Wicked Prisoner Page 3

  Kruhn allowed himself a grim smile. He hadn’t been sure they would pull it off, but the humans had fallen for it without even a hint of skepticism. Their view of Vrak’rir had clouded their judgement. Vrak’rir were more than just a mate-driven species with an appetite for brawling.

  The Sri’thaens hired them to board a human prison ship, take control, and then deliver the ship to the waiting Sri’thaens at a pre-determined spot.

  Kruhn wasn’t sure what the Sri’thaens wanted with a human prison ship, but did he really care? He had no loyalty to anyone but himself and his two buddies. Everyone else in the galaxy was on their own.

  If he had to take a few guesses, he’d bet the Sri’thaens hoped to use the prison ship to get a force into human space. It would be a Trojan horse, and it was a good tactic on their part.

  Kruhn dug into a hidden pocket on the front of his shirt and took out a small black device, no bigger than a button. The human guards hadn’t searched them all that well, assuming they’d be safe once the Vrak’rir were behind the force field. Stupid humans. They should have searched them properly.

  He pressed the device up against the wall. With one push of a button, the force field flickered, and then went down altogether.

  Kruhn looked over at the camera. Was someone watching? They’d find out soon enough.

  A loud beep went off from the console in front of the only human guard in the brig. His name was Jacob if Kruhn had heard correctly, and he was about to get beaten to a pulp.

  Kruhn launched himself across the brig right as Jacob looked up, his eyes wide and his pulse racing against the side of his neck.

  “Goddammit!” Jacob tried to pull his plasma gun out of its holster, but he wasn’t fast enough.

  Kruhn tackled him, placed an arm around the man’s neck, and squeezed, cutting off circulation in both sides of his neck. Jacob’s hands frantically tried to push his arm away, but it was futile. Within seconds the man ceased his wiggling and passed out.

  “Get his gun.” Drelz mentioned from where he was looking out into the hallway.

  “Got it.” Kruhn picked up the plasma gun and made his way over to his friends.

  “To the bridge?”

  “To the bridge,” Kruhn confirmed.

  “Wait.” Veux darted back into the brig, grabbed some handcuffs, and handcuffed Jacob inside a cell. “Now we won’t have to worry about him alerting anyone when he wakes.”

  Cautiously, they made their way out of the brig and down the hall. Kruhn wondered if the human woman would be on the bridge. It wasn’t a large ship, so there weren’t too many places she could be.

  He hoped he’d find her soon because he had some unfinished business with that woman. She’d piqued his interest, and now he needed to find out why. No matter how much he tried to think about the mission, she was always there floating through his mind like a little delectable treat.

  Damn her.

  He’d get to her in a matter of time, but he needed to focus on completing their mission. The Sri’thaens weren’t people who accepted failure. If Kruhn and his men didn’t want to piss off the Sri’thaens, then he had to get the human woman out of his mind.

  “Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  They were at the bridge doors with only one weapon. This would be a test of their skills, but he knew they could do it. They had surprise on their side. Kruhn assumed the humans didn’t know they were coming. If they’d been watching the brig camera, he was sure they would have tried to bring the escaping prisoners under control long before now.

  Veux and Drelz positioned themselves in front of the door with Kruhn behind them, ready to back them up with the plasma gun. The doors slid open, and they rushed in.

  “What the…” A man leaped up from what he assumed was the captain’s chair.

  Kruhn leveled the gun and shot the man in the leg. He wasn’t supposed to kill anyone if could avoid it. The Sri’thaens wanted everyone on board alive. Again, Kruhn had no idea why, but he wasn’t going to question it. He was getting paid to perform a task, and that was precisely what he was going to do.

  The captain went down in a holler of pain, gripping his seared leg with both of his hands.

  Glancing around the bridge, he found Veux had already put three humans down in quick succession, and Drelz was working on his second, who was putting up more of a fight. Kruhn leaped into action, going after the last man standing.

  With one punch to the stomach, the man crumpled to the ground in a heap, coughing and sputtering.

