by Laney Kaye
Yeah, it was that kind of town.
I rubbed my stomach. Not because I was hungry; I’d pretty much forgotten about the comforts of food over the last two lunar cycles. I’d been wrong about my lady parts being exhausted though, as Tennn had even more variations of our activities up his sleeve. Or down his pants, to be more precise.
With the imminence of our separation delayed a little, we had explored and enjoyed one another’s bodies with abandon. I did check — once, and basically because I needed an excuse for a few minutes break — on Ol’ Gray Donkey. A comm-call to Xander assured me that the cat had found a minion willing to do his every bidding.
Now, that judgmental ass eyed me from the protection of Xander’s leather-clad lap as I rubbed my slightly swollen stomach. The bloating was no doubt a result of the pounding, both internal and external, it had taken over four lunar cycles.
“My Stella?”
I glanced across at Tennn and lifted one shoulder in question.
“You are all right?” He nodded at my hand massaging my belly.
“Just a little sore. I’m definitely not cut out to be a sex worker.”
“What is this sex worker?”
“Um. A concubine. Hooker. Ah…”
“Purchase-mate,” Xander supplied, his nose in his reader as he flicked up the information. “A person, often female, who provides pleasure for a price.”
“You will not be that,” Tennn rumbled, his jaw set.
“Well, I guess we’ll have to play it by ear on Daorheris.” Tennn had been tight-lipped on the subject, and I realized his silence stemmed from his anger at his inability to change his destiny or control my fate. But, hey, he had the weight of an entire planet on his shoulders.
“Only if you choose to go there,” he turned his dark gaze on me, shuttering his eyelids in the fashion that I’m certain he knew made my knees go instantly weak. Which meant he had no problem getting between them. Not that I ever put up a fight.
“I already chose that. You have to make your quota. And I have nowhere else to go.”
He turned to face the viewing window in front of us as the blue orb of Earth filled the screen. “You will remain with me. If you choose to.”
“What?” My breath caught in my throat. “But you can’t. Yanno said—”
“Yanno is correct. I can offer you nothing. Nothing but my company until I am paired with a woman of Crasasi blood. Then not even my company, not in the way we enjoy it, as I will remain faithful to my assigned mate.” He pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and blew out a tense breath. Yanno and Xander, on the other hand, held their breath, staring at him with varying degrees of appalled expression. “You see, I offer you nothing, my Stella, but I beg everything of you. I would ask you to give up all the promises that you have left your home for, just to be near me. So I can at least see you, know that you are safe.” Tennn’s words came out in a rush, as though he’d been stewing over them for the last two days.
I shook my head reluctantly. “I can’t, Tennn. I can’t. It would…hurt too much, to see you with someone else. Better I take my chances on Daorheris than face that.”
He nodded, not looking at me. White rimmed his lips as he clenched them firmly together. “Take your seats for entry.”
Although he still didn’t turn toward me, his thumb caressed the back of my hand as he led me to a chair. I knew he wasn’t angry. Just hurt. Disappointed.
My heart ached, for him and for me, but what could I do? His destiny was set, he had to mate with a woman of Crasasi blood and produce an heir. I could give him neither of those things.
Though I was eager to see my sister, the fact that Tennn and I had only hours left together weighed like lead in my stomach, squashing all the butterflies who’d happily flitted there for four lunar cycles.
A burst of bright light in front of us made me gasp and jerk back in my padded seat, and Tennn’s hold on my hand tightened. “Only entry, my Stella. Don’t be afraid, I’ll not let harm come to you.”
I wished that were true, that I could stay with him, that he’d look after me. But I’d already found far more than I sought. A fact my lady parts weren’t about to forget anytime soon.
Chapter Eight
Stella
Though we beamed down together, the guys hung back as I approached my sister’s house. As I scrounged for the spare key under the potted azalea on the verandah, it’s hiding place since my childhood here, Aurora came to the screen door.
