Captives of the Kratzen (Hearts in Orbit) Read online

Long, ebony curls framed beauty on a level greater than the Sculpted Wonders of the Imperium on Lunarious 9. Her deep copper skin tone took her beauty into the realm of the exotic.

  He’d been much too busy the past weeks to pull her aside and tell her how he felt about her. How he’d felt since he’d first laid eyes on her months ago.

  It seemed more like years. Had there really never been a chance to approach her, tell her he liked her?

  But even then, dressed in rags, Tina had a certain regal presence, a confident, assured stance. Beauty, confidence, strength.

  Face it. It wasn’t that I didn’t have the chance. I just didn’t have the balls.

  And now they were out of time.

  His mind whirled. Was there a way to save her and Kirtl? Even if it cost him his life, it would be well worth it.

  He pulled his gaze from her as he slid further around the door frame.

  A quick glance, counting at least a dozen bugs skittering toward them. He fired off a shot, scattering them, then ducked back into the room, but not before he caught sight of something new.

  Something different.

  Mantis-like, in mottled shades of olive drab, it stood tall, towering above the black roach troops. It emitted a high pitched skree and pointed a long, twig-thin limb at him.

  “A different kind of bug out there.” He hoped the station cameras hadn’t been damaged and were still recording. The others needed to know about this development. Any information on these aliens right now was important. Knowledge of the enemy could be vital.

  Kirtl’s eyes glazed, the look he got when listening to thoughts. “Smarter. In command. Wants something.”

  A thump from outside sent a smoking canister into the room. Gas of some kind, probably harmful to humans and Blarmlings.

  Carter held his breath and vaulted over the shelving unit to face the enemy outside the room. Better to die in combat then choking on poison gas.

  He fired both blasters, taking down more of the bugs as he sprinted along the perimeter of the chamber.

  They fired back. These plasma bolts had a greenish tinge now, another effect he’d never seen before.

  Just when we thought we knew our enemy—

  The green ray struck him in the chest. A burning sizzle radiated from the point of impact. His joints locked and he tumbled, face first, to the floor. An electrical tang overlaid the coppery taste of blood in his mouth. Paralyzed, his mind clouded and darkness threatened. His last conscious thoughts were regrets. Regrets he’d never taken the time to ask Tina out and get to know her better. That he’d never even attempted to kiss her.

  Now, he’d never get the chance.

  Chapter 2

  The fog in Carter’s brain swirled as he fought his way back to consciousness. Pasty dryness glued his tongue to the roof of his mouth. A strong chemical essence permeated the air and burned his nasal passages when he breathed in. Bright illumination had his tear-filled eyes blinking continuously. He would have wiped the dampness away, but his hands would not lift off the cold surface they were bound to.

  Wrist straps kept him firmly against the metallic surface he lay upon. Straps also clasped his ankles, binding him spread-eagle, naked, and helpless.

  Blinking away the blur brought the eyes hovering over him into frightening focus. Two multifaceted orbs scanned up and down his body.

  Bug eyes. The same as on the roach-like Andromeda-based aliens. But these eyes were farther apart, situated along the sides of the mottled pea-green triangular head. One of the mantis-like bugs, like he’d seen in the base.

  Still, he was alive, and that was something. More than he could have hoped for.

  The creature examining him did a Bzz-klik-squee. Its hand, if it could be called that, featured two long, talon-like fingers plus an opposable thumb. Still, it had no problem grasping a long needle like object connected to a slender, flexible tube.

  Oh, that can’t be good. “Please tell me you’re not going to stick—”

  The needle entered his lower abdomen, right above the base of his groin.

  “Arghh!” Gritting his teeth, he pulled at the restraints on his wrists and ankles. The stinging pain, centered right in his crotch, spread out in shockwaves throughout his whole body.

  The creature continued to emit strange noises, picking up a cadence and nodding its head as if singing or humming to a tune.

  “Bastard terraleach.” He writhed. Even during the time he’d been captured, beaten, and tortured by the deranged pirate, Kristin Devenport, he’d never experienced pain this intense. It felt like hours, but was probably only moments, before the creature extracted the needle and the lancing agony eased.

  The air burned his lungs and caused him to cough as he gasped for breath. Sweat slid down his brow and into his eyes, stinging and forcing him to blink once again.

  “What the hell do you want?” His cry barely drew the creature’s attention.

  He craned his neck to look around.

  Strange machines blinked lights and featured gauges and meters with markings that made no sense to him. On a table across the vast chamber, a sleek, copper-skinned form lay limp, strapped to a metal table like he was.

  Tina.

  Tina’s naked breasts rose and fell, pulling his attention. She was breathing.

  Beside her, Kirtl lay similarly strapped down on another, smaller table. They’d all survived the encounter only to end up here.

  Wherever here was.

  To be sure, the bugs had them, and were examining them. He, Tina, and probably Kirtl as well, were alive. That was something.

  Another needle prick, this one to his arm, was much less painful but it brought his attention back to the mantis-like alien hovering over him. This new type of creature. He needed to get this information back to the Federation. He needed to save Tina and Kirtl. And to do that, he needed to stay alive.

