by JC Hay
Kayana smirked, the impish expression more than enough fuel to spark the fire in his blood. She stepped around to stand in front of his chair then bent slowly forward to read the challenge from the display. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, leaving Ax squirming and unable to look at anything but the curves of her backside.
She made a soft, purring sound. “Actually, on my homeworld, we never wear them.”
That settled it. There was simply no position Ax could sit in that made his pants comfortable. The idea of her frolicking naked in the water wasn’t making them feel any less tight.
She poked a finger into the display, and the text turned green. “Algol, tell the Octiron Corporation we’ve accepted this challenge. Plot a course for Vedenemo and engage.”
The ship’s AI didn’t manifest, which Ax supposed was a good thing. Its voice—buzzing and nasal—was enough to remind him of its appearance. The stars on the viewscreens at the front of the bridge shifted as the yacht rotated into a new heading in preparation for the jump. “Affirmative. Travel time is eighteen hours.”
“Eighteen hours,” Kayana repeated. She turned back to face him, leaning in close to brush her lips teasingly against his. He moved to lean into the kiss, but she pulled back, just tracing the corner of his mouth with her tongue. Her nails dragged down his chest and scraped one nipple through the cloth, sending another jolt of electric hunger straight to his aching cock. Her whisper was a gunshot against the silence of the bridge. “Whatever shall we do to fill the time?”
THIS WAS NOT A GOOD idea. Part of Kayana’s brain kept railing against what she had planned, but she couldn’t deny that the inappropriateness created most of the appeal. His banter was entertaining, but that kiss in the cave kept playing through her brain. It distracted her from her goal, which was winning the race and getting back in her family’s good graces.
Just this once. Like a catchy tune stuck in her head, maybe she needed more to get Ax out of her system.
She smirked at her ability to justify things. She wanted him. And from the way he trailed down the hall after her, like an elastic band connected him to her waist, it went both ways. After Endarion’s rejection, and the vicious warrior image she’d cultivated among the pirates, it was nice to be desired.
I just won’t let it happen again. She spun after passing through the door to her room, and he fell into her arms. His mouth found hers, and the naked hunger in his kiss seared her veins and awakened an answering fire low in her belly. Her v’tana flared, and without a flame to shape it turned the heat inward on itself, desperate for something to ignite. His clever thigh pressed between her legs, and she ground down. The sparks of pleasure the pressure created only heightened her frustration. She broke the kiss to draw a fresh breath, and his kisses drifted to her cheek, then the sensitive point of her ear.
The world spun, and she whimpered at the graze of his teeth, the delicious rasp of stubble over her skin. She could already imagine other places for him to put his mouth, a thought that tightened her nipples past aching. He kissed the side of her neck, and she tilted her head to allow him better access. She stepped back, bringing him with her until her backside bumped the low dresser that ran along the cabin wall.
The stability of the furniture anchored her, at least until Ax’s mouth returned to her earlobe, tracing the delicate skin with tiny kisses. His voice was a husky whisper of stretched control. “I want to see you naked.”
A momentary flutter of concern flashed through her brain. “What about the cameras?” Film evidence of her liaison was not the way back to her family’s graces.
“Did you sign a red-band contract?”
There’d only been the one contract and a handful of release forms. She didn’t remember anything extra for producing mature content. “No.”
“Me either,” he smiled. “Algol? Main cabin cameras off.” A moment later the computer replied that the task was complete.
“It’s that easy?”
“Octiron has enough would-be exhibitionists lining up. They don’t need nonconsensual footage.” His gaze drifted down her body, leaving her skin tingling everywhere it fell. “Now, about these clothes.”
She still had sense enough to tease him. “Think your heart can take it?”
His teeth grazed her collarbone through the neck of her shirt, fingers trailing under the hem to brush her fluttering stomach. “I’m willing to risk it.”
Kayana smiled and held up her arms. “You’ve got hands.”
He nipped at her lower lip before lifting her shirt over her head. She hadn’t worn a support garment since they’d returned from Caldera, having washed the only one she had, and the cool air against her bared skin pulled another gasp from her. His attention drifted back to her ear, then to her neck, while his hands skimmed down the sides of her rib cage. His thumbs stroked the underside of her breasts, stopping annoyingly short of where she wanted them.
Under other circumstances, she might have appreciated him taking his time, but at the moment it only delayed the release she wanted. She locked her fingers into his hair, dragging his mouth down to the aching point of her breast. Ax chuckled, smiling against the pebbled skin before whispering, “Greedy.”
“Get used to it.” The last word turned into a whine as he sucked her nipple between his teeth. He pinched the other between his thumb and finger, the pressure flooding her senses and tightening the need that possessed her.
His fingers drifted lower, slipping beneath her waistband. Every place his mouth touched set her skin ablaze, and the scrape of stubble over her stomach made her grip the edge of the dresser for support. He knelt in front of her, tugging her loose-fitting trousers down with him. She kicked them off her feet, then had a moment of self-consciousness as he stared at her. She covered the front of her underwear with one hand, suddenly worried about what he might think. Humans were so much hairier than her people.
