“I’ve said almost everything I came to say,” Night Hunter said. He raised his glass of ale and downed it. “I must warn you, though. I have eyes and ears all over the settlements and they tell me many of the older establishments, this one included, are catering to a less desirable clientele of late. It would be unfortunate if any of your human friends found their way into the wrong neighborhood after dark. Or, while the suns are up, for that matter.” He headed for the door and motioned for his men to follow him.
As Night Hunter and his men left the tavern, the feline who held Teacher down released him.
“That was a pleasant encounter,” Eagle Chaser said. “Thank you men for not minding that we stayed out of it.”
The feline who had been keeping Teacher in his chair spoke. “Night Hunter and his followers know better than to start anything openly, but you should heed his warning. His men will have no second thoughts about attacking when they sport superior numbers.” He looked directly at Russo and when he did, it was as if he had seen a ghost. “I’m sorry, Major, but it’s especially important for you to have an escort when you leave here tonight. Of course you probably shouldn’t leave right away. You should have a few more ales with us. By that time the separatists will have either found surrogates to consort with or made their way back into the hills.”
The feline’s intent gaze made the out of place Russo even more uncomfortable. “Was there something else,” she asked him.
“I’m terribly sorry,” the feline said when he realized he’d been staring. “I was lost in thought. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is He Who Can Touch the Sun.” He held his hand out for the members of the group to shake. “I prefer to go by the tail of my old serial, though. You may call me Bravo.” He pointed to the pair of felines with him. “These two ugly sons of bitches are Charlie and Tango.”
Chapter 58
Russo and Morning Grass talked and giggled as they walked toward the dwelling Morning Grass once shared with Teacher. Teacher quietly walked ahead of them.
Between giggles Russo looked ahead and saw that Teacher was fuming. She asked Morning Grass, “Will he be alright?”
Morning Grass fought to keep from giggling as she answered. “He’ll be fine. I think he’s more upset about my not wanting to solicit a surrogate than he is about the run in with the separatists.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Russo answered. “I should just sleep at the hospital or go to the shuttle. I didn’t want to spoil his homecoming. I’m sure it makes it worse that his friends found sex partners.”
“Nonsense, Dawn Marie. He isn’t returning to base for another three days. We have plenty of time to find a third. I wasn’t intending to consort this evening, anyway.”
“I don’t want to be in the way,” Russo pointed out. “It’s your first night together in months. You should spend it alone with him.”
“I’ll spend some private time with him later on. The mood he’s in tonight won’t be conducive to conversation, anyway.”
“Conversation,” Russo asked. “Is that what felines call it?” She giggled incredulously.
Morning Grass flashed Russo a puzzled glance. “Is that what felines call what?”
Russo fought to quiet her giggling so her response wouldn’t sound patronizing. “You’re kidding me, aren’t you?”
A light went on in Morning Grass’ head. “Oh.” She probably would have started giggling herself if the matter wasn’t such an issue for felines. “Male and female felines almost never have sex outside of a liaison with a surrogate. Teacher and I rarely have. We show our affection in other ways.”
“I know there’s a logistical problem with the genitalia,” Russo said. Her medical training pushed the girl talk out of her slightly drunken head when she thought the conversation had turned serious. “But, there are other ways to have sex.”
“Ew,” Morning Grass said, with an upturned nose. “Human females actually do those things? How unbecoming. I thought all that talk was myth.”
Russo stopped dead in her tracks and doubled over with laughter. She grabbed Morning Grass’ hand so the feline wouldn’t get too far ahead before she could recover.
Morning Grass kept her composure. “Human males must not be very concerned with hygiene, either. I’m afraid to allow my stinger anywhere near either of those places.”
Russo was convulsing so hard by that time she could barely speak “Maybe so,” she said between gasps for air, “but, surely you must have allowed Teacher to sting you in both places, haven’t you? Once or twice, anyway.”
