Commanded to Dream

by Jennifer Leeland

  “What are you men doing?” Ben’s outraged voice came from the door. The vid screen was still, with Shasta’s drunk, naked form filling the space.

  “We were…watching the latest viral, sir,” the man with the control stated. He kept his gaze somewhere on the wall behind her.

  “I ought to kick the shit out of all of you,” Ben snapped.

  This was what Andev had seen, this woman who danced naked in public, who fucked anyone who offered, who drank until her mouth wrote checks her ass couldn’t cover. No wonder he’d been contemptuous. On Asberek, it was common to be openly sexual, and Shasta hadn’t been ashamed of her exploits, but her father had often commented that there was a difference between sex for relief or connection and sex just to have sex. She’d been drunk and hadn’t cared two hoots who she hurt or who she fucked. Even now, she barely remembered the night up on that screen.

  “Leave it alone, Ben. It was my fault.” After all, she was always vid stream fodder. Had she been trying to shock people? Probably. Her whole life had been scrutinized. With her father’s DNA, she was the subject of vid stream stories, scientific experiments and a file in the Tribunal Elite’s classified documents.

  “Shasta—” Ben started to talk in that gentle tone, the one that said he had some right to her. Damn him. She didn’t want him, never had. Why didn’t he catch on?

  Probably because she didn’t want to hurt his feelings and so she hadn’t put enough distance between them. On Asberek, sex with someone didn’t mean commitment, but Ben wasn’t born and raised on the colony. So, one night of foolish horniness led to a totally obsessed male. She sighed.

  “Seriously, Ben,” she said, keeping an arm’s length away from him as he reached for her. “It’s not a big deal.” It’s just a vid. It’s the only thing I’ll be remembered for. Naked drunkenness. No vids of me saving Dormrela lives or anything.

  The other men stared at the floor. She glanced at each of them. Was this what her people thought of her? That she was just a party girl, shallow and stupid?

  The man with the vid controls cleared his throat. “Miss Pasquel, I’d like to apologize.”

  She took a deep breath. “There’s no reason for you to apologize. I’m afraid there’s no getting away from one’s sordid past.” She gritted her teeth and smiled. Inside, razor blades ripped through her veins. This was her legacy. Her father had saved his colony from alien domination and Earth Central tyranny. Her mother was a legend, her archeological discoveries on Asberek bringing acclaim and awards. Even Kinley served on the Asberek council.

  Shasta Pasquel danced naked for the camera.

  She squared her shoulders. So what? She wasn’t done yet. Maybe her life was meant to be something more. The only problem was she had to deal with shit like this.

  “I’m sorry I interrupted the fun, boys,” she said with a drawl. “The last thing I want to be is a wet blanket.” She nodded to the men and turned on her heel.

  Ben followed. Jeez, he was thick headed. “Shasta, let me deal with this. I can—”

  Abruptly, she stopped, and he stumbled. “Listen to me. I know what I am, what I’ve done. You can’t deal with that. It just is. Let it go.”

  “None of it matters to me,” he said harshly. “I know you—”

  Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t know a fucking thing about me.” She waved her hand toward the door. “You’re as bad as they are. Do you think because you fucked me once that you know me?” No, Ben didn’t know her. Did she even know herself?

  The shuttered expression on his face only frustrated her. “I never pretended to be seeking something permanent.”

  A muscle moved in his jaw. “I know that.”

  She threw her hands up in the air. “Then why the hell are you acting like I belong to you or something?”

  “You need someone—”

  Shasta held up her hand. “Stop. Even if that were true, I don’t think that’s your decision to make.” Irritated, she started to turn away from him, but he grabbed her arm.

  “You can’t tell me that all that fucking and drinking was what you really want to do.” He sounded so reasonable, so superior. She wanted to deck him. “You need someone to help you settle down, give you a purpose.”

  Coldly furious, she stared at him. “Are you serious?” Her voice rose on the last word, and she forced her voice lower. “No, Ben. Not in a million years. You were one night, one fuck. I didn’t sign up to be somebody’s project. Now, get your hands off me,” she said viciously.

