The Siren's Call (Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance) (FORCED TO SERVE) Read online

  “Not really,” Chiang said with grin. “I was more concerned with helping you save your cute ass if it comes down to that kind of fight.”

  Gwen laughed. “Can’t argue with that,” she said. “I like my ass.”

  Chiang laughed back as they turned left out of the elevator and headed to a shuttle where a cloaked Ania and a disgruntled looking Synar stood whispering fiercely to each other.

  “Synar insists on dropping us off because he fears an unattended shuttle on such a heavily populated planet would be cannibalized for parts no matter where we tried to hide it,” Ania said without preamble. “So we’re going to have to call for a ride home later even though you are quite adept at flying yourself.”

  Gwen nodded. She saw the wisdom of Synar’s plan to deposit them since he was the most skilled and stealthy pilot among the Liberator’s crew, so she had no argument against his plan. What concerned Gwen more was who was going to run the ship while the two of them were gone. There were no officers left to be in charge.

  “Who’s going to mind the Liberator?” she asked, looking at Synar. “You need—” The words never made it off her tongue. Gwen had never heard Synar make that kind of growling sound before.

  “Cease telling me we need another Lieutenant. I already know,” Synar bit off, pulling off the portable bridge com from his wrist.

  Spying the best target he could find at the moment, he walked a few short steps to glare at the startled male who saw what was coming too late to run away.

  “Congratulations, Chiang of Greggor.” Synar said, pushing the com onto the surprised Greggor’s wrist. He pushed the button on it and held it to his mouth. “Enter into the ship’s log that the newly appointed Lieutenant Chiang of Greggor has control of the bridge until my return. Copy that command to every member of the Liberator by order of Captain Liam Synar. ”

  “But captain…I’m not even commissioned…I’m just…”

  The defense of not wanting the responsibility drifted off as Chiang faced Synar’s continued angry appraisal. There was no refusing without losing the job on the ship that he did like, which meant he’d lose his friends—and access to the female who currently owned his thoughts. “Thank you for the promotion, Captain Synar. I’ll do my best.”

  “Of course you will. Take care of my ship and our crew, Lieutenant. We’ll talk more about this when I return,” Synar said. “Call the bursar and have him find you a uniform. Wear it on the bridge. Keep the scowl. It will intimidate the young ensigns.”

  “Yes—of course,” Chiang said, biting back the irritation he was feeling.

  Malachi stepped out of the elevator and sauntered across the dock, looking around in wonder. “I haven’t been down here in the docking bay before. It’s very mechanical. Things look so different through physical eyes.” He looked at the assembly glaring at him. “What? Were you waiting on me? Sorry. I was working in Medical when you decided you wanted me along.”

  Ania snorted and fought not to laugh. Malachi was like an easily distracted child, but he eventually did everything he was asked.

  Gwen smiled when Synar shifted his glare from Chiang to Malachi. He seemed to be in a really tense mood today. It reminded her of the day they had gone to get Ania. She made a thumbs-up sign to a still-frowning Chiang behind Synar’s back, laughing when he rolled his eyes.

  “Yes, I changed my mind. You’re coming along after all,” Synar ordered, his tone bitter. “So get onboard and strap in. We’ll be there in a moment.”

  Malachi’s eyebrows rose. “As you wish, oh grumpy master.” He strode up the ramp, his long legs making short work of the distance.

  “I’d like to speak to Gwen alone for a moment,” Ania said, watching Liam nod once and stomp up the ramp.

  “Guess I’m heading to the bridge,” Chiang said. “Good luck locating the Sirens.”

  Ania and Gwen watched until Chiang disappeared into the elevator.

  Then Ania stepped up to Gwen, took the collar from her hand, and clicked it into a locked position around her neck. Turning it on, she palmed the controller and slipped it into a pocket of her cloak.

  “Put your hands on the collar and hold onto it,” she ordered.

  Used to following Ania’s commands after training with her so long, Gwen’s hands went to the device around her throat. Ania put her hands over Gwen’s and focused her energy.