  “Tie them up, and then we’ll take them to the brig, where they will spend the rest of the journey,” Kruhn informed Veux and Drelz.

  His men moved with the efficiency of a well-trained team used to working together. Quickly, they tied all the humans up while Kruhn kept his gun leveled at the captain’s head.

  Once the men were ready, Kruhn stepped forward and grabbed the captain by the collar of his ugly olive jumpsuit.

  “Get up.” He ordered the human captain. His patience was wearing thin. The human woman hadn’t been on the bridge, and he was itching to find her.

  The captain just stared at him with a grimace marring his face, his eyes filled with disgust. Whether the disgust was targeted at Kruhn or at himself for allowing Vrak’rir to take over his bridge, Kruhn wasn’t sure.

  “Get up,” Kruhn ordered again. The captain was really testing Kruhn’s already thin Vrak’rir patience.

  Still, the captain refused. Trying to show strength in front of his men? The captain was stupider than he looked.

  Kruhn placed the barrel of the plasma gun to the captain’s head. “Get up now, or never get up again.” He threatened with a growl.

  Slowly, the captain levered himself to a standing position in front of Kruhn. Despite his injury, he straightened his spine in an attempt to close the height difference. Kruhn let out a snort. Like the captain would ever come close. He was more than a head taller than this pathetic human.

  He gave a shove to the captain’s back.

  “Follow Veux to the brig.”

  The captain looked over to where Veux was waving a hand at him with a mocking smile.

  “And if I don’t?”

  “Like I said before.” Kruhn leaned in. “I shoot you, and you never get a chance to change your mind about making a stupid decision.”

  The captain grumped but led his men out of the bridge as they followed Veux, with Drelz and Kruhn following behind.

  They got to the brig doors when the captain decided to be stupid, again. He lunged at Veux, catching him off guard. Veux went down, but Kruhn stayed in his position, gun at the ready in case the rest of the guards decided to get heroic.

  He didn’t have to worry about Veux. The captain couldn’t take on a Vrak’rir and win, even if he had the element of surprise.

  Veux manhandled the captain onto the ground and threw Drelz and Kruhn a smile over his shoulder. “These humans are more annoying than I remember.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. Let’s get them locked away.”

  With the captain thrown over Veux’s shoulder, the rest of the humans followed meekly after him into the brig, where Kruhn and his crew threw them into cells. Once the blue force fields were up, Kruhn felt himself relax a bit. Now all they had to do was search the ship for any stray guards.

  “Where are you going?” Veux asked as Kruhn started to leave the brig.

  “Do you see a human woman here?” Kruhn asked.

  Both Drelz and Veux looked back at the cells and shook their heads in unison.

  “Exactly. There are more humans on board this ship, and we need to find them before we can be sure of delivery.”

  “Where do you want us to start?” Drelz asked as he came to stand beside Kruhn.

  “Start on the lower levels and work your way up.” He made his way down the corridor.

  “Where are you off to?”

  “To find the woman!” He had to find her. Those soft blue eyes of hers were haunting him, and tho
se thick red lips were calling his name.

  Jade signed her name with a finger on the tablet screen.

  There. She had done it. She’d written out her letter of transfer. Now all she had to do was send it, but she was going to let it sink in for a day before sending it off. She didn’t want to do anything too rash.

  The door to her room slid open, and she glanced up expecting to see the captain or Jacob. Maybe they wanted to criticize her some more.

  But the sight that greeted her eyes instead had her nearly pissing her pants in fright.

  The blue-skinned Vrak’rir from the brig was now standing in the doorway of her cabin. Her muscles froze in place, but her mind immediately began to race.

  How had he gotten out? If the force fields had gone down, an automatic alarm should have alerted the ship that there had been a breach. Hell, Jacob should have seen the impending failure and been able to make it to the brig door in time to seal it. Jade sucked in a breath as she had a terrible thought. Unless he’d been the one who let them out. In which case, the bridge might have no idea that the prisoners were on the loose.

  The Vrak’rir hadn’t moved or spoken since he’d opened the door.

