OUTCAST

by Cheryl Brooks

  “But you came here to get enough space to breathe, remember?” she reminded him. “And you can plant avocados right here. Don’t leave. We need you.”

  “No you don’t,” he said gruffly. “That Zetithian boy can provide you with more protection than I can—but one thing you do need is a comlink that works! I tried to call you before I headed out here.”

  “I’ll get a new one,” Bonnie promised, trying to hide her smile. To Drummond, most of the people in the sector were like his children—which included Lynx. Bonnie liked that.

  “See that you do,” he said. “And in the meantime, you need to get to work on that boy so he doesn’t bleed to death.”

  “Don’t worry,” Bonnie said, looking up at Lynx adoringly. “I’ll take very good care of him.”

  Chapter 22

  LEAVING DRUMMOND TO HANDLE THE MATTER OF Sylor's body, Bonnie took Lynx by the hand and led him back to the house. She sat him in a chair and sealed his wounds and washed away the blood, just as he had done for her on that fateful morning that seemed so long ago now.

  He watched her while she worked, seeing her expression of anguish, seeing the tears in her eyes, though she avoided his own gaze. “You are not angry with me?” he asked.

  “For what? Still being alive?” Bonnie shivered at the thought that Sylor's plan might have succeeded. “When I think of what I might have found if it hadn’t been for— how did you get out of that pen?”

  “I had more than one way out,” he said. “I was… prepared.”

  “Hmph! Might have told me about it,” she grumbled.

  “I have never let you in the pen since I came here,” Lynx said. “You did not need to know.” Upon hearing his words, she realized he was right: she hadn’t set foot inside either pen for any reason. He had always done it. He’d been protecting her from the very beginning.

  “Would you mind telling me what else I don’t need to know?”

  Lynx smiled. “I will tell you everything from now on,” he said. “Whether you need to know it or not.”

  “Well, that's a relief! Too many secrets are a bad thing! And speaking of secrets, I had no idea Sylor wasn’t a pure Vessonian! Guess I’ll have to check out Treslanties to know what I’m up against with Ulla.”

  “She will not be like him,” Lynx said, understanding Bonnie's concerns immediately. “She will not use her abilities for evil as he did.”

  “I certainly hope not!” Bonnie said with a shudder. “I always knew he was manipulative, but this… this is… horrifying.”

  Lynx took her hand; his grasp was warm and strong and soothed her overwrought nerves like a balm. “She will be honest and kind,” Lynx said gently. “Just as her mother is.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Bonnie queried. “Had a vision, perhaps?” She knew it was something the other Zetithians were capable of—but she didn’t know about Lynx.

  “No,” he said. “She will be that way because of you.”

  Bonnie met his gaze at last, and what she saw reassured her even more. In his shining eyes she saw nothing but the truth—however difficult it might be to accept. “Might be a little of your influence, too,” she said. “I’ve never met a more honest man in my life.”

  Putting his arm around her, he pulled her close. “Nor I a kinder, more loving woman. You were kind to me even when I was not.”

  “I couldn’t help but be kind to you, Lynx!” Bonnie protested. “You’d been a slave—I can’t imagine a worse fate.”

  “I can,” he said. “Loving someone who does not love you in return.” Lynx understood just how much pain he had caused her, and he vowed never to hurt her again. He would spend the rest of his life doing anything he could to ensure her happiness. Leo had been right; it was his purpose to love her, and he would dedicate his life to it. “I am deeply sorry I could not see it in the beginning.”

  “See what?”

  “That no matter how much hate I had stored up inside me, that I would love you and would make you my mate,” he said. Gazing into her deep blue eyes, he found healing and solace there, and knew he would do so for the rest of his days. “My beautiful Bonnie,” he murmured. “I love you more than you will ever know. Will you be my mate—for life?”

  “I can’t think of anything I’d like better,” she sighed. For her part, it was already done, but hearing him say the words was a great comfort to her. “I love you, so much, Lynx. And yes, I will be your mate—forever.”

