“Oh!” she moaned as Karn pulled back at last. For a moment, the tingling between her legs had stopped—it was as though that tiny touch of his tongue had made her feel better, just the way his seed coating her inner folds had helped earlier.
“Gods, so sensitive,” he growled softly, looking up at her. “No wonder you don’t like toys, little Mistress. Your sweet little clit is too delicate for anything rough.”
“You’re…you’re not supposed to be kissing my…kissing me there,” Lilli pointed out breathlessly. “You’re just supposed to be kissing my panties.”
“Do you want me to stop then?” Karn arched an eyebrow at her.
“I…” Lilli bit her lip. “I don’t know,” she confessed softly. “No one has ever kissed me there before.”
“I know, baby.” His voice got deep and soft. “So why not let me be the first?”
Lilli almost said yes but then a stern little voice—a voice that sounded a lot like her mother’s—spoke up in her head.
You have to stop this, Lilliana, it said. Look at the way you’ve been acting ever since you got this bodyslave! You’ve let him suck your nipples and stroke your pussy—you even let him penetrate you with his fingers! What’s next? Will you let him put his tongue inside you? His shaft? You know that’s forbidden! You’re going farther and farther down a road you can’t retrace, no matter how hard you try. Stop now while you still can!
“We shouldn’t,” Lilli said, listening to the little voice. “It’s going too far.”
He raised an eyebrow at her again.
“And having me shoot my cum on your pussy wasn’t too far?”
“That was different,” Lilli protested. “I…I had to wash you—wash your shaft. You’re my bodyslave and I have to take care of you—that’s all.” She lifted her chin. “You have to understand that we have a certain relationship—one that can only go so far in…in a certain direction,” she ended, rather lamely.
His face darkened.
“Your bodyslave. That’s right—that’s all I am.” Suddenly he straightened up to tower over her at his full height. “Forgive me, Mistress,” he said in a cold, formal tone. “I didn’t mean to overstep the boundaries between us.”
“Oh, Karn…” Lilli didn’t know what to say. She felt terrible—clearly she had offended him. “Karn—” she tried again but he only shook his head.
“No, it’s all right, Mistress. I understand. Do you have anything else you want me to do for you right now?”
“No,” Lilli said miserably. “I…I guess you can go, if you want to.”
“I’ll be in the kitchens, helping H’rare prepare for your Midday Meal,” Karn told her.
Then he turned and left the bedroom, leaving Lilli to feel miserable and upset without him.
Twenty-Four
Just a bodyslave—that’s all I am to her, Karn thought angrily, as he sat in the back of the hover-ship that was flying them to the awards ceremony at the Zangelo Building.
He and Lilli hadn’t said a word to each other, even while they were getting dressed. She had put on her outfit without help from him and Karn, likewise, had oiled his own shaft and put on the stay-hard strap he was required to wear along with the crotchless bodyslave leather trousers. There had been a mutual, silent agreement not to talk after their earlier encounter and Karn hadn’t been willing to break it.
Damn it, why did her words hurt him so? He hadn’t known the curvy little female that long and he had no intention of staying with her. So why should he care that she’d put the brakes on what was happening between them?
Or maybe nothing was happening between them—maybe he’d just convinced himself that it was. And maybe he was getting way off track—focusing on Lilli instead of his mission. He’d never had a female affect him this strongly before—never been so preoccupied that he’d been willing to stay in a dangerous situation, even after his mission was technically done.
What was wrong with him?
“Maybe I’m crazy,” Karn muttered to himself.
At the muted sound of his voice, he saw Lilli’s eyes dart up to the rear-viewer. She was sitting with her mother in the seat ahead of his, while he was sitting in the bodyslave compartment at the back.
Their gazes locked for a moment and he saw mute misery in her big brown eyes before she dropped them again and looked away.
That one look said it all—and it melted his heart.
