Magnet

by Viola Grace

  Toyo nodded. “Beryl is going to run the numbers, but you put out a lot of power. Based on your initial readings, you should not have been able to contain that much power.”

  Polly blinked. “Oh.”

  Loesh put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back against him. She sought out the firm support of his chest and leaned back. Her squirrel hopped onto her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek.

  She reached up and stroked his soft fur. “Thanks, Gerald Junior.”

  The others looked at her as if she was dangerous, but Drovin nodded. “Right, we need to contact that research centre.”

  Polly looked into the dark eyes of her small companion and then over her shoulder at Loesh. “I think that might be a good idea.”

  The research centre was still recovering from the attack, but one of the researchers met with them and surreptitiously ran a scanner over Polly.

  She sighed and pointed to her buddy on her shoulder. “He is up here.”

  The scanner chirped wildly and the researcher whistled slowly. “Wait right here. This is amazing.”

  He left and she sat holding Loesh’s hand while she waited.

  Four men in the same uniform as the initial researcher piled into the office in a rush. They opened their eyes and scanned the room. One of them finally whispered, “Where is it?”

  Loesh laughed, “It is on her left shoulder and it can hear you.”

  The scanners came out again, and one of the men had the good sense to ask, “Guardian Polly, may we take a full bio scan of you?”

  “Sure, as long as Loesh can come along.”

  They got to their feet and the researchers cringed back as Loesh radiated alpha male all over the room. At least Polly didn’t need to worry about them making a move on her.

  Two hours later the results were in. Polly was fused to a coating of tiny machines designed to create energy. That was the reason for the alien attack; they had wanted the power tech that was now being held in a safe place across the globe.

  “So, how long will it take to get the nanites off me and I can be myself again without the imaginary squirrel in my eye line?” Polly sat at a table with Loesh on one side and Gerald perched next to her elbow.

  The researchers looked at each other with concern.

  Dr. Wilboss smiled helpfully. “You and the machines are bonded. They are running off your cells and you are absorbing them into your circulatory system as we speak. Soon, they will infiltrate your nervous system and you will, in effect, become a power source. The shape that the power takes is up to you.”

  Polly ran her hands through her hair. “What?”

  Loesh cleared his throat. “You and the machines are fused together. You can’t be separated because you are no longer what you were when you landed.”

  She blinked and stared at the researchers again. “What is the squirrel?”

  Dr. Wilboss smiled. “It is the interface. With practice, you will learn to communicate with the interface and it with you. That is the hope any way. Would you be willing to come in for weekly checks?”

  She looked to Loesh and he nodded.

  “Sure. I am guessing while I am still unstable that the Guardians won’t put me out on assignments.”

  Loesh shrugged. “It would depend on the situation, but for the next few days, I believe that you being grounded at the base would be recommended.”

  The four researchers nodded frantically.

  With a few com numbers and a plea to contact them if anything truly peculiar occurred, Polly stalked out of the research station with her superhero and her invisible squirrel. She needed a drink.

  Chapter Eight

  In the middle of the night, Polly sat up and flipped the covers off. Gerald was hopping around at the foot of her bed and trying to wake her up. He did a heckuva job. She wanted to swat him with something.

  She pulled on her robe and followed Gerald. He shimmered through her door, and she took the hint, tracking him down the hall.

  Polly paused outside Loesh’s door and watched Gerald flick in and out, through the door and back again to get her to go through.

  Steeling her nerves, she knocked.

  She counted thirty heartbeats before the door opened and Loesh stood there with his eyes sleepy and a sheet wrapped around his hips.

  She waited for him to say something, anything. He held out his hand, and when she slipped her fingers against his palm, he pulled her into his room and closed the door behind her.

  Gerald ran under his bed and that was enough of a clue for Polly; she did something she had wanted to do since she had caught her first look at Loesh. Polly stepped toward him, tugged his sheet away and slipped her robe off her shoulder and the arm that wasn’t still holding his hand.

  He traced his fingers over her breastbone and smiled.

  She knew the spots he was touching, and she guessed that W’lyn didn’t have freckles.

  Polly released his hand, dropped the last of her robe and she placed both of her hands on his chest. His heart was thudding steadily, and as she stroked her hands over his pecs and flicked his nipples with her thumbs, she felt it speed up.

  A glance up at him showed that his teeth had descended. Instead of sending fear tripping through her thoughts, she licked her lips and leaned up to kiss him.

  The moment their lips made contact, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her, carrying her to the bed and slowly tilting her until the firm surface braced her back and his body stroked her skin in the most delicious way.

  She lifted her right leg and wrapped it around his thigh, opening herself and pulling him against her. His cock slid up her inner thigh, and she arched against him, trying to slide him into her opening.

  He reached between them and stroked the lips of her sex, parting her and delving his long digits into her with quick dips.

  Her breathing became ragged as she moved to meet him with her hips. She moaned low as his thumb stroked her clit and sweat broke out on her body.

  Loesh moved his head and dragged his teeth down her neck, nibbling his way across the freckles on her chest, and he continued down until he was between her thighs.

