Hawk's Slave: A Phantom Warriors' Story Page 5

  He inhaled and a growl rumbled out of his throat. His hands continued down, then latched onto her waist. Hawk lifted Opal off her feet until she was forced to open her legs.

  The moment she did, he slipped between her thighs. His clothes scraped the soft flesh that protected her entrance, causing a delicious friction. Opal’s knees tightened around his waist and she canted her hips in an attempt to get closer.

  Hawk snarled and shoved his hand between her legs. His fingers found her wetness, then stroked her folds.

  Opal gasped and broke the embrace. Their gazes met and held.

  “Mine,” he repeated, then plunged two fingers inside her.

  She cried out in relief. He’d done nothing but tease her for days, never letting her reach completion. It looked like today the games were over.

  * * * * *

  Hawk worked his fingers deeper into her moist entrance, feeling the ribs that lined her quim. She was so hot, so wet, and so deliciously tight that he thought he might explode before he got inside of her.

  He was still angry that one little mistake from his crew had caused negotiations to break down, but mainly, Hawk was angry with himself. He didn’t want to need her. He would much prefer for her to crave him. His desire was bordering on obsession. Perhaps once he’d had her, the growing demand would lessen.

  Hawk plunged deeper. Her snug sheath gripped his fingers, sucking them back inside each time he pulled them out. Her musky aroma had intensified, and Hawk could feel the tension strumming inside of her.

  He had purposely denied her pleasure, denied himself, but today that ended. Hawk was done waiting. He needed to slake this hunger before it consumed them both.

  He lifted her higher, holding her against the wall with his body, then reached into the panel on the front of his flight suit. The material parted, freeing his hard shaft. Hawk groaned in relief, then kissed her once more. Opal moaned into his mouth when he brushed the head of his shaft against her wet heat.

  He tore his mouth away, forcing her to look at him. Hawk wanted her to know exactly who was claiming her body. Opal blinked, her lids heavy with desire. He squeezed the hidden pearl between her legs and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

  Hawk positioned himself at her moist entrance and slipped an inch inside of her. The pleasure was exquisite, but couldn’t match the fire scorching through his veins.

  Opal wiggled to get closer, but he wouldn’t let her. Instead, he slapped her ass, making sure it stung. She gasped and her body melted around him.

  “Mine,” he said, stroking the soft curls between her legs. “Say it!”

  She swallowed and looked as if she were about to deny his claim, but changed her mind when his eyes narrowed.

  “Yours,” she said at last.

  Hawk roared in triumph, then plunged inside of her. His thick shaft parted her soft flesh in one stroke. Opal screamed and tried to climb higher up his body, but Hawk wouldn’t let her. Her claws tore into his back a second before his scored her thighs.

  He held her in place. The tiny ribs inside her sheath stroked his shaft and blood thundered in his ears. Hawk couldn’t stay still a moment longer. He pulled his hips back and drove inside of her again.

  Opal whimpered and writhed, then her tight channel clamped down like a vise.

  The move nearly sent him over the edge. Hawk sucked a sharp breath into his lungs and gritted his teeth. He used every ounce of his considerable willpower to fight the urge to come. Hawk didn’t want it to be over so quickly. He was nowhere near finished with her.

  * * * * *

  Opal couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Everywhere she looked, Hawk was there. He was in her and around her. He became the very air that she breathed. He possessed her so thoroughly that she couldn’t tell them apart.

  Hawk jerked upward, tunneling through her.

  Opal gasped. Everything about him was large and intimidating. She had never felt so full, not even with Hades. She tried to adjust, but his golden eyes flashed and he held her even tighter.

  He shoved himself inside her, his thick shaft stretching her to the breaking point.

  Opal snarled and brought her mouth down upon his shoulder. She sank her sharp teeth into his light blue flesh, which only seemed to incite him. Hawk bellowed and powered into her. His thrusts turned frenzied as he lost control and drove them toward oblivion.

  She tried to hold on, but he overwhelmed her senses. Opal felt her muscles contract. His hard chest scraped her nipples and they hardened to the point of pain. She threw her head back and yowled.

