That caress on its own would have been enough to sweep her senses clean away, but he touched her too. While one arm cradled her, supporting her against him, Oret’s free hand went over her body. He not so much explored as worshipped her with his fingertips. The calloused pads moved silkily over her throat, shoulders, arms, breasts, belly, hips, thighs, and mound. He was so very tender with her that he might have possessed skin of velvet. Anywhere he found an opening in her clothing, Oret’s warm touch was whisper-soft. Elisa thrilled at the exquisite care he showed her.
When he released the kiss, Elisa felt like chocolate left in the hot sun: melting. His palm cupped her pussy, feeling as if it fit in a space made just for it. She looked up at Oret’s wondering face with hooded eyes, her being succumbing to the sweet dream of lying in his arms. All that was left now was for him to possess her, to join his body to hers. She would not be complete until he did. Her throat whimpered a wordless plea of longing. She did not care that others were nearby. It didn’t matter that even Captain Walker might be aware that she gave herself so readily to this Kalquorian. She had to belong to Oret in the most profound way possible.
His pupils were deep, black pits as he gazed down at her, the feral animal lurking within their depths. He whispered, “Can you be very quiet with me? I need to be with you, my little lovely. I need to be inside you.”
Hearing him echo her desire brought arousal surging with blatant force. Elisa somehow choked out, “Yes.”
The hand cupping her mound rubbed. Elisa was glad her panties were long-lost now, allowing him to touch her so intimately. She poured honey into his hand, biting her lower lip hard to keep from moaning. Oret watched her face, gauging her reactions as those thick, rough fingertips moved up and down her slit, coating them in her juices.
One slick finger stroked over her anus. Elisa let her thighs part farther, giving the Nobek access to that tight orifice. He pressed in, stretching her for his use. At the same time, his thumb circled her clit, sending sizzling rapture through Elisa’s loins. She gasped and turned her face against his bicep to smother the sound.
“You may bite me if it helps,” Oret whispered. His finger worked in and out of her, circling to ease the tight muscles.
Elisa peeked up at him. Her voice muffled against his hot, steely flesh, she said, “No, I might hurt you.”
He chuckled. “There is such a thing as good pain. Being bitten by an excited lover is something I enjoy.”
“I might draw blood.”
“Even better.” Oret pushed in another finger.
Elisa nearly did bite him, especially as his thumb rubbed right over her clit. Her groan fought to be heard between gritted teeth and Kalquorian muscle. Her fists clenched handfuls of the stretchy material of his formsuit as he readied her.
“My love,” the Nobek whispered with such feeling that tears filled Elisa’s eyes. Oret was baring himself to her, letting her hear the emotion that he felt. She had no doubt it was a big deal for him to do so. She would have liked to look into his face, to see the expression sitting there at that moment. His continued play with her intimate parts kept her face buried against his arm, however. The attempt to stay quiet as he plumbed her anus and teased her clit was only successful because she smothered her cries with his flesh.
Perhaps Oret excited her on purpose so Elisa couldn’t see his vulnerability. She thought it might be the only way he was comfortable exposing his most tender side.
He withdrew his hand and picked her up, moving her so that she straddled his straightened legs. Her skirt covered his lap, hiding the arousal straining the crotch of his formsuit. Elisa looked at his face then, her vision soft with arousal. Oret looked as strong and intense as ever, though there was a slight smile on his lips. She kissed those lips as his hand moved beneath her, freeing his cocks from his formsuit. They smacked wetly against her belly.
He lifted her so that the two rigid lengths pressed beneath her. “Place me, little one. Let me warm myself inside you.”
Elisa reached beneath, shoving the skirt aside to get to him. His cocks, slick with thick lubricant, pulsed in her hands with Oret’s accelerated heartbeat. She homed them in on their intended openings.
