Nothing on Earth (11 page)

“Grieg, what the fuck are you doing? We were told to guard the prisoner, not torture him.” The second man to enter the room glanced over at Alec with an annoyed look on his face and then turned his attention to his injured comrade. “Get back to your guard station before a supervisor comes in.” The man lifted Grieg to his feet, completely disregarding the other man’s obvious pain. It would seem that Alec wasn’t the only one to draw satisfaction from the well-aimed kick.

* * * *

“Permission to dock granted,” the voice said through the transport pod’s speakers. Within moments the main ship took over the controls of the small craft and guided it into the hangar bay.

“Okay, once we land I’m going to follow orders, transport you to the holding cell, and then check in with my men. I need to know where Tara and Alec are being held before we can put any rescue plan into action.”

“How do I know I can trust you?” John asked angrily. He didn’t like this situation one little bit. He only had Altan’s word that he could be trusted, and quite frankly after everything that had happened recently, any man’s word didn’t seem enough.

“You don’t know,” he said seriously. “But at this point you have no choice. Either you follow my plan, or you abandon Tara and Alec to their fates.” He shrugged. “Your choice.”

God, John wanted to smash something. How could the man be so damn calm? He was talking about smuggling two prisoners off a heavily fortified collector ship full of armed guards.

“How long will it take to find them?”

“John, I don’t know. Look, you trusted me enough to get on this transport, now trust me enough to get the job done.”

John nodded in resignation. The man was right. They were on a course of action, and he had little choice but to follow it now.

“Okay,” John said quietly.

He held his arms out so that Altan could secure the wrist restraints. “Now remember to stay calm. I’ve told them that I sedated you, so they are expecting you to be bound but compliant. Follow their orders like a sleepwalker.” John nodded his understanding just as they felt the air pressure valves release.

Within moments two heavily armed guards stepped into the cabin and grabbed his arms. He did as Altan had instructed and walked between them as if he were still asleep. His heart rate kicked into overdrive when the cell door slammed closed, but he took a deep breath and tried to convince himself he’d done the only thing he could to save his family.

* * * *

Tara
squirmed against her bonds. If she got any hotter, she felt like she’d burst into flames—spontaneous human combustion, alien style. All over she felt swollen, itchy, aching. She whimpered in need as her pussy contracted, fisting around nothing. Her clit throbbed. The little bud was so swollen and tender now that it had pushed passed the protective hood.

Tears flowed down the sides of her face as she moaned in agony. Now that she understood what John had been trying to save her from, her heart ached all the more for the man who’d given up everything to protect her.

The door slid open, and she heard two voices, one familiar and one new.

“Yes, Altan,” the familiar voice said, “we’ve prepared her as ordered. She’ll be ready for impregnation activities within a few hours.”

“Excellent. Prepare the viewing room. The Seniors wish to witness this one’s training. They’ve decided to make her an example of what happens when collectors fail to do their duty as ordered.”

Tara
tried to bite her lip to stop the whimper from escaping, but it was no use. The drugs overruled her brain, and she gasped as a callused hand slid gently up her leg and closer to her pussy. The fingers swirled in the juices that leaked onto her thighs as a masculine chuckle filled the room.

“Yes, this one is nearly ready. I look forward to watching her beg.”

Tara
wanted to growl, wanted to swear and rage at the man, but the only thing that left her throat was another soft whimper as the hand withdrew. She pressed her heels harder against the platform, straining to lift her pussy toward the withdrawing fingers even as she screamed hatred in her mind.

God help her. Death seemed preferable to this torture, but the moment the thought crossed her mind, she discarded it completely. Alec was here somewhere. John would come for them both.

She just prayed she’d be able to survive whatever Grieg had planned long enough for John to rescue them.

Chapter Thirteen

Alec sat of the floor, his arms lifted over his head as the tether pulled tight. His nose ached, his face felt puffy and swollen, and it was only possible to breathe through his mouth, but at least the bleeding had stopped.

He kept his head low as the door opened and several booted feet walked toward him. “Who did this?” an angry voice asked.

“Um…he…um,” a voice mumbled.

“Speak up,” the other voice commanded.

“Grieg did, sir.”

“Where is Grieg now?”

“In the infirmary, s…sir. The prisoner managed to kick him pretty hard in the um…after Grieg broke his nose.”

A quiet chuckle broke the tension. “Rather effective disciplinary action wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes, sir,” the younger voice said, sounding confused.

“Go inform Grieg that he will be removed from the allocation list immediately and suspended from duties until further notice. Send one of the medical technicians to heal this man’s injuries.”

“Yes, sir.” The young guard sounded relieved to be able to leave, and for just a small moment Alec felt sorry for him. He’d been the one to stop Grieg’s attack, so it proved that not all of the collectors were rabid animals like Grieg.

Alec tried to swallow the thick mucus clogging his mouth as he waited for the new person to speak. It felt like ages, but finally the man moved toward him, and a part of Alec wondered if he should brace for another blow. The man had certainly made sure he had no witnesses, and despite the man’s anger at what Grieg had done to him, Alec was not about to trust this stranger.

