Date: 2015-09-05 07:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Science Fiction; Romance
Description: Awaiting execution on a foreign planet, Anna Lee has nothing left to lose—until Commander Rehz Akran offers her a chance to escape her fate. Anything is better than death, but when her training for Akran’s mysterious mission begins, the brutality is hard to take . . . especially since Anna has no idea what the workouts, beatings, and endless sexual demands are preparing her for. Rehz Akran doesn’t deal with failure. He’s determined that his last trainee will survive her immersion in an unimaginably alien world and return alive—even if it means she’ll hate him forever. He needs to stay detached

SACRIFICE

THE TRIBUTE SERIES: BOOK 1

KATE PEARCE

Riptide Publishing

PO Box 6652

Hillsborough, NJ 08844
www.riptidepublishing.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All person(s) depicted on the cover are model(s) used for illustrative purposes only.

Sacrifice

Copyright © 2015 by Kate Pearce

Cover art: Lou Harper, louharper.com

Editor: Delphine Dryden

Layout: L.C. Chase, lcchase.com/design.htm

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher, and where permitted by law. Reviewers may quote brief passages in a review. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Riptide Publishing at the mailing address above, at Riptidepublishing.com, or at
marketing@riptidepublishing.com.

ISBN: 978-1-62649-287-5

First edition

September, 2015

Also available in paperback as part of Tribute: ISBN: 978-1-62649-291-2

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ABOUT

SACRIFICE

Awaiting execution on a foreign planet, Anna Lee has nothing left to lose—until Commander Rehz Akran offers her a chance to escape her fate. Anything is better than death, but when her training for Akran’s mysterious mission begins, the brutality is hard to take . . . especially since Anna has no idea what the workouts, beatings, and endless sexual demands are preparing her for.

Rehz Akran doesn’t deal with failure. He’s determined that his last trainee will survive her immersion in an unimaginably alien world and return alive—even if it means she’ll hate him forever. He needs to stay detached, but his new recruit makes that impossible. Soon he’s willing to defy his own training for a chance to forge a true connection with Anna.

It’s Rehz’s job to teach Anna to survive as a Tribute. And if she does, it’s his task to help her overcome the trauma of the experience. But this time he isn’t doing it to save his planet.

This time he’s doing it for love.

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1

Chapter 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chapter 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Chapter 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Chapter 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Chapter 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Chapter 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Chapter 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Chapter 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Chapter 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

CHAPTER

ONE

Planet Mitan:

Sixteen weeks until Tribute Day.

hat one.” Rehz Akran leaned over the shoulder of

“Tthe security guard and pointed at the screen.

“The blonde or the brunette?” The guard froze the screen image.

“The one who’s beating the shit out of the guard.” Rehz narrowed his gaze. “Can you isolate her and give me her stats?”

“Sure.”

“Are you certain that’s the one you want, Commander?”

Rehz glanced over at Kai, a fellow trainer who’d come to observe the inmates of the high-security prison with him.

“Yeah, why?”

“She looks rallshit crazy to me.”

“That helps.”

“She’s got the worst disciplinary record in the prison, and this isn’t a place for weaklings.” The security guard cleared his throat. “Here you go, sir.”

Rehz studied the data scrolling up on the screen. “Name: Lee, Anna. Approximate age: twenty-five. Genetic origin: unknown. Unknown?” He frowned. “What’s up with that?” 1

“She claims to come from a planet called Earth, and sees herself as a political prisoner who isn’t bound by Mitan society’s rules.”

Rehz looked back over his shoulder at the governor of the high-security prison, who’d appeared in the doorway.

“And what do you make of that?”

“She’s here and she’s subject to our rules. Everything else is irrelevant because she’s already been sentenced to death.”

“What did she do?”

“To get here?” The governor shrugged. “She was attacked by three other inmates at her previous penitentiary and she killed one of them.”

Rehz studied the frozen snarl of the blonde female.

She obviously had great survival skills. If three thugs had cornered him, he would’ve killed too. She was his last chance to win.

His last hope.

“I’d like to speak to her.”

The governor’s smile was sardonic. “Be my guest.”

“Lee, get up.”

Anna kept her eyes firmly closed as the door to her solitary confinement cell crashed open. She wasn’t surprised when two guards hauled her to her feet anyway. One of them jabbed her weapon in Anna’s throat.

“Move it.”

Her hands were locked together behind her, and her ankles were shackled so she could only take small, shuffling steps. Maybe today was the day they’d finally carry out her sentence and execute her. She almost welcomed it. She was 2
tired of protesting her innocence and of fighting to survive in an alien environment. She kept her gaze on the floor and behaved herself as they led her through several locked gates and into a quieter area of the prison, where the internal trials were held. She’d been there a lot for disciplinary issues.

“Stand still.”

She was turned to face a door and ushered inside a small room with a table and two chairs in it. Her least favorite guard pushed her down onto one of the chairs and chained her to it.

Anna stared down at the white plastic of the tabletop.

The mirror in front of her was a two-way one, and there was a camera in the corner of the room, recording her every breath.

Maybe her last breath.

Good.

She didn’t bother to look up when the door opened and someone wearing a black uniform came in and sat opposite her. He placed his linked hands on the table, so she studied them instead. Big, competent hands, scarred hands with long fingers capable of choking the life out of her.

“I’m Commander Rehz Akran.”

She didn’t react. Did she need to know her executioner’s name? Was she supposed to pardon him or something?

“I have a bargain to offer you.”

She let out a slow breath and raised her head. Damn, he had a hard face, with eyes the color of space junk and a harsh mouth made even worse by the coiled scars that marred his jawline and throat.

“If you come with me and succeed in the task I set for you, your death sentence will be dismissed.”

“What kind of task?”

“An impossible one.” He shrugged his powerful shoulders.

“To be honest, you’re unlikely to survive, but at least you can 3
go down fighting instead of being strapped in a chair and injected with lethal poison.”

“I like to fight.”

“So I’ve heard. But if you want to survive, you’ll have to obey me.”

She attempted a shrug. “‘Obey’ is a difficult concept for me.”

“It’s your choice.”

“It’s hardly a choice. I have no idea what you expect of me.”

“That’s the risk you’re going to have to take. Stay here and die, or come with me and risk everything for a chance of survival.”

She met his gaze and saw nothing in it to reassure her.

“Sure. I’m in.”

Things happened fast after that. She wasn’t taken back to her security wing, but was led out through the complex defense systems and loaded onto a land shuttle and into a smaller cell that made her feel like she was in a coffin after all. A dull roar announced the shuttle was taking off, and she braced herself awkwardly against the wall.

She turned her mind off and pretended she was in Arizona, riding across the desert with her sister and brother, the wind in her hair and a stupid smile on her face. It was a horrible joke how she’d ended up stowing away on a ship bound for a planet that liked to pretend it was all alone in the universe. And now she was stuck here, with no hope of ever getting home.

4

It didn’t seem to take long to get to wherever they were going. She was woken from her trance by a new guard in the same black uniform that the other man had worn, and was marched outside.

The complex reminded her of the prison, but was set in the Mitan equivalent of the high desert. Nothing grew around the base, and clouds of red dust blew in an endless rolling stream over the stark landscape. In the distance there was a huge, black, flat-topped mountain. If she’d been hoping to escape, there wasn’t anywhere to go, but she was sure they already knew that.

She waited at the security checkpoint as she was scanned and finally let through, a guard on each side of her. There was no sign of Commander Rehz Akran either. The smell of antiseptic wafted across her nose, and they turned into what was obviously the facility’s medical lab.

A woman in a white coat came toward her and nodded at the guards. “Put her in containment unit one, please.” She looked appraisingly at Anna. “When you are secure, please strip so that I can carry out my assessment.”

“Everything?”

“Yes. If you don’t want to do it yourself, the guards will help you.”

Anna sighed and stepped into the white plastic space.

She quickly took off the hated prison garb, and it was sucked away, leaving her with nothing but a cool breeze tightening her nipples.

The guards were sent out and it was just her, the doctor, and five thousand tests. She was given at least ten shots, including one against Mitan flu and an update on her fertility control, leaving her right arm throbbing from the puncture 5
wounds. Eventually they were through, and Anna waited to see what would happen next.

To her surprise Commander Akran appeared and, after a quick glance at her, had a long conversation with the doctor, who was obviously rehashing Anna’s test results. With a resigned sigh, she slid down the wall, hugged her knees to her chest, and leaned her chin on them.

The doctor left and the commander opened the security door.“Come on.”

Anna glanced around, but there didn’t appear to be any guards. She eyed him cautiously.

“Clothes?”

“Not necessary.” He came closer and she tensed. “Move.”

She stood up, raised her chin, and sauntered toward him.

His gaze swept over her breasts and hips and stayed there. She refused to cover herself and went to brush past him.

His hand closed on her upper arm with considerable strength, and she stopped moving. He produced a leather collar and fastened it around her throat.

“This will have to do until we get you something more permanent.”

“I am not a fucking dog.”

“Then don’t snarl like one.” He took a leash from his pocket and snapped it onto the collar. “Let’s go.”

He opened a door, and the bright lights of the medical center faded away. The floor under her bare feet was hard rock, as were the walls and ceiling. The lights were set low, at floor level.

“What is this place?”

He didn’t answer her question, just tugged slightly on the leash—which made her want to growl—and continued to 6
walk down the main passageway, which was wide enough to fit twenty people across.

“You’ll be stationed in basic training while we review whether you can move on to the main program.”

Anna stopped walking. “You said I had one chance, not that you might decide to kick me out before I even get the opportunity to prove myself.”

“You’ll have plenty of chances.”

He pushed open a door, and stood aside letting her precede him. Anna’s steps slowed. There was a row of cages and each one contained a person. None of them showed any interest in her or Commander Akran.

She backed up so fast she collided with his chest. “You’re putting me in a cage?”

“As I said, basic training.” He edged her toward the last in the row and followed her inside, keeping his back to the door.

There was nothing in the space except a blanket, a bowl, and a toilet. He unclipped the leash and swung it back and forth in his hand as he watched her prowl the area.

“Rule number one. When I enter this cage, you kneel down and keep your eyes on the floor.”

She kept her back to him and stared at the wall, which was covered in scratched lettering she couldn’t understand.

“Rule two. You don’t speak until I give you permission.”

He paused. “Have you got that?”

She slowly turned to face him. “Fuck you.”

He nodded. “I’ll be back tomorrow.” He bent down, picked up the bowl and blanket, and left.

She went over every inch of the space, but there was nothing she could break off to use as a weapon, either to shove in his face or to end her own life. There also wasn’t any water.

7

She sank down in the corner, her back to the wall, and licked her dry lips. “Damn.”

Rehz hesitated outside Anna Lee’s door. It had been two days now, and she hadn’t obeyed a single rule. He gripped the chilled bottle of water in his hand and went in. She was sitting in the corner, her knees up to her chin and her long, fair hair covering her face.

“Lee.”

She tensed, and he knew that she was looking at him through her hair. He slowly unscrewed the cap of the bottled water and took a swig.

“I’m sure you are thirsty.”

She didn’t curse at him, which was an improvement on the last two days. He suspected it was more to do with her weakness than her willingness to follow his rules.

“You agreed to this. I told you I would need your obedience, and you’re failing at the first step? Is such a thing as showing respect for your trainer too much to ask?”

She finally raised her head, and her gaze fixed on the bottle of water. Her eyes were a clear blue that he’d never seen before on Mitan.

“Lee, you’re already down there, so what’s the big deal?

Get over here. Kneel in front of me, and I’ll give you this bottle of water.”

Her throat worked as he deliberately poured a thin trickle of water through his fingers and flicked it at her.

“Come on, Lee.”

If she refused, he’d have to consider terminating her, and then the search for a new recruit would begin all over again. 8

He wanted her to succeed so that he could get out of the program as well. He didn’t think he could stand another year of training and sacrifice.

“What’s worth more, your pride or your life?”

He stopped talking as she went on all fours and came toward him, her gaze lowered, and then knelt up. Her body was lean and well muscled. The thought of training her was exciting even for his jaded appetite.

“Thank you.”

He bent down to give her the bottle of water. She snatched it out of his hand and started to drink. When he thought she’d had enough, he reclaimed the bottle. He didn’t trust her enough to let her keep it and risk her fashioning it into some kind of weapon.

“And as you didn’t speak either, I’ll make sure you get your evening meal. I’ll be back tomorrow, and we’ll start your training properly.”

Anna wanted to scream, but there wasn’t any point. She’d given in. Her will to survive kept interfering with her desire to get the better of that bastard, Akran. But she couldn’t kill him if she was weak and he didn’t let her out of her cage. She was just regaining her strength and then she’d let him see how docile she really was . . .

Dinner wasn’t anything to shout about, but she devoured it as if it were a gourmet meal and immediately felt stronger.

She’d get him soon enough. Thanks to the Mitan prison system, she was an expert in biding her time and choosing her moment. Let him think he had her cowed and manageable, and she’d have him right where she wanted him.

9

He appeared at the cage door early the next morning. He’d changed out of his formal uniform into black workout gear that clung to his muscular frame. She’d been given water and a high-protein breakfast and was more than willing to keep her mouth shut and bow down to him if it meant she got out the door. She didn’t want to appear too willing though, so she stayed in the corner as he advanced into the cell, the leash in his hand. Her heart almost stopped. He’d left the door open a crack.

“Good morning, Lee.”

She forced herself to look down and cover the space between them on her knees. She stiffened as he slid a hand into her hair and drew her head up.

“That’s better. Now undo my pants and suck my cock.”

She went for him with her teeth and nails, aiming straight at his groin. He grabbed hold of her with insulting ease and brought her down to the floor, his hard body covering hers.

She attempted to heave him off, but it was impossible.

“What’s the problem, Lee?”

She sank her teeth into his wrist, and he didn’t even flinch as he shook her off.

“This is part of your training.”

“You lying fuck!” She struggled again, but it was useless.

“This is just some kind of brothel for the military, isn’t it?”

“No.”

“I don’t believe you.”

He flipped her onto her back and straddled her, his hands holding her wrists at her sides. “In order to attempt the task to gain your freedom, you must be physically and sexually fit.

I’m going to make sure you are both.”

“This is a fucking joke!”

10

He wasn’t smiling. “It’s my job, Lee, and I’m the best there is at it. You’re going to learn to suck cock until you can keep going for hours and do it in your sleep.”

“I am fucking not!”

“You’re giving up?” His expression hardened. “Then I’ll sign the papers to have you exterminated.”

She stared up at him. He was completely serious. “You’re going to kill me because I won’t give you a blowjob?”

“You need to learn to suck cock.”

“I already know how to do that.”

“Not to the standards I require.” He shifted against her, and she felt the hard ridge of his erection nudge her naked belly.“Get off me, and I’ll show you.”

He slowly rolled off her, watching her all the time, and stood up. With one hand he undid the snaps of his pants.

“If you bite me, I won’t be happy, and you’ll be punished.

Are you clear on that?”

“Yes.”

Anna studied the thick swell of his cock, which was already pushing its way out of the top of his regulation military boxers. She couldn’t think of a better way to bring a man to his knees than by sucking him off. And when Akran went down, she’d be all over him, and it would be all over for him.

She leaned closer, inhaling his scent, and nudged him with her nose. He shoved down his pants and underwear to reveal the broad column of his cock and the curve of his balls beneath. He didn’t need to know that she’d always loved sucking a man off, that she’d missed it. He was big too, and she’d always loved a challenge.

11

He bent over her and brought her wrists into the small of her back, clicking the two cuffs together.

“No hands. I want all of it in your mouth.”

She made a humming sound as she slowly sucked him between her lips, and he shuddered. She took more, swallowing him deeper, helped by the slick of his pre-come running down her throat. Breathing through her nose, she started a regular rhythm of pulling him in and then letting him almost slide out. He groaned and she wanted to smile.

He thought he had all the power, but in this position, she controlled him. Very few men were willing to risk having their most precious possession damaged. And she was willing to bite his dick clean off if it meant she could get away. She focused on making him come, but he seemed way too relaxed for that to happen. Deciding to change tactics, she pulled away and went lower to lick and suck his balls, her agile tongue reaching back along his taint.

“Nice, Lee,” he murmured in his deep voice. “But get back to my cock.”

She didn’t obey him until he slid his hand in her hair and yanked on it. “My cock, Lee.”

With a small growl she took him down in one swallow and sucked as hard as she could. He made no effort to take control or fuck her mouth, and it was beginning to infuriate her. If she had her hands free, she could shove a finger up his ass and he’d be coming within seconds. She couldn’t keep this pace up for much longer; her mouth was getting tired.

She stiffened as his hands moved to cup her breasts, his thumbs working her nipples into tight buds. He kept doing it until each pinch was like a stab of pain, of too much. She tried to jerk away, but he caught her tender flesh between finger and thumb and yanked her back. Ripples of unexpected pleasure 12
ran straight from her breasts to her core, making her feel edgy and uncomfortable. She had to end this soon, had to bring him down.

With a moan she rose on one knee, her mouth biting and nibbling at his shaft. One of his hands left her breasts, and she knew he was about to push her back down. With all her courage she jerked her head back, and bit him hard on the tender head of his crown. He instinctively tried to move back, and she drove her head into his groin, overbalancing him for that one precious second. As he started to fall, she clambered over him like he was a rock wall and made for the door.

Half-expecting alarms to go off, she ran past the other occupants of the cages and headed out along the main passageway, her breathing ragged, her bare feet making no sound. One moment he wasn’t there, and the next she was hit from behind with the force of a truck and brought to the ground wrapped in his arms. She smelled blood, but whether it was hers or his she had no idea.

“That was an extremely stupid thing to do.”

He spoke in her ear. He wasn’t even breathing hard and goddamn it he was still erect, his cock poking her in the lower back. She winced as he forced his knee between her thighs.

“Everything all right, Rehz?”

There were two sets of feet to her left. One in military boots, the other bare.

“Everything’s fine, Kai.” Her captor’s low voice held the promise of retribution. “New recruit.”

“And she got away from you? Damn.”

The man moved on with his companion, and Anna held her breath.

“As I was saying, that was a pointless waste of both of our time.”

13

“I don’t know. I quite enjoyed it.”

He cupped her mound, and her mouth went dry. The tip of his finger probed her sex and then he worked it deep.

“You’re tight. Not much cock in jail, is there?”

She compressed her lips as he pumped his finger back and forth. Occasionally someone passed by, but no one else remarked on their presence. She had to fight to believe it was really happening to her. She was naked, a man was on top of her, and no one was going to stop him—

“God—” She struggled to breathe as he adjusted his position and pressed the head of his cock where his finger had just been. It took him a long time to push himself into her cunt and she felt every little give of her inner muscles, every pulse of his hot, hard cock as he took her.

“I was going to fuck you against a wall or on a bed, but this works just as well.”

Damn him. He sounded as if he were making casual conversation, when he was balls deep in her and still taking up more space than she had to give. She couldn’t even ease the ache or adjust the angle of her hips because he held her pinned to the ground. And hell, her treacherous body was ready for cock, was responding with its own wet welcome, easing his passage and opening to him with every heavy thrust of his hips. But this wasn’t about her pleasure. This was about him being in control and showing her that he would have her regardless of what she wanted, or what she tried to do to him.

He tightened his grip around her waist, raising her a scant inch or two, and started slamming into her. She set her teeth and just let her body move with his. She’d taken a chance and failed and now she was paying for it. It wasn’t the first time she’d been punished for disobedience, and she suspected it wouldn’t be the last.

