strongholdrising

by Lisanne Norman

  The water was warm, enveloping and supporting him as he rose back to the surface. He emerged only a few feet from Zayshul. She let herself float to the surface and, once again, he had a tantalizing glimpse of the markings on her back before she began to swim slowly toward the island in the center.

  Irritation flickered through him as he struck out after her. As he gained on her, she caught sight of him and began to increase her pace. Why wasn’t she waiting for him? By now, she had to be aware of his interest in her. Why else invite him to the pool when its whole atmosphere was one of sexual provocation? He’d played her game long enough, allowed himself to be wrong-footed by her past behavior, embarrassed by the communal stripping room, and having to enter the pool naked in front of her. He’d had enough: time to close in for the kill.

  Increasing his adrenaline level slightly, he used his powerful leg muscles to kick himself forward under the surface as he dived for her. Moments later, his hands closed round her waist. Before he could get a firm grasp, however, she’d twisted free and was gone, her body lost to him amid those of several other swimmers.

  He surfaced, wiping the water from his eyes, his ears ringing with laughter and greetings. A large ball landed beside him with a flat thwack, splashing more water into his face. He gave a hiss of annoyance, both at the ball and the interruption of his plans.

  “Zayshul! We haven’t seen you in weeks. I thought you’d given up our swimming sessions,” said a cheery female voice. “Who’s your friend?” The tone had changed, now sounding sly as if the owner was probing for information.

  “He’s just a friend,” said Zayshul. “His name’s Kezule.”

  *

  For half an hour, they played a lighthearted game of water tag with the ball. He had no option but to join in or look churlish. By the time her friends were ready to leave, Kezule had gone beyond irritation into anger tinged with frustration. This was no different from the other meetings.

  Zayshul would have followed them had he not grasped her arm. Pulling her toward him, he anchored himself to the railing on the island’s submerged steps.

  “No,” he said. “I wish to be alone with you.”

  “It’s time we left, General,” she said quietly, not resisting him. “We’ve been in the water long enough for today.”

  “I agree,” he said, shifting his arm to her waist and lifting her bodily out of the water as he began to pull himself up the two shallow steps. “Definitely time for dry land.” He ignored her protests and held her more tightly as she tried to squirm free.

  Her struggles only served to fuel his interest. He set her down, still holding her close. Now that they were on dry land, the ambient warmth of the pool room and her body heat had begun to evaporate the odor-masking chemicals from the water. He breathed deeply, savoring her natural scent. He’d never been this close to her before.

  “Let me go, General,” she said, becoming still in his grasp. “I thought you knew by now what was and wasn’t acceptable behavior toward a female officer.”

  “I’ve watched how you free females play this game, Doctor,” he said, pulling her with him toward the interior of the small bush-covered island. “And I’ve done everything I’ve seen the other successful males do. You can’t be ignorant of my interest, so why are you refusing me?”

  He reached up to touch her face, tracing the iridescent markings around her eyes with a careful fingertip. She was altogether different from the females of his own time— even excluding her sentience and lack of ferocity. Smaller, lighter in build, she was pleasing to all his senses.

  She stiffened, jerking her face away from him, eyes narrowing to angry slits. “You can’t just follow a formula of behavior and expect me to be interested in you!” she exclaimed. “You’ve got to feel it!”

  Confusion was dampening the remains of his anger. “Feel what?”

  She gave a low hiss of exasperation. “Being attentive, saying the right things, wanting me even, isn’t enough. You have to want me, the whole person, not just my body!”

  As she tried again to pull away from him, he tightened his grip, taking care to prevent his claws from hurting her. “I just said I wanted you! What more can I say?” he demanded, frustrated at the need to gain her approval before mating with her.

  This close, her scent was sending his heart rate soaring. The extra adrenaline in his system wasn’t helping either. He could take her, it was what he’d have done back in his time, but he knew if he did, it would be the last time he’d have her. In his time, though, he’d never have been having this conversation.

  Realizing it was futile, she stopped struggling. “I won’t be like the three females the Commander sent you,” she said coldly. “You have them for sex, why should you have me as well?”

