Feral Series V: Feral Foretaste Page 5

  Her brow pinched slightly.

  What did the sign indicate? Confusion? Concern?

  "How do I know you aren't all metal and bolts under that body armor you wear?"

  A little tug of a glove could solve that mystery. I plucked a hand free of the glove and extended a pale palm for her scrutiny.

  She stared at it like I carried a plague.

  "Even the skin is similar to most beings. Armor-less. Another reason why some cultures suspect one humanoid species seeded the universe with sentient life."

  She reached for my hand and paused, locking that warm brown gaze on mine. “May I?"

  If I allowed her to touch my skin, she'd fall victim to my pheromones. Did it matter when my erection felt like I hauled a boulder in my pants?

  The sweet swell of her breasts tempted me to nod.

  To give into my needs. And was it so wrong I had needs? I wasn't a machine. Anwa didn't control me. An eternity passed since I held a female's curves in my arms. And I wanted to feel such luxuries again. On my bed. On the ground. Against a wall. To feel real for once more. Beyond the accursed machine testing, monitoring, cataloguing that I had been accused of becoming.

  The massive blond nodded at me.

  Well, I'd get to learn what lay beneath his skin. If you could call what covered his metal skeletal system skin. I curled my fingers around his large hand.

  A rash of a tingle crept up my fingertips to my wrist then up my arm.

  What was the sensation? And damned I could use some bacon. But his hand felt warm, covered in flesh like my own. Was it real? I leaned over a tad to get a closer look.

  Heat billowed up inside me.

  Something warm and fuzzy. Strange. Like a sense of familiarity. As if Vult and I had been lifelong friends. What was he thinking? I straightened my spine and gazed into those silver orbs.

  He blinked contemplatively.

  Almost gently. To just pull that solid hand to me. To wrap his big arm around my body. Muscles. Big-ass honking muscles were bulging everywhere. And he didn't seem to mind that I suddenly just wanted to stare at him.

  "What is your conclusion after assessing my hand?” he asked.

  Maybe his voice was just a tad softer. Or his lips moved slowly. Seductively. Full brown lips. The kind of lips a girl wanted to touch when they fluttered. Rather, lips that needed to flutter against my neck.

  The smoky salty scent of bacon danced around me.

  Encircled me.

  My mouth watered.

  For just a bite. One taste. And those lips were so damned adorable. Kissable. Right up there. I just needed to stand on my tippy toes. I pressed my lips against the warm softness of his.

  He tasted like delicious bacon. Was that mesquite-smoked? No. Tingly, peppered.

  His arms snaked around me, drawing me into his solid body armor.

  Protective annoying hard clothing. Someone needed to take it off. I tried to wriggle my fingers down underneath the firm shell at his neckline along his hot supple skin. Down to where I could get a grip on the black material and yank it. Off.

  But his hands slithered down to the upper curve of my ass.

  My insides melted into a pool of heat.

  Oh. My. God. If only he'd slide those palms farther to where he could squeeze my ass. Right into his rigid cock. Yes. The pipe was right there. Pressing into my belly. Too high for what I needed.

  Yes. Needed. A steel rod pulsating between my legs.

  Oh. Yes.

  His strong tongue thrust between my lips.

  Skilled tongue. Dancing. Delving. Teasing me with what he would do if I could wrestle him to the ground. And the idea of wrestling his damned clothing started to rake my nerves. Right up there with how freaking smoky good he tasted. I just wanted to devour him.

  His hot moist mouth massaged away from mine, setting off on a journey across my cheek.

  So far away. So damned far. I'd make him come back. Return to feed my mouth. I leaned into the pliant flesh of his cheek and pressed my lips to his skin.

  Citrus. He tasted like citrus. Something more specific than the general term. Something beyond lemon. Not sweet like orange. Tarter. Lime. And God all I had on my mind lately was key-lime pie. I couldn't stop sucking his sweet-yet-tart flesh.

  He groaned, squeezing me against his broad chest.

  So tightly all I could think about was finding someplace to lie on the ground. On top of him. To cut the fucking clothing off him. I yanked on his neckline again. “Take this off."

