by M. A. Church
"I would never ask that of you. I just want this to be resolved without more bloodshed." I sighed. "Let's try the counseling. When can that be started?"
"We can try, and it can start as soon as I give the order, probably this afternoon," Keyno answered. "I've been here with you the whole time."
"Will all of them go through it?"
"Yes. But understand that counseling isn't a sure thing. Much of it depends on how much they're willing to change and how susceptible they are to subliminal messages."
"Okay. And thank you for trying this." I tossed the blanket off me.
"Understand this—the only reason that Colt is breathing is because you didn't want him put to death." Keyno growled harshly. "The only reason, Dale."
"Yeah, I know that." I kissed Keyno softly. "Let's go back to our quarters, please."
And I knew it went against every instinct Keyno had, too.
Chapter Ten
Keyno carried me all the way back to our quarters, even though I protested. I felt fine; there was no reason I couldn't walk. I weighed two hundred pounds, but he carried me like I weighed no more than a feather. Keyno settled me in the living quarters while he ordered something for us to eat. I wasn't really hungry, but I didn't know when he last ate, so I joined him. It was late in the evening, and Keyno's shift was over.
"I'm going to take a quick shower. Be right back." I slipped into the bathroom before he could question me. I had something special planned for tonight. This deal with my eyes changing—not to mention what had happened with Colt—wasn't going to stop me. If anything, the timing couldn't have been more perfect.
Having only been with two other partners, I didn't have much experience at seduction. Honestly, it hadn't been necessary. With Keyno, though, I wanted our first time to mean something to us both. Before all this happened, Chad and I had been shopping in one of the retail shops aboard ship. I'd found a sexy nightshirt that clearly screamed, "Take me to bed and fuck me silly." I hoped it would give me enough courage to do what Keyno wanted and ask him to make love to me. The nightshirt was made from a special material; I didn't know what the material was, but the cost had been ridiculously high. The sheer white material was soft and cool against my skin. The front was cut open in a deep V-neck. There was a small gold chain that attached to both sides. It kept the shirt from falling off, but left my chest completely exposed. There was a matching gold nipple chain, too. The nightshirt ended mid-thigh and had a matching sheer thong.
I showered and changed into it, then attached the nipple chain, gritting my teeth as the pleasurable pain immediately made me harden further, increasing my arousal. I hadn't thought it was possible for me to get more aroused. I brushed my hair out and stared at my reflection. Yellow eyes looked back at me. I picked the white nightshirt because of the white stripe in my hair. I was sure it would be sexy and get Keyno's attention. The sexy part of my plan had worked, I thought. Taking a deep breath and gathering up my courage, I walked back to the living area.
Keyno was still sitting at the table, eating. He looked up when I entered the room, his eyes widening. His throat worked, but no sounds came.
Finally he cleared his throat. "By the gods..." Keyno whispered as he stared at my body. His eyes focused on my chained nipples, then moved down to my groin. His spoon was frozen halfway between the plate and his lips. "Chosen, does this mean what I think it means?"
I stood there, fighting the urge to turn around and run back to the bedroom. My shyness would not get the better of me. I just needed to keep thinking sexy thoughts. "Yeah, it does. I want you to make me yours, Keyno. Make love to me."
Keyno dropped his silverware and slammed the chair back.
"Christ, finish eating. I'll just sit here with you." Nerves fluttering slightly, I sat down, pleased at his reaction.
"I'm done."
"I'm not going anywhere. Finish your dinner." Okay, I had to laugh at his eagerness.
Ten minutes later my laughter had changed to a full-body blush. He took his time eating, and found half a dozen reasons to make me get up and get him something. Each time he commented on how sexy my chained nipples were, or how he liked the G-string that nestled between my cheeks, or how hard my cock looked. The sexy nightshirt was worth everything it had cost and more.
