Black Planet: Tiger Eyes

by Belinda McBride

  More precisely, it was because of Darah's love.

  He'd come to Earth with the faint, but real, hope of finding a female, a mate. At his age, a man should have a female and children, but that hope was slim among his people, even for the goldens. Females were rare and precious, and never given to the dark males. Now scientists were discovering that the loss of genetic material could spell the downfall of their species.

  Still, the bigotry persisted.

  He'd been in love before, with a beautiful, supple female. She was smart and gifted and believed what the scientists were saying, that years of selective breeding away from the dark Thalians had damaged their bloodlines. But in the end, the pressure of her peers, her family, and her friends had been stronger than her love for Darah, and she'd chosen elsewhere.

  That had been years ago, and she'd given birth only to sons. Not the daughters he could have given her.

  But here today, it didn't matter so much. Darah had Milo, and though Milo made a small attempt to filter his stronger thoughts and feelings, he knew the human was basking in unexpected happiness. His primal self grieved for the children that would never be, but Darah saw his future with this quiet human, and his joy was very nearly complete.

  For now, they'd agreed to keep the affair quiet, not so much secret as discreet. They saw one another during their working week and some evenings, and invariably spent their off time together, here at Milo's home in the hills.

  Darah refused to think of the time when he'd be called home. He couldn't bear the idea of walking away from love.

  He returned to the bedroom where the human slept so peacefully. He wondered how often Milo Greene had slept well in the years since his wife's illness. He'd seen the photo of the lovely woman, gathered the story through thoughts and touches, for through the skin, Darah could witness memory.

  Milo lay so quietly, his long, muscular limbs uncovered, the blanket draped loosely over his shoulders. It was an odd habit, the need to wrap up in the embrace of the bedclothes. Darah had quickly ascertained that it was a need for comfort, and as often as possible, he provided that comfort, holding the sleeping man tightly in his arms. He wished he could spend every night in Milo's bed.

  Milo was tall, nearly as tall as a Thalian. His gleaming black hair was frosted with silver at the temples, a testament to the hard times and grief that he'd suffered through the years. Unlike the dark Thalians, his skin was fair. His eyes were the haunting grey of a cloudy sky. He wasn't as heavily muscled as Darah. His body was lithe and sinewy, and as he'd had opportunity to discover, Milo was a more than capable fighter and wrestler ... both men enjoyed a good deal of physicality in their sex.

  Milo moaned slightly and rolled to his side, his flaccid cock sliding along his leg to rest on his inner thigh. Smiling, Darah lowered himself to Milo's groin, taking the soft member into his warm mouth, relishing the sensation as the flesh became firm and long and solid. Milo moaned again but not from a sad dream.

  A hand buried in his hair as Milo began to force him a bit faster, deeper, and Darah willingly complied. He increased suction, ran his tongue along the human's silky cock, fluttering the tip of his tongue under his cockhead, and then let him slip loose. He lowered his head and sucked in one, and then both of Milo's testicles, teasing Milo into a dry, shuddering orgasm.

  He'd been surprised that Milo was capable of this, but with the proper manipulation, he'd learned quickly. Milo had also learned how to bring Darah to that blissful state. Sometimes they made love for hours before succumbing.

  Milo lay, belly and chest heaving, hand now caressing Darah's head, fingers stroking through the silky length of his hair. It came as a surprise how the other man cherished the long, flowing locks. To the dark Thalians, it was a sign of their otherness, a military badge. He'd never thought of it as sexual or beautiful before.

  Sometimes at work, Milo would walk up behind him and gently tug the braid, spinning Darah into immediate arousal.

  "God, now there was a wake-up call.” He rolled to his back and Darah crawled up the bed to join him. He reached out and ran his fingers through Milo's curls. When Milo remembered to keep them cut, they were crisp, waving back into a neat style. When he forgot, like now, they curled into a riotous mop which Darah found quite appealing.

  "Good morning, Milo Greene.” He leaned down and kissed Milo gently, savoring the warmth, the sleepiness in the other man's eyes.

