Found

by Evangeline Anderson

  Of course, Xairn was under no illusion that she actually wanted him—she didn’t. She’d only done it because she preferred his touch to the AllFather’s—as any female in her right mind would. His father held horror and madness in his boney, scabrous hands.

  And what do I hold in my hands? Xairn asked himself as she disappeared briefly into the bathroom. For Lauren or any female? There was no gentleness in him. No tender caresses—of that he was sure.

  It had been all he could do to control himself when she was touching him so gently, healing his wound. Her face had been right on the level of his throbbing secondary shaft and her soft hands on his body had been maddening. His head had been filled with forbidden thoughts—images impossible to block out.

  He could almost see her delicate hands wandering just a little to the right and reaching into his unfastened pants. Her fingers would feel cool and soothing, caressing his secondary shaft. And then she would slip her hand around him and touch his primary shaft, his bonding shaft and he would…But Xairn didn’t want to think about what he wanted to do.

  I am filled with desires I don’t want, he thought in despair. Why could they not have remained dormant? What is it about Lauren that brings my body to life in this way?

  He didn’t have any answers.

  Just then Lauren came back. “Xairn,” she said in that soft, sweet voice he loved to listen to. “I just want to say again how sorry I am.”

  He frowned. “Why are you apologizing?”

  “You got hurt because of me.” She reached out, her fingertips lightly grazing his wounded side in a way that made Xairn quiver. “You were out fighting those horrible splicers to make it possible for me to get home and I didn’t even trust you enough to wait. I went outside the ship even though you told me not to, and gave you a whole new problem to deal with as soon as you got back. I’m so sorry for that.”

  The pleading look in her lovely amber eyes seemed to do something to his heart. It was strange but Xairn felt almost as though he was melting inside somehow. And yet, it was not an unpleasant sensation. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, trying to make his rough voice gentle. “I’m just glad things worked out as they did. I…I would rather die that see you sold as a splice whore.” Just the thought of her being passed around from male to male, taken against her will…It gave Xairn a cold, sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, as though he’d swallowed a fist-sized lump of ice. I would kill them. Kill any that touched her! She’s mine…mine!

  “Hey…” She laid a hand on his arm, shaking him out of the strange, possessive thoughts. Her gentle touch was like fire against his skin but Xairn didn’t ask her to stop.

  “It was good that I came when I did and that you used the cubes with the grieza worms to trade with.” he said in a low, choked voice. “You were supremely lucky.”

  “Or maybe my guardian angel was looking out for me.” She smiled at him and though Xairn had no idea what a ‘guardian angel’ was, he found himself smiling back—a little, anyway.

  “Come,” he murmured. “We really need to go.”

  “Okay.” Her fingers slid down his arm and then she nestled her small, soft hand in his large, rough one. She looked up at him. “Is this all right?”

  Xairn frowned. “I don’t know. What are you doing?”

  “Holding your hand, silly.” Smiling, she interlaced their fingers and gave his palm a little squeeze. “If you don’t mind, I mean.”

  It was a bad idea and Xairn knew it. Even such a light, innocent touch sent his senses into overload. But somehow he couldn’t ask her to stop. “No,” he said at last, his voice sounding hoarse. “I…I suppose it’s all right.”

  “Good.” Lauren squeezed his hand again. “Because I feel safer this way.”

  “You do?” He couldn’t imagine why physical contact with him would alter her feeling of safety or danger but perhaps it was an Earth thing. Or maybe just a female thing—it was hard to say since Xairn had never really known many females in his life.

  Lauren nodded. “I do. Now let’s go get our DNA altered.”

  Chapter Ten

  “She doesn’t seem to be in any danger. Not now at least.” Kat opened her eyes as she spoke and took a deep breath, trying to recover from the intense joining. She was still intimately connected with both her men and though the sensation of being penetrated both in front and in back was still pleasurable, it was no longer so intense as to be overwhelming.

  “It sounds like she was though—and Xairn rescued her just in time.” Lock sounded thoughtful.