  He chuckled.

  Not the appropriate reaction. “Off, Vult!"

  He slid his cheek along mine until staring me in the eye, our foreheads pressed together.

  Oh those lips begged to be kissed again.

  "Cassie, this is not the place to undress."

  But we could kiss. Yes. Oh. Yes. I leaned against his bacon-flavored mouth and thrust my tongue inside his moist cavern.

  His probing grew more forcefully, winning out by shoving my tongue back into my mouth.

  Just the way he needed to work my body... Oh, if only he were between my legs. Thrusting. Plunging. Claiming. Marking. I'd wrap my legs around his narrow waist and hold him inside me until he tossed his seed. Every damned drop.

  He shoved backward.

  Rather shoved me at arm's length. “Not here, Cassie.” His gaze strolled over my face.

  So much yearning reeled in those gray eyes. More than I could stand. He needed what I needed. Now. “Where then? Let's go.” But we couldn't go. My legs were wound around his waist.

  My Goddess was drugged beyond reason. And even though Anwa could project our little kiss to all the others from anywhere we chose to embrace on the space station, I didn't want to just drop and act the over-zealous !Dako with spiking hormones for whoever happened to be standing nearby. “We can't, Cassie. Not in the gardens. The others are working here."

  Not one fraction of understanding twisted her exquisite features. She slithered her fingers into my hair.

  Fingers that teased me into submission.

  Gods-cursed.

  I was Gods-cursed for allowing her to simply take my hand. I knew better. I was the stronger one. She was merely a child in the order of things. The innocent dropped into an age-old game. Whereas I was the ancient archaic sage whose actions caused his plight.

  She canted closer, touching the tips of our noses together, her hot breath buffeting my cheeks, and massaged my scalp. “Oh, Vult, I need you.” Her soft lips brushed against mine with the faintest motion.

  My iron-hard erection jolted with compliance.

  Must win her heart. I had to end this before I lost every chance of winning her heart. If that were even possible now that her cells had tasted my pheromones. She'd insist on the mating. Because I didn't prevent her from touching me.

  I didn't deserve the Goddess. “You must stop now.” I grabbed her arms, gently yet firmly detached them from my shoulders, and leaned away from her seductively accommodating curves.

  The confused twist to her brow tugged at my thrashing heart.

  "No, Cassie. This is neither the time nor place for such things.” What a ludicrous point given I was the reason the situation even occurred.

  "But,” she sputtered. Over and over.

  I just kept detangling her from my person.

  Those legs. Holding me where she wanted me. “Stand on the ground, Cassie."

  She growled. “You're kidding. Right?” She dropped each of her black boots to the low bluish blades of Timash grass and yanked her arms from my grasp. “Jerk."

  Her stare could have sliced a warrior in two.

  When she shook off the pheromones enough to realize what she'd done, she wouldn't be happy. Perhaps craving another kiss because of my haunting pheromones. But definitely unhappy about crawling up my body and mounting those intoxicating curves on my chest. I was in trouble.

  Immeasurably cursed.

  Why should today prove any different in the grander scheme of my !Dako existence? To
live without a soul wasn't living at all. Even though each of the Five Fathers had to be stronger and wiser than a mere !Dako warrior. To bring the Sacred Seed back to our home world. But things were beginning to show that an impossible task.

  Staring up at the amazing blond, all I could think about was touching his skin again. To feel free. Floating in his arms. Oblivious to anything but him. And he'd pushed me away. Refused me? What? This is insane. I didn't want to be his chew toy. Or did I? Wasn't I just standing here wondering if he was a machine or not? And then I was all over him. Why?

  "I apologize, Cassie. Allow me to escort you back to your quarters."

  Oh. No. No. He'd back me up against a wall and... Yes. That's the best plan for the moment. I couldn't contain my grin.

  "What are you thinking, Cassie?” A little fear tugged at the strength carved above the bend in his hard jaw line.

  "I'd really appreciate you escorting me back to my quarters."