She’s just a kid, Karn thought to himself. She might be of age but she’s been raised in such a restrictive environment that she can’t help but be naïve. She’s caught between her strict upbringing, the hedonistic Yonnite lifestyle she’s expected to embrace now, and me.
He felt like a jerk. No wonder Lilli was confused. He saw now that she hadn’t meant to hurt him. They had been moving awfully fast, considering how long they’d known each other—not to mention their proscribed relationship as Mistress and bodyslave. It wasn’t surprising that she’d backed off and he shouldn’t blame her for her reticence.
Poor kid, he thought, feeling a surge of compassion for her. She’s doing her best but she’s not really cut out for this life at all. She doesn’t like glitzy parties or catty Mistress politics and she’s not an exhibitionist.
He wished suddenly that he could take her home with him to the Mother Ship where she could live a normal life. A life where she didn’t have to wear revealing gowns that showed her body so explicitly or navigate the snake pit that was Yonnite High Society.
That was impossible, of course. Lilli wasn’t part of his mission and when it was over, he would have to leave her behind. But at least he could put her mind at ease and end the conflict between the two of them.
The next time he caught her eyes in the mirror, Karn gave her a wink. Lilli’s eyes widened as though she wasn’t sure what to think. He wanted to let her know everything was all right but it wasn’t like he could say anything aloud. So instead, he just held her gaze steadily until she dropped her eyes and looked at her hands, an expression of confusion on her face.
Damn. Karn sighed. Well, he would make her understand once they got to the awards ceremony. Everything would be all right and he would try to remember her youth and inexperience from now on and rein in his own emotions for her.
After all, he was here to complete a mission—not fall in love.
Twenty-Five
Lilli wasn’t sure what the wink meant. Had Karn forgiven her? Were they friends again? Had they been friends in the first place? Ought one to make friends with one’s bodyslave?
Lilli was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to do that and yet somehow she had made friends with Karn. Or maybe it was more than that. After all, she’d had plenty of friends at the convent, but she had never wanted to touch and kiss any of them the way she longed to touch and kiss the big Kindred. And she’d certainly never longed to press her body to theirs and feel their strong arms wrapped around her…
No! Stop it, Lilli!
She tried to push the naughty thoughts away because they made the tingling in her nipples and pussy so much worse. But she couldn’t seem to help herself. Every time she managed to put the big Kindred out of her mind, their eyes would meet in the rear-viewer again and all she could think of was how good his big, warm hands felt on her body…
By the time they finally reached the Zangelo Building, where the Civic Awards Ceremony was being held, Lilli was in complete turmoil. Her body was throbbing—begging for attention. She felt like if she didn’t have the big Kindred’s hands and mouth on her soon, she was going to explode!
“Ah—here we are at last!” her mother exclaimed as the craft, driven by one of her most trusted bodyslaves, pulled up to the entrance, fifty stories above the ground. “Lilliana, be certain your dress is straight,” she told her. “And you, Terx,” she added to the bodyslave who was driving. “Put the ship in autopark so you can escort me in. I can’t be announced without a bodyslave to kiss my panties.”
“Yes, Mistress,” the bodyslave said toneless
ly. He did something to the controls and the craft paused long enough for all of them to climb out onto the walkway that led into the building, before flying away again.
The walkway was long and narrow and made out of clear plastiglass—extremely strong but nearly invisible. When Lilli stepped out onto it, it looked like she was stepping onto thin air. Fifty stories below she could see the Yonnite ground traffic whizzing by in blurs of light. They looked like tiny insects buzzing down there and the people weren’t even visible except as moving dots in the gathering gloom.
The sight gave Lilli a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had never liked heights, even when she could see what she was standing on. Walking on what appeared to be thin air above the ground made her feel dizzy.
“Lilliana, do hurry,” her mother snapped, as she and her bodyslave took the lead. “What have I told you about shilly-shallying?”
“Sorry, Mother.” Her words seemed to come from far away and Lilli wasn’t sure if she had actually said them or only thought them. The ground, so far beneath her, swam under the too-high heels that went with her purple plume dress and everything began to look blurry and out of focus.
