Scarlet Venom: Mixologists and Pirates Part Three

  Scarlet Venom

  Mixologists and Pirates Part Three

  Frost Kay

  Contents

  1. Blackmail and Espionage

  2. Sexy Elves and Pointy Ears

  3. Insert Foot Into Mouth

  4. Nature vs. Prude

  5. Harness Dresses and Chauvinists

  6. Annoying Alarms & Aliens

  7. Thigh Holsters & Pretty Weapons

  8. Playing the Floozy

  Copyright © 2018 Renegade Publishing, LLC

  First Edition

  * * *

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the author.

  * * *

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  * * *

  For information on reproducing sections of this book or sales of this book, go to www.frostkay.net

  Created with Vellum

  1

  Blackmail and Espionage

  “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

  Allie rubbed her damp palms against her legs. “You and I both know that’s not an option, Jer.”

  The redhead crossed her arms and glared into the night. “Well, I thought it would be nice to hear, at least.”

  Allie eyed the incoming Av with trepidation. “It didn’t help.” Her jaw set as he jerked his chin in her direction, a command to come to him. What. A. Jerk. “What am I? Chattel?”

  “You are well and truly owned by the Av Lock sector. So, yes. Yes, you are.” Jer, ever honest. Sometimes too honest.

  “Thanks, Jer,” she grumbled, adjusting the bag strap biting into her shoulder. “I guess I should get going.” She shifted and winced as pain raced up her calves. Her feet were killing her after her long shift at the Scarlet Kiss.

  Jer stepped closer and tapped their wrist comms together. “I had Lily design a program, so we can track each other. I’ll know where you are, no matter where they take you,” she said in a low tone. “It’s undetectable to anyone but us.”

  Allie stared at her friend in awe. Techy stuff might as well have been black magic to her. “That’s amazing! I didn’t know Lily designed programs. I’ll have to thank her.”

  “Yeah, she’s uber smart. Behind those lilac glasses is a mastermind.”

  A whistle pulled their attention to the brooding Av glaring in their direction.

  “It’s too bad the bastard couldn’t be a little uglier,” Jer growled. “It’s a waste if you ask me.”

  Allie pursed her lips as she stared at Coal. He was attractive in an “I’m bad for you yet you want me anyway” kind of way. One that made you want to forget all of your mama’s warnings.

  “I guess…” she allowed.

  Jer scoffed. “I know you’re not blind.”

  “I’m not blind, but I’m not stupid.” It didn’t matter how good-looking he was when he had the personality of a honey badger.

  Her friend flashed a smile. “And that’s why I’m letting you ride off into the sunset with him.”

  She snorted. “There’s no sunset,” Allie said as she strode away.

  “Smart aleck.”

  She glanced over her shoulder and grinned. “You wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Jer called, waving her away.

  Allie waved and jogged toward Coal, scanning the motorhover. She skidded to a stop. There wasn’t a sidecar. “Where am I supposed to ride?” she drawled.

  He rolled his eyes and scooted forward a little. “On the back,” he said, like it was an explanation, not a death sentence.

  He wanted her to ride on the flying contraption … without security straps?

  “Are you insane?”

  She remembered what it was like the last time. She’d barely made it home alive, and that was riding in a sidecar.

  “What, Human?” he sneered. “You don’t want to be seen on the back of an Av’s hover?”

  She colored. Leave it to him to suggest she was the racist when he clearly hated Humans. “That’s not it at all! I am…” She trailed off, biting her lip. Stars above, this was humiliating. No one wanted to admit their fears, let alone one as asinine as the fear of flying when everything flew.

  “Am what?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “You know what.” He knew how badly she’d reacted the last time they traveled together. The jerk just wanted her to say it again.

  A lazy grin stretched across his face as he crossed his arms. “I really don’t. I don’t have the faintest idea why you won’t get on the hover.”

  He was really going to make her say it. Allie gritted her teeth and forced the words out: “I’m afraid of flying,” she growled. “A fact you’re well aware of.”

  Coal shrugged, grinning, and grasped the handle bars. “That’s not my problem, Human. Get on the hover, or don’t. But if you renege on your deal, we renege on ours.”

  “Are you threatening me?” What a great way to start their partnership.

  Well, her forced duty at least.

  Another shrug. “Just a reminder.”

  She didn’t have a choice. She had to get onto the hover for the sake of her friends. They didn’t deserve punishment for her actions. She stepped closer, her hands shaking and her breath coming out in pants. She could do this. What was a little drive compared to prison for life on an alien planet?

  Allie lifted her leg over the seat and sat, her whole body trembling. She glanced around for something to grab on to, but there was nothing. How was she going to hold on?

  “You’ll have to wrap your hands around me if you don’t want to fall off,” Coal said.

  Allie readjusted her bag so it crossed her chest, and tentatively wrapped her trembling arms around the Av. “I’m ready,” she said, her voice wobbling. She was so not ready.

  He tipped his head back with a sigh, his black and white hair dangling in front of her face.

