Desert World Savages: The Complete Series (8 page)

Tracy did what Cax asked and even pulled at her restraints while he stood over her. Her fake cries filled the room. She gasped, then slumped, rolling her head to the side.

Cax lifted her gently and walked toward the tank.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Don't talk. When we get the tank, I'll keep my back to the view screen. That's where I think the camera is. I'll pretend to lower you into the tank, but I'll put you behind it. Crawl to the convenience as fast as you can and I'll be there in a minute. Be quiet!"

Cax lowered her to the floor, letting his body hide Tracy. Tracy scooted on her hands and knees to the bathroom, taking care not to touch the machines on either side of her. Cax followed close behind her, and the door of the bathroom opened to admit them.

Once inside, Tracy stood up. Cax gathered her into her arms. He kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry for all this," he said. "Your scent..."

"What about my scent?" she said.

"We have to talk."

"About what?"

"Everything."

"That narrows it down," said Tracy. "How's Carol?"

Cax turned his head away. "She's alive."

"And?" she said crossing her arms and arching her eyebrow.

"Grenta started the conversion process. Right now she's in the middle of changing to a Staukub."

"Staukub? What's that?"

"A race from the Oneshan Sector."

"You're changing her to another species! How could you? What kind of monsters are you?"

He closed his eyes because her words hurt him. "I'm sorry, Tracy Walsh. If I interceded for her, I would not have been able to save you. But if we get to my people in time, we can fix it."

"Your people? Who are you?"

"My name is Ar-Reven. I'm a tracker from the Enforcement Wing of the Aligned Words."

"Tracker? What does a tracker do?"

"Law enforcement. Think of me as an interstellar cop."

"And what? You are working undercover here?"

"Working under an assumed name? Yes. Jaal, Bris and Grenta are part of a ring of criminals that steal women from non-aligned worlds and sell them as wives."

"Slavery."

"In a sense. For the buyer, they are simply making a financial transaction to secure a wife. The illegal part is using women from non-aligned worlds."

"And to make this sale, they convert women into different races?"

"Yes. They change them and implant memories that match their new lives."

"I don't understand. Why is so hard for these men to find a wife?"

"Most of my society lives in a high level of comfort. The women do not want a life where these men live. They have to do hard work like mining, farming, that sort of thing."

"Abducting women from your own worlds-"

"Carries a death sentence."

"But not women from non-aligned worlds. And why is that?"

"They are not part of our society."

"That doesn't make it right!"

"Of course it doesn't. That is why there are people that track the criminals and put them in jail."

"Why aren't you doing that now? Where are your people? Where is your back-up?"

"Tracy, I have no back-up. And we are far from my people, though I can send them a signal to come get me."

"Well, send the signal!"

"If I did that," he said with anguish. "I wouldn't be allowed to take you with me. My people wouldn't let me."

"Why on Earth not?"

"That's the thing, Tracy. We aren't on Earth. And even if we were, it wouldn't make a difference. We shouldn't be talking, let alone mating."

"Oh, I get it now. Bang the little earthling and leave her behind. I'll never fit in your world. Your great big Aligned Worlds society has no place for me."

"No! Gods no!"

"That's just what you said, isn't it?"

He gave her a frustrated look, hoping that she would understand.

"We have laws so we are both protected."

"Oh, so you are going to hide behind the law now!"

"Tracy, please. Things are incredibly complicated now."

"Now you're giving me the 'it's complicated' excuse. Do they do this on every planet?"

She turned her back on him, pissed. This was ridiculous. Abducted an alien, fucked by an alien, and now given the brush-off by an alien. Men certainly seemed to be the same way across the galaxy.

His hands reached out and pulled her towards him.

"This is hard to explain, and we truly don't have much time before Grenta returns, but understand this. I will never, never leave you behind. I can't."

"You just said--"

He pulled her hand to his chest where she felt a pulsating rhythm behind his rib cage. He placed in the middle, holding it in place just below his marvelous pecs. He was an alien, but he still had a heartbeat.

