Chapter 13
Gweneth stared at the man and tried to keep her expression impassive.
Did he mean what she thought he meant? A quick glance at Ellard confirmed her horror.
This man… He’d truly commanded them to have sex to feed Sheera and Leeam.
The sex part, she didn’t mind so much, but if he thought they would do it with him and the Scothage crew watching…
“No,” she said.
“Yes,” the man said, his voice calm. Scary calm. “You will have sex and provide food for the Incorporeals, and before you refuse again, if you don’t, I will give you to the crew. They won’t suffer the same sensibilities.”
“We’ll do it,” Ellard said.
The man rubbed his hands together, flashing those black fingernails again. “I thought you might. Escort them to the cells. I expect my new possessions to be in full health when I come to inspect them. Do not disappoint me.” He strode away without waiting for a reply, each step a confident swagger.
A Scothage pirate grabbed her upper arm and thrust her down the corridor. He bore a black eye and a nasty-looking bump on his temple plus a scowl. “Get off with you.”
Gweneth jerked free and glowered back. “I’m going. No need to push me.”
“Hush, Gweneth,” Ellard murmured, striding to keep up with her. “We don’t want to upset them.”
“It’s too late for that,” Gweneth said, eying another of the Scothage reivers who appeared worse for wear. “We should have thought of that before we hit them over the head.”
“Only a few of them.”
Gweneth snorted.
“Enough talkin’,” one of their escorts snarled. He walked with a slight limp and looked familiar. Yes, Gweneth held responsibility for his limp.
Soon they reached the cell area. One of the reivers opened the cell door and gestured for them to enter.
He shoved Gweneth on the shoulder and pushed her to the back of the cell.
Ellard followed secs later, and they both turned to watch the reivers lock the door.
With the cell secured, both parties glared at each other.
“Lock the main door too. Make sure they can’t escape again,” one of the reivers ordered.
Another door slammed, the bolt slotting into the lock like a death knell.
Gweneth paced a tight circle of their cell. “What are we going to do now?”
“We’ll have to give the appearance of making love, otherwise, I think they’ll follow through on their threats.”
“They’re probably watching us now,” Gweneth spat.
“No doubt, but we’ll manage.” Ellard strode to the front of their cell and stared through the bars.
Leeam and Sheera were both lying on the deck.
“Stay still,” he said in an undertone. “The man behind your capture has joined the ship. He knows how you feed and has ordered us to have sex in order to make sure you remain healthy. You’ll have to look livelier soon because he’s intending to inspect his merchandise. ”
“We hear and will follow your suggestion,” Leeam replied, his voice a whisper.
Gweneth retreated to the far corner of their cell and sank to the floor. Ellard stalked over to join her.
“I don’t like this.”
“Me neither,” he said. “But we’re going to push aside our discomfort and do as we’re told. But the longer we delay their plans, the better the chance we have of giving Ry and the others a chance to rescue us.”
“It irks me that we need saving.”
“I hear you. I’m in charge of security. How do you think that makes me feel?”
They stared at each other and Gweneth sighed.
“How are we going to do this? You’re right. There is no alternative. That man meant business.”
“We can leave our clothes on and work around them.”
Gweneth scowled. “This is a horrible idea.”
“On the plus side, it’s never a hardship to touch you.”
“You sweet talker.”
“I try,” Ellard said.
“You always know the right thing to say to make me feel safe.”
The tension creasing his face eased and his eyes softened to a pretty leaf green.
“I like your eyes. They’re so pretty. They remind me of the forest. Some men have long eyelashes. You have long lashes.”
Ellard raised his hand to cup her cheek. “They’re the same color as yours.”
“No, they’re not. Are we going to have our first argument?”
Ellard chuckled, and the dread in the pit of her stomach faded. If they could joke while incarcerated on a reiver ship, they could manage to have sex to order. “One cycle, I’d like to make love in an actual bed. A nice, comfortable bed with a sanitizer room attached. Food and maybe a beverage.”
“I think we could arrange that. I have a suite at the castle. Big gel-bed.”
“How big is your sanitizer room? Big enough for two?”
“I don’t know.”
Gweneth grinned. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll experiment once we get home.”
Ellard leaned closer and pressed his lips against hers. He seemed so calm, and his demeanor helped to stuff down her panic. She could do this and retain her dignity, even if every reiver on board this ship lined up to watch.
Gweneth let her hands creep around Ellard’s neck and wriggled closer. She scowled at the discomfort and pulled back. “Could we lie down?”