She unlatched the snib and shoved the door back on squealing hinges. “Stella! Where the heck have you been?” In an untidy tumble of disarrayed hair and ink-stained hands, she threw her arms around me. “I’ve been trying to contact you for days! Since the station reported your car abandoned in the desert. And I couldn’t feel you anymore.” She tapped her temple.
I pointed mysteriously skyward. “Outer space.” Okay, so maybe that wasn’t really mysterious-sounding. More whacko.
Aurora rolled her eyes. “Hilarious. The cops have been searching for you. If we still had milk cartons, you’d be plastered all over them. Oh— who?”
Without even turning around, I knew the guys must have wandered into view behind me. The way Aurora gasped the word, you’d think she’d been marooned on a desert island, and was sighting the first ship in ten years.
Oh, yeah. She was.
I turned, gesturing at the guys. “Tennn, Yanno, this is my sister, Aurora. Tennn is mine,” I added.
Hey, I knew my sister. No harm in laying it out there straight away.
“Ah,” Tennn grunted in surprise, but I knew it wasn’t at my claim. I hid my grin. Yanno scanned the sky, frequently looking at his wristcomm. He’d warned me that, as our re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere was completely unauthorized, we were a prime CUM target.
“Aurora, we have to talk quickly. I came to say goodbye.”
“Goodbye?” Her blue eyes, identical to my own, were round with shock.
I nodded. “You’re not going to understand any of this, but you’ll just have to take it on faith. I don’t have time to explain fully, but I didn’t want you to spend your life worrying about me.”
Aurora kicked the screen door open with her heel and gestured inside.
“No time,” I repeated. “Listen, Aurora. These guys are Crasasi warriors.” A bit of a stretch, but they had been, and it still sounded sexier than traders. Not that Tennn needed sexing up any. Yanno either, judging by the way Aurora was eyeing him off. “I know how this sounds, but they’re from another planet. Another galaxy. One that has plenty of men.” Interest sparked in my sister’s gaze, and I realized I should have led with that salacious fact. “Anyway, I’m going with them—”
“Seriously, Stella? You realize this is just some weirdo cult trying to suck you in? Even if they do have men to do it…” Again, that flare of interest in her eyes.
“No. I’ve already been with them.” Again, I jabbed my finger upward, as though that proved something.
“Uh-huh.” Aurora rolled her eyes.
“Almost out of time,” Yanno said.
“I know,” I waved him back with one hand. “But I’m having trouble here. This isn’t something that’s easily explained, you know.”
“You accepted it easily enough,” Yanno remarked dryly.
I had. Because… “Tennn. Take your glasses off.”
Tennn stepped alongside me, sliding his palm into the small of my back. I kept my gaze on my sister’s face as Tennn removed his glasses.
Aurora blanched. “Do that again,” she whispered.
She nodded, as Tennn apparently obliged. “And you. Can you do the same?” Her gaze swapped to Yanno.
He seemed non-plussed and Tennn turned to him. “Just blink.”
A moment of silence.
“I did,” Yanno said with a shrug.
“With your glasses off,” I suggested. Aliens were hot as, but not all of them were quick on the uptake.
He complied and Aurora swallowed audib
ly before letting her gaze drift back to mine. “So. Aliens. Space. You went?”
I nodded. “And I’m leaving again. For good,” I added, shoving my hair behind my ear as I leaned forward trying to impress the urgency upon her.
“What is this mark on your ear?” she demanded. Because we were identical, she tended to be possessive over our looks.
“It’s kind of a tattoo. It shows that the Earth government has sanctioned my, well, my abduction, I guess. Though those who have the tattoo have to be willing.”
Aurora slammed her folded arms across her chest. I had to remember not to do that. It made us look very schoolmarmish. “Then I want one.”
“You don’t understand, Rory,” I said, trying to remain patient, though I was aware of Yanno checking his wristcomm in my peripheral vision. “This means I’m going…up there.” I jabbed a finger toward the verandah ceiling. “Y’know. Forever. And I don’t even know what that entails.” So far, though, the adventure had been pretty damn good. Shame it had to end with another parting. The thought of leaving Tennn ripped any frivolity from my mood, and I sagged a little.
