Bhyr freed himself and bent his knees. He dragged the head of his shaft against her slippery flesh, the sensation uniquely arousing, then thrust inside, moaning at the flutters sucking him deeper. He gripped her hips and set a fast pace, snarling when she braced her hands against the wall so he could pound her harder. Indira reached between her legs and touched herself, shameless in her quest for pleasure. He felt her channel tighten. She was close. He laved the back of her neck and let himself go. His cum punched from his seed sacks with such force, his back bowed. He grunted, shivering when Indira followed him over the precipice, grinding to prolong the pleasure.
The air between them cooled, the tension eased.
‘Please,’ he said quietly.
She groaned, head falling back to hit his chest. ‘Fine. You win.’ She laughed tiredly. ‘Let me have a bath and grab something to eat. Then you have permission to stash me in this super secret safe place.’
His eyes closed. It was a hollow victory. ‘Thank you.’
Time passed swiftly, and long before he felt ready, Bhyr stood on the colony ship and gazed at his female’s face, searching for the words to say farewell without alerting her to the fact she was leaving.
‘You okay?’ Indira asked. ‘You look sort of sad. Which is insulting considering the hot sex we had earlier.’
He blinked, rubbed his skull ridges. ‘I am dreading the Hunt.’ He managed a smile. ‘I do not want to leave you but I must. It is my duty.’
‘I know. It’s noble you put them first, and I appreciate you taking the breeder deaths seriously.’
Bhyr nodded, eyes fixed on hers. ‘Each moment I am without you, my heart bleeds.’
‘Um, okay.’ Her gaze angled down, cheeks gaining heat.
He grinned. The weight on his heart lightened for a moment. ‘Having you here has made my life worth living. You are the light of my life. The stars in my sky. The sun–’
‘Ugh.’ She slapped a hand over his mouth. ‘Stop teasing me.’ As she spoke, Indira cocked her head side to side, studying his face. She moved her hand to cup his cheek. ‘You’re okay? There’s nothing else you want to talk about before you go?’
Breaking away from her probing stare, he shook his head, brushing a kiss across her temple. ‘I just miss you.’
‘I miss you, too, when you’re gone.’ Indira went up onto her toes. He lowered to wrap his arms tight around her waist. She leaned her upper body back to kiss his him hard on the mouth. ‘So come back soon.’ Her brow rumpled. ‘Remember one thing for me? This conflict isn’t about destroying an enemy you hate. It’s about protecting what you love.’ She kissed his chin with a smacking sound. ‘You tell your warriors that.’ She patted his chest. ‘Good luck hunting. Bring back something delicious.’
Unable to speak, he nodded. He felt her eyes on his back long after he’d left her.
With each step, his heart shredded into bloodless pieces that would never again be whole. It hurt. More than he could have anticipated or prepared to endure. His warriors streamed from the rooms into the corridor, their sorrow a palpable weight, crushing the life from the air.
Heaviness dragged at Bhyr’s limbs and left him numb. He kept the agony from his face. He needed to be strong.
They left down the main cargo ramp. Hydraulic gears whined, then the ramp retracted and the door closed with a solid clunk, a hiss of compressed air whooshing around them in a cold cloud.
‘Are you sure about this?’ Bihter asked with more than a hint of desperation.
Ohx gripped his shoulder, shaking his head.
Bihter slumped. ‘Forgive me. This is hard enough without my doubts.’
‘I do what is best.’ Bhyr fought to keep his voice steady. ‘They cannot survive here on their own. If they could, I would never… I have no choice.’ He turned his back to the ship. ‘I cannot watch her leave.’ He mounted and rode away.
He did not look back.
36
Indira
Something about the situation bugged me like the ache of a rotten tooth. I sat with Cristina, Ashleigh and Mayumi, the women who had become my informal council, and peered in the direction the warriors disappeared after we settled.
Rather, after the other three settled. I still had on my hooded fur cape and had yet to unhook my pouch belt.
My fingers tapped a staccato beat against my knee.
