Enslaved Read online

  But somehow the collar had brought that response out of him.

  Why? Was it just because he’d nearly been killed by it before? That would certainly be reason enough to cause an extreme reaction but somehow Trin thought it was more than that. More of what she didn’t know. She only knew that at the sight of the collar the proud, fearless, reckless male she was coming to know and grudgingly respect had somehow lost himself. Or rather…he was only holding onto himself by a thread. Maybe that was why he’d shocked himself on purpose—to bring himself back, to clear his head somehow.

  Or maybe he was just showing the crew they were safe. Come on, Trin—stop making up stories and deal with the reality, she lectured herself.

  But the reality was that she’d seen genuine distress when she showed the collar to him…the reality was that his big body had trembled as she fastened it on.

  But he still said the proper words and made the proper gestures, Trin reminded herself. It didn’t occur to her to wonder how Thrace knew the proper words and correct gestures. After all, they’d already established that she’d been wrong about his past. But there was something about the pain she’d seen in his pale, piercing eyes that twisted her heart.

  If she’d really seen it there at all. Maybe she was just imagining things…

  “I’m fine. I feel good.” Thrace was already getting to his feet again, dusting off the tight leather trousers and giving her an irreverent grin. “Well, was that show good enough for you, Mistress?”

  “It was,” Trin acknowledged. Although she wondered how much of it was show.

  “Good.” He nodded at her. “Well, let’s get back to the cabin. I assume I’ll be sleeping with you tonight?”

  “What?” Trin looked at him, genuinely startled.

  “At the foot of your bed, of course. As any good slave would.” He raised an eyebrow. “What did you think I meant?”

  Trin cleared her throat, not willing to get into that.

  “I’m sorry but the small room where you were before is supposed to be for my body-slave.”

  “You mean the one where you had me chained down so I couldn’t move for days on end?” His voice dropped to a low growl. “Look, Mistress, no disrespect but I’m not going back in there. I…” He cleared his throat. “I can’t. Not on top of this.” He touched the collar lightly with his fingertips and winced again as he got a slight shock. The collar was wired to keep a slave from trying to take it off too.

  “Thrace—”

  “Please, Trin…it’s too much,” he muttered, meeting her eyes. “I fucking can’t. Not tonight, anyway.”

  “I…” Trin wasn’t sure what to say. It was true that there was space on the floor at the end of her bed—her cabin was rather large as sleeping quarters went—probably because the ship had originally been built for an elegant and spoiled mistress from Yonnie Six. But she’d never expected to have to share it with anyone—most especially not a male.

  Still one glance at his face convinced her. The look was back in his eyes—that indefinable look that made her wonder…that made her worry…that made her sorry.

  “All right,” she said at last, stiffly. “But I’m sleeping with the remote in my hand. Come on, I’m tired.”

  “As my Mistress wishes,” Thrace murmured and followed her out of the pod and down the long metal corridor without further comment.

  Chapter Twelve

  Sidna was waiting for her in front of her cabin door, as Trin had half expected she would be. She gave a mental sigh and straightened her shoulders, unwilling to show weakness although she was beginning to feel more weary than she ever had in her life.

  “Sidna, what can I do for you?” she said, trying to keep her tone light.

  “I’d like a moment of your time, Captain. Alone.” It was always a bad sign when Sidna called her by her title instead of her name. Inside, Trin groaned. Outwardly, she somehow managed to maintain a pleasant, professional expression.

  “Of course. Thrace—go in the cabin please and turn my bed down for sleep. I’m tired.”

  “I will. And then I’d like a shower, Mistress.” He raised his eyebrows at her, making it a request.

  “Of course, that’s fine.” Trin nodded. “Just go.”

  The huge Havoc nodded and walked into her cabin quietly. The metal door swooshed shut behind him.

  Sidna looked at Trin, iron gray eyebrows raised in disbelief.

  “So now you’re letting him sleep with you? A male? In your bed?” she demanded. “That’s sacrilege! The Goddess—”

  “Of course he’s not sleeping in my bed,” Trin said briskly. “He’s sleeping on the floor so I can keep an eye on him.”

  “Right. So you can keep an eye on him.” Sidna’s voice fairly dripped sarcasm.

  Trin put a hand on her hip—time to nip this in the bud.

  “What exactly are you implying, Sidna? And you’d better watch what you say. I don’t appreciate being insulted on my own ship.”

  “I’m not implying—I’m saying that this…this male has you fooled. Somehow he’s convinced you that he’s trustworthy when he’s not—no male is and you know it!”

  Trin felt her professional demeanor slipping. It had been a hell of a long day and she was bone weary and not completely sure about her choices. Which meant she really didn’t feel like defending them to her friend.

  “You know how he convinced me to trust him, Sidna?” she demanded. “The fact that he came after me, all alone, and saved my life and my honor in the Demon’s Eye. Then he risked his own life to get me back here—fought off over a dozen of B’Rugh’s goons—and before you say that all males are disgusting beasts that only think about sex and breeding, he didn’t lay a hand on me either, even when I was completely vulnerable. Then he willingly let me put the collar on him just so you and the rest of the crew wouldn’t feel uneasy about him being on board. So that’s how he earned my trust. What else can he do to earn yours?”

  “Nothing,” Sidna said flatly. “He’s a male—they’re inherently untrustworthy and you know it. But since he has you fooled, I’ll try my best to have your back when he turns on you.”

  “He’s not going to turn on me like some rabid feral.” Trin couldn’t keep the exasperation out of her voice. “Look, is that all you came to say? Because I’m really tired—being in mortal danger and nearly being raped and killed will do that to a girl.”

  Sidna’s lips thinned. “As a matter of fact, no that isn’t all. I also wanted to tell you that you have a message from Lady Malroth on Yonnie Six. I saved it for you on your private viewscreen.”

  “Thank you.” Trin nodded. “That’s good news—maybe she’s ready to deal.”

  “Maybe,” Sidna snapped. “And I guess you’re ready to deal as well—now that you have a body-slave at your side to legitimize you in the Yonnie Six circles.”

  “I am,” Trin said calmly. “And as soon as I sell the Jaxite crystals I got from B’Rugh to Lady Malroth, I’ll make back the investment on Thrace. Then he’ll consider his debt paid, and he’ll go. All right?”

  Sidna looked slightly mollified.

  “Really? This isn’t a long term arrangement then? Because I never liked the idea of you buying a male slave in the first place and I don’t trust this one as far as I could throw him.”

  “It’s just a one time thing,” Trin told her soothingly. “As soon as the deal is done, Thrace is gone.”

  “Well…” Sidna took a deep breath. “I still don’t like it and I still don’t trust him. But I’m willing to stick by you, Trin—at least until Yonnie Six.”

  “Thank you.” Trin put a hand on the other woman’s shoulder. “That means a lot to me, Sidna. Good medics are hard to find and good friends are even harder.”

  A small smile graced the medic’s thin lips.

  “Just be careful letting him in there with you. Sleep with that remote in your hand.” She nodded to the small, black rectangle Trin still held.

  “I intend to,” Trin said gravely. “Now,