by Viola Grace
She had not traipsed through his mind at any time, which was excellent. He was quite confident that if she saw the images in his mind featuring her, she would either kill him or run for the hills.
He wanted those long blue limbs wrapped around him, wanted to see her golden eyes unfocussed with pleasure.
She murmured softly, her lips moving against his neck.
He fought the growing ache in his groin as he made it to their corridor. Maxi ran ahead and triggered the door opening.
It was with bittersweet relief that he placed her in her bed after flipping the blankets back with one hand. He tucked her into the bedding and sighed in relief.
Her golden eyes opened sleepily and she caught his wrist in her hand. "Stay."
Criton closed his eyes cursing mentally in nine languages. "You need your sleep."
"Stay, please?" She looked up at him through her lashes and bit her lip. "Please, Criton?"
He sighed, knowing when he was beat.
"Fine, move over. I sleep on this side."
She smiled and squirmed over to the far side of the bed and then squirmed some more.
He stripped his uniform down to the waist and crawled into bed with his link and partner. He reached out to grab her and froze when he touched nothing but the velvet of her skin. "Where is your suit?"
She mumbled into the pillow, "I can't sleep in clothes."
He shuddered as all the soft, warm skin was now exposed to him if he just took advantage of the situation.
She scooted back against him and worked her butt against his groin. He could hear his teeth grinding together as he pulled her back to his chest. It was going to be a night of torture, but he could think of far worse uses of his time.
He felt her mind slip back into sleep and behind him, Maxi took up the space he had left on the edge of the bed.
Trapped between two females born on Wyora, he closed his eyes and considered himself a lucky male.
* * * *
Everything was calm and Sekhara felt remarkably well when she woke. The arms over her chest and belly were new, as was the warm male behind her. Wyoran skin had a distinctive feel and a male of her own species was definitely holding her.
Criton's mind was asleep, his deep breathing ruffled the hair along her neck and a slight shift of her legs let her know that the lower half of his uniform was still on.
Relief and disappointment fought for supremacy in her thoughts. She really wanted to consummate their link and partnership, but being forward was not in her training. It seemed a little promiscuous to try to jump her partner two days into knowing each other. On the other hand, she knew it would happen eventually, so why shouldn't she pick the time?
Now, she only needed to work up the nerve.
She lay in his embrace for two hours before his mind woke up and absent desire was in his thoughts as well as the aroused flesh nestled against her butt. She relaxed her restraint and turned in his arms, meeting him with a kiss that sent both of their hearts pounding in seconds. He gripped her hip and pulled her hard against him, telling her without words what he wanted.
Trembling with enthusiasm, she slid her thigh up so that it rested on his hip, opening herself to his touch without hesitation.
Despite her eagerness, he slowed down, his touches exploring and engaging her senses while he worked his lips against her neck, grazing her with his teeth.
Sekhara joined their minds completely, sharing every sensation with him as his touches woke her body with every stroke. Time slowed to a crawl and when he finally moved over her, her nails dug into his shoulders and held him to her with everything she had.
They moved together, rocking in a heady beat until Sekhara's senses blew apart and she dug her teeth into his shoulder. The bite had the desired effect and he responded with his own bite into her shoulder as he groaned and shook against her.
They panted and Sekhara tried to still the whirling of her emotions in her mind. Linked sex was something whispered about in the Education Centre and she could finally see why. If students knew about the mind-blowing sensations that could be shared and magnified, they wouldn't be able to hold a focus, let alone a link.
As Criton moved off her, she had to admit that she wouldn't blame them if they wanted to dump studies for sex. She was considering exactly that right now.
He pulled her against him and covered her neck and shoulders with soft kisses, which were interrupted with a soft clearing of a throat.
Haunt was standing near the foot of the bed, Maxi at her side. "I am sorry to interrupt, but Contract and Counsel have jobs to get to today. If you could grab a shower and some fresh uniform, I will meet you in my office."
Criton sighed, "There go my plans for the day."
Sekhara started to giggle and her laughter went with her into the lav and shower where she refreshed herself while losing the traces of their coupling.
When Criton squeezed in next to her, she squeaked, but her laughter returned as he helped to make sure that she was as clean as she could be before getting dressed in one of the spare uniforms that had waited for her in her quarters.
Ready for action, and a day at their jobs, Contract and Counsel left their quarters with Maximus Extremus, prepared for anything.
Chapter Ten
The new shuttle that they were flying was built with psychic attack in mind. Counsel couldn't work her way out of the shuttlecraft with her thoughts no matter what she tried.
"Well, I have to give it to Tech, this is quite the cage." She watched Criton's hands at the controls and thought about their early morning twining. He had been determined and thorough as he brought her to pleasure and she wanted to feel it again.
"They will be making all of our ships more resistant to attack as soon as they can."
"I don't like to be flying blind like this." She rubbed at her forehead. "The only mind I can touch is yours."
"Feel free to do so." His wink was unmistakable.
"I don't want to go running through your mind, but in light of circumstances, I might take you up on it." She patted him on the arm and he turned his hand to weave his fingers with hers.
