Wray (Tornians #3)

Chapter One

Kim la y still on the cold floor of the cabinet where stinky bastard had stuffed her, the inky blackness pressing against her. How had her life come to this? Sure, she had done some stupid things in her life, been rotten to her older sister, hadn't appreciated her parents until they were gone but really, did that mean she deserved this ? With the numbing cold seeping deep into her bones, she was ready to give up and thought back over her short life.

She had been a typical kid, demanding, selfish, taking for granted all those things her parents had provided. The car, the cell phone, the bed, the food, the warmth. Oh God! What she wouldn't give to be warm just one more time.

A drunk driver , on a perfect summer day, had taken it all away. Her parents had died, and he had walked away without a scratch. Sixteen and an orphan. Her older sister Jennifer had tried to fill in but Kim would have none of it. Jennifer had always been the good daughter, the perfect child.

"Why can't you be more like Jennifer?" Her mother would say.

" Jennifer would never have done that." Her dad would tell her.

Not that sh e had ever been neglected or abused. Oh, she thought she had, when they had taken away her cell phone or not given her gas money. She knew better now; actually, she had known it for quite a while, but it had taken this to really drive the point home.

The courts had forced her to stay with Jennifer and her husband, Todd until she turned eighteen, and she made life hell for all of them. So on her eighteenth birthday Kim let out all her anger and pain, spewing such hurtful words at her sister that even here, in this place, even with everything that had happened to her, it shamed her.

It had taken her nearly six months of living on her own, of believing she was an adult, to finally realize that she really was that spoiled rotten, selfish brat her brother-in-law had called her. She wasn’t the only one to lose their parents. Jennifer had too, but Jen hadn’t let it break her. Instead, she had tried to help Kim.

It was on that day that Kim grew up and straightened up. Life wasn’t fair. It wasn’t easy, but it was only as bad as you let it be. As you believed, it was. Her mom had always told her that, she just hadn’t believed her. She still had Jennifer and Todd, and she was going to do everything in her power to make them believe she had changed.

She had rushed over to their apartment wanting to apologize, to beg their forgiveness, but it was empty. A neighbor finally told her that they had gone on some ‘weekend warriors’ wilderness retreat with a group of Todd's old college buddies and wouldn’t be back until Monday. Kim hadn’t wanted to wait that long, so she called Jen’s cell phone, but it went straight to voicemail.

Kim had apologized. She had begged Jen to call her, telling her that she loved her and didn't want to lose the only family she had left... Jennifer never called back. It wasn't until no one from the “weekend warrior” group didn’t report to work on Monday that anyone got concerned.

A massive search had been completed in the area where they were supposed to have been, but the only thing they found was Jennifer's cell phone, with Kim's voicemail still on it, unheard.

How the fuck do a dozen people go missing?

Six months later, frustrated at the lack of results, Kim had trekked up that godforsaken mountain, to the spot where they had found Jen's phone. Why anyone would voluntarily go up there, Kim had no idea. She was a city girl through and through, wild meant the zoo and roughing it meant you had to use a port-a-potty at an outdoor music festival.

The flash of fur in the trees had startled her at first. What was it? Deer? Squirrel? She hadn't had a clue. Then there had been the strange hissing-clicking sound and finally the stench. Skunk! Ewww! As she backed away slowly, the stench had only grown stronger, turning she found... Bigfoot? No, not tall enough... that was her last thought before the creature raised its hairy fist and knocked her out.

Kim had woken up in a cold, dimly light room and had no clue where she was. When the door opened and the same hairy thing entered, she hadn't known what it wanted, couldn’t understand what it was hissing at her. She had found out quickly enough, though, when it had thrown her to the metal floor, used its claws to shred her clothes and proceeded to rape her.

She’d fought , oh God, how she had fought, but those stupid kickboxing/dancing/exercising videos hadn't done her any good. It only pissed the hissing bastard off when she finally managed to hit him in the nose. He had dug his claws in deeper then and seemed to smile when she screamed in pain.

S tinky bastard had continued to hurt her. He raped her so many times she’d lost count, sometimes he would let other hairy aliens watch, but they were never allowed to touch. One tried once, and stinky bastard gutted him in front of her.

