Delivered by the Defender (Kindred Tales)

“I can’t do it,” she hissed to Veelah. “You do it if you want him so much—I just can’t!”

“Fine.” Veelah marched back to the other side of the cell, swinging her hips and shaking her bare breasts provocatively. “Hey, baby,” she cooed to Big Horn, who was waiting with a scowl on his face. “I’ll suck your sweetmeats for you. What do you say?”

“I say fuck you,” Big Horn growled, glaring at her. “I don’t want some common whore sucking me off! I want little Miss Royal over there.” He raised his voice and shouted at Selena, “Hey, I heard what you did, little bimbap! Heard you stole the diamonds right off the third Empress’s tits! Hey—you think you’re too good to suck me ‘cause you’ve been to the palace?”

Selena only shook her head, backing further into the far corner. She was wide awake now—wide awake and horrified at the situation she found herself in. How had she gotten into this and how could she possibly ever get out of it?

“Last chance, bimbap,” Big Horn growled. “Come suck me right now and I might be nice to you once we’re in Hammerdown together.” He glowered at her. “If you don’t, you’ll be fucking sorry.”

Mutely, Selena shook her head, her long dark hair swirling around her face. She couldn’t—even if it was a death sentence not to comply with the big inmate’s demands, she simply could…not…do…this.

“Fine, then.” At last, Big Horn withdrew his dick and stuffed it back in his trousers. “You’re gonna be sorry, bimbap,” he said, giving Selena that flat, predator’s glare that made her feel like a cold finger had just run down her spine. “Real fucking sorry.”

Then he went back to sit on the end of the men’s cell, taking up an entire half of the bench, as he had been before. But his eyes never left Selena—he just kept giving her that flat, predatory glare, like a mountain lion that had marked her as its prey and was wondering where to take the first bite.

Selena stared back at him, feeling mesmerized and horrified at the same time.

Oh God, what have I done? Did I just do something monumentally stupid? Something that’s going to get me killed?

It seemed she probably had, but even knowing that, Selena didn’t think she could have acted any differently. Still, the question remained, what in the world was she going to do?

She had no answers. Sinking down in the far corner, she buried her head in her arms again and tried not to think about it.

62

“Did you find her? Is she here?” were the first words out of Jessica’s mouth as she and her mate, Tolern, emerged from the connecting tunnel at their arrival gate.

“I am afraid not,” Valen had to tell her.

Her face fell and she looked up at her mate.

“What are we going to do? What happened to her?”

“She was taken,” Valen said grimly.

“Taken? How do you know?” Tolern asked, frowning.

“One of the gate agents saw it happen—though she was singularly unhelpful with any other details,” Valen said, scowling. “I don’t think she would have told me anything if I hadn’t confronted her with this—I found it in the waste receptacle at the departure gate.” He held up the ruined remains of Selena’s violin.

Jessica gasped and put a hand to her mouth, her eyes going wide with horror.

“Oh, not her violin! That was her baby.” She burst into tears and Tolern drew her closer.

“It’s all right, sweetheart—everything is going to be all right,” he murmured soothingly.

“No it’s not!” Jessica looked up at him with wet eyes. “If they did that to her instrument, what do you think they’re doing to her?” She shook her head. “Oh, poor Selena! This is all my fault! I never should have asked her to come for the gala or insisted that she stay and play even though we couldn’t be there to protect her!”

“No, it is my fault,” Valen corrected her. “I should have waited to see her actually board the shuttle.” He ran a hand through his hair distractedly. “But I left her in the middle of a group of Kindred—I thought she would be safe!”

“Whoever took her must have waited until the warriors had boarded,” Tolern said, frowning. “Do you have any idea who that might be?”

“Not yet.” Valen shook his head. “The gate agent said she was taken because she had her breasts covered in public and no Seal of Independence . Which leads me to believe she was either arrested by the Spaceport Peacekeepers or, more likely…” He hesitated, seeing the worry and anguish in Jessica’s eyes.

“More likely what?” she demanded, sniffing.

“It’s more likely Selena was taken by slavers, sweetheart,” Tolern said in a low voice.

“Oh, no!” She burst into fresh tears. “We have to find her! Who knows what horrible things they might be doing to her?” she sobbed.