Incursion
Page 9
I'll just have to trust him. So far, he's not guided me wrong. Despite the lies and deception, despite injecting me with his own fucking DNA, Kshar has kept his word. He could have left me to rot. He could have killed me. I was his enemy and he helped me.
Kyle relaxed, blew out a breath that had stuck in his lungs. "I guess I hate it when you're right." Seeing through all my disguises. Seeing the man I can become rather than the man I was. Or have been.
"You'd better get used to that." Kshar grinned and drew closer. "I fully intend to teach you everything you've been missing. Once your healing is complete, I'll teach you how to become. How to take a pattern and how we can merge patterns."
It sounded extremely sexual. Kyle swallowed. What was it about Kshar that always stroked his dick? And these days, he could almost feel it, too. That was one of the things he was looking forward to. The main one, really. Fucking Kshar instead of getting fucked. They did seem to like the same things, and they were beautifully matched—sex would be a battle, a struggle with two victors. He'd shown him that much already.
Kshar nodded to him. "The possibilities, Kyle. All that potential."
Kyle stared at him, and he could almost see it. Pulsing, vibrating movements beneath the perfectly placid Tamenean features. Living patterns under the skin, seemingly eternal, transcending whatever face or body Kshar was wearing. The body just one of a myriad of possibilities. That was the crazy thing. He could sense Kshar underneath, and he knew he'd be able to sense him in whatever body. Unchanged, genuinely him. If "him" was even the right pronoun. But if anything was possible, surely faces, shapes didn't matter. They were parlor tricks.
He understood it then. The potential, the utter, unbelievable freedom to be whoever existed underneath his skin. Not just since the accident, but his whole life, he'd had no idea what truly lay beneath his own surface. He'd tamped it all down with a hunter's drive, a soldier's discipline, let it drown in bitterness and anger and resentment. But all that was gone. He was a new man, vulnerable and hopeful, and truly on the way to becoming himself.
He reached out to take Kshar by the neck, felt little sparks travel between Kshar's skin and his fingers. He was dizzily alive, aware, a feeling like being in love.
Strike "like."
"You're the better man, Kshar." Better than me. That he'd ever say that to a murdering, thought-sucking morph was a miracle, but he really got it now.
Kshar laughed into their kiss. "I have more practice."
Thanks go to my editors, Kristen Osborne and Rachel Haimowitz, who didn't let me get away with anything. You rock! More thanks go to Alex and Aija for their sharp eyes for typos.
Also to Reese Dante, whose concept art triggered the first stage of the idea, and JW, who triggered the second stage.
Country Mouse, with Amy Lane
Dark Soul Vols. 1–5
Break and Enter, with Rachel Haimowitz
Counterpunch
Scorpion
Dark Edge of Honor, with Rhi Etzweiler
The Lion of Kent, with Kate Cotoner
For a full list, go to www.aleksandrvoinov.com/bookshelf.html
Aleksandr Voinov is an emigrant German author living near London, where he makes his living editing dodgy business English so it makes sense (and doesn't melt anybody's brain). He published five novels and many short stories in his native language, then switched to English and hasn't looked back. His genres range from horror, science fiction, cyberpunk, and fantasy to contemporary, thriller, and historical erotic gay novels.
In his spare time, he goes weightlifting, explores historical sites, and meets other writers. He singlehandedly sustains three London bookstores with his ever-changing research projects and interests. His current interests include World War II, espionage, medieval tournaments, and prisoners of war. He loves traveling, action movies, and spy novels.
Visit Aleksandr's website at http://www.aleksandrvoinov.com, his blog at http://www.aleksandrvoinov.blogspot.com, and follow him on Twitter, where he tweets as @aleksandrvoinov.