Page 5 of Claimed (The Captain’s Captive #2)

Curled on Jordan’s lap in one of the Wolf’s office chairs, Trish’s body throbbed.

After her punishment, Jordan hadn’t applied any of the healing cream, although he had rubbed a different cream into her welts.

It didn’t have the same effect as the one he normally used.

The soreness lingered, her skin was still extremely sensitive where she’d been spanked, and the lingering aches served to remind her of the cost of rebellion—even though she hadn’t done anything more than share information.

Bella had been the one stupid enough to attempt to use it. What had the other woman been thinking?

“Pet and Toy have both been injected with the new drug,” the Wolf said, looking both gleeful and apprehensive.

“It’s not as different from the original as we thought.

The Moon is as fucking lazy with their drugs as they are with everything else.

This time we’re going to break through the formula.

They aren’t going to be able to make Pet and Toy forget. Not everything.”

That simple, satisfied statement shocked Trish to her core.

“But will they remember enough?” Jordan asked, his tone heavy with doubt.

“And which one will remember?” Cora gave Jordan and the Wolf a wicked look, obviously aware of their penchant for betting on things like that.

Trish tuned out as her mind whirled.

Usually the Wolf’s long-term captives would go back to the Moon and never talk about their ordeal.

If the Wolf and the others were saying what Trish thought, that meant the Moon’s government was drugging the captives …

because the Wolf would send them back with information the elite didn’t want to get out.

It was a stunning revelation, and, if she hadn’t been sitting on Jordan’s lap, she might have fallen right over.

Of course, there were issues on the Moon.

To someone living there who wasn’t part of the elite, their social structure was stifling, mercenary, and unfair.

She’d always accepted it as the way things were, just like everyone else.

Most of the Moon’s people insisted Earthers were worse, with their violence and power-hungry leaders …

and Trish had bought into that, too. Just like everyone else.

But taking away someone’s memories …

As awful as Trish’s abduction had been, she wouldn’t want her earliest memories of it taken away from her.

Would she? No. They were hers. If she didn’t remember, she wasn’t complete.

And if the Moon’s government was forcing people to lose their memories without giving them a choice …

it was a violation worse than anything Jordan or the Wolf had done to Trish, Alex, and Bella.

Even the Wolf’s mind-fucks didn’t erase part of a person.

“They’ll be more likely to remember information tied to traumatic or extremely emotional events,” Cora said, her tone almost wheedling. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take over?”

“I have it handled,” the Wolf said shortly. “Besides, you can’t receive visitors, and you know it.”

Cora made a face. “I could have, if you all hadn’t voted against me.”

“But we did, and I’m the name. We leaked my face to go with the name, not yours. You, John, and the others need to stay out of the spotlight. If things go wrong, you can still pick up our plans.”

Trish’s mouth went dry.

Seeing the action behind the scenes worried her more all the time.

The Moon looked more and more as though it were run by bumbling incompetents, while the Earth leaders were well-organized and goal oriented.

Trish wasn’t sure what the Moon’s government’s goal was, but obviously it had something to do with the wiped memories of the Wolf’s captives and—she was willing to bet—the collusion of some of the Moon’s government with the Wolf and others.

And, apparently, part of their plan hinged on the Wolf being the only known quantity to leadership on the Moon.

If something happened to him, it sounded like Cora and John and the other leaders wouldn’t be inconvenienced much, but the Moon’s leaders would have no idea who to focus on in his absence.

Maybe there was someone keeping an eye on Earth politics, but who was to say the Earthers weren’t several steps ahead of them?

The phone on the Wolf’s desk rang, and he hit a button on it.

“Yes?”

“We’ve isolated the changes.” The voice was familiar, and Trish frowned, trying to think of where she’d heard it.

“That was fast,” said Trace, also frowning, although Trish assumed it was because he didn’t understand how it had happened so fast.

The person on the phone snorted derisively.

“They barely changed the formula. I mean, they changed it enough that we’ll need to make some adjustments to our serum as well, but I think it’s possible that even without the adjustments, some memories would return eventually unless further steps were taken.