“Only if I’ve been drinking heavily,” Morning Grass replied, “and, he shows up with an expensive gift.”
“How practical of you,” Russo quipped as Morning Grass joined her in the raucous laughter.
When the pair looked up, Teacher was nearly one hundred meters ahead of them and had not slowed for them to keep up.
“He’s really pissed off,” Russo remarked.
“He’ll get over it,” Morning Grass assured her. “He’d better do it soon, too. He’s starting to piss me off, as well.”
The two walked faster to catch up.
“I still feel as if I’m intruding,” Russo said. “I’ll be safe in the shuttle. Nobody would be able to break in on me.”
“Even so, It wouldn’t be safe for you to walk there alone,” Morning Grass protested. “The separatists weren’t just talking back there. Even if Teacher and I escorted you, they wouldn’t have any second thoughts about attacking.”
“But—”
“I won’t let you, Dawn Marie, and neither will Teacher. I told you his being such an asshole right now has nothing to do with you.”
At the sound of the word ‘asshole’, Morning Grass and Russo started giggling hysterically once more. They managed to calm their laughter by the time they reached the dwelling.
Upon their arrival they found the entry door unlatched and Teacher already inside. He gruffly ordered Morning Grass to remain outside with Russo until he could inspect the interior for unwanted intruders. Once he had looked around, he returned to the door and motioned for the pair to join him inside. “The lights aren’t working. You two should have a seat while I go out and check the feed to the cold-fusion unit.”
As soon as Teacher stepped out, Morning Grass said, “Let’s go straighten up the bed.” She grabbed Russo by the hand and led her to the bedroom. On her way she unfastened every part of her uniform and deftly discarded everything but her undergarments.
Morning Grass asked Russo to open the windows while she pulled the dusty pillows and blanket from the bed and flipped the mat over. She searched her storage closet for another blanket, but found only a set of sheets.
“This will have to do,” she told Russo as the lights came on. She handed Russo one sheet and threw the other over the mat. She tucked it under and then went on a hunt around the disheveled room for an extra pillow. Once she found one, she also handed it to Russo and collapsed on the mat.
Russo turned to leave the room.
“Where are you going,” Morning Grass asked. The Zunnuki ale overpowered her once more and she started giggling again. “You don’t have to pee, do you?”
“I was going to the front room,” Russo said.
“And sleep on the floor,” Morning Grass asked. “Don’t be silly. Come lay down. This bed is big enough for all three of us.”
“I don’t know,” Russo said.
Still giggling, Morning Grass sat up, grasped Russo by the sleeve and fell back.
Russo tumbled with her and started giggling herself. “Let me take off my uniform, damn it.”
The giggles turned to laughter as the intoxicated Russo struggled while lying down to remove her own uniform. The inebriated Morning Grass cheered each time Russo successfully freed herself from a garment and tossed it from the bed into the middle of the messy floor.
By the time Russo was down to her underwear she was physically exhausted. She lay flat on her back next to Morning Grass and stared up
at the ceiling.
“I wonder where Teacher is,” Morning Grass asked, somewhat rhetorically. “I hope he didn’t get lost.”
Russo smiled at the remark, but was too tired to laugh so she didn’t giggle when Morning Grass did.
“So, you two have been together for your whole life,” Russo asked. She knew the answer. She was only making conversation.
“For as long as I can remember, anyway,” Morning Grass replied. She laughed at the irony of her response, but Russo wasn’t amused.
Just then the light in the main room of the dwelling came on. Teacher appeared at the bedroom door and unceremoniously stripped down to his boxers.
Russo tried her damnedest not to stare.
“Teacher, would you mind turning on the radiant heat,” Morning Grass asked. “We opened the windows because the air was stale in here and now it’s chilly.”
Teacher gave Morning Grass a begrudging nod and went into the front room. Russo and Morning Grass watched him flip the switch and then curse loudly when the unit didn’t work.
