Reagan Hawk, page 1
Space Pirates’ Bounty (Strength in Numbers)
by
Reagan Hawk
Space Pirates’ Bounty © Copyright 2013 by Reagan Hawk
First Electronic Printing April 2013, The Raven Books
Cover art by Eliza Black © Copyright 2013
ISBN: 978-1-62501-019-3
Edited by Suz Gower
Final Line Edit by Dianne B
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
All books copyrighted to the author and may not be resold or given away without written permission from the author, Reagan Hawk.
This novel is a work of fiction. Any and all characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events or places is merely coincidence.
Published by Raven Books
www.ravenhappyhour.com
Raven Books and all affiliate sites and projects are © Copyrighted 2004-2013
Space Pirates’ Bounty (Strength in Numbers)
by
Reagan Hawk
Table of Contents
Space Pirates’ Bounty (Strength in Numbers)
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
About the Author
Reagan Hawk Titles
The Beast Masters Series
Strength in Numbers Series
Masters of Pleasure
Cyber Sex Series
Reagan on Amazon
The Raven Books’ Complimentary Material
A King’s Ransom by Reagan Hawk
Rescuing Reya by Reagan Hawk
The Savage King (Lords of the Var 1) by Michelle M. Pillow
Reagan Hawk Titles
The Beast Masters Series
Trading Teon
Securing Sara
Rescuing Reya
Capturing Clara
Binding Bree
Strength in Numbers Series
Strength in Numbers
Space Pirates’ Bounty
Bounty Hunters’ Captive
Masters of Pleasure
A King’s Ransom
A Knight’s Redemption
A Prince’s Captive
Cyber Sex Series
Prepared to Please
Denial of Service
Programmed for Pleasure
Space Pirates’ Bounty
Book Two in the Strength in Numbers Series
Scheduled to become head concubine for a sadistic master, Lucia longs to be taken from her life. Born a slave, she believes she will die without ever knowing passion or love. Resigned to a life of cruelty, she never dreamed to find herself sailing the stars and sandwiched between two alpha males, each willing to die to protect her and each willing to see to her every sexual desire.
Raider, a Robin Hood of the future and a legend among thieves and space pirates, has amassed a fortune for himself and his crew. Seeking something more daring, he poses as a guard for hire and takes a position within a nobleman’s household with an elaborate plan to claim the man's riches for himself. He finds himself less concerned about money and more captivated by Lucia—a most alluring bounty. His lust for her is dangerous and could leave them both with a death sentence. He doesn’t care. He wants her and he’ll stop at nothing to have her, to possess her, even if it means stealing her instead of gold.
Warning: Short story contains MMF/MFM (oh, who are we kidding, just about everything and everyone joins in the fun) graphic language, ménage and more, kinky alien sex, extreme alpha males, and pretty much anything else you can think to toss in for sexy fun.
Strength in Numbers Series
Strength in Numbers
Space Pirates’ Bounty
Bounty Hunters’ Captive
Dedication
To my readers, who continue to let me try new things and visit new worlds. Thank you! To my proofers, thank you for your help. To my beta readers—you ladies kick ass. To my editor, Suz—thanks for helping me make my dream a reality, and to my final line editor who cleans it all up at the end making it “pretty” again, thank you.
Chapter One
In orbit off Planet Emperius Romanius (Emprom)
Captain Raider of Teranasnu stared at the viewing screen of his ship, the Gallant. Planet Emprom was in sight. A swirl of browns, tans, reds and blues, it was quite a vision to behold if one didn’t realize the atrocities that took place upon its surface. He’d been planet-side on Emprom more than once, and each time it had turned his stomach. There was a vast class separation. You were either rich or you were poor. You were either free born or a slave.
Ever since his first visit to Emprom, he’d been working on a plan to add to his wealth. He was an opportunist, and that didn’t always go hand in hand with his morals—despite how loose they tended to be.
The only way he could get back at the universal system—a system under which he’d been born noble, yet suffered greatly at the hands of those wanting more power, more wealth—was to do what he did best. Steal. He didn’t keep all the bounty for himself—though more than enough to be comfortable. But he was generous with those in need. Those who were born with notes of ownership and debt over their heads before they’d barely drawn in breath. The universe was hardly fair, and while one man could not change the minds of everyone, he could change the minds of a few—enough to help make a difference in at least some people’s lives.
They’d land on Emprom within the hour and then their plan would begin.
“Captain, you sure you’re up for this?” Galwin asked. The man was a master of anything mechanical. He could fix the Gallant in deep space with two pieces of adhesive material and a prayer.
Raider had seen it done before and still wasn’t sure how it was they’d made it to a safe port for repairs. By rights they should have been space dust. Whatever Galwin did had held, and that was merely one of the many fixes he’d done to the ship over the years he’d been part of its crew.
