“Oh.”
Mingor laughed.
“What?”
“Recall how annoyed you were when I would only answer with yes or no. You are now only answering with oh.”
“Yeah. Sorry. I’m just—I feel like I have a million questions to ask.”
“Then ask.” Mingor settled in.
Noah tried to get comfortable but couldn’t until he sat on the table with his plate in his lap. “Do you mind?”
“I do not mind.” Mingor’s gaze washed down Noah’s body. He was wearing a dark-blue robe that fit him because it was made for him, but it also molded to him. “I enjoy the way the fabric clings to you.”
Noah grinned. He may not be sure about loving Mingor, but he was certainly in lust with him as much as he was in lust with Noah.
“Ask.”
“Right.” Noah considered his questions as he ate a bit of what was on his plate. It was surprisingly good if not a bit salty. “Salt. Can I see it?”
Mingor handed him a small crystal bowl. Inside was a fine, lightly purple power. “Whoa.”
“Tilt the bowl back and forth.”
When he did, the salt changed color from purple to blue to white. “This explains the color concept of your home.”
“Yes.” Mingor grinned. “My clothing is blue like the water but my home reflects the colors of the salt.”
“But the water looks purple.”
“When we arrived today, it did. That is because of the cast of the sun. At other times it is very deep blue.”
Noah thought about the water he’d almost drowned in today. It was clear just like the water on Earth. “Was the water clear today because it was from the clouds?”
“I believe our water only shows this coloring scheme when the salt is dissolved within.”
“Oh. Right. That makes sense.” Noah wetted his finger and stuck it in the bowl. He lifted it and stuck it in his mouth. It was salt. There was a curious aftertaste to it that he couldn’t quite name, but it was still just salt. He looked over and discovered Mingor was looking at him rather oddly. “I wasn’t supposed to do that, was I?”
“Inserting one’s mouth-wet finger in the salt bowl is rather…”
“Bad manners?”
“Yes.”
“I won’t do it again.” Noah looked at the tiny bowl. “How are you supposed to get it out if you can’t stick your fingers in there?”
Mingor took the salt and shook the bowl from side to side, sprinkling it over his plate.
“Ah.” It was basically the same principle as a salt shaker just that this one didn’t have a lid. As Noah ate the items on his plate, he realized the Thandlings didn’t have domesticated animals. They ate things from the ocean, including curious and brightly colored vegetables. “How did your people evolve here? I mean there’s hardly any land and no big animal life.”
“I believe our ancestors were traders or explorers of some kind.” Mingor ate with his hands just like Noah. They didn’t eat things that required utensils. If the food was runny, like the thick stew-like thing that tasted like tuna, they used leaves to scoop it up. It reminded Noah of eating chips and dip.
“Why do you think that?”
“As you observed, there is simply no way we evolved here naturally. The land isn’t big enough for normal evolution. Also, the sheared-off mountaintop leads me to believe when they came, they used some type of laser to create a landing pad here.”
“Why?”
“It would not be this level on its own, and we have no technology to do something like that.”
“Oh.”
“Once they had a landing area, they then built all of this.” Mingor lifted his hands, encompassing his house and everything on top of the semicircle of mountains. “Then they created the valley structures. I think they left people here to gather fish for trade but then they never returned. After so much time had passed, those who were left simply forgot their history.”
“I guess that would explain all of this up here.”
“How do you mean?”
“The stones and stuff aren’t native to Thand.”
“You are very observant.” Mingor finished another bite before he spoke again. “The materials used in my home are not from Thand. Given the way it is shaped, I believe this was a place that they would use to assemble their items for trade. My supposition is confirmed by the many large lifting units that are built into the mountain.”
“Like elevators?”
After a moment for the word to translate, Mingor nodded. “Hundreds of fish and ocean produce could be placed in the units and lifted up to here, where they could be sorted and packaged for sale across the galaxy.”
“And that is how your people came to be the expert harvesters of the ocean.”
Mingor nodded thoughtfully. “I also believe it explains their elevation of one to godhood.”
“How?” Noah had never studied much history, but he’d always been fascinated by how a culture’s traditions came about.
“I believe the soul who ran things up here was seen as the most powerful given that he or she was the one who decided where things would go and how much they would sell for. When the ships no longer returned, that soul must have stayed up here, trying to make contact. His or her work would be seen as vital to all. But when there was no contact, and remembrance of what they once were fell away, the tradition of this leader carried on.”
“But your ability to transform the water. Surely, that wasn’t a skill you just evolved to have.”
“Actually, I think it is.” Mingor lowered his voice and leaned closer to Noah. “I think all Thandlings have this ability within them.”
No wonder he whispered his belief. If the worshipers below discovered they had the same power as their god, it could change everything.
“That’s why your advisors want to kill you.”
Mingor’s eyes widened.
“I figured it out by the way they were glaring at you and your desire for protection.”
“I am sorry I brought you into this.” Mingor hung his head.
“I’m not.” Noah set his plate aside, cupped Mingor’s chin, and lifted his face. “I want to be with you. I may not be all the way to love, but I am pretty damn close.”
