Merchandise (9 page)

Chapter Nine

The sound of the distracting drums
and the almost-fanatic cries of the crowd dimmed down once Farr reached for the
zipper of J’s flight suit. The stone beneath J felt uncomfortably cold and
hard. Farr licked his lips with every inch of skin he uncovered, looking less
of a noble prince and more of a lecher.

Beside him, Gael and his men stood,
expressions intent, but no less similar. There was bestial hunger in all of
them, reminding her of animals denied their need for so long. They weren’t
going to be the least bit gentle with her, she knew. Once, the thought would’ve
sent a thrill down her spine, but only unease settled inside her.

Where
are these thoughts coming from? Isn’t this what I’ve always wanted? All I have
to do is let them take me on this table. Then I’m free. I’ll no longer just be
a Breeder, a property of Genesis Inc., but the mate of a proud warrior prince.

“Farr,” J began.

He growled in response, as if he
was no longer capable of stringing entire sentences together. J instantly knew
whatever she had to say would be futile. After coming this far, Farr wouldn’t
accept any form of hesitation or resistance from her. Her breasts spilled out
from the flight suit, and Farr paused to lick one of her nipples, sending a
shiver down her spine.

Someone cleared his throat.
Gael.
“My prince, you can take your time with her later.”

Farr grunted, pulling his mouth
away, and jerked the rest of the fabric away until J was completely naked. The
wind teased her exposed pussy, and she became unconsciously aware of the crowd
and the hundreds of alien eyes watching her.
This isn’t the time for modesty. This is what your new master wants. Farr
wants to show you off, so let him.

“Don’t be afraid, little one,” Gael
coaxed, beginning to stroke her back. “Lie flat on your back.”

J obeyed, and Farr parted her legs,
his erection painfully visible under his suit. He took his cock out, and ran
his hand across the inside of her thighs. By her side, Gael leaned down to suck
her left tit, while his other hand thumbed her right.

Why
does this feel so wrong?
Despite that, her body quivered and shuddered,
reacting to the touches of the two men.

Farr rubbed his hand over her wet
glistening pussy lips while his thumb circled her clit. Someone nearby let out
a hoarse cry of protest, but Farr and Gael paid the sound no mind. J almost
panicked, but Gael easily pinned her wrists above her head. The urge to fight
and flee rose in her, but she calmed down at his reassuring voice.

“Relax, J.” Gael kept her wrists
pinned with one large hand while he stroked her hair with the other. “When Farr
plunges into your maidenhood for the first time, it will hurt, but we will make
it better later on.”

J knew this. Pain didn’t frighten
her. In some ways, she even liked a bit of it during pleasure. So why was she
reacting like an ill-trained female? She forced herself to relax, but when Farr
placed her legs over his shoulders and teased the tip of his cockhead against
her cunt, the feeling rose again.

The fading marks, the odd imprint
of teeth on either side of her neck tingled like a brand. She remembered
figments and snippets about those marks, but frustratingly not the entire piece
of the puzzle. J recalled phantom touches capable of making her body sing, and
faces she couldn’t place names to.

Her memories may be murky, but J
was certain about one thing. She didn’t want Farr to take her maidenhood.

“You
know us, J. You just have to remember. Deep in your memories, we’re still
there,” said one of Farr’s captives.

“Hush, little one,” Gael said in a
soothing voice, and J realized she had been making pleading and whimpering
noises. “Farr is going to make you feel so good in a moment. Allow me to
distract you.”

The moment he let go of her wrists,
J moved. She pulled back her legs from Farr’s shoulders and got off the table.
Farr was too surprised to react. By the time he recovered, J pulled the tiny
plasma revolver on Farr’s belt. Her hands trembled. She had never shot or even
threatened anyone else before, and she never thought she’d ever need to.

Some part of her brain told her
this was folly. What she should do was toss the
gun away,
apologize
profusely, and tell Farr she’d made a mistake.
No. It’s not just a matter of what Farr
wants, but what I want.
The marks on her neck irritably itched again, and
distant voices whispered in her ear, telling her being truly free meant being
able to make her own choices.

“J, what are you doing?” Farr
asked. “Please put the gun down before you hurt yourself.”

He sighed, and J didn’t like his
condescending tone.

