Hero

by Cheryl Brooks

  Two servants entered laden with ornate serving trays which they set down on the table. After carefully inspecting the fare laid out before him, Grekkor nodded a curt dismissal.

  "I'll see to it," Worell said, but as he left to implement these new orders, his first thought was that the only difficulty would be in finding anyone to attend the reception. Perhaps the recently freed slaves could be persuaded...

  Chapter 17

  The Zetithians with their mates, friends, and children assembled in Ty and Kyra's dining room around the massive stone table. The first thing decided was to eliminate Kyra from the plan. "No offense, Kyra, but you're a piano teacher, not a fighter," Jack had said. "Plus, you've got three babies to take care of."

  "But I've still got the rocket launcher that Leroy gave me," Kyra protested. "I know how to use it too."

  "Keep it, Kyra," Lerotan advised. "You might need it someday."

  And it was also decided that Tychar was too high profile a figure for a covert operation. "We don't need your teenybopper fans swarming all over the place," Trag said. "What we really need you for is insurance. If we fail, you can tell your fans that Grekkor is responsible for the plot against us. That'll teach him!"

  "We ought to do that right now," Kyra grumbled. "It would be a lot less dangerous."

  "True, but exposing the Nedwuts' role in the war hasn't gotten them to stop," Leo pointed out. "If anything, it's made things tougher."

  "Yeah, that five-million-credit bounty has got them swarming all over the place," Jack agreed. "We've got to stop this at the source."

  "Well, if you won't let us go with you, the least we can do is provide the necessary supplies," Tychar said. "Maybe we could get some Darconians to go with you too."

  "I'll talk with Queen Zealon and see what we can arrange," Kyra said. "I don't mind telling you the idea of so many Zetithians being in on this has me worried. There are barely enough of you left as it is. The rest of us should do it. Me, Tisana, Jack, and Leroy's crew--Windura too since she needs to clear her name--we aren't on any endangered species list. There are only seven adult Zetithians that we know of. Granted, you've had quite a few children, but--"

  "I understand your reasoning, Kyra, but we cannot allow others to do this for us," Cat said quietly. "The time for that has passed. We must do this together to save our race."

  "You're forgetting something though, aren't you?" Kyra said. "This plot against Zetithians will die with Grekkor. All you really have to do is outlive him." Seeming to sense a kindred spirit, Hidar's antennae pricked toward Kyra like an alert horse's ears but drooped as she continued. "You only have to stay here or on Earth or Terra Minor until he dies. He won't live forever."

  "But he'll come after us," Trag said. "We know too much to be left alive--and do you really want to leave him free to live out his natural life after what he did? I don't, and I don't think the others do either."

  "Okay." Kyra sighed. "I had to give it a shot. Just don't get yourself killed trying to be a hero--any of you." She paused as her eyes filled with tears. "I--I can't stand the thought of it."

  She may have included the others after the fact, but Kyra had been looking straight at Trag when she said it, jarring Micayla's memory. She too had been intimate with Trag, so she knew something of what Kyra was feeling--an attachment she hadn't felt to him before... almost as though his death would hasten her own. Perhaps Jack felt it too, and knew that having been with both brothers, Kyra would not survive if both men were lost. Kyra must have known this as well, which was why she had suggested the alternate plan. Was the attachment to these men so strong that once you found one, you truly couldn't live without him?

  There was something about Trag that affected Micayla very deeply. On a cognitive level, she wanted to understand it, but on an emotional level, she suspected that she already did. It would be difficult to admit to him that she already wanted him again. If she had remained with him instead of leaving so abruptly, she had no doubts as to what they would be doing at that moment.

  But perhaps she wouldn't have to admit it; perhaps he would just pick up her scent and know. On the other hand, a little encouragement might not be amiss. He had made a point of sitting next to her at the table; perhaps it was her turn now. She could feel his heat and knew that her own body craved his warmth, but it was more than that. There was a bond of some kind between them now--something she'd never felt with anyone. She'd barely spoken to him all through dinner, and now it didn't seem appropriate, but she'd felt comfortable in his presence all the same--as though they'd been together forever...

