by Petra Landon
If so, she was ready to give him one. Though his hand still cupped her face, his eyes were on the big palm that enclosed her intertwined hands on her lap. His thumb caressed her palm with butterfly strokes, his very stillness a sign of his utter focus on the small movements of his finger. Sila stared at the rust-colored head bent before her as if in supplication.
Look up, please look at me.
At her silent words, the rust-colored head lifted. Exotic gold eyes speared her, the emotion in their depths squeezing her somewhere deep within.
Will you be mine, baithoni?
Sila consented mutely, uncaring and uncurious about the term he used for her and what it meant to him. Like before, the mix of fire and hunger in the gold depths held her — she’d have agreed to anything he asked of her right then.
“Yes?” he growled, the guttural tones uneven.
“Yes” Sila assented softly.
The gold eyes flared. “I will talk to Dr. Uissh tomorrow.”
He let go of her to sit back on his haunches, the gold eyes raw. Sila’s breath quickened as the unblinking eyes wandered possessively over her. It struck her that as her companion, confidante and mentor, he had kept his hunger tamped down all this while. But now, he allowed it to blaze unchecked. Sila fought off a shiver as under the thin gossamer gown, her body reacted to the silent call of his.
She raised her hands to unpin her hair from the deceptively simple arrangement she had spent hours on. He watched her pull out the strategically placed pins. As the heavy curls came tumbling down, something wild and untamed flashed across his face. His hand reached out to caress the strands that streamed about her like cascading fire. Desire and excitement unfurled in her and Sila closed her eyes as he leaned in to bury his face in the tangled curls. He rubbed himself on the soft strands of burnished hair and her breath hitched, the sound loud in the silent chamber. The slow pounding of her heart increased its tempo to mingle with the unsteady beat of his. The webbed hand fisted in her hair, angling her head to give him access to her nape. Sila felt his hot breath on her neck before she felt his lips in a searing caress.
The slow-burning fire in her ignited into a fiery blaze at his stoking. The savage, all-consuming flames licked at her to leave her reeling and dizzy.
“I go up in flames around you.”
His words reverberated in her head as they had for weeks now. As do I, Sila realized dazedly, as do I.
While the rest of him kept a distance, his hot mouth trailed from her nape to the décolletage of her gown, his lips leaving behind a burning trail. The hand in her hair adjusted her as he bent forward to place a brawny arm on the bed. His hungry gaze raked her as Sila’s breathing became choppy. She trembled, and he growled low in his throat, the sound rumbling through her.
Beautiful, like the sunsets over Mahonet.
Sila opened drugged eyes with an effort, as his words swept through her mind. The dark pupils were dilated, she noted. They seared her, the edges blindingly bright as he bent low over her breasts. Sila’s hands reached for the coverlet below her, to clasp its silky folds. His hot, wet mouth came unerringly down over a stiffened nipple, to suckle her through the fine material of the gown. Sila gasped, her body arching into his mouth as the forked tongue licked at her in long, leisurely strokes. Like before, she heard the soft hum of a purr from deep in his chest, as his tongue laved at her through the delicate gown. Her head fell back, her hands fisting into the coverlet to hold on for the wild ride. The fiery hair swung around her like a bright halo and he bent deeper over her arched body, powerful shoulders bunching as one hand cradled her head.
Mindless desire clouded her mind as he set her body on fire. The first time with him in this chamber, she had been too inexperienced, too confused and too overwhelmed by the passion he had stoked in her to indulge her curiosity. Instead, she had come apart in his arms while he indulged her. Now, Sila wanted to feel the hard, velvety skin and the powerful muscles that flexed when she touched him. But her precarious position, arched under him on the bed and held up by his hands, made it a difficult endeavor.
Sila squirmed under him as his mouth ministered to her. He raised his head to stare down at her.
“What do you want, little Terran?” he asked, his voice a guttural, passion-soaked croak.
Touch you.
