Rebel (The Cat Star Chronicles)

by Cheryl Brooks

  “Must’ve skipped me when you were handing out jobs,” Rashe replied. “But I volunteer to be in charge of security.”

  “Just dying to use that tomahawk on somebody, aren’t you?”

  “First time for everything.” He patted the hilt. “I’d dearly love to break it in on a Herpatronian’s head. You know, we really should’ve dragged a Herp along with us last night. The interrogation would’ve been fun.”

  “Somehow I think the girls might’ve gotten further with that. Their threats would’ve been more…specific.” Onca had only twisted the nuts on one of them. He doubted the girls would have been quite as forgiving.

  “Probably would’ve had to lock the damned Herp up for his own protection.” Rashe nodded toward the doorway to the forest. “We could put ’em up on one of the risers.” Rashe’s swift, downward glance proved that the Rutaran salami was clearly evident. “Sorry about the pants, dude. That was the only pair I had aside from my buckskins. Couldn’t go there this time myself.” Settling his belt on his hips, Rashe adjusted his loincloth with a grimace. “Don’t know how I stood wearing them as long as I did.”

  Onca chuckled. “The loincloth shows off your ass better. The girls will love it.”

  “Hey, after all the creepy dudes those girls have had to put up with, a Norludian would probably look good.”

  “The Scorillian said she thinks Val is hot,” Roncas put in. “Must be the wings—although it amazes me that any of them would even want to lay eyes on a man again. Maybe they’re young enough to bounce back from this.” With a slow wag of her head, she added, “I don’t know how, though.”

  “Don’t want to look at another man myself. Already got one.”

  Her voice sounded as though she was on the verge of sleep, but Kim was obviously still awake. She looked so tiny lying there on the red velvet daybed.

  So beautiful…so completely adorable…

  Onca had never fucked anyone on one of those beds, which had been placed there for ladies to relax and recover from the effects of Zetithian sex. He had seldom seen any of his clients lying on the plush velvet, covered with satin sheets while sipping wine and nibbling on chocolate—he’d always been busy with the next one. At the moment, however, he wanted nothing more than to rip off his restrictive pants and dive into her. Right here, right now.

  I really need to get out of here.

  “I’ll, um, be in the office if anyone needs me.”

  “I need you.” Her voice was so soft he could have pretended he hadn’t heard her.

  But he had. “I’ll be back soon.” He hesitated in the doorway. “I promise.”

  A faint glimmer of a smile touched her lips. “I know you will.”

  The trick would be staying away long enough to get anything done. Anara wouldn’t arrive until morning, which gave him one more night with Kim. One night to make love with her on a grassy bower up in the trees where butterflies and twinkling lights hovered among the leaves. What would happen after that was anyone’s guess. Depending on what Anara advised, he might give himself up or allow himself to be arrested and imprisoned—he might even be deported—but come what may, by morning Kim would be carrying his young, and she would know how much he loved her. That was one battle he refused to fight any longer.

  I surrender.

  Hell, he surrendered now.

  In an instant, he was on his knees beside her. She was in his arms, and as his lips found hers every shred of his resistance crumbled. Everything about her cried out to him, drowning his senses—her scent, her flavor, the feel of her body against his, the beat of her heart, and the breath in her lungs. All of it came crashing down around him at once. He had fought against millions of years of Zetithian evolution and lost, and along the way, he’d lost his heart to a tiny woman with huge brown eyes and a smile that robbed him of breath.

  Roncas squawked like a Resaneden goose about to become someone’s dinner. Rashe mumbled something about security. The door to the main chamber slid shut behind them.

  “I love you,” he whispered against her lips. “Do you hear me, Kim? I love you. I can’t explain it or fight it and I don’t even want to try.”

  Her sigh flowed over his skin as her essence seeped in through his pores. The delicate aroma that was so uniquely hers filled his lungs and rushed through his bloodstream until he knew he could have identified her blindfolded from a hundred meters away. His own purr roared in his ears, blocking out any other sounds save for those made by his adorable Kim. Her sighs, her soft moans, her hums of pleasure. He relished every one of them. Vowing to draw more from her, he paused only a moment to rid himself of his clothing.