14

He shoved inward one last time and came hard, his body shuddering around hers, completely pinning her to the smooth rock floor. Somewhere in her mind she knew she’d be a mass of bruises if she survived until the next day.

She winced as he pulled out and yanked her to her feet. She couldn’t help but sway against him and feel the hot trickle of his come drip down her thigh.

“Move.”

She stumbled a couple of times, but he kept a hand on her upper arm and forced her along at his pace. They didn’t go back the way she’d come, which made her nervous.

He stopped at one of the doors and punched in a code too fast for Anna to read it. She went ahead of him and stopped at the sight before her. There was a naked man spread-eagled over a plastic formed table. His wrists and ankles were encased in the plastic, and he was facedown, his long hair hiding his features. A man in the same black uniform as Akran stood behind him. He looked up as they entered.

“Is this one for me? I heard you had a bit of trouble.”

“I’ll take care of her myself, Prof.”

The man nodded. “Sure. Help yourself.”

Rehz locked his fingers around Lee’s arm and maneuvered her toward the second of the white tables. Greez, he wasn’t up to tackling females anymore. His bones were hurting from protecting her from the impact of the fall, and his dick was throbbing like hell where she’d almost ripped off the head.

Which meant he wasn’t in a good mood, as his latest trainee was about to find out. He picked her up and dropped her facedown onto the soft surface of the plastic, which 15
immediately adapted itself to her shape, wrapping around her ankles to keep her secured. He unlocked the cuffs at her wrists, and her hands scrabbled for purchase before being trapped in the plastic restraints.

“What are you doing to me?”

He liked her voice, damn it. He even admired her courage, but he had to break her and then rebuild her or she’d die. She had to learn to control her impulses.

“I told you not to bite my dick.”

She didn’t say anything. He smoothed his palm over her ass and felt the wetness of his come on her inner thigh. Raising his hand, he smacked her ass cheek, and she jerked.

“Pay attention, Lee. Do not fucking bite me ever again.”

He picked up the controller and studied her prostrate form before punching in a series of commands. Two thick, lubed protrusions emerged from the plastic and pressed into her cunt and ass. She gasped, and he punched in a third command that added another thick cock-like length just past her lips.

“No talking, Lee, remember?”

Her hands tightened into fists as he strolled over to the punishment racks and selected a thin birch rod. A dozen strokes should make her ass sting nicely without cutting too deep. He made sure she could see what he was doing as he tapped the tip of the rod against his palm.

After the first four strokes, she stiffened and started to fight the pain, but he kept on, until she went still and let herself go limp against the plastic. When he’d finished, he returned the cane to its place. Crouching beside her head, he pulled her hair away from her face so that she could see him clearly. It amused him that in spite of everything, she still looked murderous.

16

“Twelve strokes, Lee. If you as much as scrape my cock with your teeth again without permission, I’ll double it to twenty-four. Do you understand?” She didn’t reply because she couldn’t, and that was fine with him. “I’ll be back to collect you later.”

Her strange blue eyes widened as he rose and picked up the controller again. Another code and the three fake dicks started to act like real ones, thickening and moving in and out of her to the irregular tempo he set. It was the best way the facility had come up with to simulate intercourse without using their limited supply of trainers.

Not that Anna Lee needed to know that. All she needed to know at this point was that he was in charge, and that if she wanted to survive, she needed an attitude adjustment.

Rehz groaned as he left the room and headed for his quarters.

A quick shower would ease his aching body, and then he’d write his daily report on Lee. He had a strange sense that for every step he gained with her, there would be another three backward.

He straightened his shoulders. She didn’t know what she’d taken on and why he was going to make her tough enough to live. He hated that. But it was part of the deal, and he didn’t have the authority to tell her the truth. When it came down to it, he hoped his will was stronger than hers.

Anna shuddered and strained against the constraints of the machine, or whatever it was that bastard Akran had strapped her to. Her ass was sore and the subtle rocking of the insertions was bringing her so close to climax that she wanted to cry.

17

The man tending the naked male who was strapped to another of the infernal plastic machines walked by her occasionally and checked her out. He made no move to touch her or improve her circumstances. But then the bastard had said he’d return . . . She cursed around the rippling plastic rod in her mouth. She was almost too tired to face him again.

As if that cowardly thought had summoned him, she saw his boots on the floor closest to her head. He’d showered, and she could smell some kind of pine scent from his skin.

“Lee.”

She flinched as his hands skimmed over her hips and ass and then forced herself to go still as he slid his fingers between her stomach and the plastic bed, which yielded to his touch.

His thumbs met over her mound and slipped between her folds until he captured her clit between them.

“I’m going to make you come.”

He started to rub her already aroused clit. She closed her eyes and willed herself not to react, but it was too difficult.

She froze into a climax and shuddered through it while he continued to pluck at her clit. The intensity of her reaction to the orgasm both surprised and embarrassed her. She could only hope that he hadn’t noticed.

The table tilted upward and the probe in her ass disappeared and was replaced by his cock. Keeping one thumb pressed hard on her clit, he fucked her with a steady motion.

The slap of his groin against her sensitized ass made her writhe and try to get away from him, but there was nowhere to go.

She simply had to endure and keep coming for as long as he wanted her to.

God, it was so humiliating. She wanted to beg him to stop, but she knew that’s what he wanted. Her submission, and her acknowledgment that she was totally in his power. And she’d 18
never give him that, even if it were true. There was always another day. Always another opportunity to rise against him and succeed. So she’d take the punishments he meted out to her until she understood what was going on, and then she’d work out how to survive him.

He climaxed and pulled out, and she breathed easier. She heard the sound of running water, and then he appeared at the top of the table and yanked her head up with a fist in her hair. The probe in her mouth retracted.

“Suck me.”

Her lips didn’t want to comply at first, so he took over, fucking her mouth so deeply that she eventually managed to grip him with her lips to stop him. She tasted pine soap and his come as he worked himself hard again and then withdrew.

He settled one hand over her mound and the other between her breasts, stretching out his long, callused fingers to pluck and play with her nipples and clit. She fought a gasp as he slid his cock in her cunt, and she came again and again until it stopped being pleasurable and simply hurt, but he didn’t stop fucking her. Eventually she couldn’t fight anymore and let him pound away.

He came, and she didn’t even react. Just lay there as the table removed the restraints from her body. He rolled her over onto her back, and she kept her gaze lowered and her mouth shut.

“Come.”

He attached the leash to her collar and pulled on it. She scrambled off the machine, her knees giving way as her feet hit the floor. He held her up with one strong hand under her elbow.

“Don’t make me do this again, Lee. You wasted a whole day when we could’ve been training.”

19

She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, sore and aching, doubting she’d be offered an opportunity to alleviate that. He took her back to her cage and made her kneel in front of him while he unclipped the leash.

“Night, Lee.”

She crawled over and lay down on her blanket, curling herself up into a tight ball. Whatever happened tomorrow, she’d survived another day. That was something. The thing to do was sort out what kind of environment she was in and learn how to defeat it. The trouble was, she had no idea what was going on. This place and her “trainer” Rehz Akran were like nothing she’d ever experienced before.

But that hadn’t stopped her in the past. She’d dealt with ending up on the wrong planet, being mistaken for an intergalactic criminal, and surviving the Mitan prison system.

All she had to do was work out what Akran wanted, make him think she was going to give it to him, and then kill him.

Easy.

20

CHAPTER

TWO
o it again.”

“DAnna set her jaw and raised the heavy practice sword to meet Akran’s.

“You’re not trying.”

They were in the training complex, in a circular arena that reminded her of a round pen they’d used to school horses they’d had on the ranch. There were other pairs of trainers and . . . whatever she was, dotted around the space. All of the trainers—nine men and one woman—had wandered over to stare at her, and all of them, without exception, had put their hands on her.

At least her tits and ass were covered in the stretchy black bikini-type outfit Akran referred to as workout clothes. Of course, he could still put his hand up her skirt or slip it under the thin bandeau wrapped around her chest. And he did. Way too often for her liking. She was still sore from the lesson he’d given her the day before and the cock-sucking session that would now, apparently, start every day.

“Lee!”

She gasped as his sword met hers and knocked her clean off her feet. Within a second he crouched over her, his razor-edged blade biting into her throat.

21

“You need to concentrate.”

“I’ve never fought with a sword before. It’s not part of my culture.”

He sighed, his breath warm on the back of her neck, and hauled her to her feet. “Don’t talk back to me.”

“How am I supposed to defend myself if I’m not allowed to talk?” She glared at him. “I have no idea how to use this weapon!”

“I don’t care whether you’re a fucking expert with a blade.

I want you to be fit enough to take on anything I throw at you.

You tire way too quickly.” His gaze fastened on her mouth when she started to argue. “Either shut up and listen, or you’ll regret it.”

She raised her chin. “What are you going to do? Rip out my tongue?”

He reached for her and flung her over his shoulder like a sack of flour. Her breath whooshed out, and she tried to wriggle away. His palm met her backside with a resounding slap that made her eyes water. He jogged through what seemed like miles of tunnel, his breathing regular, and his arm an iron band around her waist.

She quailed as he eventually upended her in the same room with the white plastic gurneys. He dumped her on top of one, which immediately closed around her.

“Stay there.”

For once, she was too dizzy to argue with him. He returned a second later with the man she’d met the previous day, who was nodding at whatever Akran was saying to him.

“Yes. I can do that. For how long?”

“From now until end of day.”

“All right. Where do you want me to put her when I’m done?”

22

“In the mess hall.”

“Oh, an object lesson, then.” He studied Anna, who glared back at him. “There shouldn’t be any permanent damage. I’ll keep the power level low. We don’t want her losing sensation.”

“No, we do not, Prof. We want her to experience every single moment.” Akran nodded at Anna. “That’s another half day of training you’ve lost me. I’ll see you later.”

She didn’t dare answer him. She already had a feeling that shooting her mouth off in this facility was not going to work out well.

“She’s a tough one, Rehz.”

Rehz glanced over at Kai. “The females are hard to condition. Having less body mass means they don’t do well without nutrition, which means they don’t tend to survive as long.” He sighed. “That’s probably why our overlords don’t seem to request many females.”

“Lucky them,” Kai grunted. “Do you think she’ll make it?”

“I have no idea. If sheer stubbornness is a criterion, then she’s going to be the best I’ve ever trained. I just have to come down hard on her right now so that she stops fighting me. If she doesn’t, high command will eliminate her anyway.”

“Where is she now?”

Rehz shot Kai a glance. “You’ll find out shortly.”

They paused at the doorway of the mess hall, and Kai let out his breath.

“Greez, she’s here already?”

“She won’t stop answering me back.”

23

“So we’re going to give her mouth something else to do all night.” Kai grinned. “I’m game for that.”

Rehz watched his friend walk toward the raised dais in the center of the room. There were two naked figures kneeling there. A male—who in Rehz’s opinion wouldn’t make the final cut—and Anna Lee, a real troublemaker. Even from the door he could see the glint of the gold circle the professor had installed in her mouth, making it impossible for her to close her lips. Two chains ran down from the side of the ring to her nipples and were clamped there. Another chain ran down to her clit and another clamp. Her hands were locked in the small of her back. She couldn’t change position even if she wanted to.

He followed Kai and watched from the side where Lee couldn’t quite see him.

Kai smiled and slowly unbuttoned his pants. “You must want cock.”

He guided the head of his dick toward the circle of gold and leaned in until he was completely inside.

“Nice.” Kai started to move his hips, and Rehz knew, because he’d been the one to plan and order the mouth ring, that each slam of a cock set off tiny shocks that traveled down to Anna’s nipples and her clit. Small shocks at first, but as she’d find out after servicing all the cocks in the dining room, cumulatively unpleasant and wearing. She’d have to come eventually, and that wouldn’t feel too good either.

He was partly sickened by what he had to do and partly aroused. He wanted his cock in her, making her jerk and come for him. Recently, he’d started to hate the lengths he had to go to in order to enforce his will on the trainees as quickly and as harshly as possible. They didn’t know what was facing them.

Rehz did. He supposed it was a version of cruel-to-be-kind. 24

Kai came and finally withdrew from Lee’s mouth.

“Nice. I’ll come back for dessert.” Kai winked at Lee, but she wasn’t looking at him. She was trying to look down at her clamped nipples and clit. Rehz strolled past her and nodded before taking his place at the dining table, where he could watch everyone else stopping to avail themselves of her mouth.

By the time dinner was finished, her skin was glowing from a combination of sweat and the come that some of his colleagues had allowed to trickle down between her breasts, or which had filled her mouth so fast that she hadn’t been able to swallow it. Rehz’s dick was hard and aching. He gently cupped his balls and considered her, waiting until everyone else had left.

She didn’t look at him as he approached, so he crouched in front of her.

“Let’s go through this again. I ask the questions. You don’t.

You answer me promptly, preferably by doing whatever the hell I’ve told you to do. If I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it. I don’t have time to waste explaining greez to you. I need your absolute and complete attention, and your total obedience.”

He waited a beat and then shoved a hand in her damp blonde hair and raised her head. “If you prefer it this way, we can keep the ring in your mouth on a permanent basis. And if you still defy me, I’ll add one in your cunt and another in your ass so you can’t stop me doing whatever the fuck I want whenever I want it.”

She met his gaze and held it.

“Nod your head if you agree to keep your mouth shut unless I give you permission to use it.”

She slowly lowered her head and then kept it down. He was aware of a huge sensation of relief sweeping over him.

25

When had he got so soft? Why wasn’t he just striking her off the list and sending her to the executioner?

“Come on, then.”

He attached her leash and disconnected her wrists and ankles from the structure behind her.

“Come.”

He took her back through the echoing passageways to his quarters and had her kneel on the floor by his chair. Watching her the whole time, he slowly unzipped his pants and wrapped a fist in her hair.

“Suck me.”

She made a small, desperate sound, but he didn’t call her on it. Her mouth was sore. He knew how it felt. When she’d taken his cock deep, he detached the two gold chains that ran from the sides of her mouth to her breasts and threaded them through the loops of his pants and around the back of her head, anchoring her firmly in place between his thighs.

“Keep me hard while I work.”

He turned his attention to writing up the daily reports he submitted to headquarters and collating and reading everyone else’s. Some of the trainees were doing well. The male who’d been with Lee in the dining hall would have to go . . .

Anna tried to relax her stance a little, but it was impossible. Her head was trapped at an angle that only allowed her to suck cock. She swallowed hard and felt his flesh jump against her tongue.

“Suck me.”

God what a horrible, awful day. Her whole body ached and she couldn’t stop shivering from the overload of 26
sensations without complete physical release. She’d always had a big mouth. Ha. Some might say she’d had this coming.

Damn it, she wasn’t going to start making stupid jokes now like the males in the mess hall?

“More.”

Akran sounded like she was an afterthought, a mere convenience for his cock, but wasn’t that the whole point of this? Wasn’t she supposed to feel like a fricking machine that performed and fucked on his command? She might as well be a mindless doll. She refused to give up though. She’d suck him until he told her to stop, and when he finally let her sleep, she’d keep her mouth shut. She wasn’t stupid. If she had to choose between shutting up or dying, she’d always choose survival. It was both her greatest weakness and her strength.

Her eyes started to close and his hand tightened in her hair, making her jump, until she realized he was releasing the chain around her head.

“Get up, Lee.”

He pulled her to her feet as he shut down his workstation.

Was begging allowed? She was getting to a point where she might have to find out. He opened the door into his bedroom and guided her to kneel on the hard mattress on all fours.

She shuddered as he drew back her hips and slammed his cock into her cunt, and then she was whimpering like a fool as she climaxed and couldn’t stop even if he’d ordered her to.

He cupped her sex, his fingers spread wide, rubbing against the chains and clamps still attached to her labia and clit until she squirmed and screamed, unable to close her mouth around the sounds.

She was so wet he could fuck her as hard and fast as he wanted, and he did so endlessly until she was a shivering, whimpering mess. She pressed her face into the covers of his 27
bed. The only thing keeping her on her knees was his arm wrapped around her hips. He grunted and pulled out, only to slide into her ass and fuck her there.

Closing her eyes, she just gave in and let it happen, even her orgasms becoming almost automatic and meaningless.

Take it and shut up: that’s what he wanted and that was what he’d reduced her to. Would she want to fight him again tomorrow? Could she?

He climaxed, his come hot and wet against her ass.

Without his support, she crumpled into a heap on his bed and just lay there motionless. He slapped her ass and moved away. A moment later she heard the sound of running water.

She wasn’t chained up. Could she run? Was there any point other than to antagonize him?

She stayed exactly where she was until he emerged from the bathroom, bringing a cloud of warm steam and the smell of pine with him. God, she wanted to be in that shower so badly . . .

A slight jerk on her collar as he attached the leash and she was sliding off the bed onto the floor.

“Get up, Lee.”

She stared at his bare feet and took several long, slow breaths. She could do this. She had no choice.

He reached down and grabbed her by the elbow, bringing her abruptly to her feet. She rocked against him, one hand planted flat on his muscled chest as she struggled to gain her balance. He carefully removed the mouthpiece and the clamps on her nipples.

“Good. Come on.”

Another tug on her leash and she was walking with him out the door and into the main passageway. She could smell him all over her. His come dripped out in a wet stream down 28
her thighs. Her mouth hurt, her clit and cunt hurt, and she wanted to die, but she wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.

She hoped she never would.

Rehz paused to punch in another code and led Lee to her cage. The three occupants of the spaces nearest hers were all missing and the doors were open. Rehz glanced at the doors as they passed them, his mouth tightening. Three terminations from the program this week. He’d have a lot of explaining to do to headquarters. But he couldn’t afford to allow inferior beings into the latter stages of training. They never managed to survive. He’d learned what made a good Tribute, and he believed Anna Lee was one.

She walked quietly beside him, her head held high, her intelligent gaze scanning the mostly empty cages. She smelled of sex and his sweat and that made him feel strangely protective of her. The next few weeks would prove whether he’d been correct in his assessment of her potential. After that, the decision would be taken out of his hands.

He opened the door of her cage and let her walk past him.

She waited calmly as he unclipped the leash. He fondled her breast and she went still. Slowly bending his head, he took her nipple between his teeth, and she shivered and tried to jerk away.

“Easy, Lee,” he murmured and bit the other one. He cupped her sex, lifting her onto her tiptoes until she almost overbalanced, her hands flailing. He caught them and secured them in the small of her back. He slid one finger deep inside her wide-open cunt lips and then added three more, pushing 29
them deep and holding them there as she struggled to stay upright, her whole upper body weight balanced on his hand.

He sucked at her breasts, moving his mouth between them in a slow, leisurely fashion, making her nipples hard and tight. A movement in one of the other cages caught his attention. A male trainee was watching them, a hand wrapped around his cock.

He gently pushed Lee against the wall.

“Stay there.”

As he walked toward the male’s cage, he pulled up all the data he could find on the man. He was one of Malke’s and showed great promise.

He spoke quietly into his com. “Malke, get down here.”

Rehz halted outside the male’s cage, and the male immediately fell to his knees.

“What’s your name?”

“Trent.”

“Come here.” Rehz unlocked the door and pointed in the direction of Lee’s cage. “In there.”

Trent did what he was told without looking up, but his cock was hard and he couldn’t conceal that. Rehz had him stand against the mesh wall and used the end of his leash to attach him to it. When the male was secure, Rehz slapped Trent’s erect cock, making him gasp.

