Feral Series V: Feral Foretaste Page 7

  Pheromone-induced.

  Nothing more.

  Or was I mistaken? Was her sudden change of perspective a sign that she welcomed my assistance? I'd help her. Save her from blindness. Even if it required I mark her with my nanites. Yes. She needed my complete protection. But mark her here? “Cassie, we should return to my quarters.” Or hers.

  "No.” She thrust her fingers into my hair and smashed her hot mouth against mine.

  How could a warrior escape such hunger? Pheromone-induced. Yes. Claiming her would be wrong.

  Her fingers wriggled back underneath my chest armor, a place she seemed determined to investigate, and she groaned.

  Damn the stars. How could a warrior deny himself completion with someone so eager? And at long last, I'd have a huv'ria again. A soul. I'd achieve a sense of wholeness. A state of being so far distanced from me that my heart would explode with anticipation.

  I could barely drag in a breath.

  My erection strained with my heart.

  Now. Guardian or not. Pheromones or not. This was the Goddess. And she wanted to be appeased. I pressed her back against the cool metal-impregnated polymer barrier standing between the dark swath of lifeless space and my warm life-giving soul.

  Promise squirmed in my hands.

  And I'd be a cursed fool not to grab the !Dakos’ future with both hands and not to breathe life back into my being.

  Somehow, I wiggled out of my pants. Down to bare sticky skin with nothing between the ache in my sex demanding deep penetration. A few yanks of his waistline freed his monster monolith. Nobody needed to note my eyes bulged. A girl just couldn't look at something with so much potential in the pleasure department and keep her eyes in check.

  His sucking mouth channeled my thoughts from his size to my neck.

  God, he made all the woes in the universe shrink into nothing more than my need.

  The back of my head ground into the glass.

  Gave into possession.

  Yes. Possess me.

  The firm head of his cock rubbed into position.

  Until I thought I'd scream with need.

  He speared briefly into my aching flesh with one short thrust, his bare iron hands gripping my ass where he wanted it.

  Agonizingly teasing me. I'd die if he didn't hammer home. I tried to rock my hips. To take more of the steel pipe I'd felt hidden in his pants earlier.

  "Don't, Cassie. Give it a moment. You'll injure yourself."

  His words whispered gooseflesh from my neck.

  A tingle shimmied across my skin and prickled my nipples into iron points.

  He groaned.

  Could he feel my reaction? Who cared? I just wanted to see his. I rocked my hips again. “Now, Vult."

  The heat of his face disappeared.

  He better not be stopping. I peered back at him.

  He stood, studying me with those shimmering silver eyes beneath his curtain of almost-white yellow hair..

  Fire smoldered in the orbs.

  Flaring into a reflectivity that mirrored the flames burning inside him. So much desire. Emotion. How could any woman ever deny one of these warriors? I just wanted him to bury himself inside me. Sheathe his sword in my clenching channel.

  Slowly, he eased his iron-hard thickness into me.

  Creeping. I could only close my eyes and groan from the delicious pressure.

  Sex. Gotta love the little perks of life.

  Agonizingly slowly until the root of his cock pressed against my tender flesh.

  Fully-seated at long last. I'd die if he didn't thrust out a drumbeat. “Please, Vult."

  He pounded home.

  Pressed against the universe, gripping his broad shoulders as best as a girl could, considering she couldn't sink her fingernails into his armor, my reality became nothing more than his gasps and groans, the slap and sounds of wet suction, and the crescendo of my stifled cries.

  A force built inside me as he rubbed my inner channel into raging sensitivity.

  Raging was good. So good I clawed at his slick armor. Futilely. Then grabbed his hair.

  He buried his nose against my ear.

  The mounting sounds of his enthusiasm only drove mine into chaos. I bucked my hips. Determined to ride the moment until every scream in my body sent stars shooting across the universe.

  Stars.

  So many stars.

  Overhead.

  Beyond his shoulders.

  The darkness of space exploded into blinding whiteness.

  Or my eyelids pinched so tightly shut all the rods in my eyes fired.

