Page 25

CHAPTER 25

“W hat’s taking him so long?” Rona worried aloud.

She was pacing up and down the central corridor of the Talionis in an attempt to rid herself of the nervousness she was feeling.

Murdok was in the armory, checking the various weapons stored on the wall-racks there, and each time Rona marched past the open door, he would lift his head and grunt.

“Calm down, woman. He’s barely been gone an hour.”

God, had it really only been an hour since Aeron had left?

It felt like much longer than that.

But then, worry had a way of altering one’s perception of time.

And Rona’s worries were twofold.

First, she was worried about Aeron.

And second, she was worried that she was worried about him.

It had only been two days since she had first laid eyes on the Mercs in the Common Hall, and regardless of everything that had happened since then, two days simply wasn’t enough time to be catching feelings for any man—let alone three of them.

She shouldn’t have been so worried about Aeron.

Not to this extent. Mild concern would have been acceptable, but she was sweating bullets.

Rona reached the cockpit door.

She stopped and prepared to pace back down the corridor in the other direction.

As soon as she turned around, however, she let out a startled gasp.

Zeth was standing right in front of her.

Jesus, where had he come from?

Rona hadn’t even heard him.

The young Merc reached out and gave Rona’s cheek a soothing touch.

“Murdok is right,” he said.

“I understand that you are concerned for Aeron’s safety, but your fears are unfounded. Even if the raiders somehow detect his presence—which they won’t—but even if they do, they would never be able to capture him.”

“Right,” Rona said.

“They’ll just kill him.”

“That is even less likely.”

Rona frowned.

“Doesn’t he have, like, a communicator or something? Maybe you could just give him a call real quick to make sure he’s okay?”

“I do not think Aeron would appreciate such a distraction. If he needs assistance, he will alert us.”

“Unless he’s not able to alert you.”

“Again, as I’ve already explained—”

“Oh shut up!”

Rona pushed past the young Merc and began to march down the length of the ship’s corridor again.

Why did these men have to be so damned infuriating?

It seemed like they had an answer to everything, including how to handle her.

And that, Rona realized, was the deeper problem that was eating at her—the future.

Rona had assumed the Mercs would be leaving her behind after the mission was complete, and at first she’d been more than okay with that plan.

She hadn’t wanted to be bred by them in the first place, and she definitely hadn’t wanted to live with them either.

But now… she wasn’t so sure.

There was no way it could ever work, though.

These men were Mercs.

They traveled around the galaxy killing people for money.

It was a dark and dangerous life.

Hardly the kind of situation for starting a family.

She reached the end of the corridor, turned, then stalked back the other way.

As she passed the armory, Murdok once again looked up from what he was doing—checking a case of concussion grenades—and this time he let out a snarl of annoyance.

“Enough of this shit.”

The big, scarred Merc came storming out of the armory and grabbed Rona’s arm, which all but disappeared within his massive, callused fist. He spun her around roughly so she was facing him, then he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder, just as he had done two nights before, when he had first brought her on board.

And just like that night, he carried her straight to the rear of the ship.

“Hey!” Rona shouted.

“What are you doing?”

“What the fuck do you think I’m doing?” the Merc growled.

“I’m taking you back to the holding cell to punish your little annoying ass. Hey, Zeth! You gonna come give me a hand, or what?”

Because she was facing backwards, Rona could see that the younger Merc was already sauntering down the corridor behind them, a dark smile curving his lips.

“I’ll be glad to lend a hand,” he said.

“Or anything else that may be of use.”

Once they were inside the holding cell, Murdok turned and flipped a switch on the wall by the door.

A small slot opened in the middle of the ceiling, and a length of heavy chain began to lower.

There was a hook with a clip on the end.

“What’s that for?” Rona asked fearfully.

“Quiet, woman. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Zeth entered the room, and without saying a word to Murdok, he went straight to the trunk by the wall and opened the lid.

It was as if the two men didn’t even need to communicate.

Each one already knew what the other was thinking.

After a few moments of searching, Zeth found what he was looking for—a pair of handcuffs.

“Hands,” the Merc said.

Nervously, Rona extended her arms and let the young Merc fasten the cuffs around her wrists.