Aurora placed a palm on my cheek, her thumb trying to wipe off the star-splash. I’d never have time to explain that to her, and impending loss and sadness made my lips tremble.
She grabbed my shoulders and shook me a little. “I get it, Stella. And I’m coming, too. Having you in the middle of nowhere for the last year was far enough away. I’m not letting you go any farther on your own. I’m your big sister, remember?”
Yup, seventeen minutes she never let me forget.
“Yanno?” Tennn rumbled.
Yanno heaved a sigh, apparently giving up on all of us. “We can take her. I’ll work out something with the manifest. But make sure this one truly knows what that entails, Tennn. Just because she looks the same as Stella does not mean you can claim her. We’ll already have an issue disposing of the marked goods.”
I scowled at him. I was pretty sure he knew I didn’t care to be referred to as cargo or goods, but he seemed determined to keep everyone’s focus on the job.
“Are you sure, Rory?” I snatched at her hand, but I could already read the eagerness for adventure in her eyes. Oh, and a dash of lust as she glanced at Yanno.
She leaned closer “The enormous hot one is yours, right? But the well, gorgeous one isn’t taken?”
“Not as far as I know. But there are others, too.”
“Let me pack a bag,” Aurora spun on her heel, dashing back into the house.
“There’s everything you need on board, Rory. Just grab personal stuff,” I yelled. I knew what that would entail.
“No time,” Yanno bellowed. “We leave, now!”
To her credit, Aurora reappeared instantly, her arms laden as I had expected.
Seconds later, we’d ported back into the transport pod aboard the ship.
Xander was waiting for us and slid open the clear screens of the bubble-like area we’d ported into. “These are books, Stella?” he murmured, deep reverence in his voice.
Aurora tightened her arms around her stash, shooting him a wary glance. “My books.”
I stepped out from behind her, and Xander’s gaze darted between us. “What? But you are — you are one person?” His bewilderment made it apparent that twins, or at least identical twins, did not occur on Crasasi.
“Xander, this is my sister, Aurora. I said you’d be surprised at how similar we are.” I couldn’t help but grin at his amazement. I guess some jokes never got old.
He nodded slowly. “This is something I very much approve of.” His gaze refocused on the books, and he reached a tentative finger toward them as though he’d caress a leather-bound spine. “And also of these books. You have read them all?”
Aurora darted a glance at me. “Well, yes, of course. But these are a few of my favorites. All I could grab at short notice.” Oblivious to the reason for our haste, she scowled at Yanno. There’d been no time to explain CUM splattering to her.
“Do you mean you have more?” Curiosity overcame Xander’s surprise at seeing double, and he stepped closer, towering over Aurora. I swear she willowed toward him.
“Oh, I have so much more.” Her words dripped with sultry insinuation. Maybe I should take notes. My sister might be entirely inexperienced, but it seemed she had sure managed to absorb a lot of information from her copious reading. “Do you like books?” She lifted an eyebrow at Xander, then leaned in closer, lowering her voice. “I run a library.”
She may as well have said brothel, for all the heat and promise the statement held. Any moment now, she’d invite Xander up to her room to see her etchings.
Ol’ Gray Donkey decided he didn’t like being relegated to second fiddle and butted up against Xander’s legs.
Xander didn’t tear his eyes from Rory. “I have never seen a book, but I like reading. What is this…library of which you speak?” He stumbled over the obviously unfamiliar word.
Aurora looked shocked. “You don’t know libraries? Buildings filled with books, rooms dedicated to pleasure,” she purred. She lifted her book stack an inch. “Perhaps you’d like to…look at mine, sometime?”
And, yup, there it was. One etching-viewing invitation issued. I was floored. I’d never seen my sister like this. She was the nerdy one, her nose always stuck in a book, apparently oblivious— or at least resigned— to our manless state.
“I think I would very much like to view what you will show me,” Xander replied.
Tennn chuckled alongside me, leaving me in no doubt as to whether these aliens understood innuendo and double entendre, the language barrier notwithstanding.
