It can simmer safely now for hours. Loki will have sloppy Joes and pasta, whenever he gets home.
CHAPTER 34
When Loki opened the door, the aroma hit him full force, and made his stomach clench with abrupt agonizing hunger. It was as if he’d stepped from the prison into the home nest, and momma Dia had made his most favorite meal. And Loki loved to eat!
He moaned in anticipation, slavering despite every effort not to.
Where did the she get such ingredients here?
To fend off his desperate need, he went to the shower in the corner, stripped and turned on the hot water. The steam kept the tantalizing smell at bay, for the moment.
By the time he had finished, and was fully clad again, Tusha had spread a small cloth on the floor, complete with plates heaped with mounds of spaghetti hidden beneath gravy, meat chunks, carrot slices and cooked beans. Utensils he’d only seen at the tables of humans…he thought they were called knives and forks, had been placed to the side of each serving, and there was juice in clear glasses.
Where did she get all this? Did she even squeeze the juice from the fruit?
“Did More give you these things?”
“He likes me. Said I could take what I wanted. He even had fresh real beef.”
“Human?”
“No. From beef cows, on the surface…the kind with four legs. He just got it in before I got there.”
Loki laughed delighted. He sniffed the air again.
“You’ve used tomatoes…and onions.”
She nodded excitedly. “Dig in!”
“There is something I should tell you before we eat. Felines do not digest vegetables well; they cannot eat onions and garlic. It is toxic to them…”
Tusha’s face fell, and he thought she would cry. Loki knew what was going through her mind even though he didn’t read the thoughts:
I did all that work, and he can’t eat it.
He regretted instantly, he’d had to hurt her with his warning.
“But…you are fortunate I am also half Noor. The Noor palette can tolerate any food. My momma Dia and her mate Kimon are pure Feline…”
“She would never make this…I’ve made such a mistake…”
“Not so. Momma makes this on special days, but when she does, she makes separate meal for Kimon and her. It is my favorite.”
That brought a smile back to her face. “Eat!” she ordered. “Before it gets cold.”
He dug in without any more argument.
****
He was so full he could barely move. Loki had eaten two plates full before he’d ever touched his drink. Now, he sat back sipping the juice, as he watched Tusha clear away the leftovers.
It suddenly dawned on him; this juice had an unusual flavour. “Where did you get this?”
“More said it’s juice from a Noor fruit. He’d been saving it for a long time.”
Oh, spit! It’s a Noor aphrodisiac! How do I tell her?
Loki set his glass aside. He’d only drunk half.
Will it affect me, too?
And oh, gosh! How much did she have? She is so little, and with her Noor blood mix …this is going to send her into heat!
“Don’t you like the juice? If you don’t want it, I’ll drink it.”
“I’d rather have water. How much is left?”
She looked a bit sheepish. “I drank most of it…sorry. I was thirsty, and it tasted real good to me. I’ll get you the water…”
Spit! Spit! Spit! What am I going to do now? Maybe she will just sleep it off?”
“Come,” he said, patting the mat on which he sat. “I don’t need the water; we sleep now.”
Tusha yawned largely, and slumped down beside him willingly. She was asleep in an instant. And Loki followed her just as quickly.
****
He awoke with a start; the little she was on top of him, her legs spread-eagle over his hips. Sometime in her sleep she had slipped off her sheath, and was now naked on top of him. Loki knew what that meant. Her need was unbearable, and he couldn’t just leave her in such agony.
That stupid drink awakened her physical Noor! Oh, Almighty…I can’t leave her to bear this torture! She’ll go mad if I don’t do something.
In her sleep, she did not know what she was doing. Her body moved against him, over his hidden sensitive place. The return arousal shot through him, and will power faded. He too had had enough drink to bring undeniable desire.
He kissed her tiny human ear, and need became immense hunger, with nature’s response following.
Half awake now, she let him in. His ability to stop was non-existent.
And so he loved her, gently, tenderly, carefully, his huge hands caressing soft skin, the minute breasts, relieving the intense desperate yearning inside both of them. His pleasure equaled hers.
She slept again…and so did he.
****
When he woke fully refreshed, she lay wide-awake beside him.
As her eyes turned to him, he felt sudden shame. He had never meant it to go this far; never intended to be intimate. He blamed the drink; but the beverage had merely done what it was meant to do. Even though, when he’d realized its potent nature, and would take not another swallow, it had already been too late.
Now, he blamed More.
He surely knew what he was giving Tusha.
Perhaps, by some misguided desire to help them, the Root had generously parted with that prize possession, thinking it beneficial for all.
But it isn’t! It has unbelievably complicated things. Tusha and I can't be together!
And that means; I have violated her.
If this had happened back home, it would be considered rape, punishable by a quick violent death at the hands of her male family members.
Perhaps, Tusha would defend me…and then we would be mated for life.
But here, even though the fact was hidden, and no punishment meted out…he couldn’t be hers…and she couldn’t come with him.
