Читать книгу The Colony Boxed Set 1 - Grace Goodwin - Страница 9

Rachel, Carswell Penitentiary, Solitary Confinement

I sat on the bed, the only reasonably soft surface in my cell, my scratchy wool blanket wrapped around me. My knees were tucked up to my chest and my back pressed into the corner. I was alone, the silence of the space almost deafening. Even with one of the four walls being bars that opened to a long, main hallway, all was quiet. The painted cinderblock walls and gray sealed floor offered nothing of interest to look at. The single tiny window to the outside world was so high up that I couldn’t look out even if I stood on top of the bed. I knew, I’d tried. I could see the sky, know if it was clear or cloudy, but no ground. I didn’t even know what direction I faced.

I’d heard this section of the facility had been designed that way. We’d come in through an underground tunnel, turning several times before stopping. The path from the converted prison bus to this confinement wing provided several additional turns with no windows. It was impossible to keep any bearings. No ground to look at.

If I didn’t win my appeal, I would not see anything more of the world other than a few clouds for the next twenty-five years. That idea drove many to insanity, or to take their own life. What was a life with nothing in it? The clothes were drab, the cell drab, the food even more drab. There was nothing left.

But I had hope. God, I clung to that hope by my chewed-to-the-quick fingernails. What else was there?

The evidence my lawyer had would set me free. It proved my innocence. That one thumb drive was everything that stood between me and a life in hell. Until then, I waited. Day after day of nothing.

I ran my hand over my face, trying to think of something… anything besides my case, my tiny cell, my new life. It was easy to think about the testing dream, for it had been perfect. I’d been free, no bars or concrete walls. I’d had two men who wanted me with desperation. I’d felt wanted. God, had I needed. And the things they did to me!

I was no prude. I knew where my clit was and ensured my lovers did, too. Lovers, but not two at once like the dream. It had been a fantasy of mine. What woman didn’t dream about two men who knew exactly what they were doing? And they hadn’t had the Brides Program testing dream like I’d had.

Holy hell, that had been hot. Twice as hot.

My nipples tightened and my clit throbbed just remembering their hands, their mouths, their cocks.

The dream lingered in my blood and I wanted to touch myself, knowing I was wet. The ache there had my hands slipping down between my thighs. Remembering that there were guards watching, I pulled my hand away. I wouldn’t taint the dream by touching myself and having the guards watch. I’d touch myself at night, when they turned the lights out. Again and again.

God, even my orgasms were controlled. And bland. Even if I used my fingers to circle my clit and slip inside my pussy, it wouldn’t be anything like what those men in the dream made me feel. For twenty-five years I’d have in-the-dark, masturbation delivered orgasms. Nothing else.

And just that fast, I was back to feeling sorry for myself.

Maybe I should just call that Warden Egara and leave. Leave all of it behind. The lawyers and prison guards. The guilt.

Strangely, the hair on my arms rose as if lightning had struck mere seconds before I heard voices. They were tipped low, but deep. It wasn’t lunchtime and I hadn’t heard the loud buzzer indicating the floor’s locked entry door was opening. There was no squeaky wheel from the food cart. No footsteps, until now. Someone, or two someones, were walking along the hall quickly.

“How will we know who she is?”

I jumped to my feet, curious. Nothing different from the monotonous routine ever occurred.

“Warden Egara says we’ll just know.”

The voices became louder. I could hear others down the line of cells calling out to them. From walking past, there were four cells between mine and the main door, and two after.

“No. No. No.” It sounded as if they were playing Duck, Duck, Goose.

When the big men walked up to my bars, they stilled. Their eyes were on me, roving over every single inch. I felt it, their gazes, as if there weren’t bars between us and their hands were on me.

“She is the one,” the taller man said to the other. They held guns in their hands, guns unlike anything I’d ever seen. Smaller than a tiny pistol, they were very shiny metal and no competition for the rifles strapped over some of the prison guards’ shoulders.

To call the other man short would have been humorous, for they were large. Very, very large. The shorter one was easily a few inches over six feet. They were like lumberjacks and Highlanders combined. They weren’t wearing plaid, but form-fitting armor of some kind that made them look like gladiators wearing armor molded to define every muscle. The strange black armor was mottled with browns and greens, almost like military camouflage but more like the swirls found in decorative marble.

