Hawk's Slave: A Phantom Warriors' Story Page 6

  “Unknown,” Fallon said. “But whatever it is, it’s hot enough to send the readings off the chart.”

  “What about atmosphere?” Hawk asked. If there was no oxygen, the fire would put itself out.

  “Holding for now,” Fallon said. “But it won’t last if we don’t put out that fire.”

  A shiver tracked its way down Hawk's spine, causing his cat to stir. Like all beasts, he wasn’t fond of fire. He dealt with it when he had to and avoided it when he could. He looked at the readings Fallon was studying.

  If the source of the blaze hadn’t come from a blast, then it had to have come from within. Which meant that someone was on his ship. Someone was either trying to take his cargo or sabotage his ship. Neither option boded well for his Little Cat.

  “We have company. Scan for all transport frequencies. If you find one, shut it down. No one gets off this ship,” Hawk said. "Fallon, take the helm! The rest of you, suit up for battle. It’s time we welcome our uninvited guests aboard.”

  Despite being cyber enhanced, the men scrambled into lightweight armor and headed toward the transport cylinder. Hawk’s claws lengthened as he followed close behind. No one stole from him without a fight.

  * * * * *

  She was being hunted. Opal jumped, landing on the alien closest to her. She took the man to the ground, raking him with her claws as she tore out his throat. She didn’t need another one shape-shifting on her. One fire-breathing creature was enough.

  More shots were fired, but once again Opal was already on the move. She hadn't earned her position as the Dark King's right hand because she’d slept with him. She'd earned it through skill, ferociousness, and blood.

  She ran across the tops of the crates in her cat form, drawing fire from several directions. Opal easily leapt from container to container, picking up speed so she could slash another man. She disemboweled him without breaking stride.

  Clangs and bangs from the shots echoed along with the women's terrified screams. They pulled at their restraints while the men struggled to load them into a light ring transport. There was a bright flash and the first group of women disappeared.

  "Kill her!" One of the men shouted.

  A shot seared her skull, taking a layer of fur and skin off as it grazed her head. Opal hissed and jumped to a lower box. Her black form melted into the shadows.

  “No! Captain wants her alive!” someone else bellowed.

  Opal heard a scuffle, but she didn’t look to see who was fighting. She kept still. There was no way she’d let these fire-breathers take her alive. For all she knew, they ate creatures like her.

  * * * * *

  The door to the transport cylinder opened and the first thing Hawk smelled was blood. "Kill them, but save as many women as you can. Reaper, take out the one breathing fire.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Reaper said, then faded before Hawk’s eyes.

  Reaper moved like a wraith, appearing and disappearing at various points as he made his way toward the drac-shifter. One second the shifter was spewing fire, the next his head rolled off his shoulders and he dropped to the ground with a squishy thump.

  Lex had one of the men by the throat. Greenish yellow blood dripped down his chin as he drained the invader dry. The man’s struggles ceased. Lex wiped his mouth and loosened his grip. The man slid to the floor.

  “Taste good?” Hawk asked, grimacing.

  Lex grinned, flashing bloody fangs. “Nah, but food is food.” He laughed, then jumped back into the fray.

  Mars rounded up the terrified women, trying to gather them into one of the open cells. Their eyes were wide with fright and they kept weeping and screaming. After a few seconds of listening to Mars’ calm voice, the women seemed to relax a little and allowed him to usher them inside.

  Shadow sent magic flowing out of his fingertips. It circled the invader closest to him and slowly enveloped the man.

  The warrior’s muffled screams poured out of the purple mist as the magic devoured him inch by inch. When the smoke cleared all that was left was a pile of polished bones. Shadow picked one up and pocketed it. No one questioned why.

  Hawk wrapped a meaty hand around a man’s throat and snapped his neck with little effort. “Find the others!” he shouted. “Do not let them escape.”

  Shadow, Lex, and Reaper nodded, then took off after the fleeing thieves. Hawk watched them go. His men could handle the few remaining invaders on their own. He had a cat to locate.

