Subdued Read online

  The four of them were incredibly strong as a unit. They were intelligent, perceptive, and worked together almost as if they could read each other’s minds. It was quite amazing to see. It also made the possibility of escape almost nonexistent. I was slowly becoming certain that I would not find a way to get free, not unless something happened to help me accomplish that task.

  For three days, we traveled the countryside, only going as fast as I could go. I knew I was slowing them down, but none of them ever said a word or complained. Not even once. When we stopped late one night, the men were tense. All four of them were stiff and their lips drawn into thin, firm lines, but I couldn’t see why.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked Valdus and he sighed heavily.

  “We’ve detected some anomalies on the surrounding radar, so we’re trying to figure out the best course of action in order to avoid them. According to our last intel from the Resistance, there could be patrols sent ahead of Nix’s men. We have to be careful not to stumble onto one of them,” he explained.

  I turned my eyes up toward the sky, searching for clues as to the truth of his words. The constellations didn’t have anything to tell me though. The North Star was where it always was. The Big and Little Dipper, and the great Orion were silent, shimmering away in the dark of night. All seemed to be quiet. I could hear nothing out of the ordinary. But then, I saw a dim red light blink once, then twice before disappearing altogether. I had thought I imagined it at first, but then I saw it again. I squinted, trying to find it again. Once, then twice it flashed, and I anxiously licked my lips.

  I pointed it out to Valdus and he studied the sky at my request. His eyes narrowed.

  “Don’t move,” he warned, before he shoved me roughly under into a crevice underneath a thick fallen tree. I cried out with my surprise, but none of them looked my way. The four men rushed into action, surrounding me and drawing their weapons.

  “What is it?” I asked, venturing out of my hiding place just a little bit.

  “Kaela. Stay where you are. Don’t move,” Tavik warned, his voice strong and used to being obeyed.

  I looked around, trying to see what they were searching for, but I saw nothing. I crept out a bit, looking up at the sky and trying to find the red dot once more. The men were focused on the sky as well and not on me, so they didn’t notice my movements. I began to hear what sounded like a low hum and looked nervously around to try to find the source. What the hell was that?

  The hum grew louder and louder by the second, until it sounded like it was practically over my head. I pressed my hands to the sides of my skull, covering my ears, but the sound began to echo incessantly, almost like an alarm that wouldn’t stop. My head began to ring, and a powerful splitting headache blossomed right in between my eyes. I looked upward, searching for the source and I saw something dark flying above me. I cried out in alarm. I squinted my eyes, trying to figure out what it was, but I couldn’t make anything more than dark shapes out. The moon hadn’t even risen to light up the night.

  Fuck. That really hurt.

  I dug my fingers into my scalp as the echo grew louder still. I turned toward the men, only to see a look of anger and worry cross their faces.

  “I told you not to move,” Tavik roared but I could hardly hear them at all. Instead, my vision began to waver, the sound echoing powerfully within my skull and I screamed. The dark shapes above me drew closer until Zane grabbed me and threw me to the ground, covering my body completely with his.

  The hum buzzed loud, before it eventually stopped. It began up again, only to pause once more. The intermittent gaps of silence gave me relief, but the pain was still too strong for me to even thinking about getting up.

  “We need to get away from here, now. The drones would have marked her location and they’ll be sending artillery any second,” Caleb said.

  “I told her not to fucking move,” Tavik muttered, his fury clear, but my head hurt too much for me to care anymore. Zane’s body heat over mine was comforting though and I tried to focus on him instead. The humming still buzzed, the thing likely still searching for me and something whistled loud nearby. Then I heard another, and another. It sounded like a firework of some kind.

  “Fuck. Run,” Valdus exclaimed, his panic palpable.

  Before I knew it, Zane had jumped up and thrown me over his shoulder and the four of them were sprinting through the woods. As he ran, his arms held me tight, keeping me from bouncing against his body. I could feel his heartbeat, strong and fast against my waist and I forgot to breathe for a long moment. I lifted my head and looked backwards, watching the tree I’d hidden beneath as Zane sprinted away with all his might.

