Chapter 5

Cas Dawson wasn’t often left at a loss for words. Hell, his mouth had always been even more dangerous than his blaster. On Lost Landing, they’d called him “Fast-one Cas” for the yarns he’d spun.

At least they had, until at age 18 he’d caught the eye of Farmer Barnett’s eldest daughter at a barn raising one night. After Becky told everyone how Cas had blown his load on her best square-dancing petticoat, the nickname had taken on a sort of double meaning. Cas had eventually figured out how to use his mouth to make it up to Becky for the stain, of course. Not that it had involved much talking.

Unfortunately, the way the half-naked silver-haired woman was looking at him just then, she didn’t seem as though she’d be quite as keen on him licking his way through her cunt as an apology for her ordeals as Becky Barnett had been. There was a smirk on the silver-blonde’s lips, like she knew something he didn’t, which Cas resented. After all, this was still his damn ship.

He resented it twice as much for the way it was making his cock hard and leaving his tongue momentarily tied.

Finally, Cas grunted, shaking his head and swallowing down his hesitation. “Well then. Gang’s all here. Took your time coming up outta stasis, didn’t you?”

The silver-blonde lowered her eyes haughtily, one shoulder rising and falling in some regal semblance of a shrug. “We telegens require higher doses of sedatives to keep us under than the average human, Captain. But, of course, a man as intelligent as you must already have known as much.”

Telegen. That was how fancy Hubworlders and blue-bloods liked to say “psyker”. Cas cursed himself internally for not realising it sooner. With the way the silver-blonde’s voice had been bouncing around in his head ever since he started the defrosting process on the cryo-chambers, he should have guessed as much.

“Jeez, Cas, don’t be rude.” Roxy pushed him out of the way, bounding forward and offering the silver-blonde her hand and a sweet little smile. “We’re all in this together, right? The ship you’re on, it’s the Adonia. Stupid name, I know, but don’t blame me for that. Now, I’m Roxy, and that there’s Mercedes Sky-thingie...”

“Skybreaker,” Mercedes corrected, looking the silver-blonde up and down appraisingly. Whatever conclusion she came to, she didn’t look impressed. “Nova Company.”

“And the big grumpy asshole over there is our Captain-- but I guess you already knew that.” Roxy tilted her head to the side, suddenly captivated by the new woman’s violet gaze. “Gee, lady--anyone ever tell you you’ve got pretty eyes?”

At the compliment, the violet eyes softened in amusement. “A time or two. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Roxy. I’m Val-- oh!”

As Val placed her hand daintily in Roxy’s, Roxy yanked her forward, wrapping her arms around Val’s waist and squeezing her tight. Val’s violet eyes widened-- then sharpened into something perfectly ravenous as she found Roxy’s tits pressed up against her ribcage and Roxy’s lips crushed against her cheek.

“Valarye Aurelia of House Caesura,” Val grumbled, visibly trying to fight her arousal at Roxy’s touch. “Heiress to the royal throne of Callisto-- or at least, I was.”

Cas chuckled. As annoyed as he was with Val’s damned telepathic intrusions in his skull, he could almost sympathize with her as she tried to disentangle herself from Roxy’s embrace. He’d felt the power those tits of Roxy’s could have over a person--and that was without the post-stasis sex drive that he knew must’ve been overriding every noble cell of Val’s body just then.

“Golly. A real princess, then?” Roxy finally released the poor woman, who tugged her wrappings a little tighter around herself as she tried to regain her composure.

“I’m no princess. I am Imperator destinatus and prime scion of the--”

“Aw, Princess. Why don’t you have a seat?” Pushing Roxy aside, Mercedes swept Val forward, sending her stumbling toward the table. “Bet you’ve got one hell of a tale for us.”

Cas leaned against the countertop at his back, watching the way the women eyed each other. Or rather, the way that Mercedes’ stared Val down challengingly while Val glanced uncertainly between Merc and Roxy. Roxy herself, who simply looked pleased to have made a new friend, had already started digging into her breakfast, completely oblivious to the tension rising around them all.