“You aren’t allowed to pleasure yourself.”

“No, sir.”

Rehz slapped him again. “Then what’s this?”

“I saw you with her. I couldn’t help but react, I—” His explanation ended in a groan as Rehz leaned in and wrapped a hand around the thrust of his cock.

“You want to fuck her?” He squeezed harder. “Answer me.”

“No, sir.”

30

“Then why are you hard?”

“I couldn’t help myself, sir.”

Rehz contemplated the large male. It would be a shame to have to terminate this one, but Trent needed to learn not to lust after his fellow trainees. Emotional attachments between the trainees had always proved disastrous. Turning back to Lee, Rehz beckoned her forward. Pulling her in front of him, he cupped her breast.

Trent swallowed hard and Rehz smiled at him.

“You can watch me fuck her. If you come, I’ll punish you.”

He eased his hand between Lee’s thighs and thumbed her clit. “Look at her. She’s so swollen that the slightest touch makes her want to come.” He stroked the callused pad of his finger over her bud and she flinched. “I’ve had her so many times tonight that I could shove my fist inside her. And she’d take it.”

Lee moaned as he pressed hard on her clit. “Have you ever seen a man do that, Trent? Fist a female?”

Trent shook his head as beads of pre-come dripped from his crown. “No, sir.”

“Watch her take all my fingers.” He made his hand into a cone shape and showed Trent before sliding his fingers deep. The slick wetness was the only sound apart from Trent’s harried breathing. “She’s so open, she’d probably take two cocks.” Rehz paused to withdraw his fingers. “I bet you’d like to be one of them, wouldn’t you?”

Trent looked away, but his cock couldn’t lie as the drip of his pre-come intensified. Rehz reached forward and caught some on his fingers and then smeared it on Trent’s lips. “You like that? You like it when Malke fucks your ass? Or do you think it’s insulting? That you deserve a woman like Lee?”

31

He shoved hard on the male’s shoulder. “Get down on your fucking knees and put your hands behind your back.”

The leash strained as Trent complied, his chest heaving.

Rehz turned to Lee and made her kneel too. “Take his cock in your mouth, but don’t suck him; just hold him there until I come back.”

Anna concentrated on keeping her lips relaxed around Trent’s thick cock, but it was hard to stop him thrusting forward, his flesh seeking the release he knew her mouth could offer him.

“God, I fucking want you, Anna. Want a woman instead of being fucked by Malke’s cock.” He eased his hips back and forth, filling her mouth with the slick of his pre-come.

“Suck me off before he comes back. I won’t tell, I just . . .” He groaned and shoved a hand in her hair, keeping her in place.

His fingers tightened, making her gasp. “Please, Anna—”

Without waiting for her consent, he started to fuck her mouth, pushing her forward onto his cock, his hand tangled in her hair as she spluttered and fought against the strength of his hold. A trickle of blood came down over her cheekbone and caught the edge of her mouth, the coppery tang an unpleasant accompaniment to the taste of his pumping semen.

Within another second, she screamed as she was ripped out of his hold. Trent screeched his defiance and his come continued to spurt uselessly out onto the floor.

“Take him away, Malke. If he wants a hard cock, I’m sure the professor can give him one for a few days.”

32

“Sorry about this, Rehz.” Malke untied Trent and drove him out of her cell. “Hope she’s okay.”

Akran didn’t answer him. He was carefully touching Anna’s head. She flinched when he came across the spot where Trent had literally ripped out her hair.

“Damn. Come on.”

He marched her back along the passageway to one of the locker rooms that adjoined the training facility, stripped down, and stepped into the shower with her. For once she let him take charge without question. Her head was hurting, her body ached from all the earlier sex, and her mouth tasted foul.

The water was warm, the soap uninspiring but clean. Akran washed her body thoroughly, his hands more gentle than she expected, and then wrapped a towel around her.

“Come.” When she didn’t immediately start moving, he picked her up and cradled her to his chest. “It’s all right. We’ll fix this.”

Next, she found herself in the physicians’ wing having her head seen to, which seemed to involve shaving off a patch of her hair and realigning the ragged edges of her bleeding scalp with some kind of laser. Whatever meds the tech used to numb her skull and her aching sex were good enough to make everything stop hurting. She struggled to stay awake.

“Lee.”

She forced her eyes open and found Akran in front of her.

“Let’s go.”

She followed him meekly out of medical and back to her cage. There was no sign of Trent. She had a suspicion his night was going to be a lot worse than hers. Akran pointed at her blanket.

“Sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

33

She collapsed gratefully onto the blanket and was asleep before he’d left.

Rehz watched Lee for a few minutes to make sure she was truly out. Seeing Trent shove his cock down her throat had made him so fucking furious that he’d had to step back and let Malke deal with his trainee, or else Rehz might have killed him. Goddamn it, he’d never made her bleed like that.

Rehz snorted as he locked the door and headed back to his quarters. Yeah, he was so much better than Trent, wasn’t he? He fucked her and fought with her and wouldn’t let her speak unless spoken to. He was a real hero. At least he had a reason for being such a fuckhead. She didn’t understand that yet, but one day she would. If she survived . . .

When she’d initially been processed, he’d flat out asked the doc whether the differences in her DNA sequence were significant enough to support her claim to be from another planet. The doc had refused to discuss the results, saying that all the information had been forwarded to Palk and that no action had been deemed necessary. Rehz damn well hoped that was the case. It didn’t seem fair to put her through all this if she couldn’t progress.

When he got back to his quarters, there was a message flashing away on the screen. He logged in and stared at the contents, absently noting the date. Two Mitan weeks to get the trainees in shape before Palk descended on them.

Greez . . .

34

CHAPTER

THREE

Month Three: Training Week Twelve.

omething was up. The last few days had been full of Sunending physical workouts, staged fights between the trainees, and way too much sex even by the skewed standards Anna had become accustomed to. There was a tension among the trainers too, and most of it emanated from Akran, who seemed to be the guy in charge.

“Break it up and fucking do it again, Lee! That’s not fucking good enough!”

She dragged herself up from the sand and steadied her breathing. Her opponent was Trent, who blamed her for the three-day hard-on the professor had inflicted on him, and the three-day ring in his ass making him available and open to all the trainers.

The look in Trent’s eyes was murderous. He’d hurt her quite deliberately on their last clash, bringing her down and almost biting off her earlobe like some kind of rabid dog.

Well, if he wanted to fight dirty . . .

She raised her fists and pretended to go for him. When he punched out at her, she ducked to one side, rocked onto 35
her back foot, and kicked him hard in the balls. He went down with a scream, and she rolled neatly out of his way and stood up.

Akran sauntered toward her, his muscles flexing, his expression as unreadable as ever.

“Nice.” He flicked her bleeding ear. “Get that seen to while I scrape Trent off the floor.”

Kai took her down to medical, one hand slung low around her waist, his thumb caressing her hip bone as she walked.

Since coming to the compound, she’d almost forgotten about the concept of personal space. Someone was always fighting, fondling, or fucking her.

Or sewing her up . . .

She flinched as the medic sprayed something on her ear.

“Easy.” Kai stroked her hair. “Almost done.”

He sounded so gentle, but underneath he was almost as hard as Akran. She’d seen him reduce the male trainees to tears.As they walked back out of medical and into the main passageway that connected all the sections of the facility, Anna noticed a commotion in the entryway.

“Greez,” Kai muttered, before pulling her back against the wall and pushing her down onto her knees. He lowered his gaze too, as a group of men dressed in black military uniforms strode down the center of the passageway. “He’s early.”

Rehz took a quick shower, put on a clean uniform, and made his way to the guest quarters. Kai had alerted him to the arrival of the selection committee, and he knew better than to keep them waiting. He paused at the security door until it 36
flashed green to admit him. The lounge area was empty, but the door to the biggest bedroom was ajar.

He knocked on the door and went in.

“Akran.”

“Sir.”

Rehz went down on his knees and lowered his gaze as booted feet approached him. There was the sound of a belt whispering free and then an opening zipper. Obediently he leaned forward, took Palk’s cock in his mouth, and began to suck.

“I’m glad to see you still know your place, Akran.”

Rehz kept his mouth shut and stared resolutely at the headboard of the bed where he’d been ordered to place his hands. He didn’t react as Palk pushed his knees wider and knelt behind him, the thick head of his cock sliding between Rehz’s ass cheeks.

How Palk had come to head up the Tribute program was something of a mystery, but his word was law and even the government did what he told them. All the methods used by the trainers originated from him, and nothing Rehz suggested or protested had ever changed a thing. Palk liked power and he liked pain. Unfortunately his techniques seemed to work, and that made him difficult to stand against.

“You were always a good raw fuck.”

He set his teeth and tried to relax as Palk’s cock probed his tight ass. It’d been a year since he’d been fucked like this, and it felt like it. He voluntarily widened his stance, trying to make room for the big male behind him.

37

“Not as welcoming now, though, are you? It reminds me of when I first started training you. You were so wild it was a pleasure to tame you.”

Palk wrapped his leather belt around Rehz’s neck and buckled it tight enough to hurt and choke. He yanked Rehz’s head back as he jabbed his cock repeatedly into Rehz’s ass until he managed to get deeper. Each thrust was accompanied by a pull on the belt, making Rehz’s spine arch, offering his ass even more.

Rehz’s own cock was hard, but he knew better than to dare come himself. Even though technically he was no longer a trainee, Palk would punish him badly for that. As Rehz had found out, Palk never gave up those he’d trained.

He considered them his sexual toys forever. And Rehz didn’t blame him. When it came down to it, Palk’s harsh training methods had ensured his survival. Offering the man his sexual services once a year seemed an adequate compensation for that.

And sometimes it was easier to submit and be used than it was to be the user. It also reminded him of what he needed to do for his own trainees and why he needed to do it. His breath hissed out as Palk shoved even deeper. Rehz refocused his attention on mapping the wood of the headboard and enduring. If past experience was anything to go by, he was in for a long, painful night.

If he succeeded in getting Anna Lee into the final stage of training, his submission was worth it. Palk would hopefully be in a better mood after fucking him all night and more likely to pass the trainees through. And if Lee survived, Rehz was free and clear of the program and could start making a new life for himself, although he had no idea what that would entail. A man could dream, though . . .

38

Palk came and held deep before slowly pulling out. Rehz stayed in position as the belt was unbuckled from around his throat. He tried not to tighten his muscles as the buckle snapped against his ass and Palk murmured his appreciation.

“That’s right, Akran. Take it and beg.”

There were strangers in the gym. Four men who were watching each training session intently. Eventually, everyone else was processed and the men came to stand by her and Kai.

She was surprised to see Akran a pace behind the leader of the group. There was a bruise under his eye and his mouth looked bloodied and swollen. She’d gotten to know him so well that she sensed he was in physical pain when he moved.

“Kai, introduce me.”

Kai stepped back and thrust her in front of him. “This is Lee, Anna, General Palk. Rehz Akran’s trainee.”

“A female.” He glanced back at Akran. “An interesting choice when you know that ninety-five percent of them fail to progress with their training.”

“I believe she is an exception, sir.”

“We’ll have to see about that. Akran, take my coat and get out. In fact you may all leave while I have a little chat with Lee.”

Anna stood frozen as the tall blond man stripped off his uniform coat and pushed up his sleeves. He hadn’t fought any of the other trainees. What was so special about her?

His disparaging remarks about her chances of succeeding stung. Didn’t he know that she’d beaten every single male at least once?

39

He slowly circled her, his pale silver eyes considering, and then bent to pick up a pair of practice swords. He threw one at her and she caught it.

“Come on then, Lee. Surprise me.”

She hit the ground again and spat out the bitter taste of sawdust along with defeat. He was playing with her now, taunting her. They’d used all different forms of weapons until it had come down to their bare fists. She licked blood from her lips and slowly got up.

His mouth quirked at the corner. “Why won’t you just stay down, Lee? Have a little cry and beg me to be nice to you. I’d enjoy that so much more than beating the greez out of you.”

She raised her fists and he laughed. “I’ll admit that you have courage, but you’re still a weak and feeble female.”

“Then go ahead and beat me to death.” She was beyond caring about talking back. “If I fail, I’m going to be executed anyway, so that’s what you’ll have to do to shut me up and keep me down there.”

His hand came out and he slapped her cheek so hard her head snapped back. Even as she reeled away, he was on her, his fists and feet pounding into her until she was on her belly on the ground with him straddling her. He put his hand into her hair and jerked hard as he pulled up her tiny skirt and used his knee to spread her thighs wide.

“I might as well fuck you before you die.”

She shuddered as he pushed his cock deep inside her and fucked her with long, slamming strokes. She barely had time to breathe before he pulled out and started on her ass.

40

Thank the gods and Akran, this she could deal with—this she could endure, and when he came . . . She gathered all her strength and stayed still and quiet beneath him, just waiting and waiting . . .

He grunted as he released a hot pulse of come inside her ass and sagged over her. She pushed down on her hands and brought her knees up under her, arching her back to shove him off. As he rolled to one side, she grabbed the nearest weapon. Leaping onto his chest, she held it to his throat.

He smiled up at her. “Nice try, Lee. But if you kill me, everyone in this program will be executed alongside you.”

She hesitated for a second too long, and he reached up and grabbed her wrist. The sound of her thumb bone snapping, followed by excruciating pain, made her scream. Then he was standing again, his booted foot rolling her over as she cradled her broken hand.

“Better that you die, Lee, than anyone else, right? Who’d have thought a female like you would have a conscience?”

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and nodded. “You’re finished. When you stop crying, take yourself to the medical unit. They can make you look pretty before we execute you.”

She didn’t know how long she lay there, rocking back and forth against the pain. Eventually another emotion surfaced that helped her get to her feet. There was no one around, but she hardly dared hope she was unobserved. Her anger continued to grow as she staggered toward the exit.

Everything hurt, but she didn’t care.

In the main passageway, she used the rock wall to hold herself up as she made her slow way toward her destination.

No one she passed even looked at her. It was like she didn’t exist anymore, and that was just fine by her. When she finally 41
reached the door she wanted, she leaned on the control panel and listened to the alarm echo on the other side of the door.

“What the fuck do you want?”

She blinked up at the unexpected face of Commander Palk, who was buck naked.

“Where’s Akran?” she whispered.

“He’s busy.”

Palk stepped to one side so that she could see into the room. Rehz was naked and kneeling on the floor in front of a chair. His back was scored with bloody red lines and his head was bowed over as he panted for breath.

“You were supposed to go to medical, Lee, and be terminated.”

She set her jaw and stared up into Palk’s austere face. “If I didn’t make the cut, neither did any of the males. You didn’t take them on. Just me. That’s not fair.”

“Life’s not fair. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that?”

She steadied herself with one hand against the doorframe and fought a wave of sickening blackness. “But you didn’t follow through on your promise.”

“And what was that?”

“To beat me to death.” She smiled through her bleeding lips. “I’m still standing, and you walked away. I think that makes me the winner, doesn’t it?”

Without another sound, she slid to the floor and didn’t even feel it.

“Well, well, well.”

Rehz wanted to turn around so badly it was almost killing him. Palk snapped his fingers.

42

“Come here, Akran.”

He rose painfully and walked over to the door. His back hurt like hell and his cock was so stiff that he didn’t think he’d be able to come even if Palk allowed it. His heart stuttered as he stared down at Anna Lee. There wasn’t a piece of her that wasn’t bruised or marked in some way. He could even smell the all-too-familiar tang of Palk’s come on her.

“Take her to medical, will you?” Palk laughed. “You were right. She’s fucking unbelievable. I did everything in my power to stamp her into the ground and she just refused to stay down.”

“So she gets to progress?” Rehz risked the question.

“Yes.”

Rehz dropped his attention to the unconscious figure on the floor and let out his breath. “I’ll get some pants.”

43

CHAPTER

FOUR
nna cracked open an eye and immediately closed it Aagain. She was alive and in medical and, of course, bloody. Rehz Akran was sitting beside her bed.

“Lee.”

She swallowed and turned her head toward him. He took her hand, which shocked the hell out of her.

“Congratulations. You passed into stage two of the program.”

“Oh, great.”

“Palk was very impressed.” He hesitated. “And I was damn proud of you.”

She stared at the familiar harsh lines of his face and let her gaze trail down the peculiar tattoo-like raised scar that wound around his neck and ended somewhere behind his ear. Now that she thought about it, all the trainers had some variation of the same marking.

“We’ll start training again tomorrow at a new facility.”

He squeezed her fingers and then stood up. “I’ll see you then.”

She found herself nodding as he turned and left. He moved like the big, dangerous predator he was, but . . .

She squinted as a memory came back to her of him with Palk.

Had she really seen him on his knees, or was it just that she wanted to put him there so badly?

44

“Sit up, Lee.” The nursing assistant put a hand behind her shoulders and rearranged her pillows. “You need to take these nutritional supplements.”

Anna groaned as the sheet slid down to her waist, and then went still. Two gold rings now pierced her nipples.

“What the hell are these?”

The male assistant smirked at her. “Those? Standard issue for stage-two trainees.”

Ignoring him, she pushed the sheet all the way down and discovered she now had a belly ring and— God, no—two smaller rings set into her pussy lips.

“I like it, Lee.”

She yanked the sheet back up. “Who did that?”

“When the doc was repairing the damage to you from the trial, Akran suggested she do the piercings to minimize the wait time.”

“The wait time for what?”

“To get you back into training.” He handed her the green, frothy drink. “You think you’ve got it bad? You should see what they do to the males. Pierced cocks ain’t fun.”

She forced herself to drink the green liquid and handed back the cup. He left the small medical cell, locking the door behind him. The light on the security camera above her bed flashed green as they started monitoring her.

“Goddamn it,” Anna muttered, wishing the lights were lower.

She eased her hand beneath the sheet and cupped her breast, stroking a cautious finger over her nipple. It felt weird and the ring was heavier than she’d expected. But at least she wasn’t in pain. She slid her hand lower, checking out the belly ring, and then down between her legs to the two smaller gold circles that made her pussy lips spread outward.

45

Visions of what Akran and the rest of the males she was trapped with would make of her piercings made her skin heat.

She rubbed her thighs together and felt the rings against her most tender flesh. How would it feel to have a cock stretching her wide down there now? She shivered at the thought that tomorrow she was probably going to find out.

“Strip.”

Rehz waited as Anna Lee took off the two pieces of stretchy black fabric that represented her training gear and straightened in front of him. He reached forward to cup her breasts and used his finger and thumb to pinch her pierced nipples. Her blue eyes widened as he continued to play with them, tugging on the rings, pulling her closer with every jerk of his fingers until the tips of her nipples touched his chest.

He sat on the nearest level surface.

“Kneel down and suck my cock.”

She went down gracefully between his knees and took his stiff shaft between her lips without a sound. As she sucked, he continued to play with her breasts and nipples, aware that she was trying to flinch away from his touch. But she needed to be able to take much more than this, and he was going to make sure she was up for it.

He surprised her by pulling out of her mouth. Cupping her breasts in his hands, he thrust his cock between them and came all over her like that.

“Stand up.”

He remained seated and spent a moment checking out the belly ring. His come was now dripping down her stomach, heading between her legs. He slid a hand behind her right 46
thigh and brought her foot to rest on his knee, exposing her cunt to him.

“Nice, Lee.”