  What looked like a thousand falling stars began to fall from the sky, little red orbs shooting down toward the ground. For a long moment, I wondered at its beauty, oblivious to what it actually was until one of them hit the ground. An explosion of fire consumed the tree I’d hidden beneath, causing the wood to shatter and fly apart into a million little pieces.

  Then another bomb fell.

  All of a sudden, a sea of red painted my vision. Fire rose in every direction as artillery fell from the sky. The heat seared the tiny hairs on my arms and I curled into Zane’s embrace in order to protect myself. I couldn’t tear my eyes away though and I watched as the woods I had once called home blazed with fire and destruction.

  Beside us, Valdus roared with a scream of pain and anger. In a panic, I lifted my head and saw him stumble as a fiery remnant shot off in his direction, slamming into his chest and making him stagger. His shirt went up in flames and he threw himself on the ground. I wanted to run and help, but Zane held me tight, not allowing me to move even an inch. I saw Valdus roll in the wet leaves on the ground, his grunts of pain tearing at my soul, and thankfully, the fire was extinguished within a few seconds, but not before I saw the fiery pink burns against his purple skin. He didn’t pause to rest. Instead, he jumped to his feet, falling a bit behind from the rest of us. Tears prickled at my eyes. I wasn’t sure if it was the smoke or the fact that it was my fault that Valdus had gotten hurt.

  “Which way?” Caleb asked over the roar of the weapons.

  Tavik didn’t answer. He just pointed. We ran for what felt like miles in silence, bombs dropping behind us until I was sure the landscape we’d left behind was sure to be entirely wiped out. All I saw was fire. All the leaves that had fallen from the trees blazed hotly and would burn for some time to come. Trees that had once rose high up in the air now flared like beacons. My sorrow swelled, and I hid my face against Zane’s back.

  I bit my lip.

  I could have been killed. All of us could have been killed because I hadn’t remained hidden beneath the tree.

  The men slowed down their pace, until finally, they paused to catch their breath. Valdus had caught up with the group and the look of pain on his face was obvious, but we hadn’t had any time to tend to his wounds. When we finally did stop, it was in a very small clearing, with barely enough room for the five of us to stretch out together.

  Zane paused his movements and held me still on his shoulder. I could hear his breath, haggard with exertion and I didn’t move. His hands drifted up, caressing the curves of my ass and I sighed, enjoying the feeling, but it didn’t last long. Then, he lifted me and put my feet back on the ground. His gaze searched up and down my body, in a clinical fashion. Next, he ran his hands all over me in an effort to ensure that I was still in one piece and that I wasn’t hurt. I knew I wasn’t, but it felt comforting all the same.

  “No burns?” he asked, his face awash with concern.

  “No,” I answered, knowing he would want confirmation.

  Tavik stood at the perimeter of the small clearing we’d stopped in. He wouldn’t turn my way and I began to grow nervous. What if he was angry with me? What if he just decided to kill me now and forgo holding me captive? I tried to swallow my fears as I sat down on a nearby fallen log, but I couldn’t. Caleb’s eyes found mine though, and I felt a little bett
er because of it.

  “What was that?” I asked as Caleb moved to sit next to me. I noticed his eyes drifting across my body too, quickly ensuring I wasn’t injured either.

  “An incoming tracker patrol unit from the Vakarran army. It has human body heat-sensing technology and once detected, if the target isn’t immediately secured, it sends in heavy artillery in order to ensure death. You wouldn’t have made it out alive if it wasn’t for us. Worst of all, ground patrols will likely investigate the surrounding area for the next few days, if they’ve arrived on Earth by now.” He sighed. “We were supposed to arrive in Atlanta within two days, but now we’re going to have to delay our arrival. If we don’t, we could lead the patrols straight to the Resistance and that could prove dangerous,” Caleb murmured, and I shivered.

  “If she’d fucking listened, we wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place. Now, we’re all at risk because of her foolishness,” Tavik spat, his green eyes darkening in my direction.

