“We’ve declared war on the Dinjin,” he announced immediately. “It was a unanimous vote. We’re readying the fleet now.”
“Should we join the force at Niribu or rendezvous elsewhere?”
“I want you to stay where you are and continue collecting whatever survivors you can. How many did you say you’d managed to round up?”
“I didn’t. Right off the top of my head, I couldn’t give you a precise count. Around fifty. There’s a higher ratio of females to males—around thirty females and twenty males.” He glanced at Koryn. “What’s the status of your first group?”
Koryn approached him and bowed to the High Councilor. “I have a dozen that should be ready to turn out of the pods in two days. Six of each. And a dozen more ready to go in when I remove the first. Another six of each.”
Mylor looked surprised and not particularly happy. “That’s better than I expected. Ship the ones that are ready. Everyone’s anxious to bring our children home to Niribu. We’d thought they were safe where they were,” he finished angrily.
Tariq nodded. “I’ll see to it.”
Mylor stared at him hard for a moment. “All of them that are ready.”
Tariq’s jaw tightened. “Yes, my lord.”
“He knows about Emerald,” Koryn said tightly when he’d broken the link.
Tariq glanced at Emerald, discovering she was awake. “Go freshen up, baby, and come sit with me. Koryn brought food.”
They moved to the table and settled. When Tariq heard the sound of water emanating from the facilities, he met Koryn’s gaze. “I’ll have to find out who’s reported to the councilor,” he said grimly. “He may have just been fishing. He hates my guts anyway. He knows I usually oppose him in the lower council.”
“Fucking hell! You didn’t think to mention that before?”
Tariq’s lips tightened. “It’s fairly common knowledge. If you paid any fucking attention to politics, you would’ve known it!”
“Yes, but … Gods! The high councilor? Don’t give me any gods damned lectures about politics! At least I haven’t made an enemy of the most powerful lord on the gods damned council!”
“I have far more friends on the high council than enemies!” Tariq snapped, stabbing angrily at the food on his plate and eating it without any appearance whatsoever of enjoying it. “At any rate, he won’t be in power much longer. He has a lot of enemies and he was the one that pushed the treaty with the Dinjin. He’ll be ousted next election, mark my words.”
“As if that’s going to do us, or Emerald, any good!”
“I don’t suppose there are any females in the new batch that have red hair?”
Koryn looked startled for a moment. “One of the females has reddish blond hair,” he said slowly.
“Good,” Tariq said briskly. “We’ll de-pod her and put her in with the shipment.”
“Did you miss the part where I said they wouldn’t be ready for two days?”
Tariq shrugged. “You always add a little to be on the safe side. We’ll delay the shipment until you take her out.”
“The count will be off.”
“Not if she’s the only one you take out tomorrow. You’ll have time to make an extra before we make another shipment. Put two in the same fucking pod if you have to! They’re small enough.”
“She’ll be weak!”
Tariq’s jaw tightened. “I intend to carry her onboard myself and put her in a special holding cell—alone. She’ll be strong enough by the time they arrive—especially if I give the order to take special care of her. That’ll make it more convincing anyway.”
“She doesn’t look like Emerald.”
Tariq sent him a hard look. “No one has seen Emerald but the medic—and he was focused on her feet—me, you, and your assistant. Adjust his memory chip.” Realizing he didn’t hear the shower anymore, Tariq glanced in that direction and saw that Emerald had emerged. He lifted a hand. She crossed the room and paused in front of him and he pulled her onto his lap, relishing the fresh washed scent of her hair and the smoothness of her skin. Koryn was right, he thought absently. She was as sweet and soft as an infant. Baby suited her as a pet name. It rankled that Koryn had thought of it first, but he dismissed it.
He was relieved that she displayed a far better appetite than she had earlier. She relaxed in his arms, taking whatever he offered.
Koryn studied her through narrowed eyes for several moments. “Did you want me to stay and help with her sessions tonight? Or are you just going to use the robotic dildo?”
