Chapter 12
Anna watched the lights in the room fade to a dim glow. The lights in this ship were never completely off, but it was so dark now in the tiny supply room that she could only see shadows and forms. And the form directly in front of her was very big. His shoulders were so wide, Anna felt tiny for the first time in her life. She was pretty tall, and not at all skinny, so she’d never felt dwarfed like this by anyone. It actually felt sort of nice. Too bad it was a crazy, evil criminal who caused the feeling. When he reached for her this time, when he put his hands on her, she would knee him right in the crotch with all her might. And then she’d run, but where? None of the doors had locks except this one. And he still had the key.
Shit.
Well, no matter what the consequences...he was not raping her. No way. He’d have to kill her first. Anna wondered if he would rape her after she was dead. She’d never heard anything about that, but they wouldn’t broadcast that on the news either. She shuddered. At least she wouldn’t have to suffer the humiliation and pain that way. That was something.
Her crotch-kneeing plans were scrapped for a moment as Riddick knelt in front of her. Without his shoulders blocking the light, she could see a little better. What was he doing? His big body was now in front of her, he was on his knees and his face was directly in front of her stomach. She heard him inhale, deeply, and growl that throaty growl again. Her body reacted again, too. Wet, gushing liquid flowed from her body and her buttocks tightened, pushing her hips forward toward his lips. Anna gritted her teeth and relaxed, cursing her body for its turncoat behavior. As he began to rise, Riddick slid each arm up the wall on either side of her body. His hands were so close to her that if she moved at all, he’d be touching her. All of a sudden, Anna remembered his promise not to touch her unless she asked him to. Was that what this was all about? He actually was living up to his oath, not touching her, but he was still getting the reaction he wanted, because she couldn’t stop herself.
"You smell good, honey." His voice, his scent, and his body so close to her made Anna feel weak and urgent. She had to stop him before he did something awful. Reasoning with him, she thought, was the best way to get out of this room. He seemed to enjoy toying with her, so maybe he’d let her go again.
"Riddick, please…" she heard her own voice and pondered it’s throatiness. She was so amazingly weak that she used the wall for support now. She felt as if she might pool on the floor in a heap any moment.
"Anna, honey, you’re constantly saying please…what is it that you want so badly? Hmm?"
Was it possible that his voice was getting deeper? Anna licked her lips and tried to speak, looking up at Riddick, who was again facing her, his lips aligned with hers and about an inch away. Not even an inch, she calculated. If she pursed hers, if she tilted her head at all, they’d be touching. She recalled the softness of his lips, the electric touch of his tongue. His lips were amazing. He was amazing.
Anna pushed back the excitement at the memory and focused on her immediate need…to get away from him and remove the danger that loomed in the room like a huge shadow. He would rape her and kill her. He was toying with her now because he was a sick, sadistic bastard. And she was falling for it!
"I’d like you to let me go back to my room. Please."
Anna added the please as an afterthought and hoped being polite and rational would back him off for the moment. No such luck, apparently.
"You sure that’s what you want, honey?" As he spoke, he moved closer, the fabric of their clothing now touching and Anna felt the tips of her breasts brush his body. She could feel the pocket of his pants barely touching her thigh. His arm moved, but Anna didn’t dare turn her head. He was too close, and if she moved at all, she’d be the one touching him. As Riddick slipped his goggles off, curling his fist around them and returning his hand to the wall beside her head, his eyes glowed down into hers. They were beautiful.
Bright and amazing, staring down at her with that fire flickering in the center that she’d seen glow, grow to blazing, and die, depending upon her actions. Was she sure? What if he wasn’t trying to rape her? What if he wanted to touch her again and just be with her? What if he could make her feel even more than he already had? Jesus, had he drugged her food? She was losing it.
"I’m sure. I need to go. I want to go." Anna convinced herself and Riddick at the same time.
As surely as he had approached her, as close as he had stood to her, she was positive this was it…and he would torture her or rape her or hurt her. Shockingly, he’d tried to seduce her, asked her what she wanted, made her feel weak and excited and needy, and kept his promise not to touch her. And now, she watched him follow her request and back away so she could leave the room.
Anna inched toward the door, sticking close to the wall and keeping her eyes on Riddick. His silver orbs followed her movements and caressed her body as she moved.
"Thank you for the sandwich, and, um…" Anna reached the doorway of the supply room and glanced out into the hallway. She backed through the door and held his gaze as she pondered her next sentence. "Well, thanks for the food."
He didn’t respond, and she couldn’t see his features, so she turned, rushed back to her bedroom door and slipped inside quickly.
She stood, her back against the door and tried to catch her breath. What happened to her body in his presence was completely ludicrous. She couldn’t breathe, her skin turned pink, her panties were soaked and she spoke as if she had a pea for a brain.
Jesus.
A knock on her door startled her so much, she tripped over her own feet as she jumped away from the door. He was knocking on her door? Knocking? What would he do if she didn’t open it?
