Sex Slaves 03 Waiting for Dawn Read online

  Dawn’s hands curled into fists at her side, her breathing increased while she glared at him. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” she hissed, and shoved her way around him.

  But he grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn and look at him. “Then explain it to me. Explain why you have so much power backing you.”

  She knew then that Trent Dar had managed to tap into her conversation with her father. This was news best kept to herself for the moment.

  “Why? Why should I explain anything to you?” she asked, and then blurted out before she could stop herself, “Do you want to join me?”

  Trent didn’t answer right away. His grip didn’t slacken, and he gave her a hard, cold stare. She imagined such a look would intimidate many, but she wouldn’t cower in front of him—not now, not ever.

  Black eyes studied her, shrewd and searching. What was he looking for? She allowed him his time, letting the silence grow between them, while his expression hardened, his jaw ground tight while the smallest of muscles twitched at the base of his jawbone.

  “I’ll give that some thought,” he told her, and then released her arm, walking past her toward the landing bay.

  Once again the sinking feeling that he would leave, that she would never see him again, sank through her leaving a heavy feeling in her gut.

  Chapter Ten

  Pahr must have crawled in to sleep with her during the night. He never had liked sleeping alone, and Dawn guessed Rayn must have chosen Reen for her lover the night before. She lifted his arm gingerly off of her waist, where it rested heavily, and scooted out of the bed.

  Dawn and the others had lived their lives being told who to sleep with, and when. Dawn relished her freedom, having fought every day against the oppressed life she’d been born into. The others weren’t doing as well. She knew that. Pahr and Reen had never complained about who they had to fuck, or how, or when. Dawn didn’t understand then why they never craved independence. Nothing and no one would take away the life she had now. And she conceded the Bortan had a hand in offering her that. But their price was too high. They would enslave her once again if she didn’t fight them until the bitter end.

  Padding barefoot into the main control area, she shook off the sleep that still surrounded her thoughts, knowing something had just woken her up. She spotted Trent already at her control panels. He maneuvered his fingers easily over the buttons, as if he’d worked there always, appearing right at home.

  She would have asked what he was doing, but simply watching him stole her breath away. He looked better now than he had in her dreams through the night. Sitting there in the command chair, his expression intent on whatever program he worked, her mouth went dry staring at his bare chest, the loose-fitting pants that tied at his narrow waist. Dark hair sprinkled over his chest, covering muscles that looked dangerous even relaxed.

  His profile was more than impressive. Black hair, darker than a starless night, bordered his brooding expression. She licked her lips, telling herself to quit gawking. He wasn’t wasting a night’s sleep over the programs of her ship. She had little doubt that he already knew how to run everything.

  Trent didn’t bother to look up when Dawn entered the control room. Her presence immediately made his body tighten, need swarming through him. No matter how he argued with himself that he didn’t need her in his life, his body begged to differ.

  After spending an hour discussing matters at hand with Por Gree he’d been ready for some serious downtime. He’d almost sent the Poltarian who’d been sleeping with his arms and legs wrapped around Dawn, flying across the room when he’d checked on her.

  But when the alarm sounded, announcing visitors outside, he’d simply walked up to her, sleeping so soundly, and given her a gentle shake. Then he’d returned to the computers.

  It had done him good to see what he’d seen though. Dawn had grown up in a different society, as a sex slave. Jumping from one partner to the next was probably as natural to her as breathing air. But it wasn’t natural to him. He wouldn’t have a woman in his life who wasn’t loyal to him.

  Growling without realizing it, he commanded his thoughts to stay focused. It had been a damned good thing that he wasn’t able to sleep after discovering another man in her bed. Had he, no one would have noticed when unexpected company had shown up during the night. Dawn didn’t have the training to be stirred by the quick buzzes that sounded when the alarm activated.