The two gold rings in her pussy lips were smaller, but set deeper so that they wouldn’t rip out. Her breath caught as he carefully examined each ring and then, scooping up some of his own come, slid three fingers in her cunt and worked them back and forth.

“She looks good, Rehz.”

He looked up to see Kai and the other trainers watching him and Lee.

“Yeah, she does. Do you want to see?”

Within a second the other trainers were touching and playing with her, her body passed among the big men as if she were a doll as they tweaked her nipples, thrust fingers in her cunt, or toyed with her belly ring.

Eventually Rehz clapped his hands. “Enough for now.

Let’s get on.” There were only six trainees left. It had been one of the worst harvests ever. He had to make sure that every single one of them was strong enough to handle the upcoming ordeal. His gaze fell on Lee, who was yawning behind her hand. Which meant he had to be tougher.

“Get up. It’s time to fight.”

By the end of the day, Anna could barely walk and her tormentor had to reattach a leash to her collar and lead her like that. The males had been pierced as well—through the nipples and their cocks, which made her wince. She still wasn’t sure why it was necessary—apart from amusing their trainers.

47

The part of the complex they’d moved into was smaller, although it retained the same tunnel structure. She had a suspicion that they were getting nearer to the black, smoking mountain thing she’d glimpsed when she first arrived, but she certainly wasn’t going to ask.

Akran tapped in a code and brought her into a small bedroom with an iron bed and a chair. For a second her hopes rose before he directed her to kneel on the hard floor. He stripped off his uniform and stretched before disappearing through another door, where she heard him turn on the shower.

“Come.”

She followed him into the small bathroom and enjoyed the luxury of a short shower before he handed her a towel to dry herself off. She was aware of his gaze as she carefully patted her new piercings. He took one of the blankets off the bed and put it on the floor.

“You’ll sleep here.”

She nodded and was just about to sit down when he took hold of her elbow.

“Not yet. Lie on the bed on your back.”

She climbed onto the narrow bed and he followed her, straddling her hips.

“Put your hands over your head.”

He leaned over her, his body hard and hot, and attached her wrist cuffs to the metal headboard of the bed. He moved one of the two pillows down under her ass.

“Spread your legs.”

She hesitated for a second and he grasped her chin in his hard fingers. “Instant obedience, Lee, remember? Now I’ll have to restrain your ankles as well.”

48

Within a minute her legs were spread uncomfortably wide, and Akran was crouching between them. She couldn’t help but flinch when he touched her clit and the two rings on her labia.

“You’ve got to stop that. They feed off your fear,” he murmured as he continued to touch her. “Toughen up, or they’ll rip you to shreds.”

Who were they? She had no idea what he was talking about, but she wasn’t risking a question at this point when she already knew she wouldn’t get an answer.

He pushed one finger inside her and drew it back and forth until she was wet. He played with her, his fingers moving to pinch and tug at the rings and her clit in an endless circle until she was writhing against his touch.

He moved away for a moment, but then his cock thrust home, and she couldn’t help but moan as he hammered into her. She didn’t want to climax—tried to stop it, knowing it wouldn’t feel good—but he refused to let her hide from him, until pleasure disappeared and was replaced with a wire-thin ecstasy that made her quiver and ache.

“Stop, I—”

“Did you say something, Lee?”

He pulled out and stared down at her, his chest heaving, his cock dripping pre-come onto her stomach. She couldn’t look away and simply watched as he shifted position and leaned over the side of the bed, bringing up a black box, which he placed on the pillow beside her head.

He turned his back on her and she gasped as he slid a big, thick dildo right up inside her and attached it to the rings on her labia.

“Up with you.” He unlocked her ankles and turned her easily around until she was kneeling on the bed, facing the 49
wall, her arms outstretched and still bound to the bedframe.

His breath felt warm on her neck as he attached a heavy chain to the two nipple rings, threaded it down through the one at her navel, and again attached it to her labia.

Immediately she felt the weight against her breasts and the tug of the chain. Looking down, she could see the chain disappearing between her legs and— God . . . He was positioning himself behind her to fuck her ass.

“Don’t say another word, Lee.”

He pushed his lubed cock in her ass and she jerked as the dildo in her cunt began to mimic his movements, speeding up when he did and slowing down when he eased back. Had he oiled his cock because he knew how intense the experience was going to be, or was he trying to avoid damaging her? She had no idea, but the glide of his heated flesh in tandem with the ribbed dildo was . . . exquisite. With every motion, the tug on her piercings intensified until she was biting her lip and simply taking everything he was giving her.

“That’s damn . . . good, Lee.”

“Please,” she whispered.

She climaxed hard and unexpectedly, and he groaned in her ear and simply sped up until she forgot about pleasure and entered a red-hot world of pain and endurance that made her feel thin and vulnerable and . . .

“God!” She screamed as his come jetted inside her, and he bit down on her shoulder as their bodies locked together.

She knew she was whimpering, but she couldn’t stop herself as he slowly pulled away from her and unlocked her wrists from the headboard.

She fell forward onto the pillows and focused on breathing through too much sensation. Her cunt was still full of the dildo but at least it wasn’t throbbing now. How could 50
she have allowed herself to feel such pleasure? She’d writhed against him and practically begged him to fuck her as hard as he could.

After a few moments he came back, disconnected the dildo, scooped her up, and walked her through the shower again before depositing her on her blanket by the bed. She immediately curled up into a ball and closed her eyes as exhaustion roared through her.

“Night, Lee.”

He turned off the lights and within moments she heard the steady regularity of his breathing slow as he fell asleep.

How the hell could he do that when she was still so wired? She eased a hand between her legs, where everything throbbed and felt hot to her touch. She could slide her fist between her pussy lips. She’d never felt so wide open or so vulnerable. And when had her body decided it liked being fucked so roughly?

Had her resistance vanished, drowned in a sea of erotic sensations that she now seemed to crave? What the hell had Rehz Akran done to her?

To her despair, the next day turned out to be even worse.

When she and the five males arrived with their trainers at the gym area of the compound, the professor was waiting for them—and that was never good.

He grinned at Akran and beckoned him forward.

“I have everything you asked for. Whom shall we start with?”

“Trent.”

Anna watched in dawning horror as Trent was fitted with a cock ring, a plastic dildo similar to the one Akran 51
had used on her the previous night, and leather strapping to keep everything in place. It seemed the piercings were there to make every sexual sensation even more acute. Like they needed that. After all the men were similarly attired, the professor turned to her.

“Slightly different for your female, but same principle.”

She, of course, got two dildos and a clamp over her clit before the leather strapping was wrapped around her hips and ass.

“Okay!” Akran shouted. “Everyone on the treadmills.”

Already sore from the previous night, Anna was slow to respond to the command, earning herself a slap on the ass from Kai, who seemed determined to double-team her while Akran was distracted. She stood on the treadmill and waited for it to start, far too aware of the pulsing energy between her thighs and the friction on her clit.

“Run.”

They started slow, but it didn’t matter; within a few minutes, the professor turned the dildos on and all six of them started to struggle to keep running. Trent was beside her, his head bent to the task of not falling off the treadmill while he started to come. With a groan he sank to his knees and cradled his cock and balls.

Akran and Malke were instantly behind him, yanking him to his feet and yelling. “Keep running! Don’t stop for anything. Keep running.”

Within an hour, they had all fallen at least once and been forced upright and made to continue. The men were coming constantly and Anna was too, but for once she was the quietest of the bunch as the males groaned and eventually screamed their frustration as their cocks were milked dry.

52

When the session ended, the six of them were curled up on the ground. Beside Anna, Trent was still trying to come, but he obviously had nothing left to give. His body didn’t care as he was wracked with spasms.

“We’ll break for an hour. And then we’ll start hand-to-hand combat.”

Akran’s announcement brought no relief to Anna. How could the trainers expect any of them to perform under such circumstances? It was inhuman.

“Something to say, Lee?”

She raised her head to find Akran looking at her and pressed her lips firmly together.

“Good.” He crouched beside her and began the process of unwrapping the leather straps from around her hips.

She couldn’t help but sigh with relief when he removed the dildos and the clamp. He rested his hand on her mound, keeping her legs wide as he inspected her throbbing cunt.

“Two hours tomorrow. Three the next. Think you can handle it?”

Turning her head away, she fought a wave of tears and the desire to scream her frustration in his face.

His thumb brushed the corner of her eye and she stiffened.

“It’s necessary, Lee. Trust me on this.”

He stood and pointed at the door. “Ten minutes to eat and then meet me in the exercise yard.”

By the end of the third week, Rehz practically had to carry Anna back to his quarters. And she wasn’t the worst affected. A couple of the males had come close to breaking down completely. This was always the hardest part. Pushing 53
the trainees to new physical and sexual limits and then pushing them some more. They thought they were being sexually humiliated, when in fact the program was aiming for sexual depersonalization. In the hostile environment they were entering, taking the emotion out of sex was vital to their survival.

Back in the day, all the Tributes had been military volunteers, and the ability to fight and their high level of fitness had been a given. He should know. He’d been one of the patriotic fools who had willingly signed up, along with Kai. Now the government preferred to use expendables like Lee and train them up to look military. They weren’t being trained to fight an enemy, but to survive a sexual and psychological onslaught.

He dumped her on his bed and headed into the shower to wash off the accumulation of sweat and come that seemed to constantly cover him. Just a few more days to get it right and then it was Tribute time. Four months of work. Three of basic training and then this last, most intense phase. When he returned, Anna was already fast asleep. With a sigh, he picked her up, took them both through the shower again, and hesitated before laying her on his bed.

Like most of the trainees, she was covered in bruises and scratches from her falls off the treadmill. He traced the outline of a bruise over her hip bone, but she didn’t stir. He lay down beside her and continued to stare at her. He’d get her through the next three days, and then the first phase of his interaction with her was complete.

Depending on what happened after that, he might never see her again. He’d regret that. Despite everything, he’d become fond of her. He was a complete fucking fool. Her chances of survival were incredibly low, and as a trainer, Rehz 54
knew that better than anyone. He reached out and picked up a lock of her fair hair. She should tie it up or get it cut short, but it was like touching the Mitan sun. He didn’t want her to cut it. He wanted to see it spread out on his pillow while he fucked her until she screamed and begged him never to stop.

Cursing himself for even imagining a future with a female who hated his guts and probably wouldn’t live, Rehz forced himself to close his eyes and go to sleep.

55

CHAPTER

FIVE
nna glanced around as she and the five males were Aherded down a long, dark passageway that led away from the training facility. The smell of sulfur and the warm steam billowing toward them made her feel like they were approaching the gates of hell. The tension in the air from the trainers had ratcheted up to a point where she just wanted to scream at them to stop right now, or hit someone, or . . .

Her mouth dried as they turned into a smaller room with a big screen on one rock wall and a dozen chairs. She sat where Kai indicated, and waited as everyone else filed in and Akran took the stage. The lights were dimmed.

“Tomorrow is Tribute Day on Mitan. Our citizens celebrate our colonization of this planet and give thanks for the prosperity of our world.” He glanced down at the lectern as a series of smiling images flashed on the screen behind his head. “Most of them have no idea that their safety and the continued well-being of all humanoid life forms on this planet are bought for them by a small group of people.” He lifted his gaze. “In this case, the six of you.”

There wasn’t a sound from anyone, although even in the darkness, Anna could see the confusion on her companions’

faces. They’d all been too well trained to speak out.

56

“Fifty years ago the government began to hear disturbing rumors that whole cities and towns in this remote region were disappearing overnight. Security personnel sent to investigate never returned. Eventually, the government sent their best troops and scientists to see what was causing the disruptions. It emerged that what had been considered a barren planet, ripe for colonization, was in fact home to a native species who were in a hibernation phase many miles underground.

“The heat from the cities and towns and the growth of the current population into this region stirred the original inhabitants from their deep slumber. Fearing they were under attack, the species began exterminating what they considered vermin on the surface of their world.”

Akran carried on reading from what was obviously a prepared script. “The original species, the Ungrich, have the necessary strength to obliterate us completely. Our armies threatened to use their weaponry to take out the core of the planet and blow it into a million pieces, but it soon became obvious that they didn’t have enough power. An agreement was finally reached. The Ungrich insisted that they were a peaceful race, and asked only that colonization in this area should stop and that they should be allowed to study our species in more detail. In return for the Mitan providing specimens for examination they promised not to destroy any more emerging colonies in other areas.”

“Specimens?” Anna whispered. “Oh, holy fuck, no.”

He continued speaking as if unaware of the dawning horror on his audience’s faces.

“Once a Mitan year, on Tribute Day, we honor that promise.” He shrugged. “We have no choice if we want 57
to survive. And for their part, the Ungrich have kept to themselves and destroyed no more of our colonies.”

Beside her, Trent made a stifled sound, but no one corrected him.

“The Ungrich are not humanoid. Their species has no equivalent in our world. Their appearance is . . . unusual.

They exist in an atmosphere that contains less oxygen than our own, which is why we base the training camp here at this altitude, to help you acclimate.” He slowly scanned their faces.

“If you accept what they wish to do to you, don’t struggle, and obey their commands, there is a high possibility that because of your training, you will remain intact and will be delivered back to this facility after approximately a week.”

“And if we don’t?” Trent spoke up.

“Then you might anger them. They don’t see us as equal to their species, and they don’t reason like we do. If you don’t perform as they expect, they will discard your results and remove you from their experiments.”

“You mean they’ll kill us.”

“Yes.”

Solly, one of the other males, shook his head. “This is fucking insane. So you’re saying that if we do what we’re told, just like you’ve trained us to do, we might survive?”

“Yes.” Akran nodded. “When you emerge from the Ungrich environment, you will be given every tool you need to move on from the experience.”

“And we’re no longer under sentence of death, right?”

Anna asked, although she had no idea what she was going to do if she did survive. Staying on Mitan wasn’t high in her future plans, but getting back to a planet no one here believed existed was going to be damned complicated.

58

“Exactly.” He bowed low to her. “Tonight your nation will honor you with a feast, and tomorrow we will offer you up as Tributes.”

The lights went up and Anna realized she had no inclination to move. How long was it since she’d been allowed to sit on a chair? She was so used to being on the floor that it felt weird. Akran came toward her, her leash swinging in his hand.

“Are you all right, Lee?”

She nodded. When he didn’t move away, she allowed her gaze to meet his and risked a comment.

“I’m not Mitan.”

“So you claim.”

“What if I’m not a suitable sacrifice?”

“We prefer to use the word Tribute.”

“I bet you do.” She took a deep, unsatisfying breath. “This sucks, you know that?”

“I do, Lee. I’ve been in your place.”

She stared at him for a long shocked moment. “And you survived?”

“Yeah.” There was a bleak look in his already hard eyes that made her wary.

“How many survived?”

“That particular year?” His smile held no joy. “Two. Me and Kai.”

“Out of how many?” She barely got the words out of her suddenly tight throat.

“Twelve.” He hesitated and then continued. “But we have refined our training methods since those days, and the success rate is far higher.”

“Oh, goody.”

59

One of his rare smiles lifted the corners of his mouth.

“That’s the spirit, Lee. Now come and enjoy the feast.”

She ate as much as she could, and drank as much kvas beer as she could get down her throat. If it was her last night, she was damn well going to enjoy it. Despite them all trying their best to be festive, there was a grim air of desperation and a sense of time slipping away. Knowing that all the trainers had survived the ordeal made it a little easier, but the ghosts of those who hadn’t—the hundreds of lost Tributes—whispered and cried within the tunnels, their fear and desperation so real Anna could taste it.

“You’re drunk, Lee.”

“So what?” She glanced up at Rehz Akran, who had come to lean against the wall next to her.

“It’s time for bed.”

“My last night alive.”

“Not necessarily. You might make it.”

“Wow, you inspire me with such hope. This sucks big time, Akran.”

He shrugged his powerful shoulders. “It is what it is. You can deal with it, or you can die.”

She sighed. “I’m torn between wanting to die just to spite you, and the lure of getting out alive and having the pleasure of kicking you in the nuts and stamping them into the ground while you cry like a little boy.”

He turned in on her, covering her with his large body, blocking her view of everything except him. “If you promise to do everything I told you and come out of this alive, I’ll fucking give you my left nut.”

She leaned back against the wall so that she could stare into his harsh face. “That’s one hell of an incentive.”

60

To her surprise, he reached forward and gently cupped her chin. “Don’t fucking die on me, Anna Lee.”

Bending his head, he kissed her mouth until she opened to him. With a groan, he picked her up and fitted her mound against the thick swell of his cock.

“Bed.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her back to his quarters. He sat down with her in his lap on the edge of the bed. She immediately stripped his T-shirt over his head, and took off her own.

He smiled up at her and set his teeth on one of her nipple rings, tugging gently. She gasped and bit his throat right over the coiled scars as he rocked against her.

“Undo my belt, take out my cock, and fuck me, Anna Lee,” he murmured. “Fuck me blind.”

Before he could latch on to her nipple ring again, she pushed him backward until he lay on the bed, and worked on his pants to expose his big, stiff cock. He wrapped one hand around his shaft and drew it away from his stomach.

“Fuck me.”

She considered him for a long moment, waiting to see if he’d grab her and order her to comply, but he did nothing but lie quietly and wait.

“And what if I don’t want to?”

“You do. You’ve been dying to ride me and to make me beg. Tonight’s your chance.”

“You have that slightly wrong.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “I’ve been dying to kill you.”

“So do it. Wrap those hands around my neck while you fuck me and steal my breath.”

There was something poignant in his gray gaze that made her swallow hard. She tried to shake off her sense that they 61
were connected far too intimately now to ever be free of each other.

“I’ve heard some guys get off on that asphyxiation shit.”

“Not me. Palk tried . . .” He stopped speaking and briefly closed his eyes. “Just fuck me, Anna. If this is our last time together, let’s do it right.”

God, it was cold . . .

Anna glanced over at the hollow faces of her fellow trainees and wished she hadn’t drunk so much on the previous night.

Although for the first time Akran had let her take the lead while they fucked, he’d still dictated the pace and frequency of their encounters, and she was sore. They’d all been checked over by the medical team, given another armful of shots—
including some to speed up normal healing—and pumped full of nutritional supplements. None of which was reassuring her about what was to come. The fear of not knowing—of not understanding what she had to face—was worse than anything.

The door behind them shut, leaving her staring at a huge, round metal entrance with a fifteen-meter diameter, lodged in the side of the black, mountainous rock.

“This is the portal to the world of the Ungrich. We will be here in a week to await your return.” Akran bowed his head.

“May the gods keep you safe.”

The remaining trainers went to stand by the closed door at the back, and only Akran approached the portal.

“Please advance to the metal plate in front of the door.”

He did something to the control panel, and lights flashed around the circumference of the door, followed by 62
the low hum of machinery as the platform began to rise and vibrate.

Anna held her breath as the door started to open, but it revealed nothing—only a gleaming pink, marbled space.

“Step into the room.”

Akran’s voice echoed through the enclosed cave as they all marched forward. Before Anna could even turn to take a last look behind her, the circular door closed, leaving the six of them alone. She immediately noticed the increased moisture in the air and breathed more slowly, forcing her body to adapt to the decrease in oxygen, and slowing down her anxiety.

Instead she focused on one of the walls, listening for the arrival of the Ungrich. Was there a light approaching from behind the wall? She squinted as the mottled texture of the surface seemed to undulate and expand.

