Terrik (Moon Hunter's Inc. Book 3) Read online

  “Awake isn’t good enough. Get off your ass and go take a shower.” Terrik could smell coffee and cooked food. Someone had ordered breakfast and started coffee. Probably Alex since Cyn wasn’t the most domesticated person.

  “Yeah. Point me to my meal.” Cyn pointed to one of the covered plates. “You know me too well,” Terrik said, as he pulled off the lid and found a fully loaded omelet. There was also a stack of pancakes on the side.

  He dug in and was through eating when Brutus came out for his meal. Terrik rushed back in the room taking a shower and getting ready himself. When he returned to the living room, everyone was finished with their meal and ready except Alex, who joined them mere moments later.

  Terrik led the way and the others followed him out the door and down the hall. The shuttle would be in the bay waiting to take them to the moon’s surface. Cyn and Brutus had back packs with their toys in them. Once in the buggies and racing across the surface, they would let loose the hummingbird shaped devices.

  Those little devices would tell them everything about the surface and hopefully find what lay beneath. Once the secrets of the moon were revealed, the real work would begin. Teams would be called in and evil would be chased from this place.

  As the shuttle landed, Terrik felt the thump. First out the door, he took a good look around. The moon supported some vegetation, but he saw no large plants. No insects buzzed and no animals made their presence known. That didn’t mean nothing was there, only that it was scarce. He watched the buggies being unloaded and hurried to claim the first one and jump in the driver’s seat.

  Brutus shot him a look. He knew he would have to share, but that would be later. Right now, he just wanted to run wild on the surface of the moon and forget the woman who plagued him. It wouldn’t be easy, but the moon surface was rough and it would require all his attention, especially at the speeds he chose to go. Cyn had trouble keeping up with him and the speeds were dangerous to the buggies. The safety measures should ensure their welfare if they wrecked. Dust kicked up when they hit one of the large barren spots of dirt. It was more annoying than the drag the vegetation caused when they hit it.

  Brutus opened his backpack dumping the artificial hummingbirds out between the seats. They took to the air one at a time with a few minutes in between so they would go unnoticed, hopefully. Alex would be doing the same thing. Once the last one lifted off, the working part of the trip was done. They would attempt to catch a few of the live ones like Cyn had told the locals they would, but that could be fun too.

  “I have one in my sights,” Brutus yelled.

  He pointed off to the right and Terrik veered off and slowed. The special headpiece Brutus wore would zero in on the little fuckers. They had a net that he could shoot that would grab one and then they could pick it up. It might not sound very sporting, but even with the tech it was hard to catch the fast little devils.

  Swerving and alternately speeding and slowing, they got into position and Brutus threw the net neatly catching the little bird. They threw their arms in the air as a sign of victory. Terrik pulled up to the netted bird and they put him in their cage.

  Full of excitement at having been the one that caught the first bird, he cast a glance at their opponents only to see them picking up their first catch of the day. Now, the fight was on as both teams threw themselves into the competition. No one wanted to lose and both teams were capable so it would be hard to call and luck might play a part in the final outcome.

  Terrik believed in skill, not luck so he just worked harder. Cyn and Alex also worked harder. Competition was a beautiful thing and his adrenaline spiked as they continued to catch hummingbirds until they became hard to find.

  “Is it time to call the contest?” Terrik asked.

  “Yes, that way we can get back to the station and clean up before supper,” Cyn agreed.

  They met up at the designated spot running about an hour late. The female sent to meet them didn’t mind, they would be generously reimbursed for anytime past the agreed upon schedule. He was sure that wealthy people often disregarded the schedule.

  “We need you to count the birds and declare a winner,” Cyn informed the female.

  “It will be my pleasure.” She counted them and set them free one at a time.

  “Thirty-one in the first cage.” That was Terrik’s and Brutus’ score.

  She went to the next cage doing the same thing. “Thirty-four, this cage wins.”

