Desire's Prisoner (Planet Desire Book 1) (2 page)

Celestine spun toward her then let the tail of her whip fall lax against the floor.

Evena spared a single glance at the bloodied guard, who slid down the wall, chest heaving, relief evident in her expression.

A throaty chuckle drew Evena’s attention back to the problem, and she narrowed her eyes.

Celestine was naked except for the tattoo of a crimson snake which undulated across her golden skin, emphasizing a figure that would inflame a monk—which was what Evena felt like these days. Celestine’s perfect white teeth flashed in a triumphant smile. “
Captain
, did I wake you?” she asked mockingly.

Evena ignored the woman’s taunt. Instead, she glanced over her shoulder at Mary. “While I keep her occupied, get the other two out of here.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And Mary? She doesn’t come out of here alive.”

Celestine’s lips thinned into a malevolent grimace, emphasized by the ominous hiss of her homemade whip slapping against the floor.

Evena cocked her head left then right, popping the vertebrae in her neck, before she said in a bored tone, “Okay Celestine, I’m asking you once, nicely, to get back into your uniform.”

“I hate to disappoint you, but I can’t possibly. My skin doesn’t breathe in that damn thing.” She smoothed a hand down her naked flank.

Evena gritted her teeth. Celestine sounded ready to refuse every reasonable offer. However, Evena’s office demanded she offer a peaceable settlement. “Well, I’ll make a deal with you,” she said in a tone that implied she didn’t think Celestine had the intellect to understand. “You put the uniform back on, and I won’t withhold your water rations.”

A frown darkened the stunning face of the psychopath. “You can’t do that. Who made you God?”

“The majority of the women aboard the New Attica elected me CB captain.”

“I don’t recognize your right to order me around. You’re no better than I am.”

Oh yeah? Who’s running this ship, and who’s stuck in an HS cage?
Evena’s pride kept the starch in her backbone and her retort behind her teeth. “The women have given me the right. I’m responsible for order aboard this ship. My first duty is to ensure that every prisoner abides by the recycling laws.”

“Here’s what I think of your rules.” Celestine swung her arm wide, jerking it back at the top of the arc to produce a lightning crack of her whip.

Evena dodged right, narrowly escaping the razor-sharp metal.

Celestine advanced, her face red with rage. “It’s not fair. Why do you get the run of the ship, while I’m locked in here?”

“Because you’re nuts, Celestine.” Evena forced herself to stand still, pretending unconcern for her opponent’s approach. The woman was unpredictable. While Evena was confident she could subdue her, and itched for an excuse to take her down, she’d die before she let Celestine know she held a healthy respect for brutality. “Our internal review board sentenced you to this block. I’m merely upholding their ruling.”

Celestine fisted her hands at her sides. “I’m going fucking insane here. I’m from Arturia. I’m not made to be without a partner.”

“You tried to take the face off your last lover, Celestine.”

“The bitch threatened to leave me,” Celestine screeched. “I was just helping her on her way.”

Suddenly, the whip snaked out, wrapping around the end of Evena’s club. Celestine jerked sharply.

The tug was meant to disarm Evena, but she’d anticipated the move and pulled back hard.

Celestine cried out and released the whip to avoid slicing open her hand. Before the whip even hit the floor, she leapt at Evena.

Evena took the force of the other woman’s charge and rolled with it, quickly pinning her to the ground. Grasping Celestine’s hands, she stretched her arms above her head and lowered her body to trap her opponent against the floor, careful to keep her face out of reach of the other woman’s sharp teeth.

Celestine shuddered beneath her, her expression morphing in a second from enraged to sultry. “Oooh, if I’d known you were that hard-up, I’d have issued another kind of invitation.”

Evena wiped all emotion from her face. “Shut up.”

“What’s the matter? Want some?” she asked with a roll of her belly.

The smell of the woman’s sweat was pungent, yet strangely enticing. Evena glowered, disgusted she’d even noticed. “I’d sooner fuck my nightstick.”

