by Bianca D'Arc
“I never got to see the stars the last time I was in a spacecraft. I was stuck in the hold, hiding the whole time. Scared.” He smoothed the small frown that creased her brow with a soft stroke of his big finger.
“You’re a woman of power now, Jeri. You will have little to fear in the future.”
“How can that be, though?” She leaned up on one elbow, facing him with questions in her eyes. “I’ve lived most of my life in fear, Micah. Even in your world, though I have some Talent, I’m still a nobody. I own nothing more than the clothes on my back, and most of those you gave me.”
“Is this any way for a base-level Dominar to talk?” he asked with a smile, scooting up and back on the bed to rest against the padded headboard, bringing her with him. “We don’t even know what you’ll be once your Talent is trained, but even a Dominar has certain rights and privileges in our society. Ask Darak, if you don’t believe me. He’s been a Dominar since First Test.”
“Like me?”
“No,” he shook his head, tucking her head over his heart as he tried to put her fears at ease. “You’ve not had First Test yet.”
“Then what was that testing I did with Agnor called?”
“I forget you are new to everything about our ways. Forgive me.” Micah sighed as he stroked her hair. “The testing you underwent with Agnor is just a base-level test we give all Talents that manifest when they hit puberty, usually. It gives us some indication of how to train them, though they are not told of their results until after they have been trained and have had First Test around age twenty or so. With very strong Talents, it can be more obvious that one youngster is more powerful than another. We use the base-level testing to help keep like-level students together so they can train with and challenge each other.” He continued to stroke her hair in a way that made him want to do more, but he would answer her questions first. There was so much she had to learn about her power and where she would fit in his world.
“Since you are well past puberty and have never been tested or trained in our tradition, I asked Agnor to give you the base-level test first so we knew where we should start. We will train you in the things you would have learned as a teenager, had you lived on a Council world and then, when you’ve acquired some of the basic skills, we’ll First Test you.”
“Sort of a sped-up program just for me?” she asked.
He nodded, sighing with pleasure as she nuzzled his chest. “Designed just for you, sweetheart. Keep doing that,” he whispered as she nipped his pectoral muscle and laved his nipple with her tongue. He stopped talking altogether when her hand moved downward to stroke his growing erection. They didn’t speak again for long, passion-filled moments, and Micah thought his life couldn’t get any better than this.
Jeri was in the hold the next day with the horses, wearing one of the loose cotton shirts Micah had given her, when Trini called her name from across the wide expanse. Turning quickly, she caught a button on a sharp crate edge and heard a ripping sound as Trini came over to her.
“Oh dear,” Trini said, looking at the ruined shirt that had ripped down the center, exposing Jeri’s chest. The woman touched her skin lightly where the edge had scraped just over her heart, and Jeri turned away, uncomfortable with the intimate touch.
“Darn it,” she said, concentrating on the edges of the ragged shirt, dabbing at the small line of blood that marred her chest from the scrape. The cotton soaked it up until all that was a left was an angry red line where the skin was abraded, but no longer bleeding.
“That shirt’s ruined, but not to worry, the ship’s synthesizer can whip up something for you in no time.” Trini seemed to want to atone for the discomfort she had so innocently caused her new friend. Jeri tried to remember these people were much freer with their bodies than those in her own culture, but it was hard when faced with new intimacies.
Jeri was intrigued by the idea of the synthesizer as she turned to the other woman. “Really?”
Trini smiled as Jeri clutched the ragged edges of the shirt together and motioned her over to the control panel at the rear of the large hold.
“Sure thing. The captain lets us all use this in a pinch. I’ve uploaded some great patterns into the memory banks in addition to the standard designs. Let me show you.”
Over the next few minutes Trini showed an amazed Jeri the standard patterns for shipsuits, pants, tunics and tops in all kinds of styles, in addition to her own more risqué collection of what looked like undergarments with strategic portions either highlighted or totally missing. Jeri settled on a plain top in a pretty shade of green that popped out of the dispenser in just moments.
