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SPLIT BY THE MERCS

Lizzy Bequin

Author’s Note

This story contains scenes and situations that could trigger some readers. The following link provides a full list of content warnings.

lizzybequin.com/splittws.html

Split by the Mercs

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Table of Contents

Copyright Page

CHAPTER 1

Most of the villagers had never even seen a starship before. Not up close, anyway. Only bright specks of light moving high above the badlands on their way to the trade depots at Jeriko, Haazor, and Ai. Those flying machines never stopped at the village. They never had any reason to.

Until now.

Rona Gideon stood in the doorway of her hovel and watched the ship make its quiet descent, a big armored warbird gliding down out of the sky on matte-black wings. Rona wasn’t alone in her watching. The whole village had come out to bear witness to the offworlder’s arrival. She could hear her neighbors murmuring to each other, their voices a mixture of hope and apprehension.

Help had finally come.

But what manner of help, and at what cost?

As the ship came in closer, Rona lifted a hand to shield her eyes against the sun, and she studied the underside of the vessel. It was hard to judge the exact size of the thing, but she guessed it was bigger than any building in the village, with the exception of the Common Hall. Mean-looking tri-barreled guns were mounted beneath the wings, and closer in, nestled against the ribs of the fuselage, were racks of deadly missiles and bombs.

But the deadliest weapons of all, Rona knew, were the ones inside the ship. The ones manning the controls. The ones looking out through the deeply tinted windows of the cockpit.

Looking, perhaps, at her.

She shivered.

The ship was only about twenty yards up now. The ventral thrusters kicked on, sending up swirling plumes of dust that came billowing over the village like a miniature sandstorm. Rona retreated back into the dim confines of her hovel, letting the heavy curtain of her door fall closed behind her, blocking out both daylight and dust. Her heart was slamming hard in her chest.

The Mercs had arrived.

CHAPTER 2

The Common Hall was a big circular building slapped together out of disused pieces of mining equipment and corroded slabs of sheet metal. From the outside, it looked like a huge pile of trash. The inside wasn’t much better. There was standing room on the raw dirt floor below, with bench seats along the walls, and a precarious balcony running all the way around the upper level.

Rona had chosen to observe the proceedings from the balcony. Rickety though it may have been, it was still preferable to being down there in that crush of bodies on the ground level. Not that there was much breathing room up here in the balcony either. It was a full house tonight, and the hall was hot and muggy from the hundreds of sweating bodies crammed inside. Smelly too. Seemed like the whole damn village was here tonight, mostly men, but with a few women scattered throughout the crowd as well.

“They’re coming!” someone shouted near the entrance. “The Mercs are coming…!”

Rona ran her grimy fingers through her close-cropped hair and sighed. About damn time, she thought. The ship had landed while the sun was still in the sky. Since then, nightfall had come and gone, and the villagers had been packed inside the Common Hall for hours, awaiting the Mercs’ arrival. People had started getting restless. Fights had broken out. Busted lips. Broken noses. Nothing too serious.

“Hey there, sweetcheeks.”

Rona simultaneously flinched at the gravelly voice in her ear and cringed at the reek of rotten breath that accompanied it. She’d been so engrossed by the goings-on down below that she’d failed to notice the huge, sweaty miner who had sidled up next to her at the railing.

She certainly noticed him now. In particular, she noticed his big, meaty hand squeezing her butt through her jeans, its callused fingers delving precariously close to her other, more sensitive places.

Rona didn’t bother pulling away from him. She couldn’t in this crowd. Instead, she dipped her hand inside her jacket and drew her knife. In a blink, the blade was out, and its tip was pressed against the miner’s crotch.

“Hands off or dick off,” she hissed. “Your choice.”

As expected, the fingers relinquished their hold on her butt. A few of the men standing nearby laughed. The one who had grabbed her reddened and backed off.

“Dyke bitch.”

Sticks and stones. As long as the creep’s hand was off her body, Rona was happy. She slipped the knife back inside her jacket, but kept her hand on the grip just in case.

Down below, a hush had fallen over the groundlings, and now it was spreading to the balcony as well. Every eye in the house was turned toward the entrance, so that was where Rona put her eyes too. As she watched, the people standing by the door moved back, and three men stepped inside—the three biggest men Rona had ever seen.

The crowd split as the Mercs strode forward, moving in a triangular formation, one in front, the other two following close behind. All three wore tactical vests that left their arms exposed, and their powerful muscles glistened with sweat in the harsh overhead lights. Their heads were hooded, their faces drenched in shadow. All Rona could make out from a distance were the suggestions of grizzled beards and an occasional gleam of wolfish eyes.

Suddenly, the air inside the Hall didn’t seem quite so hot anymore. A chill had come over the place, as if the Grim Reaper himself had stepped into the room. Only instead of one reaper, there were three of them, and they had rifles slung over their shoulders instead of scythes.

But… only three?

Rona knew the reputation of the Mercenaries Guild. Everyone in the Outworlds had heard the stories. Genetically modified warriors augmented to the gills and subjected to years of intense training and torture until they felt no pain and desired only killing and war. Their services were not to be employed lightly—or cheaply.

Still, Rona had assumed the Guild would be sending more than three men.

She watched as the trio approached the platform at the back of the Hall where the village councillors were waiting. The Merc leader turned his head slowly, scanning the old men before him. Then he drew back his hood.

Rona’s heart skipped.

The chill she’d been experiencing ever since the Mercs had entered the room was replaced with a sudden rush of heat. The man was brutally handsome, his features carved by a chisel, his eyes as dark and deadly as blued steel. A dense beard covered his cheeks and jaw and hung down nearly to the top of his massive chest. There was a line on one side where a blade had scarred him and the hair had never grown back.

“Who’s in charge here?” he growled.

That voice. It was like a distant rumble of thunder over the badlands. Even from the balcony, Rona could feel it vibrating deep in her core. She blushed at the inappropriate feelings it stirred within her.

Who the hell was this guy?

A killer, that’s who. A stone-cold killer. Rona was grateful that she would never be the object of such a man’s attention.

The councillors on the platform seemed to share that sentiment. For a long moment, the Merc’s question went unanswered. Then, finally, one of the men stepped forward. A small, rotund fellow by the name of Brundage. He was the one who had come up with the half-baked idea of hiring Mercs in the first place. Now he introduced himself to the visitors with an obsequious little bow.

“Greetings, sir. My name is Walther Brundage. It was I who contacted your Guild.”

“I’m Aeron,” the Merc leader answered. He gestured over his shoulder at his two hooded companions. “This is Murdok and Zeth. We heard you’re having some trouble with your mine.”

“Indeed…”

Rona rolled her eyes as Brundage embarked on his tale. He was the kind of man who liked to hear himself talk. Consequently, it took him much longer than necessary to explain what had been happening at the mine.

The situation was actually quite simple:

The Riadne Silk Mine was the whole reason the village existed, and it was there that most of the villagers worked. Those who didn’t still depended on the miners for their income. Taverners and barkeeps. Menders of clothing and repairers of tools. And of course, those unenviable women who plied the most ancient of trades. Without the mine, all of them would be lost.

The problems had started a few weeks back, when a gang of mutant raiders had shown up out of nowhere. More like a small army, actually. Rona hadn’t been in the mines then, she’d been off the clock, but she’d heard all about it after the fact. The survivors had told how the mutants had invaded the mines and slaughtered their comrades. And the mutants were still there now, hunkered down in the mines and showing no intention of departing.

After Brundage finally finished talking, the man named Aeron sniffed and stroked his beard.

“So basically, you want us to get rid of the muties.”

“Precisely, sir.”

Aeron nodded slowly. “We can take care of that for you, but it won’t be cheap.”

“Might I inquire as to how much?”

Aeron quoted a sum. It was met with a collective gasp from the crowd. Even Rona’s heart jumped a little, though she wasn’t all that surprised. She’d known from the beginning that this was a bad idea. These Mercs were big-time. They weren’t about to work for a bunch of grubby little miners—at least not at a price the village could afford.

Down below, the man named Aeron glanced coldly around the room.

“What?” he snarled. “The Mercenaries Guild isn’t running a charity. We’ll help you, but you gotta pay.” He turned his attention back toward Brundage. “Who owns the mine, anyway?”

“There is not a single owner,” Brundage answered. “The Riadne Silk Mine is a small public company, with shares traded at the local bursas, as well as in some of the offworld stock markets.”

“So get the shareholders to pay. You miners shouldn’t have to foot the bill.”

Brundage shook his head sadly.

“Alas, the shareholders seem to have no intention of doing any such thing. Most of them have already cut their losses and sold off their shares.” He lifted his face hopefully. “Perhaps we could work out some sort of payment plan? We have no money now, but once the mines reopen, we could give you a percentage of our revenue to cover the fee.”

Aeron glanced back at his two companions. There was something in that glance that caught Rona’s attention. Something that made her blood beat a little faster in her veins.

“We can do that,” the lead Merc said, turning to face Brundage again. “But we’ll require some collateral.”

“We are but simple miners,” said Brundage. “What could we possibly offer that would be of value to mercenaries such as yourselves?”

“A woman.”

CHAPTER 3

Rona wasn’t sure which was worse—the mercenary’s demand, or the crowd’s reaction to it. Sure, there were some gasps and murmurs of surprise, but they were not nearly as loud as the sounds of protest that had accompanied the fee the Merc had quoted earlier.

It was obvious where everyone’s priorities lay.

It was also fairly obvious why the Mercs wanted a woman as “collateral.”

Rona grimaced with disgust. She knew these men were no knights in shining armor. Chivalry did not exist here on the Outworlds. Still, she couldn’t believe they would actually stoop so low.

Was this a common practice among the members of the Mercenaries Guild? Rona had never heard of it before, but maybe others had?

Brundage, for example.

The little man seemed more than eager to meet the Mercs’ wicked demands. At the moment, he was patting the air with his hands, exhorting the crowd to be quiet.

“Please!” he said. “Please! We must think of the good of the whole village!”

There was only one way in and out of the Common Hall—the same wide door through which the Mercs had entered a few minutes ago. A few of the women tried to make a run for it, but the crowd was too tightly packed, and the men around them seized their arms, arresting their flight.

The bastards were actually going along with it!

Unbelievable.

Actually, no. It wasn’t all that hard to believe, was it? When the chips were down, people were more than happy to sell out their fellow man—and even happier to sell out their fellow woman.

“That’s better,” Brundage said from the platform. “Now, let’s give these fine gentlemen what they ask. If all the women would kindly come up to the stage so the Guildsmen can make their selection.”

Fuck. That.

Rona backed away from the railing and started to melt into the crowd. With her close-cropped hair and unfeminine clothing, there was a chance she could pass for a—

“Woman!”

The cry exploded across the balcony. Before Rona had a chance to fully blend into the crowd, arms seized her and shoved her forward. She looked to see who had called her out. It was the same guy who’d grabbed her ass earlier. He was wearing a big shit-eating grin.

“Thought you could slip away, didja? Shoulda been nicer to me, sweetcheeks. Maybe I woulda helped ya out.”

He patted her butt as she shuffled past.

Rona experienced an urge to draw her knife again, but she suppressed it. No point bringing more attention to herself than necessary. The best thing she could do now was just keep her head down and try not to stand out.

She descended the stairs to the ground floor and wended her way through the crowd to the platform. Most of the other women were already gathered there, maybe a hundred in total, all of them packed together in a staggered line. They looked scared. Even the professionals seemed apprehensive about being handed over the Mercs.

Rona climbed onto the platform and squeezed in among the others.

“Now then,” Brundage said. “That should be all of them. Do you fine gentlemen see anything that catches your eye?”

Rona scowled. The little creep sounded like he was actually enjoying himself. Yet at the same time, she took a strange comfort in the councillor’s words. She would not be catching anyone’s eye tonight. Not with her mannish hair and grubby miner’s clothes. It made her feel a bit guilty thinking that way, because it meant one of the other women would have to go with those beasts instead…

But hey, better them than me, right?

That thought only gave Rona another, sharper twinge of guilt.

The Mercs were pacing in front of the stage now. Even though their feet were on the bare ground, their eyes were level with those of the women standing on the platform before them. Rona didn’t dare look at the big men. She dropped her gaze to the boards and imagined she was somewhere, anywhere else. Her tiny hovel. The mine. The hill outside of town where she would sometimes go to look at the stars and the occasional ship streaking across the night sky. Her heart was drumming hard.

She could see a big shadow moving in her peripheral vision. It passed in front of the woman standing beside her. Then it passed in front of Rona herself.

And stopped.

Oh God, oh God, oh God…

The Merc was so close, she could smell his sweat, mixed with the odors of gun oil and machine grease. Could he smell her too? Rona wondered. Could he smell her fear?

“What’s your name?”

The voice was so low, so very, very deep, that it seemed to shake the entire hall. Rona could feel it rumbling deep inside her body, tickling her in places she didn’t want tickled.

He isn’t talking to me. He can’t be. No way.

A gloved finger touched her chin and nudged her face upward. Before she had a chance to stop them, her eyes lifted and locked with the Merc’s own. Behind the slate-rimmed pupils, Rona could see the red-coal glow of the augmetic implants within. Implants which allowed the man to see God knew what. Through her clothing. Through her skin. Into her very soul. A sudden surge of heat blasted through Rona’s body, an uncomfortable amalgam of terror and lust.

“I asked you a question, woman. What is your name?”

“Go fuck yourself,” she said. “That’s my name.”

The gasp that rippled through the Common Hall was the biggest one yet, and it seemed to suck all the air out of the room.

Nobody was more surprised by her response than Rona herself. Where had that come from? What the hell had she been thinking? Nobody talked to the Mercs like that. Nobody.

She cringed in anticipation of the retaliation she knew must be coming. Gloved fingers grabbing her by the throat and squeezing hard. A knife between her ribs. A bullet in her brain.

But the man named Aeron did no such thing. The only hint that he’d even heard her at all was the merest suggestion of a smirk curling the corner of his mouth. For a long moment they just stood there staring at each other, her defiance meeting his amusement like a pair of crossed blades.

Then Brundage came scurrying over.

“My sincerest apologies, good sir! This woman’s name is Rona. She is but a lowly miner. Perhaps one of the other women would be more pleasing to your—”

“A miner, eh?”

The Merc took Rona’s hands and turned them palms up. He brushed his thumb across her calluses. That simple, gentle touch sent another wave of heat rushing through her.

Stop it! she thought. Stop!

She suddenly remembered the slur the man upstairs had used against her.

“Brundage is right,” she said, her voice low. “You won’t find me pleasing. I don’t like men.”

It was only half a lie. She didn’t like most men. Certainly none of the ones in the village.

Aeron smirked again.

“No?” he said. “You will when I’m through with you.”

What he did next was not gentle, and it happened so fast, Rona didn’t have a chance to react. First, the Merc unzipped the front of her jacket. Then he grabbed the two sides and pulled them down, exposing her chest and pinning her arms to her sides. She was wearing a dirty white tank top underneath, but the thin fabric did little to conceal the erect buds of her nipples.

“I thought you didn’t like men,” the Merc chuckled.

“I don’t…”

His right hand let go of her jacket, and it came up to fondle her left breast through her shirt. Rona tried to pull away, but the platform was too crowded for her to move. The Merc thumbed her nipple, sending tingles of unwanted pleasure racing through her.

“Stop that,” she hissed.

He didn’t stop. His hand and his eyes remained on her chest, but when he spoke, his words were addressed to Brundage.

“Tell you what… you let us breed this one, and we’ll cut our fee in half.”

“WHAT?” Rona shouted.

But neither of the men seemed to hear her. Brundage was bobbing his head agreeably. His hands were clasped in a gesture of gratitude.

“Oh, thank you, sir! Thank you! The woman is yours to use however you see fit. I promise, no man here will object.”

“What the fuck?” Rona snarled. “You don’t own me, Brundage! You can’t just give me away!”

But as she looked around the Common Hall, she could see that what Brundage had said was true. No one was coming to her rescue. Even the other women on the platform were backing away, leaving her to the mercy of the Mercs.

“It’s a deal then,” Aeron rumbled. “Zeth here will draw up the contract.”

One of the hooded Mercs stepped forward and took out a small tablet from his vest. Meanwhile the other one, the one named Murdok, grabbed Rona around the waist, and lifted her off the platform as easily as if she had been a child. When he set her down on the ground in front of him, her eyes barely came up to his chest.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to take a few more women with you?” Brundage asked. “One for each of you, perhaps?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Aeron answered. “My comrades and I split everything three ways.”

CHAPTER 4

The next few minutes were a blur. Rona didn’t even remember leaving the Common Hall. One moment, she was standing amid the crush of bodies, waiting for the contract to be signed. The next, she was outside on the dirty streets of the village with the stars overhead, and the three biggest men she had ever seen walking along beside her.

The cool night air should have been a relief after the sweltering heat of the hall, but it wasn’t. Rona was sweating twice as hard as before, and the last words Aeron had spoken were still ringing in her mind.

We split everything three ways

Including me, Rona thought.

The Mercs were going to split her. They were going to share her and breed her, whether she wanted it or not. That thought filled her with a sense of dread like she had never known before.

They’d walked maybe a hundred paces from the entrance of the Common Hall, when Rona caught sight of their starship. That machine had looked scary enough in the daylight. Now, under the cover of darkness, it looked even worse, like a big metal dragon crouching at the edge of town, waiting to swallow some unwary villager whole.

That sight was more than Rona could stand.

Her mind snapped, and her instincts took control. Before she was even aware of what she was doing, she had dodged past the lead Merc and was racing toward the shadows at the edge of town.

Rona was sprinting faster than she had ever sprinted in her life. Her legs were pumping like pistons. Within seconds, her muscles were burning, but she refused to give in to the pain. She had to get away. She had to.

If she could just make it to the hills. There were caves up there. Caves where she could—

Hsss!

Something coiled itself around Rona’s ankles, binding them together. Her own momentum tipped her forward, and she hit the dirt with a thud that knocked all the air from her lungs.

Then she was being dragged feet first, back in the direction she had just come from. She managed to twist herself over onto her back just in time to see Aeron towering above her, shaking his bearded head. A long, thin cord was coming from a device on his wrist, and the end of it was wrapped around Rona’s ankles.

“Hold her down while I untie her,” he growled.

The other two Mercs crouched on either side of her and held her in place. Their massive, gloved hands felt as sturdy as steel clamps around her arms. The one named Aeron knelt in front of her and started to untangle her feet.

“You’re quick,” he chuckled. “But not quick enough.”

Once the cord was sufficiently loosened, the whole thing slithered back into the device on his wrist.

Rona’s legs were free!

Still operating on pure animal instinct, she kicked her right leg, driving it up between the kneeling mercenary’s thighs.

Her aim was perfect.

Her plan was not.

Rona’s foot connected with what felt like a pair of solid concrete balls, and she yelped as a spark of pain leapt up her leg.

“Ow!” she cried. “Fuck!”

Aeron, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed by her kick. He nodded to his companions, who were still holding her by the arms.

“Stand her up,” he said.

Rona’s heart lurched into her throat as the Mercs lifted her to her feet. Once she was upright, Aeron grabbed her jacket and pulled her body tightly against his own. Rona felt something long and hard pressing against her through the front of the Merc’s pants. She was pretty sure it wasn’t a concealed weapon.

“Let me go!” she shouted.

She tried to pull away again, but Aeron clamped his left hand over her butt, pinning her against him. His other hand came up to her face. If her hair had been longer, he might have pulled it. Instead, he just cradled her chin and tilted her face upward until she was looking him in the eye. When he spoke, she could feel his voice rumbling straight out of his body and into hers.

“Listen woman, and listen well. Until this mission is over, you are my property to do with as I wish. I’m going to breed you, hard and often. If you behave yourself, that breeding will be done in private. If not, I’ll drag you back inside that building and breed you in front of the whole damn village. Then I’ll let Murdok and Zeth both have a turn. Do you want that?”

Rona had no doubt that he was ready to make good on his threat. She could feel the hard length of his arousal pressing into her. She could feel its heat.

Rona shook her head.

“That’s what I thought.” Aeron shoved her back a step. “Zeth, you’d better carry her the rest of the way, just in case.”

A massive pair of hands encircled Rona’s waist and yanked her off the ground. The next thing she knew, she was flung over the shoulder of one of the hooded Mercs. He held her in place with a hand clamped firmly on her butt. She was reminded of earlier, when the miner in the Common Hall grabbed her there, but this time there was no revulsion, only a sudden surge of heat and arousal that only got worse when the Merc’s huge fingers slipped between her thighs, stroking the most sensitive part of her anatomy.

At least he was wearing gloves, so he couldn’t feel how wet she was down there.

Sweat, Rona told herself. Only sweat.

But she knew damn well that wasn’t true, and it gave her all the more reason to flee from these beasts who had claimed her.

How though?

She needed to think fast. They were already approaching the edge of the village. She was facing backwards over the man named Zeth’s shoulder, but when she twisted around to look behind her, she saw that the starship was already looming ahead of them in the darkness.

Aeron tapped a device on his wrist, and the ship suddenly came alive. The engines hummed as they powered up. Floodlights snapped on. A boarding ramp started to descend from the vessel’s underbelly, offering a glimpse of the brightly lit interior.

Once they were up that ramp, there would be zero chance of escape. Rona couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t allow herself to be dominated by these three brutal men.

It’s now or never, she thought.

Still bent over Zeth’s shoulder, Rona twisted her upper body and delved her hand inside her open jacket. Her fingers curled around the handle of the knife and drew it. The blade gleamed in the shiplights.

“Let. Me. Go!”

She drove the knife down with all her might, aiming it at the meat of Zeth’s arm, where his vest left it exposed.

Pok.

The knife tip penetrated Zeth’s skin by a mere fraction of a millimeter, then stopped. The Merc grunted softly, the sort of sound a man might make when he’d been bitten by a bug.

What the hell?

With a snarl of rage and desperation, Rona lifted the knife and brought it down again in a series of hard, quick stabs.

Pok—Pok—Pok—Tnk!

The tip of the knife broke and went twirling off into the darkness. Rona lifted the ruined blade and stared at it in disbelief. Around her, the three big men just laughed, and the one she had stabbed seemed to laugh the loudest of all. Rona could feel his voice rumbling up through his shoulder and vibrating deep within the pit of her belly.

“I had a feeling she was going to be a feisty one,” Aeron chuckled. “Murdok, would you please get that knife away from her before she hurts herself?”

The big, hooded Merc was so quick, Rona didn’t even see him move. In a blink he was standing behind Zeth, and his hand was clutching Rona’s wrist. He gave her a light pinch, and an electric impulse of pain zapped up her forearm.

“Ow!”

Her fingers lost their grip on the knife, and it tumbled through the air, winking crazily in the light. Murdok caught it with his free hand. A smile appeared within the shadows of his hood.

“Careful,” he said. “We don’t want you cutting your pretty little self.”

He tossed the knife to Aeron, who spirited it into one of the many pockets on his vest.

“Wanna do what you said before?” Murdok asked. “Take her back in that building and breed her in front of everybody?”

“No,” Aeron answered. “Not now. We’re already back at the ship. Let’s just take her aboard and get her properly secured. I’ll deal with her once we’re airborne.” He paused. “Actually, let’s let Murdok handle the woman. Zeth, I want you in the cockpit with me.”

Zeth made a reluctant sound, but he complied, and Rona found herself transferred from one big shoulder to another.

“Good,” Aeron said. “Come get me once she’s been secured. Oh, and Murdok?”

“Aye, boss?”

“Make sure to search her. Thoroughly.”

“Aye, boss.”

Rona could not see Murdok’s face, but she could tell by his voice that he was smiling.

CHAPTER 5

“Do you have anything that’s going to poke me, prod me, or stick me?”

Rona was alone with Murdok. As soon as the boarding ramp had closed, the other two Mercs, Aeron and Zeth, had headed for the cockpit. Rona, meanwhile, had been forced to ride Murdok’s shoulder in the other direction, toward the back of the ship. Along the way, she’d caught glimpses of a bedroom with bunks, a spartan bathroom, and an armory with racks of rifles, pistols, flamethrowers, grenade launchers, and other implements of destruction.

At last, they had arrived at this room, which Rona took to be a small cargo hold. It was empty, save for a large metal trunk in the corner and metal rings all along the walls. Rona guessed those rings were there as a way to strap down cargo during flight.

As soon as they had entered the room, Murdok had taken Rona off his shoulder and set her down on her feet. She was free to move again, but the door was already closed, and the big Merc had positioned his body in front of it, further hindering her escape.

“Hey!” Murdok growled. “I asked you a question, woman. Do you have anything in your pockets that’s going to poke me, prod me, or stick me?”

The menace in his voice sent a shiver racing up Rona’s spine. Somehow, being alone with this man was even more scary than being with the three Mercs together.

“No,” she answered.

“You’d better not. Now go stand against that wall there and don’t move. If you try anything clever, I’ll make you regret it. Understand?”

Rona understood. She did as Murdok told her and stood with her back against the far wall of the empty cargo hold. The air inside the room was nearly as stifling as the Common Hall had been, but Rona was shivering as if it were freezing cold. Murdok stood and regarded her for a moment, his augmetic eyes glowing within the shadows of his hood like the eyes of some nocturnal predator, a vulpire or a shadowulf.

Then he pulled the hood back, and Rona gasped.

If Aeron’s face was brutal, Murdok’s was downright oppressive. Angular and anvil hard, covered in scars and a coarse black beard so dense it looked as if it would require a diamond-edged blade just to trim it. As Rona watched in horror, a wicked smile appeared within the midst of that beard—twin rows of sharp, white fangs.

“Don’t be afraid, woman. I’m not going to hurt you… unless you give me a reason to.”

Rona didn’t find that particularly reassuring. At least it wasn’t Zeth she was alone with. She’d already given that one a reason to hurt her when she’d stabbed him with her knife. Or tried to stab, rather.

She watched warily as Murdok went over to the trunk and knelt in front of it. The lid opened with a pneumatic hiss, and the Merc plunged his huge arms inside. After a bit of rummaging, he found what he was looking for and smiled.

He took out a collar and leash.

The realization hit Rona like a splash of cold water to the face. This room wasn’t for cargo; it was a holding cell, a dungeon. The Mercs were killers for hire, but sometimes they might need to take prisoners too, and this room was where they would keep them, leashed to those metal rings Rona had noticed all around the walls.

The floor rumbled beneath her feet. The ship was lifting off.

Now she was well and truly trapped. Even if she could somehow slip past Murdok and get through the door, there was nowhere for her to go.

The armory, she thought. I could get a gun. Kill them all…

And then what?

Even if she somehow managed to slay a trio of elite mercenaries—which she wouldn’t—but even if she did, she didn’t know how to fly a ship like this one, let alone land it properly. The end result would be dying in a fiery crash.

Maybe that was preferable to letting the Mercs have their way with her?

No.

Rona was a survivor. She would get through this. She would endure. And when the opportunity finally presented itself… then she would make her move.

She tried her best not to shiver as Murdok stepped forward and placed the leather collar around her throat. His fingers were massive but surprisingly nimble as they fastened the metal latch and locked it with a magnetic key. Then he connected the chain leash to one of the loops on the wall and locked it in place as well. Rona was now completely at his mercy.

Who am I kidding? she thought. I’ve been at his mercy since the moment he carried me onto this ship. Since the moment we left the Common Hall. Since Aeron first laid eyes on me on that stage.

Murdok towered above her, staring down at her with hunger in his dark eyes.

“Take off your boots.”

“There’s nothing in them,” Rona said.

“I didn’t ask if there was anything in them. I told you to take them off. You’re starting to make me angry, woman. And I don’t think you would like me when I’m angry.”

I don’t like you at all, Rona thought, but she kept her mouth shut and did as the Merc told her.

“Give ’em here,” Murdok growled once she had finished taking her boots off. Rona handed them over, and the Merc peered inside each one as if searching for contraband. Then he tossed them away into the corner of the room.

“Turn around.”

Rona turned.

“Put your hands on the wall and spread your legs.”

Again, she did as she was told. She had no choice but to stand there and take it as Murdok crouched and patted her down, starting with her left ankle and working his way up her leg. His huge fingers came perilously close to her center before he stopped and repeated the process with her right leg.

Rona could feel her heart slamming hard inside her chest. It wasn’t excitement that was making it do that. It was fear. She didn’t like this man touching her that way. She didn’t.

Behind her, Murdok rose.

“Take your hands off the wall and put them down by your sides,” he commanded.

Rona obeyed. In one quick motion, the Merc grabbed her jacket and dragged it off her body.

“Hey!” Rona shouted as she whirled around to face him. “What are you doing?”

Murdok ignored her. He rifled through the pockets of her jacket, then tossed it in the corner with her boots.

“Lift your arms.”

“But—”

“Lift. Your. Arms.”

Rona lifted her arms, and in a flash her shirt was gone, yanked up and off by Murdok’s impossibly quick hands. Rona gasped and covered her naked breasts. The Merc gave the sweat-stained top a quick sniff, then he tossed it into the corner with her other clothes.

“Put your arms down, woman. I’m not done searching you.”

“You think I’m smuggling a weapon in my boobs?”

Jesus, why did she keep doing that? She was alone with the biggest, most dangerous man she’d ever laid eyes on, leashed, collared, and half naked—yet she couldn’t seem to stop backtalking him.

“Keep it up,” Murdok said. “And you’re gonna get yourself hogtied.”

Rona didn’t want that. She dropped her arms to her sides. Murdok smiled and nodded appreciatively.

“Aeron sure knows how to pick ’em,” he said.

He pulled off his combat gloves and stuffed them in the back pocket of his pants. Then he reached out and touched her, skin-on-skin. He didn’t go for her breasts, however. Not right away. Instead, he ran the backs of his fingers down the flesh of her right arm.

His knuckles felt as rough as rhino skin, like he spent his days punching rocks for fun. Rona trembled at that touch, and she tried to ignore the goosebumps that lifted in its wake, as if her skin was literally reaching out to him, begging for more.

“Nice tats,” he said.

Murdok was referring to the ink on Rona’s right arm, a reminder of more prosperous times, when her wages from the mine had afforded her such luxuries as tattoos. The image was of a viper, its scaled body coiling around her arm, its fangs bared on her upper chest. It wasn’t just a decoration, it was also a warning for any man who might try to put his hands on her, and it had worked reasonably well against the miners back in the village.

With Murdok, not so much.

“Nice tits too…”

The Merc was clearly a man who took what he wanted and brooked no disobedience. When he turned his attention to Rona’s naked breasts, she resisted the urge to cover herself. When he touched them, she did her best not to flinch.

CHAPTER 6

The palms of the Merc’s hands were nearly as callused as his knuckles. It shouldn’t have felt good to be fondled by such hands, especially when the fondling was done without permission, yet there was something about that contrast of rough and smooth that set Rona’s senses on fire.

She was a worker. A miner. She’d never thought of herself as feminine or soft, but in Murdok’s hands she felt about as soft as those women who hung the red lanterns in their windows and helped the miners get rid of their stress and wages. Sometimes, when Rona had passed by the district where those women plied their trade, she’d heard the low, needful moans drifting out of their dwellings. Often, those sounds of pleasure were obviously counterfeit. Other times, it was harder to tell. As for the sounds welling up inside her now, those were very real indeed, and it took every ounce of willpower she possessed to keep them tamped down inside.

“Stop that,” she whispered.

“What’s the matter, woman? You don’t like it?”

“No.”

The man apparently didn’t know the meaning of the word, or if he did, he didn’t respect it. His hands remained firmly planted on her chest.

“Your nipples are telling a different story.”

He brushed his thumbs across the tips of Rona’s breasts, the same way Aeron had done back in the Common Hall. Only this time, there was no fabric covering her erect nubs.

“They’re always like that,” she said.

“Uh-huh.”

Murdok pinched both of her nipples—not hard enough to hurt, but enough to get her attention—and he pulled, stretching her breasts into sharp cones. For a moment, Rona let her defenses falter, and a shameful moan of pleasure escaped from her trembling lips.

“Yeah,” Murdok said, smirking. “You don’t like that at all.”

He let go abruptly, and Rona’s nipples snapped back, eliciting another sharp gasp. The Merc dropped his hands to Rona’s belt and started to unfasten the buckle.

“Wait!” Rona cried. “What are you doing?”

“Fuck does it look like I’m doing?”

The leather belt slithered through the belt loops, then it flew across the room and landed with a jangle atop the growing pile of clothes. Murdok undid the button at the top of her fly, followed by the zipper. Then he dragged the jeans down Rona’s legs, leaving her naked except for her socks and panties.

“Fuck,” Murdok said, looking at her crotch. “You’re soaking wet, aren’t you?”

Rona burned with shame.

“It’s only sweat,” she insisted.

This time, Murdok didn’t command her to turn around. He made her do it with his hands. Before Rona could pull away or protest, she was caught in the Merc’s powerful arms, with her back pressed against his front, and his hand between her legs. She tried to squeeze her thighs together to block him, but it was too late. His fingers were already there, stroking her through the damp fabric of her underwear.

“No!” Rona cried. “Wait!”

But the mercenary didn’t stop. He kept rubbing her with a ruthless intensity. Rona was humiliated by the ease with which the brutish man manipulated her pleasure. In a matter of seconds, he had brought her right up to the brink of orgasm, faster than she could ever have done on her own. Her muscles clenched in anticipation of her release. She could feel it pooling inside her core, ready to explode at any moment.

“Wait,” she gasped. “Please…”

At the very last moment, just as she was about to reach her peak, the mercenary shifted his fingers away from her center, granting her wish.

And denying her pleasure.

He grabbed the waistband of her panties and pulled hard, tearing the underwear off her body as easily as if it had been made of paper. Rona cried out in shock and shame.

Murdok pressed the torn panties to his face and inhaled deeply.

“Sweat my ass,” he growled.

Rona watched in disbelief as the mercenary sniffed her panties a second time, then a third. She noticed movement at the edge of her vision and glanced down. Something was twitching inside the front of the mercenary’s pants. Something huge.

