Stargazers 4 Wayward Read online

  Tore answered in the same dialect, tugging on the leather lead that circled Kat’s waist. “He thinks you need discipline.” An amused smirk curved the corner of his lips. “You hold your head up too high, and haven’t learned to drop your eyes when looking at your superiors.” He couldn’t suppress the thread of amusement that ran through his voice. If looks could kill, the glare she shot him would have stopped him in his tracks.

  “Yes, master.” She kept her voice low, but he could see her clenching her hands.

  He found himself wishing they were here on a social visit. He’d enjoy showing her around the station and pointing out the more bizarre residents. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this relaxed around another being, except perhaps Tarik. He found it hard to trust people he knew, let alone strangers. He mentally shook his head and headed down a side corridor that led to the slave auctions. There’d be time to daydream later, when Kat’s sister was safely stowed on the Sun Runner.

  He shortened the lead so that Kat walked beside him. “Can you contact her?” He kept his voice low.

  “No. We’re close enough I can sense her presence, but not a direction.” She gave a half shrug. “We’ll have to go with your Plan B.”

  Fine by him. He led the way to a large doorway. As they got closer, a huge guard stepped out to intercept them. “Greetings.” He flicked an assessing glance at Kat before directing his question to Tore. “Buying or selling?”

  “Looking for something to pair up with this one.” Tore gestured at Kat. “Heard there was some new stock up for sale. Got anything suitable?”

  The guard turned to study Kat more closely, and Tore had to give her credit for her composure. She didn’t flinch under the guard’s appraisal.

  “Most of what came in were darker-skinned. Unless you’re interested in contrast, I don’t think there’s anything that would interest you, but you can go in and have a look. Maybe something will strike your fancy.” He moved back to let them pass through. “If you’re interested in bidding on any of them, you’ll need to register.”

  “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” Tore held Kat on a short leash as he passed through the doorway.

  The room was a huge circle, with a square platform in the center to serve as the auction block. Small cubicles lined the walls, each one fronted with a force field that blocked the entrance while allowing the prospective buyers to see the slave inside. A digital readout above the cubicle gave the details of the person offered for sale.

  “Guess we start here and work our way around.” Tore glanced down at Kat. A frown creased her forehead as she looked at the beings in the cubicles, both human and alien. “Don’t even go there. You can’t save all of them.” He gestured at a dark-skinned man flexing his muscles for a silk-clad woman of diminutive stature. “Some of them don’t even want to be saved. Being owned means guaranteed food and lodging. There are a lot worse things in the universe.” Like being an orphan under the Council’s care. He left the words unsaid.

  He paced the perimeter of the auction hall, checking out each of the cubicles, but Abbie didn’t appear in any of them. He could see the tension building in the anxious line of Kat’s shoulders. “This is just a beginning. Don’t start worrying yet. There are still a couple more auction halls, as well as some smaller establishments. If she’s here, we’ll find her.”

  “She’s here.” Kat looked up and he could read the certainty in her eyes. “I know she is.”

  “Well, then.” He pushed his way through a crowd of short furry creatures who were chattering excitedly amongst themselves as a tall, redheaded slave posed in a very suggestive position for them. “Let’s keep looking.”

  * * *

  By the time they’d toured the fourth auction hall, Kat could feel herself becoming inured to the sight of endless cages full of slaves being exhibited and prodded like animals. As far as she could see, it bothered her a lot more than most of the slaves.

  “Time to change tactics.” Tore waved off the slaver who’d been heading over to them. A sales pitch was the last thing they needed right now. “We’ll go back to one of the bars and see if anyone has any info on an Aviroan ship landing here within the last couple of cycles.”

  “Whatever master wishes.” Kat kept her head down to hide her tired smile.

  “Good girl!” Tore patted her on the head. “You fit right in.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Kat gave him her sweetest smile, and stomped on his foot. It would have had a lot more effect if she’d been wearing her boots instead of these pansy slippers. “Oh, I’m sorry, master. Did that hurt?”