“Alec, do you know who I am?” Alec lifted his head, trying to make out the man’s features through his swollen eyelids. A callused hand touched the side of his face gently. “We met a few years ago at John’s graduation party. I’m Altan.” Alex nodded his head, not really sure that he did remember the man or not but willing to go along with anything if it would delay another beating. “I’m here with John to rescue you and Tara, but we need to get you medical attention before I risk blowing my cover.”

“John?” he mumbled, anxious to know what was going on.

“He’s safe. I’ve located
Tara
, and I’ll come back for you as soon as I can.” There was a noise in the hallway, and Altan stepped back quickly. Alec hung his head again his mind racing with possibilities. “Good. Heal this man’s injuries. I’ll be back to take him to the allocation ceremony shortly.”

Allocation ceremony? He could only be talking about
Tara
. The allocation ceremonies were usually held on the planet. The only reason he could think of to perform one on the ship was to teach everyone on board what happens to anyone who tries to circumvent their authority.

Shit! That meant
Tara
was already being pumped full of fertility drugs. His hands shook as he tried not to think about how frightened
Tara
would be right now. The technician healed his injuries without commenting on how hard Alec shook. Anger rolled through him as he tried to draw in deep breaths and waited for Altan to return. If he returned.

* * * *

The longer it took, the more anxious John became. If it had been possible, he would’ve paced his cell like a caged lion. He wanted to growl his frustration and was ready to do anything—bribe, beg, promise the world just to get the chance to save Tara and Alec.

The door slid open, and Altan and a uniformed guard stepped through. The guard hurried to undo the bindings holding John prisoner and then stepped back and let Altan talk. “This is Beiltar. He’s going to help you rescue
Tara
while I get Alec to a transport.”

John nodded. “What’s the plan?” he asked as he rubbed his aching wrists.

“The allocation ceremony is scheduled to start soon. You are supposed to be chained to the wall and forced to watch.” John’s blood ran cold at the same time anger pumped heat through his heart. They weren’t even going to transport her back to the planet before they began their abuse.

“Wait,” John said. “Does that mean they’ve already drugged her?”

Altan nodded grimly. “She is already in the final stages. We need to move quickly.”

Every muscle, every nerve ending pulsed with the need to rush in and save
Tara
, but he managed to rein in his emotions, barely.
Tara
needed him to act with a clear head. If he failed her now, there wouldn’t be another chance.

“Beiltar has been assigned to escort you to the viewing area. Fortunately, the path he needs to take passes where
Tara
is being held. You’ll probably have to overpower the guards, but between the two of you it should be fairly simple.”

John nodded his understanding as another thought occurred to him. “We need to grab some technology, too. I can build a portable field dampener, but I haven’t been able to find the materials on Earth. If we can’t hide
Tara
, they’ll just come for her again.”

Altan was already nodding his agreement before he’d even finished the thought. “I’ll detour via the weapons locker. We’re going to need them on the transport anyway, so I’ll grab some of the scanners as well. Do they contain the materials you need?”

“Yes,” John answered quietly as they stepped through the open doorway and went their separate ways.

* * * *

Tara
was beyond terrified. It was like her body no longer belonged to her, like she wasn’t the one controlling her limbs. She tried to scream when she heard the door slide open, but it sounded more like a moan to her ears.

She opened her eyes to find John standing beside her, trying to loosen the cuffs around her ankles. But she knew it wasn’t John. It couldn’t be. Her mind and the drugs were tricking her, showing her the thing she wanted most. No doubt the other man would look exactly like Alec. She didn’t even want to look. She knew what she was seeing wasn’t real, so why torture herself with the hope.

As soon as her legs were released she squeezed them closed, rubbing her slippery thighs together, trying to find relief to the overwhelming need that the drugs induced. In her head she vowed to fight them, promised herself that she would resist the need, but even as she thought the words, she knew it wasn’t true. The drugs had robbed her of her self-control, and she had no chance of following through on her anger.

“
Tara
.” John’s voice reached her ears, and she squeezed her eyes closed in anguish. Would every alien allocated to impregnate her appear as either John or Alec? Would she be forced to endure the drugs’ effects with men wearing her lovers’ faces?

“
Tara
, baby, please look at me.” She shook her head hard, surprised that she had even that much control. As soon as her arms were released, her hands went straight to her pussy, her fingers slipping over her aching clit, her fingers pressing into her dripping slit. She moaned at the relief and the agony and vowed retribution to all involved.

“No, baby. You’re going to hurt yourself.” Gentle hands gripped her wrists, and she tugged against the hold, trying to find relief, trying to find an end to the torment. “
Tara
, I’m going to take you home, baby. You just need to hold on a little longer.”

Such beautiful words. Every part of her wanted to believe that this really was John, but to give in the temptation to believe made her foolish. She gasped as she was gathered into strong arms and held against a muscled chest. Another man stepped closer, and between the two of them, they managed to wrap her in some type of material, effectively immobilizing her. She whimpered at the return to imprisonment, but some part of her also realized that she could do some serious damage by her own actions in this state of sexual frenzy.