They were joined by a small chain, but the cuffs themselves were made of leather, and they were slightly cushioned on the inside.

Surprisingly comfortable.

Obviously not designed for use with dangerous criminals.

Rona experienced a sudden explosion of jealousy, as she realized she was probably not the first woman the Mercs had bound and shared in this room.

But Zeth quickly quelled that fire with a kiss so slow and deep it made her forget everything else.

Then he guided her hands to one side and clipped her handcuffs onto the chain hanging from the ceiling.

“She secure?” Murdok asked.

“Yes,” answered Zeth.

Murdok lifted Rona off his shoulder and carefully set her down on her feet.

With her hands cuffed and clipped to the chain, she could not bring them any lower than the level of her chest, a position suggestive of pleading or prayer.

Murdok looked her over for a moment, then he leaned in and gave her a kiss of his own, much rougher than the one Zeth had given her.

“Now we’ve got you right where we want you,” he whispered.

Rona shivered.

The big, scarred Merc went back to the door of the holding cell and began to work the switch again.

Slowly, the chain started to raise, and Rona’s hands rose with it.

They kept on rising, until her arms were fully extended over her head.

Murdok looked at her and frowned.

He gave the switch one more quick jolt, lifting Rona onto the balls of her feet.

“There,” he said. “That’s perfect.”

Zeth circled her slowly, his pale eyes appraising her vulnerable body.

“ Almost perfect,” he said.

“She still has her clothes on.”

“Let’s fix that,” said Murdok.

The scarred Merc strode over to where Rona was hanging and grabbed the front of her tank top with both hands.

Then, with one quick motion, he ripped the front of it open, baring her breasts.

“Hey!” Rona shouted.

“That’s my only shirt.”

Murdok grinned.

“I guess you’ll just have to go topless from now on. No more hiding those beautiful tits from us.”

He fondled her as he spoke, giving one side of her chest a nice, firm squeeze.

Then he stooped and started to lick her erect nipple, drawing wet circles with the tip of his tongue.

“Oh,” Rona gasped as he started to suck her.

“Ohhh…”

Zeth moved in from the other side and drew her other nipple between his warm, supple lips, biting her softly with his teeth and strumming her with his tongue.

Rona whimpered and shook as the two men feasted on her breasts.

She would not have stopped them even if she could, but the fact that she couldn’t made her enjoy it all the more.

She could feel their hands working in tandem to unbuckle her belt.

One of them undid her button.

The other unzipped her fly.

Then someone’s hand—Rona wasn’t sure whose—was down the front of her jeans, rubbing her wet lips and erect clit.

She moaned with pleasure.

“Let’s get these fucking jeans off her,” Murdok growled.

“Good idea,” said Zeth.

The two men knelt to remove her boots and socks.

Then they dragged her jeans down her legs and off her feet, leaving her completely naked, save for the ruins of her shirt, and the padded cuffs strapped around her wrists.

She was fully exposed and completely vulnerable.

With any other men, she would have been terrified.

With the Mercs, her terror was coupled with an arousal so intense it made her want to scream.

The two Mercs stood back and stared at her, Zeth smirking mysteriously, Murdock grabbing his crotch like a pervert.

Their augmented eyes seem to glow with hunger.

“She’s perfect,” said Zeth.

“Every inch of her.”

“Yeah,” Murdok agreed.

“But right now, there’s only one part I’m interested in…”

He stepped forward, turned Rona roughly around, and patted her behind.

“You heard what Aeron told us,” Murdok said, his voice low and raspy.

“We have his permission to punish you however we see fit—and for any reason whatsoever.”

Was that really what Aeron had said?

Rona didn’t think so, but she was in no state for remembering.

Her skin was starting to bead with sweat, and her calves were aching from standing on her tiptoes for so long.

“Hey Zeth,” Murdok said.

“Fetch me the cat, will ya?”

Zeth returned to the trunk.

When Rona saw what he pulled out of it, her heart began racing even faster than before.

It was a short, black handle, made of tightly woven leather thongs, braided together and knotted at both ends.

From one end, the strips of leather extended, hanging down like nine little black tails.

