Merchandise by Angelique Voisen Page A

even
threatened anyone else before, and she never thought she’d ever need to.
    Some part of her brain told her
this was folly. What she should do was toss the gun away,
apologize profusely, and tell Farr she’d made a mistake. No. It’s not just a matter of what Farr
wants, but what I want. The marks on her neck irritably itched again, and
distant voices whispered in her ear, telling her being truly free meant being
able to make her own choices.
    “J, what are you doing?” Farr
asked. “Please put the gun down before you hurt yourself.”
    He sighed, and J didn’t like his
condescending tone.
    Her gaze slid to the two bound
prisoners kneeling a few feet from them, their expressions a mix of shock and
worry. Why would they be worried about her? A Hadarian and a Cobrini . What an odd pair, she remembered thinking when she saw them in the cruiser’s
holding cells. There was something familiar about them, too. She had met them
before, she was certain now, despite Gael’s claims she had not.
    “J, while I admire your boldness,
you are simply confused,” Gael said, holding out a hand. “Hand over the weapon
and we shall talk.”
    Most of Farr’s crew drew their
weapons and pointed them at her, but J saw their hesitation. They might be
fearsome warriors, but she’d spent time with each of them and by doing so, knew
their individual personalities, likes and dislikes as well as they knew hers.
    “Put those down,” Farr told his men
angrily, and they did with noticeable relief. “ J, let
us discuss this. Besides, do you really think a female Breeder untrained in the
arts of fighting or war can fight her way through an entire race?”
    J licked her lips. Farr didn’t know
how Gael and his men almost swayed her to reconsider. They were only soldiers
after all, acting on the behalf of their commander, but Farr’s words grated on
her nerves.
    “I never intended to fight anyone,
and I’m well aware I’m no warrior,” J told Farr, lifting the gun. The men
pointed their weapons back at her, but she didn’t point the revolver at Farr. J
pointed it to her head. “But I can do this.”

Chapter Ten
     
    Farr’s lofty expression became
panicked. Tension rippled through the air. No one spoke for a while. J could
almost hear the other warriors breathing hard. She knew resorting to such a
threat was cowardly, but it was the only option left to her. Hadarians valued their females, and Farr couldn’t afford to
lose an expensive Breeder like her.
    “Let’s all calm down,” Gael said.
“We understand you are serious, but please, let us talk.”
    “This isn’t a negotiation, Gael.
Let those two go and I’ll consider talking,” J said firmly.
    Gael looked up to Farr for
direction. Farr gritted his teeth, and his face betrayed all of his emotions at
once—fury, desperation, and panic.
    “Do it,” Farr said, his eyes not
straying from her. “You’re going to regret this, J. Once I get hold of you, I
will need to discipline you.”
    For the first time, she glimpsed
Farr’s charming façade slip away, and madness peeked beneath his glowing eyes.
J couldn’t believe she’d let herself be deceived by him.
    “I might regret doing this, but
this was my choice.”
    She couldn’t lose her resolve now
because she made her decision and she had to stand by it. She defiantly glared
back at Farr. While her wrist ached with the effort of holding the revolver,
she held it steady while she took cautious steps backwards, slowly moving
towards the prisoners.
    J shivered when Farr’s lips curved
into a lazy smile that made her skin crawl.
    “You’re truly a prize worth hunting
down and owning. Mark my words, I will put my brand on you and make you mine,
body and soul.”   
    The chains binding the two
prisoners clattered loudly on the ground. J stood so close to them now her back
hit the Cobrini’s hard, warm chest. He steadied her
shaking shoulders with large, but sure hands. Hands she knew would never hurt
her.
    “It’s