by Ruby Dixon
Likely, they didn't care at all, and the thought just enrages me.
But if there's a way to get around the endless misery of Jerrok's prosthetics, Alyvos might know. So one afternoon, when Jerrok is helping Tarekh and Cat fix something in the environmental systems, I head over to the training room. Alyvos is there when he's not with Iris or doing maintenance on his weapons. After a few days of very little to do but watch the crew, I know everyone's patterns.
Alyvos looks up in surprise as I enter the training room. He's doing something that looks a lot like pull-ups, but he's only using one arm, and he's making it look effortless. When he spots me, he swings forward, dropping off the bar and skidding to a halt in front of me. "Everything all right, Sophie?"
I manage a bright smile. "Everything's fine. I just wanted to talk to you about something personal, if you have a moment."
The expression on his face grows wary and he glances at the door. "Should I get Iris—"
I raise a hand, hoping he's not misunderstanding my meaning. "I'm talking about prosthetics. I noticed you limping sometimes, and I didn't know if there was a good way to ask if you had some similar to Jerrok." I inwardly wince at the shuttered look he gives me. "I know it's personal, but I had to ask. His bother him dreadfully and I want to help."
"It IS personal," he agrees in a harsh voice. He picks up a towel and mops at his face. "No one talks about the wars. No one."
Ugh. I've stepped into it, then. "I'm so sorry. Forget I said anything—"
He raises a hand, not looking over at me. "My knee. Not the whole limb, but my knee got keffed and they replaced all of it. Luckily my leg that was blown off landed nearby so they were able to reattach it." He gives me a wintry smile. "That was about the only luck I had in that war."
I stare at him in horror. "I'm so sorry—"
"Don't be. You didn't do it." He leans against a piece of equipment and gives me a curious look. "I can't help you with that, though. My knee isn't like Jerrok's replacements. That's a whole different handful of sticks, as the gamblers like to say."
"Mess of worms," I murmur absently, comparing it to a human saying. "I understand. It was worth a try, though. Thank you—"
"I know a guy, though." He towels at his sweaty hair. "A trader on 3N that has connections."
"3N?" I ask politely.
"Three Nebulas. It's a big station. Lots of trade going through there, of all kinds. He was able to get me a connection that got Iris her visor." Alyvos nods at me. "Does a fair market on replacement prosthetics, too, all of them much higher quality than what your male is wearing."
My heart leaps in my throat. "That's exactly what I need." I memorize the name of the station. Three Nebulas. "Can you get me in contact with him somehow?"
"No."
His flat refusal makes me flinch. "Oh."
"I'm not saying no to be a prick, Sophie." He wipes at his hands absently, shaking his head. "Zakoar of the Broken Back won't see anyone without proof that they have the credits up-front."
"I see."
"It's nice of you to try and get new limbs for him, Sophie, but are you aware how much they cost?"
"A lot. I know that much." I hesitate again. "And I'll have the carinoux, provided we don't need him for ransom…" Just saying it makes me choke, though, and I want to vomit. I think of Sleipnir's trusting face, all craggy with teeth that he's never, ever used on me. I think of how excited he gets when I appear, or when he gets his head scratched just so. How can I give him away for money? Then again, how can I not if it's the difference between a life of constant pain and misery and one of good health for Jerrok?
"You keep offering up your pet, and I know he's the only bargaining chip you have. You, uh, want to try talking to your male first, though?" When I give him a blank look, he continues. "He's not exactly a pauper. He brought a lockbox full of credits on board to help with the rescue."
"You mean he has enough for limbs? Already?" I thought he was saving up.
Alyvos snorts. "He's got enough for three sets of limbs. I don't know how he's so keffing loaded."
"People leave their stuff in their ships," I say absently, thinking of Jerrok. I knew he'd brought his savings with him on the ship, but I thought he was still in the process of saving up. I thought that maybe with that combined money and the sale of Sleipnir, we could maybe, maybe afford to replace one arm or whichever limb is bothering him the most.