Ellard pulled back and nodded. “Lie against the wall and I’ll take the side nearest the door.”
If he rested with his back to the door, none of the reivers would see much of her or him either. She could do this.
“Take off your tunic,” she suggested.
“Why?”
“I like looking at your sexy chest.”
He eyed her with a steady gaze. “You’ll see my arm stump.”
“It won’t scare me.”
“It’s not looking that good. Because my Stores ripped off, it hasn’t healed in a nice way. The combination of my shift and the plant made a mess.”
Gweneth made a choked sound. “I’m so sorry. I know your feline genes will have healed you, but you should see a medic. Ellard, what are we going to do?” Gweneth bit her lip. “No forget I said that.” She pressed a kiss to the base of his neck, drawing in his familiar scent.
“We’re going to pretend we’re in the privacy of my suite with an entire eve ahead of us. No drama. Nowhere else to be. We’ve just eaten a delicious meal—”
“What sort of meal?”
He stroked a finger across her lips. “A steak. A thick, juicy malpack steak and one of Keira’s pies to finish. Keira makes good pie. That’s how Jarlath and I met Keira. She was picking berries to make a pie.”
“That sounds good.” Gweneth lifted her chin to search his gaze. “Do you have anything against vegetables?”
“I can eat a few.”
“Good to know.” Cracks were beginning to appear in her brave front, her throat so tight with fear it had become difficult to squeeze out words.
“Hey, hold on to your confidence. We’ll get out of this somehow.”
“It’s hard.”
“I know. Back in the war, after I learned Marjo and Mareeka, the twin chameleon shifters, had duped me, I found it difficult to get my mind straight. I blamed myself and when I lost my arm…” He stared at her, passion swirling deep in his gaze. “I didn’t want to live.”
“I’ve heard bits and pieces about the war. The leader of the House of Cawdor was a nutter.”
His brows rose. “What is a nutter?”
“His brain tripped its wiring. He had kangaroos in the top paddock.” A loud giggle erupted at his expression and she clapped a hand over her mouth. “He was a sandwich short of a picnic and had bats in his belfry.”
“You’re poking fun at me.”
“Earth speak. I learned it from my friend Olivia.”
“The leader was a despot,” Ellard said. “He wanted to rule Viros and take advantage of our mineral deposits.”
“He failed,” Gweneth said. “These people will fail too. We will get Leeam and Sheera back to their family.”
A thud sounded on the door and Malasses strode into the area between the cells. “I expected the pair of you to be busy by now.” He sniffed the air, his nostrils flaring and making an odd sucking noise. “You haven’t finished because I should smell sex.”
Gweneth froze and peered over Ellard’s shoulder. “It’s him.”
“Ah!” The man had taken his attention from them to study Leeam and Sheera. “A young couple. You have done well, Captain.”
“We put the collars on them like ya told us. The trap knocked the stuffin’ outta ’em,” the captain drawled. He stood apart from the horned man, his hand on his sword hilt.
“I can see that. They require food.” The horned man turned to their cell, his face hard with determination. “Feed my possessions. I go to dine. On my return, I expect to see them looking healthier.” He wheeled around and strode away.
“Is that… Does he have a tail?”
“Yes,” Ellard said. “I’ve heard of the Kiraxes race, but I’ve never seen one in person. They’re fierce fighters and very territorial.”
“What do they use their tail for?”
“I don’t know. He has horns and scaled skin too.”
“Perhaps he grasps with his tail and then gores his victim,” Gweneth said. “I don’t feel like having sex.”
Ellard ran his hand down her back, a slow, comforting slide. “We need to send them some energy.”
“I know.” Gweneth sighed and grasped his face so he glanced at her. “It’s the situation, Ellard. Not you.”
“I understand.” He repeated her words then kissed her, his lips silky soft and tempting. “If I don’t get a chance to tell you…”
She slapped a hand across his mouth and glared into his kind face. “Don’t you dare speak now. We can say everything we need to say to one another once we return to Viros. Do you hear me?”
Ellard peeled her fingers away from his mouth. “I think Leeam and Sheera heard you.”
“We did,” a soft voice carried to them from the other cell.
“Not helping,” Gweneth snapped.
“No more talking. The horned man means every word. Now close your eyes and pretend we’re lying in your favorite place and we’re all alone. You tell me where we are.”
Gweneth racked her brain and smiled. “We’re on Viros, and we’re having a picnic on Keira’s farm. We’re at their swimming hole.”
“The perfect place,” Ellard whispered. “Have we gone swimming?”