  She turned to find him looking right into her eyes and felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. Just looking at him made her feel better--like the first time she saw him--and he seemed so... familiar now. Perhaps it was only because they'd been intimate, but even though she and Adam had done the deed several times, she had never before felt the way she did now.

  Reaching down, she took Trag's hand and squeezed it. A rush of warmth spread from the point of their contact, and she held back a chuckle of delight when he squeezed back.

  "I'm sorry," she said, mouthing the words so no one but Trag would hear.

  His eyes softened and she knew she was forgiven--perhaps already had been--and felt a wave of tingles dance across her skin. She longed for the shelter of his arms and wished that they were anywhere else--someplace removed from all the others where they could revel in each other's scent...

  Which was something new to her, but perhaps that was why she could sit beside him without the need for conversation. She'd been unconsciously breathing him in all through dinner, the distinct and pleasing aroma of him filling her head, and she could only assume that he was doing the same.

  ***

  Trag fought the urge to bring her hand to his lips for a kiss but then realized that the only person in the room who would see would be Jack, so he did it, his lips at first just brushing her skin, but once he got a taste, he pressed harder, lingering on the warm strength of her.

  His decision to sit beside her had been automatic; he hadn't planned it, it was simply the thing to do. If he'd been across the room from her--or even across the table--he would've missed out on her delicate aroma entirely. As matters stood, there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it, so he decided that his best course of action was simply to sit back and enjoy it. Leaning closer, he inhaled deeply. The satisfying tingle in his groin confirmed what he already knew: she wanted him. He felt like laughing out loud but managed to keep his amusement to himself.

  Not laughing was easy, but it wasn't long before he discovered just how difficult it was to keep not only his feelings, but also his hands--and every other part of him--to himself. She was right there beside him; touching her would be simple, natural--his leg against hers, his hand brushing her arm, perhaps even his arm draped across the back of her chair. It was a possessive gesture in any culture--at least among those creatures that had arms--and though he'd refrained from doing it earlier, he thought perhaps she wouldn't mind it now.

  No longer focused on the discussion, time seemed to stop as her scent called out to him. Trag's cock was smashed against his lower abdomen by his tight underwear; he could feel it beginning to drool and knew that when he stood up, the fact that his mind was elsewhere would be perfectly obvious to anyone. Biting his lip, he continued breathing in her glorious scent and felt it curling throughout his body, exciting every nerve ending and stimulating every muscle. His cock was so hard it hurt, and as his scrotum tightened around his balls, he let out a small groan that came out as a barely audible purr.

  Instantly, he sensed her response, though it wasn't anything he could see or touch. It was pure instinct, an awareness of her he couldn't identify. Her enticing aroma intensified and Trag longed to be naked, his thick, dripping cock exposed to her eyes as well as her fingertips. He could almost feel her hands on him again--her fingers wrapped tightly around his shaft, her lips kissing the engorged head, her nails lightly scratching his balls...
>
  "That sound okay to you, Trag?" Jack asked.

  Trag felt as if he'd been jerked out of a dream; his heart pounded like a drum and his chest was so tight he could barely take a breath. "Yeah, sure, Jack," he gasped in reply. "No problem."

  Jack went on with the discussion and Trag lost track again. He was drowning in Micayla's essence--could feel his entire being submerging in the ocean of her, rocking in her rhythm while waves of sensation washed over him. He began purring again and, unable to stop himself, stole a glance at her. He knew immediately that it was a mistake; he could almost feel his cock penetrating her, driving deep into her hot, wet core...

  Trag surfaced briefly, catching snatches of the conversation. Windura was saying something about the plague. Then he heard Tisana laughing as she talked about aiming fireballs at Grekkor. Cat was voicing his approval while Leo mentioned a fever. Trag knew that the plan didn't concern him for the most part; all he had to do was fly Veluka's ship to Nerik, and he could do that in his sleep.