  The primal sound echoed in the room. Hawk’s head came up and his nostrils flared. There was something in his eyes that she’d never seen. Before Opal could figure out what it was, his grip on her changed and became punishing.

  He pulled Opal down onto his shaft, before lifting her up and slamming her down again. The move drove him so deep that it took her breath away. Hawk scraped his nails over the bundle of nerves at the base of her neck. Opal screamed as the mother of all climaxes rumbled through her.

  “More,” Hawk grumbled, forcing her down one final time, fusing their bodies together. He grunted and a second later she felt a warm blast of fluid bathe her insides.

  Blood trickled down Hawk’s shoulder from the bite and her scratch. Without thought, Opal licked the spot. His massive body trembled. He slowly lowered her to the ground and stepped back. Warmth fled her body as he turned away and quickly dressed.

  Opal wasn’t sure what she’d expected to see when she looked at him, but it wasn’t the cold reception she received. She pulled the remnants of her gown on.

  “Leave it. You won’t be needing it.” Hawk ran a trembling hand through his dark hair, then he grabbed her leash. He led her back to the restraints and secured her to the wall, before removing the lead and dropping it onto the table.

  Pain blossomed inside of Opal and she suddenly wished she could curl up into a ball. She didn’t want or expect flowery words, but she could’ve done without the chill enveloping them.

  Without looking at her, Hawk walked to the door and hit the button on the wall. The chains retracted, lifting her off the ground, then the wall tipped back allowing her to recline.

  He didn’t say a word as he slipped out the door.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Six

  Hawk could still feel her claws in his flesh. The innocent move had ignited a primal firestorm inside of him. He leaned his back against the door and tried to pull himself together, but it was no use.

  He pushed away from the pleasure chamber and made his way to the transport cylinder. His men would want answers, not that Hawk owed them any, but they did deserve them.

  Problem was, Hawk didn’t have any.

  He thought once he’d joined with Opal that the heat between them would die down. If anything, it was even stronger now. Being inside of her had brought out the beast in him. Made him want to possess her in every way—in every form.

  Hawk stepped into the transport cylinder. “Bridge,” he said, wishing he could go to his quarters instead.

  He needed to wash her scent off his skin. Bathing wouldn’t get Opal out of his blood, but at least it would be a start.

  Hawk stepped out of the transport.

  “Captain on the bridge,” Fallon shouted.

  His crew stiffened to attention.

  Fallon and Lex’s nostrils flared, but only Fallon dared to raise a brow.

  “Set course for Octavia,” Hawk shouted.

  The crew settled into their positions and immediately went to work.

  Fallon sidled up beside him. “Feel better?” he asked quietly.

  Hawk ignored him.

  “I smell her all over your skin. Her scent is rich. I can see why you like it so much,” he said. “I also smell your blood.”

  Hawk’s eyes narrowed warningly, but his First ignored the threat.

  Fallon moved closer. “It mustn’t have been too good if it left you in such a foul mood. Or...” He paused an
d took another look at Hawk. “Ah, that explains it.”

  Hawk’s jaw clenched. “Explains what?”

  “It was better than you thought it would be,” Fallon said. “That’s why you’re mad.”

  Hawk turned toward him, purposely stepping into his space. He wanted a fight. Needed one to take the edge off the emotions rioting inside of him.

  “I gave you a direct order,” Hawk said.

  Fallon had the audacity to laugh. “Taking your anger out on me isn’t going to make you feel better,” he said. “The one you’re mad at can be found in the reflecting glass.”

  “Get to work,” Hawk snapped.

  “Aye, Captain,” Fallon said, not bothering to hide his grin.

  After Hawk had had time to cool off, he stood to address his men. “As you all know, I turned down a large sum of credits today. It would’ve made us rich, but not half as rich as we’ll be once Opal gives us the coordinates to Earth.”

  Fallon smirked at him.

  “I plan to get them from her now that I’ve loosened her tongue,” he said.

  Everyone but Fallon snickered.

