Penny bit her lip.
“Maybe…maybe we don’t have to hold completely still,” she offered, wiggling a little more. “I mean, it feels so good to have you inside me, V’rex. And then when you…when you suck my nipples it feels even better. Would it be so bad for you to thrust in me just a little bit?”
“You know damn well we shouldn’t,” he growled, frowning again. “We’re tempting fate here, little girl. I’ve got my cock all the way inside you—even my mating fist. The more we move, the more pre-cum I’ll make in your pussy and I’m right up against the mouth of your womb.” He made a shallow thrust to prove his point and Penny threw back her head and moaned at the delicious feeling of such deep penetration.
“Please, V’rex! It feels so good—so right. Can’t you just thrust inside me a little bit while you suck the nectar out of my other breast? Please?”
“Gods…” He shook his head, his golden eyes glowing with lust. “You shouldn’t ask me that, baby—you know it’s a risk. And you know I can’t deny you anything.”
“I know, but I’m asking anyway,” Penny told him as she wiggled on top of him appealingly. “Please, V’rex—just a little.”
“Can’t say no to you, little girl.” He gripped her hips harder. “Get ready, gonna thrust inside you—gonna fuck you now.”
Penny moaned at his dirty words and ground against him as he raised her partially up and then thrust up inside her at the same time he was bringing her back down.
It was a shallow thrust but forceful and it sent pleasure sparks showering through her entire body.
“Oh, yes!” Penny moaned, unable to help herself. “Oh yes, V’rex! Do it again—again!”
“Just a little,” he growled but after the second thrust he gave her another and then another. Soon the two of them had set up a rhythm together, working against each other eagerly, hungrily, as though they couldn’t help themselves.
As he thrust inside her, V’rex sucked the nectar from her left breast and Penny moaned as she rode his thickness which slipped easily in and out of her.
Fucking me now, she thought deliriously as she felt her orgasm beginning to build. He’s fucking me now—so deep! Oh God, feels so good, so right!
“V’rex!” she panted as she rode him. “V’rex, I’m going to come soon!”
He let her nipple slip from between his lips.
“Good, baby—wanna feel you coming—coming all over my cock.”
“But I want to feel you coming, too!” Penny protested. “I want to feel you coming and…” She took a deep breath. “And I want you to sting me when you do.”
V’rex frowned and slowed his pace, his eyes searching hers.
“I can’t do that, baby—it hurts you too much!”
“You won’t hurt me this time.” Penny spoke with perfect confidence. Though it had been hazy for a while, the words of the invisible chorus caused by the Silka spice had come back to her. She knew this was the right thing to do and she knew that letting the big Hybrid sting her would result only in pleasure and bonding for both of them.
“How do you know that? How can you be sure?” V’rex demanded.
“The Silka,” Penny told him. “Remember when I took it I said that I wished I knew how the two of us could be together forever? Well, it told me that when the nectar came back to my breasts, I would be cured of the poison from the jungle and that you could sting me again.”
“I don’t know…” V’rex looked torn. “I want to bond you to me more than anything in this whole fucking universe, but I don’t want to cause you pain.” His pale gold eyes grew deadly serious. “I’d rather die than hurt you like that again.”
“Oh, V’rex…” Penny cupped his face in her hands and leaned in for a long, sweet kiss. “I love that you feel that way,” she murmured, breaking the kiss at last. “But I want you to do this—it’s the only way we can be together. Together forever—is that what you want?”
“Hell yes,” he growled hoarsely. “I never want to let you go, sweetheart.”
“Then sting me.” Penny brushed her long, chestnut hair to one side and offered him the side of her neck. “Sting me and make love to me and come in me all at the same time, V’rex. Make me yours—bond me to you!”
He had almost stopped his thrusting as they spoke but now her words seemed to do something to the big Hybrid. Gripping Penny’s hips in his big hands once more, he began thrusting again, rolling upward to fill her pussy like the tide with a deep, inevitable force.