  Trag hadn't gotten to do half the things he wanted to do with Micayla--like burying his face in her wet heat while he fucked her with his tongue, or delving his fingers into her while he licked her to a frenzy. Suckling her nipples until she was so wet his cock would slip into her with no friction at all came next, along with plunging his hard meat into her beautiful body, making her cry out in ecstasy. Then he wanted to fill her with his snard, watching her eyes again while he did it. He would hold her in his arms for hours, not letting her go until he could mate with her again.

  Purring was only part of it. Time. She just needed time. Then he could have her again, and again, and again...

  ***

  Trag was driving Micayla completely insane. As if the touch of his lips on her hand hadn't been enough, now he was purring! He had to stop before she started gnawing on his shoulder again--which didn't seem like the correct behavior for a strategy meeting. She did her best to remain attentive, but his cock--his big, luscious cock--drove everything else from her mind, teasing her with the temptation of its taste, its smell... She wanted to suck it, then suck his full, heavy balls into her mouth and tease them with her tongue. Her mouth watered and she felt the gush of moisture between her thighs. Not being used to such feelings, Micayla didn't think she could take much more before she would be pouncing on him, tearing away those ridiculous pants he was wearing. He should be nude all the time, ready to go at a moment's notice--whenever she wanted him... whenever she was ready...

  She held her breath as Trag shifted in his chair but let out a sigh as he took the hand he was holding and placed it on his leg. Knowing that the height of the stone table was enough to conceal what she was doing, she stroked his thigh, feeling his sleek muscles as he moved closer to her, inviting her touch.

  The children were being sent off to bed. Was the meeting over? No, Jack had more to say--things she must not have wanted to say in front of the young ones. The possibility of failure... a contingency plan in case something went wrong. Micayla knew she should be contributing to the discussion, but since she and Trag were sitting near the end of the table--some distance from where Jack sat--she doubted that anyone was paying the slightest bit of attention to them. Lerotan was on her right, but to Trag's left the chairs were empty.

  Micayla trailed a fingernail across the huge bulge in the front of Trag's shorts. She didn't have to feel it to know it was there, but Trag's breathing changed just enough to let her know how much he approved. He moved again, and suddenly his naked cock was beneath her hand, his hand cupping hers, urging her to take him. From the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of his shuttered eyes and the smile that touched his lips. He shifted his weight again, his cock thrusting up against her hand.

  He was hot. Slick syrup flowed from the points of the head, allowing her fingertips to glide smoothly over his skin as she traced the network of thick veins. Leaning forward to hide him from view, Micayla rested her elbow on the table with chin in hand, looking toward Jack as though hanging on her every word. Beside her, Trag purred so quietly that she felt more than heard it, and she discovered that simply holding him in her hand was quite... stimulating...

  But she needed to do more. Careful to hold her arm still and move only her wrist, she slid her fingers up and down his pulsating shaft, gripping him firmly. The slow, steady strokes brought him to climax much sooner than she expected, her only warning being his sharp intake of breath just prior to the first spurt of semen. Trag cupped his hand over the head to deflect the stream, forcing the hot cream to cascade down over her fingers.

  It was even slicker than his coronal fluid and Micayla delighted in the feel of it until at last, with a reluctant sigh, she let go. Raising her hand to her mouth, she leaned into it, inhaling its scent before allowing one semen-coated finger to slip past her lips. Surprisingly, it was sweet and warm--like taffy in the summertime--but she had only a few moments to savor its flavor before an orgasm struck her like thunderbolt. With an audible gasp, she lurched forward, nearly striking her head against the table, instantly capturing Lerotan's attention and effectively putting an end to the conversation.

  "Hey, are you okay?" Lerotan asked.

  "Mmmhmm," Micayla replied, unable to straighten up or even raise her head. "Guess I just got a little crick in my neck from sitting here for so long."

  "Sorry about that," said Jack. "When I'm all fired up, I don't know when to quit! But it is getting late, and we've just about talked this thing to death. Maybe we should call it a night."

  The others voiced their agreement, and it wasn't long before several of the party rose from their seats and said their goodnights, but Lerotan didn't move from her side.