When he was finished, he stood from the table and held his hand out to me. Grasping it, I let him pull me to our bedroom. I leisurely undressed him, taking time to fondle his body. I knelt at his feet, grasping his cock, and licked the head. He was already damp, the head slick from his pre-come. Rubbing the wet tip against my lips, I met his eyes. As he stared down at me, I gradually slipped the head into my mouth, tonguing the tiny opening at the top of his shaft as I eased a hand around to the back of him. Grasping the base of his tail, I squeezed gently. My other hand wrapped around the base of his length, rubbing at his barb. I swallowed his cock, taking it in my throat, moaning. My throat muscles constricted around his shaft as I held him there for a few seconds, staring into his eyes.
"Squeeze the base of my tail harder," he rasped.
I bobbed up and down the length of him, sucking gently, while I twisted the base of his tail. Seems like I had found one of his hot spots. Finally I let him fall from my mouth. Bringing both hands back to his cock, I held it up so I could mouth his sac. His body tensed, then his hands threaded into my hair, tugging gently.
"Not yet." His breathing was ragged, his body shaking. "Don't want to come yet. Stand up."
I lifted myself off my knees, standing before him. My body trembled as I tilted my head back so he could nuzzle at my throat. The scent of cloves surrounded us.
"As much as I love seeing you in this sexy lingerie, it needs to come off before it gets torn." Keyno lifted the shirt off me. "But leave the chain on. I like it."
I stood before him in only the chain and the sheer thong. He moved behind me, his chest to my back as his hands roamed over my body. Looping the chain around a finger, he gently pulled. The slight tug from the chain on both nipples made me arch my chest. I rubbed my bare ass against him.
"Play with them for me." Both my hands settled on my pert nipples. I twisted my hard nubs, and his lips skimmed up along my jaw. A sharp canine nipped at my ear while I teased my nipples, little tingles of pleasure shooting straight to my cock.
"Please, my mate," I moaned as his hand ghosted across my shaft.
"Again," he purred in my ear. "Say it again."
"My mate... please."
His agile fingers traced my cock, light touches that made my shaft jump, eager for more. When he cupped me, I ground back against him, letting him know the teasing was driving me crazy.
"Take me to bed," I begged. "Make love to me, Keyno."
I found myself off my feet and stretched out on the bed. Stalking toward me, he eyed me as I lay still on the bed. Hooking his fingers on the strings on my thong, he eased it off me. I lifted my hips as the thin piece of material slid down my legs. I braced my feet on the bed, opening my legs.
"My chosen," Keyno rasped, settling between my legs. "You make me weak."
I pulled my knees up to my chest, offering my body to him. Quietly, as he lubed his fingers from the bowl next to the bed, and rubbed my entrance. A slick finger worked its way into my depths, caressing the inner walls of my channel. Another finger entered me, stretching me even more. I struggled to hold my legs up as my body trembled. Thick strands of Keyno's long beautiful hair wrapped around both knees, holding my legs open.
"Play with your nipples again for me," Keyno growled softly. "I like seeing you do that."
Panting, my fingers twisted the restrained nubs. Three fingers entered me, searching for that place that would make me scream with pleasure.
"Keyno!" I wailed when he found my hot spot, my head thrashing back and forth on the bed as he worked me, his purrs deep and loud. Sliding his fingers out, his shaft pressed at my opening.
"I claim you, Dale. Now, always, and forever. You are my chosen."
"Yes
..." I gasped eagerly. "Yes..."
The strands of his hair held my legs up as he slid home in one slow motion. Leaning over my body, he stared into my eyes. His pace quickly picked up as he thrust in and out of me, never breaking eye contact. A light sweat covered both of us as he drove me closer to the edge. Pleasure flowed throughout my body as I gazed back at him.
"Close..." I whimpered as my body moved with his. "So close."
My hand dropped to my cock, stroking my hardness.
"No," he growled, batting my hand away from my shaft. "Put your hands back on your nipples."
I realized he wanted me to come from the sex alone. I'd never had a hands-free orgasm. I tried to keep my eyes open as he plunged in and out of me, striking my prostate repeatedly. Lord, it felt good. His hand settled on my groin, right below my belly button, and he pressed into my lower abdomen as he thrust, worrying his fingers back and forth rapidly.
I nearly came off the bed.
