Kidnapped by a Warrior Page 6

  He watched her for a moment, trying to figure out if she’d just made all that up. “I missed that one.”

  “You’ve missed a lot, apparently. I have a copy of the book in my apartment back on Earth. Maybe the next time you go there to round up more women, you should go in and retrieve it. I think you’d enjoy reading it.”

  “And do you agree with such a system?”

  “What? No, of course not. I agree with what you’re saying, Jakara. That you have a right to live the way you want to. What I can’t understand are your methods for obtaining this freedom.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to explain. It was never our intention to hurt the women of your planet. At least, that’s what I was led to believe.”

  “So what went wrong?”

  “Our leaders became greedy. The compound under construction is now going to be a place where your women will be paired up with one or more men to live permanently.”

  “You mean like we’re doing in this house?”

  “No. I mean to be on display. Or at least, one room in each of their quarters will be on display. They intend to charge admission. People will come here as tourists and pay to watch our men have sex with your women.”

  She stared at him like she wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly. “You mean like a zoo? You’re building a sex zoo?”

  “That’s one term for it.”

  “How is that any different than what your colleagues are doing with them now?”

  “They will be housed with the same men, and will be fed and cared for. They won’t be passed around or raped indiscriminately. Those of us who oppose this project have at least been able to extract those promises from the men who conceived of this idea.”

  “This might be a stupid question, but aren’t these the same men you’re working for?”

  He sighed loudly. It wasn’t a stupid question at all. It was a loaded one, and he wished he had a better answer than the one he’d already given her. “Yes. But I never signed on for this. I didn’t know it would spiral downward like this.”

  “Why can’t you quit?”

  “And do what? Return to Addo covered in shame? Or fly to Sera, beg forgiveness, and ask for a job?” She couldn’t understand this. She hadn’t been raised in a state of military readiness as he had been.

  “All right. Not possible either way. I get it. One more question, though. If this is really what the extreme faction of Tyranns wants, why us? Why Earth women? Why not kidnap your own women for this purpose?”

  He snorted. “The same men who would use you and your fellow Earthlings in such a way would never do these acts to their own kind. You’re nothing to them. In their eyes, it isn’t the same thing at all.”

  “And you oppose this. What this has become.”

  “Yes. Vehemently. As do others.” He was desperate for her to understand that and believe it.

  “So, if you’re not the only one who opposes it, why are you hiding?”

  “Because even those who oppose it are helping to build the zoo, as you call it. I am the only one who refused to help. If I assist them that is the same as condoning it.”

  She shook her head slightly. “Do you know what a compromise is?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Sometimes you have to pick your battles.”

  “I am doing that. I fulfill my missions, and we were able to get them to agree to the conditions we outlined.”

  “And do you believe they’ll stay true to their word?”

  “I have to. Otherwise I’d have no choice but to sneak over there and blow up the entire thing.”

  “You’d be caught.”

  “Yes. And killed. But at least they’d have to start over.”

  Her entire aura changed, just like that, and Jakara wanted to shout his thanks to the stars. Finally. She understood. He saw it in her eyes and in her body language.

  “You would die for this,” she said quietly. “You would die for your beliefs, and you would die to keep me safe.”

  “Yes, I would. That is what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

  She swallowed hard. “So all this time, all you’ve really wanted is to be able to have someone to share your desires. The ones you were born with. You didn’t want anyone telling you how to have sex, or what to do in your own bed, or how you should feel about it.”

  “Precisely. Stay out of my head and get out of my bed. That’s one of our unofficial mottos.”

  The corners of her mouth turned up. “I like that. It would look great on a bumper sticker.”

  He wasn’t sure what that was, but it didn’t matter. He was simply grateful that she finally understood.

  “And you never meant to cause my people harm. You only wanted their passion and what you interpreted as their love for sex, because your own women aren’t conditioned that way.”

  “Yes. Exactly.”

  “But can’t you stop them from using the compound for profit and entertainment, as you say?”

  “No. If you heard what Walton said to me then you also heard that for me to try to change their minds would mean my end. They already suspect me.”

  “Is there some other job you can do? Someone else you can work for?”

  Yes. But if he told her that, he’d have to tell her the truth about his association with Eldon. The less she knew about him, the safer she was. “That’s not a possibility like it is on your planet. My options are limited. The Regum control our commerce, manufacturing, and economic industries. They would be reluctant to allow a Tyrann to work in any of them.”

  “Are you a Tyrann by birth or choice?”

  “Both. I was born to a Tyrann, but I chose this path at an early age.”

  “Because you were never given another choice.”

  “Perhaps. But I cannot change that now. My fate is here, doing my job and staying out of sight the rest of the time.”

  “How is it your Section Chief has never found this house?”

  “He has never looked for it.”

  “Could he find it if he wanted to?”