  Onca had seldom had to undress a woman. His clients had always come to him already disrobed. Nevertheless, he made quick work of Kim’s clothes and cast them aside. Already her body seemed fuller, not quite as painfully thin as it had been the first time he held her. It didn’t seem possible, but he’d fallen in love with her in that same space of time—a span of days that seemed far longer than the actual hours that had passed.

  Softer than the velvet upon which she lay, her wet warmth beckoned and she moaned as he sank into her.

  “Mmm…love that.” Nothing had ever felt so good or so right as she wrapped her arms around him, drawing him in, holding him close, and whispering words that filled him with joy. “Love you.”

  ***

  He didn’t leave me.

  Kim held Onca’s face in her hands, gazing up into his glowing green eyes before pulling him down for another kiss. An orgasm gripped her from within, disrupting his rhythm.

  He didn’t seem to mind the distraction, kissing her thoroughly before resuming his steady pace. “You do love me, don’t you?”

  She frowned. “Always have, I think. Maybe even before I met you.”

  Had she ever had a premonition or a vision of him? If so, she couldn’t recall it—at least not with any clarity. Something had kept her going, even when she should’ve given up hope. Perhaps it was him—or the idea of him. At the moment, however, none of that mattered. The ache in her heart had eased along with the ache in her core. He was here, moving inside her, filling the emptiness in her soul with warmth and light—and he was Zetithian enough not to question her peculiar response to his query.

  With a smile, he rocked into her again, moving his strong cock in sweeping circles, stimulating her sweet spots and drawing gasps of delight from her with every thrust. She hugged his cock with her inner muscles, seeking to give him as much pleasure as she could while intensifying her own.

  “We’re mates now, aren’t we?” she asked.

  “Oh, yeah…”

  “Jack can’t marry me off to one of her sons, can she?”

  “No. And even if she could, I wouldn’t let her. I tried being gracious and magnanimous, but there’s nothing noble about me. Her boys can find their own women. You’re mine.”

  Since this was in perfect accord with her own views on the subject, she saw no need to discuss it any further. “Should I bite you to seal the deal?”

  “Sure. Bite me, smack me, kiss me—whatever you want—just don’t ever leave me.”

  Kim knew she wouldn’t leave him—at least not voluntarily. She wasn’t so sure about Onca. “I won’t—if you’ll promise not to leave me.”

  “I promise.”

  “But what if they throw you in jail?”

  “You’ll have to come and visit me.” He dropped another kiss on her lips. “Hourly.”

  Onca followed the kiss with a plunge of his cock that made Kim forget all about biting him. She felt no need to mark him as hers now. He had claimed her as his own, and she had his promise. A swipe of his tongue on her neck sent her dangerously close to another climax.

  “If you keep doing that, they’ll have to lock me up along with you,” she warned.

  “Not for long. After you have triplets, the guards will be begging the warden to release us.”

  “But I’m not pregnant.”

  His crooked smile promise
d she soon would be. “Wait for it…”

  Arching his back, he sucked in a sharp breath as his head snapped back, sending his hair cascading over his shoulders. Was there ever a more glorious sight than her darling Onca at the height of ecstasy? She thought not. He was beautiful. No other word came close to describing him—he was beautiful in body as well as in soul.

  As he reached his deepest penetration yet, her body imploded, drawing him in to the point that they truly became one. Still, she kept her eyes open wide, watching as his climax unfolded. She saw it all. The strong lines of his neck. The slope of his shoulders. The muscles of his chest and arms as they contracted. His explosive, purring exhale. The eventual dip of his head. The hair sweeping forward to frame his face. His glowing pupils dilated to their fullest as his gaze met hers.