  “I’m going to say a word, and you are going to remember it until your dying day. By the will of the Creators, I bequeath you this word which will serve you as it does for me. If you abuse it or use it unwisely, the word will cease to obey your will and will become a weapon against you. I will say it in a moment, but you will not put it out into the air off your own tongue within anyone’s hearing except another wearer of these collars. And then it will only work for you if you truly believe your will commands it. Do you understand?” Ania demanded.

  “Despite being scared as hell of your curses—yes, I think I do,” Gwen said, holding her gaze.

  Ania said a word that sent shivers through Gwen. The word took up permanent residence in her gut. When Ania pulled her hands away, the collar came unlocked in Gwen’s hands. She took it off her own neck, looked at it for a moment, and then placed it back, locking it into place once more.

  “Thank you. I’m not afraid to wear this anymore. You cut my fear in half,” Gwen said.

  “A Khalsa fears nothing—” Ania began.

  “I know…not even death,” Gwen finished sharply. Then she sighed and looked at the shuttle. “I’ve never feared death really, and I have a healthy aversion for the process leading up to dying. But I’m more than ready to find Zade. Let’s go.”

  They climbed the ramp together, not pausing until they had fastened themselves into seats.

  ***

  Synar landed them in a small forested area outside the city. Ania and Gwen would have to walk a fair distance to where the scanner had found what appeared to be Zade’s scrambled energy, but figured the dust of the journey would just make their story of a shuttle crash look more credible.

  Gwen had to look away when Ania boldly walked to their still-angry pilot and straddled his lap to kiss him goodbye. Synar pulled her flush against him and held her like he might never get another chance to do so. Swallowing her envy of their embrace, Gwen reminded herself that the male she equally craved was nearby and all she had to do was find and free him.

  She well understood Synar’s anger. In theory, she agreed that the two of them traveling alone stood a better chance of getting in and out with the Sirens and with the least amount of trouble. But in reality, Gwen knew now how hard it was for her captain to watch the one person he most cared about walking into danger while he flew away and left her.

  That damn concern over a specific person’s welfare was why she’d avoided any kind of serious bonding connection up to now. Chiang and her other bonding partners hadn’t blinked when she’d headed off on a mission. If she hadn’t come back, they might have missed her, but they wouldn’t have been destroyed.

  Zade had packed her supplies for the Lotharian assignment, kissed her endlessly, and given her an orgasmic climax to tide her over until she got back. And he had prayed the whole time he walked her to the elevator, chanting strange words that she hadn’t understood in her head but knew what they were with the rest of her. It had mildly pissed her off, but her annoyance had just made him laugh.

  She had no idea what the hell she was doing being mated to a spiritual person who devoted his life to others. Being mated to Zade was a giant complication just like her father had warned her to stay away from if she wanted her career.

  Gwen sighed over her dilemma and heard Malachi laughing.

  “Anxious to find Zade,” he asked with knowing grin.

  “I hope you find someone to unbalance that snide cynicism of yours one day. There are all kinds of life lessons in a genuine mate,” she told him.

  “I never had a mate, not even in my three hundred corporeal years. I had many females, mostl
y ones I owned, but not one I particularly cared about in a serious way. Most would have considered me cold-hearted. I believe the Creators kept that from happening because they deemed me unworthy, a curse I must admit I’ve never particularly minded,” Malachi said with a smile. “This host body had a mate, but I can tell you its previous occupant was not the committed sort. There are residual female energies of many females within its cells. Too many for me to disperse.”

  “I like you, Malachi. For all your evil tendencies, your spirit is honorably honest. I hope I live long enough to see you fall in love with someone who makes the rest of your life a living hell,” Gwen said succinctly. “It will be good for the redemption Ania is committed to seeing you get.”

  “Well—curse you too, Commander,” Malachi teased, laughing harder.

