Page 42 of Aurelian Prisoner

10

Allie

The only things in my cell are my stiff bed, the toilet, the intercom button…

…and my wits.

Those even Daccia can’t take from me – or deactivate.

But the intercom is the only way my wits are going to be useful in this cage.

I know this much. I’ve failed to use their bodies against them... so far…

So now, I must use their pride. Aurelians are many things – but sex and honor are their most exploitable facets.

What I’m planning next is going to fuckinghurt. I'll be sore for days, if I even pull this off – but it's my next chance to make them snap.

If they're smart? They'll refuse my plan.

But after that speech Daccia gave me when I was first brought aboard this ship, I’m betting that no matter how smart these Aurelians are – orthinkthey are – their pride will ultimately win out. They’ve made it abundantly clear thatIwas expected to follow the rules of their law down to the letter…

…that forces them to do the same.

I press the intercom. It beeps once… Twice… Then three times, without an answer.

I tighten my lips. Maybe these Aureliansaresmarter than I’d expected. They know that I'm dangerous. They aren't the sort of fools who’d underestimate me. The triad of Elites did that – and Daccia, Kitos and Hadrian will have learned from their mistake.

And yet, as codified in their prisoner transport regulations, I know that even while I’m confined in the punishment brig, I still am allowedoneshort, pertinent call.

Even Aurelians – a notoriously cold and callous species – view solitary confinement to be a brutal punishment. Strict laws have been implemented to protect prisoners as a result. Even if I’d murdered one of their triad, they’d still be forced to answer my demand for communication.

That’s why the Aurelians pick up on the fourth beep. There’s no visual connection, though – they don’t want tolookat me.

"You have thirty seconds to say whatever you need to say," comes the grouchy voice of the Aurelian leader, Daccia. My lips curl. It’s satisfying knowing he must be filled with pent-up need after what he’d witnessed in the med-bay.

Ha! I don't care how much self-control he thinks he has. No Aurelian can see a woman tied up, helpless and naked, andnotbe on the verge of succumbing to their basest desires.

He might have resisted me so far, but for an Aurelian, desire is like a kettle. The heat and pressure keeps building and building as long as you apply the heat…

…until it explodes.

I am that heat – and I need to strike while kettle is still hot.

"Sir," I murmur to the Aurelians, using a term of submissive respect to further inflame Daccia.

Aurelians crave dominance – so any submission by a human female triggers something deep inside of them. Not just the desire to mate – but the need to protect and cherish. They can’t help it. Aurelians are hardwired that way – and I will twist their brutish minds to suit my own ends.

"Sir," I repeat, "you told me that if I was going to be on your ship, I’d have to follow the rules. You told me thatanydisobedience would be punished exactly as prescribed by the laws of Aurelian Law Enforcement...” I pause, listening to the silence on the other end of the communication. “So,please,” I beg, “let me out of this cell. It's inhumane."

There's a longer pause on the line. I can almost see Daccia’s implacable face.

He's not sure what I’m hoping to gain with this request.

"…being in that cell didnotprevent you from disabling our Orb-Drive – or trying to escape twice.” Daccia pauses. “I don't trust you, Allie – and that's why we’re keeping you right where you are."

"Please, sir,” I beg, making my voice sound weak. “It's inhumane."

I know Daccia can see right through my act. I know he doesn't think of me as some fragile little human woman – but as a cunning, dangerous criminal. Yet, I can still manipulate his basest instincts.

When an Aurelian hears a human woman crying in distress, it is as though his species is mandated to come to her protection. I know Daccia can’t deny his urge to protect me – just as I can’t help my dark desires to submit to these three fearsomely sexy warriors. Iwantthem – even though they’re planning to throw me in a cell and let me rot for twenty years. I crave their dominance – despite everything…

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