by Jade Waltz
“None taken,” Qran replied. “I am just glad you were willing to help.”
She smiled. “I know.” Holding her hand in the air in a farewell gesture, she left the room and the door slid closed behind her.
“What was that about?” Qran asked me, sitting up and swinging his taloned feet over the edge of the bed to the floor. “I didn’t miss the glare you two exchanged.”
I rolled my eyes and sat in the stool Oeta had vacated, studying Qran.
“She gave me a warning,” I mumbled, gaze falling to my hands as I leaned forward. “I was upset that she was trying to meddle in things that don’t concern her."
"Like what?"
"Like us," I sighed, my gaze moving to the male, who stiffened. "She gave me some harsh advice on how I need to be honorable and live up to the moral standards of the Fab Five. She told me not to go back on the promises I’ve made."
"What promises?" he asked, battling a smile.
"You know exactly what she was referring to," I grumbled. "Don't act like you haven’t already guessed what she was talking about."
"Oh, I know," he chuckled. "I just like hearing you admit you aren't perfect and can still make mistakes."
“You already knew that, too.”
“So when are we going to have the conversation you promised about our future?”
“Tomorrow.” I stood up and yawned, stretching my arms. “Oeta was right; it’s getting late, and I’m tired after everything that has happened today.”
“Where will I sleep?”
“You can stay overnight in—”
“Your bed?”
“In here,” I growled, glaring.
He raised his palms in the air in the universal sign for surrender. “Fine, here is okay with me. No need to get angry.”
“I’m not,” I sighed. “Just . . . never mind. Do you need anything, or are you set until tomorrow?”
He scanned the room. “I believe the only thing I need is a good night’s sleep.”
I walked to the door, glancing over my shoulder to meet Qran’s intense stare. “If you do need anything else, my room is the one next door.”
My room was dark as I lay on my bed completely nude.
Qran was the only other being on the base, as the rest of my siblings were searching for Selena, and Kaica was still in the villa’s infirmary. I assumed she was staying in a spare room there, tirelessly working on her research, instead of returning to base every night.
The knowledge that he was next door was both frightening and refreshing. I no longer needed to worry about his innocence or whether I would have to witness Oeta execute him.
Instead, he was safely in bed and probably excited about tomorrow, when we would finally talk about our future.
The image of Qran lying in full display on that bed with his vision blocked by Oeta’s intrusion was a turn-on. I couldn’t stop thinking about how fun it would have been if I sucked him off while Oeta’s mental thread trapped him in place.
Closing my eyes, I pictured Qran naked as he had been earlier, but without his loincloth. His pale-green eyes were smoldering as he bit the bottom of his lip, his focus only on me. His voice was so melodic that each word he spoke sounded like mini-orgasm coursing through me.
I lightly traced my nipples, pretending it was Qran touching me, causing them to harden. Slowly, one of my hands traveled down my stomach to the juncture of my legs as the other gripped one breast and rolled the nipple tightly between my thumb and index finger. I pictured Qran sucking on my nipple and placing his hand on my womanhood.
I could feel how wet I was as he dragged two of his fingers back and forth along my slit. When he reached my clit, I gasped and heard his rumble of pleasure at my reaction. He sucked my nipple harder as he traced my clit, earning a moan.
He gripped my pussy with his hand and spread its lips, giving his finger more room to draw circles around my clit. He flicked the bud as he passed up and down my slit, making sure to tease my entrance before returning to attack my clit.
“Qran, please!” I yelled, lost in my fantasy.
“If it’s me you want, I will make sure you keep screaming my name.”
Stilling, I jerked open my eyes and sat up, allowing my hands to fall to my sides.
Qran leaned against my open doorway. His arms were crossed, and he wore only his loincloth, which did nothing to hide his massive erection.
My arousal flared at the view as I licked my lips.
“You can have as much as you want. I’m all yours.” His voice was a deep rumble.
Forcing myself to look away from the tent in his loincloth, my eyes traced his body before meeting his gaze. He stared at me as hungrily as I did him. “I didn’t mean to wake you . . .”
“You didn’t,” he mumbled as he continued to drink in my naked form. “I knocked on your door, hoping you had some lotion to prevent my skin from drying. I heard you yell my name, so I entered. . .”
“There should be lotion in one of my bathroom drawers.” I sighed, not wanting to climb out of bed after I had just gotten comfortable. “Do you need me? Or can you get it yourself?”
Qran glanced between his hardened cock and my hand covering my soaked pussy.
“I think you need me as much as I need you,” he purred. “How about we help each other relax?”
A part of me jumped at the idea, but the saner side knew that even though we had been together many times before, having sex tonight would make tomorrow’s conversation awkward.
I shrugged and decided to throw caution to the wind. If the Stars didn’t want us together tonight, he wouldn’t have heard me and would have found the lotion by himself.
The fact that he had felt confident enough to barge in here in that condition spoke volumes. Qran wanted a future with me, so desperately that he was willing to put his new insecurities aside and proposition me.
As long as he didn’t regret this in the morning, I wouldn’t either.
