Pirate's Woman Read online

  That didn’t mean he had to like it, though. He sighed. Just one more stamp on his passport to hell.

  * * * * *

  Teyla followed the first officer along the passageway with her head held high. She refused to allow herself to feel even one single second of self-pity. She’d known this day was coming since she was old enough to start understanding the ways of her planet, had always known she would be used as a chip in one of her father’s business schemes. She had naturally thought he would put her on the marriage block in return for capital, not sell her into slavery. That had been unexpected.

  Her father wasn’t being cruel when he’d handed her over to the pirate Slayter, though. He was simply doing what was best for his family. Offering her as payment had relieved the family business of a massive amount of debt, and now her sisters probably wouldn’t have to suffer the same fate.

  Still, hearing the pirate announce he intended to take her to Arkhon had made her resolve tremble a little. Even on her backwater planet, Arkhon had a reputation as a dreadful place no woman wanted to end up.

  She swallowed hard. She would survive this, no matter what she had to do. In fact, she would find some way to thrive. It was how her people lived. The Kallorians were known throughout the galaxy as the kind of people who could handle any burden and come out on top. Perseverance was bred into them from the day they were born. Small children were frequently left unattended in the boundless forests of her planet as a way of teaching them to survive on their own. Other families would set impossible tasks for their children, like pushing a boulder to the top of a hill by themselves in an effort to teach them to never give up. While her parents hadn’t asked her to do either of those things, she had turned out just as stubborn and determined as the rest of her people. If she was going to be a slave, she would be the best slave ever. And if she was going to be a sex slave, then she would be the best damn sex slave ever. She would make her family proud.

  There was only one problem. While she’d fooled around with guys some, she didn’t have a lot of experience when it came to sex. She wasn’t sure how a man interested in making her a sex slave could tell if she would be good in bed or not, but she worried if she didn’t bring enough money on the block, Slayter might go back and demand additional payment from her father.

  Teyla frowned as she thought of the pirate. Slayter wasn’t anything like she imagined. Her father had made him out to be a cold, ruthless man, but he didn’t seem like either of those. Not only had he asked her if she’d agreed to the deal before telling her father he would accept it, but he’d threatened the men on his crew with dismemberment if they laid a hand on her. Although she was sure he’d only said it to make sure she retained her value for the auction block, she appreciated his protection anyway.

  Slayter didn’t look like she’d pictured, either. She’d heard pirates were nasty, sweaty-smelling men with bad teeth and full beards to hide their pockmarked skin, but that couldn’t be more wrong. At least not where Slayter was concerned. Tall and dark-haired, he was well-muscled with powerful shoulders, a broad chest and a strong, chiseled jaw. While his good looks and incredible body were enough to turn any woman’s head, it was his eyes that had captured her attention from the moment she’d stepped on board the ship. Brown and soulful, they had a touch of gold that made them mesmerizing. If a man like him purchased her to be his sex slave, perhaps this new life of servitude wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  Ahead of her, the first officer stopped in front of a door in the passageway. He pushed a button beside it and the door slid open. Turning to her, he gestured with his hand.

  “After you.”

  Teyla hesitated, then took a deep breath and stepped inside the cabin. It was bigger than she’d expected. Nicer, too. She’d pictured a small room with a narrow bed, a tiny dresser and a cramped writing desk. Instead, it was a suite of rooms. One was large enough to accommodate a huge bed and night tables, while the other contained a big desk with a computer and a holographic map. Like the man, the rooms were somewhat of a contradiction. While much of the ship was sleek steel and polished surfaces, the inside of these rooms hearkened back to another era. Almost all of the furniture, from the bed to the ornate desk, was oversized and made of antique wood. On one wall hung what she could only guess was a porthole from a seafaring ship. On another was a wood and wrought iron coat rack. Though most of the pegs were empty, one of them held a long, leather duster.

