“I thought the same thing about you. The attraction was there long before our magic touched. Our feelings may be amplified by our magical harmonics, but they’re real feelings. They’re not made by our magic, just enhanced by it.” When she didn’t say anything, Tygor added, “All you have to do is feel it in your magic. Come here.”
Tygor sat up on the bed and rested his hands on his legs. Starla approached him without hesitation. He’d saved her life more than once, and she found she trusted him implicitly. She stood between his spread knees, and he raised one hand to rest on her hip as if he simply couldn’t help himself. It wasn’t a restraining hold, just a touch, simple and tender.
“Do you remember touching me with your magic when you were in that ventilation shaft?”
“Yes. I was trying to calm myself and went in my mind to a place I loved back home with the Vastus.”
“What were you feeling when you first heard my voice?”
Starla thought back, trying hard to recall her exact emotions. “I wanted to be someplace calming, secure. I wanted to feel safe. I was startled when I first heard you. Your voice surrounded me… No. It was more than that. You surrounded me. Your essence, or spirit. Or something. Anyway,” she continued in a rush, “I was desperate to feel safe and there you were.”
“Did it feel wrong?”
She blinked. That thought shocked her. Tygor wasn’t just at the top of a very short list of people she’d consider calling if she were in trouble, he was the only one on the frigging list. Starla couldn’t imagine reaching out to anyone else she knew. “Of course not!”
“Then don’t worry about it. No one said this was ‘happily ever after.’ This is ‘I’ve met someone I’d like to get to know better and in the process we might just screw each other’s brains out’.” Starla couldn’t help her giggle. Before she could respond, however, he added, “You’re special to me, Starla. I’m not ready to call it love just yet, but the way I feel is the way Dad always said he felt about Mom. I’m willing to take a chance if you are.”
The breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding burst free, and she giggled. “When you put it that way, I guess I have nothing to lose. I don’t really know that much about love. I can honestly say the only person I’ve ever truly loved was your father. He was like a father to me.”
Tygor wrapped both his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. “Let’s think about it later, then. Let’s enjoy each other as long as we can, and when we don’t anymore, we’ll worry about it then.”
The grin that spread across her face was so wide it hurt. “Sounds like a great plan to me.”
Tygor nuzzled aside the lapels of her shirt and rubbed his stubbled cheek against the curve of her breast, and Starla giggled. Soon they were both giggling uncontrollably for no particular reason at all. Tygor flipped them so that he was above her and quickly maneuvered between her legs. Their laughter soon turned to sighs and moans as Tygor found one of her nipples and latched onto it.
Starla tangled her fingers in his hair and held him to her. He moved from one breast to the other, giving each nipple equal attention. Starla’s other hand slid down to grip his butt and pull his crotch against hers. She loved the large bulge against her bare pussy. Just having him rocking against her felt so good, she had to fight not to come. His body was flush with hers, even if he wasn’t totally naked, and it was the most erotic feeling she’d ever experienced. But she wanted them both naked.
Impatiently, she pushed him away long enough to grab the front of his shirt and yank it open. Buttons scattered but he didn’t seem to notice, and Starla could have cared less. She could now feel the slightly coarse hair on his chest with her hands. He pulled her shirt the rest of the way open as well before lying on top of her again. “You’re a very tactile person, aren’t you, Starla?”
“I suppose I am,” she answered. He moved slightly, mimicking the act of fucking her so that his chest hair abraded her nipples erotically. “Growing up with the Vastus, the last thing they worried about was loving physical contact.”
He kissed the juncture of her shoulder and neck, then licked a path to her ear, and Starla shivered almost violently. “Then I suggest you get used to it now because I have a strong feeling I’ll never be able to keep my hands off you.”
When he licked around the shell of her ear only to duck his tongue inside, chill bumps erupted all over Starla’s flesh, and her pussy clenched. Her hands flexed on his back where she’d gripped him and held him to her.
His breath in her ear was heavy, causing more pulses in her lower body. “You like that, huh? I’m going to enjoy finding all the things that turn you on.”
Starla wanted to say something, but she couldn’t think what it might be. All she could think about was Tygor’s mouth on her skin, his breath in her ear, and his cock rubbing so tantalizingly against her sex. She wanted to be an active participant, but she was drowning in a sea of sensuality and she could have cared less. All she could do was feel all the wonderful things Tygor was doing to her.
When he moved away from her ear and down her body, Starla wanted to protest. She wanted him to fuck her, but she knew he was the more experienced. If he wasn’t ready yet, there was a reason. He kept trailing his lips and tongue down her body until his face hovered between her spread legs. Starla’s breath came in short, shallow gasps now, and she propped herself on her elbows to watch as he slowly lowered his mouth to her wet sex, never taking his eyes from hers.
Every flick of his tongue on her clit sent fire coursing through her body. And he flicked often. He sucked her lips gently and probed her with his long, thick fingers. She knew she was wet; she could feel her own intimate fluid leaking from her body and trickling down to her ass.
