No Mercy (15 page)

“Mmmmm,” Gia groaned, and let her head fall back against his shoulder. “Every second of it.”

“Watch her!” he snapped, pinching her nipples hard to the edge of pain.

Gia gasped but followed his command. “I am.”

He nuzzled her neck. “Good. Because this is the last time anyone who ain't me will touch you. Understand?”

She should fight him on his high-handed claim. But just then he put space between them, angling his cock to her back opening and pushing just the head inside. She waited but he didn't thrust his hips forward or drag hers back onto him. She squeezed, trying to pull him in deeper, but he made a noncommittal sound and held still. “Answer me!”

Pride demanded she tell him to take his command and peg himself with it. But she wanted him to the point of agony. And instead of feeling smothered by his possession, she craved it, wanting it to wrap her like a warm blanket. “I understand.”

He let out a breath, his head falling onto her shoulder. Rocking back against him, she managed to slip a little farther along his shaft, her body stretching around the thick rod of male flesh.

His teeth sank into her shoulder even as he rocked his hips forward, slipping a few more inches inside. “So fuckin' hot and tight,” he muttered. “Put your legs over her shoulders.”

Shalla scooted closer and Gia wrapped her legs around her. Zan spread her ass wide and drove home.

Anal sex had never been her favorite. Mostly she'd enjoyed the forbidden feel rather than the act itself. But like everything else, her space pirate obliterated her past experiences, branding her with new memories, made her crave more. The angle of his penetration stretched her wide, and she loved the fullness of his thick prong inside her. He withdrew and then pushed in again.

“Faster,” Gia whispered.

Zan muttered a vile oath but did. The drag of him inside her made her quake, teetering on the brink. “Harder.”

He snarled, her demands obliterating his control, and he fucked her for all he was worth. Shalla tormented her clit as he pulled back out, drove two fingers into her wet cunt as Zan rammed himself home.

She screamed as the orgasm ripped her apart, her body clenching around fingers and cock, her clit pulsing in time to her release. Zan roared, the hot jet of his semen the final stroke. Her ears rang and her sight dimmed as she let go of the world around her, content to just be for the first time in her life.

“C
ome in,” Xander called to the man in the hallway outside his private chamber as he continued to watch his son with the unique alien woman he'd just finished rutting with. Fenton entered, his stealth footfalls carrying him closer soundlessly. He beckoned the man to come closer and continued to watch as Zan sent the serving girl away. “Have Shalla brought to me at once.”

Fenton nodded, but didn't leave immediately.

“Something on your mind, Commander?” Xander steepled his fingers together and leaned back in his chair.

“The woman's ship has been recovered from the great frozen lake.”

Surprised, Xander leaned forward. “Excellent. You said she was a pilot?” He gestured to the screen where Zan bent over his lover, sweeping a cloth over her body, cleaning her while she slept. It galled him that his son would play lady's maid, even for such a unique creature.

“So she claimed, though I have no proof of it.”

Xander nodded. “You've been a loyal servant, Fenton. Informing me of my son's return and staging the rape of his companion was executed to my exact specifications. Your loyalty will be rewarded. Pick a command base anywhere in the system and it's yours.”

Fenton didn't protest or grovel, which Xander appreciated. “Pental.”

Odd choice. The gaming hell was situated at the very edge of his solar system. The rock wasn't much good, since it didn't support life of its own, and the base there was more of a way station for smugglers looking to indulge in one vice or another. “Missed female company in the Northlands, did you?”

Fenton didn't respond, just stood at parade rest, hands clasped behind his back. Xander saw no reason to refuse his request. “Very well. You'll leave right after the ranking.”

“All due respect, my liege, I have no interest in challenging your son, since my position has been secured.”

Xander studied the man intently. Fenton had been his ward after his family had been executed. He'd grown to manhood under Xander's watchful eye, a competent military strategist. Unlike his hedonistic child, Fenton rarely indulged in the pleasures of the flesh, preferring to distance himself. He was cold, precise with no sympathy, the kind of man Xander wished his son could have been.

He'd toyed with the idea of granting Fenton immortality. Since the man kept his cock in his pants, he wouldn't struggle with the drawbacks of immortality the way Zan had. And if Fenton did take a woman to his bed, Xander had no doubt the man would slit his lover's throat in an instant. Perhaps the idea deserved further consideration after Zan was taken care of. “Fine. Be ready to depart on the next transport.”

Fenton bowed low and turned on his heel. “I will see the girl is brought to you immediately.”