He disentangled from her carefully. As Sila slumped back on the bed, he reared up. She watched him sit back on his knees, his face tight with passion. The arm-band over his bicep came off first, to be tossed to the floor with a thud. Reaching for his uniform, he popped the buttons impatiently, eager to shrug it off. Tossing it on the floor to join the tech band, he surged over her in the bed, to place two brawny arms on either side of her.
“Touch me” he growled.
The passionate demand roused Sila. Her eyes wandered the tightly-muscled shoulders, chest and stomach, the pale stripes standing out against the darker skin. She reached for him, to brush her fingers over a powerful shoulder. Tentative at first, she caressed him with butterfly strokes, to skim down his chest. He threw his head back, his hands clenching on either side of her on the bed, as she explored him with wonderment. Hard and warm, his muscles flexed and bunched under her. As her hand skimmed the grooved abdomen, he hissed. Sila stopped, her eyes flashing to him uncertainly.
Glittering gold eyes, narrowed into slits, raked her.
“Show me what you like” he encouraged hoarsely.
Spurred on, her fingers caressed his heated skin, growing bolder to rub her palm over him. His breath hitched, his chest rising and falling deeper with each breath. Sila’s slumberous eyes watched him, taking note of every hitch, every flex and every hiss. He growled low in his throat, fangs flashing, to edge closer.
Sila was in another gown, her best one, for the celebration. But he had learnt this particular lesson rather well. Bunching the gown up over her, a calloused palm skimmed up her leg in a caress. He moved to intertwine their bodies together, the webbed hands sliding her intimately close. With one hand on the bed for leverage, he bent over her again. The hard chest brushed against breasts damp from his ministrations and the muscled abdomen pressed down into her stomach, as a large hand wedged them flush together. For the first time, she could feel the evidence of his desire, a pulsating length pressed up against her femininity through two layers of attire, hers and his.
Sila’s lips parted in a gasp and his mouth closed the distance to capture hers. He indulged himself with little nibbles of her, tracing the curve of her lips with his tongue. The long, ridged tongue surged in to lick the inside of her mouth and a reeling Sila hung on to his shoulders for dear life. Overwhelmed, she quivered in his arms. He stilled, disentangling carefully to rear up. The gold eyes seared her, the expression almost feral as he studied her. With his tech band abandoned, he attempted Alliance Standard to ask her the question that disquieted him.
“Too much?” His voice came out as a guttural croak.
Zh’hir shook himself with a sharp movement of his head, to make a second attempt.
Does my need overwhelm you?
Still in the grip of passion, her puzzled eyes swept to him.
“I can go slow.” This time, he spoke aloud. “I have been dreaming of you for so long that I get carried away.”
Disarmed by the admission, Sila simply stared at him. As anxiety replaced the desire in the gold depths, she reached up to place a finger on his lips in a fleeting caress. Finally, she understood what concerned him. He had been very careful this time to keep his hunger and need from drenching her through their other connection. Sila had taken idle note of it, without comprehending the reason for it.
“You could never frighten me” she assured him, her eyes holding him.
She opened her mouth to say more, only to cop out. But his obvious hesitation drove Sila to use their other link to make a confession.
I like how … how you love me, Star Captain.
As the words simmered in the air, he cocked his head to study her, breathing
heavily, the remnants of passion visible on his face and the tightly-strung body. Sila attempted to tell him wordlessly what she couldn’t say out aloud. What he read in her must have reassured him for his mouth swooped down again to take her swollen lips. This time, he was less restrained, but with an underlying tenderness and care that was unmistakable. Sila reached for him, urging him close. With a growl she felt rather than heard, he pressed her into the bed. His tongue tangled with hers as he rocked into her with controlled aggression. Plastered to him, she felt him throb intimately against her. Sila gasped, a sound he swallowed greedily, to rock against her again as he knelt between her thighs.
The sound of his heavy breathing, mingled with her soft pants, rent the chamber as both succumbed to mindless need. Until the insistent trill of a communicator interrupted them rudely. Sila opened heavy eyes as the Star Captain raised himself off her with a frustrated growl.