  Damn. I guess he was still mad then.

  Zane met my eyes. I saw a measure of sad acceptance there and I began to feel nervous.

  “I’ll see to it that she’s punished in the morning, Tavik,” Zane offered, and my skin ran cold. What the hell did that mean? The last Vakarran I wanted to be alone with was Zane. I knew his tastes ran dark and I had a feeling he wanted to hurt me. Even now, I could see the shadowy excitement beginning to build in his eyes.

  “No. You can’t,” I squeaked, staring at the dark eyes of the one member of the battalion that truly gave me chills. I looked at Caleb for some measure of support, but even he wouldn’t look at me then.

  “Yes. He will. And once you’ve been adequately disciplined, you’ll crawl to me on your hands and knees and show me exactly how sorry you are. Show all of us how sorry you are,” Tavik growled. Despite his anger, my body ran hot, imagining myself crawling before him and taking him in my mouth. I licked my lips in disbelief. I tried to look at Valdus and Caleb for support, but neither of them offered even a whisper of it. Instead, I turned back to Zane, who appeared rather calm, but a fiery eager desire burned in his gaze.

  He placed his hands on his belt and stared back at me. I shivered, feeling my pussy clench hard with anticipation. He wouldn’t whip me with his belt. Would he?

  Somehow, I had a feeling I was very much going to regret my actions today once Zane really got a hold of me. I pressed my thighs together, trying to control the rising heat within me, but it was little use. I was nervous, but I wanted it too.

  My Vakarran captors then turned their attention back to their virtual radars and then to Valdus’ injuries, rather than me. In that moment, it was as though I ceased to exist to them.

  I watched quietly as they tended to his burns with technology that I’d never seen before, using a small laser cartridge with airborne stem cells to repair his skin in minutes, rather than days, right before my eyes. I was curious and asked about it, but none of them answered. In fact, no one said anything more to me for the rest of that night. The four of them prepared camp, ensuring that I slept beneath the overhang of a large boulder nearby. I was keenly aware of their silence. They didn’t even really look at me and even ignored me when I tried to speak to them or ask any more questions. Their quiet brooding became a sort of punishment of its own. It saddened me and the longer their silence went on, the guiltier I felt. It was my fault Valdus had been hurt. If I had stayed still until the tracker device had moved on, we would have been safe. Instead, I’d ignored their orders and now we were all in danger because of it.

  I wanted to cry, but my eyes were heavy. The events of the day had left me more tired than I cared to admit. Eventually, my exhaustion overcame my guilt and worry, and I closed my eyes, falling into a fitful sleep consumed with my nerves and shame.

  The next morning, I woke with the rising of the sun and swallowed anxiously. I lay where I was for a long time, almost afraid to move and face the day, along with my upcoming punishment. The men weren’t awake yet and I toyed with the idea of running once more. I knew they would rise soon, but the events of last night made me nervous. What if I ran and another tracker flew above me once more? I’d been unable to do anything once that machine had begun humming, almost like it had rendered me immobile. If I ran into one of those again, alone, there would be no way I could escape and survive on my own. If I encountered a tracker on my own, I’d be as good as dead.

  As much as I hated to admit it right now, I needed them, even if it meant that I was going to be feeling Zane’s belt whip my naked backside. I swallowed and squeezed my eyes shut, before opening them once more.

  The first of my Vakarran captors to wake was Zane. He sat beside me and sighed. For a long time, neither of us said a word even though I could tell that he knew I was awake. Eventually, the rest of the camp rose, but no one looked my way. After a while, I saw Tavik meet Zane’s gaze and then Zane nodded. At once, my stomach dropped, and I waited apprehensively. Zane moved over to where I was lying and squatted beside me. I sat up and then he took my hand, leading me a short distance away over to a fallen log, just on the outskirts of the camp.

  Close enough so that all of the other three men would be able to see what he was going to do to me. I tried to stem the rapid beat of my heart, but it was no use.

  He stared at me for a long while and I found it hard to meet his gaze.