It's clear I don't know the first thing about alien money.
It's also clear that I need to talk to Jerrok. Pronto.
70
JERROK
Sophie's in a pensive mood at dinner. Her laughter is as sweet as ever, and she seems to eagerly listen to everything the others speak of, but she pokes at her noodles and ends up offering most of it to Sleipnir. She seems deep in thought every time she looks at me, and it makes my heart clench in my chest with worry.
Is this what I've feared, then? Has she decided that my station is too quiet for her after all? She's given me no indication that she's unhappy in the last few days. We've actually been happier than I thought possible. Every night, we sleep together and enjoy each other's bodies, and every day, we're together. Just knowing she's mine fills me with such…joy. Such peace. I haven't had a nightmare in ages.
Sophie makes all the wounded parts of my soul better again. I thought I did the same for her, but now I worry I've overlooked something. That someone has said or done something to hurt her sensitive feelings and now she's in pain. Or maybe she doesn't feel well? I study her, looking for signs of sickness, and when she gets up to get another drink, I discreetly sniff her noodles in case the taste is off.
She catches me smelling her food and gives me a puzzled look as she sits back down.
"Just making sure it tastes all right," I whisper to her. "You're not eating much. Do you want to trade?" I offer her my bowl, though I've probably eaten far too much already.
Sophie's expression changes to something soft and sweet, and she leans in and gives me a kiss on the cheek. "I'm fine. Really. I'm just thinking. Can we talk later?"
"Of course."
She smiles at me and laces her fingers with mine, resting them on my thigh. Her attention turns toward Cat, who's telling a ridiculous story about Tarekh losing a bet over whether or not his hand would fit inside a fuel processing pipe. It did not, apparently, and everyone roars with laughter by the time Cat finishes the story. I smile appreciatively, though I can't say what the story was about more than that. I just keep thinking about my Sophie and what's troubling her.
Her burdens are my burdens, and I want to help, whatever it is.
I'm relieved when Iris yawns, and Alyvos takes that as a cue to hustle his mate off to bed. The others begin to peel off, and when Sophie looks over at me, I nod. I'm more than ready to go to our quarters and be alone with her and just unwind from the day. We say our goodbyes to the others, and I put a hand at the small of her back, ushering her down the halls of the Jabberwock toward crew quarters.
"I can feel your circuits twitching through my clothing," she tells me. "You should have said something."
I glance down at the hand I have on her back and sure enough, a cable is jumping under my skin, sending vibrations through the limb. I'm so used to the small jolts and irritations that I don't notice them half the time. "I didn't realize."
Sophie casts me a worried look as we step through the door into our chamber.
I open my mouth to say something when Sleipnir headbutts the back of my knee and I nearly collapse, thanks to the constant sliding.
"Jerrok!" Sophie reaches for me, her eyes wide with alarm.
"I'm fine," I growl, holding onto the doorframe. I glare at the carinoux, but it only makes that dismissive cough in its throat and hops onto the bed, circling three times before plopping down on my side. "Thanks, Sleipnir. I'll remember that the next time I have a table full of fresh scrap."
The carinoux just yawns, showing a mouth full of massive teeth.
"Are you
sure you're all right?" Sophie's hands are all over me, running down my chest and on my arm. It distracts me, and very quickly my thoughts turn to mating instead of her pet.
When her hand moves over my hip, I cover it with my own and rub her skin with my thumb. "I'm better now that I'm alone with you."
Her mouth works and her eyes dilate at the sound of my voice, a little thing I've noticed means she's aroused. But she makes a noise of protest in her throat and shakes her head. "We need to talk first."
"We do?" I brush her hair back from her neck. Fran's given her several new tunics, all of them tight fitting and with lovely patterns that show off her breasts and trim waist, but they're also a bit of a pain to unfasten. I fuss with the auto-fastener at the back of her neck, relieved when it chimes and finally begins to unzip. "How about you talk and I listen while I touch you?"
