To Love A Space Pirate (4 page)

Sheannor was a tiny moon that orbited the desolate planet Blara. For whatever reason, Blara could not support life. The water was poisonous, and the air was unbreathable. How Sheannor came to be the tiny little paradise mystified him. It was one of a dozen moons that rotated around the dead planet, offering them the perfect place to hide. Not many ventured near Blara because of its harsh conditions. It wasn’t worth risking one’s crew to visit the world that didn’t have anything to offer. The nearest planet to Blara was so far away it would take days to get there.

He found the moon by chance one day when they were scouting for a place to set up a home base. All indicators on his ship told him the moon was habitable. After checking out all the other moons circling the planet, he and a few of his men set out on a recon mission. Upon seeing the beauty of the moon, he knew this would be the place to call home.

Tall trees grew over the surface of the moon. Fresh water streams gurgled and flowed almost everywhere you looked. A clean supply of drinking water was no more than a few dozen feet away at all times! Luscious green and blue ferns sprouted out from the dark soil of the forest. Vines climbed the trees and disappeared into the canopy above. A constant breeze blew through the trees causing the temperature to remain steady during the day but dropping at night. Miraculously, there was an abundance of small wildlife on the moon. Tiny furry creatures burrowed deep into the ground to make nests and raise families while the streams were filled edible fish. Yes, it was the perfect place for him to take his people and make a home for them.   

Carden was anxious to return home. He wanted to continue the work he started on the house he was building for himself. His priority had been building homes for the families, leaving him to stay on the ship until his house was built. This last run took his ship out much longer than he wanted to be gone but too many extra opportunities presented themselves that he could not pass up. He did promise the crew after the seizure of the Tarwick vessel they would head home.

His only dilemma was the human female sitting in one of his cells. What would he do with her when Tarwick refused to pay up? Was she from a family wealthy enough to come to her aid? Did he want to be rid of her so soon? Of course, he wanted to be rid of the human! What else would he do with her?

He had to admit she was beautiful to look at with her mass of red hair. It was even more appealing when he saw her in the cell. His fingers ached to run freely through the tangled mess and see how it would feel cascading over his heated flesh. Her eyes tempted him like no other had before too. They reminded him of the clear green water flowing gently behind the spot where his house was being built. But, he could see the fire that could be raised up in them if he persisted in picking a fight with her. Dr. Faxon said he needed to wait to question her, but he had the intense need to be close to her again; to smell her again. He was confused by the rush of feelings he was having for the human, and he didn’t like it. He wasn’t interested in humans unless it was for a quick screw.

As he entered the cargo hold, he saw Necko clicking away on his portable tablet. “Have you completed the inventory,” he asked as he sat down on a pile of wood strapped to the floor.

“Just about finished. I don’t think we can fit anything else in here. We are busting at the seams and need to offload.” Necko looked up as he spoke.

“I gave the order to head home. It’ll take us a couple of days to get there but, at least, we are going home.”

“Thank God! If I had to listen to one more man whine about being out so long, I was surely going to punch someone,” Necko laughed.

“It’s my fault we have been gone so long but the men with profit nicely from this run. We’ll sell some of this stuff, but the rest will be given to the people. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done to finish up the town. I want it all finished before the next winter comes.”

Necko nodded in agreement. “As long as we head home now, I think we can get it all done in time. I know I do not want to spend another winter in another’s house! My Mara and I are thrilled about having a home of our own especially since she is expecting now.”

“Do not worry, my friend. The men I left behind had orders to finish the houses first then move on to the storage buildings. We should have enough supplies to last us for many months without having to make another run.” Carden wanted to remain home for as long as possible this time. For as many ships he raided, someone was bound to be searching for him. The downtime might give him enough time for the heat of his trail to cool off before he dared to head out again.

“What are you going to do with the female,” Necko asked. “We all know Tarwick isn’t going pay.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I know. I expect nothing else from those bastards. There’s no telling how many others they have left to fend for themselves.”

“Does she know this,” Necko asked as he resumed his counting.

“I doubt it even though I tried to tell her. She is under the impression Tarwick values their employees above everything else. I do plan on questioning her more.” His cock twitched at the thought of seeing her again. If she weren’t a human, he would have considered seducing her.

“Good luck to you then. A pissed off female of any race is not something I care to deal with at the moment.” Necko laughed and shook his head.

Carden jumped off the stack of wood and slapped his friend on the back. “If I need any help, I will be sure to call on you.”

He left the cargo hold and headed to the bridge. He needed to dispose of the Tarwick ship before they went any farther. The debris from the destroyed ship would eventually float away, but he didn’t want any of it to trail behind his. After he would seek out the doctor and get an update on the human’s condition. No matter how she felt, he wanted more answers out of her this time around.    

Chapter 4

Elizabeth came to with a jolt. Something shook the ship. Were they being attacked? She looked around her cell and listened to any voices that might tell her what was happening. Maybe she would be rescued from the pirate who commanded this ship!