Xander turned back to the screen. The alien woman was still asleep. He wondered how her personal shield worked and if its effect diminished over time after copulation. His lab team stood ready to study it on his order. They'd warned him they might have to kill the girl in order to truly understand it, which is why he waited.

First his traitorous son must be dealt with. The boy had been soft, like the woman who'd birthed him. Xander had picked her for her beauty, her vivaciousness, hoping to pass those traits down to his offspring. But she'd proven to be more trouble than she was worth. Sneaky and softhearted. And by the end, a traitor.

Like mother like son.

On the screen, Zan picked Gia up and carried her into the washroom. He thought they were safe in there, that they could conspire and he'd be none the wiser. Fools. Typing in his personal code, he brought up the holographic projection suite he'd had installed in every room in the palace. The screen went blank even as the door behind him hissed open.

“Perfect timing.” He grinned at a still-disheveled Shalla. The woman bowed, her hair still wild from her bedroom antics. “Did you enjoy the choice assignment?”

She nodded.

“Follow me.” Without waiting to see if she followed, Xander swooped toward the open door. Shalla couldn't get past the guards posted outside his chamber.

Inside the washroom was an exact replica of the one adjoining his son's suite, including Zan and Gia. The live feed projection was far superior to the technology he'd used for a century. Now the images were life size, three dimensional, and he could see everything up close without alerting his query to his intentions.

Inside Zan had run a hot water bath and climbed into the tub with Gia still in his arms. Her head was still against his shoulder, her breathing even. His hand stroked her hair, the move filled with tenderness, even gratitude. What sort of way was that to treat a woman?

“What were they like together?” he asked the quaking Shalla. “How do you suppose they feel for one another?”

“There is caring there. She trusts him with her body, if not her heart.”

“My son was irate to find the two of you together. I'd say even jealous.”

Shalla nodded.

“The boy hasn't learned his lesson. Do you have any children, Shalla?”

She started, but then whispered. “No.”

“Imagine you did. Imagine you had a daughter who had the potential to rule a whole system of planets. And then imagine she decided she'd rather gallivant across the cosmos, taking your most prized possession. You'd be angry, wouldn't you.” It wasn't a question, and she didn't respond as if it had been.

He crouched beside the tub, studying the holographic image of Zan and Gia. “And then let's say that child came home. Would you forgive the child? Welcome her back into the fold? Or would you bide your time and wait to teach her the ultimate lesson?” His cock grew hard as he thought about what exactly that lesson would entail.

Without warning he lunged for the girl, took her down to the floor. “You're still wet, aren't you? Your body still turned on, needing to be fucked?”

Her eyes went wide, and she shook her head vehemently. “No.”

Yanking her hair back, he slipped his tongue between her lips, wanting a taste of the alien woman for whom Zan would have risked so much. Shalla's fear was thick in the air, and he bit her lip until it bled.

“Turn over,” he rasped in her ear. “I'm going to give you what my son gave her. A taste of immortality.”

She trembled as she complied, loud disgusting sobs echoing through the chamber. “Please, he barely touched me, he didn't release in me—”

He tossed her diaphanous skirts up almost over her head. “But I'm going to.” Gripping her hair he pulled hard. “Watch them and know that they're next.”

Before he slammed himself into her trembling body, he took the blade off his boot and held it against her exposed throat. He couldn't wait to use it to enhance his orgasm.

Staring at his son, the heir to his kingdom, he muttered, “You never did appreciate power,” before focusing on the task at hand.

 

Gia stirred in his arms and made a contented sound. “Mmm, I like waking up like this.”

“You were out cold. I figured getting you clean while the servants took care of the room would give us a few minutes to strategize.” And a few minutes for him to let his guard down, to be the way he wanted with her, not some fired-up sex machine, raring for another go.

Though his cock sure as hell was. The damn thing twitched at her every caress. It didn't seem to care how much danger they were in, or that they needed to form a plan of escape. All it recognized was Gia's supple body pressed up against him, the body that gave him more pleasure than he'd ever known.

The little minx didn't help, what with the sinuous way she rubbed against him as she woke from her unplanned nap. Stretching and rubbing her slick flesh in the most enticing ways she could. “Thank you,” she murmured.

He snorted. “What for? The kidnapping? Destroying your ship? Or almost getting you killed?”

She turned in the water to face him. “Will you think I'm crazy if I say all of it? Adventure reminds me that I'm alive. And I wouldn't trade the physical pleasure for anything.”

