Assassin Mine (6 page)

The warship sped toward them, showing no signs that they’d
received the signal. “Shit.” Her heart pounded. “They’re not going for it. I
have nothing else, Darius.”
I failed him.
A trickle of perspiration slid
down her spine.

“They are preparing to launch, Captain,” the ship informed
them.

“Shields up. Brace for impact.” Darius gripped her shoulders
with his long fingers and she leaned back into him, closing her eyes, drawing
comfort from his presence.

“They’re slowing, Captain.” The ship’s robotic voice
interrupted the ominous silence. Sabria watched wide-eyed as the warship
reduced its speed. “They’re turning, Captain. They’ve rerouted to the location
of the decoy.”

“Fuck, that was close.” Darius’ hard form sagged against her
back. “Get us the hell out of here, Ship.” Stars whizzed by the main
viewscreen. “You did well, female.” He patted her shoulders.

Sabria tilted her head back to look up at Darius. “I told
you I’d protect you.” She grinned at him, giddy with relief.

He pressed his grim lips against her forehead, his mouth hot
on her skin. “You shouldn’t have to protect me.”

“And you shouldn’t have to face them alone.” Sabria’s humor
faded. “I assume we’re no longer part of the
Balazoid
forces.”

“No,
we’re
not.” Darius stared straight ahead, his
jaw jutted, his profile harsh and unforgiving. “No one leaves them alive.”

“You don’t know that.” Sabria searched through the
Balazoid
system, hacking higher and higher levels of access. “The Federation says the
same thing about
Gehenna 5
. It is all propaganda.” She waved her hand,
dismissing Darius’ worries. “Here you are. Yes, they’ve red-flagged you as a
threat to
Balazoid
.”

“Bring the file up on the main viewscreen.” Darius returned
to his own seat.

Sabria did as he instructed, watching his face, reading his
reactions. Darius’ expression darkened and his eyes sparked fire.

“The council started investigating me prior to the
Symrah
III
campaign,” he thundered. “No wonder that bastard Grok was surprised to
see me.” Darius’ fingers curled into fists. “They were targeting me for
disposal.”

“My brother has been targeted by the Federation for years
and he remains very much alive,” Sabria commented calmly.

Darius flattened his lips, his gaze fixed on his data.
Has
he never seen his file before?

She sighed.
He needs me, desperately.
“I’ll erase
that flag and reassign you to deep-space exploration as a precaution before I
seal your files.” She guessed Darius’ intent, their current route leading them
into No Man’s-Land. “Once your files are sealed, no other personnel can view
them or open them. If anyone attempts to access them, it will set off the total
system self-destruct I built on my last visit.”

“That arrogant ass Puxa didn’t find the self-destruct?”
Darius grumbled. She glanced at him and raised one eyebrow, having no idea who
Puxa was. “He considers himself in charge of the
Balazoid
security
system,” he clarified.

“There’s no indication anyone has noticed my access,” Sabria
assured him. “But if they’re as paranoid as the Federation forces are, they’ll
have system backups and be able to reinstate the information. This only buys us
some time.”

“Your brother taught you all this?” Darius stared at the
main viewscreen, his expression once again blank and unreadable.

“Most of it. Some tricks I picked up on my own. I’ve been
purging his records from the Federation system for years.” She exited the
Balazoid
database, locking the digital doors behind her.

“He’s coming for you, isn’t he?” Darius’ words were barely
audible over the hum of the ship.

“Yes, he is.” Sabria perused the ship’s system, tightening
up controls and looking for weakness. “Even if I send him a message, he won’t
trust it, wanting to see me for himself.”

She closed her viewscreen and focused on Darius. “When his
ship comes into communications range, let me talk to him first and there won’t
be any bloodshed.” Sabria stood, smoothing the wrinkles in her bed-sheet dress,
the thought of Darius and Traz facing each other unnerving, her big brother
overly protective and her assassin lover even more possessive.

“If he tries to take you from me, there will be bloodshed.”
Darius jabbed his personal viewscreen with his fingers, deeming to keep his
activities private. “I’ll kill him.”

Sabria moved to his side, needing to be closer to him.
“Why?”
Tell me you love me and I’ll stay. I’ll stay forever.
She
brazenly straddled his lap, the sheet riding upward, her hot pussy directly
connecting with his leather-covered cock, and she linked her fingers behind his
neck.

“You’re my breeder.” Darius didn’t look at her as he
scrolled through live images of space, searching for what or for whom, she
didn’t know.

