Mystic Militia

by Cyndi Friberg

  “Bilarrian? Is that a different race or a different species?”

  “Same species from two different planets.”

  She shook her head and laughed. “I’ll never figure this out.”

  “Let me see if I can boil it down to the essentials. It’s really not that complicated. There are three prominent planets in this star system, Ontariese, Rodymia and Bilarri. Are you with me so far?”

  “Three planets. Same star system. Got it.”

  “Rodymia was colonized by people from Bilarri, so despite their hatred for each other now, they are the same species.” He watched her face carefully, making sure she was still absorbing the facts.

  “Why do they hate each other?”

  “Now that’s a long involved story. We’ll save it for another day.”

  “So one of Odintar’s parents came from each planet, but he is not really a hybrid because Rodytes and Bilarrians are actually the same species.”

  “Correct.” Despite her claim to the contrary, she was having no trouble grasping the connections.

  “What’s his involvement with the Shadow Assassins?”

  “Director dar Aune was going to have Odintar pose as a Rodyte interested in utilizing the services of the Shadow Assassins, but the Shadow Maze was liberated before the plan could be set in motion. Odintar has studied their Customs extensively in preparation for the mission. He already spoke Rodyte fluently.”

  “And you’re sure you can trust him. He seemed sort of…uncivilized to me.”

  Lor chuckled. “He’d find that flattering. He’s proven his loyalty many times over. I’d trust him with my life without reservation.”

  “But not my body?” She grinned. “I thought you were going to punch him in the face last night.”

  “Would it have pleased you to watch me fight for your honor?” He wasn’t sure what had shifted her mood, but he was more than happy to follow along. “Ontarian men tend to be very possessive.”

  She pushed back from the table and stood. “I won’t lie. It thrilled me that you didn’t want him near me. But I won’t be owned, even by you. If we’re going to do this, you have to understand that I’m my own woman.”

  He stood as well and stalked toward her, his gaze locked with hers. “If we’re going to do what?”

  “I don’t think I can concentrate until we scratch this itch. I lay there all night aching for you.”

  Moving within reach, he just stood there and waited to see what she’d do. “Why didn’t you tell me? I was meditating for most of the night. It was as close as I could come to sleep.”

  “You were so proud that you’d kept your promise. I wanted to honor your effort.”

  Tired of waiting, he yanked her into his arms and pulled her so firmly against him her feet barely touched the floor. “Don’t start this if there’s any chance you’ll change your mind. I want you too much to trust my control.”

  “I won’t change my mind.”

  He attacked her clothes, stripping her naked in a dizzying rush of excited movements. Without stopping to undress himself, he scooped her up and carried her to the couch. Rather than lay her down, he sat and arranged her stride his lap.

  “This isn’t fair.” She tugged up on his robe. “I want you naked too.”

  He opened the front of his robe and pulled his arms out of the sleeves, but left the material bunched around his lean hips. She didn’t seem pleased by the compromise, but she didn’t object.

  “What’s the Ontarian equivalent of a condom?” she asked as her lips skimmed along his jaw.

  “Mystic control. I won’t get you pregnant unless it’s something we both want.”

  She raised her head and stared into his eyes, her expression revealing her shock. “You’d want a baby right now, if I were willing?”

  “Not right now. I think we need some time to ourselves, but I definitely want children.”

  She seemed to consider this for a moment and then she asked, “What about STDs?”

  “My physiology doesn’t work that way. My immune system is more sophisticated than yours. Any microorganism that makes it past my external shields is instantaneously irradiated. I assure you, I’m disease free.”

  Tori’s heart was thudding so fast she felt lightheaded. Still, she tried to keep the mood light and playful. She wanted to have sex with Lor, needed to know him intimately at least once before he lost interest. “Then ditch the robe and let’s get started.” She grinned. If she kept this casual, indulged her body while protecting her heart, she might actually come out of this with her sanity intact.

  He chuckled as he drew her head down, covering his mouth with hers. He liked to control her movements. She wasn’t even sure he realized how often he held her in place or tangled his fingers in her hair. He never hurt her but his dominant nature was inescapable. It excited her on some visceral level and yet she wasn’t ready to surrender control.

  Her only hope for emotional survival was determining how much of herself she offered and when she surrendered each piece. Parting her lips, she sucked his tongue into her mouth. He growled at her unexpected aggression and shuddered beneath her palms. She moved her hands to frame his face and slid her lips up and down his tongue, pleasuring his mouth as she’d pleasured him that morning.

  He tore away, panting harshly. “Are you trying to kill me? Keep it up and I’ll stop holding back.”

  Why the hell was he still holding back? She’d been wet and ready for him almost from the moment they met. She nipped his chin and whispered, “Let go. I want you to.”

  He turned to the side and urged her over onto her back, legs still straddling his body. He kicked off the robe as he positioned himself between her legs. She bent her knees and opened wider, making more room for him between her thighs.

  She felt his broad tip against her entrance. And then he pulled away. “Why are you rushing this? You’re barely even wet.”

  Seriously? All she had to do was think about him and her body creamed. Why was this happening now? “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” He sounded almost angry. “You’re obviously distracted, so tell me what’s distracting you.”