Chapter 12
Mingor found himself falling in love with Noah all over again. There was something so deeply compelling about him. He couldn’t name it or explain it, so he simply accepted it. Rather than confess the truth of his feelings again, he simply closed the distance between them and kissed Noah.
Very quickly their meal was forgotten as they fell into a lovers’ embrace. Mingor knew part of his passion was prompted by the fact he’d almost lost Noah, and surely, that was driving Noah, too, but there was so much more between them.
“Come to bed with me.” Mingor rose and pulled Noah off the table. “We can come back and finish eating later.”
“Good.” Noah paced Mingor as they made their way to their sleeping quarters. He already had his own robe mostly off when they entered. “Holy shit!”
Mingor listened to the translation and frowned. Rather than ask for an explanation, he chose the wiser path of ignoring what was clearly some kind of colloquialism and not a request for Mingor to defecate.
“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”
Mingor had lived within the walls of the water bearer home most his life, so he had forgotten how it had once struck him. Seeing it now through Noah’s eyes reminded him of how overly lofty many of the rooms were. All the areas had a sleek, harmoniously colored design, but some areas were decidedly decadent. That attention to detail was what compelled him to think there was trade in the goods harvested from the ocean but also there was clearly excess money that was spent on making the living quarters of the overseer and his staff quite luxurious.
As he’d been on his determination to piece together the history of his people, Mingor had looked at each room in light of this entire structure being one for trade. This r
oom must have been some kind of social gathering place given the soft furnishings, lights that could be dimmed or brightened, and the fact that the ceiling was similar to the walls in that it could be opened or closed.
“It’s so Spartan it’s simply stunning.”
“Spartan?”
“On Earth, there was a people called the Spartans. They were very minimalistic in their décor, so we call anything similar Spartan.”
“These Spartans no longer exist?”
“Not like they once did.” Noah found the bedding area, took off his robe, and then knelt down. He looked up at Mingor, grinned, then crooked his finger as if to draw him close.
Unable to resist, Mingor disrobed and followed him down. “So we are not the only civilization that has altered from what we once were.”
“I think all people go through a rise and fall. Seems kind of standard.” Noah was talking as he kissed his way along Mingor’s chest. “Wait.” He balanced on his elbow so he could look up and into Mingor’s eyes. “Why didn’t you mess with their minds like you did the creatures at Hindur’s house?”
“You mean my advisors?”
“Yeah.” Noah kissed the tip of Mingor’s prick. “Are they immune or something?”
“They would know that I was pushing into their mental landscape.”
“So?” Noah licked down the length, making conversation difficult. Soon, Mingor wouldn’t be able to maintain any communication above sounds of pleasure.
“That technique would not be effective on Thandlings. It only works on those who do not have any protection.”
“So all Thandlings by their very genetic structure are immune to your ability?”
“Yes. Probably because they possess my same ability.”
“Do they know they have this skill?”
“No. They don’t know that they can separate the salt from the water, either.” Mingor’s hips rose up as Noah’s mouth descended. “I cannot talk anymore.”
Since his mouth was now filled with Mingor’s cock, Noah couldn’t press for any further conversation. Mingor had imagined taking Noah to his sleeping area and showering him with gentle lovemaking, but he found that Noah took command with effortless ease. His need to be in charge was tempered by his clear desire to please. As Noah kissed, stroked, and teased all the areas on Mingor’s body, he continued to look up, clearly looking for confirmation that he was pleasing his mate.
“You are bringing me so close to the edge I…” Mingor’s voice trailed off because he thought of Noah almost tumbling over the mountainside today. Without Mingor having to say a word, Noah seemed to understand what had caused him to stop speaking.
“Hey, I’m here. And I’m safe.” Noah rose up until their faces were at an even level.
“I just can’t stop thinking of what might have happened.” Mingor rolled to his side and pressed his face against Noah’s chest. “I realize this is not the proper way for the water bearer to behave.”
“Oh, now that I’m just not going to stand for.” Noah kissed Mingor’s head half a dozen times. “Or lie down for, in this case. I don’t want you putting yourself down or expecting yourself to behave in some way because of what you do. Okay?”
“Yes.” Mingor knew what he was saying in his somewhat convoluted way. Some of Mingor’s people may consider him a god, but that didn’t mean he had to put that kind of pressure on himself.
“On my planet we say you’re only human, and it means that we all have crazy things we do and sometimes powerful emotions make us do totally bizarre things, but we’re human after all. I guess with you it’s you’re a Thandling after all.”
“I like that.”
“Good.” Noah kissed him and squeezed him tight. “We also don’t have to do anything if you’re not in the mood.”
Rather than tell him, Mingor proceeded to show him. With a nudge here and push there, Mingor had Noah on his back, his cock slicked up, and then Mingor was slowly lowering himself upon him. On the ship, Mingor had experienced his first time being penetrated. Mingor had found the sensation sublimely pleasurable. This night, he took even more joy in joining his body with Noah’s because this time he was his fully recognized sephir. Why that mattered, Mingor didn’t know, but it did. Perhaps it was the notion that despite Noah’s honor-bound word that they would stay together, surviving such a difficult trial further assured they would stay together.
