Chapter 10

Kat lurched back to the real world, the shudder of the tiny undercutter shaking her from her dreams. She groaned as she shifted, still chained to the wall and pooled on the floor, her legs twisted uncomfortably. As she moved, her hip popped, and her mouth fell open in a silent scream until the sensation returned to her toes.

"Riddick?"

"What." Demand more than question.

"What the fuck was that?"

"Just some turbulence, go back to sleep," he returned gruffly.

"Wasn't asleep," she mumbled to herself, moving around some more to find a new position. "How far away am I to the end of my life as a free human being?" She kept her eyes on Riddick, watching the light shift on his skin as his cheeks rose into a smile. That feeling returned to her stomach, and she nearly gagged.

"You want me to plug you into cryo so you don't have to think about it until we get there?" he asked, a touch of amusement in his voice.

"No," she said slowly. "That just means I wouldn't have as much time to think of a way out of this."

"There isn't one," he said with a small shrug. Her eyes narrowed.

"We'll see," she promised, receiving a loud bark of laughter. The leather of his chair creaked against his jeans as he stood, his smile widening as her eyes wandered over him again as he slowly walked toward her. The anger shone in her eyes as they followed his movements, meeting his as he crouched in front of her. "Make it easy on yourself and change your mind right now," she advised, her brow twitching upwards just a little. He reached out, and she didn't pull away as he ran his thumb over her cheek, her eyes still locked on his. Her fingers twitched above his head of their own volition, and his eyes were drawn to them, a bemused smirk playing on his lips.

"Come to think of it," he said, pausing to run his tongue over his lower lip, watching her eyes follow the motion. "There is a way you can get yourself out of this after all." Her eyes returned to his quickly, brows knitting, and he nodded slowly.

"I don't think chewing my hands off at the wrists are really an option," she said flatly. "Can't reach them." The laugh her comment prompted grew as she showed him that she really couldn't do it if she wanted to, gnashing her teeth in thin air as she strained against her bindings. The moment passed, and Riddick's laughter slowed, ending with a vocalized sigh. His fingers returned to her cheek, and she fought the urge to chew on his wrist instead of her own, biting her lip instead.

"You know, I just might miss that when you're gone," Riddick said quietly. "Not many pieces of fresh meat are willing to talk back like that." Her proud smirk fell, quickly replaced with an expression of pure hatred. A moment later, she got herself in check. She needed toplay this the right way.

"Did you think about just keeping me for yourself?"

"Thought that wasn't going to happen," he pressed, involuntarily leaning a little closer to her.

"Better you than whatever ends up with the highest bid, I guess," she said, forcing herself to openly ogle him, finally shrugging one shoulder shyly. "Guess you're not too bad as long as you keep your mouth shut." His eyebrow rose.

"Meaning?"

"Your voice makes me feel like I need to clear my throat," she said, noting that it really was the case. Another quick laugh – not the forced 'I'm Riddick and I've got the upper hand' laugh, but the truly amused and entertained laugh. She found she liked it better anyway, and if it got him where she wanted him, so be it.

"If I'd known it'd be this easy to change your mind I wouldn't have wasted the fuel to come out this far," he said, staring down at her lips, where a tiny smile played.

"If I'd know it was so easy to play the sex card I would have tried it a long time ago," she said, watching his eyes shift up to hers before leaning forward and brushing her lips over his, hearing his breath catch. "How long has it been, hmm?" she purred, nuzzling her nose against his. She felt the low rumble in his chest, pulling away slightly as he tried to catch her, shaking her head slightly.

"Don't push me," he warned, eyes glinting mischievously. Her brow twitched again, and he traced it with a thumb, smoothing it back to a neutral perch on her face. "You have a decision to make," he said quietly, more gently than his warning. "Either you're my toy, or I sell you to be someone else's toy."

"Well, see," she said, leaning back against the wall away from him, "that decision would require information that I don't have as of yet."

"Which would be…?" She watched him reach for her, settling his hands on her thighs and digging his fingers in.

"Well, first off, I know the kind of people that are the buyers," she prefaced. "I know what they're like, and it's not fun." He cocked his head to the side, staring at his hands on her. "The vital piece of information I would need to decide between you and them is whether or not you're one of them." His eyes met hers quickly.

"I've never actually owned a toy before," he admitted, his voice lowering to a soothing, low growl.

"That's not what I mean."