Murdok took one more big inhalation and smiled.

“Yeah… I’m gonna be hanging on to these,” he said.

He stuffed the torn cloth inside one of the many pouches on his combat vest. Then, from a different pocket, he took out something that made Rona’s heart beat even faster.

It was a pair of gloves. Not combat gloves like the ones he’d been wearing earlier. These were thin disposable gloves made from some sort of black, rubbery material. The kind of gloves a doctor might wear.

“What are those for?” Rona asked.

“I’m not done searching you,” Murdok answered. “I searched your clothing. Now I’m going to search your body—a full cavity search.”

“No,” Rona said. “Please. You know I’m not hiding anything.”

“I’m gonna make sure.”

The mercenary stepped closer, and Rona backed away, but she only made it a couple steps before her bare bottom bumped into the hard metal wall. Murdok pressed against her, pinning her in place. She could feel the long, hard thing in his pants throbbing with excitement.

“Look at me,” Murdok commanded.

Rona looked.

“Open your mouth.”

She opened, and rubber-clad fingers pulled back her lips as the mercenary peered inside. The throbbing grew stronger. The hard thing jumped.

“Such a pretty little mouth,” Murdok said. “I’m gonna enjoy using it.”

He took a step back and twirled his finger.

“Turn around.”

Rona hesitated, but only for a moment. She remembered what the mercenary had said earlier about hog-tying her, and she had a feeling he wasn’t bluffing. If she was going to be forced to undergo this examination, she at least wanted to cling to the last few shreds of dignity she had left. She turned and faced the wall.

“Now bend over…”

The mercenary came up behind her and guided her hips back until her legs and upper body were at a right angle. Rona braced her hands against the wall in front of her to keep from falling over. Murdok nudged her feet apart with his boots.

“There,” he said. “Just like that.”

He crouched behind her, just as he’d done a few minutes ago when he’d patted her down. This time, however, Rona had nothing to hide her body from the mercenary’s hungry eyes. He could see all of her, and when he pried her cheeks apart with his gloved hands, he could see even more. Rona felt vulnerable and exposed in ways she’d never thought possible.

“Damn,” Murdok said. “Forgot my lube. Guess I’ll have to borrow some of yours.”

Rona bit back a cry as the mercenary dragged his middle finger between her folds, gathering the wetness that was leaking out of her. The rubbery material of his glove was smooth against her sensitive skin. He stroked the lips of her sex until every inch of his finger was coated with her slippery arousal.

Then he traced a line across her taint, until his fingertip found her anus.

“No!” Rona shouted. “Not there!”

“You heard what Aeron told me. I’m supposed to search you thoroughly. That means all holes.”

He pressed.

Rona whined at the insistent pressure nudging against her anus. Then she let out an embarrassing squeal as her hole opened for him, and his fingertip popped inside.

“That’s a good girl,” Murdok said. “Just like that.”

Rona’s skin burned with shame and humiliation. Tears trembled in the corners of her eyes.

“You can stop now,” she said. “There’s obviously nothing in there.”

Murdok pushed inside to the second knuckle.

“I’ll decide when to stop,” he growled. “I need to search you deeper.”

And he did, shoving his finger inside her as far as it would go. Rona moaned aloud at that uninvited penetration. She had never had anything go into that part of her body before. It was uncomfortable and even a little painful. Yet, behind the pain and discomfort, it actually felt—

No! Rona thought. No, no, no!

Murdok started to pull out of her, and Rona shivered with relief that she would no longer have to endure that strange feeling of fullness. Then, just as his fingertip was about to exit, he pushed back into her again, every bit as deeply as before.

“Oh!”

Murdok drew his finger back a second time and pushed it in a third, then a fourth, and a fifth, slowly fucking Rona’s rear hole with his long, thick finger coated in smooth rubber and her own slippery arousal. Her pulse raced faster with each successive penetration, and the shameful sounds welling up inside of her became harder and harder to contain.

“Stop that,” she begged. “Please stop.”

“Tell you what,” Murdok said. “I’ll stop when you come. How about that?”

Rona’s desperation tipped over into hot defiance.

“I’m not going to come,” she snarled. “You can’t make me.”

“Challenge accepted.”

With his finger still thrust deep inside her ass, the big mercenary stood up and pressed his crotch against her hip. Rona gasped as she felt his erection through the fabric of his pants. It felt even bigger and harder than before, and it was throbbing with the same fast tempo of her own pounding heart. His free hand reached around and touched her between her legs, stroking her tight clitoris. Pleasure swelled within her, irresistible and intense.

“Come for me like a good girl,” Murdok said. “Come with my finger in your ass.”

“No… I won’t…”

But she did, and it wasn’t even close.

Within a matter of seconds, the brutal mercenary forced her to come harder than she’d ever come in her life, harder than she even thought possible. Not just one orgasm, but a long succession of them, each one more explosive than the one before, until the pleasure became a form of torture. Rona tried to beg him to stop, but it was no use. Her lips and tongue had lost the ability to form sentences. All that came out of her was a series of shameful moans. It was only when her legs started to buckle beneath her that the mercenary finally relented.

His finger slipped out of her with a wet sound. She stood up and leaned against the unyielding metal of the wall. Her cheeks were wet with tears, and down below her inner thighs were slick with a different kind of weeping.

Murdok sniffed his soiled finger.

“Don’t know which one I’m going to enjoy using more,” he said. “Your ass or your mouth. But there’s still one more part of you I need to check.”

Rona didn’t protest. She was too broken to resist. All she could do was lean back against the wall and pant while Murdok knelt in front of her and spread the lips of her sex with his thumbs. With the middle finger of his clean hand, he started to enter her, but he only made it a short distance inside before he stopped.

“Huh?”

He pulled out and spread her lips even wider, closing one eye so he could peer inside her entrance with the other.

“Oh damn,” he said.

He stood and started pulling off his rubber gloves.

“Aeron’s gonna want to hear about this,” he said, grinning, “but first we need to make you presentable, get you all dressed up.”

Rona was still trembling, but she allowed herself a tiny sigh of relief. After being stripped and probed in such a humiliating fashion, it would be nice to at least have clothing again.

She watched as Murdok returned to the trunk and started to rummage inside.

CHAPTER 7

Aeron worked the control sticks, guiding the Talionis upward into the night sky. A storm was rolling in from the west, and as the ship pierced the dark thunderhead, a thin splatter of rain fell across the armaglass windshield like spilled blood. On the control panel, a red light came on. The sensor had picked up a small but significant level of acidity. Not enough to do any real damage, but enough to make Aeron wonder why anyone would wish to live on a hellhole backwater planet like this.

He had to remind himself that out here on the Rim, most folks didn’t choose their planet. They lived where they were born, and they died where they lived. Few had the means to travel around the galaxy as he did.

Killing certainly had its perks.

Take the woman back there in the holding cell, for example. Rona. Aeron wondered how she and Murdok were getting along.

He glanced over at his other comrade.

Zeth was lounging in the copilot’s seat, one leg draped casually over the side while he inspected his arm. The wounds where the woman had stabbed him were already closed, but the skin was crusted with a bit of dried blood.

“First ones?” Aeron asked.

Zeth grinned and nodded. They weren’t actually his first wounds, of course. Just the first since he’d gotten his new paint job. A few months back he’d received a dermal upgrade, which he’d paid for out of his own pocket. Extremely expensive. Horribly painful. And that tough little woman had been the first to scratch it.

Zeth didn’t seem very upset about it, though. If anything, he seemed amused.

“She certainly is a fiery one,” he said.

“That’s why I picked her.”

“Maybe I should go back and check on Murdok. Make sure she’s not cutting him to ribbons.”

“Old Murdok can take care of himself.”

Zeth slouched back in his seat and pouted. “It’s not fair that he gets to have all the fun.”

“There will be plenty of time for fun later. Right now, Murdok’s only searching her, and he’s got more experience at that sort of thing than you do.”

Zeth rolled his eyes.

“Well, how am I ever supposed to learn if I don’t get a chance to practice?” He smiled innocently. “I wouldn’t have hurt her, if that’s what you’re worried about. Not too badly, anyway.”

Just then, the door at the back of the cockpit whooshed open and Murdok stepped inside. The smell of the woman was all over him, especially on his fingers, which were clad in black rubberized gloves and glistening with wetness.

“I take it you’re done searching her?” Aeron said.

“Aye, boss. Got her secured and dressed up real pretty for you too.”

“Is there anything else to report?”

“There is…”

What Murdok said next made Aeron sit up a little straighter. His dick did too.

“Are you serious?” Aeron asked.

“You think I would joke about something like that?”

“Take the controls,” Aeron said, standing. “I’m gonna go have a look for myself.”

“Figured you’d want to,” Murdok chuckled as he slid into the pilot’s seat.

“Why does Murdok get to have all the fun?” Zeth groaned.

“Don’t worry,” Aeron said. “You’ve got a role to play too. Once the ship’s in position, I want you to run the long-range cameras so we can see exactly what’s going on down there at that mine. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go check on our passenger. I’ll be back shortly.”

“Right,” Zeth said. “Shortly.”

Murdok snorted.

Aeron ignored them and exited the cockpit. After a short walk down the ship’s central corridor, he came to the holding cell at the aft section of the Talionis. Typically, that room was for transporting targets whom clients wanted taken alive. Today, it was housing a very different sort of prisoner.

Murdok had left the door shut and locked. Aeron tugged off his right glove and placed his palm against the wall scanner. After a few seconds, the lock let go with a soft snick, the door gasped open…

And there she was.

Like any good Merc, Aeron was not prone to sudden surges of emotion. Decades of fighting and killing had hammered such things out of him. Even during that shitstorm on Greef a few months back, his heart rate hadn’t gotten above sixty.

But it was higher than that now. A lot higher. Aeron could feel it punching the inside of his chest like a pulse rifle set to autofire. In his pants, his dick went as rigid as a steel rod. He stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him. Then he locked it.

He didn’t want any interruptions.

The woman was bound to the back wall of the room. Her arms and legs were arranged in an X configuration, and her wrists and ankles were attached to the wall with steel shackles and short chains that only allowed her a minimal amount of mobility. She was dressed in an outfit made of black vinyl straps that did nothing whatsoever to conceal her body. Instead, the straps merely framed her bare breasts, leaving her nipples fully exposed. Down below, the straps curled around her upper thighs like a harness, but left her pussy on full display.

Murdok. That bastard.

The outfit had been obtained several missions back, when they had removed a sex cult on Borgialis. Aeron had honestly forgotten they’d kept the damn thing, but obviously Murdok hadn’t. Aeron didn’t know whether to be annoyed with his second in command, or pleasantly surprised.

He moved forward slowly, walking with a slight limp thanks to the steel rod he was now smuggling in the front of his pants. As he advanced, he let his eyes wander over the woman’s nearly naked body. She was perfect for what he had in mind. Curvy in all the right places, tough as nails in others. A tattooed serpent slithered up her right arm, its poison fangs bared in obvious warning to any man who might try to lay his hands upon her.

Aeron decided to risk it. He didn’t care if he got bit. In fact, he kind of hoped he did.

But first…

He turned his attention to the woman’s face. She looked even prettier now than she had when he’d first seen her. Her face was still a bit dirty, but there were clean streaks where her tears had washed away the grime.

Aeron didn’t feel too bad about that. He’d made plenty of women cry in his day. He’d created plenty of widows. And he’d made women’s eyes water in other ways too.

But this woman’s eyes were different. A deep ochre brown that burned with a look of hot defiance.

Suddenly, and without warning, that defiance turned into action. Bound as she was, the woman could not strike him with her hands or feet, so she attacked him with the only means at her disposal.

Spit.

Her aim was commendable. Her wad of saliva landed directly in Aeron’s right eye. He didn’t flinch, however. He didn’t even change his expression. Instead, he just stood there for a moment, letting the warm fluid drip down his face. Then he wiped the spit with his fingers…

And sucked them clean.

The woman gaped in disbelief. She hadn’t expected him to do that. And she expected it even less when he suddenly jammed two of his fingers deep inside her open mouth. If she hadn’t been so shocked, perhaps she would have bitten him, but Aeron managed to get his fingers in and out unscathed.

Then he stuck his wet fingers in his own mouth again, and sucked away her saliva.

“Mm,” he said. “Delicious.”

Aeron took a step back and started to remove his combat vest. The woman tried to hide her body’s response to seeing his muscles, but there were some reflexes that were beyond her control. The sudden dilation of her pupils, for example, or the stiffening of her nipples. Aeron let her look for a moment, then he folded his vest and set it on top of the trunk by the wall.

“As you know,” he said, “it is our intention to breed you. All three of us. And we want a mate with the proper traits to complement our own warrior genes. Toughness. Defiance. A fighting spirit. Our offspring must have all those qualities if he will become a killer like his fathers.”

The woman’s eyes went wide.

“You mean…?”

“That’s right. The child will become a Merc, just like me and my two comrades. After we impregnate you, we will return you to your village, and you will be permitted to raise the child until he is of training age. After that, the Guild will come to collect him.”

The woman’s face colored with rage.

“You’re a bastard!” she growled.

“I’ve been called much worse than that,” Aeron said. “Believe me.” He started to unfasten his belt.

“So you’re going to impregnate me, then steal my child? What if it’s a girl?”

“Merc seed tends to produce male offspring, but we also accept females among our ranks. Women make excellent killers.”

“What if I decide to terminate?”

“You won’t.”

Aeron coiled his belt and set it next to his vest. He sat down on the trunk and began to take off his boots.

“You don’t know that,” the woman said.

“I do know it. It’s not your style. And if I’m wrong, well… I guess that’s my fault for selecting the wrong mate.”

He stood up and removed his pants. The compression shorts he was wearing underneath could barely contain his swelling erection. The woman’s eyes got a little wider when they saw the shape of it printed against the flexible fabric. Then they got even wider still when Aeron pushed the shorts down his thighs and his hard shaft sprang free, throbbing and leaking precum.

The woman made a sound like a whimper. She turned her head to one side and stared at the wall.

“Let’s get it over with,” she said.

Aeron strode forward, his hard cock jutting out in front of him. The woman gasped when she felt it pressing against the warm, smooth skin of her belly. Aeron grabbed her lightly but firmly by the jaw and turned her face toward his.

“Let’s get three things crystal clear,” he said. “First of all, you’re not in charge here. I am. Second, there is no need to rush things. We have plenty of time for breeding, and I intend to do so at a pace that I deem appropriate. And third… there is still one last thing I need to examine before we begin.”

He leaned in close and claimed her mouth in a dominating kiss. The woman had not been expecting it. Her body stiffened against his for a moment, then melted. Aeron waited until he could feel her beginning to stiffen again, then he released her mouth and dropped to his knees in front of her.

It was time to see if Murdok was telling the truth.

With his thumbs, Aeron separated the woman’s labia and spread her pussy open until he could see inside her. The augmetic implants in his eyes allowed him to look into the darkness of her open cavity. Sure enough, it was just as Murdok had told him. Her hymen was still intact.

Rona was a virgin.

Between his own legs, Aeron’s hard cock leapt with increased arousal. Precum flowed out of him in quantities exceeding an average man’s complete orgasm. A growl rose from deep within his chest. A hungry, animal sound. It had been far too long since he had last tasted of a woman. With a snarl, he pressed his face between her legs and started to feast.

Above him, the woman screamed.

CHAPTER 8

The pleasure was almost more than Rona could stand. Her body was still weak from the brutal succession of orgasms Murdok had forced her to endure, and her legs would have already given out, had she not been bound to the wall hand and foot. Her sex was still tender after her previous torture, and the touch of Aeron’s wet tongue against her hypersensitive lips was giving her a pleasure so intense it verged on pain.

“Stop it!” she gasped. “Oh God, please stop…”

Aeron either didn’t hear or didn’t care. Rona suspected it was the second option, though it could just as easily have been the first. Her voice was whisper-weak and barely audible over the hungry, slavering noises issuing from between her legs. The mercenary was snorting and grunting wetly as he ate her, growling like a ravenous beast devouring its prey.

And that prey was her. Specifically, it was the part of her anatomy that lay nestled between her legs. The part which Aeron had been inspecting a moment ago, when he had discovered the truth about Rona’s sex life—namely, that it was nonexistent. She had never been with a man before. Not even once. There had been plenty who had tried over the years, but she had shut them all down, sometimes with words, other times with violence. She had a feeling neither strategy would work now. She was stripped, bound, and defenseless, totally at the mercy of her new owners.

“Please,” she whimpered, struggling feebly against her restraints. “Oh my God, please…”

But Aeron was unrelenting. He alternated between sucking and licking. His lips pulled on hers like he was trying to give her a hickey down there. His wet tongue worked between her equally wet folds, stimulating her sensitive flesh with his textured taste buds.

Her eyes began to water again, not from shame, but from the sheer intensity of what Aeron was doing to her. They reminded her of the tears that came after knocking back a shot of strong liquor.

“Please…”

Down below, Aeron’s growling became a little less savage, the movements of his mouth and tongue more controlled. He shifted his attention slightly upward, focusing all of his energy on her clitoris, first lapping with broad, flat strokes of his tongue, then sucking and licking her at the same time, drawing her hypersensitive nub between his lips and strumming it in a rapid tremolo style. Rona could feel another orgasm brewing within her, threatening to explode at a moment’s notice. Her body trembled violently. Her muscles tensed in preparation. She tilted her head back against the wall and squeezed her eyelids shut, sending hot tears rolling down her temples.

Aeron stopped.

Rona let out a gasp of shocked frustration. Her body was humming with her unfulfilled release. She dropped her head and glared through her tears at the big, naked brute kneeling before her.

He wasn’t looking at her. His attention was directed at her feet. With terrifying quickness, he lunged to one side and tore open the clasp holding Rona’s right ankle. A half a heartbeat later, her other ankle was also free. For a moment, her body sagged, supported only by the bindings holding her wrists. Then Aeron’s powerful arms were hooking themselves beneath her shivering thighs. The leather straps of her outfit creaked as he hoisted her hips, lifting her until she was horizontal. His deadly eyes gleamed between her open legs.

“You are fucking delicious,” he snarled.

Then he began to devour her again.

His beard felt coarse and scratchy against the bare skin of her inner thighs, but his lips and tongue were soft and warm and wet against her most sensitive places. He licked every inch of her with a savage intensity, until she was dripping wet with his saliva and her own leaking arousal. His hands clutched her hips, and somewhere in the back of Rona’s mind, behind the swirling flux of sensations and emotions, she found herself wondering how many lives those hands had ended. Hundreds? Thousands?

He could tear me apart if he wanted to. He could split me in two.

Her hips started moving of their own accord, grinding her sex against the mercenary’s growling mouth. Her unresolved climax returned with a vengeance, looming over her like a stormcloud.

No, she thought. No, no no…

And at the same time: Yes! Yes! Yes!

Once again, Aeron released her at the last possible moment, leaving her pleasure incomplete. It burned like fire between her legs and smoldered deep within her aching core. She hissed in frustration and glared into Aeron’s faintly glowing eyes.

“I hate you,” she whispered.

The mercenary just smirked.

“Most folks do.”

He lowered her hips until her pelvis was level with his own, and she gasped as she felt the hard length of his erection pressing against her bare skin. He dragged his hips back until his shaft had cleared her body, then he pressed forward again, nestling his tip against her dripping folds. One quick thrust was now all it would take for him to be inside her.

This is it, Rona thought. He’s going to breed me now.

In a way, she was almost grateful it would happen like this, while her body was thrumming with unfulfilled need. It didn’t matter if the man was a bastard for doing this to her. It didn’t matter if she despised her own weakness for desiring him in that moment. All that mattered now was finding some relief from the agony burning inside her, an agony only a man could extinguish. There would be shame afterward, shame and regret, but Rona would deal with those feelings when the time came. For now, all she could do was surrender and accept her fate.

Aeron thrust forward…

But he did not penetrate. Instead, his hardened shaft grazed across Rona’s vulva without entering. His smooth, heavy balls thumped against her body, and his tip reached almost to her belly button. Rona’s inner muscles clenched as she imagined how that huge member would have felt inside her.

Aeron pulled back and thrust again.

And again his hard arousal slipped against her without going in. He pumped his hips, stroking his rigid shaft against her wet folds. His tip brushed her clitoris, and they both moaned in unison as the most sensitive parts of both their bodies rubbed together, wet and swollen with lust.

“Does that feel good?” the Merc growled.

“No,” Rona lied. “No…”

“Oh yeah? Well, it feels pretty good to me.”

Aeron adjusted his grip on her body so that he was supporting her hips with only one hand. Then he brought his free hand around and gripped the base of his shaft, levering it down until his cockhead was grinding hard against her clit. His tip was drooling precum, spreading it all over her aching, pink bud.

“Come for me,” the Merc growled. “You know you want to.”

“No…”

Yes.

Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes…

Aeron gripped her with both hands and started to thrust again (yes!) sliding the full length of his hard, wet cock against her clitoris (yes!) and his smooth, heavy balls were slapping against her bottom, the same way they would have done if he’d been inside her (yes! yes!) only he wasn’t inside, he was only rubbing himself against her (yes!) rubbing and stroking and sliding (oh God, yes!) And Rona raised her hips to meet him thrust for thrust, rubbing herself against him while he rubbed against her, begging for an end to her agony, begging for the release she so desperately needed, begging for his release too, humping, thrusting, begging, dying.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

And then they were both coming together, Rona shuddering and screaming through her climax, Aeron grunting and gushing through his. Hot seed splattered across Rona’s erect nipples and flowed into the hollow between her breasts. It striped her belly and dripped down her ribs and pooled in the cup of her navel. The scent of it filled the air around them, salty and pungent and obscene. It was a long time before either of them finished, and when they finally did, Rona’s front was thoroughly stained with Aeron’s spend. She could hear it drip-drip-dripping on the metal floor below.

“Fuck,” Aeron grunted as the dregs of his orgasm oozed out onto her pubic mound. “Fuuuck…”

Something buzzed nearby.

“Hey boss?” Murdok’s tinny voice said through a speaker in the wall. “We’re in position.”

Aeron nodded, sweat dripping down his face and body.

“Acknowledged,” he said. “We’re coming.”

When Murdok replied, there was a snicker in his voice.

“Yeah, we heard.”

The intercom clicked off.

Rona flushed as she realized how much noise she had just made, how loudly she had moaned while she had climaxed and Aeron had climaxed on her. She realized how she had begged for it, not with words perhaps, but with her body, with her voice.

Slowly, carefully, Aeron set her down on her own two feet again. Her legs were weak and wobbly. Cum dripped down her body like melted butter. Aeron pressed in close against her, and Rona felt that he was still fully erect and throbbing with male arousal.

He bent down and kissed her softly on the lips.

Had Rona been in her right mind, she would never have accepted that kiss. She would have turned her face aside or pressed her lips together in a tight seam. But she was weak and exhausted and still half drunk from everything Aeron had just done to her. She parted her lips and let him plunder her mouth, rolling her tongue against his in a slow, deep kiss that seemed to go on forever. When at last the mercenary separated his lips from hers, she whined softly at the deprivation.

“Come on,” Aeron whispered gently. “Let’s get you cleaned up…”

He unfastened the shackles holding her wrists. Rona swayed and almost fell to her knees, but the mercenary caught her and held her upright.

“Not now,” he said, smirking. “There’ll be plenty of time for that later.”

“I hate you,” Rona whispered.

“I know.”

Then he scooped her up in his arms, like a groom with his bride, and he carried her out of the holding cell, still shivering and slathered with his warm, sticky seed.

CHAPTER 9

Aeron was usually annoyed by the shower. He’d been talking about replacing it for years now. The damn thing was so cramped it felt like a sarcophagus. Today, however, he did not particularly mind the close quarters. It felt nice being squeezed inside with the woman’s wet, slippery body rubbing against his own.

Her outfit had been an annoyance. That garment, if one could even call it such, was little more than a collection of leather straps designed to accentuate a woman’s body rather than hide it. After a few minutes of fiddling with the tiny buckles, Aeron had lost his temper and elected to remove the outfit with a knife. Now it lay in pieces on the bathroom floor. Murdok would not be happy about that, but he would get over it.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said.

There was a dispenser set into the wall of the shower, filled with a dual-purpose shampoo and body wash. Aeron pumped a good-sized dollop into his hand, then he began to work it into the woman’s close-cropped hair until her whole head was a pile of fragrant suds. The woman glowered.

“I’m not a child, you know. I can bathe myself.”

Aeron just smiled at her impertinence. He had clearly expressed his mastery over her body back there in the holding cell, yet she still continued to give him sass. He liked that. He liked it a lot.

“Turn,” he commanded.

The woman grudgingly obeyed. Aeron felt her body stiffen slightly as her bare bottom grazed against the naked shaft of his cock, which was still as hard as stone. His orgasm in the holding cell had not depleted his arousal. Indeed, it would take several hours and dozens of loads before his lust was fully slaked. He was tempted to grab hold of his dick and jack off all over the woman’s beautiful backside, but he restrained himself. There would be plenty of time for pleasure later. Right now, there was work to be done.

“Close your eyes.”

He angled the showerhead at the top of the woman’s head, washing the suds away in big clumps that slid down her glistening body. She moaned softly—so softly Aeron almost didn’t hear it over the hiss of the water.

“Does that feel good?” he asked.

“No.”

Aeron chuckled and pumped out another handful of soap. This time, he spread the lather over the woman’s skin, washing away the dirt and grime of the planet they had left behind. He paid extra attention to her breasts, squeezing and kneading the soft mounds of flesh between his fingers.

“What are you doing?” the woman asked.

“I’m cleaning you.”

“Oh really? I don’t think my boobs are dirtier than the rest of me.”

“No? I guess you don’t remember a few minutes ago when I came all over them.”

Even with her face turned away from him, he could sense the woman blushing.

“I didn’t want you to do that,” she said.

“Maybe not, but you liked it when I did. You liked the way I made you come too. And you liked that kiss…”

His hands had started to stray lower, sliding down the front of her body until his fingertips were almost between her legs. He could feel the woman trembling in anticipation. Then, as the pad of his middle finger made contact with her clit, she let out a sharp cry of desperation.

“Please!” she gasped. “No more. If you make me come again, I think I’ll die.”

Aeron doubted that.

Nevertheless, he relented. There was work to be done, and he needed the woman’s mind to be clear for the time being. He guided her hand to the dispenser on the wall and pumped some soap into it.

“Very well,” he said. “You may wash your cunt yourself. Just make sure you get it nice and clean. My comrades and I intend to make good use of it later.”

The woman quivered at his words, but she did as she was told, and washed between her legs. Aeron’s hard cock was still pressed tightly against her back, and the motion of her little body was almost enough to make him empty his balls a second time.

God, she was amazing. Aeron had been with more women than he could even count, but never one who turned him on the way she did.

“Aeron,” the woman said.

“Yeah?”

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

Aeron smiled. “You thought I was going to breed you back there,” he whispered. “And you’re wondering why I didn’t.”

The woman gasped.

“How did you…?”

“It’s a natural enough question. I made it pretty clear what I intend to do with you when I took you as collateral. Matter of fact, I was planning on fucking you back there in the cell, but then I found out you’re still a virgin.”

She looked back at him warily.

“You mean, you’re not going to…?”

“What? Breed you? Oh, I’m definitely going to be doing that. My comrades are too. All three of us are going to fuck you and breed you until you’re pregnant with one of our babies. But when it comes to taking your virginity… I’ve decided to let Zeth do the honors.”

The woman’s eyes went wide, and she quickly looked away. After a moment, she spoke again, her voice tiny and trembling.

“May I ask why?”

Aeron coiled his arms around her and pulled her back against him, lowering his face until his lips were brushing against the shell of her ear.

“You drew Zeth’s blood,” he whispered. “It’s only fair to let him draw yours.”

CHAPTER 10

Rona had to admit, it did feel good to be clean again. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a hot shower, and it felt even better to have clothes. While she was drying off, Aeron went and fetched a T-shirt for her. One of his own. On the Merc’s big body, the shirt probably would have fit like a second skin, but on Rona it was big and loose, and it hung down past the tops of her thighs.

Some underwear would have been nice, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

Once they were both dressed, Aeron led her to the front of the ship. There was a heavy steel door separating the cockpit from the corridor, and Rona found herself wondering how the other Mercs had heard the noises she’d been making back in the holding cell. Was their hearing really that good? Or were there microphones in the cell that had picked up everything that had happened?

God, maybe there were cameras too.

Rona shivered at the thought.

Aeron pressed his big hand into a scanner on the wall—the same hand that had so recently touched nearly every part of Rona’s body—and the door shunked open, revealing the cockpit beyond. Aeron gestured inside.

“After you…”

Rona nervously complied. As soon as she had stepped inside the cockpit, she was smacked with an odor of masculinity so heavy and intense, she felt as if she had stepped into a testosterone factory. That raw, rugged scent should have disgusted her, but it didn’t. In fact, it had almost the opposite effect. She could feel her nipples stiffening in response, and she found herself wishing that the fabric of her T-shirt weren’t so goddamn thin. But she didn’t dare try to cover her chest. That would only draw more attention from the occupants of the room. And she was already the center of attention.

Murdok was sitting in the pilot’s seat, and as Rona entered the cockpit, he swung around to look at her. His faintly glowing augmetic eyes seemed to strip her bare, and his fanged smirk suggested that he really had heard everything. Rona flushed and looked away.

She turned her eyes toward the other occupant of the cockpit, and gasped.

The man named Zeth was lounging in the copilot’s seat, one leg slung nonchalantly over the arm of the chair. His hood was drawn back, and for the first time, Rona was able to see his face. He wasn’t grizzled and scarred like the other two mercenaries. Not even close. His was the face of an angel, porcelain smooth and pristine, prettier than most women. A mane of golden hair hung down to his shoulders, and a matching gold fuzz lined his slightly pointed chin. As his eyes met Rona’s, he dragged his perfect teeth across his full lower lip. Rona could almost feel those teeth between her legs.

“Took you long enough,” Murdok said.

“We had to take a quick shower,” Aeron explained. “Things got a little… messy.”

He stepped into the cockpit with Rona, then he closed the door behind them. Rona glanced up at him nervously, and he gave her a reassuring smile. As reassuring as a seven-foot-tall killer could give, anyway.

“Well, go ahead and have a seat,” he said.

Rona looked around the cockpit, bewildered. As far as she could see, there were only two seats, and both of them were currently occupied. Before she had a chance to point this out, the Merc named Zeth grabbed her wrist and pulled her gently toward him.

“You can sit with me,” he said in a voice as smooth and thick as honey.

He pulled her onto his lap.

“Oh!” Rona gasped. “Um…”

She was tempted to shift her weight to get comfortable, but she was worried that doing so might cause her shirt to ride up. She was even more worried about the long, hard thing she could feel hiding beneath the fabric of the Merc’s pants. She remembered what Aeron had told her in the shower, and she shivered.

You drew Zeth’s blood. It’s only fair to let him draw yours.

Zeth leaned forward and sniffed Rona’s neck.

“You smell good,” he purred.

Rona wasn’t sure if it was intended as a compliment. Coming from the young mercenary, it sounded more like he was thinking about eating her. That thought should have terrified her, and it did a little, but it stirred other feelings as well. Shameful feelings. Rona hoped the thin fabric of her long shirt would be sufficient to hide the wetness that was starting to leak out of her again.

“Go easy on her,” Aeron said, stepping forward between the two seats. “She’s still a little sensitive. Besides, we’ve got work to do. I don’t want you getting all distracted on me.”

“In that case,” said Murdok, “maybe it would be a good idea to banish her from the cockpit.”

Aeron shook his head.

“No. I want her to help us understand what it is we’re looking at…”

He gestured in front of him.

The window at the front of the cockpit provided a view of outer space, and the broad, brownish curve of the planet below. That view should have taken Rona’s breath away; she’d never been in space before. However, it was the holographic image overlaid on top of the glass that really drew her attention.

“Is that… a map?”

“Good guess,” Zeth said, his voice rumbling through her body as he spoke. “But actually, it’s the real thing. A live image of the planet’s surface viewed from above, from the ship’s long-range scanners.”

“Really?”

Rona looked closer. The image was rendered in shades of green. Infrared, she guessed. It was still the middle of the night on her side of the planet, so there wouldn’t be much light. The image was slightly hazy as well, as if obscured by clouds. It was difficult to read, but after a moment, Rona was able to pick out details. Roads, footpaths, tracks.

“Hey!” she said. “That’s the mine.”

She jumped up from Zeth’s lap and pointed at various locations in the image.

“That’s the road that leads to the village. And that’s the railway that carries the raw silk over to the processing plant over in Jeriko. These are mine entrances here, here, and here… oh!”

Rona gasped softly as Aeron moved closer, pressing his body against hers.

“Very good,” he said. “And can you guess what all these things are?”

He was talking about the pale, luminous specks milling around the entrances of the mine. From this bird’s-eye view, they looked like tiny, white bugs, but Rona knew what they really were.

“Those are the fuckers who invaded us,” she said.

Rona could feel her blood rising. She hadn’t been present when the attack had happened, but she’d heard all about it. Hundreds of miners had been killed during that first onslaught. Rona hadn’t been friends with any of them, per se. She hadn’t really been friends with anybody in the village. Still, they were human beings. Men and women with families. Nobody deserved to be murdered in cold blood like that. Nobody.

“Sure are a lot of them,” Aeron said.

No shit, Rona thought. Maybe the Mercs Guild should have sent more than three dudes, huh?

But she kept her mouth shut.

Aeron pointed to a cluster of figures near one of the mine entrances. “Zoom in on that group right there. Let’s get a closer look at these assholes.”

Murdok leaned forward and tapped some buttons on the console in front of him. The image on the screen centered on the group of figures Aeron had indicated and expanded until they were filling the entire window. The top-down view and green coloration made everything look a bit strange, but Rona could tell that she was looking at a group of large, brutish males. They were not entirely unlike the mercenaries in the cockpit with her now, but they were a whole lot less human. The invaders had long, pointed ears and big, clawed hands with only three fingers apiece. They appeared to be huddled around a heating device, passing around a bottle of liquor.