Anna quickly opened the door and looked up into Riddick’s once again goggled face. She held her breath and waited, wondering what he wanted and what he would do and noticing for the first time the width of his nose. It was dramatic, suggesting ancestry from the old planet Earth and she remembered him pushing it into her hair. She remembered the bump of it against hers as their lips met. She was turned on by his nose. For fucks sake. Who got turned on by someone’s nose? She was going mad.
Riddick smiled at her and she felt that familiar weakness claw its way through her psyche.
"I wondered if you might want some dessert." His smirk made her uneasy and she slowly stepped back into the safety of the bedroom. So far, he hadn’t entered this room, and she hoped he wouldn’t now. He didn’t, just stood in the door, leaning one arm against the jamb above his head, his elbow bent and his head tilted toward his bicep. His hand hung by his face and his long, tapered fingers curled and uncurled as he waited for her reaction.
Anna felt the words leave her mouth and regretted the question that automatically formed. "Like what?"
Was she flirting with him? Why did she say that? Like what??? Like what??? How could she have said that?
Riddick’s smirk turned into a smile and he filled the doorway, bringing his other hand up to show Anna two pieces of brown, hard looking food.
He looked for all the world like a child, smiling happily as he watched her face. His eyebrows raised and he glanced down at his hand.
"Fudge. It’s fudge. I got it from the cooler."
Anna’s brow furrowed as she looked at the stuff Riddick held. Fudge? What the hell was fudge?
"What’s fudge?"
"You don’t know what fudge is? You’ve never tasted it?"
"Noooo…."
Anna looked at him suspiciously. Maybe he had been drugging her. That would explain her reaction to him, her inability to do anything to hurt him and her confused state. Nevermind that he hadn’t given her anything originally and she had felt the same way. She was terrified then. Hell, she was terrified now. And there he stood, the insane mass murderer, in her doorway, smiling and offering her dessert.
Riddick picked one of the pieces off his hand and popped it into his mouth, holding his arm straight out, offering her the other piece.
She walked the few steps she had recently retreated slowly, staring at his hand and the candy. He’d eaten it. Why couldn’t she? Should she? Was this a trick?
Deciding it was best to keep it light and friendly, as he was doing now, she plucked the candy off his outstretched hand without touching him and took a small bite.
Saliva flooded over her tongue at the rich, sweet taste of the candy. Her shocked eyes met Riddick’s goggled ones as she swallowed the treat.
"Oh, my God! It’s amazing!"
She quickly tossed the remaining candy into her mouth and bit into it with fervor. Her eyes closed and she made a satisfied sound as she enjoyed the chocolate taste. Never had she eaten so many amazing things in one day, at least not in many years. She licked her lips and pressed them together.
And realized that Riddick was still standing in the doorway of the room, watching her. Smiling.
She gulped and took a deep breath, the smell of the fudge lingering in her nostrils and the taste of it fresh on her tongue. It was incredible.
"Thank you. It was incredible."
"I can’t believe you’ve never had fudge…good, huh?"
When he was playful and relaxed like this, Anna almost forgot that he had kidnapped her and bruised her and practically raped her.
Almost.
She again backed up, into the bedroom and lowered her eyes to the floor. If he came at her, if her tried..
"Get some sleep. Nothing much to do until we reach the next field."
So he’d decided their destination. She had to ask.
"Riddick,"
He paused in the act of turning from her door and raised his brows again. He did that a lot. Anna found it incredibly comforting.
"Umm…can I ask where you’re taking me?"
He paused and turned his body fully toward her again, resting both hands on the doorframe above his head slightly. Anna studied his arms as they flexed in mid-air and noted the tapering of his body from his large chest to his narrow waist and hips. He was absolutely perfect. He was an escaped criminal. He was in the doorway of her bedroom.
"We’re heading to Sotura. You know where that is?"
She did, indeed. Sotura was a place she’d read about, heard about and a place she was very glad was nowhere close to her home planet. Lawless and dangerous, Sotura wasn’t controlled by any government and was even more hazardous than the planet she called home. She had never heard of anyone going there on purpose.
Anna was more scared than she’d ever been in her life. Fear propelled her back into the chair and sucked the wind out of her as she asked the question that burned in her mind.
"What are you going to do with me?"
Riddick leaned his body slightly into the doorway and tilted his head to the right.
"What do you want me to do, honey?"
Oh no. His voice had taken on that husky timbre again and Anna knew she had to stop it before he decided to advance into the room and take away the only haven she’d found since she met him. She turned her head against the back of the chair and felt it’s coolness against her cheek. She closed her eyes and covered her breasts with folded arms. She wouldn’t join in this time.
For several minutes, she waited, trying to relax her muscles and appear unconcerned with him standing there. She kept her eyes closed and her breathing controlled and didn’t move.
What was he doing? Just standing there staring at her? Why didn’t he leave?
