"Poor girl," she whispered. She knew all too well what it felt like to lose a beloved father. Her heart swelled in sympathy.
Degorsk's voice was heavy. "I never would have given him the drug if I'd known it would kill him."
Cassidy switched off the display. She patted his hand.
Lidon sat next to her. He cupped her chin, making her face him. "My pet, I don't want you in the ventilation system trying to escape."
She looked up where he indicated. The vent opening, covered by an easily removed grate, was near the ceiling. It was more than large enough for her to squirm into.
She shrugged. "Where would I go? I can't return to Earth now no matter what happens. They'll throw me in a work prison for lewdness, and no one who goes there comes out alive."
He wasn't at peace with her declaration. "Promise me you won't use the shafts to attempt escape."
Cassidy blew out an exasperated breath and rolled her eyes. "I promise."
He crooked a smile and kissed the tip of her nose.
Tranis said, "I have to get to the bridge. We'll start for the wormhole entrance right away." He turned to go.
Degorsk was right behind him. "I'll unpack a few things and join you in a few minutes."
"I don't need a nursemaid."
"You most certainly do. If I don't watch you, you'll overexert yourself."
They both halted in the doorway, Tranis glowering at his clanmate. Degorsk wasn't impressed with the fierce stare. He poked his leader in the chest. "Don't argue or I'll remove you from command until you're fully recovered. You'll lose three days that way."
Tranis growled. "Overprotective Imdiko."
"Stubborn, thick-skulled Dramok."
That ended the contest as Tranis threw his hands up in exasperated surrender. Lidon shook his head in amusement and stood. "I'll see to General Hamilton."
Degorsk turned from Tranis to challenge the Nobek next. "I'm sure your staff has him well in hand. You need some sleep."
Tranis left as a new argument erupted. Cassidy scooted back on the bed, amused to watch the dynamics of the clan unfold. There was no rancor between them. Their disputes seemed more like a chess game than true conflict, an opportunity to see who could verbally outmaneuver the other. Despite Lidon's fierce nature and Tranis' easy command, Degorsk seemed to win most of their disagreements.
Lidon had the look of a man who knew he'd already lost but couldn't resist a good fight. "My staff is capable, yes, but I have questions that need to be answered before we get to that security grid."
"Which we won't reach for two days." Degorsk looked at Cassidy and grinned. "Why don't you properly introduce our sweetling to her new bed before you rest? Tiring yourselves out will ensure good sleep and make me happy."
The heated look Lidon gave her made Cassidy's lower parts clench. "Never let it be said I can't compromise," he said in a low voice.
The door shutting Degorsk out cut off his laughter. Cassidy was breathless with anticipation as Lidon stripped.
"What can I do for you, my pet?" he asked, standing next to the bed. "Tell me what you want most."
She swallowed. A vision of herself in the hover shackles drifted through her mind's eye. Warmth trickled from her sex. Wondering at her lusty boldness, she said, "I've been very naughty. Even before you came and made me do things I shouldn't, I read books I shouldn't, books that gave me ideas."
Lidon licked his lips. His penises, already thick with arousal, swelled larger still. "Yes?"
Cassidy's heart pounded. From far away, she heard herself say, "I should be punished for my wicked thoughts."
His gaze on her darkened, and his expression sharpened to that of a predator. "'Discipline, though sometimes harsh, keeps the conscience awake.' I doubt that quote was meant for this situation, but it fits, doesn't it my pet?"
The hungry violence in his eyes kept her from speaking, but she managed a slight nod. Eager terror sent shockwaves of desire through her body as Lidon sat on the edge of the bed and grasped her tiny wrist in his huge hand. "Come here and accept your punishment."
She bowed her head, hardly believing she was doing this as she crawled to him. She shivered as he stripped her of the underdress, leaving her naked. The vulnerability excited her.
I should feel shame for wanting this. I should, but I don't.