He wrapped his fingers around her wrist, easing her hand away as he pressed a kiss to the front of her thigh. “Don’t. You’re beautiful. Fucking perfect.” Another kiss punctuated each sentence as he worked his way higher, easing her back onto the top edge of the dresser.
Kayana held her breath, the tension stretching her nerves until she could barely move. He nuzzled the damp fabric, tracing her mound with teasing kisses and the delicate brush of his tongue. Her head lolled back, and she raked her nails across his scalp, his name like a gasp of pleasure on her lips. “Ax... Please...I need—”
She couldn’t finish the sentence. The first two words gave him the permission he’d apparently been wanting, and he tugged her underwear down out of the way. The cool air was replaced immediately by the heat of his mouth. She rocked into him, shamelessly digging her feet into his ribs as his tongue darted, stroked, and tormented. Every motion he made built the pressure within her, until her breath could only come in shallow gasps. His thumbs spread her wider, baring her to his merciless mouth.
Her hand drifted to her breast, pinching the tight peak as she used the other hand to keep his head right where she wanted it. Where she needed it. When she thought she couldn’t draw another breath, he plunged two fingers into her. The delicious stretch from his fingers might have been enough, but his mouth fastened onto her most-sensitive flesh, suckling and pulling. The tension drawing her nerves tight snapped on a wave of pleasure. She may have screamed, may have whimpered, but every cell of her was alive and flying apart. The tremors that racked her legs made her thankful for the dresser, knowing she’d have fallen without it. She was falling, even with it. Falling while remaining upright.
She tugged his mouth back to hers, eager to taste herself on his lips. Wanting something more substantial than tongues and fingers to fill the emptiness that remained. And how in the Nine was he still dressed through all of this?
A fist pounded on the cabin door, and they froze like teenagers caught by unexpected parents. Berniss. Of all the lousy timing. Kayana tried to remember if they’d locked the door on the way in, but could
n’t. Dammit.
The knock came again, followed by the camerawoman’s voice. “Kayana? The cameras are off in your room. Are you okay?”
Okay? That was an understatement. She gave Ax another kiss, then stood on shaky legs, like a newborn krath. She started to answer, and he placed a finger on her lips, then pointed her toward the bed. Once she’d gotten beneath the covers, he turned and opened the door. As soon as the was room, Fluff bee-lined for the bed and jumped up to settle by her feet.
Ax watched the animal charge the room then turned back to the door. “Hi, Berniss.” He leaned against the door, his proud smile making Kayana stifle a chuckle. “I came running over right after I heard her shout. She must have had a bad dream.”
The reporter narrowed her eyes, but the drone floating behind her had nothing salacious to film. Through a tight-lipped smile, she replied, “Or something like that.”
Ax followed Berniss out into the hall but ducked his head back into the cabin. The smile he gave her sent another round of hot shivers through her legs. “I’ll check in on you later.”
Kayana licked her lips slowly and pulled the covers back far enough to expose one breast. The hungry look that possessed him pleased her more than it should. “Indeed. Later.”
He gave a rough-sounding breath and slid the door shut behind him. She closed her eyes as another aftershock of pleasure raced along her nerves. She may have told herself it wouldn’t happen again, but at the moment only one thing was certain. Later wasn’t going to come soon enough.
Eight
Later didn’t arrive before they reached Vedenemo.
Kayana tried not to be resentful. After all, the more quickly they finished these tasks, the sooner she could be away with money lining her pockets. The instructions for this challenge had been as basic as their equipment—the ship would put them down outside a small village, where they would find something called the Temple of Beasts. The jewel—a star aquamarine called the Water’s Heart—waited for them inside.
That was it. No equipment. No tracker.
Safe, still waters reflected the wispy clouds that dotted the cerulean sky. Boats were pulled above the tideline, having brought every kind of fish imaginable back to the community, and food was being distributed through some means she couldn’t understand.
At least there were fire pits in the village. Those she could understand. Warm, welcoming cookfires seemed to be every few feet along the quay. Her v’tana reached out to each flame as she walked past, the echoing heat reminding her of Ax. He’d said he had a gift for her, but since they’d transit beamed to the surface he’d been impossible to find.
That wasn’t entirely true. He was easy to see. He was at the water’s edge, surrounded by a gaggle of laughing children, where he’d been almost since they’d arrived. He swung them into the air; some he tossed into the water. The smallest took turns riding on his shoulder. The open fun they were having was infectious, and even some of the adults smiled and laughed from watching them.
None of which prevented her from feeling like he was avoiding her.
Like most Malebranki, she had been an only child. Given the tendency of her people to manipulate and backstab each other, that had never bothered her. Watching the joy with which Ax played and capered with the village children though, there was a twinge of loneliness that she hadn’t experienced such a carefree childhood.
Having a family seemed...nice.
A new child had clambered onto his shoulders, and Ax swung the first in wide, giggling circles. In moments, they each clamored for their turn to be next, eager to experience their chance in the air.
She took a step forward, not wanting to interrupt, and yet jealous of the time he’d given the children and wanting some for herself. One of the locals cut her off, handing her a skewer filled with grilled fish and some kind of starchy vegetable.
Kayana took it reflexively, wondering what the catch was. “Thank you?”