Galwin’s size often intimidated others. At just shy of seven feet, he was imposing. He and his twin brother Ewan, who were matched in every way except personality, often made Raider feel short. Since Raider stood six and a half feet tall, that was a feat indeed.
Every bit capable and able to kill a man, Galwin didn’t walk around with a chip on his shoulder. If anything, he seemed to go out of his way to mediate peace whenever possible. And though he didn’t like violence, he was capable of it when the need arose. Raider knew the man’s past and knew why he disliked having to resort to violence.
He couldn’t blame him. He offered a sideways smile at his friend. “Ever known me to miss out on a challenge?”
Galwin laughed. “No, sir.”
Ewan entered the flight deck. His long, dark brown hair that he normally wore tied at the nape of his neck hung free today. His gaze, so dark it often appeared obsidian, flickered over Raider, lowered to his groin, and then back up again.
Heat washed over Raider. He knew the thoughts running through his second–in-command’s head. Knew Ewan was thinking upon last night. The sexual tension that had ridden the air between them. It had been two weeks since they’d last shared a bed. Two weeks since they’d taken solace in one another’s bodies. Two weeks since they’d arrived at an understanding. The time had come for them to move forward with their lives, start families, take the next steps, yet Raider suspected neither was fully ready to do so. Ewan had a crazy notion they could do this together—that they’d find one woman who would want them both and who would want to be mother to both their children, living as one family unit—a union of three.
Raider seriously doubted that would come to be.
“Get in, get the gold, get out,” said Ewan as he neared Raider. “Emprom is backward, and staying too long will leave you nailed to a cross.”
It was well known throughout the galaxies that Emprom had unique ways of dealing with their unwanted and unsavory elements. Their love of public crucifixions wasn’t exaggerated.
“At least I’ll keep my hands if I’m caught,” Raider said, his attempt at humor falling flat. “Unlike what Planet Tresilian would do to a thief.”
Galwin laughed. Ewan didn’t. Instead, Ewan sat in the co-pilot’s seat. “Send one of us. Stay. This is a fool’s errand and you well know it. This Ahenobarbus tale is most likely a trap. No man is that rich on Emprom without being a bloodthirsty tyrant—one who will see a plan such as this coming a light-year away.”
Galwin snorted. “Emprom is full of wealthy, glutinous pigs. Let us pray they are too busy counting their gold to take note of us and this scheme.”
“I pray the tides turn upon them,” Ewan said, disgust in his voice.
Raider reached over and touched Ewan’s armrest. He met his longtime friend’s gaze. “Your distaste of nobles and the rich is noted.”
“You know what I mean,” Ewan muttered, refusing to look at him. “We have more than enough credits and gold as is. Let this one pass. Emprom’s riches are not worth your life.”
“Two weeks and it is done,” Raider stated clearly. “I’ll get in, be hired on and learn all I can about his guard detail, then empty his coffers. We are richer, he is poorer, and we can funnel the money to those on the Waysoni Moon who need it more.”
Ewan snorted. “And you’re sure this
With an amused shrug, Raider smiled. “If the fake papers do not work, then I fight my way clear and leave with his head on the end of my sword.”
Galwin lifted his fist in the air. “May the gods deem it so!”
Ewan cracked a half smile, his hand moving over Raider’s. The men shared a look, one that spoke volumes without any actual words being said. They were friends, yet something more hung in the air between them.
Baton, the only member of the crew from Earth, entered the flight deck and glanced around. “Are we discussing leave time? My dick needs tended to and Emprom is full of whorehouses that would handle that very thing and more. I’ll even pay extra for a pretty one.”
Galwin laughed harder. “Learned your lesson after the last one, huh?”
Baton grabbed his clothed crotch. “The injections to cure the ailment that hussy gave me were not worth the five minutes with her.”
All the men laughed.
“I told you to avoid the ones who discount to near free,” Ewan said cheerfully. “The coin is well spent in certain areas and sex is one of them. Do not skimp or your cock could fall off. Plus, the prices the medical stations around this galaxy charge are far, far more than what the high-end whores ask for.”
“Take leave while I am there,” Raider said to his men. “Tell the others they can as well. Have them drink and fuck their fill, then be ready for me in two weeks’ time.”
“What of your needs?” Ewan demanded, his mouth downturned, his posture rigid. The jovial mood among the crew ended quickly. “Going to see to those as well?”
“Oh shit,” said Galwin before he and Baton moved towards the back of the flight deck, growing quiet. They busied themselves with work that had already been done. Raider knew it was to give him and Ewan alone time.
Raider shifted uncomfortably in the captain’s chair. He wasn’t one to back down from anything, but in this moment he felt guilt deep into his soul. He couldn’t give Ewan what he sought. Raider wanted more. He craved women like the air he breathed. He could not give them up and he strongly suspected that Ewan couldn’t either. That what had happened between them, while certainly pleasing, was not something that would fulfill them for the remainder of their lives. “I require things too. My cock is heavy with the need for release.”