  “Too late,” Gwen said flatly, standing. “Some Siren bastard beat you to it. Now I have to go save his controlling ass. See how well it worked?”

  “Your success in the endeavor is assured,” Malachi said confidently, dropping the smile from his face to bow his head to her. “If not, I will come back and destroy every living thing that breathes on the planet.”

  Gwen swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded at his promise. It carried the type of sincerity that banished doubt. “Thanks. I guess.”

  Malachi shrugged, the smile never leaving his face.

  Gwen headed to the boarding ramp. “Ania—I’m outside when you’re finished reassuring Synar your tonsils are fine.”

  The female she addressed never heard her. She was occupied listening to the prayers of the male rocking her in his lap.

  Chapter 6

  “So what was Synar so pissed about?” Gwen asked.

  They were a couple hours into their walk. Between the wind, the dust, and tiny creatures Gwen hoped were harmless insects, the shuttle crash story was not going to be hard to believe.

  “His intuition had put him on alert, and he was trying to convince me to let him and Malachi go along with you in my place,” Ania said with a shrug.

  “Why didn’t you?” Gwen asked. “What difference would it make?”

  “I am not yet willing to risk the demon losing his host body to battle. Synar still resents seeing him in Conor’s physical form. But more importantly, I’ve grown to like not having him in me all the time. To risk his new host body is to risk my freedom,” Ania said.

  Gwen nodded. “I guess I get all that. Got to say it was strange to see Synar kissing you. I’ve never seen him with a female. Who knew that stoic male could get so caught up in the moment? I was surprised he finally let you out of his lap.”

  Ania smiled. “Liam is very intense in his opinions, but also in his physical expressions. He makes me feel…” She looked off searching for words.

  “Safe?” Gwen suggested. “Wanted? Peaceful? Calm?”

  Ania looked sideways to study her companion’s face. “Yes. All those.”

  “Zade is the only male that quiets the restlessness in me. And we haven’t even…” Gwen kicked at a rock in the road.

  Laughing, Ania reached out and put a hand on Gwen’s arm. “He is a Siren and your mate. He will be your best experience. If you intend to hold onto the memory of other males in any way, you might want to write down your recollections before it gets that far with Dorian.”

  “Come on. I admit to thinking Zade’s going to be great, but frankly, I can’t imagine him being better than Chiang. Greggors are very…attentive to their bonding partners’ needs,” Gwen said with a grin. “And Chiang laughs during sex. There’s something special about a male who can laugh while he gives you pleasure.”

  Ania grinned back. “Well, I carried Dorian’s lust for you once. He’s very motivated to please you. I think you’re going to be so lust sick after being with him that you’ll not be able to function normally for days.”

  Gwen snorted and then laughed. “He’s not that good. No male is that good. I don’t need anyone that badly.”

  Ania just shrugged. “You are an Earth female. Sirens have a higher standard of pleasure than most other species, especially those who have never fully appreciated the nuances of the entire journey. There is so much more to satisfaction than just the climax, and Sirens pretty much know all the secrets there are.”

  Gwen rubbed her stomach. “Every time I talk about him, I have panic. Our conversation is hurting my gut.”

  Ania frowned. “No, that’s your cord calling your mate because you need him. But even when we rescue him, you won’t get to meet that need until we are safe. Don’t let him claim you physically. We don’t really have time to indulge a Siren who’s been waiting as long as he has. Once will not be enough. You’ll have to be the strong one and resist until we are safe.”

  “No problem. I did it before. I can do it again, especially now. Being in danger never really revs me, though I know lots find it exciting. I preferred a locked door and plenty of time,” Gwen said on a laugh.

  “Here we are,” Ania said. “Time to be a slave, Gwen.”

  Gwen saw the city gates up ahead, and the two males dispatched from the guard posts walking out to meet them. She rubbed her stomach again. “I guess all this pain means that I was right about Zade being here.”

  “I would say that is correct,” Ania said. “Keep up that anxiety. It makes you a believable slave.”

