by Bianca D'Arc
Wordlessly, the hatch slid open. She’d apparently activated it from her bedside console. She sat facing the small viewport, staring out into the deep black of space.
“Why didn’t you keep our date, little mouse?” He pitched his voice as he came up behind her. He had to play this carefully. He didn’t want to scare her off.
“You don’t know what they think,” she said vaguely, but Agnor was afraid he knew all too well what she meant.
“It doesn’t matter what they think,” he said calmly. “All that matters is what we think. What we feel. The rest of the crew—hells, the rest of the galaxy—can go hang for all I care.”
She turned to him, her expression clearly upset. “You can’t mean that. How are you supposed to lead a group of people who are doubting your sanity behind your back?”
“My sanity?” Agnor was surprised by her words. “Why in the world would they—”
“Because of me,” she whispered, turning away once more. “Because you’ve been spending all your time with me. They don’t understand why you’d waste time with someone like me. I’m hurting your reputation, Agnor, and I won’t be the cause for that. I’ll have to end our…our…association.”
She couldn’t seem to come up with a word to describe their relationship, and Agnor realized he’d waited too long to discuss the emotional aspect of their bond. Now, of course, anything he said on the matter would be suspect. He had to figure out a way to prove to her that she was wrong, without seeming to wheedle or suddenly come up with emotional words that would mean little because they wouldn’t seem spontaneous. He’d timed everything wrong, and he was going to have to work to dig himself out of the hole.
“You’re wrong, Bet, and I’m going to find a way to prove it to you.” He sat beside her, placing one arm around her shoulders. “Do you trust me?”
She hesitated before answering. “I do trust you, but you don’t know what I heard.”
“I assume this is something you overheard because of your special Talent, right?”
Slowly, she nodded. The fact that she hadn’t pulled out of his loose embrace gave him hope.
“Who was it? Can you tell me that?” When she seemed reluctant to name names, he played his trump card. “As captain, I really do need to know if a member of my crew isn’t loyal.”
That seemed to make Bet pause. Finally, she spoke.
“It was Glena,” Bet admitted in a small voice. “She was accessing the cleaning supplies during her shift and was near the hold. We crossed paths, and her shielding has never really been that good. Even when you asked everybody to tighten their shields, hers always leaked. I tried to block her out, but her thoughts—and they were mean things—were directed right at me like…like…missiles or something. I couldn’t seem to help overhearing them.”
Bet sounded contrite, as well as truly hurt. Agnor hugged her, hoping to ease some of her discomfort.
“That’s all right,” he almost crooned. “You’re not responsible for her unkind thoughts. You can only be responsible for yourself, and if you were shielding and not actively trying to read her mind, then you have nothing to feel guilty about. She’s the one who has the problem. Not you, sweetheart.”
Agnor spent the next hour talking to her, doing his best to convince her that whatever she’d heard, it didn’t matter. He would not abandon her because of a few petty thoughts by a junior crewman. He didn’t dare put names to the feelings he expressed, lest she be suspicious of the timing of his declarations. But he did his best to make her feel secure in his regard and cared for. He also did his best to reassure her fledgling confidence.
She really was fragile when it came to relationships of any kind. She’d admitted she hadn’t had much sexual experience, and he had to remember that in his dealings with her. He also got the impression that she didn’t make friends easily. She was unlike any other woman he’d known. She was special.
Eventually, he coaxed his way into her bed, and they spent the rest of that night in her cramped quarters, enjoying the closeness of a smaller bunk. While she slept peacefully in his arms after several rounds of delicious lovemaking, Agnor made plans.
He had to help her gain the experiences that would shore up her confidence and let her fit in more with the crew. Despite her progress in other areas, he’d noticed how she spent most of her time either alone or with him. She didn’t have friends on board, and she had admitted to finding it hard to make them.