As carefully as she could, she rolled onto her side then sat up. Sweat broke out on her forehead as she took small gasps of air to ward off the black dots dancing before her eyes. A sudden shudder from the ship made her hold on tightly to the edge of the bed as she waited for the feeling to pass.

“You shouldn’t be up,” a voice called out from the doorway.

She lifted her head and saw Faxon entering the cell. “I’ll be okay. Just give me a moment.” She breathed in deeply through her nose. “What was that?” The spots were slowly fading away, thank goodness! She didn’t enjoy the sickening feeling that came along with them.

“I am sorry to tell you that was your ship being blown up.”

Her head snapped up. “What,” she shrieked. “How am I going to get home? Why would he blow my ship up?”

Faxon pulled up the chair again to sit in front of her. “My guess is because he doesn’t want it traced to him. It’s not something he usually does so I guess it was beyond repair.” He shrugged as if he didn’t care.

“Are you kidding me? Of course, it was repairable! It just needed a new Chromium Core! What an asshole,” she said with venom.

“It was his decision. He’s the captain. I need to examine you again.”

“I do not want to be examined again! I want to speak with this captain of yours!” She wanted to give Captain High and Mighty a piece of her mind. How dare he blow up her ship! Tarwick was going to be furious with her now, and she would be fired for sure. She would never be able to pay for the cost of the ship, and she would be branded as an irresponsible pilot! Her career was over before it began.

Faxon ignored her request as he pulled out his instruments. She barely paid attention as he waved a light in front of her eyes then shined it rudely in each one. The bright light hurt her eyes but, thankfully, not her head. The humongous headache she had earlier was going away finally.

“Can you take a deep breath for me?” He put the end of his stethoscope on her chest.

She pulled in as much air as she could without causing too much pain. “That’s all I can do. It hurts too much to go any further.”

“That’s understandable with broken ribs.”

“I have broken ribs?”

“Six to be exact. They will take some time to heal but the compound I am about to give you will speed up the healing process. How’s the head?”

“Still hurts but not nearly as bad as it did.” She felt for the lump on the back of her head and found it was still very tender.

“I was quite worried about the head injury more than the ribs. When Carden brought you in, I thought the blood coming from your mouth meant we had a real problem. But, you only bit the side of your cheek. I had to sew it up to stop the bleeding. Let me have a look while I am here.”

He waited for her to open her mouth wide. She thought about refusing him but what good would that do her? She would only be hurting herself. Obediently, she opened.

“It looks good. Healing nicely. Are you hungry,” he asked after he finished his exam.

“Not really.” It was the truth. Her stomach was upset after the dizzy spell from sitting up.

“I will have something sent to you. Try to eat it, alright?” He smiled at her.

Lizzy felt sorry for being snappy with the doctor. He was only there to help her and wasn’t the one responsible for the loss of her ship.

“I’m also going to give you something for the pain. There’s no need for you to suffer from those ribs until the compound works its magic.” He pulled out a large syringe filled with a clear liquid.

“Woo! Where are you going to stick that thing?” She leaned away from him at the sight of the needle. She hated needles!

“It goes in the arm. It won’t hurt. Give me your arm.”

She was hesitant at first but reluctantly turned to give him the back of her arm. Her heart thudded in her chest a moment before she felt the prick of the needle then the coolness of the thick liquid being pushed into her.

“Give it some time to work. By tomorrow, your ribs should feel a whole lot better.” Faxon started to put away his instruments as he continued to speak to her. “I’ll check on you again in the morning but if you need me during the night just have the guard page me.”

“Umm, Okay. Thanks,” she said as she rubbed the area on her arm.

The doctor left her alone again without another word. She stood up slowly and walked to the sink in the corner. The cold water felt good on her face after sleeping for so long. She just wished she could take a shower to get rid of the nasty feeling she had after climbing around in the engine room of her ship. Hell, how long ago was that? Two days? Three days? She never thought to ask the doctor how long she was out.

She returned to her bed after a short wash in the sink. It would have to do for now until she could take a proper shower. She sat on the edge of the bed again trying to catch her breath when the beams barring the door disappeared. She thought it was the doctor coming back with her food, but she was sorely mistaken.

In walked Captain Carden!

The anger she was feeling earlier resurfaced. She glared at the man who held her captive. “What do you want?” She was taking a huge gamble by being so brazen with her attitude towards him. He was a pirate after all and could kill her at any moment! But, as usual, her mouth spoke before her brain could tell her to shut up.

Carden raised an eyebrow at her sharp words. “Feeling better, I see.” He set a tray on the bed beside her. “Doc said you need to eat, so eat.” He nodded at the food.

“I’m not hungry,” she said. Especially now that he was here!

“I am not leaving until you eat some of that food so you might as well do it. You don’t want me to force you to eat it.”

The look on his face told her no, she didn’t want him to force feed her. She glared at him for what it was worth then reached for the tray. “Whatever,” she mumbled.

“I will talk, and you will eat. Got it?”

“Sure. Whatever you say, Captain.” She uncovered the plate and looked at the strange glop. “What is this?” She used her spoon to push the yellow mess around on the plate.