  Then the ecstasy shifted to her. Heated blood rushed through her vessels and time stood still as his essence overcame her senses, filling her with joy. Somewhere deep inside her, she became aware of a slight ping, followed by another and another. Her awareness expanded, surging to a peak before flowing down over herself and three new entities—the three fresh lives to renew the cycle.

  “Did you feel that?” he whispered.

  She replied with a nod. “We have children now.” Pausing as additional knowledge slid into her mind from a source hitherto untapped. “Two boys and a girl.”

  “You say that like you know for sure.”

  Closing her eyes, she touched each of the tiny motes with a wisp of her psyche. “I do.” Marveling at the wondrous nature of this new level of consciousness, she touched them again, watching them bounce away with a vibration that seemed to be…

  Laughter? Perhaps. She couldn’t distinguish their thoughts, but her own heart filled with the joy of simply being alive.

  “This may sound crazy,” she began, “but I can sense their emotions.”

  “Doesn’t sound crazy at all. How do they feel?”

  “Happy. Joyous. Thrilled.”

  Onca leaned down and kissed her—a kiss so achingly sweet and loving it brought tears to her eyes. “Me too.”

  Chapter 28

  After the first three reporters he called asked if he could get them a date with Jerden, Onca began to question his decision to target only women. Nevertheless, by the time he had contacted every female reporter in Damenk and a few in the neighboring city of Kartous, he felt confident that public opinion would be in his favor. Most of the former slave girls had expressed their willingness to talk, and he had no doubt that the Herp’s assault charges would look pretty stupid up against their testimony.

  Deciding that male reporters might be more sympathetic when it came to being buggered by a Herp—unless they happened to enjoy that sort of thing—Onca went back to the listings and called a few of the men on the Tribune staff. Four of them shuddered and the fifth was openly envious.

  Better scratch that one.

  He was about to call a sixth when Kim came into the office. He didn’t even have to look up to know it was her. The enticing aroma that preceded her told him all he needed to know.

  “How’s it going?” she asked.

  “Not bad. I think we’ll be okay.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Leaning in close behind him, she slid her arms around his neck and nipped his earlobe.

  One swift inhale sent his dick from flaccid to rigid in the space of three heartbeats. “Mother of the gods, you smell incredible!”

  “So do you.” Purring, she licked his neck. “I’m getting a real kick out of being a mom.”

  “Can you still pick up on their emotions?”

  “Seems that way. Then again, they don’t have much to be unhappy about at the moment, so I doubt their attitudes would change any.”

  Onca couldn’t remember a time when anything had been that simple, and he certainly couldn’t recall being in the womb. As terrifying as his birth must have been, he considered the loss of that memory to be fortuitous—along with the memory of being handed over to Amelyana by his parents.

  Or so he had always thought. Lately he’d begun to question whether being spared that trauma was worth the blow to his sense of identity. Although every child aboard the refugee ship had been orphaned, most of them at least knew who they were and where they came from. Onca had no idea. Looking back, it was a wonder he’d grown up as well-adjusted as he had—although some would argue that he hadn’t. He knew Jack’s opinion of him quite well. Fortunately, Kim didn’t seem to share it.

  Scooting his chair back from the desk, he pulled her into his lap, stroking his palms up and down her back. “What have you been up to?”

  “Trying to figure out how to feed an army of kids out of such a tiny kitchen.” A slow, wet kiss followed her reply—one that made his head spin and his dick ache. “Val hasn’t complained, but he’s bound to be getting tired of flying out for more groceries. Don’t suppose we could call the Norludians again, could we?” Purring, she traced the curve of his ear with the tip of her tongue.

  Onca didn’t notice his own purr until he tried to speak. “I don’t see why not. We could order some better equipment too. With a computer and a bank account, you can get damn near anything on this planet.”

  “If you trust the people who deliver it. Heard anything from Shemlak and Jatki?”

  “Not a peep,” he replied.

  “The kids keep trickling in, so they must still be out there recruiting. Dunno where they’ll all sleep tonight.”

  He grinned. “I know where we’re going to sleep. Up in the trees on one of the risers.”

