Lin's Challenge

by Mara Jaye

  “Stop thinking, Lin. Let yourself feel,” he replies in a whisper.

  Before I can ask how, a rush of emotion and sensation flood my mind. His desire and erotic feelings are transmitting into my mind loud and clear. I don’t pick up the physical touch he gets from me but am instead swamped in the pleasure our bodies together provide him. “Ohhh, we are good together, aren’t we?”

  “The best.” His hands slide down my back to my butt, and he squeezes. “Fuck, you feel good. Better than I imagined.”

  My fingertips dig into his shoulders in glee over the thought of him fantasizing about me. I should reply, but he’s so overwhelmingly good. I can’t even think, never mind form words while he’s moving inside me a little faster every few seconds.

  “I’m close,” he gasps in my ear. “I can’t hold back.”

  An explosion of pleasure fills me as he climaxes. I feel weak from the rush and more than a little shaky. His intense satisfaction almost makes up for my lack of one. “Wow!” I breathe, laying on his chest as he calms a little. “That was good. Thank you.”

  “You don’t know about Gharian men, do you?” he asks, and I shake my head against his chest. “Then you don’t know.” He snorts a laugh. “I’m not done with you, yet.”

  Turkh might want to do more, but it’ll have to be later when he recovers. Still, I like his optimism. “Oh? Will we plan on this again tomorrow night?”

  “Plan for right now.” He lifted his hips and drove in a little deeper, his cock still hard and ready inside me. “We climax twice. Once to get the body ready, and again to complete the goal.”

  I move against him and place my hands on his shoulders. “So if I want to keep going, you’ll let me until I come, too?”

  “Sure, all night if you need to, as long as I get a few minutes of sleep before work tomorrow.” He ran his hands up to my breasts and rubbed my nipples with his thumbs. “You are so beautiful.” He rose up enough to lick between my breasts before teasing my nipples with his tongue.

  The tickle from his lips pulsed to my core. Between the gentle rocking of his amazing body and the feel of his solid length sliding deep into me, my climax hit hard. My toes clenched, and I wanted to scream his name at the first few pulses. Instead, I kept quiet and sent every ounce of pleasure to him via our link, and soon he came a second time.

  Sated, I relaxed against his chest. His heartbeat under my ear and I smiled as it slowed. “If I didn’t ache in places I never knew existed, I’d want to do this all over again.”

  “Tomorrow night for sure.”

  “Pless yeah.” I smiled when he laughed, and I added, “I know. Never in front of your family.”

  “Good. I want them to love my bonding mate as much as I do.”

  Bond and mate were binding words in most languages, including mine. The idea of being tied to this man for the rest of my life was both terrifying and exhilarating. “So, are we now in a union or does there need to be a formal ceremony?”

  “Yes, we’re bonded. Anything more is something to make mothers and grannies happy while giving the bachelors a chance to seduce the bachelorettes.”

  “Funny how some things are the same no matter where you go.” As our hearts slowed, I raised up, trying to see him in the dark. “We ought to get dressed. I don’t want someone to stumble across us in the morning.”

  “I agree.” He sat up, taking me with him. “Since I have infrared vision, let me help you dress.”

  “How do you know I don’t have the same ability?”

  He pulled my shirt over my head. “You’re from Earth. We’re not born with the capability, either. Even my people need augmentation to see in the dark.” He pulled up his pants and reached forward to pull up mine, too. “Light pollution on Ghar is so prevalent, most of us don’t get the additional functionality to our sight.”

  Now that I’m away from him, it’s freakin’ cold out here. I feel sorry for the others sleeping alone. When I shiver, Turkh leans forward and takes my thighs. “You can sleep on me tonight. Your pah jamahs won’t keep you warm.”

  I laugh at his pronunciation and can’t help but tease. “No h’s in pajamas, Turk-ha.”

  “Funny woman.” He pulls me down on him as he lays back. Tucking one arm under his head while the other crosses over me, he adds, “With a smart tongue.”

