by HC Playa
Torn between her ecstasy and the effort it took not to join her in release before he even entered her, he tried to separate his mind from hers, but she wrapped around him, in him. Or perhaps it was he that thread through her mind. He could no longer tell. The meld was deeper than anything he'd experienced and their shared bliss wound them closer together.
He gave himself to the meld, and drove Katarina's need higher by alternating suckling her and delving his long fingers into her and toying with the spot that sent waves of pleasure washing from her to him. When she balanced on the edge of another release, he blanketed her, reveling in the absolute trust flowing from her to him. He pushed inside her inch by inch, straining at the effort it took to allow her body time to accommodate to him. He halted when he butted against the membrane that marked her as virgin. His muscles trembled and sweat beaded on his forehead from the effort, but he waited until Katarina grabbed his buttocks.
"More!" She thrust upwards and he winced at the sharp pain that echoed from her to him, but his desire drowned her pain so that she urged him on with hands and hips. The tatters of his control gave way and he gave in to the feral need driving both of them. She clung to him, meeting him thrust for thrust as he ascended a mountain of pleasure higher than he ever imagined. The whisper of his hair against her skin, the tingle of hands as they traced his spine, and the mixing of her scent and his into a unique perfume saturated his senses. He yearned for release, but their combined need drove him higher, coiling tighter and tighter. The pleasure--his, hers--consumed him so that he shuddered as if he were cold, but felt as if he were burning up on the inside. He wanted it to last, but feared that already the intensity of their joining might forever change him. Then, Katarina threw her head back and gasped as a violent shudder rocked her body. Her nails dug into his shoulders and her muscles clenched him, finally setting off his release. His mind exploded in ecstasy and twined seamlessly with Katarina's psyche. For an instant he was Katarina. Katarina was Zane. Together they were unimaginable bliss. Time held no meaning. Seconds, minutes, or hours, it didn't matter. Where before there was emptiness, loneliness, now there was completion, unity, and the pleasure. O mala omea, the pleasure! His thought, half in Truscan, half in English shattered the unity. Or maybe it simply melted away. He lay atop Katarina, too drained to think, feel, let alone move.
***
Katarina's ragged breathing finally evened out. "I never imagined it could be like that."
Half asleep, Zane hugged her close as he rolled off and then held her within the circle of his arms. She closed her eyes and burrowed against his chest. They lay in silence for a time. Just as she began to doze Zane jackknifed into a sitting position.
"Kraghak."
Her heart leapt into her throat and her stomach seized. "What's wrong?" She slammed her mental barriers back into place so fast it made her head hurt. A cold chill of dread washed over her. He saw what's inside me. Not him, too. God, please, not him, too. She wiggled into a sitting position, pulling the sheet up to cover her nakedness.
Zane got up from the bed and began pacing the room. He muttered curses in at least five languages. At least, she thought they were curses. She couldn't access the jumble of information from Zane's head as easily as her own thoughts and memories.
"Zane, you're freaking me out. What is wrong?"
He stopped pacing and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. He turned and looked at her. "We bonded."
"What?"
"Search your mind, Katarina. What is different?"
She closed her eyes and concentrated. She doubted he meant the information in her head, since that preceded this evening. She looked for something out of the ordinary. Used to sensing Zane, she almost missed the mental chord of sorts running from him to her. She tried closing the connection, envisioning a wall blocking it, but nothing worked. The thought of such easy access to her mind rattled her. Her eyes popped open. "Why can't I break the connection?"
"As I said, we bonded." Zane circled the bed and sat down beside her. "It's a telepathic connection that is for all intents permanent."
"That isn't so bad, right?"
Zane propped his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hands. "Katarina, do you know what regulations require me to do to anyone who discovers my identity?"
She found that nugget of information. An uneasy feeling ran through her. Did I misjudge him? "Yes."
He turned and looked her in the eye. "I crossed a line when I decided to meet you in person. I knew going in that I would willfully defy orders and alter records if need be to keep you safe. I'd sooner die than harm you. Under different circumstances bonding with you would be an amazing experience I'd celebrate, but it puts you in danger."
Katarina hesitated and then reached out. She placed her hand on his. He turned his hand palm up and her hand in his. "Life is full of risks, Zane."
"I know. I've made a career out of taking risks. I got carried away and didn't even consider the possibility, because to be honest, one just doesn't run into many human telepaths. We have no way of knowing what will happen when I leave."
Katarina closed her eyes and tried to see the information he knew. At first random inconsequential bits of information flashed through her head, but finally she found what she sought. She gulped. Bonded couples rarely travel alone, as going beyond the limits of telepathic communication can trigger intense, irrational behavior. In cases where one half of a bonded pair dies, without proper psychic counseling, the other follows in death or sinks into a catatonic state.
"I shouldn't have dropped my mental walls."
"It wasn't just you and it goes beyond you and me dropping our walls, although yes, had we kept them up we would not have bonded." He gestured with his other hand. "It was the whole deal, the emotions, the sex, all of it. I'm more at fault because you didn't even know about bonding."
"Earth is a bit short on psychic counselors, but I think I'll muddle through. I've been told I'm quite stubborn."
