by Morgan Hawke
Mohr gasped and fell back three steps. “The cyborg said it was waiting for you.” He lunged at her, launching into a flurry of spinning kicks and slashes.
Fallon dropped under him then came up, diverting one blade and then the other. “Who sent him?” She slipped behind him and slashed the back of one knee joint. Blood threaded down the calf of his armor.
He gasped and staggered, but turned to face her, staying upright though his leg was clearly not working properly. “Who sent who?”
Fallon frowned. She nicked him in one the tendons. She’d been aiming for both. “Who sent Tusk? Who set him up to die?”
Mohr lifted his blades and stalked closer, favoring his nicked leg. “I have no idea who picked him, I was just told to watch for him.”
Fallon’s eyes narrowed and a smile curved her lips. This was what she was waiting to hear. She stayed where she was. She didn’t even raise her blades. “Who told you to watch for him?”
Mohr stopped and frowned. “My contact.”
Fallon eased one foot back and tensed to spring. “Name, please?”
Mohr’s frown deepened. “Rudi”
Fallon smiled broadly. “Thank you.” She let the banked rage take her in a white-hot rush. She lunged ... and was swallowed by a white rushing storm.
The world slowed to a dreaming crawl. Mohr seemed to stand perfectly still, his blades up but frozen.
Fallon moved in on him, riding a burning white wave. Her blade slid across the back of one knee then she turned and took the back of the other.
He slumped slowly, achingly slowly. His chin lifted and his eyes went wide. It looked like an invitation.
Fallon had all the time in the world to simply reach out and caress his throat with first one blade then the other.
Pearls of bright scarlet spilled and flew outward in an elegant and slow arc all the way around his neck.
She turned away from the floating pearls, coming up on her toes, and she gently spun all the way around, and around, until the world just ... slipped ... away.
Someone was screaming very, very far away.
* * * * *
Fallon shifted sleepily. Her cheek was jammed against somebody’s armored chest. She took a deep breath. Warm silk, sweat, rich musk ... She sighed. Khan. She shifted and discovered that she was curled up tight and pinned against him. It was not a comfortable position to be in. His armor was pointy under all that silk. She groaned.
Her chin was lifted. “Isabeau?”
Fallon opened her eyes.
Khan’s eyes were wide and his mouth tight. He abruptly relaxed and smiled. “It’s passed. She’s out of it.”
“Damn. That was fast.” Sobehk sounded relieved.
Fallon looked around and frowned. She was curled up on Khan’s lap in the front passenger seat of the sportster. No wonder she was so cramped. Between his armor and the length of her folded legs, there wasn’t a whole lot of room. She turned her head. Lights passed as the shuttle sped through a tunnel marked by broad gold bands.
Sobehk’s hands held the steering wheel easily as he drove. He glanced at her briefly and smiled. “Hey, kitten, welcome back.”
“Isabeau?” Khan encouraged her to turn back and look at him. “How do you feel?”
Fallon shifted. “Your armor is all hard and pointy.”
Sobehk laughed. “She’ll be just fine.”
Fallon pushed to sit up so she could straighten her legs. “So, what happened?”
Khan shifted her so she could sit facing front, but he seemed disinclined to let her off his lap. “You killed Mohr.”
Fallon frowned. The memory was fuzzy and very dream-like. “I think I remember doing it.”
Sobehk snorted. “Oh, you definitely did it. You separated his head from his shoulders.”
Fallon’s mouth fell open. “I did not!”
Khan winced. “Yes, you very much did.” He raised a hand to his temples. “In fact, it made quite an indelible impression on my entire company of officers.”
Sobehk snorted. “I seriously doubt you’ll ever have another discipline problem in that company again.”
Khan rolled his eyes. “At the very least.”
Fallon frowned. “But I don’t remember doing that at all.”
Sobehk pursed his lips. “Probably because you were too deep inrahyt to remember.”
Fallon did not like the sound of that. “Did I do anything else?”
Sobehk smiled. “Nope. Once you had a couple of swallows you passed out and we left.” He lifted his wrist, showing a deep bite and a livid bruise that had already faded to yellow and orange.
Fallon licked her lips. She could almost still taste him there.
