Atone By Treaty

by Kayla Stonor

  *****

  Her seductive teasing intrigued him. Gabrielle seemed more relaxed, willing to be herself, her shield of caution lowered. Her fingers brushed his as she handed him a curved glass only a quarter full, a sparking sensation that reminded him his erection could not get any harder.

  He sipped the moonshine, coughed, the liquid searing a trail to his stomach. “Is this a bio-weapon?”

  “I’ve not thought of it that way, but yes, taken in sufficient quantity.”

  Prepared this time, he drank more.

  Gabrielle slipped before him, her hands unfastening the neck of his tunic. Her scent intoxicated him more than the liquor and he breathed in the heady aroma, overlaid with a citrus tang in her silken hair. She rose to her feet, kissed him so softly Oltu nearly wrapped her in his arms, the mating urge flooding his body.

  He growled, his fists clenching. “I want to hold you.”

  “I know,” she whispered against his lower lip. “I have something that might help. Bea Solomon gave me a present before she left for Katar.”

  “Bea?”

  Bea Solomon had bewitched Lord Ardant, a failing Oltu could no longer hold against his fellow Qui. Gabrielle had him so enchanted he refrained from even touching her without her permission.

  “I want to see your Qui...” Gabrielle’s tone put Oltu on alert, “when you’re aroused.”

  “No. A Qui mating would kill you, Gabrielle. Only those properly prepared can accommodate a Qui.”

  “I want to see, and I want to understand your limits.” She stepped away from him, collected a box sitting beside the moonshine. Inside sat a pair of cuffs, titanium, large enough for Qui wrists. “I thought if you can shift to human it won’t matter if the cuffs slip off, you’ll be in control.”

  Oltu took them out and met her hopeful expression with a smile. “These will do.” Her devious plan incited a riot of excitement, his mating Qui threading his blood with hormones. The quicker she restrained him the better. “I will shift with them on.”

  Gabrielle raised her hand, her lower lip caught between her teeth, as if undecided.

  “Or...?” he checked.

  “No, it’s not that. Something else.” She walked to a chest and opened it. “Saiorse gave me a gift.”

  She reached in and Oltu drew in a sharp breath as she pulled out a scytah whip. He recognized the etchings on the handle. “Saiorse gave you this?”

  She walked back holding the whip in both hands. “I found it with my belongings after we returned from Dralexi. There was a note.”

  She handed him a strip of cloth snared between her fingers, the message written with black eye liner in an old Dralexin dialect, but signed Saiorse in lettering Gabrielle could read.

  “The ship’s translator did not include this Dralexin. Will you translate it, please? Can you?”

  Oltu nodded, curious what warning Saiorse would want to impart.

  He pulled the cloth taut, studied the words, testing their meaning until he heard Saiorse’s voice in his head. Regret filled him, the words immortalized, carved on his soul, a whisper of memories he’d rather forget.

  Taking a fearful breath, he read out aloud. “It says, Gabrielle, deny the First Lord his demons and free the Qui within. The Qui who brought an end to your people’s enslavement...” the words struggled to form for they were undeserved, “this Qui who has the potential to be a positive force for change across the empire, he is yours now.”

  Gabrielle looked bewildered. “Why does she say this? That you brought an end to human enslavement?”

  They both stared at the makeshift parchment for long moments. Oltu’s heart thumped so loud. He read through Saiorse’s message, struck that Saiorse saw hope for him.

  “Is it true?” Gabrielle’s voice held distress. “I remember Ben was one of the last. The shipments stopped not long after. Was that you?”

  Oltu bowed his head. “Xyon gave me full authority to reduce the cost of the war with Earth. I interpreted his orders... creatively.” Another reason for the Royal Court to deny him the Qui throne. “Too many humans taken from Earth were dying and each new shipment spread news of Earth’s rebellion. So I fulfilled contractual obligations, rejected new orders, and ordered the K’lahn to withdraw ground forces.”

  “That’s when the prison camps closed.”

