Mated Against Her Will (Captives of Pra'Kir Book 2) Read online

  Chapter 1

  Sarai could feel the excitement pulsing in her blood. It had begun ever since they had told her the news. There would be another shuttle going to planet Zeta-12 to continue work that they’d begun a decade ago to make the planet inhabitable for human kind. At least, they hoped they had. The truth was, no one had had contact with any of the inhabitants of the first shuttle, nor was it possible at this time to get a message to them. If all had gone well they would have landed and begun to work preparing the way for those to come.

  And they wanted Sarai to be one of those, a member of the second shuttle, the SS Reconnaissance. She’d been a senior in high school when the first shuttle had launched. She remembered sitting on the couch with her family, watching intently as it had taken off. Her parents and brother had all begun talking animatedly about the future, but she hadn’t been able to join them. She’d been captivated, riveted to her seat. If they, mere observers were feeling this much excitement, what were the inhabitants of the shuttle feeling? Were they exuberant with hope, with the thrilling exhilaration of new possibilities, or were they terrified? Perhaps it was a bit of all three?

  And now, she had the chance to discover for herself! To become a modern-day pioneer, paving the way for generations to come! To be thought of for such a project, to be asked to be a part of it, was an immense honor. She was overcome with a rush of pride and joy and giddy delight. The emotions filled her to the brim before suddenly puttering out.

  Because of course she couldn’t accept, no matter how much she might want to. She had a family here—she was going to make a new family, and Peter would be none-too-thrilled to do it on another planet. Hell, she didn’t even know if that was an option. He was a sports’ writer and she couldn’t imagine that there would be much need for those where they were going. Not for another couple of decades at least. And by then, well, it would be much too late.

  So, with an inward sigh of disappointment she let go of all of the excitement and replaced it instead with resignation as she shook her head. “Thank you for thinking of me. Really, thank you, but I can’t.”

  Her supervisor, Mr. Peirce, gawked at her and his mouth dropped open. It moved soundlessly for a few moments before he gained the power to form words again. “Are you kidding me?” he spluttered at last. “Are you freaking kidding me? What the hell, Sarai? This is your dream assignment. I thought you’d be so happy that I’d finally get that kiss I’ve been dying for since the day I laid eyes on you.”

  She rolled her eyes at him. Mr. Peirce was in his mid-forties, balding, and a hopeless flirt. He hit on anything that moved. “Sorry to disappoint.”

  “I’m not just disappointed.” He looked at her through narrowed gray eyes. “I’m downright flabbergasted! I don’t get it. It’s not like you to turn away from such an enormous opportunity! What the hell is wrong with you, kid?”

  He also considered anyone even a year younger than him a “kid” and since she was approaching thirty, Sarai definitely fit that bill. “I appreciate your point of view, I really do, but I assure you, nothing is wrong with me. I’m just thinking of my future.”

  “I’d beg to differ,” he snapped.

  “Mine and Peter’s future,” she explained.

  Mr. Piece snorted. “You have got to be kidding me. I thought you dropped that dead weight a long time ago.”

  Sarai’s brow furrowed. Though she was well aware that there was no love lost between her boss and her fiancé, she wasn’t going to stand here and let him be insulted. “You know that Peter and I are getting married next year. And as much as I would love this opportunity, unless he could come with me, I don’t see how I could go.”

  “And you know they’re only taking people that they need. These are highly coveted spots, Sarai. Do I have to remind you? There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of people who’d leave their own fiancés at the altar for a shot like this. But, you know, if you want to wear a white dress that damn bad, I guess that’s your call.” The way that his face was reddening in anger told her what he thought of that, as if his dry, cutting tone had left any doubt.

  “It doesn’t have a thing to do with the dress,” she answered quietly, feeling a sense of loss creep into her chest as she spoke. She knew he was right. Hell, the rumor was that one of the men on the last flight had divorced his wife just so that he could go. She knew that there were plenty of people who would call her an idiot or worse for turning him down. “I love Peter.”

  “Love,” he snorted. “He must be earth shattering in the sack. Fine, if that’s the way you want it.” He waved a hand dismissively as he turned to leave. “Some love,” he muttered before stomping off.

  Sarai took a deep breath and tried to calm her pounding heart. God, it hurt to breathe. She blinked her eyes against the tears that threatened. She shouldn’t be acting like this. She’d made the right decision. But that didn’t stop her from wishing that she could have had both.

  ***

  At first, she hadn’t been sure that she was going to tell him, but on her way home Sarai had decided that she had no choice. She hadn’t felt any better about what she’d had to do as the day wore on and she needed someone to hold her while she cried and tell her that it was going to be okay. Peter was the only man for the job. He’d understand why it hurt so much—that offer was the culmination of everything she’d wanted since she was a kid, envisioning the possibility of new planets. It was everything she’d worked for. And while she’d initially worried that he might be hurt that she was so sad about losing it, she also knew that he’d be appreciative of the fact that she’d been willing to give it all away, for him. For them and the life they would make together.

  She really, really needed a good cry. And a glass of wine—or three. Hell, might as well make it the whole damn bottle.