"I…" She moans when I peel her clothing back, brushing over a nipple. "I like that idea, but…this is important, Jerrok."
I lean down and press my mouth to hers, lightly. "I will listen. I promise."
Her lips nip at mine, and she lets out a happy little sigh, as if tasting me makes her feel better. Then she takes my hand and heads toward the bed…and pauses at the sight of Sleipnir sprawled out. There's a couch on the other side of the room, and she steers me toward it instead. "We can talk as easily over here."
I sit on one end and when she tries to sit next to me, I tug her into my lap.
"Your legs," she protests.
"They're fine. The circuits are going to twitch whether or not you're on me, and I'd rather have you on me." I slide my hand into the gaping front of her tunic and kiss her neck even as I caress her breast. "Tell me what you wished to say."
She lets out a trembling little sigh as I find her nipple. "Well, it's hard to concentrate when you're touching me like that." Her arm slides around my neck and she leans fully into my touch. "Oh, but I don't want to tell you to stop."
I let out a pleased rumble, my hand sliding between her thighs. "Then I won't stop."
Sophie whimpers as I kiss her neck, my fingers gliding over the folds of her cunt. She's so wet for me already, slick and hot and needy. Her hips rock instinctively when I dip the tip of a finger into her core, my teeth scoring the sensitive skin on her collar.
"Look at how beautiful you are," I tell her as I push my finger deeper. "My beautiful Sophie. I've waited for this moment all day long."
"Jerrok," she pants, her fingers clawing at my tunic as I begin to work her pretty cunt. "Jerrok…"
"Yes, love? I'm listening."
She shudders against my touch, making needy little sounds. "How…rich are you?"
How rich am I? That makes me pause. Why is she asking?
71
JERROK
So focused on making my mate feel good, it takes a moment for her question to register in my mind.
How rich am I?
I shake my head. "Does it matter?" My thoughts are purely on Sophie, on the cunt that tightens around my fingers reflexively. I know she likes a finger deep inside her, but she likes her clit being stroked the best, so I rub my thumb against it as I nuzzle against her teats. "Credits are not important to me."
She arches against my hand, squirming. Her hands cling to my shoulders as I pleasure her, loving the sound of her panting. I can endure being around others on the Jabberwock as long as I get to do this every night. When we shut the door to our room, it feels like just her and I again, alone on my station, and there is nothing I want more than to make her feel good.
"Jerrok," she whines, utterly lost as she rocks harder against my fingers, desperate to come. "You—you're—distracting—me—"
Good. I want her to lose control. I push my face against her bared skin, licking at the slopes of her teats as she bounces on my hand. "Come for me, Sophie. Let me make you feel good."
With a cry and a shudder, her cunt spasms and she stiffens. I work her harder, determined to wring out every last bit of pleasure and to make the orgasm last as long as possible. With a little cry, she finally collapses against me, utterly spent, and I run my fingers through her slick folds, pleased I made her come so hard. Every time I make her come, it's like a keffing gift.
I pull my hand free from her clothing and lick my fingers, tasting her. "Good girl."
"Unfair," she tells me with a sigh. "I'm trying to talk to you."
"I'm listening," I promise her, even as I suck her honey off my thumb.
"Mmm, are you?" Her hand glides to the back of my neck and she pulls me in for a deep, intense kiss. Her tongue flicks against mine, and then she bites at my lower lip. "On your back. I want to ride you."
Now I'm the one that groans.
She nips at my lip again, then soothes away the bite with a playful lick. "You like it."
"I do," I rasp. Kef me, I really do.
I slide her off my lap and tear at my clothing, determined to get naked with her as quickly as possible. She pulls the rest of her clothing off as well, tossing it to the floor. We both glance over at Sleipnir, who's sprawled on the bed and ignoring the fact that we're going to be mating a few feet away. So far, most of his protective instincts don't seem to be roused by my time with Sophie, but to be on the safe side, we mate each time with her over me.