The calm that came from that small touch helped her breathe and keep herself relaxed while they flew to Jisar.
"Let's discuss the project we are on. I will go and meet with the council of Jisar to see how many animals they are willing to part with."
She dragged in a deep breath and clutched the data pad with her free hand. "And I will be contacting the Guardsmen that I have been assigned and who are waiting for a therapy session."
"And you will meet me back at the shuttle no later than dusk. Right?" He raised his eyebrow.
"Well, since I have to leave the door of the shuttle open to be able to use my talent, I will say yes. It isn't like I can go anywhere." She chuckled.
"I am simply looking forward to having you in my bed for a full night without having to worry about Haunt popping through the floor." He raised her hand to his mouth and what he did was far more than a kiss and far less than she wanted.
After hours of travel, they arrived at Jisar. Contract left to pursue the negotiations for fauna for Balen and Counsel set up a force shield around the ship since she could not do her work as a Minder and close the door at the same time.
She took a reclining pose on the bunk with Maxi next to her. The data pad she had been given was fixed to one side so she could read it easily and she sent her mind out to find her first client.
The location of her client was in the file, so there was no mystery as to the path her mind needed to take. When she found her client, she gently brushed along her mind to introduce herself.
Hello, Neva.
Hello, Counsel. Haunt said you would contact me today. Pleased to meet you.
Call me Sekhara or Hara if you prefer.
Thank you, Hara. I have been unsure as to how to bring this up to Haunt.
Just tell me and it goes no further. Anything said during this consultation is private.
In her mind, Neva sighed. We were on a retrieval and I saw a series of prisoners get torn to pieces. Literally, pieces.
Counsel could see the memories in Neva's mind. Using her talent, she burnished the edges, blurring them without making it apparent that they had been tampered with. She created a distance for Neva while the woman discussed her experiences with the Sector Guard to date.
Being depicted as a Counsellor instead of a Minder didn't sit too well with Sekhara, but this woman was in pain. She needed distance from it and that was what she was providing.
Thank you, Hara. It feels better all ready.
What?
You're a Minder. We all know about it.
You know?
Yes. I am not surprised. I haven't been sleeping, but like most Guardsmen, I am afraid that if I admit to an infirmity of the mind, they will take me off active duty. I don't want that.
I…see.
A laugh rang through Neva's mind. You don't yet, but you will. This is the best job in the Alliance. You get to travel as much as you wish, wear a great uniform and you are guaranteed a mate that is compatible with you.
Sending amusement through her link, she smiled. I am getting the point. Who picks our mates?
Commander. He was the base commander of Morganti before Relay and is now travelling the stars with his wife, Pilot. They were the first Guardsmen.
Have you met them?
No, but I am a rabid reader. No data is safe. Also, Relay is a squealer.
Chuckling at the image of the Relay gossiping, she sent the amusement down the link to Neva.
Seriously, Hara. Thank you for dulling the memories. I want to keep them, but there is no way I could have worked that trauma out of my mind. Brav says he has the next appointment, try and see if you can make him forget where my birthmark is.
Amused and amazed, Counsel said goodbye to her first patient and linked with her second. It was going to be an interesting session.
Half an hour and a lot of laughter later, Sekhara heard a noise that should not have occurred. Maxi was growling.
She quickly excused herself from the session with Brav and reoriented herself in her body before trying to move.
Maxi was in front of her, teeth bared and venom dripping. Someone was hacking through the security screen.
With the burst of her mind, she alerted Contract to the urgency of her need but didn't have time to wait for a response. She rolled out of the bunk and grabbed the stunner, whirling to see three men entering the shuttle. Each was dressed in a matte black uniform, had deep violet skin, black hair, gold eyes and a weapon in their hand.
A stun beam struck her hand and she dropped her weapon.
"You will be sorry you even though about that Guardsman." The first of them came forward, ignoring Maxi. That was a mistake.
Maxi doubled in size, snarling and snapping with her back even with Sekhara's shoulder. Two men fell in two rapid bites. The third ducked under Maxi's neck and lunged for Sekhara.
She waited until he was inches from her and struck out at him with a mind spike. With one move, she used the power that could propel her across galaxies on the psychic plane and she ripped his mind apart.
The scream that rent the air chilled her, but she watched the light in his eyes dim as he collapsed to the deck of the shuttle. His thoughts were dead, though his body was on autonomic reflex. If she could rebuild his mind, he could be a productive member of a society, but if a Minder didn't structure a thought pattern within him again, his life would rapidly run its course.
When Sekhara looked up again, Maxi was making sure that her venom had taken. The two other men were bleeding and going into anaphylactic shock.
With a short huff, Maxi returned to her normal size and licked the blood off her fur.
"What the hell happened?" Contract was in the doorway with the council members in tow.
"I was attacked, but Maxi was here to help." She went to him and took the hand he extended, surprised when he pulled her to him in a tight embrace.
His low murmur in her ear reassured her. "Are you all right?"