  The equipment on Dawn’s ship was superb, but an alarm notifying its passengers of intruders in the area is only good when it’s heard. Dawn hadn’t stirred. More than likely worn out after having sex with him, then with her sex slave friend…lover—whatever the hell he was, she hadn’t stirred during the alarm.

  “What’s wrong?” Dawn asked, moving closer, too damned close.

  If he smelled sex on her he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t send her flying across the room. His muscles hardened, rage that was harder to control than he imagined surging through him as the scene of her sleeping with the Poltarian passed before his mind’s eye once again.

  Be it fortunate or unfortunate, she didn’t smell like she’d just fucked the shit out of the wimp in her bed. Her tousled, unbrushed hair could be from her just waking up, or from that asshole combing his fingers through it.

  He allowed himself only a moment to let his gaze travel down her. Those long bare legs were a gross distraction. The simple nightshirt she wore barely fell to her thighs. More than likely it was all she had on. If she bent over just slightly, he had a feeling she would display that adorable ass of hers to anyone behind her. He scowled, turning back to the controls.

  “You didn’t hear the alarm. We have company.” He made no preamble about the fact. She shouldn’t have slept through it.

  If she felt remorse over not hearing the alarm, she showed no sign of it. Her long black hair flowed down in front of her as she leaned against the panel, instantly pushing buttons—as if oblivious to him being there.

  “We can convert the screen to night vision,” she told him, reaching for the keypad in front of him.

  He gripped her wrist, maybe too hard, but he had a hard time controlling emotions that he shouldn’t be feeling in the first place. Damn it to the hells. He let go of her, quickly pushing the necessary buttons to convert the screen. She wasn’t his woman. No matter that he’d had wonderful sex with her—twice, he had no claim on her.

  “This is a TR-class Gren ship. I know how to work it.” He pushed the necessary buttons to convert the screen.

  “Good.” Dawn fought the wave of disappointment that the alarms hadn’t woken her. She must appear the complete fool to this man. There was no time to worry about that now. She glanced up at the screen. “They’re on foot.”

  The screen had taken on a red hue, black figures clearly visible through what looked like a red fog. The outline of the metallic bodies of the Bortan was clear. Dawn had no doubts who traipsed outside her ship.

  She left Trent’s side, hurrying around the main control area to the wall on the left of them that housed her artillery computers.

  “We can send out multiple fire and take them all out at once.” She was so excited her breath caught in her throat. The least she could do was show him that she knew how to run her ship. If he wanted to handle the controls—fine. She could take over the weaponry.

  This was the first time she’d used her weapons on this ship. The TR-class ship had the latest technology in defensive and offensive weaponry. But since she’d accepted the ship from her father’s merchant, at a steal for what it was worth, they hadn’t had to defend themselves. She brought up the screen that showed the different types of attack methods.

  Trent moved around the main control counter that housed the navigational computers. He grabbed Dawn when her fingers were inches from the screen. Wrapping his arms around her, he took her wrists, holding her hands together.

  “No,” he breathed into her hair, her body pressed so hard against his that for a moment it fogged his though
ts. He cleared them quickly. She wasn’t a trained warrior, but it was in her blood. Now was time for her first lesson. “We don’t fire.”

  She turned around forcibly in his arms, a passion for the fight burning in her gray eyes. “What?” she hissed. “What are you saying?”

  His heart swelled at the sight of her. So alive and ready to take on the Bortan. She showed no fear, no hesitation that the battle might get ugly. This woman was worth fighting for. He might have to teach her a thing or two, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t regret doing so.

  “Destroying them won’t help us at this point.” He gripped her arms, looking down into her face, seeing her confusion and her desire to conquer. It made her even more beautiful. “If they attack we will take them out. Don’t worry. But I doubt they will. It won’t take them long to determine they have just come upon a TR-class ship. They can’t defeat us. But they will note we are here and return. My guess is that they’re moving to a new location since we’ve destroyed their bases in Grok. We have the prime opportunity to learn where that is.”