Her newfound freedom to enjoy all the base urges she'd been denied made her dizzy. She thought she might faint.
Lidon tugged her to lie across his thighs. His erections poked her hip, letting her know his anticipation matched hers. He caressed her buttocks, his hand warm on the soft, trembling mounds.
"Such a gift, my love," he whispered, the other hand settling between her shoulders, pinning her down. "You are more than I ever dared to hope for."
His palm struck her rump with a meaty smack. She jerked at the first strike, feeling the sting with acute sensitivity. Then the blows came with clockwork precision, warming her quickly, and she gasped with mingled pain and arousal. The heat of the
spanking radiated throughout her nether regions, and she concentrated all her attention on the sweetness of the sensation.
Lidon's thighs were slick beneath her as her juices flowed. He was meticulous with the discipline, giving every inch of her bottom his harsh attention, spreading the punishment evenly over her padded flesh. His big hand bore down on her again and again, and she smiled through her tears to be so well chastised.
The burning of her flesh made her writhe. Her hips jerked to meet his blows even as she wished the spanking to end so he might fill the aching emptiness of her womb. She'd never known pain could spark such pleasure.
"Shall I stop?" Lidon asked, not pausing with the delicious torment.
He was giving her control, control to direct him. He was hers to command, though she wasn't inclined to rule him. No, in sexual matters she preferred the clan's domination. Their confident strength had seduced her in the end along with her inability to deny their wants. She wanted them to continue to be strong for her. She had no desire to dictate to Lidon, no orders to issue.
Except…
"Do as you wish," she sobbed, her backside roasting from his attentions. "Take all you want, whatever you want."
The spanking ended immediately. "On the bed. On all fours," he demanded, and she clambered off his lap. "Ass towards me."
She obeyed, her insides nearly melting to feel him behind her, probing her orifices with hard, eager flesh. He slid inside her, the larger organ spearing her tighter passage. Her groan of welcome mingled with his animal snarl.
Lidon took her hard and fast, his groin slapping against her sore backside. Her heavy breasts swung like pendulums from the strength of his taking. She panted, the orgasm coming at her at headlong speed. He grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her head back. His bestial grunts and growls filled the air as he thudded hard against her, all control thrown aside. Whatever civilization Lidon had ever known was consumed by the purest of animal urges. An ancient instinct took Cassidy over too, and she surrendered to the primal need of her mate without coherent thought.
Climax swallowed her with wide-open jaws. She screamed as it ripped through her belly, and Lidon answered her with a roar. His fist tightened painfully in her hair for an instant, and he slammed against her, his sexes battering rams in her quaking flesh. Then the tension fled from his body, and he covered her, his fingers trailing gently through her tresses, exposing her neck for light kisses.
"My Matara," he said. He made a sound that resembled a sob.
"My Nobek," she replied. Her arms gave out beneath her.
?
Chapter Fifteen
"Full stop," Simdow ordered. "This is as close as we can get without setting off the defense grid's sensors, Captain."
Tranis nodded, absently scratching one of the nearly healed cuts on his chest. Degorsk's medicine had done wonders in the last two days. The Dramok would only carry a couple of scars for the rest of his life. The itching of regenerating skin dro
ve him crazy though. It was worse than the pain.
"Show me the magnetic signature."
The main vid on the bridge switched from the diagnostics on Earth's defense grid to the details of the portal. Tranis' eyes widened. "Wow," he said, Cassidy's favorite word when impressed fitting the occasion.
Someone - Osopa maybe - allowed himself a snicker at the Earther exclamation. Tranis ignored him. After all, he'd heard the man growl 'pickle juice' in frustration when struggling with the Earther food dispensers a day ago. As his meal didn't include the sweet-tangy green wedges of pickles that Degorsk had discovered a love for, Tranis had to assume Osopa was using an Earther curse of some sort. All crewmembers who now had Mataras were picking up some strange epithets.