Oret lowered her onto himself. Her pussy and ass spread, yielding to the spears of flesh with sublime surrender. Elisa’s breath caught as the Nobek filled her, and she just barely remembered to not cry out. He traveled deep, deeper still, until she felt she might burst. Elisa’s head fell back as she accepted all of him, her sheaths clenching around Oret’s flesh as if to claim them for eternity.
He sighed, the look on his face one of such peace that he was almost unrecognizable as Oret. Elisa wondered at the quiet joy on the battered warrior’s expression. It amazed her that she had the power to make the feral Nobek look so.
Watching him, Elisa rose and fell over Oret, riding him slowly to draw his pleasure out, to serve him with more of that happiness that she could grant. It wasn’t easy to take her time; the thickness that filled her delivered glorious friction to her G-spot. With every descent her clit made heady contact with the Nobek’s groin, shooting bright shards of elation through her belly. Yet Elisa refused to hurry culmination. Her beloved Oret deserved every second of ecstasy she could deliver.
His face was only a breath from hers, his hooded eyes gazing deep as if to discover her soul. Occasionally his lips brushed her mouth in the most delicate of kisses. He cupped her breasts in his hands as she moved up and down on him. His thumbs slowly, deliberately brushed over the hard points of her nipples to add effervescent tingles to the arousal filling her.
It felt so good to make Oret slide in and out of her body with a slow sensuality that made Elisa’s hair stand on end. She would nearly release his cocks only to recapture and claim them once more, her body his soft prison. Looking into those feline purple eyes all the while, Elisa felt all barriers to being his mate fall. Perhaps they were meant to be together for only a few precious hours before their lives ended ... but they were meant to be together. Elisa knew that in her soul. She belonged to Oret and the rest of his clan. Race ties meant nothing, not now, not ever again. Elisa was exactly where she was supposed to be.
The only difficulty lay in maintaining silence. Elisa’s breathing grew harsh as need mounted. The moist sounds of their coupling filled her ears, feeding the excitement now bubbling higher. A whimper escaped her throat, and Oret pulled her head down, burying her face against his neck. He held her tight to himself, one arm wrapped around her waist and directing the pace as he lifted her up and shoved her down.
The action impaled him deeply in Elisa. The tip of his cock collided with something within her, sending monumental ecstasy barreling through her gut. She cried out against his corded neck, unable to restrain herself.
“Yes,” Oret said in a hoarse whisper. “You will come for me, my Matara.”
He lifted and pulled, lifted and pulled, every stroke demanding Elisa’s surrender. Her body galvanized as it strained for climax. She felt a scream coming, one she would not be able to rein in. Elisa struggled to escape Oret, knowing the orgasm would be too strong to not be voiced. He held her easily, making her take him hard with deliberate insistence.
The first spasm licked through her pussy, a precursor to the violent chaos now looming inside. It was too late to stop the onslaught; Elisa was caught in its grip. In a desperate bid to keep the scream from escaping, she bit down on the mouthful of hot, granite flesh her face buried against.
Oret gasped and stilled momentarily. Then he yanked her down, taking her deeply one more time as his cocks pulsed his release into her body.
Elisa was swept away in heaving bliss. If she screamed she could not tell for the roaring in her ears as she came. Her pussy throbbed and clutched, caring not for the nearby Kalquorians or Joseph Walker. It laid waste to her, demanding its satisfaction until Elisa sagged depleted in Oret’s arms.
When the last spasm ebbed, she looked up at the Nobek, noting the contented face and the bleeding ova
l on the side of his neck where she’d bitten him. When Elisa reached to wipe the blood away, he caught her wrist and pressed her palm to his lips for a kiss.
“Leave it,” he said. “I treasure such reminders for as long as they last. Since you made no noise, I am glad to have this evidence of your passion.”
As relieved as Elisa was that she’d managed to remain quiet, Oret’s choice of words frightened her. “Are you leaving me? Is this you telling me goodbye?”
The Nobek shook his head. “Not when I have you to come back to. You have just shown me why I must return from my mission safe and sound. My Matara needs me.”
