Wereplanets

by Crystal Jordan

  She curled her arms around his neck. “I needed to—”

  “I know, little bear.” Dipping his chin in Bretton’s direction, the Arctic Bear lord turned in the direction of the Undine sector.

  “Wait, Kesuk.” She patted his giant shoulder, and he stopped in his tracks. She glanced back at Bretton. “You’ll dine with us this evening, won’t you?”

  Bretton’s eyebrows arched that the huge man listened to his woman. Bretton’s experience with werebears was one of primitive, barely evolved humans. Perhaps he should learn some acceptance from Sera. He bowed to the dark-haired woman. “It would be my honor, Lady Jain.”

  Chapter 4

  But Bretton never managed to dine with Jain and Kesuk. She’d gone into early labor and been rushed to the medical facilities for surgery. A harrowing night in the hospital led to the birth of a baby daughter—Sakari—for Jain and her werebear lord. Relief filled Bretton’s chest because she’d survived and was recovering well.

  Knowing Sera would be there and frightened for her friend, he’d forced himself to stay away. He’d want to hold her, and he could not. Comforting her would too easily lead to more. He was already a man at war with himself, his deepest wants battling for supremacy. Leading himself into the temptation to touch her would be foolish. He sighed and leaned his forehead against the cool, bowed glass window in his quarters. He could only pray that it became easier to avoid her in the future.

  Light sparkled and flashed just below his window. One glance revealed it was Sera. He sighed again. Her red hair flowed around her as she swam in a tight silver suit. Bubbles rose from her face as she breathed in and out through a small apparatus she held in her mouth—something she had invented to adapt to his world. It was unfortunate that her adaptation was limited to the physical realm and not to the social structure of Aquatilis.

  The two bottle-nosed dolphins she’d adopted when she’d come to his world swam in circles around her along with a young sea dragon. Its green scales gleamed in the light from the city. With a rusty chuckle, he wondered if it was related to any of the three weredragons that had come with Varad and Mahlia. Sea dragons had been gene-spliced with humans to create the weredragons that inhabited Harena.

  Sera moved along the base of the corridor, and Bretton could only assume she was checking for something. He had no idea what. Technology wasn’t something he knew a great deal about. He knew how to operate machinery as well as the next person, but he had no idea why it worked. Sera did.

  He watched her, and the band of emotion that gripped him whenever he thought of her tightened.

  One of the dolphins nudged her side, and she flipped, a rush of bubbles erupting from her nose. If he concentrated he could hear the playful clicks and chirps as the dolphins chattered back and forth. As a merman he had enhanced hearing and sight, especially underwater. He grinned. Sera righted herself and gave a hand signal to the dolphin, who swam away and left her with the other dolphin and the sea dragon.

  She continued with her work until the dragon’s tail wrapped around her legs, pinning her in place. Her arms pinwheeled in the water as she struggled to get away. The sea dragon whipped her around the way it would while playing with another dragon. Bretton’s heart slammed against his ribs when he saw her lose her breathing apparatus. Her hand shot out to grab it. And missed.

  Not pausing to see what else happened, he sprinted for the corridor. The muscles in his arms and legs screamed as he pushed himself to the limit to get to the emergency exit. Terror like he’d never known before fisted in his gut. He slammed his palm against the control panel, and the exit spun open. Grabbing the bar above the chute, he lifted his legs and swung himself in feet first. The tube snapped shut behind him, and with a rush of air and water, it ejected him out into the ocean.

  Please, Neptune, let her be all right. Please, Neptune, don’t let her inhale water. Please.

  His hands clawed through the water as he swam. He shifted mid-stroke, and his pants ripped away as his legs snapped together to fuse into a tail. He kicked hard, slicing through the water faster than he’d ever thought possible. Where was she? His gaze caught on the flash of green scales. The sea dragon.

  Relief ballooned inside him when he saw Sera still struggling against the grip of its tail. He darted forward, wrapped his arm around her waist, and slammed the flat of his own tail into the dragon’s snout. It reared back, stunned. It loosened its hold just enough for Bretton to wrench Sera free.