  “Peter!” she called out, her mood picking up slightly at the idea of seeing him. “Honey, I’m home.” She noticed that all the lights were out. Weird. He was normally home by now. She set down her bag and took off her coat, hanging it on the coat rack. “Peter?” His coat was still on the rack. She would have thought he would have it with him if he wasn’t home. It was only forty degrees outside.

  As quickly as her spirits had lifted, they delved down low again, this time even lower than before. She had really been depending on having him there to talk her through the funk she was in. A funk that, if not treated immediately was going to slid into a full-out crying jag. She knew that she could call her parents, but her dad would only tell her that she was being an idiot and her mother would gently suggest that she could find a husband on the new planet. Not that they wanted her to leave—she knew she was dearly loved, which was precisely why they would tell her to go. Even knowing that they would most likely never hear from her again, much less see her, they loved her so much they would encourage her to follow her dreams. She knew that well enough to know that calling them wasn’t her best option right now. She might tell them, someday, when the shuttle was far enough away that it wouldn’t make much difference.

  She walked through the living room shedding her hat and gloves. Hoping that a nice, hot shower would help her feel better while she waited for her fiancé, she headed to the bedroom. The door was slightly ajar and she pushed it open, expecting to see things exactly as she’d left them that morning before she’d gone to work.

  What she didn’t expect—what she never could have seen coming—was the big, buxom brunette bouncing on top of her fiancé. The girl was clearly in heat, because her back was arched and she was making noises the likes of which Sarai had never heard before. They were loud mewls of pleasure, half-groan, hal
f-shriek.

  Sarai stared, her mouth dropping open. It was a gruesome scene—Peter had his eyes shut and was saying “Oh, God, yes, God, yes!” as though he were a regular church-goer and that she didn’t drag him kicking and screaming to services every Christmas Eve; the brunette’s wavy hair was swaying as she moved her hips up and down, as were her breasts. They had to be double-Ds, at least. It was hard to watch, seeing such a tiny woman with such big breasts. They had to be murder on her back.

  Well, hard to watch for that reason and the fact that the man she was so in thrall with was her fiancé. Was. Sarai knew that so suddenly, so clearly, that it felt like she had always known it, not that she’d stumbled onto the conclusion literally moments ago. They were over. Done.

  And yet, she could still feel the bile rise to her throat. Her stomach heaved. She might have vomited then and there on the carpet—say goodbye to that security deposit!—if Peter hadn’t chosen that very moment to open his eyes and catch sight of her.

  “Oh, God!” he yelped—did he always become so religious in the bedroom? She’d never noticed—as he took hold of the grinding brunette and pushed her off of him. “God! Sarai, how long have you been standing there? Make a noise—God!”

  Only she couldn’t make a noise. She couldn’t say a word. Her voice seemed to have disappeared, stolen so swiftly that she didn’t notice until she was unable to use it. It was a damn shame, too, because she had plenty to say. She wanted to tell him what a worthless, cheating asshole he was. She wanted to tell the brunette who was currently regarding her with a vapid, doe-eyed stare that she was a home-wrecking whore, and that she hoped that she got an STD. Hell, she wished she could turn back time with this knowledge intact so that she could go get an STD and pass it on to Peter, and thus, the both of them. But she could vocalize none of these things. So she did the only thing that she could. She picked up the lamp off the vanity and hurled it with all her might at his stupid, philandering head.

  She didn’t wait to see what he’d do. She turned on her heel and flounced out, rage rising with every step.

  “God! Sarai, what the hell! Come back here, I can explain! I can explain!” He yelled at her retreating back.

  She just bet he could. He’d use those same tired lines his kind always used: I’ve never done this before, I swear…she doesn’t mean anything to me, baby…if you’d just been more attentive, this never would have happened…

  Sarai wasn’t interested in hearing anything he had to say. She’d seen the kind of man he was, and the fact that she hadn’t seen him clearly before was bone-chilling. Thank God she’d come home early today, or she might never have known. Thank God she’d found out before she’d gone and married him. She’d dodged a bullet, clearly. So why did it feel like one had been lodged in her chest instead?

  ***

  “He what?” Sarai’s mother gasped as she handed her a big glass of white wine. “Oh, honey! I am so, so sorry!”

  “No, I’m sorry,” she mumbled before she took a long swallow. Rage had fled somewhere on the drive over and had morphed into mutinous feelings of loneliness and self-pity. “I don’t know if I can get the deposit back on the rental we booked for the ceremony.”

  “Hmph,” her father snorted. “If it means you’re done with the asshole, I consider it money well spent.”

  “Phil!” her mother scolded as Sarai turned to him, surprised.

  “I thought you liked Peter, Dad.”

  “That man is so full of it he needs his own sewer,” he replied matter-of-factly as he sipped his Scotch.

  “Dad!” she gasped, the word ending with a giggle. “How did you feel this way without me knowing?”

  He shrugged a shoulder. “I knew you wouldn’t listen to me anyway, so why make things awkward for everyone when you came over?”

  She nodded. That made sense.

  “I know it hurts right now so it might be hard to see it, but that man was only holding you back. You’re better off without him.”

  “Well…actually, now that you mention it…I sort of got an amazing offer today.”