‘Indira, are you listening?’ Ashleigh grabbed my arm. ‘This is important. I know you don’t care about having children, but the women want to know they have protection. We want written proof of the First’s new Laws regarding our citizenship and we want to make sure we have equal rights to any and all children born of our unions.’
Nodding absent-mindedly, I asked, ‘Does anything about this feel strange to you?’
Her gaze sharpened. She glanced around. ‘No. Why?’
‘Bhyr seemed off. I can’t put my finger on it, but something here is not right.’
‘There’s been a lot of change recently.’ Cristina rubbed my back to soothe me.
‘No, it’s just he felt….’ I trailed off unable to tease out the tangle to my satisfaction. ‘Why bring us here?’ I stood and paced the room. ‘Have any of you been here before?’
‘No,’ Mayumi replied, unconcerned. ‘Drayg said the Gathering Grotto is no longer safe after poor Hanna was murdered there. And since Wyrm lured you and Grace from your nests, it’s not safe to stay in them alone.’
‘That’s what Bihter told me,’ Cristina said. ‘He’d never lie to me,’ she added with emphasis proving she’d lost her mind to the joys of coupledom.
‘They have the same story,’ I said. ‘Doesn’t that seem rehearsed?’
The women shook their heads, nonplussed at my attitude. They hadn’t been told about the others who’d been killed. I understood why. I felt awful when Bhyr told me. It filled me with dread to tell them myself, no doubt they would know the victims, so I was putting it off until later, when I could escape shortly after.
‘Does it matter why we’re in this exact place?’ Mayumi asked. ‘It’s nice enough.’
I took in the room and felt my unease grow.
The Horde preferred natural settings. The only modern equipment they used was for space travel, medical emergencies, and intergalactic trade and communications. Electronics, manufactured furniture, and controlled climates were shunned for the most part as they associated these things with the despotic rule of their females.
The room we sat in was weird when taken into context.
I might understand them bringing us here to make us humans feel more comfortable, but I didn’t think their social etiquette had evolved to that level of introspection yet.
I hesitated to shake it off.
‘Go find him before he leaves and ask what his problem is then.’ Ashleigh flung up her arms. ‘I doubt you’ll be of much use until you do. We’ll just have to make this crucial, life-altering decision without you.’
‘Really? Great.’
‘I wasn’t being serious.’
‘No? I was.’ I took hold of her shoulders. ‘Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. I need to focus on helping Bhyr guide the Horde into developing a more balanced view of the world.’ My brows rose. ‘I’m sure you agree that’s going to take some doing.’
Her arms folded. ‘What’s your point?’
‘I’m the titular head of our ragtag government, a figurehead, so to speak, but you are the acting minister.’
‘Since when?’
‘Since now. You hold council, you draft laws and kick them up to me, which I’ll then veto or pass onto Bhyr to make Law where he sees fit.’ I patted her shoulders. ‘So, right now, this is your show. Run with it.’
Such were the joys of delegating. I’d missed having a lackey. My thoughts briefly travelled to my old assistant on Earth. I hoped he’d gotten my job. He’d wanted it from the moment I’d hired him.
‘Why me?’ Ashleigh asked. ‘I thought you would have picked Cristina.’
‘
You’ll be insufferable if I don’t get you busy.’ I paused. ‘Mayumi and Cristina have decided on their career plans. They’ll push back if I try to assign this responsibility to them. It’s like you said–this is important. It needs someone who has the time to dedicate to it, and who will treat it with the respect it deserves.’ That and Ashleigh was a bit of a bitch, which was great, because so was I. We’d keep each other in check to everyone’s benefit.
‘My career aspirations?’
‘Astrophysics, right? Do you want to keep theorising when the proven fact is recorded in the databanks for you to download? What was cutting edge on Earth is basic universal truths out here.’
Sighing, she dropped her crossed arms. ‘You’re making an annoying amount of sense. Fine. I’ll hold onto this hot potato, but I reserve the right to throw it right back at you.’
‘Deal.’ I was already half way across the room.
‘Why do I feel as if you’ve conned me?’
‘I can’t hear you.’