It’s shoddy, lazy-ass work. Just what I would expect since they’re still only working with Moon scientists who just want to finish their job so they can get back off Earth. ”

The voice clicked in Trish’s brain—Dr. Margolis.

“The blocker we administered upon arrival will already inhibit the success of this new drug to some extent, especially over time, and we’re almost done formulating a secondary shot to administer, more tuned to the new variation if you want a chance for their memories to return sooner rather than later.

I would also suggest testing it further while they’re still here on Earth, rather than leaving it up to chance.

” The doctor’s tone was haughty, but it didn’t seem to bother the Wolf or Cora.

“Anything else that might help?”

“The mind often retains memories it associates with trauma or extreme emotions, as I’ve told you, but other than that … we’ll just have to see.”

Jordan’s hand on Trish’s leg began to move, sliding up under her skirt absently, caressing her inner thigh with his fingers. If it hadn’t been for how sensitive her skin still was, she wouldn’t have noticed. Trish had become used to Jordan’s caresses while he thought.

“Fine,” the Wolf said with a sharp nod. “Give them the secondary shot as soon as you’ve finished it. We’ll monitor the progress. You may have some time with Bella.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

Shivering, Trish shrank against Jordan, not wanting to draw the Wolf’s notice after he’d carelessly given Bella over to the Doctor.

There were times when Trish thought the Wolf cared a bit about Bella and Alex, and then there were times like this when he was so ruthlessly indifferent it was terrifying.

Jordan’s arm around her body squeezed her closer, as if reassuring Trish she was his and not in any danger of being shared.

At least, not with the Doctor.

Just with Laura and Marek.

Alex’s limp body lay on cushions in front of the Wolf’s desk.

Trish constantly peeked at him, waiting for him to wake up, and kept pulling away from Jordan only to have him pull her back again and tuck her under his arm. He was losing patience with her constant, increasing distance, even if she never got very far, but Trish couldn’t stop staring at Alex.

Would the memory drug work? How much would he forget? Would there be any other effects?

She was also worried about Bella, though her worry was tempered with the occasional bit of judgement that Bella had brought her punishment on herself.

There was a reason Trish hadn’t gone into the passageways: the same reason she and Bella had cringed every time Alex had mouthed off or rebelled.

What had he hoped to accomplish by going without food for so long when they’d first been captured?

Since then, he seemed to be better at yielding when he had to, but it was always a fight.

It would have allowed Bella to slide under the radar if the Wolf hadn’t realized punishing Bella was more effective at keeping Alex in line than a direct punishment.

A sharp swat to her backside had Trish biting back a yelp before Jordan yanked her back to his side.

He didn’t tell her to stop moving away from him; he didn’t need to.

She knew why she’d been swatted. On her already tender skin, the swat stung twice as much as it normally would have, and Trish regretted having told Bella about the passageways.

Trish had been doing well with not earning punishment spankings.

The other spankings Jordan gave her didn’t hurt in a bad way, and he always used the cream afterward so she didn’t have to suffer any lingering discomfort.

Trish planted her feet and took a deep breath, keeping her head ducked so she didn’t have to see Jordan’s warning glare. If she wasn’t careful, she would end up with another real spanking—and he might not take her somewhere private for it.

The room was mostly empty other than the Wolf, Alex, and two soldiers standing guard at the door to turn people away. Jordan might not consider this to be public, and the idea of being punished on her already-chastened ass … with the Wolf right there …

Trish needed to stay where Jordan had put her if she didn’t want more trouble than she could handle.

But it was hard not to keep checking on Alex.

After all, he hadn’t gone into the passageways. In all this, he was the only real innocent. Trish felt guilty just looking at him—although some of her guilt was ameliorated by the burn in her bottom. She’d already paid for what she’d done, and Bella was paying now, too.

As if responding to Trish’s mental plea, Alex stirred.

The Wolf and Jordan ceased their conversation, which hadn’t been very interesting, anyway, and Trish made sure not to move her feet as she leaned forward.

Jordan’s hand dropped down to her bottom and squeezed in warning.

Unlike the swat, it wasn’t uncomfortable, and Trish flushed a little as his hand ended the squeeze with a caress before returning to her waist.