  Silently, they stared at each other. His onyx eyes skimmed over her, and her sapphire eyes did the same. He was a massive specimen of the Vrak’rir species. He’d been attractive in the brig, but now he was just terrifying as he filled up the doorway with his broad shoulders. The blue force field had made him seem smaller and gave her a barrier.

  She had to keep him talking. Maybe, if she kept him distracted, she could make her way to the intercom and alert the bridge. She gulped and finally found her voice. “Are you here to kill me?” She had given him a shock with the baton, so she wouldn’t be surprised if he’d come to punish her. This was so much worse than getting on the captain’s wrong side.

  “No.” His deep voice rolled over her like melted chocolate, and Jade had to give herself a mental shake. She needed to distract him, not the other way around!

  “Oh, well that’s…that’s good,” she managed feebly. She shifted slightly on her chair, and her eyes flicked to the intercom panel before returning back to him. Unfortunately, he’d noticed, and it wasn’t difficult for him to guess her intent.

  He gave a small, confident smile, and Jade shivered. “We’ve already taken over the ship,” he stated. “You won’t be able to reach anyone.”

  The meaning of his words barely registered as his voice caressed her body, leaving tingles on her skin. Oh yeah. She could definitely listen to that voice all day. It was a panty-dropping voice that hinted at unknown pleasures in his arms.

  Woah.

  Her mind and body were traveling at light speed in a completely foolish direction, and she really needed to focus right now. Vrak’rir weren’t a species to mess around with. There was a fair amount of physical distance between them, but she was sure the Vrak’rir could clear the distance in a matter of seconds.

  “Who are you?” Jade licked her lips, as she set her tablet down on the coffee table in front of her. She needed to be ready in case he came after her. Mentally, she started to think about what she could use as a weapon against him. Too bad the electric batons were only for the guards actively overseeing the cells. She would really like to have one right now.

  “My name is Kruhn. And you are?”

  “Jade… Jade Meeks.” Shifting uneasily in her seat, she asked, “Who all has taken over the ship? You and the other Vrak’rir?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did Jacob let you out?”

  The Vrak’rir’s lip curled in disgust. “No.”

  So, somehow the band of Vrak’rir had escaped the brig and were working together. Jade rose slowly from her seat and walked to the side of the coffee table. Her heart thundered against her ribcage. This was going to be dangerous, but she needed to get past him if she wished to help her shipmates.

  The Vrak’rir stepped forward, leaving the doorway unguarded by his broad frame.

  Jade made her move. She leaped over her bed and darted for the open doorway, but the Vrak’rir was faster than she could have ever predicted.

  She managed to dodge his arm as it came flying at her, but right as her foot entered the hallway, an arm snaked around her waist, heaved her back, and Kruhn pushed her up against a wall. She watched over his shoulder as the door slid shut, cocooning them alone in her room.

  That definitely hadn’t gone to plan.

  Kruhn’s head descended to the corner of her neck, and she heard him suck in a deep breath through his nose.

  “Mine.” He growled as he continued to suck in deep breaths against her skin.

  His?

  “What are you doing?” Jade wanted to be offended, but her body was betraying her. The area between her legs was growing damp, and she wanted desperately to rub against him.

  One of his large hands landed on her breast and massaged it through her shirt and bra.

  “Oh.” Her mouth popped open in surprise, and he took advantage of it. His lips descended on hers, capturing them and demanding her surrender.

  And surrender she did. Jade’s body melted against his as his warmth consumed her. She had no idea what was going on, but she loved every delicious moment of it. His hand on her breast stirred a fire between her thighs.

  Her lips met his with her own demands, and her hands weaved their way into his short black hair. “Mmmm.” Her back arched against him, and she was greeted with the sensation of his rock-hard cock pressing into her stomach.

  His cock sent sanity racing back to her mind. She was kissing a Vrak’rir prisoner! What was she doing? The captain kept telling her a woman couldn’t do this job, and she was proving him right. She shouldn’t be pressing herself against him like a rabbit in heat.