  Lynx felt a sense of joyous contentment wash over him. The hatred was gone. He could live again and truly be free. “I had no vision,” he whispered, “but I should have known. Should have seen your face in my dreams and known that you would be the one to save me from myself.”

  “And I should have known when you rescued me that first day,” she sighed. “You were so angry with me.”

  “If I was angry, it was because I knew that if you had died, any hope I ever had would have died along with you. It was very selfish of me.”

  Bonnie smiled. “I forgive you for that,” she said, and followed it up with a loving kiss to ensure that he understood. She forgave him for everything; every tear she shed and every pain she endured. None of that mattered as long as he loved her.

  The horror of Sylor's death faded slowly for Bonnie. She knew there was no longer anything to fear, but her sleep was troubled. Lynx was there to soothe her fears, as his purring soothed her soul, but she wished with all her heart that Lynx had not been placed in a situation where he was required to kill or be killed. Bonnie thought Lynx would have more difficulty as a result and was surprised that she was the one having nightmares rather than him. Lynx slept better than he had in some time; knowing that his rival was no longer plotting his death made him much more relaxed. He, too, regretted having killed, but also knew that sometimes a man must do things he does not enjoy or look back on with pride.

  Late one evening, the wind began to howl and the thunder rolled as rain fell in sheets, isolating their house from the rest of the world.

  “No fires?” Bonnie asked as Lynx came to bed.

  “No,” he replied. “The storm is moving through quickly, though.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “I like the feeling of being safe inside where it's warm and dry while the storm passes around us.” Looking up at him, his face illuminated by the soft light, she added, “How did you ever stand being out in the shed when it was storming like this?”

  Lynx laughed. “It was better than many places I have slept.” He’d told her of the tough conditions on Paemay after he left the harem; of hot, dry days and cold, sleepless nights. Of dust and dirt and the odor of sweat filling his nostrils. The pain of muscles screaming from unaccustomed use, the jostle of rough company, and the sickening smell of even rougher rations. But those things were in the past and would remain so.

  “When I first came here,” he said, “that shed seemed like a palace to me. I have since learned that living here with you is much better,” he purred. “Here, where I can be surrounded by the scent of your love.”

  “Can you smell it now?”

  “Always,” he replied.

  “Not any danger of it losing its effect—is there?” Bonnie asked hurriedly.

  “None,” Lynx said firmly. “But you will see that for yourself. I look forward to many years of demonstrating just how strong your effect is upon me.”

  Melting into his arms, Bonnie felt complete and warm and loved. And when he kissed her, the feeling grew. These were the moments she enjoyed the most: the soft, wet kisses that sent her mind to a special place—a place as special as being in his arms.

  Lynx sighed and slid gently inside; flowing into her with slow, undulating moves that came as naturally to him as breathing. There was hurry, no rush to reach climax, no need to do anything spectacular; he could take his time to savor her peaceful, warm, and deliciously satisfying love. Bonnie had once said that she would have been happy just to hold him; now he knew just how true that was. He didn’t need to impre
ss her; he just needed to love her—and his need to show her how much he loved her was strong. Soft sighs escaped her, her joy escalating with slow, potent moves designed by his love. Then heat and light and mounting passion, followed by subtle, gently rocking waves of bliss. Her soft, wet kisses on his face, her fingers tantalizingly cool on his heated skin. Her languid body surrounding him, accepting all he had to give.

  Where had she come from? How had he ever found such a treasure? Out of all the women in the galaxy, she had done what no other could do. Gazing down into her deep blue eyes, her halo of golden hair framing her angelic face, he didn’t know why she had saved him, he only knew that she had.

  Her eyes met his, and she drank in the sight of him. “That feels so good,” she whispered, her voice soft and dreamy. “You have no idea.”

  “But I do, my lovely Bonnie,” he assured her. “I know just exactly how it feels.”

  “You couldn’t possibly,” she murmured in protest— after all, she was the one for whom the orgasms were almost continuous, and she got to look at Lynx and hold him while he loved her. “Can you read my mind and tell me what I’m feeling?”