Anna finally sighed and opened her eyes, focusing on the doorframe and realizing with amazement that it was empty. He’d left and she hadn’t even known it. He moved so quietly. It was unnerving. She quickly closed the door to the bedroom, not daring to steal a glance into the hallway and check for his location.
She fell onto the bed and tried to formulate a plan. Sotura. Jesus. She was a dead woman. They’d tear her apart and leave her for the wolves there. It was the worst place he could possibly take her and if he didn’t kill her before they got there, which she still wasn’t sure of, she’d be dead within 24 hours. She had to get off this ship. Frustrated and helpless, Anna fell asleep on top of the coverless bed, thankful that the ship was warm and comfortable.
The dream was slow, with red light all around, and she sank into it with a sigh.
Chapter 13
He walked into the bedroom, entering her haven for the first time. His massive form stopped at the foot of her bed and he spread the blanket over her slowly, careful not to touch her as he did so. She felt the weight of his body as he leaned on the mattress, spreading the cover over her with care. His silver eyes shone in the darkness and red light surrounded him, gleaming off his head and arms. He looked ethereal and hazy. In sleep, Anna enjoyed his outline and felt her body begin its reaction. It was so familiar now and Anna relaxed into it. Dreaming about your captor was probably normal. Especially if he was tall, chiseled and all male.
And Riddick was.
Anna settled into the mattress and enjoyed the feeling of the thick blanket covering her and warming her totally. Riddick’s weight lifted from the bed as he once again stood upright. Anna took in his entire form, from the top of his stubble-shadowed head to the edge of the bed that hit his knees. Riddick looked at her as if in deep thought, his features unreadable. His eyes reached out to her and she pushed aside the feelings of guilt at being aroused by such a man. This was her dream. She could do anything.
When he turned, as if to leave, she frowned. Why was he leaving? She didn’t want him to go. She struggled under the blanket, sitting up and wondering why she couldn’t stop him. This was her dream and he was walking out. Anna felt the coolness on her neck from the loss of the blanket’s heat and blinked. The door closed behind Riddick and clicked into place as Anna tried to wake up. As she slowly realized what was happening, she drew in her breath in disbelief. Not a dream at all, but actually Riddick, putting a blanket over her and watching her wake up, rape his body with her eyes and relax into her own arousal. And he’d left, silently, after regarding her with a thoughtful expression. He’d given her a blanket. He’d come into the room.
And, still, as promised, he hadn’t touched her.
Nothing made any sense to her anymore. This man, who was supposed to be a killer, rapist and lunatic, had treated her with kindness and patience.
Well, after he kidnapped her and tried to rape her.
Anna pulled the blanket up under her chin and thought for hours. What was he going to do with her? How would she survive on Sotura? Would he even let her off the ship?
Anna once again woke in the bedroom alone. She had no sense of time anymore, and she needed to use the bathroom. She walked over to the door of her bedroom, looking back at the chair. She’d removed her boots earlier and she contemplated putting them on now. Deciding against it, she opened the door and walked quietly and quickly to the bathroom. She was determined to carry out her plan today. Tonight. Whenever this was. She was going to talk to Riddick, make a deal with him, find out what he planned to do once they reached Sotura, and get out of this predicament.
She checked her reflection and thought about Riddick. She recalled the way he looked at her and tried to see herself through his eyes. She was attractive. Many men had told her so. Oh, not gorgeous, certainly, but not ugly either. Pretty enough to get attention from most men, at least the ones who didn’t like waif thin partners. Her body was curvy, and not muscular, like Riddick’s. She wasn’t in the physical shape he was. Hell, nobody was in the physical shape he was. She smoothed her hair again, regretting the lack of shower, shampoo and soap. She hadn’t asked to take a shower, and he hadn’t offered.
How long had they been on this ship, anyway? Anna figured two days, tops. She’d been asleep most of the time. Riddick’s mere presence exhausted her. Anna returned to her room, donned her boots and smoothed her clothing. She assumed she’d find Riddick in the control room. And she was looking forward to staring out that huge window at the amazing view again.
She walked the length of the hall and entered the large, open room to find it empty. Riddick must be in the other bedroom, she thought. She approached the control panel, wondering at the tons of machinery that made it possible for her to be standing in outer space and stared out the window.
They must be making slow progress, because she assumed if they were in some sort of space jump the stars wouldn’t be visible. Anna’s limited knowledge of spaceflight frustrated her. She should have opened her mind to more than medicine, but it had seemed so important to help save the settlers that she’d blocked out the rest of the world and studied only the human body. Saving lives was all she ever thought about. And now she was totally clueless, standing in front of the very panel that could get her away from
Riddick and incapable of saving herself.
Anna sat in the chair to the right of the panel and waited for Riddick. She would reason with him, bargain with him, and whatever she had to do to get him to let her go, she would do.
She felt rather than heard him walk into the room, and turned the chair to face him. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of him, naked to the waist and barefoot, his pants unbuttoned and the zipper holding them in place at his narrow waist. He had obviously showered, shaved his head clean, and changed. She could smell the scent of him even from this distance. Soap, heat and something slightly musky.