“Predators follow prey,” said the man in return, and she couldn’t decide if he was reciting a proverb or telling her the nature of reality. Either way he didn’t seem to be asking for money. In fact, he’d moved back into the crowd, distributing the skewers through whatever criteria made sense to him.
She took a sniff. It smelled delicious—citrus and spice that made her sinuses flare and water. The first bite only confirmed the impression; the delicate flavors of the fish married smoothly with the seasonings that the villagers had used to present both in the best way possible. She groaned, unable to stop the appreciative sound from slipping out.
“That good, eh?”
She started at Ax’s voice, surprised that he’d snuck up on her while she’d been distracted. “It’s delicious. Do you want a taste?”
“After eating nothing but ship’s rations? Sounds amazing.”
He reached for the skewer, but she stepped out of the circle of his arms and pointed toward the crowd of villagers. “Great, the guy who had them went that way.” The look of momentary surprise on his face almost made her giggle. She let him take two steps before stopping him. She pulled a piece off and held it out between her fingers. “Though, I guess I could share.”
Ax turned, and the hunger in his eyes chased away any thought that he might have been avoiding her. He curled his hand around her wrist, lifting her fingers to his mouth. Every nerve in her body felt like it stretched toward him as he ate the fish from her fingers. She inhaled as he pulled each fingertip between his lips, his tongue swirling against the pad. The whole time, his gaze never left hers, making the crowd evaporate until the whole planet consisted of him and her.
When he finished, his smile was nothing but predatory. “Delicious.”
“You’d definitely know.” She felt her cheeks heat at the memory of his mouth other places, and it made her wish they actually were alone instead of prepping for a challenge.
He had an uncharacteristic look of embarrassment as he straightened, at odds with his wistful smile. He reached into the survival pouch on his belt and pulled out a cloth-wrapped package. “I, uh, made this for you while we were travelling.”
She took it from him, curiosity scrunching her brows together. “What did you do?”
Inside the package was the glove from an exo-suit, trimmed down and fitted with a small collection of wires. A battery blinked lightly on the back of the hand. Her skin warmed as Ax drew close. He nodded, “I don’t know how much contact you need for v’tana, so I trimmed out the palm and fingertips. If you touch your thumb and pinky together, it should complete the circuit.”
She slipped the modified glove onto her hand. Curling her fingers together as he’d described awakened a spark in the middle of the glove. Her v’tana connected to the spark immediately, and she grew the spark into a gentle orange flame in her hand.
She extinguished the living fire and created a second. Then a third. Joy filled her, the simple pleasure of not being bound by her poorly developed skill. Kayana pulled Ax into a tight embrace before kissing him.
“I guess that means you like it,” he said, when she let him draw breath again.
“It’s the nicest thing anyone’s given me.” Which was certainly true. The engagement gifts from Endarion had been to her family, not to her, and the Malebranki didn’t often engage in other frivolous present exchanges. Gifts always came with strings.
A young girl tugged the sleeve of his exo-suit. Ax responded by grabbing her up and tossing her in the air far above his head. The little girl’s scream made panic rime Kayana’s spine, until she realized the girl was laughing rather than terrified.
Once the girl had toddled off, Kayana touched Ax’s shoulder. “I don’t suppose any of the children mentioned anything about the Temple while you were playing.”
Ax laughed. “Not really, no. Mostly we’re just playing.”
“Mostly?” She raised her eyebrow at him. “It looked like all play to me.”
“It was, but one of them said something odd right at the beginning. I’m pretty sur
e it’s a clue for the challenge.”
The girl he’d tossed into the air returned, a younger sibling holding her hand and watching Ax with wide, expectant eyes. He stalked forward and snagged the youngster before swinging them over his head.
Her heart warmed at the peaceful domesticity of the tableau. “What did they say?”
Ax held up a finger. “Sea creatures never lead.” As soon as he said it, the first girl repeated the phrase. Ax extended a hand toward her. “And then that happened.”
Al’kheri’s second maxim rang in her mind. Only a fool believes in coincidence. One time is random, twice was a pattern, and patterns had meaning. She quickly told him about the encounter with the skewer-sharing man.
Ax nodded. “Yeah, that sounds significant. The question is how we move from weird aphorisms to actually getting someone to show us to the Temple of Beasts.”
As soon as he named the place aloud, a hush fell across the crowd. Kayana scanned the people, trying to figure out what to do next or find the person who had brought her the fish. The crowd parted several moments later, and an aged woman strode forward. Some of the villagers made a deferential gesture as the woman passed by them. Kayana repeated the gesture, which earned her a bemused smile when the woman drew close.
“I don’t think we’re related,” the older woman said. “But thank you all the same.” Kayana must have looked confused, so the woman clarified. “They’re showing me respect as the eldest member of their clan. I’ve got a fair bit of family here.” Though the words were short, her smile was genuine, and Kayana was relieved that the woman wasn’t actually offended.
Ax set the young boy he’d been swinging down and nodded to the woman. “Do you know where the temple is?” He stepped close enough that Kayana was acutely aware of his presence. Like a magnetic field that surrounded him and against which she had to fight so as not to lean into him.