Handling the Hybrid: A Kindred Tales Novel Read online

  It was a moment of triumph—a victory over the evil bastards who were trying to starve the colonists who were just trying to get away from them. As a smuggler, Vrox didn’t often take part in such mercy runs but he hated oppressors and every once in a while he tried to do a good deed—hoping it would even the scales of the Goddess when she looked at his life.

  Well, if the Goddess is pleased with you, she’s got a fucking strange way of showing it, pointed out a little voice in his head. Look at you now—no good deed goes unpunished, right?

  He tried to think. Was it Dannen or Vrox himself who suggested a stop in the G’nex system on Gigi Prime for a celebratory drink? The party planet was conveniently on the way to their next job and they had, according to Dannen, the best G’brethian ale in the entire galaxy. Vrox had agreed to stop and one ale had turned into many—so many, in fact, that the two of them were completely blind-drunk by the time the greasy Pongu slaver came along and offered to buy them just one more round.

  Stupid idiot—you should have said no! You got yourself into this mess by taking that laced drink he gave you, Vrox raged to himself. He’d woken up hog-tied with nerve-inhibitor bands in the back of the slaver’s ship, already on the way to the Flesh Bazaar with Dannen bound in a similar position beside him. Before they knew it, they’d been stripped and put on display for any and all takers—Dannen had been bought almost immediately and Vrox himself shortly thereafter.

  Vrox was almost as worried about his friend and partner as he was about himself. The Blood Kindred was big enough and strong enough to take care of himself but he had been bought by a cruel-looking older female called Mistress Tornflesh. She had taken one look at Dannen’s shaft and fangs and nodded decisively.

  “Yes, I must have him for my collection,” she’d told the Pongu slaver. “Name your price and wrap him up quickly—I need him for my pain-display tonight.”

  Pain-display? Dannen and Vrox had exchanged apprehensive glances but they were helpless—held firmly in place by the control collars and the pain cuffs they both wore. All Vrox could do was mutter, “Stay strong, Brother—I’ll be coming for you as soon as I get out of this.” And then the older, cruel-looking Mistress was leading his friend away with quick, angry jerks on his leash.

  Vrox fully intended to rescue his partner—but how could he do that when he was still a prisoner himself? And how in the Seven Hells was he going to get away under the current circumstances?

  He’d heard the older Mistresses tell the curvy little one that the control collar would be removed—that was something at least. But it was supposed to be replaced by a pain collar and that was no fucking good. The fiery agony pulsing through his nerves was more than painful—it was debilitating. Just a jolt from the Goddess-damned cuffs he wore had brought him to his knees, though he had resisted as long as he could. So how much worse would it be when he was wearing a collar that delivered pain jolts too?

  Goddess, I’m in big fucking trouble here, Vrox admitted to himself, as he watched the shapely ass of his new Mistress sway in front of him. Though he shouldn’t have let it, the sight distracted him. She really was an exotic-looking beauty, he had to admit. With that creamy brown skin and those big brown eyes, not to mention her lush, full curves—she would catch any male’s eye. She looked like the kind of female he would have liked to lay down and take his time with—the kind that would purr with pleasure before he finally took her.

  Except here on Yonnie Six it was the females who took the males and even the thought of a female being penetrated by a male was enough to fill the women who ruled this planet with disgust.

  That was why Vrox had threatened to defile the little Mistress with his seed—he’d been hoping to scare her off and he knew it was the worst threat he could make. The part about him having Tenebrian demon in his ancestry was bullshit, of course, but he’d known it would catch her attention. Indeed it had, too—he could still remember the look of naked fear in her big, brown eyes.

  But his growling threats had done no good—she’d bought him anyway. Or rather, her older relatives had. His grasp of High Yonnite was getting better the longer he heard it spoken, but Vrox still wasn’t quite certain why they’d decided to buy him even over the little Mistress’s protests. They seemed to think she had to train him or break him as some kind of a test or a challenge from what he could gather.

  Well, it was a challenge she was damn-well going to fail, Vrox swore to himself grimly. He was going to do everything in his power to escape from this situation and go find out what had happened to his friend. And the Goddess help anyone who got in his way—even the curvy little girl who demanded that he call her “Mistress.”

  He would do whatever it took to get away.

  THREE

  “What am I going to do? What am I going to do?” Tandy paced in her room, hardly seeing the opulent decorations her late aunt had lavished on her.

  Aunt Zora had owned the Sky-needle—the tallest building in all of Yonnie Six—and it was located right in the center of downtown Opulex. Tandy’s room—or rather her floor, because her aunt had given her an entire floor of the massive building all to herself—was the second from the top. Aunt Zora had reserved the penthouse floor for herself, though Tandy had just as often been up there, spending time with her as they talked about books or art or music.

  Her late aunt had been a lover and supporter of the arts. Rather than going to the pain shows many Mistresses enjoyed where they watched slaves put through their paces, Aunt Zora had preferred the theater or the symphony.

