Chapter Five
Ruby
The sick feeling in my stomach was fear.
I’d learned to recognize it now, but I was also familiar enough with the emotion to know that it didn’t control me.
I could be scared half to death and I’d still function.
After all, I’d flown a spaceship. I could do anything.
Kill had even let me land, though he’d gone a little pale. He was so brave.
We’d set down outside the city and made our way to the palace. Killian had killed the guard—slit his throat—at the side-entrance we’d used and hidden the body. Now we were creeping our way through the marble corridors. It was the middle of the night and everything was dark and quiet.
With luck, we would find everyone and be out of there without any of the bad guys knowing we were around.
We had a plan, of sorts. We were on our way to the dungeons where, hopefully, we would find Zak and Rekowski and free them. Then we would go get Sarah, who, hopefully, would still be in the old room we’d shared in the palace, near the princess’s quarters. And finally, we would reacquire Yolanda and, hopefully, she’d come with us without too much of a fight. There was a lot of hoping going on, but I was optimistic.
We’d debated on the whole Yolanda issue. I’d prefer to take her with us, but the alternative was to leave her behind. We didn’t actually need her—once we’d told her father what she was really up to, that she wasn’t in danger—then he was no longer under any pressure to vote for the Earth losing its closed status. Mission accomplished. So if Yolanda proved troublesome, we would leave her behind and just get the hell out of there.
We were headed downward to where the dungeons were located underground and where it was likely Zak and Rekowski were being held, pending their imminent executions. They would no doubt be killed quietly. The imperial house wouldn’t want to admit that they were killing the ex-crown prince. Apparently, he still had supporters here.
A single guard stood at the entrance to the dungeons. Killian shot him in the chest and then dragged his body inside.
A shiver ran through me. The place stank of fear and pain and despair. The walls were bare rock, and the light just a dim orange glow. Cells lined the corridor. The metal doors had a grill on the front and we peered into each as we passed. Most were occupied, but we saw no sign of Zak or Rekowski.
We went down a set of narrow stone steps to a lower level. The weight of all that rock pressed down on me. Panic was building inside me and my heart was racing; I needed to get out of there. I needed fresh air. Then Killian slipped his hand into mine, and a measure of peace washed through me.
“He’s here,” Killian said. He’d stopped at one of the cells and stared inside. “Shit, he doesn’t look good.”
I pushed up next to him and peered through the grill. There was Zak. He was bare-chested, his blue skin marked with stripes and fresh scars. Otherwise, he looked unharmed—at least physically. Mentally was another matter. Pacing the room, each time he met the wall, he slammed his fist into it and growled. Rage positively oozed from the cell.
“What’s the matter with him? He looks sort of crazy.” Had they done something to his mind?
“Actually, that’s pretty normal for Zak under the circumstances.”
“What circumstances?”
“If Groth warriors don’t get sex regularly, they can get a little freaky. Either angry or depressed. Zak’s been in here for nearly two weeks. He’s probably close to the point of not functioning.”
That didn’t sound good. We needed him thinking straight if we were going to get out of here. “Oh.”
I’d had sex with Zak before. When I was first on the Helldiver. Killian and Zak often shared women. It had been an amazing experience. But things had changed between Killian and me since then, in ways I was unwilling to analyze right now. Thinking about my feelings increased my fear of dying and not being able to explore this thing with Killian further. All the same, if sex was what it would take to get Zak out of here in one piece, I would do it. I glanced at Kill; a tic was jumping in his cheek.
“It’s not as though I haven’t done it with Zak,” I said.
“Yes, but that was before.”
“Before?”
He reached out with his metal hand and tucked my hair behind my ears. “Before I fell in love with you.”
The world came to a shuddering stop. I’d known he cared about me. I cared about him as well, but I’d purposefully not put a name to my emotions because it seemed like tempting fate. I’d never been in love before. But I knew, deep down, that I loved Killian. I felt closer to him than to anyone in my life.
“I’ve rendered you speechless,” he said.
He loves me.
Suddenly the enormity of it all swept over me.
Killian Sharpe loves me.
And then I was grinning like an idiot. And I leaped at him and wrapped myself around him and kissed him. He was still for a few seconds, and then his arms came around me and he kissed me back.
Finally, I raised my head. “I love you, too.”
“That’s good.”
“And I’ll always love you.” I nodded toward the door. “You love Zak as well. I know that. And if I can help, I will. Sex with Zak won’t change the way I feel about you.”
He was quiet for a while.
“Do you hate the idea?”
“Maybe it’s more that I don’t want you to think that you’re like all the other women we shared. They didn’t matter. You do.”
“I know that. Come on, let’s go save the universe. Starting with Zak.”
He gave a nod and put me on my feet, then turned back to the door. There was no lock, just big metal bolts at the top and bottom. He slid first the top bolt and then the bottom bolt and pushed the door open. As he stepped inside, Zak launched himself straight at him and they both crashed to the floor.
“It’s me, you great idiot.”
Zak didn’t seem to hear. His hands were around Kill’s throat. He was nearly a foot taller, and twice as broad. Kill didn’t stand a chance. Without giving myself time to think it was a really bad idea, I jumped onto Zak’s back and pulled his hair. I leaned down and screamed in his ear, “It’s us, Zak. Let him go.”
He went still. Then slowly released his hold on Kill’s throat.
Thank God.
“Shit, Kill, I’m sorry. I thought it was the guards…that they’d come back to…” Zak shook his head and I unclenched my fingers from his hair and scrambled to my feet, watching him warily.