“He’s so sexy when he’s angry,” Morning Grass said. The remark started the two giggling anew.
“He certainly is,” Russo blurted out before she could stop herself. Her inability to control her enthusiasm caused both women to blush and their giggles escalated to full belly laughs.
As Russo lay there laughing with Morning Grass, her attention was drawn to a fragrance. This wasn’t the first time she had noticed it. It had been with her and the two felines the whole evening, but it had only become impossible to ignore the moment she fell into bed. With each breath Russo felt warmer.
The bout of laughter was almost over when Russo realized her eyes had been glued to Teacher the whole time he spent fidgeting with the heating unit. She felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her along with a feeling of being watched. She looked over at Morning Grass who was staring back at her with a smile on her face.
Teacher cursed once more at the heating unit, stood and walked to the entry door. “I think I know why it won’t work,” he said and slammed the door shut after stepping outside.
“I don’t mind you staring,” Morning Grass said. She tried to allay Russo’s embarrassment. “He is very attractive, isn’t he?”
Russo was still mortified at revealing the depth of her interest. “I should go,” she said. She began to tremble. “I… I… I just need to go.”
“Nonsense, Dawn Marie. Don’t be silly. I’m not offended. Please don’t be upset.” Morning Grass bent down and kissed Russo on the cheek.
When Morning Grass bent down to give her the kiss, the pleasant scent that had been at the edge of Russo’s perception the whole evening hit her full on. She reflexively gasped and her face began to flush.
A familiar, pleasant warmth rushed over Russo and when it did her eyes turned to search for Teacher even though she knew Morning Grass was watching her. She burned with longing. If Teacher had been close by, Russo would not have been able to resist the desire to reach for him. She couldn’t deny she was fully aroused.
“Feline pheromones.” Russo’s dread of death by embarrassment turned into a fear for her safety in a split second. She prayed that her reaction to Morning Grass’ scent wasn’t proof positive the feline was in estrus and would soon be overcome with her own desire. “I have to get out before I decide I don’t want to.”
Visions of the passion scars Russo had seen on Morning Grass and numerous other felines leapt into her conscious mind. The visions frightened her beyond her ability to keep her composure. “I shouldn’t be here.”
Morning Grass looked at the startled Russo and asked, “What has you so frightened, Dawn Marie? You aren’t making sense. I told you I’m not angry with you. I’ve always known you were attracted to Teacher. He’s always gotten the lion’s share of attention from females; feline, surrogate and human. I’m used to it. I’m not angry with you and I could never be.”
Morning Grass brushed Russo’s curly bangs away from her eyes and kissed the frightened human on the forehead.
Russo sat straight up and yelled, “I need to go. Now.”
“I want you to stay. Teacher wants you to stay.”
“No, Morning Grass, you don’t understand. I really can’t be here right now. Where are my clothes? I need to get out of here.”
Russo scanned the room several times for her uniform and she got increasingly agitated each time she failed to distinguish her garments from the rest of the items on the floor of the ransacked bedroom.
“Please, Dawn Marie,” Morning Grass said. “It’s alright. You don’t have to leave.”
Russo spotted a familiar piece of clothing and climbed over Morning Grass in her attempt to reach it. When she was halfway off the bed and straddling the feline, she was surprised to find herself sitting upon Morning Grass’ erect ovipositor. Before she could climb off the bed, two very strong hands grasped her hips.
“Please stay, Dawn Marie. It’s not safe for you to wander around out there in the dark.” As Morning Grass spoke, her grip on Russo’s hips tightened.
“Let me go, Morning Grass. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be here.”
“I want you to stay.” Morning Grass closed her eyes and ground herself against the frightened Russo.
“No, Morning Grass. This isn’t right. I’m not okay with this. I think you may be confused about my feelings, and maybe even your own.”
“Are you telling me you don’t find Teacher desirable after all?” Morning Grass’ voice took on a dreamy, distant quality. “I know better. You’ve been fawning over him for as long as I’ve known you. It’s no surprise. He’s magnificent. I’m on fire for him right now.”
