by Viola Grace
“Was it a dream?”
“No, it was just something I was really good at, but the training barracks were unpleasant, and the class I was in was a pain in the ass. So, I came back and found an entry-level office job, took some night classes, and volunteered at the hospital. I had a few hobbies that I indulged when I could. That is how I met Zera.”
The range reset, and she shot the next three targets while still looking at him.
“How did you meet her?”
“She was on a date, wearing a mask, and out doing some desert running. I had rented a runner and was enjoying a bit of adrenaline; she and her date had gotten stuck. He was an assessor, and they were waiting for help. I towed them out, and Zera gave me the Blind Date Corporation card.”
“Did the assessor say anything to you?”
“No, but I could see him trying to do the math on my cleavage and kept coming up with confusion as I changed shape during the tow.”
He wrapped his arms around her and smiled. “What happened then?”
“I returned the runner, got the public transport home, and stared at the card for ten days, asking the babies what I should do. Then, I had one baby, twitching, shivering, full of all kinds of fear and substances, but he had the clearest eyes. He was an early activation due to his mother’s drug use. His eyes were like quicksilver. When I held him, he calmed, and I gave him everything I could. He stopped twitching, got stronger, and was sent into a foster care situation that could deal with his development. I continued sending supplemental feedings for him until they said he was healthy again. Anyway, he was the one who reminded me that the power of touch was more important than the feeding itself and that it was what had been denied to actives. It was that little dude that got me here.”
He stroked her back. “What was his name?”
“Finnish. No last name. Since he was active, they wouldn’t give him one.” She sighed and held him. “He was so sweet.”
“Would you have fostered him if you could?”
She laughed. “I would have taken him home in a heartbeat, but I had already gotten down to three hours’ sleep per day, was barely making rent, and I only had room for myself in my apartment. It wasn’t a good choice to be a mom. Shit. I still have to find a new place.”
“Well, you have the funds to do that now.”
“I do, but my time seems to be occupied in weird and unusual activities of late.”
“Am I weird or unusual?”
She extricated her hand from their cuddle and shot the five targets that rose up. “Both, but you are super hot.”
“And you are a very deadly kitten. I would love to see you on a live course.”
She chuckled. “Rent the time on one, and I will run it. I used to love doing that.”
He smirked. “You are a little adrenaline junkie.”
Khytten shrugged. “It has been posited before.”
He grinned. “You know I am going to pull all your files. I need to know what kind of a maniac I am dealing with.”
She burrowed into him and inhaled his scent. “In your research, can you help me find a new place?”
“I will give it my attention once we have gone to the tribunal tomorrow morning.”
“What?” She looked up in surprise.
“Torun has asked that we arrive at the tribunal and offer our support to Zera. She is being questioned, and they are looking to confine her for study.”
She shuddered. “That is a term that makes me ill.”
“I won’t let them take you.”
“That isn’t a promise you can make.”
He kissed her. “Yes, it is. By the way, I love that shirt on you.”
She laughed. “I think it is adorable and very true.”
“Do you heart me?”
“Yeah, I do.” She exhaled. “I just feel right with you, if that makes any sense.”
“It makes perfect sense.” He held her tight. “Delightful, perfect sense.”
She chuckled. “Now, what the hell am I going to wear to the tribunal. I think showing up in just this tee would cause a bit of a sensation.”
“Yeah, but it would swell my ego to towering proportions.”
“Oh, is that what happened to your cock? One lady told you you were good in bed and poof.”
He bent slightly, gripped her ass, and stood straight. “Tell me that to my face.”
She did while pausing to shoot a few more targets. His hand smacked down on her butt. She tried to hide the hot delight in her eyes but was pretty sure she wasn’t successful when he grinned. “Did you find a genie and make a wish for big boobs when you were a girl?”
Khytten sighed and touched his face. “Salat, I am sorry I made fun of you. I promise it won’t happen again. Just don’t spank me.”
He narrowed his eyes and held her with just his grip under her butt. One of his hands retreated, and she tensed, yelping as the hand came down again. She misfired behind them, and she looked at him with wide eyes and her chest rising and falling quickly. “Oops. That will just buff out.”
His fingers shifted, and he felt the slick wetness she had generated from the two light smacks. “Oh, dear. You are a bit of a pervert, kitten.”
She groaned and put her head against his collarbone. “I wonder if I can catch fire?”
“Don’t worry, kitten. Your secret is safe with me, and if anyone ever finds out, I will kill them.” His voice was a low and husky whisper. “But if you tell anyone, it’s another spanking.”
“Don’t tease.”
“Oh, kitten, I would never tease about something like that.” He flexed his hands on her backside. “You are an astonishing bundle of fascinating interests.”
She blushed but kept her head down.
“Khytten, look at me.” When he used her name, it was serious.
She looked up at him shyly.
