by S. L. Hadley
“At least thirty of them,” Kitty noted.
“Not for long.” Drumming his fingers on his knee, Ammon glanced around the loading bay. Then, with a calm, authoritative tone Kitty had not thought the man possible of, he began to command.
“Scales!” Ammon shouted. Scrambling to Vhosa’s side, he claimed the fallen laspistol. “You’ll live! Stay here and stay in cover! Waterboy! You’re with me! Take the ramp corner, right side! I’ll take left! We’ll draw their fire so the Captain can reach Girlie and Blue! Ready?”
“Wait!” Kitty called, catching Ammon by the arm. It was ridiculous, nothing less than insanity brought on by adrenaline and the chaos of battle. But, after all this time, she had to know.
“Fuck!” Ammon snapped, peeking out from cover again. “What is it?”
“What the hell kind of musician were you?”
Ammon stared at her like she’d lost her mind. Then, a gleam of recognition filled his eyes and he laughed, tapping the music themed tattoo she’d noticed so many months earlier.
“Federation Marines Band!” he shouted. Nodding to Myorie, he rose and began to return fire at their attackers with both sidearms. The simultaneous onslaught was enough to momentarily disrupt the incoming rounds. Both males darted toward their forward positions. But, even as they ran, Ammon’s laughter was audible. “I played the fucking cornet!”
Kitty ran for the ladder, grinning fiendishly. She was two-thirds of the way up the rungs by the time Satoshi’s men resumed firing but the shots never even came close to hitting her.
Lio was waiting for her when she reached the top and hauled her by the elbow up into the narrow, low-ceilinged maintenance gap. He smiled briefly, but his expression quickly turned grim.
“What’s wrong?” Kitty asked.
Lio indicated a narrow gap of sunlight where they’d opened the external hatch. The interior was burnt and pockmarked from innumerable lasbolts. Squatting, beneath the opening, Nita and Inu wore troubled looks. The latter held the plasma lance, its barrel still glowing faintly.
“Inu hit the engine block,” Lio explained. “Knocked the damn thing right out of the sky. But they were already flying low so the fall barely scratched it. Most of their weapons are still offline but it’s just a matter of time before they’re airborne again.”
Kitty nodded, biting her lip.
“Any sign of the other ships?” she asked.
Lio shook his head. “Not yet. Guess soldiers are cheaper to replace than sub-light engines.”
“For now.”
“Then what’s the plan?”
“We wait,” Kitty said.
It was enough. Nita rose, eyes blazing and her hands balled into fists. Stepping close, she seized Kitty’s collar and slammed her with unexpected force against the wire-laden bulkhead. Lio sprang into action a second later, freezing in surprise when Kitty shook her head.
“We wait?” Nita demanded. “I’ve had it with the secrets and the bullshit, Kitty! What is your plan? Who the fuck are we waiting for?”
Kitty didn’t respond. In the silence that ensued, it took a moment for the distant sound of engines to become audible over the gunfire below.
“For them.”
Confusion and comprehension flashed across Nita’s face a second before the woman released Kitty’s collar and lunged for the open hatch. Lio and Inu followed suit, each trying to peer out for a glimpse of the approaching ships. Smirking—for what else could she do—Kitty sidled up beside them. Their faces blocked all but the smallest patches sky beyond, but as one of the ships finally glided into view, there was no mistaking the name broadcasted plainly across the side of the hull.
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Nita said.
Kitty laughed.
“It was your idea!” she pointed out. “Well, and Satoshi’s, technically. When I first met him, he couldn’t keep from bragging about his business. Bribes, unpaid employees, gambling winnings… you name it.”
“This is crazy,” Nita said, sounding awed.
“The Navy didn’t help because they didn’t care,” Kitty continued. “So, I started thinking. Who would care? Who would possibly have the resources and the desire to take out a highly profitable, criminal enterprise?”
Another ship circled, closer this time. Emblazoned with the same three letters: FRS.
Federation Revenue Service.
Kitty laughed, loud and long. Below, the sounds of weapon fire had ceased.