  Did he gulp? Was that a nervous sign? Oh, he didn't have to be nervous around me. Especially the way his warm skin made me feel. I curled my fingers around his hand. “I'd really appreciate it. You can be my guardian."

  He nodded ever-so-briefly and pivoted on his black boot's heel.

  That hand. Oh. So comforting. I could just hold it all day. Or pull it. Until his mouth was firmly latched onto mine.

  "We should discuss your change in behavior when we reach your quarters,” he said without gracing me with a glance.

  "What change?” I watched his profile for any clue to his thoughts.

  He shot me a worried sideways glance. “Your need to touch me."

  But that wasn't bad. Was it? Whatever. He was going to get touched more than he could ever imagine.

  The sinister gleam in Cassie's eyes only proved how potent my Father pheromones were in comparison to the average !Dako warrior's lure. I'd never used them on anyone. Until now. And something about the entire fiasco reeked of sacrilege. She was the Goddess for blessed sake! Like the whole accursed ploy to permit her touching my skin was wrong. I knew it had been from the start. And now I had to deal with the consequences. Would she forgive me if the pheromones ever wore off enough to allow her to come to her senses?

  Did I deserve forgiveness after allowing her touch?

  The nondescript door to her quarters hushed at my thoughts as if Anwa had the space station assist with her plan to entrap the Goddess and I. To trick us into eternally bonding and completing the computer's mission. And now that I'd seduced Cassie, what else could I do other than to see the mating to completion?

  That was wrong. Against her will. The honorable option was to allow her to shake off the pheromones until she could think clearly enough to question our chemically-induced attraction. I had to. I guided Cassie's curvaceous form through the doorway with a nudge of my grasp and gently shook of her handhold.

  Her brow pinched.

  Again in confusion. “I have one thing I must attend to. But I shall return shortly. You must wait here.” Hopefully, she wouldn't argue.

  Cassie's beautiful lips opened.

  "Close the door to the Goddess’ personal quarters, Anwa. And lock her inside."

  The door whisked shut.

  Oh, if he thought he was going to lock me in here! Oh! Cassie pounded on the immobile sheet of metal barring her exit from her room.

  "Father Vult has asked that you rest until his return, Goddess,” Anwa's gentle feminine voice noted through some invisible speaker.

  Great. Now I couldn't even hold my guardian's hand. Or anything else. Just who did he think he was making these decisions for me? “I want out, Anwa. I am the Goddess. Open the door!"

  "Vult says you are ill and require sleep to recover. Please cooperate and rest."

  "I'll show him rest.” The jerk. I'm not a baby who needs a good burp and diaper change before laying me back in my crib for a little parental relief! If anything, this baby needed a good long drink from her Vult bottle.

  By the time she'd paced out a trench in her quarters, Cassie's perspective had done a one-eighty. He'd done something to me. That Vult! Sucked me into some catatonic state with hypnosis where I craved his touch like a magnet searching for iron. The hard corded muscular type. Flavored like key-lime pie and bacon. Smoking bacon. Damn him. Probably his bloody pheromones.

  He'd kissed me back. Yes. Undeniably. Yet, he'd returned me to my quarters after I insisted on ripping his long sexy body completely from his clothing. For my pleasure. But nothing else. So he had to be a machine. Although, his hand felt like any man's. What kind of man could deny a woman sex? One who didn't feel.

  Or one with morals? Extraterrestrials didn't have Earth morals. Did they? Okay, generalizations aren't going to get me anywhere. We're talking !Dako morals. All I heard was fear !Dakos. Except from Theone and Goro. Theone mated a !Dako to save a king. And she seems happy with him. Happy enough to save his butt when it was on the line. But Goro, he was a different animal. Totally manipulative. Could he be trusted?

  When the rest of the universe says be afraid of !Dakos, maybe a girl should listen. A few statistical outliers like Theone and Goro's opinions about how !Dakos being decent were normal. And completely off kilter. It was time to ignore the flukes and go with the universe's experience. Avoid Vult's magnetic touch.

  But, damn, I don't want to. Deep down inside. I just want to wrap my arms around his neck and connect with his electrifying kiss. He jolted me beyond the stars. All I wanted was to be soaring at light speed.