  “Ridiculous,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Excuse m—” she stuttered when he reached around and hooked his arm around her waist. An embarrassing squeak squeezed out of her when he yanked her forward so she was flush against his back. Allie tried to backpedal, but his arm tightened, holding her in place.

  “You’ll fall off if you aren’t close, and you need to hold on tight. I don’t want to explain to my brother why you died when I came to get you.”

  “How magnanimous of you,” she said dryly, trying to battle her fear from pulling her into a full freak-out.

  He pulled his arm away and twisted forward. Her panic increased a notch as he revved the engine and her teeth began to chatter. He paused and craned his neck, his brows furrowed as he scanned her face.

  “Are you cold?”

  “No,” she said. “My teeth chatter when I’m scared or excited. It’s adrenaline.”

  “Humans,” he muttered, shaking his head, before turning around. “Hold on tight.”

  One breath was all she managed before the death machine left the ground behind them with such speed she almost tumbled off. Her arms cinched around his waist; the breath in her lungs seized; panic and nausea swirled in her stomach as the Av wove around, under, and over hovers, coming recklessly close to clipping one of the other machines.

  Her fingers knotted in Coal’s jacket. This was how she would die. Allie was certain of it. If by some
miracle she didn’t plummet to her death, her heart would surely give out. There would probably be permanent damage to the garment from her nails, but he deserved it for how he was driving.

  She closed her eyes and pressed her face against the Av’s back. Maybe if she didn’t look at the surrounding mayhem, it would be easier. He stiffened at the contact, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. If he wanted to drive like a maniac, he had to deal with the consequences of a Human clinging to him.

  It didn’t help.

  She didn’t know what was worse: not being able to see horrors coming, or the unexpected movements of the hover. Her breath hissed out as the hover slowed to a stop, softly vibrating beneath them. Allie slowly turned her face to the side, her cheek pressed against his jacket.

  “Are we there?” she whispered. Was the ride from hell over?

  Silence. Of course, he wouldn’t answer her.

  Allie grumbled underneath her breath and cracked one eye open, then the other. A Kiterran toddler smiled from inside a hover next to them, waving his chubby little hand. She forced a smile on her face for the sake of the child. But without permission, her gaze dropped down … and down … and down. Even the dark night couldn’t hide how far above the ground they were. Lights and signs below her swirled, turning into a giant kaleidoscope of colors. The world lurched and so did her stomach.

  Aaaaand the sense she was falling slammed into her.

  A callused hand smoothed over her clenched fingers, snapping her from the nightmare below and the vertigo that promised to tip her over the side of the motorhover. She plastered herself against him and clenched her thighs tightly around his. Embarrassment colored her cheeks; she probably looked like an octopus wrapped around the Av, but she’d rather look like an animal than fall.

  She frowned when Coal brushed her knuckles and then the top of her right thigh. Almost as if he was trying to comfort her. The small rational corner of her brain told her to stop being an idiot. The Av hated Humans. Why would he put her at ease when he was clearly enjoying torturing her?

  All thoughts fled her mind when the signal changed, and he sped forward at a break-neck speed that should have been illegal. Her eyes slammed shut and any calm she felt fled. Her lungs screamed for air. Allie focused on breathing. Breathing was bloody important, especially if one wanted to live.

  When they slowed again, she kept her eyes closed this time. The drop to the ground was permanently imprinted on her brain.

  A soft hiss filled her ears as they stopped, but she didn’t dare peek. The sound of the hover’s engine cut off and silence surrounded them, interrupted only by her harsh panting. Coal adjusted in the seat, causing her to gasp and clutch him tighter.

  “You can let go now.”

  Allie didn’t budge. What if he was playing a trick? “Yeah right,” she rasped. “Like I’m going to believe the Human-hater who takes joy in harassing the poor frightened Human.”

  “It’s your choice, but if I was you, I wouldn’t want to meet my new team while wrapped around a male, looking like a wanton hussy.”

  Her eyes popped open. “I am not a wanton hussy,” she hissed. How dare he insinuate anything of that nature! She opened her mouth to rip into him and paused, blinking, taking in their new surroundings. They’d entered a small room with various hovers parked around them. Every wall, including the floor and ceiling, was made of some sort of silver reflective material. It was like being in a room made of mirrors. She stiffened when she caught Coal’s smirk reflected on the wall ahead of them.

  He arched a brow at her. “You going to let go now?”

  Horror filled her. She’d effectively fused herself to him. The only thing she hadn’t done was wrap her legs fully around him. Allie forced her numb fingers to release his rumpled jacket, and grimaced at the fingernail indents she left behind. Could she seem any more pathetic? At this point, probably not.

  She scrambled off the hover and onto unsteady legs, her heart still pounding in her chest. Part of her wanted to get down on her knees and kiss the floor. She stared at her feet and caught a glimpse of her hair.

  Oh no.

  She jerked her gaze upward and gaped at her reflection. “Oh, come on,” she muttered. “Why is life so unfair?”

  Her hair was huge and ratted, all the golden strands sticking up. Allie pushed to the mirrored wall and began to untangle her hair with her fingertips.

