Excerpt Monday August

This is something new I've been playing around with, in its earliest stage. Would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

Sacred Flesh

Prologue

Pale golden hair whipped around her as frigid air from the generator swept across her skin. The wavy ends tumbled around her shoulders, sending silvery strands into her mouth that caught and stuck to her moistened lips. Her modest black gown lay in tatters around her waist, leaving her upper body clad in only the transparent body stocking she wore to support her buttocks and breasts. Humiliation burned in her cheeks as she looked down to see her pink nipples standing hard and erect under the frigid air of deep space. Instinctively, she tried to cover them with her arms, but the ropes biting into her wrists above her head held her securely in place.

Blinking back tears, her eyes darted around the room. A dozen or so pairs of eyes were trained on her, glittering with hunger and lust, and at the certainty that she would soon be theirs. Intense sickness and desolation swept over her. She was never going to get out of this alive.

"Mmm-mm, looks like we struck gold, boys."

Several of the men whooped their agreement.

"Nah," said one of the men. "Silver, perhaps, but not gold."

"Hell, Kiev, she's the prettiest piece of pussy I've seen in years. I think you must be losing your eyesight entirely."

The man - Kiev - crossed the room and stopped in front of her. She cringed upon getting a better look at him. The immense, bear-like pirate was uglier than sin. His face a mass of puckered and scarred skin, surrounding one beady eye that still gleamed with the blood lust of their most recent kill. The other eye was a milky, bluish-white color that stared forward endlessly.

"Granted, she's a pretty little thing, all right," he murmured, appraising her slowly, lasciviously, "but look at these tits!" She squirmed as his filthy hands cupped her breasts, jiggling them around and pinching the nipples. He bared brown teeth, enjoying her discomfiture. "They hardly fill my hands," he complained. "I like my women a little softer, with more meat to their bones. Hell, I've seen men with bigger tits than these."

"Like me, Kiev?" a burly, obese man said from the corner, garnering bawdy laughter when he reached for his own sagging chest and wiggled the rolls of fat around in his meaty palms.

Looking over his shoulder, Kiev laughed crudely. "Right, you are, Miloh. But still, I suppose it doesn't matter." He sighed, looking back at her. Releasing her breasts, his hands drifted downward, reaching for the hem of her gown and pulling it up above her waist. Her legs jerked as she tried to kick out, but the bonds on her ankles allowed for little movement. "They all look the same where it really counts, 'eh Jett?"

"One pussy, a million faces," the pirate called Jett agreed rudely, to the amusement of his companions.

A collective sigh of appreciation could be heard as her thinly-veiled femininity was revealed for all to see. "And would you look at that," Kiev announced, "she's a golden-girl, through and through."

Outraged at his audacity, she spat in his face.

Several of the men laughed, but not Kiev. His hands flew instantly to his belt, and before she could blink, a very sharp, very deadly looking dagger was pointed at her throat.

She lifted her chin, meeting his icy one-eyed gaze head on. Do it, she challenged silently. She'd rather die on a dagger than at the hands of this lot.

Alas, no such mercy would be hers. Peering over his massive shoulder, she saw that four of the men had unsheathed their daggers or plasma rifles, and were now pointing them at Kiev's throat. Their black eyes blazed with incensed alarm.

"Don't even think about it, Kiev," one of the men growled in warning. "It's been too long since I've been waxed. I'll slit your throat before letting her go to waste."

Another man joined in on the protest. "That's right, man, you kill her, and your blood will join hers on the floor tonight."

Her mind whirled as she listened to these men. They were truly barbaric and held no regard for loyalty. Goddess! They'd been ready to kill one of their own to get their hands on her!

"Back down, all of you," Jett advised, coming up from behind the group. His strong hand dropped on Kiev's shoulder. "Let her go, man. She's just a woman - nothing worth losing your head over. Besides, it's the captain's decision, not yours."

At length, the knife fell away from her throat. She swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling a trail of warm liquid run down her neck.

Kiev ran the back of his hand over his swinish nose to wipe away the spittle, and then leaned in closely. Her head turned as his fetid breath assaulted her nostrils. "I'm not through with you, bitch," he swore in a whisper meant for her ears only. "You will bleed for this. Those golden hairs will drip red after I'm done with you."

She gasped and began to shake as fearful images built in her mind. Yes, she'd known from moment one what they planned to do to her - she'd seen it in their eyes, their smiles - but to hear it spoken out loud...and in such gruesomely vivid detail...

Don't you dare cry! she commanded herself. Don't give them more fodder for their amusement and anticipation. Men like this have no concept of humanity, or mercy. They only know thievery, murder, raping, pillaging, torture.... Seeing your tears will only make their conquest sweeter.

A single tear managed to slip out in spite of her bid for self-control. Thankfully, the marauders didn't see it. For once, their gazes had shifted to each other.

"Captain Eirik has always distributed evenly before, I'd say."

"Right, he has. I don't see why he'd change his mind now."

"Didn't you hear? Eirik is no longer captain."

Judging by the uproar that followed the announcement, this was as much news to them as it was to her - or would have been had she known who this grizzly Captain Eirik was.

"Come again?"

"Explain yourself, Gorin," Kiev growled.

"Eirik is dead," Gorin - an older man with leathery skin, blackened teeth, and a pronounced limp on his left side - announced as casually as if he were remarking upon the weather. "Saw Rath slit his throat myself."

Jett shrugged dismissively. "Then Rath has earned his place. He's a good man, and will no doubt make a good captain."

Wrath? She shuddered. What a perfectly horrible name for a perfectly horrible captain of blood-thirsty space pirates.

"But will he share out the wealth?" Kiev questioned, tilting his head in her direction.

Jett looked unconcerned. "I don't see why not. He's always been just in his dealings."