One had dark, deep coppery brown hair and dark skin, the other was golden and light, his hair and skin both a pale yellow. And Terminator parts. But I wouldn't consider them now. The dark one had eyes like milk chocolate, the light one’s eyes were amber. But neither was human. The angular lines of their cheekbones and oddly shaped eyes made them look just strange enough to make my heart race in panic. But their massive frames and muscular bodies made my pussy cry out in welcome. I knew those features, those huge hands. This was the race of alien warrior I’d seen in my dream at the Brides Processing center. And thanks to the warden and her brain games, all I could think about as they approached was the size of their cocks…and what it might feel like to be sandwiched between them.

My body reacted viscerally. Yes, they were handsome. Yes, they met every single one of my checkboxes for what I considered to be a hot guy. Times two. My palms were damp and my heart literally skipped a beat, but I felt a connection as if there were a thread between us. It was more than just the processing center dream, it was instinctive. Deeper.

I felt like I knew them.

“Rachel Pierce of Earth. I am Maxim and this is Ryston. We are your mates from the planet Prillon Prime.”

Oh. My. God. They were mine? My mates from the match.

I couldn’t move. My feet felt as if they were anchored into the concrete just like my bed and the stool.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered. I craned my neck, twisting in an attempt to look past them, knowing the guards would be coming. How had they gotten past security?

“We are claiming you,” the dark one said. “We are taking you with us. Now.”

“Taking me…you can’t be serious.” I looked at the bars and knew it wasn’t going to happen. The guards were not going to release me to go with these guys. No way. And I couldn’t decide if that made me happy or strangely disappointed.

“Transport.”

Transport? This was insane. Was I becoming delusional and hallucinating now that I’d been alone for so long? Was I dreaming again?

They seemed confident in their words. They didn’t look for the guards nor seem to worry that they would encounter them anytime soon.

“But, I said I wasn’t ready. I don’t want to be a bride. I… I refused the match.” Looking at these two had me wondering why I’d done so. If these were my mates, perhaps being sent off-planet wasn’t such a bad idea.

No. No! I had my name to clear, my life here on Earth. I wanted a choice, and this didn’t feel like one.

But neither was prison. That wasn’t my choice either.

“We will discuss this back at the transport center.” It was the dark one that spoke, Maxim. Only him. The other, the golden one named Ryston, remained stoic beside him. While it seemed he was not the leader, I didn’t doubt that he was a commanding figure all on his own.

“Transport center?” I was a scientist. I had two advanced degrees, and yet I was reduced to simple questions.

“Your life is in danger and we will not allow your innocent notions of justice to cost you your life. We are taking you with us for your own protection.”

I laughed then. “That’s noble of you, but you’re forgetting one thing.” I pointed to the bars that kept us separated. “I’m a prisoner here. They’re not going to let you take me.”

“You think ionized steel can keep us from you?”

“Well, yes,” I countered.

The dark one, Maxim, stepped up to the bars, took one in each hand and grinned at me as he pulled them apart like they were no more substantial than pieces of aluminum foil.

I stumbled back, bumped into the metal edge of the bed and sank down.

When the other, his second, joined his efforts, the bars were pulled apart within seconds, just like in a Superman movie.

If I had time to think about it, I’d find the action hotter than hell. But the odd sound of the steel bending wasn’t the only thing I heard. The buzzer at the end of the block indicated the entry door to the cellblock was opening. Another sound, one I hadn’t heard before, yet very obviously an alarm, blared. I winced at the loud noise, but was mesmerized by the men.

Maxim stepped through the opening they made followed by Ryston. The cell was small to begin with, but with them inside, looming over me, I felt like we were standing inside a thimble. I backed into the corner, afraid. It was one thing to have sexy fantasies about them, it was another to have them break into a jail cell to kidnap me and take me to another planet.

“Do not fear us. Never fear us,” Maxim said, reaching his hand out and grabbing my arm. His hold was gentle, yet he pulled me to stand on the mattress before him with ease.

“Contact made. Transport now,” Ryston said as the hurried sound of boots hitting concrete sped toward the cell. He spoke into some kind of unit on his wrist. The last thing I thought of, before a hum filled the space, my hair rose on my forearms again and the shouting of guards was heard over the shrill alarm, was that I’d been mated to two men from Star Trek.

Captain Ryston Rayall

This Earth female was our bride? It had been hard to move when we’d stopped at her prison cell. I’d asked Maxim how we’d know which female was ours within the cellblock. I’d quickly counted six cells when we transported in. It would have been easier to transport directly into our mate’s cell, but Warden Egara didn’t know which one held our female. So, instead of transporting into the wrong space, we’d walked along the hallway and found her by gut instinct alone.