  “Do you remember what I told you about the communications system? Only use it for a true emergency, and do not stay in contact with me any longer than necessary.”

  She nodded.

  “That is the only way he would be able to intercept a signal that would lead them straight here. Otherwise, he’d have to follow me. And I am very careful to make sure that never happens.”

  “Are you allowed to have a home of your own like this?”

  “Yes, and that’s one of the reasons it does not matter to him if I do. The only reason Logan or another superior of mine would come looking for me is if they suspected I was doing something against the rules.”

  “Like you’ve already done in hiding me here.”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re a very passionate man, and I don’t only mean in bed. You have the courage of your convictions. That’s a rare thing where I come from.”

  “I know. But this is who I am.”

  “Oh, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. I admire you for it. But now I’ll be worried about you every time you leave on a mission.”

  Jakara’s heart soared, but then he realized he was a fool to think her words meant she cared for him. She was only making observations. Clearly she was intelligent enough to understand her situation here was conditional on him staying clear of suspicion. “You don’t have to worry about me. I know how to do my duty and stay out of sight.”

  “Clearly, since you’ve done it for so long now. But if something happens to you, I’m off to the same fate you described earlier.”

  He averted his gaze so she wouldn’t see the emotion that bubbled up. “I will do everything in my power to make sure that does not happen.” His pride would not allow him to ask if there was even a small chance she could ever care for him. She knew her place here, and now she understood why he hadn’t taken her to the holding cells. He had what he’d always wanted. A passionate woman who enjoyed sex to share h
is life.

  What he’d neglected to admit to her and to himself was that he also wanted someone to care for him. To love him. As he led Callie back down into the house, he realized that was out of the question. She viewed him as her captor, not as a potential love interest.

  But would it always be that way? Was there a way to win her heart as well as her body and her cooperation? Or would she go through her days, giving herself to him willingly, but without any love in her touch or her acquiescence? And if she did, what had fate condemned them both to? What had he done here?

  Chapter Eight

  Callie was a nervous wreck every time Jakara left on a mission. But true to his word, he always returned within twenty-four hours, and spent at least sixteen with her before he had to leave again.

  Lesha came and went every couple of days and always made sure she had food and anything else she needed. Apparently women on their planets had periods, because the first day that Lesha came she brought pads. When Callie tried to explain about tampons, and asked if they had any, Lesha had told her they had no such thing and suggested she ask Jakara to bring some back from Earth if that’s what she preferred.

  Callie tried to engage Lesha in conversation, but it was like talking to a table. She finally gave up and spent her days leafing through Jakara’s books. He had a collection ranging from military strategy and speculation to boring biographies of every general who’d ever made it into a history book. The tomes on battles ranged from the Roman Empire to modern times.

  When they were together they made love, and he was just as passionate and skilled as he’d been the first couple of days she was here. All she had to do was look at him and she wanted him. But when he left, she was lonely and depressed.

  She missed her family, her shitty former job at Tagger Cleaners, and Lizzy’s sad gallery. She missed sunsets that weren’t hidden by rocky mountains, and the sound of traffic in the streets. She heard no animals or insects outside on the rare occasions she dared to go up on the roof and glance around.

  He hadn’t been kidding about the heat. And since he had no AC, she spent most of her time in front of a floor fan that was whisper quiet, but didn’t do much in the way of cooling her off. It only moved the hot air around so at least she could breathe.

  At the end of her second week in Jakara’s house, he came home while it was still daylight, and told Callie he had two weeks off. “Why?” Had something happened? Was he in danger?

  He smiled. “Vacation.”

  “I’m surprised they let you take any.”

  “I had to fight for it. I told them people on Earth get several weeks a year and it’s paid time. Since they realize many of us are finding out the employees on Earth were treated a lot better than we are, they consented to give us a couple of weeks once a year for now, and see how things go.”

  “How benevolent of them.”

  He laughed and pulled her into a bear hug, lifting her off her feet to twirl her around. “You’re starting to sound like me.” He placed her on her feet. “Wait here. I have a surprise for you.” He left the room for a second and then returned with a large cardboard box.

  She tore open the strapping tape he’d used to seal it, and gasped as she pulled out the items on top. “Oh! My books…”

  “Not all of them. I chose the ones with worn pages, as I assumed you’d read them more than once. Those must be your favorites.”

  “Jakara, I don’t know what to say. This is so thoughtful. Thank you.”

  “I never meant for you to be so bored or lonely here when I’m gone. I would have procured these items earlier, but I had to be careful not to be seen doing it.”

  She averted her gaze as she removed the novels from the box. He’d guessed correctly. All her favorites were here. “How do you know I’ve been bored and lonely?”

  “Lesha reports everything to me.”

  She glanced up at the plaintive tone in his voice. “Then she must be a mind reader. I haven’t said a word to her.”

  “She is very perceptive, and you wear your emotions on your face and on your body, Callie.”