  Cyn let out a victory howl. Alex just smiled as he watched his mate’s antics as she coupled the howl with a dance. Terrik found it hard to be upset about losing when it brought Cyn so much joy.

  “Hell, next time we should lose on purpose,” Brutus suggested with a smile as he watched Cyn hop and dance around.

  “Time to load up,” The female guide instructed. Damn, he hadn’t even noticed the buggies had been loaded.

  They followed her onboard and strapped in. The shuttle took off and the next step would be to access the information the birds sent back. As much fun as today had been, he still wanted to find that lab quickly. The shuttle landed and they streamed out and headed to their room. Terrik hurried to take the first shower. The dust turned the water dirty for a minute before it ran clean. He finished his shower, dried, and dressed.

  Going to the living room, he got there just as Alex did. Cyn had pulled up the information on the screen but when she saw Alex was done with his shower, she ran to take hers. Brutus did the same. Terrik sat next to Alex and they looked at the information as the birds sent it. They spread out and covered a large area.

  One found something and others near it came in to help assess what he’d found. It was looking good, until it wasn’t. It was some kind of abandoned building decades old, but it wasn’t a lab. Searching was tedious and there were hundreds of thousands of acres to cover. They watched and scrolled down the screen until Cyn and Brutus were ready.

  Cyn looked at them and they both shook their heads. “Time for supper then,” She decided. “When we get back maybe the news will be better.”

  Terrik was hungry and there was nothing to do here for now. Cyn led the way out the door and they all followed. Alex went last and he secured the door carefully. They would know if anyone tried to enter while they were gone. The hottest club on the station was where Cyn led them. The servers were half naked and hot as hell. On missions in the past, he would have indulged himself since they were also for sale by the hour or the night.

  Everything had been different since he’d seen that damn woman. Life had really fucked him if she was his match. His lack of sexual interest in the gorgeous women at the club told him all he needed to know. Brutus looked like he was going to have a wonderful time. Well, that made one of them if he didn’t count already matched couples.

  They were seated at a table and everyone ordered the house drink. It was the size of a goldfish bowl and something floated in it and it was on fire. The drink smelled sweet and when he took a sip it burned his throat. That worked well for him because tonight he didn’t want to remember anything.

  By the time they were ready to head back to their suite after a wonderful meal and finishing off that big drink, Alex and Cyn had to help him to his room. Brutus had chased down a helpful server and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.

  Thoroughly wasted, Cyn and her mate put him to bed and slipped away to their own room. He was out in a second. Terrik couldn’t say what woke him, some part of his brain was still working which surprised him after what he’d drank.

  “Is that you? Are you back again?” He asked.

  “Yes, I’m back. I don’t know why, but you call to me,” Lori admitted.

  “Same here, but I have to arrest you.”

  “How will you do that?”

  “I just will, but not now. Tonight is for us.”

  “Hm, you’ve drank a lot. Are you sure you’re able to perform?” Lori asked with a giggle.

  “Like you’ve never seen before,” He promised.

  She s
at on his bed and he pounced on her. This was a gift, an opportunity to be with her one time before she was put away for good. Terrik couldn’t deny himself if he tried. The need was too much to ignore. His mouth lowered to hers and he tasted her sweet lips. Sucking her bottom lip between his teeth, her moan pushed him on.

  “Tonight I’m going to fuck you raw, Baby,” he whispered in her ear. She shivered in his arms, proof that she wanted him, too.

  “Go ahead, I dare you!” Lori challenged. She stood and pulled her shirt over her head dropping it on the floor. Her bra was unsnapped and she slid it off too. “You’re wearing too much.”

  Terrik looked down and saw he was still dressed. He pulled his shirt off and threw it to the corner. Unsnapping and unzipping his pants, he shimmied out of them and his underwear. Alex had taken his boots off for him. Thank you, Alex. Now he was naked as the day he was born and she had undressed while he did.