  When his lips touched her wet heat, she felt him physically jerk against her. His teeth pressed against her outer lips and his tongue plunged into her with rapid flicks. She twisted, but he gripped her hips and held her still.

  Every stroke of his tongue turned into licks of flame until she felt the wave of heat flex, and she gasped, twitching and flailing in his grip. Her body was still shuddering as he moved up her body and fitted his cock into the position recently occupied by his mouth.

  He kissed her as he thrust deep; she tasted the tang of herself on his lips and reached up, holding tightly to him as he began to ride her hard and fast.

  She locked her legs behind his hips and her kisses took on a feral edge. She bit at his mouth and he growled, pulling her hands away from him to hold her down.

  Polly snarled, and she nipped at his jawline, working her way down his neck. His thrusts became faster, and she rocked with the rapid pounding she was receiving.

  The pressure wave came faster, and she yowled as it swept through her for a second time. There was no choice for her. She bit him. Every instinct she had wanted her to bite him.

  Loesh’s fangs sank into the join of her neck and shoulder, and he groaned long and low as his body shuddered into her.

  She felt the column of his cock jerk inside her in slow palpitations; her own body clasped and milked him in the same deliberate rhythm. She could taste his blood in her mouth and knew that he could do the same with hers. With effort, she unlocked her jaw and released the messy wound she had just created.

  Out of that same twisted instinct, she licked at the wound, and the torn skin closed slightly until the two hemispheres were etched as red lines under his grey skin.

  She licked her lips and leaned back with a heavy sigh. Loesh was on top of her, his teeth still in her s
kin. Moving wasn’t comfortable, but he moved when she did.

  The light from the moon and stars was the only illumination in the room. She twisted her wrists in Loesh’s grip and he grudgingly released her. She promptly stroked his hair, luxuriating in the long silken strands.

  He released her and licked the bite mark as she had. He raised his head and kissed her; she tasted her blood and he tasted his.

  With another groan, he rolled to his back, with her, still inside her.

  The first words were finally spoken, “If I had known you tasted like that, we would never have left the gym.”

  She blushed. “I have heard that W’lyn enjoy Terran blood.”

  “I wasn’t speaking of your blood.” He gave her a sly grin.

  She pressed her head against his chest to avoid his gaze.

  He laughed under her and she felt him move inside her. She thanked her forethought for having herself temporarily sterilized. Her life was weird enough without getting pregnant with an alien baby after she had been coated with nano machines. She didn’t even want to think about Gerald.

  He stroked his hands down her spine. “Why did you come to me tonight?”

  She looked up and smiled weakly. “I followed Gerald. He woke me up and I followed him here.”

  “Is he in here?”

  Polly nodded. “Thankfully, he hid under the bed.”

  As if she had summoned him, he popped up on the edge of the bed and scampered over to them. He crept up to her and ran up her shoulder, examining her bite mark. Polly looked at Loesh, and to her surprise, he was staring at Gerald.

  “Is he standing on your shoulder?” Loesh’s tone was strangled.

  “He is. Can you see him?”

  “He has red fur, a fluffy tail and black eyes.”

  Polly suddenly realised what had happened. “Oh no. I think he wanted another host.”

  “And I jumped at the chance.”

  She blinked and gave him a concerned look. “You might be able to have the nanites removed if you go to the research station right away.”

  “No.”

  She leaned up, and she felt his cock hardening inside her again. “What do you mean no?”

  “I mean you are not in this alone. Not now, not from this point onward.”

  Polly stared into his grey gaze. “We don’t know what it is going to do. We have no idea what the effects are.”

  “And we will now face the side effects together. Your body will alter into that of a W’lyn mate and I will get used to seeing Gerald.”

  “You seem very calm about this.”

  He caressed the curve of her hip with one hand. “As long as we are linked, I can deal with whatever it is that happens to us, and we are now linked for life.”

  Polly sighed. “At least the constant urge to get you naked should subside for a while.”

  Loesh seemed pleased. “Is that what those looks were? I thought you wanted to peel my skin off.”

  Laughter while penetrated was not a comfortable thing but she managed it. “That too.”

  “Speaking of skin, what are these?” He trailed a finger over her chest.

  “Freckles. Pigmentation common in someone with my particular hair colour.”

  “They are lovely. I wonder how they will translate during your transformation.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Why are you looking forward to that?”

  He chuckled. “When you adapt to being a W’lyn, your skills and mine will cross if Nanette and Rand are any indication. Your skin will be even more sensitive, your reflexes faster and you will have far more stamina.”

  “So, you took it easy on me tonight?”

  He grinned and shrugged. “I wouldn’t say so, but—”

  She started to ride him slowly, her hands on his belly stroking upward and her nails scratching lightly on the down stroke. She repeated it and his eyes closed, his head thrown back as she clenched herself around him.

  Polly watched Gerald making a run for safety, and she smiled as she worked herself up and down with slow deliberation. Her hips rocked, she twisted against him when he bottomed out inside her and then she rose again.

  She moved faster on him, her skin glowing with sweat. The moon rose in the sky and she continued to rock and ride.