Trini watched as she took off the ruined cotton shirt and pulled on the snug top, embarrassing her a bit, but she’d come to realize that among these people nudity was nothing to be ashamed of. Still, she would never have so easily taken her shirt off in front of Darak—had she known he was there.
A long whistle from a few yards away had more than the horses’ heads turning as Darak strolled into view. Jeri pulled the new top over her head. Hastily, she pulled it down, uncomfortably aware of how tightly the synthetic material hugged her generous breasts.
“Too bad I didn’t get here just a few moments earlier.” Darak grinned, putting a companionable arm around Trini. “We three could’ve had some fun.”
The other woman pushed him away playfully. “Come on, Dar, you know the captain’s orders.” Trini turned to Jeri with a smile. “Ignore him, Jer. He’s just teasing.”
“You have gorgeous nipples, Jeri,” he said, looking at her chest and the points clearly outlined by the snug fabric. “I can see why my cousin wants to keep you to himself.”
Without saying a word, she turned to leave but was stopped short by Darak’s pull on the ruined cotton shirt she clutched in her hands.
“Whose blood is this?” he asked with a snapping demand in his voice that startled her.
“Jeri was scratched by that crate over there, and her shirt was ruined.”
“Let me see.” Darak spoke softly, tugging on the cotton until Jeri released it and turned slowly to face him. She was scared by the firmness of his voice. Now, she realized, he was more than just the fun-loving playboy she’d seen so far. He was truly the second in command of this ship, and he expected to be obeyed.
“It’s just a scratch,” Jeri said softly, backing up a step as he moved toward her. “It’s already stopped bleeding.” Her hand went to her chest, just above her heart, where the long scratch still stung.
She was shocked when Darak stepped right in front of her, holding her gaze. His dark eyes were exotic and penetrating as he placed his own big hand over hers, pressing against her breast firmly. She felt a warm pulse of his energy and then opened her mouth on a gasp as the stinging of the scratch in her flesh disappeared. He’d healed her with his psi power, and she was amazed both by his gentle touch and the look of true care in his dark eyes.
“There is no need for you to suffer, pretty one,” he said softly. “Not when it is a simple thing to ease your discomfort.” He winked at her. “My cousin Micah would expect no less.”
Jeri caught her breath, once again on familiar footing as the roguish light reentered his eyes. Still, he’d done her a real service and she knew her manners.
“Thank you,” she said softly, seeing an echo of caring in his eyes that dumbfounded her. She spun and left them, heading for the lift.
Micah met her in the hall, having felt her moment of hurt surprise when she’d snagged herself on that crate. He’d left the discussion of navigation he’d been having with Seta and headed for the hold, but Jeri was already in the lift before he could get there.
“What happened?” he asked immediately when he saw her.
Jeri shrugged with an embarrassed smile, telling him about the crate and her small injury. When he would have tugged off her shirt to inspect the wound right there in the companionway where anyone could see, she stayed his hand.
“Darak healed it, I think,�
� she said softly. “At least, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“Darak put his hands on you? When I specifically told him to keep his distance until you were more comfortable with our ways?” He was getting upset, and she rushed to stave off his anger.
“He only touched my hand. I was already clothed when I saw him.”
At least that was technically true, though she had no idea how much of her little strip show he’d actually seen. Micah’s anger was defused, but he took her hand gently and walked with her to their cabin.
“I’m glad he was there to ease your pain.” He palmed the hatch and ushered her inside their cabin. “But that top has to go.”
She looked down at the little green top that was prettier than anything she’d ever owned. “But why?”