“I am sorry,” he whispered softly in his Noor tongue. He knew she understood the meaning of his words, and to what he referred. She had the Noor blood; it made her a linguist.
He shifted to sit, rose up, stepped over her, and fled to the shower.
****
She watched his every move, as he clothed himself. At last Tusha broke the silence.
“Do you have a wife, then? Is that why you don’t want me?”
Loki shook his head in denial. He answered her in Noor, telepathically.
“I am a conjunctive twin male; I cannot reproduce on my own.”
She returned, also by mental voice. “There are two parts to you?”
“Yes. This is not all of me; I am only half here.”
She didn’t doubt him. “You are the physical part, the part that can make love?”
He groaned at being reminded. “I am the physical, yes, but we both can satisfy…my other is the thinker, the mind capacity. We need to be together to procreate.”
“Besides,” he added. “By law, a conjunctive male is forbidden to take a mate…I am Noor…”
“Why?” she asked bluntly.
“The reasoning is, we might infect our partner…”
Tusha laughed. “Didn’t you already do that some time ago?”
His ire rose up. “I did that to save your life! Would you rather I had not?”
She shook her head.
I would much sooner live than die.
But she meant to bring him to task for his actions, to make him squirm.
“You are more than Noor; you are also Feline. Aren’t Felines allowed to mate? Why don’t you want me?” she challenged again.
Once more, he was evasive. “I alone cannot procreate; my mental and I must join …junction, to be fertile. I cannot choose our mate wisely…because I go by my feelings. He must want the female…first…” His eyes tracked away to the side, guiltily.
Tusha knew there was something more to this, an underlying misdirection, but she did not prob
e for his other reasons, let it go, and tackled the matter at hand. “So, being Feline, in your opinion, this was for mere gratification?”
She felt it, as the blunt assessment shocked him; his heart slammed against his ribs, beating faster.
Is that fear? Of me?
Loki sucked a breath, tears forming in his eyes, as if she’d cut him to the very quick.
What is he hiding?
She tried to enter his mind to see, but somehow, he had blocked the reading.
He's never done that before!
He said nothing more, finished dressing, and finally, escaped to go to work.
But, she wasn’t about to let him have the last say. Just as he left the room, she fired after him: “Go then, you coward! See if I care!”
Her tears came hot and heavy then, both from the loss she felt, and regret at being so cruel to him. She knew she had used him as a scapegoat. She had needed someone to blame, and he had been the easy victim, when all he’d meant to do was help her.
****
“Where’s your little she today?” asked Uel.
“She is mad at me?” hissed Loki, the words slipping out before he’d given them thought. He sighed.
Too late to take them back.
Uel chuckled. “What did you do? Were you unsatisfactory, or did you mate to her?”
Loki frowned, turned to stare at the Feline male.
What is this? Did Uel put More up to his tricks?
Loki growled, knowing his suspicions were correct.
“Why don’t you find a female for yourself?” he hissed. “That’s what Bom has ordered.”
He glared at the male until Uel dropped his eyes, and slunk away.
****
That night Loki brought home another smaller pallet, prepared it with padding and a small soft blanket, lifted Tusha from his own bed, and placed her on her own.
The fact that he was separating them cut her more deeply than anything else he might do. By such an action, it was as if he was saying:
You are just a servant, a pet, something to use. Stay away from me, unless I need you.
He gave no explanation, only turned over, and went to sleep.
That night Tusha cried, softly and quietly, so he wouldn’t hear.
****
Through the next few days she went obediently with him to the med bay again. In quiet submission, she followed after. He made no effort to engage in conversation, either outwardly or by thought. It seemed, he was regretful and subdued, as well.
Every night Tusha cried; each time she became more uncontrolled. Rejection hurt more than death.
Then on the third night, unable to watch her suffer, Loki relented. He came to her, gently gathered her in his arms, and took her into bed with him, where he cuddled behind her, until they were deep again in slumber.
He had realized, life was too cruel of its own, to have them spend their last days, apart in disagreement.
And so they slept together each night from then on.
CHAPTER 35
“She’s just not there, anywhere on the surface!” Liam exploded in frustration. “Even using the sensor to attach to a Noor gleam, there is nothing! Where is she? She couldn’t just up and vanish!”
Leaning over his shoulder to see the screen better, Nyle asked: “Did you check if she’s been on the world’s social media sites? She usually keeps in contact with us that way.”
“Yes, I’ve checked them all, but it’s entirely possible she’s avoiding those, because the police are looking for her. I’ve also checked the available vid-cameras in the areas where she might be. I did find something strange.” Liam sat back, and whirled his chair around to face his brother and Nyle.
“What did you find?” asked Nyle, slipping into another chair.
“The last time she was in the building where she lived, on the camera downstairs, a neighbor let someone in, that was obviously in disguise…”
“Disguised, how?” Shiveron asked suspiciously.
“It was wearing a camouflage belt.”
“One like ours?”
Liam nodded.
“What are you saying?” Nyle asked.