  My God I'd been in space too long. I talked like a space chick.

  Time to look out for my leather-cloaked space-chick ass and struggle against my urges to mount a big honking warrior who made my gut somersault. And I sorely missed gymnastics.

  How much time had passed? There wasn't a bloody clock or anything remotely electronic to be found in this space. Just furniture. How utilitarian. “Anwa?"

  "Yes, Goddess."

  "When are you planning on releasing me?"

  "Vult is on his way as we speak. He detected a change in your behavior and thought it best that you rest in your quarters."

  Did he? “Well, please inform him I am waiting.” Snaking my arms across my chest didn't hide the little hitch in my traitorous heartbeat. But he'd damned sure explain just what in the hell he was doing making choices for me. Okay. Maybe he did protect me from myself. After all, I was all over him. God. I even had my legs wrapped around his waist.

  Not that I'm a prude. I'd had more than enough sexy bastards in my clutches before leaving humankind behind. But Vult looked so damned hot. Just like an enormous Viking obviously wielding some genetic perk making him unbelievably masculine.

  Sex. I just had sex on the brain. And Vult would be my demise.

  The door hissed.

  Nice warning. I turned to find the massive blond filling my doorframe. “Are you hungry?” he asked, stony faced.

  Like anybody cared around here. Throw the rat a pretzel and get on with whatever experiments were at hand. “Yes. But before we go anywhere, you're going to explain what happened in the gardens."

  He nodded once and planted both of his black boots in my quarters.

  The ghost of smoky bacon descended upon me.

  My mouth watered.

  I'm in so much trouble. And that chiseled chest of his just looked even more pronounced in his form-fitting armor. He needed to cough up the explanation and take me somewhere with more circulating air. “Well?"

  "It's my pheromones. I had no idea you would be affected as strongly as you were."

  Poor jerk. His stoic mask seemed to strain a bit at trying to hold some dignified composure. He lied! “How do these pheromones work?"

  "The closer our proximity, the more you smell this meat you've complained about. And when we make skin-to-skin contact, you forget yourself."

  "Oh, I wouldn't call that forgetting myself. Rather, forgetting all but some insane little need I have. So, why did you allow me to touch you?"

  "You seemed
so interested in what we !Dakos are. And frightened by us. It only made sense to allow a scientist to investigate. Then hopefully understand through observation."

  Why did he have to be so rational? “Alright. I'm starving.” Forget mentioning bacon.

  We walked in silence down to the galley.

  What thoughts whirled in his mind? Did he even have thoughts? His expression just a few minutes ago indicated his indomitable expression might have split into a smile. But it hadn't. So, what to think? Maybe they're toying with me. The lab rat. I'd just have to jack with them right back.

  The door swooshed open.

  The other four Five Fathers sat dining around the elongate metal table. All gazes turned to me.

  Watching. Or were those anticipatory looks? Just what were they waiting for? Me to mount the blond god again? Surely, they all got to watch that lovely show. Or was the big blond going to throw the lab rat on the table? Hell, then they could all have a go at injecting me with their poison. If they dared, any man who made a move toward me would be a pile of elemental mush.

  "Cassie,” Vult said waving toward an empty chair. “I'll bring you your meal."

  Whatever. This whole freaking drama quickly graded into a nightmare where I couldn't even control myself around the blond god. Making him serve me just might be the ego boost I need to get through the next few days. “Fine. What's on the menu?"

  Olwan smiled an almost-frown and nodded. “In your language, it is called fish."

  Thank goodness English had been one of the languages that the free-thinking forces had adopted to use throughout the universe during the Blood Wars. Or I'd be up a creek with a bacon-wrapped blond hunk without a clue to inform me he was a machine loaded with DNA modifying robots. And I could safely partake of dinner. “And the side dishes?"

  "Vegetables from the gardens."

  So where did the fish come from? “Do you raise the fish here on the space station?"

  The redhead shot the leader a significant glance.

  Olwan finished chewing a bite. “No. They are imported from various planets."