"I am fine, but we need to get the survivor to a facility where he can have his mind restructured." Her words were as quiet as she could make them.
He pushed her out at arms-length. "A survivor? I thought Maxi would have…"
"No. One got past her. I had to take him down." She smiled weakly. Her knees were wobbling and she sent the feeling of lightness to him.
He sent her understanding and turned to the councillors. "I will be filing a report in regard to your security systems. No shuttle bay should have been this easy go get through. Now, if you will excuse me, we have a prisoner to attend to."
Take the bodies. Don't leave the bodies. There is something strange about them.
He caught her words. "And we will be taking the bodies with us. Now, please leave the shuttle so that I can get the prisoner taken care of."
The councillors bowed, expressed their apologies and made a run for it.
Sekhara took her seat at the nav station and strapped in while Criton arranged their cargo. She remained quiet through the entire trip, taking Criton's hand when he offered it.
"Do you know who they are?"
She sighed, "No, and I had to stop him quickly. Or I would have. Damn it. I shouldn't have panicked."
"You were outnumbered and unarmed. There was no option for you. Your talent is the only thing that you could have used."
"I could have used Trensor training. I just was a little disoriented from quickly having to snap back into my body."
"You were in a session?"
"Just finishing one when I heard Maxi growl. Maxi doesn't growl."
"Do you know what they are?"
She rubbed her forehead. "No, but I think the Sector Guard might just hold the answer to that."
He ceased his questions and they returned to base using every bit of speed their ship possessed.
Chapter Eleven
A woman made of rainbows with delicate wings stood next to a male Kozue. "Yes, it's one of mine. He's a Vorwing. I just don't know how they happen to be in such numbers."
Sylvan, also known as Green was partnered with Garoz or Hardcore. She was on base and managed to make the identification using senses that Sekhara couldn't fathom.
"Do you know anything about your people?" She couldn't help but ask.
Her partner scowled at Sekhara. "She was sold to a carnival as a child, found abandoned in a mine."
"Ah, I see."
Sylvan smiled and put her hand on Sekhara's. "You can look through my mind, but I don't think you would find any information."
She sighed. "I suppose not. What are Vorwings? I have never even heard of them before."
The man on the bed breathed slowly, his eyes closed and his pulse lethargic. Dirven had him in restraints and not one of the Guards had objected once they saw the three-inch spines folded flat against his wrists.
Sekhara remembered the raised hand coming down toward her and she had shuddered imagining what could have happened if he made contact.
As a group, they left the Vorwing in his confinement and returned to a boardroom where food was out for them.
Haunt nodded and set the recorders. "Now, Counsel, what happened."
She nodded. "I was finishing my sessions and heard Maxi growl. She was next to me but no longer on the bed. She was on the floor and watching the open doorway."
Haunt interjected. "Why was the door open?"
"The new shielding that is on that shuttle blocks my talent, so in order to meet my patients on the psychic plane, I needed to open the door and put an energy shield in place. They broke through the shield."
"Thank you. Proceed."
"I reintegrated myself to my body and stood up, sending a distress call to Contract. Maxi moved between me and the door, her venom had started to drip."
"What does that signify?"
"There is a hostile psychic presence. Nylanders are empathic as are ma
ny things on Wyora."
"Thank you, proceed."
"I grabbed a stunner, but when I turned around, three males of an unknown species burst through the door. My hand was struck with a stun bolt and I dropped my weapon. Maxi moved between the men and me and doubled in size, biting and chewing. She got two men but the third came toward me, his arm raised."
This was the part that would cost Sekhara her career. "I used a mind spike on him when he got close enough. His mind was torn apart and he slowly stopped thinking, dropping to my feet."
Haunt spoke to the recordkeeping device. "And this explains the large bite marks on the corpses. The nylander was more than twice her natural size."
"Correct." She nodded.
"And when Contract arrived?"
"I mentioned taking the bodies with us. We needed to know what they are. They have a similar mind print to the one we were looking for and I thought they would be useful."
Haunt agreed. "Learning that they are Vorwings is an interesting point."
Green added. "They were not fully developed either."
Hardcore grunted. "If they were, they should have shifted colour like Green did. They have not used their power completely at any point. Did they have wings?"
Haunt checked the medical reports. "Amputated wings, but one body looked like the wings were growing back."
Green nodded. "Okay, this is starting to make a little sense to me. It will take a while to work out the details, but I have to say one thing. The Vorwings might be coming back and it is all my fault."
Haunt quickly clipped off the recorder and hushed her Guardsman. "You are not at fault."
Sylvan sighed and leaned against her mate. "In our travels, several more primitive cultures have worshipped me as a deity. They were surprised that I have not mated with one of my own. Apparently, what I have done is a sacrilege. To mate with a normal being of a race not my own is not something that has ever been acceptable in the mythology of the Vorwing. That is what it is, you know, a mythology. No one has seen my kind for centuries and now the Sector Guard are seeing talent organizations kidnapping and murdering around the Alliance. There is a lot of power at the heart of this and power is one thing that the Vorwing can easily manipulate."