  But the celebratory fireworks only reinforced the fact I could barely breathe. Just rock my hips. Clench my muscles. Squeeze the fire out of him. Every last drop from his jerking hard-on.

  We ground our groins together in a dying dance strengthened by him leaning back enough to stare into my eyes with silver orbs. Such a hypnotic gaze. So much power. Dying only with our lust until we strained to move in our gasping mating dance.

  He leaned his forehead down to touch mine and traced a fingertip along my jaw line. “I swear to you, Cassie, your body is safe with me. Your mind. Your soul. I shall protect you.” He trailed the fingertip along the edge of my lips. “Forever."

  Yes, he would.

  "Let me take you back to your quarters. I want you to think about what I have said. I want you to understand. To trust me."

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Six

  Cassie awoke in the soft warmth of her blankets, stretched out nude on her stomach, alone. Damn, the room felt empty. Missing something. And I'm not going to say bacon. No. Not after having bacon earlier. Forget it gut. And he said he was going to take care of me forever? Right. Where in the heck was my blond god?

  Apparently, I was losing my mind. Was that sweet little bout of mindlessness my fault? Alien toxins coursed through my body, damn it.

  A chill skittered through me.

  Yes. I'd gone and just spread them for him. Gave him every opportunity to plow home. For what? So, he vowed to keep me from losing my eyesight. Fine. Nice bartering tool. But how would he hold back his entire race of crazed cyborgs and prevent irrepairable damage with my vision? Hell, M'yote had nanites that repaired his body and cleansing his home world blinded him. I was beyond literally screwed.

  I had to be stronger.

  I had to fight back.

  Save what was left of myself.

  And that had to be little.

  !Dako nanites altered Theone into a sparkly-skinned diva with hair hanging down to her knees overnight. What was in store for me? Had I changed at all yet? How much would I change to satisfy the enormous blond warrior?

  Right. He was a warrior. He'd proven in his reactions how he wasn't a machine. How he thought and behaved with emotion. But what did he consider female beauty?

  "Oh, I'm beyond screwed.” I hung my head until my nose thrust into the soft sheet covering the bed's upholstered surface.

  A bed. Exchanged for my exercise wheel. I had nothing going for me off of Earth. My scientific reasoning meant nothing out here. The universe was far more advanced and intelligent than a couple hokey little degrees from my pathetic backward home world. I was a tool. A Handler. And once I'd burned my eyes out, I'd be nothing more than an immobile slug of a breeding female on this fucking bed. Fucking. Literally.

  This can't be happening. I spent my life working for the greater good. Of something. I think.

  "Goddess?” Anwa's lyrical voice beckoned.

  Forget my crawling from my new perch. A computer wouldn't care if I shouted from my pity party. “What?"

  "Traders are docking. Please remain in your personal quarters until the Five Fathers have ascertained the traders’ intentions."

  Hide? I thrust my head up and scanned the room as if thinking the splotch of sparkles would be hovering. Or Anwa's form fashioned from light.

  Nothing awaited except the same boring metal walls. “Why, Anwa, is there danger?"

&nbs
p; "Interactions with traders is always dangerous. But the Five Fathers can protect my seed. Please remain in the safety of your quarters."

  The computer meant stay in your bed and await to accept another seed deposit. How irritating. Maybe I should go anyway. It's not like anyone can touch me without my permission. And now I have nanites. Why stay here? I did a pushup from the soft bedding and hoisted my feet to the cold floor.

  As The Order's representative and a Handler who can handle any situation, I needed to be present to deal with !Dako relations. That just might help me find a solution to their problem of fitting in around the universe. I tugged my leather back on.

  Fully-cloaked in black leather, my mate stormed through the cargo hold like a female sporting the only weapon guaranteed to permanently strip the flesh off a !Dako or kill a psychic, a torch. Grant it, torches were similar to a Handler's power. Thorough in their ability to vaporize all organic materials in their path up to a certain distance. Still, she had to learn to leave !Dako issues to me. I'd been taking care of Anwa for a millennia. And the angry expression she wore only warned she thought the traders’ stop at Anwa an absolute mistake. Why?