  The gleam in his eyes told her he knew exactly what she was up to. He leant down and his warm breath wafted gently across her ear. “No, but if you keep it up, I might just turn you over my knee and paddle that sexy little ass of yours. No one here would stop me.”

  Kat let her eyes widen innocently. “Oh, please, master. Don’t punish me. I’ll behave.” Despite her worry over Abbie, she couldn’t remember ever enjoying herself this much. Just his proximity made her feel content.

  Tore plastered a mock severe look on his face. “See that you do.” He reached down and cuffed her lightly on the butt. “My favorite watering hole, the Nebula, is just around the next bend. We’ll try there.”

  “Hey, Tore!”

  A large man with the blondest hair Kat had ever seen waded his way through the crowds toward them. Tore looked over and a big grin lit up his rugged features. “Tarik!” Kat took a step backward as the two men threw their arms around each other in an exuberant bear hug.

  “Where the hell have you been hiding your mange-eaten hide?” Tarik slapped Tore on the back. His gaze dropped to Kat, and a surprised look crossed his rugged face. “When the hell did you start keeping slaves? Krystal’s going to chew your ear off when she hears about this.”

  Tore glanced at Kat, fingering the lead. “Not what you think, buddy. Let’s go grab a drink and I’ll explain.”

  “Okay.” Tarik dropped an arm around Tore’s shoulder and the two men rounded the corner, with Kat doing her best to keep up. They entered the Nebula and pushed through the crowd at the front of the bar, heading for the booths in the back. “It’s been ages since you dropped in to visit.” Tarik slid into the booth. “Krystal planned to mount a search party if you didn’t surface soon. You know how that woman worries.”

  Tore motioned Kat into the booth, and then slid in beside her. “I was planning on coming back for a visit but while I was waiting on some repairs to the Sun Runner, Kat here roped me into helping find her sister.”

  “Looks like you’re the one doing the roping.” Tarik stared pointedly at the harness and leash. “What gives?”

  Tore glanced at Kat, and she could read the question in his eyes. He wanted to know if she was okay with him telling Tarik the whole story. She nodded. Anyone who managed to gain Tore’s confidence must be okay.

  “It all started when I went into the Last Chance bar on Luna One. I’d just taken the Sun Runner in for an overhaul and thought I’d have a few drinks before I turned in. That’s when I met Kat.”

  A gentle smile curved his lips as he ran his hand down her arm in a soothing gesture while he explained the situation to his old friend. Kat sat quietly beside him, content to let him do the talking. She remembered Tore telling her that Tarik’s mate was a Stargazer as well, and she wondered where the other woman was. Once this nightmare was over and Abbie was safe, she’d love to be able to talk to another Stargazer.

  “Wow.” Tarik ran his hands through his thick mop of blond hair. “You sure manage to get yourself in some tight spots. Are you sure that the Aviroan took her?”

  Tore nodded. “Kat could see them through Abbie’s eyes. They were Aviroan all right.”

  “Well, I’ve been here for a couple of cycles now, and I’ve only heard of one of their ships making port here. Not sure exactly what they have, but I do know they’re holding a private auction tomorrow. Invite only, and no viewings beforehand.” He looked over at K
at with sympathy in his eyes. “If they’re the ones who took your sister, that doesn’t give you much time.”

  Kat felt her stomach lurch. She shifted closer to Tore, gaining reassurance from his warm body. “Now what?”

  “We get ourselves invited to the auction.” Tore gestured the serving-bot over and ordered a round of drinks. “Shouldn’t be hard. I’ll just flash some credits around and let it be known that I’m in the market for another slave.”

  The serving-bot returned, hovering over the table until they’d each taken their drink, and Tore threw a handful of credits on the tray to cover the bill.

  “I’d stick around and help you, but you don’t want to make them nervous.” Tarik took a deep gulp of the purplish liquid in his mug. “My views on the slave trade are too well known around here to get me invited to that kind of party.”