Those green eyes held him captivated. He couldn't swallow past the huge lump in his throat, and his hand shook as he reached for her face. “Neither would I.”

She curled up against his chest, sighing in contentment. “What did you find out when you wandered off?”

Stroking her back, he tried to memorize every bump along her spine and the satiny texture of her wet skin. “Nothing. My father plays his cards very close to the vest and has a knack for knowing who's on his side and who's plotting against him. The plotters don't have much of a life expectancy.”

“Do you think he suspects you?”

Zan didn't answer, and for Gia that was answer enough. “But he won't kill you, not his own son. He made you immortal for a reason.”

“Just because I don't age doesn't mean I can't die. In fact I think he'd take particular pleasure in offin' me to set an example to his enemies. I'm more concerned with seeing you safe before that happens. We've got two days to figure out how.”

She pushed away from him, her eyes narrowing. “So, that's it? You're just going to sacrifice yourself for me?”

“It's my hide. I can do whatever I want with it.”

“Zan, don't. You have to try. Maybe we can contact your ship, get a message to Duffy.”

He shook his head. “The distance is too far for holo bounces. Even if they were in range, Xander'll be monitoring every communication relay in the system. No, our only hope is to smuggle you out on a transport, get you secured somewhere where you can wait for rescue.”

She shook her head stubbornly. “Not without you.”

Shifting her aside, he climbed out of the tub. “Don't be stupid.”

“I'm being practical. I don't know a soul here other than you, can't trust anyone not to turn me in to your father. Let's say I do manage to get off world somehow and then I get caught. By that time you'll be dead and I'll be right back where I started. Here, at his mercy.”

“It's the only option!” Zan shouted.

Gia rose from the tub like a sea goddess, water cascading down her perfect body. “No, it's not. What about my ship?”

His eyebrows drew together. “What about it?”

“Stingers are equipped with long-range message systems. It disguises itself as cosmic static and bounces from feed to feed until it pings the recipient. If we can get to it, I can send a message to your ship.”

“The ship crashed, Gia. We don't know if it's even salvageable.”

Emerald eyes flashed pure fire. “It's better than giving up. You said Xander's a technology junky. You said he had a team out there trying to recover it. Well, tell him I can show him what's what if he does get it back, and send the transmission on the sly.”

“You're volunteering to spend time with my
father?
If you had any idea how fascinated he is with you already you'd beg me to kill you now and save you the suffering!”

She climbed from the tub and placed her hands on his shoulders. “Zan, listen to me. It's worth the risk.”

“It's not! You think because you're with me and you have your shield you're safe. He can still rape you!”

Her chin went up. “I've survived it once, I can do it again if I have to.”

Poleaxed, Zan staggered back away from her until his shoulders hit the wall. No. He'd gotten there in time, she told him he had. “You said he didn't, that he hadn't . . .”

“Not him. It was a long time ago.” Despite her words the shadows lurked in her eyes. “Back on Earth, when I was a teenager.”

His hands clenched into fists at his sides and his blood burned in his veins. How dare some man force himself on her. While she was barely more than a child. His teeth ground together as he fought for control. “I'll kill him.”

Gia moved closer, laid her hands against his chest, those fathomless green eyes fixed on his. “He's already dead.”

Her confession brought him up short. The knowledge that justice had been served tempered his blind rage, even as he felt the need to hit something. “How did he die?”

“In a fire. The apartment building he'd been renting caught fire. My mother sent me the news report on it while I was in flight school.”

He sensed there was a story there, wanted more information. Gia knew all of his deepest darkest secrets, and he wanted hers in his possession. “You never mention your mother. Why?”

Gia deflated a bit. “Can we go in the other room? This is not a standing-around-naked-in-the-bathroom kind of conversation.”

“He'll be able to see and to hear everything.”

“I don't care.”

But Zan did. He didn't want Xander knowing Gia's deepest pains and regrets. “Don't tell me about it now. Save it for later.”

“Later?”

“For when we make it out of here. Together.”

The clouds parted and she offered him a sunny smile before throwing her arms around him. “Thank you.”

Burying his nose in her wet hair he asked, “What for now?”

“For giving me a chance, believing that I can do what I intend.”

He was such a heel, because he didn't. He just wanted to see her happy while he figured out a way to get her away from his father for good. “We've been in here a long time. We should go back in the other room so he doesn't suspect.”

She rubbed her tight nipples up against him, her soft palm teasing his erection. “And what will we do when we get in there?”

“Oh, I'm sure we'll think of something.”