Cornering Carmen (22 page)

Her body reacted violently, tightening around him making it almost impossible for him to pull out. As she strained to pull away, his body jerked and a loud moan filled the air as he came hard and deep inside her. Hot waves of his seed washed through her as he filled her with every bit of his essence. Only when his body had spent the last of it did he release her breast, running his rough tongue over the tender flesh.

They were both panting and weak. His arms tightened protectively around her when he felt her shiver as the cooler air of the room washed over her still damp skin. He didn’t bother pulling out of her yet. He was still too swollen. Instead, he forced his shaky limbs to step out of the showering unit. Grabbing a couple of towels, he carried her still straddling his waist to their bed while awkwardly trying to run a towel over her back.

“It’s okay,” she slurred sleepily, rubbing her nose against his neck while her arms hung limply over his shoulders.

Creon chuckled. She didn’t realize she was making a soft, rumbling noise in her chest. His little kitten was purring. He sat down on the bed before stretching out with her on top of him. He would pull out of her in a little while.

She feels too good to leave just yet,
he thought tiredly as he pulled the covers over both of them.
I’ll pull out in a few minutes.
That was the last thought he had before sleep claimed him.

The shudder of the warship woke them both. Creon’s arms were still wrapped tightly around her and she was still sprawled over him. She lifted her head in confusion before her head cleared. She stared down at him for a moment before rolling off of him and scrambling out of the bed.

“What’s going on?” She asked as she began pulling on clothes.

“It sounds like the
Horizon
is receiving fire,” he bit out quickly as he dragged his own clothes on.

“Ha’ven, what in the hell is going on?” Creon growled out into the comlink.

“Well, if you would get your sorry ass up to the bridge you would know,” Ha’ven replied sarcastically. “Two damn Marastin Dows
’
pirate ships are attacking a short-haul supply freighter. One of the bastards thought they could take us on as well. I guess the cloaking device is working too damn well. I’m ready to disengage it just so I can watch those blood-thirsty pieces of shit…” he was saying.

“Why don’t you just blast the hell out of them?” Creon said
,
strapping his sword around his waist and grabbing Carmen’s hand to pull her with him as he charged out of their living quarters.

“One of them is docked to the freighter and the other is too close,” Ha’ven replied with a snort. “If you were here, you could see for yourself.”

“I am here,” Creon said as he and Carmen stepped onto the bridge. “Disengage the cloaking device. Let them see who in the hell they are dealing with. If that doesn’t scare them away, send a squadron of fighters and disable both of their ships. We’ll kill them one by one if necessary.”

Carmen watched the two strange looking spaceships locked with another one. The two smaller ships were long and narrow with a wider stern than bow. The freighter was almost twice the size but was built with a boxier design for room, not speed. Lights were flickering on and off on the freighter. It was almost comical observing the two pirate ships once the
Horizon
disengaged its cloaking device revealing it to be a Curizan first class warship. The pirate ships actually bumped into each other as the one docked tried to move away from the freighter.

“Marastin scum,” Ha’ven growled out, before he looked at the frown on Carmen’s face. “Excluding the two in medical, of course,” he added hastily. “
They
may be mean bastards but
most of them
are cowards. They only attack those weaker than they are or that they outnumber,” he said in disgust. “Open communications with the freighter and see if they need assistance. I imagine as fast as those cowardly Pactor dung left they didn’t get all their crew back on board.”

“This is the
Horizon
, do you need assistance?” Ha’ven asked as soon as a communications link was established.

“I’m sorry we can’t come to the phone right now but if you would like to leave your name and number after the beep we’ll be happy to return your call as soon as possible. BEEP….” A husky female voice said before it was followed by a long string of cursing. “How the bloody hell am I supposed to know who the hell the
Horizon
is? You just ordered me to sit here and not move, damn it!” There was a muffled voice in the background before the woman’s voice hollered back. “Well, if you don’t want me pushing the fucking buttons th
e
n don’t put me where I can reach them!”

Ha’ven looked with amusement at Creon who was struggling not to laugh.
“I repeat this is…” Ha’ven started to say.

“I know who in the fucking hell you are,” the voice said in frustration. “I heard you the first time. We are just a little busy at the moment and there’s a big pussy pissing me off right now. Will you just leave a friggin message and I’ll have him call you after I declaw his ornery ass?” The husky voice replied before she began shouting. “Vox, I swear you need to be neutered! If you get blood on my handbag I’ll do it with the first dull knife I can find. Do you have any idea how much I paid for that damn thing?”

The sound
of a loud roar echoed harshly through the communications link. “Bob! Look out behind you sweetie. There’s another ugly, purple guy coming up through the hatch. Fred, be a sweetheart and give Bob a hand. Lodar baby, I think Fred might have a little cut on one of his heads. There is blood all down the side of it. When you get a chance can you look at him? Tor darling, why can’t you just zap their asses out into space? I thought you knew how to do things like that. What did you say, Lodar? I couldn’t hear you because a certain hairball was making too much noise when you spoke. Oh yes dear, I’ll tell Fred you’ll see him as soon as you finish fighting. Fred honey, Lodar is busy but he’ll see you as soon as he is done killing the bad guys. Vox, damn it, you are totally on my shit list! You got blood on my skirt, you jerk! Go kill someone on the other side of the room. I can shoot the bastards near me! I don’t need your help!”

Ha’ven had given up trying not to laugh. “I think we have found our missing hairball,” he said when he could catch his breath. “I’m just not sure who he needs rescuing from, the Marastin Dow or the female who is manning the communication’s console.

“I heard that, honey,” the husky voice replied
with a mid-western
drawl
. “I would place all bets on that bossy, arrogant, demanding…” a loud roar interrupted the female’s description. “Well, if you don’t like what I have to say about you
then
you can just dump my ‘
big
’ ass back on my planet!”