  “I’d give a great deal to know the exact details of what happened.” Deep frowned. “But I suppose the important thing is that he’s looking out for her—protecting her as a proper male should his female.”

  “You really think he loves her?” Kat asked, shifting a little. The resulting sensations made all three of them moan. “Sorry…” she managed.

  “That’s all right.” Deep stroked her cheek. “And of course he loves her.”

  “Did you not see the way he trembled when she treated his wound?” Lock asked softly. “He loves her, my lady. But he doesn’t know how to express that love.”

  Deep snorted. “Show me a Scourge who knows how to love and I’ll pay good credit for the sight. They aren’t able to show love because it’s not in their genetics. They’re hardwired for pain and domination—not tender caresses.”

  “Maybe Xairn is different,” Kat said, really hoping it was true. “Maybe he’ll be able to show her how he feels in an appropriate manner.”

  “Being realistic, my lady, that probably won’t happen,” Lock said.

  “Lock is right, unfortunately,” Deep agreed. “He’s more likely to want to tie her to the bed and ravage her than prepare her favorite meals and bring her flowering vegetation.”

  Kat frowned. “I hope you’re wrong about that. Because I can tell that Lauren cares about him too. I don’t know if she knows it yet, but it’s easy to see. The way she looks at him—the way she touches him.”

  Deep shook his head. “She’d better be careful there. It’s the touching that’s likely to drive him over the edge.”

  Kat was troubled. “So you’re saying…”

  “The more she touches him, the more he wants her and the harder he has to fight against his natural impulses,” Deep finished for her.

  “Don’t despair, my lady.” Lock kissed the side of her neck gently in a way that sent a shiver down Kat’s spine. “He cares for her—that much we can see. I would venture to say that Xairn will do his utmost to hold back his Scourge nature in order to keep from hurting Lauren. Wouldn’t you, Brother?”

  “I would.” Deep kissed her cheek. “In the mean time, we know she’s safe. So why don’t we turn our attentions to more pressing matters?” He pulled halfway out of Kat’s pussy and pumped slowly back in, as though to illustrate his point.

  Kat groaned. “God, you’re insatiable.”

  He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Do you want me to stop?”

  She shook her head. “No…no, I think I could be up for round two. And I can tell both of you are.”

  “Indeed we are, my lady,” Lock murmured in her ear. “And this time there is no fear to get in the way. We can all fully enjoy the experience.” He followed his brother’s lead, pulling halfway out and thrusting slowly back into Kat’s rosebud.

  She moaned and threw her head back, letting it rest on Lock’s shoulder. “You’re right—I’m not a bit afraid. Except maybe that you two will wear me completely out.”

  “I doubt that,” Deep growled. “But it will certainly be fun trying.”

  Kat moaned again and gave herself up to pleasure. It was going to be a long, long night and she didn’t mind one bit.

  Chapter Eleven

  They walked down a long stone corridor with massive stalls on either side—some empty and others occupied by alien ships. Not many of them looked as normal as their little silver Kindred ship, but Lauren didn’t get a chance to admire or inspect them.
Xairn set a fast pace, pulling her relentlessly onward. The rough purple-brown stone pavement hurt her bare feet and made her wish she had taken a chance and worn the blue and crimson slippers she’d gotten from Blix after all.

  Xairn said nothing until they reached what looked like a blank stone wall. “Here,” he murmured. Then, pressing his palm to the wall’s surface, he muttered a string of harsh, alien syllables.

  Lauren watched, her eyes wide, as a crack appeared in the stone wall. It widened until there was enough room for both of them to walk through into the dimly lighted area beyond.

  “Come,” Xairn said tersely, pulling her through. “Stay close to me at all times. Even though we’re within a reputable house, this is still splicer territory.”

  “No problem.” With a shiver, Lauren pressed closer to him, wrapping her other arm around his and pressing her cheek to his shoulder. “Is…is this Slk person a thought thief too, like Blix was?” she asked in a low voice.