  "So the rumors are true, Olwan?” Resek the solitary trader asked in his Lignit tongue while eyeing my mate. Dressed in red and blue plastic body casing, Resek only appeared clothed from the section of his ribs beneath his two pairs of arms down to his black boots. Because the red body casing he wore for a shirt matched the natural red hue of his flesh.

  "What does that mean?” I asked. Short. Annoying. Manipulative creatures, the Lignits. Obviously up to something with his question. Searching for something. Undoubtedly with his other four crew members waiting for a silent command from him. For what?

  Resek turned his elongate glowing red eyes my direction. “The Goddess must be your mate, Vult, by your behavior. You weren't the one I expected to mate with her."

  Nothing about my mate was his business. “And who would be a better match? I am the strongest of the Five Fathers. If you do not recall, I will gladly show you with my sword.” A warning through a challenge would silence him. If not, decapitation would silence his annoying quips.

  Cassie stopped beside my elbow and flicked her gaze between the short Lignit and me.

  Resek shifted his footing.

  Eyeing her with the beady eyes of a determined hunter. Just what did he want with my mate? “You've made a mistake stopping here, Resek. Don't make me kill you and your crew.” Taking out the four others Resek left aboard his pieced-together spacecraft would be simple given the dilapidated junk barely flew at the speed of light.

  Resek threw up his black palms. “I meant no insult, Vult. It is merely rumored Anwa has found the Goddess. And your reaction to this female is like a !Dako protecting his huv'ria."

  A rumor wouldn't have traveled far yet. And how dare the scrawny trader imply I didn't protect my huv'ria. “What do you want here?” I spat through grated teeth and stepped sideways to partially block the alien's view of Cassie.

  She shoved past my elbow to stand beside me.

  Daring me in her action to push her aside again. My huv'ria needed to learn to respect my wishes. I grabbed her elbow and shoved her behind me.

  "Hey! I'm capable of protecting myself,” she blurted.

  Females. “Be silent,” I muttered without relinquishing my enemy's red gaze.

  Cassie yanked her arm.

  "And the Goddess speaks one of the free-thinking languages.” Resek nodded. “Who would have thought the !Dakos sided with free thinkers? Especially when the Mawshwucs are building forces to push into the Dark Realms. The Mawshwucs might prefer the allegiance of the Lignits over !Dakos when they hear of this little twist of fealty."

  Since when did the Mawshwucs think anything of value lay beyond the Known Universe? “!Dakos fear no one.” Especially with the Goddess on their side.

  "Your rumors mean nothing here, Resek.” Olwan nodded toward the air lock. “If you only meant to cause trouble, leave. We have better things to do than play games with traders."

  Resek's red gaze slid along the length of my body as if he could see Cassie's form through my armor, bio-metallic skeleton, and tissue where I held her jerking arm behind my back.

  Maybe he could see something. Not much. I met his gaze. Dared him to continue. Sliced through his black soul until he glanced to Olwan.

  He licked his thin red Lignit lips. “Perhaps I was wrong to think you might be interested in trade this day?"

  "Anything is possible,” Olwan replied.

  Stop stroking the Lignit's back. Resek obviously had gotten what he'd meant to get on his little trade excursion. “And your erring is highly probable. Don't think another thought about my mate or allow your gaze to linger her direction. Or I will ensure your head never experiences another electrical impulse again.” With one swing of my sword.

  Cassie pounded a fist into my shoulder blades.

  Nothing would bother me given I wore the armor. Females. She was better off locked inside her room. Waiting on her bed for me. Hadn't Anwa commanded Cassie to remain there for safety's sake? My huv'ria and I were going to have a little discussion once Resnak was off on his way to wherever he could be more trouble.

  Resek pivoted and walked away, his sets of arms swinging in an odd dance.

  The extra pair of arms always warned me of my dabbling with the !Dako genome. Hopefully, I'd never tweak something the wrong way and wind up creating the next generation of offspring with extra limbs.

  Sacred Seed! Cassie carries my seed.