It hadn’t taken her long to realize she was on some kind of an alien ship and that now she really was alone. No one on Earth was going to look for her. No one there was even going to care what happened to her. Her body was black, blue and bloody, and it couldn’t take anymore. It was time to give up.

Growls suddenly covered the hissing-clicking that had been growing louder and caught her attention for a moment. Growls, now that was something new. It reminded her of her dog, Warrior. Her parents had been promising her one for years and finally for her tenth birthday, she made them keep their promise.

They had gone to a public shelter that had recently broken up a puppy mill. It wasn’t one of the puppies that had captured her heart though. It had been the massive dog, hidden in the back, caged all by itself.

He was discovered at the same mill, and no one had known what to do with him. It seemed that the owners had been breeding fight dogs along with the Shih Tzu’s, and they’d been using Warrior to sire them. Warrior had been a hundred and twenty pounds of solid muscle covered with dark fur, his growl was vicious and he had a mouth full of sharp teeth. Everyone had been terrified of him, everyone but Kim. Maybe it was because she had never been harmed in her life, maybe it was because of her age, but for some reason she just knew he would never hurt her. Before anyone could stop her, she had opened his cage, stepped inside and sat down, waiting for him to come to her.

The workers and her parents had gone crazy. They’d been sure he would attack and kill her. Instead, he'd growled and snarled at her, snapping his teeth. He would take two steps towards her then quickly backed away, his massive body quivering. When she'd held out her hand, he'd flinch, as if he expected her to strike him, when she hadn’t, he moved a little closer, sniffing her hand.

Kim had just looked into his dark gr ay eyes and seen the truth. He was scared. This massive dog was scared of her , scared that she would hurt him . She'd promised him then and there that he would be safe with her. Promised that he would never be hurt again. He'd licked her hand in response. When she'd petted him, he'd rolled onto his back, silently begging her to scratch his belly and that’s when she realized that was all he wanted... for someone to care for him, to see him, to love him, and Kim had.

Her parents had been at a loss at what to do. Warrior wasn’t the dog they had planned on. He was... well... huge but they couldn’t argue with what they had seen, for some reason Kim was supposed to have this dog. Kim hadn’t realized until just now how much her parents must have loved her to allow her to bring Warrior home.

For the next four years, Warrior never left her side. He slept in her bed. He laid on her feet at the dinner table and sat on the front steps, every day, rain or shine, waiting for her to come home from school. It was how he saved her. It was why he died.

One of the older kids in the neighborhood was showing off his new car and hadn’t seen the school bus stop sign. Warrior had jumped their fence and pushed her out of the way of a speeding car. He had died in her arms. She was the last thing he saw.

Was that Warrior she was hearing? She liked that. Her Warrior, coming to save her one last time. Blindly she reached out and weakly thumped the wall, letting him know where she was.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Wray tossed the map across his desk, and then leaned back in his chair running tired hands over his face. What a wasted trip. He had hoped that meeting with Liron, the Emperor of the Kaliszian Empire, would produce better results. The Kaliszians had been at war with the Ratak for over three years now. The Ratak were trying to claim several Kaliszian planets close to their border. Those planets were rich in mineral resources the Kaliszians desperately needed to support their civilization.

S ince the great infection, many species have been on the brink of extinction, including the Tornian and Kaliszian civilizations but for different reasons. For the Kaliszians, the infection had targeted their ability to produce enough food to support their people. The majority of their food bearing plants had perished, and no transplanted vegetation would survive. Because of this, the Kaliszians were dependent on the Tornian Empire to feed their people, trading their vast supply of minerals for food.

For the Tornians it had affected their females, causing them to produce more and more males. It had been celebrated at first, for they were a warrior race, but it quickly became apparent that there was a problem. Now males outnumbered females, two hundred to one, and if breeding compatible females weren’t found soon, they would all die.

It was why he had such high hopes for this meeting. The Ratak Empire was on the far side of the Kaliszian Empire, and there were rumors that they had found a new species, one that might successfully breed with a Tornian warrior. Wray had hoped that because of the war Liron would know if these rumors were true. Liron had insinuated as much when he insisted that he and Wray met personally on matters of great importance. It was the only reason Wray had traveled this far outside his Empire.