  His nostrils flared, and he dropped his hand. “Shasta—”

  “You can’t accept who I am.” Hell, why should he? She couldn’t either. “I am who I am. I don’t know who you want, Ben, but it isn’t me.”

  With a disgusted snort, she turned her back on Ben and went to her mother’s quarters. For some reason, she just wanted the quiet strength her mother exuded.

  When her mother opened her door, she took one look at Shasta’s face and said, “What happened?”

  She flopped down on her mother’s small couch. “Do you think I’m useless?”

  Elise blinked. Any other mother would have answered immediately “Of course not!” But Elise wasn’t any mother. And Shasta was grateful her mom took her seriously as a human being, not fobbing her off with placating answers. “You saved hundreds of Dormrelian warriors, Shasta. No, I do not think you’re useless.”

  Shasta fingered the pants of her flight suit. “There’s some pretty bad vids out there of me.”

  “I know.” Elise sat down beside Shasta. “Your father and I have always known you all needed an outlet, a release for the pressure everyone put on you.” Her gray eyes clouded. “The things your daddy did when he was younger affected you more than we anticipated. After the kidnapping, it was impossible for you to have a normal childhood. We couldn’t send you to Earth. We couldn’t give you freedom. It’s not surprising that your adulthood would be a backlash from that.”

  “But Kinley—”

  “Don’t compare yourself to Kinley, honey.” Elise smiled a crooked smile. “She parties in an entirely different way for entirely different reasons. Kinley has her own demons.”

  Shasta frowned. It was true that all three of the Pasquel girls had the mantle of prophecy dumped on them when they were born. But Kinley took all that shit to heart. Shasta tried to escape it. “We’ve never talked about the prophecies.”

  Elise pursed her lips. “No. And we weren’t going to unless you asked. Prophecies are…unscientific.”

  “I’m asking now.” She had to know. “I heard some of it. Those Ang mentioned a triangle.”

  Her mother nodded. “The Ang insisted they weren’t supposed to reveal the details to us, but I discovered some of the earlier writings.” She stopped abruptly and raised an eyebrow. “Is that why you’re suddenly interested in Dormrela? I don’t know why you’ve insisted on coming with me.” Elise Pasquel stared at Shasta with those piercing gray eyes.

  There was no way Shasta could tell her the truth. “I want to see Sierra.”

  Her mother’s eyes narrowed. “Bull.”

  Shasta shrugged. Plan B. “Because some of those Dormrelian warriors survived that genetic gas Earth Central released and I want to know why.”

  “You could have figured that out on Asberek.” Her mother hadn’t asked her these questions before they left for Dormrela. For two days, she’d let Shasta think she’d accepted the company of her middle daughter. Now, just as they were entering Dormrelian airspace, she asked Shasta all these questions.

  But Shasta couldn’t tell her.

  Her Ang DNA could provide the communication aspect she’d had with Andev, but her father wasn’t sure. To his knowledge, all Ang used telepathy, but only as twosomes. Again, it was the mating ritual that enhanced the connection.

  In other words, he didn’t know why the hell she was able to connect telepathically with this Dormrelian warrior. Shasta was terrified it had something to do with a prophecy she knew nothing about, had deliberatel
y ignored.

  “Well?” Her mother was waiting for an answer.

  Shasta met her mother’s gaze. “My sister is mated to a Dormrelian. I connected with one telepathically for no apparent reason. And one of them survived a genetic attack that turned his comrades into green goo. There’s some mysterious prophecy about me and my sisters. I’d like some answers, and they’ll be found on Dormrela.” She didn’t mention that the Dormrelian warrior in question had kissed her.

  “Not necessarily,” Elise pointed out. “Even the writings I found were confusing at best. And the Ang were not only no help, they hindered us every step of the way. As well you know.”

  “It was something about us saving the universe, right?” Did Shasta really want to know? She wasn’t sure.

  “The Ang saw a future where their own culture was on the edge of extinction. It motivated every move they’ve ever made—the enslavement of the Dormrela, contact with Earth, the experiment that failed—all of it is because they believe their species is doomed.” She shook her head. “Somewhere along the line, the Ang decided the end justified the means.”