“Trent, look out—”

The words had barely escaped her lips when the entire wall behind him moved and exploded into a tangled mass of webbing and protuberances. She tried to scream as something wet wrapped itself around her neck, pulling her back into the heated embrace of an entity that reminded her of nothing more than a pile of living, pulsating intestines.

Everyone was screaming now as they were drawn into the pink, writhing mass.

Another tentacle coiled around Anna’s throat and she fought back her panic. What had Rehz said? Let them do what they want, don’t fight them, don’t resist? But God, she felt like she was about to be suffocated in warm guts.

She screamed again as the probe tightened and a sharp pain under her ear brought the coppery tang of her own blood and the sense of something living pushing up inside her skull.

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It connected with her mind, and she forced herself to concentrate on the sensation.

“Female?”

She made herself relax into the heated mesh of the Ungrich’s mind, watched the other men do the same. All except Trent, who was fighting off the attempt of one of the probes to infiltrate his skull.

Anna wanted to call out to him, to remind him not to panic, but even as she tried to yell, another tentacle inserted itself into the cavity of her mouth, stifling all sound. She tried to remember to breathe through her nose, to fricking breathe.

“No!” Trent’s screams deepened, and he ripped at the probes, tearing into the fine webbing of the Ungrich’s flesh. Anna could only watch helplessly as more and more probes attached themselves to him, puncturing his skin in many places, filling his nostrils, his ears, his . . . God, he was disappearing as they writhed over and then within him, under his skin, lifting him higher and higher into the air until—

Anna closed her eyes as Trent’s body seemed to explode, and then found she didn’t have the strength to open them again as the Ungrich swallowed her whole.

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CHAPTER

SIX
hey should be out by now,” Rehz muttered as he paced

“Tthe platform outside the portal. “It’s been over a week.”

Kai’s expression looked as grim as Rehz felt. “I agree, but there’s not a fucking lot we can do about it, is there? The government has politely requested their release, and there’s nothing else we can do except threaten to bring in the troops.”

“Which would probably fuck things up entirely.” Rehz’s com bleeped and he read off the screen. “Government has been assured that the arrival of the Tributes at the portal is imminent.”

He walked over to the control panel. “Yeah, finally. Less than sixty seconds until we open that baby up.”

He was more nervous than he’d ever been before. All the trainers could sense it. His fear for Anna Lee was almost unbearable. He’d never forgive himself if she’d died in there, and if she’d survived, she’d never forgive him for what he’d had to put her through. It was a fucking mess.

But if she’d survived, he’d see her through the first few weeks. That was nonnegotiable, even if she did hate his guts. Trainers took care of their own, and she was still his responsibility.

The red lights around the portal flashed, and Rehz set the controls to automatically open the door to reveal the 65
pink-walled space within. He forced himself to wait as the doors finished opening. There was nothing there, but he knew from experience not to panic quite yet.

The far wall shimmered and two curled-up, almost human forms slid out onto the floor like babies being reborn. Rehz waited tensely as the probes and tentacles were retracted and then waited some more as the process was repeated.

“Five,” Kai breathed. “We got five out of fucking six.

That’s the best ever.”

“Okay, when the Ungrich retreat, let’s go in and get them out.”

The six of them started forward in a line, trying to identify their naked, slime-covered trainee, but willing to pick up whomever they reached first and carry them out beyond the portal.

Rehz held back, his gaze on the still-undulating walls as his fellow trainers each selected a body and scooped it up, bringing it out onto the steel platform.

“Clear.”

Rehz backed out too, ignoring the pressure in his head as the Ungrich communicated among themselves. Once you’d been in their space, it seemed you never forgot the sound of them, or they you.

“I’m sealing the portal.”

As soon as the doors shut, a crowd of medical personnel, one team for each body, converged on the platform.

Rehz caught a glimpse of blonde hair and went over to the third fetal form, his heart shaking as hard as his knees.

He came down beside Anna Lee, barely avoiding the trauma doctor who was hooking her up to a variety of instruments.

“She’s alive?”

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“Yes, but she’s weak. I’m giving her nutrition and energy and something to dampen the shock of return. Her heart is racing so hard; I don’t want her to go into cardiac arrest.”

“Good.”

Rehz touched her soaking wet hair with fingers that shook. “Keep her alive, okay?”

“We’ll do our best, Commander. If she survived the Ungrich, she’s a pretty tough female.”

Rehz stood up and looked over to see that Malke was standing to one side, his expression somber. He went across to the man, stepping over the various bodies and the controlled chaos of preparing them for transport to the top-secret military hospital where they could be monitored constantly.

“Trent didn’t make it.”

“I’m sorry, Malke.”

His friend’s face twisted. “He was a mouthy, opinionated bastard, but no one deserves to die like that.”

“When we’re able to debrief this group, we’ll find out exactly what happened. Every death helps us understand what we need to avoid when we select the Tributes.”

“I know that it works. It still sucks, though.”

“You did your best. We’ve all been there. You are not at fault.”

Malke patted his arm. “Thanks.”

Rehz stood guard until the five trainees had been loaded into the medical vehicles and taken away, followed by the rest of the trainers. He turned back to the portal to make sure everything was shut down and sent a last message through to the Mitan government and the Ungrich.

“Tributes received.”

There was nothing else to do but go to the hospital and wait.

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CHAPTER

SEVEN
nna opened her eyes and sniffed cautiously. She could Asmell javron—the Mitan equivalent of coffee—and something burning, which made her gut tighten. She slid her hand under the covers and placed it over her stomach, which was now free of drains, stitches, and belly ring. In fact, all the piercings had been removed, along with most of the new scars.

The room was dark, but she was already certain she wasn’t in the hospital. The sounds were muffled and the light outside her door wasn’t bright and pitiless.

Perhaps she’d been moved into the I’ve been with crazy aliens home . . .

She pulled the covers down and swung her legs over the side of the bed. No alarms went off, and no one appeared in the doorway to either calm her down or force her back to bed.

She wore some kind of soft T-shirt and shorts, and her hair was in two braids as if she were seven again.

God, she wished she were seven again . . .

She gulped in some more air, appreciating the oxygen, and made herself move to the door. It wasn’t locked, so she opened it and stared out into the hallway, which was short, with only four doors. To her left the hall took a sharp turn, leading toward more lights. There was also the sound of someone talking.

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Gathering her meager resources of courage, she went that way and came into an open-plan living room and kitchen.

There were large windows that faced out over a city, and the telescreen was on but the sound was muted. In the galley kitchen, a man dressed in black stood with his back to her, talking to someone on his com device.

As if suddenly aware that he wasn’t alone, he turned to look at her.

“I’ll speak to you later, Kai.”

Anna stared into the metal-gray eyes of Rehz Akran.

“You’re awake.” He nodded at her. “Good. Do you want something to eat? I was just about to get something.”

Wrapping her arms around herself, she took three unwilling steps toward him and stopped again.

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re not hungry? I would’ve thought that after all that hospital food, you would be gasping for a proper meal.”

A whisper of memory—of a tentacle shoved down her throat—made her swallow and bring her hand to her mouth.

His gaze narrowed. “It’s okay. If you’re not ready, you can continue with the nutrition shakes. There are plenty in the refrigerator.” He pointed at the silver box in the corner of the kitchen. “Help yourself.”

She turned away from him and stumbled toward the sanctuary of her bedroom. Maybe if she went to sleep again, she’d wake up in another version of reality. She didn’t like this one at all.

“Anna,” he called after her. “Lee.”

She stopped walking, her breathing ragged, but she couldn’t turn around.

“I’ll be here when you want to talk, okay?”

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Shaking her head, she retreated. The bedroom door had a lock on it, so she used it and fell into bed, pulling the covers over her head. It took her about an hour to stop shaking, as her unwilling brain tried to make sense of things she didn’t want to remember or deal with right now.

Which was pretty much everything . . .

Rehz kept a wary eye on Anna Lee as she moved carefully around the apartment. Another week had gone by and she still hadn’t said a word to him. He got the impression that her short-term memory had finally recovered, though she only ventured out at night to grab a nutrition shake and disappear back into her room. According to the hospital and the psychiatrists, she hadn’t spoken to anyone since she’d come out of Ungrich space. He had no intention of pursuing her into her room. She had to have a bolt-hole. Hell, they all did.

He gave her another covert glance. There was still some livid scarring around her neck and shoulders, but that would fade.

She sidled up to the kitchen, and for the first time he didn’t move completely out of her way. If she wanted to get to the fridge, she’d have to walk right by him. He carried on putting away his plates and mugs and then set about making a sandwich.

“How long are you going to keep this up, Lee?” he asked.

“The not-talking thing. I know you can speak. There’s nothing physically wrong with your vocal cords.”

He hadn’t been able to speak when they’d brought him out either, his voice dried up from screaming so hard and so long . . . but she should’ve gotten over that now. He couldn’t allow her to lapse into the silence of madness.

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“I’m sure there are plenty of things you’d like to say to me.”

She darted past him, her back straight, and went to the refrigerator.

“Or maybe you’d rather just grab one of these kitchen knives and stab me through the heart.”

The fridge door slammed as she stared at him, the nutrition box clutched to her chest. He only just managed to duck when she threw it at him and then started in on his crockery, screaming and crying as she smashed everything he had out on the countertop. By the time she’d finished, he had two cuts on his face from flying shards of china, and was surrounded by a sea of broken glass.

“I hate you,” she whispered. “I bloody hate you.”

He smiled into her eyes. “Good. Now you’re talking. Tell me more.”

She shoved past him and hopped over the countertop to avoid the debris. After watching her for another few seconds to see if she’d start flinging anything else, Rehz reached under the sink for the trash can and a dustpan and brush and started cleaning up. He’d have to get new stuff, but by his reckoning this one was on the government. At least he’d gotten a reaction out of her and survived.

She stayed by the window, her arms wrapped around herself, her shoulders hunched. Rehz shoveled all the debris into the trash and surveyed what was left. Pulling his two remaining mugs down off the shelf, he started a fresh pot of javron. After it brewed, he took both cups over to the window and put one down on the low table beside her.

“Why am I here?”

With a strange sense of relief, he sank into one of the chairs and sipped his drink. Her voice was tiny, but at least she was using it.

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“With me?”

She nodded, her back still turned to him.

“Standard procedure. When a trainee is physically cleared by the hospital, he or she becomes the responsibility of his or her trainer until ready to face civilian life again.”

“I . . . want to leave.”

He sighed. “I can’t let you do that, Anna Lee. You aren’t ready.”

“So I’m a prisoner.”

“You’re no longer under sentence of death, and you can’t be incarcerated again for the offense for which you’ve been pardoned.”

She turned toward him and sat in the other chair as if her legs had just folded under her. She reached for her mug of javron. His fingers twitched as he resisted the urge to hand it to her himself. After a few sips and a shudder, she got up, nodded at him, and walked out again.

Rehz let out his breath and stared up at the ceiling. Okay, it wasn’t much, but at least she’d recognized his presence and asked a few questions. It was a start. The scientists and the military interrogators could go fuck themselves until she was ready to talk to them. He wasn’t going to push her any further or any faster than she wanted to go.

Anna jerked awake, her heart thudding, as she heard voices in the apartment. She’d stopped taking most of the pills they’d given her at the hospital because they made her feel too detached. She was afraid of the nightmares that lurked in her mind, but more afraid of becoming some kind of passive doll that Rehz Akran could maneuver to do what he wanted.

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Although he hadn’t done anything except look after her basic needs and leave her alone.

She wasn’t stupid. He’d want more. She just had to figure out what it was, but she was so damn tired. Hot tears dripped down her cheeks and she brushed them away with her hand.

She hated this; she hated feeling so vulnerable and female and emotional.

After blowing her nose, she pushed the covers back and made for the door. If someone else was there in the apartment, maybe she could plead with them to let her leave so that she never had to face Akran again.

She paused at the corner of the living quarters, her water glass clutched in her hand. Akran was pacing back and forth on the rug, talking on his com. His expression was hard.

“Negative. She is not ready.” He paced some more.

“Negative. I don’t care who the greez is waiting for what. I’ll say when she is ready. Over and out.”

He slammed his com shut and turned abruptly around, stopping when he saw her instant flinch away from him.

“Didn’t know you were up. Sorry for the shouting, but high command are fucking idiots sometimes.”

“What do they want from me?”

He ran a hand through his short black hair. “To debrief you about your experience with the Ungrich.”

She started to tremble, and a fist lodged somewhere in her throat, expanding with every painful breath she tried to take.

“Hey.” He held up both hands, palms out. “I told them you weren’t ready.” His expression changed. “Lee? It’s okay.”

She shook her head and took a step backward, colliding with one of the low tables and dropping her glass. It smashed into a million pieces, and she jerked her head away as pinpricks of pain splattered her cheek. The smell of blood 73
swirled around her nostrils, and she clamped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming and ran to the nearest bathroom.

He found her a minute later, bent over the toilet, retching.

When she stopped, he picked her up and sat her on the bathroom chair.

“Stay there.”

With deft, gentle touches, he wiped away all her blood and tended to her cuts, spraying them with something that closed them up immediately.

“Trent,” she whispered. “He wouldn’t stop fighting them.

They got all over him and inside him and he was ripping at them and screaming and . . .” She gulped down a fresh wave of nausea. “And then they lifted him up and ripped him apart from the inside. We were all covered in his blood, like a rainstorm.”

He handed her a damp towel and sat back on his heels, neither touching her nor commenting on what she’d just said.

She dabbed at her clammy face.

She met his opaque gaze. “You said don’t fight them, let them do what they want, just like you trained me, but it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. But when Trent exploded . . . we all stopped fighting and I gave in.”

He nodded. “You did the right thing.”

“Did I?”

“You’re alive.”

“I’m not sure if I am. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to function properly again.”

“You will.”

She was too tired to glare at him. “How do you know?”

“Because I did.”

“You’re not like me.”

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“I’m exactly like you. We’re survivors.”

A tear dripped down her face and ended up on her knee.

“I should have helped him.”

“Trent panicked. It’s not your fault.”

“I tried to yell at him, but they filled up my throat and I couldn’t . . .” She swallowed hard. “No one could help him.”

“Exactly.” He rose to his feet. “Do you want to go back to bed or hang out with me and watch some screen?”

“Hang out with you?”

He raised an eyebrow. “I’m all you’ve got at the moment.”

Without waiting to see what she decided, he walked out. Moments later she heard the sound of the telescreen murmuring.

Could she go and sit with him and pretend everything was okay? She fumbled her way out of the bathroom and was brought up short by the sight of Rehz stretched out on the couch, watching some kind of sporting event. The hint of normality made her chest hurt.

Avoiding his line of sight, she crept over to the other couch and curled up in the corner, as far away from him as she could get. A second later she jumped as he tossed a cushion and a soft throw cover at her.

“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll get dinner after this inning is over.”

It was surreal, it was frightening, and yet what else was she to do? Go back to bed and stare at the wall until she went mad wondering if it really was a wall or an alien being she still couldn’t comprehend? Better to listen to another person breathing and pretend to watch a Mitan ball game . . .

After a while, her eyes began to close and she allowed herself to sleep, the noise of the game and Rehz’s disgusted 75
comments about his team’s performance fading into the nothingness.

A few days later, while she thought Rehz was still sleeping, she took a more comprehensive tour around the apartment.

Apart from the kitchen and open-plan living room, there wasn’t much to it. Two bedrooms, two baths, and a laundry room, which didn’t look like it had ever been used. The front door was locked and she couldn’t work out how to disarm it.

The wide windows in the living room looked down over a city she didn’t recognize.

“Good morning, Lee.”

Keeping her palms pressed to the glass, she looked over her shoulder to see Rehz watching her. He’d just come out of the shower and his hair was wet, his only garment a white towel hanging off his hips. The faint traces of his tentacle scars wound around his torso and finished at his throat, just like hers did. She might hate his guts, but he had been through the same horrors she had.

“How long have I been here?”

“About forty days.”

She blinked at that but didn’t say anything. Time had run away from her along with everything else.

“It’s a long way down.”

He paused, his gaze watchful. “Yeah. The windows are locked shut for that reason.”

“I wasn’t thinking of jumping.”

“That’s a step in the right direction.” He rubbed a hand over his wet hair and reached for the towel around his hips, before seeming to think better of it and grabbing another one 76
from the kitchen. “Twenty days ago I was worried you might prefer that route.”

She turned to face him. “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“The others. There were five of us, and now there are four.”

“You can sense them in your head?”

She nodded.

He dropped the now-wet dish towel to the floor. “Solly didn’t make it.”

“He came out. He was in the hospital.”

“He couldn’t get his head around it.”

“He’s dead, isn’t he?”

“Yeah I’m sorry.”

She wiped away her tears. “I’m so tired of crying. I hate it.”

“If it’s any help, I’m tired of watching you cry.”

“That’s because you are a complete bastard,” she hissed.

“Yeah, I am.” He held up his hands. “Are you going to throw stuff at me again?”

“No, I’m going to find a gun and shoot you.”

He nodded. “Good to know.”

“When I get out of here—because I will get out of here—I’ll hunt you down and make you beg for your life, and then I’ll still shoot you.” Her voice was shaking now.

“I get it.”

“I hate you, Rehz Akran.”

He swung around so fast she flinched.

“Why? Because I forced you to learn how to survive the Ungrich? Forced you to be at your peak of physical fitness, and used to being stuffed full of cock or tentacles or probes or whatever the Ungrich used on you?”

“You didn’t tell me the truth!” she yelled. “You let me go in there not knowing what they were, what—”

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He held up his hand. “Yeah, like you would’ve gone in if you’d known. How was I supposed to explain the unexplainable? To make sense of an alien life-form that doesn’t understand a single thing about our society except using us as a research tool? And fuck it, part of the treaty is that we can’t tell you. They like us coming in there scared. They get off on that mindfuck! You know that now! I gave you the skills you needed to survive. That’s all I could fucking do.”

“Oh, I suppose you expect me to be grateful, do you?” she sneered.

“I don’t know, Lee. I took you out of prison, gave you a chance, and now you’re fucking alive and free. You don’t think that deserves any thanks?”

She turned away and went back to bed, pulling the covers over her head. She wished she could stop his words revolving in her head. How fucking dare he be offended about anything?

He’d lied and schemed and fucked her half to death.

He’d . . .

Saved her life.

But . . .

He’d saved her life. She might not like his methods, but he’d definitely helped her survive.

“Oh hell.” Anna punched the mattress and screamed into it long and hard. She had to get away from him. All she had to do was convince him she was ready to face her debriefing and she’d be free.

To do what?

Reaching outside her blankets, she found her sleeping pills, took one, and forced herself not to think until the medicine did its job and delivered her into unconsciousness.

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CHAPTER

EIGHT
f you want to interview her so badly, you can come here

“Iand do it,” Rehz snapped. “That’s it. She’s still in my damn care, and I say she’s not ready for a full-on fun time at military HQ.”

He shut off the comlink and stared out over the city.

Maybe it was time for him to realize that she might never be goddamn ready, that she’d never come out of her goddamn bed again. He banged his forehead against the cold glass of the window. He’d pushed her too hard. Now he was going to have to let the shrinks and the docs and the military take a closer look at her.

With a sigh, he went over to her closed door and knocked on it hard. “Lee? Incoming in half an hour. If you don’t want them dragging you out of bed screaming, I suggest you get up, get dressed, and come out here.”

Silence.