“Nothing that gives you pleasure is wrong, as long as it doesn’t hurt someone else. Then, it will be up for discussion.” He smiled. “Like killing people. It can be fun to use your senses or activation to save others, but we are not supposed to like killing. I do, but it isn’t culturally acceptable. I don’t get sexual excitement from it. There is a difference between adrenaline and pleasure. What do you feel when I make contact?”
She tried not to meet his gaze, but he simply stared at her. “Pleasure.”
“What do you feel when you pull the trigger and someone dies?”
She shrugged. “Not much. Like checking off a grocery list. Heck, I get more excited by groceries. If they have to die, they die. I mean, if I have a gun. I am not really that acrobatic on my own, and I don’t have inborn projections like you do.”
His grin widened. “You are a perfect and adorable killer, aren’t you?”
She didn’t know why that made her feel warm and fuzzy. “I don’t know how to answer that.”
“You don’t have to. I have said it, so it must be true.” He flexed his hands on her butt.
She snorted. “I don’t think that is how it works, Salat.”
He kissed her, but his com rang. He set her down, and she stepped away for privacy.
He looked at her and growled, “I have to leave for a few hours. Do you want to stay here or go to Torenne’s?”
She looked down at the t-shirt. “Um, do I have a change of clothing?”
“Yes, but I would rather that you modelled them for me only.”
She grimaced. “In that case, I will stay here and not go traipsing across the countryside.”
“Good. Torenne will be here in half an hour.” He grinned.
“I thought I was fine without a babysitter.”
“You are. This is a house sitter; you are just inside the house. There are a few inquiries about your status, and I don’t want you left alone until you have been registered for travel. Right now, someone could snag you and smuggle you off to a non-friendly nation, and finding you would be a pain in the ass.”<
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She smirked. “I thought that is what the implant was for.”
“It is, but going after you might cause an international incident. I do have a fairly obvious signature when I hunt.”
“Ah. That. Fine. I will stay here with Torenne.”
“Don’t worry. She won’t make a move on you. She needs to get authorization from me to make a pass at you.”
“What is acceptable if I get bored and want to play with her?”
He blinked, and they walked back into the main portion of the house, up the stairs, and back into his ready room. She hopped up on a desk and watched him strip out of his casual clothing and into his work clothes.
She didn’t ask him what he was going to do; it didn’t matter. He would do what he had to and come home, or she would go out and get him.
“Estimated time of return?”
“Eight to twelve hours. I will be back before breakfast.” He sealed his shirt and pulled a hood up that made his facial features nearly invisible.
He pulled her up against the body armour, and she squeaked. “Be good, kitten. And if you want to play, play. It is your consent that is ruling here.”
“Mmm. Okay. You are hard in weird places.” She rapped at his body armour.
“Oh, kitten, you have no idea. Wait, scratch that, you might have a pretty good idea.” He smiled and then kissed her. It was a slow kiss that buckled her knees and made her feel all damsel-in-distress. She felt like going limp in the arms of her hero.
He lifted his head. “So, you have a thing for body armour as well?”
“On you, anything is good. Now, off you go.”
“If you are wondering, listen for a click hourly. That will be me.”
“If I do decide to play with Torenne, we will try and keep it quiet in case you are listening in. I don’t know if listening to porn is conducive to doing what you need to do.”
He sighed and blinked. “I will manage. Do what you want to do. I will have to get used to it eventually.”
She stared as something swept through her. “Wait, can you hear me inside your head as well as outside?”
He grinned. “Think about that while I am gone. My ride is here.”
He patted her backside and let her go.
She followed him to the empty back yard, and she felt the pressure before the ladder descended from a reflective vessel hovering over the green grass.
He got onto the ladder and started to climb. His voice rippled through her internal commlink. “Have fun, kitten. See you in a few hours.”
She sighed and watched him go. She headed back into the house and looked at the stack of clothing that had been delivered by drone. The flat boxes were tempting, but he wanted to see her in them the first time, and the last time she had rushed things, she had ended up blown up. She could take an omen when it threw her out onto the lawn.
When Torenne arrived, Khytten greeted her at the door. “Come on in.”
Torenne took one look at the shirt and burst out laughing. “I bet he loves that shirt.”
“He does. I think he got me a few copies of it. It started as a joke, and then, it wasn’t.” She smiled. “Do you want some coffee?”
“No, I brought some of my tea. Have you eaten?”
“No. I don’t think he trusts me in his kitchen, that, or he likes cooking.”
“I have not seen that particular side of him. He’s always been the kind to just get on with his day. What did you have yesterday?”
“Stir fry with beef and rice.”
Torenne laughed. “He might like you best of all. I have known him since we were kids, and he has never doted on anyone the way he does you.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Oh, god no! It is like he is human again. He hasn’t been this way for decades.”
“Uh, how old is he anyway?”
“I think you should ask him that.”
She grimaced. “I did. He told me to cut him open and count the rings.”
Torenne laughed and walked into the kitchen, grabbing an apron and starting to move around. She obviously knew what she was doing. “What did you say to that?”
“Uh...”