  No more genetic modification with the nanites.

  The air lock hissed with Resek's disappearance.

  Now to contend with her little display of disobedience. I turned to her glare and my grip on her elevated elbow.

  "How dare you treat me like a child!"

  The other Five still stood with us. Better to clarify how things will be for all involved. “You were commanded to stay in your quarters. Instead you defy Anwa and place yourself in danger."

  "I did no such thing! I'm The Order's representative here. One that's perfectly capable of turning any one of you extraterrestrials into a pile of mush.” She raised her free palm to us. “Go ahead. Make me use someone as an example.” She snapped her angry brown gaze to mine. “Ready to test me, Vult? You seem to be into testing everything."

  What did that sneer imply? She could keep her accursed talent to herself. Protect herself. My duty was honorable. “These games are beneath you, Goddess. You lower yourself to the foolish actions of a child. And we Five Fathers outgrew those early years long before The Changing Times began.” I tossed her arm back to her.

  Her scowled melted into a sulk as she rubbed the red marks where I had gripped her elbow. “Then what in the hell were you doing mating with me?"

  Admitting my attraction to her would only make me seem equally young and foolish. “Following orders."

  Her eyes widened as if she were on the verge of explosion.

  Explosions were risky on a space station in the case of a hull breach. But she looked like every passing micron filled her more and more with hot steam. Anger. She could digest my answer for awhile. Maybe she'd stumble upon the ability to reason. I pivoted and sought refuge beyond the cargo hold's searing stares.

  "What would you like us to do with your huv'ria, Vult?” Olwan asked.

  Jettison her into deep space.

  "I heard that. Since you are angered, I'll take her with me on my rounds,” the dark-haired Father replied.

  Maybe someone could teach her what I seemed to be unable to communicate. Anything before I had to lock her in her quarters or tie her to something.

  "So Vult gave me to you?” Whatever the large black-headed warrior thought he was doing just wasn't happening. No sex. Forget it. I have enough nanites. Thank you. If the bastard thought he was touching his skin to mine, I'd use my Handler power on him.

  The other three Five Fathers shot speculative glances between themselves and back at me. />
  Why? Maybe Vult really had given me away. Was that even possible?

  The cargo hold shrank until nothing but the four gem-like gazes loomed larger than life.

  "Where's Vult going?” Someone better cough up a story.

  Olwan opened his mouth and hesitated. “He fears his dealing with your defiance at this moment will cause problems. So, he departs to tend to his duties, leaving you in my care."

  The other Fathers walked away.

  Fine. If I'm such a pain in the ass, maybe I'll get out of this gig altogether. “What are your duties?” Anything had to be better than checking every leaf and stem in the greenhouse.

  "I monitor the hull and ring structure as well as regulate Anwa's systems from the command center."

  Why did that sound boring?

  Before an hour had passed, I knew why. I stood with the toes of my black boots touching the glassy viewport that spanned from the floor to the ceiling overhead like an arching dome of a planetarium. Next to my ephemeral reflection. Space stretched on forever. Black. Ominous save for the sparkles of light breaking the universe's dense unyielding depth.

  Cold. Empty except for the fire in the stars. As if space is death. Stars would be the fire of life in this picture. Crazy. I never thought about it before. Not until I stood here, gazing at what unfolded beyond the tiny oasis I must now call home.

  Home. What a joke. I had more back on Earth. Air. Warm sunlight. The welcoming scent of rain. Birds flying overhead.

  "You stare beyond the walls as if you longed for something?” Olwan stepped near me and locked an assessing gaze upon mine. “Perhaps you miss your home world?"

  "Wouldn't you?” Stupid point. His mission was to return to his home world.

  He offered me a nod nonetheless. “You are angry with us and yourself?"

  How could he know that? “I thought you couldn't read minds?"

  He snorted a weak sound of amusement and slid his gaze to the great beyond, his loose black hair fanning out to block most of the view of his intelligent profile. “After living as long as I have, you don't need to be a telepath to know what a person's expression reflects. I've seen so many youths fight what they must somehow accept."