Free at last, I hurried down the long corridor. The ventilation hummed so loudly the rubberised tiles beneath my boots vibrated. I passed a half opened hatch. Muffled singing drifted from it, and I slowed to peek inside.
At the entrance of my disembodied head, a woman startled. ‘Hey?’ Her accent was American, but I couldn’t have guessed from which state.
‘I didn’t mean to scare you.’ I leaned further in.
The surprise on her face cleared to be replaced with recognition. ‘You’re the First’s woman and our auspicious leader.’ She snapped her fingers and pointed. ‘Indira, right?’
Dismayed to be thought of as Bhyr’s woman foremost, I wiggled my fingers. ‘Sorry again about….’ I motioned to myself then the doorway.
‘Ahh.’ She waved away my apology. ‘No problem. I didn’t know there was another group so close. Our men left us here while out hunting with the First.’ She smiled, eyes crinkling. ‘It’s awesome to meet you in person. I was sorry to hear about what happened to you. Gave me chills. I’m glad you’re okay. If you ever need to talk, I’m a good listener.’
I blinked. ‘Oh. Thank you.’ I backed up a step. ‘I’m running an errand, but my council are the next door down if you’re interested. They’re talking parental rights.’
Out of curiosity and growing suspicion, I popped my head inside the next hatch I passed. Another group of women lazed about and chattered. This klatch was bigger than the last, and my arrival and leave-taking went unnoticed. By the time I’d travelled the length of the building, I’d come across seven other groups ranging from almost twenty to near fifty women per group. Some noticed me and were happy to see me, introducing themselves and talking up (or down) their warriors. Most didn’t register my quiet if somewhat frantic passing, too engrossed in conversation after days of isolation with their males.
All humans were present.
We hadn’t been together like this since the abduction.
My instincts screamed at me. I was missing a piece of the puzzle. A big piece. It was time to tell the others about the women killed by the Arj and get their take on what our mates were up to.
As I backtracked a plaque caught my eye.
Bridge–Navigation/Emergency Exit.
I studied the glyphs closer.
Pleased, I nodded, certain I’d accurately translated the marks. I examined the strange doorway and remembered it was one of the living elevators Bhyr had used to take me to and from the healing pod. The door peeled open and was indeed the fleshy, rounded bulb I remembered. I moseyed in and twiddled my fingers over the protrusions that acted as levers. Two choices. Up for the Bridge–Navigation or down for the Emergency Exit. I chose up and let it whisk me through space to its preprogrammed destination.
It opened into a triangular hall filled with rows of computer stations that resembled crystal shards, winking pastel lights and three dimensional holographic screens.
Eyebrows meeting in the middle of my forehead, my gaze skipped over the closest screen and its scrolling glyphs.
The marks were too technical and moving too fast for me to understand.
Biting my thumbnail, a habit I’d borrowed from Cristina, my eyes jumped from the screen to the ornate seat in the middle of the room. A futuristic chair of electrum and faceted crystals in smoky shades of silver, it faced an exterior wall I imagined was transparent beyond its metal shutters.
Why am I in a cockpit?
I wandered over to what I now understood was the First’s throne and dropped onto it. I fiddled with the end of my braid, chewing on my lip as I tried to put myself in Bhyr’s frame of mind for bringing us here. The explanation of needing us somewhere safe so they could hunt was a damned lie. I could see it now. We humans often needed to see each other for support and comfort, yes, and the Gathering Grotto wasn’t safe, okay, but this random spaceship in the middle of nowhere was the better option?
All so the entire Horde could go off on a hunting trip which left us devoid of protection?
‘Should have paid more attention,’ I muttered.
I’d been too busy getting fucked face-first against the wall to question him. An act that now seemed suspicious, too. A smaller hologram was built into the chair’s armrest.
Slouching to get comfortable for a long think, I glanced at it, distracted by my scattered thoughts, only to do a double take when I recognised the glyphs as numbers.
It was counting.
Backwards.
Motionless, I stared, the gears in my brain grinding.
An idea came to mind, but I dismissed it because he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t.