Each one terminated in a tiny knot.

Zeth tossed the whip across the room, and Murdok caught it in his right hand.

“You’re going to whip me?” Rona asked.

“I’m going to punish you,” said Murdok.

“Why? What have I done?”

“I can think of three infractions off the top of my head. First, you doubted my leader’s ability to conduct his mission safely. Second, you distracted me while I was trying to work. And third…”

He gave her a nudge with his free hand, and Rona spun on her tiptoes.

“…that fat little butt is just begging to be spanked.”

He dragged the nine ends of the whip across Rona’s bare bottom, making her shiver.

“You’re punishing me for the shape of my ass?” she said.

“That’s not a good reason.”

“On the contrary,” said Murdok.

“It’s the best reason.”

He flicked the whip, and the nine lashes struck Rona’s bare backside with a sharp crack that made her gasp and clench.

The cat didn’t jolt her body the way Aeron’s hand had, but the burning that followed in its wake was even more intense.

She let out a low, quivering moan as the fire spread all across her punished ass.

“How’s that feel?” Murdok asked, stroking her gently with the tails.

Rona turned and glared at him defiantly.

“That all you got?” she asked.

The Merc grinned, and Rona thought she detected a hint of pride in his gravelly voice.

“Hardly,” he said. “A naughty little girl like you deserves two dozen lashes. You’ve already received one. That means you’ve got twenty-three left to go.”

Rona looked at Zeth.

“Are you just going to stand there and let him torture me like this?” she asked.

“Of course not,” Zeth answered.

“I’m going to help.”

He placed one hand on her throat and kissed her mouth while his other hand dipped between her trembling legs.

He slid a long middle finger into her.

She was wet and ready for him.

He began to stroke her, slow and steady.

And Murdok started to spank.

Each lash of the cat sent a shock of pleasure-pain shooting through Rona’s body.

Each time she tried to scream, Zeth captured her mouth, devouring her cries.

Murdok paused after every few blows to pet her tingling flesh with the tails of the whip.

Rona came twice before it was all over.

She heard a soft clunk as Murdok dropped the whip on the floor behind her.

“Fuck,” he rumbled. “Zeth, you gotta see this.”

He turned Rona around with his hands.

Her legs had given out halfway through her spanking, and now she just hung from the ceiling chain like a piece of meat.

Zeth purred admiringly as he examined her welts.

“Gorgeous,” he murmured.

“Absolutely gorgeous.”

The two Mercs closed in around her, sandwiching her body between their own, kissing her all over with their hungry mouths.

They spun her again and again, sharing her mouth, her breasts, her punished bottom.

At one point, when Murdok was behind her, grazing her fangs along her neck, Rona pushed her butt against the front of his pants, rubbing the hard, ribbed thing contained within.

“Do you have anything that’s going to poke me, prod me, or stick me?” she whispered.

Murdok chuckled, dark and deep.

“Woman, I’ve got something to fill that sassy little mouth of yours.”

He went once more to the wall switch and lowered the chain again.

Rona breathed a sigh of relief as the soles of her feet touched down on the hard, metal flooring.

Murdok stopped the chain when her cuffed hands were roughly level with her face.

“You’re going to have to lower it more than that if you want me on my knees,” said Rona.

“I don’t want you on your knees,” Murdok said, pulling off his boots.

“Not yet.”

He gave Zeth a slight nod.

The younger Merc sprang into action, grabbing Rona’s legs and hoisting her lower body off the ground.

He hooked her knees over his broad shoulders and brought his smirking angel’s face between her thighs.

“You smell incredible,” he said.

Then he buried his face in her crotch and started to eat her, lapping her wet pussy with long, deep strokes of his tongue.

Rona tossed her head back and moaned.

Her wrists were still supported by the chain from the ceiling, and her lower body was supported by Zeth.

Murdok stepped into her upside-down field of vision, fangs gleaming, eyes glowing red.

He stripped off his vest, then his pants.

His huge, scarred cock sprang into view, fully erect and throbbing with arousal.

He cradled Rona’s head in the palm of his hand.

“Open wide,” he said.

“I want that throat.”