  Hawk shifted into his feline form and immediately detected the odor of another cat. Where was she? Had they already taken her? If they had, it had been recent since her scent was so fresh and strong.

  He stalked the alien firing into the shadows. No warrior worth his salt wasted ammo. There had to be something hiding in the darkness. Hawk approached the man from behind. As soon as he got within range, he leapt. His big jaw snapped the man's ridged spine.

  The man’s dying cries filled his ears, but Hawk ignored him and continued to follow the scent of blood. It was only a few drops here and there, but that didn’t mean that the injury wasn’t bad.

  He sniffed the ground, then opened his mouth and inhaled the scent. The coppery aroma definitely came from another cat. Was it Opal or had another cat-shifter come aboard?

  The skin near his nape tingled. It was the only warning Hawk got. He turned in time to find a black cat with a jeweled collar hurdling toward him with its claws outstretched.

  Hawk rolled the second she hit him. The move sent them both tumbling across the floor away from the battle wrapping up in the main part of the cargo hold.

  Opal snarled and took off into the shadows. Hawk followed close behind. He saw her tail swish as she leapt onto more containers. Before she could climb even higher, Hawk hit her in the side, knocking her off balance. She fell back onto the floor.

  Like any good cat, Opal landed on her feet. She tried to run, but her paws slipped on the metal floor. Hawk was on her before she made it a single step. If she were hurt, he didn’t want her exacerbating the injury by fighting him. Hawk’s big cat pinned Opal’s feline form to the floor. A second later, his massive jaws clamped onto her neck and he pulled the skin tight.

  He’d intended to capture her and nothing more, but having Opal in this position in her cat form brought out instincts that had never surfaced inside Hawk before.

  Sensing a female beneath him, his beast wrestled for control and got it. His back legs pressed down on her, flatting Opal’s feline form until the bottom half of her body was compressed.

  Opal hissed at him and tried to free herself, but it was too late. Hawk simply pulled the skin on her neck tighter, until her head was craned and her body was open. His beast was careful not to injure her, but it wasn’t about to relinquish its hold. Hawk’s cat held her in that position until he felt her relax beneath him.

  Hawk wondered if Opal realized that she’d just submitted to his dominance. He hoped so. It would make things easier once they were in their other forms and could communicate.

  Opal’s feline side stayed receptive beneath him, beneath his cat. Hawk wanted to shout in victory, but he couldn’t. The most he could do was roar. The sound was followed by a deep pleasurable growl. The kind of growl a male gave when he knew he was about to claim a female.

  In this form, Hawk wouldn’t last long. That was the nature of his beast, but that fact didn’t deter him. Didn’t deter his cat. It wanted her and it wasn’t about to give her up without a fight.

  His beast laid on top of her, making sure she was in the right position, then quickly entered her. Her body was pure bliss to his feline. Hawk allowed himself to get lost inside his beast so he could feel every sensation.

  The joining didn’t last long, but it was long enough to give him a taste of the things to come. It also satisfied his cat in a way it never had been before. He’d had sex more times than he could count, but never with another cat shifter. And never while in his beast form.

  Hawk released Opal’s neck and licked her ear. She
shot out from under him. As soon as she was free, she whirled around and swiped him with her claws. Pain slashed his chest, but Hawk barely felt it. His brain was still fogged with pleasure.

  The pleasure only increased when he saw her roll on the floor. Hawk wondered if Opal realized what she’d done. Cats only did that to increase the chance of fertilization. A powerful emotion welled inside of him when he thought about her carrying his young.

  Hawk had never considered the possibility until now.

  His blood dripped onto the floor. Hawk never took his eyes off Opal as he slowly licked it up. He’d take several more blows from her sharp claws if it meant he could have her again, but next time Hawk wanted her in her other form, on his rest pad.

  Opal cleaned herself, then shifted back into her human form. Naked and trembling with anger, she glared at him. “How dare you!” she snarled.