  He needed to survive.

  It was his final thought before the darkness of unconsciousness closed in on him once again.

  ~ ~ ~

  The fog of unconsciousness lifted and Tina pulled herself toward wakefulness. The gas from the bug’s canister weapon had overwhelmed her before she could follow Carter over the upended shelving unit.

  Gods, he’d charged right into their mass. But staying back hadn’t helped her either.

  What am I saying? At least I’m alive. Carter had to have been—

  A soft sob escaped her lips.

  Carter.

  She’d heard the blasters firing. The bastards didn’t have a shred of mercy in their insectoid bodies.

  Steeling her will, she locked down the hurt and anger. She needed to figure out where she was, and why she was still alive. Not that she was complaining about that.

  Eyes still closed, she lay quietly listening. Air moved freely over her backside. Warm air, but a covering would have been nice. She was completely naked.

  From somewhere behind her, water trickled.

  A soft breeze blew on her hair and forehead, puffing at a steady rhythm, in time with a low rumble. Her head lay on a warm, slightly fuzzy surface that yielded somewhat, but not to the extent of a pillow.

  She pulled in a deep breath and the tantalizing, musky scent of Tranzian Cedar filled her senses. Could it be?

  Taking the risk, she opened one eye.

  A broad, tanned expanse of skin, well defined musculature, and a nipple, dark brown and slightly puckered, appeared in her view. Sandy blond hairs dusted the landscape and prickled her cheek where she lay. Beyond, a firm chin sported a day’s growth of blond whiskers.

  She lay on a man’s bare chest. Light snoring accompanied his breath as it puffed lightly in her face. The scent minty, fresh, familiar. That long-lasting, Tarnanian breath-freshener the crew had gotten last Fastmas from
Captain Mazar.

  Opening her other eye brought Carter’s familiar visage into focus. Thank the galactic gods, they’d both survived the bug attack.

  But how? Why?

  She could see nothing else without moving. She couldn’t hear anything beyond his soft snoring and the trickle of water somewhere behind her.

  Slowly she lifted her head.

  Dark gray panels lined the walls of a square chamber she estimated to be about twenty meters on each side, and roughly four meters in height. The panels filled the gaps between a framework of metal beams, giving the room an industrial feel. The flooring had a gentle give, like dense foam under a plastoid covering.

  Carter lay on the floor, completely naked.

  Tina had seen him in swim trunks once, and admired his physique. The parts she hadn’t been able to see, now on full display, were equally as impressive.

  She wasn’t supposed to want him like this, yet she drooled as her gaze swept his nude form. Heat erupted inside as she drank in every detail.

  He snorted, rolling to his side.

  Gods, that butt. Tight, toned, and dimpled. Had the galactic gods ever created a more perfect male specimen?

  It’s wrong. I shouldn’t. But would she ever get another chance?

  For so long she’d resisted the feelings growing inside, drawing her toward the sexy marine. She wasn’t supposed to be attracted to someone like him. Everything she’d been taught from early on screamed against it, yet she couldn’t deny she wanted him.

  I need to concentrate on where we are and what’s happened to us.

  She wrenched her gaze away from his nude form, to the bubbling basin behind her. Clear liquid filled a large sink and spilled over a spout in the side to fill an oblong pool in the floor easily five to six square meters in area that looked to be a bit over a meter deep.

  Pulling herself to her feet, she crossed to the basin, dipping her finger in the clear, cool liquid and bringing it to her nose. No smell.

  She cautiously touched her tongue to the droplets on her fingertip. Tasteless.

  Water, she hoped. Thirst prodded her to cup her hands and take a small sip. Cool, refreshing. Still, she waited before taking any more.

  The smooth gray walls on one side of the room had a glass-like sheen. She approached one and brought her eyes right up to the panel. When she did, she could see objects through it.

  Like a one-way mirror perhaps?

  They were no doubt being observed, and she was as naked as him.

  She scanned the chamber for a blanket or towel, any scrap of cloth that could be used to cover up.

  Nothing.

  She did note the raised, bench-like area at the back with a hole that dropped to flowing water below. A toilet? Ugh. No privacy at all. As if this all wasn’t embarrassing enough.

  “Fiery Faculae,” she cursed under her breath. Like caged filtchrats.

  In almost any other circumstance, getting naked with Carter Arcturus would have been the highlight of her day. Something she’d dreamed about in her most erotic flights of fantasy.

  But not like this. Not like some laboratory test-animal.

  He groaned and shifted. She noted his cock stiffening. What was he dreaming about? Who was he dreaming about?

  She probably didn’t want to know.

  ~ ~ ~

  Haze clouded Carter’s mind as he pulled himself from deep slumber. The vision—memory?—of Tina lying naked next to him, bounced in his mind. But he’d been strapped to a table. She’d been unconscious. Not really sexy at all.

  Still, Tina naked.

  Had to be a dream.

  His body responded, tightening at the thought. Why had he waited so long to approach her about his feelings? The worst that could happen was that she’d reject his advances, crush his dreams. That would only be devastating.