  Her orgasm built slowly, but when it came, she arched back, her hands on his belly, and she gasped for air while her body clenched and released him in a hard beat.

  As soon as she relaxed and slumped forward, Loesh moved. He lifted her off him, turned her on her belly and he drove into her from behind, his chest stroking her back with every thrust.

  Polly held the sheets under her and tried to push back, but she had no leverage in that position. She gasped when he put a hand under her and stroked her clit. The squeak that came out of her throat arrived with the shivering tension that had her twitching with the subtlety of an electrocution.

  Loesh roared and thrust into her, his hips driving her up the bed until she stopped her progress with clawed fingers tearing the bedding.

  His hips bucked and, finally, he pressed deep, shuddering as he came. When his cock stopped twitching, he withdrew from her and dropped to one side, cuddling her against him. “All right, you may have me beat on the stamina front.”

  She chuckled, and Gerald returned the moment that Loesh retrieved the sheet she had dropped on the floor and covered them both.

  The sticky trail of semen that coursed out of her sent her to the lav for a minute or two until she was confident that she wouldn’t roll over and wake up with the icy touch of sexual fluids on her thighs.

  Daylight was beginning to peek through the windows when she crawled back into bed with Loesh. He cuddled her against him and inhaled deeply against her neck.

  “Maybe I should go back to my bed. I don’t want to interfere with your sleep. You are still on duty tomorrow.”

  He chuckled. “Not after I tell them that I am seeing Gerald. We will both be off duty unless they are desperate.”

  Polly sighed and placed her arm on his around her waist. “So romantic. Who thought a psych leave would work as a honeymoon?”

  He nipped her shoulder. “Be still and sleep. You are going to be physically taxed during adaptation, and the next few days will be hard for you. You need to rest.”

  She snickered. “You should have thought about that two hours ago.”

  With one final squeeze, he slowed his breathing into sleep.

  Polly winked at Gerald, and he curled into a small ball on the pillow next to her. This was it. She was one of an odd trio, and she wished she could be a little more upset about it. As she dozed off, she wondered what shade she would end up. She liked Nanette’s colouration, but she didn’t know if she could pull it off.

  Chapter Nine

  Breakfast was amusing as hell.

  Beryl looked at her for the ninth time. “You seem…how did that happen?”

  Loesh snickered and filled Polly’s teacup.

  Polly grinned. “I am guessing that it is the same machines that act as the power system. They were busy while I slept.”

  She held out her hand and admired the pale pearl skin that had silvery freckles. She had adapted rather quickly.

  Toyo asked her, “Do you feel well enough to go on missions if called upon?”

  She looked to Loesh and nodded. “As long as Gerald looks calm, I am pretty sure that everything is going well. If he gets rabid or anything, Loesh or I will let you know.”

  They all stared at Loesh.

  Toyo asked, “You can see it?”

  Loesh nodded. “I can. He is rather cute and his appearance is distinctive. I can see how he would have gotten Polly’s attention.”

  Drovin looked around, “Where is he now?”

  Polly worked on her fruit salad. “On Loesh’s right shoulder.”

  Wren was staring with wide eyes and then squinting. “Even through Drovin’s link with Loesh, I can’t see it.�
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  Drovin paled, “I didn’t know you knew about that.”

  His wife snorted. “I figured it out in a week.”

  Polly cocked her head at Loesh. “Mental link with your brother?”

  Loesh coloured slightly. “Yes, we use it when necessary.”

  Wren snorted, “Like getting information on Terrans from me to feed to your brother in the middle of the night.”

  Loesh smiled sheepishly. “It helped tremendously, thank you.”

  Polly laughed; there was nothing else to do. Loesh was in her body and her fate was as linked to his as his was to her.

  She reached out and squeezed his hand. He was right. She could feel so much more now. Every ridge, callus and scar on his hands was now part of her mental landscape. She looked forward to going over every inch of him and learning him with the senses she had inherited.

  He was going to have a much harder time with her magnetism. It hadn’t manifested yet, but she was looking forward to it. He wouldn’t enjoy it; it would mean being grounded until he got it under control.

  As he finished his breakfast, she watched the quivering of the cutlery and she sighed. It was going to happen fast.

  Polly smiled at Toyo. “I am fine for assignments, but Loesh is going to need to be grounded until he gets a grip on the manifestation of my talent.”

  Loesh blinked. “What?”

  “You are going to be a hazard to electronics until you manage to get your focus right. When you start emanating a magnetic field, you are going to be a hazard to navigation as well.” She patted his thigh.

  “Can’t you train me?”

  “Of course I can, but if they need help, I will go and you can stay here until you manage to tie knots in wire and then untie them and walk through a path of iron filings without attracting any of them.”

  He frowned. “That isn’t...”

  “What? Fair? This is life and death for those around you. Be glad that it isn’t catching you by surprise. You will know what is happening. That was a luxury that I didn’t actually have.”

  Wren smirked and Beryl sighed and rubbed her hand over her belly. She froze in place and her eyes went wide. Polly seemed to be the only person who was looking directly at her.