  “Yes. I reduced costs, ordered the K’lahn to barricade Earth from space. Xyon was caught up in the growing chaos inside the Empire and his mind was failing. For each rejected order, I designed machines to address that world’s need; I wanted to forestall an appeal to the Emperor. My efforts became a profitable endeavor that funded my fleet.” He shook his head and flicked the message. “Skal, I did nothing noble. Saiorse misrepresents my actions.”

  “I guess she saw things differently.”

  “Saiorse approved of my actions for more... altruistic reasons, and she believes you influence me for the better.” Oltu crushed the cloth to a ball and threw it aside. “There is no credit here. I am the Qui you have always seen, who believed Earth should have been eradicated from the start, who nearly destroyed Earth believing humans collaborated with Surashan to abduct my sister... and sitting here with you,” he stretched out a hand, touched the length of his little finger to Gabrielle’s and held her gaze, “a Qui who is very relieved and grateful to have been proved wrong.”

  Brightness took over Gabrielle’s eyes, the wash of unshed tears.

  “A Qui honest to his own detriment.”

  “I want to culminate with you, Gabrielle. Deception serves no purpose. In culmination there are no lies. It is a fundamental and deep understanding.”

  She nodded, looked upon the scytah whip. “Saiorse left me this, too. I wondered why she would leave me such a thing, and I’ve thought hard about how I should use this, why it mattered to her. Oltu, I want to use this whip, but not to punish. It’s not for me to play judge and jury. My judgment is tearing us apart and we are both miserable. Tonight is not about punishment, control, or fear. Oltu, if you are willing, tonight is about trust. Do you trust me enough to surrender completely? Can I trust you? If we can establish that...”

  “I trust you. I want you. I would die for you.”

  She stared deep into his eyes for a long time; a ticking sound marking the seconds. He searched the green flecks in her amber-colored eyes, the dancing light and shadows, drawn to her beautiful gaze. She coaxed him, and he saw the moment consideration sharpened to desire.

  He held his breath, as her eyes narrowed, her lips curving into a smile.

  “Well then... in that case,” Gabrielle stepped back, slowly, ensuring he understood she did not mean him to follow. Lowering into a chair, she sat and crossed shapely, smooth legs, her eyes glinting with expectation. “Strip for me.”

  *****

  The scytah thrummed on its lowest setting. Gabrielle had tested the whip’s energy coil on her own body and knew when vibration turned to pain, but its impact on Oltu had the power of a thousand suns. Over-sensitized, Oltu’s cock shuddered at the caress, a spasm that rocketed down to his blood-engorged balls. His body arched forward, his muscles bulged under glittering scales, straining the cuffs tethering him to the solid iron posts. His magnificent wings stretched out to their full extent, snapping and beating the metal columns.

  The sight struck Gabrielle silent.

  The size of Oltu’s erection stole her breath.

  Still he could not climax.

  Her heart hammered. She held this powerful alien in an agony of primal fervor. If Oltu broke free, he would be beyond reason, in a place where decorum and honor held no sway.

  She reduced the scytah whip’s setting to zero. Oltu threw his head back when she coiled the now inert whip around the impressive length of his swollen dripping cock, seconds passing until he realized the whip did not bite. Its pressure held him still for several seconds more.

  Saliva burst in her mouth.

  This savage dominant, an alien from another world, had battled his sadist core, res
trained the demons inside him for weeks.

  Why?

  Rampant mating instinct stymied by feelings he could not reconcile—a need to protect, a need borne of love.

  The answer terrified her, and she had resisted its emergence, because if this magnificent Qui truly loved her, then she could no longer deny the simple truth of the attraction between them.

  They belonged together.

  Her heart swelled, urged her closer, an irresistible compulsion that had to be obeyed. She rested her hand on his scaled cheek, leaned in and pressed her lips to his ear. He growled, snapped his head towards her, and then the raging fire softened, his eyes focused, on her.

  “I trust you,” she whispered. Trembling, she reached up to one wrist, unlocked the cuff. His arm wrapped around her and pulled her tight. She gasped and instantly his grip lessened. Harsh breaths filled his chest as she, more slowly this time, turned to release his other wrist.

