Feral Series IV: Feral Fallout Read online

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  New Concepts Publishing

  www.newconceptspublishing.com

  Copyright ©2011 by New Concepts Publishing

  First published in 2011, 2011

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  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

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  CONTENTS

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

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  FERAL FALLOUT

  By

  Skhye Moncrief

  (Carnal) Erotic Futuristic Romance

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  (C) copyright by Skhye Moncrief, September 2011

  Cover Art by Eliza Black, September 2011

  ISBN 978-1-60394-568-4

  New Concepts Publishing

  Lake Park, GA 31636

  www.newconceptspublishing.com

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  This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author's

  imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or

  events is merely coincidence.

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  Dedication

  To my computer guru and folklorist, Masha Holl, who helped me iron out some techy terminology kinks and provided valuable input with the technology issues of my cyborg cultures.

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  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Cybernetics... “The science and art of understanding” ~Humberto Maturana

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  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter One

  "Can you do anything more to make the man drool over you, Theo? You're torturing him,” my friend Cassie noted with the exaggerated sway of her head, making her long loose chocolate brown hair swoosh around her perfectly slightly voluptuous frame where she leaned against the sterile metal spacecraft's inner wall next to the console I had torn open.

  Mind your own business, Theone Kemble thought. Like go tie back that hair before it winds up wrapped around one of my raw live circuits... Not that hair conducted electricity. But it was a nice thought. Just go do something like go cat around the recruits and find a were-assassin mate. Leave me alone.

  Damn, I was edgy. Or Cassie just hit one of my sore spots. “I haven't done a thing to lead the Luvk prince on. He's chosen to follow me around.” I cleared my throat knowing full well the tiger-striped Wrank chatted far too much about my personal life to just be helping me learn the commander's prized Crellon spacecraft's electrical system inside out. “I needed help lifting these goddamned panels too. Hell, I'm only five-foot six and barely one-hundred-and-thirty pounds. Any upper-arm strength I have can't maneuver these enormous metal sheets. How do you suggest I follow orders?"

  "Goro has something up his sleeve.” Cassie smirked and leaned close. “It's not normal that he keeps you out here working your ass off with this damned spacecraft when he pushes the rest of us to mix and mingle. You can't tell me you haven't heard the rumors about how manipulative he is. It's why he's the freaking commander!"

  "I consider it a great honor to be chosen to work as the commander's personal pilot. Gods, Cassie, I'm just an earthling—"

  "Hence my point.” She crossed her arms over her black leather vest and adopted an even sassier stance. “I'm telling you it's just not right that he's forcing you to hide out inside this spaceship. Why would he do that with a recruit? You're supposed to be preparing to find your place in the universe and mate to assist in some culture's transition into the new order. Not hang out inside this tin can. Alone."

  Of course she was dead on in her really annoying healer way of pointing things out. But I had been an operative for the U.S. government, an operative who didn't exist, bounced between the CIA and FBI for whatever crazy-assed scheme they'd required a kick-ass blonde chick with enough MacGyver smarts to make it back alive. Whatever Goro had planned for my future probably broke all boundaries for the standard recruit. Yes, I was definitely adding to my electrical engineer repertoire and martial-arts background every day I jacked with the ship's systems. And I could cozy up to Wrank's noble side with my expertise in handling Earth nobility as easily as I could invite his miles of undulating muscles into my bed. That's exactly what I needed to do because the Luvk warrior was so damned hot I melted the minute he strode into view. Who wouldn't with those bloody leather pants he wore? And shirt? What shirt? More like a couple leather straps and an o-ring.

  "You're quiet? Did something I say finally hit home?” Cassie droned.

  The droning always hit home as I toppled off the cliff life kept propping my butt atop. But Cassie didn't understand orders like most of The Order of the Marshal's female recruits from Earth. The Order took great pains to accept female earthling psychics with all their women's-lib quirks. They had to. One of the few languages adopted by the rest of the universe during the Blood Wars was English, a reflection of the process of simplifying recruitment of lesser-evolved Earth psychics for were-assassin duty. Throw in Earth metaphors and analogies with the measurement of time from the little blue-and-white gem floating in space and an Earth girl felt right at home among the big psychic warriors wanting to mate to preserve universal peace. Lots of sexy extraterrestrial warriors... So, I could go along with mating one exotic male. Or I thought I could before becoming Goro's personal pilot. Because I'm the gal who takes orders.

  Just call me a soldier.

  "Just admit I'm right,” Cassie said.

  Hell. Get out of my face. “Why don't you go tend to the greenhouse? Stimulate some seeds into little green shoots? You know. Put your PhD to good use.” Not that my Masters in electrical engineering was anything to sneer at. The biologist was better working with taxonomy than offering advice on interpersonal relationships. Look at where I landed with my volunteering for were-assassin duty? Who else got to see the universe as the commander's personal pilot?