What had he expected? He went back to the kitchen, brewed some more javron. He was fucking mainlining the stuff these days just to stop himself from picking up Anna Lee and shaking some sense into her, and then fucking her stupid until she finally gave up and . . .

And what?

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Agreed to stay with him? The man she hated?

The slam of the bathroom door made him swing around.

Anna was heading for the kitchen, her fair hair braided down her back and her face expressionless.

He nodded at her and got out of her way. Watched as she helped herself to javron and a protein shake and then ate a tiny slice of bread that she chewed determinedly for far longer than necessary. He knew how hard it was to get anything down without throwing up after those tentacles had been there.

The doorbell buzzed and he went to let the interrogators in. Three of them nodded and smiled as they went past him; the fourth . . .

Greez . . .

“General Palk.”

His trainer raised an eyebrow. “Akran. How’s your precious protégée?”

Rehz barely managed to step out of the way and let the male into his apartment.

Anna Lee still sat at the breakfast bar, her expression unmoved as the government scientist started setting up his equipment.

Palk sauntered over to her. “Lee, my felicitations on surviving. I’m impressed.”

“Why are you here?” Her voice was still husky.

“I’m the head of the whole Tribute project. Didn’t Akran tell you?”

“Why would he?”

His smile widened. “Nice comeback, Lee. Now I’m going to let the others get on with their work while I speak to Akran privately. Then I’ll come back to talk to you.”

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Rehz crossed his arms over his chest. “There’s nothing you need to say to me, Palk. I’m staying here to oversee your people.”

“I don’t really want to speak to you, Akran. I was just being polite for the benefit of my inferiors.”

Rehz held his gaze. “I’m no longer one of them.”

“One of what?”

“Your inferiors. Lee was my last trainee, my ticket out of the service.”

Palk blinked. “Whatever gave you the idea that you could get out of anything?”

“Shall we discuss this later?” Rehz nodded at Anna.

“I want this to be over for her as soon as possible.”

Anna forced herself not to panic as she answered yet another detailed question about her time with the Ungrich.

There wasn’t much she could tell them, after all. The whole seven or eight days she’d been there were still blank. She was no longer sure if it was because her mind simply couldn’t deal with the experience, or they had wiped her memories.

Strangely enough, with Akran sitting beside her, holding her hand, deflecting some of the questions and allowing others, she felt a lot calmer. She couldn’t quite believe how he’d stood up to Palk either. She got the sense that it didn’t happen to that cold, vicious thug very often.

But then Akran would probably argue that Palk had saved him, so he owed him something. Mitan was a strange, mixed-up world, and she hated everything about it.

“Did they deal with you any differently than with the males, Lee?”

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“I’m not sure. I didn’t really see much of anyone after the first few seconds.”

The female scientist sat forward. “Interesting. The males saw glimpses of each other occasionally. I wonder if you were kept in a different area.”

“I can’t say. It’s not like it was a set of rooms or anything.

It was . . . it was like floating through chicken noodle soup.”

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

“There were no structures that were recognizable to my eye. I was just absorbed into the Ungrich and I existed.”

“Did you gain a sense of any of them as individuals?”

“There were definitely different personalities within the whole, but I’m not sure where one ended and another began.

There was one—” She swallowed down bile. “One primary voice communicating with me.”

“Male or female?”

“I don’t think they use those distinctions, although that’s the first thing any of them communicated with me.”

“What exactly did they say?”

“Female.”

The psychiatrist took over the questioning, and Anna concentrated on trying to appear like a balanced, normal individual who hadn’t been subjected to a week of alien testing. Although technically she supposed she was the alien.

The Ungrich were the original inhabitants of the planet.

“When will I be considered ready to return to civilization?”

She realized she sounded abrupt, but she’d given them everything she had.

The psychiatrist glanced at his colleagues and then at Palk. “When everyone involved in your care agrees that you are stable enough to manage on your own.”

“So, like now, you mean?”

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“I don’t think you’re quite ready, Anna.” The doctor smiled sympathetically at her. “Physically you need to regain your strength and mentally . . .” She sighed. “You still seem quite fragile.”

“When I am ready, can I go back home?”

“And which region would that be?”

Palk laughed. “She means her mythical planet Earth.”

She refused to look at him, focusing on the doctor instead.

“It is not mythical and it is my home planet.”

“I’m sorry. We cannot process such a request. When you are considered rehabilitated, we will offer you accommodation and employment in any Mitan region you want and a substantial lifelong pension from your grateful government.”

“I see.” She nodded. “Thanks.”

The physician rose and smiled at her. “We’ll need to see you again in thirty days. Do you think you will be well enough to come to the hospital by then?”

“I’m sure I will be.” Anna didn’t get up. She was more exhausted than she’d anticipated, and she had a sense that until Palk left, things weren’t going to get better.

Of course he didn’t fucking leave with the others. She’d guessed right.

Rehz returned from seeing his visitors out and glared at Palk. “You’ll miss your ride, sir.”

“Oh, I miss him all right.” Palk stood up. “Strip and get down on your knees, Akran.”

“I told you, I’m done with that. Now get out, or I will report you to your superiors for unbecoming conduct, sir.”

“I have no superiors!” Palk snapped. “Obey my order.” 83

Rehz took two hasty steps until he was right in Palk’s face.

“Fuck off.”

“What’s wrong, Akran? Are you scared that your little trainee won’t think you’re man enough to fuck her once she’s seen you on your knees servicing me?”

“This has got nothing to do with her.”

Palk swung around to where Anna Lee had risen to her feet. “It has everything to do with her. You’ve gone soft, Akran. Do you really think she’ll want you?”

“Leave him alone.”

Rehz jerked his head around in disbelief as Anna faced down Palk.

Palk chuckled. “Well, damn, the little female’s protecting you now? What did you do? Fuck her senseless again?”

“He hasn’t touched me.”

“Really? What a mistake.” Palk reached out and grabbed Anna by the hair. “You obviously need a firmer hand.”

As she screamed, Rehz wrapped one hand around his trainer’s throat.

“Let her go.”

“She needs fucking, Akran. If you’re not the man to do it, I will.”

“You hurt one hair on her head and I’ll eviscerate you.”

Rehz tightened his fingers around Palk’s throat. “Now let go of her.”

With a strangled gasp, Palk released his grip, and Anna fell to the floor.

“It’s almost funny, Akran, you developing a crush on a female and she’s preprogrammed to hate your fucking guts.

It’s pathetic.”

Without waiting to see if Anna was okay, Rehz kept moving, dragging a resisting Palk to the front door and throwing him out like the garbage he was.

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“Afternoon, sir.”

He slammed the door, activated the alarm system, and took a few deep-gulping breaths before he allowed himself to go back inside to Anna. He knew he’d have to deal with Palk on an official level at some point, but he’d be damned if he’d put up with the male getting in his personal space anymore.

Anna was still hunched up on the floor, her knees to her chest. He knelt beside her.

“Are you okay, Lee?”

She nodded.

He stared at her, and flexed his fingers as he fought the need to drag her onto his lap and make sure she never wanted to leave him again.

Pathetic . . .

Yeah. Palk was right about that.

“I’m going down to the gym. Come and find me if you need anything.”

He unlocked the door that led down to the lower level of the apartment and deliberately left it ajar. If she wanted him, she’d come after him. If she wanted to cry and go back to bed, he’d let her do that too. After Palk’s insinuations, he didn’t really want to face her anyway.

Anna waited until she stopped shaking and lifted her head. There was no sound in the whole apartment other than her ragged breathing. Why the hell had she defended Akran?

She didn’t owe him anything.

But he’d saved her from Palk, thrown him out, and then walked away from her as though nothing much had happened.

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What would become of him if Palk reported his assault? If he was taken away, what would happen to her?

She shot to her feet and found herself staring at the half-open door she’d assumed was just a closet. He’d gone down there. He’d told her to come and find him if she needed anything.

Listening at the door, she heard a set of rhythmic bangs and crashes start, and slowly forced herself to move down the stairs. There was no natural light down on this level, which scared the crap out of her, but there was light. She reached the bottom of the stairs and sank onto the last one.

Akran was stripped to the waist and pumping iron with a ferocity that terrified her. Sweat gleamed on his skin as he forced the bar up and over his head, his chest straining and his breathing as harsh as her own. When the machine beeped, he moved to a punching bag and laid into it like it was a real person.

Anna let out her breath. “Will Palk come after you for what you did?”

He froze and then slowly turned toward her.

“I don’t know.”

“You’ve never threatened to kill him before?”

“I’ve tried to kill him several times. But he always had the power.” He tapped the swinging leather bag with one mighty fist and sent it swinging away from him. “Now he doesn’t.”

“Are you sure about that?”

He shrugged. “I’m not on my knees sucking cock and being whipped, am I?”

“When you came out from Ungrich space, was he waiting for you?”

He slowly wiped a hand over his mouth. “Yeah, he was.”

“God. How long did he give you to recover?”

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“About three days.”

“Before he did what?” She had a terrible sense she knew what he was going to say. Part of her didn’t want to hear it because she didn’t want to have any sympathy for him at all, but the rest of her needed to understand that he had suffered too.

“Before he made me fight him and then he fucked me raw until I bled. All my nightmares rolled into reality. I thought I was going to crack up, but I didn’t.” His voice was curiously flat. “The second time he didn’t even need to fight me. I just gave it up.”

“What do you mean, the second time?”

“One year, none of our potential trainees graduated into stage two.” He shrugged. “There was some kind of virus that took them all out. Someone had to go as Tribute. Kai and I volunteered.”

She covered her mouth. “Oh my God.”

“I survived that, and Palk.” He turned away, found a towel hanging on the bars, and used it to wipe himself down. “I’ll survive you too.” He nodded. “I’m going to take a shower.”

She rose to her feet. “I’ll start dinner.”

He stared at her as though she’d announced she was having sextuplets.

“You’ll cook?”

“Sure. It’s the least I can do. You saved me from Palk.”

She went back up the stairs, tears streaming down her face. And for the first time in a long while, they weren’t even for her.

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Hours later, after they’d eaten in near silence and watched some kind of sport on the screen, she’d pleaded exhaustion and gone to bed. But she couldn’t sleep. All she could think of was Akran’s matter-of-fact explanation about surviving the Ungrich twice, and then having Palk fuck with him both mentally and physically.

Sure, she’d hated him for what he put her through, but she’d never sensed his actions were personal, just that he was doing his job. That had terrified and infuriated her at the time, that detachment—but she got it now. She could even almost understand it.

He was a survivor.

Like her.

Grabbing her robe, she put it on and made her way back into the living area. His bedroom was on the other side of the space and occupied the prime position, with a view out over the city. She’d peeped in there one day when he was in the shower, but there was little to see. The furnishings were as dull as those in her room, with no sense of his personality at all.

She opened his door very carefully, but knew almost at once that he wasn’t there. Holding her breath, she turned around and padded across to the kitchen. A light shone under the door that led down to the gym, so she followed her instincts and tiptoed down the stairs.

“Lee.” He was sitting on one of the workout benches, head bowed and muscles gleaming with exertion, his expression careful. “You having nightmares?”

She shook her head and took off her dressing gown, which left her in just her panties. It felt strange being naked in front of him now, almost as if it were their first time. He straightened as she approached him, a muscle flexing in his jaw and his hands fisting at his sides.

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“What do you want, Lee?”

“Maybe Palk was right about something.”

“That I didn’t want you to see him fucking me? Damn straight.”

“That wasn’t what I meant.” She cupped his chin and he flinched. “Maybe you should’ve done what he did.”

His hand came up and gently grasped her wrist. “Don’t play these games. Don’t fuck with me.”

She smiled into his wary eyes. “Well, if you won’t fuck with me, will you fight me?”

“Lee—”

“I need to feel something. I need something apart from the crazy world in my head full of . . . them.”

He nodded once and rose to his feet. She followed him to the mat in the corner.

He held up his hands. “Fight me, then.”

She was shaking so hard she wanted to scream. Instead she drew back her fist and punched him hard in the chest.

He rocked back on the balls of his feet, but he didn’t budge an inch. With an incoherent scream of rage she ran at him, climbed him, and started hitting any bit of him she could reach, scratching and biting. She yelled until her throat was raw with it.

He stood as implacable as a rock. “This isn’t fighting, Lee.

It’s girlie slapping. You know better than that.”

She screamed again. Her knee almost connected with his balls and he took a hasty step back and tripped, sending them both down onto the mat, her on top of him.

“Fight me!” she yelled into his face.

“I don’t want to hurt you anymore.”

She drew back her arm and slapped him. Shock exploded in his metal-gray eyes, but he still didn’t retaliate. A red mark 89
bloomed on his cheek as she straddled him and felt the kick of his cock against her panties.

“Fill me then.” She moaned and rocked against him.

“Make me forget what they did to me.”

His hands fell to his sides on the mat. “Lee, you’re not thinking straight.”

“I know that!” She snarled in his face and he visibly flinched. “I haven’t had a normal thought since I ended up on this godforsaken planet.” She shivered. “You owe me. Give me that big thick cock of yours. Fill me up.”

He licked his lips. “If you want it, Lee, you know where it is. Go ahead.”

Without even allowing herself to think it through, she rose on her knees and dragged down his shorts to expose his hard, wet cock. The familiar scent of him tantalized her nostrils. He lifted his hips so that she could complete her task and uncover that fine ass of his too.

Although he was making no effort to run away, she scrambled to remove her panties. He lay on the mat, his arms at his sides, his hands clenched into fists, and his cock bare to her needy cunt.

He swallowed hard as she grasped the base of his shaft and rubbed the wet crown against her clit.

“Are you . . . okay to take me?”

She eased him in a scant centimeter. “No.”

“Then let me—”

“No. I want to feel you, not them.”

An image of slick tentacles and protrusions flashed inside her mind, and she instantly banished it. Akran’s cock was wet, but she wasn’t. She’d have to work to take every bit of him, and that was just how she wanted it.

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And God, he let her, lying quietly beneath her as she took her time easing him inside her tight, reluctant pussy. He kept his hands on the ground; only the occasional tremor ran through his muscled frame as she rocked against him in an agony of slow possession that made everything feel real and raw for the first time in weeks.

“Oh, damn,” she whispered as she finally claimed all of him. “That’s just what I wanted.” She opened her eyes and stared down at him. “Will you help me?”

His agreement was instantaneous, but contained within a small nod.

“Play with my breasts, but do it hard. Pinch me, but don’t . . . lick or suck or . . .”

“I get it.”

His big hands rose to cup her breasts, his thumb and forefinger tightening on her nipples and twisting them.

With a groan, she started to move on him, one finger rubbing her clit as hard as she could take it. Akran started tugging at her nipples in time to her strokes over his cock and soon the pleasure and the pain bonded together and she had to shut her eyes to take it all in—to force the new memories in over the old—to make sense of the unexplainable.

Her climax caught her unawares, raging through her clit and clamping her pussy around Akran’s shaft until she was writhing over him, her fingernails buried in his shoulder as she gasped in pleasure.

Rehz held himself still under her, his hips coming off the floor as she gripped his cock so hard that he wanted to yelp with the force of it. He let her use him as she wanted, 91
riding him until she started to cry and collapsed over him. He wanted to roar out his pleasure, roll her onto her back and kiss her until she let him fuck her again, her heels digging into his ass, urging him on . . . but he wouldn’t. He’d take what she’d offered and not an inch more.

With a sigh, he eased out of her and gathered her close, her head on his shoulder as she cried and shook. Greez, he had to swallow hard to stop bawling himself. He wanted to keep her safe from everything . . .

Eventually, she kissed his throat. “Thank you.”

“For not fighting you?”

She sighed. “I’m sorry I slapped you.”

“I probably deserved it.”

Her hand slid down over his hip, and he tried to turn away from her questing fingers.

“You’re still hard.”

“I’ll fix that when you go and shower.” He kept his voice low and soothing. “Or I’ll wait, if you want to fuck me again.”

She rose over him, her fair hair a tangled mess and her face blotchy from all the crying. Her nipples were hard buds from where he’d . . .

“Why didn’t you come?”

“You said you wanted cock.” He shrugged. “I gave you cock. If you want more, I’ll give you that too. Palk made sure I can stay hard all night.”

“I’m not Palk.”

“Yeah. I get that. I’m not bleeding.”

At the mention of blood, she swallowed hard and he wanted to kick himself. Instead, he put his hands around her waist and lifted her away from him and onto the mat.

“Akran . . .”

“If you’re done with me, I’ve got to finish my workout.” 92

He rose to his feet and, with some difficulty, pulled up his shorts over the hard pulse of his cock. He smelled like her now. He’d have no problem making himself come after she left.

Fixing his attention on the abs machine, he placed his hands on the bars and started moving. She’d go soon. She’d gotten what she’d wanted.

Eventually she stomped back up the stairs. He wasn’t sure how she made so much noise in bare feet, but she managed it.

The moment he heard the faint sound of her bedroom door slamming, he stopped and sank onto the bench beside the machine.

She’d left her panties on the mat.

Hating himself, he reached over and picked them up, bringing them to his nose to inhale her scent.

Palk was right. He was a weak fool.

With a soft sound, he shoved down his shorts, wrapped her panties around his cock, and forced himself to a hard, deeply unsatisfying climax.

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CHAPTER

NINE
eah, that’s . . . good, Lee.”

“YAnna squeezed her internal muscles tightly around Akran’s cock, enjoying the tension on his face and the change in his breathing. Since that first night when she demanded his cock, she’d come down to see him work out almost every night, and had extended his exercise routine to include fucking her.

She was straddling his lap now as he sat on the edge of the workbench, his hands gripping the underside of the metal frame as he strained to keep still beneath her. His heart was thumping and his skin was covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

She pinched his nipple hard and he jumped.

“Will you use your mouth on my breasts?”

He went still and then slowly looked up at her. “If you’re sure.”“I . . . want to try it.”

He dipped his head again and she sighed as his tongue flicked over her nipple. With him deep inside her, reminding her that there was nothing soft about him at all, she could deal with this.

“God,” she breathed out as he latched on to her nipple, making her rock her hips against him, the angle of his cock 94
more extreme so that she climaxed again. She fell forward and set her teeth on his shoulder as the pleasure thundered through her.

After a long while she remembered how to breathe and eased her teeth out of his skin, rubbing remorsefully at the bite marks.

“Are you done, Lee?”

She closed her eyes again, aware that he was still hard inside her and would remain so until she left. It was infuriating.

She’d tried every filthy, slutty trick she knew, but he wouldn’t climax.

She sat up and looked at him.

“Why won’t you come in me?”

“You asked for cock.”

“But it’s your cock that comes.”

“And then I’m soft inside you and you’re full of come and that’s going to remind you of things you’d rather not think about.” He lifted her off his lap and stood up. “You’re due at the military hospital tomorrow. I suggest you get some sleep.”

She watched in disbelief as he nodded, grabbed his towel, and started up the stairs. Didn’t he want to come inside her?

He’d had no problem fucking her repeatedly during training and leaving her so wet that his come was dripping out of her for days. Damn it, was she actually getting nostalgic about training?

She found her robe and put it on. The pipes were gurgling, so he was probably in the shower getting himself off and thinking of . . . what? Of Palk? And why did she care anyway?

He was just completing his assignment by offering her his nonemotional, noninvolved, always-hard cock.

So why was she pissed, and why was she always the one who had to go after him and shout about stuff? She went up 95
the stairs, paused in the kitchen, and then went right through into his bedroom without knocking. The light was on in the bathroom. He was just emerging through the door, with only a towel around his hips.

