Vanquished (4 page)

“Yes, sir.”
The man hustled away in the
direction of the bridge and Vayne was able to gain his quarters without
additional interruptions.

Applying his hand to the sensor
pad, he waited impatiently as the panel opened in response, then carried his
warrior in.

After lowering her to his
bunk—even sovereigns didn’t rate luxuries on a warship—Vayne knelt beside her
and gently tugged the silk free. She’d been restrained long enough.

“I’m going to release you on your
promise you won’t attempt to escape or otherwise act out.”

“No chance.” Those golden eyes
gave no quarter, and her wide mouth, with its shorter upper lip, curled in
disdain. He wanted to lick it back into its sweet curve but valued his own
flesh.

“We’re in the middle of no man’s
space, little one. No place to run, nowhere to hide.”

“Then you have nothing to worry
about.”

With a sigh, and an eye on his
timepiece, he released her wrists first. He took advantage of her obvious
stiffness to snatch one hand, replace the cuff and attach it to a bolt on the
headboard. She flexed her free hand and eyed the bolt—and the matching one on
the other side. A faint flush covered her high cheekbones.

“You’re a pervert, too.” The
statement was curiously without affect.

“You have no idea,” he agreed
amiably. If his little captive recognized the symbolism of the bolts, then she
might not require the immersion in his culture he’d expected during the holding
period. He was both titillated at the thought and disappointed, having hoped to
be the first to introduce her to the pleasure of bondage while being pleasured
to madness. Another look at her face doused both emotions. Resignation dulled
her eyes for an instant, even as she quickly blinked it away. The impression of
something terrible rolled over him but he shoved his prescience down for the
moment. He had to get his ship out of range before he allowed himself to begin
to share her emotions. Her death wish had already colored his mind, and the
reasons behind such a thing would likely be dire.

With a press of his digit on the
cuffs at her ankles, her feet came free and he took himself out of kicking
distance.

“I’ll come back with sustenance
when I’m able,” he advised.

“Don’t rush on my part.” He
thought she also called him a name under her breath as he left his quarters,
ensuring the door locked securely behind him, and made his way to the bridge.
He paused near the shuttle bay.

“Sir.”
Leric panted, and behind him
Vayne saw several figures sporting long, flowing hair being shepherded into
extra crew quarters. Three troops were hard on their heels, along with his
medic.

“How many?”

“Twelve
females.
All lovely specimens.
The men refused our offer.” Leric
didn’t need to add that there had been no offer made to the females. If they
were of age, thought capable of bearing children and appeared healthy, they had
been taken. There had been no time for the medic to ascertain their suitability
on the
Astris
.

“And for you?
Were you blessed?”

“There is a fair-haired female
with enormous brown eyes. She is very frightened, and I had to tamp down my
desperation, but I touched her and sensed…” His exec, never at a loss for
words, faltered. Vayne smiled and thumped the other man’s arm.

“Then go with your instinct, my
friend. If she occupies your thoughts and you crave her more than food and
drink, she is a chosen. And she will never find a kinder man, despite our need
for dominance.
Or a more deserving one.”

“My thanks,
Sovereign.”
Leric visibly brought himself under control, his shoulders squaring and his
head once again raised, eyes alert.
“Orders?”

“Go. Put as much space between us
and the
Astris
as possible. I’ve
alerted the navigator of the route to take a different path home, something to
both confuse any pursuit and give us some time to woo our future brides.”
Though in truth his little warrior was already essentially bound to
him, as was Leric’s choice of a lifemate.

“Do you believe the Home World
will send others to try and follow?”

“I don’t, because there’s no
reason for them to think we were involved. The pirates will have left some sort
of decoy, as well. But this entire operation has taken too long, and I won’t
risk anything. We move now.”

“Yes, sir.
Done.”

Vayne supervised their departure
and allowed a sigh of relief when they left the
Astris
behind. The pirate ship was also departing. The only thing
for the Outriders to find would be the drifting passenger vessel, with its
entire crew essentially unharmed and most of its passengers still on board. The
loss of thirteen female travelers would no doubt be investigated, but with
pirates involved, it was likely the authorities would accept that loss. Women
weren’t as valued on the Home World as they should be, and losing the paltry
cargo would probably make a greater impact.

If he’d really wanted to muddy
the trail Vayne would have ordered everyone on board slaughtered, and there had
been a time in Shadalla history when that would have been the case. But he’d
seen too much violence and perpetrated too much. Now that the war was over he
had no taste for duty in the form of dealing death, although there were some
remaining humans who would find it at his hand when they were ferreted out. But
that was a process he’d set in motion with others more skilled in the hunt,
having missed his opportunity. And he now had other, more important, things on
his mind.
One in particular.

Instructing a crew member in the
galley as to the contents of a tray he was required to formulate, Vayne leaned
against the bulkhead. Fatigue, more from the emotional stress of the day, wore
at him. Accepting the tray, he wearily trudged back to his quarters, sustenance
in hand. The scent of the food lifted his tiredness to some extent and he
stared down at the meal. It had been a long journey and a momentous one. Some
time had passed since he’d flown a ship on a mission. Politics had taken up far
too much of his time. It was a tasteless, if necessary, task.