  "Good morning, Darah Lash.” He cupped Darah's cheek, running a thumb over his lips. “I do enjoy waking up with you.” Milo grinned, a new expression in Darah's experience with his lover. Darah leaned down, rewarding him for the smile with a deep, passionate kiss.

  "I believe I have an appetite this morning.” He smiled down at the other man. His cock was hard, beating, throbbing with blood. To his delight, Milo rolled him over onto his back, pinning him, one thigh trapping his cock, rubbing slowly, steadily, applying delicious pressure.

  Darah grinned, pleased to be bottom for now. They'd been leading up to this, the taking. Every time they made love, they crept closer as Milo's comfort level increased with the intimacy. “Do you wish to take me?"

  Milo's grey eyes darkened. He came down and kissed Darah hard, his tongue thrusting and searching and fucking his mouth. Darah was a big man, powerful and intimidating, and he wasn't rolling over and playing submissive for Milo. He truly saw the act as a normal expression of love.

  "Tell me what to do."

  Darah glanced at the nightstand, and Milo reached over, locating the lube that he'd purchased. He also found a condom and set that to the side.

  Darah stretched, flexed, bringing his knees apart. He shuddered with pleasure as Milo's nimble fingers massaged his balls, his perineum. His lids dropped heavily as he heard the crackle of the condom wrapper. Milo rolled the sheath over his distended cock, following that with a liberal application of lube.

  "Get on your knees between my thighs, and position yourself as you normally would."

  Darah slid a cushion under his hips, raising himself to a better position. He wanted to see, to watch as Milo fucked him for the first time. He felt the cool kiss of the lube as Milo massaged his anus, slipping in a finger, gently massaging and relaxing Darah's entrance. He might never have done this with a man before, but Milo had done this with someone else ... his touch was gentle and confident.

  When he felt the blunt tip of Milo's cock, he took a deep breath, relaxing and bearing down. “Slow, slow and steady, just a little way in."

  Milo was flushed with arousal, fighting the need to drive in fast and hard. “It's so damn tight!"

  Darah chuckled, bringing a deep groan from Milo. He hissed as Milo backed out and then returned, sinking in deeper, and then deeper on the next thrust. Soon, he was buried to the hilt, still moving, his cockhead gliding over Darah's prostate.

  "Lean down, Milo, and make love with me."

  * * * *

  Carefully, Milo lowered himself, until they came face to face. The sensation was strange. His cock was trapped tightly inside Darah's body, and he could feel the other man's cock and balls tight between his pelvis and belly. He'd done this before, but not with a man ... his mind flinched away from her memory, and Milo looked down at Darah's face, seeing the lust and passion drawing his face into taut lines. He saw something else as well, there in the Thalian's glowing blue eyes. It nearly drew tears to his own.

  Slowly, tentatively, he began to move, thrusting into Darah's tight, smooth passage. Darah's hard, strong hands wandered his body, and Milo dipped his head, nibbling Darah's jaw, dropping a bite on his shoulder.

  He'd discovered that when the wings were arranged properly, the Thalian suffered no discomfort on bottom, and with that in mind, began to deepen his thrusts. He was rewarded by Darah's deep groan and a soft string of words in his native language. Milo dropped to give him a deep, hard kiss, swerving away to bury his face in the man's long, silken hair, nuzzling in to take the lobe of his ear into his mouth. He sucked, whispered, telling Darah how g
ood this felt, how glad he was that they were together.

  Further aroused with their pillow talk, the men began to move with serious intent. Darah was now fully erect, his cock hard and hot under Milo's lean belly. Milo pushed himself up a bit, changing angle to thrust harder and deeper, watching his lover's face for any signs of discomfort or pain. Darah's eyes were closed, the veins standing out on his neck. His hands urged Milo onward, faster and harder until the muscles of his ass contracted. He shouted, arched and came, his seed spurting rhythmically between their bodies.

