Captive Surrender (5 page)

Maurra stood with her hands perched on her hips, legs spread and feet firmly planted on the floor. Behind her, the Ellinod towered over her, his arms crossed over his barrel chest. Although naked and broken, they remained defiant. Together they made an imposing-looking couple.

Vol Brod stared at them from his monitor, a smile already stretching his face. It was good to see the fire inside them still burned.

The Kronner faced him. “Are they really going to defy you again? And you’re going to let them?”

“Let them. The more anger and fire we get out of them, the better the show. And the better the show, the more subscribers.” He swiveled around in his chair to face the Kronner leader. “Speaking of subscribers, how are our numbers?”

“Excellent. After last night, we added another sixteen billion subscribers to the 3-D feeds alone.”

“Good.” Vol Brod turned his attention back to the monitors. “Then let me do my job and stop questioning me. If you don’t like the way I’m handling this, you’re more than welcome to pay me my share and let me go my merry way, and you can assume the burden for yourself.” Dropping his voice, he added, “As long as they continue to defy me and fight me, the money will continue pouring in. Remember that.” He signaled for the Kronner leader to be silent and pressed the transmission button on the console.

“You’re wasting my time and my customers’ time. My patience is growing thin. Fuck the Ellinod, JoJo.”

“I’d rather fuck you.” The JoJo lifted her chin and stared directly into one of the cameras. “Come down here and take me on. I dare you.”

Vol Brod waved at the Kronner leader. Once the little man was gone, he rubbed his chin. This was better than he had hoped for. The bitch still had a lot fight in her, and he bet the Ellinod did too.

Good. Very good
. Vol Brod chuckled. “As much as I would like to, and as tempting as your offer may be, I’m afraid I’m no match for the Ellinod’s prowess.”

“Aww. What’s the matter? Afraid you don’t size up?” A sarcastic smile traced her lips. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s quality, not quantity?”

Vol Brod frowned. “Quit wasting time. Are you going to fuck or not?”

To his delight, the couple remained unmoving.

“Very well. Mincred, shoot the Ellinod.”

At his command, more than a dozen Kronners raised their weapons and aimed at the cell. The prisoners’ reactions were immediate. Not surprisingly, the JoJo placed herself in front of the Ellinod.

Vol Brod laughed. “Do you realize how ludicrous you look?” he asked, chuckling. “The Ellinod towers over you by at least a foot. The Kronners will have no difficulty hitting him.”

“Let them try,” the woman dared.

Vol Brod closed the feed and opened a secondary one. “Mincred. I want one gun to fire at the Ellinod, am I clear?”

“I read you.”

“When I say fire, I want
one
gun to hit the Ellinod, understand? Have the other weapons fire over and around the cell, but I don’t want to kill the Ellinod. Not yet.”

“I understand,” the Kronner leader responded.

Vol Brod nodded to himself and returned to the main transmission. On the monitor he could see the JoJo and Ellinod had not moved.

“Last warning, JoJo. Start fucking the Ellinod or else he’s dead, and your next lover will be the Par Matta waiting in the next hold.”

As glad as he was to see the JoJo continuing to fight him, Vol Brod knew he could only let her defy him for so long. Otherwise his customers would become restless, and restless customers were non-returning customers. He gave her to the count of ten before hitting the transmission button.

“Fire.”

More than a dozen weapons exploded in the hold, nearly blinding him in every monitor. When the light and noise died down, he was happy to see the Ellinod writhing on the cell floor. The JoJo scrambled on hands and knees over to him, and it was then he realized that the Ellinod had shoved her out of the way at the last microsecond to keep her from being hit.

“Safan!” She threw herself on top of the Ellinod to check his injuries.

Safan? She called the Ellinod by name? “Good. Very good.” That the JoJo was willing to give her life for the creature was expected, as that was her job. But for the Ellinod to do the same told him that a bond of some sort was growing between them. He could exploit it.

“That was a warning, JoJo. Next time I’ll order all the Kronners to fire on the Ellinod, and we all know the creature will not survive a direct hit from that many weapons.”

