And at his side, still wearing that tactical black suit with the heavy belt, was Neelai. The bounty hunter who had come after her before. He carried a long blade in his hand that he was tapping slowly against his thigh as he looked down at them without a change in expression.
“A king on my ship,” Tanin said easily. “What an honor.”
Garnet’s breath caught in her throat. She knew what he looked like from the hologram before, but seeing him smirk at being identified, seeing him move, made him real in a way he’d never been before.
He wasn’t looking at Tanin. He was looking at her. Five white eyes blazing.
“Is that my little treasure?” He purred, the sound contented and eager. “She’s lovely. Those fools might have proven themselves useless, but they did pick well. Come here, little thing. Come back to your true master.”
Garnet moved further behind Tanin. Still glaring out from behind his arm.
Gissrn laughed, but there was an edge to the sound. “Don’t be afraid, my treasure, and comehere. I know you’re probably scared. That bad male beside you has probably filled your head with lies about me. But I assure you, I will take care of you much better than he can. I have wealth and power. I am a king. He has a broken down ship that is far too easy to track. Now, be a good girl, and get over here.”
He finished with a growl. A threat. Garnet glared at him.
“Where is my sister?!” She shouted. Alred wasn’t here, either in his light form or as a computerized voice overhead. And neither was Goldie.
Gissrn chuckled. “Don’t worry. She’s alive. For now. And she can stay that way, if you do as you’re told and get over here like I commanded you.”
She snarled at him, nails digging into Tanin’s arm as she resisted the urge to hurl insults at him. If he hurt her sister…
Her hand went down, grabbing the handle of her shock stick. Holding it tight as the king snarled his anger.
“I said,get over here.Obey me!”
“I don’t think she’s interested,” Tanin replied evenly. So calm. So unaffected. Like he wasn’t the one at a disadvantage. Where did all that confidence come from?
Gissrn laughed. Mocking him. “Interested? She doesn’t know better. She doesn’t know that I will make her a princess. I will take her out of those rags and drape her in jewels and flower silk. I will become her entire world, and her greatest joy will be in pleasing me. Station scum like you would never be able to provide her with the life I will. I can lift her up from this and make her trulybeautiful.”
Garnet wanted to throw up. How did every wonderful thing he say somehow come across as absolutely sickening? Maybe it was because she was already mated. Or maybe it was because she knew the price of that life.
And it came with the same collars that were around the guys’ necks. The ones that she and her sister once wore. The idea that Goldie might be somewhere now, that ring around her neck, waiting for Gissrn to appear like a mindless puppet…
She was going to be sick.
“I must admit,” Tanin said, interjecting easily, “I am impressed. Those are Vletch rings around my crew’s necks, aren’t they? How did you manage to not only get all of them collared, but also take over my ship?”
Gissrn preened. There was no other word for it. Like a vain bird being told he was pretty, he smirked and held his head high. Smug in his superiority. And obnoxious enough for her to want to bash that pretty face in with her shock stick.
“I’ve told you before, Tanin,” the king chuckled, posing for effect. “Your crew, your operation, is a thing of beauty. The jobs these males have managed to accomplish are incredible. And I also told you that only those with power can own beauty. You were always destined to lose against someone greater than you.”
“It would certainly seem so,” Tanin said. “How did you do it?”
“It’s all a matter of being smarter than they are strong,” he chuckled, running a hand over his head, like he just needed to feel the crown of braids on his head. “Which, I am. See, what I know is that the strongest member of your crew also happens to be one who doesn’t fight. Your little delivery male there. The baemoth male.” He gestured to Rok. “Truly, a large specimen. And strong, too. But you keep him on deliveries, which tells me he doesn’t fight.”
“That’s true,” Tanin nodded along. “You’re right.”
“Of course, I am! All Neelai had to do was surprise him from above after he left a medical office. He dropped down on high as the thug was walking past, admiring his repaired hand, and –click!On went the collar. And now, he’s mine.”
Gissrn held up a remote, wiggling it happily. It was a simple thing, with only a couple buttons. But before Garnet could try to figure out how it worked, the king continued to talk.
“The rest was easy. Your crew is strong, but they can’t take on a full grown baemoth male who isn’t holding back. Especially when they don’t actually want to hurt him. He caught the domini first. Then the lvtl. And the three of them were more than enough to secure the avanava males. Your ship’s AI didn’t even hesitate to let them in. And the farasie? Ha! What was a little pacifist featherhead even doing on your crew? Doesn’t matter. He’s mine now. They’reallmine now! I have taken control of your crew, your ship – everything! Because only those with true power are capable of keeping beautiful things! And these males are quite beautiful. They shall do an excellent job as obedient slaves to protect me. Don’t you think?”
“But what did you do with my sister?!” Garnet yelled, panic eating her up. The fact that he hadn’t mentioned her was almost making it worse.
“You really want to know?” Gissrn smiled wickedly. “You can join her. If you like. I understand that human males have inferior cocks. So, I’m sure mine will be a welcome change for you. I do like it when my females hurt a little though. I love to see them cry. It’s when they’re at their most beautiful. So, I will be rough. Oh! And I’m sure that Tanin hasn’t been able to resist putting his filthy hands on my treasures. So, you will both have to be punished for that. I think a full cleaning of your wombs will suffice. It will hurt. But this is the price you must pay for disobeying your master, isn’t it?”
Garnet was vibrating with rage. The ideas of what he could have done to Goldie, all the ways he could have hurt her since they were gone, ran through her head. And they made her ill.
