The Hard Way (Box Set)

by Stephanie Burke

  It seemed that I was not the first of my world to invade this paradise! Like the serpents, they despoiled paradise and it seemed they were determined to make a mark here.

  “Very interesting,” said a man in front of me, drawing my attention. “She is not like the others. The board will be intrigued.”

  The board? What the hell was going on?

  Before I could formulate a response, I was carried into a large building and my cage placed beside a large examining table. More people swarmed into the room and I found myself pulled from my cage, hands still bound, and placed on the table.

  I tried to struggle free, but before I could even move, hands strapped both legs down to the table, and my arms above my head. I gasped as fingers peeled my eyelids back and a bright light shone in.

  “Hey!” I protested, but the person spoke out loud to the room at large.

  “Brown eyes. This is a variant. Must be a genetic throw back.”

  “Throw back? Ouch!” A syringe plunged into my arm, drawing blood.

  “No phosphorescence in the skin. Plain brown. Possibly lacking in the mutated traits and heightened abilities?”

  “Are you sure that this is his mate?” This voice boomed from behind me. I twisted to get a good look, but I could only move a few inches. I saw the hem of another tunic. The voice spoke with authority.

  “The other would not lie. She wanted her mate back too badly. You know that the control alteration malfunctioned. Instead of making them easier to control, it made them more aggressive. The only good thing about that little mistake is that we can use it against them if we can catch one of a matched pair.”

  “What is going on?” I finally managed. What were they talking about? Mutations and alterations? Who were these people?

  “I suppose we should show the male that we have his mate. That may make him speak up about where he found the box and the words for the voice command.”

  Voice command?

  I struggled to look around, to see who these people were, but I had no luck. All my wiggling did was earn me extra-tight restraints and more attention.

  “Run the DNA tests,” the large voice mused. “That will show us where we stand. If this creature is a throw back, we may have a weapon against the fugitives.”

  Fugitives?

  “Ah, good! Bring him over.”

  Him? Then I felt his presence. They were bringing me my Lust!

  “Luster!” I gasped, sensing his presence ever stronger as he drew closer. They turned the table, and then I could see him. My Luster.

  He was strapped to a large, square frame on wheels, hanging from his arms, his hands encased in some material, his ankles lashed to the sides. He was completely naked and hung limply, but his eyes, when he raised his head, were full of defiance and anger.

  “Now, Luster, will you cooperate? We have your mate and you know that we take no pity on those who defy us.”

  “She is not my mate,” he said, his eyes warning me before he dropped his head again.

  At first my stomach plunged into my feet as I took in his words, then my mind began to work. Of course he would deny me. If he reacted in any way, it would prove that I was his mate and they would have power over us both.

  “Why do I not believe that?” the voice said.

  “Maybe because not only do you lack magic,” Luster sneered, “you lack eyesight as well. I have no mate. You knew that when you had my people imprisoned. The same holds true this day.”

  “Luster,” laughed the man. “You were always the clever one, more Thinker than the rest. But I believe science will prevail.”

  “Damn your science!” he snarled.

  “Very good, Luster. Damn us all. But I know something that you do not. When in the presence of your true mate, you will have an incredible urge to bond. All I have to do is leave you in the room and your body will tell me the truth.”

  Damn! That was why Glow had been sporting a very good hard-on when he’d returned from the shadows after warning Glimmer! His body hadn’t been reacting to the erotic things that Lust and I were doing. He had been in contact with his mate.

  As I stared wordlessly at Lust, I knew we were in deep trouble. There was no way to keep his body from reacting.

  “Put them in the cage.”

  “No!” I screamed as I was wheeled into another room. I could hear the wheels of Luster’s frame following.

  One of the men released the bindings on my ankles, then the ones holding my wrists above my head. I heard Luster grunt and knew that they had let him off the platform. Then I heard the rapid retreat of footsteps and the closing of a door. We were alone, yet being observed.

  I raised my head off the table to stare at this new cage. Three solid walls and one made of glass. I would bet my last hour here that it was a one-way mirror. Science at its observant best.

  “What are we going to do?” I whimpered, turning to face my man.

  But it was too late. He knelt on the floor, where they had left him, his cock rising and throbbing with his every breath.

  “Give them a fucking show,” he growled.

  I gasped and shook my head, even as my body reacted to the sight of his.

  “They want to observe us, Sinopee. This is what your science does. So we are going to show the sexless band of love-starved bastards just what they are missing. Come to me!”

  I shook my head and tried to back away.

  “Come to me!”

  I whimpered, feeling my body clench and start to grow wet. The idea of being observed was starting to turn me on.

  Why shouldn’t we give them a show? Soon we would both be dead, so why should I deny myself this last chance to have Lust?

  “Come to me!”

  I took my first step toward him.

  Chapter Seventeen

  As I drew close, Lust raised his hands up and wrapped them around my waist, burying his face against my stomach. I wrapped my bound hands around his head, tangling my fingers in his hair, holding him close to me. His breath wafted against the naked skin of my stomach.