"I know what you mean," he interjected.

"Then tell me," she insisted. "Tell me how brutal you like to be so I can decide whether or not I want to take the chance there might just be a Cassanova out there with a shit ton of money and a hardon for dark haired older meat or just let you have your way with me," she snapped.

"What, you want me to lie and tell you I'm always gentle and give half a shit about how it is for you?" he retorted.

"No, I want you to tell me how you really are so I know what I have to do. Because honestly, I can't imagine you caring about how it feels for anyone but you, and something tells me you like it rough, and the harder I fight the better it'll be." He blinked quickly. She glared at him, gauging his reaction. "Are you surprised because I guessed right or that I'd have the balls to even try to challenge you in some way?" She swallowed thickly, the reality of the situation finally starting to sink in.

"If I were you," he said slowly, turning his head away from her slightly, pausing to lick his lips. "I'd stay with me."

"Well, you've got a conflict of interest, wouldn't you say?" she spat, watching his eyes snap back to hers.

"It's your call," he finally said, standing slowly. She winced as he pressed his weight into her thighs as he stood, turning away from her. "But I wouldn't take my chances with those animals," he added as he settled back into his seat. "We're two days out. I need to refuel anyway, so we're stopping no matter what." She sighed, blinking back unshed tears.

---

Toombs woke with a start, nearly launching himself off her cot and onto the hard floor. He sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a forearm before stretching and returning to the console. There were several files he'd not gone through yet, and curiosity was getting the better of him. His eyes narrowed, fingers moving rapidly over the keyboard. He opened one and swore loudly, his voice echoing through the cabin, even after he started modifying the program. When he tracked her down, she was going to get a serious talking to about that damn little remote control thing. If Riddick found out she had that thing rigged to blow her ship, he'd be royally fucked.

---

The feeling of dread intensified as the landing gear struck the pavement of the spaceport, and she nearly hurled. She felt herself tremble, knowing it wasn't from the cold, as sweat beaded up all over her skin. His boots rung against the metal flooring, thundering under her. He paused as he passed her, glancing down as she just stared away from him before stifling a sigh and leaving the ship to set up his fueling.

The ship was eerily quiet with everything turned off and no other humans around, and shifting to rattle the chains just to have noise didn't make her feel any better. She heaved a sigh and let her head drop back with a thunk against the hull behind her. He was gone a lot longer than she expected, and she was starting to drift off again when she heard the hydraulics of the hatch lowering. She swore quietly, shaking her head and squeezing her eyes shut. His footsteps stopped next to her again and she looked up slowly. A light smirk touched his lips, and he moved past her, settling back into his chair, powering up again.

"I didn't think you'd want to take your chances," he commented quietly. She shook her head a little, grimacing. "We're moving to a hangar for a while," he continued. "I've got some repairs I have to get done, and then we'll leave." She nodded, pressing against her restraints for leverage as the ship started moving again. The room grew dark as he pulled into the hangar, not bothering to turn the lights on, and it took a while for her eyes to adjust. When she lifted her head again, a pair of silver orbs were focused on her, prompting a shudder. "If I let you loose, you gonna play nice?" She gave him a half-hearted one-shouldered shrug, and he crouched in front of her. "I could use a hand with the repairs if you know anything about engines."

"A little," she said quietly, her eyes never wavering from his. He nodded, reaching into a pocket with one hand and grasping her wrist with the other. Once one of her hands was freed, she stood, ankles, knees, and hips popping in succession. He dropped the key back into his pocket and took her hands in his own, pressing her palms together and rubbing both her hands in his.

"I promise I won't try to break your spirit," he said quietly, smiling a little as her eyes met his in surprise. "You got a set of brass ones on you. I like that in a woman." Her eyebrow rose, and she yanked her hands from his, staring up at him until he moved toward the door, falling in behind him.

---

"We're not alone," Kat said quietly, kicking Riddick's leg as she cleaned off a wrench, eyeing the man perched against the frame of the hangar door. Riddick rolled out from under the ship, snatching the rag from her hands to clean up a little. He only succeeded in smearing the grease around.

"You need something?" he growled at the man, who only shrugged. "What are you doing here then?"

"I just wondered," the guy finally answered, nodding at Kat. That sickening feeling returned, and she had to lean against the ship.

"She's not for sale," Riddick grunted, not even bothering to look over his shoulder to see what the guy was nodding at.

