Heart of the Agraak

by S. J. Sanders

  Her thin lines of hair on her brow furrowed in confusion.

  “Or-wha?”

  Cursing his own weakness, he stepped closer and ran his fingers an inch away from the surface of her skin. He watched in fascination as her pupils dilated and color rose in her cheeks. Her full lips parted and quivered with her rapid breaths. Yes. She was definitely as affected by ormar as he was. He had no doubt that she was observing similar reactions from him. He could feel the heat traveling through him, gathering in his cock at the base of his spines.

  Frahnkee licked her lips.

  “Your spines... They’re red.”

  His breath hissed out of him. Of course they would be. He was flush and primed for mating. His body screamed for it.

  “This,” he said, the words rumbling in a low, unfamiliar rattle, “is ormar. It is mating attraction for our species. Exposure to your pheromones is causing my body to react to the presence of a fertile compatible female ready for mating.”

  “Th-that,” she stuttered, “that wasn’t in the Union’s species codex given to fleet members.”

  A low bark of laughter escaped him.

  “Do you think our ruling houses would allow such information that shows a vulnerability within our species to offworlders? It has never occurred outside mated pairs within our own species and so is of little concern to other planets in the Union.”

  Kaede dropped his hand and moved away. With the distance between them, Frahnkee took a heavy, shuddering breath as the ormar eased.

  “That’s some powerful shit,” she mumbled as she ran a hand over the bristle of blond hairs covering her scalp. “I don’t understand. If it’s never happened with others, then why is it happening between us?”

  “I do not know. There have been rumors, but none of them have been substantiated. Generally, it is common knowledge that humans are compatible but there is no recorded evidence of ormar rising between Agraak males and the human females.”

  She frowned. “But it actually is happening.”

  “It seems so. I just didn’t believe it until now.”

  A silence fell between them and they resumed walking toward the edge of the bog field. The trees of the swamp loomed ahead of them in hues dark and grayish green. Only once they were deep in the swamp would they see the hint of scarlet, magenta, and teal in the foliage and the numerous species of flowers that bloomed throughout. It was a beautiful place despite how deadly it was. In many ways, he found it more welcoming than the vast, meticulous gardens of the palisade. In the swamp was untouched splendor designed by the gods. He found himself excited to see how the female would react to such a sight.

  “How do we stop it... the ormar?”

  Again, he snapped his spines with uncertainty and glanced at her.

  “From what I understand, keeping distance from each other so not to trigger the ormar reaction will eventually take care of the problem. As long as we don’t act on it. Even then, it would still be possible, but infinitely more difficult.”

  Her skin reddened again, and her breath constricted, this time with what he suspected to be embarrassment from the rigid way in which she held herself. It fled just as quick as it came, and she arched a cool eyebrow at him.

  “You are talking sex, aren’t you?”

  Her voice carried such a wealth of nonchalance that he nearly laughed. What a fascinating dichotomy this female was. Shy and bold at the same time. First blushing like a female with her first lover, and then speaking as if sex was a casual daily thing. He wondered absently when the last time she engaged in sexual activity was. Was there a male among her brethren with whom she shared physical comfort? Just the thought stirred possessiveness within him.

  He didn’t know what came over him—perhaps it was the need to replace other males who had been in her company—but he felt a predatory grin stretch over his lips and his eyes hooded as he swept her with a look of blatant lust. Frahnkee audibly sucked in a breath. Her eyes dropped to peruse him as they exited the field. His stomach muscles tightened as she stared at his pectorals, running along his dupar and his sex raged at him for relief. She had drawn him in so easily and ignited the desire that hammered through his veins. Mercifully, her eyes returned to his and she gave him a small smile.

  “I guess we’ll both need to practice some self-restraint.”

  He hummed in agreement, but he knew that it was belied by the way his eyes narrowed on her as instinct warred with logic.