The JoJo looked up from where she was kneeling over the alien to stare at the nearest camera and gave an angry snarl. “I don’t know who you are or why you’re doing this, but I promise I’m going to kill you, you snurg-sucking lurch worm! Do you hear me? I’m going to find you, and when I do, I’m going to kill you!”

“Wouldn’t that be against your JoJo credo?”

“You have no idea how much I can make your life a living hell. Give me one minute alone with you, you sick Mogra—”

He laughed. “Enough threats, JoJo. Fuck the Ellinod and get it over with. Now.”

He closed communications and sat back to watch the monitors. She’d fuck the Ellinod because she knew she had no choice. But also because somehow, an emotional connection was developing between them. And for the JoJo, protecting the Ellinod was no longer a matter of fulfilling her duties, but more of a matter of fulfilling something more personal, now that she had formed that emotional attachment to him.

And if by some miracle she managed to escape, Vol Brod would just have to make sure she never got within psi distance of him.

“Safan! You stupid, stupid…”

Beneath her hands his body continued to jerk and spasm in the wake of the blast he’d taken. His skin had gone nearly white with shock, but he was alive, and for that Maurra was grateful. Either the Kronners had been ordered to dial down the strength of their weapons, or not all of the Kronners had aimed for her, because if Safan had been hit with everything as The Voice had threatened to, he would be dead.

There was a click, and Maurra knew the line of communication had been closed.

The clock was ticking.

Maurra bent back over the Ellinod and tried to focus on his injuries. She never expected the creature to push her away in order to take the barrage. Why would he pull such a stunt? Didn’t the idiot realize she could shield herse—

Maurra suddenly felt a cold chill go through her.
Oh, shit! Ohhhh, shit! So who’s the stupid one now?

She had forgotten again. Her psi powers were tied to her ability to protect herself, and that included the shield she could throw up to deflect nearly any weapon. But not anymore.

She continued to lie on top of the Ellinod to keep him from hurting himself. Gradually, his color returned and the thrashing stopped. His eyes rolled back down from their sockets until they were able to focus on her leaning over him. He frowned.

“Maurra?”

She reached over and slapped him hard on the cheek. “Don’t you ever do that again, understand me? You stupid humanoid, I meant to take those rays.”

“They would have killed you!” Safan finally managed to rasp.

“Then they would have killed me! I’m a JoJo. It’s my sworn duty to protect creatures like you. For you to put yourself in danger by preventing me from doing my job is not only an insult to me and my profession, but…but…” She stopped and willed herself to calm down. She was overreacting, and they both knew it.

He was trying to save your life
.

“I couldn’t let them kill you.” He seemed disappointed. Apparently his attempt at self-sacrifice wasn’t getting the kind of reaction he’d hoped for.

“Why not? We’re only in this mess because Mr. Voice has it out for me. If the Kronners kill you, they’ll bring in the Par Matta. After the Par Matta, heaven knows what other perversion they’ll plan for me.” She gave him another angry slap on the shoulder before swiping at her eyes with the back of her arm. “But if I die, there won’t be any reason for this travesty to go on. They’ll let you go.”

“You don’t know that.”

She shook her head. He was right. So far everything was still a guessing game.

“No, I don’t know that, but do you think they’d draw many customers if one of the two people in this cell wasn’t a JoJo?”

“I hate to break up this very interesting conversation, but our customers are getting impatient,” The Voice interrupted with more than a hint of irritation. “Rationalization time is over. Get on with what people are paying good creds to see! You are now down to five galactic minutes.”

Maurra raked her eyes over the naked Ellinod, resting briefly on the flaccid penis lying between his thighs. “How do you feel?”

“Like tiny Ludunol worms are crawling all over my body, inside and out, and leaving scorch marks where they pause to electrocute me.”

“Can you get it up?” Turning to look into his face, she noticed his gaze riveted on her mound and thighs. She glanced down to see what held his attention and saw the streaks of dried blood marking the insides and outsides of her legs.

“Can you take me again?”

“Ignore the blood. Most of that’s from when you were holding me down last time with your damn claws. Come on. Tell me what to do. Do you want me on the bottom again? Can you manage it?”

