Goddess, she prayed. Wherever that girl is, please send someone to watch over and protect her. Let her be well and safe and let her come home again to the parents who love her.
There was no answer but she felt a sense of peace and knew that the Mother of All Life had heard her prayer. Anna, wherever she was, was being watched over by the Goddess who loves all of her children. Somehow she would send someone to find and rescue her—someone to care for the one lost lamb who had gone astray—and return her to the fold and the safety of her family’s arms.
Chapter Ten
Dark’s heart ached as he watched Anna move about the kitchen. She was so brave—so uncomplaining despite the horrible position she found herself in. But it was clear that she’d been badly hurt and would have a difficult recovery, even when he took her away from here.
Speaking of which, even though a solar week had passed and they worked together in the kitchen every day, he still hadn’t found a good way to tell her that he wasn’t a Replicant. He wanted to confess his true identity badly but every time he got close to it, he would remember her story of how other males had hurt her, and how she’d told him she was glad he didn’t have “male equipment.”
Just thinking of what might have been done to her by that Lazlo bastard made him clench his fists and caused his fangs to grow long and sharp. Clearly he had hurt Anna badly—first making her believe that he loved her, then sexually abusing her, and finally selling her to Gorn, who planned to do even worse to her. It was Dark’s belief that any male who treated a female in such a fashion should be skinned alive…slowly.
He hadn’t asked for the details of what kind of abuse Anna had endured but clearly it was bad enough that the only male she felt comfortable around was a neutered, sexless one—or one she thought was neutered and sexless. Until he could help her heal at least a little bit, he couldn’t tell her the truth about himself, Dark thought. He would immediately lose her trust and she would hate him forever.
And that would break him.
For though he tried to tell himself he only wanted to save her, only wanted to heal her, he couldn’t help but find himself captivated by the little Earth female. She was beautiful and fierce and brave and now that he was feeding her properly, she was finally beginning to regain a few of her Elite curves, which were devastatingly sexy.
She was resilient too. Despite what she had been through—and what she was currently going through as she waited for Gorn to do unthinkable things to her—she still had a wry sense of humor. They had talked about happier times in her life—and his, though he had to be guarded in what he said—and joked and laughed together.
Her cooking lessons were another source of amusement. The mining colony she’d lived on had relied mainly on food simulators for their daily fare so Anna claimed she was such a poor cook she would “burn water.” It was true that she made some mistakes from time to time—such as when he’d caught her using the industrial-strength anti-germ foaming pads to clean the jute tubers he’d assigned her to wash and prep. Dark had thrown them out and explained that the agent in the pads would soak into the tubers and make her sick if she ate them. Anna had been mortified but he had thought it was funny and eventually she laughed it off.
Despite her novice mistakes, she had a good sense of food and what flavors would taste right together, Dark had found. She was an apt pupil and he loved teaching her. He only wished he could be teaching her in his own kitchen on Rigelus Prime or anywhere, really, safer than here in the Trollox’s domicile.
Every instinct he had shouted that he had to take her away at once—that he had to get away from Gorn and his horrible plans for her and take Anna where she would be safe. But several things stopped him.
First, it would mean giving up completely on the mission which had been entrusted to him. He had sworn to watch over the Shannom-rah crystal and keep it safe until the replica came so that he could replace it and bring the real crystal with him back to the Mother Ship. He didn’t want to break his word and let down Commander Sylvan, who had entrusted him with this important task.
Of course, he knew that if Gorn tried to rape Anna instead of only threatening to do it, the jig would be up. His protective instincts had grown powerfully for her over the past week. If the huge Trollox tried anything, Dark was fairly certain he would go into Rage and kill the big bastard—which of course, wasn’t what the Kindred High Council wanted at all.
The Trollox were a clannish people and he was certain if he killed Gorn, all of the Trollox’s “drewgs” would come after him and everyone on the Mother Ship. Of course, he could try to cover his tracks but he didn’t like to put the people of the Mother Ship in danger, especially since Commander Sylvan was specifically trying to avoid a confrontation with the Trollox people.
The other thing that stopped him, was that he knew the moment he stole Anna away from here, she would want to know how a Replicant was able to break his loyalty conditioning and leave his master. And then sooner or later, it would come out that he wasn’t a Replicant after all but a male with male equipment—equipment she feared and hated. And then she would fear and hate him too and never want to see him again.
I couldn’t bear that, Dark thought, watching as she sliced laso pods with surprising speed and skill, considering she’d had no knife skills at all before he started teaching her. I don’t want her to hate me—or fear me.
But she will anyway, whispered a little voice in his brain. Once she realizes you’ve lied to her…once she realizes she’s been deceived…Sooner or later the truth will come out, Dark, you know it’s true.
Yes, he knew it, he thought grimly. But he wanted to put it off as long as possible. To keep enjoying her company and her trust for as long as he could. So, as long as Gorn wasn’t actually doing anything to Anna and Dark was still waiting for the duplicate Shannom-rah, he would stay and enjoy her company and the growing closeness between them until the truth came to strip it away. They—
“Oh!” Anna’s gasp of pain got his immediate attention.