  “Those females?” he said, relieved it was nothing more serious. “They’re nothing to me. They were merely a means to understanding your mating practices so I made no mistakes with you. Besides, the Commander only sent them to me so I’d impregnate them. He wants my genetic material for Warriors. He won’t get it, though.”

  “What?” Her eyes widened in surprise.

  “I can control the fertility of my seed,” he said, aware by the changes in her muscle tension that she was beginning to relax. Blood was pounding in his ears as instinct took over and he felt his body responding to hers. Over the last two weeks he’d learned to trust those newly awakened instincts as fully as he did his Warrior skills.

  Carefully, with his free hand, he began to draw his claws tips across the markings on her lower back. At least that much about these modern females was still the same.

  “Not that, the other part,” she said as, unwittingly, she began to respond to his touch.

  “They were merely a means to understanding your mating practices so I made no mistakes with you,” he repeated, lowering his voice as he switched his attention to gently stroking the curve of her spine. Where their bodies touched at belly and thighs, he could feel the heat radiating from her.

  “You noticed me that quickly?”

  He let his glance drop lower, seeing the darker colorations of skin on her flank. “From the first. I enjoy the combination of your independence, authority and femaleness.”

  Growing bolder, his hand traveled slowly across her side till it was resting on her hip. Stretching out his fingers, he let his claws move gently against the curve of her belly.

  “You’re the only female I’ve seen fit for me to mate with.” He leaned closer, touching his lips to her neck just below her ear. He could feel the pulse throbbing in her vein, see her flesh tone darken. Flicking his bifurcated tongue against her skin, he tasted her for the first time. She couldn’t deny her interest any longer: her color and the sudden change in her scent betrayed her. “I’ve no desire to breed yet, but if I had, I’d choose you,” he said softly before closing his teeth on her shoulder.

  Suddenly, he had an armful of supine and willing female. He grabbed hold of her before she could fall, looking around hastily for some suitable surface on which they could lie. A few steps away, hidden among the island’s bushes, he found several of the ubiquitous soft cushions. Laying her down among them, he knelt at her side.

  Instantly, his eyes were drawn to the markings that he’d glimpsed earlier. Where her belly curved down to meet hip and groin, the skin darkened, taking on a rainbow-hued iridescence that continued a short way down the insides of her thighs. It outlined and defined her femininity— and he’d never seen its like before. The visual stimulation, coupled with the scent she was now releasing, made her irresistible.

  He clenched his hand on her hip and leaned over her, forcing himself to remember she was no harem female, and his life did not depend on how quick their mating was. He wanted to enjoy her— she was his trophy of a successful hunt. Crest raised to its fullest, his victory roar was muted as her hand closed suddenly over his erection. Shuddering, he grasped her hand, forcing it away.

  Always thorough in everything he did, he roused her to a frenzy
before they finally joined. He discovered that giving her pleasure pleased him as much as the frenzied coupling that followed. Experience had prepared him for some ferocity from her, otherwise he’d have thought she was turning as feral as the females from his own time. Even so, for a few anxious seconds, he’d feared the worst— and enjoyed it.

  In the brief, quiet aftermath that followed, she admitted that she’d also wanted him from the first, when the Sholans had handed him over to her at the hostage exchange.

  Kezule laughed quietly as he stroked the iridescent markings on her belly. “Perhaps we’ve found our match in each other,” he said, wincing slightly as the bites she’d inflicted on him at the height of her passion pulled when he leaned over her again.

  Valsgarth Estate on Shola, the same day

  Taizia ushered T’Chebbi, Zashou and Jo into the den, leading them down the steps from the work area to the lounging level where her younger sister sat.

  Kitra got up as they entered. “I always thought Kusac and you took more after Father’s family,” she said to her sister, surveying Zashou’s pale beauty. “In the names of my brother and bond-sister, well come to Valsgarth estate. So you’re my bond-grandmother.”

  Startled, Zashou looked from T’Chebbi to Taizia.

  “You got it, kitling,” said T’Chebbi, going over to the hot plate to help herself to a mug of c’shar. “Except Zashou’s not Kaid’s mother. Keep their real relationship to yourself, though. They’re calling themselves brothers, so that makes her your bond-aunt. Anyone else want a drink?” she asked as she stirred hers. “I’ve waited a long time for fresh c’shar!”

