Free VirtuallyYours by Caroline McCall

Now.”
    She gave him an annoyed glance and continued to bandage Eric’s
arm. There was no time for this. Striding across the room, he pulled Charley to
her feet and pinned her against the wall. “Charley, until this is over, you
will not leave my side, day or night. You will obey my every command without
question and you will not under any circumstances make eye contact with the
Vashtar.”
    Pete tugged at the neck of her uniform and a button came
free, rolling across the floor. He shoved her hair aside and kissed her neck,
biting and sucking the tender skin roughly. He could feel Charley struggling
against him and he crushed her arms by her sides until he was done. She was
going to have one hell of a hickey.
    There was a shocked silence behind them. Charley’s eyes were
blazing with anger. When she raised her arm to hit him, Pete grabbed her wrist,
forcing it down. “Listen to me, Charley. If you challenge my authority in front
of them, the Vashtar will expect me to kill you. If I don’t, then one of them
will. Do you understand?”
    Charley blinked away her tears and nodded. Pete released her
hand. Outside they could hear the heavy sound of footsteps. With trembling
fingers, she started to button up her tunic.
    “Leave it,” Pete snapped as the office door opened.
    One of the techies gulped audibly as a leather-clad soldier
entered the office accompanied by an ashen-faced Liston. No one could accuse
the Vashtar of being pretty. The soldier was tall and broad, with long dark
hair tied back with leather bindings. A series of bony ridges ran along the
center of his forehead. His brows were heavy, overhanging small, deep-set eyes.
The soldier stood back respectfully when an older male entered the room. Pete
checked the newcomer’s insignia, trying to recall Vashtar military ranks. It
was time to say hello. Stepping forward, Pete deftly avoided the attempts of
the soldier to stop him and punched the captain in the jaw.
    Now that was a surprise . The soldier recovered
quickly and caught him in a headlock, twisting his arm behind his back. Pete
didn’t resist. He couldn’t let them know that he was tech-enhanced, otherwise,
he could find himself on a Vashtar sales block. Pete braced himself for the
blow that never came.
    The captain rubbed his jaw and then threw back his head and
laughed. “An alpha—thank Vinar for that. I thought this planet was stocked with
trembling cowards.” He gestured to the guard. “Release him. Identify yourself,
Alpha.”
    “I am Chief Engineer Pete Olafson.” He inclined his head
toward the techies huddled in the corner. “These are the ship’s technical
officers. They are necessary for its operation.”
    “And this one?” The captain made his way across the room to
Charley.
    Pete whispered a silent prayer that Charley wouldn’t make
eye contact. The Vashtar captain would have no qualms about killing her.
    “She is my female,” Pete responded.
    The captain’s gloved hand reached out and he pulled her chin
up, inspecting Charley as if she was a particularly fine specimen. His eyes
fastened on the livid marks on her neck and he grunted his approval. “Will you
trade her?”
    “Of course.” Pete shrugged. “When I’m finished with her.”
Charley was definitely going to kill him for that one, but at least no one was
dead yet.
    Two more soldiers appeared in the corridor outside. “We have
secured the ship, Captain. We have no casualties, but the humans were not so fortunate.”
    Pete thought of the guards stationed on the base. Most of
them had little recent combat experience. They would have been no match for a
ruthless band of Vashtar mercenaries. He restrained himself from punching the
smug smile from the lieutenant’s face. That particular pleasure would have to
wait.
    The captain eyed his motley bunch of prisoners. “My name is
Captain Tinar and this is Lieutenant Kirez. You will obey my orders at all
times or you will die. Now which of you is the pilot?”
    Charley