  * * * * *

  Hawk shape-shifted. He was as naked as she was when he was done. Opal’s gaze dropped of its own volition. He was utterly magnificent to view. As usual, his cat form hadn’t done him justice, though it was impressive. She forced her gaze up and found him smiling at her.

  “Are you mad because I took you? Or because you let me?” Hawk asked, grinning mischievously. His big hand lazily stroked the front of his chest.

  Opal sneered. “You did not give me much of a choice.”

  “Are you saying that you couldn’t have gotten away if you wanted to?” he asked, cocking his head inquisitively.

  She opened her mouth to say no, then quickly closed it. All she would’ve had to do was shift into her two-legged form and he would have immediately released her.

  “Your men are fighting for their lives and you’re in here having sex,” she snapped. “What does that say about you as a leader?”

  Hawk’s smile vanished and the color in his cheeks deepened. He opened his mouth to reply. Before he could say one word, a giant scaled shifter appeared behind her and grabbed Opal around the throat.

  “No!” Hawk lunged forward as the shifter leveled a blaster and aimed for his chest. At this close range, the alien wouldn’t miss.

  Horrified, Opal watched Hawk try to reach her. The fool was going to get himself killed. The thought of Hawk dying sent a wave of pain crashing over her.

  The scaly shifter squeezed the trigger, but not before Opal sank her claws into his arm and threw off his aim. Hawk roared as blood blossomed on his shoulder.

  Opal only got a glimpse of the wound before the shifter yanked her back. The injury was bad, but Hawk should live. The invader opened a light ring transport beside them—something he shouldn’t have been able to do—and stepped into it, taking her with him.

  She and Hawk’s gazes met one last time. So much was left unsaid, but at least Opal knew he was safe. A light flashed, blinding her. In the next instant, Hawk and his ship were gone.

  The breath squeezed from Hawk’s lungs as he watched Opal disappear. She’d saved his life. The shifter had him in his sights. By all rights, he should be dead...but his Little Cat had saved him. Hawk wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but there was no time to examine it now. Opal was gone and he needed to get her back.

  He rushed into the main cargo hold area. Shadow was toying with the last remaining invader. He saw Hawk, then raised his hand to kill the man.

  “Stop!” Hawk bellowed. “I want him alive.”

  Shadow’s hand froze an inch from the man’s face. He looked at Hawk in disbelief.

  “I need to question him. Take him to the dark chamber,” Hawk said.

  Shadow nodded curtly, then disappeared with the invader in tow.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Seven

  Opal’s stomach lurched the moment the world righted itself. She dropped to her knees, gasping for breath as she tried to shake off the dizziness. She was naked but for the collar Hawk had given her.

  “Finally,” a male voice said.

  She looked up and found herself at the feet of the alien who’d tried to purchase her on Farn. Opal staggered to stand. It took two tries, but she eventually got her legs to support her.

  Opal glanced around and saw other creatures that looked like the one in front of her, situated around the bridge of a ship. They were all male. All were staring at her with a mixture of disgust and desire. Again she got the impression that their desire wasn’t sexual in nature.

  Did they all breathe fire? Did it really matter? It would only take one of them to burn the flesh from her bones.

  The thought sent a shiver down her spine. Opal played it off as the effects of the light ring transport, but wasn’t sure she’d fooled the man in front of her.

  She glanced out the viewer and saw Hawk’s ship drifting across the screen. Had it been disabled? Did they plan to finish the job? Opal’s gaze returned to the blue-haired alien to try and gauge his intentions.

  He was watching her closely and seemed particularly interested in her reaction to Hawk’s ship.

  Opal’s face blanked. She took care to show no emotion at all, then forced herself to face him. “My name is Opal. I am a Phantom Warrior. Who am I addressing?”

  Some of the crew sneered at her tone, but the scaly being in front of her grinned, flashing a mouthful of pointy teeth. “I am Captain Zeth,” he said. “Your new owner.”

  She bristled internally, but didn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that he’d angered her. Instead, Opal ignored her nudity and bowed at the waist.

  “Captain Zeth,” she said, acknowledging his position.