“What is it? What happened, baby?” The endearment popped out before he could stop it but it seemed she’d barely heard him. She was standing at the counter, holding her left hand in her right, her eyes wide.
“I…I cut myself.” Her voice was low. “The knife slipped and I just—”
“Here—let me see.” Dark took her left wrist and examined her. The cut was deep and substantial, across the back of her left index finger. It was already welling blood. Tapping the sink, he put her hand under the cold running water, washing it clean. Then, before it could start to bleed again, he took her hurt finger gently into his mouth.
“Oh! What are you doing?” Anna gasped.
Something I shouldn’t be, Dark thought and yet he did it anyway. It was an automatic thing—the female he cared for had gotten hurt and his fangs had immediately begun producing essence—the healing and bonding fluid that all Blood Kindred made for their mates.
Is that how I think of her? My mate? Dark knew it wasn’t right. He wasn’t cut out to have a female in his life, not after everything Mistress Hellenix had put him through. And his gift or curse complicated matters even more. Even now, as he bathed her cut finger with his tongue and his essence sealed her wound, he could feel himself taking her hurt as well.
His own finger stung with the feeling of a fresh cut—even as he lessened her pain, he took it into himself. It was nothing he hadn’t felt in the past—working in a kitchen all of his life he’d been cut and burned more times than he could count. But still, he’d never been willing to take pain for anyone but his little brother before. And this time, his body had done it almost automatically—again, as though it considered Anna his mate and not just a female he was protecting.
“Dark, what—?” she began again but at that point he released her. “Oh!” Anna stared at her finger in disbelief. “Where is it? Where’s the cut? It was so deep! But now it’s completely disappeared—it doesn’t even hurt anymore!”
�
�I know,” he said quietly. “It’s healed—you’re healed, Anna.”
“But…how?” She looked up at him in confusion. “I never heard of a Replicant who could heal people before.”
This was it—the time to tell her the truth, Dark told himself. He needed to explain to her who he really was and what he was really doing here.
But the look of fear and mistrust in her soft blue eyes stopped him. He couldn’t lose her trust—not yet. Not before he had gotten her safely away from Gorn and the Trollox home world.
He needed to deceive her just a little while longer and then he’d tell her when he got her away from here—honestly he would.
He took a deep breath.
“Remember I told you I’m built to resemble a Blood Kindred?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes? So?”
“Well, a Blood Kindred is able to heal using a fluid called ‘essence’ which is produced by his fangs,” Dark explained. “See?” He opened his mouth and showed her his fangs—which were long and sharp—ready to bite and claim, yet another sign that his body considered her a potential mate. They were also still dripping the pale blue essence which had sealed and healed her cut so neatly and quickly.
“Oh…” Seemingly without thinking, Nikki raised her fingers to feel his fangs. He felt her caress their sharp points carefully and allowed it, though he would have jerked away or attacked anyone else who touched him so intimately. His fangs were a sensitive part of him and beneath the fake skin-shield he wore to cover his shaft, he could feel himself getting hard at her gentle caress.
The pleasure and need caused by her touch built until at last he could stand it no longer. Gently, he took her by the wrist and pulled her hand away. Then he bent his head and placed a soft kiss in the center of her palm.
It was the only way he could show her how he felt—the only way to let her know he cared for her without scaring her.
“Oh…” Anna whispered softly, closing her hand over the kiss. She looked up at him wonderingly. “Why are you always so gentle with me, Dark? Is it another part of your programming?”
“You’ve had enough rough treatment, baby,” he murmured, daring to reach out and cup her cheek. “You need a male to be gentle with you—to be kind to you for a change.”
“I thought Lazlo was gentle,” she remarked, but she didn’t pull away from him, even though she had mentioned the male who had treated her so cruelly. “Right up until the end when he sold me, he pretended to respect me too much to even kiss me. He never even kissed my hand, like you just did.”
“Do you want to be kissed?” Dark murmured, stroking her high cheekbone gently with the pad of his thumb. “I can do that for you, if you like, Anna. It would be my pleasure.”
She nibbled her lower lip, her eyes wide and uncertain—yet he could smell her feminine desire rising. She did want this. No matter what had been done to her in the past, it hadn’t burned away her sexual yearning—her wish to be loved and caressed. And despite her bitter experience, she still hadn’t even had her first kiss.
Dark ached to be the one to give it to her but he knew he couldn’t push. Anna had to ask for anything he gave her.
“Yes,” she whispered at last. “Yes, I think…I think I’d like that. If…if you’re gentle.”
“I’ll never be rough with you,” Dark promised softly. You need to be healed and made whole—not hurt any more.
Cupping her face with both hands, he brought her to him gently and slanted his mouth over hers. He felt her tremble against him as their lips touched, but he knew she was trembling with eagerness, not fear. Still, he was careful as he tasted her sweet mouth, not pressing too hard or demanding entry, just bringing her close and trying to convey, through touch instead of words, how he felt for her.
At first she was frozen but then she gave a little moan and kissed him back, her mouth moving against his eagerly as they pressed together. Dark felt the tip of her tongue against the seam of his lips and he opened to let her in, inviting her to explore him as much as she wanted, inviting her to take what she needed without shame or fear.
