by Elin Wyn
“I won’t let you down!” She leaped up and opened her arms.
“No hugging.”
“Sorry.” She tucked her arms back to her sides. “Thank you so much for the opportunity.”
“Don’t be late for training,” I said by way of dismissal.
She skittered out of the office. I hope I hadn’t made a mistake.
I’d interviewed over forty applicants that day. Tired and burned out on all forms of socialization, I shuffled home. As always, I looked over my shoulder every other step. My heart pounded as I walked the short distance between work and home and didn’t calm down until I was safely through my front door.
My living room was lit with half a dozen candles. In the center of the room stood Sk’lar, holding two glasses.
“What are you doing here?” I grinned
“What a nice way to greet me,” he laughed.
“I’m sorry! You surprised me. You know how I get when I’m not in control of every little thing.”
“Yes, I do. Hence the spirits.” Sk’lar lifted the glasses in his hand and passed one to me. I took a sip of the rich red liquid.
“This is exactly what I needed after today.”
“Bad day?”
“Mekinna shattered her kneecap and I had to find a temp,” I explained.
“A whole extra day of interviews?”
I nodded and plopped down onto my couch.
“Poor thing.” He sat down next to me. I threw my legs across his lap.
“What’s that smell?”
“I’m cooking dinner.”
“I never cook here,” I pointed out.
“I know. All the appliances are in pristine condition. I’m sure the food stall has already prepared your usual nightly serving of fried fish and sweet veggies.”
“They’ll be so sad when I don’t show up.”
“They’ll live.”
“What are you making instead?”
Sk’lar puffed his chest out. Whatever he’d made, he was damn proud of it.
“I made grilled skyflier with bassa root noodles and yellow petal sauce.”
“Wow. I haven’t eaten that well in years. I can’t wait to try it.”
“You don’t have to wait. It’s ready now.” I lifted my legs so Sk’lar could get up. He walked over to my oven and opened it to reveal a tray of food. A tray which didn’t belong to me.
“Did you buy a pre-cooked meal?” I smirked.
“Believe me, it’s better this way.” He pulled the tray out of the oven and served up two plates.
We ate on the couch, talking about everything except work. For once, I was sick of thinking about my job.
I knew Vidia recommended talking to Sk’lar about our relationship without the help of alcohol, but Sk’lar had gone to all the trouble to bring spirits. When the bottle was empty, I twisted myself on the couch so that I could look him in the eyes. Our knees touched.
“I want to talk to you about something,” I said.
“I want to talk to you about something, too.”
“Let me go first. I’ll chicken out if I don’t go first.”
“I don’t think that’ll be the case.”
I didn’t know what he meant by that but I was still determined to go first.
“Please?”
“Oh, all right.” Sk’lar rolled his eyes and grinned. “I’m a slave to your whims, after all.”
“I like you,” I spoke before fully absorbing what he’d just said.
“I like you, too.”
“No, I mean I really like you. I like you as in a fall-asleep-thinking-of-you way and in a think-about-you-when-I-wake-up way. I like you so much that I might actually love you.”
I clamped my lips shut too late to stop the words.
“I-”
Sk’lar put a finger over my lips.
“I like you in a can’t-fly-my-aerial-unit-straight-because-I’m-thinking-of-you way and in a dream-about-you-every-night way. I also like you so much I might actually love you, too.”
He removed his finger from my lips and pulled my face to his. Our lips met gently at first but quickly deepened into something smoldering and eternal. As he kissed me, he removed one hand from my face and picked up our empty plates. He set them on my coffee table then lay back on my couch, pulling me with him.
I flattened my body against his. My arousal flared to life when I felt the hardness of him pressing between my legs. I moved my legs to either side of him and sat up straight. I rocked my hips against him as he lifted my shirt over my head.
With some effort, we removed the rest of our clothing.
“Wait,” I said as he removed one of his boots. “Leave the other boot on.”