“If that’s what you want,” I muttered.
“I want nothing more than to wake up in your arms. It is you who has been denying me this whole time.”
“Then come over here and prove you want me,” I taunted, jerking my head.
“With pleasure.”
He stormed over, dropping his loincloth along the way.
This was the male I knew and loved.
The overconfident, slightly egotistical male who would do anything to be near me, even if I allowed him no more than a night full of pleasure. However, I suspected that our talk tomorrow would help our relationship grow more serious.
As he sat on the bed beside me, my eyes were instantly drawn to his erection. Unlike the rest of his blue, down-feathered body, it was fuzz-free and completely smooth. His cock was the shape of a compact corkscrew, tightly stacked ridges forming a long, solid shaft. Its base was thicker than the tip and tinged a much darker blue than his downy feathers, lightening to a golden head.
I lowered my lips, engulfing as much of him as I could without hurting myself as my hands gripped the bottom of his shaft.
Qran hissed as his cock grew, hardening completely as I slipped my tongue over the length, enjoying the feeling of each corkscrew layer.
Holding his cock in my hands made me feel powerful. This male trusted me enough to allow me, a specially trained assassin, to hold one of the most sensitive parts of his body. The power he granted me made me feel more aroused.
Finally, the need to ease the tension within me overwhelmed me.
Releasing my hold on him, I pushed him onto his back and straddled his groin. Taking his thickness into my hand, I stroked him quickly, enjoying the feeling of his cock’s texture in my hand. Closing my eyes, I imagined how it would feel inside me. It had been too long since the last time we had been together.
I guided him and lined up his cock’s head with my wet slit. Tilting my head back, I let gravity take its course, slowly impaling myself on his textured shaft. I could feel every stacked layer as it entered me. I wi
ggled my hips, stretching as I took more of him inside, adoring the feeling of the ridges rubbing against my inner walls.
I felt full when my ass cheeks finally rested on the soft down of his thighs.
Smiling at my small victory, I rested my hands on his chest, stroking his featherless skin. The sensation wasn’t bad, just different, and that was okay.
I began to bounce up and down slightly, sliding him deeper as I found my rhythm.
“Oh, B,” he moaned. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” I whispered with a moan.
“Please tell me this isn’t a dream,” he begged. “That this isn’t some mind trick played on me. Tell me that this is real.”
Opening my eyes, I found his heavy-lidded gaze staring at me in wonder.
“It’s real,” I murmured, pausing momentarily to place a hand on his cheek. “I’m real.”
“Oh, bless the Stars!” he shouted as I slammed down onto his shaft.
“Bless the Stars, indeed!”
He reached for my bouncing breasts and massaged them, taking care not to accidentally scratch me with his talons. Pinching my hardened nipples, he rolled them between his fingers as I rocked his entire shaft inside me.
I was missing something, and he knew it.
Qran released my nipples and grabbed my ass cheeks, bucking as he ground his hips against mine.
I fell forward, my chest hitting his while my hardened nipples dragged against his soft, downy feathers, eliciting a sensation I had never felt before.
I couldn’t stop moaning as he plowed his hard cock into me, dragging my breasts along his chest.
My release began bubbling within me, tensing my pussy’s walls and gripping him tighter. I could feel his cock rub my most sensitive spot, making me claw at his chest.
Screaming, I climaxed, feeling a burst of energy shoot through my body.
Grabbing my ass harder, he rammed me faster and deeper, extending my blinding climax as he chased his own. The feeling was overwhelming, making it hard to breathe.
“B,” he moaned.
“Qran,” I gasped.
“Thank you.”
He yanked me down one more time and stilled.
I could feel his cock thicken, and then hot liquid burned me from within as his body spasmed beneath me.
Losing awareness of everything except the sensation of his arms around me, I snuggled into him. I lazily traced his soft, downy feathers until darkness took me.
Eight
Bryeca
Warmth radiated beneath me while something fuzzy tickled my nose.
Breathing in sharply turned out to be a mistake, as I sneezed loudly.
I jerked awake, and the warm body beneath me bolted upright.
“What happened?” Qran asked, grabbing my waist as he stared at me, confused. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I yawned. “Are you?”
He cocked his head to the side. His golden beak shimmered in the room’s simulated morning lighting.
It was about the size of a demi-human’s nose and possessed the same sensory capabilities. I thought the beak made him look handsome. I preferred it to my own nose; it was sturdier and harder to break.
“Did we really have sex last night?” he asked, sounding dazed.
“You’re in my bed, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but I want to make sure I’m not dreaming.” He combed my hair back with his talons. “That you are real.”
Tilting my head back, I closed my eyes, enjoying the stroking sensation. He knew I loved it when he pet my hair. His caresses felt as intimate as sex but sweeter.
“If you keep doing that, I may think I’m the one dreaming, Qran.”
He stilled, his hand pausing mid-comb. “I can’t have that.”
Snapping open my eyes, I glared at the teasing male.
His pale-green eyes were full of mirth as he laughed, filling the room with happy chimes. I hadn’t seen him laugh in a while.