  She didn’t pretend to miss his meaning. “I’ll try not to make too much noise.”

  “Good plan.” If he’d been in his typical state of undress, he could have slid his cock right into her tight pussy. Too bad she wasn’t equally naked or at least wearing a dress. Onca had never considered the advantages of skirts before, but those damned jeans gave him no access to her at all. He sucked in another lungful of her incredible aroma. “What is it about you that makes me want you so much?”

  Her impish smile made his heart turn somersaults. “Probably the same thing that makes me want you.”

  “No, wait. It’s because you’re pregnant. Pregnant women smell really good to Zetithian guys.”

  “So it’s only my scent?”

  He buried his face between her breasts. Even through her shirt, he could almost taste her. “That and everything else about you. How about closing the door and losing those jeans?”

  ***

  Kim had thought that becoming pregnant would diminish her need for him. Not so. If anything, her craving for him had quadrupled.

  At least I’m not dizzy anymore.

  She wondered briefly about the origin of such a peculiar symptom and why conception had cured it almost immediately. Perhaps Zetithian women were impossible to catch unless they were so dizzy they couldn’t stand up—normal-sized Zetithian women, that is. As little as Kim was, she had no doubt that Onca could easily outrun her. At the moment, however, running away was the very last thing on her mind. She tapped his nose with a fingertip. “Be right back.”

  Having closed the door securely, she gestured at the window that looked out onto the forest. “Can anyone see us in here?”

  “Not if you push that button on the sill.”

  With a tap of the control, the window lost its transparency, becoming the same shade of green as the wall around it. By the time she turned around, Onca was already peeling off his pants. “Been dying to get out of these damn things ever since I put them on.”

  “As tight as they are, it’s a wonder you can walk.”

  “No shit. I’m surprised my dick still works.”

  Her swift, downward glance revealed a perfectly functioning Zetithian penis—complete with the juice guaranteed to make the most disinterested woman imaginable moan with delight. “Looks fine to me.”

  His lips twitched into a smirk. “Better give it a thorough examination—just to be sure.”

  “Don�
��t worry. I will.” One lick sent her senses reeling. Taking him in her mouth had her squirming with anticipation. “Tastes okay. Not sure how well it’ll hold up under pressure, though.”

  “Want to test its penetration ability?”

  “Absolutely.” Toeing off her shoes, she stripped off the rest of her clothing. “Go for it.”

  In an instant, she was in his arms, lifted easily off her feet. As she wrapped her legs around his waist, he set her down on his prick, the head unerringly finding her slit. “Nothing wrong with the targeting capability.”

  “Mmm…glad to hear it.”

  Rocking her side to side, he worked her tight sheath down over his shaft. “Far enough?”

  “Almost.” Lifting her hips, she sat down hard, taking his full length inside her. “Perfect.”

  He sighed. “Oh, yeah… Do that again.”

  She did as he asked, then began grinding against his groin until the scalloped ridge raked her sweet spot. “Seems stiff enough…” With short, precise moves, she brought herself quickly to climax.

  “Neat trick,” he said. “But I bet I can top it.”

  “No way,” she murmured, savoring the pinnacle until his orgasmic juice triggered another rush of delight.

  “There’s something about having someone else do it to you, rather than doing it yourself.”

  Although she knew he was right, she opted for an adversarial stance. “Prove it.”

  A brief chuckle was his only response and her only warning as Onca sank to his knees, taking her down with him. A kiss stole her breath before he eased her backward until her head and shoulders touched the plush carpet. Holding her hips, he worked her sweet spot just as she had done, except this time, he was in control. The angle of his cock was perfect as his lazy, circular, seemingly random movements kept her guessing while driving her wild. She gazed up at him, enchanted by his cheeky grin and the auburn curls framing his face. Unable to reach him with her fingertips, she could only watch as muscles played beneath his skin and bask in the glow of his captivating green eyes. For her, he was the epitome of what a man should be. No others could even begin to compare.