  “It is. Just wait until you see what I can do with it after washing every inch of your body.” I wiggle my hips for emphasis.

  He runs a hand down his face before letting the palm rest on my upper back. “The Alliance needs to come get us soon.”

  I smile as his protectiveness puts me to sleep. The next thing I know, distant voices wake me. Thankfully, I didn’t drool on him in my sleep. When I look up, I see he’s already conscious and staring up at the sky. The light peeking in among the trees seems warmer than last night’s sunset. The early morning rays give Turkh’s facial hair a bit of a glint. I want him all over again. In fact, I want more everything. More information, more variety of foods, and especially more alone time with him. He’s a handsome man, inside and out, and if I had to travel light years to find him? I’m okay with that. “Good morning.”

  He looks down his chest at me with a smile. “Good morning. How are you feeling?”

  My toes wiggle when I think about last night, and I can’t help but return his grin. “Sore in all the right places and wanting a planet to ourselves. But, I’d settle for a repeat performance tonight if you’re willing.”

  Turkh chuckles before frowning. I lift up my head and shoulders. “Everything all right?”

  “Yeah. G’nar is awake and says the Alliance is trying to contact him. He wants me to be ready for the signal.”

  “How do you do that?” I scramble to settle in beside him as he sits up. “Is it difficult or will it hurt you?”

  “Neither.” He puts an arm around me. “It’s more like I need to open my mind to their frequency and wait for the databurst.”

  “Sounds easy enough.”

  “The transmission block by the Vahdmoshi makes receiving anything a challenge.” He stood and brushed the dirt from his behind and the back of his head.

  I stand, too, and sweep his back. His yummy muscles might have me lingering a little too much. “I suppose instead of pestering you with questions, I could be asking the nanos everything.” As soon as I say the words, a channel in my mind is opened. It’s like a webpage on a computer at home. Pictures flash too fast for me to really look at them. They crowd in, rapid-fire, overwhelming me. I’m frozen in place but manage to squeak out, “Turkh? Something’s happening.”

  I feel him whir around against my touch more than see him. My vision is too crowded, and my head begins a stinging pain in the middle of my brain.

  “Lin! Block the signal. Turn off access.”

  He shakes me, but I can’t move. “I can’t…” I croak before the entire universe shuts down.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Turkh

  I catch Lin before she crumples to the ground and sink to my knees, letting the loose soil cushion us both. Any Gharian civilian accepting a military databurst would have trouble with the speed but a newly upgraded Earther? I can’t imagine the pain and confusion in her mind right now. Or what would be there if she were conscious. “Lin? Sweetheart, if you can hear me, you need to block access to everyone and everything.” I smooth hair from her forehead. “Please, Lin, wake up and tell me you’re all right.”

  No answer. I try reaching out to her mentally and emotionally, but she’s quiet. Alive, but silent. There’s a rustle in the trees. I look over as G’nar approaches. He probably can guess, but I tell him, “She took the databurst meant for us.”

  “Pless.” He comes up and kneels beside her. “Can you access her programming remotely?”

  “I haven’t tried, yet. She just passed out.” I pull her closer, letting her head rest against my chest. “Come on, Linsey, wake up for us.”

  “I’ve been talking with the others. The systems watch the fiel
ds for movement and resting heart rate from the translators. They’re going to know when she’s unconscious and send a bot after her.” He kneels down next to me. “Take her to the end of the row. They haven’t set up sensors up there, yet, and you should be safe until she’s awake.”

  I nod because I don’t trust my voice enough to speak. Instead, I get to my feet, still cradling her in my arms. After clearing my throat, I tell G’nar, “I’ll go to the end, if possible. Could you grab enough bags for the three of us in case she recovers before then?” He gives me a nod and goes toward the opposite end of the rows.

