She lacked way too much.
Once they saw the scars, they wouldn’t even be interested in her sexually. And that was a damned shame, because they were absolutely gorgeous men she wanted to know at least once in a carnal manner. Rachel was very aware of the arms around her, of their strength. It made her insides raw with want.
Erybet gave the handheld back to her. “Let’s go out to the balcony. The weather is too nice to be stuck inside.”
His arm remained around Rachel’s shoulders, and Sletran took her hand. She knew they couldn’t possibly desire her in any way now. Despite that, the feeling of being protected and safe persisted as Rachel walked between the two men through their home.
The balcony was awash in the bright sunlight. Rachel blinked after the dimmer environs of the home’s interior. Kalquor’s sun was farther away from the planet than Earth’s beacon had been, but this sun was larger. After a second, her eyesight adjusted to her surroundings.
The balcony was a thick slab of rock, cut into the cliff face in such a way that one stepped right from the dining area through an archway onto its surface. The floor and almost chest-high wall that surrounded it were polished smooth, rendering the gray stone into an almost marble-sheened perfection. A series of large, sidelong ovals had been cut into the wall so one’s view of the pink sanded beach and vast green sea was unimpeded. Shuttle traffic whirred high overhead, the hum of motors almost lost in the roar of the surf.
Seats that reminded Rachel of patio chairs were grouped on one side of the rectangular-shaped balcony. Their heavy frames were a deep coral, a perfect counterpoint to the pastel color of the sand below. The thick cushions echoed the emerald tones of the ocean. They were big chairs meant for the big men who flanked her.
On the other side of the balcony was a hollowed-out circle, cut deep into the otherwise blameless floor. It was full of bluish water. Near the lip of the basin, just under the water’s surface, were small holes. Rachel studied it. A bath facility? On a balcony open to public view?
Erybet said, “It’s just getting warm enough to use the whirlpool. We’ve almost finished treating it for the season. Sletran, next time we’re out remind me to pick up a soaksuit for her.”
Rachel’s brows rose. They were still planning to have her around after her disclosure?
The men ushered her to one of the seats and sat on either side of her, moving their chairs close to hers until they touched. Her toes just brushed the hard stone of the balcony. It made her feel like a kid at a party for grownups.
Erybet tilted his head, looking her in the face. “From the expression you had earlier, I assume you think poorly of yourself for having to give up your education.”
Rachel shrugged. She’d done what she had to do to take care of herself and her mother. It hadn’t really occurred to her that she might view herself as lacking because she’d left school.
However, society had taken a dim view. Had she internalized that attitude? She couldn’t deny a flash of shame when she’d admitted to not finishing her studies. She’d definitely felt terror that it might be a deal breaker where the clan was concerned.
One side of Erybet’s mouth lifted. He even chuckled. “I’ve known complete fools with years upon years of education. You are no fool, Ray-Ray. And though you may not have the skills you prefer, I wouldn’t say you have none at all. Surviving is a very noble skill.”
Sletran added, “Not to mention being able to lead an insurrection. Leaders are made because of what’s already present inside. You can’t be taught that drive.”
A little of Rachel’s dismay abated. The men didn’t seem to hold the absence of a diploma against her. However, she felt they held her in higher esteem than she deserved.
She typed, I didn’t lead so well. We failed horribly in our efforts to change the world.
Sletran rubbed her shoulder. The touch made her insides tumble, especially when she thought of his hands going elsewhere on her body.
The Nobek told her, “Some of the greatest victories lie simply in being brave enough to try.
The outcome doesn’t negate that.”
Easy for him to say, Rachel thought. He hadn’t stood surrounded by friends and loved ones’
corpses, all dead because of a hopeless ideal. An ideal Rachel had preached until the others had followed her to their terrible ends.
Erybet interrupted her dark thoughts. “You have the opportunity to start from the beginning.
Any schooling or training is yours for the asking. If you become a part of my clan, we will wholeheartedly support whatever direction you choose to go in. If you wish to pursue music studies, we will seek out the best possible instruction.”
