Heroic Abduction (4 page)

So her query as to his sexual status embarrassed her? How intriguing. The human was turning out to be more and more interesting. He’d have to do some research on her kind. Perhaps question the Zonian more on the whole breeding thing. It was his duty as host and rescuer, after all, to ensure
all
the needs of his guest were met.
More than once if required.

“Courtesy is overrated.” –
A Mercenary’s Guide to Prosperity

“Mind your manners.” –
The Unofficial Guide to Heroism

What the hell possessed me to ask him if he was celibate?
Betty couldn’t believe she’d done that. Or that she’d blushed. She wasn’t inexperienced, or a prude. Heck, she was usually the one saying things to shock people. This whole day had been one surprise after another, though the biggest one being the more time she spent in the big purple guy’s presence, the more attractive she found him. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been so hasty in dismissing Zista’s suggestion that she take him for a spin. Not to get pregnant, hell no—
no babies for me yet, and especially not until I find some answers
—but to settle her stirring libido. Less stirring and more like burning. And wet.

As the large and attractive warrior extolled the various features of the bedroom, bending over to show her the drawers tucked under the bed, she couldn’t help but stare at his ass. His very fine, taut ass. When he showed her the bathing chamber, and its actual shower, she couldn’t help but picture his dark hair, slicked back with moisture, the water beading down his muscular chest to …

“Ahem.”

He cleared his throat, and there came that damnable blush again. She couldn’t stop it, not when she realized she got caught staring at the spot below his belt—a spot that swelled bigger and bigger and, holy shit, bigger.

Startled, she whirled and fled the bathroom to stand by the table set against the wall. She kept her back to him as she mumbled, “So thanks for the tour. I think I’m good now.” If horny. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

She waited for the sound of the swishing door. Instead, she squeaked as his fingers caught her chin and tilted her to face him.

“You seem
perturbed
,” he murmured in a husky voice.

If by perturbed he meant ready to ravish a perfect stranger, then yeah, that was her. “Just tired.”

“I see.” The mirth curling his lips let her know he caught the lie.

“It’s a human thing. We get weird,” and babble, “when we’re exhausted.”

“Then, by all means, rest.” His thumb brushed her lower lip, which tingled at the touch. “Come find me after your recuperative sleep, and we shall share a repast.”

With a gentle stroke of fingers across her cheek, he strode away, leaving her behind. Confused, aroused, annoyed, bothered, and wondering if Zista brought the mating cuffs.

Because if I don’t get off this ship soon, I have a feeling I might have to go Zonian on his delectable purple ass.

In the Zonian culture, it wasn’t the males who pursued the females, but the women. When a gal was considered old enough and wise enough to begin her own line, she went on a quest, more like a hunt, for a man. A great and noble tradition, if you were Zonian, but not quite so simple as a human.

While she was not the strongest of warriors, Betty’s cleverness was considered an invaluable skill. Because of her wily nature and ability to get out of sticky situations, Betty had been cleared for breeding when they’d chosen her to travel with Zista for supplies—
and while I’m out here, looking for clues to a certain person’s disappearance
. While she fully intended to keep her eyes peeled for potential lover or boyfriend material, she had no intention of settling down yet or popping out babies.

Especially purple ones. She well knew the Kulin were a male-dominated society. While Louisa had lucked out and got a pair who more or less let her rule the roost, she knew from her studies that was a rare thing. Most Kulin-mated females got stuck on a planet, popping out little warriors with misogynistic attitudes.

However, that was only the mated ones. She didn’t have to marry the guy. Or tie herself to him in a forever after—
I’ll never trust a man enough to promise that.
And that was where the cuffs would come in. She could always take down the big guy—she possessed a stash of sedatives for all kinds of occasions—and tie him up to have her wicked way.
Although, I’d bet I wouldn’t need them. He seems more than willing.

But would he feel an obligation to keep her after?

Betty wasn’t about to take the chance, not when she’d just managed to make it to space and begin her exploration. So much to see. So much to do. So much trouble to get in.