  I kiss Lin’s forehead and take off toward the furthest part of the vast farm. While in motion, I reach out with my sensors to detect how strong the Vahdmoshi signal to the translators is. She’s still out, and I kiss her face. “Come on, dearest, wake up for me.” I keep my lips against her skin and reach into her programming.

  She’s shut down completely. I feel her heartbeat and breathing. The signal barely reaches me, yet I don’t want to relax here. An Alliance message precursor tingles at the edge of my mind, and I know they’ve sensed something wrong. I need to get Lin to safety and take the time to explain to my director what’s happening down here.

  As I hurry down the row with her, the trees turn into shrubs before shrinking to freshly planted sprouts. I don’t like how we’re open prey for the securbots, but the rocks up ahead look somewhat sheltering. It’s as if giants shoved everything aside to create flat and level fields. The boulders are probably leftovers from mining proth as much as machines could accomplish. I slink between two huge mountains of rock with a space barely wide enough for me and Lin walk into. I don’t like how hard the ground is here compared to in the fields, but it’ll have to do until she wakes up enough to walk.

  When I’m sure the broadcast is faint, I settle in to sit and keep her steady in my arms. I lean back and can relax a little to focus on her. She’s still out, but her eyelids are fluttering. I give her a squeeze. The processing after a databurst is draining. G’nar? Grab some fruit on your way here?

  Will do.

  He sends his plans and a rough sketch of the surroundings. The securbots can shoot this far but aren’t programmed to go this beyond a small radius to their docking area. We’re lucky they’re using the lower quality on the planet. The latest and greatest could reach more places than anything on two or four feet.

  A moan from Lin stops everything. I stare down at her face. “Lin? Honey?”

  “Turkh?” She shook her head, her eyes squeezed shut. “What the hell? Have I been hacked? Can nanos be turned against me?

  “No, you’ll be fine.” I brush hair against her temple and kiss. I’d do anything to take on her pain as my own. “You received a message meant for G’nar or me.”

  “Oh, good.” Her eyes flickered open, and I’ve never been happier to see blue in my life. “I’d hate for you guys to go through this.”

  “We do it all the time.” I hold her close and can feel her smile against my chest. “Our systems are equipped for it. Yours isn’t.”

  “Was it a mistake? Should I send everything to you and G’nar?”

  Her sweet voice is tired. My poor love. “Mistake for it to be sent to you, yes. We’ll be sure to receive the information directly the next time a window opens.”

  Are you behind the slurry?

  Yes, we both reply at once. Lin leans back and grins at me. “Sorry. I heard him, too.”

  “He’ll be here in a few seconds,” I say before kissing her. She feels better than I remembered and I love how her tongue licks my lips. I pull away first and say to her slight protest, “Later, I promise.”

  She grins, but before she can say anything, G’nar turns the corner. “Good move to hide here.” He approaches with a quarter bag full of fruit. “Here’s breakfast and maybe lunch if she needs more time.”

  Lin sat up and reached for the food. “Thank you. I’m starving all of a sudden.”

  As she bites into a fruit, I look at G’nar. “How much trouble do you think we’re in?”

  “You know as well as I do.” He rubbed between his eyes. “Problem is, if we don’t get the signal, send back our evidence, and get out of here clean, nothing we feel for her will matter.”

  “We?” Lin says and looks from me to him. “Don’t tell me you’ve gone soft for a mangy Earther like me.”

  G’nar snorts and hands me a fruit then takes one for himself. “If all Earth women are like you, I might end up not resenting the trouble you’re going to cause me.” He looks up. “Anyway, the Alliance should be trying again any seco—”

  “Identify yourself,” rings out in my mind. The three of us look at each other for confirmation the others heard, too.

  Lin’s eyes are large in her face as she gets to her feet. “What do I say?”

  I shake my head and stand, too. “Deny them access, Lin. Block all incoming messages.”

  A flash of pain fills her expression. “Even yours?”

  KirKrell Turkh, identify unknown receiver near you. G’nar, identify unknown receiver near you. Pless it all. They’re not going to be happy with a simple, “There’s no Earther here,” from either of us. “Especially block me. G’nar too.”