  “I don’t usually punish women for any reason other than the fact that I enjoy seeing their pain, as well as my mark on their skin, but for you, Kaela, I’ll make an exception,” he began.

  I couldn’t do anything but breathe, as my heart pounded in my chest.

  “Take off your clothes. It’s time you paid for disobeying our orders, and for not only causing Valdus to be injured, but for putting yourself and the rest of us in danger,” he scolded, and I dropped my gaze to the ground.

  I’d never felt guiltier in my life. My legs trembled and despite it all, I could feel my pussy growing wet with arousal.

  “Take your punishment well and you’ll earn our forgiveness. Then after it is all over, you can make it up to us with your pretty little mouth,” he purred, the suggestiveness in his tone causing my body to heat despite what was about to happen. The side of his mouth turned up in a smirk and I began to accept the fact that I was about to get the whipping of my life. My clit began to throb between my legs and a small complaint escaped my throat.

  “Zane,” I whispered, unsure of what I actually wanted to say. I felt awful about what had happened. I wanted this, but then again, I didn’t. I couldn’t understand what I was going through. Even as Zane threatened me, I could feel the reaction of my body. I knew my thighs were quivering with need, that my nipples were hard beneath my shirt and that the place between my legs was already moistened with desire.

  “Bare yourself for me, now,” Zane said softly, the command in his voice ringing deep in my bones. I closed my eyes for a moment and breathed softly, allowing my hands to drift down. I opened them again and gripped the hem of my shirt and slowly pulled it up. Zane was there with me, helping to guide the fabric over my head. He didn’t rush me, only calmly assisted as I stripped before him.

  He gently pulled off my boots and then my socks, leaving me standing on the soft mossy underbrush beneath my feet. Next, we took off my pants together. Standing in only my bra and panties, I shivered. I saw a look of appreciation cross his features. He wanted me too.

  His thumb drifted across my skin then.

  “Your skin is so pale and beautiful. I bet it’ll bear the mark of my lash beautifully,” he mused and the dark seduction in his voice left me breathless with need.

  I reached behind my back and undid the clasp of my bra, and my breasts felt heavy as I pulled it away from my body. Zane gripped the hem of my underwear and knelt before me, dragging them down my hips and revealing the last of my secrets to his view. His breath was warm against the wetness of my pussy and I breathed shakily in response.

  “Zane, please,” I begged.
r />   The tip of his tongue reached for my wet folds, dragging up across my clit. I squeaked with both surprise and pleasure, and he chuckled quietly at his conquest.

  “Your cunt tastes the sweetest when you know you’re about to be punished, little human,” he said, and all the breath left my lungs in a single gasp. There was no fighting him then, I knew that. He could whip me, spank me, fuck me, I didn’t care, but I would do anything to feel that tongue between my legs once more. He met my gaze and I knew he knew it too.

  He stood back up and I watched as he uncoiled some rope from his belt. He curled one loop around my wrist and tied it to a nearby tree. He did the same with the other. After I was stretched outward like I was mounted on a cross, he moved behind me and allowed his fingers to touch the vulnerable skin of my back. I sighed and then he dragged them down until he cupped my ass with them. Clutching my nervous cheeks, he dug his fingers into my flesh and I moaned softly, unsure if I should be feeling pleasure, pain, or even both.

  When he released my ass, I sighed, with relief or disappointment, I didn’t know.

  Behind me, I heard his belt jingle quietly and I tried to swallow my rising anxiety. I’d never felt the fire of a man’s belt before and as much as I wanted to escape right now, I wondered just how it might feel. If I might like it. I knew it would hurt, but my body was doing curious things in response. My nipples were harder than ever, begging to be touched. My legs rubbed against each other and I knew I was much wetter than before. I could feel it dripping down my thighs. My body wanted to feel the leather against my bare skin.

  I should be ashamed. I shouldn’t be reacting like this.

  But still, my pussy clenched with desire. Zane’s arm reached around my hip, reaching between my legs and I shook with pleasure. He cupped my pussy in his palm stroking one finger up and down my wet folds.