“Uh oh,” Creon murmured. “He didn’t say the right thing when he was asked.”

Carmen elbowed Creon in the stomach to quiet him. “Hi there, my name’s Carmen. I’m from Wyoming,” she called out giving into a hunch that she had discovered another missing Earthling.

“Oh, hey darling,” the woman’s voice changed to excitement. “My name is Riley St. Claire. I’m from Denver. What are you doing out here? You don’t know how nice it is to hear another girlfriend way out in the Twilight Zone! I hope you’ve had a better time of it than I have,” there was some muttering too soft for Carmen to understand bef
ore they heard the woman reply
. “No, Bob. I didn’t mean you, you gorgeous tub of Jell-O. I was referring to that annoying pile of cat…” this time when her voice faded it was because a very irritated male voice was responding.

“By Guall’s balls Riley, I’m going to spank your ass until it is bloody red if you don’t stop giving me a hard time,” the deep voice snarled out.

“Don’t you mean my ‘
big
’ ass, you moron,” Riley replied sarcastically.

“Female, I am going to…” the voice died off as a loud curse filled the air above the sound of laser fire. “You shot me!” The deep voice roared out in astonishment.

“But not where I was aiming for,” Riley snapped back. “So help me Vox, you better stay away from me until my temper has cooled or I won’t miss where I’m aiming for the next time I shoot you.”

“Vox, do you need assistance?” Creon called out.

“Yes! I need you to come and ….” Vox growled out before he groaned. “Come on, Riley. I didn’t mean anything when I said you had a big ass. I like big asses. I… shit. Will you quit shooting at me!”

Carmen put her hand over her mouth to try to stifle the giggles escaping her. The men on the bridge, including Creon and Ha’ven, didn’t bother trying to hide their amusement. It was obvious when they heard Vox’s long line of curses followed by threats of what he was going to do to all of them.

“Come get us off this piece of worthless Trillian shit,” Vox snarled out. “There are ten of us on board. You can kill any number over that.”

“A shuttle will be dispatched immediately,” Creon said with a chuckle. “It is good to hear your voice, my old friend.”

“Yeah, well your uncle isn’t going to like to hear it. That piece of Valdier royal ass is mine! He’ll wish he had never messed with this Sarafin prince,” Vox bit out harshly.

“
Yewww
, the big putty-cat is hissing again,” Riley’s sarcastic voice sounded behind him. “Watch out, the next thing you know you’ll be shooting hairballs.”

“Riley, so help me I’m going to wring your neck when I catch you!” Vox snarled out.

“Tor!” Riley said in a
singsong
voice. “Vox is being mean to me again.”

“Don’t you listen to a thing she says. I am not being mean to her! What did I ever do to deserve a mate like this?” Vox groaned out before the communications link was cut.

Carmen turned to look at Ha’ven who had a bewildered look on his face as if he had never heard his friend talk like that before. He looked at Carmen with a raised eyebrow. All she could do was shrug her shoulders and smile innocently.

“It must be a human thing,” she replied, not bothering to hide the grin on her face.

*.*.*

Carmen sat relaxing with Cal and Riley down in the repair bay drinking coffee and laughing as Riley explained how she ended up in outer space and with five mates, four of whom were not allowed anywhere near her by one said ‘hot-headed-stubborn-frustratingly royal prissy cat’. A soft giggle escaped from behind some of the cargo crates where Mel, who still refused to come out whenever anyone was there, hid.

“So, who is the scarecrow?” Riley asked looking over the rim of her cup at Cal.

Cal’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Scarecrow?”

Riley jerked her head toward the cargo crates. “Yeah, little miss
Priss
. Does she think I have cooties or something?”

Carmen frown
ed
for a moment before understanding
dawned
on her. She felt so stupid. Of course! Mel wasn’t Cal’s grandson. Mel was his…

“Granddaughter,” she replied
,
softly looking with compassion at Cal. “That is why she stays hidden and doesn’t talk.”

Cal let out a deep sigh before he nodded reluctantly. He glanced at the door to make sure that Cree or Calo were not
in
the repair bay. He glanced at both women sitting across from him for a few seconds longer before he called out.

“Melina, come here,” he said gruffly. “It’s okay, honey. They won’t tell anyone.”

The slim figure slowly emerged from behind the crates. The huge hat that she normally wore was in one slender hand. She was wearing the oversized clothes she favored and was twisting one of the ragged edges nervously between her fingers. She walked toward her grandfather with slow, cautious steps before kneeling on the floor next to him.

She had the biggest, greenest eyes Carmen had ever seen. She smiled shyly at her before turning to look at Riley with wide-eyes. Carmen watched as Cal tenderly brushed his hand over Melina’s dark brown hair.

“You can speak, girl. They won’t tell on us,” he assured her, looking
sternly
at Carmen and Riley to let them know he would not accept anyone else knowing about his granddaughter.

“Hey,” Melina said in a softly accent
ed
voice. “It’s nice to finally get to talk to you.”

Carmen leaned forward, looking at Melina with concern. “Hello, Melina. If you don’t mind my asking, how old are you?”

“
I was t
wenty-one
last
week,” Melina said with a sad smile. “Gramps and I have been counting the days since we were taken so we could keep track of how long it’s been.”

Carmen glanced at Cal and asked the question that was bugging her. “Why?”

Cal looked down sadly at his granddaughter. “The Antrox use women as a way of controlling the men. They don’t give them much choice. If they knew my granddaughter was a woman, there’s no telling what would have
happened
to her. It was easier passing her off as a boy. The trader who sold us to the Antrox couldn’t tell the difference and those insect creatures just accepted Mel as being a young boy, not old enough for the heavy work in the mines yet but old enough to keep for other duties,” he explained.