Celestine’s sultry pout grew surly, and she resumed bucking beneath Evena, nearly unseating her.

Evena shifted, clamping her forearm over Celestine’s and freeing a hand to grab Celestine’s hair. She lifted the other woman’s head off the floor then slammed it down. “This is the way this is going down.”
Thump.
“I’m getting up slowly. You’re not going to so much as twitch.”
Thump.
“Because if you do, Mary will use her stick to lobotomize you.” She twisted her fingers into the hair and tugged hard. “Do you understand me?”

“Yes,” Celestine ground out.

Evena stared into the dangerous woman’s eyes until Celestine finally turned away. “I’m getting up now. When I say so, I want to see you putting on your uniform.”

“I’m not wearing it.” Celestine’s voice was petulant and small. “It smothers me.”

Evena fisted a hand in her hair, forcing Celestine to look at her. “Listen, you spoiled little bitch. You haven’t the right to withhold your sweat or piss. If you don’t comply, you won’t get your ration of water. Do you understand me?”

Celestine snarled and pitched beneath her.

Evena’s already bad mood soured. She wished like hell the woman would lay still. Too much time had passed since she’d touched another person’s naked skin. That she was lying on top of a professional courtesan further frosted her ass.

Two shrill whistles sounded.

Evena’s head snapped up. “Damn. The warden.” She let Celestine’s head thump back against the floor and sprang off her. She swept up her club from the floor and shot a glance to Mary. “I’ll have to let you clean up here.”

Mary grinned, slapping her club against her palm. “My pleasure.”

With adrenaline still pumping through her veins, Evena passed the HS gate and loped toward the docking station. A visit from the warden could mean news of her pardon—if she wasn’t just delivering new prisoners. At the very minimum, the prison galley would receive its annual shipment of protein packs and water to supplement their recycled stores.

As she approached the docking station, she heard screams from within. The door slid open, and three of her guards ran out. “Captain, pirates are boarding!”

Cold dread settled in her stomach. “Get to the security room. Arm yourselves. Sound the general alert.”

Evena raised her club and entered the room overflowing with men—brightly dressed men. And more were climbing through the docking port. Four of her guards struggled wildly to escape their captors’ arms. “Release the women,” she shouted.

All gazes turned toward her. Evena wondered whether she should’ve waited for reinforcements as one man strode toward her. Unlike his comrades, he was dressed entirely in black. His dark, disheveled hair brushed the tops of his shoulders, and a many-days-old beard stubbled his chin. His dark gaze swept over her in a single quick appraisal, burning her skin.

Evena’s pulse pounded loudly in her ears, and a quiver of awareness fluttered deep in her belly. He was a large man, broad-shouldered and heavily muscled, and despite his wary scowl, a handsome one. She raised her club higher and bent her knees, sinking into a fighting stance.

The bearded pirate raised a hand. “I come in peace.”

Evena dropped her glance to the laser sword at his side before mocking his claim with a cynical lift of her brow.

He spread his hands wide and took another step toward her. “We couldn’t be sure who would be aboard.”

She snorted. “What? You couldn’t read the warning on the portal? This is the New Attica. A prison ship. The Dominion doesn’t have a sense of humor about intruders. And weapons aren’t permitted here.”

His frown deepened, and he took another step forward. “That isn’t exactly a toothpick you wield.”

Evena resisted the urge to retreat. “I’ll repeat. You and your men have trespassed on a Dominion prison. We’ve nothing of value to steal here.”

“I take it you’re in charge?”

“Yes, and I’m ordering you to depart immediately.”

“I’m afraid we can’t do that for at least another eight days—that is, if we don’t want to be caught in the security beams and obliterated.”

“Not my problem.”

The corners of his lips twitched. “You’re a stubborn wench—and a bit bloodthirsty. I like that. Aren’t you curious why we’re here?”