  Dawn studied him for a minute. Never in all her life would she have guessed she would be working next to Trent Dar. Seeing him in action showed her how little she knew. But admitting that to him, when it was so apparently obvious at the moment, was more than she could stomach.

  She looked away from those penetrating black eyes, eyes that saw so much, knew more than she could even imagine, and forced herself to go with his line of thinking. Unfortunately, now she focused on his broad chest. Without a shirt, the dark hair that sprinkled over such well-defined muscles made her suddenly dizzy with need. She couldn’t think about that right now though. Taking out the Bortan mattered more than anything else. Her craving for Trent couldn’t interfere with that.

  “We should still prepare the ship for defense,” she said, getting her thoughts to focus at last. “Once they’re on their way, we can follow them on your glider.”

  “Agreed.” He let go of her, not moving, but reaching around her and pressing the buttons to prepare the attack program.

  There was no way he could move from her side. No matter that she had another man sleeping in her bed at the moment. Dawn was so alive with passion, with the desire to keep her planet safe, to protect others from the destruction of the Bortan. Her quick thinking, even though he knew he’d just embarrassed her, impressed him as much as her sultry body, barely clothed in her nightshirt.

  “I can do this.” She pushed him out of the way. This was her ship, damn it. She wouldn’t submit to him and let him run the show. “Go monitor their activity. Tell me if they get too close to the ship.”

  No one told Trent what to do. He ran all shows, always. Dawn had already turned her back to him, opening the program that he’d started to open. Part of him wanted to pull her back, tell her he was in charge. But he fought a smile. She stood up to him like many men he knew would never attempt. It appealed to him, he liked it. She still had a lot to learn, but he had a feeling teaching her would be a pleasurable experience.

  He walked back over to the main console, housed in the island counter in the middle of the room. Adjusting the controls, he broadened the view in front of them in the windows of the control room.

  A light flashed on his screen, telling him lasers were ready to fire. He glanced at Dawn, the outline of her body visible through her shirt. Those full round breasts and perfectly shaped ass hardened every muscle in his body. Her long bare legs and feet made her appear more vulnerable, not the warrior that he was learning was inside her.

  “Don’t you dare make a move unless I give the word,” he ordered, praying she would listen to him.

  They could take down the Bortan, wipe them from this planet. He could only imagine what Por Gree would say if he knew what Trent was doing right now. Taking action without clearing it through Command Center would piss him off in a second. Trent didn’t give a rat’s ass. There was no time to make contact.

  A sleepy Rayn appeared in the doorway. “What’s going on?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.

  Reen appeared behind her, putting his hand on her shoulder while he glanced from Trent to Dawn, worry creasing his forehead.

  “Stay where you are and don’t say a word.” Trent’s tone left no room for argument.

  Neither one of them moved.

  “Are we being attacked?” Pahr pushed in among Rayn and Reen, fear making his pretty face look pretty damned ugly.

  Something hardened inside Trent, something he didn’t like. One look at the pathetic man, and he couldn’t believe Dawn could have any interest in him. She was so strong, so willful. He had to remind himself that he’d seen Pahr in her bed, and swallow the bitter knowledge that Dawn wasn’t his woman.

  “We haven’t been attacked yet.” Dawn had a cold edge to her voice. She wouldn’t pamper them, regardless of what they’d already endured from the Bortan. “Go to Rayn’s room. It’s the safest place right now. Stay there until I say otherwise.”

  They looked like frightened children when they all turned, hurrying to the safe haven Dawn mentioned. She shook her head, not willing to dwell on the fact that they needed to be cared for, protected. They were all unable to face the reality that they needed to learn how to defend themselves. It frustrated her, but she didn’t have time to think about it now.

  What mattered now was monitoring the Bortan outside, and showing Trent she could work alongside him and not disappoint him. She might have grown up with Rayn and the men, but she wasn’t like them.