  Brought over by his lover's climax, Milo went taut, shuddering, holding his thrust deep inside, feeling his own come flooding the condom. He groaned and shook through one final spasm before opening his eyes to see Darah grinning. He let out a laugh, falling loose-limbed on top of the Thalian. Darah's arms came around his body and Milo could only lay there, amazed at his own happiness.

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  Chapter Four

  "You look as though you've received the same news that I have."

  Darah looked up from his small computer, a frown on his face. Milo had noticed that the Thalian relished being outdoors, the weather irrelevant to him. He'd even sit outside in the rain. He always looked toward San Francisco as though something was there.

  Greene sat in the wooden deck chair across from Darah. Based on the message he'd received a few hours ago, something really was there, waiting in the city, but nothing that Darah would be aware of. Then again, the Thalian had been proven to possess some uncanny skills. Perhaps he was sensing Greene's current problem.

  "I just received a message from my lieutenant that there have been several kidnappings. Females are being taken."

  "Yes, that's what I just heard. Two on this side of the Bay, four in the City. The department is putting together a task force. We'll meet tomorrow."

  "We'll offer any assistance that you need. Crimes against females ... that is not acceptable."

  Greene had noticed that there were few female Thalians among the visitors. Those that he'd met were mated, traveling with husbands and children. They were loath to separate families for more than a few months at a time. He'd also noticed that all of the single males rotated to their ships on occasion. He assumed it was for training. Darah had never mentioned it, but by Greene's estimation, he should be due for his rotation soon.

  Under their smooth veneer, he knew the Thalians could be callous. They saw no ethical question in using prisoners for medical experimentation. But where women were concerned, they were almost fanatical. On their planet, rape was grounds for execution.

  But the message that had Greene frowning was something completely different.

  "Actually, Darah, there's something else I might need your help with. But it'll be on our own time."

  Darah tilted his head in curiosity.

  "Some time ago, when I was with the San Francisco Police Department, we recruited and trained a group of civilians. Put them undercover in various criminal organizations. About five years ago, the department there went bankrupt and was assimilated into the Bay System that we operate out of today."

  Darah nodded, fully aware of the intricacies of politics and government on the West Coast.

  "We managed to pull most of the informants out, get them to safety, but some had vanished."

  "And we are looking for one of those."

  "Yes. This one allegedly went rogue, opting to continue with the gang she'd infiltrated."

  "She?” Darah's interest spiked. He sat upright, looking at Greene. “And we hunt her?"

  "That intrigues you? Hunting a female?” The smile he got in return was feral, and edged with lust. “That turns you on, doesn't it? Hunting your prey ... taking her?"

  Darah heaved a breath. “It's the oldest known mating ritual among my people. The idea of hunting a female with my lover...” He grinned, smiling toward the City again. To Greene's amusement, he was fully aroused and erect, his cock straining against the snug fabric of his pants. “And she was important to you. She still is..."

  "Well, I'm not quite sure what the situation is. My sources tell me that there have been attacks that bear her MO ... her signature style."

  "And what is that?"

  "Hand to hand, severe injuries without fatality. She favors an old Chinese system of fighting. She usually dislocates the knees, shoulders and elbows of her opponents.” She was capable of more, much more.

  "Milo, why is this off time? Why don't you simply gather officers and go find her?"

  "God, Darah, I've been trying for years! She doesn't want to be found. I don't know what's gone wrong. She was such an ethical, honest woman. I can't believe she's really turned."

  He got up and paced, leaning on the rail, looking out across the Bay. Darah sat quietly, picking up Milo's very real distress, and something else. “You loved her. You thought of her this morning, very briefly."

  "That was a long time ago. And only for a short time."

  "The relationship was brief, not the love. That remained."

  Milo sighed, but didn't turn back. He supposed there would be no secrets while he loved the telepath. “We were both very young and unwise. Our relationship began once she'd entered training. It couldn't continue."

  "And then you met your wife."

  "A couple years later.” He smiled sadly. That love had never died either. “We had a couple very good years before she became ill. And even during her illness ... it was good."

  Darah rose and gathered Greene in his arms, holding him tightly. “You have an amazing capacity for love, Milo Greene. I'm sorry for your pain."