  Silently, he rose to his feet, keeping my arms locked around his neck as he easily lifted my weight. He carried me as if I weighed less than a moment, less than a memory, over to the table that I had been strapped to.

  As he placed me on my back, he shot one look at that glass window, knowing their eyes were on us. Grasping my hands, he pulled my arms from around his neck, but held them over my head. Silently he looked into my eyes, his glance saying more than mere words ever could. Lowering his head, he closed those magnificent lavender eyes as his lips brushed against mine. There was tenderness in his touch, tenderness and love.

  I arched my body up against his automatically. It was like my body knew where it belonged. Sighing deeply, he pressed me against the table while using his thigh to spread my legs. Once settled on his knees between my thighs, he held my hands down with one hand while the other slowly began to explore my body.

  I knew that they were watching, and I felt a blush turn my face red, but the feel of his hand caressing my cheek, my neck, and trailing across my breasts made me disregard them as unimportant. I raised my knees, exposing my woman’s center to his touch, and he smiled at me.

  We both knew that it was a matter of trust for me to open myself for him while others were watching, but as his nearness increased my arousal, I found that I could deny him nothing. I made a mewling sound as his fingers trailed across my stomach, gently circling my navel before stopping just at the top of my mound. He looked over his shoulder, glared at the glass, then turned the fierce expression to me.

  He rose up as his hands spread my thighs wider. He looked down and leered. I knew the pearly drops of my essence already coated my flesh, and I only needed his touch to start that trip to the stars.

  His fingers, hard and blunt, invaded me, ran across my swollen lips, spread my moisture around. I cried out -- I couldn’t hold the sound in -- and arched into him.

  Taking this opportunity to reposition me, L
ust pulled both of my legs high on his thighs, then his hands gripped my waist and pulled me into an upright position. My bound hands went over his head and around his neck as I tried to gain my balance. This new position placed his swollen cock right at the entrance to my womanhood. But instead of plunging home, he again lowered his face to mine.

  “I love you,” I whispered, my eyes staring intently into his.

  “I know, lover,” he whispered, placing gentle kisses on my eyelids, the tip of my nose, my chin.

  Warmth swept over my body that had little to do with arousal or embarrassment. Luster was showing me how much he loved me, showing them, defying them, and taunting them with what they would never have.

  I tightened my grip on him as he lowered his head to mine. His tongue gently lapped at my lips, tracing the outline before running along the crease. Automatically, I opened, inviting him inside, wanting to taste him as he was tasting me. One of his hands reached up to cup my cheek as he gently invaded my mouth, running his tongue along my teeth and the roof of my mouth, gently exploring what I so eagerly offered.

  I felt his moan more than heard it, and the sound reverberated through my body. I tightened my legs around his waist. I urged him closer, flattening my breasts against his chest, feeling his hardness press against my softness.

  His skin was hot and moist. I realized that passion was slowly taking over, that soon he would join with me, complete me, make me whole again.

  “Sinopee,” he breathed, “hold on.”

  The suddenly, he switched positions, sitting on the table and having me ride his waist. I felt empowered as I looked down and saw his hardness pressed against my stomach, throbbing. Yet we continued to kiss.

  He broke away and buried his face in my neck, whispering, “Sinopee, I love you.”

  The feel of his hot breath across my neck caused me to shudder and moan.

  This was Luster touching me, Luster loving me. I relished every moment even as I damned those who were watching, safe from all emotions, behind the glass.

  “Are you ready?” he asked as the fingers of his right hand trailed down my stomach to cup my femininity.

  I gasped and knew that he had to feel how wet I had become. His body was an erotic delight for me, no matter what, no matter where.

  “Yes,” I breathed, staring dazedly at him. I knew he was ready -- I could feel it in his rock-hard cock, the head that wet me with its free flow of pre-cum. “Please, now.”

  With an incredible show of strength, Lust lifted me up, positioned me over his throbbing member, and slowly let me slide down. I gasped, wrapping my arms tighter around his neck, as I buried my head in his damp hair, as I accepted Lust into my body.

  He felt like hot hard steel wrapped in a velvety cover. I slid to his base. Once I was fully seated on him, we both let out a small groan of pleasure. He leaned his forehead under my chin as his arms tightened around my waist, gently lifting and lowering me on his body.

  “Harder, Lust!” I cried out, impatient with his slow motions. Did he know how much I needed him?

  In my mind, I could picture those behind the glass, watching, panting, drooling. And it made my arousal reach a new plateau. I had what they wanted, what they could never have! It made me feel powerful.

  Tightening my legs around his waist, I began to grind from side to side, mashing him deep, massaging my clit on the hard base of his cock and his pubic hair.

  “Oh, grind it, lover,” he purred as he leaned back and arched into my movements, giving me an upward thrust to complement my side-to-side action.

  I threw back my head, my moan filling the room. I began to ride him with the aid of his hands moving me faster up and down his pole. Then his hands slipped down to knead my ass and urge me to grind faster.

  Soon the sound of our wet bodies sliding against one another filled the room. The raw scent of sex suffused our senses, and I was becoming lightheaded as lightning began to explode behind my eyes. Faster and faster I moved, my moans and gasps supplying the background for this loving.