  “It’s not that bad.” Coal’s masculine voice washed over her with a faint accent.

  She tossed a glare over her shoulder and renewed her efforts in untangling the rat’s nest. “Why can’t I have normal hair?” she groaned. With long hair, you’d think it couldn’t defy gravity, but it always proved her wrong by standing on end.

  “It looks like you tumbled from someone’s bed,” Coal murmured, humor lacing his voice.

  “Not helping,” she growled.

  “Seriously, Human, it’s fine. Plus, that’s not a mirror. It’s a two-way force field, and our exit...”

  Allie froze, fingers tangled in her hair. She blinked at her reflection and dropped her hands to her side, crazy hair forgotten. If that was a two-way field, that meant…

  The mirror in front of her wavered and disappeared. She blanched as a group of aliens stared back at her. Of all the bad luck. Heat rushed into her cheeks and down her neck. She shot a glare over her shoulder at Coal then forced herself to look back into the room holding all the aliens. He could have told her these were force fields long before he did.

  She glanced around the room, avoiding the curious gazes of the aliens watching her battle with her humiliation. The room was enormous, with a glass-domed ceiling. Each corner of the massive area held a work station of some sort. She squinted at the one on the right. It looked to hold all sorts of lab equipment, and her brewery. Well, they didn’t waste time. They must have needed her moonshine pretty badly. She tucked that information away for further thought.

  A throat cleared. She sighed and pasted a smile on her face. “Hello,” she said, facing the group and offering an awkward wave. Worse things had happened to her. It was just ratty hair. Everyone had bad hair days.

  Lev stepped out of the throng of aliens, his turquoise gaze sparkling. “I take it your journey went well.”

  “If by ‘well,’ you mean I almost died, ruined Coal’s jacket, and embarrassed myself by imitating an octopus, then yes.”

  “Oh, I like her already,” a black-haired alien commented. Allie glanced at him and eyed his quills. A Kanji. Huh, she thought there’d only be Avs present at the Av Lock sector. She glanced back up to Lev, who was eyeing something over her shoulder.

  “She’s alive,” Coal grumbled.

  “Just barely,” she muttered.

  He paused at her side and patted her hair. “See? She’s completely unscathed.”

  Allie glared and slapped his hand away, earning a growl from the prickly Av.

  “I thought Humans were docile?”

  Her hackles rose at the male’s words. She glanced in the direction of the speaker, a huge red-headed Kiterran with leopard markings running up and down his arms pointed at her. She’d show him how docile Humans were.

  “You keep pointing that finger at me, and I’ll bite it off.”

  The Kiterran’s serious face melted into a grin. “Fire. I like a woman that’s feisty.”

  Allie ignored him and raised her brows at Lev. “Are you going to introduce your team?”

  Lev broke his stare-off with his brother and stepped to the side. He swept his arm to the left, gesturing to a willowy Av woman. Her pixie cut, plum-colored hair accentuated her pointed ears in a way that made Allie want to grin. She was adorable. Something about her made Allie want to give her a huge hug.

  “This is Eve. She’s our flora specialist.”

  “Nice to meet you,” she murmured.

  The woman gave her a small smile as Lev moved on to the Kanji that hadn’t stopped staring at her. “This is Kale. He’s our infiltration specialist.”

 
Kale stepped forward and took her hand. He kissed the back of it, surprising her, and inhaled softly. Allie scowled and jerked her hand from his grasp. She’d had enough sniffing to last a lifetime.

  “None of that.”

  “I had to be sure.” Kale grinned and winked at her before stepping back.

  Lev gestured to the burly Kiterran. “That is Zune. He’s our liquid compositions specialist. You’ll be working with him.”

  “A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sai,” his deep voice rumbled gently.

  “Likewise.” She had a soft spot for the Kiterran, and his soft-spoken manner pulled a genuine smile from her. In the short time since she’d arrived on Sars, she’d come to really like their people. They were honest, kind, gentle, and a bit barbaric. The contradiction was intriguing.

  Her gaze wandered to the next alien and paused when she met black eyes. Well, almost black; the inner ring was the deepest blue she’d ever seen. Her gaze wandered to the long scar along his cheek. It was startling but not unhandsome. It gave him a roguish air, one of danger.

  “That’s Blade. He’s our weapons specialist.”

  “Blade?” she repeated, smiling at the Av. “That’s a little cliché, don’t you think?”

  The whole group stilled, and Allie’s smile dropped. Did she say something rude? She was just teasing.

  Blade cocked his head and eyed her. “No more than a Sai moonshine brewer who can’t brew moonshine.”

  She threw her head back and laughed. “Touché, and it’s nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise,” he rasped.

  “What about me?” a dry voice remarked.

  Her shoulders stiffened as she recognized the voice. Lev and the Kiterran shifted to the side, revealing a wrinkly humanoid mass, one she was quite familiar with. The traitor.

  “You,” Allie hissed, stabbing a finger at Virgil. “You lying, no-good, rotten dirtball.”