Suddenly the heels slipped on the slick plastiglass and she was falling… falling…
Strong arms caught her and she was cradled close to a broad chest.
“Careful there, little Mistress,” a familiar voice rumbled. “I don’t think you’ve learned how to fly yet, so let’s not go diving off the side of the building, all right?”
“Karn?” she blinked up at him, feeling dazed.
“Yeah, it’s me.” He gave her a concerned look. “Are you okay, baby?” he murmured in a low voice.
“I don’t like heights,” Lilli admitted. “They…they make me dizzy.”
“So I see,” he rumbled. “Come on—let’s get inside so you don’t have to see this crazy drop anymore.”
He carried her down the long, nearly invisible entryway towards the lighted entrance of the building. As he walked, Lilli sighed and rested her head against his broad chest.
“Does this mean you forgive me?” she whispered, looking up at him.
“Nothing to forgive,” he growled softly. “I should have known you were still finding your bearings in this crazy world and not rushed you.”
“I shouldn’t have pushed you away,” Lilli told him. “I’m so sorry, Karn.”
His mismatched eyes softened.
“Apology accepted, baby. And I’m sorry for acting like a jerk.”
She frowned. “A what?”
“It’s what Earth females call a guy who tries to take things too fast or acts like an asshole,” Karn explained. “I think I did a little bit of both.”
“I just wasn’t sure…I’m still not sure…how much or how far…” She trailed off.
“How much you ought to get involved with your bodyslave?” he rumbled. “Probably not at all, at least according to Yonnite Society. But it’s up to you if you want to break the rules or not. I shouldn’t be pushing until you’re sure what you want.”
“Oh, Karn…” Lilli looked up at him, heart pounding. “What I want is y—”
“Lilliana! What do you think you’re doing?” her mother’s shrill voice interrupted her confession. “Why in the world is your bodyslave carrying you? This is not the proper way to make an entrance at all!”
Lilli felt her insides clench tight, as they always did when her mother used that disapproving tone.
“Sorry, Mother—it’s just that I almost fell!” she exclaimed, struggling to sit up in Karn’s arms. The big Kindred placed her gently on her feet, keeping one hand unobtrusively on her lower back to help her balance as she stood upright.
“Fell?” Mistress Mirabella looked as though she didn’t believe it. “Whatever are you talking about?”
“I just don’t have much of a head for heights,” Lilli said apologetically. “And we’re so high up here.” She motioned to the ground far below and the other skyscrapers rising all around them to illustrate her point.
“No head for heights? Well, chalk that up as yet another deficiency in my heir,” her mother exclaimed. “No head for heights, no sense of fashion, no sense of politics… Honestly, Lilliana. Sometimes I wonder if the sperm the contraception center gave me when I got pregnant with you was defective! You don’t act like a proper Yonnite Mistress at all.”
“I’m sorry,” Lilli said again, in a small voice. “I…I’ll try to do better.”
“See that you do!” her mother snapped. “Now I’m next to be announced and since you’re a junior Mistress, you’ll be some time after me. Stand here and wait your turn and be certain you don’t embarrass me!”
“No, Mother. I won’t.” Lilli felt like crying. It seemed like no matter what she did, it was always wrong. Nothing was ever good enough for her mother. Lilli wasn’t tall enough or thin enough or fashionable enough and she never did or said the right thing at the right time.
Not for the first time, she wondered how she would ever survive in this life for the long term. She’d only been home on Yonnie Six with her mother for about a week and they seemed to do nothing but make each other miserable.
“Hey…over here.” Karn pulled her behind a huge potted burnu plant with bushy orange and green leaves that stood to one side of the lighted entrance. He lifted Lilli’s chin and looked into her eyes. “You okay?” he murmured.
Lilli shook her head and sniffed back tears.
“I’m fine. It’s just…nothing I do is ever good enough for her.”