“Mutants,” Aeron said. “Parahumans. Could just be a random roving gang, but my instincts tell me they came from offworld. Zoom out again. Let’s see if we can find their ships.”

They didn’t take long to find. A small fleet of transport vessels parked on the far side of the mountain that contained the mine.

“Shit,” Rona said. “I had no idea.”

She took a step back and started to sit down, forgetting that Zeth was already occupying the seat behind her. By the time her butt had touched his thigh, it was already too late. The young Merc grabbed her around the waist and pulled her all the way onto his lap again.

“Let’s take a look at the situation underground,” Aeron said.

“Sure thing,” Murdok answered.

He tapped a few more buttons, and the image shifted again. Now, instead of green, everything had a bluish tint. And instead of an overland view, it showed the tangled network of tunnels that made up the mine itself. Rona gasped softly in surprise. These guys had even better tech than she’d expected.

“Shit,” Murdok growled. “Place is a damn labyrinth.”

Aeron nodded. “Yup. When we go in, we’ll need one person to stay behind on overwatch duty.”

“Wait,” said Rona. “You mean only two of you will be going in?”

“Two’ll be more than enough,” Aeron said.

Rona’s eyes widened in disbelief. Looking at the image, she could see that inside of the mine was absolutely crawling with mutant raiders—hundreds of them—and they appeared to be heavily armed.

For some reason, that fact didn’t seem to bother the Mercs.

“Hey, what are these things?” Aeron said.

He was pointing at a big, eight-legged creature that was moving down one of the corridors of the mine. There were lots of them. Almost as many as there were raiders. In spite of the weird angle and distortion from the scanner, Rona recognized the creatures immediately.

“Those are raknids,” she said. “They’re like big domesticated spiders. They look scary, but they’re fairly docile. They spin the silk that we gather from the mine.”

“Hmmm…”

Aeron was still staring at the image of the mines, brow furrowed, fingers scratching at his coarse beard.

“What’s up?” Murdok asked.

“It’s strange,” the Merc leader said. “These raiders, they come in, kill a bunch of miners, and take over the mine… but it looks like they haven’t killed any of the raknids. And as far as I can tell, they’re not trying to steal any of the silk for themselves either.”

“Raw silk isn’t worth much on its own,” Rona said. “It’s gotta be taken to a refinery to be processed.”

“Besides,” Murdok said. “Mutants are known for being lazy bastards.”

“True,” said Aeron. “But they also have an appetite for violence and rape. The village is only a few klicks away. It would be easy for them to go over there and indulge themselves. Yet they’re remaining in the mines and just… squatting.”

Murdok shrugged.

“Beats me, boss.”

Aeron studied the image a moment longer, then he turned toward the copilot’s seat.

“Zeth, it’s late, and our guest is probably tired. Take her back to the bunkroom so she can get some sleep.”

“Aye, sir!”

The young mercenary practically sprang out of the seat, scooping Rona up in his arms in the process. She had to pull the hem of her shirt down to keep from flashing everyone else in the cockpit. Zeth had the door open, and he was already halfway into the corridor when Aeron spoke again.

“Zeth?”

“Sir?”

“No fooling around. I want you to get her tucked in, then come right back here to the cockpit. We’ve got some things to talk about.”

“Aye, sir.”

Rona didn’t speak a word as the mercenary carried her down the corridor and into a small, dark room equipped with three bunks embedded in the wall. Zeth placed her gently onto the lowest of the three beds. The mattress was thin and firm, but it felt good beneath Rona’s weary muscles. She was even more tired than she had realized. With the mercenary watching her, she carefully slipped beneath the covers.

“This one’s my bed,” Zeth told her. “Is it comfortable for you?”

If she hadn’t been so exhausted, Rona might have responded with a hostile remark. Instead, she simply nodded. In some ways, Zeth scared her even more than the other two. It was the face that did it. That pretty, angel’s face that belied his dark profession.

Plus the fact that he was going to take her virginity.

“Zeth?” Rona said.

“Yes?”

“I, um… I’m sorry I stabbed you earlier.” It was not a sentence she had ever expected to hear herself say.

“No you’re not,” Zeth replied.

Rona’s heart stopped. She lay perfectly still, watching the young mercenary, and waiting to see what he would say next. When he tilted his head slightly, she could see the augmetic implants glowing inside his eyes. He suddenly looked more like a demon than an angel.

“You’re not sorry you stabbed me,” he said, his voice utterly devoid of malice. “You did it on purpose, and with good reason. The only reason you’re apologizing now is because you’re afraid I’m going to hurt you.”

He brushed her cheek.

“I would never hurt you,” he said, and smiled. “You’re going to be the mother of my child.”

Then he leaned in close and kissed her on the mouth. Rona wasn’t expecting it, and she tensed at first, but his lips were so soft and warm, and his tongue was so insistent. She opened for him, just as she had done for Aeron back there in the holding cell. Her nipples ached beneath her shirt. Her sex throbbed. She almost expected Zeth to climb into the bunk with her. She almost wanted him to.

Instead, he left her lying there on the bed, panting. He slipped out into the corridor as quiet as a ghost, and closed the door behind him, drowning the room in darkness.

Rona’s heart had started beating again, and it was making up for lost time. She lay there for a long while afterward, trying desperately to sleep, but sleep wouldn’t come. At last, when she couldn’t take it anymore, she reached beneath the covers, pulled her shirt up, and slipped a hand between her legs.

She bit the pillow to muffle her cries. It tasted of Zeth.

CHAPTER 11

“What the hell are we doing here?”

The “here” to which Rona was referring was Jeriko, the city where the Riadne Mining Company shipped its raw silk to be refined. It had been a long, long time since she’d last seen the place, but from the foot of the Talionis’s boarding ramp, things still looked much the same as she remembered them. Ugly rockrete buildings gnawed by acid rain. Dirty streets where merchants with varying degrees of legitimacy mingled. Air thick with the scent of roasting bugmeat and narcosmoke. And in the background, looming above it all, stood the dark stacks of the refineries steadily pumping out a dense, green vapor that hung above the city like a poison cloud. God’s Fart, the locals called it. At least they had when Rona still lived here, years ago.

“I already told you,” Aeron said. “Business. Now come on.”

He tugged her leash.

Rona was dressed in yesterday’s clothes. At some point in the night, the Mercs had washed them for her. Everything except her panties, which were still in Murdok’s possession. As they made their way into town, the scarred Merc took the dirty undergarment out of his vest pocket and held it up to his nose like a perfumed handkerchief. Rona grimaced in disgust. He smirked at her and took another big sniff.

Tug, tug…

The new addition to her wardrobe was the collar and leash. The former was wrapped snugly around Rona’s throat, the latter held firmly in Aeron’s hand. Whenever she started to fall behind, the Merc gave her a gentle tug to get her moving again.

“Do I really have to wear this thing?” she complained.

Aeron nodded. “You’re too much of a flight risk without it.”

“A flight risk? Seriously? Dude, this thing is uncomfortable as hell. If you take it off, I promise I won’t run.”

“I highly doubt that,” he said, “based on your defiance so far.”

“I thought you liked my defiance.”

“I do. I also like having you on a leash.” Another tug.

As they started to make their way toward the center of town, Rona noticed people casting curious looks in their direction. Even in a den of iniquity like Jeriko, it was strange to see a human on a leash. Still, nobody dared to speak up on her behalf. They obviously didn’t want any trouble with the Mercs.

The embarrassment of being led through town like a pet was only part of Rona’s concern. If it had been a different city, she might have been willing to put up with it. But this was Jeriko. She had history here. Bad history.

“Listen,” she pleaded. “Can’t you just take me back to the ship? Surely you don’t need to have me with you while you’re conducting your so-called business.”

“I don’t trust you alone on my ship,” Aeron said.

“You can lock me in the holding cell. Tie me up. Do whatever you want.”

Aeron stopped walking and stared at her hard.

“What’s with you?” he growled. “I thought you would have appreciated the opportunity to get out and stretch your legs. Why are you so nervous about being in this place?”

“It’s embarrassing,” Rona said, touching her leash.

Aeron just kept staring at her, and she felt herself withering beneath his intense, augmetic gaze.

“I used to live here,” she added in a low voice. “If someone I knew were to see me like this…”

Aeron thought for a second, then shook his head.

“No. You’re coming with.”

“But—”

“No buts. After I’m done with my business, we’re checking into a hotel here in town.”

“A hotel?” Rona half shouted. “Excuse me, but don’t you guys have a job you’re supposed to be doing? You know, like clearing the raiders out of the mine?”

“As far as I can recall,” Aeron said, “we haven’t actually received any payment for that job yet. So yes, we’re going to do it, but we’re doing it on our time. The people of your village can hold out for a few more days.”

“A few more days?”

This time, Rona really did shout, and not because she was worried about the villagers. As far as she was concerned, those jerkoffs could eat dirt after the way they had sold her out. She was thinking about herself, and the things that were going to happen to her at the aforementioned hotel. A single night would be bad enough. Multiple days sounded like more than she could handle.

Aeron slid his hand up her leash until he was holding it by the clip where it connected to the collar. The front of his body pressed against Rona’s, and she had to tilt her head all the way back to look up into his piercing eyes.

“Listen woman, and listen well. I’m in charge of this mission, and we’re going to complete it on my terms, not yours. Now either you start behaving yourself like a good girl, or I strip off all your clothes and parade your defiant little ass through town stark naked. You want that?”

Rona glowered up at him.

“That’s what I thought,” he said. “Now come on, we’re wasting time.”

Aeron turned and started to walk again. Rona had no choice but to follow him. She didn’t know if he was bluffing about taking her clothes off in public, but she wasn’t about to test him on it. Besides, she didn’t want to get yanked by the leash again. That was one game of tug-of-war she knew she couldn’t win.

Murdok and Zeth fell in behind her and Aeron, the three Mercs moving in a triangular configuration around her. If she didn’t know any better, she would have said they were being protective of her.

Because I’m their property, she thought.

Still, it worked in her favor. The Mercs’ big bodies helped to conceal her from the prying eyes of the cityfolk around them, and that was a good thing. There were people in Jeriko who might still remember her after all these years. People whom Rona really didn’t want to deal with.

After a few more minutes of walking, they had reached the center of the business district. They came to a stop in front of an enormous gray structure fronted by massive, rain-bitten columns. Men in expensive suits and fine silken robes loitered outside. They glanced only briefly at the Mercs and their leashed prize before returning to their conversations.

Rona recognized the building instantly. She’d come here often as a girl to beg for spare credbits from the wealthy merchants who frequented the place.

It was the Bursa, the hall where businessmen could buy and sell shares of the local publicly traded companies.

“Wait… what are we doing here?”

“You keep asking that,” Aeron said.

“No, I don’t mean Jeriko. I mean, why are we stopping here at the Bursa?”

“Why d’you think?” said Aeron. “To buy some stock. Brundage said most of the shareholders in Riadne Mining Company had been selling off their shares. The price is probably good and cheap with the mine shut down.”

Rona stared at him in shock.

“Unbelievable,” she said. “You’re gonna buy up the stock while it’s cheap. Then, after you’ve gotten rid of the raiders and the price goes back up again, you’re gonna sell it for a profit.”

“Pretty much.”

Rona scowled. “That’s the most unethical thing I’ve ever heard.”

Aeron just shrugged.

“Woman, I kill people for a living. I don’t know where you got the idea I was ethical.” He handed the leash over to Zeth. “Hang on to her while I go inside. Murdok, you stay here and keep an eye on things. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

He walked between the pillars and disappeared inside.

“Well,” said Zeth, “guess we’ve got some time to kill.”

His smile was sweet, but the way he said the word kill sent a shiver up Rona’s back.

There were covered stalls on the other side of the road where vendors were hawking their wares. Zeth led Rona across the street to have a look. Murdok followed behind them, huge and terrifying. When the other customers saw them coming, they all moved out of the mercenaries’ way.

I guess there are some benefits to hanging out with the Mercs, Rona thought.

But there were too many eyes on her now. Entirely too many eyes.

“What do you think of this?” Zeth asked, stopping in front of a jeweler’s table. He selected a string of pearls off a rack and held it up to Rona’s throat. “Very becoming, don’t you think?”

Murdok grunted.

“I’d rather see her wearing a different kind of pearl necklace.”

Rona rolled her eyes.

And noticed something gleaming a few stalls down.

“Oh,” she said, pointing. “What about those?”

“Knives?”

“Yeah. I need a new one. My old one got broken.”

She didn’t bother mentioning how her previous knife had gotten ruined. She was pretty sure Zeth remembered well enough. The wounds on his shoulder had already closed, but there were a few tiny scars where she had stabbed him before the tip had snapped off. As far as Rona could see, they were the only scars on his otherwise perfect body.

“Careful,” Murdok growled. “Remember what happened the last time she had a knife in her hands.”

“Oh, I remember,” Zeth said, smirking. “But I think she’s learned her lesson.”

Rona nodded.

“I’m sure as hell not gonna try to stab you with it. There’s no point in that… no pun intended.” When that received a smile, Rona batted her lashes and went in for the kill. “But I’ll need a blade when I go back to the village after this is all over. I mean, you’re not going to leave the mother of your child all alone with no way to defend herself, are you?”

It worked. Zeth led her down to the knifemonger’s stall.

The weapons were arranged in padded boxes, and they came in every shape and size. Straight blades, recurved blades, flat grinds, hollow grinds, clip points, and edgeless trench spikes designed solely for stabbing. Rona’s eyes widened a little as they roved over the plethora of knives, searching for the perfect one.

On the other side of the table, a man was sharpening a butcher’s knife on a grinding wheel. The blade was sending out a spray of orange sparks, filling the air with the scent of hot steel. When he noticed the two big Mercs studying his wares, he stopped what he was doing and came over.

“You gentlemen see something you like?” he asked, rubbing his hands on his leather apron.

“Are these sharp?” Rona asked sweetly.

The knifemonger lowered his gaze, apparently noticing her for the first time. He let his eyes wander down her body and back up again before flashing a lascivious smile.

“Sharp enough to split hairs,” he said.

Then, to prove it, he plucked out one of the long, greasy strands combed over his balding pate, and he severed it lengthwise with a small paring knife.

“Impressive,” Rona said. She pointed to a knife with an inward curving blade, like a harpy’s talon. “What about that one?”

The knifemonger chuckled.

“My, my. The lady has a good eye. That’s one deadly little knife there. A deadly little knife, indeed…”

He lifted the harpy knife from its case and offered it to Rona, handle first. She accepted it, turning the blade so the edge caught the light. It was so sharp it hurt just to look at it.

She brought the blade up to her throat.

And slashed.

CHAPTER 12

The leash was a chain. No way Rona could cut through that. But the collar… the collar was fashioned from leather, supple and soft. The harpy knife sliced right through it like butter.

She cut herself in the process, but that was unavoidable. The wound was barely a scratch though, and the blade was so sharp, she didn’t even feel any pain.

The important thing was that she was free.

Zeth saw what she had done and made a grab for her, but his hand only caught her jacket, and she slipped out of it like a snake shedding its skin.

She ducked low and scrambled under the knifemonger’s table.

Before she was completely on the other side, Rona stood up violently, striking her back painfully against the table’s edge. She had done it on purpose though, and it had the intended effect. The table toppled over, spilling its contents in a shower of flashing steel.

“Oh my!” the knifemonger shouted. “Oh my!”

He tried to grab Rona, so she served him a swift punch between the legs, and the man fell back with a high-pitched groan. That was payback for the creepy way he had checked her out a minute ago. He was lucky she’d used her empty hand. Her right was still holding the harpy knife, and she could have unmanned him permanently if she’d wanted to. But she wasn’t that mean.

She heard Murdok bellowing angrily behind her. It was time to move.

Rona sprinted down the sidewalk, overturning vendors’ tables in her wake. She knew she would never be able to outrun the Mercs in a fair footrace, but maybe she could use the environment to her advantage.

Once she’d gone about twenty yards, she ducked between two tables, moving back to the street side. Customers were gathered there, mostly men, and mostly taller than Rona. She dashed into the crowd and started weaving between the bodies.

“Hey! Hey!”

People shouted angrily as Rona bumped and jostled her way through the crowd. She paid them no mind. It was only when she heard the louder cries coming from behind her that she began to get worried.

The Mercs were obviously shoving their way through the crowd, and they weren’t being polite about it either.

The crowd started to disperse in panic.

Shit!

Rona knew she needed to think fast. In a few more seconds, she was going to be totally exposed. She needed a new hiding place. Preferably one that wasn’t made up of people who were going to flee in terror at the sight of an angry mercenary.

She spied an alleyway off to one side. If she could get in there without Murdok or Zeth seeing her, perhaps she would be able to slip away for good.

Rona darted for the alley.

It seemed to work. She could hear the Mercs raging behind her, but they were moving past the alley’s entrance. If she could just get to the other end, she would be home free. Find someplace to hide. An abandoned building. The sewer. Anything.

Rona’s heart was thudding hard in her chest as she raced down the alley. Sweat was beading all over her skin. It got into the cut on her neck, making it sting, but Rona ignored the pain and charged forward.

She risked a quick backward glance to make sure the Mercs weren’t following.

And slammed into something heavy.

She went tumbling to the ground, breathless and disoriented. She heard a deep grunt that let her know the thing she had run into was a man. A big one.

For a split second, Rona thought Murdok or Zeth had somehow gotten around in front of her. Then she smelled the stench of the man’s B.O., and she knew he wasn’t one of the Mercs.

“Watch where yer goin’, cunt.”

Two hairy-knuckled hands grabbed Rona by the arms and hoisted her to her feet. The man was big and fleshy, with a shaven head and a face that had seen better days. His lips pulled back to reveal a smile that still had half its teeth.

“Har! Thought you were a feller with that haircut. Yer a purdy little thing, ain’t ye?”

His eyes dipped to Rona’s chest.

“Let me go,” she hissed.

The man glanced in the direction Rona had just come from. There was still a commotion going on at the end of the alleyway, but it suddenly seemed far away.

“You in some kinda trouble?” the man asked.

“No. Let me go.”

He turned and looked at her again. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her face. Then they widened in recognition.

“Heyyy… I know you. Yer that Gideon girl. All grown up now, I see. Old Tulliver will be happy to see you again. I reckon he’ll pay a pretty p—agh!”

Rona had had enough. The mention of Tulliver’s name was the last straw. She slashed upward with her knife, opening a deep gash on the man’s left arm. His right hand still held her, but she was slippery with sweat, and was able to wrench herself free.

“Little bitch!” the man howled.

Rona started to run for the end of the alley, but before she made it two steps, her foot slipped on something wet, and she went down hard.

The man was on her in a flash. The bastard could move surprisingly quickly for his size. Rona tried to stab him, but he caught her wrist and squeezed. Pain zapped along her nerves, and her fingers loosened their grip. The knife dropped to the ground beside her.

“Murdok!” Rona shouted. “Zeth!”

“Shaddup!”

The man clapped one hand over Rona’s mouth, silencing her. Then, with his other hand, he pushed up the front of her tank top, exposing her breasts.

“Purdy,” the man said. “Real purdy. Gunna have some fun with these before I take you to see Tulliver.”

His free hand cupped one of her breasts and squeezed hard. Rona tried to scream, but the sound was muffled by the hand over her mouth. Tears of rage filled her eyes and rolled down her temples. The man lowered his face and licked one of her breasts. Then he wrapped his lips around her nipple and started to suck.

“Hey asshole.”

At the sound of those words, the man released Rona’s nipple and sat upright, turning in the direction of the voice. Before he could speak or react, a boot slammed into his face, sending him toppling backward, gurgling in agony.

Pebbles rained down on Rona’s exposed chest.

No, not pebbles.

Teeth.

Murdok fell upon the man with a snarl and began pummeling him with his fists. Then he picked him up and started slamming his bald head against the wall. Rona heard something break. She was pretty sure it wasn’t the bricks. When Murdok finally let go, the man slumped to the ground, motionless save for a single, twitching leg.

Before Rona even realized what she was doing, she was on her feet, kicking the shit out of the man’s ribs. She’d been taught to never kick a man while he was down, but this seemed like a reasonable time to break that rule.

And hopefully break a few of the man’s ribs as well.

“Fuck you!” she snarled. “And fuck Tulliver too! I shoulda killed that piece of shit when I had the chance!”

“Easy, little one. Easy.”

It was Zeth. The young Merc took hold of Rona from behind and pulled her away from the fallen man.

“Let me go!” Rona yelled. “He tried to hurt me.”

“I know,” Zeth said, his voice soft and soothing. “But if you’re not careful, you’re going to end up hurting yourself. That guy’s a lump. You’re liable to twist an ankle kicking him like that.”

“Give ’er here,” Murdok growled.

The big, scarred mercenary took hold of Rona from the front and started to look her over. His eyes stopped on her throat.

“You’re bleeding,” he said.

“It’s just a scratch. It happened when I cut my collar off.”

Murdok leaned in to get a better look at the cut.

Then he kissed it. Rona remembered her father used to do that when she was little and she would hurt herself. Only, her father never kissed her the way Murdok was kissing her now. It felt like the Merc was trying to give her a damn hickey, and when he finally pulled back, the skin around her cut was tingling.

Weird.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” he asked.

If Rona hadn’t known any better, she would have said he actually sounded concerned. She realized, with a twinge of surprise, that she also felt relieved to be in his company.

“I don’t know,” she answered. “No, I don’t think so. Not really. I banged my butt when I fell. And he grabbed my boob and—”

Before Rona could react, Murdok lifted her shirt and examined her breasts, then her belly. He forcibly turned her and examined her back in a similar fashion. Then he turned her again so they were once more face to face.

He unbuckled her belt.

“Hey!” Rona gasped. “What are you doing?”

“I need to make sure you’re not hurt anywhere else,” he rumbled.

He unfastened her fly. Rona tried to bat his hands away, but Zeth grabbed her wrists from behind and held them down by her sides.

“I’m not hurt!” Rona protested. “I swear.”

“We still have to check,” Zeth said behind her. “Sometimes when your adrenaline’s going, you don’t notice an injury.”

Murdok dragged her jeans down around her ankles. She didn’t have any panties on underneath. Her only pair had become Murdok’s keepsake. She was completely exposed down there.

Rona glanced to one side. A small crowd was gathering around the mouth of the alley to see what all the commotion was about.

“Please!” she hissed. “I swear I’m not hurt.”

Murdok ignored her. He carefully inspected both of her legs, then her bare bottom. Once he was satisfied she was telling the truth, he stood up and towered in front of her, glaring.

“You’ve been a bad girl, Rona. A very, very bad girl.”

Her skin seemed to tighten all over her body, and the blood drained out of her face.

“I’m sorry I ran,” she stammered. “I-I promise I won’t do it again.”

“Running is the least of your infractions,” Murdok said. He swiped his fingertip through the trickle of blood running down from her neck and held it up in front of her. “You injured yourself with a knife. Then you almost got yourself raped and kidnapped by that piece of shit.” He gestured toward the man, who was now lying motionless on the ground nearby. “That behavior is unacceptable, woman. You’re gonna have to be punished.”

He nodded toward Zeth.

The young Merc was still holding Rona by the wrists. He turned her around so she was facing the side of the alley.

“Hands on the wall,” he said.

“Wait! What’re you—”

“Hands on the wall,” Murdok growled.

He gave Rona a slight push. With her jeans down around her ankles, she almost lost her balance, and she had to press her hands against the wall to keep herself from falling.

“Stop it!” she shouted. “People are watching.”

“I don’t care,” Murdok said. “You should have thought about that before you decided to act up in public. Zeth, hold her for me.”

The young Merc placed his hands on her back, keeping her bent over.

“Don’t move,” he told her. “This will be much easier if you don’t resist.”

“If I don’t resist what?”

WAP!

The blow jolted Rona’s entire body. It was such a shock, it took her a full two seconds to even realize where she’d been struck (her bottom), and by what (Murdock’s open hand). By the time the reality of the situation had started to sink in, a second blow had landed, this time on her other cheek. It was so sudden and unexpected, Rona could scarcely believe it was really happening.

But it was happening. Murdok was spanking her, and he was doing it in public, with a crowd of people looking on.

Murdok smacked her bottom two more times, once on the left cheek, once on the right. Her skin burned where his hand made contact. She cried out in pain and shame.

And wetness trickled down her inner thigh.

No way, she thought. No way. This can’t be happening.

But it was. Murdok was spanking her, and she was getting wet from it. Her pussy was throbbing with arousal, the same way it had done yesterday when Murdok had searched her, when Aeron had rubbed himself against her, when Zeth had kissed her in bed.

Murdok smacked her twice more, and this time the cries that broke from Rona’s lips were not cries of pain. Not entirely. Her face burned with shame.

Suddenly, a shadow fell across her vision. A massive figure was standing beside her, blocking out the light coming from the end of the alley. Even though Rona couldn’t see his face, she recognized his silhouette. And she definitely recognized his voice.

“What’s this all about?” Aeron asked.

Murdok stopped spanking and grunted.

“The woman ran away from us, so I’m disciplining her.”

“How did she get away?” Aeron asked, then he lifted his hand. “Nevermind. You can tell me about it later. If she needs to be punished, then we’ll punish her. But we’ll do it in private, where we can take our time with it and make sure the lesson sinks in. Now, get her clothes back on.”

“Aye, boss.”

Murdok knelt and pulled Rona’s jeans back up her legs. Then he fastened her belt. Aeron watched and waited. Once she was dressed again, he reached into his vest and took out a sheaf of small parchments. He pressed them into Rona’s hand.

“These are for you,” he said.

Rona looked at the parchments. They were stock certificates for the Riadne Mining Company.

“You’re gonna want to hang on to those,” Aeron said. “They’re gonna be worth a lot when this is all over.”

CHAPTER 13

Rona gritted her teeth and hissed as she lowered herself into the tub.

Her butt was still tender from the spanking Murdok had given her, and the hot bath water made it sting. But the pain was as fleeting as the tiny bubbles drifting through the air, and once she got more of her body beneath the water, a pleasant warmth suffused her skin and melted deep into her aching muscles. When she was all the way in, Rona sighed with satisfaction and leaned back against the sloping side of the tub, her face framed amid cloud-like piles of suds. The air was fragrant with the scent of neroli and white musk.

Yup. A girl could definitely get used to this.

Her shower last night aboard the Talionis had felt good, but this, this was downright opulent. The bathroom was bigger than her entire dwelling back in the village, and a thousand times nicer. The walls were paneled in black marble veined with creamy white. The floor was covered in matching tiles. There was a full sized mirror on the wall nearby, and it was equipped with a hidden thermal system that kept it from fogging up, even in the presence of the steaming hot bathwater.

And the best part of all… Rona was all by herself.

The Mercs were in the equally magnificent bedroom, talking. The hotel Aeron had selected for them was the best in town, and their suite was the nicest the hotel had to offer. It was reserved for wealthy businessmen and offworld dignitaries, but the clerk wasn’t about to argue with three hulking mercenaries. Especially not when Aeron had flashed his cash. He’d given the clerk a tip so huge the poor man had nearly fainted.

And Rona had nearly puked.

Just giving away money like that. It was unconscionable. She didn’t make that much money in a year at the mine, working her damn fingers to the bone.

Of course, Rona had received a tip of her own.

She glanced over at the pieces of parchment lying on the counter by the sink. Those were the shares of stock Aeron had given her. She’d had a chance to count them after they’d finished checking in to the hotel. A hundred shares in total. Even at their currently diminished value, they were still worth more money than she’d ever had at one time. After the mission was over and the price went up, she would be rich. Filthy, stinking rich. She would never have to work again. She could leave the village. She could leave the whole damned planet. Go anywhere she wanted. Do anything she wanted.

It made her heart race just thinking about it.

It also made her feel a bit like a whore.

Up to now, she’d had no choice in the matter. She’d practically been kidnapped, taken from her village so the Mercs could breed her against her will. Now that there was money involved, the situation had a different flavor. She still didn’t have any choice about the breeding, but she did have a choice when it came to accepting the money, and it made her feel a bit dirty.

What was she going to do, though? Turn it down? Yeah fucking right. She’d have to be braindead to do something like that.

She would just have to learn to live with the shame.

Maybe, when this is all over, I can hire a gigolo, she thought. I’ll spank the shit out of him, make him grovel and beg, then I’ll use him as a footstool while I sit back and sip my champagne.

Hell, maybe she would hire three.

It was gonna be hard to find three who were as big as the Mercs, though.

Rona sighed and swiped her arms through the mountains of suds, making the tiny bubbles hiss. She laved the deliciously warm water over her arms, washing away the sweat that had accumulated on her skin following the chase. She rubbed her breasts too. The right one still ached a little from where that asshole in the alley had squeezed it. She wished she could wash away the memory of that man’s repulsive touch.

And that man knew Tulliver.

Damn it.

That was the thing Rona had been the most worried about here in Jeriko. Getting spotted by one of Tulliver’s friends. And like a fool, she had caused it to happen. She should have just stayed with the Mercs. She shouldn’t have tried to run.

At least she was safe now. There was only one way in and out of this lavish bathroom, and it was currently being guarded by the three deadliest bodyguards on the entire planet. If Tulliver sent someone after her now, they would have to contend with Aeron, Murdok, and Zeth.

Rona was tempted to go and check on the Mercs, make sure they were still waiting in the bedroom, but she didn’t want to attract their attention.

And she didn’t want to get out of the bath.

God, it felt good. Really, really good.

She would have liked to dunk her whole head beneath the water, but there was the cut on her neck to worry about. Murdok had bandaged it for her shortly after they’d checked in, and she didn’t want to get the bandage wet.

She was surprised how gentle the big, mean Merc had been with her. The anger he had displayed in the alleyway seemed to have burned itself out, and his sole concern had shifted to making sure she was unharmed. Of course, he had inspected her naked body again, even more thoroughly than he had done in the alley. The bright lights of the bathroom had allowed him to examine her even more carefully, but he had discovered no additional injuries… aside from the ruddy handprints his spanking had left on her backside.

Rona blushed now as she recalled that shameful punishment.

Her blush doubled as she remembered the even more shameful way her body had responded.

Those same inappropriate reactions were happening to her again. Her nipples were budding with arousal, and between her legs, her desire was pooling. Even under water, she could feel it leaking out of her.

God, what is wrong with me…?

Actually, she had a pretty good idea. She’d heard about this kind of thing. It was called Stalk-Home Sindrone. A condition where hostages develop a special psychological bond with their captors. Like most old Earth terms, the name didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Maybe it was because after the captors let their hostages go, the hostages would stalk their captors home. That was the best explanation Rona could think of.

The word “sindrone” was easy to figure out. It was a sinful compulsion that droned inside your mind and refused to go away, no matter how hard you tried to ignore it.

In other words, exactly what Rona was experiencing now.

The warm, ticklish feeling was no longer just between her legs. It was spreading throughout her entire body, and it was growing stronger by the moment. Rona bit her lip and stifled a moan. She knew it was wrong, but she wanted to touch herself. She wanted it so bad it almost hurt.

Better to get it out of her system now, while she was alone.

Rona lifted herself partway out of the tub and peered over the piles of fragrant suds. The door to the bathroom was still closed, and if she listened very carefully… yes… she could hear the Mercs in the bedroom conversing in low tones.

But if she could hear them, that meant they could also hear her.

She would need to do this quietly.

Quickly too.

She sank back into the water and got to work. With one hand, she grabbed her breast and began to massage herself. Her nipple was erect and springy with arousal, and when she pinched it, it sent little tingles of pleasure rippling through her chest.

She spread her legs and sent her other hand down between them. Her clitoris was every bit as hard as her nipples, and ten times more sensitive. She closed her eyes and let the images wash over her as she touched herself.

Murdok spanking her in the alleyway.

Aeron anointing her with his cum.

Zeth’s midnight kiss.

Within a matter of seconds, Rona was completely lost in her fantasy. So lost, in fact, she didn’t even hear the door to the bathroom opening, or the footsteps of the solitary figure who stepped inside the bathroom with her.

CHAPTER 14

To be fair, Zeth was exceedingly quiet.

If he wanted to, he could move in absolute silence. His muscular augmetics gave him precision control over every movement, and he had spent countless hours perfecting the toe-heel step required for stealth. Many a man had died by his blade without even knowing he was there.

Now, he was using about eighty percent of his sneaking skill. It was more than sufficient to mask his presence from a woman lost in the throes of sexual self-gratification.

Zeth shut the bathroom door behind him and prowled toward the tub, timing his steps to match the soft, rhythmic whimpers emanating from within the heaps and piles of suds. Oh yes, the woman was having a grand old time. Zeth was eager to watch.

And perhaps even join in.

As he reached the edge of the tub, the woman’s head came into view, first her close-cropped hair, then her sexy little face, both tough and delicate at the same time. Her eyes were closed, her brow knitted with concentration, and her full lips were parted ever so slightly, trembling as she gasped with pleasure and need.

The sight turned Zeth’s cock to steel inside his pants. A drop of precum leaked from his tip and slithered down his leg.

God, she was beautiful.

He couldn’t wait to feel her precious little cunt wrapped around his cock while he pumped her full of cum. He was going to make a baby inside this woman, and he was going to enjoy doing it. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so excited about something that didn’t involve ending someone’s life.

Carefully, quietly, he sat down on the edge of the marble tub and watched the woman as she continued her self-care session. Her features contorted and relaxed, contorted and relaxed. She bit her lip and moaned softly, completely oblivious to Zeth’s presence.

He needed to see her. All of her. He needed to see what she was doing beneath the surface.

With one hand, he gently swept aside the suds covering her body, taking care not to splash or otherwise disturb the water in the process.

Her breasts came into view, firm and round beneath the surface. Her nipples were pink and swollen with arousal. She was clutching one of her breasts in her hand, massaging it deeply.

Zeth pushed more bubbles aside.