  “I’ll have one of the crew set up a cot for you in the captain’s study,” the first officer said. “You’re welcome to go about the ship, but the men can be a little rough around the edges sometimes, so it’d probably be best if you keep to the cabin.”

  She nodded, but didn’t say anything. She’d naturally assumed she would be confined to the captain’s quarters for the duration of the journey. She supposed there wasn’t much harm in giving her freedom to roam around, though. It wasn’t like she could escape. Even if she could, she wouldn’t.

  “If you hear the alarm sound, though,” the man added, “get back to the captain’s cabin and stay here.”

  “What does the alarm mean?”

  “Nothing for you to be concerned about. Just stay in here and you’ll be fine.”

  She started to press him for more, but then reminded herself that slaves didn’t ask questions, but simply did as they were told. It galled her, but thanks to her upbringing, it was something she was very good at faking.

  The gray-haired man regarded her thoughtfully. “If you need anything, just let me or the captain know.”

  She gave him a small smile. “Thank you, Hewson.”

  “I’ll let you get settled then.”

  Teyla watched the older man go, surprised by his kindness. He made her feel as if she were an honored guest instead of payment for a debt.

  Letting out a sigh, she set her satchel on the floor beside the dresser. She didn’t know why she’d let her mother talk her into bringing the bag. The man who bought her probably wasn’t going to allow her to keep anything inside it. She wouldn’t miss the change of clothes or small amount of toiletries she’d brought, but the thought of parting with the holographic imager with the photos of her family and friends was almost unbearable. At least she would be able to hang on to it until they got to Arkhon. Unless Slayter took it from her before then.

  The thought brought a rush of tears to her eyes and she dropped to her knee beside the bag, suddenly desperate to look at the pictures. She yanked it open and reached for the imager just as someone knocked on the door. Startled, she jerked her head up. Slayter obviously wouldn’t knock on the door of his own cabin, which meant it had to be one of the crew. Abruptly, she remembered what Hewson had said about having someone set up a cot for her. Looking at pictures would have to wait.

  Teyla reluctantly closed the bag and rose to her feet. “Come in.”

  At her words, the door slid open. A slight, blond-haired teenage boy stood there, a rollaway cot beside him. He gave her a shy look.

  “Sorry to bother you, but the first mate told me to come set this up in the captain’s study for you,” he said.

  “It’s no bother. Please, come in.”

  He ducked his head in a nod, then rolled the cot through the bedroom and into the study. He fumbled with it for a few minutes before finally getting it open. He pushed it closer to the bookcase, then gave her an apologetic look. “Never set one of these things up before. This okay where it is?”

  “It’s fine.” If it wasn’t, she was sure Slayter would move it.

  The boy stuck his hands in the back pocket of his breeches and shifted from one foot to the other as if not quite sure what to say next. “I’m Olin, by the way.”

  She smiled. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Teyla.”

  “I know. I was down in the cargo hold when you came aboard.”

  Right. “Do you know when we’ll be leaving Kallor?”

  “We already did.”

  She blinked. “We did? I didn’t even feel us move.
”

  Olin grinned. “That’s because Salo’s the best pilot this side of a wormhole.”

  “I thought shooting into space would be more…dramatic.”

  “We don’t actually shoot into space. More like lift off.” He frowned. “You’ve never been on a ship before?”

  “No.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know how you landlubbers do it. Being stuck on one planet all the time would suck.”

  She laughed. “I never really thought about it before.”

  Olin grinned again, broader this time. “Take it from me, space is the place to be. Once you start jumping from planet to planet, you won’t ever want to stay put on one again.” His smile faded, his blue eyes suddenly sad. “Not that you’ll get the chance wherever you’re going, I guess, will you?”

  Her heart ached at the reminder. “Probably not.”

  He cleared his throat. “I’d, uh, better go. I told the cook I’d give him a hand in the galley.”