  “I imagine that there was a male on the Fleet that you are missing,” he murmured, the words tasting of ash in his mouth. “There was another human male who called for you during the attack. Is he a male you’ve been courting as a mate?”

  To his surprise, a short burst of laughter escaped her.

  “Mate with Rodriguez? The guy who has slept his way through a good portion of the female crew on ship—you think I want to mate with him? No, he’s a good friend but not the kind of guy I’d been looking to... err... mate. Though I suspect if he knew I’m a woman, he would have tried to make a case for himself,” she finished with another laugh.

  Climbing over a log, Kaede steadied himself with familiar ease and breathed in the earthy scent of the outer swamp. The trees weren’t quite so dense here, yet one glance at his companion affirmed that even in the outer swamp travel was going to be difficult for her human body. Without thinking, he offered a hand to assist her and tried to ignore the press of her flesh against his own. His mouth turned down in confusion.

  “How would he not know you are female?”

  Frahnkee coughed delicately.

  “Ah, yes, about that. As far as anyone on my team and within the Union Fleet knows, I’m male. I’ve gone to great lengths since my sister disappeared. I even bought some expensive spray that is supposed to disguise my pheromones so that I smell more male. Unfortunately, I wasn’t counting on how quickly it wears off during a period exposed to the humid heat on Agraadax.”

  “You have been masquerading as male the entire time?” The words dropped from his lips in abject disbelief. “Why? It was a dangerous thing to do, to attempt to conceal your sex from your crew on a planet where it would be dangerous for a female were she caught alone. They should have been the first armed with such information.”

  Guilt flashed across her face.

  “You don’t understand. I didn’t have a choice. Earth isn’t permitting unmated and uncontracted women to leave the planet. We’re too ‘valuable’ for them. There was no way anyone was going to let me leave otherwise.”

  “And they all believed that you are male? Are they idiots?”

  Frahnkee pushed a branch out of her way, shaking her arm as tiny luminescent insects fell onto the sleeve of her armor.

  “No. It took some bribery and knowing the right people who could sign off on paperwork when asked. Specifically, a medical doctor who signed papers declaring me as a male fit for service. It was a slim chance of getting in, but when I was commed my enlistment documents I made sure to alter my appearance and pay for the hormonal spray.”

  The implications of what could have happened if the spray had ceased working at any one of the planets she’d stopped at, that were in desperate need of females, left him cold.

  “If anything had gone wrong...”

  “Something did go wrong,” she said with a wry turn of her lips. “It just happened here.”

  “But at least at a time where help was available. You might have not been so lucky if at any time during the revolutions you have been enlisted if it had failed to work. All it would have taken was a desperate male picking up your sweet scent and he would have risked everything to claim you.”

  “I’m fortunate you are not desperate,” she smirked.

  He laughed, but it sounded hollow to his ears. What was it that he was feeling if it wasn’t desperation? He never knew such need before, and he wondered if he would even be able to go back to his solitary life without it when all was said and done.

  Clearing his throat, he pointed at a trail
through the trees.

  “Come. We go this way. There is a patch of calisk trees ahead that will be good to take shelter in for the night.”

  Chapter 12

  The faded hues and soggy landscape of what Kaede called the outer swamp were mildly depressing and foreboding, with its pale gray trees, like something straight out of one of the numerous horror movies that Frankie and Alisha had watched growing up. Except this was reality, there wasn’t an old crocheted afghan, and her twin wasn’t there with a bowl of popcorn to make snarky comments about how only an idiot would go into a place like that.

  Frankie had always declared that any idiot willing to step into such a place deserved to get eaten or murdered. Now Frankie was in the uncomfortable position of being said idiot. She wondered what Alisha would say if she could see her actually setting foot into a dangerous swamp. She absently wondered how the script would play out. Would she kill Kaede and then herself in a fit of insanity? Or maybe Kaede would be the one who would get possessed by some spirit lurking within and take great pleasure in tearing the flesh from her body.

  That was morbid. She didn’t need to be thinking about that right now.