He could see her belly now, soft and twitching with tiny spasms as she began to approach her climax. A bit more pushing, and he could see between her legs. The little nest of brown pubic hair where her fingers were playing, rubbing her clitoris in rough, frantic strokes. Her legs opened wider, and her hips started to buck, giving him a few glimpses of pink.

Zeth’s cock throbbed in his pants. Precum leaked out of him again, and this time it was more than just a drop. He growled with lust.

The woman’s eyelids fluttered open at the sound.

Her eyes locked with his. Her pupils widened.

Zeth smiled.

“Hi.”

The woman squeaked and tried to cover herself, but she only succeeded in slipping on the bottom of the tub, and her head went below the surface with a startled “glub!” Zeth chuckled and shook his head, then he reached into the water and pulled the woman back up into a seated position. She sputtered and tried to wipe the water from her eyes.

“Stop it,” Zeth said gently. “You’re going to get soap in your eyes. Here, let me help you…”

Zeth had left his tactical vest in the bedroom. He had taken off his boots and socks as well. The only items of clothing he had on now were a snug-fitting olive green T-shirt, a matching pair of canvas pants, and a belt. He took the T-shirt off over his head and used it to dab the water from the woman’s pretty face.

“You could have gotten a towel,” she said.

“I could have,” Zeth agreed, “but then I would’ve had to take my eyes off you.”

The woman tried to give him a look of annoyance, but her eyes got caught on his shirtless torso, and her annoyance gave way to admiration. It was an expression Zeth had seen many times before. He wasn’t a vain man, but he was fully aware of the effect his physique had on the opposite sex. The woman bit her lip as she let her gaze slide down his abdomen, then back up to his chest and shoulders. Then she realized what she was doing and quickly looked away.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

“I was watching you pleasure yourself,” Zeth said, enjoying the sudden rush of color that filled the woman’s cheeks. “But I don’t think you quite finished, did you? Maybe I can help with that.”

“I don’t need your help,” the woman said.

Zeth smirked. “We can all use a little help sometimes…”

He dipped his hand into the water and caressed the woman’s front.

“Hey!” she gasped. “What’re you—oh!”

Zeth felt her body tense briefly as his fingers slipped between her legs. Then she melted as his fingertip met her clit and started to stroke it in slow, tight circles. He had touched a thousand women this way, starting with the maidservants in his stepfather’s court on Almalex. He knew what he was doing.

“Stop that,” the woman whispered.

At the same time, she opened her legs wider and raised her hips, giving him better access to her sensitive nub. She whined softly and clutched her breast the same way she had done a moment before when she’d thought she was alone.

“Do you like that?” Zeth purred. “Does that feel good?”

“No,” the woman answered. “I hate it.”

Her hips contradicted her. They rocked and rolled, matching Zeth’s rhythm, grinding her clitoris even more deeply against his fingers as he stroked her.

“Oh my God,” the woman breathed. “Oh my God, oh my God…”

“That’s it,” Zeth said softly. “Show me how you come.”

She showed him. Her body quaked as the orgasm ran its course. Her eyes rolled back white in her head, and her lips circled in a silent scream. It was the most beautiful thing Zeth had ever seen.

When it was over, the woman drew a steadying breath, then she glared up at him hotly.

“You’re a bastard,” she said.

Zeth shrugged and shook the bathwater from his hand.

“That’s true,” he said. “Technically, it’s true for every member of the Mercenaries Guild. Now, be a good girl and stand up for me. There’s something we need to do.”

“What?”

“Do as I say, woman, or else I’ll make you come again.”

The woman gave him one of her trademark scowls, but she obeyed and stood up in the middle of the tub. Fragrant, soapy water dripped down her naked body, making her skin shine. She covered her breasts with one arm, and her sex with the other hand.

“Do not hide yourself from me,” Zeth chided her playfully. “Until this mission is over, your body is mine, and I will look upon it whenever I wish. Now, put your hands down by your sides.”

“Make me.”

Zeth drew the long dagger that he kept sheathed on his belt.

“Okay!” the woman blurted, dropping her hands. “Fine. You can look.”

Zeth chuckled.

“You misunderstand me, woman. The dagger is not a threat. I have no intention of cutting you. Well… not your flesh, anyway.”

The woman looked confused.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to shave you,” Zeth said. “I prefer my women hairless. The sensations are so much more intense when everything down there is slippery and smooth.”

The woman stared at him in disbelief.

“You mean you’re gonna shave my…”

“That’s right,” Zeth said, nodding. “I’m going to shave your cunt.”

There was a silver tray resting on one corner of the tub, its surface filled with various luxuries. Bath salts, bubble bombs, bars of expensive hand-milled soap, and bottles filled with shampoos and conditioners. There was also a canister of shaving foam. Zeth held his dagger between his teeth and squirted some of the foam into his hands. Then he carefully smeared it between the woman’s legs, working the rich lather deep into her pubic hair. She flinched slightly as he touched her.

“It tickles,” she complained.

Once her pussy was coated with cream, Zeth washed his hands in the tub and dried them on the sides of his pants. Then he took the knife from between his teeth.

“I need you to stand nice and still for this,” he said. “I don’t want to cut you.”

“I don’t want you to cut me either.”

“So stand still…”

CHAPTER 15

Rona had never been a fan of taking orders, especially not from men. She’d pretty much had her fill of that working at the silk mine. But having a dagger pressed against her skin definitely made her more compliant. And when said blade was touching the most sensitive part of her body… she was willing to do almost anything that was demanded of her.

She just hoped Zeth had a steady hand.

Of course he does, she thought. He’s a Merc.

She wondered how many men had shed their blood on that blade. Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? And now it was being used to shave her pussy. That thought shouldn’t have turned her on, but it did. She wanted to cover herself to hide her arousal, but she didn’t dare move, for fear of being cut. So she just stood there in the full tub, her body naked and dripping as Zeth dragged the blade across her skin. After a couple of strokes, he dipped the blade into the bathwater to rinse it clean.

“So tell me something,” he said. “Who is Tulliver?”

Rona started in surprise. She was glad Zeth had chosen to ask the question while the dagger was away from her skin, otherwise the result might have been disastrous.

“What?” she gasped.

“You said his name in the alleyway. When you were kicking the man who assaulted you. You said: ‘Fuck you, and fuck Tulliver too.’”

“I’d rather not talk about it,” Rona said.

Zeth looked up at her for a moment, his angelic face genuinely curious. Then he went back to shaving her pubic hair.

“If you tell me about it,” he said, “I’ll tell you something about myself in exchange. Deal?”

Rona started to say she didn’t want to know anything about him, but she held her tongue. For one thing, it wasn’t true. For another, he had a knife to her pussy. And soon, he was going to do things to her that no man had ever done before. She decided it would behoove her to be polite, at least for the time being.

“It’s a long story,” she said.

Zeth smirked. “You’ve got a lot of hair.”

Rona sighed. She supposed it couldn’t really hurt to tell him. If anything, it might help her avoid another unpleasant situation like the one in the alley.

“I used to live here in Jeriko,” she said. “Actually, I was born here. My father left when I was little to go work in the same silk mine where I work now. He wanted my mother and me to stay here in Jeriko because he thought it would be more comfortable than the mining village. I guess he was right. Before I went away, he gave me a knife to protect myself.”

“It wouldn’t happen to have been the same one you stabbed with yesterday,” Zeth asked, “would it?”

Rona tensed. The Merc laughed.

“Don’t worry, woman. I’m not angry about that. If I were going to hurt you, I would have done so by now.”

“Very reassuring,” Rona said. “And yes, it was the same knife. That was the last time I ever saw my father. We got word a few months later that he had died in a mine collapse.”

“Oh,” Zeth said. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m over it. It was a long time ago. Anyway, after that happened, my mother started hitting the bottle pretty hard. Pills too. She had a lot of boyfriends. A lot of creeps. One of them was a guy named Tulliver. He was a local gang leader. I guess he’s small-time compared to some of the people you’ve probably dealt with, but around here he’s not someone to trifle with.”

Zeth rinsed his blade, then continued shaving.

“I take it you trifled with him?”

“You could say that,” Rona answered with a dark chuckle in her voice. “One time when my mother was passed out, he tried to put his hands on me. I used my father’s knife and stabbed him. Right here.”

She pointed to her left eye.

“Really?” Zeth asked. He sounded impressed.

“Dead ass. Popped his eyeball like a grape. Buncha blood and goop squirted out. It was really gross. Anyway, he was screaming and hollering like crazy, saying he was gonna kill me. I was able to get away, but I knew I couldn’t stick around Jeriko after that. I hopped a freight car out to the mining village, and I’ve been there ever since. Sorta keepin’ a low profile, ya know?”

“How old were you when that happened?”

Rona shrugged. “Twelve, I think? I’m not real sure.”

“That was awfully brave.”

Rona blushed.

“I sure as hell don’t regret doing it,” she said. “If I had it all to do over again, there’s only one thing I would have done different.”

“What’s that?”

“I would have cut his dick off instead of stabbing him in the eye.”

Zeth nodded, as if that made perfect sense.

“What about me?” he asked. “Would you cut my dick off if you had the chance?”

Rona couldn’t help but laugh at a question like that.

“I don’t think I can,” she said. “Yesterday I stabbed you as hard as I could, and it barely did anything.”

“My cock doesn’t have the same nanite-mesh as the rest of my skin. It dulls the senses slightly. Terrible for sex.”

“In that case,” Rona said. “You’d better keep a close eye on that knife.”

Zeth smiled.

“All done,” he said, and with his free hand, he splashed some water between Rona’s legs to wash away the residue of shaving foam. “How does it feel?”

She looked down at her bald sex. It looked a bit strange, not having any hair down there, but when she touched it, the feeling was incredible.

“It’s so smooth,” she whispered.

“Indeed.”

Zeth reached up and brushed the ball of his thumb across her pillowy outer folds. The slippery sensation of skin on skin made Rona gasp and tremble.

“Now it’s your turn,” Zeth said.

“My turn?” Rona was confused. “What do you mean?”

The Merc stood up and handed her the dagger, handle first. Then he started to unbuckle his belt.

“You’re going to shave me.”

He unfastened his fly and shoved his pants down his long, muscular legs. His cock sprang free, long and swollen and throbbing. Rona was proud of herself for not gasping at it, but she could feel her heart racing faster as the nude mercenary stepped into the tub with her.

“You want me to… shave you?”

“Correct,” Zeth said, reaching down to fondle the big sacs hanging from the base of his shaft. “I want you to shave my balls for me. It will make it feel better when you suck on them.”

“But… I’ve never done it before. Especially not with a knife like this. What if I cut you?”

Zeth smiled calmly. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Rona could hardly believe what she was hearing. Just yesterday, she had stabbed this man repeatedly. Now he was trusting her to use a blade on his exposed privates. Either he was extremely foolish or extremely confident—and Rona was pretty sure he was no fool.

She sank to her knees in front of him. His hard cock was right there in her face, huge and jutting.

The canister of shaving foam was still on the side of the tub where Zeth had placed it earlier. Rona set down the dagger and filled her hands with a good amount of the thick, white cream. Then, very carefully, she began to work the lather over the mercenary’s scrotum. His balls felt huge and heavy in her hand. There was no hair on the shaft of his penis, and therefore no reason to apply the shaving foam to that part of his body, but there was a part of her that wanted to do it anyway, just to see what it would feel like. She wanted to tug on it and stroke it. She wanted to make it—

God, what is wrong with me? Rona thought.

She dipped her hands into the water and washed them clean. Then she picked up the dagger, and prepared to shave him.

“Here,” Zeth said gently. “Let me help you.”

For the first stroke, he guided her hands, turning the blade just so and sliding it across his lathered balls, revealing a strip of clean, hairless skin.

“See?” he asked.

Rona nodded that she did.

He released her hands and let her do the rest on her own. After a few strokes, she got the hang of it. She cradled his balls in her left hand and shaved them with her right, all the while trying not to get distracted by his massive erection, which was pointing right at her head like a loaded gun.

“Um… you said you would tell me something about yourself,” she said.

“What would you like to know?”

“You said you were technically a bastard. What did you mean?”

“I was born and raised on Almalex-9, an old and wealthy planet ruled by aristocrats. My father—or my stepfather, I should say—was the head of a once great family that had fallen from its former glory. He hired the mercenaries to eliminate some of his rivals. Since he didn’t have enough money to pay for the killings up front, the Mercs offered him a discount… in exchange for one night with his wife.”

Rona stopped shaving and looked up at the big, naked warrior towering over her.

“He let them have sex with her?”

“He didn’t just let them do it. He watched. At least that’s what he told me one time when he was in his cups. Anyway, I was the spawn of that coupling. Or perhaps I should call it an octupling. There were seven Mercs involved.”

Rona swallowed a gasp. Seven? God, she was getting off easy with only three.

She dropped her eyes back to Zeth’s pelvis and continued shaving him. She had already finished one side. Now she started on the other.

“So um… how did you end up becoming a mercenary?”

“Didn’t Aeron tell you?” Zeth asked. “It is the way of the Guild. Whenever a team of Mercs impregnates a woman, they allow her to raise the child until he is of age. Then the Guild will collect him so that he may begin his training. In my case, I remained on Almalex-9 with my father’s family. After the assassination of his enemies, his fortunes improved, so we were able to live a fairly lavish lifestyle.”

“It must have been hard leaving that behind.”

The big mercenary laughed. “Are you kidding? I couldn’t have been more overjoyed. The blood of the Mercs flows in my veins. I am a natural born killer. It’s what I was bred to do.”

“Great,” Rona mumbled. “And now you’re going to knock me up with a little natural born killer of my own.”

The Merc gently stroked the top of her head.

“Do not be troubled,” he said. “Being born to the Mercenaries Guild is a blessing, not a curse. It is a dangerous life to be sure, but it is also a life full of excitement and adventure, a life free from the fear of death. It is a good life, perhaps even the best.”

He smirked.

“Although, I must admit, life in my stepfather’s court was not so horrible either. My mother was not his only wife. He had a whole harem of concubines, and the poor women were sorely deprived by my stepfather’s lack of, shall we say, skill. Those women taught me many things.”

Rona stopped and looked at him again, eyes wide.

“You mean, you slept with your stepfather’s concubines?”

“There wasn’t much sleeping involved, believe me.” He shrugged. “Besides, I was not related to them by blood.”

Rona shook her head and went back to shaving. There was only a little bit left.

“Still,” she said. “That’s pretty messed up.”

Zeth laughed.

“Woman, if I didn’t know any better, I would say you’re jealous.”

“I am not jealous!” she growled. “That’s ridiculous. I’ve only known you for—oh shit!”

In her annoyance, Rona allowed herself to become careless. As she was scraping away the last bit of foam from the mercenary’s balls, the blade slipped and made a tiny incision in his flesh. It was only a nick, but Rona felt her throat go tight when she saw a bright red drop well from the cut and run down the Merc’s wet scrotum.

“I’m sorry!” she gasped. “I didn’t mean to.”

“I know,” Zeth said, seemingly unconcerned. “It’s alright. It’s only a scratch. However, I do want you to clean the blood away for me.”

“Of course,” Rona said.

Her heart was pounding. She carefully set the dagger onto the edge of the tub. Then she dipped her hands into the water, forming a little bowl with her fingers, so she could scoop some of the warm, soapy liquid.

“No, not like that,” Zeth said. “I want you to use your tongue.”

CHAPTER 16

“You want me to lick your blood?” Rona asked incredulously.

“No,” answered Zeth. “You want to.”

A surge of heat filled Rona’s whole body, hotter than the soapy bathwater in the tub where she was kneeling. She was tempted to spring to her feet and punch the cocky bastard right in his gorgeous face, but she didn’t. For one thing, she knew she would only end up hurting her own hand.

And for another thing, she knew that he was right.

Her eyes fell from the mercenary’s perfect face and slid down his perfect body until they finally came to rest on the perfect cock jutting proudly from between his legs. It was right in front of her, only inches from her lips. His balls were smooth and wet from Rona’s recent shaving. There was a small stripe of red on one side where she had nicked him, and the blood had run. A single ruby droplet hung from the bottom of his sacs, trembling. Then it let go and plipped into the water below.

Zeth was right. She wanted to taste him. She’d wanted it from the moment he had taken his shirt off, exposing all of those hard muscles and smooth skin. When he’d taken his pants off and stepped into the tub with her, she’d wanted it even more.

It was so wrong, so dirty… but nobody would ever have to know.

Nobody would have to know anything that happened between her and the Mercs. Sure, the people in her village would know what had happened when she came back knocked up. But Rona had already made up her mind not to live there anymore. She had the shares of stock Aeron had given her, and soon she would be able to sell them for many times their current value. She would be rich. She could live anywhere, and nobody would know her dark secret. Nobody but her… and the Mercs.

She could live with that.

Rona placed her hands on Zeth’s muscular thighs and leaned toward him. His scent was stronger down between his legs, and it enveloped her senses like an invisible cloud of desire. Her mouth salivated in response.

The hard shaft of Zeth’s cock brushed against her cheek as she leaned in to kiss the place where she had cut him. She licked away the blood. It was warm and coppery on her tongue.

Above her, Zeth hissed softly.

Rona kissed his cock next, even though she didn’t have to. She started from the base and worked her way along the hard length of his shaft. It took a total of ten kisses before she finally reached his tip and tasted the precum that was leaking out of him.

It tasted good.

God, why did it taste so good?

Rona teased his urethra with the tip of her tongue, begging for more of that warm, sticky nectar. Zeth gave it to her, and Rona moaned with enjoyment as the salty-sweet fluid spread across her taste buds. Then she wrapped her lips around the head of his cock and started to suck. Zeth purred softly and caressed her head.

“Damn,” he whispered. “I thought you couldn’t get any more beautiful, but I was wrong. You look so perfect with my cock inside your mouth.”

Rona blushed and took him deeper.

His shaft slid into her mouth, warm and smooth. It was thick and heavy on her tongue, and she could feel it swelling and contracting with his pulse. Her own pulse quickened in response. She could feel it thumping at the base of her throat.

“A little deeper,” Zeth whispered above her. “There you go. Oh fuck, that feels gooood.”

He drew the last word out in a long, slow groan that set Rona’s skin on fire.

She began to bob her head, sliding her circled lips as far down his shaft as she could go without gagging. Once or twice, she took it a little too deep, and she had to pull away, gasping. Then she leaned forward again and sucked him even more hungrily than before.

“So good,” Zeth growled above her. “So fucking good.”

The mercenary’s words of approbation sent a rash of goosebumps rippling across Rona’s bare skin. Her nipples felt as hard and erect as the cock that was filling her mouth. Her pussy throbbed.

She wasn’t just sucking the Merc’s cock. She was pleasuring him with her mouth, and he was actually enjoying it. The muscles of his thighs were tensing and twitching beneath her fingers. His breath was growing ragged and tight. She was controlling his pleasure, controlling it with her mouth, her lips, her tongue…

And it felt fucking amazing.

Rona gripped the base of Zeth’s exposed shaft and stroked him while she sucked, spreading her saliva over the parts of him her lips could not reach. With her free hand, she fondled his clean-shaven sacs, squeezing and massaging his heavy balls. He spilled more of his precum onto her tongue, but it wasn’t enough. She needed the real thing. She needed to taste it. She needed to feel it sliding down her throat.

She pulled back, flushed and desperate.

“I want you to come in my mouth,” she gasped. “Please.”

“That can be arranged,” Zeth purred. “But it’s going to happen on my terms.”

Rona didn’t have to ask what those terms were. She already knew. The Merc would accept nothing less than her complete and total submission, and she had no choice but to give it. She made no attempt to pull away from him when he took her head between his hands and slid his hard cock into her open, waiting lips. He used her then, slow and deep, thrusting into her mouth as if it were her pussy, mating with it, fucking it. His tip was all the way down her throat, tripping her gag reflex, but she didn’t resist, she let it happen. She let the tears flow down her cheeks, let the saliva spill from her circled lips, let the man’s smooth, heavy testicles slap-slap-slap against her chin.

“That’s it,” Zeth grunted. “Take that dick like a good girl. Take it nice and deep…”

Rona answered him with wet, wordless sounds.

The Merc drove himself into her one more time and held it. Then he shoved her head back, and she came off him gasping. Thick strings of saliva and precum stretched between her lips and the glistening pink head of his cock.

“Keep your mouth open,” he demanded.

Rona obeyed. She opened wide and stuck out her tongue in preparation. The Merc gripped his cock in his fist and began to jerk it frantically. His sacs tightened against the base of his shaft in anticipation of his hot release.

Here it comes, Rona thought. Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes…

Someone cleared their throat at the far end of the room. Startled, Rona turned her face to look, and she saw Aeron standing just inside the doorway of the bathroom, watching. Murdok was behind him, leaning against the door frame, grinning from ear to ear.

Then Zeth was coming. Hard. With Rona’s mouth out of alignment, his seed gushed all over her face instead. She cried out and shut her eyes as he painted her with his hot, thick cream. It went everywhere. In her hair, on her skin. It ran down her face and dripped into the bath. The air was thick with the pungent scent of it. Above her, Zeth grunted like an animal as he rang the last few drops onto her naked breasts.

“Oh fuck,” he breathed “Oh fuuuck…”

By the door, Aeron laughed.

“Hell, kid. When I told you to bathe her, I didn’t mean with cum. Get her cleaned up and bring her into the bedroom. We have some important matters to discuss.”

CHAPTER 17

When the woman came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, her face was clean and bright red. She was attempting to mask her embarrassment with anger, but Aeron saw right through her. He smiled at her scowl.

He was standing beside the bed with his feet spread in a wide stance and his hands clasped behind his back. The large bedroom was lavishly decorated—the finest room in the hotel—and there were numerous, deeply cushioned chairs, but Aeron preferred to stand. He had never been a fan of soft things.

The woman, of course, was an exception.

Murdok, on the other hand, was having no problem making use of the room’s luxuries. Typical. The big Merc was lounging on the massive bed, his scarred frame and militaristic clothing incongruous with the immaculate white satin covers. A silver goblet was in his hand. He took a swig from it, then belched and dragged the back of his hand across his mouth.

“Nice bath?” he asked.

“Fuck you,” the woman snapped.

Aeron couldn’t help but smile at her defiance. He had known she was a feisty one from the moment he’d first laid eyes on her, but she was continuously exceeding his expectations. She was going to make a fine mother indeed. He couldn’t wait to breed her.

She was dressed in nothing but a plush, white towel that was wrapped around her body like a dress. Zeth had had the foresight not to dress her in clothes again. They would only be coming right back off. The younger Merc followed the woman out of the bathroom, and he was also clad in nothing but a white towel, the front of which was tented with his arousal. Apparently the massive load he had just sprayed all over the woman’s face had not depleted him.

“You too,” she said, stabbing a tiny finger in Aeron’s direction. “Fuck you too.”

“Patience,” said Aeron. “You’ll have a chance to fuck all three of us soon.”

Her mouth dropped open in shock, and Aeron’s cock ached as he remembered everything he’d seen that mouth doing only a few short minutes before. When she noticed him staring, she quickly closed her lips and glowered.

“You guys really get off on humiliating me, don’t you?”

“Humiliate?” Aeron asked.

He moved toward the woman, and she backed away from him, but she only made it a couple of steps before her bottom bumped against Zeth’s erection. She let out a sexy little gasp of surprise, and started to move forward again, but Aeron was already right there in front of her, blocking her way. He nudged her chin up to make her look at him. Her eyes were brown and full.

“You have no reason to be humiliated,” he said. “What you did to Zeth was quite impressive, especially for a first-timer.”

“Who says I’m a first-timer?” she growled.

Aeron’s dick throbbed at her defiance. He brushed his thumb across her lips, which had so recently encircled his comrade’s hard shaft. She shivered at his touch. Her skin was still pink from her bath, but her short hair was already mostly dry. The floral fragrance of soap clung to her skin, but it could not conceal the scent of her arousal.

“Well, you’re not a first-timer anymore,” Aeron said.

Her defiance faltered.

“How… how long were you watching?” she whispered.

“Long enough,” Aeron said. “I can’t wait to sample that sexy little mouth for myself. But first, we have more important matters to attend to.” He gestured toward one of the overstuffed chairs. “Would you like to sit down?”

For a moment, he thought she might refuse simply out of spite, but she was clearly tired. She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, and she’d had a lot of excitement today. She sauntered over to the chair and plopped herself down into it. The cushions nearly swallowed her whole.

“Care for some wine?” Murdok asked from the bed.

The big, scarred Merc was still lounging. He picked up the bottle from the nightstand and shook it, sloshing the blood red liquid within. The woman just glared at him silently.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Murdok said. “Suit yourself.”

He topped off his goblet, and the woman shook her head.

“You Mercs are really unbelievable,” she said. “Here I thought you guys were supposed to be some kind of super badasses who were going to come and save my village from the raiders. But all you’ve done so far is trade stocks and swill wine in a fancy hotel.”

Aeron smiled faintly. There were reasons for all the things the woman had just mentioned—good ones—but he didn’t have to explain himself to her. Not yet, anyway.

“We’ve done a bit more than that,” he said. “I seem to recall Murdok saving your behind in an alleyway not too long ago.”

She locked eyes with him.

“I didn’t need his help.”

A silent staring contest ensued. Aeron was surprised just how long it lasted, but in the end the woman dropped her gaze and sighed grumpily.

“Okay, fine. Maybe I did need his help,” she admitted. “But I wouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place if you hadn’t dragged me here to Jeriko.”

“You wouldn’t have been in that position if you hadn’t tried to run away,” Aeron countered.

The woman sighed again.

Aeron walked over to the big window at the side of the bedroom. It offered a view of the city outside. It was not a pretty sight. The air was murky with pollution from the refineries, and the sky was threatening rain.

“While you were taking your bath, Murdok and Zeth told me everything that happened. They said you used a blade from a knifemonger’s stand to slice your collar and escape. You cut yourself in the process.”

“Just a scratch!” the woman protested.

Aeron lifted his hand. “Let me finish. After that, they tell me you fled down the street, through a crowd, and into an alleyway where you encountered a man. He assaulted you, but Murdok arrived and intervened before the man could do anything too… severe. Would you say all of that is accurate so far?”

“Yeah.”

The sky was starting to spit rain against the window. Dirty, discolored droplets that slithered down the panes. In the street below, merchants were hurriedly packing in their wares to escape from the coming storm.

“Zeth also informed me that you appeared to know the man who attacked you. He said you made reference to someone called… Tulliver?”

“I told Zeth about it in the bathroom,” she answered sullenly. “I don’t feel like telling it again.”

Aeron turned from the window and looked at Zeth. The young mercenary gave a silent nod. Good enough. They could speak of that later.

For now, the woman.

Aeron strode slowly to the chair where she was sitting and crouched in front of it, bringing his eyes level with her own. She peered at him warily from within the cushioned depths.

“You’ve been a bad girl, Rona. As a result of your defiance, you inflicted harm upon yourself, and you almost got harmed in a much more serious way by a bad, bad man. That is unacceptable. I’m not angry with you. I am simply telling you this for your own good.”

“I won’t run away again,” she said. “Promise.”

“Perhaps. But I need to make sure you understand that we mean business. You must be punished, Rona. You must be spanked.”

“Oh hell no!”

The woman started to spring from the chair, but Aeron caught her and pushed her back down again.

“Easy,” he said. “I thought you just promised you weren’t going to run anymore.”

“I wasn’t trying to run away! This is bullshit! Murdok already spanked me in the alley.”

“He started to spank you,” Aeron corrected, “but I stopped him because I wanted to know what was going on before I made any decisions about meting out your punishment. Now that I’ve heard the full story, I think it’s time to complete your spanking. Are you going to take it like a big girl, or do we need to tie you down?”

“I’m not a girl,” she answered, her face practically glowing with indignation. “I’m a grown ass woman.”

Aeron sighed.

“Alright,” he said. “Tell you what. Since you’re a grown woman, I’ll give you a choice. Either you suck it up and accept your spanking, or you give back the shares of stock I gave you.”

The woman’s eyes went wide, and her face drained.

“You can’t do that,” she said.

“Of course I can. I’m the one who bought them. I gave them to you as a gift. And if I want to, I can take them back again.”

The woman scowled at him.

“The Merc giveth, and the Merc taketh away, huh?”

She stood up, but slowly this time, and looked at Murdok, who was still lying on the bed, drinking.

“I think I’ll have that wine now,” she said.

As Murdok filled a goblet for her, Aeron smiled. He turned and went back to the window. The storm had finally arrived in full force, and the dirty rain was hammering the glass, washing down the surface in rippling sheets. The streets below were all but empty now, and so were the rooftops of the neighboring buildings. There was no one out there to see what was about to happen, no one at all, but Aeron wanted to be absolutely certain.

He pulled the curtains closed.

CHAPTER 18

The wine went down like liquid fire.

Rona knocked the whole goblet back in two hard gulps. It was only after it had already hit her stomach that she started to taste it, dry and earthy, not too sweet. An offworld vintage, not the syrupy, hydroponic crap they fermented here in Jeriko. But Rona didn’t really care too much about the flavor. It was the eth-alc she cared about. The soothing waves of warmth rippling outward from her belly, shifting her senses slightly out of focus. Blurring, softening, numbing.

She held the empty goblet out toward Murdok, who was sitting on the edge of the bed in front of her.

“Another.”

The Merc flashed a crooked grin, fangs sharp and bright amidst the grizzled darkness of his beard.

“One’s enough,” he said. “No point spanking you if you’re passed the fuck out.”

“I can hold my liq,” Rona said.

“Later,” Murdok said. “First, we’ll see if you can take your spanking like a big girl. Then, maybe, we’ll let you drink like one.”

Without thinking, Rona whanged the empty goblet straight at the Merc’s ugly face, putting all of her strength behind the throw. Murdok caught it easily. He didn’t even flinch. For a long moment, nobody said anything. All Rona could hear was the rain hammering outside, and her heart hammering within.

Then Murdok tossed his head back and laughed, a deep bellowing sound that shook the walls. The other two Mercs joined in, and Rona was hit with the uneasy realization that she was trapped in a room with three men who were not entirely sane. Outside, thunder boomed.

“Take off that towel,” Aeron said, still chuckling.

Rona hesitated. The towel was the only thing she had on, the only thing separating her body from the mercenaries’ hungry eyes. But she knew if she didn’t take it off, the Mercs would take it off for her.

She unfastened the towel and let it slough down to the floor. The room grew silent again.

“Well fuck me,” Murdok said.

Rona wasn’t sure why he was looking at her with such intensity. He’d already seen her naked. More than once, in fact. Then she noticed where his eyes were aimed, and she understood.

This was the first time he’d seen it without any hair.

Her pussy heated. The Merc’s gaze was like a physical touch gliding over her bare skin. She suddenly felt more naked than ever before. More vulnerable, more exposed. She folded her hands in front of herself, shielding that part of her from view.

“Tch, tch, tch,” Aeron said, striding slowly toward her. His eyes were fixed on her face, the red embers of the augmetics glowing deep within. “What do you think you’re doing, hiding that sweet little pussy from us?”

He took her wrists and gently pulled her hands aside, exposing her again. Rona didn’t even try to resist.

“Damn,” Aeron said, staring hard between her legs. “Zeth did a good job of cleaning you up down there. That’s gotta be the prettiest little pussy I’ve ever seen. What d’you think, Murdok?”

“Only thing that would make it prettier would be a nice hot load of cum leaking out.”

“Agreed,” said Aeron. “Or better yet, three.”

He took Rona’s right hand and placed it against the front of his pants. She could feel the shape of him through the rough fabric, long and rigid and alive. Her pussy fluttered in response, as if someone had tickled it from the inside.

“Feel that?” Aeron whispered, slowly dragging her palm up and down the front of his pants. “You did that, woman. You make me so hard it fucking hurts.”

Rona bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling.

Aeron let go of her wrists and traced his fingertips up her sides. He cupped her breasts in his rough hands and stroked his thumbs over her erect nipples, working them in slow, tight circles. It was all Rona could do to keep from moaning. She could feel herself growing wetter and wetter between her legs.

“Shit,” Aeron said. “I’ve half a mind to throw you down on that bed right now and breed you into oblivion… but we’ve got a spanking to take care of first.”

He smacked her left breast, and Rona gasped. He followed this up with an even harder smack on the right side, and she yelped loudly. It wasn’t that it hurt—it didn’t really—it was just so unexpected, so crude.

“Get on the bed,” Aeron growled.

This time, there was no hesitation. Rona obeyed, and she did so without question or protest. She didn’t ask what position he wanted her in. She already knew: all fours, with her ass toward the foot of the bed.

“That’s a good girl,” Aeron said. “Just like that.”

Murdok was still sitting on the edge of the bed, but he stood up now and polished off his wine. He set the empty goblet on the nightstand.

“I’m gonna enjoy watching this,” he said.

Rona glared at him hotly, then turned her face the other way. Zeth had come around on the other side of the bed, and he was standing there wearing nothing but his towel. The front of it was sticking straight out a good ten inches or more. Rona’s lips tingled with the memory of what had happened in the bathroom. The way Zeth had used her mouth. The way he had stained her.

Outside, thunder crashed, shaking the room.

Rona couldn’t see Aeron, but she could sense his presence behind her, large and looming. Then she felt his big, rough hand gently caressing and squeezing her.

“This ass is the perfect size for spanking,” he purred. “It fits my hand just right. I’m going to give you twenty swats, ten on each cheek. Think you can handle that?”

Rona was about to ask if she had a choice in the matter. Then she remembered that she did. She could accept her spanking, or she could return the shares of stock Aeron had given her. It was an easy decision.

“I’m ready,” she said.

“Very well. Let’s begin…”

The first blow landed with a clap, rocking her body forward and driving the air from her lungs. She could feel the welt burning on her skin, and she could see it in her mind’s eye—a handprint made of fire. A moment later, the second blow landed on the other side, with even more force.

“Oh fuck!” Rona shouted.