“It’s synthetic,” he said simply, as if that explained it all. But she had no idea what he could be referring to. He evidently saw the confusion on her face and explained. “Synthetic fibers could be dangerous to you, Jeri. They don’t react well to psi Talent above Dominar level. They can fuse, melt, burn or even combust. It’s better to wear only natural fibers and substances. Which is why I gave you cotton. You’ll notice that Agnor’s favorite robes are mostly woolen, and most of my pants are leathers. Until we can get planetside and get you some natural fibers, I’m afraid you’ll have to wear my shirts, as you’ve been doing.”
“Because you’re a Mage Master, right?”
He nodded. “Because of me, but also because you have quite a bit of power in your own right, sweetheart.”
“I’m only a Dominar.”
“Base-level Dominar, Jeri. I have no doubt you will First Test at Mage, maybe even above.”
“No way.”
“Way.” He kissed her, unable to resist the wonder in her eyes.
She pushed on his chest after a moment, unwilling to be totally sidetracked just yet. “So how did Darak do that healing thing?” she asked. “I didn’t know you could heal with psi energy.”
Micah allowed her some space in his embrace, though he didn’t let her go completely. “Some people can. Most Dominars, in fact, are taught the simple healings, along with most Mages. It takes a great deal of power, so it’s a skill reserved for those with the higher levels of ability in that direction. It’s something few people truly master. The greatest psi healers are Specitars, of course, and healing is just about all they do. I have a little more skill than most Mages, but Darak is truly gifted for a Dominar. What he did is rare. Most Talents would have to be in physical contact with the injury, not just touching your hand. But Darak’s got a soft heart that he tries hard to hide, and he put out the extra energy to heal you without looking at the injury because he knew it would be easier for you.”
“He knows he makes me uncomfortable?” She seemed both amazed and embarrassed at the thought.
Micah smiled ruefully. “He makes a joke out of it, but I think it almost hurts his feelings that you’re so afraid of him.”
“Oh, Micah, I didn’t mean—”
“I know, my love, I know.” He soothed her, but he knew she needed to hear only the truth from him if she was to grow comfortable with his family and crew.
“I’m not really afraid of him.” She spoke softly, allowing him to cuddle her into his chest. “He’s just so…big…and male.”
Micah laughed outright at that. “And I’m not?”
She swatted him playfully. “You know you are, but I’m not his lover so it makes him intimidating and sort of scary.”
“What does it make me then, I wonder?”
She looked up at him, emotion welling in her eyes. “It makes you perfect, Micah. Just perfect.”
She was getting into dangerous territory, revealing too much of her inner feelings to this man who was far out of her league. She reached up and kissed him, distracting him, following eagerly when he led them to the large bed and laid her upon it.
“You know…” he looked at her, spread out before him on the bed, “…Darak told me about you walking in on him and Trini in the lift.” Her face flushed with remembered embarrassment.
“I couldn’t believe they were doing it there, even stopping to say hello when they were in the middle of…of that.”
“We’re a tight family here on the Circe. In such close quarters, it’s almost inevitable that we’ve caught each other in intimate moments over the years. We’re used to it.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“So if you’d walked into that lift, you would have what? Joined in?”
Micah shook his head. “At one time, probably. But not now. Not for a long time, actually.”
She leaned up on one elbow, seeing a sadness in his gaze that she hadn’t seen since those first moments back on Pantur.
“Why? It’s not just me being here, is it?”
Micah moved to her side and sat on the edge of the bed. “Your being here is heaven to me, Jeri. Never doubt that. But you’re right, I haven’t been able to join with anyone, even my crew, in a very long time. Not since I became a Mage Master.”
“But why? You were always more powerful than the rest, even when you were just a Mage, so what changed?”
Micah sighed. “I changed, Jeri. It’s more than just rising a level in power, though that did make it more difficult than ever to interact with any Talent below Mage level. It’s also a feeling that was growing in me for a long time. I was dissatisfied with meaningless pleasure shared among friends. That was okay for a long time, but I started to understand what Agnor had been talking about after his longtime partner left him. I began to understand his loneliness, his isolation, and to feel something like it myself. There are precious few Specitars and even fewer Mage Masters. It is hard to interact on intimate levels with others when you command so much concentrated power. I would never want to hurt any of my crew, or anyone else for that matter, in seeking to fulfill my own physical needs.”
