Chapter 6
Groaning, Sara rolled over, parts of her body protesting the movement.
Her insides felt well used and her pussy sore, but only in the best way.
One moment she'd been fearing Ak’kel, and then the next he’d given her the best pleasure of her life, taking her with a savage tenderness.
But she wasn't about to admit that to him.
She should have fought her baser urges and put a stop to it. Why she’d marched into the bathroom and undressed in front of him, she would never be able to answer. All she’d done was moan his name at the top of her lungs.
Then a blush seared her cheeks as she rolled over, threw her face into her pillow, and groaned. The whole ship had probably heard their activities last night. At least, what was left of her crew. Sound traveled so easily through these metal walls.
Rising on her elbows, Sara glanced around to find the bed and room empty.
No sign of Ak’kel. Listening carefully, she made sure she didn’t hear him in the bathroom.
Nope. Not here. Good. She felt an immense wave of relief that she hadn’t had to wake next to him.
It would have been so very awkward and uncomfortable.
Though, there was a flicker of sadness that he hadn’t been waiting for her to wake, almost a flicker of longing.
Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Sara grimaced as she noticed her discarded clothing thrown haphazardly across the room. A testament to their wild night.
"What is wrong with you?" She muttered, scolding herself. "You just slept with the guy whose men murdered untold numbers of your crew."
She shook her head, trying to clear her chaotic thoughts.
Time to get back to business. The business of getting her ship back.
Throwing on some fresh clothing, Sara walked over to the door of her cabin.
Had he locked her in? She wouldn't be half surprised if the door didn't open.
Her hand hovered over the panel, and then she pushed the button.
To her surprise the door slid open with... no squeak. Had Ak’kel fixed her door while she slept? If he thought it'd win him any points, he'd be majorly mistaken.
Quickly, Sara traversed the corridors of her ship, passing by Ak'kel's men. Oddly, they paid her no mind. It didn't take her long to figure out why no one was concerned with her traipsing about the ship. Ak’kel had her locked out of anything to do with essential systems and communications. He’d been busy while her well pleasured body snoozed.
"Damn!" Sara hissed as she smacked the console she stood at with her hand. Well, her Vrak’rir wasn't a stupid man. He’d anticipated her attempting something.
There was one other thing she could do though.
Sara strode through the ship, still unnerved with all the new faces aboard her ship. She worried she might give something away. When she finally reached the brig, she sighed in relief as the doors slid open with a light hiss.
"Captain!" Berg’s voice rang out in surprise when he noticed her.
"Shhh." Sara raised a finger to her lips. "You know as well as I that sound carries in this metal heap."
"Tell me about it." Cat crossed her arms. "We could hear someone having mind blowing sex last night. Made it damn near impossible to get some shut eye."
Heat seared Sara's cheeks, and she hoped no one noticed. At least, it seemed like they hadn't figured out it was her. Didn't need her crew knowing she'd banged herself senseless with a Vrak'rir. Some quick flashbacks flickered through her mind.
No. No more thinking about it. She needed to focus.
"You haven't been locked away. What's with that?" Berg asked as he quirked a brow.
Guess no one had overheard Ak’kel whisper mate in her ear.
What to tell them? She supposed it wouldn't hurt to tell them the truth. They were all in this together after all. And they'd probably hear it from someone at some point. Ak’kel's men were bound to gossip.
"Well," Sara closed her eyes and said in a rush, "turns out I might be his mate."
Berg whistled low, and she opened her eyes to glare in his direction.
"Could be a benefit to us." Cat reasoned, her voice thoughtful.
"That's what I figured." Sara admitted. And after last night Ak’kel might be even more unaware of her as a possible threat. Wasn’t like she’d resisted him at all.
"So, how about arming us and letting us out?" Berg asked and the rest of her crew nodded their heads in quick agreement.
Sara shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, I've been locked out of all essential systems." She sent her crew an apologetic smile. "Seems he doesn't trust his mate."
"Now we know he isn't stupid." Berg plopped down on a cot.
Joana, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward with a confident smile.
"Don't be so quick to admit defeat. There are plenty of other ways to hack into our systems. Whether you planned it or not, Captain, your old ship doesn't have high end safety protocols to bypass.
" She patted a rusty wall inside the brig cell. "I can tell you exactly what to do."
"I'm all ears." Sara sat down and waited for Joana to explain further.