  Kat sipped cautiously at the fizzy drink Tore had ordered. He didn’t look too worried, and she hoped he knew what he was doing. She was way out of her league here. She tried not to think of Abbie, alone and surrounded by those damned reptiles. A picture of the slaves on display in the auction halls earlier flashed through her mind, and she shuddered. Abbie just wasn’t tough enough to survive the kind of brutality that seemed commonplace here.

  “We’d better head back to the slave markets and start making enquiries. Will you and Krystal be around for a while in case I need some backup?” Tore asked.

  Tarik nodded. “We’re not scheduled to leave for a couple of moon cycles. We docked on the second tier. You know my call sign, I haven’t changed it since the last time you visited.” He stood and downed the rest of his drink in a single swallow. “I haven’t been in a good fight in ages, so don’t hesitate to call if you need help. We’ll lie low until we hear from you.”

  “Appreciate it.” Tore rose to his feet with a sinewy grace. “Say hi to Krystal for me.”

  “Will do. And I’ll tell her you’re bringing another Stargazer to visit. That’ll make her happy.” Tarik turned and started to wind his way toward the exit.

  Tore looked down at Kat. “Ready to go? We may as well start fishing for that invite.”

  * * *

  Kat sat quietly on a cushion at Tore’s feet and looked around the auction hall. His hand rested lightly on the top of her head, and she found a small measure of comfort in the gesture. Just before they’d taken their seats, she’d felt the subtle brush of her sister’s presence in her mind for the first time since the kidnapping. Abbie was alive. Kat hadn’t realized how terrified she’d been for her sister’s safety until that moment.

  Getting an invitation to the auction proved to be as easy as Tore had presumed, but they hadn’t managed to get a look at the slaves awaiting their turn on the auction block. Given the tight security and relative lack of time before the auction, they’d realized that a rescue would be problematic, so they decided to go for the simplest strategy. Tore had a sizeable amount of credits stored up, and when Abbie was put on the block, he’d simply outbid the rest of the buyers.

  Kat knew the credits she had saved probably wouldn’t be enough to pay him back, but she wasn’t worried. She’d do whatever he asked so long as her sister was safe. Secretly, the thought of how he might require her to work off her debt sent wet shivers straight to her sex.

  Tore’s hand tightened on her shoulder as the stage lit up and the auctioneer stepped out of the shadows. An expectant hush fell over the crowd. An attendant led the first slave onto the stage, a young female with a pale blue tinge to her skin. Her exotic looks caused a flurry of initial bids that trailed off as the stakes grew higher. She turned and posed seductively throughout the bidding, and Kat realized she’d been bred for this, conditioned to it from birth. The auctioneer finally banged his gavel to signify the winning bid of twenty-four thousand credits, and the girl grinned and curtseyed, obviously happy to have been valued so highly.

  One after another, the slaves stepped up to the platform, some more cooperative than others as the buyers made their choices known. Abbie had yet to make her appearance, and Kat started to fidget. The crowd thinned out as the winning bidders departed with their purchases, and the losers went to drown their disappointments in the adjoining bars.

  Tore bent down to whisper. “Can you still sense her?”

  Kat nodded. “She’s close, and she’s scared.”

  “She’s a smart girl.” He looked up as another slave stepped up to the platform. “Does she know you’re here?”

  Kat shook her head. “I don’t think so. There’s still something shielding her, although we’re close enough that I have a better connection.”

  The auctioneer banged his gavel loudly to get the audience’s attention, and they both looked up. A dark-skinned attendant led Abbie up onto the auction block. Her brown hair flowed down her back, caught up in a delicate web of lace that held it back from her face. A cloak of shimmering green silk hung loosely from her shoulders, hinting at the supple form beneath it. Kat could have cheerfully choked the auctioneer as he leered at her beloved sister.

  “And now for the crowning jewel of our offerings.” The auctioneer smiled down at his audience. “Something rare, dare I say almost impossible to find. You could search the entire galaxy and not come across another such as this.” He gave a slight nod to the attendant, who stepped up behind Abbie and removed the cloak.

