-Enslaved-by-an-Officer[ Sold 8] Read online

  Unfortunately, knowledge was power, and now that Honor knew, he couldn’t go back to blissful ignorance. Acerith was clearly a complicated being. Dealing with him could be very delicate. He was no threat to Honor or Carver, but Acerith’s situation was one that needed a certain level of diplomacy and tact. Was that why he was staring so intently at Honor during the shuttle ride? Acerith could be wondering if Honor knew who he was or what Honor would do with him once he found out. Honor honestly had no idea what to do with him. If Carver cared for him, and clearly he did, they would have a difficult time making their life together work.

  “Enough.” Honor turned off the unit and rose. What happened between Carver and Acerith wasn’t his concern. He had succeeded in retrieving another human. There were still plenty more. Rather than sit in his room bemoaning what might have been, he would go back down to the shuttle bay to confront the truth. He felt he had given them enough time to get situated. When he entered the shuttle bay, he was pleased that things were moving smoothly. The beings were all very different, but they were comrades in arms now, so there was a cohesion to their group.

  Carver was easy to spot with his gleaming gold hair. When he saw Honor, he waved. Honor lifted his hand in acknowledgement then strode toward him.

  “Thank you, for all of this. Some of these people would have died without water.”

  Honor nodded. “I must speak with you privately.”

  “If it affects my men—”

  “It affects only you.” Honor wanted to point out that they weren’t his men, but it would be petty and pointless. Carver didn’t think he owned them. He simply felt as their leader he needed to include them in any decision that was made. “I must talk with you about your status. As much as you don’t want to be different from those you worked with to obtain your freedom, you are. Quite different. And it is too complicated to discuss here.”

  Carver was clearly intrigued. Before he was willing to leave the area, he went to Acerith and told him where he was going. Honor bristled. Obviously, there was something much more intimate between them than friendship. Once Carver had finished talking with Acerith, he joined Honor. Without even looking back, Honor was certain that Acerith followed them with his pointed gaze all the way out the door. Maybe he was afraid that Honor was going to tell Carver who he was. Honor just might. He told himself it wasn’t his business, but in many ways it was. He had decided to free those beings from the farm. He should have simply taken Carver and let the others fall where they may. But if he did that, then Carver would think badly of him, so Honor had stuck himself into a situation that wasn’t any of his business. Now he had a big mess to clean up and had no one to blame but himself.

  “So what’s the deal?” Carver asked as they strode swiftly through the hallway. “How did I end up as a slave?”

  “I will tell you all of it, but before I do, I must ask if you will tell the others.”

  “You mean tell them what you tell me? I don’t know. You haven’t told anything me yet.”

  Honor realized what he was asking wasn’t quite fair, but he needed to know that Carver would exercise some discretion. Why he felt the need to caution Carver when he hadn’t with any of the others, Honor wasn’t sure. But something in him told him that Acerith shouldn’t know. Not that he could do anything with the information just that— “Please be circumspect with whom you share your story with. There are those who would take advantage.”

  “Of me?”

  “Possibly. Or they might wish to exploit the situation with you and the other humans. There was an incident where a human was tortured because his pain was extremely pleasing to the being who was harming him. It is not common knowledge, and we’ve worked tirelessly to contain that information.”

  “Yet you just told me.”

  “I gave you no details. My point is that knowledge is power. Be careful whose hands you put your information in.”

  Carver continued walking beside him in silence. “You know who he is, don’t you?”

  “Acerith? Yes, I do.” And now Honor knew that Carver did, too.

  “It’s not what you think.”

  “You do not know what I think.” Honor stopped at the door to his own room but changed his mind and moved to the next door and entered. This was the room he’d set up for Carver. It was very human friendly and would probably help him to feel more comfortable.

  “Why don’t you tell me what you think?”

  “It’s immaterial.” Once they were in the room, Honor closed the door. In these tight quarters he was able to smell the musk of Carver’s body. The taste of the human he’d licked exploded in his mouth and mind. He had an insane urge to turn and lick his way from Carver’s mouth down to his cock, exploring all the tastes along the way. Instead, he pointed to the table where they both sat. “Acerith isn’t the subject of this discussion.”

  “I’m not going to change my mind about him.”

  A stabbing pain started up in Honor’s back. He ignored it. “My goal isn’t to interfere. If you are in love with him—”

  “I never said I was in love with him.”

  “My point is he isn’t the issue.” Honor realized his voice was very rushed and clipped. He was frustrated but not by Carver’s actions or concerns but by his own inability to control himself. “My point is that you and your fellow humans were stolen from Earth.”

  “Stolen?”

  “A slave trader developed a cunning scheme wherein he would steal humans right before the moment of their death, put them into stasis, and then sell them on Krase.”

  “Krase is your world, right?”

  “Yes. Krase is where the auction house is. Where you were displayed and sold.”

  “Trust me, I remember.”

  So do I, Honor wanted to say, but refrained.

  “I can’t wait to go back.”

  “To the auction house?”

  “Home!” Carver’s face split into a huge smile, transforming him from handsome into something close to divine.