Her gaze slid to the two bound
prisoners kneeling a few feet from them, their expressions a mix of shock and
worry. Why would they be worried about her?
A
Hadarian
and a
Cobrini
.
What an odd pair, she remembered thinking when she saw them in the cruiser’s
holding cells. There was something familiar about them, too. She had met them
before, she was certain now, despite Gael’s claims she had not.

“J, while I admire your boldness,
you are simply confused,” Gael said, holding out a hand. “Hand over the weapon
and we shall talk.”

Most of Farr’s crew drew their
weapons and pointed them at her, but J saw their hesitation. They might be
fearsome warriors, but she’d spent time with each of them and by doing so, knew
their individual personalities, likes and dislikes as well as they knew hers.

“Put those down,” Farr told his men
angrily, and they did with noticeable relief. “
J,
let
us discuss this. Besides, do you really think a female Breeder untrained in the
arts of fighting or war can fight her way through an entire race?”

J licked her lips. Farr didn’t know
how Gael and his men almost swayed her to reconsider. They were only soldiers
after all, acting on the behalf of their commander, but Farr’s words grated on
her nerves.

“I never intended to fight anyone,
and I’m well aware I’m no warrior,” J told Farr, lifting the gun. The men
pointed their weapons back at her, but she didn’t point the revolver at Farr. J
pointed it to her head. “But I can do this.”

Chapter Ten

Farr’s lofty expression became
panicked. Tension rippled through the air. No one spoke for a while. J could
almost hear the other warriors breathing hard. She knew resorting to such a
threat was cowardly, but it was the only option left to her.
Hadarians
valued their females, and Farr couldn’t afford to
lose an expensive Breeder like her.

“Let’s all calm down,” Gael said.
“We understand you are serious, but please, let us talk.”

“This isn’t a negotiation, Gael.
Let those two go and I’ll consider talking,” J said firmly.

Gael looked up to Farr for
direction. Farr gritted his teeth, and his face betrayed all of his emotions at
once—fury, desperation, and panic.

“Do it,” Farr said, his eyes not
straying from her. “You’re going to regret this, J. Once I get hold of you, I
will need to discipline you.”

For the first time, she glimpsed
Farr’s charming façade slip away, and madness peeked beneath his glowing eyes.
J couldn’t believe she’d let herself be deceived by him.

“I might regret doing this, but
this was my choice.”

She couldn’t lose her resolve now
because she made her decision and she had to stand by it. She defiantly glared
back at Farr. While her wrist ached with the effort of holding the revolver,
she held it steady while she took cautious steps backwards, slowly moving
towards the prisoners.

J shivered when Farr’s lips curved
into a lazy smile that made her skin crawl.

“You’re truly a prize worth hunting
down and owning. Mark my words, I will put my brand on you and make you mine,
body and soul.”
  

The chains binding the two
prisoners clattered loudly on the ground. J stood so close to them now her back
hit the
Cobrini’s
hard, warm chest. He steadied her
shaking shoulders with large, but sure hands. Hands she knew would never hurt
her.

“It’s okay, baby. You’ve done your
part, and now it’s our turn.” He continued to soothe her, stroking the length
of her spine until she calmed down.

“Do you trust us?” the
Hadarian
asked in a soft voice.

He didn’t appear concerned by the
chaos occurring in front of them. None of them were. Farr’s harsh voice and the
concerned murmurs from the crowd faded away. The only sound J heard came from
the harsh thudding of her heart as the
Hadarian
gently
touched her. He brushed the curve of her left cheekbone, the line of her jaw,
and the column of her throat with his fingertips. His fingers shook, betraying
a hunger he obviously tried to hide from her.

These two wanted her, J realized
with shock, wanted her with a consuming hunger so stark it was almost painful.
Worse still, the way her body leaned and hungered for more of their touches
told J her own hunger was a haunted reflection of theirs.

“I trust you,” J whispered,
surrendering the gun to the
Hadarian
.

“Thank you.” The
Hadarian
relieved her of her task of pressing the gun to
her forehead. For a moment, fear clouded J.

“You wouldn’t dare kill her,” Farr
sneered.

The
Hadarian
didn’t look daunted one bit. “Shall we make a bet, Farr? Will you risk losing
your expensive captive in front of your entire people for the sake of your
pride?”

Farr looked like he’d been struck.
Gael whispered something furiously in his ear while his men looked clearly
unsettled.