Elisa gripped his face between her hands, forcing him to continue to look her in the eyes. Her tone definite, she told him, “I do, Oret. I need you alive and well. Do not go unless you will return.”
He regarded her for a long time, his face serious with flashes of consternation. Elisa could tell the Nobek struggled to say something, something he was having trouble getting out. She waited, not rushing him.
Oret growled in frustration. “I have so much I should tell you, but I am not good with words. I don’t have the skills of my Imdiko to fill your ears with pretty sentiments. I was made to perform deeds that show how I feel.”
Elisa would have let him go by saying he didn’t need to speak a word. Oret had already shown her the depth of his emotions simply by the way he looked at her. Yet she could tell it was important to him to say something.
She prodded him with, “Don’t try to be fancy, Oret. I’m not a fancy girl. Just tell me what you want me to know. Say it as bluntly as it feels.”
“I love you.” The Nobek blinked, as if startled that the words had come so readily. He said it again slowly, as if tasting the sentiment. “I love you.”
Elisa smiled at him. “Thank you. When you get back from wherever you’re about to go, then I’ll tell you I love you too. That’s something else for you to come back for.”
Oret nodded, his eyes crinkling with amusement at her challenge. “You will see me again then. I want to hear you speak those words to me.”
He kissed her then, his face alight with victory, as if a monumental obstacle had been overcome.
Chapter 19
Chase and the bridge crew had joined Robards in Engineering, intent on getting the ship up and running. The two senior officers exchanged looks as the engines, dead for several hours, abruptly hummed back to life. The bridge and engineering crew raised tired cheers.
Chase rolled his eyes upward, relieved to have finally achieved some measure of victory. “Thank God and the prophets. We’re getting somewhere.”
The brief flash of triumph had already disappeared from Robards’ haggard face. “We still have to get navigation, helm, and weapons back on line. Those bastards screwed us bad.”
They and the men who had struggled through the night shift to bring the battlecruiser back to life were ragged with exhaustion. Trying to root out and destroy the virus the Kalquorians had set loose in the vessel’s computers had been a difficult task. It still raged in several systems. They had a long way to go yet to restore the ship to normalcy.
Chase rubbed his face, the momentary energy brought by getting the engines back on line already receding. “Navigation next and then helm. We need to get into Bi’is space and away from this misbegotten Empire.”
Next to him, Robards looked over his readouts with reddened eyes. He looked as if he’d aged at least twenty years. “We still need to find those escaped Kalqs. Who knows what they’re doing to our ship? I need sensors to find them. They could be anywhere using those shafts.”
His head turned so that he stared at the service tunnel opening which had afforded the enemy escape. Black hatred showed in his bloodshot eyes.
Chase was tired of bucking the tactical officer up as he had been forced to do all night. Yet he needed to do so once more for Robards to stay on task. “Keep faith in God’s protection, Lieutenant Commander. We can fight off a few of those demons better than their fleet, if the bastards managed to call for help. We need to get out of Kalquorian space above all.”
“Yes, sir.”
Robards got back to fixing the mess the escapees had left behind in the computer systems. Chase also turned back to the computer bank in front of him, ready to get back to work. It blurred so that he couldn’t see, and he impatiently rubbed his eyes. Damn, he wished someone from the kitchen would show up with a cup of coffee. No, a carafe, one all for him. All he wanted to do was sleep. His head throbbed with fatigue.
Robards’ whispering voice in his ear startled Chase, and he realized he’d been drifting off despite standing on his feet. He shook himself and looked at the other officer. “What was that?”
Robards gave him a narrow look before speaking again, his tone still low. “About half an hour ago, a few of my security crew approached me. They wondered why we’re not attempting to find and rescue Walker. They saw how he fought to get into Engineering and can’t fathom how we could let such a heroic leader be kept prisoner. They pushed the issue, even though I told them our first priority was getting the ship back online.”
That helped Chase wake up. He scowled and whispered back, “It’s a pity the captain wasn’t killed outright, as we’d planned. He’d be so much better use to us as a martyr.”
