Pale Stars in Her Eyes (4 page)

There was no question the human captive was beautiful. They had all been stunned by her lovely face and incredible body, especially since it was entirely natural. Silky blond hair, pale blue eyes, and a soft sultry pink mouth ... yes, he was attracted to her. Who wouldn't be? Besides, she had gorgeous breasts for someone so slender. Her rose-colored nipples were small and dainty, and her skin much more pale than any S-species woman, since the diverse races from Earth had long ago been integrated into their genetic make up. Ian admired breasts in all shapes and sizes, and the woman now making love with Kartel for the second time certainly had a spectacular set.

She must be satisfying in bed, also, for Kartel had barely finished the first time and was at it again.

Ian saw his friend lean forward and whisper something in the woman's ear, his mouth nuzzling her neck as his hips began to move. His cock was still buried deep between her spread thighs, and his buttocks flexed as he pulled out partially and sank back in. Her breasts moved with each thrust, the opulent flesh shifting erotically.

It was actually very arousing to watch both Kartel's obvious enjoyment, and her evident pleasure in the way he fucked her. Whatever fears she night have had, Ran had done his usual smoothing of the troubled waters and she was now taking him easily, her slim legs bent at the knee and spread wide open so his long body fit between them.

She was very small. Ian saw how carefully Ran had entered her, and with his own huge size, he would have to be especially cautious.

With Kia, there was no need for such restraint, he mused in wayward memory. She matched him, wild need for wild need. Their one encounter had been foolish, for it was against the rules to fraternize sexually with another officer, but he could still remember the tempestuous physical joy of it. Nothing about it resembled lovemaking. They had fucked each other, pure and simple. Her wet cunt and his eager cock coming together in a fierce and exultant experience that made him wonder if he would ever forget it and move on.

Because he really had no choice but to put it behind him. It was a hard and fast rule, and punishable in ways that would ruin his military career if they were ever caught again together. He simply should not sleep with anyone in his command because it was political suicide to do so.

No matter what he wanted.

So, he would have to make do with their alluring captive and forget his impractical infatuation.

Morosely, he reached for the bottle to drain it.

Jerra opened her eyes slowly and felt disoriented when she gazed at the ceiling. It had been painted to simulate the vastness of space, with tiny stars against a dark background, but was static.

No, she wasn't in the cubicle any longer.

Cautiously, she raised her head and looked around. All she saw were pale walls, no furniture but the bed where she lay amidst the tumbled sheets, and the one window into the center room.

Oh, God. She fell back and shut her eyes again. Her body felt odd, a little sticky and well used, and there was a slight soreness between her legs. It all came flooding back and she rested against the softness of the mattress as she remembered every detail.

Ran Kartel had been both gentle and wickedly demanding, and in the end, he had taken her sexually three times before she drifted off into an exhausted sleep. The man had been huge, she recalled with a flush invading her cheeks, but somehow, her body had been able to adjust to that impressive size, and it had felt ... well, if she were honest about it, wonderful.

She had liked it.

All of it. The way he kissed her—as if her taste and essence were something he craved—the scent of his skin, the impressive hardness of his very male body. He'd used his mouth on her pussy, and though she'd been shocked, it had felt sublime. The actual consummation hadn't been what she expected, either, not at all degrading but the opposite, as if something profound had happened between them. She did not feel like an unwilling slave, but a woman who had shared an exquisite experience with a male who had also enjoyed it.

A treacherous curl of excitement shot through her stomach. If the evening before had been an indication of the next months of confinement, it would not be anything like what she imagined.

The need to relieve herself made her finally crawl out of bed. Outside the window, the common room was empty, for which she was grateful. It still made her uncomfortable the men could see her almost all the time, but they were either in their own sleeping quarters or gone. Nude, she padded to the cleansing room and used the facilities. There was a small square glass enclosure and she figured out the mechanism with only a small amount of difficulty and gratefully stepped into the stream of warm water. It soothed away the tenderness in her breasts and she washed the dried residue from her body, seeing the streaks on her thighs with wonder at the prodigious amount. S-species probably produced more sperm than ordinary humans at a guess, for everything else about them was enhanced and superior.