  “You’re beautiful,” He whispered awed by how sexy she was. “Come here.”

  He was almost surprised when she did as he directed. Pulling her down on top of him, he felt her warm and silky skin. She straddled him and he tugged her closer so he could pull on a small hard nipple into his mouth and tug hard on it. Her moan went straight to his groin making him harder than ever. His mouth moved to the other nipple. His female moved until her core was over his cock.

  Terrik groaned at just the thought of her sinking on top of him and then she did, sliding all the way down until he was balls deep in her. She began bouncing on his hard cock and blowing his mind. He felt her channel massaging him and he felt a tingle down his spine.

  “Gods, I’m so close,” she whispered.

  Her sexy sounds made his balls draw up. When she exploded all around him clutching and clenching him, he erupted right along with her immersed in pure bliss.

  Chapter 7

  Afterglow

  Lori couldn’t believe what had just happened. It had been magnificent and amazing. No man had ever given her such an amazing release. It must have been the chemistry and attraction between them because Terrik was now knocked out completely and even snoring lightly. A bomb couldn’t wake him up while she was bathing in the afterglow of a perfect joining.

  She knew it was better this way. Scurrying around the room she gathered her clothes, and while the thought of sleeping with him for just a little while was tempting, she knew it was time to go. His partner was with one of the servers, but who knew when he’d return and the couple in the other room could check on him at any time. It would be a mistake to be caught there.

  Slipping on her clothes quickly, she slipped out into the hall and hurried to her room. Dropping onto her bed, she relived the hour she had just spent with Terrik. Lori wouldn’t trade anything in the world for the memories, even though she was sure he wouldn’t remember any of it.

  Looking around her small and plain room, it would be a relief in some ways to move away from this place. The problem was the real estate on all space stations was limited and valuable, too. Her next room, when she left this place and went to another station, probably wouldn’t be any better. It was just large enough to hold a twin size bed, small dresser, and had a bathroom the size of a closet. There was a corner shower, a small pull out sink, and a low but narrow toilet. The sink when needed pulled away from the wall above the toilet.

  At least it was clean, that was all it had going for it. She had no privacy, because Ward had the rooms of all employees searched regularly. Three years, she’d worked for the labs and the gig sucked. Not just because of what the labs did and the way they were run, but because they weren’t much nicer to their employees.

  The threat of being killed or having your family threatened hung over them the whole time they worked there. Loyalty was bought through violence or threats of violence and slightly higher than normal pay. The problem was once someone got caught in the web, death was the only way to escape the labs.

  It wouldn’t be long before they were taken down and then Lori would be free, but right now freedom seemed like a distant dream. She thought of her family and friends, the ones she hadn’t seen in three years. Would they even remember her?

  She needed to take a shower, but she wanted to keep the scent of him on her. Stripping, she laid down in her bed and courted sleep. It came easily, but so did the dreams. Lori had been raised in a good family, but they weren’t the original one. They’d adopted her as a toddler and hadn’t been sure how old she was.

  That hadn’t stopped her from having dreams of her life before them. Those dreams had affected her life and eventually led her to the labs. The same kind of place she visited in her dreams. Lori had come to realize she was lab-born and bred. The hope of finding her parents drove her. It wasn’t a reflection of her adoptive parents, she loved them and her siblings more than life itself.

  She just had a need to discover her roots and save her parents and any siblings she might have, if they still lived. That anyone could survive under these conditions for years was mind boggling. She hated these places, hated those that ran them, and hated having to see the suffering of others daily.

  Lori did her best to reduce that suffering as much as she could without arousing suspicion. Just the other day, Ralph had gone into one of the cells with the camera turned off. She had turned it back on and crept up as he held down a teenage girl ready to rape her.

  “Really, Ralph? You think we want your DNA mixed with theirs? You’d best get out of there and leave the subjects alone before I report you.”

  “It’s your word against mine, Bitch. I’ve been here a lot longer. They won’t believe an alien sympathizer.”