Tariq stroked her cheek lightly with the backs of his fingers when she remained completely relaxed. “I don’t know if I’m up to watching that tireless bastard fuck her after watching it all day,” he muttered. “I’m horny enough to crack myself.”
“All the more reason to make use of it. She seems to be responding well to the sessions. A few more days of intense indiscipline might do the trick.”
Tariq frowned and finally released a pent up breath. “You handle it. I need fresh air.” He switched to English. “Go get in the chair, baby.”
“You should at least stay until she’s ready.”
Tariq flicked a glance at him, but he nodded. Getting to his feet, he followed Emerald to the chair and fastened her in, adjusting it. Koryn joined him a few moments later and immediately began massaging her breast. Tariq worked with him until she was wet and he could insert the dildo. When he’d inserted it, however, he turned and strode to the door. He didn’t look back.
Koryn stood watching the pumping machine for several moments and finally flicked a look at Emerald’s face. Her head was thrown back, her face a mask of agonized pleasure. Seeing that Tariq had forgotten the gag, he looked around until he found it and put it in place.
After glancing at the door, he crossed the room to Tariq’s desk and pulled up the data he’d been working on. He discovered it was next to impossible to focus on trying to unravel the code when he could hear the steady hum of the machine pumping into her and hear her moans above that.
No fucking wonder Tariq needed to escape! If he’d spent the day listening to that and watching it he would be fucking lunatic!
Struggling to close his mind to it, he noted the time and returned his attention to the codes. When he glanced at the clock again, he discovered more than an hour had passed. Leaping up from the chair, he strode quickly to the chair and shut the machine off. Emerald had either fainted or she was faking it. He checked her pulse and then her eyes. Relieved that she’d merely fainted, he left her to rest and returned to the desk.
He managed to break another piece of the code by the time Emerald finished her second session. He helped her from the chair and sent her to the bathroom to relieve herself and then headed to the bed and stripped. When she came out, he summoned her to suck him off, gritting his teeth as she opened her mouth obediently. Relief flickered through him when she didn’t bite him. He settled back to enjoy it, clasping her head to guide her until she had the rhythm he needed.
“Rest,” he said when she’d sucked him dry, leaving him as weak as water. He hadn’t realized just how weak until he came to and discovered that Emerald had grasped his cock and was stroking it. He stared at her from beneath heavy eyelids as she leaned down to cover the head of his cock, tensing briefly and then relaxing when she didn’t try to damage him as he’d more half suspected was her intention. Tariq returned just as she brought him off the second time. He was peripherally aware of it, but too focused on the pleasurable suction of her mouth and the hard contractions of his climax to do more than note it.
“How many sessions has she had?”
Koryn managed to lift one eyelid. “Two.”
“That’s enough for tonight. She needs to rest.”
Koryn nodded with an effort and struggled to his feet. Discovering he really didn’t feel like pulling his boots on, he tucked them under his arm once he’d pulled his uniform on and left barefoot.
Tariq undressed and climbed into the bed when h
e’d left, pulling Emerald against his length.
“Would you like for me to suck you off?”
Tariq swallowed with an effort. He wanted her to so bad he could taste it. He’d almost come just from watching her bring Koryn off. “You’re tired. Rest.”
She slipped a hand down his belly and cupped his cock.
Tariq ground his teeth. “Do it,” he growled.
She shifted down the bed and took him into her mouth. He struggled to keep from groaning out loud the moment he felt the heat of her mouth close around his flesh. He felt like he was going to explode the moment she touched him, but he fought it, wanting to relish the feel of her hands and mouth a little longer. With the best will in the world, he couldn’t hold his seed more than a few moments, however. He uttered a choked grunt as the first contraction hit him, groaned and then grunted as the second wave struck, knocking the breath from him again.
He was barely conscious when she finally stopped sucking at him, too weak even to push her away. She righted herself when she couldn’t suck anymore from him. He roused enough to curl around her and drag her close and then passed out.
