Moonbeams and magic

by Taylor, Janelle

  "You can't imagine how scared I was about coming here to expose the truth to you. I don't know what I would have done if I'd been wrong about you." She laughed and jested, "I would have been forced to take you captive, transport you to my ship, and hold you prisoner there. Naturally you would have been compelled to relent to my every whim." Her eyes brightened with radiant passion.

  He cupped her face between his hands and noted the seductive gleam in her merry gaze. His responsive body flamed with desire. "With you as my captor, I would have made an excellent and obedient love slave."

  "Would have made?" she echoed and nibbled on his cleft chin.

  Dagan lifted her right hand and placed suckling kisses on each fingertip. He pressed its back to his lips for it to be covered; then swirled his tongue in her palm. His mouth trekked over her wrist, along her arm, past her shoulder, up her neck, and teased at her earlobe.

  Starla swayed against him and coaxed him to continue

  his sensuous course of action. Her fingers grazed his broad shoulders, the cords in his neck, and the bulges in his arms. His skin was cool to her touch, soft and supple flesh encased by a rock-hard and strong frame. She closed her eyes and let her senses absorb every enthralling facet of him. She meshed her lips to his and clung to him.

  Many times Dagan's tongue delved her mouth and savored her honeyed taste. His loins throbbed with an intense need to join with hers, but he didn't want to rush this heady reunion. His shaky hands untangled the tie at her waist and removed the one-piece garment and cast it aside. They wriggled down her panties, exposing her every charm to his adoring gaze. He took off her sandals, then stood before her. He paused only a moment to allow her to peel off his stretchy shirt before he brought their bare torsos into staggering contact. His mouth dropped kisses on her neck as it journeyed to one creamy breast to nibble there teasingly until his mouth fastened to the point and suckled it to taut attention.

  Starla's hands roved his neck and stroked his black hair. Her insides quivered with anticipation and her body warmed with pleasure. She craved every sensation he evoked and enjoyed every emotion she experienced. She adored everything about him. Her senses were alive, yet, dazed. She was delighted, yet, tormented. Pralu, she loved him!

  "If we don't lie down soon, Dagan, I'm going to melt into the floor," she gasped. "My legs are so weak and shaky I can hardly stand."

  He chuckled and said, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way."

  Dagan halted his loving siege to remove the rest of his garments and to relocate them to the sleeper. His provocative hand inched down her body and teased over her sleek thighs with sweeping and tantalizing strokes. He summoned everything he knew about lovemaking to give her supreme

  gratification. His mouth and hands explored her, evoking another hunger as soon as he fed the previous one.

  Her stomach grew taut as his hands sought and found her secret haven and bUssfully invaded it. She burned and yearned, using words and movements to plead for his deft caresses to continue. She reveled in the way his hands and lips made her feel wild and greedy. She relaxed and tensed simultaneously. His searing kisses and artful caresses sent all remnants of distracting reality fleeing. His adroit hand was clever and persistent as it pervaded her delicate folds, pulsing nub, and moist receptacle. Her hand captured his rigid manhood and stroked it imaginatively from tip to base. The friction created enticed him to groan and squirm in need.

  At her fervid encouragement, Dagan positioned himself between her thighs and entered her with one vital thrust. She was more beautiful than Kimon, the mythical Goddess of Love and Beauty. Her skin was as soft as majee, an expensive and luxurious material. Her taste was sweeter than corvie, an exotic and rare fruit. How he loved her!

  Starla kneaded his firm buttocks. She lapped her ankles over his calves and held him in a snug grip. That marvelous tension was building within her womanhood. Sheer rapture washed over her from head to feet and she felt weightless in space, almost spinning out of control. Never had she loved anyone more than this man. Never had she wanted anything more than she wanted this magnificent Kalfan. She surrendered totally to him and to the splendor of their new beginning, the sealing of their bond.