He touched something in me that hadn't been there before, rubbing at some Tah'Narian pleasure point that turned me into a writhing, gasping crazed mate. All I could do was undulate wildly under him. The rapture was so immediate, so intense, for a moment I thought I'd come. My body was burning hot all over, prickling and tingling, my tailbone aching, and every slide of his cock felt magnified tenfold. When he jabbed my prostate again, I screamed.
"Come," he meowed. "Come for me."
My mind shut down as my body took over, following his command. Pleasure ripped through me as I came, a weak scream tearing from my throat again. One more deep thrust and he held himself against me as he came, his barb unsheathing and biting into me with a delicious zing.
"I can feel your barb." I shivered from the slight 'nip' I felt as it engaged.
Shuddering, he eased his weight down on me, carefully holding me. His hair finally released my legs, easing them down on the bed. Contentment spread through my body as he held me close, as the throbbing inside me slowly stopped.
"How long before we can move?" I was spent. That was possibly the hardest I had ever come.
"A few more minutes, then my barb will release." Keyno yawned loudly as he undid the nipple chain. "Then I'll get a cloth to clean you up."
"I may have to buy a few more of those nightshirts," I teased.
"That's fine. Buy as many as you wish." Keyno smirked. "Just know that I'm going to fuck the come out of you when you wear them."
"Oh... oh, my..." My mouth fell open in shock. Where the hell did he learn that phrase?
With a snicker, he put a finger under my chin, closing my mouth. Finally his barb released us. I grunted in surprise. Rolling out of the bed, he went to the bathroom.
"What have you been reading?" I narrowed my eyes at him as he walked bare-ass naked into the bathroom.
"Something to help me satisfy my mate, that's all."
"Holy hell, if the sex gets any better, I may not survive it." I gave a mock shiver, only half-kidding.
"Just wait until you go into estrus, Dale," Keyno replied. "For about twelve hours, the only thing on your mind will be sex. The need to reproduce will be all you think about, and you'll keep me busy trying to satisfy your needs. It's a very intense time."
"Are you fucking kidding me? Sex for twelve straight hours?" I yelled at him, images floating through my mind of what twelve hours of sex with him would do to me. "I won't be able to walk for days—hell, a week."
Keyno laughed loudly at the look on my face. "Calm down, it won't be for twelve straight hours. There will be some breaks." Keyno spooned me, and pulled the covers up over us. "Your hormones will rise as your body prepares for pregnancy. The drive to mate will get increasingly stronger over that time period."
"Jesus. How long did you say before I go into estrus?"
"It usually takes two months after all internal changes occur. Then you won't go into estrus again for the rest of the year. I'm hoping you don't start early, just so you can have time to adjust," Keyno said. "Actually, it's unusual to get pregnant the first time. Chad has been through one cycle and is due to come into estrus again in about two months."
"Are you telling me that Chad, John, and I could go into estrus at the same time?" I was unsure if one starship was big enough to hold the three of us if we ended up pregnant at the same time.
"I think that it would be good if all of you ended up pregnant at the same time." Keyno echoed my thoughts, but in a different way. "You three could help each other through the more trying times."
"Yeah, all three of us dealing with raging hormones at the same time. That should be a blast. You, Gibor, and Doc can compare notes—or take turns hiding."
Keyno turned pale as what I said really sank in.
"Just think about the strange midnight cravings, crying for no logical reason, the bitching about weight gain, stretch marks. Why, the list just goes on and on. Oh, yeah, let's not forget the throwing up." I grinned evilly at the look on his face. "Maybe I should read a book about what a pregnant Tah'Narian mate goes through, so I share every moment with you."
I really stressed the last part of that. I couldn't help it. The panic on his face made me burst out laughing. Granted, I was focusing on the worst aspects of pregnancy just to get a rise out of him. But many of the things I mentioned were things pregnant women went through. All he thought about was the end result, not what it took getting there.
Keyno swatted me lightly on my ass. "Brat. I think it's time to go to sleep before you have any more opportunity to think up things to worry me about. Goodnight, Dale." He wrapped his arm around my waist and drifted off to sleep.