  His eyes narrowed. “I’m surprised you’re not upset by the turn of events.”

  Opal arched her brow. “Why would I be upset?”

  He cocked his reptilian head. “I was under the impression that Hawk viewed you as more than a slave. After all, he refused to sell you, even after I offered him an outlandish sum of credits.”

  Her lips thinned. “You are mistaken,” she said. “I’ve been his captive for over thirty days. Did your men not inform you where I was found?”

  Zeth’s grin widened. “A pleasure chamber if I’m not mistaken.”

  Opal gave him a curt nod. “I didn’t volunteer to be placed there.”

  He inhaled. “Yet, you smell like him,” he said.

  She tensed. “I did not volunteer,” Opal repeated.

  Understanding dawned in the big alien’s eyes. “I seek a pet,” he said, “not a whore.”

  Opal bit the inside of her mouth so hard that she drew blood. “I am a warrior, not a whore.”

  Zeth turned his back on her. The move showed his confidence in his own power, while insulting her as a warrior. “Of course not,” he said, but his tone said otherwise. He walked across the bridge and took his seat. His eyes moved to the collar around her neck.

  “Would you like me to remove it?” Opal asked. She could smell Hawk on the leather with each inhalation she took.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Zeth said. “It suits your new position.” He snapped his fingers and pointed at the floor beside his seat.

  Opal strolled forward, taking care to sway her hips seductively. She reached Zeth’s side and stopped.

  His gaze raked her, then he grabbed her arm. The second he touched her, Opal’s body recoiled. She was so attuned to Hawk’s touch that any other’s seemed unnatural.

  “Don’t worry, pet,” Zeth said. “You’ll get use to the coolness of my scales soon enough.” He yanked her down to her knees. “Now shift.”

  Opal swallowed her revulsion and allowed the shift to take her body. Warmth spread through her limbs, then fur rippled over her skin. When it was done, a large, black cat with a brightly jeweled collar sat beside him.

  She sniffed, noting a change in the air by his seat. It smelled different. Stale almost. Opal scanned the area around her. She almost missed the miniscule seam that betrayed the hidden hatch built into the floor. The fire-breather was full of surprises. She’d have to keep a close eye on him.

  * * * * *

  “Good
cat.” Zeth patted her head, knowing it would anger her, then looked at the crew. “Set course for Gar,” he said. “We’ll be able to unload our cargo on that moon. Garians love humanoid meat. Almost as much as we do.” He laughed.

  Opal’s gold gaze met his and she hissed.

  Zeth reached out and stroked her ears. “Not you, my pet. You are mine.”

  Her body trembled, but then she settled onto the floor.

  She looked relaxed, but Zeth knew better. He wasn’t sure what had occurred between Opal and Hawk, but he didn’t believe for a second that she was nothing but a slave. He’d seen his man’s wounds and been informed telepathically where they’d come from. She may truly be angry at Hawk, but her actions belied her feelings.

  During the slave sale, Zeth had seen the way the Slaver had looked at her. Possessiveness and desire fueled the gold in Hawk’s eyes until it burned like the stars. Zeth could’ve believed it was just about sex, if it hadn’t been for the love bite on her neck. For a shifter, that mark was telling. No doubt Hawk would’ve fought him had Zeth protested her removal from the auction block.

  She might have been forced into the pleasure chamber as she claimed, but her body showed no signs of having been taken against her will. Still, if Opal resented Hawk’s treatment of her, it might give her incentive to behave. She would be less likely to try to escape if she knew that Hawk could catch her. And Zeth had no doubt that the wily Slaver would be hunting them.

  After all, they’d stolen the last of Hawk’s slaves, along with his precious pet. He had no choice but to come after them. Zeth had only intended to take Opal, but he’d decided to teach the slaver a lesson. No one denied him.

  “Bern, you and Sithor go down into the hold to prepare the women. Make sure the cuts are prime. Trim the fat. The Garians won’t buy anything too fatty. If we can sell all the parts, we should be able to get enough credits to leave this galaxy.”