  “No,” he purred. “But I know what I feel, and it feels like love. Nothing could be better than that.”

  “To me too,” she said. “I want you to stay right where you are forever.”

  “If only I could,” he sighed. “But I know that I cannot.”

  Lynx did his best to prolong the inevitable, for watching her face while he loved her was an addiction. He could never get enough of her. When his climax came, he wasn’t giving it to her or taking it all for himself; it was shared joy, and he felt the euphoria for the very first time.

  Lynx knew the moment it happened—the beginning of new life deep inside her. He had never had a vision before, but he knew it was a true one; the one dream he’d had all his life; the dream that never came true. Bonnie may not have had a vision, but she, too felt a change; that change which comes when two souls entwine, having no secrets from one another, no fears that the love they share will ever end. The fear and uncertainty were gone. There was no going back. They would only move forward. And with the dawn of a new day, their new lives began.

  Jack received the wedding invitation with a satisfied smile. “Ha! I knew she could do it,” she chuckled. “I had faith.”

  Cat smiled. “We have all been very lucky,” he said. “Lynxsander perhaps even more so than the rest of us.”

  “How do you figure that?” demanded Jack with her hands on her hips as she tried to imagine why Cat would have thought that anyone was luckier than he. “Did you want a wife with blue eyes?”

  Her chin was stuck out in that belligerent fashion that always made Cat want to sweep her off her feet and mate with her. “You are sounding like Trag,” he said, doing his best to keep from taking her in his arms and kissing her so hard she would never doubt that it was she he wanted, and always would. “And no, it has nothing to do with blue eyes. It is true that you rescued me from slavery, but Lynx had already been freed when Bonnie found him. The chains on him were much more difficult to remove. It took a great deal of love to do that.”

  “Well, maybe you’re right,” she admitted. Looking questioningly at her husband, she added, “Would it have been the same for you if someone else had freed you?”

  “Perhaps,” Cat said, “but it was not. You, my lovely Jacinth, freed me, and bound me to you in the same moment.”

  “Aw, now, Cat,” Jack protested. “I did no such thing!”

  “But you did,” he purred. “No matter where you go or what you do, I am still your slave—and it is how each of us feels about our mates.”

  “Natural born slave boys, huh?”

  “Perhaps,” he admitted. “But only when our master is a female we love.”

  “Ooo, and guess what?” Jack exclaimed as she remembered something else from the message.

  “Bonnie is pregnant?”

  “How the hell did you know?” she demanded. Then she shook her head and answered her own question before he had the opportunity to reply. “Never mind,” she said. “It's what you do, isn’t it?”

  Cat shrugged. “Yes,” he said, “But there is something else, as well.”

  “What's that?” Jack asked, her eyes dancing with glee. “Did the Nedwut homeworld finally get blown to bits?”

  As hopeful as she appeared at such a grisly prospect, Cat hated not to be able to accommodate her, but also knew that his news would bring her even more delight. “It is about Kyra and Tycharian,” he said. “They have had three sons.”

  “Really? That's fabulous!” Jack exclaimed. Looking up at her husband expectantly, she went on. “So, what are we going to have? More boys?”

  Cat grinned wickedly. “I will not tell you that,” he said, knowing it would drive her crazy until she knew. Cat liked his Jacinth to be a little on the crazy side. It made for much more interesting times—not that their time together was ever dull. “It will be a surprise.”

  Cat would tell her eventually—when he knew himself—but for now, he let her think he knew. He liked the idea of what she would do to persuade him to let her in on the secret. She could be very persuasive…

  The wedding took place in the meeting hall at the spaceport in Nimbaza. Bonnie wore white, and Lynx thought she looked more angelic than ever. Her attendants wore emerald green, which Leo appreciated because it matched Tisana's eyes. The men were resplendent in their black formal attire with vests to match the bridesmaids dresses, and in Jack's humble opinion, all looked good enough to eat.