“Am I simply a replaceable breeder to you?” Sabria leaned
into him, inhaling the light scent of herbs and man, and she licked his neck,
his jugular vein pumping against the flat of her tongue. He trembled, the
movement faint, yet distinguishable, and she smiled, savoring the small
triumph.

“You’re the only breeder I have.” He set aside his private
viewscreen and gazed at her, his eyes gleaming.

“You didn’t have a breeder before saving me.” She nibbled
along his jaw, tasting the salt of his skin. “And you survived.”

Darius shifted under her. His body was hard under her ass,
his cock pressing against his pants, against her. “I’ve…grown accustomed to
you.” He bent his head and lowered his mouth.

To me. Not to a breeder. To me.
Sabria brushed her
smiling lips against his. “Is that all you feel? Accustomed?” She traced the
shell of Darius’ ear with her fingertips and a purr of contentment rose from
his throat.

“I want you.” He tugged the sheet from around her body and
she gasped as the cool air hit her naked skin. “More than I have ever wanted
anything or anyone.” He clutched her to him and buried his face in her
shoulder, his mouth hard and demanding. “You make me want, need, believe.” He
covered her torso with punishing kisses, marking her. “I need to be inside your
hot pussy. Now.”

Darius unfastened his pants and freed his cock. Sabria
reached for him and he swatted her hands away. With an anguished growl, he
lifted her and rammed her down on his hardness, impaling her upon him, his cock
head pushing deep inside her, splitting her open, filling her.

“Yes.” He sighed, resting his forehead against hers, his
eyes closed, his mouth curled upward into a smile.

“Yes,” she agreed as he throbbed inside her, big and thick
and alive. Sabria unfastened his jacket and slid her hand underneath the
leather, resting her fingertips over his heart, the steady beat reassuring her,
comforting her. “This connection we have is special, Darius,” she shared,
needing, wanting him to know. “I’ve fucked other males and I never felt this
way with them.”

“No other males,” Darius bellowed, opening his eyes, his
irises a heated red. “You’ll never fuck another male.” He lifted her, his
strength impressive, and he slammed her onto him, spearing his cock between her
pussy lips, gripping her hips tightly with his fingers. “Never.” As he drove
her down on him, the force rattling her teeth, shaking her body, he thrust
upward, reaching deeper and deeper within her. “You are my female.”

“Yours.” Sabria rode him, leveraging off his heaving
shoulders, maintaining his relentless rhythm, her ass slapping against his
leather-covered thighs, the sting accentuating her pleasure. “I’m yours.” She
panted, her pussy gushing with her juices, slicking his shaft, easing the
friction between them. “Your breeder.”

“My breeder.” He twined his fingers into her hair and pulled
her head back, raising her face to him. “You’ll never feel this way with
another.” Darius claimed her mouth as he claimed her body, completely,
brutally, without mercy, demanding her surrender.

She parted her pulsing lips and he filled her mouth with
tongue, her pussy with his cock. There was no escaping him and she didn’t want
to flee, her body his to abuse, to pleasure, her heart in her assassin’s
skillful hands.

My heart. Oh shit, I love him.
She dropped her gaze,
hiding that realization from Darius.
He’s a
Balazoid
, a male who
won’t admit to any weakness, any soft emotion, and I love him.
She writhed
upon him, tormented by despair, unable to avoid the heartbreak fast
approaching.

He groaned into her mouth and rubbed his chest against her
breasts, the ribbed leather of his jacket teasing her sensitive nipples. She
arched into him, shamelessly naked on the bridge of his ship, wantonly offering
him everything, her heart, her body, and her soul.

Darius, being a
Balazoid
, a ruthless killer, a deadly
assassin, took her offer, pounding into her with reckless abandon, remaining
nearly fully clothed and in control, emotionally untouchable. She mewled with
frustration and raked her nails along his exposed chest. He hissed, his
reaction pleasing her, and he moved faster, thrusting harder, deeper, their
bodies slapping together.

She burned, her thighs, ass and breasts ablaze with
connection, her lips smashed against his, the taste of her own blood in her
mouth. He fucked her as he’d never fucked her before, branding her skin with
his.

“Darius.” As Sabria quivered and shook, struggling to hold
back her orgasm, she dug her nails into his flesh, piercing his skin.

“Yes, mark me,” he demanded, raking his teeth over her
shoulder, the pain exquisite and real. “Claim me as I claim you.” He fastened
his mouth over the curve of her neck and bit.