“Let me guess, you told him you would start with his cock, and he got mad.”
“Uh, no. He considered it foreplay, and off we went.”
Torenne snickered. “I am sorry, but having you around is fun. He is more like the kid I used to play with again.”
“Did he share his toys as a kid?”
“Yeah, but only with those he trusted to take care of them... why?”
Khytten blushed. “Never mind.”
Torenne paused. “I... we... you are willing to...”
“Have dinner. That is it. For now. Have you been practicing?”
The healer looked blank and then blushed. “Yeah. I have been practicing.”
“Good. How is it going?”
“Um, pretty good, but that is just with me and my hands. Being inside you was... different.”
“Yeah, it is the same when you have a flesh-and-blood cock inside you. You think it is going to be the same as a toy, and then it isn’t, and you want more, but that makes you look slutty.”
Torenne blinked. “Yeah, I get that, so what do you think is the solution?”
“Immerse yourself in what feels good. It won’t last forever, but if you can make a great memory, you owe it to yourself to try. If your life has all the aspects that you need and all you are missing is personal relationships... find them.”
Torenne blushed. “I have applied to become a client at Blind Date. They are fully briefed on what to expect physically?”
“Yes. We get a file before we accept a date. They won’t even match us with anyone who isn’t compatible with us. I got two guys who liked large breasts and then Salat.”
“You called?” His voice purred in her head.
She looked at Torenne. “Is there some kind of a cotton swab or something that I can use to get the demon out of my ear?”
Torenne laughed. “No, it is a deep implant. You are stuck with him.”
“Well, at least, unlike other big cats, he answers to his name.”
There was a snicker in her head. “Only when you call me, kitten.”
“I never call you kitten.”
He laughed.
Torenne smiled. “He’s talking to you?”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, Salat, she gets this soft, dreamy look when she talks to you. Do you want me to run a vid?”
He chuckled. “Tell her to make a montage reel and send it to me tomorrow.”
“Uh. He says absolutely not.”
“Kitten. Tell her the truth.”
Khytten winced. “He says to give him a montage reel and send it to him tomorrow.”
Torenne laughed. “Good. Now, where do you sit while Salat cooks?”
Khytten hopped up onto the counter where Salat set her. “About here.”
The smooth voice purred, “Knees apart, kitten.”
She made a face.
Torenne laughed. “He just told you to do something you aren’t a fan of.”
“Kitten, so far, you have earned two smacks, and I will deliver them as soon as I get home.”
“Don’t you have people to slice up?” She muttered.
“This is a rescue mission, kitten, now, knees apart.”
The healer was getting stuff out of the fridge and paused. “Oh. Right. Thanks for the view, Salat.”
“Tell her she’s welcome.”
Khytten screwed her face up. “You are welcome.”
“Oh, that’s a face. He’s going to love that.”
Khytten scowled. “How can... wait, you have an ocular implant?”
“Yup. Salat and I are bound through visuals, but he is the one who turns them on and off. I can see when he is using the link, though.” Torenne grinned. “Like now.”
Khytten very calm
ly flipped Salat off via Torenne.
“Now, now, kitten. That isn’t nice. That makes four smacks.”
“Four?”
“You flipped off Torenne and me. That is two.”
Khytten winced. “That isn’t fair.”
“I know, honey, but you are still on the clock for another sixty-four hours.”
Her deep groan made him laugh.
Torenne started chopping vegetables with a clear view up the tee. “Why the groan?”
“He and I are technically on a three-day date, or I would be down in the shooting range or out in the yard doing naked yoga.”
There was a groan in her ear. She smiled. Two could play at that game.
“With that smirk, we are up to five, kitten.”
“Aw fuck!”
“Six.”
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter Five
Khytten smelled blood. She yawned and stretched under the sheet. “Are you going to take a shower or just crawl in here and wreck the bed?”
She felt a hand cup her cheek and thread its way under her head. She was lifted by that grip, and his kiss was ravenous. When he lifted his head, he growled. She wished she could see him, but he was still unseeable, and she just had to guess. “So, that is one vote for wreck the bed.”
He pulled her up, and she was plastered against the body armour. She had the giddy feeling, but then, he turned and sat down, pulling her across his lap. The first smack made her yelp, the second made her whimper, and the third had her arching on his lap. By the sixth smack, she was panting, and honey was running down onto his body armour.
He stroked her and whistled softly. “Well, well, kitten. I will be with you in a moment. Better yet, come with me to the ready room.”
He set her on her feet and took her hand, leading her to where he stored the armour when he wasn’t killing people. The house was completely dark, but he moved around easily.
She pattered behind him, naked with bare feet. Her butt stung, but that added to her excitement.
Inside the room, he became visible and stripped off methodically, removing the outer layer and hanging it in a cleaning unit before he opened the suit that was next to his skin. He peeled out of it and exhaled as he turned to her, a growl in his tone. He reached for her, and she jumped to him, climbing him and pulling herself up via his shoulders.