  Her terrified silver gaze met his as they pushed away from the sea dragon. He pulled a breath in through the gills in his nose, sealed his mouth over hers and pushed the air into her lungs. She sucked in a desperate breath, burying her fingers in his hair to hold him to her. Her legs snapped around his waist in a vice grip.

  Flicking his tail, he sped them toward the nearest shifting chamber in the main dome. His heart hammered in his ears, fear still pumping adrenaline through his system. He’d almost lost her. Neptune’s blood, he’d almost lost her. He slapped his hand against the palm panel so the iris door spun open and then closed behind them. Pushing another breath past her lips, he grunted when she licked her way into his mouth. Fire exploded in his body as the stark terror twisted into molten lust.

  Their tongues twined, fighting for control of the kiss. He shifted into his human form, his cock a rigid arc that pressed between her legs. The chamber drained of water quickly and left them shrouded in mist. He shoved her up against the wall, ripping open the seam of her wet suit. He jerked the top of the silver fabric down to her waist. Breaking the kiss, he sucked her nipple into his mouth and bit at the tight crest. She cried out, her hips rotating against his.

  “Let go,” he ordered, his fingers wrapping around her bent knees.

  She whimpered and eased her grip on him. He pushed her legs down and peeled the wet suit off of her and threw it aside. He thrust his fingers into the hot depths of her pussy, working her hard.

  “Bretton, I—”

  He dragged her to the cold metal floor of the chamber and shoved her thighs wide, pushing himself between them. He had to have her. Now. Their mouths fused together, and he tasted blood when she bit him. It spurred him on, made him wilder than he’d ever been before. He buried his cock deep in her pussy.

  She moaned into his mouth, her feet pressing down on the back of his thighs to push him closer. His hips bucked as he thrust into her tight, wet sex. The sleekness of her gripped his cock and made him feel as if his head would explode. He’d never wanted anything as desperately as he wanted her now. He was too rough with her, fucked her as hard and as fast as he could. He ground his pelvis against hers, needed to burn off the terror he’d experienced when he’d seen her attacked by the sea dragon. Her body arched to meet him, demanding he give her everything. Her fingers jerked the thong from his hair and twisted in the dark strands as they spilled down around them.

  He broke the kiss, wanting to see her face flushed with passion. Her gray eyes glittered with the same harsh need that ripped through his body. Her fingers fisted in his hair, and her eyes squeezed closed, a tear leaking from the corner. She writhed beneath him, her sex milking his cock in long contractions as orgasm shook through her. Her body bowed so hard she lifted him with her. “Bretton!”

  Hammering his hips against her, he felt the thin thread of control he had left snap. Her wetness coated his cock with every shove into her pussy. Fire rushed through his veins until everything but the feel of her silky flesh was burned from his mind. His body locked in a hard line as he came deep into her.

  He collapsed against her, his face buried in the smooth curve of her neck. She smelled of the sea and of the signature sweetness that was uniquely Sera. His muscles shook in the aftermath, his breath bellowing out in harsh pants.

  “Are you all right, fire fin?” he rasped. He leveraged himself up on his hands over her. Her gray eyes were smoky with spent passion. She nodded, stretched her arms over her head, and yawned.

  Her lip was split, and she licked at the small
cut. A cut he’d caused. Cold rushed through him. What had he done? He’d fucked her like a madman after she’d nearly drowned. What was wrong with him? He’d clearly taken leave of his senses—as he always seemed to when she was involved. Anger at himself mingled with the residual fear for her. He shuddered when he pulled his cock from her body, but he forced himself to push to his feet. He needed to get out of here. His father was right—he’d lost all perspective around Sera. He became someone he shouldn’t be. It was lunacy.

  Wrapping his fingers around her biceps, Bretton drew her to her feet and turned away while she dressed. He tried to shut out the sounds of her movements, tried not to imagine her soft curves and how much he still wanted her. Approaching the locking panel to the interior door, he stared at it as if he’d never seen one before.

  “Is it punishment?”

  “What?” He barely heard her as he attempted to gather the unraveling ends of his composure before they stepped out of the shifting chamber and into the main dome of the city.