  Abbie’s eyes had a glazed look, and she stared resolutely over the heads of the crowd. Beneath the cloak, she wore a harem harness of soft leather and silk. The cleverly placed straps covered just enough of her figure to inflame the crowd. A silver collar circled her slender neck, and by the way her head hurt every time she looked directly at it, Kat surmised that it contained the dampening field.

  Tore laid a warning hand on Kat’s shoulder, and she shrugged it off, not caring how it would appear. Watching Abbie being treated like an animal, she barely managed to contain her anger. She knew better though. Now was not the time to lose control. She concentrated on her breathing, attempting to bring her emotions under control and center herself. Abbie needed her, and she wouldn’t let her twin down.

  She listened to the bidding. The prospective buyers were beginning to thin out as the numbers climbed into the double digits. Quiet descended in a momentary lull, and the auctioneer nodded to the attendant, who began to lead Abbie around the perimeter of the stage, showing off the young Stargazer from every angle.

  “Did I mention this young slave’s most appealing feature?” A sly, oily smile crossed the auctioneer’s face, and Kat clenched her fists, digging the nails into her palms. “This lovely creature is a certified virgin.”

  “Shit!” Tore swore softly as an excited murmuring swept through the crowd.

  A stocky man in the second row stood and waved excitedly. “Twenty thousand.” Kat’s heart sank.

  “Twenty-one thousand credits.”

  She looked up at Tore, but he gave her a slight shake of his head.

  “Twenty-one thousand five hundred.” The tension in the room was palpable.

  “Twenty-one thousand seven hundred fifty credits.”

  The numbers rose at a staggering pace until the offerings topped thirty thousand credits. “Thirty-one thousand credits.”

  The auctioneer paused to look around the now silent room. “Going once.” The attendant stepped behind Abbie and reached around to run his hands over her body in a lewd display.

  Kat started to rise, and Tore put his hand down to forcibly restrain her. “Take it easy,” he murmured. “You don’t want to blow this now.”

  Kat bit her lip, and settled back down on the cushion. This was the hardest damn thing she’d ever done. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on sending encouraging energy toward her sister. The shield had a tangible presence, a huge wall of energy preventing her thoughts from penetrating. She let her consciousness slip along the wall, looking for a weak spot, a hole, anything that would allow her to get in and comfort Abbie, let her know that help was here.

  “Going twi
ce.” The auctioneer’s oily voice penetrated her focus.

  Not a whisper sounded in the room. The audience stared in fascination at the attendant fondling the helpless woman.

  “Forty thousand credits.” Tore stood, his voice ringing out loudly in the silent hall.

  Chapter Six

  Kat looked up, startled, and Tore spared her a quick glance. Murmurs of disbelief swept through the auction hall as people craned their necks to see who had offered so many credits.

  “Forty thousand credits. I have forty thousand from the discerning gentleman in the third row.” The auctioneer’s eyes lit with greed. “Do I hear forty-one?”

  Abbie turned her head to stare, and Tore could tell the exact moment that she recognized her twin. Relief and hope flittered across her face.

  “Forty thousand going once.” Abbie reached up to tug absently at the collar on her neck. “Forty thousand going twice.” The man didn’t bother to try to get the crowd riled up again.

  “Fifty thousand.”

  The hair on the back of Tore’s neck rose at the gravelly sound of that hated voice. He turned his head and searched the crowd until he found him. Drago! The keeper of the orphan’s compound run by the Intergalactic Council, the place where he’d learned that hell wasn’t an abstract place made up by wandering religious nuts; it was a room in the research facility. He’d had nightmares about this man for a long time after his escape.

  The asshole inclined his head, and a cold smile curved his thin lips. It was the same evil smile that Tore had learned to hate as a child. The one that said Drago was in a mood to hurt someone, to make them scream. Tore took a deep breath and forced his face to remain blank. He was no longer a terrified child unable to defend himself. Drago would not be using Kat’s sister for his sick pleasures.

  “Who the hell is that?” Kat hissed in alarm.