Behind him, Lidon shook his head at Tranis. In Kalquorian he said, "I can't go any further with this. The thought sours my stomach."
"I wouldn't ask you to. Perhaps the threat alone will be enough." Tranis spoke to Hamilton in English again. "I will let you think about our next session, General. When I come back, I expect some answers. I will not deny Lidon his pleasures if you aren't more forthcoming."
With relief, Lidon took his hands off Hamilton and followed Tranis out of the cell. He needed to get to a wash basin. Fast.
?
Chapter Ten
Degorsk led Cassidy by the hand into the spy ship's public dining room. The walls and ceiling emitted soft light over a few small groups seated on thick floor cushions around tables. Only three of the twenty tables were occupied.
The groups were spaced far apart, but the scene was the same at each. Three Kalquorian men fed a huddled Earther female with their fingers. Low voices coaxed and praised the women, who were all clad in the same type of white sleeveless underdress that Cassidy wore. She recognized her fellow captives at once. Gentle Tina, the redhead aspirant she'd watched succumb to temptation in her cell. Mary Anderson, who'd argued with her as she'd warned everyone to hide. Sister Katherine, Cassidy's mentor who'd prayed as the aliens took her prisoner. They glanced at her as Degorsk ushered her to a table in a corner, then quickly dropped their eyes. Every face was a study of quiet shame, and Cassidy knew she'd not been the only one to surrender to sin. It was no surprise to her they had fallen to temptation. After all they were women, sharing the same evil tendencies.
Still, seeing Sister Katherine quietly accepting small morsels of food from the fingers of the men crowded around her was startling. Cassidy wouldn't have expected violent opposition from the kind nun who always spoke in hushed, peaceful tones, but she thought Katherine would at least offer quiet resistance. To see her submissively take every bite offered her, not pulling away from the big dark hands stroking her arms, hair and back shocked Cassidy.
"Sit here." Degorsk tugged Cassidy down to a seating cushion, and rapped his knuckles on the table top. Almost immediately, two Kalquorians hurried in from a brightly lit doorway, carrying huge trays of food that they set on the table. The men disappeared as fast as they'd shown up.
"This is nice isn't it? It's good to get out of our quarters for a little while." Degorsk smiled brightly at her, his lean face so jarringly handsome she had to look away. How dare such a beast seem attractive, she thought, fighting a wave of desire. The Kalquorian devils exploited her every weakness, and she was growing tired of fighting them off. What was the point? She'd already damned herself, hadn't she?
And there was the promise of a better life on Kalquor, one she couldn't possibly contemplate on Earth. But it meant being a traitor.
God, I'm so confused. Isn't there some way I can have the life I want without hurting my own people?
"What would you like to try first?" he prodded, and Cassidy looked at the trays of food before her. Delicious scents assaulted her, and her stomach growled.
"I don't want any of it."
"You are going to eat, Cassidy." His voice was still gentle, but his eyes had gone hard.
"No." She was not giving in so easily.
Degorsk grasped her chin, making her look him in the face. His tone remained kind. Loving, even. "You will eat, or I will lay you on this table and have sex with you until you climax. Everyone here will see you give into your desires."
She stared at him. Would he really do such a terrible thing? Right in front of an audience?
He leaned back slightly to show her the bulge of his erection. He meant what he said.
Cassidy jerked her head free of his grasp. She pointed at a small pile of what looked like golden chunks of meat. "That."
"Oh, you'll enjoy this." He was perfectly agreeable as he plucked a morsel with his fingers and pressed it to her lips. It was as if he'd never uttered such a vicious threat. "It's the meat of an avian from Kalquor."
She accepted the food, her eyes downcast to avoid the other women's should they be watching. The meat was meltingly tender and sweet, prompting her to glance up at Degorsk with surprise. "This is meat? It's like a pastry." Boy, had she missed sweets since her capture.
"I knew you'd like it." He fed her another piece and selected what looked like a fiery red lump of rock for himself. "You don't want this grul. It's much too spicy for Earthers."