  Xairn shook his head. “No, but he is a very skilled negotiator. Just let me make the deal and we should be fine.”

  Lauren thought he sounded worried but she didn’t like to ask why—he obviously had enough on his mind already. They walked quickly through another, shorter and smaller corridor and came out into a well lighted living area that looked like a mansion.

  The floors were of the same purple-brown stone of the parking area but they were smooth and level. Large carpets of bright orange, red, and blue grass were placed at intervals like stepping stones down the hallway they now found themselves in. There were strange works of art on the walls—some of which appeared to be alive—but again Lauren didn’t get a chance to examine them. She only got a few brief impressions.

  One which caught her eye looked like an ant farm but all the insects had human-looking heads and were wearing clothes. Another frame appeared to contain fireflies with colored neon lights. They formed a picture of Lauren’s face as Xairn rushed her past. Her eyes, depicted in the fireflies’ brilliant yellow glow, followed them down the hallway.

  “Wait a minute,” she protested. “Did you see that? It was amazing! Can’t we go back and look?”

  Xairn shook his head. “There is no time. We’ve already kept Slk waiting long enough. Every parsec his price rises.”

  “Sorry.” Lauren made more of an effort not to drag her feet, even though she was dying to examine the other strange things on the walls.

  Soon enough the hallway opened up into a huge area that looked like a cross between a laboratory and a throne room. There were rich looking tapestries on the walls but there were also tables filled with strange equipment and cages housing even stranger looking animals. Some looked vaguely familiar to Lauren—A monkey crossed with a fish? What the hell? A miniature giraffe with a shell like a turtle? How does it get its neck all the way in?

  “It doesn’t.”

  The voice which answered her question startled Lauren so much she nearly jumped out of her skin. Looking around, she saw that what she had taken for another one of the strange, hybrid animals was actually the one who had spoken.

  “I…I’m sorry?” she said, looking at the strange creature. It had a vaguely humanoid face but its eyes were vertical ovals instead of horizontal and it had three of them—two where human eyes normally were and one on its broad forehead. Its nose was a mere indentation and its mouth was a mass of purple tentacles. If that is a mouth, Lauren thought doubtfully.

  “It is, in fact, my oral cavity. I use it to speak and also to consume comestibles,” the creature said, speaking again in that same, deep, resonant tone. Lauren imagined it was what an elephant would sound like if it could speak English.

  “How can you read my thoughts?” she demanded, looking at it. She turned to Xairn. “I thought you said he wasn’t a thought thief.”

  “I am not.” The creature—which she supposed must be Slk—rose from the throne-like chair it had been sitting in and slithered over to them. It had a human-seeming torso but from it sprouted four arms with two hands each. Its legs were simply a mass of purple-grey tentacles. “I do not use the thoughts of others against them,” it said as it came to a stop a good deal closer than Lauren really liked. “But I cannot help hearing them and responding in kind. Especially when I sense curiosity about myself.”

  Xairn gave a short, formal bow. “This is Lauren, the Earth female I told you about, Slk. Her DNA must be altered in order for her to return to her home planet in safety.”

  “And you want your own altered as well, I believe?”

  Xairn nodded. “Yes.”

  “What you ask is not an inexpensive procedure.” All three of Slk’s vertical eyes blinked slowly in unison.

  “I am aware of that,” Xairn said grimly. “Though I still don’t fully understand why. All we’re asking is a simple alteration.”

  “The procedure itself will be exceedingly simple,” Slk acknowledged. “But finding a match for your female’s DNA will be well nigh impossible. She is an exotic of the first order. Of course, if you do not mind altering her appearance and physical capabilities, I can use less compatible genes.”

  “What do you mean ‘less compatible’?” Lauren put a hand to her throat.

  Slk made a strangely fluid motion which appeared to be his version of a shrug. “It depends on which strains I choose to mix into your double helix. If I use neenya genes you might grow gills and webbed appendages. Of course, the advantage to that would be that you could live in an underwater environment. Or I could use brrn DNA. But that would cause you to grow a thick coat of soft, purple fur. Advantageous if you live in an extremely frigid climate. Otherwise, it might be considered something of a nuisance.”

