corridor that had a small white pipe running along the roof. This knowledge might come in handy if Kharis somehow succeeded in boarding the enemy’s ship to rescue her.

              “No, there was no need to kidnap anyone,” he paused then corrected himself, “I take that back. There is one person who didn’t come of her own free will, but I am happy to say, she is now content with being on board.”

              “You are a bastard, you know that?” The man disgusted her and if she had her way, she would lock him up and throw away the key.

              “I’ve been called that before, but I assure you, I know who my parents are.” He shrugged his shoulders. “As for the others, your prison system on Earth was so overwhelmed that I offered to ease their burden. Most of those who came from your prisons are happier about their new situations.”

              “What did you do? Take all the murder and rapists to start your own crime-filled world?” She had to physically stop herself from letting out a laugh. It was an absurd idea to take hardened criminals and try to turn them into law-bidding citizens.

              “No, not all are that extreme. Those that are will be fitted with monitoring devices. I will not tolerate any disobedience, especially from a human. That includes you!”

              They stopped in front of a solid black door. Zol’tsa pressed his hand to a pad which allowed the door to slide open. Stepping into a new room, Kelly’s heart started to pound uncontrollably.

              Prison cells, double stacked, lined the two walls of the impossibly long room. At the start of the cells, a large, round, circular desk sat facing the cells and central door. Four guards sat behind a desk but stood to attention when Zol’tsa entered their domain.

              “My lord!” All four men said in unison.

              “I have a new prisoner for you,” he replied dryly as he tugged her forward. “See that she is given a comfortable bench to sleep on.” He was about to release her when he thought of something else to tell the guards. “Oh yes, and see that she is showered and given a new set of clothing. I can’t have her causing trouble with the other prisoners who haven’t accepted their new lives yet. Plus, she stinks!”

              “You are an ass!” she snapped then quickly regretted it when Zol’tsa back slapped her across the mouth.

              “Now, now. Such a lovely mouth, I can’t have those kind of words coming out of it in front of my men!” He had pulled her arm one last time before he released her into the grip of the awaiting guard. “I will be back later to check on my new citizen.”

              With that said, he turned on his heel and left her to the guards. She swallowed nervously as she eyed the guards who were watching her. The look in their dark eyes made her feel like a cheap piece of meat waiting to be thrown to the dogs.

              “Well, boys. Let’s get a move it. I would like to see my new room.” She motioned for the guard to lead her to her cell. Once she was showered and had on a fresh set of clothes, maybe she would be able to think a little more clearly and figure a way out. Hopefully, the guards might be ind enough to bring her some food too. She was going to pretend to be the ideal prisoner while secretly planning her escape. She needed to have some kind of a backup plan just in case Kharis didn’t reach her in time.

Chapter 19

              “The female is infuriating!”

              Kharis paced back and forth in his office while his youngest brother, Vulmar sat in a chair across from his desk. He had just received word from Parath that Kelly had been caught, yet again, and was now in the hands of his archenemy, Zol’tsa.

              “You need to reign her in once you have her back. You should have left her behind on Qetera with me and you would not be in this situation,” Vulmar said as he played with his knife their father had given him a young boy.

              Vulmar had caught up with the ship during the night and boarded his ship early this morning. His younger brother decided it would be best if he travelled with Kharis just in case he needed extra backup when the time came to get his mate back. It was going to be tricky now that she was in the hands of Zol’tsa, but nothing he couldn’t handle. The hardest damned part had been locating her. Thankfully, Parath now had a secured mind link with her which they were currently following. Parath reported to him each and every hour with a status report about Kelly and her whereabouts. Each new report came with the added knowledge that the pair’s mind link was growing stronger as his ship closed the distance between them and Zol’tsa’s ship.

              “When I get her back, I am going to tie her ass to my bed and never let her go! She thinks since she was a warrior, or whatever they call law enforcement on Earth, that she can go barging in and fix any situation! She doesn’t understand the danger that lurks out here in open space.” Kharis ran a hand over his tired face. He stopped at the window in his office to gaze out into the black pit of space. Tiny pinpoints of lights slipped by one after the other as his ship raced towards Napra. So many things out here could take his mate way from him in a heartbeat. He was wrong in letting her accompany him on this mission, but he would never make that mistake again.