A third smack. Then a fourth. Rona dug her nails into the sheets and held on for dear life as Aeron’s hand struck her again and again. She wanted to hold back her cries, wanted to show the Mercs how tough she was, but it was impossible. With each fresh blow, a desperate sound broke from her lips, as Aeron layered fire on top of fire.

“Shit,” Murdok growled from the side of the bed. “Look at the way that fat little ass is jiggling,”

“Oh, I’m looking,” said Zeth.

The younger Merc unfastened his towel and let it drop to the floor. His cock looked just as hard as it had been in the bathroom. Maybe even a little harder. He gripped it in his fist and started to stroke.

“Oh my God,” Rona gasped. “Oh my God…”

Aeron had spanked her ten times now. Or maybe it was only nine. She wasn’t keeping count. After each smack, he squeezed her and massaged her, rubbing the blow deep into her flesh until the heat became like a salve, and the pain became pleasure. She wasn’t just wet with desire, she was dripping. It was running down her legs, all slippery and warm. The Mercs growled with hunger while they watched.

By the time it was all over, Rona was a quivering puddle of need. She flopped onto her back atop the sheets, skin glowing with sweat, breasts heaving with the motion of her lungs. She spread her legs and let the men see how wet she was, how open. She let them see everything.

“I believe she’s ready,” Aeron said. “What do you guys think?”

“She fucking smells ready,” Murdok groaned. “Hell, I’m about to bust, and I’m not even inside her yet.”

“Zeth’s got first dibs, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah…”

The youngest Merc was already on the bed with Rona, every bit as naked as she was, and every bit as aroused. She stared anxiously at his jutting cock, and her pussy clenched at the thought of being penetrated by that hard length. As he moved into position between her legs, he paused and looked back at Aeron.

“I left my blade in the bathroom,” he said. “May I borrow yours, sir?”

Aeron nodded.

He drew his knife and handed it over.

CHAPTER 19

Rona bolted upright on the bed, her wide eyes fixed on the knife in Zeth’s hand.

“What is that for?” she asked.

Zeth smiled sweetly, an innocent angel’s smile.

“We have to break your seal.”

“My seal?”

It took Rona a moment to understand what the young Merc was referring to. As soon as she did, a jolt of adrenaline sent her scrambling backwards across the bed. Before she could get very far, Aeron and Murdok were there on both sides of her, holding her firmly in place.

“Do not be afraid,” Zeth said, kneeling on the bed in front of her. “It will only hurt a little. Far less than the traditional method…”

With his free hand, he gripped his hard cock and shook it.

“This is a blunt instrument,” he said. “It can only tear you. But this…” He held the knife up in front of his face. “This will be much cleaner.”

Rona clenched as she stared at the weapon. The damn thing was so big it would have looked like a sword in the hands of an ordinary man. The blade was broad and serrated near the base, but the tip of it tapered off into a crescent as thin and sharp as a talon. The steel was polished to a mirror finish, and Rona could see her own horrified expression reflected back at her.

Zeth licked the end of the blade. Then he turned it over and licked it again.

“He’s cleaning it,” Aeron said.

“With his spit?”

“We Mercs have antiseptic nanites in our saliva,” he explained. “It will also help stop the bleeding and make it heal almost immediately. Now just lie back and relax. It will all be over in a moment.”

So that was why Murdok had kissed her cut.

The Mercs guided Rona down onto the bed. As soon as the knife had come out, she had closed her legs. Now the Mercs pried them open again. Zeth moved into position. Rona squeezed her eyes shut and clutched at the sheets. Her heart was in her throat.

“Good girl,” Zeth’s voice purred, so close she could feel his hot breath on her skin. “Now, I need you to hold perfectly still.”

Rona could feel his fingers between her legs, carefully spreading her labia. Then his tongue was there, licking her inside and out, coating every inch of her with his saliva. Rona’s body wanted to buck and writhe with pleasure, but the other Mercs’ hands kept her pinned in place.

“Perfectly still,” Zeth whispered.

For a moment, Rona felt nothing. Then…

The young Merc had told her true. It didn’t hurt very much at all. She could feel something, but it wasn’t pain, not exactly. Only a kind of loosening, an opening, and then a trickle of something hotter than Zeth’s saliva or her own seeping arousal. Zeth kissed her between the legs again, working his tongue inside her before finally pulling back.

“It is done,” he said.

Rona opened her eyes. Zeth was kneeling between her open thighs, all smooth skin and hard muscle. The knife was still in his hand, but now the very tip of it was tinged with scarlet. He threw it, and the blade embedded itself deep in the expensive wooden headboard behind her. Rona gasped, then gasped again as the young Merc fell upon her and mounted her.

“Be gentle,” she whimpered. “Please.”

He was, for the most part. He didn’t enter her all at once. He took his time with it, teasing her with his tip until she blossomed for him fully. It hurt a little when he started to go deeper and her walls stretched around him, but her need was more important than the pain. She spread her legs as wide as she could, begging him to go deeper still. He accepted her invitation and pushed farther inside, until there was nowhere left for him to go. He held himself there, not moving, just letting her feel every magnificent inch of him within her, hot and pulsing with desire. He brought his face in close and brushed his lips against hers.

“Do you feel how hard you make me?” he asked.

“Uh-huh,” Rona murmured. “It feels… good.”

Zeth bowed his face and kissed her slow and deep. He kissed her until her lungs ached for air, but Rona didn’t want him to stop. She wanted to drown in that kiss, wanted to drown with this gorgeous man’s hard cock buried deep inside her. When he finally separated his lips from hers, she whined like a spoiled child.

“You taste amazing,” he whispered. “And you feel even better.”

He pulled his dick back slowly, letting it slip against her wet inner flesh, letting her feel every detail of his anatomy, every contour, every vein. He pulled back until only his tip was still inside, then he plunged it into her again, filling her completely with his throbbing heat. Rona dug her nails into his shoulders and moaned.

“Fuck me,” she gasped. “Fuck me, fuck me…”

And he did, slow and steady and deep.

With every thrust, his tip kissed the deepest part of her, mingling his wetness with hers. He was naked inside her, raw and unprotected, with nothing to separate his body from hers, nothing to shield her from the consequences of what they were doing. That should have scared her, and maybe it did a little, but it excited her too, each dangerous thrust stoking a fire that was burning hot and wild within her. She could feel her muscles contracting around him, trying to suck him even deeper inside, milking him for the climax her body so desperately needed. Not her climax, but his. The thing he had done all over her face in the bathroom. The thing she wanted him to do inside her now.

“Come in me,” she begged. “Please, I want you to come…”

“You first.”

The Merc changed his angle of attack, driving the head of his cock up into the front wall of her vagina, targeting a tender spot that Rona hadn’t even known she possessed. The effect was immediate and intense. She didn’t even have a chance to brace for the climax. It hit her like a bomb going off, brutal and big. Her whole body shook with the force of it. She screamed and screamed and screamed.

And then, through the fog of her coming, Rona was dimly aware that Zeth was coming too, coming inside her, hard and deep, flooding her pussy with the liquid warmth of his semen. It was pumping out of him and into her, gushing against the deepest part of her, against the entrance to her womb.

“Take it,” Zeth growled. “Take my seed. Take it all.”

She wanted to, but it was so much more than her pussy could ever hold, and she overflowed long before Zeth ran out of ammunition. It flowed out of her and oozed down her ass in thick globs. It pooled beneath her on the sheets, all sticky and warm.

“Not bad,” Aeron said beside her.

“The woman can take a cock,” Murdok agreed.

Rona’s whole body blushed, from the roots of her sweat-damp hair, all the way down to the tips of her curled toes. She’d been so lost in the throes of her passion, she’d actually forgotten there were two more men there watching her. Two more deadly killers who were going to fuck her and breed her and fill her with their cum.

“She can take a cock,” Zeth said, pulling out of her. “And she can take a load as well. Just look at that beautiful cream pie. So… who’s next?”

Rona lay back, struggling to catch her breath. She felt like she had just run five miles uphill. She felt like she could sleep for a week. She felt half dead.

“Wait,” she gasped. “Please… I need to rest.”

“You can rest later,” Murdok said. “Right now, it’s breeding time.”

His belt and fly were already unfastened, and now he pushed his pants down his thighs. When Rona saw the thing that came springing out, her heart stopped, and her mouth dropped open in a silent scream.

CHAPTER 20

Murdok always got a kick out of showing a woman his scars for the first time. Not the ones on his face or his body. The ones down below.

His manhood scars.

The first reaction was always horror, perhaps even disgust. Murdok certainly read both of those emotions on the face of the woman lying on the bed in front of him now. He was not offended. Not even slightly. It was a look he’d seen a thousand times before, and it always changed. Always.

That change was the part Murdok really enjoyed. The part when the initial shock began to wear off, and the horror gave way to curiosity. The part when a woman stopped worrying about what his cock looked like, and started to consider how it would feel.

The scarring was extensive, and it ran the entire length of his member. Thick hypertrophic rings encircled the shaft, giving it a deeply ribbed texture, and the glans was studded with dozens of hard nubs designed to stimulate a woman’s deepest and most sensitive places.

It wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done.

Kind of like Murdok himself.

He pulled his pants all the way off and tossed them aside. Then he crawled across the bed toward the naked, trembling woman. Her eyes had the look of prey, and Murdok could tell she wanted to run, but she thought better of it and held her ground admirably.

She was probably remembering the way he and Aeron had held her down so Zeth could have his way with her. She’d learned her lesson then, and she’d learned it well. She knew she was going to take all three of their dicks, whether she wanted to or not.

It seemed she still hadn’t made up her mind about that, but Murdok was confident he could make her come around. He could be very persuasive when he wanted to be.

So could his scars.

“Turn her over,” he growled. “I’m gonna hit it from behind.”

The Mercs worked as a team, flipping the woman onto her belly. Then Murdok grabbed her around the waist and lifted, forcing her onto all fours. It was the same position she’d been in a few minutes ago when Aeron had spanked her. The woman’s ass was still ruddy from that punishment, but now it was also glazed with cum.

Zeth’s cum.

Murdok wasn’t squeamish about touching his teammate’s jizz. Not even a little. He grabbed the woman’s ass without hesitation, and started to rub the stuff into her skin like lotion. The woman gasped softly and the muscles of her back bunched with tension.

“Does that feel good?” he asked.

“No,” the woman answered. Her voice was almost breaking with pleasure.

Murdok laughed.

“Liar.”

He thrust forward slowly, not entering her yet, just gliding the top of his shaft against her vulva, letting the washboard of his scars rub against the erect button of her clitoris. She moaned and leaked in response.

“Oh God,” she whispered under her breath. “Oh my God…”

Murdok smirked.

Among the tribe in which he’d been raised, the scars were a sign of manhood, inscribed when a male reached the age eighteen. The scarring was performed by a wise woman, and various herbal stimulants were employed to allow a male to remain erect during the process. If, at any point, he cried out in pain, his manhood would be considered forfeit. Murdok hadn’t made a peep.

A few months later, the Mercs had come to take him away. Guild surgeons had offered to “repair” his cock for him, but Murdok had refused.

Why would he want to give up such a gift?

Murdok continued to thrust his hips, dragging his textured shaft back and forth against Rona’s clit, and she began to roll her hips, grinding herself even harder against him. Soon, her little body was quivering and shaking, signaling on oncoming climax. Murdok brought her right up to the precipice, then stopped.

The woman whined at her unexpected denial. She turned her head and glared at him over her shoulder, her eyes fierce and full of defiance.

Murdok just grinned… and worked his tip between her folds.

At first, the tip was all he gave her, sliding it in and out of her hole with short, shallow thrusts. Then, when he sensed she was ready, he let her feel everything, sliding into her slow and deep. The woman held her breath as he entered her, but when he finally bottomed out, she let it go in one long, shuddering exhalation.

Murdok swiveled his hips, not thrusting, but simply stirring his cock within her, lightly caressing her cervix with his scar-studded tip. The woman moaned and squealed in response.

“You like that,” Murdok said. “Don’t you?”

The woman said nothing. Her face was turned away from him, but he could easily imagine her defiant scowl. She would never admit her pleasure with words, but he could make her admit it in other, more primal ways.

“I asked you a question,” Murdok growled. “Do—You—Like—That?”

With each word, he thrust into her hard and deep, and with each thrust, the woman cried out in obvious pleasure. The walls of her pussy clenched around him, squeezing his cock in a hungry, needful embrace.

“Fuck,” Murdok said, chuckling. “You don’t just like it… you love it.”

“I hate it,” the woman answered, panting hard. “And I hate you too.”

“Oh yeah?”

With his cock still buried deep inside her, Murdok lowered himself down against the woman’s bare back. Her skin was slick with sweat and fragrant with pheromonal need. He curled one arm beneath her body and cupped one of her breasts, testing her nipple.

“Hard as a fucking bullet,” he purred.

He pinched and pulled, the same way he’d done when he had searched her yesterday in the holding cell. She moaned in response, and her pussy fluttered around his ribbed shaft.

Murdok slid his hand down her belly and touched her clit. It was every bit as hard as her nipples, and even more sensitive. When he pinched it, the woman bucked and yelped in response. He began to fuck her again, sliding his cock in and out of her body with slow, deep strokes. He leaned down and pressed his lips against her ear.

“You may hate me,” he whispered, “but your pussy is madly in love with my cock… and the feeling’s fucking mutual.”

The woman turned her face toward his, her eyes filled with something truly deadly.

Their mouths came crashing together then, hard and violent and hungry. Murdok pulled her body upright with his own and clasped both of her breasts, squeezing and massaging them as he kissed and fucked her. The woman growled into his mouth. She snarled and bit. Her nails dug into his flesh like she was trying to rip the skin off his body.

Then, suddenly, she pulled back with a gasp.

A ruby drop welled on her lower lip. She had cut herself on his fangs. She licked the blood, then moaned and caught her lip with her teeth.

“Careful,” Murdok warned. “Don’t get too carried away.”

“Fuck you,” she whispered.

“No,” Murdok whispered back. “Fuck you.”

He shoved her down hard on the bed and started to pound her from behind, fucking her hard and deep, spanking her bottom with his pelvis, slapping her clit with his balls. The woman screamed as he ravaged her. She cursed. She pushed back into him, meeting him thrust for thrust, not begging for his seed, but demanding it.

Murdok forced her to climax three times before he finally gave in and joined her, coming harder than he’d ever come in his life. The first gush filled her completely. The second overflowed. It took a dozen more for him to empty himself, and even then, he wasn’t truly empty. He could keep going for days if he wanted to, but he had his teammates to think about. He had to share.

With his cock still throbbing inside her. Murdok leaned down and kissed the woman’s sweaty back, her shoulder, her neck. Then he kissed her mouth, which she presented willingly.

“Don’t get it twisted,” she whispered. “I still hate you.”

“I love the way you hate me,” Murdok replied.

He kissed her again, and she moaned softly as her pussy flexed around him, obviously savoring his scars.

“Don’t go getting too comfortable,” he told her. “You’ve still got one more cock to satisfy…”

Then he pulled out.

CHAPTER 21

Rona shuddered as Murdok’s cock slid out of her.

That cock, like the man it was attached to, was a monstrous looking thing, covered from top to bottom in scars. Rona could scarcely believe it was possible to derive pleasure from something so hideous, but she had—and it had all but broken her.

Now, as Murdok exited her body, the brutal ribbing of his shaft abraded Rona’s inner walls one final time, and the sensation nearly made her climax yet again, as if she hadn’t already done enough of that for one evening.

Then came the gushing.

As had happened before with Zeth, a huge amount of semen came flowing from her pussy. It spilled out of her, all hot and viscous, dripping down her thighs like honey, staining the satin sheets like sin. Rona gasped at the sensation, and her face burned with a shame that she was starting to enjoy almost as much as the pleasure itself.

“My turn,” a voice growled from the head of the massive bed.

Rona darted her eyes in the direction of the sound. It was Aeron. The lead Merc was sitting naked with his back against the headboard and his hard cock gripped tightly in his fist. He lifted his other hand and flexed his trigger finger, giving Rona a “come-here” gesture.

She didn’t just see that gesture with her eyes, she felt it too, as surely as if Aeron had inserted his finger into her pussy and stroked that special, tender spot on her front wall.

How? How could she need him so badly? After the way the other two Mercs had just bred her, she should have been exhausted, but there was something inside her that demanded more, something that would not be satisfied until she had experienced all three of them.

Rona crawled across the bed on hands and knees that were no longer her own. Her body was moving of its own accord, driven by something deeper than desire, deeper even than instinct.

As she got close, Aeron opened his legs and let go of his cock, giving her full access to his body. Rona bowed her head to his crotch and licked him, dragging her tongue from the base of his shaft all the way up to his glistening pink tip. She kept going, licking her way up the center line of his abdomen, then his chest, gathering his salty sweat with her taste buds. She straddled his body and began to grind herself against him, humping him like a horny little animal. Her pussy was still leaking seed from her previous two matings, but the Merc didn’t seem to mind as she smeared the sticky stuff all over his rippling, washboard abs.

“You know,” he purred. “That would feel even better with my cock inside you.”

“Put it in,” she said.

Aeron just chuckled and shook his head at her antics.

“Such a demanding little thing. I’ll have to see if I can’t spank some of that bossiness out of you.”

“Maybe you can fuck it out of me,” Rona suggested.

“Maybe I can. Let’s find out.”

He tilted his head to one side and looked over her shoulder at something behind her.

“Zeth,” he said. “Give me a hand here, would you?”

“Aye, boss…”

Rona glanced back to see what Zeth was about to do. She watched as the younger Merc took hold of his commander’s hard cock and held it steady for him, carefully aligning the tip with her hole. Then, slowly, Aeron guided her down onto it.

Rona moaned as he entered her, first with pleasure, then with a touch of pain. His shaft was thickest around the middle, and it stretched her to her limit. Yet somehow, the pain only heightened the pleasure, and even before he was all the way in, Rona could feel another orgasm brewing inside her. She was going to come on this cock, and she feared it would be her hardest climax yet.

At last, his entry was complete, and Rona was sitting in the Merc’s lap, with his big balls nestled against the cleft of her ass, and his hard cock buried so deeply inside her, she could swear the tip of it was touching her heart.

She pressed her forehead to his and breathed.

“Come here,” Aeron said, pulling her face a little closer.

He kissed her then, wet and deep, the same way he had kissed her in the holding cell aboard the Talionis. Only this time, it wasn’t just his tongue that was inside her. His cock was inside her too, all hard and hot and unprotected.

Rona whined as he broke his lips from hers and pushed her upright on his lap. His big hands cupped her breasts, massaging and squeezing. She placed her hands over his and stared down into his rough-hewn face as his hard cock pulsed and throbbed inside her.

“Well,” he said. “What are you waiting for?”

Rona shook her head, confused.

“What do you mean?”

“Ride it,” Aeron said.

“Ride it?”

“That’s right. If you want my cum inside you, you’re gonna have to earn it.”

“Who says I want it?”

Aeron just smirked. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. He was right of course. She did want it. She would probably regret it tomorrow, but right now that didn’t matter. She needed to feel this man coming inside her. She needed him to breed her.

There was just one problem…

“I don’t know how to ride a man,” Rona said, blushing at her own experience. “If you wanted someone with special skills, you should have picked a whore.”

Aeron’s right hand shot up and seized her by the throat. Rona froze. Her sex clenched tightly around the naked, throbbing shaft inside her.

“Listen,” Aeron growled, “and listen well. You are not a whore. A whore fucks anyone who wants it. That’s not you. You’re only allowed to service the three cocks that are present in this room right now—mine and Murdok’s and Zeth’s. And one more thing…”

His grip tightened ever so slightly around her throat.

“A whore only gives a man pleasure. You’re going to give us a lot more than that. You’re going to give us offspring. Now start riding my dick like a good girl so I can fill your sweet little pussy with my cum.”

“Can you show me how?”

Aeron nodded, but not to Rona. He was looking over her shoulder again, the same way he had done a moment before.

Suddenly, she felt Zeth’s body against her back. His right arm curved around in front of her, and he touched her between her open legs, right above the place where Aeron was penetrating her.

“Do you like it when I touch your little clit?” Zeth whispered, working his fingertip in slow circles.

“Yes,” Rona answered, her hips rocking with the motion of the younger Merc’s stroking.

“Yeah?” he asked. “Does it feel good?”

“Mm-hm…”

He was rubbing her harder now, harder and faster, and Rona naturally altered her rocking to match his pace and pressure.

“Yeah, you want to come, don’t you? You want to come with Aeron’s big dick inside your tight little pussy.”

“Mm-hm!”

And then, just as suddenly as he’d appeared, Zeth was gone. His body was no longer pressing against her back. His fingers were no longer touching her clit.

Rona whimpered at the sudden denial, but she knew how to fix it. She leaned forward until her clit was pressing against the hard lump of Aeron’s pelvic bone, and she continued to rock her hips, grinding herself into him.

“That’s it,” Aeron purred. “Just like that…”

The motion of Rona’s hips was causing the Merc’s hard cock to slide in and out of her pussy with short, half strokes. She felt his muscular body tensing beneath her.

“Fuck,” he groaned. “That feels fucking good. Don’t stop, woman. Don’t fucking stop.”

Rona didn’t stop. Her own arousal was growing stronger and hotter with every thrust of her pelvis. The man lying beneath her was a deadly killer, a warrior born and bred. He could easily rip her apart if he so desired. But for the time being, Rona was the one in control. She was the one making his muscles bunch and his back arch with pleasure. She was the one making his eyes roll back in his head.

She braced her hands against his chest and started to bounce up and down on his lap, sliding her pussy all the way up his hard shaft before slamming herself down onto him again. Skin clapped skin, and the air grew thick with the smell of sweat and sex.

“Come inside me,” she begged. “Please come inside me.”

Rona’s legs trembled with the strain. Her heart was pounding and her lungs burned, but she kept riding him, hard and fast.

“Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!”

Suddenly, Aeron took over. He grabbed her hips and lifted her up off of his lap, then he started to pound his cock into her from below. Rona braced her hands against the headboard for support while the Merc fucked her hard and deep.

The first few spurts of cum shot out of him with so much force that it hurt her, but she savored the pain, just as much as she savored the intense pleasure that followed. She screamed as she came, and her pussy contracted around him, milking him for the seed which he so generously provided.

When it was finally over, Rona turned her head to one side, and she saw that a knife was right there by her face, embedded in the headboard. It was the knife Zeth had thrown there earlier. The one he had used to sever her virginity. The blade was buried deep in the wood, just as Aeron’s hard cock was buried between her legs, sheathed inside her wet, aching heat. She gave the blade a kiss. Then collapsed on top of Aeron and started kissing him too.

She had never felt so exhausted in all her life.

Or so satisfied.

But she had a feeling she wouldn’t be allowed to rest for long. The other two Mercs were kneeling on either side of her, and when Rona reached out her hands to touch them, she discovered their cocks were still as hard as steel.

“We’ll let all that cum soak inside her for a minute,” Aeron said. “Then, when she’s ready, we’ll run the train on her pussy again.” He kissed Rona’s face and smiled darkly. “And this time, I’m going first.”

CHAPTER 22

It was well after midnight when the rain finally stopped, and the patrons began filtering out into the streets of Jeriko and the warm, acid-laced steam that hung in the air, scorching eyes and sinuses and lungs.

Rain, Tulliver mused. Rain was always good for business.

Of all the clubs Tulliver owned, The Spiderhole was his favorite. That was due, in large part, to the brothel he operated out of the upper floors of the building. The whores there were fresher, not yet run down by the cocktail of drugs required to keep them willing and compliant. After that happened, they would be sent to one of Tulliver’s other, less reputable establishments, but that was okay. There was always fresh meat to take their place. Always.

Tulliver sat at the bar and watched with his one good eye as the customers gradually trickled out into the night. He wasn’t sad to see them go. He’d already made a killing since the crowd had come in that afternoon to get out of the weather.

Yes, rain was always good for business.

Tulliver signaled for another dram, and the barman quickly brought him one. Not the pisswater that was served to the paying customers. A man could go blind drinking that swill, and Tulliver was already halfway there. He only drank the expensive offworld stuff.

“Do you mind if I join you for a drink, sir?”

The unexpected voice startled Tulliver, and he jumped a little in response. Whoever had spoken was standing in his blind spot. The one created by his bad eye.

His startlement quickly shifted into anger. Everyone in town knew better than to approach Tulliver from his blind side—and if they didn’t, they soon learned.

He whirled in the direction of the voice.

“What the fuck do y—”

Tulliver froze. His heart stopped. The man standing before him was tall, maybe seven feet or more, with a mane of golden hair spilling down to his broad, muscular shoulders. But it was the face that really got Tulliver’s attention. It was the face of an angel. High cheekbones. Patrician nose. Full, feminine lips. It was, in short, the most beautiful face Tulliver had ever seen, and it came with a voice to match, as smooth and sweet as offworld honey.

“My apologies,” the stranger said. “It was not my intention to startle you. I merely saw you sitting over here by yourself and thought you might enjoy some company.”

The full lips parted seductively, a subtle invitation.

Tulliver smiled. He was no buggerer—or buggeree, for that matter—but he had a use for handsome men. They were almost in as high demand as pretty girls, and a great deal harder to come by.

“Have a seat,” Tulliver said, gesturing to the barstool beside him. “You must be new around here, huh?”

The beautiful man sat.

“What makes you say that, sir?”

“Well, everyone around these parts knows who I am, but I get the impression you don’t.”

“I confess, you are correct, sir.” The man arched a flirtatious, golden brow. “With whom do I have the pleasure?”

With whom do I have the pleasure. Shit, who did this jinker think he was, some highborn aristocrat?

“Name’s Tulliver,” Tulliver said.

The long-lashed eyes widened, pale and pretty.

“The Tulliver?”

“The one and only.”

The supple lips broke into a wide and radiant grin.

“My sincerest apologies, sir! I am indeed new here in town, and did not recognize you, but I have certainly heard a great deal. Please, sir, allow me to buy you a drink.”

Tulliver just chuckled and waved his hand.

“No need for that,” he said. “I own the place. Let me get you a drink instead, on the house. What d’you want?”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having, sir.”

Tulliver motioned to the barman to bring him another dram. This time, however, he used his pinky finger. It was a signal, and the barman nodded in understanding. He would drug the cocktail. In a few minutes, the big handsome stranger would be unconscious and totally helpless. It was one of Tulliver’s favorite methods for acquiring new prostitutes.

He was going to make a small fortune off this strapping young stud.

The drink came. The stranger took a sip and smiled.

“Delicious,” he said.

Tulliver stood. “Drink up. I’ve gotta go take a piss, but I’ll be back in a minute. Then we can chat more, okay?”

“I shall look forward to it,” the man said, taking another sip.

Tulliver turned and walked toward the corridor at the back of the barroom, a wicked grin spreading across his face. By the time he was done draining his bladder, the handsome stranger would be passed the fuck out, and Tulliver would have his doormen carry the big bastard upstairs to bind and gag him. From there, it would only be a matter of giving the man a few narc injections to get him hooked and dependent. After that, the man’s ass would be a money-making machine.

But as Tulliver pushed open the door to the bathroom, the smile slid from his face.

What the hell was that stink?

It didn’t take him long to find the source. As he started to step inside, Tulliver saw that the toilet had overflowed, and now the entire floor was covered in a foul puddle of piss and shit. Tulliver wrinkled his nose in disgust and annoyance. They’d had plumbing problems before, but never like this.

He’d have to put someone on cleanup duty. Not the barman or doormen. They would be occupied with the handsome stranger. Maybe the bar back could handle it. Or even a couple of the girls upstairs.

First, however, he needed to attend to his bladder.

Outside. Alley.

Tulliver walked stiffly down the remainder of the corridor, pushed open the door at the end, and stepped out into the back alley behind The Spiderhole. The acid-fog stung his good eye, but his other eye didn’t feel anything at all. It was a mere replica, fashioned from plasteen, to replace the living eye he’d lost years before. It was a kid that had done it to him. A girl. Stuck him with a knife because he’d tried to give her a little loving.

Not a day went by that Tulliver didn’t think about that little bitch. She must be a grown woman by now. What was her name again? Rita? Rhoda? Something like that. Man, the things he would do to that bitch if he ever got his hands on her.

At the moment, however, the only thing Tulliver was worried about getting his hands on was his dick.

He took a few steps into the alleyway, then turned to face the brick wall. It was dark, and for a moment, Tulliver experienced a childish sense of fear. It was probably unwise for him to be outside by himself like this. In spite of his status in Jeriko, he was not without enemies. Why, earlier that very day, one of his men had been found in a different alley with his head bashed in.

What was Tulliver going to do, though? Bring his bodyguards outside to watch him piss like some little kid? Hell. Besides, he was already out here, and if he didn’t go now, he was liable to piss his damn pants.

Tulliver unzipped his fly, whipped out his dick, and began to urinate against the wall in front of him. The feeling of relief was almost orgasmic, and he sighed with satisfaction.

“Ahhh…”

The blade was so sharp, Tulliver didn’t even feel it cut him. What he felt instead was a sudden sensation of warmth washing down his thighs, as if someone had poured a hot drink onto his lap. For a moment, he thought he had somehow pissed himself, and he wondered how that could even be possible. Then he realized what had actually happened, and he started to scream.

Or rather, he tried to scream, but something was wrong with his voice. All that came out was a quiet wheezing sound, and it didn’t come from his mouth, but from lower down, from his throat. More wetness was pouring down the front of his shirt. A lot of it. He suddenly felt very sleepy.

The last thing Tulliver heard before the lights went out was a voice whispering in his ear, deep and smooth and honey-sweet. The voice of an angel.

“Rona says hello.”

CHAPTER 23

It was a sound that woke her, soft and hard.

The sound of steel sliding against stone, over and over again.

Rona yawned and stretched beneath the covers. She could not remember the last time she had woken feeling so refreshed. Sore, to be sure, and dirty too. The scent of sex still clung to her skin, and the taste of three men still lingered on her tongue. They had passed her around for hours, sharing her body for their common pleasure. By the end of it, she’d been little more than a ragdoll, a limp and lifeless toy for the Mercs to use however they saw fit.

And use her, they had.

Oh God, how they had used her.

It must have been close to midnight when Rona had finally fallen asleep, and it was the deepest and most satisfying sleep she had ever experienced in her life. It should not have been that way. She should have been up all night, wide awake with anxiety about what had happened, and what the consequences would be.

The Mercs had impregnated her. Of that, Rona had no doubt. She was knocked up, and her life was never going to be the same.

And yet…

She didn’t feel anxious about it. At least, she hadn’t felt anxious last night when she had drifted off to sleep. On the contrary, she’d felt totally safe and secure, surrounded by the three deadliest men she had ever met, her body stained and dripping with their seed.

But where were those men now, she wondered. When she reached out her hands to touch them, her fingers only found an empty bed.

That sound again. Steel and stone. Stone and steel.

Shhhk… Shhhk… Shhhk…

Rona threw back the covers and sat up, not caring that she was naked. Her eyes went to the corner of the room, where a massive figure was kneeling in front of a table. He was fully dressed in his tactical vest and pants, and his long golden locks were pulled back in a neat ponytail. Before him on the table stood a small, ornate diptych representing the Pantokrator and Theotokos, and a single tealight candle.

“Zeth?”

“Don’t bother him,” a voice said from the other side of the room. “He’s praying.”

It was Murdok. The big Merc was sitting at a table by the window, working. His back was to Rona, so she couldn’t see what he was doing, but she knew he was the source of the sound.

Shhhk… Shhhk… Shhhk…

Rona wrapped the sheets around her body and climbed off the bed, pulling the excess fabric behind her like the train of a royal gown. She walked over to where Murdok was sitting. His shirt was off, and Rona was able to see his back for the first time. His bulging muscles were covered in scars. Some of them looked like battle wounds, but most of them seemed to be deliberate patterns, like the ones on his cock.

Rona’s pussy clenched as she remembered how good he had felt moving inside her, how his monstrous, scarred member had made her come over and over again. Instinctively, she reached a hand out to touch him, but she pulled it back at the last moment.

“It’s alright,” Murdok said without turning around. “You can touch ’em.”

Rona froze.

“How… how did you know?”

“I’ve got eyes in the back of my head,” he answered. “And I’m keepin’ ’em wide open around your stabby little ass.”

Rona almost scowled at that, but she realized with a touch of surprise that she didn’t really feel like scowling. Instead, she reached out and ran her fingers over the thick muscles of Murdok’s back. She used to think she’d had a hard life. Now, feeling all those hard, deep scars, she wasn’t so sure.

Shhhk… Shhhk… Shhhk…

“What are you working on?”

She leaned forward and peered over the Merc’s brawny shoulder. A dirty rag had been spread across the surface of the table, and on top of the rag sat an assortment of whetstones and a small bottle of honing oil. Murdok was using the finest of the stones to put the finishing touches on the blade of a knife.

Her knife.

She watched as Murdok gave the blade a few final strokes, then he held it up to the light and tested the edge with his thumb.

“Not quite as good as new,” he said. “Had to grind the blade down to bring the point back.”

He tossed the knife and caught it deftly by the blade. Then he offered it to Rona, handle first. She took it and studied the blade. The last time she’d seen it, the tip had been broken off from when she’d tried to stab Zeth. Now, the point had been restored. The overall length of the blade was slightly shorter than before, but the difference was barely noticeable. She felt the dull throb of tears behind her eyes, and it took all of her willpower to hold them back.

“You did this… for me?” she asked.

Murdok nodded.

“Why?”

“Because you’re a crazy little bitch who likes to start shit, and you need a good knife to protect yourself.”

“I ought to stab you for that,” she said with a smile.

Murdok smiled back. “Make my day.”

At the other side of the room, Zeth murmured something under his breath, blew out the tealight, and stood up. He folded the diptych and placed it inside one of the pockets of his vest. When he saw Rona and Murdok, he smiled.

“Good morning.”

“Morning,” Rona replied. “I didn’t realize you were so religious.”

Beside her, Murdok snorted. “You kiddin’? He’s an Almalexian. They’re all superstitious as hell.”