  Cassie's annoying mouth of perfectly-sculpted lips that attracted males from light years beyond the nearest black hole stretched out then curved down into a scowl. “Quit reminding me I don't have a green thumb already."

  She couldn't work her psychic gift worth squat. Too bad. For some reason, Goro jumped on hauling her carcass halfway across the universe to participate in some cockamamie mating bond. My powers of intuition always saved my ass. Probably made me the handy tool I had been for the US government. But Cassie would have wiped out all vegetation in the mother country if she'd accepted a position with the state. So, she needed to get back to studying hard instead of shaking out my dirty laundry. “All the more reason you should be working on your powers of healing, growth, rejuvenation, or whatever they are instead of harassing me about my business."

  Cassie snorted.

  In her kick-ass black leather were-assassin pants and knee-high boots, she seemed al
most comical snorting with her scowl. But the woman took her inability to nurture plant life serious even though the activity was just a chore to help her stimulate her mysterious dormant psychic power. Alas, we all had chores. Hence our classification as cadets.

  Eh, maybe I should have been kinder. But she'd come in here telling me how things were according to her limited worldview. While she needed to deal with her own problems.

  The exterior hatch hissed open, producing the six-foot-four orange-and-black Lord who had attached himself to me six weeks ago upon my latest arrival to his home world and the Marshal base.

  Holy...

  The way his black leather pants split down the sides gave me Goosebumps. Or was the cause simply his genetic tattoo-like tiger stripes bulging in those split seams with his working muscles? At least he hadn't spoken yet. Or I'd be frozen for a few moments from his deep resonating voice that made my cells hum with sheer pleasure. Just the way he carried himself was so blasted noble all I wanted to do was tackle him. Make babies. And there'd been no time for that back on Earth. Babies for me were out here. Beyond Earth. So very so just a few feet away.

  Geesh, that blue gaze could slice through anything to get what he wanted. Including my attention. Hopefully he couldn't detect my interest in my hitching breath. Who was I kidding? He had heightened senses including hearing. I should give Cassie the boot and take the prince by the horn. His horn was always in arms’ reach, below the belt. I doubt he'd refer to the move as an underhanded blow. Hopefully, because I hadn't tooted a horn for almost two years.

  Cassie suddenly beamed. “Good to see you, Wrank. Didn't see you at roll call this morning."

  Was that little wench flirting with my Tiger when there were hundreds of Lords vying for mates among the Marshals? This damned planet had so many she could crawl under any rock and find one.

  No fucking way.

  Hello rising sun over distant hill!

  Where have I been?

  Wrank smiled like the gentle prince he was and locked his gaze upon me. “Theo needed assistance."

  Oh yes. Put Cassie in her place. Better yet, lock her in her greenhouse with miserable seeds. I bit my tongue and acknowledged Wrank's kindness with a nod.

  "Well, I'm going to be late for Interspecies Ethics. So, if you'll excuse me.” Cassie's smile melted as she shot me a stern glance and she departed with a healthy shush from the exterior hatch.

  What was that look for?

  Wrank eyed me suspiciously.

  "What?” I turned back to the toolbox behind me on the floor beside the open panel beneath the pilot's console, dismissing his question.

  I wouldn't admit anything about the discussion he just missed.

  Wrank—he who treated me more like his property with every passing day. A possession that needed to cough up the goods. I just needed to decide what goods I was in the mood for handing over. Besides Cassie and I had secrets in our own little friendship sphere. Girl stuff he didn't need to know about. Friends, her and I? I guess so. But secret operatives rarely had anyone they kept close. No friends. No family. No babies. And how I just wanted one little baby to cuddle. Always had. Never could fit one into my life. Thank goodness nothing seemed to require locks and keys anymore. I had a friend. Yes. Two if you counted an attentive Tiger Lord.

  Was my social life pathetic or what? Maybe Cassie was right. The commander had me flying his private spacecraft all over the bloody universe otherwise. When I lucked out to spend time here at the Marshal headquarters, I didn't have time to mingle and make friends. Goro expected me to translate everything about this spacecraft into memory. My life the past year had seriously turned into personal servitude to the commander. And did I balk? Not until Wrank sauntered his enormous muscled stripes into my life six weeks ago and made me crave more than Marshal service as a personal pilot whenever he offered assistance.

  "Did Cassie say something to bother you?” his deep voice rumbled.

  Could he sense my rapid heartbeat with his heightened Luvk senses? That alone was enough to put me on edge whenever he was near. “No."

  "I hear your heartsong, Theo. If it wasn't Cassie, did I do something to upset you?"

  I could turn around. Face him. Let him see how much I wanted to just straddle his ass and meld into his gorgeous body that his traditional warrior prince garb purposely revealed. But that wasn't me when off duty. Theone had more control. Theone wanted to have a real relationship instead of one required to get the job accomplished.

  "So you won't speak to me?” He sighed.

  "I have a lot of work to do today. Cassie interrupted my concentration."

  "You mean I'm bothering you too."