  The buttons she pressed on the panel in front of her were cool, usually a welcoming feeling. Controlling what was around her, and knowing as she moved around the helm that it was hers, often empowered her. But never had it been so real. Since the Bortan first attacked, she hadn’t experienced one-on-one combat with them. Her heart skipped a beat that she was about to embark on possibly a life-threatening mission.

  Suddenly the floor was too cold under her feet. A shiver raced through her. She could handle this. Gritting her teeth, she blew out a silent breath, glancing at the large windows in front of her. A handful of black figures huddled outside her ship. She couldn’t see the silver parts of their bodies on the night screen. But they would have them. Metallic arms, or chests, even tongues, distinguished the nasty race of half-man, half-machine. Icy chills crawled down her spine.

  “Better get dressed,” Trent said suddenly, almost making her jump out of her skin.

  She looked down, ashamed at how nervous the Bortan made her. She had to behave like a soldier. That was what Trent expected out of her. And she’d learned, ever since leaving Poltar, that others assumed that was her nature as well. The Gren in her had given her a reputation she’d enjoyed. Others who met her didn’t think of her as a spineless sex slave. They feared her on first glance, giving her the respect of a race she’d known nothing about until recently.

  She turned to look at him, but Trent had already hurried toward the landing bay, headed toward his own clothes. She hurried to do the same.

  Trent only left the controls for a minute. There wasn’t time to waste. The Bortan were plotting outside, and whether they attacked, or moved on their way, they needed to be ready. Adrenaline pumped through him, hardening his muscles, making his heart thud in his chest.

  Por Gree had ordered him to return to Command Center. “You’re chasing after a sex slave, Dar. That isn’t like you.”

  His commander was wrong. And he was getting tired of being told what to do by someone who didn’t have the entire picture. What mattered was bringing down the Bortan. There was too much politics where Command Center was concerned, too many fucking diplomats with their hands in everything.

  Dawn had an edge that she wasn’t aware of. She didn’t answer to anyone. She fell through the cracks. He envied her that. She wasn’t Gren. She didn’t appear Poltarian. And he had a feeling she’d discovered she could move in different circles because of her appearance, and the mystery about who she was. Trent guessed her father had seen this too.


  She would make an outstanding tool. Trent didn’t know Zahn Corl real well. But he wouldn’t allow the man to use his bastard daughter. He slipped into his pants, pulled his boots on and grabbed his shirt, sliding his arms through the holes while he hurried back to the helm of the ship.

  Dawn hurried back into the control room as well, her unbuttoned shirt flying open behind her. Pahr hurried behind her, his hands on her, helping her dress. Trent gripped the counter that housed the main computers, glaring at Pahr with so much ferocity, Dawn thought for a moment he looked like a cat, ready to pounce on its prey.

  “Pahr. Go.” She shrugged him off, gesturing him out of the room. She didn’t dare take her gaze from Trent’s. “He was simply trying to help.”

  “Don’t make him leave on my account,” he growled through gritted teeth.

  If the situation with the Bortan wasn’t so serious at the moment she would be flattered by his jealousy. Dawn imagined Trent would never admit to such a weak emotion though.

  “I told him to leave as a courtesy to you,” she spat back at him. “I thought you might not want other men seeing me naked. My mistake. Obviously it doesn’t matter to you in the least.”

  She hurried to button her buttons, daring to take her gaze from his and glance toward the main screen. There were no Bortans in sight. She wasn’t sure if her pounding heart came from telling Trent off, or wondering where the Bortan had disappeared.

  “He was already in your bed.” Trent was pushing buttons on the computer, moving too fast for her to see what he was doing. He didn’t look up at her, his expression hard and focused. “It’s a little late now for courtesies.”

  She moved around to stand next to him, noticing he was securing a force field around her ship. “Pahr doesn’t like to sleep alone. He isn’t accustomed to it. He crawled into bed with me after I fell asleep.”