Sk’lar laughed and lay back down on the couch.
I wasted no time lowering myself onto him. After everything that had happened to us together and separately, I wanted nothing more than to lose myself in the feeling of him inside me. Sk’lar gripped my hips and held me on top of him for a moment.
“I’ve missed this,” he moaned.
Slowly, he lifted my hips so that he could thrust up into me. Once we found our rhythm, he moved one hand to gently stroke and tease my breasts. I tipped my head back, letting the pleasure take me.
I placed my hands flat on his chest, marveling over how his muscles stretched and contracted underneath me. The hand that was on my breasts moved around to my back. Careful to avoid the sore spot left by the bullet, he pulled me down against him. I kissed his neck, his chest, and up to his jaw. When our lips fused together again, Sk’lar grabbed my hips and sank himself deep inside me.
I arched against him, crying out in ecstasy. Within moments, I was teetering on the brink of my climax. As if he knew, Sk’lar slowed down enough to pull me away from my peak of pleasure. He drove me to the edge and pulled me back over and over until I begged him for release.
When it came, my body gave into him completely. It wasn’t until I tightened around him and felt him reach his own peak that I allowed my muscles to go slack.
Sk’lar held me against his chest. He stroked my hair and traced his fingers softly over my bare back. My breathing came in hard puffs and my legs were like gelatin.
He gently lifted me off him and resituated me on my side with my back against his chest.
Within moments, I was asleep.
Sk’lar
The temporal implant sent a light dose of PER hormone through my system, awakening me at precisely one hour after dawn. Phryne’s lithe, warm body pressed against my own as she continued to slumber in my arms.
Outside her bedroom window, the whole world was going crazy. But right here, in my own—in our own—private world, things couldn’t be better.
Stroking her hair softly, I gazed down at Phryne’s lovely face. This feeling, this intimacy, was something I never thought I would have. Getting close to other sapient beings had never been my strong suit.
Even among the members of my own team, there was a certain distance. Certainly, I’d trust any of them with my life; that’s what soldiers do for each other. We took care of our own. But loyalty wasn’t the same as love.
I had friends, but none whom I felt as close to as I did to Phryne. In fact, even among my closest companions, I’d always felt like an outsider.
But Phryne’s strangeness seemed to mesh well with my own, like two pieces that don’t fit the rest of the puzzle but snap right together with each other.
Perhaps I was only made the leader of Team Three because they needed a K’ver and no one else was dumb enough to want the job. That didn’t matter anymore. What did matter was that I had found someone whom I could be comfortable with, and that was worth all of the plum assignments in the world.
My perfect match.
My mate.
The delicate curves of her body enticed me. Though I knew I should let this busy woman sleep, I couldn’t help but kiss her softly on the shoulder. Her body stirred in my arms and her eyes fluttered open as my kisses moved up to her ne
ck.
Phryne enveloped me in her embrace, kissing me on the lips. She was aggressive, seeking control, as she plied her tongue with aplomb into my mouth. The flavor of the wine we’d had the previous night was still on her breath. Her hands slid all over my chest as we continued to taste each other.
But then I surprised her. I took control, rolling her over onto her back and winding up on top. Her face split in a wonderful smile, eyes half-lidded as she looked up at me. I kissed her firmly on the mouth once more, then moved downward. Phryne gasped as my lips blazed a trail across the delicate skin of her neck. Gently suckling on her skin, I moved down further still.
Her tight, toned body felt so good against my own. I was already responding, my member growing hard as an iron spike. Though my body urged me to take her, invade her, I controlled my impulses. I wanted to make her feel good. Besides, I was sure to find relief soon enough.
My lips traveled over her small but firm breasts. I carefully kissed each of her nipples before latching on like a nursing infant. Phryne gasped, arching her back as I attended to her body. My hand slid across her curved spine, enjoying every bump and ripple.