Cas couldn’t exactly blame Mercedes’ lack of regard for Val’s station. Way he recalled it, Nova Company had been wrapped up in more than one of the messy grabs for the throne on Callisto-- though he didn’t know nearly enough about the ins and outs of House Caesura’s history to guess at which side Merc might have fought on.

As for Cas himself? Hell. Pretty as Val was, he wasn’t touching this one with his ten foot pole. Roxy could hardly exist in a room without finding something delightfully fuckable in it, and Mercedes was the best rough tumble he’d had in a long while, but this royalty business-- that shit was beyond him, and he knew well enough to leave well enough alone on that front.

Callistan politicking was dirty stuff even by Cas’ standards. Not the kind of thing that men like Cas survived for long once they’d started going around sticking their dicks in it.

Still, one look at Val told him that she was horny as all get-out regardless of her pedigree. Her nipples were hard enough to poke out from beneath her coverings visibly. Every time she caught sight of the way Mercedes was staring her down, she shivered like someone had moonwalked over her grave. Every time Roxy looked up at her beamingly, Val’s dark pink tongue rolled over her lower lip. And when Cas came up to the table with a fresh cup of coffee, the way those purple eyes looked up at him, half pleading, half hateful that he was making her want it so bad just by being in proximity...

Well, he wasn’t going to fuck her, obviously, but he wasn’t exactly the kind of man who was going to deny himself a good time, neither.

Hell. This might actually be fun.

“So then, Princess.” Cas gave her a wink as she bristled and scowled at her new nickname. “How’s a gal like you end up in a joint like this?”

“House Caesura finally get a little too big for their britches?” Mercedes teased, smirking.

Well, that answered that question, then. Safe to reckon that House Caesura and Nova Company hadn’t exactly been bosom friends.

“Aw, leave her alone, Merc. She’s slim as any of us are, I bet she fits in her britches fine.” Roxy put down her fork to pat Val’s pale, slender hand comfortingly. “Don’t mind Cas and Merc. We were just trading our how-I-pissed-off-the-Company stories. And since you were in one of those cryo-chambers too...”

Val cast another hesitant glance around, then nodded gently. “House Caesura and the Company have had a ... less than amiable relationship with the Company over the last few years.”

“Funny.” Merc tilted back in her chair, kicking her boots up on the table and chewing loudly. “Last I checked, your little clan and the Company were in bed together. In more ways than one,” she added, giving Cas a meaningful glance.

Cas would have expected Val to lash out at an accusation like that. Fucking around with the Company, literally or figuratively, was generally something that most people he knew were willing to come to blows over. Or maybe, he wondered, maybe she’d tear up? Spoiled, over-modded royals like Val didn’t always know how to take their knocks.

But Val only straightened, pushing her shoulders back, chin high as she held Mercedes’ gaze. “Once, yes. But no longer.” There was a long, heavy pause, the kind that Cas imagined only normally came after royal execution orders. “The Company staged a coup to install their own puppet Empress. Things became violent, I was taken captive in the chaos.” There was something to be said for that stiff upper lip. She sounded as if she was recounting events from a distant history, not her recent life. “They mean to make some sort of example of me when I get to where I’m meant to be going, I’m sure.”

Hell. Suddenly, teasing Val over how horny she must’ve been wasn’t quite so fun.

“Well, I’m real sorry to hear all that,” Cas said, adjusting the towel at his waist and rubbing the back of his head. “But they’re not going to get their hands on you now, at least.”

Cas wasn’t expecting a thank you or nothing. He wasn’t saying it for gratitude or to curry Val’s favor. It was just, after all she’d been through, he figured it’d be some small comfort to know that she was safe now.

But small comforts were never enough when it came to the nobility, in Cas’ experience. Give them an inch of rope, they’d take your whole damn lasso. The silver-blonde wheeled around to face him, unflinching and haughty as ever.

“Of course they won’t. Set course for Callisto, Captain. I appreciate your hospitality--” There was a long, lingering look down at the way Cas’ cock was still tentatively pressed through the towel wrapped around him that he didn’t miss before Val finally shook her head and regained sense of herself-- “but we’ve wasted enough time as it is. We’ll be returning immediately to regain my family’s throne. I’ll give you a few moments to make the appropriate arrangements, of course, and then I’d like to be taken to my chambers for some...” Another glance at Cas’ package. “Privacy.”

