Seducing Stag Read online

  Stag fisted his hand. “Take us to the edge and stop.”

  Hellion drew his attention by cursing. “That’s insane. I know what you’re thinking but we can’t go in there. We might not find our way out.”

  “The Markus Models will deem we’re too smart to have entered it. They’ll waste time searching those moons.” Stag smiled.

  “Unless they think we’re Earthers.” Hellion snorted.

  “Exactly,” Kelis agreed. “It’s stupid to enter it. We’d have to go deep to avoid them visually spotting us. That means they’d lose sight of us, but we’d lose sight of where the entry point is. Our sensors will have nothing to read to pinpoint our location.”

  “We’re cyborgs,” Stag reminded his crew. “We’re smarter than the Earthers who have ventured inside. We’ll get out, but I’m going to send our coordinates to the Star just in case, with a seventy-four-hour window so they’ll know to come looking for us if we don’t contact them after that. The Markus Models won’t waste that much time searching in this area. They’ll return to whatever mission they are on or move right past us.”

  “They could pick up the transmission. There’s only one relay in this system to send our message. It’s probably why they avoided using it to contact each other.”

  Stag didn’t need Kelis to tell him that. “It’s why I’m typing out my breeding-pact lists with names. I’m number four on mine. I’m creating a code. It’s too easy to break if they use a zero-to-nine numerical system.”

  “Smart,” Hellion muttered.

  “That’s why I’m in charge.”

  Stag quickly typed out the message by using the first initial of each male on his list, to signify a number, until he had the coordinates of where they’d enter the dead zone of space. He sent it.

  “Do you think they’ll figure it out easily?”

  “Flint is smart, and he’s in charge of the Star right now. I titled it B.P. List, and that will clue him in.” Stag sighed. “Otherwise he’s an idiot but he’s not one. He’ll realize I’m giving him numbers. The Markus Models won’t be able to break my code, Hellion.”

  “How will he know who is on your list and their numbers?”

  Stag hated his authority being questioned. “At least three men in mine are assigned to the Star.”

  Hellion nodded. “They can decode it.”

  “Exactly.” Stag leaned forward. “Take us into the dead zone. Count it out every second, our speed, and record how far we go before changing course. We’ll just reverse and exit by using that information.”

  “It’s going to mess with our sensors.”

  “I’m aware. Don’t use them.” He stood up, walked to the front, stared at the utter blackness they flew into. “Visuals only. Mark time and speed.”

  “Shit,” Hellion muttered. “I get why we’re doing this but I’m not happy about it.”

  “Turn on your emotion-suppression chip if you’re going to whine.” Stag had no time to deal with feelings. “I refuse to allow us to be captured by Markus Models. I’d rather us all die on our terms than be tortured for the location of other cyborgs. We have a good chance of getting out of this. Those bastards have two Genesis Four shuttles at their disposal and the Varnish would be no match for them. They’d take out our engines and board us. Our intel said they’re traveling in units of four to six. We’re not equipped for hand-to-hand combat with that many.”

  “It’s a sound decision. The Markus Models wouldn’t think we’d do this.”

  He turned to glance at Kelis. The male gave him a sharp nod, communicating that he was in agreement with Stag’s decision.

  “Maybe they’ll follow us in and get lost if they enter the dead zone too.” Veller grinned. “That would be a bonus.”

  “They are intelligent. They’d have the same odds as we do of finding the edge again.”

  Stag’s words muted his crew. He faced forward. “Tell me when the sensors stop getting readings.”

  Long minutes passed. “Now,” Parqel whispered.

  “Visuals?”

  Hellion answered. “Gone. Not a glimmer of light from the stars.”

  “Shutter all ports and turn off any exterior lighting.” Stag returned to his chair, changing course himself. He knew his crew was watching, memorizing every order he input. He finally used the thrusters and brought the shuttle to a full stop. “We’re going to become as dark as our surroundings.”

  “Shit,” Hellion murmured.

  It was eerie quiet when the engines were shut down. Stag kept life support on but at a minimum. “We wait. In seventy-two hours, we’ll reverse course. I want two of you visually scanning for any lights. The Markus Models will have to rely on visuals too and might amplify their exterior lights, hoping to spot us.” He tapped out a new schedule, sending it to their pads. “Rest as much as possible to slow your breathing.”

  “Why did you lower life support?”

  Kelis answered Hellion’s question first. “In case we can’t find our way out. We’ll use less fuel repowering our systems and survive longer in case we’re stuck out here.”

  Stag leaned back in his chair and slowed his breathing, measuring each one. He also accessed lighting inside the ship, dimming it to draw less power. “We’ll get out of this.”

  He hoped he hadn’t just lied to his crew.

  Chapter Three

  Nala made the bed and glanced around the room. The lights were so low it was difficult to see much. Stag was a mega asshole for making it as tough as possible to clean his quarters, but she’d done it.

  Her stomach grumbled. He’d wanted to motivate her to do his bidding, and he had. She’d been abandoned in his room for what she guessed was a good seventeen hours now. The only reason she had access to water was the cleansing unit sink.

  “What a dick,” she muttered.

  She took a seat on the floor in case Stag was anything like her father. Manny Vestria had hated creases on his bedding. He’d spent twenty years in the military, before he’d retired and taken a job with her on her transport shuttle.

  She drew her knees up and hugged them. Her father and the Pride were gone.

  The freighter had been her baby. She’d sold everything after her grandfather’s death and bought it at an auction. Some smuggler had been caught by Earth Government and his loss had become her gain. She’d hired men her dad had trusted, ex-military buddies of his, and she’d built her reputation as being honest and dependable. At first she’d landed a few jobs hauling supplies to colonies, but then she’d hit the jackpot by being given a contract to deliver sex bots.

  Now she had nothing. Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back. It was done. There was no changing the past. She’d learned that lesson from a young age. She’d been the daughter of a military officer who’d spent more time in space than on Earth. Her mother had died when she’d been eight, her grandmother four years later. Then her grandfather, when she’d been nineteen and just learning the import business he had built.

  Earth Government had come in and said they were taking over the business, using the excuse that she wasn’t qualified. There’d been nothing left on Earth for her at that point. She’d sold the house, emptied her grandfather’s credit accounts, and bought her freighter. EG couldn’t steal from her again if she wasn’t living on the planet.

  The door opened and she lifted her chin. Stag entered then sealed them inside. He held a covered tray. “Food.”

  She rose up and was tempted to hit him with the damn thing but hunger couldn’t be denied. It might feel good to shove whatever he’d bought all over his nice, neat uniform but in the long run, she’d be the one to suffer for her show of defiance. He might wait another seventeen hours to feed her.

  “Thank you.” She accepted the tray and returned to her spot on the floor.

  “You may sit on the bed.”

  “It’s been made with clean sheets and blankets. I even fluffed your pillows.” She hoped he’d smother on them. “I don’t want to mess it up again.”