His scent.
It was intoxicating and his muscular torso, bared to her view for the first time, stopped her from moving at all. She sat, transfixed, and stared at him. Her mouth was dry and she followed the trail of hair that started just below his pectoral muscles down to the open waistband of his black pants. They hung off his hips, revealing the indentations at either side of his stomach. His navel jutted out and grabbed her attention as he stopped a few feet from her. The muscles in his arms and chest were enough to make her prattle insanely and react illogically.
The view before her now, of his abdomen, chest and arms all bared to her sight, left her utterly speechless.
She simply stared at him, lips parted, and felt her skin warm as her heart began to beat faster. Her gaze skipped to his bare feet, the hem of the cargo pants he wore grazing the tops of them and then traveled back up his legs to the waist of his pants. Her eyes feasted on his waist, torso and shoulders as she admired the bulges and indents and planes that made up his massive upper body. Her mind pulled up the images of being pressed against that body, and she swallowed as her mouth began to produce saliva again. This was the most amazing human being she had ever seen in her life. His was the most arousing, uniquely male form she’d ever laid her eyes on.
Riddick glanced down and buttoned his pants, pulling them up to cover the indents she had admired and she felt a slight pang of disappointment as she again let her gaze flow over his shoulders and chest.
He eyed her curiously as he spoke. "You’re up."
When Anna didn’t react, move or speak, Riddick stepped closer, watching her reaction and spoke to her more quietly.
"Are you ok?"
She pushed down her physical reaction to Riddick, forcing it to bend to her will and retreat, and her face was pleading as she asked him about her future.
"When are we landing? What are you going to do with me? Are you going to keep me on Sotura?"
Riddick sighed.
"Why don’t you shower, clean up and we’ll talk about that."
"No. I want to know. I want to know now!"
Pushing him was probably not the best idea, but Anna was tired, scared and irritated. And still throbbing from his nearness.
"Anna. I told you I wouldn’t hurt you. Trust me."
"Trust you?" Anna half-laughed. "You kidnapped me!"
Riddick’s smooth neck stretched as he threw his head back and laughed. It was the deepest, most alluring male laugh she’d ever heard. Loud and genuine, it reverberated around the room.
"Yeah, I guess I did. Not the worst thing I’ve ever done, that’s for sure."
Anna immediately felt fear replace her irritation as he reminded her of his past, the awful things he’d done to everyone he’d ever met…
She whispered her next question, feeling small and helpless sitting there with him towering over her.
"Are you going to kill me?"
In the light, about 40% of the bulb’s capacity, his eyes glowed with a hypnotic fire. He kept the lights in the ship low and kept his goggles off most of the time. She wished he’d put them back on. He looked more like the pictures she’d seen on the news with them on and less like the person who reacted with shock when she "accused" him of trying to rape her. He scared the shit out of her, either way.
"Anna"
God, she loved the sound of her name when he growled it out.
"I will NOT hurt you. I won’t. I won’t rape you, hurt you or kill you. Okay?"
Confused, Anna stopped rationalizing her questions and just asked whatever came to her mind.
"Why not?"
Riddick frowned, but smiled a little at the same time.
"Well, honey, you’ve done everything I’ve told you to do and you seem like a real sweetheart. So, why would I do that?"
Made sense. Just as she’d thought, following orders was the smart thing to do. Sitting this close to him, especially when he was half-naked, was not. She rose from the chair and lowered her eyes to the floor.
One more question, and then she was going to follow his advice and take a shower. God, she was filthy.
"Riddick, when will we land?"
He leaned past her, he was so close now, she could smell the soap, his clean skin, his breath. She kept her eyes on the floor. But she didn’t move.
"About three hours, we’ll land on Sotura. Better get that shower."
Anna nodded and moved past him, not looking at him, not allowing herself to go off into another ridiculous reaction. A shower would be heaven, she felt disgusting. Sotura. She shuddered. She wasn’t sure what was worse…being alone on this ship with Riddick or being on Sotura.
She glanced back at Riddick, unable to help herself, and found him watching her. He raised his eyes, obviously he’d been watching her retreating backside, and smiled that amazing half-smile that made her feel as if she were unable to form understandable sentences.
Anna quickly turned and made her way to the bathroom, anxious for the shower and to wash away the grime and the tangles in her hair. She felt her body tingle as she smiled to herself. He was checking out her ass! Unbelievable.
Anna checked the shower, turned it to hot and undressed. Glancing at the unlocked door, she was thankful for the steel door that made up the front of the shower stall. She jumped in, and found that Riddick had left a razor for her, unused, and shampoo, soap and a fantastically soft washcloth. She didn’t hurry, but she didn’t linger, either. Sighing as the water flowed over her sore shoulders and back, Anna closed her eyes and totally relaxed. She turned off the water reluctantly and opened the shower door, happily finding a fluffy soft towel and clean clothes left for her on the sink. Where did he get these? Anna donned the pants and tank top, leaving her feet bare and foregoing her bra and panties. They were dirty and disgusting and sweaty. She searched the cabinet behind the mirror above the sink, coming up with a comb and some skin lotion.