Hmm, something to keep in mind. Maybe John has a point about documenting this experience, after all. I sighed deeply, thinking about his reaction. I didn't have the heart to tell him many of the things I mentioned could possibly come to pass.
The next morning I met Chad and John for breakfast after Keyno went on duty. Both were waiting for me.
"Whoa. I heard something happened with you, but I had no idea. Dude, that's something else." Chad pointed at my face after I got something to eat and joined them.
"Yeah, thanks to the double-dosing, this was one of the results. It explains the headaches I was having." I nodded at John. "I figured John would've told you."
"Patient confidentiality, Dale. I may not be a doctor here, but I still follow the rules I was taught."
"Ah, I see." I patted Chad's hand. "Sorry about that. Things were a little tense yesterday."
Chad laid his fork down. "And speaking of that—I ought to knock you on your ass for what you did. Dale, that was the craziest thing ever. And if you ever do something like that again, I'll—"
"What? As I found out, you can't hit me, since I'm royalty and all. So, bite me." I grinned evilly at Chad. "Which explains why you stopped yourself from punching my shoulder that day outside of Doc's quarters. Man, I'm going to have such fun with that little piece of information."
"Wow, you're royalty? Then that means... Keyno is, too? Wow." John nudged Chad. "Dale is top dog, my friend."
"Oh, man." Chad rolled his eyes. "Keyno's uncle is ruler. Have mercy, Dale's going to be even harder to live with now. And back to what you did yesterday—"
"Look, the fact is I had more value as a hostage. Plus, since I've been double dosed, I'm stronger than you. And honestly, I didn't think, Chad. All I knew was that I had to get you to safety. So stop arguing with me about it. I'd do it again."
Chad shook his head. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, Dale. And Gibor sends his thanks, too. I swear, what's up with some of these new mates?"
"I'll tell you what's up. Our government off-loaded several Death Row prisoners on the Tah'Narians. Colt and his little gang were some of the ones added to the last Harvest."
Chad's fork hit the table. "Did you say Colt? As in 'Colt 45'? That gangbanger dude that was on TV?"
I nodded my head. "Got it in one. It's the same guy. And that dude is dangerous, let me tell you. He's a killer all right."
I quickly
explained what happened and then went on to tell about the counseling.
John looked at Chad and me. "I can't say much, but I'd say Dale's assessment is correct."
"That's right, he's in Dosstkal, isn't he?" I asked.
"I can't say much, but yes, he is. And he's not happy, either. He scares me, actually."
"Good Lord, what a mess for Keyno to deal with." Chad frowned at me.
"Ah, no, I'm not saying much, either. Ask Gibor about him. I'm not sure what I can and can't say. Just leave it at 'He's scary.'"
The three of us spent the rest of the day messing around the ship, exploring. Later, we grabbed some lunch. When our mates were due to come off duty, we each returned to our quarters.
The counseling started the next day, and was going well from what Keyno told me. Those males were responding to the treatments, and their attitudes were slowly changing. I never asked how they counseled them; I really didn't care to know. It was working, and that was all that mattered to me.
We were leaving for their planet that day; we'd been delayed due to my being attacked. It was my twenty-third birthday, and I hadn't told anyone. All six of us planned to eat breakfast together this morning, though. As soon as I walked into the Lounge, everyone started singing "Happy Birthday." Keyno had arranged a birthday breakfast for me as a surprise, and I assumed either he or Chad had informed John, Gibor, and Doc. There were streamers everywhere, and all my favorite foods. Off to the side was a table piled high with gifts. I really wasn't expecting anything like this; celebrating birthdays was an Earth custom. I was determined not to think about what I normally would've been doing today. I was greatly surprised that Keyno had remembered my birthday, as well as touched.
Then I saw John. He had a blond streak in his red hair. Doc's coloring was a deep golden blond, and his eyes were a startling blue. The blond streak looked nice in John's hair, and he was so excited he could barely wait to talk to me.
"Oh, wow." I hugged him. "Look at you. It looks good."
"Doc saw it before I did." John was nearly vibrating with joy. "He got all choked up. Then I did, too, and... well..."