  G’nar gives me my bag quota and gives Lin hers. “I’ll ask for the data, send it to you when they’re done. In the meantime, remove her bionans.”

  “No.” Lin stumbled while backing away from me. “I’m not giving them up to you or anyone else.”

  I glance at G’nar. He’s right. It would be better if I stripped the foreign tech from her before another databurst. One received by an unknown is an anomaly. Two received is our butts in a vice. Plus, I need more time to run simulations on the three of us getting out of here. I try to smile and focus on Lin. “Come on. I’ll be quick, and the removal won’t be permanent.”

  Except, if we’re sent to an eighth world, it will be permanent. I can’t hide this from her but try to anyway. “I’ll do what I can to give you civilian nanos when we’re on Ghar. Just let me deactivate everything I’ve sent to you before the Alliance gets here.”

  She stares at both of us before shaking her head. “You’re lying to me. All of that chatter about bonding and our union and my being your mate was what? A way to keep the Earther calm and her legs spread?”

  Pless, Turkh. You didn’t have to go that far to placate her.

  “Both of you know I didn’t lie about anything.” I turn to Lin. “Look, you’re picking up on deception from me because I don’t know what will happen once the Alliance finds out we’re mated. I just don’t want them to blame you for my giving you tech beyond your capabilities. That’s it. I’m being as honest as I can with what information I have.”

  G’nar standing behind me must be backing my truth because her frown softens by the time she looks from him to me. She nods. “All right, but I’m not giving these up for anyone or anything. Not until I’m safely off of here.” She takes a few steps back, one hand holding a half-eaten fruit, the other up as if to ward us away. “I’ve done as you suggested and tried to not use them, especially not to communicate. But I don’t want to shut them down completely.”

  “It’s not a question of what you want, Lin.”

  I turn to G’nar and think Shut it. “Don’t. I’m taking care of the problem.” As soon as I refocus on Lin, her face is whiter than a Blendarian’s underbelly. “What’s wrong?”

  “You’re taking care of a problem?” She puts a hand to her head. “I can’t even think right now, yet you’re calling me a “problem.” Is a bondmate a “problem” to you?”

  “No, of course not.” I know she’s half delirious with pain, but I’m desperate to calm her. “You’re my love, but we have to be smart about this. I can’t present an Earther with bionans to the Alliance. They’ll exile both of us and probably not together.”

  She glanced at G’nar before stepping back again. “No. You’re not taking my only means of communication with authorities. I don’t care who’s in cha
rge. I want a way to get information.”

  I don’t look at G’nar as he snorts before he says, “Stop being a child. Bionans are just a new toy for you to play with and now it’s time for you put them away.” Turkh, do I need to hold her down while you extract them, or are you able to?

  Fleegan! I send to him as Lin bolts. She’s running deeper into the mounds of discarded ore, toward the end of the dome.

  G’nar gets in my face and pokes a finger in my chest. “Don’t you call me a fleegan. You both know what to do about Alliance tech. We don’t have a lot of time before the Alliance comes in and closes us down. Do you want to be responsible for the slaughter of the lesser worlders here? I know you care for Lin, but are you willing to pay for her with the lives of all the others?”

  I can’t answer him because I know what I should say. Yet, I love her. There has to be a way to accomplish the mission and be with Lin at the same time. Projecting a confidence, I don’t quite feel, I say, “We’re saving the lesser and completing our mission, then. Go blend in with the farmers while I bring back Lin.”

  “Her bionans?”

  “I’ll strip as many as I can.”

  I turn to leave as he says, “Wait. I’m not trying to be a fleegan about this. You’ve always known it’s mission first. You took the oath, too.”

  “I know. Let me do my job.” I turn and head off in Lin’s direction. She might have the schematic to the dome’s layout via the databurst. I try to tap into her bionans, but she’s blocked me. Lin, come on. We need to talk.

  Silence.