He also sensed the rest of the crew’s distance from her. They didn’t seem to understand her, and they didn’t seem to be brave enough to broach the invisible barrier she kept around herself where others were concerned. They didn’t see the diamond in the rough under her bulky sweaters, or the quick wits behind the quiet manners.
Agnor would have to do something about that. He made plans, and the next morning, before he left her, he asked her to meet him in the crew lounge after main shift rather than in his suite. It was time to put his plans into action…
CHAPTER SEVEN
Uncertainty shone in Bet’s every movement as she joined Agnor in the crew lounge after their duty shift. There were others already gathered there, just hanging out, some snacking, some playing games. Others were engaged in more intimate activities.
Bet joined Agnor on one of the couches, and he put his arm around her. They watched the news vids for a few minutes until she relaxed into his hold as they sat side by side. When he caressed her breast, she shied away only a little bit before settling into his touch. And when he began undressing her as they kissed, she was with him all the way.
Shy little Bet—as he’d come to know over the past days—turned into a tigress when she was aroused. He was counting on the tigress to come out to play, and Agnor encouraged her at every turn.
When Bet clawed at his pants and freed his cock, he let her do as she willed. And when she moved to take him into her body, he let her have his way, though he knew it was time to put his plan into motion…
Agnor signaled Petris with a short telepathic message. Petris was Micah’s cousin, and he’d been friends with Agnor for some time. Micah had introduced them, and they’d spent at least one memorable voyage on the Circe together, gathering information on the Wizard collective.
Agnor knew Petris had a good heart and a well-earned reputation for pleasing his sexual partners. Agnor thought he would be a good match for what he had planned, and Petris’s broad smile as he approached them reassured Agnor he’d been thinking right.
“Do you want another cock? Now’s your chance, sweetheart. I’ll watch over your first joining, and make sure no one gets hurt.”
She jumped a little when she saw Petris approach, but her body clenched on Agnor, and he knew she was excited by the idea. Bet seemed to consider for a long moment, and he sensed her inner battle between the longing to be just like everyone else and the need to keep herself protected from others who might hurt her feelings.
“I’ll guide you, little mouse. I’ll see to it you’re safe.” He sent his thoughts directly to her mind in an intimate whisper.
“You’ll be with me?”
“Always.”
She nibbled her lip, and he couldn’t resist reaching up to replace her little teeth with his in a biting, teasing kiss.
“Well then, yes, I think so,” she answered in a shy whisper. “I like Dominar Petris. He’s never been unkind to me.”
“He’ll be more than just not unkind. He’s going to shoot you to the stars. I can guarantee it. And I’ll help him.”
Agnor ‘pathed to Petris, sending him private instructions for just how he wanted this first joining to go down. Luckily, Petris knew him well enough not to question Agnor’s request and played along.
Agnor pulled out, though he remained under her as she rose onto her knees. Agnor’s lips played with her breasts, neck, shoulders and mouth while she straddled him on her hands and knees. She was in a very vulnerable position, but he thought this first time might be easier for her if she could focus on him
rather than the other man. All she had to do this time was feel. Agnor and Petris would make certain she felt nothing but pleasure.
Petris began by stroking her back, then down to her butt, squeezing gently. Bet shivered in Agnor’s arms when Petris skimmed his fingers over the puffy lips of her sex.
“What is he thinking?” Agnor ‘pathed to her.
Agnor knew he was taking a bit of a chance asking her to read Petris in this unguarded moment, but he thought he knew Petris well enough to guess what would be in his mind at such a time. If he was thinking anything near what Agnor guessed he was, then she definitely needed to hear it.
She smiled and shivered, her eyes going wide as she leaned down to lick at Agnor’s ear.
“He’s thinking…” She hesitated, clearly amazed by the thoughts she was sensing. “He’s thinking how beautiful I am, and how stupid he was not to see it before. He likes my ass.”
Her whispered words sent a flood of excitement to his dick, but he held back. This time was for her. She had to come first. She buried her face in his neck while he kissed what he could reach, smiling widely.