  “Are all the females in your family like us?” asked Zashou faintly as she took the nearest seat.

  “Taizia’s not,” said Kitra, pointing to her dark-pelted sister. “There’s always at least one of us this color, but not necessarily a female. Our grandfather was the last one, but he and Grandmother live on the Western Isles now. He’s a tutor at the Telepath guildhouse there, and she’s a priestess at the Shrine of Ghyakulla.”

  T’Chebbi took a quick swig of her drink before helping Taizia pour mugs for their guests.

  “They’ve taken Kusac to the med unit, haven’t they?” Kitra asked. “How is he?”

  “Physically, he’ll be fine,” reassured T’Chebbi, passing a cup of coffee to Jo.

  “But he tried to commit suicide, didn’t he?”

  T’Chebbi frowned and glanced at Taizia as she took the seat next to Kitra. “You shouldn’t know that,” she said. “Who told you?”

  “I was with Taizia and Vanna when Kaid called. Besides, I’m Dzaka’s Leska, T’Chebbi,” she said quietly. “I know what he knows.”

  T’Chebbi shook her head as she sat down in the nearest chair. “I forgot, kitling. My congratulations. The Gods have smiled on you. He’ll make you a good life-mate, that one.”

  “I know,” she said with a gentle smile. “Zhala’s got a meal ready for you in the dining room, or you can eat in the kitchen if you prefer.”

  “In a few minutes, Kitra,” said Taizia. “They’ll want to feel the earth solid beneath their feet for a while first.”

  “Tell me why he tried to kill himself,” requested Kitra. “I don’t understand.”

  T’Chebbi sighed and pushed herself up from her chair. “C’mon, kitling. You and I’ll go see to this food and I’ll tell you.”

  “T’Chebbi,” began Taizia warningly. “I don’t think…”

  “She’s adult, got a Leska, and it’s going to be discussed by everyone on both estates. Better she knows the truth than rumors,” interrupted T’Chebbi, taking her mug with her as she shepherded Kitra out of the den.

  *

  Carrie pushed open her front door and stepped into the entrance hall. The familiar scent of polish brought back a flood of memories. As if in a dream, she headed for the stairs.

  “Do you want me to come with you?” asked Kaid.

  “Not just yet,” she said, putting her foot on the first step. “I need to be alone with my daughter for a few minutes. I won’t be long.”

  She went straight to the nursery, hesitating briefly in front of the closed door. Kashini was six months old now. She remembered the data cube Dzaka and Kitra had sent to Haven for them. Would Kashini remember her? Resolutely, she pushed the door open. As soon as she smelled her daughter’s scent, all the maternal feelings that she’d had to push deep inside during their mission returned in a rush. As she ran to the high-sided cot, the nurse stood up, murmuring a greeting, but Carrie barely noticed her.

  Kashini lay sprawled on her stomach, fast asleep. Her tiny blonde-furred hands lay half-furled on the mattress, and beneath the hem of her small tunic, her tail tip twitched gently.

  Unlatching the cot side, Carrie lowered it, reaching out to stroke the mass of blonde curls that covered her cub’s head. The infant stirred, eyes flicking open, nose wrinkling at the new scent. Carrie felt her mind seized and held firmly for a moment or two, then with a mewl of pure delight, Kashini was scrambling to her feet and flinging herself at her mother.

  Arms that could barely reach around Carrie’s neck hugged her tightly. A small pink tongue began to lick her face as the cub continued to make small frantic noises of pleasure.

  “Mamma’s home,” Carrie said, cradling her cub close and gently starting to sway from side to side. “I’m home, little one,” she whispered. It wasn’t until Kashini looked at her with Kusac’s amber eyes that Carrie’s tears began to fall.

  *

  It was fifteen minutes before she’d composed herself enough to come downstairs to the den, still carrying Kashini. As soon as she sat down, the cub squirmed free and clambered to the ground, toddling round unsteadily on two legs, inspecting the new arrivals.