  “Gabrielle,” he growled.

  His breath packed with pheromones unleashed the aching desire between her legs. She needed him more than air, more than anything she’d ever wanted in her life. She gyrated against his cock between her legs and diced with death.

  “Trust must work both ways. Please, Oltu.”

  He grasped her around the waist, lifted her from him and stepped into the room. Already he was shifting, a half-shift that restored his human form, but left his wings intact.

  That rustling in her mind pushed through.

  “Hold tight,” he ordered.

  Gabrielle wrapped her legs around his hips, the contact of her pelvic bone against his belly prompting a resumption of uncontrolled grinding as she chased the surging pleasure, back and forth.

  “Skal! You will kill me.”

  Oltu stalked to the window, studied the locks, grasped one, holding Gabrielle with one arm. Brisk air cooled the sweat on her body. He stepped out onto the wide balcony with railings of transparent resin.

  “You’re going to fly?”

  His wings answered her question, beating a slow flap, building lift, and then he added a burst of energy and they took off into the sky, a flight that bore no resemblance to the spiraling fall she’d experienced in the Fringes. Both hands were on her waist, lifting and then settling her on his rigid cock.

  I won’t hold out for long.

  “You’re in my head.”

  Relax.

  Relax? His scaled cock drove up inside her, setting off eddying waves of sensation, muscular contractions that clenched the hot rigid member, robbing her of sanity.

  “This is too much!”

  She cried out, the intense pleasure an unrelenting roaring pressure, her legs tightened around him. He inclined her back and his teeth enclosed an exposed nipple. She screamed.

  Open your mind. His tongue suckled her.

  More. Please more. Don’t stop.

  Good. This is culmination. I am open to you.

  Impressions, feelings, memories bombarded her. She homed in on an emotion that shone out above all others—a mix of warmth, admiration, and respect. And more... She sensed delight, happiness, and an overwhelming commitment. To her. The fierce protection he felt for her blew her mind. She sensed his exploration of her too, caught up with his reactions, feeling his rage as he sifted through her break up with Cale, a passing interest quickly dismissed regarding her fling with Jaden, and others, unimportant to him now she belonged to him.

  Belonged.

  Not a possession.

  A joining, a union.

  Yes. I want this, his mind whispered. This is my pledge to you. You are mine and I am yours. I offer my life to you. He dipped into her past, her fears, the traumas of her youth, he tasted and then he closed the memories as his lips captured hers in a deep exploring kiss. I offer my love and protection.

  She grabbed the hair at the scruff of his neck, and pushed up his body, savoring the scrape of his cock against her before pressing down on him, the head of his erection stimulating a throb that intensified, tightened, and then when she could bear it no longer broke into pulsating waves of pure bliss.

  Oltu’s groan echoed in her throat and a hot gush against her climax set off fresh peaks that rose and plummeted, surging back and forth, breaking in crashing waves against the shore of her desire. A rough palm clasped her breast, kneaded and stroked the soft flesh, capturing the tight bud, and setting off an arcing bolt that transported her to ecstasy.

  In her mind, Oltu’s pleasure exploded, his climax merging with hers, a crescendo that roared and tumbled and flew them high above the mountain tops.

  Unadulterated perfection.

  Sweet nectar.

  *****

  Oltu glided back to the mountain cabin, taking care to avoid the security guards, picking his moment to return to the balcony unseen. Gabrielle had blacked out. He carried her in his arms, a most precious cargo.

  He felt cleansed.

  Renewed.

  His life his to restart. The ancient ways mattered less with this sensuous, wonderful creature in his arms. Compassion shaped her outlook, unbowed by the historical record, strengthened by her faith in the human desire for freedom and justice. The conflict between their cultures was not so vast, human and Qui shared more than divided. Good and bad existed in Gabrielle’s world; a universal law humanity was yet to accept. Once, ancient Qui espoused Gabrielle’s values, a period when the Surashan and Qui lived as one, a time before conflict emerged and resolution came by way of the sword.