By the time Joana finished explaining, Sara nodded, determination hardening her features. It'd be tricky, but if it paid off, Ak’kel and his men wouldn't be on board and she and her crew would be free once more.
"Let's do it."
"We will wait on your signal." Berg smirked, a twinkle once again entering his eyes at the promise of payback.
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Sara wasn't cutout for this sabotage stuff. Every time she passed by one of Ak’kel's men, she nearly jumped out of her skin as she prickled with dread someone would find her out. Which was insane, because no Vrak’rir could read minds.
She knew that, yet she kept her eyes peeled and her ears out for any sign she was being watched.
Eventually, she found an abandoned pad laying on a console.
Stepping over to the console, she glanced around as she debated hiding it under her shirt and walking back to her cabin.
But that'd be the first place she'd run into Ak’kel.
No, she'd stay where she was. It wasn't like there were a ton of his men running around her ship.
Quickly, Sara typed on the pad, following Joana's instructions. Done. Now to check on her pad where everyone was located on the ship. Her crew bio signs were all in the brig, and she saw the rest of the bio signs merging on the bridge.
With Joana’s instructions, she'd fooled the ship's external sensors to detect a ship approaching. No doubt Ak’kel had called his men to the bridge expecting a firefight. Just the kind of deception that she needed.
Once everyone was on the bridge, she typed in another command which locked all bridge doors. Trying to contain her giddiness, Sara took in a couple of deep breaths as she smiled.
"Okay.’ She whispered to herself. “Now that they're sealed in, I need to head to the medical bay before they figure out a way to break out."
Right as she entered the corridor that would take her to the medical bay, Ak’kel's voice rang out over the ship’s intercom.
"Don't do whatever you're thinking." Ak’kel’s deep voice ground out through the speakers, low and threatening.
Well, damn, she thought to herself. It hadn’t taken him quite as long to figure out it was her as she'd hoped.
"Why do you assume I did anything?" She responded via a device on her lapel. Her voice steady, but her hear hammered away inside her ribcage.
"Because you're the captain. In your shoes, I'd do anything to get my ship back."
"Then you understand. No hard feelings." Sara strode into the medical bay and began digging around to find what she needed.
"You can't escape me. I'm your mate."
"Thankfully, that's one sided." Sara quipped with a short laugh. "Humans need courtship to fall in love. I just remember you killing my crew." With a triumphant smile, Sara held up the metal canister she'd been seeking.
"Release us now and I will be more lenient than if you don't."
"Sorry, but no." Sara walked out of the medical bay. She needed to find the ventilation room. Down one deck and over. The ventilation room had been constructed in the middle of the ship, so it would be more protected during any possible breaches.
"You will come to regret this." Ak’kel insisted.
"Maybe, but it'll be my mistake to regret." Sara still didn't see the downside of getting rid of this Vrak'rir. "Shouldn't have killed my crew and taken over my ship."
"I've seen your logs, captain." Ak’kel accused her, the anger in his voice unmistakable.
Sara frowned. Freezing briefly, she tried to think of her logs and what she might have recorded.
"Nothing to say, mate? "Ak’kel questioned. "You were the one planning to sell your Vrak’rir mate."
"Didn't know you were my mate." And even if she had it wouldn't change her plan to take back her ship. Didn't matter if he was her mate. She didn't know him. Didn’t love him. He was just some stranger to her. The sex hadn’t changed any of that.
Placing the canister on the floor, Sara knelt by the panel in the wall, dug her fingernails under the panel, and popped the metal lid off.
"It's not too late, mate. I've got men working on these locked doors. I'm still willing to be lenient."
"Uh, huh. Sure." Sara muttered as she leaned the metal panel against the wall. "If you're as bad as I think, then I've already gone too far. You'll give my crew no mercy."
"Are they a part of this?"
"No." Sara answered immediately. In case the Vrak’rir did get out, she wanted to make sure she was the only one who took the fall for this. They were loyal to her, and she was loyal to them.
Okay, she was looking for... oh. Sara switched off the lever, and then she popped out the canister. She grabbed her canister off the floor and attached it to the ventilation system.
"Sleep well, Vrak'rir.” She sing songed.
It didn't take long before he growled through the intercom completely furious with her. "Damn, human. You best make sure this kills me. Because if I ever wake up, I will hunt you down."
"Good luck." Sara couldn't stop herself from spitting out. She’d hidden from one crazy ex, she could hide from another.