Michaela

by Tracy St. John

  Govi nodded. “It means they have to live in institutions with round-the-clock security. The entire clan is disrupted. It’s hard on everyone.”

  Michaela looked at him worriedly. “But it doesn’t dissolve the clan, does it?”

  Govi stared out at the ocean for a few seconds before answering. With a deep sigh, he finally spoke.

  “It has happened on occasion. Usually it’s because we discover the situation within the clan itself is harmful to the disturbed individual. If well-being cannot be restored due to clan dynamics, we doctors can recommend a court order to declare the clanship severed.” He gave Michaela a reassuring hug. “The situation has to be extreme for that to happen.”

  “Attempted suicide isn’t extreme enough? Permanent escape sounds like a last-ditch effort to me.”

  “It can be a clear sign of such.”

  Michaela decided she preferred to relax by the brook, the first stop in the path they’d found. With many hugs and kisses, Govi left her there to enjoy the garden while he worked.

  Michaela sat on one of the cushions and worked on meditation. She found it easy to achieve a peaceful attitude in her surroundings. Even after deciding she’d done enough of that, she felt serene simply looking at the brook as it chuckled past. The fish rewarded her with flashes of iridescent light as they went about their fishy business. The flowers nodded and the deep blue leaves that shaded her from the sun’s heat danced in the errant breezes.

  As the morning drifted away, people wandered past on the nearby path. They smiled and bowed to Michaela as they went by: clans mostly, with confident Dramoks, fierce Nobeks, gently smiling Imdikos, and even the occasional Earther Matara. The women were surrounded by their men and doted on without embarrassment.

  An orderly was the only one who stopped and spoke to her, and only because Govi had sent him. The young Imdiko medic brought Michaela a tray of juice, water, fruit, and a handheld stocked with games and the latest reading material. He also passed along the message that Govi would fetch her for lunch. She thanked the orderly and assured him she was perfectly happy in the garden.

  “Dr. Govi says to com him if you need anything at all.”

  “I will. Thank you.”

  Then she was left alone again.

  Michaela had a snack of water and the fibrous but sweet wapteprol fruit. She briefly entertained the idea of reading, but she enjoyed her surroundings too much to distract herself from them. She pulled two seating cushions together instead, making a surface large enough for her to lie on. She did just that and stared up at the sky through the deep blue leaves overhead.

  Michaela felt the most content of her life. Her whole soul seemed to be at peace. I’m in love and loved, she thought. Against all odds, the freak had found not just acceptance but a place where she was cared for and protected. Even knowing Korkla was away for a week, helping Jessica fight to keep her clan together, prompted no more than a twinge of conscience just now. Michaela’s Dramok would help make everything right.

  It felt as if nothing ugly could ever happen to her again. Michaela had never known such harmony as that which sang in her being on this bright, beautiful day. She drifted in her little corner of paradise, happy and secure.

  At some point, she dozed off. A gentle hand brushing through her curls roused her about half an hour later.

  “Michaela, wake up, my love.”

  Michaela opened her eyes to the agreeable sight of Govi kneeling next to her. She blinked up at him with a smile, which he responded to in kind.

  “Hey,” she yawned. “Is it time for lunch?”

  “Not quite. Listen, I don’t want you to panic, but something has happened.”

  The careful way the Imdiko spoke woke Michaela all the way up in an instant. She bolted upright.

  I jinxed everything by thinking how perfect my life is. I should have known better to believe someone like me could have it all.

  Her heart speeding towards panic, she asked, “What is it? Did something happen to Korkla? Jessica?”

  Govi’s tone was calm, but there was a catch in his voice. “No, sweetheart. Raxstad was injured at work. He’s here in the hospital being treated. We’re going to go see him now.”

  Michaela grabbed the Imdiko’s collar. “Raxstad’s hurt? How bad? Will he be all right?”

  Govi wrapped his arms around her. “Calm down, my Matara. Raxstad is going to be fine. I’ve already spoken to his doctor, and he’ll be back on his feet and at home in a couple of days.”

  “A couple of days? He was hurt bad enough to have to be in the hospital for a couple of days?”