“No lunar cycle. Straight into hyperdrive and stasis,” Yanno reminded, flashing an apologetic grimace at Tennn.
Tennn’s grip tightened on my hand and I knew sorrow washed through him as it did me. He bent close to my ear. “Are you sure you will not reconsider, my Stella? I know I have nothing to offer you, but we would at least have a little more time together.”
His voice thrummed through to my very soul, and I was tempted, so very tempted.
But I had Aurora to think of now, too. An unexpected complication that stole the last of my choice. Wherever we went in the galaxy, it would have to be together.
“I can’t,” I whispered miserably. “But can we steal a few minutes more together?”
His inner lids shuttered, and I wondered whether it was to hide the grief that shone in his eyes. But he nodded. “Lieutenant Yanno, take us into hyperdrive, please. Xander, show Aurora to the stasis unit and assist her to prepare. Settle the donkey-cat in a chamber. Stella and I will join you shortly.”
Although we retreated to our cabin, we didn’t have time to make love again. Truth was, no matter how long we had, it wouldn’t be long enough. Instead, we stood in each other’s embrace, neither of us wanting to say goodbye.
“I’ll have Yanno program the stasis to end early,” Tennn murmured into my hair. “We shall have one more lunar cycle together, my love.”
I nodded, not daring to speak. Every breath threatened to release my tears. I felt like everything I had ever wanted had been momentarily within my grasp, I’d been given a taste of the richness of life, only to have it torn from me.
There was nothing funny about this moment, no speck of humor I could dredge from it.
My heart was breaking.
Eventually, realizing that no amount of delay could make the moment any less painful, Tennn and I made our way to the stasis units.
Xander and Ol’ Gray already shared one unit. The cat wrapped in Xander’s arms, both of them had their eyes closed, the clear, solid screen of the chamber fogged.
Aurora was in another, rocking a Sleeping Beauty pose. Hopefully, I’d look half as good as her when I was asleep. More likely I’d drool and snore, though.
I blew out a heavy breath, eyeing the chamber Tennn led me to. “So, how long are we in stasis?”
“The time isn’t really something that can be counted,
my Stella. It is distance that we travel, but we pass through time. But if we weren’t to leap, the journey would take many years.”
Okay, so that all sounded way too sci-fi-techy for my liking. I pressed my finger against his lips. “Just tell me I’m not going to emerge looking like my grandmother.” Particularly as she’d been dead for over a decade.
Tennn kissed my finger and then drew back so he could speak. “I promise you will not look one day older when we wake from stasis. You will be every bit as beautiful and desirable as you are at this moment. And saying farewell will once again tear the hearts from my chest.”
He helped me into the chamber, leaning over to kiss me. His tears definitely were not confetti, falling to glisten among his star-splash on my face. “Stella, my Stella,” he whispered. “My hearts are so full, and yet so empty. I don’t have any words.”
“One more lunar cycle, Tennn, we will have one more,” I whispered back, my voice breaking.
He nodded, slowly closing the clear lid over me, his eyes never leaving mine.
A faint hissing filled the chamber. And the smell of petrichor. I smiled at the memory…
*
I groaned, pressing a hand to the small of my back as I clambered from the stasis unit. My head was thick, and it took me a moment to orient myself. Aurora’s pod was alongside mine, and the clear cover whooshed back as I watched. My sister sat up, blinking owlishly as she gazed around.
“I thought these things were supposed to make us feel rejuvenated,” I grumbled as I reached a hand to help her scramble from the chamber.
“I feel fab,” she grinned, seizing my hand. “That was better than—”
“My Stella, I have missed you,” Tennn’s deep voice behind me sent instant thrills to the soles of my bare feet. And to other places. Regardless of how long — or how far — we’d been asleep, my body had not stopped hungering for him. Though I did feel a little cheated not to recall light-years’ worth of erotic dreams.
As I twisted toward him, Aurora dragged on my hand to pull herself from the pod.
I overbalanced, my belly hitting the polished metal chamber, though I’d have sworn I was standing well back.