  "Are you sure you're all right?" he persisted. "Maybe Tisana could fix you a potion or something--"

  "Oh, don't worry about her, Leroy," Trag said cheerfully. "I can fix a stiff neck. No problem."

  Micayla sucked in a ragged breath as Trag's strong hands made contact with the back of her neck. They were just as hot as his dick had been, and if she'd truly been experiencing a muscle spasm, she had no doubt that it would have been relieved within moments. As it was, his touch seemed to intensify her orgasm, causing her to expel that breath with a gentle sigh.

  "Better now?" Trag asked. Micayla doubted that anyone else would notice, but to her, he sounded totally wicked.

  "Mmmmm," she replied as the euphoric effect of Trag's snard enveloped her. "That feels so good... you've no idea."

  "Oh, I think I might," Trag said knowingly. "Maybe not exactly--but damn close."

  Lerotan was incredulous. "You're actually letting him touch you?" he exclaimed. "Without hissing at him? What's going on?"

  "Nothing," Trag said blithely as he continued massaging Micayla's neck and shoulders. "I'm just being helpful, that's all."

  Micayla turned her head just enough to catch a glimpse of Trag's expression. He might have sounded wicked, but he looked positively angelic.

  "I'm sure she'd do the same for me," Trag went on. "Wouldn't you, Mick?"

  "Oh, yeah," Micayla replied, doing her best not to laugh. "Anytime."

  "There, you see?" said Trag. "We're just being... friendly."

  "But you two have never been friendly," Lerotan insisted. "Never!"

  "I guess we got over it," Micayla murmured. "Oh, Trag... That feels wonderful. Don't stop."

  "No problem, Mick," he said as he began to purr. "I can keep it up all night if you like."

  "Promises, promises," she taunted.

  "Do I need to sleep out in the hall tonight?" Lerotan asked, the light apparently just dawning on him.

  "Oh, don't be silly, Leroy," Micayla chided him. "He's just rubbing my neck."

  "Well, yeah, but he's also purring," Lerotan pointed out. "I think that means--"

  "You should go on to bed, Leroy," Jack advised. "And don't worry about them. They'll be fine."

  "Well, all right," Lerotan said reluctantly. "But I still--"

  "Come on, Leroy," Windura said, ta
king his arm. "Jack's right. Let's just leave them alone."

  Lerotan still seemed slightly stunned, but he went with Windura anyway. "You can stay in my room if you like," Windura said soothingly. "Something tells me I shouldn't bother waiting up for Micayla."

  ***

  Jack didn't say another word but chuckled to herself as she headed off to bed with her beloved Cat. She'd known all along this would happen. Once they found the right girl--whether they knew it or not--there was just no stopping a Zetithian, and they needed no help whatsoever from anyone else. Lynx--and his children--were living proof of that. Not that she'd been an easy target herself...

  "Do you think they will be mates?" Cat asked.

  "Are you kidding?" she scoffed. "Of course they will!" Sighing deeply, she added, "They're gonna have some really cute kittens too. You be sure to let me know the moment they're conceived. No holding out on me this time."

  Cat took a moment to answer, but Jack waited patiently, knowing that he was searching his mind for the vision he always had when any of his friends' wives became pregnant. "No, not yet," he said. "But I will let you know when they do."

  "You'd better," Jack warned. "Or I'll--" She broke off there, completely at a loss for a suitable threat.

  "You'll... what?" Cat said with a sly smile. "Beat me?"

  "Yeah, right. Sure I will," said Jack. "I might try to wear out your dick, but you know very well I wouldn't hurt a hair on your head!" Glancing up at him, she added, "Speaking of dicks, is yours hard?"

  "Do bees be? Do bears bear?"

  "Wish I didn't have to ask that," she grumbled. "I'd have thought that here on Darconia you would... you know, when in Rome and all that? How come you aren't naked?"

  "I will stop wearing clothes in public when you do it," he said, taking a swift glance at her attire, which was her usual tank top and shorts.

  "Well, at least you aren't wearing a shirt," she conceded. "But I do like being able to see all of you."