She stared at him. They would do that for her? Just because she wanted it?
Rachel considered before writing her next message. Why would you make that kind of effort? I don’t need an education to have babies and take care of them. My ability to play music won’t save Kalquor. Ultimately, isn’t clanning Earther women simply to breed the planet’s future?
Sletran answered that one. “We won’t lie to you about the necessity for a next generation.
After all, our people are dying out. But we also want you because you will add to our lives.”
Erybet added, “Helping Mataras realize their hopes, dreams, and potential fulfills their Kalquorian mates. You aren’t just an incubator, Ray-Ray.”
A little of the tightness eased in Rachel’s chest. That’s a very philosophical approach to a relationship. I like it. But I don’t suppose I can offer much in return when it comes to fulfilling your hopes and dreams.
Erybet gave her a real smile. “Don’t be so sure. To qualify for the lottery, we took a battery of tests. One of the questions asked was how I would like my future Matara to describe me. My answer was caring, supportive, and devoted to her needs.”
Sletran added, “My answer was similar, though I also wished my Matara would call me protective. For us to demonstrate such qualities, we would require a woman who needed to feel safe, who has requirements we can provide for.”
Erybet nodded, his expression saying he was in complete agreement. “What you might see as lack in yourself, we see as a gift to us. Women give men their lives. They give us children. It is our joy to uplift you in return, to make right the wrongs you have suffered.”
Rachel blinked. They certainly had an amazing outlook on things. What she thought of as detriments, they saw as opportunities. She grinned.
Where have you guys been all my life?
Erybet and Sletran both laughed at her message. The Dramok stroked her short curls.
“Waiting for you, perhaps? What took you so long to get here?”
The pair looked so good when they were happy. Seeing how willing they were to give their all to a woman, one that had so little to offer in return, made her believe more than ever she’d do well as their mate. Their attitudes, along with those magnificent physiques, were turning her on too.
Of course, that led to the next hurdle. At what point do we explore physical compatibility?
Her question made the men exchange surprised looks. She hurriedly typed , I take it this is too soon. She was a little relieved to put that part off. Sure, she wanted them, couldn’t stop thinking about getting them in bed, but once they saw what she looked like with her clothes off
—
Erybet took her hand. “I would be delighted to take you to our bed now. It’s just – Earthers tend to be so repressed when it comes to sex.”
Rachel swallowed, though her mouth was dry. Not me. I considered sex a wonderful form of resistance to my government’s tyranny.
That made Sletran chuckle. “You truly are a remarkable woman.”
A scent tickled Rachel’s nostrils, pushing back the salt brine of the nearby sea. The spicy aroma that reminded her so much of cinnamon emanated from the men on either side of her.
She thought, Great, Ray-Ray, you’ve got them aroused. Now you have no choice but to do something about i
t.
She liked that they found her desirable with her clothes on. But what would happen when they saw her without them? She’d piqued their lust and knew she should give them what they –
and she – wanted. But now she was too scared to make the first move. If they rejected her, it would make her feel uglier than ever.
Should have cut my hair. Scarred my face, so they wouldn’t be fooled. So they’d know exactly what I am.
Erybet’s voice was soft with hope. “Would you like to see the sleeping room?”
She looked at him, at his too-pretty-to-be-a-boy face. At that delicious body she wanted on top of hers. Inside of hers. Sletran’s too. They could get someone so much better than her. But she couldn’t help the stab of need, or the hope they would somehow overlook her disfigurement.
Rachel nodded, trembling all over. To be fair, she gave them one last chance to escape.
First you should know something. The doctors couldn’t get rid of all my scars. They are hideous. I’m not pretty like the other Mataras you could clan instead.
Sletran gripped her chin and made her look him in the eye. “Somehow, I doubt that.”
Erybet rubbed her back, his touch comforting. “We are harder on ourselves than others are.