After a great deal of hedging Liron had finally admitted he didn’t know if the rumors were true, that he had wanted to meet with Wray to discuss the difficulties he was having with Lord Reeve in maintaining a steady flow of food supplies for his people. Wray had barely controlled his rage at Liron’s deception, even though he understood it. He had wanted to gain Wray’s attention without alerting Lord Reeve.

Well, he had it and soon Lord Reeve would too. Wray would personally let Reeve know his displeasure at his handling of the Kaliszians. A steady supply of food was vital for both Empires, for without it, the Kaliszians would suffer and in return, they would stop the shipments of the power crystals the Tornians needed along with the jewels their females demanded.

The ringing of his comm pull ed Wray from his dark thoughts.

“Yes?” He demanded.

“Sire, we’ve detected a Ganglian freighter leaving Tornian space.”

“ Are we still in Kaliszian space?”

“Just barely.”

“Intercept, Captain.” Wray ordered and headed for the command center.

“ Yes, sire.”

Wray hated the Ganglians . They had become a vicious species with no loyalty or honor. They lived off the pain of others. They thrived on it. They would capture smaller, weaker species, enslave and torture them. The males that survived were sold to work in the mines and the females… well the few that survived were sold to pleasure houses or private collectors.

It enraged Wray the way they mistreated females. Females were the most valuable resource in all the known universes. Even if they couldn’t save his race, they might be able to save another, for more than just the Tornians were looking for compatible females.

“Sire, they are refusing to stop, stating w e have no authority.”

“Show them our ‘authority ,' Captain.” Wray ordered striding into the command room.

“With pleasure , Majesty.” Captain Veron grinned at his Emperor. He was always ready for a good fight, not that the Ganglians would give them one. They were cowards.

Targeting the Ganglians engines, Veron sent off a shot and watched the freighter shudder before coming to a stop. “Authority shown, sire. Life support intact. We are preparing a shuttle for boarding.”

“Nicely done , Veron.” Wray smiled at his longtime friend and Captain.

“Thank you , sire.”

Wray followed his men as they exited the shuttle. The stench hit him first. He had forgotten how bad Ganglians smelled. In the open air, they were barely tolerable; in an enclosed ship, they were overwhelming.

T he blast from a stunner had everyone ducking in shock. The Ganglians were resisting ? Ganglians never resisted. Especially not the Tornians, for Tornians were the most-feared warriors in all the known universes and for good reason. Not only did their size intimidate as most were seven feet of solid muscle, but so did their reputation. They were known for being deadly and brutal when it came to battle.

“Something isn’t right , Veron.” Wray said.

“I agree. You need to return to the Searcher, Majesty.” Veron nodded to two of the warriors with them.

“No.” Wray told him angrily, he knew Veron was just doing his job, protecting his Emperor, but he wouldn’t scurry away at the first sign of trouble. He was Emperor Wray Vasteri, and he scurried for no one.

“Emperor.”

“Enough, Captain! Let’s find out what they are hiding.”

Sig hing heavily, Veron nodded. “Yes, majesty, just stay close. Grim will have my head if anything happens to you.”

Wray smile d at Veron’s reference to his brother. Since he was correct. Grim would have Veron’s head if Wray were to die. Grim had absolutely no desire to become Emperor. All he wanted was to be left alone on Luda so he could train his warriors.

The battle wasn’t long or brutal, disappointing all. The Ganglians shot and ran, shot and ran until those that remained were cornered in the command center of the ship. Once inside, they found only five remaining Ganglians, including one wearing the Captain’s collar.

“What did you find?” Wray demanded of Veron.

“There are slaves in the cargo hold sire, all Zaludian males.” Veron informed him.

“Slavery is illegal , Ganglian.” Wray’s eyes were hard as he looked at the smaller male.

“You have no authority here , Tornian.” The Captain hissed. “This is Kaliszian space. You will die for this insult.”

“ I will not die, Ganglian scum. I am Emperor Wray Vasteri, and you have passed through my space with slaves. If you had carried females, it would be punishable by death. Instead, your cargo will be freed. Your ship will be taken and you will pay for your crimes by mining for the Kaliszian.” Wray leaned down, grasping the Captain by the throat, lifting him off his feet. “Tell me Ganglian, why did you resist? Why did so many choose to die?”