“Darius!” she screamed, breaking orbit, spinning along the
blackness of space, an inconsequential planet spiraling into a glorious sun,
the entry scorching, burning away her inhibitions. She ripped at his skin with
her fingernails and clamped down on his shaft with her pussy muscles.

He shouted her name and surged upward, bathing her pussy
with hot cum. Sabria held on tightly, riding his wildly bucking hips, not
allowing him to displace her. Darius was hers, no longer her captor, but her
prisoner, and she would never release him.

He quieted and his breathing leveled, his limbs stilling.
She loosened her grasp, her fingernails reddened with blood and her body
covered with a sheen of perspiration. “I hurt you.” She licked the stripe of
red running across his pale skin, the coppery taste of his blood coating her
tongue. “I’m sorry.”

“Did you mark the other males?” Darius gazed at her, his
eyelids partially lowered, shading his crimson eyes. “Did you claim them?”

He knows how I feel for him.
“No.” She shook her
head, her cheeks heating. “I’ve only claimed you, Darius.” She laid her head on
his chest. “Only you.”

Chapter Six

Darius tracked the progress of the approaching merc ship,
dread settling low in his stomach.
I must please Sabria more, sexually
binding her to me before her brother arrives.
He scrolled through the
Federation-sourced humanoid sex manual, seeking to expand his limited
knowledge.

Darius rubbed the scratches on his chest, the lingering pain
a stimulating reminder of how he’d satisfied her.
I’m the only male she’s
marked.

“The USS
Freedom
is requesting we open hailing
frequencies, Captain,” Ship informed him.

Fuck
.
Darius flicked through images on his
private viewscreen and located his female. Sabria remained in the breeding
chamber, her plump lips twisted in concentration, her gorgeous ass raised in
the air as she repaired the chair he’d never again subject her to. Darius
ignored his arousal and fastened his jacket, concealing the scratches on his
pale skin.

“Comply.” Darius fixed a bored, blank expression on his
face, disguising his dangerous, confusing feelings for Sabria, feelings her
brother Traz could use to manipulate him.

“Captain Traz of the USS
Freedom
speaking, presenting
a proposition benefiting the
Balazoid
military.” A scarred male with one
artificial eye and Sabria’s coloring glared at Darius through the main
viewscreen. The male, Sabria’s brother, had his arm wrapped around the neck of
a pale-haired, violet-eyed female.

Something is wrong.
Darius stared at the image,
seeking physical evidence for his suspicions. “State your proposition, Captain
Traz.”

“I wish to trade future-bender Falyn for your breeder.”
Sabria’s brother held his gaze without blinking.

He’s a worthy adversary.
Darius noted Traz’s
strength.
And a worthy protector for Sabria
, a small voice inside him
added. “Future-bender Falyn?” He leaned forward, seeing nothing special in the
female. “It has not been reported missing from its station.” He tested his
theory.

A soft growl rolled through the audio link. “
She
completed her assignments and the Federation won’t discover I’ve taken
her
until next cycle.” Traz’s human eye blazed with anger and Darius smothered his
grin, easily reading his opponent’s emotions. “Timing can be crucial, don’t you
agree?”

Sabria’s brother wants the future-bender. The
Balazoids
will want her even more.
Darius’ lips twitched.
Once I have her, I can
have everything—Sabria, freedom, happiness.
“It can be.” He scanned Traz’s
ship and detected only two life forms.

“I don’t have time to waste,
Balazoid
,” Sabria’s
brother barked, trying to rush a decision Darius had already made. “The
future-bender for your breeder, yes or no?”

“The future-bender for your sister.” Darius curled his top
lip, cutting through the bullshit. “You human males with your attachment to
your females.” He disguised his intentions behind mockery.

“If you wish to negotiate such a ludicrous trade, I won’t
stop you. Why would I? For the cost of a replaceable breeder, the glory of
capturing the Federation’s prize future-bender could be mine.” Darius
punctuated his stream of meaningless words with a curt nod.

“’Til we meet, Captain Traz.” Darius ended the transmission,
freezing the last image on the main viewscreen.

He thinks I’m a fool.
Darius started at the arm Traz
had wrapped around the future-bender’s neck, the merc’s grip not strong enough
to restrain a struggling child. No fear shone in the future-bender’s revealing
eyes.

He plans to secure the future-bender and Sabria.
Darius pressed the tips of his fingers together, tapping them against his lips.
But I’ll be the one to secure them, trading the future-bender to earn us a
more stable future, a future without fear of persecution.

Awareness shimmered over him and his cock hardened. Darius
turned his head. Sabria stood in the doorway, wearing one of his black shirts,
the hem grazing her knees.