“Look at me.” He stroked her cheek until Lilli looked up into his eyes.
“Yes?” she asked in a trembling voice.
“You’re perfect, just the way you are,” Karn told her. “Don’t let anyone tell you different, Lilli.”
Lilli smiled and sniffed again.
“How do you always know just the right thing to say?”
He gave her his crooked smile that showed one fang and shrugged.
“Dunno. Just an instinct I guess.”
“Well, well—hello, Lilliana.”
They jerked apart and Lilli looked up to see Priss striding confidently across the invisible entryway with a new, muscular bodyslave in tow on a long black leather leash behind her.
“This is my new bodyslave, Randor,” she said, yanking on the leash to make the male come closer. The leash was attached to a choke collar and the male gasped and stumbled forward. His lips turned blue for a moment before Priss let up on the pressure and he was able to stand upright again. He nodded stiffly at Lilli and said,
“Hello, Mistress,” in a choked voice.
“There—isn’t he impressive?” Priss demanded. “So much better than that other bodyslave you stole from me!”
“He’s most impressive,” Lilli agreed, to keep the peace. It was clear to her that the other girl had gone out and gotten the biggest bodyslave she could—possibly to compete with Karn. But though Randor was tall and broad through the shoulders, the big Kindred still had half a head in height over him and his shoulders were obviously wider. And there was no doubt whose shaft was bigger—Karn had him beat in that category as well.
Priss must have realized this too because as her eyes flicked over the two males standing side-by-side, her lips thinned down to a white line and her sharp blue eyes narrowed.
“So, how have you been, Lilliana?” she asked. “You seem to be getting awfully cozy with that Kindred bodyslave of yours.”
Lilli tried to keep her face blank, though she couldn’t help the guilty twitch of her mouth as she answered.
“I got dizzy on the plastiglass entryway and nearly fell. Karn caught me.”
“Oh, well isn’t that just sweet.” Priss sneered at her. “And here I thought the carnal cravings from the quick-grow injections were getting to you.”
“Carnal cravings?” Lilli frowned at her.
“You know? The awful tingling? The need to be pleasured?” Priss grinned at her nastily. “We’ve all had the cra
vings, Lilliana. Just be sure you use a toy to satisfy them and not your bodyslave’s shaft. Remember that allowing yourself to be penetrated by a male is the worst, lowest thing you could possibly do. Not to mention it’s completely against the law.”
Lilli felt her face flame with sudden heat.
“Oh, I didn’t—” she began but Priss was already breezing past her, dragging her new bodyslave along behind her.
“Just be careful getting too cozy with that big Kindred,” she remarked as she went. “It really doesn’t look good and you wouldn’t want people to talk.”
Then she was up at the podium and Lilli heard her say to the male servant standing there, “I don’t care if I’m a junior Mistress—you’ll announce me now or you’ll be out on the street within the hour!”
“Well, I guess now we know for sure that the stuff they injected you with is what’s causing your problems,” Karn murmured in Lilli’s ear. “Is the tingling really bad, baby?”
“It’s terrible,” she admitted, pressing her thighs together desperately. “It’s been driving me crazy for hours.”
Karn frowned.
“And nothing helps it?”
Lilli nibbled her lower lip. Should she tell him? Probably not, but she didn’t want to hide her problems from the big Kindred anymore.
“It stopped for a minute back when you…when you kissed me. Kissed my panties, I mean,” she admitted. “And before that when you…when I had your cream in me. But nothing else seems to help.”
Karn nodded.
“Okay, well I can’t exactly come on your little pussy right now but there is one thing I can do to help you.”
“What’s that?” Lilli asked. Just at that moment, the servant at the door called,
“Miss Lilliana, daughter of Mistress Mirabella? Are you here to be announced?”
“You’ll see.” Karn gave her that crooked grin and took her hand to lead her towards the entrance. “Come on, little Mistress—it’s your turn.”
Protecting His Mistress...Book 24 in the Kindred Tales Series Page 12