  Honor hated to be the one to tell him the horrible truth, but that was part of his duty. “I am sorry. But that’s simply not possible.”

  “What do you mean? I am alive. I can go back and pick up right where I left off with Mac and the Broncos. It’s a crazy story—oh, that’s what you meant before about being circumspect. Humans don’t know about all of you out here, so when I go back I can’t tell anyone. Got ya.”

  “No, that’s—who are Mac and the Broncos?” Was it worse than Honor thought? What if Carver still loved someone there and simply wanted to add Acerith into their relationship? There were beings who didn’t pair off but tended to align in groups of three or four. Honor had a terrible vision of Carver in the middle of dozens of groping hands all seeking to please him.

  “Mac was—is my roommate. We…”

  “Are you in love with him?”

  “No. I mean, I think I could have. Maybe I will when I go back. It just happened really fast and—Mac’s not the main reason I want to go back. The Broncos are.”

  “And who are they?”

  “A football team. They offered me a chance to play pro ball. That’s why I have to go back. Don’t you see? It’s a dream come true. I get to play football for a living. Not many men get that chance.”

  Honor was convinced that Carver was far more interested in returning to Earth for his career rather than for a person. He found that a curious combination of good and bad.

  “Why do I get this terrible feeling that you’ve got more horrible news for me?”

  “Because I do. And I’m sorry. But I have no other choice. You simply can’t go back to Earth.”

  Carver’s happy, easygoing demeanor faded quickly. His smile turned to a frown, and he leaned forward. “Why?”

  “You were pulled out of the time space continuum right at the moment of your death. To put you back on Earth might cause a distortion.”

  “You mean everyone thinks I’m dead?”

  “Yes.”

  �
��But I’m not.”

  “No. But you can’t go back and pick up your life as if nothing happened. You were supposed to die that day. That an unscrupulous slave trader gave you a second chance is both a blessing and a curse.”

  “How did I die?”

  Honor was actually ready for this question. All the Earthlings wanted to know the manner of their death. He’d thought it was unbelievably morbid, but Tyler had said it was simply monkey curiosity. To him, as a Krase warrior, the only thing that would matter about his death would be that it was honorable. To die in battle would be the best death he could wish for. His kind did not believe in an ever after or any kind of god, so what they did here was all they had. Humans had many varied ways of looking at the great beyond, but every single one of them wanted to know the exact way they’d died.

  “Honor?”

  “Sorry.” He shook his head. “Once I knew your name I was able to delve through the news reports. You were well known. And well liked. There was a lot said about you. All of it good.”

  Carver smiled rather wanly. “I guess it’s kind of like going to my own funeral without actually being in the casket.”

  It took a moment for Honor’s translator to put all of that into context. His kind was not buried but incinerated. They had no reverence for a dead body as some cultures did. “You were killed in an explosion.”

  “The last thing I remember is going for a run then waking up on that stage.”

  “You were near a house that had been rigged to explode.”

  “Why?”

  “Apparently, the people who lived there were trying to collect on some kind of insurance policy. They altered gas appliances so that while they were away, the house would burn. But they miscalculated. The explosion destroyed their home and several homes next to it.”

  “How many people died?”

  “Twelve.”

  “Jesus.” Carver shook his head. “All so some asshole could collect insurance rather than work?”

  Honor nodded. He understood Carver’s fury. The perpetrators were well away from the danger, but their neighbors weren’t so lucky.

  “Was there another man taken from the same incident?”

  That thought had never crossed Honor’s mind. “What makes you think that?”

  “I remember jogging and I looked at my wrist to see what my heart rate was—it’s an athletic thing—and when I looked up there was this guy jogging toward me. He was cute, and I smiled at him and he smiled back.”

  “What about Mac?” Honor was confused because he thought once humans paired off they were extremely, almost pathologically, dedicated.

  “What about him?” Carver leaned forward, his brow wrinkling up with confusion. “Oh. You think since Mac and I threw down that I wasn’t going to ever look at another guy? That’s not how that works. I mean if we were serious, yeah, but we weren’t. And I just smiled at this guy. I didn’t run over and suck his dick or anything.”

  Honor couldn’t help himself, he laughed. Unexpected mirth was something he’d gotten used to feeling around humans. They used humor as a defense mechanism but also they used extremes to make their points.

  “So you do laugh. I was starting to think Krase warriors were always serious.”

  “We can be.” Honor despaired that he had nothing to say to Carver other than to convey information. “I am sorry that you can’t go back.”

  “Me, too.” Carver took a deep breath. “But that doesn’t mean my life is over.”

  “Not at all.” Honor felt another new and strange feeling. Admiration. He’d witnessed other humans react to the news in a variety of ways. Generally, they were complacent with the information once they found out the people they left behind thought they were dead. But they also had someone here and now that they loved. As far as he could tell, Carver wasn’t in love with anyone here. Yet. That thought gave Honor hope. “There is much to do here.”

  “Yeah?” Carver looked around at his room.

  “I did not mean right in this room.”

  Carver looked pointedly at the bed and then his speculative gaze landed on Honor. “I can think of one thing.”