One blissful hour after entering the bathroom, Anna stared at herself in the mirror. Cargo style pants clung to her, a bit too tight through the hips and butt, baggy at her waist and greenish brown, they made her feel tough and capable. They were Riddick style. She smiled to herself, as if clothes could make anyone that scary. The green tank top was too tight, also, of course. Her breasts strained the front and caused a small crease to appear between them in the fabric. Well, it was clean. And it, too, heightened her capable feeling.
She looked really….tough. She pulled her hair back, winding two strands around the rest in a makeshift ponytail and tightened it against the back of her head.
Sotura was a completely out of control planet. She didn’t know if she could survive there, even with Riddick. And she had to escape from him as soon as possible. She made her plans, thinking about the possibility of finding her own way back home, and sighed. She had to do it. She had to be strong.
She had to get away from Riddick and find some way back to her own planet. They needed her and she certainly needed them. She missed the hospital and Dr. Saul and her patients and her home.
She opened the door to the bathroom and walked toward the control room, feeling powerful and strong. They said that adversity brought out a person’s real character. Well, her real character was one tough bitch, apparently. She could handle this. Anna had never felt so competent in her life. Riddick sat in the pilot’s chair, readying the ship for landing. He was busy with the controls, so Anna strapped herself into the chair beside him and waited, watching every button he pushed, quietly memorizing what levers controlled what actions. She committed them to memory easily, and felt more comfortable with the control panel by the time the ship entered the atmosphere of Sotura. Anna braced herself, and Riddick looked over at her when they were cleared to land. He glanced over her form, nodding with appreciation. He clearly liked the clothes. Well, he should. He’d picked them out, after all.
"Thank you for the clothes."
"Sure. We’re landing soon, so get ready. They’ll be all over the ship as soon as we dock."
"Who will?"
"Looters."
Oh my God. Looters? Anna’s momentary bravado slipped away and she again felt petrified. Looters had been responsible for the downfall of Sotura. She had no idea they attacked incoming ships, but it made sense. Why were they coming here?
Riddick gave up control of the panel as the planet’s gravity pulled them in slowly. He pushed two buttons, one she knew put the ship into automatic mode and the other, she figured, landed the thing.
Okay. Here we go.
Riddick turned toward her slightly, he was now dressed fully, a black tank much like her green one covering his remarkable body.
"Anna, we’re going to get off the ship as soon as we land. Stay close to me, behind me. Hold on to me and don’t let go. No one will hurt you here. Just follow me, keep your eyes down and don’t say anything. Okay?"
Anna nodded. Getting away from Riddick was now starting to sound like a very bad idea.
As the ship landed, Anna quietly and quickly followed Riddick’s movements. He unstrapped his lap belt and so did she. He stood and made his way to the cargo bay door. She followed, inches from his back, her heartbeat tapping against her throat so quickly she thought she might have heart failure before they even left the ship. She heard the bang of the landing gear and immediately felt the ship shudder as it was attacked by at least ten people. The banging on the ships hull terrified her as she stayed close to Riddick. He pushed the button above the door and looked at her.
"Ready?"
Anna nodded and closed in on him, grabbing onto the back of his shirt and fisting the material in her hands. He slid his goggles down, nodded to her and faced the bay door. The door opened and Anna stared at Riddick’s back. Noise, light and terror were there to greet her. She kept close to Riddick, her eyes on his back and they walked down the ramp onto the metal dock as one.
Instantly, a group of people gathered around them, and they all seemed to know Riddick. Anna followed instructions and stayed behind him, as close as she could get, her hands clutching his shirt and her mind whirring. Several men circled behind her and she heard some of their comments as she risked a glance up toward the ship. It was covered in men, women and children who were actually ripping it apart with their bare hands. Such a nice ship, and they were just destroying it. Anna’s mind returned to the men on the dock behind her as Riddick’s voice reverberated through his back and over her, reassuring her as she stood closely behind him.
"Don’t even try it, motherfucker. No way. She’s mine. Hands off."
Anna risked a glance over her shoulder and was alarmed to see at least six men, all very large, eyeing her like she was a piece of fudge.
Anna scooted a little closer to Riddick’s back and looked up at his turned head. He was glancing over his shoulder and warning the men off, and standing idly by while people ripped apart their transportation.
Not good, not good at all.
And the men’s comments, now completely stopped by a stern warning from the man who had kidnapped her, had not been good either. Anna’s experience may be limited, but the things they were suggesting surely would not be considered normal for anyone. Jesus.
A woman walked up to them, and Anna peeked around Riddick to see the source when she spoke to him.