  As her hands roved the rippling muscles of his back and he penetrated her over and over, she played havoc with his control, boldly and seductively threatening to steal it. As he entered her, she moved to receive him. As he retreated, she moaned at his loss and her uplifted hips quested for him. He was driven wild by the way her tongue danced Vv^ith his and she rubbed her bosom against his chest, her nipples as

  hot as two tiny suns scorching his flesh. "Starla, my love, you're driving me wild," he warned in fiery delight, "shoving me dangerously close to the edge. Kahala, this is amazing."

  Starla moaned and thrashed as she climbed the beckoning spiral upward. "Take me, Dagan, my beloved, now," she begged.

  He increased his lunging pace to a gentle savageness, his need and love for her so great and her responses so urgent he could barely restrain his ardor and prevent his release. "I love you, Starla. You're mine; at last you're truly mine, and I belong only to you."

  His words and actions sent Starla falling over the crest of victory. Her cry of release was muffled by his mouth as she raided that delicious recess for countless kisses as ecstasy burst into full bloom.

  Dagan's body shuddered from the force of a gigantic climax just as hers was ebbing. He labored with loving tenderness and waning stamina until their spasms ceased and they were slaked. Afterward, he could hardly catch his breath, and he noticed hers, too, was labored. He gazed into her flushed and damp face and saw wet strands of hair clinging to her forehead. He realized it was more than the glow of sated passion or the results of feverish exertions assailing them. The chamber was stuffy, oppressive, sultry. He was relieved they hadn't lost consciousness before he noticed the problem and resolved it. "Computer, reactivate the environmental control functions; bring them to normal as fast as possible. Sorry, my love," he said to Starla, "but in the excitement, I forgot about my previous order for the computer to shut them down in an hora unless I canceled it."

  They took gulps of fresh and revitalizing air as it was sent flowing into the room. They relaxed as their bodies cooled and they reveled in the serene aftermath of the lofty experience.

  "Pmlu, Dagan, I thought you had shown me all of your skills but I was wrong. Your prowess is unlimited." She nestled against him in supreme contentment.

  Their ardent lovemaking had surpassed all other encounters, and they knew it was because there were no secrets or hesitations or fears this time, only total surrender and complete trust. Their faith in each other was complete. Soon, they would make plans. For now, they relaxed and savored their commitment, and napped peacefully. They were blissfully unaware of what was happening beyond his chamber.

  ^Lxtssn

  The next morning, the slumbering couple was awakened by a commimication from their joint target.

  The Kalfan left the cozy embrace of his lover with reluctance to respond to a signal from the telecom. He sat down and, to conceal the lower half of his naked body, slid the seata forward until his waist touched the table holding the unit, then pressed the initiation button. "Latu here."

  "I wanted to know how you are doing this deega."

  "Fine, I'm with Yana," he said, and grinned roguishly at the fiendal whose image he viewed on the two-way visual system. Dagan knew his hair was mussed, his chest was bare, and his eyes revealed he'd just awakened; his condition would evoke an advantageous assumption on the part of the villite leader. The Icarian would presume he had mentioned the female's presence to prevent Tochar from talking about Starla in Yana's presence and hopeftilly would presume that if he truly loved Starla and was aching over her betrayal, he would not be having sex with another female this soon. "Do you need me to dress and carry out a task?" he asked.

  "That is unnecessary. Relax and enjoy yourself until tomorrow."

  "Thanks, but if you need
me for anything, I'll come immediately."

  "Everything is under control, Dagan, so do not worry."

  "Have you resolved your annoying problem?" Dagan asked, deciding it would be suspicious if he didn't make a

  query about Starla and thinking himself clever to dupe To-char by the way he worded it for alleged privacy.

  "No, but I expect it to be eradicated soon. My men are working on it. I will inform you when that matter has been handled. Tochar out."

  "Latu out." He pressed the termination button and chuckled.

  "What is amusing?" Starla asked. "He's trying to hunt me down to slay me. Are you eager to be rid of me so soon?" she jested.