So, I was in a cockpit. On a spaceship. And little screen was counting down to what?
A detonation?
Ignition?
Everything was powered on and functioning, but there were no piloting crew present, so it’s not like we were going anywhere. Trying my luck, I tapped a few buttons to access more information.
A warning screen popped up denying me access to the autopilot routine.
‘Autopilot,’ I said aloud.
My thoughts coalesced and crystallised into a single point of comprehension.
Not loud vents humming.
Engines warming.
Eyes rounding, I jerked onto my feet. ‘Bloody liar!’ I was on the move before I could finish forming the curse.
The countdown had less than five minutes, if I’d read the intergalactic clock correctly. I hadn’t been diligent at thinking in chimes, spans, and rotations instead of minutes, hours and days. I’d been faffing about for nearly half an hour while the ship’s systems were getting ready to jettison me and the other women into outer space.
Even sprinting, I wouldn’t reach the others before it was too late. They were located too deep into the ship. I didn’t think, I reacted.
I couldn’t leave the planet.
I can’t leave Bhyr.
Throwing myself into the elevator, I smacked the Emergency Exit lever. It spat me out onto a rocky ledge.
I glissaded down the screed slope and away from the ship, counting silently in my head.
Thrumming from the engines exploded into a thunderous roar that hurt my ears. I shaded my eyes as the sleek vessel lifted into a vertical climb. My breath came faster, nose flooded with ozone, its taste burnt on my tongue. I covered my nose and mouth to try and inhale less of the toxic gas. A burst of light blinded me, followed by a hollow boom, which knocked me flat and strafed me with stinging speckles of ice. A particle cloud of snow and disintegrating mulch mushroomed in an arc feet from where I lay sprawled, sweeping past to mist my vision in shades of red.
The spaceship darted higher into the atmosphere, turning to orient itself, and then disappeared into the star-strewn beyond.
I struggled up onto my elbows and glanced around, blinking to clear grit from my round eyes. ‘Well, shit.’
37
Indira
Cristina, Ashleigh and the other women were gone.
Where am I exactly?
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I staggered up and paced a circle trying to make sense of the last five minutes.
‘This is bad.’ A deluge of panic built inside my chest, ready to topple over and crush me. I blew out a breath to cool my hot face. ‘Bad, bad, bad.’
The Horde had left.
Earth was muddy and churned where their goodbeasts had been tethered. Murky puddles of urine and nose-wrinkling droppings littered the area, but the animals themselves–like their warrior masters–were long gone.
A trampled trail of hoof prints lead off to nowhere.
I had a wild thought to run down it before common sense told me I’d never tracked a trail in my life. I’d likely lose it then end up hopelessly lost and dead of starvation and thirst.
Speaking of thirst, a memory of Bhyr stuffing things into pouches on my belt before we left that morning had me bouncing on my toes.
I patted myself down.
My heart leapt. ‘Oh, thank goodness.’ I had all the paraphernalia Bhyr insisted I carry when we left the nest.
Tears of gratitude for his thoughtfulness pricked my eyes. I brushed trembly hands over a bulging pouch of inert hot rocks, my round waterskin, reassuringly heavy, a short length of woven braid to tie back my hair, a basic sewing kit to fix tears in my clothing, and the antler knife.
‘Okay,’ I said striving for calm. ‘This is a bad deal, but so was getting abducted by aliens. You handled that. You’ll handle this.’ I sounded so convincing.
I dragged a shaking hand through my hair, wincing when I encountered the remains of my braid.
Almost disbelieving of my good fortune to have mate so solicitous of my needs he’d provided me with the basics for survival in absentia, I jiggled my waterskin, comforted by its sloshing. A fierce surge of pride lit my chest until it spread through my extremities. Was there anything sexier than a capable male who took good care of you? Who made sure you had tools to take care of yourself should you be separated? And as the pièce de résistance gave you multiple orgasms? I also had a pouch filled with trail mix, the ratio rigorously tried and tested to keep Bhyr from regurgitating in my mouth whenever my stomach gurgled.
Bhyr Page 33