As he did, Penny felt her own pleasure cresting and then something hot and wet was spurting deep in her pussy. At the same time, V’rex’s mouth fastened on the side of her neck and she felt his tongue sharpen into a needle point and thrust into her flesh.
For a split second she felt a spark of pain and terror followed after it. What if she had been wrong? What if the chorus had been lying to her? What if—
And then the most intense pleasure she’d ever felt rolled through her and she was coming…coming so hard all around his thick, invading cock…giving herself completely as V’rex bonded the two of them together for life.
Chapter 108
“Well, I believe the Hulu-rah is over. Regrettably, Merchant V’rex and his Lady Penelope are the losers.”
The Fox’en servant’s words cut through the ecstasy Penny had been feeling and the realization washed over her like a bucket of cold water.
Lost—we lost! Oh my God, that wasn’t supposed to happen!
What she and Lady Bright Coat had planned was for Penny to hold perfectly still while Lady Bright Coat had promised she would “tease and tempt” her husband until he couldn’t help himself and came inside her.
“Oh, was that your plan?” a deep, growling voice said inside her head.
Penny looked at her new mate in surprise.
“V’rex, was that you?”
She’d heard that Kindred had a telepathic link to their mates but she hadn’t really considered the implications of it when she’d asked the big Hybrid to bond her to him. Now it came home to her all over again that they were joined—joined for ever.
At the thought, joy consumed her. But then she had another, more sobering realization.
But in order to join with V’rex, I had to lose the Eye of Ten’gu.
“Maybe not, sweetheart,” V’rex sent, having apparently heard her thoughts. “Look over there.”
Penny looked to where he was indicating and saw that Lady Bright coat had separated from her husband and was howling mournfully, which seemed to be the Fox’en way of crying.
“My darling? My mate? What is wrong?” Chieftain Swift Tail was looking anxiously at his wife. “Why are you upset? We have won the Hulu-rah and the Silka spice is ours!”
“I don’t care about any of that!” Lady Bright Coat sobbed and then howled mournfully again. “I didn’t want to win the Hulu-rah!”
“Didn’t want to win?” Her mate looked at her in bewilderment. “But my darling mate, why not?”
“Because!” Lady Bright Coat cried. “I wanted to be rid of this wretched necklace!” She pointed at the Eye, which still lay against her furry chest.
“But I gave you that in front of the whole tribe,” Chieftain Swift Tail protested.
“Yes, and I have had dark days and restless nights ever since,” Lady Bright Coat said. “And when I asked the Silka why I could not conceive a litter, it told me that this awful Eye was to blame. And then Lady Penelope told me that it is an evil artifact made by a twisted deity from another universe!”
The words were pouring out of her. To Penny it seemed as though all her pent-up worries and sorrows were coming out all at once.
“She told you what?” Chieftain Swift Tail was looking at his mate in amazement.
“You heard me!” Lady Bright Coat cried and howled again. “Penelope and V’rex are not merchants—they are agents of the Kindred—sent to find this horrible Eye so that it could be destroyed before the evil entity who lives inside it can awaken and kill us all
!”
This was going a little further than anything Penny had said, but clearly the female Fox’en was upset.
Penny cast an apprehensive glance at Chieftain Swift Tail. She was worried that he would be angry with them, now that their cover was blown.
“Yeah, we’d better get ready to run if we have to,” V’rex growled in her mind. Clearly he had the same worry. Carefully, the two of them separated and Penny began getting back into her black fur suit while V’rex pulled on his white one.
But to Penny’s surprise, the Fox’en Chieftain didn’t growl or shout at her and V’rex. Instead, he cupped his mate’s face in his hands and looked at her earnestly.
“My darling,” he said softly. “If you wish to be rid of the necklace, you may barter it away.”
“Really?” Lady Bright Coat’s eyes were bright with tears. “But will it not cause you to lose face?”
“Not if you barter for something truly magnificent,” Chieftain Swift Tail pointed out.