A scream split the air. Mary flailed against her group of Kalquorians, sobbing. Two held her still, murmuring comfort while the third sank long, thin fangs in her throat. His face remained buried against her neck until she quieted and her eyes slid closed.
"It's all right. She's fine," Degorsk soothed. He fed Cassidy a minty sprig of greenery.
Mary's clan carried her out. Cassidy was surprised to see not angry embarrassment on their faces, but indulgent smiles, as if they tended a temperamental but well-loved child. The man who hefted her in his arms kissed her forehead before they swept out of the room.
"She's not fine. You torture us with your wicked lusts. You shouldn't make us do sinful acts."
"You were made for pleasure, sweetling. Your god designed you to enjoy making babes. How can it be a sin?" He continued to feed her.
Cassidy ate, hunger overriding resistance. She knew better than to argue with Degorsk on the subject of sin. He had an answer for everything. The worst part was he sounded so damned reasonable. It drove her crazy.
When she remained silent, he tried a different tact. "Did your mother enjoy sex?"
Disgust momentarily stole her appetite. "She was a Jezebel. She gave herself to a man right in front of me. She begged him to have sexual relations, knowing if I didn't report her, I'd be every bit as guilty as her!"
"Why would she do that?"
"My grandfather said she was always evil. He knew about her the moment my father brought her home for his blessing, which he refused to give. They married anyway in secret."
"Your father must have loved her to defy him."
Cassidy thought about that. "He did. Daddy called her his 'forever love'. They seemed very happy while he was alive."
Degorsk offered her more of the sweet golden meat, and she accepted it. "How did your father die?"
"There was an uprising on the Asian continent. Two insurgent groups called the Sikhs and Hindus had banded together to fight the government. Daddy's division was called to put the rebellion down. I was very little, and it took a long time to understand he wasn't coming home like he had before."
Degorsk stroked her hair. The comforting touch felt good. I'm evil to like this, Cassidy thought, but she didn't resist. She was a lost soul by now anyway. No better than her mother.
"I'm sorry for your losses, precious girl." He leaned over to press warm lips to her cheek. She suppressed a shiver at the gentle caress. "What was your mother's fate?"
"She was convicted for her crime and sent to the work camp where she died." Cassidy looked up at Degorsk, unable to deny the desire his nearness sparked. "You've made me like her."
"I'm trying to show you how beautiful and good you are."
"If I was good, I wouldn't like what we do."
There, she'd admitted her enjoyment of the sins he and the others had forced on her. It wasn't as if he didn't know it already. Her eager responses to all they'd done had informed him of her wickedness time and time again.
Before he could press her with more questions she didn't want to answer she asked, "Where is my grandfather, Degorsk?"
His easy expression remained open. "In a detention cell. We've questioned him but he hasn't been harmed."
She studied his face, finding no subterfuge or guilt. Did his kind feel shame for what they were? If he lied to her, would she even detect it? "Does he know what I've done with your clan?"
"We haven't told him. We know how important his approval is for your state of mind. He would judge you harshly even though you've resisted as best you can."
The ge
ntle acknowledgement of her attempts to defy their lusts softened her to Degorsk more than all his false assurances of her continued decency. She couldn't fathom why it meant so much. But the little resistance left diminished even more at his understanding.
Cassidy suddenly realized that barring a miracle rescue, it was inevitable she would surrender to his clan. She would be theirs for the rest of her life, their mate, their childbearer, their Matara. She couldn't continue to hold out, not when returning to Earth meant execution, a fate she could not simply resign herself to. And especially not when her body thrilled at the clan's every touch. Not when her heart lifted at the men's every gentle word.
I don't really want to be saved anymore. The thought of returning to Earth, even without being condemned for her crimes, put suffocating dread in her heart. And to be married to her grandfather's elderly friend? To never be touched by Tranis, Lidon or Degorsk again? No. No. A thousand times, no.
She was damned for sure. She had nothing left to fight for. To her weary shock, there was relief in giving up the battle for her soul.
* * * *
Cassidy submitted to Tranis' bite on her inner thigh without a whimper. She wasn't sure why he thought it necessary to intoxicate her. She'd offered no resistance when he'd started kissing and caressing.