  Dagan joined her on the sleeper and cuddled her in his embrace. "Never will I tire of you, my love, and Tochar will never find you or harm you. Perhaps I forgot to tell you," he said amidst nibbles on her neck, "I am possessive and protective of my most precious treasure."

  Starla laughed at the ticklish sensations. "You did, my handsome space pirate, but I'm happy to hear it belatedly; and so am I."

  He rolled to his back, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I'm the luckiest and happiest man alive now that I have you."

  Starla laid her head on his chest and listened to his heart beat faster as she said, "And I am the luckiest and happiest woman alive to have you."

  Dagan stroked her tousled hair and basked in the splendor of their love for a while. Later, he said, "We have a long and serious talk ahead of us, so why don't I get us some food from Radu before we begin? I have nothing here to prepare and, yes, I know how to survive under primitive conditions. We missed our evening meal and I'm ravenous. How about you?"

  "Almost famished with hunger, and this time not for you," she ceased.

  "After we eat and talk, my ravishing treat, I'll see what I can do about your lagging appetite in that area."

  "Sounds perfect to me. Now, perhaps we should habitate

  in Yana's dwelling where Cypher-T can send us food from my servo unit. That way we won't have to starve or go out for food."

  "What I want is for you to remain aboard your cloaked ship and out of harm's reach, but," he added when she started to protest, "we'll discuss that later. I'll return soon." He left her side, took a quick shower, dressed, and left his chamber.

  Starla retrieved her neck ring and spoke close to the center gem with a transmitter inside. "I was right. Cypher; he is a man worthy of trust and worthy of loving. I'll contact you when I am ready to transport to the ship to make my report to Thaine. First, Dagan and I must talk about us and our mission; we have much to learn about each other and many plans to make. Prepare him a disguised device for communicating with us aboard the Liska when we are separated; he must have a way to request a rescue from us if peril strikes. I love him and need him, my fiiend, so help me protect him, which will also safeguard our mission. Starla out."

  Energized by glorious love and victory and stimulated by suspenseful anticipation about teaming up with Dagan to defeat the UFG's worst enemy, Starla left the sleeper to bathe in a primitive shower which used running water and a bar of soap, unlike the automated cleansing unit aboard her ship and everywhere in her advanced world. She used an extra toothbrush and paste from a tube to refresh her mouth since she lacked a bottle of self-cleansing liquid. After she dried off, she donned her garments and neck ring and brushed her hair. She touched the pouch suspended from her belt to make certain she had another phial of transmutation chemical if needed. She decided she should contact Cypher and tell him to transport a container down with extra clothes, grooming aides, and another set of phials— the shapeshifting agent and its counteragent. But she didn't

  have time to carry out that task because Dagan returned with their food, and they sat down to eat.

  After they finished their meal and when Dagan asked Starla to tell him everything about her, she knew it was unnecessary to explain that the Maffei Galaxy was comprised of thirteen planets and numerous planetoids and was ruled by a Supreme Council of three men: their ruler—^the Kadim —and two other members, men who were all-powerful and who made their laws. An Alliance Assembly of sixteen men—the Supreme Council and thirteen Avatars, planetary leaders—carried out those laws. On each planet, several Zartiffs governed appointed regions. Their highest form of military was Star Fleet, based on the capital planet of Rigel, and accountable to the Assembly, as were the ground units in the Alliance Force. The Elite Squad, a unit of specialists of which she was a member, answered only to the Supreme Council and worked under the leadership of Thaine Sanger, who also was in command of Star Fleet. The majority of their most powerful weapons, drugs, and chemicals were creations of and produced by Trilabs, an inaccessible complex on the planetoid of Darkar which orbited Caguas: one of the prizes Tochar craved. Those were facts he already knew as an I-GAF agent, powerful men who roamed the five allied galaxies.