Gods of the Galaxy.
Did she horribly misinterpret the
situation and the prisoners planned on using her as a means of escape?

Another painful migraine pounded at
her head again. The
Cobrini
dispelled any inkling of
panic by molding himself against the curve of her naked back. Fog-like memories
slipped into her mind, still all smoky and insubstantial, but J realized she
did know the touch of these two men and the sound of their voices.

“I can see through your ruse,
traitor. I’ve watched your sordid little moment in the holding cells. You and
your
Cobrini
lover value this Breeder as much as I,”
Farr said, his tone a mixture of distaste and something else J didn’t expect.
Jealousy, and not of the mild variety either. Farr’s usually handsome face
became contorted with fury.

The pressure of the metal barrel on
her forehead increased, but fear and worry no longer misted J’s mind. She swore
she’d see this episode through the end and finally unravel her mysterious
connection to these two men no matter the cost.
 

The
Cobrini
behind her spoke.
“Like you said, Farr.
We space
pirates don’t have many morals to begin with. When you shove a man in a cage
and leave him there to rot, he can grow really desperate, and men without
options learn to be creative.”

His voice dropped, so only J could
hear his next words. “We’re going to make a run for it inside the temple.
Sorry, we’re going to use you as a shield again.”

J understood. She made sure her
voice sounded shaky and terrified but loud enough for Farr to hear. “Please,
you’re not really going to kill me?”

“Sorry, but you’re collateral
damage, female.” The
Hadarian’s
steady hand clicked
the safety of the plasma revolver.

“No! She’s mine,” Farr howled,
ignoring the protests of Gael as he broke from the safety of his men.

“Time to go,” the
Cobrini
announced, and without warning, tossed her over his
broad shoulder like a sack of flour.

“Don’t shoot! You might risk
shooting her!” Farr shrieked.

Reduced to a spectator, J watched
the commotion from the
Cobrini’s
shoulder as they ran
into the confines of the temple. Inside, torches lit a cavernous hall supported
by vast columns. J spied towering marble statues of
Hadarian
deities. They passed stunned golden faces of acolytes, priests, and armed
temple guards. The guards probably hadn’t been prepared to deal with escaping
prisoners and a naked female
Terran
.

“Don’t just stand around!” Farr
thundered. “Sound the temple bells. Apprehend those criminals immediately, but
make sure the female is unhurt.”

“Are you sure this is the best
direction to take?” J yelled.

Seeing more guards joining Farr’s
retinue dismayed her. She noticed that apart from Farr and his crew, none of
his men carried modern weaponry. Some of the guards carried bows, but with
Farr’s strict orders, she doubted they’d risk shooting at them while she was on
the
Cobrini’s
shoulder.
 

“Don’t worry your pretty little
head off, J,” the
Cobrini
said, amazingly not short
of breath. He reached out to pat her ass. Did he think the gesture would
reassure her?”

J scowled. “We’re being chased by
an entire squadron and the first thing you do is grab my ass?”

The
Cobrini
laughed. “If memory serves me right, there are underground passages leading to
the city’s sewers.”

“Oh joy, the sewers,” J mumbled.
They began navigating through a series of confusing corridors now. “I suppose
it’s a shot. How certain are you? Because if your guesswork is wrong all we’re
running to is a dead end, and they’ll have us surrounded in no time at all.”

“You worry too much, love,” the
Cobrini
said in a disapproving voice.

Love.
Oh gods.
Why did the nickname make her body flush? The genuine
affection there puzzled her.

“I think I have the right to worry.
I just gave up the opportunity of being a depraved prince’s mate and took my
chances with two dodgy space pirates.” J pondered on her words. Why did it feel
like this hadn’t been the first time she took her chances with these men?

“I am about fifty percent certain,”
the
Hadarian
answered. “The last time I’ve been here
was decades ago, when I apprenticed as a priest’s acolyte.”

The
Cobrini
nearly dropped her. J cried out, but he easily shifted her back to position.
“Sorry, J.
You planned on becoming a priest?” the
Cobrini
asked his mate, his tone incredulous. “You never
told me that.”

“I was a very confused young man.
It was long ago, before I became a soldier,” the
Hadarian
explained.

For the life of her, J couldn’t
comprehend how they were capable of holding a conversation while running for
their lives. It seemed they were familiar with situations like these. Hadn’t
they met in a similar situation?