  Trying to separate her heart from her body. She’d never done so before, which was how her heart ended up pulverized again and again. “Nothing’s wrong. This is what I want.”

  He arched over her, his chest grazing her nipples. “I wasn’t going to suggest this until after we’d made love a couple of times, but I think you need it now.”

  She tensed, splaying her fingers against his shoulders, ready to shove him away. “What do you think I need?”

  “I’m going to establish an empathic link between our minds. It can be released at any time so don’t panic. It will answer all your questions about me and hopefully put your fears to rest. Are you willing to let me do this?”

  “What, exactly, will it do?”

  “Allow you to see me as I really am.”

  She didn’t like the sound of that. “This isn’t your natural appearance?” Thank God she’d found out before they—

  “This isn’t about physical appearance. I don’t turn into a reptilian space creature. I promise.”

  She smiled. Clearly he’d been scanning her mind again.

  “My gifts allow me to see who you are without pretense or artifice. I want to offer you the same opportunity.”

  “If I don’t like it, you’ll turn it off?”

  “Of course.”

  “Okay.”

  “Let’s do this thing?” he teased.

  She could only nod. Did anyone really want to be seen “without pretense or artifice”? That sounded a little too much like defenseless to her.

  He lowered his face and brushed his mouth over hers. “Relax and close your eyes.”

  Closing her eyes was easy. Relaxing, not so much. She nervously licked her lips, touching his lips in the process. He moaned and sealed their mouths together. His fingers interlaced with hers and he pinned her hands to the couch over her head. W
hy was he holding her down? Why was he—

  He launched the connection, quickly anchoring the link within her mind. There was a sharp stab of pain and then her world stopped spinning. Time itself seemed to pause as his being spread out before her. Oceans of power churned and crashed against the jagged rocks of his thoughts and emotions. How did he maintain control over all this energy? It was humbling, and thrilling, to see the true scope of his abilities.

  He drew her deeper and emotions began to flow across the connection. A deep sense of betrayal and the ever-present ache of unreturned love. For whose love did he long so badly? This wasn’t romantic love. This was the sort of devotion she felt for Angie, the unconditional acceptance her sister seldom appreciated. Lor felt unloved by his family.

  Before she could fixate on the realization, he drew her to a different area. She sensed his determination and the ongoing struggle for self-improvement. This was the Master Level mage, a being of routine and discipline. Regimented, focused, ruthless.

  He was shielding nothing from her. She sensed his strengths and weaknesses, his sense of humor and rage. Grief and elation, he’d gone through so much in thirty-three cycles of life. He was only thirty-three? He didn’t look older, but he seemed unusually wise and grounded from someone in their thirties.

  Next she sensed desire, but this wasn’t superficial passion, a shallow need easily satisfied. He showed her his soul-deep hunger for a mate. He yearned for someone to share his triumphs and failures, to explore life’s changes and grow old at his side.

  She trembled, trying to draw back from the all too familiar longing. All her life she’d ached for a companion, someone who knew all her secrets and accepted her anyway.

  I can be that for you. We can be that for each other.

  Even his telepathic touch as wonderfully gentle. She wanted to believe what he was showing her, but how did she know it wasn’t some Mystic mind trick?

  This is a realm of pure emotion. I can only show you what exists. I cannot manipulate what you see.

  I only have your word for that.

  My word and your ability. Search your heart and use your gift. Do I speak the truth?

  She sensed no deception, no hint of manipulation. Everything he said rang true. But I am—

  He drew them out before she could finish the criticism. “You are mine and I will not allow you to be maligned. Not even in your own thoughts.”

  Her lips trembled and she frantically blinked back tears. “But why do you want me?”

  “How could I not? You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. You’re smart and funny, loyal and brave. I couldn’t help showing off for you like a besotted schoolboy. How can you still doubt that I—”

  She placed her fingers against his lips. “Not yet. Let me soak this in before you go there.”

  “Fine.” His gaze gleamed with sensual menace. “I’ll show you instead.”

  He started with a kiss, slow, achingly sweet and frustratingly patient. She let her hands wander at will across his back and down his arms as his mouth made love to hers. He nibbled and caressed, tasted and possessed using his lips, tongue and teeth. By the time he moved on she was breathless and tingling.

  Kissing his way along the underside of her jaw, he worked his way up to her ear then traced the outer edge with the tip of his tongue. “You’re beautiful.” He followed the curve with his finger then sucked on her earlobe. “Desirable.” He cupped her breast, circling her nipple with his thumb.

  She drank in each word and the corresponding touches. Hopefully he knew lots of adjectives. She smiled at her silliness, feeling free.

  He kissed his way down her neck then over her shoulder, pausing to explore the hollow near her collar bone. “Soft.” He swooped downward and closed his lips around one of her nipples. So soft. He sucked greedily as he pushed the thought into her mind.

  She didn’t mind his redundancy. The firm pull of his lips felt too good. He switched sides and worked her other nipple into a tight peak. Both nipples were wet and deeply flushed when he finally turned his attention elsewhere.

  “Responsive.” He descended quickly, pausing only long enough to thrust his tongue into her navel. She gasped at the unexpected invasion, but it was nothing compared to what came next.