  Tandy had been relieved that her Aunt hadn’t liked what she termed “cruel entertainments.” Having a father and brother at home who were treated by her mother as equals, she didn’t like to watch males being dominated or tortured. Aunt Zora’s staff consisted of an aging butler, a personal chef, and a driver to take her whenever she wanted to go out. All three males were almost as old as her aunt—which was to say in their sixties and seventies—and all had been devoted to Zora in every way.

  “Harmony in a home is important, Tandace,” her aunt used to tell her. “You can’t have harmony if your staff is in constant fear that they’ll be whipped or punished. You must rule them with a loving hand.”

  Which was easy to say if the males you were ruling had been born into captivity and were used to being dominated by a woman, Tandy thought grimly. But how in the galaxy was she supposed to tame one who had been caught in the wild—one who most definitely didn’t want to be tamed and broken to her command?

  She thought again of the massive Kindred growling, “I’ll do more than fuck you—I’ll defile you,” and shivered. Now there was a male who wanted absolutely nothing to do with being dominated and he was currently locked in her own private punishment and play room right now, waiting for her to do something with him.

  “What am I going to do?” Tandy asked herself again. Failure wasn’t an option. She thought again of her mother’s tearful message. Her family needed help—needed money—money which wasn’t going to be available to Tandy unless she passed this test and was judged worthy to have her late aunt’s power and estate settled on to her. Until then, she was living off of aunt Zora’s estate but with only enough for daily expenses—which wasn’t nearly as much as her family needed.

  Money, she thought desperately. If only everything didn’t cost so much! If Aunt Zora was still alive, I bet she’d give Mother the money with no problem—no questions asked. She was always so open-handed and generous. Nothing like Aunt Deelee is.

  Deelee. She’d thought of going to her remaining aunt privately—of trying to make a bargain with her and telling her that she would give up Aunt Zora’s estate if only Aunt Deelee would give her the money she needed in return. Though it was a considerable sum, it would be a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of her late aunt’s fortune.

  What stopped her from offering the deal was Deelee herself. The woman was conniving, greedy, and grasping. She had been banned from several of the best restaurants in Opulex due
to her habit of dining and dashing and she was constantly trying to get services for free. No hairdresser in town would work with her because she had a habit of agreeing to one price and then haggling and complaining about their work once her hair was complete, until she wore them down to a lower amount.

  Even worse, she was a thief. Once when Tandy had been out to lunch with both Aunt Zora and Aunt Deelee, she’d seen Deelee sweep the expensive jewel Zora had left as a tip off the table and into her own pocket when she thought no one was looking. Tandy hadn’t said anything at the time but she had alerted her Aunt Zora once they got out to their ship.

  “Ah, Deelee,” her aunt had said, shaking her head. “She just can’t be trusted, unfortunately. Here, Tandace—bring this to them with our apologies.” And her aunt had sent her running back into the restaurant—one she frequented often—to give another jewel to the manager instead.

  No, Tandy thought, as she paced up and down her bedchamber, she certainly couldn’t trust Deelee to honor any kind of bargain. She was too greedy and dishonest—she would want all the money for herself. She—

  Tandy stopped dead in the middle of the room.

  Money—everybody wants money.

  An idea was beginning to take shape in her head—a crazy idea she never would have thought of if she hadn’t been raised in a home where men were equal to women.

  No, don’t do it, Tandy, whispered a little voice in her head. You can’t trust him—he already hates you! He’s just waiting for a chance to hurt you.

  But maybe if she could find a way to motivate the huge Kindred through something besides rage—something like money—maybe, just maybe she could find a way out of this mess. Because pain collar and cuffs or not, there was no way she was going to be able to train him to the satisfaction of Mistress Sinda and the Sacred Seven Council otherwise. He was too big—too aggressive—too male. Tandy had seen his indomitable spirit shining in those mismatched blue and gold eyes—there was no way he was going down without a fight.

  So maybe they could make a deal.

  This is crazy, Tandy—crazy! shouted the little voice in her head. But she couldn’t think of any other way. Quickly, before she could lose her nerve, she left her bedroom and marched down the long hallway leading to the punishment and play room where the massive Kindred was being held.

  Mistress Sinda had said that life was full of risks and Tandy was about to take one now.

  FOUR

  Vrox looked up when the door of the fucking play room he was locked in opened. It was a huge, round area with red flocked walls and black floors and molding. There was also every kind of BDSM equipment you could imagine. The damn place was filled with whips and floggers, paddles and canes—not to mention all kinds of bondage gear.

  It was someplace that might have intrigued him under other circumstances. As a natural dominant himself, he wasn’t above putting some sweet little thing in handcuffs and teasing her within an inch of her life until she was panting and begging to come. But he wasn’t exactly eager to have the tables turned and be the one being teased—especially since, from the look of some of the heavy-duty equipment he saw displayed on the red flocked walls, there would be a hell of a lot more than teasing involved.

  Into the room stepped the curvy little Mistress who had bought him. Vrox glared at her, not saying a word.

  After flying him to the biggest building in the entire fucking city, she’d brought him in here and replaced the control collar he’d been wearing with a pain collar. During this operation, the older Mistress who had decided he would make the perfect slave had been holding the remote of the pain cuffs he wore—she’d given him a few jolts to make certain he didn’t try anything while the little Mistress, working quickly, had unfastened one thick black collar and replaced it with another.