Penny had a sudden idea.
“I know,” she said to Lady Bright Coat. “Why don’t we trade necklaces?”
She still had on the gorgeous gold and rainbow shell necklace V’rex had given her to wear, which he’d told her was so expensive it could buy two of his ships.
“This rare necklace—” she began, hoping to sell the royal Fox’ens on the idea. But she needn’t have bothered.
“Done!” Lady Bright Coat was already taking off the Eye of Ten’gu and handing it over to Penny eagerly.
“Your Commander Sylvan is going to owe me a lot of credit,” V’rex informed her, but when Penny looked up at him, he was smiling. “Not that I mind,” he added. “Even if he doesn’t pay me back, I got the best deal out of everyone.”
“You did?” Penny asked, trying out their new link for the first time.
“Sure, sweetheart—I got you. That’s worth more than anything else in the universe to me.”
“Oh, Vrex…” Penny said aloud, smiling up at the big Hybrid.
She felt like she had made a pretty good deal, too, getting V’rex for her mate. And she had the rest of her life to enjoy it.
Chapter 109
After the Hulu-rah and the successful barter session with the royal Fox’ens, Chieftain Swift Tail officially elevated Penny and V’rex’s status to “Esteemed Emissaries.” They were given their own little cave-house to live in, right down the road from the royal residence, and the Chief asked them to stay awhile to make their visit official.
Since they knew the Kindred ships that were coming wouldn’t reach them for at least a week, if not a little more, they accepted.
Penny enjoyed herself thoroughly, studying both the culture of the Fox’ens and also the artifacts of the ancient Kindred. When it became known that she was interested in such things, all the Fox’ens in the tribe began bringing her whatever they found. They were eager to curry favor with the “flat-faces” who had gained the royal ear by losing a Hulu-rah with the Chieftain and bartering so graciously with his mate.
“You’re gonna have enough of this stuff to open your own ancient Kindred museum pretty soon,” V’rex complained good-naturedly as Penny sorted through a new cache of artifacts one of the Fox’en miners had brought her.
“I know—isn’t it fantastic?” She picked up a perfectly preserved blue bowl made of some ancient metallic alloy. “The miner told me he found this not far from where they first found the Eye. Speaking of which…” She cleared her throat.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart—it’s safe,” V’rex assured her. “Got it locked up in my safe in the ship. We won’t bring it out until we go to meet with Commander Sylvan.”
“Good.” Penny shivered. “That thing gives me the creeps! I didn’t even like handling it when Lady Bright Coat gave it to me. It gave me the feeling of spiders crawling up and down my arms!” She shivered again. “I don’t know how she stood wearing it for so long.”
“Well, let’s hope that getting rid of it helps her fertility,” V’rex remarked. “I know she really wants a, uh, litter badly.”
“She’ll have one,” Penny said confidently. “And I bet she’s going to make a wonderful mother.”
“You’re going to make a wonderful mother too, sweetheart,” V’rex growled meaningfully. “Maybe sooner than you think, considering I’ve been breeding you every night—not to mention all hours of the day as well.”
Penny felt her cheeks getting hot.
“V’rex…” she murmured, not knowing what to say. They still hadn’t discussed what would happen if she ever did turn up pregnant—which seemed like a distinct possibility now that the effects of the Mother’s Milk she’d been given in the Compound seemed to be in play again. At least, her breasts continued to fill with nectar which V’rex delighted in sucking out every time they made love. Not only that, but she had been eating a lot of the Fox’en breedalot herb as well, mainly because it was delicious.
Penny was certain the combination had amped up her fertility considerably. And though the idea of having a baby had once turned her off, she found she kind of liked the prospect of having one with V’rex. The only question was, what would they do and where would they live afterwards?
If it was up to her, Penny would have gone back to the Mother Ship. First because Kat had told her how she planned the most beautiful Joining ceremonies in the Sacred Grove. And second because they had the best medical care possible for pregnant women and she would have liked to stay there through at least the second part of her pregnancy and the birth.
