"Raghu, you have the bridge. Do not let that bastard out of your sight," Vox ordered to the current first officer on duty.
"Yes sir," Raghu responded taking over command.
"Let's go get my mate," Vox bit out to Lodar and Tor.
Riley worked the cover off the control panel with the Leatherman she had in her purse. She flipped it around until it had the pliers showing after she tossed the cover onto the bed. She was not about to sit around waiting to be rescued. Hell, she thought, cold, dank, and ugly might decide to test her theory about ripping his dick off. The thought of touching him was enough to make her want to vomit.
"That is so not going to happen," she muttered as she studied the wires.
With a shrug, she snipped the red wires crying out in startled pain when she cut the back of her hand on a sharp edge of the panel when she jumped at the sparks flying out at her. She cursed and reached over to wipe the blood off on the cover of the bed before pulling a bandage out of her purse and covering the cut. When she was done, she quickly snipped the rest of the wires being more careful as the sparks flew. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally heard the click of the door.
"At last," she sighed impatiently. "Now, to do the amazing disappearing act. And they thought Houdini was the only one who could do it." She giggled. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, the amazing Riley St. Claire-d'Rojah performing her ‘I'm-getting-the-fuck-out-of-here act!" She said with a flourish of waves and smiles for her non-existent audience.
She slipped out the door and moved rapidly down the corridor. She would hide on a different level. She decided that to drive the spaceship you probably went up, so she would go down. After all, someone had to drive the damn thing, didn't they? she reasoned. So, as long as monster man was up top she wanted to make sure she was as far away from him as possible.
She quickly slipped down the ladder between levels and kept going. She wound up one corridor and down another. After half an hour she decided she was so lost that she wouldn't even be able to find herself. That must give her some advantage. She trotted down another corridor, skidding to a stop when she realized she was in some type of cargo area. There were huge crates everywhere. She looked up at one group and decided if she could get to the top of it, she could lie down and no one would be able to find her. She bit her lip before an excited grin crossed her face and she shifted.
In her four-legged form, jumping from crate to crate was easy. She was also warmer with the fur coat she was wearing. She turned in a circle several times before she laid down on the top container, exhausted. She opened her mouth in a huge, sharp-tooth yawn and settled her head down on her front paws.
Nap-thirty, she thought drowsily. Escaping and getting lost is hard work.
She rubbed the side of her mouth against her paw as her mind began to cloud over with sleep. She would just wait here quietly until Vox came. It shouldn't take him long, and she would be much more of a help once she was rested.
Baby makes us sleepy too, her cat yawned before the exhaustion they were feeling overwhelmed them both.
Vox stood frozen in frustration. The damn trader had released some type of fragrance bomb into the ventilation system. The entire ship smelled of oil and sweat. The two smells covered any scent he would have had of Riley. On top of that, the slimy bastard had rubbed the same stuff all over his clothing.
He turned when the lead of Team Three came up. The warrior shook his head. "Nothing, sir."
He turned back to the trader who was shifting back and forth on his feet between two warriors who were positioned on either side of him. He took a menacing step toward the sweating male. His face darkened as Team Two reported they had found nothing in the lower cabin areas.
"Where is she?" Vox snarled, letting his right hand shift until his sharp claws were extended. "I won't ask you again."
"I … I … I told you," Pud stuttered. "I'm just a short-haul cargo freighter. I don't carry passengers."
Vox roared, letting his teeth drop down and shifting partially in rage. He could smell the lie on the man, even over the oil and sweat. He raised his clawed hand and swiped it down along the trader's face, ignoring the male's screams as he collapsed and gripped his shredded cheek in his palm.
"You dare lie to me," Vox snarled out in rage.
"Sir! We've found something," Team One called out. "There is a cell with the panel disconnected."
Vox turned dark, thunderous eyes on Pud. "Bring him. If I find her on this ship, he will die a slow death."
He ignored the trader's pitiful begging. He moved down the corridors heading down to the level where Team One waited for him. His heart thundered in his chest as he approached the door where his men were standing. He stumbled when he saw Lodar, who was kneeling by the bed, look up at him with a tight, grief-stricken face. Tor stood rigid by the door, the muscle in his jaw working back and forth.
"Is she in there?" Vox asked hesitantly.
"No," Tor said looking coldly at the sobbing trader.
"What?" Vox forced out.
"The blood on the bed matches Riley's blood," Lodar said, standing up. "She was held here."
Vox heard the words "Riley's blood" over the thunder in his ears. He spun around, grabbing the trader by the throat and holding him up against the outer wall of the corridor. He ignored the blood running down the man's face onto his arm. He ignored the desperate gasps as the trader tried to draw in air from where Vox was crushing his throat. He ignored the men surrounding him as grief and pain unlike anything he had ever experienced washed through him.
"Where is she?" He roared so loudly the walls vibrated with his rage. He pulled the trader back and slammed him back against the wall again. "Where did you put her body?"
"I … swear. I … swear," the trader tried to say. "I … swear I didn't hurt her."
Vox's face twisted in pain and grief. Pulling his left hand back, he swiped the trader across his gut, slicing him almost to his backbone. He dropped the dying male who was trying to hold his internal organs as they spilled out. Vox stepped back from the gore with a look of disgust.
"Find her," he ordered quietly. "I will not leave her here."
Tor and Lodar nodded. They left Vox, spreading out to search the ship thoroughly. Vox stood standing in the empty corridor watching dispassionately as the slave trader finally quit jerking. A horrible wave of grief overcame him, and he roared as the pain swept through him in never-ending waves of agony. Pulling his fist back, he slammed it into the metal wall over and over, ignoring the pain and blood from the strikes. It was nothing compared to the pain in his heart and soul.
Chapter 25
Riley rolled over onto her side taking the weight off her expanding belly. She was having the most wonderful dream. She and Vox were chasing each other around the meadow near the ancient city, only this time the guards weren't looking. She felt her back leg jerking as if she was running. Suddenly Vox sprang out from behind a bush, tackling her and rolling her over and over. She moaned softly in her sleep as she felt him mount her from behind, his teeth buried in her neck and his cock buried deep inside her womb. Another low moan escaped her before a noise in the cargo area disturbed the dream.
Wake up! her cat hissed quietly. I smell danger.
What? Riley muttered sleepily. Tell it to come back later. Vox and I are getting it on, and it is so amazing.
You are bad as mate! All you think about is sex, her cat hissed back in aggravation. Wake up!
Riley rolled over with a silent grumble. You're damn right all I think about is sex. Hell, I was good for the first twenty-four years, for crying out loud! Double hell, if you consider I'm a St. Claire and was a good girl. I think I totally get to think of nothing but sex for the next forty or fifty years at least!
You have to be alive to have it, her cat reminded her with a huff.
Great! Just great! Everything has to have strings attached. You have to be alive if you want to have sex. Fine! I'm awake, Riley growled silently to her cat. So, where is this danger?
I not know. I just feel danger, her cat replied. Funny smell makes my nose burn. I not smell anything right.
Well, don't stick your big-ass head up like a target. Just keep quiet, lie still, and wait. That is what the cats on my world do. Then they pounce when the target gets close, Riley responded logically.
I wait, her cat promised.
Riley kept her head down, letting her ears flicker back and forth, trying to pinpoint where the sound that disturbed her came from. Everything appeared to be quiet, but the hair on the back of her neck was standing straight up telling her that she wasn't alone in the cargo bay any longer. Her ears flickered again, perking up when the door to the cargo bay suddenly opened. She froze, barely breathing as she heard the sound of footsteps entering the room. They seemed to echo overly loud in the silence.