  Like a machine, Lust pistoned faster and faster, never tiring, always striking that special spot deep within my walls. He began to get louder, his movements jerkier as he drew close to completion. His panting increased and suddenly, he threw back his head, his eyes wild, his face a mask of twisted, agonized pleasure.

  I screamed as the tension deep inside me broke. I felt him swell even larger, then bellow out as he erupted deep within me.

  “Sinopee!” he screamed, his hair flowing wildly around him.

  My inner muscles milked him, pulling the energy out of him while my mind took flight from my body. This was why I was created. It was for this purpose that I was here. Luster was mine. My man. And no one would ever take him away from me.

  I sobbed out my pleasure as Lust’s arms tightened around me, prevented me from falling back bonelessly.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice a whisper in my ear.

  “Fine,” I managed to gasp. “God, I love you.”

  I leaned forward and took his lips in a demanding kiss, plunging my tongue deep into the cavern of his mouth, savoring the flavor of him. From him, I drew my strength. He was my light, my partner, my equal in this strange world, and in my own. I needed him as much as he needed me.

  Then, glancing over his shoulder, I once again saw the glass window, and knew that there had been intruders to our love.

  Anger rose in me and began to take away my weakness. This anger had to have a release. As I stared at the glass window, the spy window, the anger took over.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Learn something, you bastards?” I screamed, pulling myself off Lust’s body. “Maybe you should take notes!”

  There was silence behind the window, but I swore I could hear the confused murmuring of the scientists behind the glass. Almost sobbing in frustration, I turned back to Lust, who took my still-bound hands into his.

  “This is the way of the Thinkers,” he sighed almost sadly. “Next they will poke and prod and steal blood and take away what is left of our privacy for the sake of… science.”

  In that moment I could only hate what my people had done, what I was, what my people were doing here.

  “Do not!” he insisted as he easily read the look on my face. “This is not your fault. None of this is your fault.”

  I sniffed and nodded my head, but inside, I knew that I was a part of the problem. Everyone like me, a Thinker, was part of the problem.

  In one day, I had started as a Plain Jane in a dead world and had been transmuted into a thing of erotic beauty. Then I was once again a Plain Jane, only as good as her mind. But how could that help when it was the mind, the Thinkers, who had caused so much pain in the first place?

  “How?” I asked, forcing my eyes up to meet his. “How did this happen?”

  “The Thinkers have always been, Sinopee. From the moment I awakened as a child, the life I knew was behind these glass walls.”

  “Luster…” My heart was breaking for him.

  “Shhh, Sinopee mine.” He cradled me against his chest. My legs naturally went around his waist and I settled myself against him, knowing that the people outside were probably still watching. “I watched them poison our bodies and our minds. I watched them break up mated couples to test a theory, and watched as those couples withered and died away. I watched friends, good friends, disappear without a trace, only for the Thinkers to come back and take more of us.

  “Then one day, I got tired of watching. When the head Thinker took me to take more blood, I managed to hit him over the head. I have no idea where the knowledge came from, but I just knew what to do. I knocked him out and I freed the others. We all have an affinity for nature, all of our magic is based on nature, and we fled to the woods.”

  “You were lucky.”

  “The gods smiled down upon us,” he agreed. “And the Thinkers have been chasing us ever since. They were chasing us the day I stumbled onto the magic mirror under the waterfall and read
the words that brought you to me.”

  He hugged me tighter as he said this. I hugged him back, knowing that that day was the most important day of my life.

  “And if I had not been sitting in front of that mirror going over my parents’…” I stiffened as a thought occurred to me. “The mirror! You spoke the words on the mirror.”

  “This I have said many a time,” he said, a confused expression on his face.

  “It has to be a link!” I hissed, and bent low to his ear, conscious that they might be listening to our conversation.

  “What?”

  “The man who caught me! He said something about the voice activation device. There has to be a link.”

  Before I could say more, the door was flung open and several men I could classify as guards entered the room.

  “Miss, please come with us,” one of them said, trying to keep his eyes off my bare body. Like he hadn’t already gotten an eyeful!

  “What do you want?” I hissed. Luster tensed beneath me.

  “Please, come with us.”

  “No!”

  They raised their guns.

  In a flash, Lust threw me off of him, rolling us on the table until I was completely covered by his body. Then, before my amazed eyes, he launched himself at the three guards, taking them by surprise and knocking two off their feet.

  “Run!” he roared at me as he leapt to his feet to take out the third.

  The other two were slow to rise, unused to any physical activity, so it was easy for me to slip by them. But the third man pulled his gun and prepared to fire.

  “No!” I screamed.

  His eyes flashed toward me, giving Luster a split second to react. Diving low, he grabbed the guard by his knees, bringing him down with a thump. Before the dazed guard could move, Luster’s fist plowed into his face, knocking him out cold.

  The other two were rising to their feet when Luster scooped up the defeated guard’s laser and pointed it in their direction.

  “Do not move.” His cold words sent shivers down my spine.