  Just as she knew, the Kalfa Galaxy consisted of ten planets and many planetoids; Gavas was their capital and On-possessed moonbeam mines. Their galactic ruler was the Autorie; their space force was a unit of rangers called Sekis. As with her world, Kalfa had planetary and regional leaders.

  "Tell me everything about yourself, my love," Dagan stressed with great interest as he settled himself on the seata to listen and observe.

  "My name is Bree-Kayah Saar and I'm often called Bree by my family and close friends. As IVe told you before,

  I'm twenty-two yings old. I'm sixty-nine hapaxs tall and I weigh one-thirty pedis. You can see that my hair is brown and my eyes are green. I'm the youngest child of Varian and Jana Saar; both are retired and live on our family's private planetoid Altair which orbits Rigel. I have a twin brother and sister, forty-eight yings old." She laughed and said, "I was a late and most unexpected baby, so it was a good thing Maffei no longer practiced birth and population control, as it once did."

  She returned to where she left off before her humorous inclusions, "Galen is on the Supreme Council and is mated to Rayna who helps my sister run the research labs on Altair; they have three children, a boy and twin girls. My sister is bonded to Jason; he's in charge of Star Base Security on Rigel; he's a full-blooded Earthling like my mother. Amaya is a retired Elite Squad member; they have two children—^twins. My mother is a renowned scientist; she's retired but still dabbles in research. She's a wonderful, strong, generous, beautiful woman who's done many important things for our world, including saving our people when a lethal alien virus attacked there before my birth. So has my father," Starla admitted without boasting.

  Dagan saw her eyes glow with love, pride, and respect and her stirring words caused him to miss and grieve over his lost parents and siblings.

  "Father was a Star Fleet commander with his own star-ship for many yings. Later, he served as the Supreme Commander of Star Fleet, the Alliance Force, and Elite Squad—and was an ex-member of that unit. He saved our world several times from intergalactic threats before the Tri-Galaxy or United Federation of Galaxies were created. He is a unique and special man. I am proud to be his daughter and to follow in his footsteps."

  As she sipped a drink, Dagan remarked, "Your greatgrandfather was a past Kadim, a legendary ruler. I have read and heard much about him. I am curious: How did

  your parents meet, since she is from the distant Milky Way Galaxy and we have no contact with them?"

  Starla knew well the story of how her mother had been captured from her planet and brought to Maffei long ago to become a charl, a captive mate for reproductive purposes when most Maffeian females were sterile, a practice her parents helped eliminate. Her parents had fallen in love at first sight, but her father had been unable to bond with Jana Greyson for many reasons. That part of their story could remain withheld until after Dagan got to know them, so it would not affect his opinion of her father, a man entrapped by a cruel destiny which was altered later. "After my mother came to Maffei, she was tricked into uniting with Ryker Triloni, my father's half-brother, grandson of the past ruler of the Androas Galax
y, and a matchless genius in science. After his accidental death, she inherited Trilabs; she felt it was too powerful and important for one person to own and control so she turned it over to our government and bonded with my father. My father was and is her only love; they taught me what true love is and that is why I waited for the right man to enter my life."

  After she smiled and kissed his cheek, she continued. "My superior is Supreme Commander Thaine Sanger; he's also my brother's best friend since childhood, as were our fathers since their childhood and while serving in Star Fleet together. I went through training fast because my family had taught me so much before I entered the academy. After I scored high in all areas, I was assigned to the Elite Squad. I've been a member for two yings and carried out several missions. Since the Squad works in secret and my face wasn't known outside our galaxy, Raz Yakir and Thaine selected me for this mission; they assumed a female agent would be less suspicious than a male. Raz Yakir is the one who supplied the transmutation phials, my Starla Vedris record, and my means of making contact with Tochar. The crew of that pursuit craft were advanced androids that were pro-

  grammed to look, act, and talk as if they were humans so Tochar would believe I possessed a dark heart and violent nature like him and his men."