Scrabbling for his discarded arm-band on the floor, he barked into the communicator. “What is it?”
“Star Captain” greeted a jovial voice. “This is Jolar. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
Zh’hir took a deep breath, his eyes on a disheveled Sila sprawled on the bed. With her gown bunched up at her thighs, her hair tangled around her, her rosy cheeks, reddened lips and languorous eyes glazed with desire, she beckoned him irresistibly. He took in the sight with fierce satisfaction. But at the back of his mind lurked the knowledge that the Hadari’Kor medic had not yet confirmed their compatibility.
Forcing his impatience and frustration away with an effort, he made his tone more welcoming. “No, Commander Jolar.”
At his words, Sila blinked to quickly shove down her gown. Sitting up, she watched as naked chest heaving, he responded to Commander Jolar with a semblance of composure.
“We have a little private celebration of our own on the Juntafeyore” Commander Jolar remarked cheerfully. “First Commander D’raar and some of your warriors are transporting over from the Henia. This ship is now off limits to everyone except those on the access list, so it is safe for Ur’quay. Will you and Sila join us, Star Captain?”
He cast another glance at Sila’s reddened lips and slumberous eyes.
“Yes, Commander. We will join you shortly.”
“In the Recreation Hall, Star Captain” Jolar signed off.
For a moment, silence reigned between them. He reached for his uniform, giving her time to regain her composure. Standing up, he shrugged it on, before clasping his Ur’quay tech over his bicep. When he turned to face her, Sila perched demurely on the bed. Barring the disarray of the fiery hair that hung lose over her shoulders, no one would suspect that just minutes ago, she had been melting in his arms.
“That was Commander Jolar” he said to her. “There is an impromptu celebration on the ship for Hadari’Kor and Ur’quay. We — you and I — have been invited to join them.”
Her eyes tangled with his.
“I don’t think you are being invited as an Ambassador” he warned, his expression watchful.
“I understand” she responded with remarkable self-possession.
The gold eyes searched her face, but she remained composed under his appraisal.
“Sseela?” he prompted, a hint of uncertainty in his voice for the first time since she’d known him.
At this sign of vulnerability, Sila stirred from her demure perch. Standing up to face him, she reached out to clasp his palm. At the touch of her hand, his fingers slid over hers to intertwine with her much smaller palm.
“I understand what going to the celebration together means, Star Captain” she said composedly. “The Hadari’Kor on this ship already guess about us and perhaps the Ur’quay on the Henia do too.”
“I am sure they do” he said self-deprecatingly.
“Is it going to cause trouble for you?” she asked a tad anxiously.
“Nothing is trouble for me, when it comes to you.”
Sila smiled, her eyes tender as she gazed up at him. “Then, let’s go have some fun.”
The Star Captain made to tug her to the door but Sila shook her head.
“Not until I fix my hair” she said determinedly, as color surged up her face to mark her pale skin. “Letting everyone know I’m with you is one thing. But I’m not going to look like I just got tumbled on a bed.”
There was an instant of silence when the Star Captain and Sila walked in together. Then, Commander Jolar walked up to greet them with an easy smile and the chamber reverted back to its raucous celebration. Knots of Ur’quay and Hadari’Kor sprinkled the room, at ease with each other after months spent working together. All Hadari’Kor not on duty had shown up for the impromptu event, as well as a fair number from the Henia. While many Ur’quay could not hide their astonishment, the Hadari’Kor seemed only mildly surprised by Sila’s presence beside the Star Captain. Belur broke away from a small group to greet the Star Captain and give Sila an affectionate hug.
“Glad you could make it, Sila” he said to her, before turning to the Star Captain.
“I hope you’ll excuse us while I borrow Sila, Star Captain” he said into the little silence as everyone in the room watched them surreptitiously.
“Of course. I have been a little selfish in keeping her all to myself” the Star Captain responded.