“Don’t hold back, Starla. I promise I can make you come more than once.”
She was so startled he knew that her guard dropped and her first orgasm overtook her unexpectedly. “Ohmigod!” Starla screamed as she pushed through the pleasure. Pulling her knees to her chest, she spread her legs wide, allowing him all the room he needed to do whatever he wanted. She could feel two fingers inside her, working to milk every drop from her.
As the final spasms subsided and Starla’s breathing began to return to normal, Tygor pulled his fingers from her body and stuck them in his mouth. After one slow pull, he dipped them back inside her and offered his fingers to Starla. She opened her mouth automatically and twirled her tongue around and between his two fingers, tasting herself. She wondered if he liked the slightly tangy taste, but didn’t have time to dwell on it. Tygor stood, pushed down his pants and stepped out of them, then crawled up her body.
“If you’re unsure about anything else, Starla, I want you to know without a doubt that you’ve touched me in a way no one else in my entire life ever has.” And he entered her.
Tygor used his magic to encase himself once again, but it didn’t diminish the exquisite feel of her slick walls. She gripped him, her pussy still having slight contractions from her orgasm. He had to grit his teeth to hold onto his control. Starla wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, her cries and sighs like the sweetest music.
He moved gradually at first, to give her a chance to adjust, but it wasn’t long before he plunged vigorously and rapidly into her. Both of them were covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and their bodies moved smoothly against each other.
Starla wrapped her legs around his waist and met him thrust for thrust. The sound of their bodies slapping against each other was loud in the small room. She grabbed his hair in one hand and pulled his face to hers, fastening her mouth to his as he rode her. Her tongue plunged inside him much as his cock plunged inside her pussy. It wasn’t long before her motions became jerky and erratic, and Tygor knew she was close to another orgasm.
He kept his pace even and steady until he felt her pussy start to squeeze him. When she cried out, Tygor let loose his own shout of release, arching his back and holding himself as deep inside her as he could. It seemed to g
o on and on, contractions seizing his entire lower body until he’d emptied himself completely and totally inside Starla. She’d stripped him raw. He had no defenses where she was concerned. Tygor knew he’d never be the same after this, and he only hoped Starla could learn to trust her feelings for him. It was something he was definitely willing to wait for.
Tygor collapsed, rolling them to the side and pulling Starla close to him, wrapping his arms tightly around her.
“Are you trying to squeeze the life out of me?” Starla laughed, holding him just as tight.
“Nope. Just making sure you stay put this time.”
They both laughed and would have settled off for a post orgasmic nap, but there was a rapid chime at the door, indicating someone had pressed the button more than once.
“Go away!” Tygor turned his head and yelled in the general direction of the thin inner door, knowing the computer sent his rather rude message to the intercom outside where his unwanted visitor stood.
“Open the damned door, Tygor.” That was Posh.
Tygor groaned. Had it been anyone else, he’d have simply ignored them, but not Posh. Their friendship was too close for that. He kissed Starla’s forehead and stood up, scratching his ass and chest as only a man can. He did indeed open the door, but he did so in the buff. Unfortunately, Posh wasn’t the only one at the door. Not that he cared.
“Well, I see you’ve still not learned to dress properly.”
Tygor groaned. “What the fuck are you doing here, Dad?” He really didn’t want to talk to his father at the moment. He was still miffed the Vastus had put Starla’s life in danger so readily. “And why didn’t you throw him off my ship?” Posh, of all people, should know this was a bad idea.
“Just hear the man out, Tygor. He’s your father.”
Tygor didn’t think that was a very convincing reason, but he looked to Singin all the same.
“We need to talk.” The other man stepped inside Tygor’s cabin as if he had a right to.
“That’s all fine, but as you can see, I have company.” He indicated Starla, who had pulled the covers up to her nose and her legs to her chest. “So, if you’d be so kind as to --”
“This concerns her, too, so no, I won’t leave.”
Singin didn’t seem the least bit bothered that his son stood there naked, or that Starla looked supremely uncomfortable. It was Tygor’s experience that when his father decided something needed to be said, it was best to simply let him say it. He’d only bug the piss out of you until he did. He looked at Posh who met his stare eye for eye. It was obvious his best friend thought it worth his time to hear his father out. Without another word, Posh turned on his heel and walked back down the corridor.
Tygor sighed and sat on the bed, not bothering to cover himself. “What’s on your mind?”
Singin looked at Starla. “I’m sorry I used you, my dear. I tried so hard to put my personal feelings aside and do what was best for the Vastus that I overcompensated. For that, I’m truly sorry. And thank you for saving my son’s life.”
Tygor’s jaw dropped open. His father never apologized. For any reason. In his mind, it only made him seem weak.
“Tygor, thank you for fixing things when they went horribly wrong. I almost lost both of you today, and I don’t think I could have borne it if I had.”
For the first time in Tygor’s life, he saw tears in his father’s eyes. Not even when Tygor’s mother died had the great Singin cried openly. “Who the hell are you, and what the fuck have you done with my dad?”