“She’s beautiful.” Sabria nodded at the main viewscreen.

Is she?
Darius studied the female and frowned,
finding no appeal in the future-bender’s pale hair and soulless violet eyes. “A
future-bender is a highly prized breeder. The council will give me anything for
her.”

“Including acceptance?” Sabria raised one fine black
eyebrow.

Including our freedom.
Darius remained silent, not
wishing to raise Sabria’s hopes by promising her an uncertain future.

“I see.” Sabria’s smile was too bright to be genuine. “I’ve
repaired the breeding chair, but you shouldn’t put her in it, Darius.” She
looked over his left shoulder, not meeting his gaze. “It’ll hurt her.”

As it hurt her.
Regret sliced through his heart. “I’m
not putting anyone in the breeding chair,” Darius promised. “That was a
mistake.”

“You should hold her and comfort her. She’ll be scared.”
Sabria twisted her hands, her anxiety transferring to Darius. “Talk to her.
Tell her you want her, you care for her and you will protect her.”

“I want you and I’ll protect you.” Darius stalked toward
her.
Sabria must have been scared and I didn’t comfort her.
He raked his
fingers through his humanlike hair, his frustration building.
Fuck.
I
did everything wrong.
“I’m no good with words. I’ve spent my life alone, in
darkness and silence.”

“Try.” Sabria bowed her head, her long black curls shielding
her beautiful face. “I want you to be happy, Darius.”

He heard the good-bye in her words and a wild, desperate
fury gripped him. “I’m not letting you go, Sabria.” He lifted her chin. Her
brown eyes shone with unshed tears and his aggravation increased. “You’re
my
breeder.”

“But…” She glanced at the main viewscreen.

“But nothing.” Darius redirected her gaze to him, pinching
her chin between his thumb and index finger, securing her. “I’ll kill to keep
you.”

Sabria’s eyes narrowed, her expressions changing with her
thoughts, her face and her feelings reassuringly open to him. “You’ll kill my
brother, you mean, not
her
.”

Is she jealous?
Darius studied her, his heart
lightening.
Is she as possessive of me as I am of her?
“No, I won’t kill
her. She’s too valuable.”

“You can’t have us both.” Sabria jammed her little fists on
her hips, as though to physically intimidate him, a
Balazoid
assassin.
Darius’ lips twitched and she glared at him. “And if you think to double-cross
my brother, I recommend you think again. He didn’t escape
Gehenna 5
by
being stupid.”

“And I didn’t survive this long as an assassin by
underestimating the intelligence of my targets,” Darius growled, fed up with
the continuous talk of her perfect brother.

“Traz is
not
a target.” The look Sabria gave him
could have frozen a luminous blue variable star. “He’s my brother and if you
care for me at all, you won’t harm him.”

Darius pressed his lips together. He wouldn’t make Sabria
any false promises.

“But you don’t care at all.” Sabria rose up on her toes, her
lips a breath away from his, the pain on her face agonizing. “Because to you,
I’m a replaceable breeder.” She stepped back.

“No, you’re not a replaceable breeder.” He pulled her
forward, regretting that she’d heard him utter those cold words. “You’re my
breeder.” He pushed her face into his chest, inhaling the floral scent of her
hair and the sweet aroma of her skin. She struggled in his arms, her wiggling
tormenting his hard cock. “Be still.” He smacked her pert ass with the flat of
his hand.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” she mumbled into his jacket.
“You woman-hating asshole.” Her hands crept around his back, her arms
encircling him.

“Curse me out all you want, female.” Darius petted her long
black hair, relishing the softness. “You’re not leaving me. I’m not letting you
go.”

Sabria tilted her head back, gazing up at him with
red-rimmed eyes. “You didn’t tell my brother that. You told him I was a
replaceable breeder.”

“I lied so he wouldn’t use my need for you against us.”
Darius skimmed his fingertips over her face. “I couldn’t show weakness.”

“Because you never show weakness.” She backed away from him.
“Needing one specific breeder, caring for her, is weakness. If your enemies
knew how you felt, they could control you.”

He nodded, watching her warily.

“So you don’t allow yourself to care. You’ll never care for
me and I’m a fool for thinking you will.” Sabria walked away with her black
curls bouncing and her hips swinging, leaving him standing alone on the bridge
of his ship.

Darius stared at the closing door, yearning to chase her,
yet knowing he hadn’t the words to make her understand, the language of
emotions foreign to him.
I need a plan.
He returned to the captain’s
chair and picked up his personal viewscreen.