  The male in question looked down at her from where he was suspended in a tree several feet above the ground. He’d spent a good twenty minutes cutting reeds and was now using some vine that didn’t look particularly strong to her to bind them. He was making remarkably quick work of it too, which Frankie watched with interest.

  It was like watching an alien Tarzan, loincloth and all. He seemed at home in the trees. He jumped easily from limb to limb of the massive, sprawling tree, gathering white vines before returning again to the platform that he was hastily assembling.

  She was embarrassed to admit, even to herself, that, though the construction process was fascinating, watching the sleek glide of his muscles was more interesting. She supposed she could blame it on this ormar thing Kaede spoke of... or chalk it up to the fact that she’d hit a long dry spell since enlisting.

  Maybe Rodriguez had been right about that. Would it be this bad if she’d found a way to get laid while they were on leave? She’d never been one much for casual sex but mating an alien hadn’t exactly been in her planner either.

  Frankie shook her head in exasperation. She was jumping the gun there. Kaede made it clear that he wasn’t looking for a mate, and of his opinion on the matter in general. He had in no way expressed interest in having her as a mate. All he’d shown was healthy adult lust, and that was nothing new. She didn’t want a guy who was with her just because of some instinct telling him to.

  If Kaede didn’t feel capable of giving her that, then that was the end of it.

  All they had to do was resist this thing between them and eventually it would go away. Why did that feel like it was a lot easier to say than to do? It shouldn’t be. There were plenty of good-looking males she’d met over the last five years. The Teril were large, captivating males that she’d admired not only physically but also for their code of honor. She’d been able to set aside her attraction to Borth and Grish without much more than a twinge of regret for the sake of her mission.

  She’d hadn’t come into space with any interest in acquiring a mate, but maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea.

  Frankie decided to be grateful that the ormar, inconvenient as it was, was opening her up to further possibilities that she hadn’t given much thought to. Maybe when all this blew over, she could see if there was any possibility of something growing between her and one of the males on her team. She already trusted them with her life. It seemed like a good foundation for a relationship. It was far sounder than any prospects she had on Earth.

  Kaede would just be an interesting memory, a footnote in her adventures among the Fleet. Alisha would enjoy that. She loved a good story of unrequited love, or lust as the case may be. First, however, she needed to locate her twin.

  A branch cracked loudly above her head and Frankie frowned.

  “Do you need help?” she called up.

  His head popped into view and he scowled down at her.

  “Are you capable of climbing through the trees?”

  “Uh, no,” she admitted.

  “Then, that is your answer,” he stated as he slipped out of sight again.

  “Hey, at least I’m trying to be useful!” she hollered back.

  A sigh sounded from above and his head popped over the platform again.

  “If you cannot climb well and end up falling off the platform or off the tree and get hurt, forcing me to stop to care for you, you will be no help at all. You are less of a hindrance exactly where you are.”

  Her jaw dropped in outrage as he disappeared. Slowly she closed it and conceded to herself that he might have a point. She hated that he could make her feel as helpless as a newborn kitten with a few strategically placed barbs and yet make complete sense at the same time.

  It wasn’t like this was new territory. She’d spent years now working with a team of individuals with their own strengths and specialties. She’d always felt good about doing her part and leaving the guys to do what they do. Maybe that was the problem. She’d never felt quite so... useless before. There was always some way she’d been able to contribute. She hated not having anything to do.

  Frankie looked to the side and spied a leafy green plant. Curious, she pinched a sprig and brought it up to her face. It looked and smelled like mint.

  “Do not eat that,” Kaede called down. “Milseen is highly poisonous. You will be quite sick if you consume even a small amount of it.”

  Frankie dropped the sprig.

  “I hadn’t planned on eating it,” she answered. “I was inspecting it because it looked similar to a medicinal herb on Earth.”

  Kaede grunted without comment and Frankie scowled at the plant.