Sure, she’d had a few close calls—the whole almost mashed into bits by an alien who accused her of cheating at cards, almost sushi’d by the Lxroakian who enjoyed the smell of her when she accidentally bumped into him in a marketplace, oh, and the porcine pirates who’d wanted to sell her to a bordello, again as a menu item. Come to think of it, a lot of the aliens she’d encountered wanted a taste of her flesh. But only Dyre seemed to show an interest in the erotic kind.

She shivered, and warmth curled in her lower belly. Maybe she should take him up on his offer?

But then she remembered her real reason for being in space. It sobered her.
I’ve got a job to do.
Which meant no purple distractions, unless she needed to use him to further her purpose.

Because where her own private quest was concerned, she was prepared to sacrifice her body if it meant reaching her goal.

“Rescued virgins should be ravished before returned for a reward.”
– A Mercenary’s Guide to Prosperity

“Preserve a maiden’s innocence, no matter the temptation.” –
The Unofficial Guide to Heroism

Dyre might have left the human’s presence, but she lingered in his mind. What a tough attitude for one so physically weak. He admired her strong spirit but couldn’t help but shake his head at the dumb luck that led him to her and allowed him to rescue her.

Almost as if fate guided me to her.
Which, maybe, wasn’t so crazy. Didn’t many heroic deeds and quests come about via the meddling of forces many called gods? Had Dyre finally caught the notice of one? Was he about to become a god’s champion? Would he end up thrust into danger? Forced to risk his life and perform noble deeds? Perhaps slay some monsters?

Stupendous!

However, his excitement over the possibility of living his own intrepid tale still couldn’t completely erase the luscious human from his thoughts. She’d mentioned needing a shower. Did she at this very moment lather her creamy skin? Did she stand nude under the warm spray, soaping her generous curves, rubbing circles around her heavy breasts? Did her kind sport nipples a male could suck on? And what of the flesh between her legs? Would it welcome his erect shaft, cradle it with warmth and moisture? Or was it ringed in teeth like a certain bipedal breed from the savage red planet in the Daemyon Galaxy?

Curiosity demanded an answer. Even as he ordered it, he knew it was wrong. Knew it, knew it, so knew it. Yet he did it anyway under the guise of checking on his guest and ensuring her wellbeing. The screen on his wall lit up, the camera in her room panning and not finding her. He switched video streams, and swallowed hard.

There she was, just as he’d just pictured her, nude and in the cleansing cubicle, but his imagination had not done justice to her fleshly glory.

By all the gods in the universe, she was quite attractive. Had he truly thought her pale? Nay, more like pearlescent, a precious jewel sought after from the depths of the deepest oceans, torn from the rapacious grips of monsters. She was a priceless beauty with nuances in tone and shape made for admiration.

She possessed rounded curves, soft curves, curves that made him sink to his knees as they went weak, probably because he fisted himself and his hard cock stole all the blood from his limbs.

Did she suspect she had an audience, or did she always run her hands to sensuously over her slick skin? Her nipples were fat, pink, and beckoning. He could so easily imagine latching on and sucking, biting. Would they harden at his attention?

She bent over to wash her feet, and his breath caught. Pink. She was pink down there, a delicate shell for a sex that made his mouth water, while his hand stroked his pulsing cock.

Mesmerized, he would have continued watching, but she chose right then to stare right at his camera. Stared, frowned, then smirked.

“Video off,” he managed to say in a hoarse voice. Did she know he watched? There was no way she could tell. No way. And yet, she suspected. Dyre felt dirty. And horny. Unworthy. But still so aroused.

He stumbled to his feet and staggered to his shower, doing his best to ignore his bobbing and begging cock. After his disgraceful actions, he didn’t deserve fulfillment. A true noble knight did not watch innocent damsels bathe. No matter their curiosity.
But a mercenary would.

However, he was better than that. He would not give in to his base instincts.

He turned the shower on, but allowed himself no heat. Pure, frigid water came blasting out, and Dyre could practically see the steam as it hit his feverish body. How could one human cause such a reaction?

