Chapter 11
"What?" Sara's jaw dropped when she met with her crew in the mess hall once she’d been released from the medical bay. It felt nice being back inside her ship, although, she did feel thankful that Ak’kel had ended her nightmare once and for all. Her ex could no longer find her. She’d managed to find a picture of him, and Ak’kel had confirmed it’d been the human male they’d killed.
"We've agreed to be a part of his crew." Cat smiled.
"But... but..." Sara stammered unable to comprehend this.
Cat shrugged. "He annoyed me at first, but he has deep pockets."
"Very deep." Berg nodded. "None of us have to work again."
"But we like scavenging." Sara argued. Had everyone gone insane? "You can't say you wouldn't be bored in a matter of weeks. I know every single one of you." She pointed to each of them in turn.
"That's why we also bargained with him to create a scavenging business." Cat said triumphantly. “A scavenging business under his name and financed by his credits. We even get some of his men and ships so we are better defended.”
“No more waiting for others to finish a good scavenge.” Berg laughed. “Now we can get the best scavenges.”
"And he agreed?" Sara’s brow furrowed. She couldn’t process what they were telling her. Ak’kel was financing their scavenging? They didn’t make that much money at it to be any use to him and his empire of crime.
"And," Berg's smile widened, "we convinced him to let us continue using the old rust bucket that you love so much."
Sara narrowed her eyes. "What's the catch?"
"We have to upgrade your ship." Berg tensed, knowing she might not react well to this piece of news. "We have to add better weapons, defenses, engines, etc."
To say she was stunned would be an understatement.
"Who will be the captain?" Her heart broke to think she wouldn't be the one on board guiding them to their next large haul.
"You. Duh." Cat rolled her eyes with a snort.
"But... I'm his mate. He won't let me go far." Sara doubted he’d run his crime empire from her rust bucket.
"Which is why we will always be within sensor range and if he can spare it, there will be at least one warship trailing us." Cat smiled. "We thought of everything."
It seemed they had and that warmed her heart more than anything.
"The best crew a captain could ask for." Sara felt tears prick at the sides of her eyes. Maybe being the mate of a Vrak’rir wasn't all that bad after all. It appeared he wasn’t about to drag her away from the life she’d built.
He only wanted to ensure she did it safer, which honestly, she was happy with because they’d run into trouble a time or two when bigger, meaner ships had pushed them away from debris fields.
All of her crew swarmed her in a giant group hug.
"It's been a blast." Berg agreed.
"Love the danger." Cat laughed.
"Always get to try something new, like drugging a Vrak’rir." Hunter laughed. “Just please don’t make me do it again.”
"To a new adventure." Sara tossed in.
"A safer one." Cat laughed. "With an army of Vrak’rir at our backs, we'll get our pick of scavenges."
A good point. No more waiting on the sidelines for others to finish or flying away with their tails tucked between their legs.
Glancing over, she saw Ak’kel watching them from a doorway a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.
Pulling away from her crew, Sara sucked in a breath and strode over him. “You somehow convinced them.”
Ak’kel chuckled as he walked towards her, backing her into a wall. “To think scavengers could be convinced with credits.”
“To think.” Sara agreed with her own laugh as she bumped into the wall behind her.
Caging her in, with hands resting on the wall around her head, he leaned in. “Your resistance seems to have melted away.”
“I don’t know about melted, but I think some of my tension from running from my ex has finally been released.” Sara admitted. “And my fears about you don’t appear to be true.”
“Your fears?” He cocked his head to the side.
“I thought you might be like my ex, commanding, controlling, not allowing me to life the life I want to, that kind of stuff.”
Ak’kel’s black eyes roamed over her face. “If we are being honest, then I must admit it had crossed my mind, but no one faces an enraged Vrak’rir unless they truly love something. I would never want to take this away from you.”
“I appreciate the honesty.” And Sara truly did. He didn’t have to admit anything to her. He could have lied and pretended like he never thought about taking scavenging away.
Placing a black claw tip under her chin, he tipped her head back and to the side. Dipping his head, he placed a couple of hot kisses to her throat, and Sara shivered in delight. “I believe you said I could court you.”
“I did say that, didn’t I?” Sara laughed as he lightly nipped her exposed neck with his sharp teeth.
“I can show you how Vrak’rir court.”
“Okay?” Sara shrugged.
Suddenly, she found herself in his arms being carried away from her crew, as he headed straight to her room. Sara felt a carefree laugh bubble up inside her chest, and she loved the feeling. After so many years, she finally felt safe and like she could live her life.