“It’s called Loupa. It’s easy on the stomach after sustaining injuries. Tastes okay. Not my favorite.”

Lizzy scooped up a spoonful and shoved it into her mouth. She let the mushy stuff settle on her tongue before chewing it. The flavor reminded her of the hot breakfast cereal her mother used to cook for her before she went to school. Tasted more like oatmeal to her than anything else. It wasn’t too bad. The taste was growing on her as she shoveled another spoonful into her mouth.

“Do you live on Keplar 1?”

She stopped chewing for a moment. “Yes. Why do you want to know that?” She saw a muscle twitch in his temple as he clenched his jaw. “What? Am I not allowed to ask questions?”
Damn girl! You had better shut up!
She couldn’t resist the urge to make him mad.

“No. You are not. You will answer my questions, and that is all.” His teeth clenched again, and his eyes squinted as he stared back at her. “What were you doing in this sector? Didn’t you know it was dangerous?”

“I was taking a short cut.” She would give him as little information as possible.

“Isn’t that against Tarwick rules,” he asked.

How would he know that? “Maybe.”

“No maybe about it. Tarwick forbids its pilots from deviating from the plotted course. So, I will ask you again, what business did you have in this sector?”

“I told you. I was taking a short cut. Nothing more.”

“Where were you headed and don’t lie to me. I have your ship’s computer records.” Something in the tone of his voice told her he was not going to tolerate her foolishness much longer.

“I was going to make a delivery to Spadus V.”

“Why go off course?”

He was starting to annoy her. “Why do you think? I wanted to save some time. It was my first solo mission, and I wanted to impress the company.” It was plain and simple. Piloting was her life, and she wanted to be good at it. She wanted to advance in the business and show them she was willing to go the extra mile, but her first run ended in disaster. “Have you heard from Tarwick yet?”

“No.”

The short, simple answer left her with a funny feeling. Was he the one lying now? It was possible though he hadn’t heard anything yet. It might take the company some time to get the funds together.

“How long do you think it will take them to respond?”

“How do you know they will respond at all,” he asked in rebuttal. “They aren’t a very friendly company to work for.”

“How would you know that? You are just a pirate out to steal what others have!” Her voice rose in frustration. If she angered him to the point of no return, then she would have that problem. For now, she was pissed enough to pick a fight with the giant bastard!

“You need to watch your words, human,” he warned her.

“I need to watch my words? I am the one being held prisoner. I am the one who is being ransomed! I am the one who just lost her job when you blew up my ship!” Her chest heaved as she lost her air supply. It was hard to have a tantrum when you couldn’t get enough air into your lungs to shout.

The black dots started forming before her eyes again. All too quickly they formed one big glob, and her ears began to ring. It felt as if her throat was closing in on her and she couldn’t breathe. She grabbed hold of the side of the bed for fear of falling off the damned thing. Her world was closing in on her, and the pirate was going witness it!

Strong hands took hold of her arms and settled her back on the bed. In the time it took for her senses to recover, some of her anger had dissipated. As her eyes cleared and came back into focus, Carden’s face filled her line of view.

“Are you alright,” he asked.

She could see the concern written all over his handsome face, but it still didn’t wash away all the emotion she was feeling.

“I will be fine. Please unhand me,” she asked through clenched teeth. Her stomach was rolling, and she was afraid she would lose the food she just ate.

“I should call for Faxon,” he stated to her as he continued to watch her after letting go.

“Don’t bother. It will pass soon enough.” She had to calm down. The last thing she needed was for this damned pirate see her at her weakest point! If she had any hope of getting out of this situation, then she needed to remain strong and in control of her body.

“You are very pale.” Carden sat back down on the chair.

The blackness wavering before her eyes was starting to fade away, leaving her feeling drained. She wanted to be left alone so she could figure out what she was going to do. Escape was at the forefront of her mind, and she couldn’t very well plan an escape if her captor continued to sit right in front of her.

“Like I said, I will be fine. I just need to sleep.” To make her point, she eased back on the bed until she was able to lift her legs up over the side. To her utter horror, she felt her legs being lifted then gently placed on the bed. The blanket was pulled up over her form as she let out a sigh.

“I will let you rest for now, but we will continue this conversation.” Carden stood up and looked down at her.

Her heart jumped in her throat as she looked up at him. If he hadn’t been a pirate and holding her prisoner, it was entirely possible she could fall for him! But, he was her enemy in every shape and form! Her body might have other ideas about the man, but her mind didn’t.

“Sleep, little human.”

Lizzy watched him leave, and the blue beams of light returned. She was alone again, and it was a relief. Something about the man stirred feelings in her she shouldn’t be having. Perhaps she was experiencing that funny named syndrome where a prisoner fell in love with her captor. What was the name of it? She remembered learning about in school but, for the life of her, she couldn’t remember the name it. Oh well! She was not going to be falling for her captor! She would rather go up in flames than fall in love with a man who was holding her hostage!