  “What kind of offer, dear?” her mother queried.

  “Ah, well…” She began to smile despite the events of the last hour. She knew her parents would be puffed with pride on her behalf. That was more than a little gratifying. “Mr. Peirce actually offered me a spot on the SS Reconnaissance.”

  “You’re kidding!” Her father grinned widely as he slapped the table. “That’s amazing!”

  “Wait, is that the shuttle that’s going to Zeta -12?” The look her mother wore was that of concern warring with motherly pride.

  “That’s the one.”

  “Well, hot damn!” Her father hooted. “How exciting! I’ve got to go call Rob—followed by every family member we’ve got. My girl’s going to outer space! I can’t wait to tell that smug, know-it-all cousin Harry. He always thought his son was so smart. Ha! What’s he doing now? That’s right, he’s been an assistant manager at McDonald’s for the last three years. Wait ‘til he hears!”

  “Don’t be ungracious, dear,” her mother said. “And besides, I think it’s Burger King.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” he replied. “The point is, Sarai is the genius of this family and now I have proof! She gets that from me, you know.”

  “Are you sure?” Her queried with a raised eyebrow. “After all, they’re not asking you to explore a new planet, are they?”

  Sarai jumped in before he could answer. “Thanks for the enthusiasm, guys, but don’t get too excited. I turned it down.”

  They both turned to her, blinking as though they hadn’t quite heard her.

  “What?” her father asked. “What’s that you just said?”

  “I said I told him I couldn’t go.”

  “But…but, honey, why? This is your dream!”

  “I know.” Sarai took a deep breath. In light of what had just happened she felt rather stupid for her reasoning. “But…you know, this is a permanent assignment. I don’t think I’m ready…I mean, I don’t think I could…just leave everyone. Rob’s wife is due in the next few months, and…well, I just couldn’t stand it if I didn’t get to know my niece or nephew. And there’s you guys…”

  “And Peter?” her mom asked softly. “Were you maybe thinking that you didn’t want to leave Peter?”

  “Maybe.” She looked away, not wanting to see the pity that would surely be reflected in their faces.

  “Sarai.” Her father cleared his throat. “Look, Hon, I know you want to be here for your mother and me. And for Rob, and Katie, and their kids. But ask yourself—is a life here your dream? Or will you wake up one day, five years from now, ten, and wish you’d gone?”

  She didn’t even have to think about it. She already knew the answer. She’d known the answer before, even as she’d been turning her boss down. She just hadn’t wanted to admit it. But now…now there was not a single thing standing in her way.

  When she looked up at the pair of them, a sad smile came over her mother’s face even though she hadn’t yet spoken.

  “How many days do you have before you leave?” the older woman asked.

  Sarai returned her sad smile, though her own was perhaps a tad more excited. “I…I don’t even know if Mr. Peirce will let me change my mind.”

  “Then get on the phone, girl!” her father boomed. “You hurry up and make your phone call so that I can make mine.”

  ***

  Sarai had been nervous when she’d called her boss. Actually, nervous didn’t even come close to describing it—now that she wanted nothing more than to get on that vessel and wave goodbye to the planet that housed her good-for-nothing-two-timing-ex she was terrified that she might have lost her chance.

  “Mr. Peirce, please. Yes, I’ll hold.” Her palms had made the phone slick with sweat.

  “This is Peirce.”

  Her heart jumped. Well, here went nothing. “Uh, Mr. Peirce, this is Sarai. Listen, I’ve been do
ing some thinking, and I was just wondering—”

  “The shuttle leaves in three months. You better start packing.”

  The breath fled her lungs in a whoosh. “What?” she croaked when she could speak.

  “Three months, Sarai. Three. Get your stuff packed.”

  Though something told her that she shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, she couldn’t resist asking. “Why didn’t you tell Nasa I couldn’t go? I know there’s plenty of people—”

  “Who would cut off their own teat to take your seat? Yeah, I know. But you’ve earned it, Sarai, and I knew you’d come to your senses.”

  She cleared her throat. She wasn’t ready to go into exactly why that change had come about. “How did you know I would?”

  “I’m an excellent judge of character, Sarai. And if you’d let this chance slip through your fingers, I would have had to question your intelligence, which means I would have had to question my own for hiring you in the first place.”

  “Yes Sir, Mr. Pierce. And thank you.”

  “Thank me by getting your ass into gear! There’s a lot to be done. Obviously, I won’t expect you to come in tomorrow—you’ll probably want to check in at the shuttle site and get briefed.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “That’s fine, but I do expect you to come and say goodbye before you take off.”

  “You can count on it.” With that, she disconnected the call, so relieved that she felt weak with it. The feeling was only temporary, however, because she’d pulled up to her apartment. The one that, until mere hours ago, she’d thought of as hers and Peter’s. Now he could invite the home-wrecker to move in with him, for all she cared. If he had any sense whatsoever—which she was now questioning—he would have sent the slut home. With any luck, he would have gone with her and she could pack her things in peace.

  But luck was not on her side that day—or else was just balancing out for the incredible opportunity she’d been offered—because Peter greeted her at the door.