“So, I called the fucking taxman.”
***
“I’m afraid that’s quite out of the question, Miss Black.”
Kitty did her best to appear surprised, though truthfully she was anything but. She’d disliked the man from the moment he accepted her call, even before his words had revealed the insufferable superiority he so plainly felt. But then, she was dealing with an FRS agent, not an actual person.
“Really?” she said, feigning innocence. “I thought that was how these things worked. I helped you nab Satoshi Everett—along with millions of credits in unpaid taxes—and you give me a percentage as a reward.”
“This isn’t the Public Security Bureau, Miss Black. We’re not bounty hunters.”
“Not even a small consideration? I took a great personal risk in contacting you.”
“For which you’ve been rewarded: A full pardon and forgiveness of your own tax debts. In my opinion, we’ve been more than generous. As for the personal risks, I’ve already explained that you’ll be allowed to deduct the associated costs from your next tax filing. I recommend you consult a tax advisor for more information.”
“You could at least compensate me for the damage to my ship! One of my crew was shot! I’ve got a baby on the way!”
“Congratulations. Unfortunately, such compensation lies outside our jurisdiction. I recommend you contact the Sector Attorney’s office if you wish to file a civil suit. It may take some time, but—”
Grumbling, Kitty ended the call. She stared into space for a moment, cursing anyone involved in the creation of such a bloated bureaucracy. Then she reclined, bracing her feet against the console and pushing the chair to the limits of its design. The pressure made her shoulders ache, but soothed some of the pain in her back. Now that her belly was beginning to show signs of her pregnancy, it was like her body was in competition with itself to see which part could annoy her the most.
“Bastards,” she muttered. “This is why nobody likes you.”
“Well, that’s not very nice,” Nita said, stepping through the door and onto the bridge. She raised an eyebrow at Kitty’s bizarre posture, then seated herself in her chair and took a cautious sip of her café. “Are you planning to stay like that all day?”
“Maybe.”
“That can’t be good for her.”
Easing herself back down to sit properly, Kitty spun her chair toward Nita. “Who says it’s a girl?”
“I’ve just got a feeling.”
“Lio’s convinced it’s going to be a boy.”
“Of course he is. Whose instincts are you going to trust? Lio’s a man.”
“I’ll say,” Kitty teased, winking. “Why don’t you spend the night with him? Give this little one a half-sister?”
“Gross.” Nita rose quickly, scoffing. She turned to leave, still sipping her café.
“Come on! It’d be fun!” Kitty insisted, grinning.
Nita didn’t speak. Instead, she simply made a rude gesture as she shuffled for the door. If it hadn’t been for the mug of café still pressed to her lips, Kitty might have mistaken her reaction for actual displeasure.
“Say hi to Myorie for me!” Kitty called as the door shut.
***
Kitty sighed.
“No! Don’t! Stop it!”
Nita shrieked the words as she fled, clinging to the hastily wrapped sheet covering her front. Several paces behind her, Myorie was in hot pursuit. Despite the hunger in his eyes, however, he didn’t appear in a hurry to catch his quarry. Perhaps it was the fact
that the slipping sheet covered less of Nita’s body with each step she took.
Or maybe he was simply hypnotized by the already visible sight of her bare, shapely ass.
Either way, Kitty watched the pair scamper about with more than a little envy. It had been months since she’d had the agility for such antics. Now, with her belly swollen to an absurd degree, her patience was finally reaching its breaking point. It wasn’t just having to pee every five minutes or how her boobs ached so bad she wished they’d just fall off. Mostly, it was the fact that even Lio was treating her differently. Far from the fantastic, lively sex they’d enjoyed for the first couple months of her pregnancy, he’d now scarcely hug her, much less fuck her.
“What’s on your mind, Kit?” Lio said, sidling up from behind. He wrapped his arms around her delicately.
Kitty gritted her teeth through a sudden, irrational surge of anger. There was no reason for it, none at all. Lio was just being his usual, infuriatingly thoughtful self.
“I want this damn thing out of me.”