At a snail’s pace, I worked my way down from her breasts, over the hard knots of muscle in her abdomen. She giggled when my tongue tickled her belly, but she made no move to stop me. Down, down I went, until I buried my face into the musky haven of her pussy.
“Oh, fuck, you’re so good at that.” Phryne’s voice was thick with lust. Her nether lips were glistening wet with moisture that was only partly my saliva, slightly parted and revealing the pink softness within. Animalistic grunts escaped my throat as I tasted her sweet arousal. My lips suckled at her outer labia, stretching the pliant flesh. Phryne’s nails dug into the back of my head, almost as if she wanted to press me as tightly into her body as she could.
I gladly obliged. My face was buried in her smoothly shaven area as my nostrils filled with her musky aroma. Some part of my mind wondered if all human females shaved their pubic hair as some sort of ritual. I wasn’t sure how I’d bring that up in conversation.
Anyway, my lips were otherwise occupied. Using my tongue, I traced circles around the mound of her clitoral hood. The little pink bulge grew larger, swelling with the heat of desire.
“What are you waiting for?”
Phryne’s voice held great urgency as her body writhed beneath me, but I was not done teasing her yet. Who knew when we would get another opportunity like this to explore one another? I blew gently across her clitoris and Phryne let out a frustrated groan.
“Lick my clit, Sk’lar.”
“No.”
She moaned, body tensing up as she fought to achieve climax.
“You have to say ‘please’.”
“You’re so mean.” Phryne’s voice was husky, her tone desperate. “Please.”
“Please what?”
“Oh god. Please, lick my clit, Sk’lar.”
“Good girl.”
My purple tongue flicked over the engorged organ, and the whole mass quivered delicately. I traced spiral patterns over its slick surface, even as my fingers pried her pussy lips wide open. I wanted to know all of her body, every inch.
Phryne’s breathing came faster, sweat glistening on both our bodies mingled as I intensified my ministrations. When I took her entire clit, hood and all, inside of my mouth and softly applied suction, she came hard, without warning.
Phryne’s body shook like a leaf in the wind, and I continued to suckle her clit until she came two more times. I looked up between her thighs, beyond her wonderful breasts, into her satisfied face.
“Did you like that, my dearest?”
“Yes.” Her eyes narrowed, growing crafty, and then she pushed me up into a sitting position. “Almost as much as you’re going to enjoy this.”
Phryne knelt, then bent her head and took the dark indigo tip of my cock inside of her mouth. She rolled her eyes up to meet mine, intently watching for my reaction. The sight of her so eagerly trying to please me with her mouth nearly made me come right away, but I managed to stave it off. I wanted to enjoy this for as long as I could hold out.
Phryne wrapped one of her hands around my veined, circuitry-traced shaft, while the other cradled my sack. Being supported and handled in such an intimate way was an amazing experience, and again the ecstasy of being with someone washed over me.
Phryne’s head bobbed up and down on my cock, taking nearly half of its length into her mouth with each stroke. Little gurgles escaped from her mouth when the head of my cock hit the back of her throat, but she didn’t seem too distressed. In fact, her enthusiasm for her task grew.
“I—I can’t hold back any more.”
In response, I expected her to quickly disengage so as to avoid a mouthful of my seed. Instead, she took almost my entire cock into her mouth until it packed her throat. Then she came back off me slowly, her tongue playing with the underside, and my body released its pent-up energy. I came in her mouth, and she swallowed the entirety of the load.
Phryne pulled my cock out of her mouth and shot me a grin full of self-satisfaction. It was as if she was saying ‘see, I can make your body do things, too’. Normally, I needed time to recover after an ejaculatory response, but her hands were working hard, pumping my shaft and getting me hard all over again.
“I hope you didn’t think you were going back to sleep just because I gave you a blow job.”
“A curious—ah—a curious human phrase, because you did more of a suction than an expulsion.”
“Shut up, nerd.”
