Rebel

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Comet Coalition 1: Rebel © 2014 Aubrey
Ross

Cover art by Dar Albert

Electronic book Publication, March 2014

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Smashwords books by
Aubrey Ross

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Author’s Note:
All characters
depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or
older.

Aubrey
Ross

Rebel leader Corry Reah has a problem. His
name is Ashton VinDerley. Though they are sworn enemies, she can’t
make herself hate him. Compelling and powerful, he fascinates and
seduces her, making her long for pleasures she has never known
before. He teases and tempts, caresses and challenges until she
forgets who is captive and who captor.

Korbin is having no better luck than his
sister Corry. He has promised to keep his hands off stunningly
beautiful Danette, but she haunts his dreams, summoning a dark,
primitive part of his nature that he hasn’t indulged in years. How
can he resist a captive who wants nothing more than to submit? She
offers her body without reservation and he is powerless to resist.
She is crucial to the upcoming negotiations, but Korbin is no
longer sure he can set her free.

“They look ridiculous.” Corry Reah shook her
head as she assessed the three hostages contained within the
holding cell. They sat side by side on a metal bench, leaning
against each other in a dazed stupor. Two were dressed in formal
finery, the third in flannel pajamas.

Corry’s brother Korbin stood beside her, his
expression even less hospitable than hers. “Wait until the sedative
wears off. Then the real show will begin.”

“Did the other two give you any trouble?”
Her voice sounded hushed, distracted.

From the beginning, the mission hadn’t gone
as planned. All three of their targets had been scheduled to attend
the New Year’s Gala. Palmer Boehme’s last-minute cancellation had
forced the rebels to split up. Corry’s team collected Palmer from
his university dormitory while Korbin executed the original
plan.

“Danette went out like a light, but
VinDerley fought forever,” Korbin explained.

Ashton VinDerley was the only son of Premier
Hayford VinDerley, the most powerful man in the Comet Coalition.
The other two hostages had similar pedigrees. Danette Tiptonn’s
father was admiral of the Comet Coalition’s armed forces. Palmer
Boehme’s mother was Chief Justice Renata Boehme.

“So, what’s next?” Corry turned from the
vidscreen and faced her brother. This was all new to them. They’d
participated in protests, organized rallies and encouraged
demonstrations. They embraced the term “rebel”, but this was their
first act of outright treason.

Korbin shrugged one shoulder with the
practiced nonchalance he used to conceal his anxiety. The gesture
didn’t fool Corry. She’d seen it too often over the past few weeks.
“I want them to know about each other, so we’ll leave them together
as the sedative wears off. Once they’re fully awake, we’ll then
separate them and begin interrogation.”

“Do you really think they can tell us
anything we don’t already know?”

He grinned. “There’s only one way to find
out.”

Corry was uncomfortable with Korbin’s
zealous tendencies. She’d been born after the comet hit their
homeworld, so she’d only heard stories of what life had been like
before the cataclysm. Poverty and hunger were inescapable realities
for many on the coalition outposts. Still, she had known no other
life.

Korbin refused to accept the dismal
existence they were expected to endure while the privileged
citizens of Halley Prime reveled in decadent luxury. He’d
suppressed his radical ideals and violent impulses in deference to
their father. But Simeon Reah was dead now, and Korbin was ready
for war.

“When will you contact the coalition?” Corry
glanced back at the images of their hostages. Ashton and Danette
made a striking couple, both golden and elegant, with all of the
physical enhancements money could buy. Palmer was younger. His dark
head rested on Danette’s bare shoulder.

“Let them stew for three days. Then I’ll
transmit our conditions.”

The executive council would tremble as they
pondered the fate of their precious heirs. An unexpected pang of
sympathy accompanied the thought. Corry squelched the unwanted pity
and strengthened her resolve. The coalition leaders had brought
this on themselves with their apathy and double standards.

“Let me start with the princess.” Corry
tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she made the
suggestion. “You take the college boy, and we’ll work together on
his royal highness if we still have time.”

Korbin responded with a salacious smile.
“How about I take the princess and you do whatever you want with
the other two? Three days should be more than enough time—”

“You’re not going near Danette.” Corry
braced for a fight. There was a predatory gleam in Korbin’s eyes
every time he looked at Danette.

“I’ve never forced myself on a woman, but
thanks for your confidence in my integrity. Do you honestly think
I’d put pleasure above the cause?”

“Not intentionally.” She waited until he met
her gaze to continue. “We didn’t snatch these three so we could
exorcise our personal demons. I know beating VinDerley senseless
and seducing the princess would be cathartic, but we have too much
at stake to indulge our anger.”

“Fine.” The word sounded almost like a
snarl. “But they can’t stay together. There’s strength in numbers
and we need them weak.”

“We only have two holding cells equipped
with full surveillance,” Corry reminded him. “Danette will be the
first to accuse us of mistreatment. We better leave her in one of
the cells.”

He nodded. “VinDerley is going to be our
biggest challenge. Let’s take him out to the abandoned cellblock.
It’s isolated enough no one will hear him scream.”