Cas raised his eyebrows, almost impressed. But when he glanced over to Roxy, then Mercedes, it seemed that none of them could help it. They burst into laughter simultaneously. Real gut-aching, lip-curling, head-spinning laughter that seemed the only appropriate response to having a naked princess telling Cas what to do with his own ship.

“Look, Princess,” Cas finally said, bringing himself under control. The laughter tapered off as he swaggered toward her, standing over her with his trademark smirk on his lips. “You’re real cute and all, but I don’t do politics. You want your rock back, you can try and rustle up a crew when we lay down on Brightreach in about four days time. Hell, ask Mercedes. Maybe she’ll cut you a deal.”

Mercedes sneered. “I’ll cut something, at any rate.”

“Wait ... You’re taking us to Brightreach?” Roxy’s eyes were wide and uncertain. “That’s not where we were headed. What about Liberty Terminal?”

“Change of plans, ladies.” Cas had made the decision some time ago, but saying it aloud seemed to make it concrete, fix his resolve in his mind that much more. “I ain’t crazy. I’m not pickin’ a fight with The Company for love, money nor the best pussy in the Cluster.”

It was a bold statement, seeing as Cas was pretty sure the best pussy in the Cluster was currently aboard his ship. But Cas hadn’t made it this far in life without well-honed survival instincts. Heroics were all good and well for the men who could stomach them, but that was the thing about messiah complexes: they usually got you crucified.

“You’re leaving us on Brightreach, then,” Mercedes guessed, her face falling into a dull, neutral expression. Her voice sounded hollow and cold.

“Now, I didn’t say that.” Unfortunately, Cas also hadn’t made it this far without being able to kill off his conscience. It was amazing how often saving his skin and doing the right thing seemed to be in conflict. “Delivering you girls up to Liberty knowin’ what I do now seems like it’d just about make me the worst kinda lowlife. I may be a bastard, I may be a real sumbitch. I may even be a no-good, stinking rotten whoreson. But I pride myself on not bein’ a lowlife. Leaving you alone on Brightreach wouldn’t make me much better.”

Brightreach had been all but wrecked during the Insurgency, but it was still one of the few places you could find people who had information about The Company and were willing to share it. If there were answers to be found about who exactly had started trafficking political prisoners, they’d be found there. Once Cas had those answers, he could work on navigating his way out of this sticky situation with his and the girls’ skins intact.

It was Val who pulled it all together first, squaring her shoulders and raising her chin as she stared up at him. “So you’re not leaving us alone.”

“Not unless y’all want to be. When we touch down, you girls are more’n welcome to head off back to wherever it is you feel you’ve gotta be. Honestly, if I was you, I’d be runnin’ a mile a minute away from anything that even looked like Company space. But me? I’m not happy about bein’ duped into doin’ The Company’s dirty work. So whoever the hell thought they were bein’ clever puttin’ you girls in boxes and sneaking you on my boat, I reckon I’m gonna track ‘em down and have some real choice words.”

He was speaking more authoritatively than a man wearing just a towel ought to have been able to. Then again, based on the way that the girls’ eyes stuck to him, he looked a hell of a lot better in just a towel than a lot of people did in their Sunday finest.

“You mean it, Captain?” Roxy’s eyes were wide and full of something akin to admiration, which just tugged at Cas’ heartstrings something fierce.

“I mean it. Wherever I go, wherever this leads me, y’all are welcome to come with,” he confirmed. “Enjoy breakfast, ladies. You’ve got about four days to make up your minds. Less, engines willing.”

Cas didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. It wasn’t a big deal. If he’d been in the girls’ position, he’d have wanted someone to offer the same to him. So saying, Cas made his way past Val’s naked form and headed for his bunk. He brushed against her just a little more than necessary, feeling her all but shiver with need from the way that his hard body pressed against her much softer, smaller one.

Cas was certain that once the girls failed to show up at Liberty Terminal, there’d be a whole mess of trouble on their tail. If that was true, they needed to get some serious speed to get to Brightreach as soon as possible and stay one step ahead.