Despite the gush of the warm water, she shivered slightly. The engineer they called Armada was as tall as Ran Kartel and had the same lean build. But the other one, Colonel Helm, was enormous. The thought of him taking her was daunting.

But also exciting.

It was shameful, but her pussy suddenly felt hot and wet as she imagined it. The heat and rush of moisture embarrassed her, and Jerra wondered at her purely physical reaction. Undoubtedly, it was the injection, plus the ambassador had done a very good job of her initiation into the pleasures of sexual intercourse. Never in her life had she imagined such acute sensation possible. How he held her afterwards was a revelation also, for she didn't realize how frightened she'd been the past days since she'd been captured. The way his strong arms had cradled her against his powerful body made her feel safe and protected. Though, when she thought about it, they had just met and it was an illusion, albeit a pleasant one.

Well, more than just met, considering what they'd done together. She blushed again, grateful no one could see it.

After washing her hair, she carefully dried it and found in a small cabinet a comb and other necessities. Refreshed, she stepped outside with a towel wrapped around her body, and realized with a small grimace her only article of clothing still consisted of the pale blue, barely-there gown. She slipped it on, ran the comb through her long curls one more time, and went out into the center room.

It was a relief to see a covered tray sat on the table. When she lifted the lid, she found the typical type of food she had been fed so far on the ship. The substances on the plate didn't look familiar but tasted actually quite good. The strip of something that tasted like beef helped ease her hunger, and other similarly shaped items represented vegetables or fruits. The beverage left for her also had a strange but not unpleasant taste, and as hungry as she was, she didn't turn up her nose. She ate almost everything, and replaced the lid.

Now what should she do?

Fed, clean, and apparently all alone, she went curiously to the door that accessed the ship. It was activated by a device that scanned the eye of the individual who wanted to open it, and she tried, only to see a flashing red light that made her step back immediately and blink. It wasn't a huge surprise she was a prisoner and confined to the cabin space, but it still made the panicked feeling return a little.

What did they expect her to do when they weren't using her for the purpose she had been kidnapped to fulfill? She was not just a body, but also had a mind, and she was used to being active. She had worked back on Earth as a surgical nurse in a prestigious hospital. She had to wonder if the S-species bothered to explain the disappearance when they took someone. Surely her parents would inform the facility what had happened to her, and since females were appropriated often enough, no one would be surprised. Every female human was aware of the possibility. She just hadn't expected it to happen to her.

The hiss of the pressurized mechanism that trigged the door made her feel a nervous thrill. It wasn't Ran Kartel but instead the young engineer, Armada. She took another instinctive step back as he came through the doorway and eyed him warily. His fair good looks were striking, and up close, he was quite young, probably not more than a few years older than herself. He wore the typical tunic, fitted trousers, and polished boots, and they suited his almost slim, tall build. Lieutenant Herad had called him brilliant, and surely it must be true if he were the designer of the engine that propelled the giant ship so efficiently from galaxy to galaxy.

"Hello.” He smiled at her and his gaze skimmed her nearly bare body briefly before politely lifting to her face. “Did you see the food?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Kartel tells me your given name is Jerra."

"Yes."

"I hope you don't mind if I use it.” His smile was open and boyishly appealing, nothing like the wickedly attractive curve of Ran Kartel's mouth. “You must also call me Larik. We are going to be good friends, after all."

"That's an interesting way of putting it.” Jerra couldn't help the sarcasm. Yes, the night before had been like a sinful, pleasurable dream, but she was still a prisoner.