  She stirred, clung to him when he pulled back the coverlet to lay her on the bed.

  “So much hurt,” she murmured into his chest.

  Oltu frowned, absorbed his wings and settled Gabrielle beside him. Her fingers teased half-formed scales on his chest. Playful green eyes framed by thick lashes checked his reaction.

  He smiled. “I did not hurt you. I would have known.”

  “I mean you. Your upbringing.”

  “Ah, you mean my father. Xyon had high expectations of his first born and I worked hard to be strong, fierce, and feared. He admired ruthlessness, so I am ruthless. My father survives in me.”

  “And yet the Royal Court appointed Sonestra his heir.”

  “Sonestra was always her own person. She never allowed Xyon to sway her and, ultimately, that was my failing and her gift to the Qui.”

  “You don’t resent her?”

  “At first, after her succession, I did, but Sonestra has earned her throne. Xyon tested us all, my sister suffered at his hand, too, just differently.”

  “But you were his first born. He learned on you.”

  Oltu leaned his head back. “I thought you too busy to have noticed so much.”

  “There are parts of you I reject. We will fight often.”

  “We will not fight. I want only to make you happy.”

  Her leg swung across his thigh and suddenly she sat astride him, his cock stiffening beneath her. “Your concept of duty needs work. Fortunately, I can be ruthless too.”

  “You intend to tame me in the bedroom?”

  “I already have.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The return to Katar was not of Oltu’s choosing, stealing Gabrielle from her home unnecessary when he could continue his work at his fleet guarding the Sura K’la. Her decision to leave Earth surprised him, particularly with the Thrak ‘Katar due in two days’ time when over one thousand humans returned to their home world.

  On the outside foyer to Central Command, Oltu shook hands with Earth’s president, a gesture that came easier to him now.

  President Rooster’s stern eyes measured him. “Take good care of my daughter.”

  “You have my word of honor. No one is more precious to me.”

  “If I believed otherwise, I’d kill you now.”

  Something savage in Rooster’s voice quelled a response. Oltu returned the man’s steady gaze, nodded acceptance of a father’s right to safeguard his child.

  He looked around, Gabrielle hugging friends and colleagues, th
eir secret tryst now in the public domain. “How long must we stay away?”

  “A few months, maybe more. The scandal will die, superseded by the Thrak ‘Katar’s arrival. My presidency will survive. We will release details confirming that the Qui are not as alien as many believe, build a narrative where our alliance is of mutual benefit, an opportunity for intergalactic commerce. Nations and worlds have resolved devastating conflict before, become the best of allies, friends. That is the value of time. Once corporations and entrepreneurs see new avenues of business development, the dark horrors of the war will fade away before the brilliance of our future.”

  “You speak with wisdom. I will remember your counsel.”

  Surprise flared in Rooster’s eyes and Oltu noticed a softening of the president’s jawline. The older man nodded. “I must say goodbye to my daughter.”

  Oltu watched Gabrielle pull away from her friends and embrace her father. For long seconds father and daughter did not speak. Emotion thickened Oltu’s throat, Gabrielle’s distraught sadness, a sudden wrenching panic, filling his mind. In the aftermath of culmination, they had become close, her mind always within touching distance. He wished he could spare her this pain, their worlds so far apart, Katar a hot hostile world with only Jaden and Bea for human comfort.

  When war with the Surashan broke out where would Gabrielle be safe?

  Together with Oltu on a warship? Or on Katar? Maybe one of his properties? Or would he force her home, to Earth?

  She smiled, parted from her father’s embrace but still holding hands to the last moment, and then Gabrielle walked to Oltu, her eyes accepting, brimming over with love for him. Her strength filled him with pride.

  He smiled. “I have an idea.”

  “An idea? Damn. Now you’re scaring me.”

  Oltu wrapped an arm around her shoulder, walked her to his transport. “You need to be more independent. I’m going to teach you to fly.” He gestured to the transport’s controls. “Starting today.”