  “I hadn’t thought she’d be walking upright so soon,” said Carrie, gratefully accepting the coffee from Kaid.

  “It’s because their legs are too straight for running on fours like us,” said Kitra. “So Vanna says. Her son, Marak, is everywhere now!”

  “Has she been a handful?” asked Carrie ruefully, watching as her daughter headed over to Jo and held out her arms to be lifted up.

  “I had Dzaka to help me,” said Kitra.

  “That one’s a born father,” observed T’Chebbi, catching Kitra’s sharp look in her direction as she spoke.

  Cautiously, Jo picked her up, surprised when the cub curled up against her belly, patting the just noticeable bulge. She looked up at Jo and began to purr and chitter in a way that sounded like speech.

  “She knows I’m pregnant,” exclaimed Jo, shocked. “I felt it in her mind!”

  “Kashini was born with an awakened Talent,” said Carrie, taking a sip from her mug.

  Satisfied, with more little noises, Kashini clambered down and headed for Kaid, clutching hold of his leg and looking up at him, wide-eyed and curious.

  Tentatively, he reached out and patted her on the head. “Good little cub,” he muttered, withdrawing his hand. Kashini had other ideas and latched her fingers round his, extending her claws to make sure he couldn’t get away.

  At that moment, the door opened and Dzaka and Rezac came in.

  Kaid winced, allowing Kashini to draw his hand back down to her level. “What does she want?” he asked, looking at Carrie, obviously at a loss to know what to do. He jumped slightly as a small tongue rasped its way across his palm. “What do I do?”

  “Get used to it,” said T’Chebbi with a laugh. “You’ll be a father soon, too.”

  “You’ve got a cub on the way?” asked Taizia incredulously, looking toward T’Chebbi.

  She shook her head. “Not me.”

  Carrie steeled herself for everyone’s reaction. “Me. I thought your parents would have told you. They did tell you Kaid and I are Leska Linked now, didn’t they?”

  “Yes, but not about the cub,” said Taizia, studiously keeping her eyes on Kashini, who’d turned away from Kaid and was now heading for Kitra. “I expect they thought that was private, y
ours to tell us when you were ready.”

  “The Primes saved my life,” said Carrie quietly. “But at a cost.”

  “They had to remove her contraceptive implant,” said Kaid smoothly, recovering his composure now that the cub had lost interest in him. “They said it interfered with their treatment. We think it’s only because she’s pregnant that any of us are alive.”

  “I wondered about that,” said Taizia. “When Zhyaf died, Mara Linked to Josh, her third.”

  “Zhyaf’s dead?” exclaimed Kaid and Carrie together.

  “Kezule took him hostage when he escaped. Mara nearly died. It took Ghyan’s help to stop her following Zhyaf into death.”

  “Kusac was still alive, but his talent was suppressed by drugs and the alien implant,” said Kaid, glancing at Carrie. “So the third is potentially a Leska partner. That explains a lot.”

  Carrie’s attention was on Kashini while the others were talking. She watched as Kitra tried to prevent the cub climbing up onto her lap, suddenly sensing from her daughter why. She looked up, catching Kitra’s eyes, seeing the stricken look on the young female’s face change to one of helplessness as she realized Kashini was in mental contact with her mother.

  “Not you too!” Carrie whispered.

  “What?” asked Dzaka as he came down the steps toward Kaid.

  “Nothing,” said Carrie, getting up to retrieve her daughter.

  Kaid stood up and went to meet him.

  “It’s good to have you home, Father,” Dzaka said as they held each other close.

  “Good to be home,” said Kaid, running his hand over his son’s cheek as he released him. “I hear you and Kitra are to be life-bonded soon. Congratulations to you both. When is the ceremony?” he asked, glancing toward his son’s Leska.

  Dzaka’s mouth opened in a slow smile as he looked across at Kitra. “As soon as Kusac and you are well enough to attend the service at Stronghold.”

  “Stronghold, eh?”

  “Father Lijou wants to perform the ceremony himself,” Dzaka said, moving over to Kitra. “You won’t have heard yet, but he and Mistress Kha’Qwa have a son.”