“Out of curiosity, why the interrogation?” Sobehk frowned. “You already knew who set you up. I remember you saying his name, right before the cyborg’s attack.”
“I wanted to be absolutely sure.” Fallon looked away. “Alice, the station master, has been in contact with Peter.” She flinched. Peter wanted her back, but she didn’t want togo back. “She’ll get word to Peter, and Peter can ... remove the problem.”
Khan caught her chin and turned her to face him. “Why is this Rudi’s removal so important?”
Fallon crossed her arms. “Tusk was my friend, and Peter’s.”
“Your friend?” Sobehk’s brows shot up. “That insane cyborg that tried to kill you?”
“He wasn’t always like that.” Fallon stared out the window. “When I was little, Tusk was one of Peter’s lostlings.” The pain was old. She had lost her friend a very long time ago, but it still hurt. “His augmentations soured and it ... did things to his mind. Peter had to ... remove his memories of ... Neverland, because he was too dangerous.” Her fingers tightened on her arms. “And I had to help him do it.”
Sobehk hissed. “Shit ...”
Khan stroked her arm and her hair.
“Tusk was the one who opened the door, when I first came to Neverland.” Her heart clenched and it became hard to take a breath around the pain. “And I ... killed him.” She leaned against Khan’s chest and closed her eyes.
Sobehk grimaced. “I’m sorry.”
Khan swept his palm across her wet cheeks. “I’m sure your Peter will find a fitting end to this Rudi.”
“Oh, I’m sure he will.” Fallon sniffed and smiled tightly. “Peter is very handy with lift shafts.”
* * * * *
They were in the lift rising from the parking deck when the headache hit Fallon right through the temples. She staggered and fell back against the lift wall panting. “Shit ... My head ...”
Khan sighed. “It would hit now.”
Sobehk leaned over and scooped Fallon into his arms. “I’ll take care of it as soon as we get in.”
Fallon took a deep breath and smelled the rich aroma of Sobehk’s skin. Her nipples tightened to hot, urgent points under her suit. Her belly clenched violently, hot, wet, and hungry. She moaned and clutched at Sobehk’s armor. It was seriously pointy against her side, but at that moment she didn’t care.
Sobehk took a deep breath. “Oh, yeah, there she goes.” He smiled. “Rage fever.”
Khan crossed his arms and stuck out his bottom lip. “Damn that medic.”
Sobehk snorted. “You can have sex tomorrow.”
Khan rolled his eyes and sneered. “Oh, that makes me feel so much better!”
The lift doors opened into the small side hall of Khan’s monstrous suite.
Khan stepped out. “I’ll file the reports and join you ...”
“No ... please.” Fallon looked over at Khan, wincing under the throbbing in her head and desperate with a deep aching hunger. “I ... need you.”
Sobehk’s brows shot up.
Khan sighed. “Screw the medic. Come on.” He strode down the wide hall and headed for the bedchamber, jerking at his robes.
Sobehk followed, grinning broadly. “You have internal injuries! That means I get to do the driving!”
Khan tossed an annoyed loo
k over his shoulder. “Fine, then, you drive.”
Sobehk set Fallon on the bed, then turned and made haste to remove his armor.
Fallon grabbed for her crotch with both hands, but it only made the hunger worse.
Khan and Sobehk were out of their armor faster than Fallon had thought possible. Of course, it was scattered all over the room when they’d finished removing all the pieces.
Mouthwateringly naked, the two of them climbed in among the gold silk blankets and scarlet pillows and attacked the buckles on her suit.
Sobehk glared at Khan. “Did you design this?”
Khan snorted. “Just keep unbuckling.”
Fallon writhed under their hands. Heat coiled, clenched, and tightened with demanding hunger. “Hurry! Please!”
Her boots and then finally the suit were tossed out of the bed and onto the floor.
Fallon reached up to grab Khan around the neck, pulling him down to kiss him. His moan tasted delicious. She raised her knees and wrapped her legs around his hips. She needed him in her body with violent urgency.
His knees spread under her, tipping her hips up to receive him. His primary cock nudged for entry.
Fallon released his mouth to gasp and arch. The bar piercing him was a delicious intrusion. His secondary cock pressed.