  Gods. No. I spun to his curious sky-blue gaze where he leaned his perky ass against the console and sat at the edge. “No. I'm sorry. She just irritated me. I shouldn't take it out on you. I didn't mean to. I mean.” Oy! I sounded upset. Because of him. Wasn't that a sign he was very important to me?

  He reached out one large hand and glided the strongest warmest orange fingers around the back of my palm.

  What were his eyes saying? Offering sympathy? Or love? Oh. My. God.

  He pulled my hand toward him, ever so slowly with the warmth in his grasp, until I had to shift a foot for comfort.

  And I did. First one step. And then another. Albeit, I was in space and anything but an astronaut. I knew what Earth had on the line. Freedom. Although so many earthlings had yet to evolve into the earliest levels of psychic awareness, and, grant it, the Blood Wars were over, I still considered my stint in space as a Marshal a unique duty to humanity. I lived for duty. Even though the emperor no longer subjugated entire populations through mind control. Earth may not seem vulnerable now. But something told me I needed to do this. To become a were-assassin and serve humanity somewhere in space. And have a cute little baby Lord.

  Looking at the short tidy whiskers of Wrank's beard sketching out the faint black stripes beneath the hairs by reflecting the colors of his beard's stripes, I knew I could fulfill my obligations to my species. I knew I could mate an alien and create the were-bond.

  And I wanted to.

  With Wrank.

  The serious mask he wore really made me think he knew I did.

  My knees bumped his closest leg, the leather of our pants rubbing the other's leg with a soft caress, jarring my thoughts back to his gentle grasp on my hand.

  "Mate with me, Theone. We Lords have little here on Luvk. All that I want is a mate. A family of my own. With it comes duty with you. But I will love and protect you above all else. Regardless of where they send us.” He lifted his hand to gently place his knuckles against my cheek. “Mate with me, Theone."

  My heart fluttered.

  Such a determined choice of his words. He rarely used my full name since I'd told him only my friends call me Theo. His immediate response afterward had been to adopt the title and fancy me familiar. I hadn't fought against his little attempt to make himself my companion with nothing more than using the word. Why? Because he'd always been so damned helpful and absolutely polite. I stared at his insistent gaze.

  My heart choked into melting.

  He squeezed my hand. “You haven't answered."

  "Alright.” What a horrible answer.

  He froze for a second then pulled my lower back, shrinking the distance between our gazes with his intensely possessive stare.

  Oh, those lips. We're right there. I could do nothing but step between his knees cloaked in hot leather pants, until my thighs bumped against a solid sensation in his groin.

  Message received.

  He sighed, gazing down the few inches into my eyes.

  The man smelled like clean spicy aftershave, his nose but an inch from mine. “What are you thinking?” He rubbed his finger along my jaw before his black palm rose to press against my cheek as if he adored me.

  By the look on his face, he had to. But was his adoration born of the woman trapped inside me or the coloring of my skin, hair, and eyes that high-c
aste nobles of his world possessed? Was I just the semblance of a perfect woman to him? Nothing more than a white-haired, pale-skinned, blue-eyed female?

  "I have waited forty-two years to mate, Theone. Many thoughts whirl inside my head.” The gentle giant's hand lifted my hand to his mouth where his scratchy whiskers and velvet lips planted a tender kiss into my palm. “Speak to me."

  Oh. My. God.

  Everything inside my chest bottomed out in an insane effort to fall into his lap. Even though I already leaned into the heat of his throbbing iron chest.

  Need.

  Can I say need?

  His hand settled my palm against the iron of his thigh.

  He was there. So wanting me. So close. Finally touching his body, I struggled not to slide said palm to his steely shaft or ass. Somehow I managed to retain a shred of my dignity. But who cared about dignity after a Luvk walked into the room?

  Both of his palms slid across my cheeks, tilting my head up, lifting my mouth to where he pressed his opening lips over mine.

  So velvety soft.

  So seductive.

  Mouth-to-mouth took on a whole new meaning. Life never blazed so hot before. Air. Scorching air was everywhere. His mouth fanned the flames in my chest into a roaring fire, melting everything I thought I knew about my life into nothing but an awareness of his astounding presence.

  He became air, everywhere.

  Pressing his essence into me. Where his hand slid down to draw my lower back firmly against his steely arousal. Where my breasts pressed against the bare supple muscles of his chest. Where my hands slid up that pliant musculature covering his caged thumping heart until I could snake my arms around his neck and hold his attentive tongue there to perform its self-serving duty. I tucked my fingers beneath the queue he always wore his black hair tied into...

  Duty?

  Yes.

  Duty was simple for a Marshal. Lesser-evolved psychics like myself, those with powers of telekinesis, intuition, healing, remote viewing, etc., mated with highly-evolved psychics wielding telepathy to form a lifelong were-bond through blood exchange. And I'd gladly give a pint or two to Wrank's massaging lips. Anything to keep him breathing for me. Who cared if I could shape shift into a were-wolf afterward?