"She's not marked," the guy said, hoping to defend himself, backing away as Riddick approached him.

"She's new. Haven't had time yet," Riddick said flatly. The guy nodded, quickly turning from the hangar. Riddick watched him go, standing there for a while before turning back to the ship. Kat had her arms wrapped around her middle, looking rather distressed. Riddick tossed her the rag and took the wrench dangling from her hand, not saying a word as he slid back under the ship. Metal clinked as he worked, and Kat didn't move.

---

"So are you going to?" Kat asked slowly, eyeing Riddick over her shoulder as she turned the latch to close the ramp. He paused, glancing at her quickly before peeling his grease-stained wifebeater over his head and dropping it to the floor.

"Am I going to what?" She sighed, leaning against the wall as she pulled her boots off, dropping them loudly to the floor.

"Mark me," she said, waiting until he was moving toward the shower unit before speaking. He stopped again, turning toward her completely.

"Do you want me to?"

"Were you planning on it?" she asked.

"No. But I will if you want me to," he answered with a nonchalant shrug.

"Oh, fuck off," she snapped with a glower. He snickered, shaking his head. She didn't bother sticking around as he undressed, stomping up the ladder into the cabin.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" she heard him call. She paused, a foot hovering over a rung of the ladder. With a sigh, she dropped back to the floor, glaring at him as he stood there in nothing but his shorts. His brow was raised, and he was eyeing her clothes.

"I'm not taking a fucking shower with you. It's a god damn sonic shower anyway."

"I don't care," he said flatly, wiggling a finger at her. She rolled her eyes, taking two steps closer to him. He reached out, hooking his finger in the front of her cargos and pulling her to him. She avoided his eyes as he pulled her shirt over her head, her brow furling as he went to work on her pants, his lips parted slightly as he watched her. He steered her into the shower unit, dropping their clothes into the sonic washer as he passed, flipping the switch to get it started.

The unit started humming as the cleaning started, a gentle breeze blowing through her hair and raising goose bumps on her skin. He reached out, and she stared at the wall as he rubbed her arms gently, warming her. She jumped when his lips pressed to her forehead, but he threaded his fingers through her hair and pulled her back to him.

"There's something you need to realize," he said quietly, feeling her tense as he wrapped his other arm around her waist. "I might be a good owner, but that doesn't make you less of a pet. I admire your spunk, but you need to watch it." She nodded, only because she knew it was what he wanted her to do. "You'll learn eventually."

"What?" He pulled away a little, and she finally looked up at him. "What will I learn eventually?"

"How much you can get away with." She would have laughed, but the expression on his face stopped the chuckle in her throat.

"See, I would think someone who had spent so much time as a prisoner wouldn't want to do that to another human being," she popped off, instantly rewarded with a wicked slap, her head snapping to the side. She righted herself, gingerly rubbing her reddened cheek as she glared back at him. "Guess being clever isn't allowed," she commented dully, quirking her eyebrow at his warning look. "Gonna hit me again?"

"Hey, you got yourself into this by pulling the sex card first," he said.

"And you played it," she fired back. "Now you got yourself a smartass sex toy that's not afraid of taunting you and taking the heat for it." He took a breath, but she continued: "And I seriously doubt you'd kill your sex toy, right? So that means I just have to worry about getting fucked three ways from Sunday, hit, and ordered around, is that it? Except, oh wait. You've not even tried to make a fucking move yet, have you? That's right, I played the fucking sex card, and you just took it." Before he could get a grasp on her, she darted out of the sonic shower, slamming the door behind her and rifling through the washer for her clothes, pulling them on angrily. He stood there for a moment, smirking, before reaching for the handle, watching her huff past him and up the ladder before dressing and following. She'd reclined one of the seats and curled up on her side. He settled into his seat and powered up just what was needed to engage the security alarms.

"You know how to pilot?" he asked. She flopped onto her other side, facing away from him now, and didn't answer. The leather creaked as he turned to look at her. "Kat. Do you know how to pilot?" he asked more firmly.

"No." He nodded in satisfaction, but still locked the controls before standing and reclining the chair next to hers. She heard him settle in, then felt his hand close around her elbow and tug gently. No use resisting.

"C'mere," he said gruffly, pulling her onto him. She sat on his hips, her legs hanging over either side of his chair. "They say eventually most people get used to their situation and learn to accept it."