  Hawk glared at him. He didn’t like that his First could read him so well.

  The perimeter warning activated. Hawk strode over to a panel on the wall. His fingers flew over the keys. Suddenly an image of his ship appeared onscreen, along with the objects currently around it.

  "What do we have?" he asked his First.

  "It looks like a cargo ship, Captain," Fallon said. "It appeared out of nowhere."

  "Hail it," Hawk said.

  "We just tried, Captain. We can’t seem to get a lock on their signal," Fallon said.

  "I want to know where it came from and I want to know now," Hawk said. “Bring up the ship’s specs.”

  “You heard the captain,” Fallon said.

  An image of a cargo ship appeared where the holomap had been moments ago. Hawk examined the ship, searching for any sign that it could be outfitted for battle.

  Fallon cursed viciously and turned away from the viewer screen.

  “What is it?” Hawk asked.

  "It’s tracking us,” Fallon said.

  "Battle stations, gentlemen! Defenses up!" Hawk bellowed. He’d barely managed to give the order, when a blast rocked the ship and sent him hurtling toward the bulkhead.

  Fallon's fingers flew over the colored lights on the instrument panel. The faint blue light that surrounded their ship grew darker.

  "Damage report?" Hawk asked.

  "We're leaking oxygen on the lowest deck," Fallon said.

  Another blast tilted the ship.

  "Where did that one hit?" Hawk asked.

  "Storage level. The atmosphere’s holding for now," Fallon said.

  Hawk thought of Opal trapped inside the pleasure chamber. She was a warrior, a fighter. She wasn’t used to sitting on the sidelines, but he couldn’t trust her. He didn’t dare let her out.

  "Prepare evacuation pods," Hawk said. "I want them on standby just in case we have to jettison the women. Where's the nearest habitable planet?" He stared at the holomap.

  Fallon pointed to a spot in the distance. "Koncor."

  "Will our cargo be safe if we dump it there?" Hawk asked.

  "There are a few predators, but no indigenous people," Fallon said. “As long as we give them some provisions, most should survive.”

  Despite the good odds, Hawk’s gut tightened. He didn’t want to release Opal. He didn’t want her out of his sight, but he also didn’t want her to die.

  "Get them ready," Hawk said. "We're not going to lose another cargo."

  It was his duty to protect his crew’s interests. He’d failed them on Zaron. The Dark King’s interference had cost them thousands of credits and it had taken months to rebuild their cargo. Hawk had already allowed his feelings for one female to dictate his actions. He couldn’t do it again.

  “Bring the ship around. I want our cannons ready to fire,” Hawk said.

  Fallon barked orders, then hesitated. “What should we do about the Phantom woman?”

  Hawk’s fists clenched. “Get her ready too,” he said, hoping this wasn’t a colossal mistake.

  “You heard the captain,” Fallon shouted. “Move it.”

  Hawk took his seat and watched the cargo ship position itself to fire again.

  “Fire!” he shouted before it could get off another blast.

  * * * * *

  It sounded like the world was coming to an end as the ship was hit with another laser-cannon blast. For a moment, Opal wondered if Hades had come to rescue her. The thought was dashed as quickly as it arose.

  The Dark King never changed his mind once he made a decision, which meant someone else was trying to kill Hawk and his crew. She just hoped they didn’t kill her in the process.

  What if they weren’t after the crew? What if it was the cargo they wanted? They had no way of knowing that Hawk had sold a portion of his slaves on Farn.

  The door to the pleasure chamber opened silently and bright light flooded in. A man Opal didn’t recognize stood in the doorway.

  “Where’s Hawk?” she asked.

  He ignored her question and hit the button to his right. The wall tipped forward. Once Opal was upright, he pressed a second button and the chains loosened. She dropped to the floor.

  "Get on your feet," he said.

  Opal did as he requested since he had to be under direct orders from Hawk. She stared at the short-haired, scaly alien and waited to see what he was going to do.

  "Turn around," the man said. "Face the wall."