Zane's lips twitched. He turned and looked at her with a long heated gaze. He leaned toward her and slipped his hand through her hair and cupped the back of her head. "Funny, I've been told the same thing." He kissed her, long and slow. "I had to cross half the galaxy to find you. I'm going to enjoy every damn minute and to hell with what happens after." He captured her lips again and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She sensed him drop his walls once more and she followed suit. The sliver of connection inflated, as if it pulled his mind into hers and vice versa.
She pulled away from him for a moment. "Can you see everything in me, Zane?" Katarina whispered.
He met her searching gaze. "Yes." He cupped her cheek in his hand. "You think you're a freak. You aren't, Katarina. You’re a miracle."
"But-- "
Zane cut her off. "I can see into your soul, Katarina, and I see a beautiful caring person who would never hurt anyone unless she had no choice. Look into me, Katarina. I’ve killed. I’ve ended lives and felt not the slightest remorse. I've killed people that I'm not sure deserved to die, and those I do regret, but I can't undo my past. Tell me. Do you think less of me?"
"No. You are a soldier. You were protecting the innocent."
"So were you, love."
Tears streamed down her face and Zane kissed them away. "Shhh. It’s all right."
"I hate crying."
"If I could, I’d promise never to make you cry again, but that isn’t in my power, love."
"What are we going to do?"
"Enjoy now. We’ll deal with tomorrow when it gets here."
Chapter 6
Beep….Beeep….BEEEEP! Katarina moaned. It couldn’t be time to get up. She just went to sleep. Katarina allowed herself a moment to enjoy the feeling of Zane’s body against hers. One of his legs nestled between hers and even in sleep his hand cupped one of her breasts. She smiled in the dim light of dawn. The alarm escalated in volume, spoiling the moment. Katarina lurched toward the alarm clock and tumbled out of bed, hitting the floor wi
th a loud thump and a shrill screech of surprise.
Zane’s face appeared over the edge of the mattress. "Hey, beautiful! Do you fall out of bed every morning?"
Katarina glared at him as she sat up and took out her annoyance on the alarm clock by smacking it extra hard with a resounding thwack.
"Bed hog." Katarina stood up on shaky legs. Despite the strength gained from years of martial arts, her muscles protested their mattress marathon workouts. She put a hand on the bed to steady herself. Before she could take one step toward the bathroom Zane’s strong arm snaked around her and tumbled her back into bed.
In between the kisses he trailed down her throat, he said, "I’ll just have to keep a tighter grip on you from now on. Besides, what’s the hurry to get up?"
Katarina’s usual morning surliness vanished as liquid heat pooled between her legs. The man could work wonders with that mouth and those hands. Despite her sore muscles, she already wanted to feel him inside of her again. Her head was fuzzy with awakening desire and the driving demand to get to the lab didn’t seem quite so urgent. She gave Zane a lingering kiss and reached for the power button on the communications terminal. "Remember where we left off. I need to call in to work. I think I’m past due for a vacation."
"Comm, dial work. No video." In seconds the departmental secretary came on the line. "Good morning Carol," Katarina said. "This is Dr. O’Brian. I need to take some personal time."
"Dr. O’Brian, is it?" Zane whispered in her ear. "Well, doctor, I have this terrible ache." He took her hand and placed it on his hard erection. "Can you cure me?"
Katarina playfully punched him in the abs and rolled away to focus on the comm call. "What?" She forced herself to listen to Carol repeat her question even as Zane’s hands and mouth roamed her body, teasing her into breathless agony of aching need. "No, no. I’m fine, Carol," she managed to answer. "I’ll stop by later. Something personal came up." Katarina broke off as that something personal showed just how up he was by sliding into her as he took one of her nipples into his mouth. The secretary was still talking, but Katarina didn’t hear anything she said. "Bye, Carol." She smacked the off button, chatty Carol already forgotten as Zane moved within her in a slow gentle rhythm.
Their lovemaking was tender and sweet now that the desperate edge of their initial need was slaked, but their climax no less intense. When she regained the energy to speak, Katarina said, "God, Zane, you’re terrible."
"That isn’t what you said while I was deep inside you."
Katarina laughed. "You know what I mean."
"It’s not like she could see us."
Katarina tried to frown at him but she couldn’t manage it. She snuggled into his embrace, content to spend forever in his arms and to hell with the rest of the universe, but Zane started growing hard again and the pressure his hand exerted on her mound traded its soothing quality for arousing.
She opened her eyes and eyed Zane. "At the risk of feeding your ego, your stamina is unbelievable."
"It's my Trrrork genes. I'm a quarter or so Trrrork, but I got the best part of that legacy. There are very few male Trrrorks born, so every male is given to a female clan when he comes of age. The larger the clan he can serve, the more prosperous they are and the more likely he will father a male child. His role in life is to please the females and father children. It's an interesting society and a much harder life than the average male, human or otherwise, thinks. Aside from a few hours of sleep and time to eat, his entire life is nothing but sex."
"Really? And since I'm a little sturdier than the average human female, I think we could keep doing this all day, but that wouldn't be very productive. I’m going to go take a bath. Then I’ll get us breakfast."