Khan gasped. “Sobehk.”
Sobehk knelt behind him. “I’m right here.”
Khan tilted his head to the side. “Deep and hard.”
Sobehk closed his arms around Khan’s chest, his hands splayed open over the black rings piercing Khan’s nipples. Sobehk’s mouth opened, revealing his long teeth. He sank them into Khan’s shoulder and growled.
Khan’s head came up, and his eyes closed, his mouth open on a gasp. “Ah ... yes!” He thrust and surged hard into Fallon’s ass and cunt, raking her tender walls with the bars that pierced him.
Fallon bucked and cried out with the brutal pleasure of his possession.
Sobehk lifted Khan, and Fallon with him, and spread Khan’s knees over his thighs. He pulled his fangs from Khan’s shoulder.
Khan fell forward over Fallon.
She arched up to take his mouth in an urgent, possessive kiss, her hips undulating under him, squeezing his hips with her thighs and fucking him.
Khan held still, balanced on his palms, letting her surge and retreat on his cocks. He moaned into her mouth.
Sobehk chuckled. “Somebody’s hungry.”
Khan rocked forward and shuddered. He pulled his mouth away from hers and groaned, then winced. “Fuck ... you’re big.”
“Ah ...” Sobehk’s eyes closed, and his head tilted back, his mouth open. “No, you’re ... tight!” He licked his lips and sighed. “Oh, it is so nice to be in here.”
Khan groaned. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”
Sobehk grinned. “And you’re not?” His hand closed on Khan’s thighs. “Remember, I’m driving.”
Khan growled. “Then drive, damn it! I have a nice, tight cunt and ass here that need attention.”
Sobehk thrust.
Khan gasped and was driven forward into Fallon.
Fallon felt Khan’s pierced cock strike something deep and delicious within her. She writhed to get more of it, but couldn’t quite reach it. “More!”
Sobehk smiled. “More?”
Khan turned his head and bared his teeth. “You heard her. More!”
Sobehk’s claws dug into Khan’s thighs. He thrust harder.
Fallon felt the echoing strike and bucked hard in reply.
Khan groaned. “Quit teasing and fuck, damn you!”
Sobehk growled. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Khan choked out a laugh. “I like pain, remember?”
“You have injuries, remember?”
Khan sighed. “If it hurts that way, I’ll stop.”
“You better.”
“Open up your damned link, and you’ll know!”
Sensation bloomed within Fallon’s mind. She could feel the delicious wet strength of her body holding Khan’s, the tightness of Khan around Sobehk’s cock, and the aching bliss of Sobehk within Khan’s body. And she could feel her urgent, hungry need insinuating itself into their minds, stirring them with her violent appetite.
Sobehk growled and thrust, driving Khan forward into Fallon’s wet, snug heat.
Aching, violent pleasure spilled across all three.
Sobehk gasped. “Oh ... shit.” And then he proceeded to fuck, hard and fast. Driven by her feral urgency, thought fled before the ravenous hunger of the body.
Moans and soft cries were punctuated by the sound of damp sweating flesh striking flesh. The rich, musky perfume of sweat and lust washed over them and intoxicated them. Echoes of dark, pain-edged pleasure washed in tides through their minds, stirring their passions to a maddening and mindless miasma of screaming urgency.
Sobehk’s mouth opened on Khan’s shoulder, and he sank his teeth in. The ripping pain of the bite seared through all of them.
Khan’s shout threaded with Fallon’s cry.
Climax surged with horrific speed and crested, the pressure mounting with murderous intent.
Sobehk’s tongue swept across the burning wounds on Khan’s shoulder. He moved his mouth closer to Khan’s throat and sank his teeth in again.
Their breath stopped.
Release exploded, washing over them and drowning them in a hot wet tidal wave of violent and dark-edged pleasure.
They screamed.
Chapter Forty-Three
In the heart of Port Destiny station’s glittering night, the deep shadows of Khan’s garden were fragrant with night-blooming flowers. Thousands of tiny lights glittered among the branches of every tree and bush, echoing the millions of lights that winked all around like stars.
Under three spreading oaks, Sobehk, his robes a pristine and opalescent white, knelt in the grass at Khan’s feet, his head bowed.