I stared at him, stunned.
What had happened to the melancholy male from yesterday?
"Why are you so . . . happy?"
Releasing his hold on my hair, Qran laced his fingers at the back of his head and sent me the broadest smile I'd ever seen.
"It's been a dream of mine to wake up beside you," he said sheepishly. "Usually, we only get together in passing between missions, and we never have time to just wake up naturally. This was nice."
"Yes, it was."
Suddenly, my wristband chimed loudly. Only one person contacted me that way: Z.
Cursing, I leaned over Qran and grabbed the offending device, snapping it onto my wrist before activating the display.
Z's face appeared with a seemingly neutral expression, giving me no indication of why he had called.
Bringing my chin to my chest, I performed the best bow that I could manage while in bed.
He lifted an eyebrow. "Judging by Q’s recent proof of innocence and your state of undress, Q must be in your room."
"Underneath her, Sire," Qran replied.
"Qran!" I hissed, glaring at the male as I smacked his chest.
"What? I wasn't going to start my first day of freedom wrong by lying to my Sovereign."
Z smirked. "You two never change."
"On the contrary, Sire. I typically change—"
"Qran, not now," I hissed, feeling the heat of embarrassment creeping up my cheeks.
"What?" he replied, utterly oblivious to my flustered state. Or perhaps he knew what he was doing and hoped that I would take my irritation out on him later.
"I was going to brief you on Oeta's report and speak with you—alone—about your goals before I send you off on your next mission.”
"To find Selena? And maybe even Kaede, Sire?"
"Precisely, Agent Bryeca."
"Could you give me some time to freshen up and get presentable for you?"
His gaze flicked to the blue fuzz of Q's chest, and he sighed.
"Yes, Agent Bryeca. You have three hours to report back. Now that Qraniebi's innocence is proven, I no longer require you on Destima."
"Understood," I replied, bowing my head.
He nodded and disconnected. The Aldawi symbol welcomed me on my interface.
Snapping my wristband's screen down, I detached the device and tossed it onto my bed beside me.
Growling, I shoved the smirking male beneath me. "What was that for?"
He shrugged and looked away. "Z already knew about our relationship in the past, and I didn't see any harm in letting him know how well we get along now."
"I'll show you how well we get along when I drop your ishing frax off at the Quaww border. "
His pale-green eyes hardened. "You wouldn't dare."
"Is that a challenge?"
He pursed his lips, glaring at me. "No, but I believe your threat was uncalled for—"
"And I feel the same about you embarrassing me during my conversation with Z!"
"It won't happen again," he muttered, looking away. "At least, I will try not to let it happen again. We both know that Z likes to hail us without warning.”
“But that doesn’t mean that you should rub in the fact that we had sex!” I hissed and stood up, not caring about my nakedness.
“B, please don’t be this way,” he sighed. “You know I enjoy showing off, but I’m sorry that I did so in front of Z. I was just excited . . .”
“I know,” I muttered, entering my bathroom.
His cheerfulness was addicting, and I couldn’t fault him for his excitement.
The male went through life flirting and testing others’ boundaries. Qran and Z had a unique relationship, for Z understood his personality. After a few stressful days, it was natural for him to crack jokes and tease others, especially since we were both between missions at the moment.
Until we were assigned another job, we were free to do whatever we wanted—including each other—as long as we didn’t draw trouble or unwanted attention that could impede
future missions or harm Z’s image.
I caught a glance at my reflection in the mirror and cringed.
I couldn’t believe I had answered Z looking like a creature had decided to make the top of my head its new home.
Sighing, I opened a drawer and reached for my healing lotion, only to hesitate when I found bare space where the rest of my salves and ointments usually sat.
“Kaede,” I hissed. He was the only one who would steal my stuff without asking or replacing it. My sisters were aware of the importance of our medical equipment and how hard it was to resupply between missions.
I grabbed the cream Qran needed and slammed the drawer shut, whirling around only to smack into Qran’s chest.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I wanted to make sure you weren’t still angry with me, and whether there was anything I could do to fix . . . everything.”
I rolled the bottle in my hands, unsure how to continue.
Sighing, I pressed the lotion to his chest, leading him out of the room. We might as well talk through our relationship this morning so we could present a united front when I paged Z.
“Let’s get this conversation over with,” I sighed. “Go freshen up. I will meet you in your room when I’m ready to spread this healing lotion on your back. Hopefully, it will moisturize your skin and help coax your feathers into growing.”
Qran nodded. “Thank you, B.”
Why was I so nervous?
I was standing in front of his door, looking pathetically unsure of how to tell him about my sisters and my secret. He had just come back into my life, and I didn’t want to risk losing him again, especially if it could be forever.
Oeta had been right—I couldn’t avoid him forever. Did I want to continue along this path, holding Qran at a distance, afraid of pursuing our relationship any further?
I didn’t want to live in regret like my brother because I wasn’t brave enough to take a chance. Life wasn’t made of equations and outcomes. I could carefully plan out every aspect of every situation, but there would always be one unknown that I hadn’t expected.