"Spoilsport."
Katarina moved to get up and let out a squeak when she found herself swept off her feet. The man moved like lightening without the accompanying thunder. She considered protesting his carting her around, but gave into the feminine urge to enjoy the moment. Zane carried her to the bathroom and she instructed him on how to turn on the tap. She could see in his eyes that he wanted to join her, but they both knew that if he did, they’d end up making love again. Zane kissed her and left her to her bath.
***
Zane put on his spare coverall. He could always bathe later, and at least if he was dressed he might not be quite as tempted to bury himself in Katarina and never pull out. He shook his head. I have no business falling in love with her. What am I doing? He sighed as he wandered into the living room.
He walked through the room, touching her things and smiling at the eclectic mix of items. Positive energy surrounded him. Even a non-sensitive would pick up the energy and feel at ease here. Katarina set out to create a peaceful home and despite the lack of any style, she succeeded. He passed a faux fish hanging in the entrance hall. Layered over lingering echoes of laughter he picked up the impression of Naia’s baffled annoyance. Zane let out a low laugh.
After circling the room, he stopped in front her bookcase. Zane studied the handful of photographs displayed. Except for one or two childhood pictures, the ones where the smile on her face reached her eyes were taken with Naia at her side. He stared at a picture of a young Katarina standing with Naia in between a woman and man. Zane went inward, searching her memories that were now his as well. The memory played in his head like a personal holovid. Not all memories could be retrieved with such vivid clarity, but this one etched its details into her mind so deep Zane suspected it would remain clear until the day she died.
***
Katarina sat at a long wooden table in the library. The lights dimmed. An announcement echoed through the quiet library, "The library will close in fifteen minutes. Please gather your selections and proceed to the checkout desk. Thank you."
She looked up from the notes she was scribbling, blinked, and glanced at her watch. "Dang it!" She scrambled to gather her belongings and the books she needed for her science project, once again bemoaning that the information she needed could not be found on the internet. She tossed books into her backpack, set aside the reference books and journals for the librarians to re-shelve, and piled another stack of books and photocopies in her arms. She calculated whether she would make it home before her ten o’clock curfew. It was a quarter ‘til now. It would take about five minutes for checking out. Another three spent to pick up Naia down the street. Then if luck held, the remaining time would be enough to get home if she didn't hit any red lights or police with radar guns and a ticket quota to meet.
She waited in line at the checkout desk, dancing from foot to foot, willing the line to move faster. Damn. I should have left fifteen minutes ago. I hope Naia and Rachel are done with their project. If not, they'd be late for sure and they'd both be grounded.
Leaving the library, waves of panic, fear, and a wordless cry for help slammed into Katarina. Naia. Oblivious to the stares, Katarina dropped her belongings in the grass and raced to sidewalk, looking this way and that in near panic. "Where are you?" A hazy dark image flashed in front of her eyes. That, combined with the wave of emotions was enough for her to hone in on Naia’s location. She circled the library building, pushing her legs and lungs harder than any human ought to be able to manage. She reached the alley that ran behind the library, perpendicular to the street they used to go home. The nearest light from the empty back parking lot was out. Katarina could see no farther than half a foot in front of her, but she knew her sister was near and in danger.
Katarina held a fist to the stitch in her side that bloomed from her sprint. She never knew she could move so fast. She forced her breath in and out at even intervals to slow it as she crept down the alley. Her racing heart drummed in her ears.
She sensed a male nearby. Naia’s emotions flooded her, but worse than that, her own boiled out of control. Anger, fear, and desperation burned inside her, hotter than magma. She needed control to use her telepathy on the attacker, but she couldn't center. As she stood there trying to focus, a whimper met her ears. Her he
art turned over in her chest. Did the man have a weapon? What did he want?
"You shouldn’t have turned me down bitch. Nobody says no to me, least of all a nobody like you." The unmistakable sound of flesh striking flesh and the echo of Naia's pain made Katarina's stomach heave. Her hands curled into fists. You bastard! Naia’s muffled sobs were countered with a moan, but not one of pain. The male laughed and Katarina’s breath froze at the malicious sound. The storm of twisted lust that rolled off of him made her double over in dry heaves. Her skin felt as if a million stinging ants were trying to devour her and she trembled as heat suffused her. Something inside her fought for release.
Naia needed her. She was right here, and yet, helpless. Her ears rang and she feared she might pass out.
"That's right, beg. I'll give you what you want bitch."
The nearby parking lot light flickered on for a heartbeat. Brandon Johnson, the same football jock that picked on Naia the day she and Naia met, had her trussed up on the ground. Her dress was hiked up around her waist and she was naked from the waist down. He straddled Naia and Katarina caught the sight of his dick ramming into her best friend. She tried to move, but her vision dimmed. When the light blinked back out, she thought for a second her eyes stopped working. Naia's muffled scream sent blind rage coursing through her.
"Stop fighting the power. Let it flow through you." A calm, unfamiliar male voice sounded in her head.
She didn't think. She heeded the voice, allowing the inferno inside to explode. She uttered a guttural, inhuman sound and surged forward, attracting Brandon's attention. He jumped up and turned toward her.