“What did I tell you? You’re a babe, Bet. Any red-blooded man will agree with me on that, seeing you this way.”
“He wishes you’d let me turn over so he could play with my breasts.” She gasped as Agnor tugged on her nipples, just hard enough to make her squirm.
“No way. Not this time. Your tits are mine until further notice, mouse. I saw them first.”
“You sound like a little boy who doesn’t want to share his toys.”
She giggled as Petris leaned forward, stroking her ticklish waist, then pushing his hands lower, two long fingers testing her wetness, pushing deep inside.
Agnor held her shoulders so he could lick her nipples, biting and holding them gently in his teeth.
“My toys,” he insisted.
His deliberately petulant tone made her laugh, the sound enchanting all those around them. She had a magical laugh that stilled everyone for a moment and had them looking to see what little fairy had joined them. Agnor growled against her excited skin.
“You are an amazing woman, Bet. Don’t ever believe otherwise. And if you don’t believe me, listen to Petris’s thoughts as he joins with you. I bet they’re nothing but complimentary. And hot. You make me want to come, and I’m not even inside you yet.”
She shivered as Petris’s hands moved expertly on her and in her, readying her for his dick. Agnor wanted it to last a long time for her, but at the same time, he knew first joinings were tricky. Talents often clashed when they first came together, the power enough to cause harm to one or both of the partners.
Which is why first joinings were closely monitored among those with higher levels of Talent. Someone of greater power watched over the two who were testing out the meshing of their Talents until it was clear they would be safe together.
As the observer this time, Agnor had to keep it together long enough to watch over them, lest a buildup of power hurt one or both. He sent the mental command to Petris and held Bet tightly by the shoulders, claiming her mouth as the other man claimed her pussy.
Petris slid home, long and hard, and Agnor felt every delighted shiver of her body, capturing her moan in his mouth. He watched over their energies carefully, instructing both with quick telepathic messages when to hold back or release their energies. He felt the meshing of their Talents.
It wasn’t nearly the comfortable, made-for-each-other way his own energies meshed with Bet’s, but it wasn’t uncomfortable either, and after her first small orgasm, they were even more aligned. The greatest danger was over for now, though Petris’s climax could bring on another crisis point. Agnor would hold Bet and watch them both carefully while his friend stroked her to completion.
Petris was skilled, to say the least, and he brought Bet two more climaxes before finding his own. His Talent flashed and fought only briefly with hers, then settled down around them. They would be able to join whenever they wished now, without fear of hurting each other. But strangely, that thought made Agnor want to growl.
It should have made him happy. He’d achieved his goal of broadening her friendships and alliances among the crew. But somehow, it didn’t satisfy him. Only having her all to himself would do, even though that was something rather odd in the culture they’d been raised in. Among Talents, pleasure was shared freely with multiple partners. So why did he want Bet only for himself?
It was a question he’d have to ponder while he helped her overcome her shyness and fit in better with the rest of this new crew. That was key. If he wanted this crew to work as well together as the group he’d just left aboard the Circe, he’d have to encourage them all to share with each other. Friendship, stories of their pasts, and pleasure. It was a sure way to bond, and it was necessary for people of Talent, for renewal of their powers, and to keep them healthy and happy.
When Petris finally left her body, Agnor graciously allowed the other man to lift her up, turning her so he could bestow a kiss of thanks on her plump lips. Still, a little demon of jealousy bubbled up in Agnor’s mind that was completely new and somewhat uncomfortable.
Agnor wasn’t a jealous man. He’d never had a problem sharing pleasure with anyone before. But Bet was different somehow.
“Thank you, Bet. You are a beautiful woman. And your Talent is delicious and powerful. I feel like a new man.” Petris was polite. Gallant even, though he smiled wickedly and winked at her as he left them.
Bet didn’t know what to say. She’d never been as free with her body as her contemporaries. She’d always felt like the odd man out and hadn’t shared pleasure with anyone in a long time. But Agnor had changed all that.