  After making certain the collar was secure, the curvy Mistress—Vrox thought her name might be “Tandy”—had stepped back and activated a circular force-field around him to make certain he didn’t get into mischief. Then she had left him here with nothing to do but wait for his eventual fate.

  He wondered, as she stepped into the room, if his fate was on him now. Was she going to try to “tame” him? Was she going to use the pain collar and cuffs? He could see the small black remote in her hand and there was a defiant, almost desperate look in her big brown eyes.

  Growling, he rose from the red padded bench he’d been sitting on and came to stand at the edge of the field. Deliberately, he rested his hands against its invisible side, though it shocked him to do it. He wanted her to know he didn’t fear the pain she could inflict on him—that he wasn’t afraid to hurt if it meant getting free of this fucking place and going back to his old life—as soon as he found and rescued Dannen, that was.

  “Stand down, Kindred.” Her voice was soft and melodious, though Vrox could tell she was trying to make it stern and harsh. “I have a deal for you,” she told him. “So just listen for a minute, will you?”

  “Does the deal involve me bowing down and calling you ‘Mistress’ little girl?” he growled, glaring down at her. “Does it involve me being your loyal slave and letting you fuck me in the ass? Oh yes—I know how you Yonnites use males,” he added, seeing her eyes widen. “And I’m not fucking having it. I warned you before—you try to fuck me and I’ll fuck you up—even if you are a female.”

  “I have no intention of giving you the rod,” she said, glaring right back at him. “I was trying to offer you a way out of this situation but if you’re determined to be nasty and crude, then I guess I can use the pain collar and cuffs after all.”

  Though Vrox was still royally pissed off at being caught in this predicament, her unexpected offer intrigued him. Maybe there was more to this curvy little Mistress than met the eye, he thought grudgingly.

  “All right,” he said shortly. “Talk. I’m listening.”

  She nodded shortly. “Thank you. As I said, I’d like to make a deal with you. My Aunt Zora just died and I’m next in line to inherit her wealth and position—if I can prove myself. In order to do that, I have to break you to my will.”

  “Never gonna happen, little girl,” Vrox growled. “You better give up now because I’m not going down without a fight. You’re more likely to kill me than break me.”

  To his surprise, the girl nodded.

  “I can tell that about you,” she said quietly. “Which is why I’m here to deal with you instead.”

  “And what deal can you possibly offer that I’d want?” Vrox demanded.

  “What about a hundred thousand credits and your freedom if you go along with me and pretend to let me break you?” she countered.

  “Hmm…” Vrox was mightily intrigued now—she must really want the money her older relative had left her. But he was wary too—he knew the ways of the Yonnites, as he had told her earlier. Also, he didn’t have any idea if he could trust her or not. She seemed like a straight-forward person but it wasn’t like he really knew her—she had only bought him a few hours before.

  “That’s a pretty offer, little girl, but how do I know I can trust you?” he demanded, frowning at her. “What oath can you swear that will let me know you’re telling the truth?”

  She took a deep breath and looked him squarely in the eyes, though she had to look a long way up to do it—she barely reached his sternum, even in those ridiculous high heels she was wearing strapped to her tiny feet.

  “I swear on the life of my little brother, Remy,” she said in a low, even voice. “And you should know that he will die if you don’t accept my offer and help me get my inheritance.”

  Vrox was certain he’d misunderstood her. Though as a Kindred he was a quick study with languages, there were still a few words he was missing here and there in her native tongue.

  “Did you say brother?” he asked, frowning at her.

  She nodded. “I did.”

  Vrox was perplexed.

  “But I thought Yonnites didn’t have male relatives because they didn’t take males as love
rs or bear any male children?”

  “We don’t. Well, most of us don’t,” she said. “But my mother was an exception. She fell in love with one of her slaves—a male from a planet called Earth.”

  “Wait a minute—Earth? Isn’t that the planet the Kindred of the Mother Ship are protecting?” Vrox asked.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know about that—my father often talks about his home world but I think he was abducted by slavers before any Kindred came. Anyway, my parents ran away together and my mother had me and then my little brother, Remy. My family still lives on the far side of the planet where men can be treated as equals in some communities.”

  “Then how did you end up back here?” Vrox demanded, still suspicious.

  “My aunt Zora—my mother’s much older sister—adopted me when I was seventeen,” the little Mistress explained. “I’ve been living here as her companion for the past five cycles. Then she got sick and died. Not long after, my little brother…” She had to stop for a moment and Vrox saw with some surprise that her big brown eyes were bright with unshed tears. Clearly she really cared for this brother of hers—even if he was a male.

  “What happened to him—your little brother?” he asked, unable to help the curiosity that her story raised in him.

  She blinked rapidly and sniffed, obviously trying to get hold of her emotions.

  “There was…an accident,” she said stiffly. “Remy always loved riding hover-bikes, even though my Mother and Father forbid him to do it.”

  “They’re fucking dangerous,” Vrox agreed grudgingly. “Unstable as hell and more likely to dump you than an untrained equine.”