  Chapter 6

  “I must go.” Honor stood and practically ran to the door. “Wait.” Carver moved quickly after him. Damn that he had listened to Acerith. This guy wasn’t interested in him in the least.

  “Please use the facilities, and then I will take you back to the others.”

  Carver was horrified. No wonder Honor wasn’t interested. He was probably repulsed by Carver’s stench. “Just take me back to the shuttle bay with the others.”

  “As you wish.” Honor moved so fast he was practically running.

  Carver matched his speed but stayed a step behind. The last thing he wanted to do was have to see Honor’s face. He might have had a chance with him if he’d taken the hint and gotten cleaned up first. As soon as he got back to the refugee camp in the shuttle bay, he sought out Acerith.

  “Well, you were wrong. Totally wrong.” Carver knew he was focusing on this so as not to feel overwhelmed about everything he’d lost. Pretending it didn’t matter when he was devastated beyond words was the norm for him. No one had ever been privy to his private pain, and he saw no reason to change that aspect of his personality now.

  Acerith met his gaze without anger.

  “He’s not into me.”

  Acerith looked beyond Carver’s shoulder, forcing him to turn around. When he did, he saw Honor over at the doorway. As soon as their gazes met, Honor exited the area. Carver frowned as he watched him go. What in the world was going on with him? Their gazes had collided on the planet and in the shuttle. There was heat there. When he’d asked Acerith, he’d verified that Carver wasn’t making it up in his head.

  “Oh, he is most definitely interested.”

  “I asked him to fuck, and he couldn’t say no fast enough.” Carver was humiliated. “I’m never listening to you again.”

  “Trust me. Honor is interested in you. But I do not think he wants to fuck. Well, perhaps that, too. But he wants more.”

  “More?” Carver had no idea what that meant.

  “He’s not looking for something fast but something which will last.”

  “Oh.” Carver dropped down onto the cot he’d been given. “I thought maybe I smelled bad.”

  “You don’t.”

  “I haven’t had a bath in ages.”

  “You’ve been in an environment too dry to allow you to sweat.”

  “Right.” Carver figured there was probably something scientific behind that, but he was too tired and embarrassed to ask what. “He knows about you.”

  “And you think that killed the moment?”

  “What? No!” Carver shoved Acerith, earning himself a rather cross look. “Sorry. Human males do a lot of shoving, slapping, and— I won’t do it again.”

  “Rather than touch with lust you touch with false aggression. Your species isn’t the only one. You would do well with the Krase.”

  “Maybe, but not with that one.” Carver looked around. “Has everyone gotten fed and cleaned up?”

  “Most. You can take your turn now.”

  “I was waiting for you.”

  “So now you wish to mate with me?” Acerith asked this with a drop-dead seriousness that belied the quizzically funny expression on his face. “Are all humans so fickle?”

  “Yeah.” Carver stood and offered out his hand to Acerith. “Tell me. Have you ever been in a locker room?”

  “I don’t know what that is.” Acerith allowed himself to be pulled to his feet then let go of Carver’s hand.

  “Ooh. A virgin.” Carver playfully attempted to swat Acerith’s ass. He was very human in shape but for his uniquely colored skin and the fact he had more in common with a reptile than a mammal.

  “And I shall stay that way.” He leapt away before Carver could make contact.

  “Aw, really? You could be a nice little plaything for the right guy.”

  “Perhaps
. But that isn’t you.”

  “What’s wrong with me?” And here he’d thought he was total beefcake. Perhaps he was on Earth, but out here he was just chopped liver. Other creatures saw him and went ew rather than whew. Carver was going to be really pissed if his one and only sexual experience was with Mac. Not that it hadn’t been good, because it was. So good in fact he’d like a repeat. Several repeats. And maybe something more.

  “You are too big for me.” Acerith entered the area where they were given modest amounts of water to clean up. According to Acerith, the Krase didn’t bathe in the traditional sense but had provided makeshift facilities to accommodate the other species as best they could.

  “Yeah. I’m pretty fucking massive.”

  “Including your ego.” Acerith disrobed.

  Carver tried not to stare but found he couldn’t.

  “Go on. Look.”

  “I’m not—I wasn’t—okay, where’s your cock?” Carver couldn’t help but compare Acerith to a Ken doll. He literally had an utterly smooth groin. “Oh, don’t tell me. Your other big secret is you’re a girl?”

  “I am not a female.” Acerith rolled his eyes and turned away, preventing Carver from being able to stare at him anymore. “My cock is inside.”

  “Whip it out.”

  “I have to become aroused for it to protrude.” Acerith plunged his sponge into the bucket then released the water at the top of his bald head. He made a sound that was oddly similar to a purring cat. “Although, given how good this feels, I might just oblige you.”

  Carver followed suit and swore he felt his pores trying to open up and drink his bath water. He’d consumed a large bottle of water when he’d come on board but had been careful not to drink too much. All he could think was that he was so glad he was safe. To his shock, he felt tears threaten. He turned away from Acerith and bathed himself briskly to try to stop the pain from taking over. He managed, but only just barely. Soon, he’d have to find a place of privacy and let the pain out but not here. Not now. And certainly not with Acerith who had his own agony.