"You never accepted your prison sentences," she said quietly, staring at his shirt, her arms crossed over her chest. He sighed, gripping her forearms and pulling her forward against him, her head settling just under his chin.

"You're not me."

"And I'm not most people either," she retorted. He nodded, toying with her hair.

"But you do realize what you've gotten yourself into…"

"Yeah, I guess," she said with a small shrug. He shifted under her, trying to get a look at her face. She lifted up a little to look at him. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to like it or even pretend to like it." A tiny smile tugged at the corners of his lips, his large hand settling on the back of her head. "You want me to fake it?" she asked quietly. His smile fell, and he lifted up to press his lips to hers, gently at first and then more insistently as she didn't respond. She'd always hated it when people kept their eyes open while kissing, but she did it now, watching him fight to gain her compliance as she continued to refuse, even as he gently bit her lower lip.

The hand holding her face to his slid down her back, joining the other at her waist, and though she wanted to, she knew better than to pull away. He ground his hips upwards into hers, sliding his hands into her back pockets to force her movements. Finally, he dropped his head with a frustrated growl. A surprised gasp passed her lips as he stood, and she flailed to clutch at his shoulders to keep from falling backwards. He took a couple steps away from the chairs and lowered her to her feet.

"That sweater needs to go," he said, motioning for her to take it off. She did, tossing it onto the chair she'd retreated to after leaving the shower. The anger rose as he walked circles around her, finally stopping behind her. "I like your hair longer," he said quietly, settling a hand on her shoulder.

"So does Toombs," she retorted, receiving a displeased grunt. A satisfied smirk touched her lips, but fell as he nipped at her neck, the detached expression returning. He lifted his hand from her shoulder, turning his attention to the black dragon marking her skin. He traced it with a finger, and her eyes closed, a tear breaking free as the touch brought back images of Toombs doing the same. His lips returned to the side of her neck, and he tilted her head to the side to get better access. A moment later, he pulled her tank top over her head, her bra quickly following. His hands skimmed down her sides, sliding around to her stomach. He traced the curves of the muscle before starting on her cargos, letting them settle in a pile around her ankles. She shivered as he stepped away from her, quickly peeling his own clothing off to join hers on the chair. His body heat returned, and he wrapped around her, pulling her backwards a little against his chest as he planted a light kiss on her temple, his fingers sliding lower and going to work.

Her body betrayed her, but she'd known all along that's how it worked. It didn't mean she'd be willing, or that she would respond any more than physically inevitable. He walked her back to the chair, picking her up easily and laying her down, sliding against her. Her head was trapped between his elbows, and she couldn't turn away to avoid his lips as they descended on hers again, tracing the inside of her upper lip with his tongue. His teeth closed on her lower lip again, and he pulled gently before letting it go, moving his kisses along her jaw. He nudged her thighs apart with his knees and stared down into her face for a moment before kissing her again, growling ferociously as she remained unresponsive, finally resorting to biting her hard enough to draw blood. She got the picture and kissed him back, though not nearly as fervently as he would have liked. As he pushed his hips forward, she let out a hiss through her nose, her breath blasting against his cheek as she tensed. He broke away from her, nipping at her earlobe.

"Relax," he crooned, stroking her hair. "It's easier on you that way." He heard her swallow, and waited a few moments before continuing, this time meeting less resistance. His groan rumbled through both of them, and she turned her head away as much as she could, surprised when he moved his arm to allow her to move it further, turning his attentions to the side of her neck as he moved. A light sheen of sweat broke out on her skin, mostly from the constant heat of his body. "Make noise for me," he commanded, whispering directly into her ear. She rolled her eyes, doing her best impression of a cheesy porn actress, and he stopped, staring down at her. She turned to face him again, eyebrow quirked.

"What?" He shook his head, his lips finding hers. She couldn't hold back the moan as his hands slipped between them, moving in rhythm with his hips. Her arms grew a mind of their own, wrapping around his neck, one hand settling on the back of his head as she kissed him back with more than she wanted to give, and the other pressing between his shoulder blades, her fingers digging in. It pissed her off to no end when she climaxed, and again when he did, and she pushed him off of her as soon as he stilled. He caught his balance, quickly stooping to press his lips to hers once more before snatching his clothes and disappearing to take another shower. "FUCK!" she screamed, knowing he would hear her but not caring in the least. She dressed quickly, trembling as she slid into the pilot's seat and started typing away at the computer.