  Teyla opened her mouth to thank him again for setting up the cot, but Olin was already out the door. She sighed. She hadn’t expected any of the pirates to feel sorry for her, but the boy definitely seemed uncomfortable with the idea of her being sold as a slave. It was kind of nice to know there was someone on board besides herself who dreaded where they were going.

  She shook her head. So much for the promise not to let herself feel even one single second of self-pity. That was all she’d done since she’d stepped foot in this stupid cabin.

  Determined not to think about it anymore, Teyla busied herself with looking around Slayter’s study. While the holographic map of the Imperial galaxy should have held her interest, especially since she’d never seen one up close before, she found herself wandering over to the bookcase instead. Probably because she loved to read so much. Apparently Slayter did, too.

  She ran her gaze over the hundreds of datacubes that were neatly organized on the shelves. She’d never seen so many books in a private library. Not even the rich merchants her father did business with back on Kallor had this many cubes. She wondered what subjects would hold a pirate’s interest.

  She touched her finger to one of the cubes at random and watched as a small holographic screen popped up above it. Hmm. Spaceship design. She supposed that made sense. She moved her finger from one cube to the next. Besides cubes on weaponry and battle tactics, Slayter had ones on planetary cultures, etiquette and philosophy. There were even two shelves devoted to fictional books. She lifted a brow at that. Slayter was obviously an educated man, which made her wonder why he’d turned to a life of piracy.

  Knowing she probably shouldn’t touch his stuff, but unable to help herself, she took one of the cubes from the shelf and picked up the reader from the desk. The device looked old and worn, like he used it a lot. She dropped the cube in the reader and read the extract. It was about a young, untried warrior who must venture alone into enemy territory to infiltrate an evil wizard’s empire to save his people. Although it only hinted at the romance between the hero and the beautiful, young witch who reluctantly served the wizard, the story sounded intriguing anyway, and Teyla couldn’t resist a peek at the first few pages. To her delight, the book was as exciting as the extract had promised, and before she realized what she was doing, she curled up in one of the two stuffed chairs beside the bookcase to read the rest of it.

  She was still there when Slayter walked into the cabin an hour later. In fact, she was so engrossed in the story she didn’t even realize he’d come in until he spoke.

  “I see you seem to have settled in.”

  Startled by his deep voice, Teyla lifted her gaze to look up at him. She didn’t know if she should be annoyed he had interrupted her, or embarrassed he’d caught her reading one of his treasured books. One look in those amber eyes of his, though, and she forgot all about the story she’d been reading and lost herself in their soul-filled depths instead.

  Realizing she was just sitting there gazing up at him, she blushed and got to her feet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to help myself to your books.”

  “No need to apologize,” he said. “Books are meant to be read. Besides, I can hardly expect you to sit in here and twiddle your thumbs until we get to Arkhon.”

  She felt her throat tighten at the mention of the slave market. “How long will it take us to get there?”

  He shrugged. “A week. Maybe less.”

  A week. That meant she had seven precious days of freedom left. The knowledge made her stomach churn, but she forced her expression to remain neutral as she put the cubereader back on the desk.

  “You’re taking this all very well,” Slayter observed from behind her. “Don’t you feel the least bit angry with your father for the situation he’s put you in?”

  She smoothed her hands down the front of her dress as she considered the question. “I can see how you would think I might be,” she said without turning around. “But no, I’m not angry with him. My father did what he had to do to take care of the business and his family.”

  “What about you? Aren’t you part of his family, too?” When she didn’t say anything, he continued. “When I asked you earlier if you agreed to the deal, you said you had, but now I wonder if your father even gave you a choice.”

  She didn’t answer. Outsiders didn’t always agree with the way things were done on her planet and trying to make them understand could be difficult. It was useless to even try. But Slayter seemed to be expecting an answer.

  Teyla turned to give the pirate a small smile. “My father didn’t force me to come here, Slayter. As the oldest, it’s my duty to do whatever is necessary to help my family. By paying off the debt, I’ve saved my sisters from someday having to do the same.”