  Jade bit down on the Vrak’rir’s lip without warning, and then she shoved her knee into his unprotected crotch. Her aim was true, if the strangled cry from Kruhn’s mouth meant anything.

  But she didn’t have any time to rejoice in her aim. He recovered quickly, rising from his crouch. She let one of her fists go, sailing through the air, and she nailed him right in the nose.

  His head snapped back, allowing her the chance she needed.

  She leaped over him and dashed to the door of her cabin. She had to get far away, and she had to take down the prison ship’s internal sensors as soon as possible.

  Darting through the halls, she made her way to a control room, entered, spun around, locked the door, and then sprinted over to a console.

  Taking down the sensors were her priority. Quickly, she logged onto the console, found the files, and turned them off. Jade put a couple of encryptions onto the file to make sure no one could turn the sensors back on without her passcode.

  Now she could move around the ship without being tracked or watched, which gave her a slight upper hand over the Vrak’rir roaming the ship. All she had to do was keep out of the Vrak’rir’s hands, and she might just be able to rescue her shipmates and take the ship back from them.

  It would look really bad if they let prisoners take over their ship. All their careers would be in jeopardy. Jade bit her lip. She hoped that was the worst they could anticipate. The Vrak’rir hadn’t mentioned if anyone had been killed in the takeover. She may not like her colleagues, but they didn’t deserve to die in cold blood.

  Jade’s fingertips brushed over her lips, as her mind fled back to her cabin. That had been one powerful kiss the Vrak’rir had given her. A kiss she was sure she’d never forget, even if she was given a lifetime. There’d been an incredible amount of passion and emotion in that kiss, as though he’d been trying to communicate something to her.

  He’d also said she was his, and he was a Vrak’rir, which made it possible that she was his mate, but she doubted it. More likely he thought it would be easier to take her to the brig if he kissed her senseless, rather than drawing her into a fight. It would be a one in a million chance that she’d run into a Vrak’rir who was meant for her.
>
  She couldn’t keep dwelling on the kiss, though. She needed to take the ship back and get her fellow crewmates free. If the Vrak’rir had seized the ship, then she was sure they would be holding her crewmates in one of the three brigs, and now he would be after her, especially after their recent encounter.

  Now all she had to do was get the ship back from the Vrak’rir. If only she could see the captain’s face now. Here was his only chance at freedom, a woman. He’d be disgusted with her, but it would be worth it. With this brave action on her record, he wouldn’t be able to avoid giving her a promotion anymore. Although in some ways, she was almost tempted to let them all stay prisoners of the Vrak’rir. Jade rolled her eyes. It was an enjoyable fantasy, but it wouldn’t do her any good.

  Again, memories of the embrace in her cabin flooded her, and her cheeks heated with desire. The attractive Vrak’rir was definitely one to keep an eye on if he could affect her this much after one grope session.

  Jade wanted nothing more than to take the ship back completely on her own. That would really prove her worth to the captain. Unfortunately, with three Vrak’rir running free she was going to need help. She’d only been able to take on Kruhn because he had been so absorbed in her lips and breasts.

  Jade doubted she’d be able to distract him with her body again.

  Chapter 4

  Kruhn rubbed his sore nose. Thankfully, her punch hadn’t much force in it, and no significant damage had been done, but he couldn’t say the same for his cock and balls. They were sore from her kneeing them.

  He liked a lively woman, but damn, she might be a little too lively!

  Wasn’t it enough that she had zapped him in the brig? Now she had to lead him in with her soft lips and welcoming warmth, and then put him down in such a harsh manner?

  He wasn’t pleased with his mate. And she was his mate. There was no denying that scent and the reaction it had drawn from his body. If she hadn’t kneed him, he would have been ready to claim her right then and there against the wall.

  He knew of a few Vrak’rir who had human mates and made it work. If he’d had a choice, he probably would have chosen a Vrak’rir woman. A Vrak’rir woman would have felt the same mating need and would have welcomingly spread her thighs.