  “I do miss you when you’re gone.”

  She swore she saw relief and happiness in his eyes. But why would he care how I feel when he’s gone? Not unless … no. That wasn’t possible. He didn’t care for her. Not in that way. She was a sex partner. Nothing more. He’d all but told her that two weeks ago. “And I miss you, as well.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course I do. I care for you.”

  She heard the blood rushing in her veins as she watched his face carefully. Did he mean it, or had she misinterpreted his words? Was it merely another way of saying he enjoyed her in bed?

  He pointed toward the box. “There is more in there.”

  She dug out the rest of the books, then stared at the other items, unable to reconcile the man who had taken her prisoner with the kind of person who would do this. He’d brought her scented bath products, a deck of cards, and her iPod along with its charger and speakers.

  “It will work here because our electricity is the same as yours. Alternating current. I didn’t bring your laptop because if you access our Internet, they will immediately know you are here.”

  “Don’t you access it from home?”

  “No. Only from my barracks.”

  “I understand. This is more than enough. Thank you.”

  “Look under the paper. There is one more thing.”

  She moved aside the brown wrapping paper and gasped. Shaking her head slowly, she pulled out her print of Escher’s Relativity.

  “You had so many paintings in your home, but since this one hung near your bed, I assumed it had special significance for you. We can hang it over our bed, if you like.”

  Callie placed the print on the table and walked over to him. “I don’t know what to say right now. This isn’t the kind of thing I’d expect a captor to do. It’s more like … like what a lover would do.”

  She saw him swallow, and the look in his eyes was tentative, unsure. It was so uncharacteristic that she had to blink back tears. She placed a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God. I’m not just your prisoner, am I? You have feelings for me.”

  He nodded. “I do indeed.”

  “When did that happen?”

  “I don’t know, Callie. I didn’t mark the time.”

  “I’ve overwhelmed by your gesture. Thank you so much.” The struggle on his face was terrible to watch. “Please just say it.”

  “Say what?”

  “Whatever it is you’re trying so hard to hold back.”

  “You will think me weak.”

  Callie wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Weak? You’re not weak. You’re the bravest, strongest man I have ever met. You risked your life to bring these things to me because you know how important they are to me, and you wanted me to have a piece of my former life here. That’s not weak. It’s noble and generous.”

  His gaze softened, and she swore again there was love in his beautiful eyes. “Then I have a question to ask you. And I will know if you evade the truth.”

  “I won’t lie to you. I promise.”

  He swallowed hard again. “Is there a chance that you may one day care for me, as well?”

  “Oh, Jakara. I already do.”

  “Do not mock me.” His tone was more desperate than angry.

  “I’m not mocking you. I do care for you. Why do you think I’m lonely and depressed when you’re gone?”

  He cupped her face and kissed her, rough and hard. She moaned in the back of her throat and clung to him, slipping her hands down his body and over his tight ass. When he released the kiss, he took off her clothes so fast she almost became dizzy. Before she could reach for his shirt, he was naked as well, and then he picked her up and carried her to their bed.

  Her pussy was soaking wet, and that was a good thing because he didn’t even bother with lube this time. He sank his cock into her wetness, and she cried out, grasping his arms and wrapping her legs
around his muscled thighs.

  “Callie … baby, I can’t get enough of you.”

  “I never want you to. Never.”

  He moaned loudly and thrust inside her with the same impossible strength and stamina she’d now grown used to, but which never failed to bring her to climax within a minute. She rode the waves of her contractions as tears spilled over her lashes.

  The emotion his lovemaking conjured up was like nothing she’d ever experienced, and most of the time she couldn’t even identify what caused such a reaction. She only knew that when she was in his arms, and he was inside her, it was as if everything she’d ever wanted in her life had come to fulfillment.

  He withdrew and turned her onto her stomach, then opened the nightstand drawer and took out the lube. She knew it by the sound the stopper made when he pulled it out, and by the scent that wafted past her nose.

  “Up on your knees, baby.”

  She moved to her knees and elbows, which had become his favorite way to fuck her. She loved it because he could reach underneath to touch her breasts and clit when his dick was inside her.

  He slipped two lubed fingers into her asshole, and Callie groaned in pleasure and anticipation. “Touch yourself, baby. I love to watch you do that.”

  She moved so that her face rested on the bed but her ass was still up in the air, and then grasped her right breast.

  “Oh … that’s right. That is so fucking sexy to watch.”

  Callie moaned as he put on a condom and then slipped his cock into her ass. When he began to thrust, he reached under to play with her left breast. She moved her hand to her clit, and he groaned loudly.

  “Come for me, my love. Make yourself come for me.”

  He’d never called her my love before. Callie rubbed her clit, and between Jakara playing with her nipple and the sweet ass fucking he gave her, it didn’t take long for another orgasm to crash over her.