  She waited for him to question her logic, and suspected he probably would have if a knock on the door hadn’t interrupted him.

  “Enter,” Slayter called.

  The door slid open and Olin walked in, a serving tray in his hands. Teyla’s mouth watered at the delicious aroma coming from the bowls on it, and she licked her lips as he placed the tray down on the table. She hadn’t been able to eat much of her lunch before her father had delivered her to the spaceport, and hadn’t realized how hungry she was. She hoped one of those bowls was for her.

  Slayter glanced at her. “I thought you might be more comfortable eating in here instead of the mess.” He gestured to the table. “Sit, please.”

  Teyla stared at him in amazement, stunned the pirate would even consider her comfort. Abruptly realizing he was still waiting for her to sit down, she slipped into one of the chairs.

  As he took the seat across from her, Olin unloaded the tray, setting the bowls and mugs in front of her and Slayter. The bowls looked like they contained some kind of stew, and from the color of the liquid, the mugs were probably filled with ale. She didn’t much like the taste of ale, but was so grateful they were giving her something to eat that she didn’t complain. Olin’s gaze strayed to her as he placed the basket of bread on the table and he gave her a shy grin.

  “I made the bread myself,” he said. “Hope you like it.”

  Slayter’s mouth twitched. “Thank you, Olin. That’ll be all.”

  Olin gave him a nod, then glanced at her once more before leaving the cabin. Teyla couldn’t help but smile as she picked up her spoon.

  “They recruit pirates young, I see,” she said.

  Slayter chuckled. “They usually do.”

  “How old is he?”

  “Fifteen.” Slayter helped himself to a slice of bread. “I picked him up on Nennor when he was twelve. He was living on the streets and tried to pick my pocket. I figured I could either try to scare him straight or give him an honest job.”

  She looked at him dubiously. “With a pirate?”

  “I prefer to think of myself as a businessman with flexible ethics.”

  That was certainly an interesting way to describe what he did. Though if she was honest with herself, she could admit she’d seen her fat
her do some pretty unethical things in the name of business. People in glass airdomes shouldn’t toss rocks, she supposed.

  From there, the conversation rambled through various subjects, including his ship, how he got his crew together and what kind of work he normally did. She was a little surprised he was so forthcoming. She was also surprised at how easy it was to talk to him.

  Then again, maybe it wasn’t so surprising. Slayter was a very unique pirate. Intelligent, well-spoken and way more attractive than any pirate had a right to be. She studied him from beneath her lashes as they ate. Uh-huh. He was definitely the most handsome man she’d ever been around.

  “Have you ever been to Arkhon before?” she asked, trying to distract herself so she wouldn’t stare at him.

  Slayter sopped up what was left of his stew with a piece of bread. “Once.”

  She would have thought he’d go there more since he was a pirate. “What will happen when we get there?”

  He hesitated. “I’m not quite sure. I’ve never sold a slave before, but I imagine it will be the same process as selling anything else there.”

  Meaning she would be put on the auction block and sold to the highest bidder. “Do you know if buyers look for certain things when they purchase a sex slave?”

  He frowned slightly. “I suppose.”

  “You don’t think they’ll want to…sample the merchandise before they buy, will they?”

  “I’m sure some buyers might, but I don’t think the people who run the auction would allow that.” Slayter must have seen the relief on her face because he gave her a reassuring smile. “You don’t have anything to be concerned about, Teyla. You’re a very beautiful woman. Any man can see that.”

  Considering the situation, the compliment shouldn’t have warmed her like it did, but she felt herself blush anyway. “It’s just that I don’t have very much experience when it comes to sex. I mean, I’m not a virgin, but I haven’t been with a lot of men, either. I’m concerned potential buyer will know right away that I’m inexperienced.” She looked at him from beneath lowered lashes. “I don’t want you to come out on the short end of this exchange.”