Don’t be afraid to show us everything, Ray-Ray. What lies inside you is perfection, and that is all I can see.”
Rachel wanted to believe him. He sounded so sincere. If he and Sletran were mistaken, she’d have to do her best to distract them from how she looked. Thank the heavens that with Marcus, she’d learned a thing or two about the art of diverting attention in a carnal manner.
Her insides tumbling in a stomach-churning mix of anticipation and nervousness, she let the men help her to her feet and lead her to another archway further down the balcony.
Holding the hands of the two men, Rachel crossed from the sunlight into a room with walls covered in wine-red drapery. White fur throws cushioned her feet from the polished stone floor beneath. Her eyes widened at the size of the sleeping mat. The surface came up to as high as her waist, and it looked a square acre of softness. Shimmering black linens rumpled like sea swells.
Typical men, not bothering to make their bed.
A glimmer of metal caught her peripheral vision, and Rachel looked over to see a silvery chain and manacle peeking out from behind one haphazardly drawn drape. Her eyes widened.
Erybet and Sletran followed her gaze, and both faces flushed with color. Erybet shamefacedly stepped over and adjusted the curtain to cover the restraint.
Rachel thought, Well, well. I wonder which of them was bound by that? Or maybe it was Conyod? Oh yum.
She had a momentary vision of herself chained to the wall, with all three Kalquorians looming over her. It was her turn to flush, but the heat in her face had nothing to do with embarrassment. Warmth trickled between her legs. Now that was a thought to get her motor running.
She grinned at the two men carefully watching her and waggled her eyebrows at them.
Their mouths dropped open in twin expressions of shock.
Erybet burst out laughing. “Matara! You truly are uninhibited. But may I suggest we keep it simple for our first time?”
Rachel nodded. Yes, she wanted her hands free to enjoy these two. She ached to touch Erybet’s long, lithe frame and Sletran’s bulkier muscled one. Two very different men physically, but equally as fine. Choices, choices.
Surprise radiated through her senses when the pair led her to the sleeping mat. Sletran took her handheld and laid it on a nearby table. With the Nobek behind her and Erybet in front, they began exploring her body over her simple sheath dress.
Both of them? At the same time?
Apparently so. Four hands, each bigger than her head, ran all over her torso. She wore a bra, but her nipples tightened under the warm touches. The tips poked into blatant buttons through the fabric of cups and dress. Erybet drew circles around the outlines with his thumbs, making her gasp and arch in reaction.
Sletran was forced to bend a little to kiss the length of her neck. His hands slipped over her ribs, arrowing down to frame the vee of her sex. Wicked fingers crept in to rub her mound, bringing moans from her throat.
Erybet’s mouth descended onto hers. She parted her lips for his raspy tongue, granting entrance. It plunged in to taste her, twisting delightfully to experience all of that orifice. Rachel grabbed his shoulders, pulling him as close as she could.
One of Sletran’s fingers probed at her cleft, discovering the wet crease of her through panties and dress. She rolled her hips forward until her clit made contact with the pressure of his touch. She felt a simultaneous melting and electrical spark. Her breath caught and she twisted her hips, moving to stimulate that eager bit of flesh.
“Uninhibited and assertive with her wants,” Sletran chuckled. “She might require chains and bindings on a regular basis, my Dramok.”
Erybet broke the kiss and looked down at Rachel, his eyes dark and dangerous enough to make her shiver with delicious fear. “Indeed. I appreciate the eagerness, though she could use a few lessons in surrendering herself rather than trying to take what she wants.”
Rachel lifted her chin in challenge. She thought, Good luck on that, big boy.
Erybet’s brows drew together. “Yes, there will definitely be a little schooling of the intimate nature needed.” He leaned down to whisper against her lips. “Never challenge a Dramok’s alpha instincts, my little Ray-Ray. Not unless you appreciate a show of force.”
Hmm, a show of force? The thought of herself in chains once more assaulted Rachel’s senses. Maybe she would appreciate such a display of Kalquorian strength.