Cax then put her other hand over her own heart.

"Feel that?" he said.

It took her a second to realize what he meant, but then she felt it. His heart and hers were beating in the same rhythm.

"It is a thing extremely rare among my people. It only happens to one in a thousand mating couples. Once we got to the stars, we abandoned the old ways to fit in with galactic society. When I sunk my fangs into your flesh, and mingled our blood, I joined us, forever. I'm sorry. I did this without your permission, and among my people, that is considered very wrong. But it is done. You are mine, Tracy Walsh, and I can't live without you."

Tracy stared at Ar-Reven.

"What do you mean? Joined? Like in married?"

"Marriage is a civil contract."

"I suppose. Two people agree to live with and love each other, and they make a family."

"This is not a civil contract," he said very seriously.

"Good. Because I'm not ready for marriage."

"It is more than that. This bond can only be broken by death."

"Death?" She stuck her finger in his chest, "I did not agree to 'join' or 'bond' with you or whatever you call it. In fact, I pretty much disagree with everything that has happened to me, except for the really hot sex, but still, I'm not yours."

His face fell. "You do not feel it too? The need to be together? The need to touch and not stop touching?"

Tracy swallowed hard. Yes, he was very sexy. Who wouldn't want to touch him, with muscles to bounce a quarter on, arms so strong he could lift her with ease, lips so--fuck that!

She broke out of her reverie, knowing she had to keep a clear head during this screwed up situation.

"What I feel is nauseous."

"Oh. Oh?" He looked at her with new interest. "Nauseous?"

"Yeah, probably because I haven't had anything to eat for a long time."

He nodded his head. "Yes, that's probably it. It would be too much to--"

"Too much to what?" she said looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"Nothing. Okay, we need to get you back in the tank."

"Hell, no. I'm not going back in the tank."

"That is the best way for me to protect you right now, to act like nothing wrong. If you don't, they'll know something is strange and space all of us."

Reluctantly, Tracy agreed. He led her back to the tank, holding her hand, rubbing his thumb between her thumb and index finger. She didn't know such a simple movement could be erotic, but it sent tingles down her back. As he led her, she watched the muscles of his posterior move as he walked. She loved a round ass on a man. Moisture gathered between her legs, and against her will, her clit tingled.

This is ridiculous, her mind told herself. But her body did not agree.

When they were nearly past the bank of machines that blocked the view screen, he motioned for her to get lower. She fell to her hands and knees, and crawled to the tank.

With his back to the camera, he put a breathing mask over her face. He helped her into the tank, lowering her reverently into the gel. She looked up him, a beautiful creature, who was gazing back at her.

"Sleep tight, Tracy Walsh," he said. "I will watch over you."

It was difficult for Rev to look away from the sight of Tracy floating in the tank. His hunger was a kind of madness. He was willing to give up everything for her.

He hadn't understood this feeling when he read the ancient texts. They spoke of the madness of the heart that consumed bonded lovers.

They may not know much about each other now, but they would learn everything about each other. He'd do what he could to make things easier for her, even if things wouldn't be easy for him.

He walked through the problems in his mind.

First was her declaration that she did not feel the same way about him. It was hard to imagine, but she was a different species and who knew how that worked? Her biology was different. How different, they would have to learn together.

Second, he bonded with her without her permission. This would definitely have repercussions at home among his people. They would punish him in some way, maybe even banish him. He wouldn't like itt, but as long as he had Tracy things would be bearable.

Third, and most seriously, he broke the law by having sex with Tracy. The bond was proof of the action and there would be no denying it. Not that he would have. He was not a coward or a liar. But his career as a tracker was over.

Rev would lose his job with a criminal record. They may even imprison him! Serving time wouldn't be terrible, but from being away from Tracy would be. He would have to hope that his record, his work and the testimony on the wivers ring would earn him mercy from the court.