“I’ll need you on top. I haven’t quite gotten full use of my body yet.”

She threw her leg over him and settled herself on top, sitting slightly back on top of his lap with his testicles and dick nestled in front of her against her mound. “Tell me what feels good.” She took his penis in her hands and gently squeezed it.

“Anything you do feels good,” he admitted in a softer voice. “You’re not much different from the females of my world, did you know that?”

“Really?” She was stroking him with both hands, pumping him vertically in front of her. He was responding. Behind them the vid cameras maneuvered to get a better shot of the action.

Safan laid his enormous hands on her knees. She could tell he was trying to keep himself focused.

“You mean, not that much different in the way you make love to them, right?” she clarified.

He gave a single nod. “Our females have breasts and nipples, like you. They like to have them played with and suckled and massaged, like you do. And your clit is very responsive to stimulation.”

“Well, your cock is very responsive to stimulation too.” Already the erection was able to stand on its own, having filled out to an impressive size. Letting go with one hand, she reached down to gently roll his sac in her palm. “Do you like me to touch your balls?”

His answer was barely a breath. “Yes.”

For another minute or two she played with the Ellinod’s nuts, holding the baby-soft orbs in the warmth of her palm and teasing them with gentle scrapes of her fingernails. In her other hand the erection stiffened until the veins along the sides stood out in relief and the huge helmet-shaped head darkened with blood.

He had no hair on his body. None anywhere. It felt strange to experience a lover without any. As she ran her nails over the tender skin around the base of his genitals, she kept checking his facial expression to see how she was doing. He continued to watch her, but every now and then he closed his eyes to savor the sensations.

Leaning over, she placed the erection between her breasts and folded herself around it. Slowly, she moved up and down the engorged dick, using the slight seepage from the end of the helmet to help lubricate. A deep moan rumbled inside him.

There was a gentle nudge against her hips. The beast’s large hands curved around her buttocks.

“Enough. Up.”

His erection slid out from between her breasts as he lifted her to her knees. Grabbing himself with one hand, Safan placed himself between her thighs. The head of his dick rubbed her clit, massaging the stiff bud and preparing her. A familiar warmth coated her outer lips.

“Ohhhh.”

The oversized head slid to her entrance and started burrowing into her channel. Inch by inch it progressed, tunneling inside her as she wriggled her hips to coax him farther in. Safan tilted her a bit forward to make sure her clit remained in contact with his erection, keeping the desire sliding through her veins like thick spice.

Guilt raised its ugly head. She shouldn’t be enjoying this. She shouldn’t be reacting this way to what the Ellinod was doing to her, but she couldn’t help herself.

Huge, burning hot and un-fucking-believably massive, his erection stretched her, filled her, almost threatened to rip her apart with its girth.

“Maurra, you feel…”

The earthquake trembled within her. It was growing steadily. Rising. Becoming stronger and more potent. Safan slid farther inside. Once he was nearly halfway up inside her, he pumped slightly, just enough to slather more of her juices to ease his way. Another pump, and her body slipped to the edge of release. It teetered, almost there, almost crashing, almost toppling over into oblivion, when his dick began to quiver.

No. Vibrate.

Vibrate against her engorged clit. Against her inner walls, where the least little movement was already sending her into orbit.

Maurra started to call out his name when her orgasm blasted through her. At the same time, Safan slammed himself up into her as far as he could go. Her inner walls contracted, strangling his cock, and he roared in pain and release.

Sitting in front of the vid monitors with his own dick in his hands, Tramer Vol Brod began laughing hysterically at the 3-D close-up of the Ellinod erupting inside the JoJo. Seconds later, he followed suit.

Life was good, he decided. Life was so good. This was the best revenge he had ever cooked up, and it was only the beginning for the JoJo. Only the beginning.

Smiling, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

The walls were up again. Somehow she knew it before she opened her eyes. But she didn’t smell food like she had the last time she’d regained consciousness. Things were different.

Also unlike last time, she was warm. Not comfortable. Not when she was lying on a cold, unforgiving floor. But at least she wasn’t shivering from the chill.

A movement at her back.