“None chose to die .” The Captain hissed at him, frantically clawing at Wray's hand. “You murdered them, Tornian scum. It will be known that you attacked for no reason.” A muffled thud had the Captain releasing a high-pitched squeal, the hairy creature's equivalent of paling.

Wray’s eyes narrow ed at the reaction and dropped the male, his eyes scanning the area. They were in the command center of the Ganglian ship. It contained only control, communications and navigation consoles. Where could that sound have come from?

“You will leave my ship!” The Ganglian Captain started to demand, without turning Wray’s fist struck him in the throat, silencing him. Advancing closer to the communications console, he heard it again, but fainter this time. Leaning down, he tore off the unsecured cover of an access hatch and roared.

Every male in the room jump ed at the sound of the Emperor’s rage, for he was the controlled one of House Vasteri, to hear it unleashed was something rarely heard.

“Sire.” Veron quickly moved to his side.

“Get a Healer! Get him now!” Wray ordered as he carefully eased out what he had found.

Wray carefully laid the tiny female on the deck, his eyes quickly assessing her injuries. She was battered and bruised, her coverings nonexistent. It was obvious she had been abused, the heavy bruising and shredded skin on her thighs a testament to it.

His eyes flew to the Ganglian Captain, who shrunk away, seeing his death. Rising, Wray drew his sword.

“You did this! To a female! ” Before the Captain could even squeak, Wray’s sword split his belly open. “Suffer and die!” Wray commanded moving to the next Ganglian. A weak moan stopped him, drawing his attention back to the female. “Finish this.” He commanded Veron.

Returning to the female, Wray dropped to his knees, carefully brushing aside the thick, dull hair that covered her face to reveal the pain filled emerald eyes. He was surprised when instead of shrinking from his touch, she lifted torn and bloody fingers to his cheek and whispered something he couldn’t understand. It was then that the full horror of what had happened to her sunk in. Not only had she been abused, she had been denied the learning program. She hadn’t even understood her captors. The light in the eyes that held his began to fade, and her hand fell away, leaving a bloody smear in its place.

"Bring the portable repair unit! Now! And an educator!" He ordered.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Kim looked up at the handsome creature growling above her. "Warrior." She whispered, reaching up to touch him. So this was what Warrior would have looked like if he had been human; strong, powerful, commanding. His long, thick, hair pulled away from an angular face. God had let him keep the beautiful dark gray eyes, she'd loved and the massive muscles that had protected her, covering them all in beautiful bronze skin. Feeling the last of her strength ebbing away, she let her hand fall. At least she wasn't alone. Warrior was with her.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Wray roared when the female closed her eyes. "Run the repair unit!" He ordered.

"Sire, we don't know what species she is . It could kill her."

"It won't matter for she will die without it."

Wray waited several tense-filled minutes as the unit scanned her. This unit was meant for battle. It quickly healed the most life threatening wounds a warrior received until he could get to a deep repair unit. It was never meant for one so small. If it refused to treat her…. The unit ran up and down her body several times before it activated and began to concentrate on her lower half, revealing where the most serious of her injuries were.

"Sire." Veron knelt beside him holding out the educator. "It is programmed with language only.

"It will be enough for now." Taking the device, Wray carefully placed it over the female’s eyes then activated it. With it only having language, it wouldn’t take long. "Get into their navigational system, Veron. I want to know where she came from."

"Yes , sire." With one last look at the little female, Veron rose.

Seeing a shiver run through her small frame, Wray realized that the coolness of her touch was not normal for her. Ganglians with their thick fur kept their ships cool. It didn't bother Tornians for their bodies could compensate; apparently, hers could not. Shifting, Wray removed his shirt, giving her what warmth he could while concealing her body from the curious gazes of his warriors.

After several more minutes of the unit moving up and down the female, it shuts off, signaling it had done all it could. Any more healing would have to be done on the Searcher. Removing the educator, Wray carefully lifted the unconscious female in his arms worried he would hurt her. Instead, she pressed closer to his bare skin, instinctively seeking his warmth. Looking down at her, Wray felt something in him shift.

Tornian females didn’t seek comfort from a male; they didn’t press against them. Not unless it was during Joinings and even then it was only to seek their own relief. For this one to do so, even unknowingly, brought out every protective instinct in Wray.

“Sire. They’ve erased their navigation history.” Veron’s comment pulled Wray’s gaze from the female.