  “The way you avoid seeing me now, even in private. Is it punishment for something I’ve done?” Hurt softened the edge of her voice, and her voice caught.

  His gaze snapped to her face, and his gut twisted tight. Sweet Neptune, don’t let her cry. He didn’t think he could bear it. It was hard enough to maintain any distance between them without the screaming need to comfort and hold her coursing through him. He snorted a laugh. Oh, he’d had such luck maintaining his distance so far. He opened the door, and both of them stepped through it.

  She obviously misinterpreted his laugh, because her chin came up, and her eyes narrowed. “You had to know I’d want you there last night with Jain in surgery.”

  “I am not at your beck and call, Doctor Gibbons,” he grated out, nearly choking on the words that would wound her.

  Wincing, she glanced away, and the light faded from her lovely gray eyes. “I never thought you were. I didn’t force any of this on you, Bretton.”

  “I know.” His jaw clenched tight. He did know. He’d wanted everything she had to give and more. It just wasn’t meant to be.

  A deep breath lifted her breasts, and he made his gaze stay locked on her face. “Then…thank you for saving me. I’m sorry to have troubled you.”

  Turning, she faded into the crowd. It took every shred of his strength not to call her back, to apologize for hurting her, to apologize for being the man he was. They were just so different. Too different. He curled his fingers into tight balls. If he didn’t have the fortitude to stay away from her, then this might make her keep away from him. Cursing himself for being a bastard, he slammed his fist against the nearest wall. He welcomed the pain he so richly deserved as it reverberated up his arm.

  Several people turned to stare at him, and he knew word of this would get back to his father and the Senate. For once, he didn’t care.

  Sera curled into a ball in her bed and buried her head under the covers. After she’d run from Bretton, she’d wanted to put as much distance between them as possible. How clearer could he have made himself? He wasn’t interested. Sex was all she was good for. It hurt, but she had to accept it. Really, finally accept it. She still ached with the soul-deep pain of it after a night’s sleep. Forcing herself to crawl out of bed, she dressed, ate, and walked into her laboratory.

  Oeric reported to her lab at the time she’d instructed. She’d canceled the day before because she’d spent a long night in the hospital with Kesuk and the weretigers and weredragons while they waited for news about Jain. The young merman knocked once, stepped through the door, and stood at almost military attention. He didn’t touch anything, kept his hands folded behind his back.

  She sighed, scrubbing a hand over her forehead. What was she going to do with this man? All her problems lately seemed to revolve around males. She suppressed a growl and pushed to her feet from the stool she sat on.

  “Have you ever done any underwater repairs?” She needed out of the city today, needed to not see Bretton. Reaching for her wet suit, she tucked it under her arm. Then she grabbed her flippers and her small rebreather from their compartments in the wall. The breathing apparatus had arrived this morning in the tubes that connected the shifting chambers with everyone’s personal quarters. Bretton must have gone back for it. She closed her eyes over the pang that clenched her heart.

  Oeric blinked at the abrupt question. “Ah, no. But I promise not to get in the way.”

  A chuckle bubbled up from her throat. “That was the right answer.”

  “I thought as much.”

  She nodded and led the way down the corridor to the small dome at the end of the Titan sector. Her two sea skimmers were docked in the dome. One was a single-person skimmer, and the other could hold four. She punched in her authorization code to the second docking hatch. It parted in the middle to reveal the cockpit of the larger skimmer.

  Stuffing her gear into the tiny shifting chamber at the rear of the skimmer, she performed the mandatory checks before they could get under way. Oeric sealed the door behind him and then stood to the side and watched her work. She shrugged and ignored him. She’d expected it to feel more…uncomfortable to have him here. The man was enormous, nearly the same size as Kesuk and Nadir—the two largest men she’d ever seen. But Oeric was just calm and silent. After a few moments, she forgot he was there and lost herself in the familiar process.