Yet standing before us, wide eyed and clearly attracted to her mates, just as we were affected by her, she was afraid of us. Her eyes widened and her pulse raced at the base of her neck. The thin orange material she wore did nothing to disguise her sweet, feminine scent, nor the unmistakable scent of her arousal.

The bars between us, the humans who would keep her from us, the stubborn pride that our mate held onto like a shield, none of that would be allowed to keep her from us.

Apparently, Maxim felt the same for he wrapped his hands around the steel bars and pulled. I moved immediately to assist, eager to reach our female. The bars were no match for our enhanced cyborg strength. For once the Hive implants in our bodies were put to good use. Prillon warriors were known for their strength, but with Hive enhancements in every major muscle group, we were monsters, stronger even than an Atlan warrior in Beast mode.

Her trembling hands were all that prevented the deep growl from escaping my throat as we entered her cell. I could practically taste her in the air, the warm scent of her skin and her wet pussy made my cock rise to attention.

Mine. Mine. Mine. I’d never expected to have such a strong reaction to a female.

It was like someone had reached into my chest and squeezed it. I’d been tortured, my Prillon body parts replaced by Hive technology. I’d been held against my will and I could not tolerate seeing our mate a prisoner. I knew pain, knew my body, but I’d never felt like this. It was as if a part of me, a part of my body I’d never known had been missing, was found.

I was, for once, whole. It didn’t matter that I had an optical implant or cellular enhancements in all major muscle groups. I was finally at peace. No bars could separate us from what was ours. Rachel Pierce was mine. Yes, I would share her with Maxim, and glad I was to have such a strong and noble warrior to help me care for her. I was honored to be chosen as his second. But as I looked at Rachel, with her shining brown hair and creamy skin, her lovely face and full lips, her body so curved and soft and perfect for fucking, I had no interest in technicalities.

My only interest was getting her out of this fucking prison uniform and filling her with my cock. She would be pampered and fed. I would bathe her and feed her, protect her and learn all of her secrets. She was mine.

My reaction shocked me. And I was not the warrior she’d been matched to. I could not begin to imagine the depths of Maxim’s response to her. And so, I took my place as his second and let him reach for her.

If he suffered from her nearness, as I did, he most likely would be crawling out of his own skin to touch her, to make contact. Maxim reached for her even as I positioned myself between him and the corridor—and the human guards I could hear running toward our position. It was time to get the fuck out of here.

“Do not fear us. Never fear us.” Maxim’s tone was one I’d never heard before. I’d heard him bellow commands on the battlefield, argue politics at meetings on base, and scream with rage and pain when tortured. I’d heard him laugh and tease fellow soldiers.

I’d never heard him whisper with such blatant longing.

Gods. I was miserable with wanting her. Maxim? I wasn’t sure how he maintained control, how he resisted the urge to throw this small female over his shoulder and take away her choice.

Relief flooded me when Rachel didn’t resist Maxim’s hold, her first show of trust, of accepting our claim. I didn’t hesitate, contacting Warden Egara as soon as Maxim had our mate secure. “Contact made. Transport now.”

I could not blame her for her caution. I would have doubted, as Rachel did, if someone came from another planet and broke into a prison to take me away.

I kept my eye on the prison bars, guarding against any potential threat until the transport beacons in our uniforms activated and I felt the strange twisting tug of the transport pull us into the in-between, the darkness where one ceased to exist for those few moments before reemerging on the other side.

When we arrived at the transport center, our mate was stuttering, her legs shaky.

Our little mate seemed to be a force all her own, strong and stubborn and a little wild. But now, seeing her vulnerable, her eyes haunted, her small body weak, every protective instinct I had roared to life. She was small, so much smaller than Maxim or myself. And, technically, we had just kidnapped a human female. The humans’ courts would no doubt not listen to our reasoning. To a human, kidnapping. To me and Maxim, a rescue mission.

And yet, now, standing in the processing center, away from the guards and any chance of being caught a thousand Earth miles away, there were still barricades between me, Maxim and our mate. Not physical bars any longer, but the stubborn spirit of a confused female.

We couldn’t take her to The Colony with us unless she agreed. Voluntarily, and not by coercion. We could pull her from a prison for her safety, but we could not transport her off Earth without consent.

We would have it, for I wasn’t leaving without her. My heart wouldn’t accept anything less and neither would my cock. And I was just her second. Glancing away from Rachel Pierce and at my brother-in-arms, I couldn’t tell what Maxim’s thoughts might be. He gave nothing away, a skill learned in years of battle, forged during torture by the Hive, and put to use as Governor of Base 3.