  Gwen nodded, dropping back a pace or two just before the guards reached them.

  ***

  “I want him fixed whatever the cost,” Lady Genastia said to the doctor regarding her with an unsympathetic gaze. “You said there was something experimental we could try.”

  He bowed his head to her title but not to the female. Lady Genastia was now on her third Siren slave. It actually pleased him that this one had resisted her efforts to break him so far. The male had been incapacitated by the collar so many times that he’d lost his memories. Or maybe it was the lingering effects of the drugs he’d given him that had failed to produce the physical reaction a mere tiny dose achieved in most males. The memory loss had actually been a blessing to the male, and Lady Genastia now thought the doctor a genius. If only true medical work could be so precise.

  “His resistance has not changed. Though I cannot confirm a mating cord, I suspect he is a mated Siren,” he told her. “If that is the case, you might as well sell him and take what you can. Then at least you can buy another one. A mated Siren is a one-female creature. There is no fixing him.”

  “I tell you I saw him ready to bond. He was dreaming, and yes, probably of someone else, but if he can envision her and become aroused, then I just need a way to convince him I’m her,” she said, trying to cajole him. “Come now. I pay handsomely, do I not?”

  “No one is more generous,” the doctor said, bowing his head and noting her pleased smile. “However, the drug you are suggesting produces tendencies toward violence in most species. Your new slave is a very strong male. It would be a shame for him to kill someone and have to be destroyed himself.”

  Lady Genastia thought of the beauty of the Siren male and how she had been drawn to him at first glance. She had paid far more than males like him were typically worth, but she’d been unable to stop herself. There was just something about the Siren that drew her. She’d rather see him dead at this point than belong to another female who might succeed where she had failed.

  Pushing a packet of money across the table, she smiled. “I’ll take my chances. Give him the drug.”

  The doctor picked up the bulging packet and glanced at the contents. “Very generous. And an offer no sane businessman could possibly refuse. I will administer it in his sleep and see if I can adjust his dreams to achieve the results you wish to obtain. If he were to see his mate as his enemy, perhaps his loyalty can be redirected.”

  Lady Genastia bowed her head to the doctor across the desk.

  ***

  He paced the boundaries of the confinement area, restless as always. But today he was restless and confused. He put a hand over his stomach, pressi
ng against the ache that was growing stronger there. They had slipped drugs into his food again yesterday, and given him more while he slept. His dreams were tortured and of a strange female in uniform. She had aimed a weapon and shot him, causing him to wake. It made him wonder if that was the reason for the unexplained extreme pain vibrating in his gut.

  “Good day, Handsome One,” Lady Genastia said.

  She folded her arms as she studied the male staring back at her with not a hint of recognition. All the other drugs had worked. He no longer remembered who he was. He no longer fought the collar. He now accepted that he was a slave. So why was he still resisting his service to her?

  “How are you feeling today?” she asked kindly, walking in front of the bars. “You’ve been ill a very long time. I have missed you and wish you could come home. I hate seeing you in a healing cage.”

  Though not sure how, he could tell the female was trying to deceive him. He had no recollection of anything before two weeks ago, but he had no sense at all of this female. She was a stranger and one who had ulterior motives. He had learned not to be disrespectful to anyone, as a loose tongue led to painful punishment, but he had never managed being deferential. Nor had he found a kind entity—other than one slave who had come to him in a dream and tried to help him escape.

  Instead he had learned to be stoic because all his captors seemed to accept that as being normal. But inside, he was everything but calm. Inside there boiled a rage that he could barely control. When he woke up this morning, it was like a fire burning within. His only thought was of escaping.

  “Is my home truly with you?” he asked softly, hoping she would say something that would help him figure out what was going on.

  “Of course,” she said on a light laugh. “Do you honestly not remember me—or us? Though we are new to each other, you have served me faithfully. We have been very happy together. You don’t know how much I regret the distance this illness has put between us. I have given the doctor large sums of money trying to fix you. I heard you slept well last night.”