“I take it you don’t pray,” Rona said.

Murdok looked genuinely hurt.

“Course I do. But I pray to my dead ancestors like a normal fucking person.”

Zeth chuckled softly. “The problem with that,” he said, “is that my ancestors aren’t particularly forgiving. And after what I did last night, I am in dire need of forgiveness.”

“Why?” Rona asked. “You think what we did was a sin?”

Zeth smiled mysteriously.

“I wasn’t talking about that.”

He walked over to where Rona was standing and kissed her deeply on the mouth. It felt so good, she almost dropped the sheets she had bundled around her body.

“Better be careful,” Murdok said. “She’s got her knife back.”

“I see that,” said Zeth. “Which reminds me… I also have a gift for you, Rona.”

He took the knife out of her hand and set it back down on the table. Then he took something out of his pocket and pressed it into her palm. Something small, hard, and smooth.

“What’s this?” Rona asked.

“Take a look,” said Zeth.

Rona looked.

And screamed.

She dropped the thing and jumped back, shaking her hand as if to rid it of some nonexistent slime. The thing landed on the carpet and lay there, staring up at her.

“Zeth, that’s a fucking eye!”

“Well,” he said, “an artificial eye.” He picked it up off the carpet and held it up in front of his own eye. “Look familiar?”

“No,” Rona said. “Why would it look familiar? I don’t know anyone with an artificial—”

She stopped.

And looked closer.

The blood went cold in her veins. Whoever the artisan had been, they’d done an amazing job. Not only had they gotten the color right—a dark, dirty shade of green—but they’d captured something of the man’s soul as well. The greed. The violence. The utter lack of concern for any human being besides himself.

“Tulliver,” Rona breathed.

Still holding the false eye up in front of his real one, Zeth beamed a smile.

“The one and only,” he said.

“You stole Tulliver’s glass eye?”

“Among other things,” the Merc said with a shrug. “I could have brought you a different souvenir, but I feared you might find it a little disturbing. Based on your reaction to the eye, I think I made the right decision.”

“A different souve—” Rona stopped. “No. Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.” She looked at Zeth hard and deep. “You killed him, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

“You fucking killed Tulliver.”

“I fucking killed Tulliver.”

She started to ask how the hell Zeth had even found the man, but she already knew the answer to that. Tulliver’s name was known all over Jeriko. He wouldn’t be hard to find, especially for a trained killer like Zeth.

She pushed past him and started to pace up and down the room, still clutching the sheets around her naked body.

“Is something wrong, Rona?”

“Wrong? Wrong? I’ve barely known you guys for one day. Last night, I mentioned something in passing about a man who tried to assault me. Then, a few hours later, you tracked him down, murdered him, and cut his eyeball out… as a gift?”

Zeth and Murdok looked at each other for a moment, then nodded. Rona stared in disbelief.

“You’re insane,” she whispered. “Completely fucking insane.”

“Well, what do you expect?” said a voice from the other side of the room. “We kill people for a living. Of course we’re insane.”

It was Aeron. The lead Merc was leaning in the bathroom door, drying his hair with a towel and looking like pure sex on a stick. He was making no attempt to hide his nakedness, nor did he have any reason to. Even when flaccid, his cock was still longer and thicker than most men’s erections. Rona’s whole body throbbed at the sight of him.

He was right, of course. It all made perfect sense. These three men were killers, born and bred. They ended people’s lives for a living, and they were good at it. Maybe even the best. It was only logical that they would be crazy, at least by everyone else’s standards. And apparently some of that crazy had started to rub off on Rona, because the more she thought about it, the more she realized she loved the Mercs’ gifts. Murdok’s gift of steel, and Zeth’s gift of murder. Maybe they’d shot so much of their DNA inside her that it had permanently scrambled her brain or something.

Or maybe what she was feeling now had been there all along, just waiting for one night of brutal affection to jar it loose.

“So,” Rona said, “what about you?”

Aeron finished drying his hair and tossed his towel over the arm of a chair.

“What about me?” he asked.

“Well, Murdok and Zeth both gave me gifts this morning. Aren’t you going to give me something too?”

Aeron smirked. “I seem to recall giving you a few free shares of stock.”

“That was yesterday,” Rona said. “I’m talking about right now.”

She let go of the sheets she’d been using to cover herself, and the smooth satin whispered to the floor, exposing her body for all three men to see. In front of her, Aeron’s naked cock went from hanging to hard in the space of two heartbeats. Rona sat back onto the bed and opened her legs as wide as she could spread them, letting him see how ready she was—how wet, how open.

“Now, I’m going to ask you again,” she said sweetly. “What gift do you have for me this morning?”

CHAPTER 24

The woman was becoming a problem.

A good problem, sure, but a problem nonetheless.

Aeron was standing in the tiny, spartan bathroom aboard the Talionis. He had been using the small mirror above the sink to apply black grease paint to his face. Rona, meanwhile, was kneeling in front of him, her head bobbing wildly as she ran her circled lips up and down the length of his hardened cockshaft.

Murdok and Zeth were both standing in the open doorway, watching. The woman had already serviced both of them while Aeron had been applying his face paint. Apparently their two loads had not been enough to satisfy her.

She was insatiable.

Utterly fucking insatiable.

Aeron and his two brothers-in-arms had shared many women in their day. More than Aeron could even remember. None of those women had been able to keep up with the trio’s sexual appetites… until this one. Indeed, Aeron was beginning to fear that he and his comrades might not be able to keep up with her.

He growled as she continued sucking him.

“Stop that,” he said. “I have a job to do.”

The woman pulled back, gasping and trailing long threads of saliva. Her mouth was rimmed with a froth of bubbles, giving her an almost rabid appearance. Her eyes were hungry and wild.

“Not until you come inside me,” she demanded.

Aeron didn’t know what was more impressive, the woman’s insolence, or her need. He and the other two Mercs had already given her plenty of seed back at the hotel. More than most women could handle. They had stayed way past their scheduled checkout time, a fact which the hotel staff had not dared to complain about. Aeron had left an extremely generous tip to make up for it, along with some extra cash to pay for the damaged bed and ruined sheets.

One would think all that breeding would have quelled the woman’s urges, but no. Aeron turned and looked at his two companions watching from the doorway.

“Hey, don’t look at me,” said Murdok. “You’re the one who picked her out, boss.”

Aeron sighed.

“Very well,” he said. “But we must make it quick. The hour is getting late, and there is work to be done.”

Aeron took matters into his own hands, literally. He held the woman’s head between his palms and started to thrust his cock in and out of her mouth, fucking her face hard and deep. He knew she could take it. She liked it rough.

With a roar, Aeron started to climax, and the woman moaned softly as he spilled his seed inside her. Her eyes were wet from gagging on his hard dick.

“Don’t you dare spit any of that out,” Aeron warned as he finished coming. “I want you to swallow it all. Every last drop.”

Slowly, he slid his cock out of her mouth, simultaneously running his fingers up the shaft to squeeze the last few drops from his tip. When he was all the way out, the woman tilted her head back, and Aeron could see her throat working up and down as she swallowed his cum. She gasped and wiped the tears from her eyes. Then she smirked up at him, cocking one naughty eyebrow.

“I can’t believe you actually thought I would spit.”

She gripped Aeron’s cock around the base and started to lick the shaft, cleaning up the remaining cum that was still clinging to his skin. Her tongue felt incredible sliding all over his hard length, and he could already feel his balls starting to ache with desire again. It was all he could do to keep from picking the woman up, shoving her against the wall, and pumping another load into her tight little pussy.

But he had work to do.

“Enough of that,” he said as the woman started sucking him again.

He gently pushed her head back, then he helped her stand up. He pulled her against his body and kissed her deeply. Her mouth still tasted of his seed.

“Do you really have to go?” she whispered. “Can’t you stay just a little longer?”

Aeron brushed his thumb across her chin, where the paint from his face had smudged her.

“I’m sorry, little one, but I must.”

“Why?” she asked.

Aeron chuckled and shook his head. He’d already explained it to her several times over the past hour, but she’d been too horny to pay any attention to what he was saying. He stuffed his still-hard cock back inside his pants, then he took her by the hand and pulled her out of the bathroom.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“I’m going to show you something.”

He led her down the corridor to the main hatch. He dimmed the interior lights, then opened the hatch, and together they walked down the ramp and out into the night.

They had departed Jeriko several hours before. Now the ship was parked in a well-hidden spot amidst some natural rock formations a few miles to the south of the Riadne Mine. The night air still held some of the day’s warmth, but the temperature was dropping steadily.

“What do you see?” Aeron asked.

Beside him, the little woman turned her head from side to side in an attempt to scan her surroundings. Aeron was able to see her doing this thanks to the augmetic implants in his eyes, but for her the darkness must have been almost absolute.

“I can’t see a damn thing,” she said.

“Precisely. Tonight is the new moon. Plus it’s overcast, but there’s no rain. That’s the reason we spent last night in Jeriko. I wanted to wait until the environmental factors were more suitable for reconnaissance.”

“And here I thought I was the reason.”

“That too,” Aeron said, pulling her in for another kiss.

After they separated, the woman lowered her face and ran her hands over the front of his tactical vest.

“Do you really have to go do recon?” she asked him, not flirting this time, but genuinely concerned. “You already saw everything from space.”

“A bird’s-eye view doesn’t tell the full story. I need to get in close and study the lay of the land with my own eyes. Then we can formulate the best plan of attack.”

Aeron had a few other reasons. Suspicions he still needed to confirm. But he decided to keep those to himself for the time being.

“Do you have to go alone?”

“There’s less chance of getting caught that way. Besides, I need two men back here at the ship to keep an eye on your sexy little ass.”

“To protect me, or to keep me out of trouble?”

“Both.”

He led her back inside the ship. The other two Mercs were waiting at the top of the ramp.

“You sure don’t want me to go instead?” Murdok asked, grinning. “The woman didn’t sap all your strength in the bathroom, did she?”

“No, I’m all good. My head’s always clearer after I’ve spilled my seed.”

Murdok laughed. “In that case, all three of us must have the clearest heads in the whole galaxy after the day we’ve had.”

“I imagine you and Zeth will be even more clear-headed when I return.”

Aeron nudged the woman’s face up toward his.

“Rona,” he said. “While I’m gone, I want you to obey every command these two men give you. They both have my permission to spank your ass if you disobey them, or to punish you in whatever way they see fit.”

The woman smiled.

“That’s not exactly inspiring me to be a good girl.”

She hooked her fingers through his belt loops and gave him a tug.

“Hey,” she whispered. “Don’t go getting yourself killed out there, okay? I need this dick.”

From the way she said it, Aeron got the impression there were other things she needed as well. Things she wasn’t ready to say out loud. Aeron felt the same way about her, and he knew his comrades did too.

“Don’t worry,” he told her. “I’ll be careful.”

He always was, but now he had an even better reason to come back alive.

CHAPTER 25

“What’s taking him so long?” Rona worried aloud.

She was pacing up and down the central corridor of the Talionis in an attempt to rid herself of the nervousness she was feeling. Murdok was in the armory, checking the various weapons stored on the wall-racks there, and each time Rona marched past the open door, he would lift his head and grunt.

“Calm down, woman. He’s barely been gone an hour.”

God, had it really only been an hour since Aeron had left? It felt like much longer than that. But then, worry had a way of altering one’s perception of time. And Rona’s worries were twofold.

First, she was worried about Aeron.

And second, she was worried that she was worried about him.

It had only been two days since she had first laid eyes on the Mercs in the Common Hall, and regardless of everything that had happened since then, two days simply wasn’t enough time to be catching feelings for any man—let alone three of them.

She shouldn’t have been so worried about Aeron. Not to this extent. Mild concern would have been acceptable, but she was sweating bullets.

Rona reached the cockpit door. She stopped and prepared to pace back down the corridor in the other direction. As soon as she turned around, however, she let out a startled gasp.

Zeth was standing right in front of her. Jesus, where had he come from? Rona hadn’t even heard him.

The young Merc reached out and gave Rona’s cheek a soothing touch.

“Murdok is right,” he said. “I understand that you are concerned for Aeron’s safety, but your fears are unfounded. Even if the raiders somehow detect his presence—which they won’t—but even if they do, they would never be able to capture him.”

“Right,” Rona said. “They’ll just kill him.”

“That is even less likely.”

Rona frowned.

“Doesn’t he have, like, a communicator or something? Maybe you could just give him a call real quick to make sure he’s okay?”

“I do not think Aeron would appreciate such a distraction. If he needs assistance, he will alert us.”

“Unless he’s not able to alert you.”

“Again, as I’ve already explained—”

“Oh shut up!”

Rona pushed past the young Merc and began to march down the length of the ship’s corridor again.

Why did these men have to be so damned infuriating? It seemed like they had an answer to everything, including how to handle her.

And that, Rona realized, was the deeper problem that was eating at her—the future.

Rona had assumed the Mercs would be leaving her behind after the mission was complete, and at first she’d been more than okay with that plan. She hadn’t wanted to be bred by them in the first place, and she definitely hadn’t wanted to live with them either.

But now… she wasn’t so sure.

There was no way it could ever work, though. These men were Mercs. They traveled around the galaxy killing people for money. It was a dark and dangerous life. Hardly the kind of situation for starting a family.

She reached the end of the corridor, turned, then stalked back the other way.

As she passed the armory, Murdok once again looked up from what he was doing—checking a case of concussion grenades—and this time he let out a snarl of annoyance.

“Enough of this shit.”

The big, scarred Merc came storming out of the armory and grabbed Rona’s arm, which all but disappeared within his massive, callused fist. He spun her around roughly so she was facing him, then he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder, just as he had done two nights before, when he had first brought her on board.

And just like that night, he carried her straight to the rear of the ship.

“Hey!” Rona shouted. “What are you doing?”

“What the fuck do you think I’m doing?” the Merc growled. “I’m taking you back to the holding cell to punish your little annoying ass. Hey, Zeth! You gonna come give me a hand, or what?”

Because she was facing backwards, Rona could see that the younger Merc was already sauntering down the corridor behind them, a dark smile curving his lips.

“I’ll be glad to lend a hand,” he said. “Or anything else that may be of use.”

Once they were inside the holding cell, Murdok turned and flipped a switch on the wall by the door. A small slot opened in the middle of the ceiling, and a length of heavy chain began to lower. There was a hook with a clip on the end.

“What’s that for?” Rona asked fearfully.

“Quiet, woman. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Zeth entered the room, and without saying a word to Murdok, he went straight to the trunk by the wall and opened the lid. It was as if the two men didn’t even need to communicate. Each one already knew what the other was thinking. After a few moments of searching, Zeth found what he was looking for—a pair of handcuffs.

“Hands,” the Merc said.

Nervously, Rona extended her arms and let the young Merc fasten the cuffs around her wrists. They were joined by a small chain, but the cuffs themselves were made of leather, and they were slightly cushioned on the inside. Surprisingly comfortable. Obviously not designed for use with dangerous criminals.

Rona experienced a sudden explosion of jealousy, as she realized she was probably not the first woman the Mercs had bound and shared in this room. But Zeth quickly quelled that fire with a kiss so slow and deep it made her forget everything else.

Then he guided her hands to one side and clipped her handcuffs onto the chain hanging from the ceiling.

“She secure?” Murdok asked.

“Yes,” answered Zeth.

Murdok lifted Rona off his shoulder and carefully set her down on her feet. With her hands cuffed and clipped to the chain, she could not bring them any lower than the level of her chest, a position suggestive of pleading or prayer. Murdok looked her over for a moment, then he leaned in and gave her a kiss of his own, much rougher than the one Zeth had given her.

“Now we’ve got you right where we want you,” he whispered.

Rona shivered.

The big, scarred Merc went back to the door of the holding cell and began to work the switch again. Slowly, the chain started to raise, and Rona’s hands rose with it. They kept on rising, until her arms were fully extended over her head.

Murdok looked at her and frowned. He gave the switch one more quick jolt, lifting Rona onto the balls of her feet.

“There,” he said. “That’s perfect.”

Zeth circled her slowly, his pale eyes appraising her vulnerable body.

“Almost perfect,” he said. “She still has her clothes on.”

“Let’s fix that,” said Murdok.

The scarred Merc strode over to where Rona was hanging and grabbed the front of her tank top with both hands. Then, with one quick motion, he ripped the front of it open, baring her breasts.

“Hey!” Rona shouted. “That’s my only shirt.”

Murdok grinned.

“I guess you’ll just have to go topless from now on. No more hiding those beautiful tits from us.”

He fondled her as he spoke, giving one side of her chest a nice, firm squeeze. Then he stooped and started to lick her erect nipple, drawing wet circles with the tip of his tongue.

“Oh,” Rona gasped as he started to suck her. “Ohhh…”

Zeth moved in from the other side and drew her other nipple between his warm, supple lips, biting her softly with his teeth and strumming her with his tongue. Rona whimpered and shook as the two men feasted on her breasts. She would not have stopped them even if she could, but the fact that she couldn’t made her enjoy it all the more.

She could feel their hands working in tandem to unbuckle her belt. One of them undid her button. The other unzipped her fly. Then someone’s hand—Rona wasn’t sure whose—was down the front of her jeans, rubbing her wet lips and erect clit. She moaned with pleasure.

“Let’s get these fucking jeans off her,” Murdok growled.

“Good idea,” said Zeth.

The two men knelt to remove her boots and socks. Then they dragged her jeans down her legs and off her feet, leaving her completely naked, save for the ruins of her shirt, and the padded cuffs strapped around her wrists. She was fully exposed and completely vulnerable. With any other men, she would have been terrified. With the Mercs, her terror was coupled with an arousal so intense it made her want to scream.

The two Mercs stood back and stared at her, Zeth smirking mysteriously, Murdock grabbing his crotch like a pervert. Their augmented eyes seem to glow with hunger.

“She’s perfect,” said Zeth. “Every inch of her.”

“Yeah,” Murdok agreed. “But right now, there’s only one part I’m interested in…”

He stepped forward, turned Rona roughly around, and patted her behind.

“You heard what Aeron told us,” Murdok said, his voice low and raspy. “We have his permission to punish you however we see fit—and for any reason whatsoever.”

Was that really what Aeron had said? Rona didn’t think so, but she was in no state for remembering. Her skin was starting to bead with sweat, and her calves were aching from standing on her tiptoes for so long.

“Hey Zeth,” Murdok said. “Fetch me the cat, will ya?”

Zeth returned to the trunk. When Rona saw what he pulled out of it, her heart began racing even faster than before.

It was a short, black handle, made of tightly woven leather thongs, braided together and knotted at both ends. From one end, the strips of leather extended, hanging down like nine little black tails. Each one terminated in a tiny knot.

Zeth tossed the whip across the room, and Murdok caught it in his right hand.

“You’re going to whip me?” Rona asked.

“I’m going to punish you,” said Murdok.

“Why? What have I done?”

“I can think of three infractions off the top of my head. First, you doubted my leader’s ability to conduct his mission safely. Second, you distracted me while I was trying to work. And third…”

He gave her a nudge with his free hand, and Rona spun on her tiptoes.

“…that fat little butt is just begging to be spanked.”

He dragged the nine ends of the whip across Rona’s bare bottom, making her shiver.

“You’re punishing me for the shape of my ass?” she said. “That’s not a good reason.”

“On the contrary,” said Murdok. “It’s the best reason.”

He flicked the whip, and the nine lashes struck Rona’s bare backside with a sharp crack that made her gasp and clench. The cat didn’t jolt her body the way Aeron’s hand had, but the burning that followed in its wake was even more intense. She let out a low, quivering moan as the fire spread all across her punished ass.

“How’s that feel?” Murdok asked, stroking her gently with the tails.

Rona turned and glared at him defiantly.

“That all you got?” she asked.

The Merc grinned, and Rona thought she detected a hint of pride in his gravelly voice.

“Hardly,” he said. “A naughty little girl like you deserves two dozen lashes. You’ve already received one. That means you’ve got twenty-three left to go.”

Rona looked at Zeth.

“Are you just going to stand there and let him torture me like this?” she asked.

“Of course not,” Zeth answered. “I’m going to help.”

He placed one hand on her throat and kissed her mouth while his other hand dipped between her trembling legs. He slid a long middle finger into her. She was wet and ready for him. He began to stroke her, slow and steady.

And Murdok started to spank.

Each lash of the cat sent a shock of pleasure-pain shooting through Rona’s body. Each time she tried to scream, Zeth captured her mouth, devouring her cries. Murdok paused after every few blows to pet her tingling flesh with the tails of the whip.

Rona came twice before it was all over.

She heard a soft clunk as Murdok dropped the whip on the floor behind her.

“Fuck,” he rumbled. “Zeth, you gotta see this.”

He turned Rona around with his hands. Her legs had given out halfway through her spanking, and now she just hung from the ceiling chain like a piece of meat. Zeth purred admiringly as he examined her welts.

“Gorgeous,” he murmured. “Absolutely gorgeous.”

The two Mercs closed in around her, sandwiching her body between their own, kissing her all over with their hungry mouths. They spun her again and again, sharing her mouth, her breasts, her punished bottom. At one point, when Murdok was behind her, grazing her fangs along her neck, Rona pushed her butt against the front of his pants, rubbing the hard, ribbed thing contained within.

“Do you have anything that’s going to poke me, prod me, or stick me?” she whispered.

Murdok chuckled, dark and deep.

“Woman, I’ve got something to fill that sassy little mouth of yours.”

He went once more to the wall switch and lowered the chain again. Rona breathed a sigh of relief as the soles of her feet touched down on the hard, metal flooring. Murdok stopped the chain when her cuffed hands were roughly level with her face.

“You’re going to have to lower it more than that if you want me on my knees,” said Rona.

“I don’t want you on your knees,” Murdok said, pulling off his boots. “Not yet.”

He gave Zeth a slight nod.

The younger Merc sprang into action, grabbing Rona’s legs and hoisting her lower body off the ground. He hooked her knees over his broad shoulders and brought his smirking angel’s face between her thighs.

“You smell incredible,” he said.

Then he buried his face in her crotch and started to eat her, lapping her wet pussy with long, deep strokes of his tongue. Rona tossed her head back and moaned. Her wrists were still supported by the chain from the ceiling, and her lower body was supported by Zeth.

Murdok stepped into her upside-down field of vision, fangs gleaming, eyes glowing red. He stripped off his vest, then his pants. His huge, scarred cock sprang into view, fully erect and throbbing with arousal. He cradled Rona’s head in the palm of his hand.

“Open wide,” he said. “I want that throat.”

CHAPTER 26

Zeth couldn’t see Murdok’s dick going in—he couldn’t see much of anything really, with his face pressed between Rona’s legs like this—but he could sense it happening. The woman’s muscles tensed slightly, and her cries shifted from loud to muffled. Her pussy practically gushed all over Zeth’s face, staining his lips and tongue with her bittersweet arousal.

God, she tasted so good. Zeth would have been happy to eat and drink nothing but her for the rest of his life, if such a thing had been possible. The most expensive cuisine and finest wine all paled in comparison.

As for the woman, she seemed to be enjoying her meal as well.

She was still hanging upside-down from the ceiling chain, and now her whole body was starting to rock as Murdok used her mouth. The woman moaned with pleasure each time the scarred Merc thrust into her, her voice muted and wet-sounding. It made Zeth’s own cock ache with desire inside his pants. He wanted to take it out just to ease the pain a little, but he needed his hands to support the woman’s lower body, and he wasn’t willing to take his mouth away from her cunt, not even for a fraction of a second. She tasted too fucking good.

On the other side of her, Murdok grunted with enjoyment.

“Good girl,” he was saying. “All the way in and all the way out, just like that. Do you like having a fat Merc cock in your mouth?”

Zeth heard the woman gasp as Murdok slid his cock out of her so she could answer.

“I love it,” she breathed. “It tastes so fucking good.”

“Yeah? And how about what Zeth’s doing to you? Do you like that too?”

“Yes!” she whined. “It feels so good. Don’t stop, Zeth. Please don’t—mmph!”

Her voice cut off as Murdok resumed his mating of her mouth.

Zeth wanted to tell her that she didn’t have anything to worry about. He wasn’t going to stop until she came all over his face. But in order to tell her that, he would have to take his lips and tongue away from her pussy. It was quite the conundrum. He decided it was better to tell her without words.

He licked her even more deeply, rubbing the wet blade of his tongue across her entrance. Then he sucked her swollen clit between his lips and started to flick it hard and fast with the tip of his tongue.

Meanwhile, on the other end, Zeth could hear the woman repeatedly gagging on his comrade’s cock.

“Oh fuck,” Murdok groaned. “Oh fuck…”

He slid himself out of her again, giving the woman a chance to catch her breath. She gasped like someone who had been underwater too long.

“You ready to get a mouthful of cum?” Murdok growled.

“Yes!” the woman sobbed, her voice wet and desperate. “I want it so bad.”

“Alright,” Murdok replied in what passed for his gentle voice. “But you have to promise to come too. If you don’t, I’m going to whip your ass a second time.”

“I promise. Oh God, I promise…”

Zeth heard the woman make a slurping sound as Murdok’s dick went inside her again. Her body rocked back and forth as the scarred Merc fucked her face. Judging by her moans, he wasn’t going quite as deep as before. He wanted to make sure she tasted him when he came.

And based on the way he was grunting and cursing, it wouldn’t be long before that happened.

Zeth upped the intensity of his licking. He wanted to make sure the woman didn’t have to endure a second spanking. He wanted to make sure she came hard. He sucked her clit deeper into his mouth, causing it to swell even more. Then he rolled his tongue against it in an undulating motion, applying continuous pressure to that taut little bud of flesh and nerves.

“Oh fuck,” Murdok snarled on the other side. “Here it comes. Here it comes. Here it—Ngh!”

The woman’s muscles tensed briefly as the Merc unloaded into her mouth. Then she shook as her own climax exploded through her system. Her pussy squirted, staining Zeth’s face with her orgasm, and she moaned repeatedly around Murdok’s coming cock.

“Mmm! Mmm! Mmmmm!”

Once he was finally done, Murdok pulled out of the woman’s mouth. Zeth could hear her swallowing, then gasping for air. He gave her pussy one more kiss, then he swung her upright and kissed her on the mouth. Her lips and tongue were salty with Murdok’s seed.

“How did that feel?” Zeth asked her.

“More,” she whispered. “I need more.”

Murdok threw back his head and laughed. “She’s a needy little thing, isn’t she?”

“Indeed,” said Zeth.

But the truth was, he was feeling needy too. It had been over an hour since he had last spilled his seed inside the woman’s body, and his poor balls were burning with the desire to breed her. While Murdok unclipped her handcuffs from the end of the chain, Zeth stripped off all of his clothing, freeing his erection from the painful confines of his pants. Then, together, the two Mercs guided Rona down onto the hard metal floor of the holding cell, bracketing her naked body between their own.

They shared her then, taking turns spearing their hard cocks deep into her wet heat. She moaned and gasped as they fucked her, the two Mercs switching back and forth, each one giving her ten or twelve deep thrusts before letting the other man have a go at her.

She came several times in this fashion, and Zeth studied her face as she climaxed, drinking the beautiful sight of her fluttering eyes and trembling lips, committing her desperate cries to memory the way a musician might do with a piece of music.

“Does that feel good?” Zeth asked her. “Does your little pussy like being shared by two hard cocks?”

She bit her lip and knitted her brow.

“Yes, but…”

“But what?” Zeth asked.

“I want you both inside me at the same time,” she said, blushing hotly. “I want to feel you both coming inside me together.”

Zeth reached down and touched the place where Murdok’s shaft was stretching her.

“That little cunt is too tight,” Zeth said. “She’d never be able to handle both of us at the same time,”

Murdok pulled out, leaving her pussy wet and gaping.

“Perhaps not,” he said. “But maybe there’s a different way we can satisfy our needy little mate.”

The Merc jammed two fingers deep between the woman’s legs, thrusting them in and out of her well-used hole, forcing her to come several times in the process. When he finally withdrew his fingers again, they were coated with her stuff, not just her arousal fluid, but her thicker cervical cream as well. He began to rub his fingers around the rim of her anus, coating her rear hole with her own natural lubrication.

Zeth watched the action with silent fascination. Every cell of his body seemed to be humming with excitement—especially his cock. His member had become so swollen with arousal, it felt as if it might explode at any second.

Murdok shoved one of his fingers into the woman’s ass. He didn’t ask permission; he just did it. The woman cried out at his invasion.

“Hush,” Murdok growled. “You said you wanted both of us, so this is what you get.”

He thrust the fingers of his other hand into her pussy, gathering even more of her slippery juices, then he worked those into her rear hole as well.

“Shit,” he cursed. “I need some on my dick too, but I don’t want to put my fingers back in her cunt after I’ve had them in her ass.”

“Don’t worry,” said Zeth. “I’ve got you.”

Zeth repeated what Murdok had just done, pushing his fingers deep into the woman’s pussy to gather her slick. Then he spread the stuff all over his companion’s hard cock, jacking it until every inch was coated.

“Thanks,” Murdok said.

Zeth held the woman steady while the other Merc penetrated her. Her body resisted at first, but with a bit of work, Murdok managed to work his tip inside, followed by his scarred shaft. He took his time with it, sliding into her a few centimeters at a time. Zeth watched with a touch of envy, but he knew he mustn’t be greedy. He’d already had the honor of slaying the woman’s virginity. It was only fair that his comrade should be the first to claim her other hole.

As for the woman, she bit her lip and mewled softly as Murdok pushed deeper and deeper inside her. Zeth could tell by the expression on her pretty face that it hurt a little.

He could also tell she didn’t want it to stop.

“You’re doing amazing,” he said, stroking her gently. “It’s almost all the way in now. Just a little more…”

At last, Murdok seated his cock fully within her. He held himself there for a moment before pulling back nice and slow. Then he drove into her again, a little faster than before. Her anus rippled around the ridged scars lining Murdok’s shaft.

Zeth experienced another small twinge of envy. He wouldn’t want to swap faces with his ugly, battle-scarred friend, but that cock was a real piece of work. Zeth had watched many a woman enjoy that monstrous member, and it was clear from the sounds Rona was making now that she was enjoying it too.

“It’s so deep,” she murmured. “Oh God, it’s so deep inside me.”

“Is there room for one more?” Zeth asked.

Murdok grinned. “Hell yeah,” he said. “There’s plenty to go around.”

The scarred Merc rolled onto his back, with Rona lying on her back on top of him. Zeth climbed on top of them both and slipped his cock into her dripping pussy, sandwiching her sweating body between his and Murdok’s.

They shared her then, as they had never shared any woman before, fucking her hard and deep from both sides, thrusting their stiff cocks inside her as far as they could make them go. The cell rang with the wet sounds of their mating. The air was thick with the odors of sweat and sex.

And through it all, the woman begged.

Zeth had heard prisoners beg for their freedom. He’d heard condemned men beg for their lives. None of them had begged with the same urgency as this woman he and Murdok were now sharing between them. Begging for their cocks, for their cum, for their seed.

When they came, they came all together, and their triple climax seemed to shake the entire ship. Their three bodies writhed as one—one sweating, moaning mass of pleasure. It was the most intense orgasm Zeth had ever experienced in his life, and that was saying something.

“You came so much,” the woman whispered when it was all over. “God, I can feel it dripping out of me.”

Zeth could feel it too. He had come so much it was leaking out of her pussy and oozing down her ass to mingle with Murdok’s seed, which was seeping from her other hole.

A noise came from the door.

A slow clap.

Zeth turned his attention to the sound, but he already knew what he was going to see there. It was Aeron. The Merc leader was leaning in the open door frame, his face and bare arms streaked with black greasepaint, his mouth cocked upward in a smirk.

“Hell of a show,” he said. “I knew you boys would take good care of our woman while I was gone.”

“Aeron!” Rona gasped. “You’re okay!”

“Affirmative,” he said. “And I’d say you’re doing even better…” He stepped into the room and knelt beside the three lovers. His smirk broadened into a smile. “Damn, you look beautiful with two cocks inside you like that.”

He kissed her.

“I bet I’d look even better with three,” she said.

Aeron laughed. “I bet so, but that’s going to have to wait til later. Right now, I need to have a talk with Murdok.”

“Aye, boss.”

Zeth lifted the woman up so Murdok could slide out from under her, and his cock throbbed with renewed arousal when he heard the wet sound of his comrade’s cum spilling out of her gaped rear hole. Murdok gave the woman a hungry kiss on the mouth, then he stood up and followed Aeron out of the room.

Now Zeth and Rona were alone together in the cell.

“So, little one,” Zeth said, “How did it feel to take a hard cock up your tight little ass?”

She blushed and looked away briefly, then she met his eyes again. “It felt good,” she said, and she bit her lip. “I… I want to do it again.”

Zeth smiled and kissed her. He slid his cock out. It was still hard as stone.

“Roll over,” he whispered.

*   *   *

“Damn,” Aeron said. “The kid’s really giving it to her.”

He was sitting in the pilot’s seat in the cockpit of the Talionis, watching the holographic display projected against the inside of the windshield. It was a live video feed from the holding cell at the back of the ship, where Zeth was currently reaming the woman’s ass good and deep with his cock.

“Can’t blame him,” Murdok chuckled. The scarred Merc was sitting in the copilot’s seat. His naked body was glistening with sweat. His hard cock was still slathered with cum. “That’s easily the sweetest little asshole I’ve ever fucked. You sure you don’t want to test it out, boss?”

“No,” Aeron said, switching off the display. “Not now.”

He was tempted, to be sure. He’d eaten the woman’s ass many times over the preceding days. He’d fingered it too, so he knew just how tightly she would grip him if he fucked her there. But that pleasure would have to wait til later. He wanted to strike the raiders at daybreak, and there was still a lot of work to be done between now and then.

He turned his seat to face Murdok.

“Remember what we were talking about yesterday at the hotel?”

“The stocks?” Murdok asked.