The moment I lie back on the couch, Sophie straddles me. Her legs spread wide, and she leans over to kiss my chest even as she reaches between us and grasps my cock. "I don't know which I love more," she tells me with a little sigh. "The piercings or the spur."
"Do you…love them?" My breath hisses out from my throat as she rubs her folds along my length, wetting me with her juices.
"God, yes." Her words are moaned. "So much." She guides the head of my cock into her body, and I can feel her clench with excitement around my length. "So good," she tells me again. "So damn good."
I put my hands on her hips, concentrating on holding her steady as she works her way down my shaft with little twitches of her hips. She always goes slow, feeding me into her body the first time, and I'm not sure if it's because it's a tight fit, or if it just feels incredibly good to her. Maybe both. Either way, it's the most keffing erotic thing I've ever seen, and we both groan when she finally seats herself fully on my length.
Sophie splays her palms on my chest, bracing herself even as she works her hips, riding me. "Feel good?" she pants.
"Amazing," I reassure her. I love the sight of her working herself on my cock.
"How much?" she asks again, breathless.
"How much what?" She wants to talk now? Of all times?
She rocks back against me, seating herself fully on my cock again, and I groan at how good it feels. "How much did you bring in credits? To the Jabberwock?"
"Why?" I clutch at her hips when she stops moving, a serious expression on her face. "Sophie—"
"Enough to buy new limbs?" she presses. "Or at least one?"
I blink at her. "I…guess?"
"Then why haven't you?" She frowns down at me, as if I'm an idiot.
"We're really having this conversation now? With me balls deep inside you?" I can't even think straight, not with her channel clenching me so tight.
She rocks her hips against me and it's the most sensual—and most determined—thing I've ever seen. "Why do you live with awful limbs if you can get better, Jerrok? I want to know. Do you think you don't deserve it?" Her pace picks up again, and she begins to work herself on my cock furiously, her hips moving at a frantic pace. "You think…you don't…deserve good things?"
I shake my head, words failing me. I love the look of sheer determination on her face as she wrecks me with her pretty cunt, as she savagely takes what she wants from me, using me as she works on her next release. I can tell she's close when her entire body jerks after a particularly hard stroke, and I move my hand to her cunt, seeking out her clit.
Sophie cries out the moment I touch it, my fingers getting in the way of my spur, and it becomes a challenge to make sure she's constantly pleasured b
etween fingers and spur, until she lets out a keening sound and clenches tight over me.
"My girl," I growl, my hands moving back to her hips as I rock deep inside her, forcefully claiming my own release. "My mate."
"Yours," she cries brokenly, her lower lip trembling as she pants. "Yours."
With a great shudder, I come, and it's like something breaks inside of me. I snarl incoherently as I work her hips on my length, spilling deep inside her with every grinding thrust, until she's full of my come and we're both sated. With a little sigh, Sophie leans forward, resting her cheek on my chest, and I stroke her hair. We're both sweaty and sticky, and I wouldn't move from this spot for all the credits in the universe.
"You deserve good things," she tells me again. "I don't know why you don't think that."
"That…that's not it," I tell her. Does she really think I hate myself that much? Then again, I've never given her any indication otherwise. Maybe she does. "When you get a limb replaced, they put you under. You have to have an upload of some kind in your mind, because it all has to be wired together in some way. Have to get your brain to recognize the arm and all that. And I've never had anyone I could trust enough to watch me."
She props her chin up on my chest, looking at me. "You promise?"
"I promise. It's not because I don't want new limbs." I huff out a tired laugh. "I'd love that more than anything. But most of the guys in that market would just as easily rob you or murder you before giving you the limbs you asked for."
"Alyvos knows a guy," Sophie says, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. "He knows a guy that got Iris her visor. We could talk to him after all this…provided we don't need the money for the brothers. If we do, there's always…" Then she shakes her head. "Or we can offer something else. I just…" She licks her lips. "I don't want you to be in pain when you don't have to, Jerrok."