As euphoria coursed through her veins, she wasn't sorry he'd done it. The intoxicant erased her guilt for the lust her sinful body subjected her to. Now she wouldn't mind that Tranis' touch made her wet and aching for his magnificent body. His bite freed her from all responsibility for her desires.
His fangs withdrew, and he lapped the beads of blood from the punctures with long, languorous strokes of his rough tongue. Cassidy relaxed into the wash of intoxicant, her sex spasming to have Tranis' face so close. She moaned as he licked higher on her thigh, coming closer to where his mouth would feel best.
Sitting naked at the computer station, deciphering codes as he waited for his turn at her, Lidon chuckled. "Tranis has a very talented tongue, doesn't he, pet?"
How would he know that, Cassidy wondered? Perhaps the rumors of Kalquorians' bisexuality were true. As Tranis crept closer to her center, she found she didn't care.
The Dramok's mouth closed over her core. She sighed with deep pleasure, loving how his tongue parted the petals of flesh to lap hungrily at her flowing juices. His palms reached to cover her breasts, molding the supple flesh. She put her hands over his, enjoying his strength.
His mouth worked her wonderfully. Lips, tongue and teeth brought heat licking through her womb, eliciting groans as she climbed to the pinnacle of pleasure. Her climax was gentle sweetness, lapping in soft waves through her loins.
When she quieted, Tranis moved up her body, his mouth leading the way. He kissed a slow path up her belly to her breasts where he paused to suckle each hard nipple. Then he continued his journey, leaving a wet trail that led over the hollow and up the column of her throat. As he rounded the hill of her chin, Cassidy parted her lips to invite his tongue.
Tranis invaded her mouth, sex and anus all at once. Fresh desire ignited her senses, and she clutched the muscled alien to her, arms and legs wrapping around him. Her welcoming embrace excited him, and he rutted hard against her.
She accepted his rough use, her body opening to him. The ache of Tranis' demanding lovemaking mixed in a heady potion with the excruciating pleasure of his sex rubbing the sensitive part of her womb. Her cries were muffled by his mouth still pressing an unrelenting kiss to her lips.
Climax broke over her, leaving her jerking and clawing at his broad back. Still he rode her, his thrusts growing more powerful. He growled deep in his throat, and she screamed as fresh convulsions clutched his sex, trying to milk the sweet liquid from his loins.
At last Tranis gave in, rearing back and surrendering his seed to her with a deafening roar. She writhed beneath him, feeling his flesh pulse hugely within her. He came for a long time, his body rigid over hers.
Finally he relaxed, rolling over to lie spent and gasping beside her. He pulled her close, drawing her into the warmth of his body. She snuggled against him.
As their breathing quieted, the rapid-fire taps of Lidon's fingers on his computer claimed Cassidy's attention. She craned her neck to look at the Nobek over Tranis' shoulder.
He frowned in grim concentration as he looked at the indecipherable Kalquorian characters on his floating vid readout. Cassidy shivered at the predatory expression on his face. Lidon might not be stalking prey that would bleed when caught, but he was hunting just the same. She imagined the savagery his intense look hinted at. He'd killed in the line of duty, he'd said. Had he enjoyed it?
She thought he might have.
Her gaze drifted down to his damaged leg, crisscrossed with brutal scars. He was like a battle-branded lion, still majestic despite years of defending its pride. Somehow Lidon's twisted, lumpy limb accentuated the perfection of the rest of his body, made it more beautiful, more desirable.
"What happened to your leg, Lidon?" she asked.
He immediately turned from his computer to face her. She'd been half-afraid her curiosity might offend him, but there was no trace of irritation in his expression.
His voice was even, as if they discussed mundane matters like the weather. "I used to be commander of a fighter battalion. In a skirmish with the Tragooms, my fighter was nearly blown to bits with me in it."
"Does it hurt? I mean, I know it can't be comfortable, but are you in real pain?"
He smiled, perhaps hearing the concern she hadn't bothered to mask. "Sometimes. I'm used to it now."