  Michaela was horrified. How could anything harm Raxstad? Her Nobek was impervious, as solid as a mountain. It seemed impossible anything could damage a man like him.

  “Govi, stop with being so careful! What the hell happened to him?”

  The Imdiko drew a deep, shuddering breath. “There was a blaster fight with a suspected smuggling ring—”

  “A blaster fight! Oh my God, Govi, what the fuck?”

  “I told you he’ll be fine. Settle down or you won’t be allowed to see him.”

  Her clanmate’s tone was sharper than she was used to hearing from him. All at once, Michaela realized Govi was every bit as upset as her. He dealt with it in an effort to take care of her, but she saw the way his lower lip trembled.

  Michaela felt ashamed for almost descending into hysteria. Govi looked out for her, but who would take care of him?

  Me. I’ve got to stop being such a baby and let him lean on me as much as he’s letting me lean on him.

  Swallowing her upset, Michaela made herself speak dreadful words. “Raxstad was shot?”

  Govi nodded, a muscle twitching in his jaw as he did so. “He was hit by a blaster shot, but his armor deflected the worst of it. Some skin and muscle was torn off his arms.”

  The garden rocked around Michaela. She grimly fought off the wave of dizziness for Govi’s sake. “Will he lose the use of his arms?”

  “They’ve re-attached the muscles and the skin grafts are already growing. It will heal very quickly. Our medicine is far beyond Earth’s, my love.” The Imdiko managed a brave smile. “Raxstad will be fine with scars to brag about and show off.”

  He’s okay. He’s going to be okay. Govi wouldn’t lie to me about that.

  “Can we go to him now?” Michaela asked.

  “If you promise not to become hysterical. It will upset Raxstad if you fall apart. It could impede his healing.”

  Michaela squared her shoulders. “I’ll be okay once I see him and I know he’s breathing. I’ll be even better if he’s demanding food and sex.”

  Govi laughed out loud at that. It seemed to help ease his concerns, and Michaela felt good she’d been able to do that for her sensitive clanmate. “Knowing Raxstad, that’s as good a barometer for health as any tests the doctors might run. All right. Let’s go yell at the big goon for standing on the wrong side of a blaster.”

  “My immense vocabulary of swear words is at the ready,” Michaela said.

  She wrapped an arm around Govi’s waist at the same time he placed his arm around her shoulders. Holding onto one another, giving and receiving support, they left the garden to be at Raxstad’s side.

  Michaela’s strength faltered when she saw her mighty, undefeatable gorilla of a Nobek flat on his back in a hospital bed. Her hands flew up to her face and she raced from the doorway to his side.

  “Raxstad! Damn it, look what they did to you!”

  Raxstad smiled up at her, his expression looking as fearsome as ever. However, both his upper arms were heavily bandaged. Lighted panels, covered in digital gauges and Kalquorian hieroglyphics, arched from beneath the bed surface to cover most of his body. Despite the warmth of the room, Michaela was chilled to see him swathed in gauze and machinery. She reached for him, but there was no way to hold her injured mate.

  She turned on Govi, who had come into the room behind her. Ignoring the paleness of his face, she lit into him. “You
said it wasn’t so bad! What is this all over him?”

  A hand closed over her wrist, turning her back to Raxstad. Blessedly, his grip seemed as strong as ever. He said, “My Matara, I’m going to be fine. The medi-bed’s panels are in place to feed medicine into my body to keep infection away. It’s only a precautionary measure.”

  Michaela’s arms ached to wrap around her big, wonderful Nobek. Unless she embraced his calves, she was out of luck. The medical panels covered him from upper chest to upper thighs.

  The soft hum of the machinery sounded loud and the antiseptic aromas made her want to choke. Her senses overloaded with mounting terror to see Raxstad laid low. Even the two overstuffed chairs for visitors to use looked stark in the setting. The whole room seemed some awful chamber of agony rather than a place to heal. All because she couldn’t hold her injured clanmate.

  Fear and frustration mixed to bring Michaela’s temper to the fore. “Damn it, Raxstad! What the hell are you doing getting in front of blasters?”

  “He was saving my life.”

  The amused voice coming from the corner of the room made her realize someone else was in the room. Michaela looked past Raxstad’s toes to see another man leaning against the lit wall.