  “Camera’s back on. You just showed you’re willing to ruin the experiments and lie about it. I think that means they’ll believe the truth, regardless of who tells it.”

  “Stupid bitch! Maybe, I should fuck you instead.”

  “Bring it on, if you think you’re man enough. Or do you prefer children?” Lori taunted.

  “She’s no child. Old enough to bleed, old enough to breed,” Ralph recited.

  “Get out of there and the next time I catch you messing with any subject, I’ll be messing with you,” she threatened, and she could smell the sour scent of fear on Ralph.

  It would keep him in line for a time, and then they would dance all over again. None of them knew about the second set of cameras she had installed when she was adding extra cameras the second she arrived. When she’d told the big bosses the security system was inadequate, they had immediately approved more precautions. Now the whole place was covered far better than any of them knew.

  The second feed couldn’t be turned off in the facility. It ran to her room and was hidden in her antique TV. Lori was good at what she did and she would use her talents to help the people trapped here in this place until Terrik and his people freed them.

  Her alarm buzzed. Where had the night gone? It had been filled with tossing and turning, bad dreams, and hours awake thinking about things that couldn’t be changed. Quickly, she showered, dressed, and left to grab breakfast. Rather than give their employees kitchen facilities, they were given free food and drink at the diner, the cheapest restaurant on the station.

  The food was nothing to write home about most of the time, but it was filling. Since she was tired, she grabbed a cup of crue, a coffee substitute from Oison. It was bitter and had a quick to it coffee couldn’t begin to match. This was more like medicine to wake her up enough to start her day. She was a coffee drinker most of the time because to her, the crue tasted nasty.

  Lori gulped it down and felt a zing of energy take hold of her. It was like the caffeine in a cup of coffee times a hundred. Her eyes went wide and her heartbeat sped up. When her breakfast was set in front of her, she gobbled it up and looked for more. Her second plate which was a stack of pancakes, satisfied her hunger.

  Finding one of the sadistic bastards down in the lab and kicking his ass would calm her down and help burn off the excess energy. Next time she would have h
alf a cup, then switch to coffee. Heading down to her office, she swaggered down the hall looking for a fight. It wasn’t long before she found one. Two of the assholes in her crew were fighting over the rights to fuck some poor server. Of course, they would be rough as hell and not pay, so this was a customer no one would want.

  Stepping between them, she grabbed their heads and slammed them together. They went down, but not completely out. “Leave the damn servers alone. They make money to keep this shithole running. You two go to the sex bots if you need to get off.”

  “Why? You never use them,” Wiley said.

  “I can get someone without paying. Neither of you can, unless you force them. Use the sex bots or I’ll come after you and cut your tiny dicks off. Got it?”

  Both of them nodded rapidly and covered their groin area. Damn worthless pieces of shit. It wouldn’t be long and they’d forget their lesson and be at it again. She hurried to her office to escape all those assholes that made up the crew that ran this place. Not one of them was worth a shit. How could they be when they were surrounded by misery and suffering and they just added to it.

  They hurt those entrusted to their care by adding torture and rape to the mix. She’d stopped a lot of it, but she couldn’t be everywhere all the time. Now that she’d made it to her office, she would check the surveillance. Usually the first two hours were spent on the station running their security before she went moon side and ran things down there.

  All the screens lit up at the touch of just one button and the computer turned on. She had read about the slow computers of yesteryear and didn’t know how people had dealt with such slow equipment. She moved through the screens quickly and couldn’t believe it when she saw the screen off to the young girl’s room. The one Ralph had been attempting to mess with. She dropped everything rushing to the surface. The building lifted up and her shuttle slid inside to land on the long pad.

  Without another thought, she headed back to the cell by way of the surveillance room where she turned on the camera in the cell and saw four of the crew waiting for her. She grabbed a multi stun gun and hid it in her waistband at her back. It would be a nice surprise for the assholes.