Aeron nodded. “It appears our suspicions were correct. I found more evidence while I was out on recon.” He reached into his vest and took out a small tablet device. “Here, look at this…”

CHAPTER 27

About an hour before sunup, the cloud cover started to disperse. Now the sky was clear and gradually brightening with the coming dawn.

Murdok lay belly-down on the bare sandstone slope and peered over the top of the ridge into the shallow valley below. In the predawn light, he could clearly see the eastern entrance of the mine about two hundred yards ahead—and in between, some three dozen raiders sitting around electric warming units or standing around in groups talking. Murdok didn’t need binoculars to get a good look at the mutants or the weapons they were carrying. His augmetic implants provided all the magnification he required.

“Bossman, what’s the situation inside?”

Aeron was on overwatch for this one. That meant he was on the ship, hovering high above the mission site, monitoring the entire situation from above. Normally, for a run-and-gun mission like this one, they wouldn’t have bothered with such things, but considering the complexity of the mine-tunnel network, it had seemed like a good idea.

Plus, they’d all agreed they needed to leave at least one person behind to protect their woman, and of the three, Aeron was the best fighter. There was no question about that.

Now, the lead Merc’s voice came through Murdok’s earpiece, answering his question.

“Everything’s pretty much the same as when you set out,” he said. “You’ve got twenty-two tangos just beyond Checkpoint Alpha. No raknids. After that, the tunnels are clear until Sector Bravo.”

“Roger that.”

Murdok visualized the map in his mind’s eye. Checkpoint Alpha was the entrance to the mine. Beyond that lay a medium-sized ovoid chamber with three smaller tunnels branching off. Before they could proceed into the depths of the mine, they would need to clear all the mutants on the outside, plus the twenty-two more who were hanging out just inside the entrance.

“Kid,” Murdok said, “you in position?”

This time, it was Zeth’s voice that answered him.

“Affirmative. Ready when you are.”

“We wait for the sun.” Murdok glanced upward. The sky was already brighter than it had been a minute ago. He glanced down at his watch. “Won’t be much longer now.”

“Just say when,” Zeth replied. “I’ll be ready.”

The kid was hunkered down a few hundred yards to the north, on a different part of the ridge. Bastard was well hidden, too. Murdok couldn’t even see him. But he knew he was there, and it gave him an added sense of security.

Not that Murdok needed a security blanket. He’d never been afraid of death, and he had no problem going out in a blaze of glory. Nevertheless, he was in no mood for dying today.

He had better things to do.

He reached into one of the pouches on his vest and pulled out a little wadded up piece of fabric—the panties he’d torn from Rona’s body when he’d searched her in the holding cell. He held the dirty little rag over his mouth and nose and inhaled deeply, like an addict huffing ether. His cock went hard in his britches, and his heart started kicking.

Yeah… he wasn’t gonna be dying today. Not when he had such a delicious piece of pussy waiting for him back on the ship. He was going to wear that pussy out once the mission was over. All three of them were. Him and Zeth and Aeron. They were gonna leave that woman dripping from all her holes.

“Bossman,” Murdok said. “The little lady there with you?”

“Right here beside me in the copilot’s seat.”

“She’s not sittin’ on your lap?”

Aeron chuckled. “I’m trying to keep my mind focused on the mission for the time being.”

“In that case,” Murdok said, grinning, “you’d better lock her naughty ass in the holding cell til we get back.”

He remembered the farewell the woman had given him a few minutes earlier, standing on the boarding ramp of the Talionis. She’d stood there, looking up at him in the dim starlight, trying and failing to conceal her concern.

“Come back safe,” she’d said.

“Woman,” he’d answered. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were actually worried about me.”

She’d given him one of her trademark scowls.

“It’s not you I’m worried about,” she’d whispered as she’d touched the front of his pants. “But I need this dick, and I’m willing to put up with the man that’s attached to it if I must.” She’d lifted herself up on her tiptoes to kiss him. “Come back safe.”

Murdok planned on it.

He would come back safe, dick and all.

He pressed the torn panties to his face and drew another deep lungful of her pungent scent. Then he stuffed the good luck charm back inside his vest and glanced back over his shoulder at the horizon.

The sun was starting to come up.

“Alright, kid. Get ready.”

“I was born ready.”

Murdok turned his eyes forward again. Before him, the first rays of the sun were gilding the craggy stones above the mine entrance. Over the next several minutes, the line of light crept lower and lower.

Just a little more, Murdok thought. Just a little more…

He counted off a hundred heartbeats.

Two hundred.

“Now!”

At the same instant he said it, Murdok surged to his feet and began racing down the other side of the ridge into the valley below. His rifle was in his hands, but he didn’t start shooting. Not yet.

About fifty paces ahead of him, a silent steel bolt from Zeth’s accelerator bow passed through the neck of one raider, and embedded itself in the chest of another who was next to him. A third raider standing nearby opened his mouth to scream, but before he could get any sound out, a second bolt transfixed his skull.

Zeth was able to snipe three more before the first three even hit the ground.

Murdok had to admit, the kid was good.

But the silent, long-range approach only worked for so long. The seventh victim was heartshot, and he managed to bellow in pain before he expired. The remaining thirty or so mutants all turned at the sound. They saw Murdok charging toward them, but only for the merest fraction of a second, because then the sun broke over the top of the ridge, blinding them with its glory.

Murdok started shooting.

His heavy assault rifle blurted, and the rounds tore through the raiders in front of him, vaporizing heads, amputating limbs, punching fist-sized holes through torsos. Spent casings littered the ground in his wake.

Some of the muties attempted to return fire, but with the sun in their eyes, they couldn’t aim for shit. Others tried to flee, but Zeth picked them off with his accelerator bow. In a matter of seconds, the entire valley had been cleared.

“Look out,” Aeron’s voice said in Murdok’s ear. “We’ve got movement inside the mine. Be ready for a counterattack.”

Murdok was ready.

Operating on pure gut instinct, he tucked and rolled to one side. A millisecond later, gunfire ripped out from the darkened entrance of the mine, sending up spumes of dust where he’d just been running.

“Kid!” he shouted. “Light ’em up!”

Zeth was already racing down the other slope toward the mine, about thirty paces back. He loosed another bolt from his accelerator bow, but this one was different from the ones he’d fired before. Glowing orange and trailing sparks, it looked more like a shooting star than an arrow. It disappeared into the entrance of the mine. Then came a loud whoomp of superheated air, and the inside of the mine lit up like a jack-o’-lantern.

A second later, the screaming started.

Raiders burst from the entrance of the mine, their bodies engulfed in flames. Murdok mowed them down with his gun and left them burning on the ground. Zeth came running up beside him just as he killed the last one.

“Two at Checkpoint Alpha,” Murdok said. “How’s it look inside?”

Aeron answered: “Need a second for the flames to die down… okay, you’re clear to proceed.”

Murdok slapped a fresh ammo mag into his rifle and gave Zeth a nod. Together, they entered the mine, Murdok taking the lead, Zeth right behind him. After a few feet, the entrance tunnel debouched into the wider, egg-shaped chamber Murdok had seen on the map. A few charred mutants lay smoldering on the floor. The air was filled with the smell of roasting meat. More flames still clung around the walls and ceiling where webs of raw raknid silk had caught fire. That stuff was worth money, so they’d have to try not to burn up too much of it. The raknids themselves were even more important. Brundage had specifically asked them not to harm any of the bugs.

“Stay sharp,” Aeron’s voice said. “You’ve got three more tangos heading your way, central corridor.”

“Copy that.”

Murdok nodded to Zeth, and they moved to opposite sides of the chamber, pressing themselves against the stone walls. There were three openings at the far end of the space. They trained their weapons on the one in the middle.

“Remember,” Aeron’s voice said. “It would be nice to keep at least one of them alive for questioning.”

Murdok looked across the chamber at Zeth, who was all but invisible against the wall.

“I’m on it,” the kid said.

Murdok could hear the muties coming toward them now, feet pounding, armor jangling, breath grunting with exertion. The bastards weren’t very good at being stealthy. They weren’t very good at anything besides dying. As they came rushing out of the tunnel, Murdok blasted the first two, killing them with two quick spurts of his rifle. The third he left for Zeth.

A blade flashed in the firelight as it whirled across the cave and embedded itself in the raider’s upper thigh. The mutant howled in pain and dropped to one knee. He started to lift his gun to shoot, but Zeth was already on him. A kick sent the raider’s gun flying out of his hands. Then the kid wrapped him up in a rear naked choke. In a matter of seconds, the mutant had gone limp.

“Good work,” Murdok said, rushing forward to help secure the prisoner.

“Too easy,” said Zeth. “I would enjoy a bit more of a challenge.”

“Yeah well, don’t get too cocky just yet. We’ve still got a bunch of these fuckers to get rid of.”

“I know, I know…”

Murdok cuffed the unconscious raider’s wrists behind his back while Zeth hobbled his ankles. The raider was already beginning to stir. He would be wide awake in a minute or two, but he wouldn’t be going anywhere. They would pick him up on their way out and take him back to the ship for questioning. Poor bastard would probably wish they’d killed him instead.

Then Murdok noticed the human scalp hanging from the mutant’s belt. It was fresh. Probably one of the miners. Poor bastard nothing.

“We’ve got one secure,” Murdok said to Aeron. “We clear to proceed with entrapment?”

“Affirmative,” Aeron answered.

Murdok took a small remote detonator out of his vest and flipped back the safety cap covering the red control button. “Now for the fun part,” he said and smashed the button.

There was a low rumble, like a peel of distant thunder. Dust sifted down from the ceiling of the chamber.

Last night, when he’d been scoping out the mission site, Aeron had planted a pair of explosive devices, one at the north entrance of the mine, the other at the south entrance. With those two passages blocked, the only ways out would be the eastern entrance—which Murdok and Zeth were currently guarding—or the entrance to the west.

“How we lookin’, boss?”

“Two successful detonations,” Aeron said. “The northern and southern exits are sealed. The mutants from those areas are heading for checkpoint bravo. Now all you have to do is chase ’em out the other end.”

Murdok grinned. “We’re on it.”

He and Zeth headed further into the mines, guided by Aeron’s directions from the ship. They went swiftly but cautiously, moving down the tunnels in a leap-frogging fashion, each one giving the other cover while he advanced to the next strong point. They encountered a few random muties along the way and wasted all of them with extreme prejudice.

They also encountered some raknids, the massive, spider-like critters that produced the mine’s valuable silk. The raknids looked mean, but their behavior was docile, having been domesticated centuries before. The tunnels were thick with their webs, and the sticky stuff clung to Murdok’s arms and legs as they plunged deeper and deeper into the mine.

There were no signs of dead raknids, however. That was a bit surprising, considering the raiders’ apparent propensity for violence. It was almost as if someone had given them strict orders not to harm the profitable creatures.

Suddenly, Aeron’s voice came through Murdok’s earpiece again.

“You’re coming up on Sector Bravo in about fifty yards. Get ready.”

“Copy that, boss.”

Sector Bravo was their designation for a place in the center of the mine where multiple tunnels came together. It was there that the fleeing mutants would converge as they attempted to exit the mine.

Murdok and Zeth were ready for them.

They waited until the raiders had flooded into the chamber, then they opened fire. Some of the mutants tried to fight back, but most of them fled, racing up the western tunnel in order to get away from the Mercs’ deadly rounds. That was exactly what Murdok wanted. Together, he and Zeth herded the raiders westward, picking off the stragglers as they went.

After several minutes of running, sunlight was visible ahead. They were nearing the western entrance of the mine.

“Getting close now, boss,” Murdok said. “The muties’ll be running out shortly.”

“Copy that,” Aeron answered. “I’ll be waiting for them.”

The running raiders started to shout as they exited the mine. The stupid bastards thought they’d gotten away. As the mutants poured out into the sunlight, they spread out and turned back to face the entrance of the mine, their guns aimed and ready to retaliate against their pursuers. They just had to wait for the rest of their buddies to get out of the way.

As soon as the last one was out of the mine, Murdok sent a message to Aeron.

“That’s all of ’em, boss.”

“Got it.”

From his position inside the mine, Murdok could not see the Talionis. He couldn’t hear the ship’s engines either, since they were virtually silent. What he could hear, however, was the collective scream of terror as the raiders realized how badly they had fucked up.

While Murdok and Zeth were chasing the mutants from Sector Bravo, Aeron had brought the Talionis down from high altitude. Now the ship was hovering a short distance away from the western entrance of the mine. A perfect position to finish off the mutant gang.

The ship opened fire.

From his vantage safe within the mine, Murdok watched as the landscape outside erupted in geysers of dirt and pulverized stone raised by the barrage of ammunition from the ship’s underwing guns. The raiders exploded as the fat-caliber rounds tore through meat and bone. It was a massacre. A complete and utter massacre.

Murdok grinned. He lived for this shit. The roar of gunfire, the smell of freshly spilled blood. Violence on a grand scale. There was only one thing he enjoyed more, and right now she was sitting in the cockpit with Aeron, watching it all go down.

Murdok moved forward to get a better view of the action. He sensed Zeth right behind him, equally enthralled.

Then he noticed something.

About a hundred yards out past the mine entrance, a stray mutant was hoisting something onto his shoulder. It wasn’t an ordinary old rifle. It was a big tube-shaped weapon with a muzzle so big Murdok could have fit his whole fist inside it.

An anti-aircraft rocket.

“Boss, check your two o’clock. There’s a tango with a double alpha.”

“I see him,” Aeron answered calmly.

Outside, the spumes of dirt cut a trail across the ground as Aeron swung the ship around to face the raider in question. Bullets ripped the mutant to pieces, but as he died, he managed to pull the trigger on his weapon. The rocket-propelled grenade whooshed out of the muzzle.

Only it wasn’t aimed at the Talionis anymore.

It was headed straight for the entrance of the mine.

“Shit!” Murdok shouted. “Look out!”

He turned and started to run. Zeth was already doing the same. They managed to sprint about ten paces back into the mine before the grenade exploded behind them. The wave of overpressure sent them sprawling. Then came the whoosh of super-heated air.

And after that, a deep tectonic rumbling that made Murdok’s blood go cold.

The tunnel was collapsing.

Before Murdok could push himself to his feet again, the section of tunnel came down around him, burying him and Zeth beneath darkness and stone.

CHAPTER 28

“No!” Rona shouted.

Aeron didn’t shout, but he shared her pain. Those weren’t just his friends down there. They were his comrades, his brothers-in-arms, and right now they were in trouble, buried under a pile of rocks.

“Murdok,” he said. “Zeth. Do you copy?”

No answer.

Damn.

He needed to get down there to check on them, but there were still a few dozen enemies to take care of first. He jerked the controls, causing the ship to bank to the right, then he opened fire again, strafing the remaining raiders with the underwing guns. The mutants burst apart in explosions of gore. In a matter of seconds, they were all dead. The only movement down below was the drifting dust left over from where the bullets had impacted the ground.

Aeron tried to raise his teammates again.

“Murdok. Zeth. Come in. Can you hear me?”

Still nothing.

Beside him, in the copilot’s seat, Rona was shaking. Her eyes were wet with tears that had not yet started to spill.

“Are they…?”

“They’re alive,” Aeron said, and he tried his best to mean it.

He turned the controls, more gently this time, and aimed the nose of the ship at the mine entrance. What was left of it, anyway. He stared through the windshield at the collapsed pile of boulders.

“I’ll never be able to move that stuff on my own…”

He pulled back on the control stick and hit the throttle. The Talionis aimed itself skyward and shot straight up into the air. Within a matter of seconds, they were a mile up. He switched the visualizer back on and studied the image. It was the same bird’s-eye-view he’d used to guide Murdok and Zeth during the mission. He could see the dark network of the mine tunnels spotted with the bright figures of the spiderlike raknids. He could also see the dimmer forms of the dead mutants, their heat-signatures gradually fading as their bodies cooled.

And there, at the western terminus, were two very large, sprawled-out humanoid shapes.

“There they are,” Rona blurted, pointing.

“That’s right,” Aeron said, nodding. “And their bodies are still nice and bright. That means they’re still alive.”

But they weren’t moving.

Aeron leaned in and took a closer look.

“It’s hard to be sure from this angle,” he said, “but it looks like there’s less rubble on the inside. I might be able to dig them out, but I’ll need to go in through the east entrance. That’s the only way that isn’t blocked now.”

He stared at the tangled mess of tunnels that lay between the east entrance and his friends. There was no way he was going to be able to navigate that on his own. Not fast enough, anyway.

He turned to Rona.

“If I go down there, can you guide me through, the same way I did for Zeth and Murdok?”

She wiped away her tears and nodded.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Absolutely.”

He liked the conviction in her voice.

“Alright,” he said, retrieving an earpiece from a compartment under the control panel and placing it in his ear. “As long as you’re in the cockpit, I’ll be able to hear anything you say. Just make sure to speak clearly…”

He checked the overhead view, then typed some coordinates into the console.

“…Once I’ve got Murdok and Zeth, I want you to press this button. That’ll bring the ship in for a landing over here by the east entrance.”

“A landing?” Rona asked.

“That’s right. I need the ship to stay up here in the air while I’m completing the mission. That’s the only way for you to keep an eye on things from above.”

It also meant she would be safer than on the ground. It looked like all the raiders had been killed, but one could never be too careful.

Rona gave him a worried look.

“But, how will you…?”

“I’ll jump.”

Aeron surged up out of the pilot’s seat and rushed out of the cockpit. He could hear Rona following right behind him, her little bare feet pattering on the hard floor of the corridor.

“You’re going to jump?” she exclaimed.

“Affirmative.”

He swung into the armory and started gathering what he needed. An auto shotgun with a drum magazine, a pair of sidearms, and a parachute. He secured the harness around his torso and legs, then turned and went back into the corridor. Rona was standing there watching with a worried expression. Aeron pressed the button to open the ship’s hatch, and the boarding ramp lowered amid a whistle of high-altitude wind. The stink of polluted air filled the ship.

“Aeron,” Rona said, raising her voice to make herself heard over the noise. “Be careful down there… please.”

“I will.”

He gathered her small, soft body against his own and kissed her hard and rough on the lips. Then he turned, ran down the open boarding ramp, and dove out into the morning sky.

CHAPTER 29

Rona clung to the side of the hatch and watched as Aeron fell. In a matter of seconds, he looked no bigger than a bird in the sky. A speck. Then she couldn’t see him at all. She hit the button to close the hatch and rushed back up the corridor. Her heart was in her throat.

In the cockpit, she dropped into the pilot’s seat. The pads were still warm from Aeron’s body heat. In front of her, overlaid across the windscreen, was a holographic bird’s-eye-view of the terrain below, captured by a special scanner mounted on the underside of the ship. She could even see through the terrain, into the warrens of tunnels beneath. The camera picked up the heat-signatures of the raknids scurrying throughout the tunnels. The dead raiders were there too, though their cooling bodies had now almost blended into the surrounding rock.

At the west end of the map, she could see Murdok and Zeth. They weren’t moving, but their bodies were still bright and warm. A good sign.

“Please be okay,” she whispered.

She suddenly remembered that there was a mic in the cockpit. Aeron could hear her. Perhaps Murdok and Zeth could too.

“Guys, if you can hear this, just hang tight. Aeron is coming to get you out.”

As if on cue, something moved at the eastern side of the map. It was Aeron. His parachute had opened safely, and he was now gliding into the landing zone outside the entrance of the mine. He touched down and jogged to a stop. Then he started to unfasten his harness.

“I’m down,” he said. “Rona, can you hear me?”

“Yup! I mean, affirmative.”

She turned her attention to the space just inside the east entrance to the mine. The spot which the Mercs had designated as Checkpoint Alpha. Something was stirring inside. A mutant from the looks of it.

“Aeron,” she said. “Remember that raider they took prisoner? Looks like he’s awake again.”

“Copy that. Thanks for the heads-up.”

Rona could see that Aeron had his harness off now. He headed toward the mine with his shotgun at the ready. At the entrance, he paused for a moment, as if looking inside. Then he rushed in and knelt by the surviving raider.

“Restraints are still secure,” he said.

“Just kill him,” said Rona, fearing for her lover’s safety.

“No. I want one of them alive for questioning.”

Rona saw Aeron make a quick motion with the butt of his shotgun, and a sound came through the speakers like two blocks of wood knocking together. On the screen, the raider’s body stilled.

“I’ll be back for you in a bit…”

Aeron headed deeper into the mine, following the middle of the three tunnels that branched off from the first chamber. The same path Zeth and Murdok had followed. After that, Rona gave him directions, guiding him through the winding network of passages. Up on the screen, he looked like a mouse running through a maze. Rona might have smiled at that thought, if the situation had not been so dire.

“You’re coming up on Sector Bravo,” she told him, remembering the name the Mercs had used before. “That means you’re about halfway— oh no.”

“Rona? What’s the matter?”

There was movement outside of the mine. A big group of white dots had appeared from the north. A quick zoom in confirmed what Rona feared—more raiders.

“Aeron, more tangos just showed up outside. A bunch of them.”

“Good thing we kept you in the air then.”

He sounded totally unfazed.

“What about you?” Rona asked.

“I’m going to kill them,” Aeron said, as casually as if he were talking about taking out the trash. “How many of them are there?”

Rona did a quick estimate. “About fifty?”

“Location?”

“They’re outside the north entrance right now. Wait… now they’re splitting up. Half of them are going west, and half are going east.”

“Probably heard all the commotion and came to see what’s up. Now they’re trying to find a way into the mine.”

“They won’t be getting in from the west,” Rona said, remembering the sight of the collapsed entrance.

“Affirmative,” Aeron agreed. “Keep an eye on the eastern group and let me know where they go. I’m going to hang tight here until we figure out what they’re up to.”

“Roger that.”

Rona had to admit, it was kind of fun playing the role of overwatch. Or rather, it would have been fun if the three men she cared about weren’t in danger. Two of them were buried under a heap of rubble, and the third was facing down a gang of twenty-plus bloodthirsty mutants.

He’s gonna kick their asses, Rona told herself. The muties don’t stand a chance. Just look at what Zeth and Murdok did to the rest of them…

Still, this felt different somehow. Aeron was by himself down there, and he no longer had the element of surprise.

Rona kept her eyes glued to the map.

“The tangos have reached Checkpoint Alpha,” she reported in the steadiest voice she could manage. “They went right past their unconscious buddy. Guess they thought he was dead.”

“Which way are they going now?”

“Middle tunnel, straight toward you.”

“Thought so. Most muties aren’t real smart, but some of them have a good sense of smell. They should be able to follow my scent trail right to my position. I’ll be ready for them.”

Rona didn’t like that idea. She didn’t like it at all. It wasn’t that she didn’t think Aeron could take on the raiders all by himself. But facing that many head on, there was always a chance something could go wrong. A stray bullet. An explosion. Just look what had happened to Zeth and Murdok.

She remembered last night, when Murdok had spanked her for doubting Aeron’s ability to take care of himself. She decided she was willing to endure another spanking if necessary.

Her eyes darted over the map.

“Babe,” she said into the mic. “How do you feel about shooting someone in the back?”

“Zero qualms,” Aeron answered.

“In that case, I have a plan.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“The raiders are fast,” Rona said, “but you’re even faster. If you follow my directions, I can get you around behind them before they even know what you’re doing. Then you can ambush them from the rear.”

There was maybe half a second of silence.

“Sounds good. Which way?”

“See that tunnel off to your right? Take that one.”

On the overhead view, Aeron set off in the direction Rona had indicated, moving at inhuman speeds. He was so fast, it was a challenge for Rona to call out her directions rapidly enough. If she hadn’t already known the mine like the back of her hand, she probably wouldn’t have been able to keep up.

“I can hear them,” Aeron whispered to her through the speakers.

“Yeah, you’re getting close. Just one more turn. Go left at this next junction, and… that’s it. Be careful, they’re only about fifty yards ahead of you.”

“Not for long.”

Rona watched as Aeron moved up behind the unsuspecting mutants. The air inside the cockpit was cool, but her body was drenched in sweat. Her hands were welded to the armrests of her seat. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so alert, so alive.

Actually, yes she could—that night so many years before when she’d taken Tulliver’s eye.

“Twenty yards…” she whispered. “Ten… five…”

Sounds came over the speakers. A series of loud, quick thumps as Aeron’s auto shotgun unloaded into the raiders from behind. The first few mutants didn’t even have a chance to scream. A few in front actually managed to turn around and raise their weapons, but the shotgun tore them apart before they could return fire. In a matter of seconds, it was all over, and the place where the raiders had been standing was just one big splatter of white on the screen. A few days ago, Rona probably would have been grateful that she didn’t actually have to look at all the blood and guts. Now she felt cheated.

“That all of ’em?” Aeron asked.

Rona grinned. “That’s it.” She paused. “Well… except for the other group who went the other direction.”

“I’ll deal with them after I’ve freed Murdok and Zeth.”

Rona’s grin disappeared. She got dead serious again. “Let’s make that happen.”

With her guidance, Aeron was able to reach the western end of the mine in a few minutes. He immediately started rolling aside pieces of fallen rubble. It was hard to get a clear read of the situation from the hologram, so Rona just closed her eyes and listened to Aeron grunting through the speakers as he worked.

Please let them be okay, she thought. Please, please, please…

Someone on the other end coughed. It sounded too quiet to have been Aeron. Rona’s heart lifted with hope.

“Fucking took you long enough,” a voice said.

Murdok’s voice.

Now Rona’s heart was doing a full-on happy dance in her chest. She wanted to say something, but she didn’t want to interrupt the two Mercs. She could hear them both working to dig their other companion free. After a minute, a third voice could be heard, honey-sweet but bruised. It was the voice of an angel who had fallen from heaven and hit the ground hard.

“Ahhh, that’s quite a relief. Thank you.”

At last, Rona allowed herself to speak. “Murdok!” she shouted. “Zeth!”

“They’re both fine,” Aeron reported happily. “Their equipment got damaged in the collapse, that’s why they couldn’t answer us, but no serious injuries.”

Rona wondered what counted as a serious injury for the Mercs.

Tears of joy were rolling down her cheeks. She let them roll for a few seconds more, then she smudged them away and turned her attention back to the map. There were still a couple dozen loose ends to tie up.

“Remember that other group of tangos?” she said. “Well, they’re making their way around toward Checkpoint Alpha.”

“How many?”

Rona did a quick count. “Twenty-five.”

Aeron chuckled. “Twenty-five against three. Those are terrible odds.”

Rona didn’t have to ask who the odds were terrible for. She watched as Aeron handed over the two pistols he’d taken with him as backups. One for Murdok, one for Zeth. The shotgun he kept for himself.

“So,” he said. “What’s the game plan?”

It took Rona a moment to realize the question was directed at her. She was still on overwatch, after all. She grinned and leaned forward to get a better look at the map.

“Listen,” she said. “Here’s what I want you to do…”

CHAPTER 30

It was late afternoon when the Talionis finally touched down on the outskirts of the village. Rona could scarcely believe it had only been three days since she’d watched the Mercs’ arrival from the curtained doorway of her little hovel.

A lot had happened since then.

A lot.

This time, she wasn’t watching from afar. She was in the cockpit, sitting in the burly copilot’s lap and looking out through the tinted windscreen at the shabby little village below. Tiny, cautious faces peered out from the windows and doors like burrowing animals getting ready to retreat at the first sign of aggression.

Rona was not going to miss this place. Not in the least. She didn’t know where she was going to go next, but she knew it would be better than here. It had to be.

Aeron set the ship down right at the edge of the village and shut off the engines. Then he turned and looked at Rona.

“You can wait here if you want.”

“Hell no,” Rona said, grinning. “I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”

By the time she and her three Mercs had disembarked, the villagers had already started making their way to the Common Hall. Rona walked among them, dressed in her jeans and tank top, which she’d had to tie up after Murdok had torn it. Now it left her midriff exposed, a sexy alteration to her previous style. She drew wary looks from the crowd. She’d known she would have to show her face here again sooner or later, and she’d expected it to be a shameful experience. Today, however, she didn’t feel the slightest bit of shame. None at all. She kept her head held high and let the people stare. They could say or think whatever they pleased. Rona honestly didn’t give a shit.

Inside the Common Hall, the air was still hot and muggy, but the mood was much more positive than before. The village councillors must have received word of the Mercs’ arrival, because they were already gathering on the platform at the far end. Brundage was there among them, the little stinker. Rona suppressed an evil grin when she saw him.

“Greetings, gentlemen!” Brundage called as the Mercs approached the stage. “You were gone so long, we had feared you might never return.”

Rona rolled her eyes. It had only been three days.

“We Mercs do things on our own schedule,” Aeron replied. He scanned his eyes coldly over the stage before finally locking on Brundage. “Killing isn’t something you can rush. There were certain preparations required beforehand.”

Brundage smiled pleasantly.

“Of course, sir! Of course! Please do excuse my manners.” He stretched his short arms to encompass the crowd gathering before him. “I am merely eager for the mine to be reopened so that the people of my village may prosper once more.”

Rona rolled her eyes a second time. Prosper once more? Yeah right. The village had never been all that prosperous in the first place. The shareholders had, but not the people down in the mines doing the actual work.

“We heard some commotion this morning,” Brundage continued, “coming from the direction of the mines. I take it the job has been completed?”

“It has,” Aeron said. “The mutants are gone.”

A collective exhalation of relief rippled through the crowd. There were even a few joyful cheers.

Aeron went on: “You’ll have a bit of cleaning up to do before you can get back to work. Three of the four entrances are blocked, but you should have no trouble clearing the rubble with your machines. And of course there are the dead bodies to dispose of.”

“What of the raknids?” Brundage asked. “I hope not too many of them were harmed in the process.”

“Not a single one,” said Aeron. “Which, when you think about it, is a bit strange, no?”

Brundage’s expression faltered. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, have you actually stopped to think about what those raiders were doing in your mine in the first place? They didn’t kill any of the raknids. They didn’t gather any of the precious silk.” Aeron turned to face the gathering of miners. “Have any of you stopped to ask why? Why would a bunch of mutants take it upon themselves to raid your mine?”

Here it comes, Rona thought gleefully.

Aeron nodded to Zeth, and the young Merc took a small handheld device out of his vest. He aimed it at a section of the wall—a section that was mostly flat and devoid of rust—and pressed a button on the device. An image projected onto the metal, a video showing a man sitting behind a desk. The point of view was high, as if viewed through the eyes of a very tall man.

“I recorded this two days ago,” Aeron said, “using my optical implants. The location is the Bursa in Jeriko. The man is a stock broker.”

An audio track played from the device in Zeth’s hand, matching the video projection. Despite the device’s small size, the sound was still loud enough to fill the Common Hall.

“I’m sorry, sir,” the broker was saying, “but I’m afraid we’re not allowed to reveal any information about our clients.”

In the video, a massive hand darted out and seized the man’s tie, dragging him halfway across the desk. He tried to shout, but his tie was now constricting his throat, making it impossible for him to do anything but speak in a raspy whisper.

“W-what was that name again? W-Walther Brundage. Y-yes, he was in here the day before yesterday. H-he bought ten thousand shares of Riadne stock.”

“What is this?” Brundage protested from the stage.

Aeron ignored him and nodded to Zeth again. The young Merc tapped the device, and the image on the wall changed. This time, it was outside at night. The point-of-view was peering over the top of a boulder at a group of mutant raiders gathered around a small thermal unit.

“How much longer do we have to stay here?” one of them asked. “It was fun at first, killing all those miners, but now this shit is getting boring as hell.”

“Yeah,” another one answered. “But think about the money.”

“We’ve already gotten paid.”

“Idiot! We’ve only gotten paid half. The other half will come after our employer tells us we can leave.”

“Well, it’d better be soon, otherwise I’m outta here.”

Aeron nodded again, and Zeth changed the image one more time.

This time, the image was familiar to Rona. She’d been there when it was recorded a few short hours ago. It showed the raider they had taken prisoner. He was chained up in the holding cell of the Talionis. He did not look good.

“Okay! Okay!” the raider cried. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know! Just keep that woman away from me. She’s fucking crazy!”

“Who hired you?” Aeron’s voice asked in the recording.

“His name’s Brundage,” the raider said. “Walther Brundage.”

Zeth cut the video off.

“So, there you have it,” Aeron said, projecting his deep voice so everyone in the hall could hear. “Mr. Brundage here paid the mutant gang to take over the mine, killing hundreds of your fellow miners in the process. His goal was to crash the price of Riadne stock. He bought as many shares as he could afford, knowing they would be worth a fortune after the mines reopened. Then he hired my comrades and me to get rid of the problem he’d created. He knew our fee would be high, but that didn’t matter. The village would foot the bill. A decent little plan, except that Mr. Brundage failed to account for one thing. We Mercs can be kind of nosy when we want to be, especially when our lives are on the line.”

For a long moment, the hall was almost completely silent, but Rona could feel the tension in the air. She loved it.

“Get ’im!” someone shouted. “Get Brundage!”

“Kill the bastard!” suggested someone else.

Aeron lifted his arms and let out a loud and savage roar that shook the entire Common Hall. For a second, Rona was actually worried the whole thing might collapse on top of them. When Aeron lowered his hands again, silence reigned. He had the crowd’s attention.

“What you do with Brundage is your business,” he said. “But there’s one thing I want to make perfectly clear. Our contract was with the village, and we expect to be paid.”

“But the whole thing was a scam!” some brave soul shouted from the back of the crowd.

“I don’t give a shit,” Aeron answered. “I didn’t know that when I accepted the job, and if not for me and my companions, none of you would have ever found out either. We’re not heroes. We’re killers for hire, and we expect to get paid. We’ll be back in a few months to collect our money. If you’re worried about how you’re going to come up with the cash…”

He whirled around and pointed at Brundage.

“That man has ten thousand shares of Riadne stock. Those are about to be worth a whole lot of money. More than enough to pay our fee. So, before you go caving his head in, you might want to figure out where he’s got ’em stashed away. Oh, and one more thing.”

The crowd seemed to hold its breath waiting.