He summoned Koryn to bring breakfast for the three of them when he rose the next morning, leaving Emerald asleep while he performed his morning tasks. He felt downright cheerful right up until Emerald woke and he saw the dark circles beneath her eyes. He felt even worse when he sent her to take care of her needs and watched her limp into the bathroom as if every step brought pain.
He didn’t have much appetite for the food when Koryn arrived with it. “I need to take care of arrangements for the shipment,” he said as soon as they’d settled at the table. “I’m going to leave you in charge of Emerald’s sessions until I get back. She’ll need four between now and lunch. On an hour, off an hour. If I’m not back by then, give her an hour to rest before you start the afternoon sessions.”
Koryn flicked a look at Emerald and then sent Tariq a sardonic look. “Coward.”
“Fuck you!” Tariq growled. “Like I said, I have to make arrangements.”
“Which you could make from here.”
“Except I’m not fucking going to.”
“Fine! I’ll listen to fucking music. The sound of that gods damned machine drives me up the wall.”
“I endured it all day yesterday, gods damn it! You can handle it today.”
“It was your fucking idea to start with!”
“You’re the one that pointed out that she was in danger as long as she refused to comply and that she wasn’t docile!”
“As if you hadn’t noticed!”
Tariq’s lips tightened. He got up abruptly and dumped Emerald in the chair he’d vacated. “Be a good girl for Koryn, baby, and I might not give you any sessions tonight.”
“You aren’t at least going to stay and get it started?”
“No. My balls feel better than they have in days. I’d like to keep it that way for a few fucking hours.”
Koryn glared at the door for several moments after it closed behind Tariq and then looked at Emerald. “Come here, baby.”
She got up and rounded the table and he pulled her onto his lap. Cradling her with one arm, he began stroking her. He spent twenty minutes fondling her breasts and her clit and was as hard as if she hadn’t brought him off twice the night before. Abandoning the idea of handling the session himself, he told her to get up and get in the chair. He was relieved when she obeyed without hesitation, but like Tariq, he wasn’t convinced.
All the same, he thought when he’d bound her and positioned her, she was at least maintaining a façade of docility. If she could manage that when he knew without a doubt that the mechanical wonder Tariq had dug up had to be pure torture for her, there was some hope she might survive. She was dry again when he checked her, tense despite her outward appearance of calm. He worked her heat up again until she was wet and parted her nether lips for the machine as he’d seen Tariq do. He hadn’t actually watched the penetration before. By the time the thing had stretched the mouth of sex wide enough to breach it and began to penetrate her he felt like he had a knot in his throat the size of his fist—and that it was his balls.
He swallowed convulsively several times while he watched the thing slowly enter her and withdraw. When he decided there was enough moisture, he adjusted the speed and beat a retreat to Tariq’s desk. He’d no sooner settled than the volume of Emerald’s tortured gasps and groans reminded him that he’d forgotten the gag.
Leaping to his feet again, he gagged her and then moved to the entertainment console and selected music, setting the volume high enough he couldn’t hear the robotic bio-cock or Emerald’s muffled groans. He returned to Tariq’s desk then and settled to picking apart the code.
Emerald had three long sessions rather than four one hour sessions due to the fact that the music and his attempts to crack the code distracted him enough that he had difficulty also watching the time. He had a third string by the time he realized it was noon.
He had to carry Emerald to the bathroom to relieve herself. Mentally kicking himself, he carried her to the bed afterwards, told her to rest and ordered a tray sent to Tariq’s quarters. He roused her when he decided she’d slept at least an hour and fed her. Tariq still hadn’t returned so he sent her to the chair again and began the afternoon sessions.
He’d managed part of a fourth string of numbers and Emerald was part of the way through her fourth afternoon session when Tariq returned. Tariq strode immediately to Emerald, studied her a moment and shut the machine off. From there he strode to the entertainment console and shut that off, as well.