“But you’ve never hurt me.” She thought back over the time they’d been together. “You knew I had a high level power, right? Is that why? Is it that you don’t have to worry about possibly hurting me?”
Micah took her in his arms and hugged her close. “That’s only part of it, but yes, it’s a relief to know that I won’t unintentionally hurt you with my Talent, Jeri. The rest is something I’m having a hard time understanding. There’s something about you—about us—that just feels more right than anything I’ve ever experienced before. We click. And your presence helps ease the loneliness I’ve been feeling. You fill a place inside my soul that was empty, Jeri. You’re good for me, and I want to keep you.”
She smiled as his impassioned words touched her heart. “That’s good, because I want to keep you too, Micah.” She paused, gathering courage. “You’re very special to me.”
He pulled off the rest of her clothes with a growl and pressed her down into the soft bed.
“Show me how special,” he growled, moving to kneel over her mouth. She didn’t disappoint, swallowing his long cock eagerly. He grabbed the headboard for balance and his eyes shut in ecstasy as she used her teeth gently to stimulate his hard shaft. She sucked and licked, making him groan, making him feel how special he was to her, just as he’d demanded. He was on the knife’s edge of arousal, his muscles straining as he sought for elusive control.
“Suck me, Jeri. Make me come.”
She moaned deep in her throat, sending the vibrations up his sensitive shaft as her hollowed cheeks bore down gently on his straining length. He groaned and pushed deeper, nearly choking her, but she took it. She took him deep, deeper than he’d even gone before, his passion reaching higher.
“I’m coming,” he warned, tugging upward to leave her mouth but she followed, wanting everything he had to give. “I’ll come in your mouth, Jeri. Is that what you want?”
She moaned again, her eyes pleading for his come as he finally let go, his seed spurting from the heated tip, deep within her mouth. He watched her with blurred vision as she drank from him, his groans of completion mixing with
her moans of delight as she swallowed all he had to give.
She licked him clean for long moments as he fought for some sense of equilibrium, but he was wrecked. She had drained him utterly and it was some time before he could find the strength of will to move from her willing mouth. He collapsed on the bed next to her, turning to meet her smile.
“You’re a dangerous woman, Jeri. Very dangerous.” One of his large hands rose lethargically to stroke her hair as he smiled, quite obviously satiated.
She pretended to consider his words. “I think I like the sound of that.”
He laughed and tugged her closer, folding her into his arms and hugging her tight. “I think I’ve created a monster.” He rolled on top of her and pressed her into the mattress.
“Can you teach me about healing?”
“Now? But you haven’t come for me yet, sweetheart.” His eyes turned devilish as his head lowered to her breast, finding the nipple and sucking it deep into his mouth. She shivered as his hands roamed her body, moving one in front and one behind, cupping her ass and her pussy at the same time and squeezing.
She lost track of what she’d been about to say as his fingers delved deeper on both sides, two entering her pussy from the front while one played with the tight rosebud of her ass. Tremors down her spine made her squirm as he moved to kiss her, plunging in deep with his tongue in the same rhythm as his fingers in her pussy. She was already near the edge, the mere act of sucking him to completion firing her senses and priming her for his touch.
“Micah,” she squealed as the finger at her rear plunged inside, the way made easier by the juices flowing from her stimulated core. “I’m close. So close.”
“Come for me, Jeri. Come for me now,” he ordered on a low growl, his teeth grazing her breast, then nipping in a way that made her scream. Her body spasmed in delight as he pressed her into the mattress, blanketing her with his heavy body and whispering how beautiful he thought she was as she came apart in his arms.
Long moments later, she remembered what she’d asked him before he distracted her so wonderfully. She rested her chin on one hand over his heart as she looked at him.