Something about the mouthy, pale barbarian affected him, and he didn’t just refer to his cock, which seemed to delight in her mere presence.

Betty was the first female to actually fascinate him beyond thoughts of sex. Yes, he wanted to bed her, two breasts or not, especially now that he knew what hid beneath her garments. But apart from desiring her body, he also wanted to know more about her, how she ended up on the Zonian planet? Who she was as a person.

When the cold water shriveled his ardor, and he felt more in control, he stepped forth from his bathing chamber, shivering and still not completely cured of his obsessive affliction for his guest.

Curiosity about Betty plagued him. It led him to pulling up everything he could on her kind on his computer while he dressed. He continued to dig while he checked on his ship’s status. The research he did on her species just fed his eagerness to discover more. Barbarian or not, what a fascinating people. Complex with a society that differed in opinions and setup, the humans were a bright tapestry made all the more beautiful and exotic for their chaotic nature.

As if sex and her unconventional barbarian heritage weren’t reason enough for his obsession, another emotion plagued him, a need to protect. Despite her attempt at toughness, he wanted to become her shield against the dangers of the universe, not because of a hero quest, or her more fragile status, but because he wanted to. Wanted to be her shield against the universe. What did that mean?

Have I finally found my damsel?

From the legends he’d studied, heroes either adventured until they died or found their princess, which some stories called their one true love. Dyre couldn’t fathom what they meant by love. Various definitions seemed to portray it as great affection for one person. Dyre felt affection for many people and never understood what was so special about it. From all indications, love was something grand, overpowering, unrelenting, and all consuming. It hit a hero in an instant and made him do brave things, take outrageous risks, all in its name.

With his accidental meeting of Betty, had he perhaps stumbled upon it? He hoped not because the way events unfolded was so not how he would have imagined it.

A hero’s love should have a glorious quest leading to it. A superb rescue. A thankful heroine. A simmering passion. So far, only the last was true with his pale human, at least for him. She’d not shown any interest in him as a potential mate, seemed appalled as a matter of fact when the Zonian suggested it. Hence, she must not be his one true love.

Then again, how quickly he seemed to have forgotten that his first glance of her had left him unimpressed—and by all indications, she’d not appreciated his rescue.

Yes, but I’ve since had time to reconsider my position about her appearance and now can’t deny my mighty attraction.

But was attraction love?

Nay. Which meant she wasn’t his future mate. So what to do with her?

Ravish her.

No, that was the mercenary way. So what should he do instead?

Help her find what’s she’s looking for, beyond the obvious supplies and goods.

Zista seemed to believe Betty needed a male, and since Betty didn’t want him—
grrr
—then it was up to him to find her a compatible male.
And kill him.

No. No. That wasn’t a heroic thought. He would find her a male to satisfy her needs—
and kill him.

Hmm. It seemed he’d have to work on suppressing some of his more base mercenary traits. For some reason they wanted to crop up every time he thought of pairing Betty with someone—
who will die if he so much as touches her.

Ignoring his irrational jealousy, he focused on a more important question. Where could he find a compatible male? Humans weren’t exactly prolific in the acceptable parts of the galaxy, and he wasn’t about to break the rules and enter the forbidden zone where Earth was located.

Only one place to go.

“We need to visit the Obsidian Galaxy, more specifically, their black market,” he announced when Zista and Betty joined him a while later for a meal in the dining area.

“First off, what’s the Obsidian Galaxy, and why do we need to go there?” asked Betty as she frowned at his food processor. She jabbed a combination of buttons and grimaced at what came out.

As she dumped it in the waste receptacle and pounded the keyboard again—looking deliciously refreshed with her damp hair forming a spiky mop and her casual attire clinging to seductive curves—he explained his reasoning. “You require riches and resources to bring back to the Zonian planet. While I have some items, I’m sure not all of them will satisfy your list. Given humans are a rarity, and probably have specialized needs—”

“Like food that doesn’t look like it would kill me,” she muttered, disposing of yet another dish.