-Enslaved-by-an-Officer[ Sold 8] (5 page)

Choosing a seat across from Carver and Acerith gave Honor an excellent vantage point to watch their interactions. They were clearly close as evidenced by the way they spoke to one another, but Honor did not see sexual interest between them. That didn’t mean lust wasn’t there, just that it wasn’t evident.

When Acerith looked pointedly at Honor, he felt challenged, and wanted to growl, but refrained. He had no claim on Carver. Only in his mind did there exist something between them. What made his lust sharpen was the fact that once Carver was out of the blazing sun, he’d removed the veil and cape. He wore only a crudely fashioned loincloth that did little to hide his cock and balls. His body was smaller now than it had been during the auction, but Honor was certain all he needed was adequate food and rest then he’d return to his original magnificence. Not that he was less so now, not with his darkly bronzed skin and sun-bleached hair. Both highlighted his unusual green eyes, compelling Honor to look that direction.

Carver was looking right at him.
Honor felt a connection. This was not wishful thinking or longing gone awry. Something fundamental and basic flowed between them. Almost against his will, Honor realized that Carver might feel beholden to him. Honor had saved his life, but he had done so because it was his duty. Or perhaps Carver felt gratitude for the fact Honor had freed the slaves he’d grown to care about. Maybe Carver was only looking at Honor that way because he’d saved Acerith. There was no way of knowing unless he asked. That wasn’t something he was likely to do. Not when he didn’t want to hear the answer. Honor found it far more pleasurable to imagine Carver was looking at him with lustful interest than to know it was simply gratefulness.
Despite the fact that the ride in the shuttle was quiet, there was very little talking. After Carver and Acerith exchanged half a dozen words, they fell silent then looked out the window. This allowed Honor to look at Carver without him being aware of his attention. He was just admiring the harsh pride of his chin when his gaze went to Acerith.
He was watching Honor.
What Honor found disturbing about his attention was that he couldn’t quite understand what Acerith was looking at him for. He didn’t think it was lust, loathing, or even a curiosity about his race. Honor simply had no idea why the Venian was so utterly fascinated with him.
It was on the tip of Honor’s tongue to ask, but Carver took his attention off the window and riveted his gaze to Honor. Now he had two beings giving him a thorough examination. Rather than engage them, he turned to the window and peered down at the sand-strewn world of Bewen. If he never saw the overheated, under-watered ball of sand again it would be too soon. Honor wished he could offer all the slaves refreshments, but logistically it had been easier to dispatch the shuttles as quickly as possible while the officers onboard the battleship readied supplies for their guests.
Honor didn’t anticipate any problems, not when his ship had thousands of war-hardened Krase on board. Even if he was transporting the universe’s biggest and most dangerous criminal, he wouldn’t be able to do anything locked in the shuttle bay.
Although, Honor hoped to give Carver a personal tour of the ship. He would, of course, show him his personal quarters. He knew after talking to Noble and Blessed that Earthlings were very driven to bathe and play in water. He’d had a bath created per Tyler’s explanation and hoped—no. He had to stop trying to seduce the man. His job was to retrieve the humans, free them, then have them assimilated into society. Tyler and Blessed would be happy to get Carver settled and show him how the city operated.
As Honor thought about that, he frowned. Tyler would no doubt dress Carver up in his same fashion, a style that Blessed liked but Honor hated. Another human had called the look a retro throwback to the 80s. Honor didn’t know what that was, but he didn’t want Carver to wear that particular style. It wouldn’t work to show him off to best advantage. However, when Honor tried to imagine what fashion would suit Carver best, he drew a blank. He thought the best thing the man could wear was nothing at all.
Once the shuttles docked, the refugees were assigned a bedding area then offered food, drink, hygiene facilities, and makeshift clothing. Since almost all of them were bipeds, this made the issue of clothing and cleaning much easier. Water was essentially the same for all. Food was a little more difficult, but they had enough variety on the ship that they were able to find something for each species.
“I don’t seem to have a bed assigned to me.” Carver was looking around rather hesitantly.
“That is because you are not a slave seeking asylum. You have a room within the ship.” Honor pointed toward the exit.
“I wish to stay here.”
Honor opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
“I don’t want to be treated differently from them. We all went in this together. Somehow it seems unfair if I’m treated better than they are.”
Honor wanted to applaud his nobility, but despaired that his dreams of somehow instigating a liaison between them were utterly futile. Rather than cause a fuss, he ordered that another bed be brought in. When he turned away to hide his disappointment, Acerith was there, looking at him.