  Opal slowly turned away from him and felt fresh shackles bite into her tender wrists. He attached a mag-chain to the cuffs and led her out of the room where she joined several other females who’d already been herded into the middle of the cargo hold.

  Now that she’d slept with Hawk did he plan to sell her? It certainly looked like it, though she was surprised they’d reached another planet so soon. Opal scanned their faces, then cautiously looked around. Hawk was nowhere to be found.

  Maybe he couldn’t face her. The thought made her chest ache. She never took him for a coward, but Opal couldn’t ignore how quickly he’d vanished after they’d had sex. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t like she cared about the dark beast.

  Opal watched the men corral the last of the women. Something about the look in their eyes gave her pause. It wasn’t just that their eyes were an odd shade of red that seemed to glow from an internal heat source. It was the look in their eyes that concerned her. The men looked...hungry. One even appeared to be drooling.

  She took a closer look at them all. Opal didn't recognize any of them, and she'd had Hawk's crew under surveillance back on Zaron. Surely one of them should look familiar. But if they weren't Hawk's crew, then who were they and how did they get on the ship without his knowledge?

  The longer she watched them, the more they reminded her of the Slaver who’d made the outlandish offer for her. Their hair was shorter and a slightly different shade of blue. They didn’t have his bulk, but their reptilian features were similar. Opal glanced around. She didn’t see the big alien, but that didn’t mean anything.

  Had he and Hawk struck a deal after all? Let Hawk have sex with her first, then the blue-haired Slaver could have her? Was that why Hawk wasn't here to supervise the transfer?

  Anger rose inside her, shutting out the pain. No one used her. No one!

  More blasts struck the ship, tipping the craft on its side. Women screamed. A few fell across the floor, hitting the bulkhead. Opal used the distraction to make her escape.

  Fur rippled over her arms and face as the change took her. Since these manacles weren’t bewitched, they fell to the floor. Opal let out a loud snarl. Gone was the woman. In her place stood a sleek black cat.

  Wait until she got her claws into Hawk. He’d think twice about messing with this feline.

  Opal ran for the only cover available, a stack of containers secured at the head of the cargo hold. The men
scrambled to contain the women. Someone shouted a warning as Opal leapt onto the containers. The warning came again, then a laser blast hit the container beneath her feet, but she was already moving onto the next.

  Something must’ve gone wrong with the deal. There was no reason she knew of for anyone to attack the ship. Why risk war over a slave deal? It didn’t make sense. She scanned her surroundings quickly.

  There were at least fifteen men in the compartment. Opal was pretty sure she could take out half before one landed a lucky shot. Dying in battle didn't matter to her, as long as she was out of that chamber and away from Hawk.

  As plans went, it wasn’t perfect, but it would do.

  Opal saw one man’s face distort, then begin to morph. His mouth and nose extended until he had a long snout. Sharp teeth replaced dull ones and the scales on his body thickened, until he had a thick plate protecting his organs. His arms twisted and extended, contorting sickeningly until they were webbed.

  A moment later, he flapped his new limbs and rose from the floor. When he was twenty feet in the air, he threw his head back and fire shot out of his mouth, spraying the roof of the cargo deck.

  The fur covering Opal’s body bristled as she turned to face the new threat. As far as she could see, there didn’t seem to be a weakness in his new form. Opal had never faced anything like him. What was he? How could she fight a fire-breathing shifter?

  His reptilian head swiveled again. He inhaled, then expelled a fireball. This time the flames came straight for her. Opal did the only thing she could. She leapt off the containers and ran.

  * * * * *

  "What in the name of the Goddess was that?" Hawk shouted, glancing at the floor as it shook beneath his feet.

  Fallon stared at the monitor. "The sensors have detected a heat signature on the cargo deck level.” He swiped his hand to bring up a different view.

  "What kind of heat signature? Did one of the blasts punch through the cargo bay?" Hawk asked. He imagined all the oxygen being sucked out of the cargo deck. Imagined Opal gasping for breath. Fear enveloped him, along with another emotion he refused to address. Opal’s wasn’t the only life at stake. “Is the ship on fire?”