“That’s not funny,” Corry snapped. “The
prisoners can’t be harmed. We have to—”

“I’ll give you round one.” He turned back to
the vidscreen, his expression inscrutable.

“Round one?”

“All three hostages are yours to do with as
you will until we have the first response from the coalition. If
the leaders choose not to cooperate, I take over.”

It was a better compromise than she’d
expected from her hotheaded brother. “Agreed.”

“Keep me informed of anything you discover.
I’ll tell everyone this is your baby, at least for now.”

Corry nodded and Korbin left the control
booth.

“Where are we, Ashton?” Danette asked
quietly.

“I don’t know.” All Ashton had seen of their
surroundings was the sterile holding cell. They could be anywhere
in the star system.

The drug-induced haze had dissipated, but
his limbs felt awkward, encumbered. Was this weakness a side effect
of the sedative or were their captors using some sort of
gravitational field to hamper their movements?

As if to answer his unspoken question, the
pressure shifted. Ashton sighed and stretched his tired muscles.
The gravitation in the room normalized, confirming his
suspicion.

The door panel raised and a woman strode
into the room. Her thick dark hair was pulled straight back away
from her heart-shaped face and clasped at the nape of her neck. Her
head would tuck neatly under his chin yet authority emanated from
her bearing.

Flanked by two uniformed guards, she was
dressed casually in black slacks and an olive-green blouse. She
wore no jewelry and no cosmetics that Ashton could detect.
Dominated by large, bright green eyes, her features were too
sophisticated for pretty yet not quite striking enough to be termed
beautiful.

She approached Danette, grasped her shackled
wrists and pulled the blonde to her feet. A small length of chain
between the ankle cuffs made walking possible but awkward.

“Where are you taking me? Who the hell are
you? What do you want with us?” Danette began immediately.

“You won’t be harmed if you follow my
instructions. If you give me any trouble, I’ll leave you bound and
gagged until this is over.” Though Danette was both taller and more
voluptuous than the brunette, the stranger easily controlled the
situation.

“You can’t treat us like this.” Uncertainty
crept into Danette’s tone. “Do you know who we are?”

“This wasn’t a random act, Ms. Tiptonn. I’m
fully aware of who you are, or more to the point, who you call
‘Father’.”

That shut her up, at least for the moment.
The brunette motioned Danette from the cell, the guards following
close behind. The door panel lowered a second after the guards
cleared the threshold.

“They didn’t reactivate the gravitational
field,” Palmer whispered.

“Then I doubt she’ll be gone long.”

“Did you recognize her?”

Ashton shook his head.

“Will they ransom us?”

“This isn’t about money.”

Confusion creased Palmer’s brow. “Then what
the hell is going on?”

“The rebels claim the outposts are being
neglected by the executive council. They’re dissatisfied with the
living conditions and feel—”

“Why do you know so much about the rebels?”
Palmer’s dark gaze bore into his.

Despite their dire circumstances, Ashton
managed a smile. “I’ve been doing some research for my mother.”

“Your mother is interested in the rebels?
They’ve been stirring up trouble longer than I can remember. Why
does your father put up with it?”

“Why does he put up with the rebel
demonstrations or why does he put up with my mother’s interest in
them?”

“Both.”

The door opened and the woman stood in the
opening, her arms clasped behind her back. Where were her
guards?

“You will come with me, Mr. VinDerley.”

“For what purpose?” Ashton scooted to the
edge of the bench and looked into her eyes.

“For the purpose of avoiding corporal
punishment.” She delivered the statement without inflection yet
suppressed emotion shimmered in her vivid green eyes.

He should do as she asked. He should
cooperate, learn more about their situation, but she was such a
tiny little thing. His pride let out a mighty roar. “Corporal
punishment?” Pushing to his feet, he glanced into the corridor
behind her, easily seeing over the top of her head. “And
you
intend to administer this punishment all by yourself?”

Palmer chuckled. The softness in her gaze
vanished. She stalked toward him, pulling a small metallic wand
from its clasp at her waist as she went. Before Ashton could
anticipate the threat, she touched his shoulder with the wand.
Intense, burning pain shot down his arm and across his chest.
Ashton gasped, jerking back from the device.

“At a slightly higher setting it’s not
necessary to touch you to cause you pain. At its highest setting
you would be instantaneously incinerated. Do you require a more
elaborate demonstration or shall we proceed?”

Spasms cramped his arm and shoulder. “What
the hell is that thing?”

“A motivator. Don’t be fooled by my size or
gender. I can control you and I will.” She nodded toward the
door.

Ashton staggered past her as the pain began
to recede. “What have you done with Danette?”

“She pissed me off, so I gave her to my
men.”

He narrowed his gaze on her face. Was she
provoking him or was she the heartless bitch she appeared? Power
stirred within him, innate abilities he hadn’t utilized since his
formal training eleven years before. “And how many men do you
have?”

“Enough to keep her busy for quite some
time.”

Pausing long enough to send a calming pulse
through Palmer, Ashton moved into the corridor, the woman directly
behind him. She held the wand in her right hand, a silent reminder
that she expected him to behave.