Her hips snapped up with another climax, her internal walls contracting once more on nothing. For the first time in at least four years, she wanted to have sex. Wanted to know what that powerful body felt like over hers, under hers, behind hers.
She slowly lowered her hips back to the cot, stroking all the aftershocks out of her pussy. She’d probably regret all of it tomorrow, but, for now, it felt like in a lifetime of oppression, one small thing had gone right. She had a cot, her own closet, and two orgasms. It wasn’t freedom. It wasn’t finding Tal, but it was a start.
Chapter Three
Cambry took a front row seat for the first training session. Or she would have if there were seats to be had. While the Zandians had sent supplies and battleships, they still didn’t have chairs, or beds or changes of clothing, so they’d all sat on the floor of the large hall where she’d slept—or actually hadn’t slept—the first night.
Rok, the young Zandian warrior who appeared to be in charge, had sorted them into groups based on their interests. Some would learn to fly the battleships, others would practice navigation and communication skills to serve as co-pilots, and most of them would learn hand-to-hand combat. Those too sick or wounded had been taken to a sick bay where beings interested in learning medical care and assisting with battle wounds would nurse them.
She’d volunteered for pilot training. It didn’t take a genius to figure out the only way off the uninhabitable planet th
ey’d crashed into was in an airship, so she intended to learn how to fly one. First chance she got, she’d fly herself straight out of the galaxy. No way she was waiting around to fight a war on Zandia she had no stake in.
Rok stood in front with his crew of non-Zandians. An unkempt old Venusian, two Stornigians, and a huge being of a species she didn’t recognize.
Rok’s human girlfriend came in and dropped to the floor near Cambry. “Hi, I’m Lily,” she said, holding out her hand in the ancient human gesture of greeting.
If she weren’t hoping to ingratiate herself with the trainers enough to get into an airship, she would have rebuffed the girl’s overtures. This was the female who’d been singing the song of human freedom on Zandia, trying to get them all to believe in some kind of “promised land.”
She reluctantly put forth her hand. “Cambry.” She supposed she shouldn’t begrudge Lily her misplaced faith in the Zandians. And maybe, for Lily, the promised land would be true. After all, she had captivated her Zandian warrior so well, he’d been willing to take down this entire death pod to save her.
Now Rok and his warriors were stuck with the two hundred other beings who had come with Lily. Of course, they couldn’t just set them free. If word got back to the Ocretions they didn’t all perish, Lily and Rok would have a price on their heads. So, they’d decided to make soldiers out of them for their own purposes.
Most of the beings there were just content to have had their death sentences cleared. Nothing much changed for them. They’d traded one master for another; Work and obedience were still required of them with the penalty death if they didn’t give it.
But Cambry had decided back at the factory, when her brother was taken from her, it was time to get herself free. She had a rare opportunity to learn a skill that would facilitate her goal.
Rok whistled and brought the room to attention. There were about one hundred beings there, and all their attention went to the large warrior. His gaze traveled over the group, resting on Lily, where Cambry had the feeling he’d wanted to focus all along. His face went soft, as if she had the power to bring him to bliss simply with her presence in the room.
Cambry stole a glance at Lily, who appeared equally riveted, cheeks turning a soft shade of pink. “How’d you meet?” she found herself asking.
Lily smiled, not dragging her focus from her male. “I stole his ship.”
Cambry choked on a laugh, her opinion of the young woman rising. “Is that so?”
“Yeah.” Their eyes were still locked. “But then he caught me and kept me prisoner.” She said it like it was the sexiest, most romantic thing in the galaxy, and after what happened with Lundric last night, she almost understood.
How would she like to be Lundric’s prisoner? Tied up and available for his use. Or bent over his knee and punished for disobedience.
I will whip your ass until you scream.
Why did she almost want to push him into delivering such a consequence?
As if conjured by her lustful thoughts, Lundric strode in. He appeared tired and a little pale but still panty-dropping gorgeous. She hoped the pallor wasn’t from blood loss. If he’d been a human, that wound she’d inflicted could’ve been deadly. She shuddered to think how horrible she’d feel if Lundric were lying in the sick bay now, fighting for his life because of her. Sweet Mother Earth, how she prayed he hadn’t been downplaying it for her sake.
Rok launched into some kind of introduction, but she only had attention for Lundric. He stood at attention behind Rok, but his gaze immediately fell on her, as if he’d known where she sat from the moment he walked in the door. His eyes blazed with heat and a promise. A tingle of warmth swept through her, the memory of what they’d done the night before barreling into her mind and making her belly flutter. Veck, was she blushing?
“Looks like you’ve found a Zandian admirer, too,” Lily murmured.
“I stabbed him last night with his own dagger.”
Lily stifled a giggle, finally tearing her attention away from her mate to look at Cambry. “Well, I guess that’s the key. Maybe you have to significantly offend them to win their undying love.”
Undying love.
Her stomach clenched. That wasn’t what she and Lundric were about. Shared lust, yes. Mutual pleasure, absolutely. She’d already decided she wanted more. But she wasn’t looking for a mate. She had one boot out the door. As soon as she found her chance, she was escaping. And yeah, stealing one of their ships, just like Lily had. Heh.
Maybe Lundric would take her prisoner. Except she couldn’t be caught, and she wasn’t playing around. She needed to find and free her brother. Only then could she consider any kind of future with any species of being. Who knew? Maybe the Zandians would win their planet back, and she could return the ship and waltz back into Lundric’s life.