She glared at him. “Why do I have to chase you down all the time?”

He went still.

“Why, Akran?”

“Because I did that to you for months and I’m not inclined to do it again.”

“It was part of your job.”

“Yes.”

“And I’m still your responsibility until I’m considered sane enough to go out on my own.”

He nodded, his gray eyes guarded. “That’s true.”

“And that’s it?”

“What else could it be?”

“I don’t know, Akran, because you won’t allow it to be anything else.”

“I’ve given you everything you’ve asked for.”

“Your cock.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m not bloody Palk!”

“We’ve already established that.”

She shook her head. “That’s what you think, though, isn’t it? Deep down. That I’m like him—that all I could ever want from you is physical gratification.”

He shrugged. “That’s all I have to give you, Lee.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.” Her hands balled into fists. “You’re—”

“I’m what?” He took three steps closer, which brought him right in her face. “Why would you care what I’m like, 96

Lee? I fucked you and fought you and made you face an alien race that terrifies the greez out of anyone who comes in contact with them. I did that to you! I fucking nearly killed you!”

She touched his cheek and he flinched away from her.

“Don’t fucking touch me. I’m still that man. If it were up to me, I’d keep you naked and collared and on your fucking knees servicing me for the rest of your days. And God help anyone who tried to take you away from me, I’d fucking rip them apart just like the Ungrich.”

He was breathing hard, his gray eyes narrowed. “Yeah, don’t look so shocked. That’s the kind of guy I am, Anna Lee, so don’t make me out to be a hero.” He turned away from her.

“Now get out and go back to bed. I’ll be ready to take you to the hospital at eight hundred hours.”

She barely waited to be told, but ran back to the safety of her bedroom before he could see her tears.

The next morning he was waiting for her, dressed in his usual black uniform, his expression unreadable as he checked and primed his weapons. She forced down a cup of javron, put on the heavy sweatshirt he offered her, and followed him over to the front door. He turned off the security system right in front of her so that she could read the codes, and waited as the door unlocked.

“After you, Lee.”

Anna took a step toward the brightness and then hesitated long enough for Akran to walk right into her. His hand curved over her elbow.

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“It’s okay. We’re going to walk to the transport system and pick up a military vehicle to the hospital there.”

“They couldn’t pick us up here?” God, was that her squeaky voice?

“I thought you might like to take a look at the city.”

“Why?”

His voice was patient. “Because you might want to live here one day.”

“Next door to you, right? How sweet.”

He let go of her arm. “We’re going to take the elevator to the street level.”

She allowed him to walk slightly ahead of her, unwilling to share how afraid she was and how angry and ashamed that fear made her. Everything except Akran felt like a threat. The most innocuous objects they passed could hide anything . . .

“Lee, are you doing okay?”

She looked up to find that he was waiting for her about ten meters down the hallway and that she had stopped to stare at an abstract pink painting on the wall.

“Sorry, just admiring the artwork.”

He shot a guarded look at her as they waited in front of the elevator. “It was pink, Lee, and that wasn’t admiration I saw in your eyes. It was pure terror.”

She opened her mouth to make him shut up, but he held up his hand.

“Look, it’s going to be hard enough for you to get through today without us fighting. Shall we call a truce? If you feel bad or worried or anything spooks you out, tell me, okay? I don’t want you jumping off the roof here.”

“Is that what Solly did?”

The elevator dinged. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

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“No.” She hunched her shoulder at him. “And yes, I’ll tell you if I’m freaking out.”

“Thank you.” The doors opened and he ushered her inside. “Now hold my hand, and don’t lose your greez when the doors close.”

The city was huge and totally overwhelming. Anna was worn out before they even reached the hospital. It seemed that every single thing she feared featured on Akran’s innocent walk and ride to the hospital. Small spaces, tunnels, the press of the crowds . . .

She glanced up at his face, which had gone back into his usual austere military mode. He’d done it deliberately. There was no way the military wouldn’t have picked her up at his place. She was a valued and much-honored citizen for life now. He’d decided there were a few things she had to face.

But he hadn’t let her deal with the shit alone. He’d been right alongside her, anticipating her reactions, calming her down, holding her freaking hand . . .

“Are you sitting in on the testing today?”

“If you want me to, I can certainly try.”

“Unless you have other stuff to do. You must have put your life on hold to babysit me.” God, now she was babbling like some sort of teenager with her first crush.

His smile was brief. “This is my life, Lee.”

“No family to visit?”

“They were wiped out in one of the Ungrich raids up north. I went straight into the military from a government-sanctioned orphanage.”

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“My parents died in an alien raid too. That’s how I ended up working at the spaceport in a government-assisted job.”

“On Earth.”

“Yeah. I was determined to see the stars, so I hopped on the first spaceship that was willing to take me and never went back. Then I just kept going and somehow ended up here on a planet that refuses to believe mine exists, despite the fact that we’re obviously all human-based life-forms.” She sighed.

“That was my first mistake, thinking things would be better out here than they were at home.”

A guard stepped out in front of them. Akran held up his pass and they were waved through.

“I have to settle up a few matters, Lee, but I’ll be free to sit in on your sessions after that.”

She shrugged. “Only if you have time, okay?”

He opened a door into a white-walled room that smelled of disinfectant and pain. “I’ll wait until they take you in for processing.”

“Thanks.”

Hell, she wanted to grab hold of his hand and never let go, but that wasn’t fair. He’d made it very clear that his job was done and that he had nothing more to offer her. She should respect his choices.

Except she didn’t want to . . .

Which was stupid because she wouldn’t even be here dealing with this alien shit if he hadn’t chosen her to train.

She’d be dead.

A white-clad man came out of the inner door and smiled at her. “Anna Lee? Thank you so much for coming in to see us today. Our nation appreciates your sacrifice. We’re ready for you.”

Wow, things really are different . . .

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Akran stood and nodded to her. “I’ll catch up with you later.”“Sure.” She tried to sound as nonchalant as he did.

“Anna . . .” He grabbed her elbow and yanked her into his arms, one hand coming up to cup her chin. “You’ll be fine. If it gets too much, ask for me. I promise I’ll come straight away.”

He kissed her and let her go before she could do anything but gape at him in shock. A gentle cough behind her made her turn back to the medical technician and follow him through to the inner workings of the hospital.

Rehz strode down the hallway toward the corridor that linked the hospital with the administration wing. Damn, he shouldn’t have kissed her. But she’d looked so fucking scared and he hated that. Hated that he’d been the one to do that to her, to take away everything that had made her such a fierce competitor and leave her trembling like a child.

“Hey.”

He kept moving, unwilling to deal with anyone.

“Hey.” An arm closed around his bicep. “It’s me, Kai.

What’s up? Who died?” Kai’s expression hardened. “Don’t tell me Lee didn’t make it.”

“She’s okay.”

“Then why the scowl?”

“They’re testing her right now.”

“And she’ll be fine. If she survived the Ungrich, she’ll survive our military.” Kai still had hold of Rehz’s arm. “Where are you going?”

“I’ve got an appointment with admin, and then I need to get back to Lee.”

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“Greez, I was hoping you had time to talk. I guess I have the appointment right after yours.”

“You’re putting in for retirement from the program too?”

Rehz asked.

“I’m not sure.” Kai’s green gaze was somber. “I think we’ve both done our stint, but if we both go, who’s going to run it now? Palk? No one wants him leading the trainers again. I’d like to end on a high note.”

“Bad luck about Solly.” Rehz hesitated. “Would you do me a favor? I don’t like leaving Lee on her own. Can you sit in and make sure Palk doesn’t get near her until I’m done?”

“Sure.”

“Maybe after we’re all finished, you’d like to come back to my place, and we can talk. It’ll be a lot more private.”

“That’s a great idea.” Kai gave him a casual salute. “I’ll go and see if I can find Lee.”

So everyone was being nice to her, but she was still scared shitless. The walls were white and not pink and the voices were definitely Mitan, but she still felt like a specimen and that reminded her all too forcibly of her week with the Ungrich. She jumped when a door behind her banged, and jerked around.

“Hey, Lee.”

“Kai?”

He shut the door, nodded to the technician, and grinned at her. Like Akran, he was dressed in the familiar black Mitan uniform and was heavily armed. His white hair was cut super short and barely showed against his dark skin. “How are you 102
doing? I saw Rehz in the hallway and he said you were here.”

He studied her carefully. “You look good.”

“I look like someone who hasn’t been outside for months.”

He came a little closer but didn’t touch her, his expression serious. “That’s an easy fix. Can you swim, Lee? I have a boat on the shore of Lake Rataska. You’re welcome to come out with me any time.”

“I like to swim. As long as there aren’t any creatures with tentacles or. . .” She swallowed down the rest of the sentence and just sat there shivering, her hands clenched together in her lap.

Kai sat beside her. “If I can get in that water, you can.

That’s one thing you can always rely on with a fellow survivor, Lee. You don’t have to explain anything. We all get it.” He punched her arm. “It does get easier.”

She darted a quick look at the technician who was setting up the next set of internal screenings, but he appeared preoccupied.

“Is it true that you and Akran went in twice?”

Kai raised an eyebrow. “He told you that?”

She nodded.

“That’s correct. It . . . wasn’t fun, but it was easier than the first time because we knew what to expect. They also remembered us.”

“I don’t think I could do that.”

“Go back in?” He shrugged, his shoulder brushing against hers. She remembered him fucking her, the scent of him up close and personal. It was weirdly kind of comforting because he knew her and everything she’d been through.

“The alternative was outright war and extinction. It seemed a reasonable price to pay.”

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“But why didn’t the government just grab a few more felons that year and send them in instead?”

“Good question.” His smile twisted. “Palk said the Ungrich made that decision, not him.”

The technician came toward her and nodded at Kai.

“If you wouldn’t mind sitting over there, Commander, that would be most helpful.”

“Sure.” Kai winked at Anna. “I don’t want to screw up your results. How’s she doing?”

“From what I can see so far, she’s healing up nicely.”

“Good.” Kai took his seat, folded his arms, and stretched out his long legs. “Take as long as you need, Lee. I’m not going anywhere.”

Anna scrambled into her clothes and shut the locker door with a bang. She was exhausted and longing to get back to bed and fall asleep, preferably next to Akran so that when she had a nightmare, he’d be on hand to offer an alternative to sleeping.

But she didn’t have to go back with him, did she? She’d been cleared to find her own apartment and begin her new life as a valued Mitan citizen. Which was weird in itself. Up until a few months ago, she’d thought only of getting off the planet, but now there was Rehz to think about. Not that he wanted her to think about him, but she had no choice.

Despite everything, there was a bond between them that she didn’t want to break.

When she went out into the admissions office, Akran and Kai were both there, talking to her doctor, who was smiling. Kai had originally left when Akran came back. She 104
noticed Akran didn’t look particularly happy, but then he rarely did. Had she ever seen him smile without some hint of self-mockery or derision? How had he come to believe that he was his job, that what he did meant that he had no right to be happy or have a real life?

And even more importantly, why did she care?

“Lee.” He looked over and nodded. “Are you ready to go?”

She went to the two men and shook hands with the female doctor.

“I’ll have the entire report sent to you when it’s completed, Anna, but so far everything’s looking good.”

“Thank you.”

The doctor looked from her to Akran. “Commander Akran will help you settle into your new life and will remain your primary contact with us and with the military.”

“That’s fine. He’s been very . . . kind to me.”

Kai’s eyebrow flew up at that, but he didn’t say anything.

Neither did Akran. The doctor went into her office, leaving Anna with the two men.

“So Rehz invited me to share dinner with you, Lee,” Kai said. “Is that still okay? You look tired.”

“No, that’s fine. If I fall asleep, you can entertain each other.”

And she wouldn’t have to deal with being alone with Akran on their last night together. That was probably for the best. Hadn’t she read something once about an ancient syndrome in which the captive fell in love with the captor and lost all sense of reality? Was that what was happening to her?

Because the thought of leaving Akran was . . .

“Are you coming, Lee? There’s a vehicle waiting.”

Anna kept her thoughts to herself and followed Kai and Akran out into the military all-purpose truck. They were 105
both big guys, and people automatically got out of their way in the hallways, so they moved through faster than she had expected. One thing she’d learned during her training was to gather her resources and expect the worst. All she had to do was keep it together for a little longer and everything would work out fine.

Yeah, that was right.

“Fine,” she muttered as Kai held the door open for her.

“Did you say something, Lee?”

She summoned up a smile. “Just thank you.”

Rehz watched as Anna Lee struggled to keep her eyes open on the journey back to his apartment. She kept falling against Kai’s shoulder. Eventually, after a wry look at Rehz, Kai picked her up and sat her in his lap.

“You might as well get comfortable, Lee. Judging from the traffic, it’s going to take a while.”

From what Rehz could see, she was deeply asleep before Kai even finished joking with her. Kai’s arms tightened around her and he kissed the top of her head.

“I’m glad she made it.”

“So I see.”

Kai frowned. “You don’t sound very happy about it.”

“Trust me, I am.”

“You just don’t like me holding her, do you?”

Rehz didn’t even bother to answer that and looked out of the window instead.

“I heard you and Palk had a falling out. He’s been telling everyone you’re pussy-whipped and that he can’t wait to get you out of his unit.”

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Kai had never known when to shut up.

“As of today I’m officially retired. Fuck Palk.”

“So are you?”

“What? Fucking Palk? Not anymore. That’s why he’s talking greez about me.”

“No, pussy-whipped. You and Lee got something going on?”

“No.”

“Yeah right. I saw you holding her hand, Akran.”

“I’m just doing my job. She’s still vulnerable, and keep your fucking voice down. She doesn’t need to hear all this.”

Kai glanced down at Anna’s sleeping face. “She’s out for the count. She won’t hear a thing. Why did you tell her that we went in twice, then?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You never tell anyone. Hell, we’ve never even discussed it ourselves.”

“I was trying to help her feel better about what she’d been through.”

Kai looked unconvinced. “So are you fucking her?”

Rehz glared at him. “That is none of your goddamn business.”

“So you are. Good for you.”

“If it were true, what would be good about it? It’s not like any of us are capable of maintaining a real-life relationship, is it?”

“Speak for yourself.” Kai kissed Anna Lee’s hair again, and Rehz’s hand curled into a fist. “If I had a chance with Lee? I’d take it. She’s probably the only female on this planet who’d understand what I’d been through.” His green eyes met Rehz’s. “Don’t be a fucking idiot, Rehz. You’re free of the service for the first time in your life, and you have the chance 107
to be with Lee? Go for it, my man. Don’t let anything stand in your way.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Yeah, it is. And if you don’t see that soon, I’m going to show you how it’s done.” He leaned forward and deposited Anna in Rehz’s lap. “Now how about you hold her before you lose it and punch me in the face, Mister I don’t care about Lee?”

Rehz adjusted Anna’s sleeping form until she was close to his heart, and bent his head to inhale her scent. Was it possible that she wanted more from him? Was he even capable of giving her more? There was only one way to find out.

That would have to wait until Kai went home and Lee woke up.

And he got over the fact that he was fucking terrified.

Rehz carried Anna out of the vehicle and right up to his apartment. She only stirred as he laid her down on her bed.

He crouched down next to her and smoothed her long, fair hair out of her face.

“Lee? I need to go talk to Kai.”

“Go ahead,” she mumbled. “I think I’ll sleep a bit more.”

“If you wake up later and need me, I’ll probably be in bed.” He hesitated. “The thing is, Kai might be there too.”

“In your bed?” She opened her eyes to stare sleepily at him.

“Yeah, he’s . . . stressed about losing Solly like that.”

“So you’re going to do what? Comfort him?”

“If that’s what he needs.”

“And what happens if I turn up?”

108

“That’s up to you.” He patted her cheek. “I’m glad it went well today, Lee.”

He walked out, leaving her to either sleep or make her own mind up as to what he was doing and why. Leaving Kai alone just wasn’t going to happen. They’d been through too much together.

By the time he reached the kitchen, Kai was already rummaging in the fridge, getting stuff out to make a salad. He had opened two bottles of kvas.

Rehz took the frosted bottle and brought it to his lips.

“Vas.”Kai reached across and clinked his bottle against Rehz’s.

“Vas. Nice to see you’ve finally got something good to drink in.”

“Lee likes it. She calls it beer, says they have something similar on Earth.”

“Do you believe she’s from another planet?”

Rehz shrugged. “We’re pretty isolated out here. The government likes to pretend we’re the only planet that exists and that everywhere else is either a threat or a legend. Have you ever seen anyone who looks like her on Mitan?” He frowned. “There were some differences in her initial DNA test results, but Palk passed her into the program anyway.”

“She certainly doesn’t look like any Mitan female I’ve ever met. Those blue eyes are pretty unique.” Kai finished his kvas and returned to concocting the bowl of salad. “Is Lee coming out to eat with us?”

“She’s asleep. She’ll help herself later if she wakes up.”

“Does she know I’m still here?” Kai peeled off his jacket, leaving him in just a black regulation T-shirt and pants.

“She does. Let’s eat.”

109

By mutual consent they took their plates over to the couch and watched the news and sports roundup on the telescreen as they ate.

“Do you really think you can stand another year?” Rehz asked as he got up to clear away the plates and get more kvas.

“I don’t have any choice. Apparently Solly doesn’t count, so I’m still one down on my count.”

“That’s fucking unfair.”

“Hell, Rehz, he jumped off the roof on my watch.

I failed him.”

“I’m sure you did your best.”

“I took my eye off him while I was in the shower. I thought he was doing okay readjusting. He found the code to the rooftop of the building and he just . . .” Kai sighed. “It was a fucking mess. Literally.”

Rehz reached out and gripped his shoulder. “It’s okay.

We’ve all had one like that. Remember Iniz? He managed to kill himself on the way to the hospital while a whole team of medics and I watched, and we still couldn’t save him.”

“Yeah.” Kai closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the couch. “So I signed up for one more year. I’ll be leading the team.”

“They couldn’t have anyone better.”

Kai smiled. “Except you.” He ran a finger down Rehz’s nose. “Will you let me stay with you tonight?”

“If you wish.”

“What about Lee?”

“I told her you might be staying.”

“You know me too well.” Kai hesitated. “I need to be fucked hard and I know you’ll do it right.”

“Were you and Solly still fucking?”

110

“No. He wasn’t really into men so I didn’t push it. I wonder if we need to try and recruit more female trainers?”

“I don’t think Lee will go for it.”

“Fuck no. They only take ex-military. Although she’d be damn good at it. That female has big balls.” Kai laughed and finished his kvas.

“I keep wondering if there is a better way.”

“Than training Tributes?” Kai shrugged. “It’s the cheapest option the government has at the moment.”

“I know. Use up the expendables. Military grunts, patriots, troublemakers, and condemned prisoners. Cheap, disposable, and unlikely to be missed.” Rehz grimaced. “It’s starting to leave a sour taste in my mouth.”

Kai stood up and hauled Rehz to his feet as well. “Maybe I can give you something better to taste?”

“I thought you were the one who wanted to be fucked?”

Kai stripped off his T-shirt, shed his pants, and stepped out of his boxers. The scars on his dark skin mirrored the ones Rehz carried. The unseen scars were reflected in the need in Kai’s unwavering green gaze. He was already hard and ready.

“Do you want me to kneel, Rehz? Take you in my mouth so Lee will get an eyeful if she comes out here?”