A part of Honor wanted to grasp Acerith by the shoulders and demand to know why he was looking at him like that, but he knew he was overreacting. Instead of engaging him in conversation, Honor left the shuttle bay and went to his private quarters. The first thing he was going to do was figure out who Acerith was, why he was on Bewen, and where Honor was going to drop him off.
As soon as he entered his rooms, the blue stain on the carpet filled his vision. He had tried everything to clean it, but it simply wouldn’t come out. Eventually, it would fade, or so he hoped. Ignoring his mark of shame as best he could, Honor settled at his console and activated the unit. He could have issued the order to devotee to do his research, but Honor wanted and needed the distraction.
It didn’t take long for him to find out Acerith’s identity. His research was made much easier by the fact the man was using his real name. What was not simple was understanding Acerith’s motives. Why had he gone to Bewen? As Honor sat there pondering the situation, he began to realize it certainly hadn’t been of his own free will. Acerith had been sent to the
jild
farm as a form of punishment, just like Carver. Perhaps that explained their closeness. They did have somewhat similar circumstances.
Unfortunately, knowledge was power, and now that Honor knew, he couldn’t go back to blissful ignorance. Acerith was clearly a complicated being. Dealing with him could be very delicate. He was no threat to Honor or Carver, but Acerith’s situation was one that needed a certain level of diplomacy and tact. Was that why he was staring so intently at Honor during the shuttle ride? Acerith could be wondering if Honor knew who he was or what Honor would do with him once he found out. Honor honestly had no idea what to do with him. If Carver cared for him, and clearly he did, they would have a difficult time making their life together work.
“Enough.” Honor turned off the unit and rose. What happened between Carver and Acerith wasn’t his concern. He had succeeded in retrieving another human. There were still plenty more. Rather than sit in his room bemoaning what might have been, he would go back down to the shuttle bay to confront the truth. He felt he had given them enough time to get situated. When he entered the shuttle bay, he was pleased that things were moving smoothly. The beings were all very different, but they were comrades in arms now, so there was a cohesion to their group.
Carver was easy to spot with his gleaming gold hair. When he saw Honor, he waved. Honor lifted his hand in acknowledgement then strode toward him.
“Thank you, for all of this. Some of these people would have died without water.”
Honor nodded. “I must speak with you privately.”
“If it affects my men—”
“It affects only you.” Honor wanted to point out that they weren’t his men, but it would be petty and pointless. Carver didn’t think he owned them. He simply felt as their leader he needed to include them in any decision that was made. “I must talk with you about your status. As much as you don’t want to be different from those you worked with to obtain your freedom, you are. Quite different. And it is too complicated to discuss here.”
Carver was clearly intrigued. Before he was willing to leave the area, he went to Acerith and told him where he was going. Honor bristled. Obviously, there was something much more intimate between them than friendship. Once Carver had finished talking with Acerith, he joined Honor. Without even looking back, Honor was certain that Acerith followed them with his pointed gaze all the way out the door. Maybe he was afraid that Honor was going to tell Carver who he was. Honor just might. He told himself it wasn’t his business, but in many ways it was. He had decided to free those beings from the farm. He should have simply taken Carver and let the others fall where they may. But if he did that, then Carver would think badly of him, so Honor had stuck himself into a situation that wasn’t any of his business. Now he had a big mess to clean up and had no one to blame but himself.
“So what’s the deal?” Carver asked as they strode swiftly through the hallway. “How did I end up as a slave?”
“I will tell you all of it, but before I do, I must ask if you will tell the others.”
“You mean tell them what you tell me? I don’t know. You haven’t told anything me yet.”
Honor realized what he was asking wasn’t quite fair, but he needed to know that Carver would exercise some discretion. Why he felt the need to caution Carver when he hadn’t with any of the others, Honor wasn’t sure. But something in him told him that Acerith shouldn’t know. Not that he could do anything with the information just that— “Please be circumspect with whom you share your story with. There are those who would take advantage.”
“Of me?”
“Possibly. Or they might wish to exploit the situation with you and the other humans. There was an incident where a human was tortured because his pain was extremely pleasing to the being who was harming him. It is not common knowledge, and we’ve worked tirelessly to contain that information.”
“Yet you just told me.”
“I gave you no details. My point is that knowledge is power. Be careful whose hands you put your information in.”
