She could barely breathe as the state of perfection blanketed her, and as Rafe shouted his own release, both his seed and his spirit found her, bathing her with comfort and warmth, and what felt oddly enough like true affection.
Moments later she lay slumped over him, his callused palm centred over her lower back, their bodies still joined as they recovered from such an extraordinary coupling.
“It’ll be okay, Erin.” Rafe murmured her name as he stroked her. “This will all work out.”
Moments passed, and her peace gradually faded. This will all work out, he’d said. But for whom? Recalling what she’d confessed in the heat of passion, Erin knew the enormity of what she’d done. The calm she’d experienced now felt like a vat of Agoba acid. Staring down at a male she knew only as a manipulator, a thief and an opportunist, Erin gaped in horror and did the only thing she could think to do.
She grabbed hold of his neck and squeezed.
Chapter Six
“I want to know how she and the others got away.” Canunn shook his head as he and Synster conferred in the landing bay of Sector Eight on Nebe6, the System’s infamous pleasure planet. Canunn had insisted they stand a good distance from disembarking ships, not wanting to be too close to the riffraff normally associated with the sinful destination.
“And I’m still not sure why we’re here, of all places. I don’t think this was a good idea.” Synster scoffed. “I’m surprised you can think at all without the comfort of the labs. This is a golden opportunity to visit the most stellar pleasurers in the System. Think what we can do with a pleasurer’s programming in someone like Anin.” His broad grin faded. “When I find that little bitch, she is in for a bout of discipline like nothing she’s ever had. And just wait until I get my hands on Erin.”
“Really, Synster.” Canunn flushed, not at all comfortable with discussions of this sort.
“We’re not here to… indulge. The only reason Blue Rim allowed us to leave was to recapture our subjects before anyone finds out what they are.” He kept his voice low, not wanting anyone to overhear. Canunn wasn’t worried that Erin or the others would broadcast their identity. The System had ordered Creations terminated on site years ago. And though Erin had adapted to societal strictures better than Anin or Ryen, physically, she didn’t completely blend in with most humanoids.
He frowned. She had been away for several months. Could she have adapted better than he’d thought? She’d never been tested outside of a controlled environment. What if she began displaying skills they’d never thought to investigate? Sweat beaded on his forehead at thoughts of never recapturing his Creation. Still, Erin couldn’t be at full strength. She had, unfortunately, suffered a fair amount of bruising after that first set of peacemakers had thought to bring her in using any means possible. Then there was the removal of her embedded tracking chip and the reports of vigorous pursuit by a trio of brutal bounty hunters.
“You need to get laid,” Synster spoke bluntly, distracting him. “If you’d ever shove that dick through anything but your fingers, you’d know what it’s like to desire. Think about it, Canunn. We could definitely use desire to our advantage with our buyers. Imagine how much we could make on this planet with the three of them, Erin, Anin and Ryen, creatures designed to appeal to any and all sexes?”
“But they’re commissioned to go the highest bidder next year. We have to finish their programming. We can’t afford to deviate from our set course, Synster. The sale from Erin alone will be enough to fund Blue Rim well past the next century. And think of our guaranteed promotion and the ability to run our own research teams. Don’t screw this up with sex. I beg you.”
Canunn shuddered as a garishly costumed pleasurer, a whore actually, considering the poor quality of her clothing and face paints, strolled by them. He didn’t like sex. He occasionally masturbated to ease his physical hungers, thankfully few that there were. But he couldn’t imagine Erin walking around like that…whore, his precious project defiled by base lust.
Erin, unlike Anin and Ryen, could hold a decent conversation without prostrating herself or going for his throat. Thankfully, Anin’s and Ryen’s failings made hiding them easy. Canunn had lied to his colleagues, so they believed that Anin and Ryen were right now stabilised and unconscious in Canunn’s private labs away from the main facility.
But Mathin, Canunn and Synster’s boss, kept abreast of Erin’s progress, singularly so.
And Canunn couldn’t blame him. Erin, despite a small flaw or two, was perfection. She had intelligence, the ability to learn, and an open-mindedness he prided himself for instilling. Her physical form, naturally, had been designed to attract all manner of sentient beings, for the express purpose of maintaining the upper hand at all times. With her powerful pheromones, she would always be able to confuse her enemies, giving her enough time to disarm and/or kill them with her superior strength.
But to use those pheromones to induce a bout of sex? Canunn squirmed, unable and unwilling to imagine her under Synster, as he had, unfortunately, once seen Anin. The bored Creation had waited patiently for Synster to spend, and the sight of Synster’s impure seed dripping down her legs disgusted him. Thankfully, Canunn’s sterile Creations would never conceive. A child with Synster’s mindset and Anin’s abilities would be a nightmare.
“Why did we have to meet here?” he asked Synster again. “I thought bounty hunters were for hire. That means we tell them what to do.” At least, that’s the way the other two groups had behaved. Then again, both of them had failed.
Synster shrugged. “This crew is supposed to be the best, and they wanted to meet here.
From what I gather, they have two Raggas on board. And you know how they can get if you don’t satisfy them.”
Canunn nodded. Though Erin and Anin both possessed Ragga genetics, Ryen had manifested more Ragga characteristics than the others. Both broad and tall, he possessed more muscle than even the strongest Ragga, as well as a keen intellect that wasn’t nearly as forgiving as Anin’s… at all. The only thing that had sated him over the years were a multitude of women to ease his fury and constant battles testing his war skills. Though most Raggas weren’t nearly so sexually hungry, Ryen seemed to need the constant release.
“Look, here they are.” Synster interrupted his musings. “Mara’s Light.” They waited while the ship docked. A ramp lowered and several people departed. The two larger figures were clearly the Raggas Synster had mentioned. Another large male escorted a striking woman, his arm wrapped around her shoulder possessively. The four glanced at Canunn and Synster. Then another male left the ship, said something to the group in a low voice, and walked past them towards Canunn. The other four hung back, as if waiting for trouble to break out.
“We’re the ones who requested your services,” Synster said in a condescending tone once the male reached them.
The male, a Mardu, to Canunn’s practiced eye, simply lifted his left brow and stared at Synster, saying nothing for a moment. When Synster shifted uncomfortably, the male rolled his eyes. “You want to discuss this here, in the open, or would you rather take this somewhere private?”
Synster flushed. “I, ah…”
“Somewhere private, please.” Canunn nodded meekly, trying to appeal to the man’s obvious sense of command.