Rehz pictured that and his cock jerked to life. Maybe they could both kneel to him and take turns sucking him off . . .

“Let’s go to bed. You can start there.”

“Wow, you’ve turned into such a prude.”

Kai didn’t let him get far. As soon as Rehz closed the door, Kai was down on his knees and in Rehz’s pants, licking him through his already wet underwear.

Rehz groaned as Kai sucked the crown of his cock through the fabric, coaxing his pre-come through the weave and making the fabric mold and stick to Rehz’s sensitive cock.

111

“Take it out and suck it, Kai.”

Rehz cupped the back of Kai’s skull. Kai had almost no hair to thread his fingers through like Anna Lee. In fact Kai had no hair on the rest of his body at all.

“Yeah—that’s . . .”

Kai helped relieve him of the rest of his clothing, and they fell onto the bed, half-fighting and half-fucking, cocks slipping and sliding together between their stomachs, neither of them able to dominate the other. It was good for Rehz too; he was being so careful with Anna Lee that just fucking without worrying he’d hurt Kai was damn liberating.

Eventually Kai let himself be caught under Rehz’s body and spread his knees wide.

“Fuck me.”

Rehz reached across to the bedside table. “Lube.”

Kai grabbed his wrist. “Not necessary. I said I wanted it hard.”

“No.” Rehz held his gaze. “I’m not punishing you for losing Solly. You’ve done enough of that to yourself. I’m going to fuck you until you’re whimpering like a little boy, but I’m going to do it with lube.”

He smeared some of the stuff on his cock and fingers.

“No fingers, just cock?” Kai bargained.

“If you insist.”

Kai’s breath hissed out as Rehz pressed his well-lubed cock to the tight bud of Kai’s hole and eased back and forth, pushing his way through the ring of muscle until he was seated to the hilt, his balls brushing against Kai’s smooth skin.

“Big enough for you?”

“Yeah.”

“Put your arms over your head and hold on to the headboard. It’s going to be a long night.”

112

Rehz drew back his hips and then slammed forward, driving his cock in and out of Kai’s ass as his lover arched and twisted to the rhythmic pounding that kept him chained to the bed. So fucking good to just let go with a strong man like Kai, so fucking good . . .

He reached between them and wrapped his hand around Kai’s wet cock and rubbed him in time to his thrusts.

“Hard enough for you, Kai? Or do you want more? I’ll give you as much as you can take if you don’t come. If you stay big and stiff in my hand.”

“Don’t worry.” Kai’s gasps were punctuated by Rehz’s thrusts. “I’m not going or coming anytime soon.”

Rehz smiled and leaned in to bite Kai’s lip. He knew exactly what would make the other male come. He just had to decide when he wanted to allow it.

Anna sat up in bed and stared at the door. Rehz hadn’t come back, and she’d had a nightmare. Her fuzzy brain tried to remember what he’d said about Kai . . . about Kai staying the night.

With him.

At this very moment Rehz Akran could be fucking Kai.

Which was none of her business. Except he’d told her where he’d be and intimated that he wouldn’t mind if she joined him.

Or them.

Which was still none of her business. Why would any female want to watch two big, strong warriors fucking each other’s brains out? Because that’s what they’d be doing.

From personal experience she knew that both of them 113
recovered fast and could stay hard for hours. They’d shared her between them more than once, but she’d had a sense that Kai preferred the males.

Lust stirred low in her gut.

She’d had a crappy day. It was her last night of captivity, and hell, she wanted to go and watch two men fuck. She didn’t have to join in. If she was quiet, they might not even know she was there . . .

Would Rehz be with Kai like he was with her, a patient, passive cock? Somehow she doubted it. Damn it, she needed to be brave for once. Since coming out of Ungrich space, she’d turned as docile and unexciting as Rehz Akran’s cock.

His big, stiff, amazing cock, which was no doubt being used properly with Kai right now.

“Damn it!” She pulled on the black T-shirt she’d stolen from Rehz as a nightshirt. Opening her door, she checked for sounds coming from the telescreen but heard nothing except a rhythmic pounding noise.

Akran definitely was in bed.

With Kai.

She could hear one of them groaning and begging in time to all that hammering. Creeping forward, she eased the door open and leaned against it. The bedroom was in darkness apart from a stream of light that emanated from the open door of the en suite bathroom.

“Fuck . . .” Kai’s voice.

Anna focused hard on the bed and then, with a shrug, moved closer, as neither of the men was looking at her. Akran was on top of Kai, driving forward into the other man, ending each thrust in a little roll of his hips, which made Kai gasp.

“You like that?” Akran demanded. “Hard enough for you?”

He shifted forward again, bringing Kai’s feet right over his shoulders so his cock was practically pile driving straight 114
down into the man. Anna shivered. She knew how that felt, how it was impossible to do anything but take Rehz as deep as he demanded and just survive until he let you climax.

“Lee, if you want to help, get up here and suck his cock, or sit on it. Whatever you like.”

Anna jumped at Rehz’s command and sidled around to stand at the side of the bed, where she could see Kai’s hard cock gripped in Rehz’s powerful fist.

“Sit on his face and drown him if you’d rather. He’ll take anything you’re willing to give.”

“Or you can just watch,” Kai groaned. “That’s a fucking turn-on too. Especially if you get yourself off doing it.”

Anna considered her options. “I have an idea. If I straddle him and suck his cock, he can use his mouth on me too.”

“Damn right I can.” Kai’s breath hitched as Rehz eased back at little. “Take that shirt off, Lee.”

For a second she hesitated, aware of the new scars on her skin, and then remembered whom she was with. Both men were scarred like negative images of each other, white lines on Kai’s dark skin and red on Akran’s.

“Come on, Lee,” Kai crooned at her. “Let me eat that lovely cunt of yours.”

She took off the T-shirt and climbed onto the bed, aware of Rehz’s hot gaze on her breasts. She straddled Kai’s chest and bent to lick his cock and Rehz’s fingers, making both men groan.

“Wait.” Kai grabbed another pillow and stuck it under his head. “Now slide on down here, sugar, and let me drive you wild.”

115

Rehz held still as Anna Lee got into position, her perfect ass balanced over Kai’s eager mouth and her lips about to descend on Kai’s cock. He ran his hands down over her shoulders and cupped her breasts, teasing the nipples with his thumbs.

“Take him deep, Lee. Make him beg.”

Kai’s whole body jerked as Lee went down on him, sucking him straight into her mouth and holding him there.

Rehz slowed his strokes to the barest minimum just so that he could watch her lips closing around Kai’s shaft and the hollowing of her cheeks as she sucked.

As Kai licked her cunt she started to moan, the sound vibrating through Kai’s cock and even to Rehz’s. He pushed deep and held still, watching her and Kai rock and arch together, his own hands busy on her breasts, shaping her hips and ass, pressing her onto Kai’s face until she was coming hard.

He wanted to be inside her, feel that cunt clenching around him, but this was almost as good, seeing Kai forget everything and just surrender to being fucked. He wished he could do that, but he wasn’t sure he even had the ability to just let go anymore.

Kai made an inhuman sound and his hips angled forward in an unmistakable pattern that meant he was pumping his come down Anna’s throat. Rehz wrapped his hand in Anna’s hair and dragged her up to his level, joining their mouths so that Kai’s come slipped into his throat as well.

Behind her, Kai was moving, his upper body coming off the bed, trapping Anna Lee between them, his four fingers now working her cunt, his thumb planted in her ass.

“Give him a second, and he’ll be hard enough to fuck you properly,” Rehz murmured against Anna’s mouth. “He has the 116
fastest recovery time I’ve ever seen.” He hesitated. “If that’s what you want. You don’t have to—”

She silenced him with a deep, voracious kiss, sucking his tongue into her mouth like a cock and drawing on it until his own shaft throbbed in response. He was still buried in Kai’s ass, still hard, still ready to fuck.

“Turn around and wrap your legs around Kai’s waist, so he can get at your cunt.” He boosted her up against him, trying not to dislodge his cock from Kai’s ass. He reached for Kai’s cock and introduced it to Anna’s wet cunt, and then the three of them were welded together in a tight embrace with Anna between them, his cock in Kai, Kai’s cock in Anna. Thank the gods that they were all superbly fit or this would never have worked.

“You’re going to have to move on us, Anna. You’re in charge now. Kai’s just going to have to take it.”

Kai groaned as, with an assist from Rehz, Anna started to slide up and down Kai’s rigid length. And then Rehz stopped worrying about the mechanics and focused entirely on the red-hot pleasure of fucking Kai’s ass as Kai fucked Anna.

“Have to come,” Kai moaned. “Can’t stop when she’s doing that all around my dick.”

Rehz bit Anna’s shoulder. “Come then, give it all to her and I’ll give it to you.”

Between them, Anna started to shudder and climax, and that was it for Rehz. He shot his load deep in Kai and felt Kai do the same as they all collapsed over onto the sheets.

“Holy cow, Lee,” Kai croaked.

“I trained her, remember?” Rehz murmured.

He carefully pulled out of Kai’s ass and helped Anna disengage from him too. “Let’s shower.”

117

Kai stretched out as Anna rolled away from him. “So I can fuck you while you fuck Lee?”

“He doesn’t fuck me like that,” Anna said as she stood up, Kai’s come streaming down her thigh. “He makes me do all the work.”

With her head held high, she marched into the bathroom, leaving Kai staring hard at Rehz.

“What does she mean?”

“I’ve just been . . . careful with her, let her take the lead.

You know how it goes.”

“And that’s working out well for you, is it?”

“It’s all I have to give her.” Rehz stood up and headed for the bathroom too. Anna was already in the shower; she stepped out of it as soon as she saw him, and grabbed a towel.

“I’m going back to bed.”

Rehz went still. “You don’t want to stay for another round?”

“With you lying there like a corpse while I dance around you?”

“That’s not fucking fair. You know why I—”

She held up her hand. “I know you can’t bear not to be in control, I even understand why, but I don’t have to play your mind games, Akran. Not tonight. Not ever again.”

He took a hasty step toward her and then stopped. “What the hell do you want me to say?”

“If you don’t know, Rehz Akran, then I can’t help you.”

She blew him a kiss. “Say good night and thank Kai for me.

I’m glad you can give him what he wants, at least.”

118

CHAPTER

TEN
know you joked about not wanting to live in the same

“Ibuilding as me, Lee, but I thought you should see this place.” Akran tapped in a code and the door to the apartment swung open. “It’s only a floor down from mine. It’s basically the same layout over two floors.”

Anna followed him into the empty space, and looked around the familiar room and out of the big windows overlooking the city. By the time she’d woken up, Kai had gone and she’d been left with a quiet, very courteous companion who treated her with as much warmth as a robot. Not that she could blame him. He was a fucking robot, after all, programmed by the government to do one thing and unable to believe he was capable of anything more.

“The government will give you a generous furniture allowance to fill it up with all that greez women love.” He kept walking, opening doors as he went, and she silently followed him. He wore a tight black T-shirt and jeans low on his narrow hips.

“Of course there are a lot of other complexes where you could live. This one has good security, but if you wanted to live near Kai or Malke, you could see if they have anything over there. It’s about five kilometers away on the other side of the city, overlooking the lake.”

119

“The lake sounds nice.”

He paused to look down at her. “You think so?” He shoved his hand through his hair. “You’d get priority if there was a place vacant. Do you want me to take you down there today, or should I call Kai to meet you?”

She turned away from him and looked over the sunlit city. “I appreciate your help.”

His reflection shrugged. “It’s the least I can do.”

“You’re just keen to get rid of me so that you can have your own space back. I get it.”

“No, I—” He exhaled. “Believe me, Lee, I just want you to be happy. I want you to have anything you fucking want.”

“Except you.”

“What the fuck would you want me for?” He cleared his throat. “I’ve been thinking about that. If you still want sex, I can do that. I’ll—”

She held up her hand. “Sex when you won’t come, and won’t even let me help you come? Do you really value yourself so cheaply?”

He placed the key on the countertop with the code underneath it. “I’ll leave you to look around, okay? Let me know what you want to do.”

“Palk really did a number on you, didn’t he, Rehz? Made you feel like all you were was his personal sex toy to be used and abused whenever he wanted.”

“That’s not true.”

“Then why are you afraid to ask for what you want? What will it take to get through that thick skull of yours?” She took an impulsive step toward him. “You survived the Ungrich, Akran, twice.” She shook her head. “I can’t even fathom how you did that.”

120

“By shutting down everything inside me that wasn’t useful or necessary to survive.” He slowly raised his head to look at her, his gray eyes bleak. “You can’t be weak in there, Lee. You know that. They’ll tear you apart and enjoy doing it.”

“You’re not in there anymore. You’re not even in the program. You’re done! What are you going to do now, Akran?

Live the rest of your life like this?” She swung around in a circle. “So emotionally closed off that nothing is allowed to get through to you?”

“Don’t do this, Lee.”

“Do what? Make you angry, make you care about something?” She raised her chin. “You picked me as a Tribute.

You know I won’t back down for anything or anybody. You taught me how to be strong, so how can you be such a coward right now?”

He moved so fast she gasped as he hauled her against the wall, one hand wrapped around her throat. Well, she’d wanted to see him lose it, and now she was going to experience it up close and personal.

“Shut up, Lee.”

“No, I fucking won’t.” She glared into his furious gray eyes. “Make me.”

His mouth descended and she moaned as he kissed her, his hand on her ass, molding her sex against the hard rod of his erection. She bit his lip and he cursed, jerking his head back and loosening his hold to readjust his grip on her body.

He reached between them, yanking down the fly of his jeans and shoving her pants out of the way until the crown of his cock pressed against her clit. Then he slid lower, impaling her on his stiff length in one brutal thrust.

She screamed and wrapped her legs higher around his hips as he pounded into her. His strokes grew shorter and 121
more ragged as he groaned with each thrust. Unwilling to release him, she dug her heels into the pumping muscles of his ass and rode him harder, keeping him deep inside her as he fought to escape.

“No,” she screamed as he tried to detach himself. “You goddamn stay right there and come in me. I want your come; I want you.”

She bit down hard on his shoulder, and he jerked once more and with a helpless groan started to come in an endless hot stream of pulses. His knees gave way and they both slid down the wall, still wrapped together, heart to pounding heart, mouth fused to mouth.

He licked her lower lip. “This is what I’m scared of, Anna Lee. That I want you like this all the time, hard and fast and . . .” He shuddered. “I need it like that. Need you too much.

I don’t want to hurt you.”

She stroked his damp hair. “You didn’t hurt me.”

He eased out of her, wincing as his come flooded out on her splayed thighs. “I like this too, you all wet from me. I’d like you wet all the time so that whenever I wanted to fuck you, you’d take me.” He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his voice muffled. “And then I hear myself saying that, and all I can think is I’m just like Palk, expecting you to be my forever fuck toy.”

He moved back, still on his haunches, and studied her. “If you stay with me, you need to know that’s what I’m like, what I’ve become used to needing. I . . . can’t change that.”

Anna nodded as he got to his feet and headed to the bathroom. She stayed where she was, her body curiously numb, and tried to decide how she felt. She had to be careful.

Both she and Akran were too vulnerable to mess this up.

122

He returned with a wad of wet tissues and knelt in front of her again. She supposed she should take them from him; close her legs, pull up her pants, and do something to allay the anxiety in his eyes. But she was tired of being passive. She wanted to live.

“Anna?”

“You do it.”

He swallowed hard. “I want to use my mouth.”

“I don’t mind.”

With a savage sound, he bent his head and licked her still-throbbing clit, his tongue delving through her swollen folds, cleaning and arousing her with every subtle motion.

Anna closed her eyes and just enjoyed it, until that wasn’t enough and she shoved her fingers in his hair and pushed his face hard against her. He used his tongue to probe her cunt like a cock and made her come again.

Releasing his head, she shoved him until he overbalanced onto his back and she climbed aboard, grinding her sex against the hard zipper and ridge of his cock behind it. He groaned and bucked under her. She shifted her position, tackling the straining zipper, and released him again to let him surge up into her waiting cunt.

This time she came the second he was in her, and then she forgot everything but the sensation of having him, of making him feel something, even if it was just physical desire. He couldn’t dispute that he wanted her. His body didn’t lie. She shoved her hands up inside his T-shirt and pinched his nipples until he cursed and thrust even harder against her.

Didn’t he understand that the need went both ways?

That he’d created her and that his desires were now hers? She 123
couldn’t imagine a world without him in it, fucking her brains out, grounding her against all the Mitan bullshit. He was her anchor and had been right from the start. It had just taken her a while to realize it.

With a moan, she fell over his chest and lay there.

Listening to the erratic thump of his heartbeat, and his harried breathing.

“I’ll take this apartment.” Beneath her he went absolutely still. “But only because I want to screw as much money out of the Mitan government as possible. I’ll even furnish it, but . . .”

She levered herself up on his chest until she could look down into his wary eyes. “I won’t be living in it. I’ll be with you.”

His shaking hand came up and cupped her chin. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” She smiled at him. “I want to be with you, Rehz.

Do you want that too?”

He rolled her beneath him and set about tearing off her clothes. Soon she was naked and so aroused her nipples were aching for his touch.

“Yeah, I fucking well do.” He hesitated. “I’m not a good man, Anna Lee.”

She gave him a shaky grin. “Well, that’s okay, because I’m a pardoned criminal.”

“But I’d lay down my life for you.”

“That’s so sweet.”

Anna gave a contented sigh and tugged on his hair until he came down low enough to kiss her and slide his cock home again and they climaxed together.

Now that they were both out of the Tribute program, she hoped that he wouldn’t have to live up to his promise, but it was good to know they were finally on the same side.

124

She could only pray that in this fucked-up world, that would be enough to last them a lifetime.

125

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to Riptide Publishing for taking this project on and to my beta readers, who might never recover from the experience of reading this book.

ALSO BY

KATE PEARCE

ALSO BY

Historical Romances:

The Sinners Club:

Eden’s Pleasure

The First Sinners

Antonia’s Bargain

The Sinners Club

The Ties That Bind

Tempting a Sinner

Mastering a Sinner

Diable Delamere series:

Educating Elizabeth

The Tudor Vampire

Redeeming Jack

Chronicles:

Loving Michael

Kiss of the Rose

Blood of the Rose

House of Pleasure Series:

Mark of the Rose

Simply Sexual

Simply Sinful

Contemporary Romance:

Simply Shameless

Raw Desire

Simply Wicked

Some Like It Rough

Simply Insatiable

Branded, Dirty Sexy

Simply Forbidden

Cowboy Shorts

Simply Carnal

Sexy Shorts

Simply Voracious

Simply Scandalous

Turner Brother Series:

Simply Pleasure

Where Have All The

Cowboys Gone?

ABOUT THE

AUTHOR

ABOUT THE

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kate Pearce was born into a large family of girls in England, and spent much of her childhood living very happily in a dream world. Despite being told that she really needed to “get with the program,” she graduated from the University College of Wales with an honors degree in history.

A move to the USA finally allowed her to fulfill her dreams and sit down and write her first romance novel.

Along with being a voracious reader, Kate loves walking on the beach and climbing live volcanoes in her new home in Hawaii. Kate is a member of RWA and is published by Kensington Aphrodisia, Cleis Press, Carina Press, and Virgin Black Lace/Cheek.

Join Kate’s newsletter: http://bit.ly/1ASL0nK

Website: www.katepearce.com

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