Tranis looked at him, and Cassidy saw the genuine affection in his expression. "Don't bother with sympathy. Lidon could have had that leg replaced with a prosthetic, but like any Nobek, he likes to show off his scars."
"I consider the damage a mark of honor." And there was real pride in his voice, the pride of a warrior.
Cassidy slipped from Tranis' side. He let her go, and she climbed off the bed to stand before Lidon. The Nobek looked at her, his expression curious.
She sank to her knees so his thigh was at eye level. She traced one long, vicious scar along the top of his thigh with a gentle fingertip. Still intoxicated, she was free to appreciate the man before her, to acknowledge his strength. "So brave," she whispered.
He sat very still for her inspection. She tested the rigid texture of the disfigured flesh, probed the thick lumps, some of which were hard as granite, and some that were as spongy as her breasts. How he must have suffered, not only during the initial shattering injury, but later as he was patched back together and relearned to walk.
She kissed the worst scar, a massive lump of raised pale skin high on Lidon's upper thigh. She continued to kiss the leg, wishing not to heal the scars of which he was justifiably proud, but the pain, both past and present. She didn't examine why it was important to her. Her mind shied from analyzing her motivations.
Lidon's sexes responded to her caresses, coming to twin exclamation points. The cinnamon-y scent of his arousal surrounded her. She'd never held a man in her mouth that way before, but she wanted to taste him now, her wounded and courageous captor. It was as good a way as any to tell the clan she'd given up.
A bead of liquid sat atop his larger sex, beckoning her tongue to lick it delicately. He shuddered. Cassidy rolled Lidon's flavor around on her tongue, finding the sweetish-spiciness delicious. She wanted more. His members glistened with natural lubricant, and she ran her tongue slowly up both lengths, making him groan. He gripped the armrests of his chair, his knuckles turning the dark skin white.
She worked first on the smaller organ, licking it all over while her tiny fist held the larger one out of the way. Next, she took it into her mouth, enjoying how the vein on the underside throbbed against her tongue. She sucked hard, her cheeks dimpling as she drew him deep into her mouth.
Lidon panted as she moved her attentions to his larger penis. Another drop of sweetness waited, and she accepted his offering by closin
g her mouth over the bullet tip. She rubbed her velvety tongue over him, and his body thrummed with tension.
He was too big for her mouth to take him all, and she gripped the base of his penis with her hand. She slowly enveloped his length in her mouth until she came close to gagging. She backed off, sucking as she went. Lidon's growling groan informed her she
wasn't doing so badly despite her inexperience. She slurped him in again, growing in confidence as his sex grew even more rigid under her attention.
His heavy hand rested on the back of her head, pressing and releasing, pressing and releasing, guiding her rhythm. She paid attention to the sounds he made, noting he grew louder when her tongue ran firmly against the vein on the underside of his sex. She pressed harder on the pulsing flesh and was rewarded by a hiss of passion from her lover.
"Close, Cassidy," he warned. "If you don't slow down, I'll lose control."
She responded by bobbing her head even more enthusiastically. She wanted this. Now that she'd made her decision, she wanted him and the rest of the clan in every way possible. If she was to fall into decadence, she would fall all the way to the bottom.
Lidon yelled, his groin jerking to her face, his hand pressing her head down. Warm, spicy-sweet fluid spurted into her mouth, thickly coating her tongue. Cassidy swallowed, hungrily devouring every precious, profane drop of his ardor.
When he was done, he lifted her into his lap and kissed her deeply. "Thank you, my love."
Tranis had moved close, sitting on the edge of the bed. His hand settled on her thigh. "Does this mean what I hope?"
Though the intoxicant remained in her system, tears prickled her eyes. She nodded, swallowing hard. "You're wrong for what you've done. I haven't changed my mind about that. But my people would have me die for lying with you, even though it was against my will. My crimes of lewdness would have me executed on Earth. I have no choice but to stay with you if I'm to live."
Lidon hugged her hard. "You are unhappy now, but I promise you will not be sorry, my Matara."
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