“Nice to see you, too, big guy.” Kill sounded distinctly pissed.
Zak stood up and backed into the far corner of the room. His hands were shaking. “Sorry.” He gripped his fist in his hair, as if he could hold all the crazy stuff in. “I can’t think straight.”
Killian sat up, rubbing at the red mark on his neck. “I know. Ruby’s going to help you with that.” He pushed to his feet, crossed to Zak, poked him in the chest. “You be careful. You don’t hurt my girl, got it?”
Zak turned from Kill to me, and his nostrils flared, his eyes glowing midnight blue. I couldn’t move, like a prey animal caught in the glare of some great predator. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. Well, sort of knew. At least under normal circumstances. And not on purpose.
Unfortunately, this was far from normal.
Zak was stunning, nearly seven feet of pure muscle. With a dick to match.
I swallowed. Forced myself to take a step toward him.
The air filled with a sweet musky scent. Some sort of pheromones, Killian had told me last time. Whatever, my blood thickened in my veins, until I could feel the steady throb, matching the pulse between my thighs. I cast a quick glance at Kill. He wasn’t immune. His eyelids drooped, and a dull flush stained his cheeks. I peeked lower at the bulge at his groin. He was turned on by this. And I liked that.
I untied the knot beneath my breasts and shrugged out of the shirt. Then I unfastened the rope at my waist and wriggled out of my pants, kicking off my boots at the same time. And voila, I was naked.
Zak hadn’t moved. He appeared fixed in place, in a daze. Sweat gleamed on the blue skin of his chest and a truly amazing erection pressed at his pants. Saliva flooded my mouth, and I could feel the slippery wetness between my thighs.
Closing the space between us, I rested my hands on his shoulders and stood up on tiptoe. I still couldn’t reach to kiss him. “Help me out here, Zak.”
He shook himself and then grinned. His big palms cupped my ass, and he lifted me. I slid my hands into the hair at the back of his head and kissed him. For a second he didn’t respond, then his mouth opened and his tongue pushed inside me. He tasted so different from Kill, with an almost feral flavor. And my nostrils filled with the scent of musky pheromones mixed with sweat and blood from the wounds on his chest. Amazing, and my sex swelled and softened.
He held me with ease—I suppose to him I wasn’t much of a weight. I’d have liked to take my time, but we had the rest of the plan to fulfil, so I slipped my hands between us and pushed inside his pants to grip his cock. It was hot and hard and huge. The last time I’d taken anything close to this size was his lesbian sister’s strap-on dildo, not an experience I wished to remember. But Zak was holding himself in check. Being careful, every move slow and concentrated.
I ran my fingers along his length, felt the hard nodules along the underside.
Suddenly impatient, I pushed his pants down over his hips and he kicked them off. He stepped forward until my back was balanced against the wall, freeing up one hand. He pushed it between our bodies, over my mound, between my legs. One big finger slipped between the folds of my sex, found my swollen clit. He massaged it gently, the ring making me even more sensitive than I could have imagined, and I closed my eyes, letting the sensations wash over me. The pleasure built fast and furious and I came in what seemed like seconds.
With the ripples of my orgasm still thrumming through my body, he shifted me in his arms and the head of his cock pushed inside. Oh God, he was so big, stretching me. He pushed in slowly, an inch at a time. It wasn’t going to fit. He would run out of space. But he kept going, and finally he was lodged deep inside me.
I had a feeling this wasn’t going to last long.
He pulled out, the nodules rubbing the sensitive inner walls of my pussy, sending tremors through me. Then in, harder this time, and I gasped. I opened my eyes and looked straight into Kill’s.
He had his cock in his hand and was pulling on it while his gaze was fixed on us, hot and heavy. A fire lit in my belly, and flames flickered along my nerves, coalescing between my thighs. Zak moved inside me easily now, using both hands to hold my hips in place while he plunged into me. The world reduced to nothing more than the feel of his huge cock inside me, swelling, heating. With each stroke, he ground against my clit until I exploded in an orgasm so intense, the world went black around me.
I was vaguely aware of Zak pumping his seed inside me. He threw back his head and roared.
We stayed in place for long minutes, his forehead resting against mine, and then he raised his head and kissed me gently on the mouth. I searched his face. The madness had gone from his eyes and he appeared at peace.
“Thank you.”
I would have said any time, but I didn’t think I could take too much of that. Maybe just occasionally. Across the room, Kill watched us. He’d straightened his clothes and a lazy post-coital smile played across his lips. I was pretty sure he’d come as well.
Zak lowered me to the floor. Cupping one breast, he rubbed the pad of his thumb over the nipple ring. “These are new. I like.”
Actually, I quite liked them now as well.
Then he slowly pulled out of me. Immediately I felt the moisture trickling down my inner thighs. I was going to have to live with it. The cell didn’t appear to have bathroom facilities other than a hole in the floor.
Kill picked up my clothes and handed them to me. “Let’s get going. I want out of here.”
So did I. I pulled on my clothes while Kill spoke quietly and quickly to Zak, bringing him up to date on what had been happening while he was incarcerated.
“What do we do now?” Zak said when Killian finally fell silent. “I suggest we get the hell out of here and far away as fast as possible.”
Killian shifted from foot to foot, appearing a little discomforted. “Actually, we’re going to rescue Rekowski and Ruby’s friend and then we’re taking them back to Earth.”
Zak’s brows drew together as he looked between the two of us. “Have you turned my best friend into a goddamn do-gooder?” he asked me.
I nodded.
He looked at me a while longer. “Well, I guess we all have to grow up some time.”
Wow.