Lio laughed. “That ‘damn thing’ is my child.”
“Your child?” A reluctant smile curled the corner of Kitty’s mouth upward. “What am I—a broodsow?”
Lio’s feather-light hug tightened slightly as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. A small portion of his mane fell forward as he did, tickling her.
“Course not,” he said. “You’re my broodsow.”
Kitty slapped him and tugged free of his embrace. She was winding up for a second strike when Lio caught her wrists, laughing again. His grip was firm, but almost tender in the way he pulled her close.
Or, as close as her bulging midsection would permit.
“Bastard,” she muttered, smile returning slowly.
“You love it.”
Sighing, Kitty sank rather ungracefully to her knees. She relied on the continued strength of Lio’s hands on her wrists to keep her from moving too quickly. Only once she knelt safely before him did she yank her hands free.
And, only then did she trail them back up the inside of his thighs.
“Guess what else I love?”
Lio grinned. “That our room has a door that locks?”
Kitty sighed quietly then conceded by way of a shrug.
“Also that. Help me up.”
“After you worked so hard to get down?”
“You want your dick sucked or not?”
With an offer like that, she was almost surprised Lio didn’t trip over himself in excitement. Instead, he helped her carefully to her feet. Only then did he run ahead, practically dragging her through the doorway. He did it in such an earnest, excited fashion that Kitty couldn’t help but grin.
She was still grinning when Lio left her sitting on the edge of the bed and went to lock the door to their cabin. When he turned around, he wore such a comically amorous expression that she nearly fell off the bed from laughing.
Lio scowled.
“Oh, don’t be like that!” Kitty teased.
“Starting to have second thoughts here.”
Rolling her eyes, Kitty unbuttoned the neck of her blouse. Catching Lio’s eye, she continued unbuttoning until there were none left. She peeled the top away.
“And now?”
“Third thoughts.” Lio stepped closer, aroused grin returning. He nodded at her bra. “Why don’t you take that off too?”
Kitty hesitated, hands rising to cover her breasts. This far along in her pregnancy, they’d increased in both size and sensitivity. Kitty wasn’t prone to self-consciousness, but these changes had left her precisely that.
“What’s wrong?”
“They look weird.”
Lio didn’t laugh. Instead, he knelt down and gently peeled her hands away from her breasts. Intertwining his fingers with hers, he held them tightly. He eyed her cleavage briefly, then looked up and stared deep into her eyes.
“They look beautiful,” he said. “Just like you.”
Kitty laughed, embarrassed by her moment’s weakness. She snorted suddenly, smile returning.
“You must really want that blowjob, huh?”
“You have no idea.”
Except, she did. And, strange as it sounded in her own mind, Kitty suspected she wanted Lio’s cock in her mouth as badly as he did. It was a simple, uncomplicated craving. Some women craved chocolate or less orthodox foods—she wanted cum.
“Well? What are you waiting for?” she asked.
Kitty smirked, staring up at Lio as he undid the clasp of his trousers. His erection popped free almost immediately, dangling before her eyes. It twitched in time with his heartbeat, and Kitty could feel his pulse through it as she wrapped her fingers about the base. Without wasting any time, she pounced and took him deep into her mouth.
Lio’s spines were just beginning to stiffen and the feeling of them against her tongue was strangely ticklish. She teased them enthusiastically, staring up at Lio with a smoky-eyed look that narrowed with suppressed laughter at his distracted expression.
Kitty hummed softly, tightening her lips around his shaft as she pumped him steadily. Rather than taking her time or trying to seduce the Arsalian, her actions had only one goal in mind. This wasn’t lovemaking; it was a simple, biological need.
“Fuck, that’s good!” Lio groaned, arching his back slightly. He rested a hand atop her head as his knees buckled slightly.
Drawing back momentarily, Kitty kissed the tapered tip of his cock and grinned.
“That’s my line,” she said. “Now hurry up. I want to taste it.”
For a second, Lio simply looked at her in stunned silence. Then he laughed.
“Damn. I’d have knocked you up sooner if I knew it’d make you this kinky!”