Safan.

She blinked. He was still in the cell with her?

Slowly, Maurra rolled over to face him. She gritted her teeth against the aches and sharp, stabbing pains she felt as she shifted her position. He watched her with his green eyes.

This can’t go on
. She and the Ellinod had to get out of here. They had to make the Kronners pay for their involvement. And then she had to make sure The Voice was suitably rewarded for everything she and Safan had been forced to endure.

But the lovemaking…

Curse her, she would never find another lover to satisfy her the way Safan did. Worse, she was developing feelings for him and he was just trying to keep her alive. Somehow he had managed to take hold of her heart and wrapped his big hands around it to protect it. His acts of selflessness were strange and surprising to her. Too bad they weren’t being reciprocated.

Enough self-pity. Get to the job.

Maurra pointed to her mouth, pointedly closed it and shook her head. If they were going to plan a way out of this mess, it had to be done in complete silence. Everything they said was being monitored.

Safan gave a slow nod. His eyes remained riveted on her face. He understood.

She pointed at the nearest wall, made the motion of a door opening with her hands, then fired a make-believe ray with her hand. The Ellinod gave another nod. Before the Kronners could fire on them, the walls of the cell had to be lowered first.

This next bit would be harder to explain. She could only hope Safan would accept it.

She pointed to the wall again, then to herself, tapping her forehead, and made the motion of throwing her psi powers outward. The Ellinod stared her in wide-eyed shock. Maurra placed a hand on his mouth.

She repeated the throwing of her psi powers, then pantomimed becoming unconscious. Prodding his chest, she motioned lifting an object and pointed to herself. A raised eyebrow asked if he was following her.

He frowned but nodded. Yes, but he wasn’t happy with her suggestion. He pushed her forehead with a thick finger and made a gesture like breaking a stick in half. Then he thumped her chest, curled his fingers into a fist that pulsed like a beating heart and suddenly threw his hand open to simulate that heart exploding.

If she used her psi powers to their fullest extent, it was almost certain it would kill her this time.

I know.
She nodded as she hardened the expression on her face.
But it’s my job. You have to accept that. It’s part of the risk I take every day. But if my sacrifice frees you…

Maurra steeled herself. Now came the hard part. How to tell him to find the nearest lifeboat so they could make their escape.

The Ellinod pointed to himself and made a flying motion with his hands. It was a pretty good imitation of a survival pod. She nodded.

The cells began to move. A crack appeared in the floor and widened until the two holding areas separated. Safan grasped her tighter against him as he scooted away from the edge. The walls remained opaque, and for a few seconds she could see the outside wall of the hold. A split second later, the missing wall appeared, leaving them together inside the smaller cell.

She looked up at the beast, who gave her an equally puzzled stare. This was a new development, leaving them together.

They dragged themselves up to a sitting position when the opposite wall clarified. On the other side two Kronners stood, each holding a tray of food. Safan prodded her buttock, silently asking if they should use this opportunity to try to escape. Maurra reached back and grabbed his hand as she slowly shook her head.

No. Not now. Not yet, but soon.

They remained motionless at the far end of the cell as the Kronners cautiously approached with their food. Once they left the trays on the cell floor, the two little aliens hurried away, and the cell wall went white.

Immediately Safan shoved her around to face him. Maurra let him make his threatening gestures before taking his hands and holding them tightly to her chest.

Trust me
, she mouthed silently.
Trust me.

The Ellinod remained puzzled. He didn’t know her language, no more than she knew his, but then he must have recognized the pleading look on her face and in her eyes. Sighing loudly, he detached himself from her and crawled over to the far end to fetch their trays.

They ate in silence. When they were finished, Safan threw the empty trays at the wall and reached for her. Maurra let him pull her roughly against him as he settled back down on the floor on his side. Stretching out a heavily muscled arm, he guided her head down, urging her to use it as a pillow, and gently brushed her hair over her chest and belly for further warmth. With her buttocks nestled in his crotch, the Ellinod threw his other arm over her until she was safely ensconced in his embrace.

She was warm, fed and oddly comfortable.

She was asleep within minutes.