He caught the inflection in her voice because his brows went up a fraction, but he didn't comment. Instead, he went over to the wall and pressed a small button she hadn't even noticed. A panel slid open and revealed a galley, and more importantly, an entire section of screens. “You were asleep when I left or I would have explained to you that there are methods for your entertainment in your leisure time. Food, also, if you get hungry between the times when our meals are delivered. Would you like me to show you how it all works? You can read, or watch films from varied planets, including your own. Games are also available to play at the touch of your hand. There is no need for you to be bored."

Well, that was something, for she thought it was less than humane to leave her trapped in a small space with nothing to do. “Yes, please show me,” she said, not trying to conceal her eagerness. “I was just wondering what to do with myself."

He glanced over and his vivid cobalt eyes lit with laughter. “You needn't ever worry about what to do with yourself, Jerra. We'll do plenty enough with you to take care of that. But if you want a distraction now and then, I will explain."

As heat rushed into her face, she wonder if she would blush all the way to wherever they were headed. “I would appreciate it."

He was definitely an engineer for as he began to explain how to work the various screens, from book readers to projection, he also added so many details about how the machines themselves worked that finally, laughing, she had to stop him. “Just tell me what buttons to push,” Jerra pleaded. “My mind is beginning to spin."

"Oh.” He looked disconcerted, and then shook his head ruefully. “I apologize. I tend to get carried away. Machines speak to me. I love them and I forget not everyone feels the same sometimes. Let me try to just go over the basics."

"I think that would be better."

She stood close enough to him as he took a simpler approach and began again, she could smell the spicy scent of his cologne. It was masculine and intriguing. Against her will, she found herself watching him from under the veil of her lashes.

In turn, she saw his gaze stray more than once over the thin material that did little to conceal her breasts. He glanced down lower too, to where her bare legs were exposed by the shortness of her skirt.

When he finished the explanations, he moved casually to a small shelf and selected a bottle of greenish liquid. “Would you like a glass of wine?"

"My father doesn't allow alcohol, so I've never had wine."

Armada raised his brows. “Your father no longer dictates your actions, Jerra."

It was so bizarre to have been at home less than a week before, living her sedate, sheltered life, and now she was on a ship speeding toward another world, living with three men who were complete strangers. She was no longer on Earth. Apparently her parents had reconciled themselves to her fate, and according to Lieutenant Herad, had even been paid for her. She didn't precisely blame them, for there was no choice if the S-species selected a young woman, so it seemed ludicrous to still abide by their rules any longer. “You're right and I think I would, yes."

He poured two glasses and motioned for her to sit at the table. “We can drink this and talk awhile."

She accepted the invitation, though she lifted one brow skeptically. “You wish to talk?"

"For now.” He sank down in an opposite chair. “We have plenty of time. All afternoon, in fact. Neither one of the others will be back until late. They have meetings today to discuss strategies when we arrive at Septinium."

"Why are we going there?” She wasn't sure she could ask in her position, but it didn't hurt to try.

Luckily, he didn't seem to mind. He sat back in his chair, his long legs extended comfortably, and frowned. “The people there are war-like and a bit primitive. They are raiding nearby planets and causing tension everywhere. Our government wants to avoid an interstellar war. Yes, we can step in if it happens and intercede, but prevention saves lives. Kartel is an expert with this sort of thing, though even he seems doubtful this time. However, he, like Colonel Helm, goes where he is told. Diplomacy first, but military action if necessary. That's why they are both here."

"I see.” She sipped her wine and found it actually a bit sweet, the taste lingering on her tongue. “And why are you here? I know you invented the engine, but isn't the ship running smoothly?"

"Her maiden voyage. I am along to make
sure
she stays running smoothly and to help the technicians understand her."

"Her? You sound as if it is alive."

A glimmering smile curved his mouth. “To me, she is. I created her and gave her life."

"That's an interesting take on it, I suppose."

"What of you, Jerra? Will you be able to acclimate to your new life?” His handsome face bore true curiosity and what seemed like genuine concern.