  The wavy black hair of this fellow was a tousled mess, but his face was as handsome as Raxstad’s was rough. Still, the feral cast told Michaela this person was a Nobek. A Nobek who was the complete physical opposite of her mate.

  For one thing, he was short for a Kalquorian. Michaela had seen Earther men as tall as this Nobek. He wasn’t anywhere as beefy as Raxstad either. He looked made for speed, not overwhelming strength.

  He moved, coming out of the corner with measured paces that made Michaela think of stalking panthers. The Nobek moved with easy grace in his armored Global Security uniform. The stranger shouldn’t have looked as deadly as he did, not when she compared him to Raxstad. Nevertheless, Michaela still had the instinctive urge to back away from the man.

  Raxstad grinned at his fellow officer. “Breft, meet the newest reason for living life, my mate Michaela. My love, this is my partner and perpetual pain in my ass, Nobek Breft.”

  Breft bowed deeply to her. “Hello, Matara. Hello again, Govi.”

  “It’s good to see you as always, Breft.” Govi’s smile was tight and tone cold, as if he didn’t find seeing Breft good at all.

  Michaela blinked at the Nobek. “Oh hi. Raxstad saved you?”

  Breft made a face. “He did. I’m sorry it came to that, Govi.”

  The Imdiko sighed and the stiffness of his posture relaxed. “I know you would have done the same for him.”

  “This was one of those times when size made a difference.” Breft shrugged at Michaela. “We had been flanked by the men we engaged, leaving me unprotected. The shot that hit Raxstad’s chest armor would have taken my head off had he not jumped in the way.”

  Raxstad grinned. “Silly me. You missing your head wouldn’t have made much difference in how you think.”

  Breft laughed. “Fuck you.” He jerked and looked at Michaela. “Oh, excuse my language, Matara. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  Govi waved him off. “Don’t bother with the apology. If you got in a cursing contest with her, she’d win in an instant.”

  “Is that so?” Breft grinned in appreciation. He was especially handsome when he did that, Michaela thought. However, she wouldn’t trade her gorilla Nobek for any other.

  She thought his explanation fell short. “If he was shot in the chest, why are his arms injured?”

  Raxstad answered. “Our enemies’ blasters were set for wide-array percussion. The primary shot hit my chest, but the secondary spread was what got me into trouble.”

  “Oh.” Michaela had forgotten her introductory military firearms training on blaster settings. She should have known a wide-array blaster spread could extend that far.

  Breft bowed to her again and slapped Raxstad’s jaw hard enough to make Michaela wince. “Well, I’ll leave you alone with your clanmates. I have prisoners to interrogate.”

  Raxstad scowled, though Michaela didn’t think it was from the smack he’d been dealt. He hadn’t even blinked when Breft hit him. “Fuck, I’m going to miss all the fun, aren’t I? I hope they confess so you don’t get to beat the hell out of anyone.”

  “Hey, just because you don’t get to bust some balls, don’t take it out on me. Besides, the shithead who shot you can’t be questioned until he’s treated for the leg you managed to blow off. You’ll be out in time for his release. Then you can put him back in the hospital.”

  Raxstad clenched his fists hard enough to make the knuckles crack. His vicious grin made the hair on Michaela’s body stand on end. “I look forward to it.”

  Breft left them, laughing as he went. Michaela exchanged a look with Govi, who shook his head and rolled his eyes. She was in complete agreement.

  She said, “Thank goodness we’re down to just one Nobek now. The machismo was making it too thick to breathe in here.” Michaela softened as she looked down at her wounded mate. “Are you really okay, Raxstad?”

  He smiled at her, a real smile and not a cutthroat leer. “I’m really okay, my Matara. Try not to worry.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “I’ve taken far worse hits. You see how nonchalant Govi is about it, don’t you?”

  “Nonchalant, my ass,” Govi burst out. “You didn’t say you were doing a takedown today.”

  Raxstad shrugged. “I didn’t know until I got to work. The supervisor didn’t tell anyone beforehand. He was afraid it would leak, and we’ve been after those assholes for months.”