  “Yeah, that might put a little bit of a damper on my social life,” Lauren said flatly. “Not to mention the money I’d have to spend on laser hair removal since I live in a subtropical climate.”

  “Ahh, hmmm,” Slik hummed thoughtfully. “In that case, brrn genes would not be the optimal choice. If you like I could use pardock strains instead. That would cause all your body and head fur to fall out and your sweat glands to enlarge rendering you smooth and most efficient in elevated temperatures.”

  Lauren shivered. “No thanks!” She looked at Xairn. “I hate to be negative but I’m beginning to think I’d rather take my chances and go back to Earth as-is.”

  “That is not an option,” he said grimly. “We wouldn’t even make it past the outer edge of your solar system. We must be altered, Lauren.”

  “But I don’t want to grow fur or gills or lose all my hair and become one big sweat gland!” Lauren protested. “I’ll be a freak, Xairn. I might as well just give up on going home for good if those are my only options.”

  “There is one solution we have not yet explored,” Slk said smoothly.

  “Which is?” Xairn snapped. “Tell us and be quick about it. You never told me when I came to you in the first place that this alteration would be so difficult.”

  “As to that, I apologize but I wished to see your exotic for myself.” Slk nodded his head in apology and all three eyes blinked again. “But of all my various specimens, none is as close a match to your little Earth female as you are yourself, Xairn. You are so close, in fact, that you could almost breed and produce viable offspring. Almost.”

  “Never!” Xairn glared at Slk fiercely. “I’ll never allow Lauren to be polluted with my DNA.”

  “Polluted? What are you talking about?” Lauren frowned at him.

  It was Slk who answered. “Scourge genes have traditionally been labeled as inferior stock. They have, ahh, unpardonable genetic traits which cannot be bred out of them. And in addition, I am afraid they are not considered to be very physically appealing.”

  “That’s not true,” Lauren said, frowning. “I find Xairn extremely physically appealing.”

  “You do?” Xairn gave her a startled look.

  “In fact, she does.” Slk nodded. “I can read it in her thoughts. She finds you a most compelling specimen. Hmm, mos
t compelling indeed.”

  Lauren felt her cheeks getting hot but she didn’t want embarrassment to stand in the way of what sounded like a perfect solution. She squeezed Xairn’s fingers and looked at him pleadingly. “Come on, Xairn—I’d rather have some of your DNA than any of the other, uh, things he mentioned.”

  “And I could use her DNA to alter you as well. Ahh, hmmm. A most elegant and economical solution,” Slk said. “That way you have only to pay for the alteration itself and not the genetic material.”

  Xairn looked undecided for a moment, then he sighed heavily. “Very well. But I don’t want Lauren’s physical appearance altered if you can help it. She is perfect just as she is.”

  It was Lauren’s turn to give him a startled look. Did Xairn really think that? He was so stand-offish sometimes it was hard to tell how he felt about her.

  “It is difficult to know how Xairn feels about you because he himself is unsure,” Slk said, obviously answering her thought. “He desires you greatly but he fears to hurt you. His Scourge nature wars with his better intentions.”

  “Scourge nature?” Lauren looked up at the big warrior who was glaring at Slk.

  “We are here for an alteration of our DNA, Slk—not an in-depth analysis of our emotions. Kindly keep your remarks relevant to the matter at hand. As I was saying, I do not wish Lauren’s appearance to be changed.”

  “Very well.” Slk nodded. “I will endeavor to make the change as minimal as possible. But what of you, Xairn? Do you mind if your appearance is altered? I cannot promise it will not be as I have never worked with this breed of exotic before.”

  “Change me if you like,” Xairn said stonily. “I have forsworn my heritage and my race. I no longer care if I appear Scourge or not.”

  “As you wish. Well then.” Slk rubbed all eight of his hands together. “Let us get to work. First we’ll need to collect some samples.”