  Not knowing how she felt was probably killing him worse.

  Okay, no more putting it off. The next chance I get.

  He fisted his hands and knuckled the grit from his eyes. Sitting up he blinked away the last of his drowsiness.

  Where the hell was he?

  As his blurred vision cleared it settled on a figure standing in front of him.

  Tina.

  Naked.

  The deep coppery tone of her smooth skin glistened in the soft lighting. Long, toned legs. High, firm breasts.

  He forced his eyes up from the chocolate-colored nipples to her dark brown eyes.

  A half smile played on the corner of her luscious lips. “Hi.”

  Chapter 3

  Tina turned her head before she embarrassed herself, embarrassed him, by staring at his bold erection. Her cheeks heated. It wasn’t like it was something he could control, was it?

  Men. Wouldn’t any naked female bring the same reaction?

  Probably.

  She’d been around enough men, seen enough slacks tented at the crotch, to know how most men reacted around women. At least women they found attractive. Did that mean Carter . . .?

  Maybe I should concentrate on our problems.

  There were certainly enough of those.

  “We’re prisoners.” She threw her hand up, indicating the enclosure. “I’m pretty sure some or all of the wall panels offer one-way viewing from outside.”

  “Like lab animals.” His low tones rumbled her core. Gods, he had a sexy voice. “Like Oolo and Lart.”

  Oolo and Lart were Kirtl’s parents. They’d given birth to him after being freed by Phoebe Callista from a corporate laboratory where they’d been held in cages and scheduled for termination. If they’d died then, they’d have never birthed one of her best friends. The wonderful, furry creature offered an eternal optimism, intelligence, and extreme kindness rarely found in any creature.

  And where was Kirtl now? He’d been with her as the gas knocked her out. Was he here as well, possibly in a separate cage?

  Her gut fisted in determination. She spun back around to face Carter, keeping her gaze up, locking on his eyes. “I doubt there’s a bug version of Phoebe Callista working out there.”

  They’d have to save themselves if they were going to get out of this.

  A wistful look shot across his handsome face. “You never know. We don’t know any more about the bugs than they do about us. Maybe that’s why we’re here.”

  She nodded. “Preferable to being dead, I suppose.”

  His mouth tightened. “That depends on what they’re planning for us.”

  He rose and crossed to the bubbling basin. The way his thigh muscles flexed as he walked was mesmerizing. He was so fit, so . . . muscley.

  Is that even a word?

  She forced her gaze back up to his face. His eyebrow rose as he dipped his finger in the water. He tilted his head, looking up at her. “I think it’s safe.”

  She brought her hand up to cover her breasts when his gaze dipped.

  He turned away. “I’m sorry. I . . .”

  Heat crept up her cheeks. This was so embarrassing. “I drank a little about ten minutes ago. Tasted like water. I’m not feeling any ill effects.”

  He dipped both hands in, cupping them to bring water up to scrub his face. He shook his head to clear his eyes, spraying droplets. “No towels or cloths of any kind?”

  “Not that I’ve seen.” Her gaze wandered around the perimeter of the room. “But look there.”

  One section of the slick, gray wall ended before hitting the floor. A small, rectangular section of the panel, slightly darker in hue, had a knob attached to the middle.

  Tina pointed. “Looks like a door or drawer.”

  If it was a door, it was certainly too small to get out of.

  Grasping the knob, he pulled. A drawer extended, filled with brown,
oblong pellets. He picked one up and brought it to his nose, sniffing. “Food?”

  He took a nibble. “Seems edible.”

  Taking a larger bite, he chewed and swallowed. “Not bad. A little dry.”

  She let out a deep breath. “Food, water, shelter. They appear to want us to stay alive, at least for now. What do you think they could be after?”

  “I wish I knew. Then again, maybe I don’t want to.” His hand glided down to a small scabbing wound below his navel.

  Where had he gotten that?

  She shouldn’t have looked. It was too easy to gaze a bit lower to his sizable erection. What would it feel like to . . .?

  No. She didn’t dare go down that path. But she sure wouldn’t mind being held in his strong arms. She paced, keeping her eyes off that impressive male anatomy, and her mind on their current situation.

  Sex was not something she was allowed to even think about. All these years—how hard she’d had to fight to stay a virgin. It had been expected of her, preached and taught from a young age. Stay pure until your marriage day.

  Captured and enslaved at age six, she’d struggled living among the lustful pirates of the Dark Nebula. Still, she’d managed, through a combination of luck and determination, to stay pure.

  But did that matter anymore? This wasn’t some pirate trying to force himself upon her. This was something she wanted, desired. This was different. This was Carter.

  She was years away from Quendor. She’d been forced to give up so many of her old customs and traditions. Over time they’d come to mean nothing anyway.

  What she felt for him meant something.

  Something big.

  Her breath caught when she realized she was staring at his cock. Again. She pulled her gaze back up to find a quirky smile spreading across his face.

  “Sorry about the erection.”

  He had nothing to be sorry about.