“He’s implying, your momma might be in the hands of the Roog,” Shiveron supplied.
“Liam?” Nyle demanded. “How is that possible?”
“It’s not good to jump to conclusions. Anyway, I’ve put a tag on her web site. If she ever checks it, we’ll know immediately. If she doesn’t, I’ll have to make a trip to the surface of the Forbidden planet to search for her.”
“Don’t side track me, Liam,” Nyle commanded. “I’m not a stupid, uneducated human any longer.”
Liam and Shiveron exchanged a look of regret.
“Okay,” Liam yielded. “But as I said before; it’s not good to assume anything…”
“Just tell me what you suspect.”
“The Roog have a prison facility in the bowels of the planet…”
“Inside Earth? How come we don’t know about that?”
Liam laughed mirthlessly. “If humans knew…well, at the very least, there would be worldwide panic. Anyway…we are pretty sure the Roog hunt humans. Now, why a human would let one into a building is puzzling…”
“What do they want with humans?” Nyle interrupted.
“Aw, Nyle,” Liam reproached. “You don’t really want to know…”
“Stop beating around the bush. Just tell me!”
“They eat humans,” Shiveron said quietly.
“Oh shit! Oh shit!” Nyle covered his eyes with his hands, as if that might end the image that came to mind. “Why? Why’d he take my mother? Any other would be a better choice if they wanted…gosh! Mom’s build wasn’t big; she was average. There were plenty of grossly obese women in her building. Why her?”
“We don’t know that’s what happened, Nyle. I should never, even, have suggested it.”
“Then explain to me, why was that thing in her building at all the night she disappeared? And how come she’s the only one now missing?”
Just at that moment, one of the Feline orderlies from the med floor stuck his head in the door of the communication centre. “Hey, human. Nyle.”
Nyle spun, annoyed by the interruption. “What?”
“Everyone out here is wondering whether you are stupid or something. Didn’t they train you?”
Both Liam and Shiveron hissed at the disrespect to Twila’s new promised.
“Spit it out, male!” Liam ordered viciously. “If you have something to say to him, speak plainly, or we will have your carcass for your insolence.”
The male immediately took a docile attitude, dropping his eyes. “Aww…Twila…”
“What about Twila?” Nyle enquired, obviously, immediately expecting trouble.
“Twila is…”
“Is what?” Liam demanded, suspicious now, as well.
“She’s…cursing and fighting with us all…we know what that means…just thought you should know.”
It wasn’t like their sister to be even argumentative; she was usually mild mannered, and gentle with both patients and staff. This could only signify one thing.
Nyle’s jaw dropped in stupefied reaction. “You don’t mean…”
“Yeah…” The male grinned lecherously. “You don’t see to her soon, one of us will, and that’ll cost you your place with her…”
All three Noor males hissed menacingly, but it was Nyle who spit out an answer. “You so much as try, you’ll forfeit your life. I guarantee, she won’t have anyone of you. It’s me she has chosen!”
“Then you’d better get her to an ante, before she kills someone!”
“Go, Nyle!” Liam growled. “We’ll deal with this insubordinate.”
And the human-Noor took off, as if fire had lit the tail he didn’t have.
****
Twila could hear the plaintive whining, as if from a distance. She knew it was her own voice, but she neither recognized she was doing it, nor understood why. She felt detached,
as if outside her body.
So angry, I so want to tear at the faces of those around me, to bite, to claw.
And indeed, she realized, her weapons were out.
What is wrong with me?
She was tearing at the sheets on the cot she stood by, throwing things, sending the tray of instruments across the room. Yelling, growling, hissing awful words at the leering faces of the watching males.
What is the matter with me? I’m never like this. I’m making a fool of myself, before the entire contender Feline population.
For years, she had held at bay this needful madness, kept herself sane and in restraint.
Why is this happening now, at this moment?
Outside of her body, with her mind near absent, above reality, she had lost control. The insanity had taken her over.
Not since she had reached first maturity, had she ever felt such fever.
Heat! Hot. Angry. Pulsing need!
Oh, man! Where is Nyle! I need so badly!
Gasping, skin burning; flesh crawling. Driving urgent hunger!
“Get me Nyle!” she screamed. “I need my Nyle! I need him…I need him,” Twila moaned, beside herself.
Tears flooded, knees buckled; next came sobbing incoherency.
“Male…man…Nyle…help me!” escaped the kneeling, in mumbled stutters.
No wonder they call being Noor an infection!
And then alleviating solace, he was there, catching her up into his arms, flying through the aisles, carrying her…to Dia’s ante.
****
Nyle opened his eyes, still very exhausted. Twila lay beside him, softly crying. He reached over to take her into his arms but…she withdrew from him.
“Twila,” he pleaded. “Was I not…good enough. Didn’t I do it right?”
She sobbed all the harder. Once more, he made the effort to bring her close. And at last, she went into him, weeping piteously.
After she had calmed a bit, Nyle again whispered his question.
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