“What are you doing?” he asked tightly.
Koryn glanced around at him in surprise. “I’ve got two more strings and part of another.”
Tariq’s brows rose. He strode the desk and looked at the image over Koryn’s shoulder.
“Does it still look like spacial coordinates?”
“It does. Move and let me pull up some maps.”
Koryn got up and stretched.
“Why was Emerald in session when I came in? Did she give you any trouble?”
Koryn glanced at him in confusion. “Didn’t you say she was to have four in the afternoon?”
“It isn’t afternoon,” Tariq said tightly.
Startled, Koryn glanced at the clock. “Gods!”
Tariq faced tightened. “How fucking long did you leave her on that gods damned thing?”
Koryn felt his face heat. “Almost an hour and half—this last time. I made sure she rested a full hour between each session, though.”
“You’re sure she only had four?”
Uneasiness slithered through Koryn. “Yes,” he responded a little doubtfully.
“You aren’t certain?”
Koryn frowned and finally relaxed. “I’m certain.”
“Help her out of the chair while I look for maps—and order us a tray. I skipped the noon meal. I’m starving.”
Koryn was less convinced when he’d unbound Emerald. She was unconscious and she didn’t rouse when he we’d removed her restraints. Alarm flickered through him but, to his relief, her pulse was even and strong—a little rapid considering she was unconscious, but possibly the cause of it. When he’d carried her to the bed, he checked her pulse again. It had slowed and after a few moments her eyelids fluttered.
Angry with himself for allowing himself to get so caught up in what he was doing on the computer that he’d lost track of time, he debated brief and finally settled beside her on the bed, holding her close and stroking her soothingly. She flinched at each touch. When she finally seemed to relax completely, he left her and ordered the tray of food.
“How is she?”
“Resting.”
Tariq closed the holo-image on his desk when Koryn’s assistant arrived with their food. Striding to the bed, he shook Emerald awake and then scooped her up and carried her to the table when she seemed more inclined to sleep than to get up. She was also more inclined to sleep than eat, Tariq
discovered after trying to tempt her several times. Giving up after a few minutes, he caught her face in his hand and turned it to study it and then sent Koryn a deadly glare. “She’s exhausted,” he said tightly.
“You thought she wouldn’t be?” Koryn retorted. “This is her second day. I thought that was the plan—to wear her down until she wasn’t able to fight.”
Tariq’s lips tightened, but he got up and took her back to the bed without another word, tucking her beneath the sheets and lingering for a few moments to stroke her hair before he returned to the table. “I found a leak in one of the hydraulic lines,” he said evenly when he’d settled again. “It took most of the day to fix it, but the ship will be ready to leave tomorrow.”
Koryn met his gaze for a long moment and finally nodded. “Emerald should be ready enough to leave tomorrow.”
Tariq frowned, thinking. “I think it would be best if you had your assistant bring me the trunk I left in the hold tomorrow—early. I’m sure Celia left something in it Emerald could wear.”
“I should give her a sedative to keep her calm. How long do you want her to sleep?”
“At least three hours … if possible.”
“I’ll have to give her a time release capsule to manage that. Any luck with the maps?”
Tariq focused on his food. “It looks like it’s pointing to a system in this galaxy. I’ll have a better idea when I’ve run some figures.”
Koryn focused on his own meal until he’d finished. Pushing his plate away, he studied Tariq for several moments. “When are you going to forward the information?”
Tariq met his gaze. “We don’t actually have it yet, do we?”
Koryn relaxed fractionally. “No, we don’t. All efforts will be focused on the war right now anyway. I doubt they’d even be able to consider an expedition until they’ve settled our dispute with the Dinjin.”
“True. I don’t see any need to rush, especially since we aren’t sure yet. It would be better to be sure. There’s no point in getting everyone excited for nothing.”
Deep Penetration; Alien Breeders I Page 18