“Rachel, it is good to see you again,” Warden Egara said, stepping between us and taking her hand.

Maxim growled and she stepped back. She didn’t look afraid, but probably remembered the protocols with Prillon warriors. No one came between a warrior and his mate.

Perhaps it was the transport, but Rachel Pierce’s eyes did not look clear. “Are you all right?” I asked, leaning close as Maxim held her up. I wanted to claim her full lips, to taste her, but now was not the time. Her brown eyes, a shade lighter than Maxim’s, studied my face, moving over my features slowly, as if she were having trouble processing what she was seeing.

For a moment, I worried our appearances would frighten her. We were not human. We did not look like the men she was used to.

Would she deny us?

I pulled back, alarmed at the thought. But Maxim’s gentle hold at her waist did not falter, and she did not push him away. The worry faded from my mind. She’d been matched to Maxim. A matched mate. Even if our appearance unsettled her, all we needed was time. Time to win her over. Touch her. Kiss her. Bring her pleasure.

I didn’t dare touch her now, for while I was to be her second, she was not my mate until the collar was about her neck. I wore one, as did Maxim, but until she did, I feared Maxim may have trouble controlling the mating instinct that must be raging through his blood. Once our mate accepted her collar, we three would be linked, the psychic bond would allow us to learn our mate, to read her emotions and her desires. We wouldn’t be able to read her thoughts, but she would not be able to hide the truth from us. We would know if she was aroused or angry, hurting or confused. The collars would bond us as a family, help us learn how to please our mate, how to make her happy.

How to make her stay.

Maxim moved then, one hand running up and down her back, the other, wrapped around her arm, is if she needed help to stand.

“What’s going on?” she asked, her voice shaky.

“Warden Egara sent for us,” Maxim said. “You are in danger.”

“What? What are you talking about?” Rachel held up her hand and stepped back. While I knew Maxim could keep her from moving, he allowed her retreat. She wasn’t going anywhere without us ever again.

“May I speak?” Warden Egara asked.

Maxim stepped back and our mate drew in a deep, shuddering breath and rubbed at her temples.

“Please, Warden.” Maxim bowed his head to the female who held one of the most respected titles in the Fleet. No one wanted to offend a Warden, not when their work meant we had a chance at a matched mate. At life after the Hive war.

Warden Egara didn’t hold back, and her voice was brisk. “Rachel, your lawyer received word that someone has sanctioned a hit on you.”

A hit was an Earth term for murder. The idea didn’t sit well and I clenched my hands into fists. The would-be murderer was in prison, far from here, but I wanted to go back and track that human down and end their life for even considering harming Rachel.

“A hit? I don’t understand!” She ran her hand over her dark hair and I could see her agitation. I wanted to soothe her, but I knew nothing I did, nor Maxim for that matter, would work. Not yet. Once our collar was about her neck, we’d be able to calm her, to soothe her with our own feelings.

“John called me. The judge denied his petition to keep you isolated,” Warden Egara told her. Her matter-of-fact tone was working on Rachel. While she wasn’t calming down, her anxiety and anger wasn’t escalating either. “You will be moved to the general population in three days.”

“So?” Rachel asked.

“So, whomever framed you for your crimes doesn’t want you to have your day in court. You won’t live to present the evidence at your appeal.”

Rachel’s mouth fell open and she stared at the warden.

“What you uncovered was dangerous to many. Keeping you alive only increases the chance for the truth to come out.”

“I gave the truth to my lawyer.”

The warden nodded. “Yes, he told me. He will continue to work your case, to seek justice, but that struggle would become unnecessary if you were dead.”

Maxim growled and pushed Rachel behind him. Warden Egara held up her hands. “I am not threatening her, just stating facts.”

Rage boiled on a low simmer in my body, but Maxim’s reaction was telling. He was always calm, always in control. He knew, as well as I did, that the warden was no threat to our mate. As I suspected, Rachel’s curves, her nearness, her scent, were pushing Maxim to the edge. I’d never seen him so riled, not even when we were being tortured by the Hive.

“Five grand, Rachel. That’s all it takes. You go into general population and you’ll be dead within a week.”

Rachel pushed against Maxim and moved around him to stand toe to toe with the warden. Bless the fire of these Earth women, the warden did not back down.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Go with your mates, Rachel. It’s not safe for you on Earth any longer.”