  She hadn’t been about to eat it—she wasn’t stupid—but boy it had been a strong temptation. Chewing a bit of mint always made her feel refreshed. It had been some time since she’d been able to enjoy a leaf or a steeped cup of mint tea.

  She groaned at the thought of tea. It brought to mind an icy pitcher of sweet tea. What she wouldn’t give for a tall, cold glass of sweet tea right at that moment.

  A large body suddenly dropped from above in front of her, eliciting a startled shout from her as several profanities slipped out of her. It had been nothing more than a green blur, but its massive size caused her hand to snap to the butt of her plasma pistol, her heart hammering in her chest. Kaede stood to his full height in front of her, a scowl etched onto his face. He looked pointedly to her hand and she dropped it.

  “Sorry, I...”

  “If you feel like you need to use your weapon, do not hesitate,” he growled. “Waiting and second-guessing yourself gets you killed in the swamp. Strike first, always.”

  Frankie returned his glare.

  “So, what, you’d rather I just shoot you?” she snapped. “Might not be a bad idea. You’ll end up looking less pretty, for one thing.”

  “You say that as if you think you will be able to hit me.” He laughed. “Trust me when I say that at best you might hope to graze me. I’ve played war games before, female. I’ve tested my strength against the warrior class when necessary and I’ve fought when the occasion called for it. You wouldn’t be the first to shoot at me, and you wouldn’t be the first to fail.”

  “Arrogance doesn’t flatter anyone,” Frankie said with a sneer.

  The infuriating male snapped his spines in what she was beginning to guess was a dismissive gesture. Frankie clenched her teeth. Had she just been thinking somewhat kindly toward him just moments ago? She must have been out of her mind. She was tempted to compare him to Rodriguez but she knew that wasn’t fair. Kaede was an arrogant prick, but he wasn’t cavalier like her squad-mate. That was even more irritating. There was so much that was admirable that he had to ruin it all by being insufferable.

  “It is not arrogance,” Kaede replied coolly, waving a hand toward her pistol. “It is a stateme
nt of fact."

  Frankie snapped her weapon out of its holster and aimed it at his face. Her smirk died when she noted that he hadn’t even so much as flinched. At most, his pupils constricted as he focused on the pistol as it was turned on him. She barely caught sight of his lips curling before her gun was ripped out of her hand and turned on her before he oh so casually dropped it to the ground in front of her.

  “Care to try again, Frahnkee?” he purred.

  She bent to retrieve her gun. Her fingers curled around it and then she crouched down, one leg snapping around as she kicked his legs out from under him. Kaede landed on his back with a loud grunt as air was expelled from his lungs on impact.

  Pushing back onto her feet, she dusted her hands off and grinned down at him.

  “You were sayi—eee!”

  Kaede smirked as she fell over him, one of his legs hooked around her own. Frankie groaned and pressed a hand to her ribs. That had hurt like a bitch. She wheezed and shifted her weight, very aware of the warmth of the masculine body beneath her. Lust simmered in her blood. She turned her head and met Kaede’s bright eyes. His pupils were blown out and he was sniffing at her, growling low in his throat.

  Frankie’s cunt clenched and a shiver ran through her. She could feel something shifting beneath his dupar and she wanted nothing more than to rub against it.

  With a curse, she rolled off him and jumped to her feet, rubbing both hands over her head as she took several steps away from him. Not good. Not good. Taking deep breaths, she willed her body back under control. She pointed a gloved finger at him.

  “You just stay right over there, you horny toad!”

  Kaede hadn’t moved from where he’d landed on the ground. He was watching her with his strange yellow and red eyes, his narrow pupil expanding, a low growl rumbling from him. His spines were as dark red as the apex spine on his chin.

  Frankie froze and a shiver ran through her.

  He pushed to his feet, his eyes never leaving her. The rumble grew louder, and her cunt clenched again. She was already soaked with her desire. His nostrils expanded as he sniffed deeply. The rattling sound grew louder and she realized it was coming from his spines.