The door slid open and Grenta entered.

"Everything OK in here?" he asked.

"They're both fine."

"Let me see," he said walking to the space between the tanks. He peered into Grubba's tank and made a noise of approval. "Very good! She should be ready in a few hours time."

"A few hours?"

"You haven't been paying attention, have you? We are in orbit over the miners' planet already. Jaal is in contact with the miners now and they are anxious to inspect the shipment."

Grenta looked into Tracy's tank. He frowned.

"No physical changes at at. There should be SOMETHING." He took a device out of his pocket and passed it over Tracy, shaking his head.

"Well, it happens at times, though not often, but not a single cellular change." Grenta moved swiftly to the view screen and swiped at it. Jaal's image came up.

"Don't tell me you have a problem again, Grenta."

"One of the cargo. She did not take to the conversion process."

Jaal grunted. "Well, dispose of her. We don't have time for anything else. The miners are getting anxious and we're going to lose the bonus for rapid delivery."

"How do you want it done?"

"Toss it into space."

Rev moved forward, growing alarmed. If she was spaced, there was little he could do for her.

"Jaal," he said, "spacing her now will leave a body for someone to find. Why don't you head into the atmosphere, and I'll flush her then. It will burn up as it falls."

Jaal grinned. "That's why I like you, Cax. Always thinking. Yes, that sounds like a plan. Get her ready. I'll signal you when we start our descent."

"Good plan," said Rev. He turned to find Grenta looking straight at him, his eyes narrowed.

"When did you get so eager? I've known you a couple years now, and you haven't volunteered for anything."

"I'm just anxious to get this job done and get my cut. I have big plans for my money."

"Like what?" Grenta's suspicious gaze followed him as Rev went to Tracy's tank.

"Like none of your business, old man." Rev grabbed a wad of disposable towels and put them at the edge of the tank. He hauled Tracy up and removed her mask. He awkwardly wrapped a towel around her. As Grenta watched him, Rev slung Tracy over his shoulder, and picked up the rest of the towels with his free hand.

"Don't take too long, Cax," said Grenta. "You have to get the others ready for transport."

Rev grunted in acknowledgement. He left the lab and headed for the nearest airlock.

Tracy woke when she became aware that someone was tugging on her body. As her eyesight cleared, she saw Rev kneeling beside her, pulling up a white, bulky suit over her torso and stuffing her arms into it. He zipped it up gently and then attached some boots to her feet.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"We don't have time for explanations. You need to listen carefully. The captain ordered me to launch you into space, but I convinced him to let me dump you in the atmosphere where your body would burn up."

"Oh, that sounds much better," she said sarcastically.

"It is," he said earnestly. "This way you have a chance to survive. Stand up."

She struggled to get to her feet, and he helped her. He inspected the seals on the suit.

"This is a high altitude jumpsuit, and should protect you against the heat of re-entry. It will get uncomfortably hot in the suit. but don't panic. You won't burn up."

"I won't?" Tracy was getting scared now. She'd never done anything like this.

Rev put a backpack on her and clipped the latches under her breasts.

"Now don't lose this pack. There's food and water in the pouches. You're going to have to hang onto this suit too. It will capture your body waste and recycle it until it is so pure you can drink it. On this planet, you will definitely need it. It won't smell pretty, but it will keep you alive until I can find you."

"You're going to look for me?"

"Of course I am. Now listen. You are going to fall, and it will feel like a long time. But there is a sensor that will measure your distance to the ground, and it will release a parachute at the right time. There is nothing for you to do, unless you hear an alarm." He held up a helmet for her to see. If you hear an alarm, pull this red tag, and it will manually release the parachute."

"I don't think I can do this."

"Of course you can, Tracy Walsh. I'm counting on it."

"Can you come with me?"

"I want to. But we need to make sure the captain and his crew think you're dead, and it might suspicous if I spaced myself. I have to get to my people first and get these criminals to justice - that's the only way you'll truly be safe."