  Govi folded his arms over his chest, not placated one bit. “You wouldn’t have told me even if you did know it was going down.”

  “No, because I’m well aware of how much you would worry, my Imdiko. It’s my job. There is no point in making you fret all day when there is nothing you can do about it.”

  Govi turned away so they couldn’t see his face. His voice sounded choked. “No, instead I get a call in the middle of my day saying you’d been blaster shot. That makes it so much better.”

  Michaela was on the Imdiko’s side. She put a hand on his shoulder, feeling how it hitched as he gave himself up to the hurt of someone he loved being injured. Meanwhile, she leveled a scathing stare at Raxstad.

  “You are a big jerk to do this to us. Did Korkla know?”

  The fierce Nobek looked as if he was getting angry. “Of course not. I wasn’t sending him off on his tour freaking out over me.” Apparently not dealing well with the guilt the pair were loading on him, he yelled, “Will you two quit with the pissed off looks?”

  Michaela shouted back, “Well, what are we supposed to do? I can’t even hug you like this!”

  Raxstad’s face softened. He looked into her face and at the back of Govi’s head with obvious love. “You can give me a kiss, my Matara. You too, my Imdiko.”

  Michaela scowled, but she moved as close to him as the medi-bed’s panels would allow. “You don’t deserve kisses, scaring us like that.”

  She bent and gave him the best kiss she could muster. When it was done, she moved aside so Govi could do the same. The Imdiko’s eyes were red, but his cheeks were scrubbed dry at that point.

  By the time they finished kissing their Nobek, a growl slipped from Raxstad’s throat. His eyes were nearly black with desire.

  “Oh, my beautiful clanmates. As soon as I get home...” he started to say.

  Govi snorted. “As soon as you get home, you’ll be on bed rest for a few days. You know the drill by now, my Nobek.”

  That made Michaela grin. A few ideas had just sprung to mind, ideas on how she could tease a bedridden Raxstad. He wouldn’t be able to punish any torment she might decide he deserved for scaring them so badly. His eyes narrowed at her wicked smile.

  He warned her, “You really don’t want to rack up the trouble you’ll be in when I’m back on my feet.”

  Oh hell yes, I do. The right kin
d of trouble is always a lot of fun, she thought.

  “Who, me? What makes you think I’d do anything to get in trouble?” She gave Raxstad an overly innocent look, one that said she was going to pull out all the stops while she had the chance to make him suffer.

  Govi snickered. Raxstad shook his head, but Michaela sensed how he held laughter in.

  Chapter 18

  The next morning, Michaela stepped off the hospital in-house transport as she accompanied Govi to the psychiatric wing. The howls coming from the Nobek patients made her shudder.

  She didn’t feel that great. It had been a long night with little sleep even though Michaela knew Raxstad would be fine. His doctor had given them a glowing prognosis the day before. She was secure in the knowledge that her Nobek would soon be going home. Yet sleeping with only Govi last night had made the sleeping mat feel much too big. As unthinkable as being wed to three men might have once been, Michaela had grown accustomed to having all her clanmates with her while she slept.

  Govi had tossed and turned every bit as much as she had. They’d dozed fitfully until two hours before dawn. At that point, the Imdiko sighed into the darkness and said, “Would you like to walk on the beach or fuck my brains out?”

  “Maybe we’ll have time for both,” Michaela answered, losing no time in trying to climb on top of him.

  He wasn’t having it, however, and wrestled her down. He knew exactly what to do to make Michaela mindless with need. The Imdiko used his hands and mouth on her cock, making her swollen and crying out with want. Her male libido stole every ounce of strength from her, the promise of climax stealing all ability to fight. She at last surrendered, screaming he could be in charge if he’d just let her come.

  Govi wasted no time in filling her cunt and ass with his own eager lengths. He rode her easy, he rode her hard, he rode her slow, and he rode her fast. He took her on her back, and then flipped her over to take her from behind. As he did so, he kept her servile by pumping her prick, working it just enough to keep her weak but not enough to let her come.

  She was bawling with desperation before the Imdiko was finished with her. “Please, please,” she wailed. She couldn’t even move her hips to meet his thrusts so that she would finally detonate. He held her still, forcing her to accept his pace.