Several of the men mumbled in agreement.

"But when it comes to the girl?” Kiev persisted. “You know how he feels about taking captives."

Heads nodded in understanding, and more than a few faces looked worried.

How did Wrath feel about captives? She wanted to ask, but it seemed that she was the only one aboard the pirate starship that was not privy to his feelings on the matter of captives, and as such, no explanations were necessary. And they certainly wouldn't deign to explain the captain's feelings with a lowly woman captive.

Fabulous, she thought as her body sagged against the pole, a crew of space pirates that each planned to have their turn with her, and a new captain who had "feelings" about taking captives. Her future was growing bleaker by the second.

She straightened her body defiantly. She would survive this! She was a Sister of Sevella, ordained by the High Priestess herself, and a loyal - if occasionally rebellious - member of its order. She inhaled deeply, hoping to gain strength by reciting her daily devotions.

A Sister never surrenders to the darkness. A Sister has a responsibility to the public and therefore must be able to employ calm and rational thought in all situations. A Sister does not allow herself to be governed by emotions; rather, she explores her options thoroughly and bases her conduct upon clear-headed meditation...

Yes...meditation…explores her options thoroughly.

Think! There has to be some way.

She processed all she had learned so far. I am spoils of battle. These men plan to have me. The captain will decide my fate. The captain's name is Wrath.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot to go on…

Or was there?

She frowned as a rather outlandish idea began to form in her mind.

Her initial thoughts had been of weapons, but seeing as how she was tied up…and seeing as how she wouldn't know how to use a weapon, even if she did have one, and therefore would have little success, if any, against a band of barbaric, lusty pirates, the whole objective was pointless.

Looking at it from another perspective, however, it occurred to her that, for all intents and purposes, she did have a weapon at her disposal. She just hadn't thought of it before because she would only consider using that as a last resort. Looking around, she realized this was it.

These men wanted to have her. She could exploit their want, use it against them. But how? How could she use it to her advant-

The captain. Of course!

Her fate was the captain's decision, and he controlled them all. She didn't kid herself into believing that she could somehow appeal to his kind nature. He was a pirate, and as such, probably didn't even understand the nature of the word kind. But, if she could appeal to his baser appetites…if she could somehow make him desire her to such an extent that he would refuse to pass her on to the others, then maybe - just maybe - she would have a fighting chance.

But was she willing to go so far to survive? Did she have it in herself to offer her body in exchange for her life? She would be violating the first rule of her order: A Sister's body is, first and foremost, an instrument of absolute purity. But this was a matter of survival. Surely the High Priestess would not fault her for using the only weapon at her disposal. If there was another way, she would use it, but as she saw it, it was either fall or die. Captain Wrath was her best – no, she amended hastily - her only hope for survival.

"Captain on deck!"

All speculation immediately ceased as the men stiffened and parted down the middle to allow passage for the newest arrival in the cargo bay.

And so it went: Novice Cidra Armano, a holy vessel-in-training - not to mention a virgin - took her first glimpse of the man she shortly hoped to call lover.

Links to other Excerpt Monday writers
Note: I have not personally screened these excerpts. Please heed the ratings and be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.

Mel/Alexia Reed, Urban Fantasy (R)
and
Bria Quinlan, Rom Com (PG)

Joining us this week:

AJ O'Donovan, Poetry (PG13)
Stephanie Draven, Paranormal Romance (PG 13)
Heather S.Ingemar, Dark Fantasy/Poetry (PG13)
Babette James, Fantasy Romance (PG 13)
Cynthia Justlin, Romantic Suspense (PG 13)
Kaige, Historical Romance (PG 13)
Julia Knight, Fantasy Romance (PG13)
Ansha Kotyk, Middle Grade Adventure (PG13)
Adelle Laudan, Contemporary Romance (PG 13)
Jeannie Lin, Historical Romance (PG 13)
RF Long, YA Paranormal (PG13)
Caitlynn Lowe, Epic Fantasy (PG13)
Shawntelle Madison, Paranormal Romance (PG 13)
Crista McHugh, Contemporary Erotic Romance (PG 13)
Bria Quinlan, Rom Com (PG)
Leigh Royals, Historical Romance (PG 13)
Megan S., Paranormal (PG13)
Dara Sorensen, Historical Paranormal (PG 13)
Bethanne Strasser, Historical Romance (PG13)

Melissa Aires, Futuristic Romance (R)
Melissa Blue, Contemporary Romance (R)
Jax Cassidy, Contemporary (R)
Christina DeLorenzo, Furturistic Sci-Fi (R)
Maya Doyle, Parnormal Romance (R)
Ginny Glass, Paranormal (R)
Amber Green, Romantic Suspense (R)
Cate Hart, Paranormal YA (R)
Kinsey W. Holley, Erotic Romance (R)
Ali Katz, Erotic Paranormal Romance (R)
Aislinn Kerry, Fantasy (R)
Inez Kelly, Fantasy Romance (R)
Cherrie Lynn, Contemporary Erotic Romance (R)
Mel/Alexia Reed, Urban Fantasy (R)
Rebecca Savage, Romantic Suspense (R)
Fae Sutherland, Contemporary Erotic Romance (R)

Stephanie Adkins, Paranormal Erotic Romance (NC 17)
Evie Byrne, Erotic Historical Romance (NC17)
Ella Drake, Erotic Contemporary (NC17)
Dawn Montgomery, Erotic Paranormal Romance (NC17)
Lauren Murphy, Erotic Romance (NC 17)
Kim Knox, Erotic Paranormal Romance (NC17)
Emily Ryan-Davis, Historical Western Romance (NC17)
Kirsten Saell, Erotic Fantasy Romance (NC 17)
Jeanne St. James, Contemporary Romance (NC)