Robards nodded. “No kidding. If I’d been able to get a clear shot with no one the wiser, I’d have taken him out myself.”
“Damn him for finding his balls when he did. We should have dealt with him weeks ago, but the Holy Leader wanted him to remain captain.” Browning Copeland was pretty much infallible in Chase’s opinion, but even the Voice of God might have committed an error in keeping Walker around.
Chase darted a look around at the crew to make sure no one could hear his exchange with Robards. “Are there any outright expressions of defiance from the men?”
Robards scowled. “Not yet, but they’re on edge. I think we still have the majority with us, but there are enough of the rest to concern me.”
That had to be nipped in the bud immediately. Fortunately, Robards had never shown weakness when it came to doling out punishment. Chase told him, “If someone gets out of line and you can allege treason or mutiny, make their executions public. If they balk without giving just cause for accusation, carry your duty out quietly. We must keep order. We must do all possible to serve the Holy Leader’s cause.”
Robards nodded, his smile grim and his response coming with no hesitation. “His will be done.”
* * * *
Zemos watched his men prepare for what he knew would be the final assault on the battlecruiser. The ship’s engines had started again, meaning the Earther crew was finding their way through the mess Oret had made of their systems. The computer consoles in the cargo area remained without power. Zemos had no way of tracking his enemy’s progress or of trying to re-establish contact with the Kalquorian ship that had responded to their call for help hours earlier. They were on their own, and if the Earthers caught up with them now, they were dead.
Oret was nearly done with giving the teams their final instructions. He and his group of six men would attack the battlecruiser’s engines in an effort to keep the ship crippled long enough for the Empire’s fleet to find and capture it. Other small squads would create diversions elsewhere on the ship to distract the Earther crew.
The first two teams of four men each slipped out using the service tunnel. Oret nodded to his Dramok as his group also headed towards the access. Zemos went to his side and fell into step with him, accompanying his clanmate to the hatch. They did not bother with sentimentality because it was in neither man’s nature to do so. Yet when possible, Zemos had always seen Oret off on any mission the Nobek went on.
They reached the opening. Zemos waited for Oret’s usual goodbye salute of “for honor and Empire”, as he had always proclaimed for the many decades Zemos had known him. Oret surprised him this time.
Staring into his Dramok’s eyes, Oret softly spoke. “K
eep yourself and our clan safe. I will see you again soon.”
Oret had never promised to come back alive from a mission before. An ache filled Zemos’ throat at his words.
He said, “Your three clanmates will breathe easier when you return. Good fortune, my Nobek.”
Oret glanced at Elisa and Miragin, who stood a few feet away. He gave them a smile, nodded to Zemos, and left with his group. The remaining teams of Nobeks tasked with providing distraction left as well.
Zemos turned to his small band of a few security and non-combat personnel. “They’re off. Rest as much as you can for now, but be ready to fight if the guards alert us to trouble. Those on guard, keep a close watch for any sign of attack.”
With nothing else to do but wait, he started towards Elisa and Miragin. He needed to hold his Matara even if it did look unprofessional. The pair looked as grim as he felt following Oret’s departure.
He had nearly reached them when one of Captain Walker’s guards, Nobek Almon, intercepted him. “Excuse me, Captain.”
“Is there a problem, Lieutenant?” Zemos glanced over at Walker, still surrounded by three other guards. The Earther returned his level gaze.
Almon said, “Not so much a problem as a request from our prisoner. He wishes to speak to the Matara.”
Zemos looked at Almon, his eyebrow raised. “Is that so?”
“He’s quite adamant about it. I think he believes he will soon die and wants to make amends as best he can.”
Zemos gave the security officer a bald stare. “Have you or your men threatened him?”
Almon didn’t flinch. “No, Captain. He is making groundless assumptions.” A slight smile touched on the man’s lips. “To be honest, I rather like the lad.”
The captain had to restrain a snort of laughter. “So I’ve noticed.”
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