Khan, arrayed in his formal court robes, set his hands on the kneeling man’s shoulders.
Fallon stood at Khan’s right shoulder in the long black and scarlet robes of her office asupuahtrehkyt , devoted bodyguard and body-slave to a prince. In her hands she held the meter-long, curved, deadly moon blade, thedhe’syah , the two-handed weapon of a prince’s truest companion.
Behind Sobehk,Ehnya’dhyt Prince Aden andEhnya’dhyt Dhuet stood as official witnesses to the small private ceremony.
A question was presented, Khan’s voice solemn and etched with pain as he spoke the archaic words.
Tears were shed as Sobehk uttered the declaration of recognition.
Khan pressed a small blade to his wrist. Scarlet spilled. He offered his wounded wrist to Sobehk.
Sobehk pressed his lips to the cut, then bit.
Khan gasped, his fingers clutching Sobehk’s shoulder.
Sobehk swallowed once and pulled his mouth away. He delivered the traditional vow of service in a voice that trembled then broke.
Khan bid Sobehk to rise in a voice tight with emotion.
Sobehk came up on his feet, his head rising well above Khan’s.
Fallon could barely see through her tears.
Khan turned and took the curved, two-handed weapon from her hands then held the weapon out to Sobehk across his palms. “Dhe’syah.” My weapon.
Sobehk took it into his own hands. “Deshryt.” My prince.
Fallon wiped her wet cheeks with her palm. My loves.
Appendix
The Language of the Skeldhi
Skeldhor Prime
- Skeldhi -- the people of Skeldhor, ship-speak bastardization of skeldyht / ... of Skeldhor
Kwusehyr -- a principal spaceport
Titles
Pshent -- Queen / implies “Mother”
Atehf-mehnat -- Queen’s Consort / implies “collared prince”
-mehnat -- royal (ornamental) collar
Hedjhyt -- crown princess
Atehf -- prince consort
Tahemryt -- blood princess; direct
relation to royal line / ... of the blood
Deshryt -- blood prince; direct relation to royal line / ... of the blood
Kehpresh -- war prince
‘Sey -- lady mistress (pronounced: say)
Sey’dhyt -- generic lady mistress / ... of an office
A’sey -- respectable ma’am (non-royal)
‘Syr -- lord master (pronounced: seer)
‘Syr’dhyt -- generic lord master / ... of an office
A’syr -- respectable sir (non-royal)
Dhe’syah -- moon blade (weapon); also sworn vassal or liege man / implies “the lord’s weapon”
Law & Government
Maht -- Law - Honor - Truth; the world order, justice, proper conduct
Ehnyad -- The Council of Nine Elders
- Ehnya’dhyt -- councilor / ... of the council
Mahfeht -- office of judicial enforcement and legal execution
- Mahfeht’syr -- lord master executioner
- Mahf’dhyt -- enforcer, also known as a hunter / ... of judicial authority; legal executioner
Mehdjay -- office of Intelligence and Security
- Mehdjay’syr -- Lord-officer of Intelligence and Security
- mehdja’dhyt -- Investigative Officer
uhra’eh -- military / implies “a group of fire-spitting serpents”
-Uhra’eh’syr -- warlord / implies “Lord of the fire-spitting serpents”
-uhra’dhyt -- a soldier / ... of the fire-spitting serpents
nehkyx -- a punisher or trainer / implies “whip”
-Nehkyx’syr -- master-trainer
Sehnbay -- office of medicine / implies health
- Sehnbay’syr -- master surgeon-engineer
- sehn’dhyt -- medic / ... of health
shen -- rehkyt obedience collar / implies “to encircle”
rehkyt -- pet / implies “captive bird”
seysehn -- concubine / implies “lotus flower”
seysaht -- skilled or trained rehkyt (f.) / implies “educated female”
deyjaht -- skilled or trained rehkyt (m.) / implies “educated male”
upuaht -- rehkyt guard / implies “canine guardian”
isfeht -- outlaw; runaway rehkyt / implies disorderly, chaotic, insane
teht(tj.t) -- rehkyt in ovulation cycle / implies “sacred blood”
-dhyt -- (pl.) the people of ...