  Drummond performed the ceremony and then announced his retirement. Vladen gave Bonnie away and then told Lynx that he had to deliver every baby in the sector from then on. Lynx said he was okay with that as long as he got paid a decent salary. Zuannis, who had made the most scrumptious wedding cake imaginable, was the matron of honor, with Cat as the best man. Jack was a bridesmaid, and it was difficult to say which of them was feeling more “desire” at seeing the other all dressed up for the event—though Cat's reaction was more obvious than Jack's.

  Tisana, who made a bewitching bridesmaid, brewed up some more herbal tea for Jack and Bonnie to get them through the ceremony without throwing up. The effectiveness of the potion was tested when Gerna and Hatul showed up as guests, nearly causing Jack to lose her breakfast. Having learned a bit more about Norludian sexual practices, Bonnie was beginning to suspect that Jack had once been propositioned by one of them, which would account for her reaction. Hatul waved his suckery fingers longingly at Salan but stopped when Gerna smacked him on the butt.

  Althea, who had just learned to walk, was the flower girl. Leo, along with Larry, Moe, and Curly, were the ushers, and Alrik and Aidan were ring-bearers, but could only toddle down the aisle because they were holding on to Max and Kipper. Max thought it was a lovely ceremony and did some serious howling at the end. Kipper was just glad he got to eat cake.

  With her first avocados, Bonnie had made a big bowl of guacamole for the reception. Drummond ate nearly all of it and then fussed at Bonnie for not selling him her entire crop.

  Salan was also a bridesmaid, but sobbed throughout the entire wedding because another Zetithian had gotten away from her. However, after dancing with Wilisan at the reception, she rebounded quickly. Lerotan and Trag sent their love, but couldn’t be in attendance because arms dealers weren’t allowed to land on Terra Minor—a rule that Jack had tried very hard to have changed but without any success. In fact, she’d come very close to getting herself deported—it seems that some government officials object to having someone make a request while fingering their pistol—but got off lightly, only having her permit to carry a weapon revoked.

  Lynx had the opportunity to fight off yet another rival, though with less fatal results than his previous battle, when Hatul came through the receiving line.

  “My dear Bonnie,” Hatul said, making the most of the opportunity to hug the bride as he enfolded her in his skinny arms. “I am so pleased f
or you and Lynx! Words cannot express the happiness I feel on this joyous occasion.”

  Bonnie noted the dreamy look in Hatul's eyes as his fingertips grazed the skin exposed by the low back of her wedding gown and was about to warn him off, but Lynx reached out a hand to stop him.

  “Hatul,” he said gravely. “If you want to live long enough to eat some of Zuannis’ cake, you should stop right now.”

  “So sorry,” Hatul said meekly as he moved on. “Couldn’t resist…”

  Bonnie might have hugged him back—however reluctantly—but Jack couldn’t even look at Hatul without wanting to barf. “I just can’t stand those guys,” she said to Cat, who merely smiled.

  “Well, at least he didn’t try to kiss me,” Bonnie murmured to her new husband. “You know what they do with their tongues, don’t you?”

  “I can guess,” Lynx replied, shaking Vladen's hand as he passed through the line.

  “They are so weird,” Zuannis agreed. “I’m not even sure I want him eating my cake!”

  “He’ll probably put fingerprints all over it,” Bonnie agreed. “We’d better hurry and get a piece before it's too late.”

  Hatul, however, behaved impeccably during the reception, only fingering his own piece of cake, after which he and Gerna made a rather sudden departure. Seems the cake Zuannis made for the occasion tasted every bit as orgasmic as it looked.

  During the reception, Jack took a moment to take Lynx aside. “So, tell me, Lynx,” she said, dropping a casual arm around his shoulders. “Been thanking those lucky stars of yours?”

  Jack's use of language puzzled most people, but Lynx even more so than the rest. “I do not understand.”

  “The ones you must have been wishing on,” she said. “Those must have been some damn good stars… and you know it, don’t you?” Judging from Lynx's blank expression, Jack knew she’d lost him and decided to make it easier for him. “How does it feel to be adored?”

  Lynx smiled warmly. This much, he understood. “I believe you should ask Bonnie that,” he said. “She understands that far better than I.”