Simdow wasn't laughing. He looked as worried as Tranis felt. "It's a distorted vortex portal, with massive fluctuations in the magnetic field. Using it would cause intermittent loss of power and huge communications lapses. Even a ship this size would ricochet off the edges like a kurble ball in a fluxor tube."
"Not a comfortable trip," Tranis acknowledged. "I don't think I've ever seen one this unstable. Time from entrance to exit?"
"Half an hour."
"Worth the rough ride to take out several days' travel. Using it will allow us to skip Earth's inner system defenses, though there's no telling what they've got set up on the other side of that thing. Continue data download and transmit all findings to the invasion fleet."
"Yes, Captain."
"It's up to your team now, Lidon." Tranis turned to his clanmate who was giving the three readouts in front of him all his attention.
The Nobek's fingers flew over his computer controls. "Half the security codes are cracked. We'll have all of them before the fleet gets here."
"It's coming fast now."
"Once we figured out each piece of the code was encrypted separately, the difference was made."
Tranis allowed himself a smile. "Good work, Commander."
Lidon shot him a quick glance. He didn't return the smile, but Tranis could tell he was pleased. "Congratulate me when I have all of it. I estimate another five days."
"Simdow, contact the invasion fleet with the current timeline for grid breach."
The first officer's excitement at their encroaching success erased his concerns about the portal. "Do you think they'll engage the outer perimeter, Captain?"
Tranis thought about the battle his planet's military would have to fight just to get to them. More loss, more death for both sides. If the invasion failed, the war would be over. Kalquor wouldn't have enough men to do more than defend the empire after this. They would throw everything they had in the attempt.
He gave no indication of the grim situation to his young crew. Instead he told Simdow, "If it were up to me, I'd begin fighting immediately. It's almost a week's journey between where they are now and here."
One week, Tranis thought, a chill shuddering down his spine at the sudden realization. One week until his race's survival was determined, one way or the other.
* * * *
Degorsk frowned as he fed Cassidy her dinner: a hamburger patty, green beans and a sweet potato. To serve her the ready-made food that the dispensers spit out meant a host of unfamiliar preservatives he didn't like the thought of her eating. Not only that, but he couldn't hide any drugs in them. He'd consulted cooking directions in the kitchen's computer banks and made an attempt to prepare the non-treated, freeze-dried Earther foods, but the smell didn't reassure him. He cut around the blackened parts of his efforts.
"I'm not much of a cook even with familiar food," he apologized to her. "I'm sorry if this isn't very good."
She gave him a brave smile, chewing and swallowing what he gave her quickly. Her hands were folded in her lap as they sat nude at the dining table of their quarters, allowing him to feed her. She'd eaten half the tray of food already. "It's fine, Degorsk. I've got no complaints."
She'd have plenty of complaints if she knew what he was up to. Cassidy had willingly joined the clan, and Degorsk knew full well she'd protest his methods of pulling information from her. If he injected her with the truth-telling compound, it would destroy the tiny bit of trust they'd developed. Hence, the subterfuge of his drugging her food instead. Hopefully the effects would be so slight she'd never realize what he'd done.
Her round pupils were shrinking despite the low lighting, letting him know the medication was well in her system. It was a mild version of the compound he'd given the Earther captain; Cassidy had no implants in her body to react to Kalquorian drugs. She didn't know anything of defensive importance, but Degorsk wasn't interested in military secrets.
"I'm glad it's edible at least. At your next meal, you can have whatever you want from the dispensers to make up for this." He tried not to grimace as he made that concession. No doubt she'd go straight for the unhealthy sausage and pepperoni pizza. For some reason, Cassidy loved those grease-laden triangles.
Degorsk had tried a bite of her favorite food. He'd had to spit the cloying, cheese-clotted mess back out. It was customary for the men of the clan to feed their Matara, but he couldn't even bear to watch Cassidy chomp on pizza. It was too nasty.
He held back a shudder and resolved to let her enjoy her food of choice while she could. After all, they wouldn't be on the Earther transport forever.