"Welcome back, Richard." She said. She was very thin, petite and beautiful, brilliant compared to the dirty inhabitants she’d seen so far.
"Thanks, Bo. Everything ok?"
Riddick’s voice as he spoke to the woman was even and friendly.Anna felt a pang of worry, yes, that’s what that was, worry, as she listened to them go over the details of the escape from her home planet and their travel here in what was apparently record time. Anna listened as Riddick filled in the blanks of her lost memory from the time she hit him with her head and blacked out until they took off on her first ever space flight. He had used her body, apparently, as a shield, pretending that he had cut her and would finish her off as he made his way right through the middle of the guards and onto the waiting ship, and then they’d simply taken off, unhindered. They laughed over his ability to pick the perfect hostage, and Anna realized she must not be the first. She began to feel irritated even through her fear. Those men were closing in again behind her, she could feel it. And Riddick stood, laughing and talking with this woman like nothing was going on. Anna began to wish she were back on the ship again, as insane as that had been, it was better than this.
Riddick’s arm came out beside her, palm facing her as he turned her behind his body, swiveling them without touching her so that he faced the men in question and she was met by the fiery glare of the skinny, gorgeous woman’s hateful stare. This might be worse than the men, actually. Still, Anna felt herself narrowing her own gaze at the woman.
Bo. Ridiculous name.
Riddick spoke again to the men, and this time, his voice was loud and booming.
"That’s it, guys. Back the fuck off. NOW."
The men beat a hasty retreat away from them, practically running on the dock toward the buildings that towered against the skyline. Riddick and Bo, the mean, skinny Bo, made plans as they walked down the dock, following the same path the men had just taken, and Riddick glanced at her with one eyebrow raised. Then he just walked off with Bo, listening to her talk about how she had a place for him ready and Anna was forced to run a few steps to stay close to him. She glanced over her shoulder and was amazed.
The ship they’d just vacated was almost bare. If she was leaving, she’d have to find another ship. That one was useless. She could see inside it already. They had torn it to shreds in a matter of minutes. Anna scanned the dock. No ships were intact. Just giant ghosts of what had once been amazing machines. Anna closed her eyes and fought tears. She followed Riddick and Bo from the dock and into the large building that waited directly to the left of the metal bridge, wondering if this would be a good time for one of Dr. Saul’s prayers.
Twenty minutes later, Anna and Riddick stood in a small apartment, alone and she was relieved and worried all over again. Exhaustion threatened her yet again and she stood in the middle of the room they had entered, glancing around at the kitchen and hallway. She’d exchanged one prison for another, she thought. But at least she knew how to get out of this one.
She was tired, irritated and terrified. It was beginning to be a normal cycle. She had stopped following his every step the moment they entered the apartment and he closed the door, smiling an absolutely ridiculous smile at the horrible Bo woman. Anna hated her and everyone on this planet.
And Riddick…him she hated most of all.
They faced each other across the room and Riddick caused unexplainable emotions to surface as he swept her body with his goggled eyes.
"Are you okay?"
Anna laughed, a snorting sound followed by a huffing noise that was not at all attractive. Not the sort of sound, say, Bo, would probably make.
"Am I okay? NO! I am NOT okay. Definitely not."
Riddick frowned, those three creases above his nose marring his otherwise implacable face.
"Anna" he sighed, running a hand over his head in a frustrated gesture. "Look. I know it’s bad. I know you’re scared. I won’t let anyone hurt you. It’ll be ok."
He crossed the room to her and stood close, lowering his head to look at her more directly. He was so tall, so big. So absolutely horrible.
"Listen," he said softly, "it’s not going to be so bad, Anna. Really. Here’s what we’ll do. Ok?" He waited, and when she didn’t meet his questioning glance, he bent down, looking into her face as he lowered his
head to her level.
"Ok, Anna?"
She looked up into his goggles and saw her reflection there. She watched herself as he spoke and she saw her own face register desperation as he laid out his plan.
"You’ll stay here. I’ll take care of you. No one will hurt you andnothing will happen to you."
"Riddick…"
"Anna…" his voice stopped her.
He was becoming impatient.
"It’s not a suggestion."
Another order issued, and her job was to follow. Fine, she could do that. Just do what he said and find a way out. An escape, a ride home, and she was back in her life and she’d never see Riddick again.
She nodded. "Okay."
"Good. Now…" he paused dramatically and she watched her expression in the goggles turn wary.
"Don’t try to leave. They’ll kill you in a minute. If you go anywhere, it will be with me. It’s not safe for you to leave without me. Do what I say, when I say, Anna. You’ll be fine."
Anna swallowed and spoke softly, hope rimming her words and making her voice crack.
"And then? Can I go home Riddick? If I do what you ask, can you take me home?"
Her heart broke, her world collapsed and she sank to the floor, her reflection fading away in the darkness of the stare that haunted her dreams and her waking hours alike as he answered her. Final and definitive, his answer resounded even after he walked away from her, into the kitchen, leaving her in a desperate heap on the floor.