  “And what do we have to do with that?”

  “I hope nothing.” But Elise’s gaze flicked away. “They saved your father knowing that adding their DNA to the Dormrelian DNA stranded in his human DNA created… something different, something amazing.” She frowned. “The Dormrela and the Ang seem focused on you girls, Trista and Michael, and Donovan.”

  “Donovan? But he doesn’t have the DNA and he hasn’t been on Asberek for over ten years.”

  “I know. It doesn’t make sense, does it?” Elise smiled. “Yet, only two weeks ago, during the peace talks, the Ang ambassador asked me about him.”

  “What did you say?”’

  “I told them the truth. Donovan has been gone for over a decade. Even Sashina and Troy don’t know where he is.” She snorted. “You think you ran from your destiny. This guy didn’t leave a forwarding address. For all I know, he’s dead.”

  “Dead?” Her mother sounded so…matter-of-fact about it.

  “You were all kidnapped so young,” she said in a sad voice. “We got you all back, but he was determined to escape the Ang. And he was one of the first children to be targeted, along with you and Kinley. Then, Jake and Daniella died—” A line appeared on her forehead, and she stared at Shasta. “How much do you remember about that?”

  Shasta held up her hand. Nothing. She remembered nothing. “I changed my mind. I don’t want to know. I’ll just go to Dormrela as an annoying tourist.” Memories of that kidnapping were sketchy at best, and she didn’t want to delve into them.

  “Just don’t cause an incident,” her mother said with a sigh.

  Shasta rolled her eyes and then remembered she’d almost decked a bodyguard to the crown prince. If it hadn’t been for Andev… “Alright, Mom. I won’t.”

  “Get some sleep. We’ll be in Dormrela’s orbit tomorrow morning.”

  “Mom, did you know Dad when you fell in love with him?” Okay, it was a dumb question. Shasta knew it the minute the words left her mouth, but something odd had happened when she connected with Andev. She felt safe, warm. It wasn’t a familiar feeling.

  It didn’t help that the dreams that once kept her sane had left her abruptly. Instead, she often dreamed of being in a desolate desert calling for the man that touched her in her dreams. It had been disturbing and frustrating.

  Her mother studied her for a moment. “Not well. But we were both under the influence of Synthetic Endorphins Xstasy.” A faraway look softened her gray eyes. “I think I fell in love with his bravery, his willingness to keep fighting even when all the odds were stacked against him.” She frowned, a line appearing on her forehead. “We had a lot to deal with then, Shasta. I don’t think you need to worry about that.”

  Really? Shasta’s feelings about the Dormrelian warrior were confused. She shook her head. Ridiculous. She didn’t have any feelings for Andev except for curiosity. And what about her mysterious dream lover? He was human, and she still had no idea whether he was real or not.

  In the privacy of her room, Shasta tried to ignore the warmth, the sense of “rightness” she’d experienced when the warrior’s mind had touched hers. It was just too weird.

  Sleep finally claimed her.

  For an instant, she thought she was going to have another pointless nightmare of loneliness. But then, he was there.

  She rushed to him.

  Her lips collided with his, and she clung to him, afraid he’d disappear. He grasped her close, crushing her with his arms. It was beautiful, a rare moment they were face to face. These moments were precious, his features blurred, but the feel of his hands, his lips, familiar and wonderful.

  He broke the kiss and murmured low, “You missed me?”

  “Desperately,” she said passionately. “Where were you?”

  “I missed you too,” he answered. She noted he really didn’t address her question.

  “Are you ever going to tell me who you are?” Was he real? Could he be out there somewhere?

  His voice, deep and sexy, rumbled through his chest. “Someday.” His hands skimmed her body slowly, torturously. “You feel so soft, so warm.” He spun her around, her butt pressed against his hard length.

  She shuddered. “I love your hands on me.” Her dream lover cupped her breasts and stroked her nipples. “Why won’t you let me really see you?”

  “You’ve always been fine with things this way,” he pointed out. “What’s changed?”