J licked her lips. Her headache
worsened at the strange thought, but instead of trying to clear her mind, she
dug deeper.

“You
know us, J. You just have to remember. Deep in your memories, we’re still
there,” said one of Farr’s captives.

Faint conversations replayed in her
mind, except they came with more clarity. This time she heard the words and saw
the men’s faces clearly in her mind, and suddenly she knew. The marks on her
neck flared this time, as if someone had sunk his teeth right into her skin.
She remembered
Brale
and
Dyos’s
serious faces, asking her to sit down between them like an equal, offering her
choice and freedom, and asking her over and over again if she was sure.

“
Brale
.
Dyos
,” she
whispered. Saying their names felt like a trigger, unearthing forgotten
memories.

Brale
halted.
“Oh gods, J.
Did you just say our names? Did
you finally remember?”

“Don’t stop running,”
Dyos
hissed, and
Brale
began
sprinting again.

“I—” J clamped her mouth shut.

Tears gathered in her eyelids. How
could she forget? More memories assailed her, and one in particular stuck with
her, that of Gael looming over her, pinning her hands and asking if J’s heart
had been stronger than her mind.

J clenched her fists. Uncertainty
and fear gave her startling clarity.
Fury.
J was
pissed.

Brale
placed her down, holding her waist until she found her balance on the dusty
floor. Then he tugged off his shirt, and despite her muddled state, J
appreciated the play of his hard muscles.

“Lift your arms, sweetheart.”
Brale
helped her into his shirt, which had been reduced to
rags. J sniffed. He continued, stroking her cheek, “It’s okay to cry.”

“You don’t have to coddle me like
some defenseless female,
Brale
,” J snapped. He looked
surprised and a little tongue-tied.

“But you were crying just now. I
felt your tears on my shirt.”

“Now I’m pissed. What would I give
to knee Gael in the
balls.
”

Brale’s
eyebrows shot up, and then his eyes darkened. “He
—”

“We’re a little short on time here.
Can you two help me find the secret passage?”
Dyos
asked grumpily, patting down the walls.

J finally noticed her surroundings.
Dim light from wide-spaced torches illuminated a narrow corridor with bare and
musty walls. How far underground were they? She plucked a torch from its sconce
and began walking along the walls.

“What does this secret passage look
like?”
Brale
asked.

“How should I know?”
Dyos
replied tartly. “Shit. I hear footsteps. They’re close.”

Straining her ears, J heard the
thump of boots combined with voices. J desperately threw herself at the task,
patting the walls and feeling for something out of place. She let out a
satisfied triumphant squeal when the texture of rough concrete under her
fingers gave way to wood.

“Over here!” she called, bringing
her torch closer to see an iron bolt door. “The doors look like it hasn’t been
used in ages either.”
 

Brale
and
Dyos
hurried over. “Please step aside, little one.
We’ll have this door open in seconds.”
Brale
flashed
her a
grin as she stood to one side and watched the end of
the corridor for any sign of Farr.

They took one iron ring each and
tugged savagely several times, but the doors wouldn’t budge.

“
Dyos
,
stop embarrassing us in front of J,”
Brale
said,
panting, all the muscles of his back and arms straining. “Pull harder.”

“Perhaps instead of using your
mouth you should exert more effort.”
Dyos
grunted,
then
spotted J standing to the side, wearing an amused
expression on her face. “You are finding this funny, aren’t you?”

J crossed her arms across her
breasts. “I just realized how badly I missed you two. Even
your
bantering.”
 

She didn’t expect
Dyos’s
face to crumble, especially since he smoothly took
charge of the situation after the botched ceremony.

“You don’t know how badly we missed
you, J,”
Dyos
said softly. J wanted to comfort him,
to wrap her arms around him and tell him he no longer had to be strong for all
of them. Harsh shouts broke J from her reverie.

Brale
cursed under his breath. “Hold on a damn second.
Dyos
,
you still have Farr’s gun.”

J apprehensively glanced at the
approaching horde of warriors led by a furious Farr, then back at
Dyos
who pointed the gun at the door. The gun roared,
tearing a
hole
the size of a fist into the door.
Brale
took her by her shoulders, and they stood at a
distance while
Dyos
blasted more holes.