But she knew how V’rex still felt about the Kindred. Though he seemed to be on better terms with Commander Sylvan now, he still held the race as a whole in contempt. Penny doubted he would want to live with them in the Mother Ship for any amount of time, though he would probably put up with it at least until they had the baby…
Listen to you, making plans like you’re already pregnant, she scolded herself. You don’t know that you are, so until you’re sure, you might as well not worry about it.
“You don’t know that you aren’t either,” V’rex murmured through their link. “But if you like the idea of having a baby, we can try again right now…”
Penny felt a warm wave of lust rush over her as she looked up at her tall mate.
“V’rex,” she murmured, putting out her arms. “You read my mind.”
“Come on then, baby.”
And picking her up, he carried her into their bedroom.
Chapter 110
About a week and a half into their “Fox’en Honeymoon” as Penelope called it, V went out to his ship and found he had a message from Commander Sylvan asking him to call.
He punched in the subspace coordinates and a moment later, the viewscreen popped into life, showing the Head of the High Council himself. He looked tired, V thought, as though he’d been through a lot since the last time they had spoken.
“V’rex here, returning your call, Commander,” he said coolly. “What can I do for you?”
“Greetings, Warrior V’rex,” Sylvan began formally. “I wanted to let you know that we are now in the Yown System.” He sighed and ran a hand over his spiky, short blond hair. “Actually, we have been for some days.”
“Oh? What’s taking so long?” V asked. “My mate Penelope and I are waiting here on Yown Beta.”
“Your mate?” Sylvan’s eyebrows went up. “But I thought you had Foresworn Penelope?”
“Well, I did…” V shrugged. “But you know, sometimes circumstances take a turn of their own.”
He had been prepared for the Kindred Commander to be angry—maybe even enraged. So it was a big surprise when Sylvan’s face broke into a smile.
“Yes, they do, sometimes,” he agreed, nodding at V. “You know, I had a feeling about you two.”
“What? Even after I told you I had Forsworn her?” V asked, frowning.
Sylvan started laughing.
“Especially after you told me you had Forsworn her,” he emphasized. “You know, I Forswo
re my own mate, Sophia, before we were bonded, too. But it seems like no matter how many obstacles are in the way, if the Goddess wants a Warrior and a female together, well…” He shrugged. “There’s just no stopping them.”
“I guess you’re right.” V found himself grinning back reluctantly, though the stern Kindred Commander, who had been his foe for so long, was the last person he’d ever expected to share a joke with.
“So you asked me what’s taking so long.” Sylvan’s face went suddenly serious. “And the answer is, the cult down on Yown Alpha. Luckily, I decided to bring several squadrons of warriors with us, because those little orange humanoids put up quite a fight!”
“The NeverBreeders,” V said, nodding. “Did you beat them?”
“Finally.” Sylvan sighed and ran a hand over his hair again wearily. “They’re fanatically loyal to their ‘Glorious Leader’ though. So were the humanoids they’d captured—at first.”
“They just called everyone ‘breeders’,” V’rex growled. “So you said they were loyal at first?”
“Oh yes—we found a way to break their conditioning,” Sylvan told him. “A series of rhythmic sounds that penetrated the brainwashing they had received and brought back the memories of their past lives. We hovered over their atmosphere dome and played them until all the, uh, breeders stopped fighting the Warriors we had sent in and started fighting with them instead, to overthrow the NeverBreeders.”
“I hope not too many were killed,” V’rex said. “Some of them had been there for years and years.”
“Yes, so they told us,” Sylvan said grimly. “I had no idea that such a large cult was flourishing right under our noses! Anyway, we’re clearing everything out now. The kidnapped ‘breeders’ are being returned to their homes and the NeverBreeders finally surrendered when their leader escaped.”
“What? The GL got away?” V sat up straighter. “Damn it—that bastard is the one to blame for everything!”
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