"No."
Anna wandered into the kitchen, hours later, and sat down at the table with Riddick, who had been reading from a stack of papers that woman, Bo, had given him before he told her he’d never let her go.
He was going to kill her after all, then.
She might as well try to get away, get out of here on her own. He was never taking her home. She’d sat in the living room of the apartment they were now in, devastated by his refusal. Now she wanted more information.
He looked up at her, his silver eyes once again bared to the dim light in the kitchen and frowned. He always frowned when he looked at her, it seemed. Why did he keep her alive?
"What?" he growled.
Anna immediately sat back in her chair. She had no idea how to react. Up until their arrival on this stupid, godforsaken planet, Riddick had been patient. Nice, even. But now, he was gruff and obviously bored with her. She had better move quickly. She needed to get back into his good graces and get the fuck out of here, and fast. She’d never make it here, and she’d never make it out alive based on what she knew right now. So she smiled, and met Riddick’s gaze with what she hoped looked like friendliness.
"Okay." She stated and kept the smile on her face relaxed and natural.
The frown lines disappeared like magic on his forehead and he repeated her acceptance in the form of a question.
"Okay?"
She nodded.
"Yeah. Please, Riddick," she tried to sound desperate and timid, which wasn’t really difficult at this point, "just don’t let anyone hurt me." Yeah, you sadistic bastard, she thought, save that part for yourself. If anyone was going to rape and torture her, better it was him, right? Anna wondered if she was losing her mind.
Riddick sat straight in his chair and leveled her with his gaze.
"Anna, listen…don’t go out without me. We’ll do fine, here. You’ll learn to survive and even accept life on Sotura. It’s not that bad."
Survive? Accept? What the hell…?
Anna smiled again. She looked great. She knew it. At least, he seemed to think she did. She recalled the way he looked at her on the ship. A small advantage and a huge risk, Anna, using your body and deliberately pushing a convicted rapist.
Anna forged ahead before she could change her mind.
"So, you’re keeping me then? Here with you?"
She tried to sound hopeful instead of sick, bright instead of desolate, confident instead of horrified.
"Yes. Here. With me. I can teach you things, help you survive here. And in time, you’ll learn to live here, and maybe even be happy."
He was concerned with her happiness. How fucking sweet. Anna choked the tears back and wondered why he bothered faking any kind of concern for her shattered psyche. He was off the fucking deep end, frighteningly crazy and he had her trapped in an apartment on Sotura.
Fucking holy hell.
And she smiled, and stood, and asked in what she hoped was her friendliest voice...
"Is there turkey here, too?"
Riddick chuckled, deep and low and she reminded herself he was crazy. A lunatic who held a knife to her throat one minute and ran his hand down it the next in a gentle, possessive caress.
"No, but there’s something here I know you’re gonna like."
Now that was an opening if she’d ever heard one.
Anna turned, jutting her hip out to the left and lifting the corner of her mouth up ever so slightly looked directly at him. Recalling the men on the dock and their comments about her hips and breasts she sucked in her abdomen and thrust her chest out a fraction more as she let her lids go heavy, sliding her eyes up his body before meeting his eyes. She took a deep breath, remembered his hot glances and tried to reassure herself he found her attractive. She summoned her courage and deliberately made her voice as low and soft as she could.
When it came out, in a purr, her voice widened Riddick’s eyes and brought him two steps closer to her almost instantly.
"Really…and what might that be?"
Unfortunately, her wayward body betrayed her totally when he moved toward her and she ended up with her ass up against the table, gripping it for support and looking at him once again wide-eyed and terrified. He stopped and frowned. Shit.
Riddick decided right then and there that it was time for his sweet little Anna to learn some things she needed to know. On Sotura, the strong survived, they ruled, and unfortunately for most of the women who resided there, by choice or by force, it was the men who were usually the strongest.
Oh, there were exceptions. Bo, for instance, the woman who’d arranged his apartment, helped him break out of Slam and the one person he trusted in the entire galaxy. But, mostly, the women on Sotura looked at the ground, didn’t speak unless spoken to, didn’t dare travel alone—even in daylight, and did whatever the man who decided to keep them from dying, of either starvation or murder, told them to do.
In order to keep her alive, Riddick needed to teach her these things. He regretted it. He really did. But he couldn’t take her back, and there was no one he could trust fully who would take her back. No one he trusted could leave Sotura without getting thrown back in Slam, or worse.
So, she had to stay. And, honestly, he really hoped she wouldn’t mind after some time had passed. She still hadn’t asked him to touch her, but the sight of her standing in that kitchen smiling up at him, a flirty smile, nearly had him on his knees begging her to let him. She was absolutely amazing. He’d have to watch her every fucking second or some bastard would take her, rape her, kill her, or worse, force him to come looking for her and start some shit he’d rather avoid altogether. But, after smiling and seeming like she’d accepted the inevitable, she still collapsed against the table in a effort to get away from him the moment he moved toward her.