Alex lifted his head, blinking and looking confused.

“Ah … Toy’s awake.” The Wolf’s tone was satisfied but also threaded through with curiosity.

The Wolf, Jordan, Trace, and Cora all seemed like they were hoping the memory drug hadn’t worked at all, even though Dr. Margolis had told them it would take some time for their antidote to counter it. Alex’s head swiveled, the unfocused look in his eyes clearing as he glanced around.

“How do you feel, Toy?” The Wolf leaned forward on his desk as he studied Alex.

Beside Trish, Jordan was tense, also studying the man.

Jordan and the Wolf had a bet over whether Alex or Bella would be the one to recover their memory—Dr. Margolis had told them personality would be a factor in throwing off the effects of the drug—and Jordan had bet on Alex.

“What did you do to me?” Alex pushed himself up into a sitting position. He shook his head as if trying to clear it. “Where’s Bella?”

So, he remembered something, at least.

The Wolf smiled. “You’re testing a drug for us—newly acquired in fact. Although, it’s not exactly a new drug, just a revised version that was scheduled to go to the Moon.”

“I don’t … I can’t …” Alex wrinkled his forehead, and Trish realized she was holding her breath while she waited to see what Alex remembered.

His expression remained confused, wary, worried …

and then he glared at the Wolf, clenching his fists at his sides.

Trish glanced up at Jordan, who still looked hopeful.

Alex pushed aside his confusion and focused on the one thing that was most important to him. “Where’s Bella?”

He’d barely glanced at Trish—not that she’d expected him to.

When it came to their captivity, she was the third wheel of the hostage situation.

She didn’t blame Alex and Bella—not really—but it was still a lonely place to be.

No wonder Trish found herself searching for connections with Earthers like Laura and Trix, and this moment had brought that home to her in a very real way.

Here she was worrying about Alex, whereas she was barely a blip on his mind, even while she stood right in front of him.

“Pet was very, very bad,” the Wolf said carefully, and Trish got the impression he was testing Alex, hoping to prod something loose in his mind. “So, I’ve sent her to the Doctor to see if he can’t cure her of that.”

The upset and panic on Alex’s face increased, his brow wrinkling as he tried to figure out what was going on. “What did she do?”

The Wolf sighed and leaned back in his chair, shooting a glance at Jordan, who shrugged in disappointment. They both looked disappointed, and it made Trish want to laugh. They might be feared warriors, powerful men, and yet, right now, they looked like little boys denied something they wanted.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” the Wolf asked, rather than Alex.

Alex’s jaw clenched, but he did the smart thing and answered the question, which relieved Trish. She really didn’t want to watch him be punished for not answering the Wolf’s questions just because the Wolf wasn’t answering his.

“Bella needed to tell me something, and we were going back to the room,” Alex said coolly.

The Wolf looked at Jordan. “So, Margolis judged the amount correctly; that’s good.” He turned back to Alex, piercing him with his dark gaze. “You don’t remember anything about what she wanted to tell you?”

Alex probably wouldn’t admit it if he did, but the obvious frustration on his face made it clear he didn’t.

How this would fit into the Wolf’s plans, Trish wasn’t sure, but he didn’t look beaten. Jordan was more disappointed than the Wolf because he hadn’t won the bet immediately, though Dr. Margolis had warned them it would take some time.

Impatient males.

The thought shouldn’t have made her smile, but it almost did.

It was almost even … fond. Trish needed help.

Or choices for company that weren’t complicit in her current position, but, since none of those were available, could she blame herself for occasionally slipping and starting to feel as though all this were normal? After all, it was her reality.

She squeaked as Jordan picked her up and secured her arms around his neck to take some of the pressure off her bottom and the backs of her thighs against his arms. It wasn’t a sharp hurt, but Trish was sore, and the more weight on those areas, the more uncomfortable she was.

“Go.” The Wolf gave them a little wave, his eyes lifting to the guards by the door. “The room is open again. Send someone to find Cora.”

As Jordan strode toward the door, Trish glanced back over her shoulder to see Alex still sitting there, staring at the ground in front of him, fists clenched, his brow furrowed as he tried to force his memories back into place.