My rod was hard as a rock once more, and she released my shaft. Phryne turned about in a half circle, presenting her shapely bottom to me. She put her head on the mattress and lifted her tail to the heavens.
“Come on, Sk’lar—violate me.”
I slapped my hand on the side of her smooth ass and guided the head of my shaft between her eager, dripping wet labia. Her pussy gobbled up my cock with ease, and we both gasped when I slid all the way in until the bulbous head of my member smashed against her soft, spongy insides.
“Fuck me, Sk’lar. Fuck me hard.”
I put my hands on either side of her hips and thrust for all I was worth. She was primed and ready, and I glided in and out of her with growing confidence. We coordinated our bodies for maximum effect as she ground herself onto me. Her cries of passion echoed off the walls of the bedroom. Sunlight caught her lovely red hair and revealed a whole spectrum of hidden colors. Right now, there was nowhere else I would rather be than conjoined with her like this.
“Oh god. I’m coming.” Phryne screamed as I slapped my thighs into hers in a rapid tattoo. My hamstrings cramped a bit, but one of my implants released an inhibitor to slow the effects of lactic acid. It was supposed to help me run longer, but if it helped me give my lover a fantastic screw, then all the better.
Phryne came, and then came again, and I found myself on the verge of release, too. But I was determined to keep this connection for a bit longer. Besides, I loved the way she sounded when she came. I wanted to make Phryne as happy as she made me.
At last, she threw her head back and howled like a predator at the full moon. I allowed myself release, and my hot seed filled her up.
Sweating, we collapsed onto the bed, me lying half on top of her. I enveloped her in my arms as she let out a contented sigh.
If this wasn’t paradise, it was as close to it as I was ever likely to see.
Phryne
Sk’lar was horrible for my work ethic. I had stacks of reports to go over, a dozen new security protocols to design, and I had to check up on the new alpha team members. They were still in training, but I was sure Cyrus had made all of them cry at least once by now. It was best to check in periodically to make sure no psychological damage occurred in the trainees. They’d be useless on the alpha team if that happened.
Despite all that, Sk’lar was the only thing I could think about for more than three seconds at a time. Twice today, I’d caught mysel
f staring at a wall fantasizing about what I wanted to do with Sk’lar once we were both off work for the evening. The likelihood of both of us getting off work around the same time was small, but I could dream.
“Phryne, come in.” The voice in my earpiece startled me out of my fantasies.
“What’s up?” I tried to sound casual but my voice came out too high.
“Please report to the mayor’s office immediately.”
Something had to be up. Vidia would’ve paged me directly or sauntered into my office if she needed me.
I hurried down the corridor to her office. A few Strike Team Two members were stationed in front of Vidia’s door. As I approached, I imagined the worst.
“What’s happened?”
My question was answered the moment I saw Vidia’s door.
WE DEMAND BLOOD was scrawled in thick red lettering across the surface of her door.
“Who found this?” I demanded.
“General Rouhr. He called Vidia and told her to stay home. He’s probably back with her by now.”
Good, that was one thing I didn’t have to worry about right away.
“Has the substance been tested?”
“Leena DeWitt is on her way now.”
“Have all of the security footage from last night until now sent to my console. The perpetrator will have been caught on the corridor cameras.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Take photos at every angle. Has anyone opened the office door yet?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Good. No one is allowed to lay a finger on this door until I say so. It could be rigged with something. Leena DeWitt has permission to take a single, light pressure swab when she arrives.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Alpha team, come in,” I said into my radio.
“Alpha team,” replied Ryx.
“Can you bring an x-ray scanner, a metal scanner, a heat scanner, and anything else you think might be useful in detecting a small explosive or similar motion triggered trap to the mayor’s office?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I hated how much I loved this. Of course, if Vidia was in danger, it’d be a different story. However, Vidia was safe in her home with a general to guard her, which meant I got to do what I was good at and hopefully apprehend someone in the process.