As he neared his cabin, he could
sense her and she was like a stimulant. He forgot any weariness as it washed
away before his sense of anticipation and he commanded the door to open. His
little warrior was where he’d left her, ensconced on his bunk, the disheveled
bedding indicative of how she’d attempted to break free. Vayne actually entered
with caution, insanely thinking she might have escaped her binds and was
waiting on the other side of the panel to wreak havoc.
On
him.
The anticipation of warring with his bride, and the resulting
loving reparations, nearly consumed him. His cock, still tumescent, expressed
its agreement.

She watched him warily, like a
wild
leicat
, those animals now few
and far between on his planet. His people’s efforts at conservation had been
too late for many of their native species, though they had a better track
record than some other worlds. Like his little warrior’s Home World. Vayne set
his jaw at the thoughts of the things he’d witnessed there.
Barbarians,
and obviously as capable of genocide as the Juxtant.
Certainly
more effective in delivering it.

Her breathing was measured and
she appeared in complete control, and Vayne again wondered who she was, then
became determined to find out. Before she became his and her past was obscured
and lost, as was necessary. No one would find her and it would be as if she
never existed elsewhere.

“I have food and drink. Will you
tell me your name?”

“Do I get fed if I refuse?”

“Of course.
I have no interest in harming
you. I merely thought you might want to hold on to some of yourself. Share your
name and I will not assign you another.”

With a short intake of breath,
she stared at him, those interesting eyes sharp and shimmering with
intelligence. “Explain.”

“You are mine, little warrior.
For eternity.
How you accept that will be your choice, but I
never lose, and in this I cannot afford to lose. You will come to understand.”

“So you’ve said. Maybe try and
explain now.”

He hesitated,
then
put most of the information out there for her. Perhaps if she understood what
the Shadalla were facing… “We are in dire need of childbearing mates. The
majority of our women are sterile because of your Home World’s genetic weapons.
And many died from the resulting infections until our scientists could
determine the cause. By then it was too late. We males outnumber our females by
thousands to one and we are not a proliferate species.”

“What?” Shock and disbelief were
embodied in that one word.

“Which part shocks you, little
one? What part don’t you believe? We are uncomfortable allies, your kind and
mine, and most recently only because of our desire to unite to battle the
Juxtant. But before that, your people’s insidious weapon was somehow carried
home from the war and infiltrated our world. We had no awareness of it until
perhaps a decade ago and even then could barely attribute it to the ones who
rule your planet. We thought them better than the Juxtant.” Until he’d come
into the information about collusion, something that never left his mind.

“I’m not shocked about the
genetic weapon. I believe you,” she said, her tone so bitter and dark it took
him aback. “The Home World is ruled by greedy cowards.”

Her obvious hatred of her own
leaders might help his case, and Vayne made a mental note. He then considered
it was his assertion that he’d taken her to be his lifemate that caused such
shock.
Unfortunate, but not surprising.
He thought she
might say more,
then
realized she once again retreated
into her own thoughts. That would never do when they were joined, and he added
it to the mental list of things he must teach her.

Combining a few pieces of fruit
and cheese on a plate, then adding dried meat and bread, he carried it over and
set it on the small table beside the bunk, watching the entire time for any
indication she might use her feet against him. Returning to take a chair and
dole out food for himself, he studied her.

“You believe me, and aren’t
shocked because you served those same authorities?” he suggested.

Her face immediately tightened
and her eyes became more remote. She didn’t answer, so he continued. “We don’t
choose to die out as a race, so we’ve found another way.”

“You kidnap Home World women and
breed them.” The bald statement fell between them.
So much
for avoidance.

“Not quite so…cold. Or callous.”

“Really.”
She shifted on his bunk,
ignoring the food. “What would you call it?
Although I can
understand the need for revenge, considering how heinous their act.”

“It’s not revenge. I do allow it
might be viewed as such by women like
yourself
.” He
paused at her snort.

“You’ve never kidnapped anyone
like me, mister.”

“I know that to be true, and I
consider myself blessed, little warrior.” His voice thrummed with the depth of
his emotion.

“What? Why?” There was agitation
evident in
her
voice, and he wondered
at it. Could it be she was unmanned by a hint of kindness?
Of
appreciation?

“I saw how you fought, and I see
your intelligence. You are perfect for me.
Perfect to carry
on my line.”
If she tested capable of conceiving, he reminded himself,
and decided not to share that thought with her. In fact, the very idea of her
being infertile made his belly clench. Surely the gods wouldn’t be so cruel.
But he would have her regardless, as his bride, and find a surrogate to provide
his children.

“Not interested.”

The flat refusal to accept his
edict, with no explanation, no additional protest, irked him. He grabbed at a
straw. Perhaps she indeed had a mate on the Home World…and children. Her grief
was palpable, if contained, and while he wouldn’t return her, perhaps something
could be done about the offspring. “Are you married? Do you have children?”

She gave another quick bark of
laughter, the harsh sound nearly passing for humor. “No.
And
no.
Not in the cards.
Ever.”

Ignoring her outburst, he said,
“Then I’m relieved you won’t be mourning them. It would have made things more
difficult, if not insurmountable.”

She narrowed her eyes and stared.
Despite himself, the fine hair on the back of his neck prickled and he wondered
how many men she had faced down with that look. “So it wouldn’t have made a
difference, then.”

“No.
Regrettably,
no.
I would have made it a priority to locate your children and bring
them to you. But the Shadalla are desperate and in the need of lifemates.”