  “I met someone.”

  His hands stilled on her body. “You’ve met men before.”

  “Not like this.” She didn’t want to tell her fantasy about Andev, but in her dream she could tell the truth. “He’s an alien, different. I connected with his mind and—” She couldn’t say it. Andev’s mind attracted her like nothing other than this dream lover’s hands ever had.

  Her lover’s fingers resumed their exploration. “And what? You wanted him?”

  She squirmed, her ass stroking the man’s hard cock pressed against her. “Not like I want you. It wasn’t the same, but…it felt safe, right. Like you do.” Shasta realized it was that simple. She had never felt awkward or embarrassed about her dream lover. His hands on her body were right, a sensual gift. She never viewed him as something dirty.

  His mouth traveled from the spot behind her ear down her neck to the curve of her shoulder. She shivered and reached back to grip his cock. He groaned, the sound vibrating along her skin. His fingers trailed down her belly to her slick opening where he slid them inside her. She gasped, and her muscles clenched around him.

  “You’re so sweet, so hot,” he murmured in her ear. His tongue flicked along the shell around her ear. “I want to fuck that wet pussy. Let me in,” he demanded.

  Shasta spread her legs, her hand still stroking his cock. “Do it. Fuck me.”

  From behind her, he slammed his hard length inside her, and she squeezed him. God, he was so perfect. He stretched her, filled her, completed her. He stroked her, his hot breath against her ear, his fingers dancing over her clit.

  She shattered, her orgasm tightening every nerve, electricity shooting through her body. He groaned and streamed his release inside her. She convulsed again, his hot seed sending her spinning.

  And then he was gone.

  Shasta jerked awake. Damn it. She was sweaty, damp between her legs. It was rare that she and her lover were able to finish their sexual collision. When they did, she was horny for days afterward. She sighed and checked the time.

  Only a few more hours until she was on the surface of Dormrela. Then she’d get some answers.

  A shower first and then, Dormrela.

  * * * *

  Sticky seed clung to Andev’s blankets. Damn it. Now that he knew his dream lover was Shasta Pasquel, he wanted to jerk her around to face him, pound inside her, and watch those blue eyes glaze over when she came.

  He wadded up his blankets and took them to the refreshe
r. The smell of his cum on the sheets reminded him that the Hadaji was only days away, and he wanted none of the men or women chosen for him. He wanted Shasta.

  But she was light years away on Asberek having wet dreams about a dream lover she had no idea was him.

  How odd that she seemed to be attracted to his mind as well as his body. Well, not really. He felt the same way. Of course, he’d known her the minute he’d touched her as the woman who haunted his dreams. With the cysuit on, she hadn’t been able to connect him to the man in her dreams. The first week after he’d left Asberek, he’d managed to write her off, jealous of the man who burst into the medunit.

  Then, the second week, he had a dream of her, watching her, the scene around her desolation and emptiness. She called for him, her voice filled with longing and desperate need. Would a woman satisfied by the blond sergeant dream of that kind of loneliness? He couldn’t make himself step forward, afraid he’d demand answers, demand more from her than he ever had before.

  He stepped into his shower. Damn. Just the thought of the human woman made his cock jerk and fill again. He stroked it, giving in to the temptation of fantasizing about her. Someday he’d take her ass, that tight channel she always rubbed against him when they dreamed. He squeezed his cock and slid his hand over its length. He’d shove his dick inside her ass while he pinched her nipples and made her scream. He’d go faster and faster until she went rigid from her orgasm and then he’d explode inside her.

  His release splattered against the shower tiles, and he groaned. He wished he could wash away the deeper feelings that seemed to accompany this sexual obsession. It was a good thing she was on another planet or, international incident or not, he’d take her to make her his. And he’d kill anyone who got in his way, including that blond soldier who seemed to think he owned Shasta.

  While he dressed, his com beeped. He adjusted his clothes and pressed the button to answer. “Juno.”

  “Andev Juno, the council needs to meet with you immediately.” Councilwoman Patel appeared on the view screen. “A hover car has been sent for you.”