Carver continued walking beside him in silence. “You know who he is, don’t you?”
“Acerith? Yes, I do.” And now Honor knew that Carver did, too.
“It’s not what you think.”
“You do not know what I think.” Honor stopped at the door to his own room but changed his mind and moved to the next door and entered. This was the room he’d set up for Carver. It was very human friendly and would probably help him to feel more comfortable.
“Why don’t you tell me what you think?”
“It’s immaterial.” Once they were in the room, Honor closed the door. In these tight quarters he was able to smell the musk of Carver’s body. The taste of the human he’d licked exploded in his mouth and mind. He had an insane urge to turn and lick his way from Carver’s mouth down to his cock, exploring all the tastes along the way. Instead, he pointed to the table where they both sat. “Acerith isn’t the subject of this discussion.”
“I’m not going to change my mind about him.”
A stabbing pain started up in Honor’s back. He ignored it. “My goal isn’t to interfere. If you are in love with him—”
“I never said I was in love with him.”
“My point is he isn’t the issue.” Honor realized his voice was very rushed and clipped. He was frustrated but not by Carver’s actions or concerns but by his own inability to control himself. “My point is that you and your fellow humans were stolen from Earth.”
“Stolen?”
“A slave trader developed a cunning scheme wherein he would steal humans right before the moment of their death, put them into stasis, and then sell them on Krase.”
“Krase is your world, right?”
“Yes. Krase is where the auction house is. Where you were displayed and sold.”
“Trust me, I remember.”
So do I
, Honor wanted to say, but refrained.
“I can’t wait to go back.”
“To the auction house?”
“Home!” Carver’s face split into a huge smile, transforming him from handsome into something close to divine.
Honor hated to be the one to tell him the horrible truth, but that was part of his duty. “I am sorry. But that’s simply not possible.”
“What do you mean? I am alive. I can go back and pick up right where I left off with Mac and the Broncos. It’s a crazy story—oh, that’s what you meant before about being circumspect. Humans don’t know about all of you out here, so when I go back I can’t tell anyone. Got ya.”
“No, that’s—who are Mac and the Broncos?” Was it worse than Honor thought? What if Carver still loved someone there and simply wanted to add Acerith into their relationship? There were beings who didn’t pair off but tended to align in groups of three or four. Honor had a terrible vision of Carver in the middle of dozens of groping hands all seeking to please him.
“Mac was—is my roommate. We…”
“Are you in love with him?”
“No. I mean, I think I could have. Maybe I will when I go back. It just happened really fast and—Mac’s not the main reason I want to go back. The Broncos are.”
“And who are they?”
“A football team. They offered me a chance to play pro ball. That’s why I have to go back. Don’t you see? It’s a dream come true. I get to play football for a living. Not many men get that chance.”
Honor was convinced that Carver was far more interested in returning to Earth for his career rather than for a person. He found that a curious combination of good and bad.
“Why do I get this terrible feeling that you’ve got more horrible news for me?”
“Because I do. And I’m sorry. But I have no other choice. You simply can’t go back to Earth.”
Carver’s happy, easygoing demeanor faded quickly. His smile turned to a frown, and he leaned forward. “Why?”
“You were pulled out of the time space continuum right at the moment of your death. To put you back on Earth might cause a distortion.”
“You mean everyone thinks I’m dead?”
“Yes.”
“But I’m not.”
“No. But you can’t go back and pick up your life as if nothing happened. You were supposed to die that day. That an unscrupulous slave trader gave you a second chance is both a blessing and a curse.”
“How did I die?”
Honor was actually ready for this question. All the Earthlings wanted to know the manner of their death. He’d thought it was unbelievably morbid, but Tyler had said it was simply monkey curiosity. To him, as a Krase warrior, the only thing that would matter about his death would be that it was honorable. To die in battle would be the best death he could wish for. His kind did not believe in an ever after or any kind of god, so what they did here was all they had. Humans had many varied ways of looking at the great beyond, but every single one of them wanted to know the exact way they’d died.
“Honor?”
“Sorry.” He shook his head. “Once I knew your name I was able to delve through the news reports. You were well known. And well liked. There was a lot said about you. All of it good.”
Carver smiled rather wanly. “I guess it’s kind of like going to my own funeral without actually being in the casket.”
It took a moment for Honor’s translator to put all of that into context. His kind was not buried but incinerated. They had no reverence for a dead body as some cultures did. “You were killed in an explosion.”