That seemed to break the tension, and Singin laughed through his tears. Starla found her shirt and slipped it on. She wrapped her arms around her body to keep it from coming open.
“I don’t understand.” She looked from Singin to Tygor in confusion.
Tygor told her what the Vastus had done. When he’d finished, she was pale, with tears pooling in her eyes, and visibly shaken. Singin’s tears ran freely down his face.
“I’ve tried to remain objective. Tried not to treat you any differently than I do any other agent, but I’ve definitely done just that. I’d have never put another mage in the position I put you in. I had pressure from the Continuum council to find these attackers no matter what, and I gave into demands I should never have. Can you forgive me?”
Starla was stunned on so many levels, she was practically numb. Singin not only apologizing, but asking forgiveness? Unthinkable. “I don’t understand why you’ve had a hard time treating me the same as everyone else. I’m nothing to you but a student.”
The older man’s face looked shocked, then downcast. He looked like she’d just broken his heart. “You’re like one of my children, Starla. We took you from your parents to live in the Vastus under close supervision. I didn’t actually take you to my own home to live as one of my children, but over the years I came to think of you as one of them. My wife even accused me of having a child with another woman, though it was in jest. She often said I should just adopt you, and she had the right of it. But I’ve always been about the Vastus and the Continuum. What’s best for the organizations because we have the good of the people at heart.” He scowled fiercely. “Hypocrites. All of us are nothing but hypocrites. You cannot claim to care about the people if you have no problem taking away the rights of one of them simply because they have something you want, and that’s a lot of what the Vastus does.”
Tygor didn’t say anything. Starla wasn’t sure if he simply didn’t know what to say, or if he was having a hard time believing what Singin had to say, but she wanted -- no, needed -- to believe him. He’d done some horrible things in his life, but if he saw the harm he’d done and was truly sorry for it, then she had no problems whatsoever forgiving him.
Starla walked to the big man, wrapped her arms around him, and laid her head against his chest. “Just don’t do it again.” Singin held her closely to him. “And you’re right. You have been like a father to me, no matter the circumstances that gave me into your care.”
Great sobs now overtook Singin, and Starla became alarmed. He held her tightly and kept repeating, “I’m sorry, so very sorry,” over and over again in a whispered, strangled voice.
Eventually, Tygor stood and approached his dad. He’d wrapped a sheet around his waist now. When Starla saw Tygor standing there, she pulled back from Singin, and Tygor took her place. Father and son embraced for a long while before parting. Neither man had a dry face. Tygor recovered quickly, though. “Just so you know, I’m taking Starla with me. We’ve found a mutual… respect for one another that we’d like to explore, and no matter what change of heart you’ve had, I don’t relish sending her back to the Vastus.”
Singin chuckled as he patted his cheeks and eyes dry. “I thought you might feel that way.”
Tygor raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”
“Of course! I know both of your magical harmonic resonances. I think it was that fact that made me decide to use Starla as bait. I knew the two of you would complement each other, and I knew that once you see something you want, Tygor, you never let anyone or anything get in your way. I’d hoped you’d be her protector, not the other way around.”
Tygor shook his head. “I guess we protected each other.”
“And that’s the way every good relationship works.”
Starla wrapped her arms around Tygor and looked up at him. “It looks like we have a good start.”
“Indeed you do,” Singin agreed. “I’ll take my leave of you, then. Please keep in touch. Both of you.” With one more look at them, he left, the door sliding shut behind him.
“You OK?” Tygor asked Starla.
“As OK as I can be, given the circumstances. It’s all quite a shock. Do you suppose anything we went through did any good? Do you think they shut down the terror cell they were looking for?”
“Who knows,” Tygor answered. “I notice he didn’t mention it once. We’ll probably never know what came out of it. The Continuum just loves to keep their secrets.”
“What about you?” Starla asked. “Do you think you and your father can come to some kind of understanding?”
“I think we already have. It’s going to take time, but I suppose I can appreciate the difficulty he’s placed in sometimes. At least he sees now that it’s never acceptable to sacrifice one person for the greater good. It’s easier sometimes, but it doesn’t make it right.”
“And what about us?” Starla looked at him through the veil of her lashes. “Tell me, what do we do now?”
Tygor grinned wickedly. “How about I show you instead?”
Marteeka Karland
Marteeka Karland is an ordinary woman with an overactive imagination. Thank God for a computer, or tape recorder, or pen and paper… whatever she can create a story with! Her husband sometimes thinks she’s nuts and asks her every time she gets frustrated with her latest deadline, “Is it really worth all this?” And every time, she answers, “HELL YES!”
Apart from writing, Marteeka’s alter ego has worked in the Emergency Room for more years than she’ll admit. She has a loving husband, who still chuckles when he tells a buddy exactly what that Goddess of Water T-shirt is all about, and a son who is blissfully ignorant to anything other than he’s not allowed to “push buttons” on Mommy’s computer.
Marteeka welcomes mail at [email protected], and you can visit her website at http://www.marteekakarland.com.
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