              Vulmar chuckled under his breath as he listened to his brother rant. “I could have told you something like this was going to happen. Going out on a mission is no place for one’s mate. Too much of a distraction,” he mumbled.

              “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I fucked up, but what do you know about a mate being a distraction? You can’t even get yours to mate with you.” It was a cruel jab at his brother and he immediately felt sorry.

              Vulmar lifted his big eyes to glare at Kharis. “I might not have Hunter as my mate yet, but I will. As for her being a distraction, she drives me insane with her stubborn-ass self. Doesn’t listen to anything I say. I caught her the other night sitting alone out in the field. She blew up at me when I told her she was not allowed to go outside without an escort.” Vulmar shook his head at the memory. “Right after she cursed me out, she used some kind of a gesture that I guarantee didn’t say ‘I love you.'” He still wanted to ask Hunter about the gesture. It was peculiar to him since no one had ever stuck up their middle finger towards him before. If he hadn’t been so angry with her, he might have laughed at the situation.

              “I promise you brother, when I have my hands on her again, she is never leaving Qetera again. I am going to get her with child time and time again so that she doesn’t have the time to think about playing warrior anymore!

              Just the thought of Kelly’s luscious, firm body pressed against his had his cock hardening. It had only been a few days since he last felt the warmth of her pussy wrapped around his cock, but it seemed a lifetime ago. He had plans on making love to her so much that she would be exhausted. The pain of losing his mate was inconceivable to him and Kelly’s disappearance proved to him how much he truly loved her. Half of him was missing right now. He felt like half a man without her by his side. He didn’t like sleeping alone in the big bed back in his quarters. Everytime he thought about Kelly, he was amazed at how quickly the bond between had grown. It was as if he hadn’t truly lived until he joined with her and there might be the slim chance of never getting her back.

              “Kharis!” Vulmar shouted.

              He turned away from the window to face his brother. “What?”

              “Are you going to answer that or do I need to get up and answer it?” Vulmar indicated with a brush of his eyes towards the beeping red light.

              Kharis suddenly realized he had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard the intercom beeping. He slapped the red button with the palm of his hand and shouted into it, “What is it?”

              “Sir, we are about two hours away from Napra. What would you have me do when we arrive?” the voice on the other end asked.

              “This is it! Let’s make it count,” Vulmar cheered.

              Kharis bowed his head in thought for a moment then spoke into the intercom again. “Prepare all the fighters for takeoff. As soon as we are in view of Zol’tsa’s ship open up a communications line with him.”

              “Yes, sir Commander!”

              Vulmar stood up to his full height and stretched. “What are your plans? I will have my men ready to join you.”

              “First, I am going to try to speak to the bastard, which I doubt will help. If he refuses to let Kelly go, I will fight him to the very death. I will destroy his ship and everyone on it.” Kharis was going into battle mode now. He could feel the adrenaline seeping into his veins, giving him the added strength he would need to see this through.

              “I am with you every step of the way, brother. Now, let’s go get your mate!” Vulmar slapped his brother on the back.

              The pair left Kharis’ office and waited for the moment when he would see Kelly’s captor face to face on the viewing screen.

******

              Kelly paced back and forth in her tiny eight by ten cell. She had to admit it was a lot better than some of the prison cells back on Earth. A metal bench served as her chair and bed. A commode was stored in the wall and was accessible by a quick push of the yellow button on the side of a small sink. To her surprise, the cell door wasn’t comprised of steel bars, but rather, a score of laser beams shot out of the doorframe making crisscross patterns. She made the mistake of touching the beams when she was first shoved into her new home and was now nursing a burnt fingertip.

              So far, her time in prison had consisted of a shower, a change of clothes, and a meager meal of unknown origins. The rest of her time had been spent pacing the cell of sitting on her bench. Zol’tsa hadn’t returned as promised, but she had a feeling he would be along soon.

              Gazing out of her cell, she could see several of the other cells directly across from her. All were filled with human men of varying size and races. One man was so large he was only able to take one step across his cell before he had to turn around and step back. Every now and then, the giant of a man would glance her way but never uttered a word. 