He’d encouraged her. He’d made her feel beautiful and desirable, and he’d shown her that others could feel the same way about her. He’d helped her at every turn, and she would have been forever grateful to him for that, aside from the fact that she was wildly attracted to him and halfway in love with him.
She turned to Agnor, kissing him soundly, a wide smile on her face.
“You’re the best, Ag.”
She dared to whisper his nickname, knowing no one else could hear her. She felt the delight in him as she wrapped her arms around him as he shifted, sitting up with her on his lap. She nipped his chin and sucked on his neck, stroking his shoulders with his hands.
Energy was zinging through her. It wasn’t the topped-up, deliciously full feeling she got after a night spent in Agnor’s arms, but the way Petris’s Talent had brushed against hers definitely gave her a better understanding of why Talents often sought multiple bed partners.
The recharge she got from being with Petris was very nice and quite a different flavor than the energy she had experienced after joining with Agnor, but it wasn’t as powerful or fulfilling. She wondered if normal people with Talent went searching for something like what she had with Agnor their whole lives, trying out different lovers, looking for something so perfect. It would explain a lot.
Things she had never really understood about her own culture were suddenly coming into focus. Agnor had taught her so much, even the things he hadn’t been actively instructing her in were becoming clear. He was such a great man. She counted herself lucky to be with him, and judging by the stray thoughts of those gathered in the lounge, this little demonstration had gone a long way toward restoring his reputation—and giving her a better one, as well.
“Did you plan all this?” she dared to ‘path to Agnor, initiating the silent conversation, which was something she hadn’t done before with him.
Telepathy wasn’t her strong suit, but it seemed easy with Ag. Everything seemed easy with him, she realized. It was natural to talk to him and even ‘path to him. Natural to be in his arms and touch his handsome body.
“What will you do if I say yes?” he replied, a teasing tone in his thoughts.
“Hmm.” She pretended to think about her reaction. “I suppose I just might kiss you.” She put action to her
thoughts.
It was brazen behavior, but she felt giddy with discovery and new knowledge. She felt joyful for the first time in a very long time. Then again, Agnor usually inspired such positive emotions in her. She shouldn’t be surprised by her uncharacteristically forward behavior. He seemed to like it, and the thoughts swirling around her—the few that broke through her shielding—continued to be positive.
The others weren’t thinking much about her and Agnor anymore though. Their thoughts faded out of her mind as they turned their attention to their own pursuits. The sharing of sex just wasn’t the big deal to them as it had always been to her.
When she came up for air, having enjoyed initiating the kiss, Agnor’s hands were in her hair and he was looking deep into her eyes. The energy of the stars swirled between them for a timeless moment while their bodies aligned.
“I like it when you kiss me,” he said silently while holding her gaze. The moment felt significant, and it made her dare further.
“I like it when you take me,” she whispered into his mind.
A smile lit his eyes as she continued to hold his gaze. She was glad her bold thoughts had pleased him. It made her feel warm inside…and, if she was being honest, their ‘pathing was making her want him. Now. Always.
She shied away from that last thought, knowing she could never keep him. Not such an important man as Agnor. He was hers for now. And just for now. Anything longer-term was only a fairytale she had best not entertain.
“Come into me now, Ag. I want you,” she ‘pathed, wanting to stop her traitorous thoughts with the sensations that would make her cease thinking coherently altogether.
He slid into her with practiced ease, allowing her no time to catch her breath before he began the slow, stroking motion that would bring them both to ecstasy…eventually. She liked it when he made love to her with that lazy languor that made her think he was taking his time with her. Because maybe…just maybe…he cared for her. At least a little.
It was a secret wish of hers. Silly, really. But she couldn’t help it. Agnor was the most amazing man she’d ever known. She’d thought that even before she’d made love to him for the first time. And the fact that he seemed to keep wanting to join with her had carved a little space in her heart out, just for him. He was in there now, and he’d never be released—even when this voyage was over.