  When she turned, he strapped himself into the copilot’s chair. She plopped into the pilot’s seat and finished the last of the checks. They both put on the headsets that would allow them to hear over the cold fusion engine—the same power source that fueled everything on Aquatilis. Reaching under the dash, she pulled out a holosheet and handed it to Oeric. His eyes narrowed as he read it. He nodded. “The checklist you just ran through.”

  “Yep.”

  “Thank you.” He tucked the sheet into the front pocket of his jumpsuit. She waited a beat, expecting him to ask where they were going. He didn’t.

  She grinned. “We’re headed for the sea cow ranches on the rim.”

  “Manatees and dugongs both prefer the warmer waters that erupt from volcanic vents on the rim. Sea cow, or sea cattle, is a misnomer.”

  “Head of the class.”

  He leaned against his straps to get a look out the bubble-shaped glass that made up the cockpit of the skimmer. Her personal skimmer was simply a ball of glass with controls and sea-floor sensors on the anchor legs, but this one had a large metal body attached to the rear of the glass that made it look like an underwater version of an Earth hovercopter.

  The skimmer propelled them at a speed no merman could match, so she imagined this was the fastest Oeric had ever gone. A boyish look of delight crossed his normally impassive face. It made him look his age, which, after she’d read his personnel file, she now knew to be twenty-two. She smiled in response.

  She cued the comm. “Atlantis Skimmer Two to Ariel Ranch, come in please.”

  The line crackled for a moment before a woman’s voice came back. “Sera! It’s so good to hear from you again.”

  “Hi, Nara. I’m just going to run some quick external tests on your systems.”

  “You can’t stay for a meal?”

  “I want to check the rest of the ranches. If I hurry, I can get to everyone today.”

  “Next time, then. And please do stop by on your way back to Atlantis if you have time.”

  “Will do.” As they swooped around the ranch, Sera could make out the large herds of slow swimming sea cow.

  Flicking several switches over her head, she powered up the scanners that would sweep the ranch and give her readings on the life-support and biological systems. She cleared her throat and quickly explained to Oeric what she was doing. He nodded but didn’t comment. She sighed. Good, he wasn’t going to ask a hundred questions. Because it was a standard operation, it was easier to explain than when she was working on an invention or fixing anything.

  Her dolphins, Aveta and Sulis, darted around the skimmer in
wide arcs. She grinned. “Looks like we have company.”

  “I’d heard of your pet dolphins.” He craned his neck to follow the path of Sulis. “Will they stay with us the entire time?”

  “Unlikely, but they have once or twice before. I usually go too fast for them to keep up between ranches, and they get bored and go back to Atlantis by the time they catch up to me at the third or fourth ranch.”

  “I see.” He nodded.

  The holoscreen on the skimmer flashed the test results. She flicked the comm controls again. “Atlantis Skimmer Two to Ariel Ranch. All systems are green.”

  Nara’s voice came back immediately. “Thank you, Sera. It’s such a relief to have you here to do this now.”

  “You’re welcome. Have a good day, and I’ll be back in a few weeks to check again. Send me a burst transmission if you have any problems.”

  “I will.” A cheerful lilt sounded in Nara’s voice. “And you’ll overnight with us next time.”

  “I promise.” Sera often escaped out to the rim when Atlantis got a bit too constricting for her. They were warm and had a hard-nosed practicality that people who lived in the city had never needed to develop.

  Four hours later, she let Oeric run the last scan. The kid was bright and willing to learn. Easy to work with, which was not something she could say of many of the uptight merpeople.

  Her comm device crackled, and a soft female voice came through. “Hahn Ranch to Atlantis Skimmer Two. Come in, please.”

  Sera frowned and cued her headset. “This is Atlantis Skimmer Two. Go ahead, Hahn Ranch.”

  The woman’s tone remained neutral. “I have Ambassador Hahn here. He’s asked for permission to come aboard and ride back to Atlantis with you.”

  Her heart slammed in her chest. Bretton. There was no way to say no, which meant spending time with him in the tight quarters of the skimmer. She was more grateful than ever that she’d brought Oeric with her today. What was Bretton doing out on the rim? “Tell the ambassador we’d be happy to give him a lift. We’ll set down a kilometer east of your herds. Have him swim out to meet us.”