              The man one cell over was an entirely different matter. He stood in front of the laser beam door and glared at her. He looked as if he was in a trance or something which gave her the creeps. The expression on the man’s face told her nothing about his intentions if he ever got the chance to get his hands on her. Periodically, she would stand in front of her own door and stare back until she felt she got her point across to the annoying man. She wasn’t going to be intimidated by him or anyone else.

              She just returned to her bench when she heard the clattered of boots on the metal floor of the cell block. The seconds ticked by until finally a guard stopped in front of her, placed his hand on the unseen lock panel then stepped inside her cell.

              “The Commander wished to see you on the bridge,” the guard said.

              She was a bit nervous to find out what the man wanted, but she wasn’t about to refuse to go. Trying to appear calm, she slid off the bench then walked out her cell. Another guard stood off to the side as she and the guard walked by only to fall into place behind her.

              The trio walked silently to corridor then waited patiently for the lift that would take them to the bridge. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears as she stood stock still in the lift as raced upwards. As soon as it stopped, the doors slid open to reveal another short passage. Twenty paces forward had them inside the bridge which was busy with activity. A large screen faced her as she neared the spot where Zol’tsa stood talking to the screen. Her knees nearly buckled out from under her when she realized who exactly her captor was talking to.

              “Kharis,” she screamed as she pushed past the guard.

              She was quickly restrained by both guards who held her tightly by her upper arms. Desperately, she struggled to gain her freedom only to be rewarded with a whack across the back of her knees. A loud, commanding voice echoed throughout the bridge after she cried out in pain.

              “Zol’tsa, you bastard! I will kill you for harming my mate!” Kharis appeared as if he was about to come through the screen.

              Kelly recovered enough to drag in a ragged breath to help ease the pain in her legs. She hung almost limply in the grasps of the guards, but she was slowly regaining her composure.

              “I had nothing to do with that and you know it! My guard will be discipline for his actions,” Zol’tsa spoke directly to the guard in question. “I did not give you an order to harm a human. You were ordered to bring her here, nothing more.”

              “Yes Commander,” the guard who hit her responded.

             
Good, he’ll get his payback for hitting me
, she thought to herself. For the time being, all she wanted to do was look at Kharis. It seemed like a lifetime ago she last saw him and she desperately missed him.

              Zol’tsa turned his attention back to the screen at hand. Kelly’s eyes were wide open and filled with unshed tears as she looked upon the man she so desperately loved.

              “Now, that that’s settled, want do you want? I have another business to attend to.”

              Kelly could see the anger growing in Kharis’ as his face turned redder and redder with each passing moment.

              “Don’t be a fool, you know exactly what I want and if I don’t get it, I will take it by force.” Kharis stepped closer to the screen.

              Zol’tsa chuckled before her responded to her mate’s threat. “I welcome the challenge. I purchased her fair and square, so she is my property. Even you should know that the Galactic council allows the selling of slaves.”

              “Yes, I know that, but they do not sanction the sale of individuals taken against their will.”

              “How would I know if your ex-mate was not a willing participate? Umm? She was up on the trader’s block and purchased for a very hefty sum. The trader had the obligation to make sure it was a legitimate sale. I have no intentions of giving up the merchandise I paid for,” Zol’tsa replied.

              “You will turn over my mate or pay the price. She is not your property! She is mine!”

              The screen she was staring at suddenly became filled with Kharis’ enraged face. She watched as his temple throbbed as he clenched and unclenched his teeth in an attempt to control the anger that was quickly taking him over.

              “Kharis?” she uttered as she choked back a sob. She waited for him to turn his eyes on her before she spoke again. “It’s…it’s going to be alright. He has not harmed me anyway so far, other than the guard. I am strong, I can get through this.” She was trying to tell Kharis goodbye in a gentle manner. What else was she supposed to do at this point? She didn’t want innocent people dying on her behalf because of the situation she, unfortunately, found herself in. She also wasn’t about to let Kharis sacrifice himself to save her when he had so much to live for. He had a city to rule and watch over as well as the rest of his family. He could move on and find someone else eventually.