“Hiring those mutants couldn’t have been cheap. I doubt Mr. Brundage here had the means to pay them all by himself. My guess is he had some kind of backing. Just a hunch. Anyway, like I said, we’ll be back to collect our money in a few months. You’d better have it. If you don’t, we’ll be unhappy. And I promise you, you don’t want to see us when we’re unhappy.”

With that, he and the other two Mercs headed for the door.

Rona went with them.

She glanced back at Brundage on the stage. The little man probably would have liked to leave the Common Hall too, but the crowd was already pressing in around him, blocking his escape.

CHAPTER 31

Outside, the sun was sinking lower in the sky, stretching long shadows from the western hills and the crooked roofs of the surrounding hovels. The streets were quiet. Everyone was inside the Common Hall. Everyone except Rona and her three Mercs.

They walked as they had the first time Rona had seen them, in a triangular formation with Aeron at the front and the other two walking side by side a few paces behind him. The only difference was that now Rona was walking in the middle of them. It felt good being surrounded by such large and deadly men. It made her feel safe, protected.

But there was a problem.

Thus far, none of them had talked about the days to come, aside from a few vague references about reporting to the nearest chapterhouse of the Mercenaries Guild. There had been no discussion regarding what would become of Rona or the child she was now incubating in her womb. The last time that topic had come up had been three days ago in the holding cell with Aeron, when he had laid the whole situation out for her.

And that shit simply wasn’t going to fly.

Rona stopped walking and pressed her fists against her hips. She expected the Mercs to stop after a few paces, but they didn’t. They continued on ahead of her, not once breaking their stride. Rona waited until they had traveled about ten yards before calling out to them.

“Hey!”

The Mercs halted and turned around to look at her. They were quite a sight in the late afternoon sun. Three massive soldiers with broad shoulders and bare, muscled arms, their augmetically enhanced eyes glowing redly within the shadows of their hoods.

“Yes?” Aeron asked.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Aeron jerked his head back in the direction of the Talionis

“To the ship,” he said. “Where else? Job’s over. Time to go home.”

“What about me?”

The Mercs didn’t answer. They just glanced back and forth at one another for a moment, then they fixed their eyes on Rona again. Their expressions gave nothing away.

Rona’s throat felt tight all of a sudden. Her eyes ached with unshed tears. Tears of sadness. Tears of rage. It was only through a supreme effort of her will that she managed to hold them back.

“Alright, listen up,” she said, jabbing a finger in the direction of the three massive men. “And listen good: I don’t give a shit how other Mercs do things. I’m coming with you guys, and that’s fucking final.”

Aeron started to say something, but Rona cut him off.

“Shut up!” she said. “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear any excuses. I don’t want to hear any bullshit about how the Mercenaries Guild operates. I don’t want to hear any of that crap. You’re gonna take me with you in your spaceship, because if you don’t, I’m gonna raise so much goddamn hell, you’re gonna have to come back and put my ass in line. And then I’m gonna keep raising hell, and keep raising hell, until you stupid, thickheaded sons of bitches get the fucking picture. Do I make myself clear?”

When she was finished, Rona stood there panting and glaring at the three Mercs. The men exchanged another series of glances, then all three of them started to chuckle. After a few seconds, the chuckles became full-on laughter.

Rona could not hold back her tears any longer. They ran down her face as she shook with rage.

“Stop laughing at me!” she shouted. “I’m not fucking kidding around!”

The Mercs stopped laughing. Aeron came toward her, his expression suddenly solemn. He took Rona’s face in both of his hands and thumbed the tears from her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, little one,” he said. “We didn’t mean to make you cry. We know you aren’t kidding, and we weren’t laughing at you. Not really.”

“What were you laughing at then?” Rona asked.

“Come here. Let me show you…”

Aeron took her by the hand and led her toward the ship, but he didn’t take her to the boarding ramp. Instead, he took her around the eastern facing side of the vessel. The side which was shaded from the westering sun.

“Zeth,” he said.

Rona watched as Zeth took out the device he had used inside the Common Hall a few minutes before. He aimed the device at the side of the ship and activated it. The matte black finish of the hull did not make for the best projector screen, but it was good enough for Rona to understand what she was looking at. It was an image of the cockpit of the Talionis, seen through Aeron’s eyes. Murdok was sitting in the copilot’s seat, naked and sweating. Rona could hear herself moaning in the background.

This was last night, after Aeron returned from his recon mission.

His recorded voice spoke.

“There’s one more thing we need to discuss: Rona.”

The video image of Murdok raised his scarred eyebrows.

“Yeah?”

“I’ve decided we’re taking her with us. I realize it goes against Guild protocol, and it will make our lives infinitely more complicated, but I don’t care. There’s no way I’m gonna leave her behind. No way.”

Video Murdok grinned.

“Hell,” he said. “I’ve never been one to stand on protocol. Have you talked to Zeth about this?”

“Don’t need to. I’m certain he feels the same way about it as we do.”

Murdok nodded, then quirked one brow.

“What about Rona? What if she doesn’t want to come with us?”

“I don’t give a shit,” Aeron said. “She’s coming whether she wants to or not. I’ll kidnap her if I have to. Then I’ll spank her ass into submission.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Murdok chuckled.

The video cut off.

For a long moment, Rona just stood there, swaying lightly on her feet. Her heart was going crazy in her chest. She turned and looked at each of her three Mercs in turn, handsome Aeron, pretty Zeth, and ugly Murdok. She gave a tentative smile.

“Do you mean it?” she asked. “You’re really gonna take me with you?”

“Woman,” said Aeron, taking a step closer. “Do I look like I’m fucking kidding?”

He did not.

He most certainly did not.

Before Rona even knew what was happening, the Merc leader had literally swept her off her feet and flung her over his broad shoulder like a conqueror collecting the spoils of war. Without a word, he carried her around to the boarding ramp and up into the belly of the ship. The other two Mercs followed them in, undressing as they went.

Rona could feel the weight of the knife in her pocket. The one she had used to stab Zeth when the Mercs had first brought her aboard their ship. She did not try to draw it this time. Nobody would be getting stabbed today.

Not by a knife anyway.

CHAPTER 32

They took her to the holding cell. It wasn’t very romantic perhaps, but it was the only room on board with enough space to do what needed to be done. The prisoner was gone, but his blood was still on the walls. Rona didn’t mind. To be honest, it kind of turned her on.

Not that she really needed any help in that department. Her three men already had her so hot and bothered she felt like she was going to explode.

Once they were all inside the cell, Aeron lifted her off his shoulder and set her down on her feet. Zeth and Murdok came and stood behind her. They had already removed their combat vests and hoods, and now Aeron removed his too. He stood before her, bare-chested and magnificent. Rona’s mouth watered at the sight. She wanted to lick every inch of him. His chest, his abs, and those two sexy lines angling downward from his hips toward the part of him she wanted more than anything else.

He tilted her chin up, and her gaze lifted from his crotch to his handsome, bearded face.

And those eyes. Those lethal red eyes.

“Let’s get one thing straight,” Aeron rumbled. “As long as you’re on this ship, you’re a member of the team, and that means you will have certain duties—duties which you will be expected to perform without hesitation or protest. Any insubordination on your part will be met with swift punishment.”

Rona felt her flesh prickling with goosebumps. Inside her jeans, her pussy was becoming hot and wet. She bit her lip and stared up at Aeron with desperate, needful eyes.

“Swift punishment?” she asked. “Why not prolonged?”

Aeron smirked through his beard.

“Woman, your punishments will be exactly as long and hard as necessary.”

“And my duties? What will they be?”

“Oh, I think you already know.”

Rona’s blood was beating like a drum. She could feel it throbbing in her most sensitive places, in the tips of her breasts and down between her legs.

“I’m yours,” she said, glancing back over both shoulders to let the Mercs know she was talking about all three of them. “Any time, any place, any way that you want me, I’m yours to use and share.”

“Prove it,” Aeron said.

Rona fell on her knees in front of him and unbuckled his belt. Then she started on his fly. She could see how hard he was through the fabric of his pants, but she needed to feel it too. She needed to feel it with her lips and with her tongue. She needed to feel it deep in the back of her throat. She needed it so bad she wanted to cry.

Once his fly was unfastened, Rona hooked her fingers inside his pants and started to drag them down. The top of his pants slipped over the thick muscles of his ass, then slid down the taut sinews of his upper thighs. His hard cock swung upward, all long and thick and throbbing. Rona paused for a moment, taking in the sight of him—the pulsing veins, the leaking tip—then she dove in and got to work.

She didn’t tease him or take her time with it. She didn’t have the self-control for that. Instead, she licked every inch of him, until his whole shaft was glistening with her spit. Then she wrapped her lips around him and started to work them up and down his hard length.

Above her, Aeron groaned with satisfaction.

“That’s it, sweetheart. Just like that. I love the way your pretty little mouth feels around my cock.”

Rona pulled back and licked her lips.

“I love it too,” she said.

“That’s good, because now that you’re an official part of the team, you’re gonna be spending a lot of time on your knees.”

“And on your back,” added Murdok.

“And down on all fours,” finished Zeth.

Rona’s whole body trembled at those words. Over the past three days, she had experienced the Mercs’ appetites first hand. She knew how much stamina they had, and how much hunger. An ordinary woman probably would have been terrified by the prospect of servicing such men for the rest of her life. But Rona was not an ordinary woman. To her, it sounded like pure heaven.

She took Aeron into her mouth again and started to suck, taking him as deep as she could, taking him into her throat. When she finally pulled back to catch her breath, her whole body felt like it was on fire with lust. She tore her shirt off over her head, exposing her bare breasts and stiff nipples. Then she went back to sucking him even harder and faster than before, gulping and slurping and moaning with desperation.

“Fuck, that sounds amazing,” Murdok said.

“Feels even better,” said Aeron. “Here, have a try…”

The Merc leader pushed Rona back and turned her face toward Murdok. At some point while she’d been pleasuring his comrade, the scarred Merc had removed all of his clothing. Now he towered above her, completely nude and fully erect. He gripped his dick with one hand and tapped it against her wet lips.

“Open up,” he growled. “I got somethin’ for that dirty little mouth of yours.”

Rona opened, and he entered. She could feel his scars gliding against her tongue as he used her. She could feel the blood pumping inside him too, all hot and alive. She slid her hands around behind him and gripped the flexing muscles of his ass while he thrust into her.

“You like that, don’t you?” Murdok asked. “You like getting your sexy mouth fucked like a pussy.”

Rona disagreed. She didn’t like it. She loved it. But this was no time for arguing semantics, so she just moaned in affirmation.

“Mm-hmm!”

“That’s good,” Murdok said. “Because your naughty mouth is going to be getting a lot of use from now on. You’ve got three men to take care of. Three very horny men.”

Rona pulled back, wiped her chin, and grinned.

“I’ve got a big appetite,” she told him.

Then she spat on his cock and went back to sucking, using both hands to spread her wetness all over his huge, ribbed shaft. His tip hit the back of her throat and she gagged, but she didn’t stop sucking. She just let the tears roll down her cheeks and mix with her saliva. When she finally came off him gasping, her face was a hot mess.

“A big appetite indeed,” Murdok said. “But don’t forget about Zeth. I’m sure he’s eager to sample that talented little mouth of yours too.”

Rona turned to face the third and final Merc.

Zeth. Crazy, beautiful Zeth. The man who had taken her virginity, and given her the eye of her enemy in return.

Like Murdok, he had stripped off all of his clothing, and he stood before her now, looking like a statue carved by a master sculptor. Even his cock was a perfect work of art, so long and thick and exquisitely formed.

Rona whined softly as she licked the precum from his tip. Then she took him between her lips and pleasured him with slow, wet strokes. She loved the way he felt inside her, loved the smooth, thick weight of him on her tongue and the subtle, sweet flavor of his immaculate skin. But most of all, she loved the gentle way he petted her head with those huge, strong hands of his—hands that had ended more lives than she would ever know. She looked up at him through tear-filled eyes and moaned.

“You are a goddess,” Zeth whispered. “My beautiful, dirty little goddess.”

The other two men rumbled in agreement.

She went on like that for a long time, letting the Mercs share her mouth, sucking each of them in turn while stroking the other two with her hands. She drank their pleasure like a succubus, soaking up every groan and spasm, every word of praise and approbation. And then, at last, when that was no longer enough, she begged.

“Come for me,” she panted, with a cock in each hand and a third resting against her chin. “I want you all to come for me.”

“What’s the magic word?” Aeron asked.

“Please!” Rona cried. “Please, I need you to come all over my face!”

“Very well,” Aeron said. “You have your duties, woman, and we have ours. When our little mate needs our cum, it is our duty to give it to her until she’s had her fill…”

The three big males pressed in close around her, jacking their hard cocks with a furious intensity. Rona tilted her head back and gaped her lips, offering her mouth as a receptacle for their seed.

The Mercs accepted her offering.

Not all of it landed inside, of course. Their first few shots flew wild, splattering across Rona’s forehead and cheeks, painting her face with sticky warmth. But as the force of their ejaculations eased, their aim grew more and more accurate, and they filled her mouth with their hot, thick spend. Rona swallowed all of it with a smile.

“Did that taste good, sweetheart?” Aeron asked.

Rona looked up at him and nodded. She was only able to open one eye. The other was covered in seed. Aeron gently wiped it away with his thumb. Then he let her suck it clean. He watched her with an expression of pure adoration.

“You look so beautiful wearing our cum,” he said.

He knelt down in front of her and caressed her cheek, gathering more of the sticky stuff on his fingertips. He fed it to her again.

“You’ve been marked now,” he told her. “Marked by our seed. That means you’re our property. You belong to us, woman, from now until forever.”

Property.

Just a few days ago, Rona would have hated that word. She had never wanted to belong to any man. But the Mercs were not just any men. They were the biggest, meanest, scariest men she had ever seen. They killed for a living, and they were good at it too. The best in the whole damn galaxy. Men like that didn’t allow anyone to mess with their property.

Rona would not have to worry about anyone messing with her ever again, and neither would her children.

“I love you,” she admitted, looking around at her three men. “I love all of you so much.”

Aeron leaned in and kissed her on the lips, not seeming to mind that they were still stained with his cum and the cum of his two companions.

“We love you too,” he whispered deeply. “And we always will.”

“We will always protect you,” Zeth said, giving her a kiss of his own.

“And we’ll always keep your naughty little ass in line,” said Murdok. “So don’t go thinking you’re getting off easy.”

He kissed her so hard it hurt.

“I don’t want easy,” Rona said. “I just want you. All three of you.”

“And that’s exactly what you’re gonna get,” said Aeron. “Now lay down and spread those sexy legs. It’s time for your tight little pussy to get fucked hard and deep.”

Rona couldn’t get her clothes off fast enough. She’d already removed her shirt, but she still had her jeans and boots to contend with. Zeth and Murdok helped her with the latter. Then Aeron helped remove her jeans. Once she was fully naked, she did exactly as the Merc commander told her. She lay back on the hard metal floor of the holding cell and opened her legs as wide as she could spread them, putting her wet pussy on full display for all three Mercs to see. Their hard cocks jumped in response.

“God damn,” Aeron said hungrily. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of looking at that gorgeous little cunt.” He flared his nostrils. “Or smelling it… or tasting it.”

He dropped his face between Rona’s open thighs and tongue-kissed her pussy. Then he climbed on top and mounted her, claiming her with one deep thrust of his hard cock. Rona gasped as he filled her.

“Oh God!”

If she had been a romantic, she would have said they were a perfect fit for each other, but that simply wasn’t true. He was too big for her, way too big, but she liked that about him. She liked the way he stretched her. She liked the way it hurt. His tip thumped against her back wall like a battering ram, and she could tell from the very first stroke that she was going to come.

“Yes!” Rona cried each time he thrust into her. “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Aeron gripped her legs and pinned them back while he fucked her. He pounded into her hard and deep. Sweat trickled down his hard muscles and mixed with the slippery wetness spilling out of her. His big, heavy balls slammed against her ass.

She was getting absolutely ravaged, and it felt amazing. She was getting fucked with her lovers’ cum still warm on her face. When she licked her lips, she could taste it, all salty and dirty and delicious.

“Oh my God,” she moaned. “Aeron, I’m gonna come. You’re gonna make me come with your cock.”

“You’d better come,” the Merc growled on top of her. “You’d better come right fucking now. That’s a fucking order.”

Rona couldn’t have disobeyed if she’d wanted to. Her climax was like an explosion. She felt in every part of her body, from her cum-stained lips all the way down to the tips of her curling toes. Aeron continued to pound her, forcing her to endure one orgasm after another as his hard cock churned the thick secretions leaking from the deepest part of her. When he finally stopped and pulled out, Rona felt high from coming.

But something was wrong…

“Aeron,” she whimpered, looking up at the big male crouching over her. “You didn’t come.”

“Not yet,” he said with a smirk. “I wanted to get myself good and lubed up first.”

Rona glanced down at his hard cock, which was hovering just above her ravaged pussy. His long shaft was well lubricated indeed, not just with her spit and arousal fluid, but with her thicker cervical secretions too.

“Murdok,” Aeron barked. “I want you to take over pussy duty for me. I’m gonna run recon on that tight little ass.”

“You got it, boss.”

Aeron moved aside, and Murdok took his place between Rona’s legs. Her pussy was wet and gaping from the rough fucking Aeron had just given her. It swallowed Murdok’s hard cock with relative ease.

“Shit,” he chuckled. “Aeron really got you broken in for me.”

He worked his dick in and out of her a few times. Messy, wet sounds issued from within.

“I like your pussy every which way,” he whispered. “But my favorite is when it’s nice and sloppy like this. The only thing that would make it even better is a nice big load of cum.”

“So what are you waiting for?” Rona said. “Fill me up.”

“Not yet,” Aeron interrupted. “If we’re gonna fill this woman with cum, we’re gonna do it as a team. Now roll her over for me. I need rear access, and I need it now.”

“Aye, boss.”

Murdok rolled, and Rona rolled with him. She ended up on top, straddling him, with her pussy sheathed around his hard, thick cock. She wanted to ride him, wanted to feel those delicious ribs sliding in and out of her hole, but Murdok’s big, rough hands gripped her ass and held her in place so Aeron could do his thing.

Meanwhile, Zeth sighed wistfully from the sidelines.

“Just look at that perfect little hole,” he murmured. “I’ll never get over how sexy it looks.”

“You and Murdok have already done more than just look at it,” Aeron said as he moved into position behind her. “But I haven’t. I intend to rectify that right fucking now.”

He swirled his middle finger around her exposed rim, then thrust into her, twisting his finger while he pumped it in and out of her ass. Rona moaned softly. Her pussy flexed and fluttered around Murdok’s dick.

“Fuck,” the scarred Merc growled beneath her. “Whatever you’re doing to her boss, she likes it.”

Aeron slid his finger out of her and pressed the head of his cock against her hole.

“She’s gonna like it even more when I give her the real thing. Aren’t you, sweetheart?”

Rona looked back at him.

“Yes,” she breathed. “I want your cock inside me. I want all your cocks inside me.”

Murdok chuckled.

“Greedy, greedy, greedy.”

Rona looked down into his face and scowled. She started to retort, but then Aeron’s cock was easing into her from behind, and the feeling took her breath away.

“Oh my God,” she gasped. “Oh my God, Oh my God…”

Aeron slid deeper and deeper inside, until there was nowhere left for him to go. The fullness between Rona’s legs was overwhelming. She had two hard cocks inside her, one in front and one in back. It felt good. So very, very good.

It was Aeron who started moving first, giving it to her from behind with long, slow strokes. The sensation of that hard, hot cock moving in and out of her ass made Rona’s pussy flutter and squeeze even harder than before. Beneath her, Murdok groaned with pleasure.

“Keep that shit up, boss. You’re making her milk my cock.”

“I have no intention of stopping,” Aeron replied. “This tight little ass feels too damn good.”

Murdok chuckled again, and he started moving inside her too, breeding her pussy with his big, ribbed cock while Aeron plundered her ass. The pleasure was almost more than Rona could bear. She rocked back and forth between them as they shared her, her body sandwiched between their much larger, harder frames.

There was only one piece of the puzzle that was still missing.

Zeth.

The young Merc was kneeling next to her, jacking his long, hard cock with his right hand. Rona locked eyes with him and wetted her lips with her tongue. Zeth got the message. He arched one brow.

“Is there room for one more?” he asked.

“For you,” said Rona, “always.”

Zeth smiled and moved closer, gripping his cock by the base and holding it close to Rona’s mouth. The rocking of her body made her lips brush back and forth against his tip.

“I guess you’re going to have to say some prayers after this,” she said.

Zeth ran his fingers through her short hair.

“If there was ever a woman worth losing one’s soul over, it’s you.”

He pushed inside.

Rona moaned softly as his cock filled her mouth, but the muffled sound was drowned out by the bestial grunting of the other two Mercs. All three of them were inside her now, giving it to her from all angles, sharing her body like a communal sex toy. Fullness didn’t even begin to describe the sensation.

“Woman,” Aeron said. “The moment I saw you standing on that stage, I knew you would be able to take our dicks like a pro.”

Rona took her lips off Zeth long enough to catch her breath.

“But only your dicks,” she whispered. “Only your three dicks.”

“That’s right,” Aeron said, gently pushing her face back down into Zeth’s lap. “Our three dicks, and they’re only for you. You own them, woman, the same way we own you. That’s our pact, and now we’re gonna sign it with our seed…”

The Mercs picked up the pace, pumping her harder and faster.

Rona could scarcely believe it was really happening. Three men were inside her at the same time. Three hard and brutal men. They grunted like animals as they used her. Their bodies were drenched in sweat.

It was Aeron, the leader, who finished first, filling Rona’s ass with an eruption of sticky warmth. His orgasm set off a chain reaction of pleasure. Rona’s pussy flexed in response, milking Murdok’s hard cock, and the scarred Merc exploded a second later, painting her insides with his seed. The sensation of two men coming inside her was enough to trigger Rona’s climax, and her soft, wet moans were more than Zeth could handle. He unloaded into her mouth, and when she couldn’t swallow any more, he finished on her face.

When it was over, Rona was absolutely dripping with cum. Dripping from every hole. It felt so dirty, so good.

The three Mercs held and stroked her as she caught her breath. They owned her now, body and soul. She was theirs to use, theirs to protect, theirs to breed and impregnate. Rona smiled.

She was in good hands.

EPILOGUE

“Overwatch, do you have eyes on the target?”

Rona leaned forward in the pilot’s seat, her eyes glued to the display in front of her. In addition to the bird’s-eye-view that she used for most missions, this time she also had access to an array of smaller images running across the bottom. These images were coming from the security cameras inside the building her teammates were currently infiltrating. A few minutes earlier, Zeth had hacked the camera system to stream directly to the ship. He’d also set it up so that the guards in the security station would be seeing a loop of old images. That way they wouldn’t see the other Mercs stalking.

But such a ruse would only work for so long. Eventually, someone in the security station would finally notice. That meant Rona and her guys couldn’t drag ass. They needed to work fast.

Rona quickly scanned her eyes over the security camera images. They showed the interior of a large and lavishly appointed penthouse condominium. Two big foyers with elevator access, one for the north side of the building, one for the south. A spacious living room area with a sunken lounge in the center. A kitchen where an entire team of chefs were currently hard at work preparing dinner. A bedroom where a trio of expensive-looking prostitutes were snorting neurocaine off a mirror.

And there, in the southeast quadrant, was the target.

Robert Dietrick was a lithe, athletic man who appeared to be in his late thirties, though Rona knew from reading his dossier that he was closer to seventy-five. His youthful appearance and physique had nothing to do with clean living. Rather, they were the result of numerous plastic surgeries, bionic augmentations, and nanotech treatments—luxuries which he could afford thanks to his numerous and diverse business investments.

At the moment, Dietrick was doing laps.

“Got him,” Rona said. “Indoor pool, southeast quadrant. Continue straight until the end of the corridor, then left. Be advised, there are two guards waiting around the corner.”

“Acknowledged.”

Rona watched as Aeron advanced on the map, his body a bright-white heat signature moving down the length of the corridor. Murdok was right behind him, covering his sexy rear.

Without taking her eyes off the map, Rona turned her head slightly so her lips could reach the large straw positioned beside her head. She took a big slurp of the smoothie she had prepared just before the mission. Banana, peanut butter, oats, and honey all blended together with milk. It was ice cold and absolutely delicious.

And of course, her three mates had flavored it with some of their own thick cream. The touch of saltiness balanced out the sweetness of the honey perfectly.

The fact that Rona was enjoying a little snack while performing her overwatch duties was in no way indicative of laziness on her part. Quite the opposite, in fact. These days, she was hungry all the time. Having some nutrients on hand was an absolute necessity for keeping her mind sharp and focused.

On the map, Aeron and Murdok reached the corner and paused.

“Two guards?” Aeron asked.

“Affirmative,” Rona answered. “Looks like they’re talking. You should have no trouble taking them both down before they even know you’re there.”

“Let’s see…”

Rona watched as Aeron quickly rolled past the corner and fired two short bursts from his rifle. The suppressor on the end of the barrel swallowed most of the sound. The guards painted the wall behind them with their blood, then slumped to the floor.

“Two down,” Aeron said. “Where to next?”

Rona brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. She’d been letting it grow for the past eight months, and now it was at that annoying stage where it was still too short to tie it back, but long enough to get in the way. Still, she liked the way it felt when her guys pulled it, so she decided to keep letting it grow.

“Right, then straight,” she said. “The pool is just through the double doors. Be advised, there are four guards keeping watch over the target, one in each corner of the room.”

“Acknowledged. I’ll take the left, you take the right, good?”

Murdok’s voice answered: “Sounds good to me, boss.”

Rona took another big drink from her straw, then she focused on the display. Her heart was pumping hard and fast inside her. She knew the Mercs were going to be okay. Over the past eight months, they’d done a couple dozen missions together, and in that time, none of her guys had sustained so much as a scratch. Still, that didn’t keep her from getting a bit nervous whenever it was time for shit to hit the fan.

She said one of the prayers Zeth had taught her, murmuring it under her breath so as not to distract the Mercs.

Aeron and Murdok crashed through the double doors with guns blazing. Their suppressed rifles made soft phut-phut-phut sounds as they fired. All four guards dropped before they had a chance to shoot back, but one of them died with his finger on the trigger, and his rifle sprayed a half-dozen bullets up into the ceiling.

That just left one person. The target. Dietrick.

It was Dietrick who had been behind the whole Riadne Mine fiasco. Brundage had given him up after the villagers had questioned him. Rona didn’t know what method of interrogation the villagers had used, and she didn’t know what they had done to Brundage after. She only knew that the little man hadn’t been around anymore when she and the Mercs had gone back to collect their paycheck. At that point, Riadne stocks were riding high, and the villagers had been willing to fork over a little extra money to put out a contract on the man responsible for the deaths of their friends and colleagues.

It had been Rona’s idea to do a deep dive on Dietrick’s business practices. Turned out the man had an M.O. He would intentionally tank the stock prices for a business, often through the use of violence. Then he would buy up the shares at a low price and reap the benefits later, after the price came back up. Over the past couple weeks, Rona and her guys had been able to pick up a few more contracts on Mr. Dietrick.

And tonight, they would fulfill them all.

Rona watched as Dietrick surged up from the far end of the swimming pool and started to make a run for it. He was wearing nothing but a tiny little black thong, and his wet hair was slicked back on his head. He was, Rona supposed, technically sexy, but he definitely wasn’t her type. Not at all.

She only had three types, and tonight all three of them were down there in Dietrick’s condo, trying to kill the man.

It was Murdok who went for the money shot. He dropped to one knee and took aim on the fleeing trillionaire. Just as he pulled the trigger, however, Dietrick’s feet slipped on the wet tiles and he tumbled to the floor. The bullets missed by inches, shattering the glass in the double doors on the other side of the room.

“Shit!” Murdok cursed.

Aeron was currently in the process of reloading. By the time he’d slapped a fresh magazine into his rifle, Dietrick had managed to scramble through the doors and around the corner.

“He’s a quick little fucker,” Murdok said. “I’ll give him that.”

“Bionic implants,” said Aeron. “Overwatch, are you tracking him?”

“Affirmative,” Rona answered. “He’s heading for the hangar, just as we expected.”

“You hear that, Zeth? He’s coming to you.”

“Acknowledged.”

Rona darted her eyes to the section of the map depicting the security center on the lower floor of the condominium. As she’d feared, the guards there had heard the ruckus in the pool room, and now they were rushing upstairs to check it out.

“Guys, be advised, you’ve got ten units heading your way, and they look pissed.”

“We’ll handle the guards, sweetheart. You just get the ship to the extraction point.”

“Yes, sir!”

Rona switched off the display and took hold of the controls. When the Mercs had first brought her on board the Talionis, she’d fantasized about flying the ship. Now, after eight months of practice, she was actually able to do it, and she was pretty darn good at it too. She nudged the control stick forward, and the ship dove toward the city below.

Dietrick’s penthouse was on the upper floors of the tallest building in the city. Until a few moments ago, the Talionis had been hovering two thousand feet above that tower. Now, in one smooth swooping motion, Rona brought the ship into position, with the nose pointing right at the eastern face of the building.

She took another drink from her straw. The tube gurgled as she drained off the last of her smoothie. She would have to remember to make a bigger batch next time.

Directly in front of her, set into the wall of the tower, she could see what appeared to be a massive metal door. Now, as she watched, that door started to open like a mouth, revealing the brightly lit hangar within. There was a sleek, white flier parked inside. A man in a skimpy thong bathing suit was climbing into the cab.

As expected, Dietrick had fled to the hangar, which was his quickest means of escape. Rona could have easily blasted him to smithereens with her forward cannons, but she didn’t do that.

Dietrick had a quieter death in store.

The man switched on the flier’s ignition and flipped on the headlights. Then he looked out through the windshield, and his eyes grew wide as he saw the Talionis hovering outside. It was the last thing he would ever see.

A voice came through the speakers. “Good evening, Mr. Dietrick…”

This was followed by a whimper.

Something moved in the backseat of the flier. A large, dark shape. Rona could see a quick glint of steel as the blade came around in front of Dietrick’s throat. Then the windshield of the flier was suddenly painted red from the inside.

“The target has been eliminated,” Zeth said.

“Good work,” said Aeron.

Rona could already see him running into the hangar, and Murdok was right behind him, firing back at the guards who were pursuing them.

“Preparing for extraction!” she said.

Rona set the Talionis’s thrusters to keep it hovering in place, then she turned the ship ninety degrees and pressed a button to open the hatch on the side of the ship. She sidled in as close as she could get without scraping the wings against the building. The distance would have been too far for most ordinary men to jump, but for the Mercs, it was no problem.

The ship rocked slightly as they all jumped aboard.

“Everybody on?” Rona asked.

“Affirmative,” Aeron said. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

His voice wasn’t just coming through the speakers anymore. She could hear him behind her, in the ship’s main corridor.

Rona pulled back on the controls and gunned it, sending the Talionis skyward. By the time the Mercs had stepped into the cockpit with her, they were already at thirty-thousand feet and climbing. Rona wanted to greet them, but she had to stay focused on flying for a few seconds longer. Getting through the stratosphere was always a bit squirrelly. She waited until the ship was in space before setting the controls to auto and swinging her seat around to face her guys.

They stood before her in all their masculine glory. Handsome Aeron with his thick beard and blazing eyes. Ugly Murdok with his scars. Pretty Zeth was drenched in blood. It became him.

“Well done,” Aeron said. “You’re getting better and better with each mission.”

Rona blushed with pride, but she tried to play it off.

“You guys did all the hard work,” she said.

“We could not have done it without you.”

Aeron leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. Murdok did the same. Then Zeth. The latter’s lips tasted of blood. After he had kissed Rona’s mouth, he knelt and pressed another kiss lower down. Rona was wearing a sports bra to support her breasts, but it left her midriff exposed. Zeth’s mouth left a bloody kiss mark on her big pregnant belly.

Rona felt her baby stir in response.

She was due in another month. She’d never been so excited for anything in her life, and she could tell her three men felt the same way. It hadn’t seemed possible that their love for her could have grown any stronger, or that they could have become even more protective of her. And yet, somehow, that was exactly what had happened. As her belly grew and grew, Rona felt her mates’ love growing too.

She felt it in the way they looked at her. The way they kissed her. The way they fucked.

There was a time when Rona had been worried about the fate of her child, but that time was long since past. She understood that her child would not have an easy life. He would become a Merc someday. The training would be brutal and intense. But her child had the blood of warriors in his veins. He would survive the training and come out on the other side strong and self-sufficient. He would be equipped to endure any hardship, to defend against any enemy. He would take anything and everything the unforgiving universe threw at him with a smile.

As for the more immediate task of raising a baby, Rona wasn’t concerned. Sure, it would be a challenge, but they would figure it out. She and her mates killed people for a living. They were good at it. The best. Rona was pretty sure they could handle raising a kid.

They would do it together, as a team.

As a family.

*   *   *

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Warped

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Also by Lizzy Bequin

Quarantine Omega Series:

Marked Omega

Shared Omega

Ruined Omega

Stray Omega

Anointed Omega

Desperate Omega

Sold to the Raksha Series:

Alien Meat Market

Alien Skin Market

Alien Shadow Market

The Occurrence Series:

Cowgirl Omega

Runaway Hucow

Ukkur Mates Series:

Meat

Feast

Raw

Terramara Series:

Their Human Vessel

Their Broken Vessel

About Lizzy B.

Hailing from Tennessee, Lizzy Bequin enjoys writing dark and steamy romance stories that explore the primal side of love and lust. When she’s not writing or reading, Lizzy is serving the whims of the two evil feline overlords who rule her home.

For more info and news about upcoming releases, visit me online!

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Epilogue

Also by Lizzy Bequin

About the Author

Split by the Mercs

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events reside solely in the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual people, alive or dead, is purely coincidental.

© 2025, Lizzy Bequin. No portion of this work can be reproduced in any way without prior written consent from the author with the exception for a fair use excerpt for review and editorial purposes.

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