Anna seemed more than willing to take him up on the offer. She pressed her tongue delicately inside him, stroking his tongue with hers and then exploring and caressing the tips of his fangs in a way that caused a deep, trembling shiver to go through his entire body. His shaft was so hard behind the fake pseudo-skin barrier he wore that Dark swore he could have fucked a hole through a stone wall. But he didn’t let his desire for the female in his arms make him careless.
Releasing her face, which he had been cradling in his hands, he ran his fingers lightly down her arms and sides to rest on her hips. He wanted to crush her to him, to deepen the kiss even more and claim her with his mouth completely. But he knew that would frighten her. So he kept his hands lightly on the lush round curves of her full hips and just enjoyed the sweet taste of her mouth as he let her enjoy his.
The kiss went on and on until Anna finally pulled away. Her arms were around his neck and she looked at him in wonder.
“Dark,” she whispered. “That was…I’ve never felt anything like it before. It’s exactly how I imagined—how I hoped—kissing would be.”
“Did you enjoy it, then?” he murmured, stroking a strand of her long, auburn hair out of her eyes. “Because I did—very much.”
“I don’t understand.” She shook her head. “You’re a Replicant. How can you be so good at this kind of thing? Is it because you were owned by a Mistress from Yonnie Six? Did she expect you to, uh, know how to please her or something?”
Dark stiffened a bit—he didn’t like to think of his time as Mistress Hellenix’s bodyslave in reference to his time here with Anna. But it was true she had expected him to do things for her—and had done things to him—things that were torture with her but would have been a pleasure with the right partner.
Like Anna, whispered a little voice in his head. With a partner like Anna.
“I’m sorry…” She had clearly seen the change in his face, sensed the stiffness in his posture. “You probably don’t want to talk about her any more than I want to talk about Lazlo or Gorn. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“No, no…” Dark shook his head. “We should talk about these things. I believe that talking leads to healing. But to answer your question about my, uh, programming—I do have a wish—a desire—to please females. Or maybe I should say, I desire to please the right female.” He smiled at her.
“Oh,” Anna whispered. “Well, it was pleasing. Very pleasing.” Her cheeks got pink with embarrassment as she admitted it. “I…I liked it a lot.”
“I enjoyed it too,” Dark said simply. “We can repeat it any time you like, you know.”
“You mean…you want to kiss me again?” Her eyes were wide.
“Only if you want me to,” Dark assured her. “I won’t ever do anything you don’t want, Anna. I swear that to you now.”
“I know.” Reaching up, she cupped his cheek and looked into his eyes. “That’s one reason I like being with you, Dark. Because you’re a Replicant and I know I can trust you not to hurt me. Not to lie to me or do things…I don’t want you to do.”
He felt a stab of shame at her words. I can trust you not to lie to me, she’d said. But wasn’t he lying now? He ought to set the record straight—ought to let her know that—
Suddenly the front door slammed and a heavy, familiar tread could be heard coming through the house.
It was Gorn, Dark knew at once—and the Trollox sounded like he was headed straight for the kitchen.
Anna’s eyes grew wide and frightened.
“He’s coming!” she whispered frantically. “He’s looking for me!”
“Well, he won’t find you here.”
Quickly, Dark led her to the walk-in pantry and pushed her carefully inside. He shut the door and turned back to the dablick dough he’d been about to kneed when she cut her finger just moments before the metal door to the kitchen swung open.
“Pretty
boy!” Gorn’s left head roared. “Drop what you’re fucking doing and come here now!”
Chapter Eleven
Dark put down the dark purple dough and wiped his hands on his apron before turning to the huge Trollox.
“Yes, Master?” He did his best to keep his face blank and his breathing even, though his heart was galloping in his chest. Had Gorn somehow seen him kissing Anna? Was he about to have it out with his massive “Master” right here and now?
Bring it on, Dark thought, his fangs growing long and sharp. Just having Anna and Gorn in the same room—though the huge Trollox didn’t know she was there—made his protective emotions rise. Every primal instinct he had told him that Gorn was an enemy—a despoiler of innocence and beauty. Someone who would hurt the woman Dark wanted for his own if he got a chance.
He would welcome the chance to fight the big bastard, Dark admitted to himself. The knife rack was only a foot away to his right—he could have the butcher’s blade out and buried in the Trollox’s thick throat in less time than it took to think of it. He—
“You’re doing a fucking good job, pretty boy,” Gorn’s left head said.
The compliment took Dark completely off-guard. For a moment, he wasn’t sure he’d heard Gorn correctly.
“Excuse me, Master?” he said blankly. “What did you say?”
“I said, you’re doing fucking great!” Gorn’s left head roared and the right one nodded in apparent agreement. “Your Trollox food is so fucking good that I’m going to take you with me to a celebration my drewg, Yark is throwing right before I leave for the con. A new heir banquet.”
“You want to take me to a celebration?” Dark still wasn’t getting it. “Why?”
“To cook, of course,” hissed the right head, its red eyes flashing with impatience.
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