What in the fuck…? He scared her. Well, yeah. Obviously a valid point, after all. He had turned her life upside down. Riddick looked at the frightened woman in front of him and felt a pang of emotion hit his gut. Guilt. Goddammit. He hated guilt. It was the worst emotion of all, helpless and sad and just flat out useless. He pushed it down, recovering his control. He was in control. He looked at Anna pressed against the table and his body tightened. His dick hardened. Yeah. Control…he was just fucking all over it, huh?
Riddick stepped as close to Anna as he could without touching her. He radiated danger, menace and rage. Lessons, sometimes learned the hard way, were a necessity on Sotura, and this would be Anna’s first lesson. Compliance with his wishes.
Maybe next he’d teach her about ownership and what it meant to own a woman on Sotura. Total submission and utter respect were the absolute minimum expectedhere from the women who couldn’t fight for themselves, and Anna couldn’t fight her way out of a paper bag. She was his. He reminded himself of that and pushed his face into hers.
"When I ask for food, Anna, it’s your duty to make it. You’ll learn what I like and you’ll fix it, serving me first and eating later. You’re a slave here, and you’ll learn to be a good one."
Anna blinked. There went another of her fabulous plans, she realized. She would never be able to fake flirting with him, tease him. He was irate again, in the Riddick tradition, jumping from smiling at her to frowning at her, to looming over her as he did now. He was scary. Big and mean and scary. His words registered as he paused, and Anna realized that he was waiting for her response. When none came, he went on.
"I’m not feeling particularly choosy tonight, Anna. So fix something of your choice. Do it quickly and serve me before you eat."
He backed up a bit, allowing Anna access to the refrigerator. She was stunned. He expected her to be his slave? To cook and serve his dinner? She was a surgeon! Not a housewife! Not a maid!
He glared at her and she walked to the fridge. Opening it, she found a bounty of food that amazed her once again. Where did they get this food? She automatically chose a bowl of what looked like soup and checked it, inhaling deeply when she opened the lid. Her stomach growled, churning in response to the aroma. Amazing, it was actually soup, and it had meat in it. Real meat! Anna turned, placing the bowl on the stove unit and looking at the panel above it. She got the heated unit started, after a few tries, and turned to face Riddick again. He’d taken his place again at the table, reading from the stack of papers, and was ignoring her completely.
Anna’s mind worked at the speed of light, and still she came up with absolutely no option. She was stuck here, with him, and she couldn’t go home. Not yet. Not for a long time. She’d have to gain someone’s trust, convince them to take her home, and escape from Riddick’s watchful gaze. And she wasn’t even allowed to leave the apartment without him. Well, he had to sleep sometime.
The stove beeped, signaling the correct food temperature, and she searched the closest cabinet for bowls. She found them, found two spoons, and filled the bowl with the rich smelling brew. She placed Riddick’s soup on the table in front of him and backed away. She picked up her spoon and started to bring the first mouthful to her lips. She stood in front of the stove and froze when he spoke.
"Stop. I need something to drink. And you don’t eat until you’re sure I am served."
He hadn’t hurt her so far, but rapist or not, he was not a nice person. His swift insistence that she learn to adapt to this ridiculous life was already irking her. Becoming a Soturan slave was not something she had any intention at all of doing. Something had to happen to get her out of here. It had to.
She met Riddick’s gaze and steeled herself. "No."
He was looking at the refrigerator, waiting for her to get him a drink. He glanced at her quickly.
"What did you say?"
It wasn’t easy, keeping her cool under the glare of his irritated look. It was harder still to find her voice and speak again.
"I said no."
Riddick stood up.
"No?" he repeated, amazed.
His face turned dark.
"Anna, no is not an option for you now."
She felt braver because he hadn’t touched her, hadn’t hurt her, and she adopted a haughty expression.
She raised the spoon once again toward her lips, her hand shaking crazily. He was beside her in an instant. He grabbed the spoon, halting it’s progress toward her mouth and wrenched it from her, spilling the soup on the floor and down her top.
"Put the bowl down, Anna. You won’t be eating tonight."
Anna trembled as she sat the bowl on the stove beside her, her eyes never leaving his angry face.
If she had disobeyed any other man on this planet, she’d be dead now. Riddick couldn’t allow her to think she could behave this way. If only he hadn’t promised not to touch her. She was tall, but he towered over her as he leaned in, using his height to his advantage, using every physical intimidation tactic he’d ever known that didn’t require physical contact.
His eyes gleamed directly into her frightened ones and his face was inches from hers as he bent toward her, stretching his shoulders and chest to their full width. His face was blank, but his frown threatened to return as she watched the space between his brows slightly crease. His breath in her face, his silence stretching between them, and his massive size made Anna feel foolish and frightened. Why had she refused? All he wanted was a drink.
"Get it, Anna. Do it now."
He retreated, and Anna tripped over her own feet getting to the refrigerator. This was getting dangerous.