“Shut up and cum for me.”
Lio opened his mouth, presumably to retort, but his words turned to a moan as Kitty slid him back inside her mouth once more. She sucked hard, bobbing her head and trusting the friction of her tongue to do the work for her.
Legs trembling again, Lio clutched the top of Kitty’s head with both hands. He didn’t force her, but the faint pressure of his grasp thrust him deeper and deeper with each motion of her head. Before long, Kitty felt him swell between her lips. She pushed aside the distracting sensation of his narrow tip barging into the uppermost portion of her throat, doing her best not to gag as she continued to service him.
“Kitty,” Lio muttered, warningly.
Drawing back until only the very head of his cock remained between her pursed lips, Kitty began to stroke him. The navy blue shaft was slick with her saliva by now and felt almost rubbery beneath her fingers. Only the rigid spines interrupted the smoothness, tugged back and forth against her palm like dozens of tiny, stiff nipples.
With a groan, Lio came. Even though she knew it was coming, the first eruption of his seed still managed to surprise her. Kitty jumped slightly, purring as she continued to pump and milk his shaft for every last spurt of the thick, bitter seed. It pooled on her tongue, unnaturally warm compared to his member.
Why did it taste so good to her now? Normally, regardless of the male or his species, she merely tolerated the flavor. But now, she found herself outright disappointed when the flow ceased and Lio’s erection began to fade in her grasp.
Swallowing the creamy mouthful, Kitty stared up at Lio’s sweaty brow and unfocused eyes. Then she winked.
“Good boy.”
***
Kitty’s eyes were closed, but the hazy, white-gold afterimage of the Feronia’s overhead lights may as well have been burned into her retinas. It kept her from falling asleep, which, at the moment, sounded like the best damn idea she’d heard in eighteen hours.
“Fuck,” she muttered, forcing her eyes open.
Every inch of her hurt—quite a lot, in fact. Certain places hurt worse than others, of course, but still… Kitty hadn’t even thought it possible for eyelids to ache.
But they could. And hers did.
Naturally, the second she opened her eyes a
nd turned to gaze on the small, swaddled bundle beside her, Kitty forgot all about the pain.
Her child, her daughter, slept peacefully.
The longer Kitty looked, the giddier she became. Sonya was beautiful, perfect, and worth every second of effort. Soft as the breeze, Kitty leaned down and kissed her daughter’s pale blue brow, directly between the oversized, Arsalian ears.
The bed shifted beneath her and Kitty looked up as Lio stretched out behind her. He rested his cheek against her shoulder but had eyes for no one but the newborn.
“You did good, Kit,” he whispered.
She smiled. “We did good.”
“Yeah.” Slowly, almost timidly, Lio reached out to touch his daughter. His fingers shook as he nudged the tip of her ears with a shaking finger. “I guess we did.”
“I told you she was yours.”
Chuckling, Lio wrapped her in a gentle hug and kissed her shoulder.
“Never doubted it,” he said.
“Yes, you did,” Kitty said with a laugh. “But it’s okay.”
“You sure?”
With a small, barely audible noise, Sonya stirred. It began with a blink, then a clumsy squirm, and ended with a fussy sound. In a heartbeat, both Kitty and Lio forgot all about one another.
Carefully scooping her daughter into her arms, Kitty murmured reassuringly as she lifted the girl to her breast. Nursing was a bizarre experience, in both the physical sensation and how naturally it came. But, as she listened to the quiet slurping and felt the barely detectable flutter of her daughter’s heartbeat, it all served to bring a smile to her face. The smile continued, even when she finally looked up to make eye contact with Lio.
“I’m sure,” she said.
Lio stared at her, smiling with more joy than Kitty had ever seen on his face. Then, to her astonishment, he began to cry.
“Lio?” she gasped.
As soon as she spoke his name, Lio seemed to remember himself. He sniffled once, wiped his eyes, then swallowed hard.
“Sorry,” he said, embarrassed. Smile returning, he leaned in and kissed them both, quite delicately, atop the head. “It’s just been… quite a day.”