Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85108 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85108 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
The two of them couldn’t have been more opposite, not only in temperament but in size, since Thrax was seven feet tall and Andi was barely five foot three—to use one of the human systems of measurement. She was almost always bubbly and bright while Thrax was brooding.
He pretended to be annoyed with her sometimes, but the truth was, he loved their dynamic. They just fit together somehow, like two pieces of the same puzzle. Even if he could never have her romantically or sexually, at least he got to keep her in his life as a friend and a partner. That was enough for him—mostly.
But Andi wasn’t all sunshine—she could get serious when the situation called for it—even deadly. She’d saved Thrax’s life more than once and he had saved hers as well when they got into sticky situations. He knew that he could trust the curvy little Elite no matter what went down and that meant a lot to Thrax—Seven Hells, it meant everything.
He wondered uneasily if their partnership would be tested by this new assignment…by the roles they would have to play.
At the small of his back, an itching began…the old burning ache flaring to life for the first time in years. Thrax reached back and rubbed it, feeling the rough scar tissue covered by the thick black ink of his tats. Gods, he had to push this out of his mind—all of it—or he wasn’t going to make it!
Everything is going to be fine, he reassured himself for the hundredth time. Commander Sylvan said the place we’re going is nothing like Yonnie Six. And even if it was, it’s not like she would be there. Take it easy, Thrax—you’re getting all worked up for nothing. Just concentrate on the facts of the case and forget the past.
Closing his eyes against the pulsing water that rained down on him, he tried to do just that and go over what Commander Sylvan had said about the new mission in their meeting yesterday…
2
THRAX
“The Twisted System? Really, Commander?” Andi had raised her eyebrows at their Commanding Officer as they sat in his office learning about their new assignment. “You’re sending us there?”
The Twisted System, also know as the Kink Cluster, was the nickname the Salacious System had been tagged with—mainly because the three inhabitable planets in the system were all devoted to different sexual kinks or fetishes.
“I’m afraid so, Agent Peterson,” Commander Sylvan said. “We have a warrior who’s gone missing on Salacious Delta.”
“Which one is that?” Thrax asked, frowning. “The Male Dom one or the Pet one?” He knew a little about the Twisted System—not that he’d ever been there—but the whole system was notorious for depraved sexual behavior.
“Neither,” Commander Sylvan said. “Salacious Delta is the female dominated world in the ‘Twisted System’ as your partner so charmingly calls it.”
“Oh, really?” Thrax felt a muscle tense in his jaw but he forced himself to remain relaxed in his chair. “Never heard much about that one,” he remarked, keeping his tone casual. Which was true—though he’d heard plenty about the other two planets in the Kink Cluster.
Salacious Prime was a male dominated world where females were owned by their Masters and went around in scanty outfits and different colored collars to show what kinds of sexual acts they were available for.
Salacious Beta, the second habitable planet in the system, was given over to Pet Play. Masters and Mistresses from all over the galaxy could bring their love slaves who they treated as “pets” there to play sexual games.
Salacious Delta was the planet they were headed—it was ruled by females and that was pretty much all Thrax knew about it. To be honest, that was all he wanted to know about it. But it seemed they were headed there so he’d better pay attention, he told himself.
“Please don’t worry—Salacious Delta is nothing like Yonnie Six,” Commander Sylvan told them, referencing the other notorious female owned planet in the galaxy where males were used as bodyslaves and kept in pain collars to force their obedience.
Just the mention of Yonnie Six made Thrax’s whole body tighten up, but he tried not to show it and only nodded coolly.
“What’s it like, then?” Andi asked, sounding curious.
Commander Sylvan steepled his fingers on his desk.
“To my understanding, all the relationships there are female-led—that is, the woman is the head of the household and has the final say in all financial and family matters,” he told them. “The Delta Salacions believe women are better leaders and planners than males—and that they start fewer wars and conflicts.”
“Hmm, they may be onto something there.” Andi shot Thrax one of her irrepressible grins. “Does that mean I get to be in charge of this big lug?”
“Very fucking funny,” Thrax growled, but inside him a mixture of emotions was growing, like hurricane force winds forming into a deadly storm. On one hand, the thought of Andi “taking charge” of him had his cock as hard as a plasti-steel beam in his trousers. He could just imagine kneeling to kiss her panties and pressing his face between her thighs to inhale her sweet, feminine fragrance as she moaned his name. On the other hand, the idea of being collared and chained made his balls want to shrivel up and hide inside his body.