“What?” Wray asked.

“They initiated a purge of th eir navigation history as soon as we boarded.” Veron told him.

“Can you stop it?”

“Already done , sire, but most of it is gone.”

“Why would they do that? ” Wray asked, frowning. “What else are they hiding?”

“I will have a complete scan done of all their systems, have the males in the hold interviewed to see what they know." Veron paused. "They also sent out a transmission to another Ganglian ship once they realized they had been detected.”

Th ey both knew this was extremely unusual behavior for Ganglians. They didn’t come to each other’s aid, not unless they were paid in advance and even then, it was no guarantee. The slightest breath caressing his chest reminded him that he had something more important to see too.

“Find out what is going on, Veron. I’m taking her back to the Searcher.”

“Yes , sire.” Veron watched his Emperor carry the small female away. He doubted she would survive; only the strongest could when exposed to the Ganglians, and she did not appear strong. Dismissing her, he turned back to his assigned task.

Buttoning up his shirt, Wray’s fingers paused when they brushed the curve of a soft, full breast. Tornian female’s breasts weren’t this soft or large, these would fill his hands, would be giving. Wray shook his head... He should not be having these thoughts. Not about one that had been so severely abused. It was likely she would never recover from the abuse, never allow a male to touch her again. Quickly he finished his task and secured her in her seat.

“Go.” He ordered the pilot.

Taking his seat Wray found his eyes returning to the female. Already the black and blue of her abuse was fading, leaving behind a grayish brown color that made him wonder if it were her natural color. Tornians came in many colors, each a designation of their lineage. Wray himself was a deep bronze, representing House Vasteri. He and his brother Grim and Wray’s first male offspring, Tora, were the only ones left to represent their House. His youngest, Van, had died nearly five years ago in a transport accident. He was to be Tora’s second, the future King of Luda, just as his brother Grim was Wray’s. Van would have been the one male Tora could always depend on. Now Tora would have no one, for after the death of his Empress Adana, Wray had decided not to take a new female.

Many females had approached him after Adana’s death, for to be Empress was to be the most powerful female in the Empire. Even Risa, not even eighteen, had approached him. He had refused them all, something only an Emperor could do for no male refused a female’s offer to Join, for he needed the offspring she would provide him.

It had been the Tornian way for centuries now. A male attracted a female by what he could provide her. In return, she provided him with offspring, preferably female, for that increased the male’s position and status. Male offspring only maintained it, for they had enough males. Once she had done this, she would look for another male, taking all that she had been given, leaving behind her offspring.

It was the way of all Tornian females, all except for the Empress, for she would solely be the Emperor’s, providing offspring to only him, securing the Imperial line. Adana had given Wray two fit and worthy males and upon her death, he had felt others deserved the chance of continuing their bloodlines. Now he wondered if he had done the right thing.

Since h e’d made that decision, Grim had been deemed ‘unfit’ by the Assembly after an attack by a group of warriors, and while none of them had survived, Grim had been gravely injured, leaving scars across his face and body. Because of that, no Tornian female would Join with him, believing he would be unable to protect her. Stupid females. His brother was the strongest, fiercest warrior in the entire Empire. No female under his protection would ever be harmed. Still, without one willing to give him offspring, Grim could not maintain his position, and there was nothing Wray could do about it.

Th en Van had died...

Wray was jerked from his dark thoughts when the shuttle suddenly lurched sideways, its lights flickering as impact alarms sounded. “What is happening!” He demanded storming into the cockpit.

“An unknown ship is firing upon us, Majesty!” The warrior frantically worked the damaged controls, trying to stabilize the shuttle. “The Searcher is returning fire, but...” His words were cut off as the shuttle took another hit, throwing Wray out of the cockpit.

Struggling to regain his footing Wray’s eyes immediately searched for the female and found her still unconscious and safely secured in her seat. Grabbing the overhead supports, Wray muscled his way back into the cockpit. Inside, he found the warrior dead and the shuttle falling helplessly towards a small planet.

Sliding into the second pilot seat Wray trie d to regain control of the shuttle, but nearly every control had been destroyed. With the planet looming large before him, he did the only thing left for him to do. Pointing the nose of the shuttle towards the planet, he prayed to the Goddess that he could slow it down enough to land without killing them.