  And he held Milo long after the pain went away.

  * * * *

  "What else were you going to tell me about this woman?"

  Milo wiped his eyes and turned back toward the patio table, taking a seat there. Darah remained leaning against the rail, his wings semi-extended. Every feather seemed to glimmer in the sunshine, in colors ranging from light tans to deep, chocolaty browns. He took Milo's breath away.

  "I'm glad you find beauty in my appearance, but tell me about this woman, Milo Greene. I'm curious."

  "Her brother is Aiden Chen."

  "The fighter who used to be a detective?"

  "Yes. Aiden's wife Annie Tanaka brought down a serial killer last year."

  "I remember the case. It happened right after I arrived. Detective Tanaka decapitated the killer."

  "Yes. Carin was the wife of a major crime boss, a Yakuza named Shigeo Nakashima. He's very wealthy and dangerous. Aiden and Annie had to leave for their safety."

  "And of course, Nakashima wants his revenge. So this woman is his target. She is in danger."

  "It's more than that, Darah. Aiden seems to believe that she's ill."

  "Has he been in contact with her?"

  "No, she's completely underground.” He looked up at the Thalian and smiled. “Aiden allegedly has some precognitive abilities. He told me he threw the fortune sticks for her."

  "Really?” Darah looked curious. “Our telepathy is scientific in nature; we simply have another sense. Humans possess it as well. Precognition? That seems difficult to believe."

  "Well, you have to know the family."

  The Lees were something completely different. Even as close as he'd become to Guo Lee while Annie was in the hospital, he couldn't credit much of what he'd seen with his own eyes ... including Annie killing Carin Nakashima with one stroke of a blade, while her back was to the woman. And the blade had been on the ground, out of Annie's reach. Even now, it made him shiver.

  "When do we begin?"

  "Now?” He looked at Darah, knowing that the Thalian would be eager to go. It seemed that the other man cherished adventure as much as he craved sex.

  "I'll need to hide these...” He shrugged, indicating the wings. The dark Thalians had a surprising ability to flatten their wings close to their bodies. With a loose coat, they could hide them completely. That was another advantage they had over the goldens.

>   "Just hide them under your coat. I get the feeling that we might be needing those wings of yours."

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  Chapter Five

  She tilted her head and watched as the blood snaked through the tubing from a plastic bag to a hungry vein in her arm. The vision thing was odd, not quite tunnel vision, but definite cloudiness to the sides. Sometimes when she woke, it was completely cloudy, resolving after an hour or so.

  Grace didn't like waking up blind.

  As the blood trickled into her body, David Mok bustled about setting out his needles, preparing herbal remedies that she would take home with her.

  If she did exactly as he said, ate right and rested, she didn't feel too awful. It seemed that Aiden's loft was exactly the safe place she needed. Not even the Red Flags were gutsy enough to venture into Wharf without an invitation.

  And the Yakuza? They might come in, but they'd never leave. At least, not on two feet. They'd be found out in the Bay, floating on the currents until they became food for the sharks. Wharf rats could spot a Yakuza a mile away.

  Grace sighed and relaxed back into the ancient barber's chair. David had come into Wharf, and they'd borrowed space in the back room of a tattoo parlor run by a friend of the old healer. Not complete anonymity, but close enough.

  The acupuncture needles were painless, and in a moment, she caught the whiff of herbs burning.

  "Here, drink.” He held a cup to her lips. Grace winced but downed the bitter stuff. She had no idea what it was but trusted it.

  David Mok had been trained by the best.

  "You hear from your grandpa lately?"

  "No, David, I don't stay in touch with the family."

  "But Sifu stays in touch with you?"

  "Yeah, I suppose in his way, he does.” If you counted phantom shadows in the darkness, or the scent of tobacco smoke on the air.

  "Those Red Flags keep coming and lookin’ for you. Those other men too."

  "Nakashima's men?"

  He curled a lip in contempt. “They know the Triad bosses will kill them on sight. Those ones gave up. No, two big men. Gweilos."