Rachel’s hands flashed down from Erybet’s shoulders to grab onto the massive erection straining his shorts. At the same time she rose up on her toes so she could close her teeth on his lower lip. She nipped gently, meanwhile massaging the thick length beneath her fingers.
An instant later, she was flat on her back on the bed with the growling Dramok stretched over her. Her wrists were pinned over her head in one of his fists. The other hand circled her throat. There was no pressure, no attempt to choke her. It was a control display only.
Rachel gasped. She’d never felt any movement. In a blink of an eye she’d gone from vertical to horizontal. That fucker was fast.
She’d never been so turned on in her entire life.
“Do you understand now?” Erybet asked. The growl was gone, leaving his tone amused.
Rachel grinned fit to split her face. Oh yeah, she understood. She understood that sex with this particular dominating Kalquorian was going to be incredible.
Sletran roared with laughter. “She is a match for you, my Dramok.” He fell onto the bed to lie next to Rachel. “You might get her to obey, but you’ll have to prove yourself worthy of the honor.”
Erybet chuckled. “There is nothing I’d rather do. A prize is not worth winning if there is no challenge.” He dropped a surprisingly gentle kiss on her still-smiling lips. “And you are a very great prize, my little Ray-Ray.”
This time when he moved her, she had an instant of feeling the motion. She was on her feet again in the blink of an eye. Erybet held her still by the wrists, stretching her tall.
“Dress off,” he said, and Sletran’s hands were at the hem of her sheath, pulling it up and off in one smooth motion, even when Erybet had to release her hands to allow him to do so. The men were so quick that Erybet had hold of her again before she even realized she stood between them in only bra and panties. Not pausing for an instant, Sletran got her underclothes off as well, leaving her completely nude in front of virtual strangers.
They could see her scars.
Rachel twisted a little in Erybet’s uncompromising grip, trying to find some way to shield the ugliness from their gaze. Sletran grabbed her hips, holding her so she couldn’t escape their scrutiny.
“Stay still, my dark beauty. Let us look at you and these so-called ‘hideous scars’.”
; Rachel had little choice, given their greater strength. She drew a shuddering breath and looked at Erybet. She wouldn’t shrink from his disappointment or disgust. She would face his reaction bravely, though she wanted to curl in on herself.
Erybet looked her over carefully, as if to memorize every curve of her body. She couldn’t tell from his expression what he thought. It was almost as disconcerting as knowing Sletran was looking at her backside and not being able to see him at all.
At some silent signal, they turned her around so she faced the Nobek. He also gazed long and hard at her, no doubt imprinting every flaw, large and minute, in his mind. Rachel had never felt so uncomfortably exposed in her life.
At last Sletran’s eyes rose to look into her face. To Rachel’s surprise, his expression was that of a man impressed by what he’d seen. He nodded approval. “Such a proud warrior. A woman like you is rare and wonderful.”
“Indeed you are,” Erybet agreed from behind her. “One of uncommon strength. I am honored to bed one such as you.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. They were so nice to treat her gently. She couldn’t see the slightest hint of disappointment in their eyes. And their arousal scent had increased. Maybe it had been so long since they’d seen boobs and a pussy that they were able to get past the disfigurement.
When they put her on the bed this time, they did so slowly, with seeming reverence. They laid her down, but Erybet kept her wrists pinned. Excitement surged through Rachel. They were still going to make love to her. Her scars hadn’t scared them off.
Now that Rachel had some reassurance that sex was going to happen, she wanted Erybet to let her loose. She pulled against his grip, making whimpering sounds. Damn it, she wanted to touch them!
“Sletran.” Erybet put a lot of command in his utterance of the other man’s name.
Apparently, it was all he needed to say, because the Nobek immediately took his place in holding her arms down.
She made another protesting sound and kicked her feet against the soft mattress in furious protest.
“So demanding. But I’ll let it slide this instance in honor of our first time together.”
Alien Redemption [Clans of Kalquor 06] Page 12