“You have no idea how beautiful you look.” Noah reached up and stroked his hand along Mingor’s hair. In the subdued light, it had turned gleaming purple.
“I could say the same of you.” Mingor traced his fingers over Noah’s nipples, making him exhale sharply as he arched up. Slowly, Mingor lowered himself so that while he gently rocked his hips, he and Noah were able to kiss. This languid movement went on for quite some time before Noah grasped Mingor’s hips and urged him to rock back and forth faster. Gasping, they separated their mouths and then held one another’s gazes as the intensity increased until they both obtained a shattering release. Mingor spilled on Noah’s belly as Noah spilled as deeply inside Mingor as he could get.
Afterward, they pressed close. Noah held Mingor against his chest, stroking his hands over Mingor’s hair. It was a calming gesture that eventually caused Mingor to fall asleep. He awoke in the same position sometime later because his hips were protesting the angle. To his surprise, Noah was still inside him and seemed to be getting harder.
“I have to say, this is possibly the best way I’ve ever woken up.”
Once he realized Mingor was in pain, he withdrew, helped Mingor to his belly with his legs straight, then entered him from behind. There was less intimacy in the position, but it felt wonderful. Also, the angle of penetration was different, which caused the head of Noah’s penis to rub against different areas.
Noah kept to even and slow strokes until they again reached a certain point. Mingor wasn’t sure what it was that caused the tipping over, but when it came, Noah was driven to go faster and faster until his balls were slapping against Mingor. The gentle spanking was surprisingly erotic, compelling Mingor to climax long before Noah found his satisfaction.
Mingor would have loved to fall asleep with Noah on top of him, but he wouldn’t be able to hold his weight for long. After kissing his back and neck, Noah rolled over, pulled Mingor close, and fell asleep. Mingor followed him into slumber, hoping that their future would be much like this night. He would welcome long conversations, spectacular lovemaking, and then rest. Just before he released himself to the curiosities of his unconscious, Mingor realized they would not have many nights of peace like this. Not if his plans to change the very structure of Thandling society came to pass. But for tonight, they were safe, they were warm, and they had time to be together before any more woe could possibly befall them.
As if to mock his supposition, Mingor looked skyward and saw a starship. It hovered over the landing area, and he knew before his servant entered that there was someone wanting to land. Since Mingor had been aboard the last trade starship, that after leaving him had taken away all their current supplies of salt, this one wasn’t here for commerce.
Placing his finger to his lips, silently asking for quiet, Mingor rose and then pulled on his robe. He used the hygiene facilities and then went to the communication area.
“They are Krase.” The soul operating the unit looked back at Mingor. Her face was pale, and her hand shook as she held it over the buttons.
A shiver went down Mingor’s spine. The Krase were fearsome warriors. They took what they wanted and often destroyed what they didn’t. “What do they want?” No matter how he tried to imagine it, Mingor simply couldn’t believe they were here to conquer their tiny patch of land. The Krase empire was vast. One little water-filled world wouldn’t mean anything to them no matter how widely know their salt was.
“They want your sephir.”
Mingor felt his mouth open, but nothing came out. It was even more baffling that they would want Noah. After a moment, he finally ma
naged to ask, “Why?”
“They refuse to say.” Her worried eyes looked skyward. Out the upper window, they both had a view of the small shuttle craft. Mingor had no doubt that there was a much larger ship far above the planet. If they didn’t do as requested, the Krase would certainly come down and take what they wanted.
“Let me speak to them.” Mingor waited for her to establish communications with the Krase.
“I am Honor Vengeance.”
“I am Mingor Faur.”
“You are the water bearer?”
“Yes.” Mingor was surprised that the warrior knew who he was.
“You are in violation of several treaties.”
Mingor’s mind raced over what he had done since sneaking aboard the trader’s ship. Had he violated their laws by pushing them to comply with his wishes? He hardly saw why when he had not harmed them. Moreover, he had paid them for his passage. Certainly, he had pushed them, but he had not used true force. Besides, it was the height of hypocrisy for the Krase to accuse him of such a crime. The Krase took what they wanted by might, so the fact that Mingor used a less invasive method shouldn’t be an issue. In fact, it was unlikely they knew of Mingor’s ability. His ability to push other life forms wasn’t common knowledge. Mingor had only found out by mistake when he’d been looking at a trader and allowed a thought to hold firm in his mind. When the trader had done what Mingor imagined him doing, he realized what he was capable of. And then Mingor’s fear deepened. What if his advisors had told the Krase some false story about how he’d acquired Noah? Aido wouldn’t be above lying to force Mingor into having to perform the ritual of propitiation if he lost his sephir.
Rather than give in to the temptation to babble out a dozen questions, Mingor reverted to his usual stance. “Which treaties?” His goal was to try to make the officer reveal his full intentions rather than assume anything.
Honor Vengeance read a long list of numbers and names but ultimately, the upshot was that Mingor had acquired a slave who was not a slave. “Noah Cameron was stolen from his planet by an unscrupulous slave trader. He is to be surrendered to us at once.”
Enslaved by a King [Sold! 5] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Page 10