“Nope,” she said, shifting from one foot to the other. Aware of movement around her, she was unable to look toward it, as the bearded man was now within the reach of her club. “Like I said, we’ve nothing here of value.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. We’re here to conduct a little business with you and your fellow inmates.”

“Then you’ve wasted your time. What exactly do you think we have to bargain with?”

“Yourselves.”

“Explain that before I beat in what’s left of your brains.”

“Very well. We seek wives.”

‡

A
damarik admired the
woman’s fearless stance. Never mind she didn’t stand a chance and probably knew it. Even now, Darak and Ivan crept along the wall, outside her peripheral vision, ready to pounce and disarm her when he gave the signal. First, he wanted to test her mettle. He needed a strong woman for his mate.

That she also possessed the body of an Amazon only sweetened the pot. The sleek black reclamation suit she wore clung lovingly to her curves, revealing long, muscled flanks, and a flat stomach that inspired an immediate hard-on. The suit outlined the areolas of her breasts and the buds springing from their centers expanded with each exhalation of her chest.

His gaze returned to her eyes, now narrowed green slits, as she rotated the club in a figure eight above her head. He realized she couldn’t fight her body’s instinctive response and was pissed about it. He grinned.

“Get whatever’s going on behind those black eyes out of your head,” she warned, swinging the club in a sudden arc at his shoulders.

He leapt to the side with a bark of laughter, raising a hand to hold back his men. “I could cut that club in two with a single slice of my saber.”

“Only if you’re fast enough.” She stressed her point with a sudden feint to the left, and then swept the club at his knees.

Adam jumped over it, but he didn’t get out of the way in time to miss the backstroke that clipped him in the ass. “Ooomph!” He needed to end the game before either of them was injured.

“I think you need to lose a few pounds before you can give me a real fight,” she taunted.

Fat, was he? With an imperceptible nod to his men, he offered her a target she wouldn’t be able to resist. He stepped forward within striking distance and grimaced as the club arced toward his head.

Darak lunged at her back and tapped her with the electro-stun.

Adam caught the feisty beauty in his arms as she crumpled wide-eyed and slack-mouthed toward the floor. Having felt the effects of the electro-stun himself, Adam knew she was aware of everything happening around her and likely distressed by her sudden paralysis. Smoothing his hand over her auburn hair, Adam crooned, “Shhh, now. Give it a few moments. Darak only stunned your body. You’ll regain movement.”

He took her to the ground, cupping the back of her head to lay it gently against the floor. A wisp of fire-colored hair caught at the corner of her mouth. With a finger, he pushed it away, tracing a path along the cream-colored skin of her cheek. Hot color quickly bloomed there—anger, he was sure.

“Tsk, tsk. Spitfire, I bet you’ll be ready to carve out my heart when you come back to full strength.” To give her something to really be angry about, he chuckled and traced her pink, pouting lips. “Now that I have your full attention, you will listen to me,” he said, placing his face close to hers. “I was telling you the truth. My crew and I are looking for mates—willing mates.”

He admired the fierce concentration that produced the frown drawing her dark brows together. “We’re pirates, yes—” he continued, enjoying the advantage he held, “—but still, we’re honorable men.”

Her green gaze glared back at him.

“I really don’t make it a habit of using electro-stuns to get women to fall into my arms,” he said with a wicked smile. “They are usually quite willing.”

A faint gurgling sound emanated from the back of her throat.

Adam stretched out beside her on the floor, resting his head on his palm. With a finger, he tilted her chin toward him so that her gaze met his. He marveled at her expressive cat-green eyes as she stared mutinously back. Her show of spirit pleased him, and his loins stirred.

Casually, he raked a thumbnail across the nipple nearest him. “Yes, I can tell you and I will be spending a lot of time together.”

The gurgle was now a low growl that increased in volume when he palmed her breast and gently massaged the round mass. The bud at the center rose against his hand, and he rewarded its response with a tweak.