Russo became more panicky as she felt Morning Grass’ feline claws start to dig into the flesh of her hips. She tried once more to climb off, but the feline refused to release her.
“You’re hurting me,” Russo said. Her eyes dampened and her voice broke. The mist in her eyes became fearful tears as Morning Grass began to grind against her more roughly.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to hurt you.” Morning Grass’ eyes were glazed over and she seemed to be possessed. “I would never hurt you on purpose. You mean so much to me.”
“I know you would never intentionally hurt me, but you’ve been drinking and you aren’t quite yourself. Let me go now and we’ll forget all about it. I know if you weren’t drunk, you would realize I don’t want this and you’re frightening me.”
“What is there to be afraid of?” Morning Grass released Russo with her right hand just long enough to free her ovipositor from the undergarment she was wearing.
Russo took the chance to try another escape. She gasped in pain when the claws on Morning Grass’ left hand extended fully and dug completely into the soft flesh of her right hip and buttock.
“Please stop, Morning Grass,” Russo yelled out loud. She felt the feline’s ovipositor working its way into her loose undershorts and lost the last of her composure. “No, Morning Grass. Let me go.” Russo fought the insistent feline with all her might. “This isn’t how things are supposed to be between us. I’m not a surrogate. I’m not even feline.”
“Don’t worry. Teacher will join us in a moment,” Morning Grass said. Her breathing was rapid and there was a glow of perspiration on her skin. “I want to share him with you.”
Russo rose as far as she could and came back down with a fierce backhand to Morning Grass’ face. The slap did nothing to wake Morning Grass from her daze and her struggling caused the feline to instinctively bury her claws deeper into Russo’s flesh.
“I said I want you to stay here,” Morning Grass growled in a deep voice that made her sound as if she were possessed. She shredded Russo’s undergarments with her claws and continued to hold the struggling human firmly against her.
Russo became light-headed with shock upon feeling the ovipositor make its way inside her body. She fell forward onto Morning Grass’ chest. As she breathed in the scent of the perspiration that
beaded between the feline’s breasts, her desire to resist waned but didn’t disappear completely.
Russo’s whole body began to tingle with pleasure, but she kept fighting the building desire to return Morning Grass’ thrusts.
Russo lay there motionless for an indeterminate amount of time before she felt Morning Grass finally stiffen and swell inside her until she thought she would burst. Morning Grass then moaned deeply and shook until she was exhausted.
Russo listened to Morning Grass’ heart pound. She noticed a strange fullness in her abdomen as Morning Grass’ pulsing ovipositor began to wither and retreat. The sharp pain in both hips turned instantly to a burning soreness as the feline’s claws retracted and her hands fell away.
Thoughts of making a quick escape from the spent Morning Grass popped into Russo’s head but, before she could climb off, she felt the heat of another powerful body above her. “I forgot about Teacher.”
Teacher pinned Russo between himself and Morning Grass. He sought to enter her even before Morning Grass had fully retreated.
Russo resisted Teacher’s attempts to penetrate her. She felt the full weight of Teacher’s body and feared he would suffocate her.
Teacher passionately kissed Morning Grass and she wrapped her arms around him. Morning Grass then fell to sleep and her arms dropped to her sides.
When he saw Morning Grass was no longer awake, Teacher lifted himself and bent down to place his lips on Russo’s neck. “I have often wondered about your feelings,” he whispered.
“This isn’t what it looks like,” Russo said.
Teacher didn’t listen and continued with his attempt to take Russo from behind.
“Stop, Teacher,” Russo demanded. “Get off me.” She was afraid Teacher would protest, but he didn’t.
“I think I understand, completely,” Teacher said as he quickly rolled over onto his back and fretted while Russo climbed from the unconscious Morning Grass.
War Orphans (The Terra Nova Chronicles) Page 26