“And you will find a whore to ease the pain?” asked Ewan, his jaw hard and his mouth pinched. Contempt rolled off him in waves.
“If time permits, yes.”
Ewan jerked as if he’d been burned. “I see.”
“Ewan.”
He put a hand up. “No. If this is to be the way of it, then so be it.”
Raider disliked arguing with Ewan. He knew it was Ewan’s nature to lash out in anger first and think harder upon things later. Knowing and accepting it were two different things. Raider was a thinker. In fact he was inclined to overthink just about everything he did. And he wasn’t known to fly off the handle in fits of rage. He tended to keep a level head about him and find humor in most things.
Life had placed him in a privileged circumstance that should have been ideal. Born to nobles. A lord of his own lands. Yet life had thrown him a loop. His parents had been murdered by someone they trusted all because that person wanted more money, more power, more lands. Raider had sworn vengeance that day, not just against his parents’ murderer, but against all who allowed power to corrupt them.
Chapter Two
Two months later on Planet Emperius Romanius (Emprom)
The arena was filled to capacity. Hot, sweaty bodies pressed in tight to one another, using every space available. The sun was at its highest, as was the heat of the day. Emprom had very few cold days—just a one-month cycle—then back to the oppressive heat. Beads of sweat trickled down the back of Lucia’s neck. She wiped them away and was thankful she wasn’t in the section with the cheaper seats. The arena owners packed the people in that section to the point it almost burst. Already the section she was in, reserved for the wealthy, was crammed beyond norms. She was pressed shoulder to shoulder with those near her.
The people of Emprom were hungry for blood, for death, and it was clear by the numbers who showed for the games. The day’s events at the arena were a blending of sex acts and fight games, in which men would battle to the death. Sex was the only thing that rivaled the gladiator games. Not much else drew crowds such as the ones in the arena.
She stroked her exposed throat and swallowed hard. Lucia disliked the shows and the games but she didn’t have much say on the matter of attending or not. Her ownership note was held by a man who had three slaves in one of the main acts. If Lucia dared to speak out against the behavior, she would face punishment or death. Born into servitude, she knew better than to voice her thoughts on any matter unless directly asked, and then she would simply tell them what they wanted to hear.
Not the truth.
Never the truth.
She’d seen slaves punished to death for the truth.
As next-in-line to be the dominus’s head concubine, she was required to attend all public appearances he made so he could show off his bounty and wealth—show how beautiful his women were. Lucia knew she was attractive. Many had commented on the fact over the course of her life, but her beauty had been both a blessing and a curse. It had assured her a place as a concubine-in-waiting, but that was in truth a double-edged sword. Dominus—the master—was a cruel man. A sexual sadist. Her hate of him knew no bounds, yet soon enough she’d be expected to lie with him, expected to receive him into her body.
She trembled at the thought.
The dominus’s current head concubine, Fannu, sat to Lucia’s left, keeping herself between Dominus and Lucia. Fannu lived in fear of the day he would announce he was replacing Fannu as head concubine and taking another—Lucia. As Emprom custom went, once Lucia was head concubine, Fannu had no place within the house. She would be sold as a house slave to another house or simply killed, her body tossed away. Lucia strongly suspected Fannu feared losing her rank, title and position of power almost as much as her life.
Stifling a shudder, Lucia cast a downwards glance at the dominus. He was repulsive. He ate far too much and moved far too little. Once, long ago, he might have had a full head of hair, but not now. Now his hair had been reduced to two tiny patches on both sides of his huge head. It was more attractive than the hair between his legs. She’d caught enough glimpses of his pathetic cock and unmaintained pubic hair that she knew without a doubt how overgrown he was.
He leaned to his right, lifting himself slightly, and broke wind for all to hear around them. Fannu kept a fake smile pressed to her face as she continued to stroke his cock. The smell of rotting eggs floated to Lucia, and she lifted her pale yellow stola and used it to cover her mouth and nose. Nausea rose and she swayed, doing her best to keep from coughing and making an even bigger scene.
He was disgusting and she loathed the very breaths he took.
The current act in the center of the arena was one where a gladiator warrior used a whip to remove the coverings on two slave girls. Lucia had seen acts similar to this one before. Large, alpha male men dressed in nothing but loincloths, showing the scars upon their bodies, slashed at the young women’s clothing, shredding them without actually harming the women. The males would then demand the females service them, sucking their cocks, putting fingers in their asses, allowing them to fuck their breasts before they took turns driving their hard, impressive cocks into them.
She’d spoken once to several of the slave women used in various acts, asking how they could stand such treatment. She’d been shocked to learn the women involved craved it—wanted the attention they received from the crowds, wanted the pain sometimes associated with the acts, and wanted the glory of being sex goddesses in the eyes of the people, regardless of their station.