  He bent her knees and guided one of her feet to rest on top of the couch. Her other foot he placed on his shoulder. “Tasty.” He grinned and then attacked, licking her so thoroughly that she squirmed and cried out. He drove her quickly toward orgasm with ruthless skill, but stopped a split second before she came.

  He looked into her eyes and stated, “You are worthy of love.” Releasing her gaze, he returned to her sex and drove his tongue deep inside her, rubbing her clit with his upper lip. You are worthy of my love.

  Intoxicated by the pleasure, she allowed the thought to resonate through her mind. This wasn’t a pleasant way for Lor to pass his time. He meant every kiss, every caress. He genuinely cared for her.

  Freed by his persuasion, she rolled her hips, rubbing herself against his mouth. He shifted his tongue to her clit and firmly circled. That’s when sensations began to flow across their empathic link. She could feel how excited he found her responses. His cock was hard, his balls tight and aching, but he didn’t seem to care. Pleasuring her thrilled him, satisfied his need to bring her joy.

  She’d felt the same as she awakened him this morning. She’d wanted to prolong the experience and savor each of his gasps and throaty murmurs. She’d never wanted it to end even though he was receiving the physical sensations.

  The urgency spiked, driving speculation from her mind. He slid his middle finger into her core as his lips carefully sucked on her clit. This was how she liked it best. Orgasm felt so much better when she had something to squeeze.

  As if to prove her point, sensations blasted through her abdomen and her inner muscles gripped his finger. The pleasure radiated out from her center, curling her toes and making her fingers tingle. She floated in mindless peace as he slowly drew his finger out and replaced it with something significantly bigger.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, half afraid that he’d feel how long it had been since she’d done this. He pushed inward and she groaned. He’d seemed unusually long and thick as she enjoyed him this morning. The difference was even more apparent now. Were all Ontarian men bigger than humans or was she woefully out of practice?

  “Ease up, love. You’re good and wet now, but you need to relax.”

  He shifted his weight to his forearms as he leaned down and kissed her. She moved her heels to his hips, aligning their bodies more naturally. He slipped in another inch and they both sighed. Understanding her signal, he tried again, driving forward with steady pressure.

  She arched her back, suspended on the razor’s edge between pleasure and pain. Her core stretched around him, clinging to him as he drove inward.

  Tense and alert, she waited for his next thrust, dreading the discomfort and his displeasure. Instead he pulled back and slipped his hand between their bodies. “We’ve got all night, sweetheart. I’m not going to hurt you no matter how long it takes.” His finger gently stroked her clit, establishing a fresh cycle of arousal.

  She trembled beneath him. None of her other lovers had been this thoughtful, this caring. Lor was amazing in so many ways. And he’d chosen her. Her spirit soared with the thought and desire swelled within her body.

  “Oh yeah,” He suddenly slid more easily, but he continued his circular caresses until she’d taken all of him. “That’s better.”

  He drew nearly out then thrust his full length into her with one firm stroke. She could feel his thickness and the snug grip of her core. It was so strange to feel both sides of the experience. He was desperate to move, yet determined to bring her along as his need escalated.

  And woven through all the carnal urgency was tenderness. Her heart softened and threatened to dissolve all her hard-won defenses. A realm of pure emotion. Was it possible that this was real?

  He final
ly moved his hand and established a strong, deep rhythm. He held his weight off her with one arm as he steadied her with his other hand. She arched into each lunge, amazed by her body’s ability to wrap itself around him.

  His mouth found hers again. He still tasted of her pleasure, but it seemed natural now that they shared everything. She opened to him, allowing her emotions to flow without resistance.

  He moved faster, drove deeper, and released her lips as she gasped for air. Utterly lost in pleasure, he threw his head back and elongated each stroke with the rolling motion of his hips. She pulled her legs up against his sides, no longer hampering his movements. He drove into her again and again, claiming her a little more completely with each penetration.

  She lost control first, crying out sharply as her body tensed around him. He shattered a second later, shaking violently as he came deep inside her trembling body. They clung to each other, riding out each spectacular surge. He kissed her again, bringing her down slowly while he savored her heat.

  “That was…”

  “Amazing,” she finished for him, smiling up at him. He looked at her and an unexpected swell of tenderness rolled across their empathic link. It had seemed natural as they made love, but she felt vulnerable now. She wasn’t sure she wanted to share her emotions so openly. “Can you shut the door without severing the link? I enjoyed the insight, but I’m not used to feeling someone else in my mind.” The perspective dimmed and then blinked out. “You didn’t destroy the connection, did you?”

  “I just closed my end. When you’re ready for more, let me know.”

  She wrapped her legs around his waist and squeezed him with her inner muscles. “I’m ready for more.”

  He laughed. “I’ll be happy to oblige you, but I think we should get something accomplished before we indulge ourselves again.”

  “Such as?”

  He separated their bodies and rolled off the couch, miraculously landing on his feet. “Such as visiting my father.”

  She was less enthusiastic about the idea, but at least now she had something to look forward to. “You never actually said what you wanted me to do.” She swung her legs to the floor and stood.