Turning his thoughts from dietary concerns, Degorsk looked at his Matara to see her lips curved in a slight smile. She was lovely no matter what, but seeing the wary and helpless anger fade from her expression lent her an ethereal beauty that stole his breath.
He reminded himself of his purpose. "Can I ask you some questions?"
"You just did." She giggled, a sweet, musical sound that made him grin back.
"I want to know more about you. Tell me about your childhood."
"My childhood?" She blinked at him, her smile bemused.
"Something nice you remember about your parents."
She thought for a moment. "I liked going to the baseball games with them. We had a triple-A baseball team in our area, and we went to all the home games to cheer them on."
She shook her head at another bite of green beans, and he pushed the tray away. She seemed sufficiently under the influence. "I'm not familiar with baseball," he said.
"It's a sport where two teams play against each other."
"Like kurble?" Tranis had explained the Kalquorian's favorite pastime to Cassidy when she'd expressed curiosity over his kurble ball.
"Not really. Kurble sounds more like our game of football. Baseball is definitely not as violent as kurble. I mean, poisoned barbs, Degorsk? How is that fun?"
Degorsk chuckled. "Mostly Nobeks play it. Their idea of entertainment usually involves blood and pain."
Cassidy shook her head, but she grinned nonetheless. "Or sex."
"Yes, they like that a lot too." Degorsk gently prodded her back on track. "You were telling me about going to these baseball contests with your parents?"
Cassidy paused, considering. Her expression softened as she remembered. "The game itself wasn't important to me. It was how we were as a family when we went. A lot of the games were played at night, and the season started when the temperatures were still cool. My parents would snuggle under a blanket with me between them." Her gaze was far away, seeing something that made her look wistful. "We'd eat hot dogs, pizza, popcorn, French fries - all the unhealthy stuff I wasn't allowed the rest of the week. All the stuff you don't want me to eat." She stuck her tongue out at him.
"The foods you prefer are best enjoyed in moderation." He kissed her to take the sting from his words. "It sounds like you were well cared for."
Cassidy nodded and giggled again. "Daddy called Mom the Vegetable Queen. Vegetables took up three-quarters of our plates."
"So your mother stopped taking good care of you after your father died?" He kept his tone gentle.
"Oh no. She was more protective than ever after Daddy was killed."
"But she had unlawful liaiso
ns with men."
Cassidy's brows drew together as she thought about it. When she spoke again, her voice was uncertain. "It was only that one time, I guess."
"And it happened in front of you?"
Confidence reasserted itself. "Yes. She took her clothes off for the man. She said, 'I want you. I'll give you everything.'"
"Who was the man?"
Cassidy's perplexed expression returned. "I don't remember. She must have known him to act that way, right?" She bit her lower lip. Degorsk could see her searching her memory, and the frustration when she came up empty curled her hands into tiny fists. "Isn't that strange how I can't remember him before she seduced him to sin with her?"
Degorsk now felt confident she'd been persuaded by someone of her mother's guilt rather than what she'd actually witnessed. A woman as loving as the one she remembered wouldn't have purposely traumatized her child.
"The shock of what happened must have caused you to block parts of it from your memory," he suggested.
"I suppose that's possible." Cassidy looked sad. "I shouldn't judge her so badly considering what I've done. 'Judge not lest you be judged.' That's what the Word says."
"What of love, precious girl?" He smiled and stroked her hair to soothe her. "Does your religion mention anything about loving someone so much you'd give up everything?"
She smiled brightly, like a child who knew her lessons by rote. "'For God so loved the world He gave us Jesus, Mohammed and Moses to die for us, to save us, to lead us from iniquity so we may not perish but have everlasting life.'"
Degorsk nodded the approval she looked for. "That's a great love. And though I don't know your religion so well, I can assure you I love you enough to die for you, if it is ever required."
Her face softened at his words. "You would?" she whispered.
"Without hesitation."
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