He’d dressed and gone down to the engine room to reprioritise some of the drive systems. If he took power from the landing engines and pushed it into the main thruster, they could get some serious speed. She’d handle like riding an old cow in planetary space, but Cas was a good enough pilot for that to hardly matter.

He was finishing up reconnecting the internal motors by hand when soft footsteps echoing across the metal flooring of the. When he looked up he saw Mercedes, now dressed in just one of his old Insurgency jackets, draping around her lithe body. On her, the old beat-up leather looked glamorous and just a little bit dangerous. There were teen girls across the Cluster trying to get the balance between rebelliously cool and slyly sexy that Mercedes possessed effortlessly.

“So. We’re welcome to come with you, huh?” Her voice was just that little bit knowing. Cas knew that tone, especially from girls like Mercedes. A seasoned operator who already had every angle figured out, who’d worked out every motivation and every decision even before you made it. Like she was playing with her food. He hated that. “You know, Cas, if I didn’t know better...” She positioned her firm, bubble-shaped ass right against the console, green eyes glinting cleverly. “I’d say you just asked us to join your crew.”

“Maybe so,” Cas admitted, shrugging and trying not to stare at the way the console reshaped Mercedes’ ass into something he wanted to sink his teeth into even more than usual. “You got some kinda problem with that?

“And how’s that work out? Me, you, a Princess and a slutty blonde cocksucker take on the Commonwealth and the Company together?”

“Roxy’s not too shabby with a pipe wrench either,” Cas reminded the brunette.

Gingerly, Mercedes ran her fingertips over the bruise Roxy’d left on her temple. “Answer the question, Cas.”

“Hell, Commander, what do you want me to say?” Cas demanded. “I don’t like being wrangled into shipping around bodies for the big, bad government. That’s not somethin’ I’m gonna take lying down. Won’t be easy. Probably gonna be messy. But I ain’t expectin’ you to come with. I know you’ve got Nova waitin’ for you. Val and Roxy, though ... maybe they need it. It’s a hell of a cold world for those gals to find themselves thrown into, you know?”

“Oh, Captain.” That teasing edge to her voice was tempered by something else, something closer to actual tenderness. “You do care.”

So that was what she’d been looking for, then. A sign that he understood what they were up against. Some signal that he wasn’t just collecting hot, willing women on his ship for the sake of a warm place to stick his cock.

The look in her eyes shifted into something a little more admirable that made said cock twitch when he clocked it, though. It was a hell of a thing to win the respect of a Nova Company commander, that was for sure.

She stepped closer to him, prowling like a lioness going in for a kill. He could see the flashes of skin from under the jacket as she moved. He was quite confident that she didn’t have anything else on underneath.

“You know Nova isn’t an option for me either anymore, don’t you, Captain?” She turned her head away from him, a tinge of somber seriousness in her voice despite the way her body moved. “After what I saw, after I got myself captured on a job, I can’t go back. Nova have done too much business with both sides. There are girls over there who are as much Company as any of their actual agents.”

Her tone was flat in the way that Cas knew meant that she was trying to keep the emotions of it from affecting her. Sometimes, you let yourself feel something and suddenly you’d be feeling everything. A girl like Mercedes had to keep things under too much control to let herself go like that.

But when her gaze turned back to him, a sparkling luster returned to her greens as she focused her gaze on him. Her body was one thing-- tight and curvaceous, slim and muscled all at once. But with a face like that, she could easily have made a living as a holo-model rather than going and fighting other people’s wars for cash. Her perfectly soft pink lips parted in a delicate smile, flashing white teeth that he longed to have sink into his flesh again, albeit in a much more sensual way than before.

“So what you’re saying is, you don’t have much of a place to go either,” Cas said, realizing how much that must’ve been weighing on a girl like Merc as she drew closer still.

“Suppose what I’m saying is, you’ve got yourself a shipmate.” Her hand drifted to his cock, clutching it hungrily. “Sir.”

This wasn’t out-of-control defrost horniness. This was a warrior woman who knew what she wanted and had decided to take it. And who was Cas to stand in the way of a lady who’d already made up her mind on the matter?