Sila opened her mouth to respond to the byplay. Before she could utter a word, Belur hurried her away with a hand at the small of her back. Sila cast a glance back to note that Commander Jolar’s eyes held an amused twinkle in them, while a wry expression adorned the Star Captain’s face as he watched her being led away. Happy to reconnect with her Hadari’Kor friends, Sila was welcomed into their midst with much pleasure. There was discussion about life on the new Training Facility and mutual acquaintances on the station. Since the Juntafeyore had docked at the station, Sila had spent every spare moment with the Star Captain. The party on the station tonight had been her first opportunity to meet up with the Hadari’Kor who had flocked to her when her old life had been stripped away.
Eventually, as Ur’quay warriors joined their group and were introduced to Sila, she noted the speculation in their eyes. She guessed it was par for the course. Sila supposed that a people that had isolated themselves on their home world for centuries would be shocked to find their Captain keeping company with an alien female. She wondered if the relationship would have consequences for the Star Captain. He was no mere Captain of a starship, he would soon be in command of a powerful Ur’quay fleet to engage the Imperial Forces on behalf of their Aralokan allies. But the Star Captain seemed to shrug off her concerns and she was more than happy to follow his lead. The fleeting glances she sneaked at him told her that he was as aware of her as she was of him, even as they socialized on opposite ends of the room. Sila smiled to herself, happy and even a little giddy at the prospect. For a girl who had fervently wished for some adventure, she was embarking on one beyond her wildest dreams.
Soon, Zoran Hadari-Begur-Kor walked in, accompanied by Saakshi. Sila’s eyes flashed to the doorway where two figures stood silhouetted. Saakshi said something to the Hadari’Kor Captain who glanced down at her, intent on her words. As the mercenary’s gaze rested on her friend, Sila had to stop herself from gasping aloud. She’d never have guessed that the reserved Captain felt so deeply for her friend. The taciturn males were the ones to watch for — she should know. She didn’t have to worry about Saakshi anymore. Her friend would be alright, Sila realized with relief. Whatever had happened to put the occasional haunted look in Saakshi’s eyes would be dealt with. She knew enough about Zoran Hadari-Begur-Kor to know that he would make sure of it.
Sila excused herself to make for Saakshi as Commander Jolar and the First Commander hailed Zoran. A fleeting glance indicated that the Star Captain’s gold eyes rested watchfully on her. Dr. Uish, also at the celebration, said something to the Star Captain who turned away after a last glance at Sila.
“Sila” Saakshi exclaimed as she caught sight of her friend, her amazeme
nt and bewilderment clear.
Zoran, busy returning his friends’ hails, turned to her.
“She’s the Terran Ambassador to the Ur’quay, tseriya” he explained indulgently, with an amused glance at a discomfited Sila.
“Ambassador to the Ur’quay” Saakshi exclaimed. “But how? I thought the Ur’quay were a secret!”
“Your friend will explain all, tseriya. Excuse me, while I go see what my friends are up to” Zoran said with a wicked grin aimed at Sila before sauntering away.
Sila, put on the spot, dragged her friend to a corner of the crowded chamber to chat.
“I met the Star Captain ten months ago in a chance encounter” she confessed.
“You mean when the slavers kidnapped you from your world?” her Budheya friend, who knew a little of Sila’s history, asked haltingly.
“No, that came later. When I was kidnapped from Terra Agri, the Star Captain came to my rescue with your Zoran and his mercenaries. That is how I know them all. How do you know about the Ur’quay?” Sila asked curiously.
“It was the Star Captain who took us to Budheyasta to contact the rebels, so Zoran could convince them to collaborate. I went on the mission to introduce Zoran to the leader of my resistance cell.”
Sila found herself impressed anew by her Budheya friend. “You went back to Budheyasta, despite your history with the Imperial Forces, Saakshi” she exclaimed wonderingly. “That takes serious guts.”
“Not really.” Saakshi was self-deprecating. “I was with Zoran — he’d never let anything happen to me. And there was the Star Captain who had locators and emergency beacons on us at all times, to pull us off Budheyasta if anything went wrong.”