Farenough: Strangers Book 2

by Melissa McCann

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Clothes came off one piece at a time. Why couldn't he hurry? But he kissed her, moving down her throat and chest and breasts, making her moan and jerk and shake again, then lower. He pulled the waistband of her trousers. There. She could stop him now. As long as she kept the trousers, she could keep the last part of herself separate, but she had already twisted sometime when she wasn't paying attention, so he could pull them down. He kissed the hollow of her hip, and she shivered. His fingers ran light as down over the inside of her thigh, and she twitched. Her boots. She had forgotten her boots. The pants would never go over them. She squirmed and tried to used her toes to push them off her feet, but the secure-tabs wouldn't give way.

  He kissed the inside of her knee, reaching down to release the tabs of her boots himself. He started to raise himself, but she clutched his hair. If she let him pull away, she would start thinking again. He bent down to her, nuzzling through the thin hair between her thighs and flicking his tongue over her while his pulled one leg of her trousers off. He shifted his weight and shook his jacket off his other arm. He came back up her body until she could reach his breeches and release the tab, pull them down to expose him to her hand. He rubbed against her palm with a gasp.

  "Sweet one," he murmured. "Little darling. Take me."

  She wrapped her bare leg around his hips, already so wet the pain and pressure—it had been so long—lasted only a moment, then just the feel of him inside her made her gasp shrilly and arch her back. She tightened her leg around him so he wouldn't think he had hurt her and pull away, so he would move inside her.

  He shivered and inhaled as sharp breath, thrust once, twice, said, "I'm sorry, sweet one."

  "No," she protested. It was too soon. It couldn't be over so soon.

  But he tightened, and his moan turned into a shout, and he pushed and jerked inside her, and she writhed, caught up in his climax and racked with pleasure until she was gone.

  #

  Tora wanted to fight, but there was no enemy to fight. She went outside. Mr. Ventnor came along behind her, and they stood on the deck together.

  Mr. Ventnor said, "Looks like Ms. Annia and Mr. Hollin have the house. Do we go to my place, or find something else to do?"

  Tora considered. It would be good to go to Mr. Ventnor's house and be with him, but there were enemies somewhere, and Tora should fight them.

  She bent her head and nuzzled his cheek to smell him. She liked the way he smelled, sweet and a little sharp. She sighed. "Enemies are priority." She wished it were not so, but it was.

  Mr. Ventnor shook his head, and Tora knew he wished it, too. He said, "Your word, Colonel, but there's nothing we can do about firebombs."

  Tora snorted. She knew that. "Maybe firebombs don't come. Then black uniforms come back and make more fighting."

  He nodded. "That's taking the optimistic view. Myself, I'd like to take another shot at those police when I don't have my kilts up and my hands full."

  Tora stood with Mr. Ventnor and Liam in the middle of the road looking toward Cyrion. Tora did not like the way the humans gathered behind her. They had come to the border to see the black-uniforms. Tora's soldiers kept them back so Tora could talk to Mr. Ventnor and Liam and her lieutenants and hear what they said, but she could still hear the humans shouting.

  First, they shouted about black-uniforms. They were angry about black uniforms invading Murrayville. Murrayville belonged to them, not to the black-uniforms. The humans picked up rocks and bricks and sticks. Some of them had knives that were good for killing animals to make meat, but they were also good for fighting human-enemies like the black-uniforms. That was bad. These were not soldiers. They were humans. If they tried to fight with sticks and knives, they would hurt themselves more than they hurt the enemies.

  Tora had good distance-sight—better than humans. She saw the black-uniforms' positions. She saw they did not carry their weapons like enemies getting ready to fight. Liam said they still waited for the big enemy from the sky that was the firebombs, but the firebombs would not come. The Elizabeth-Belle had called for reinforcements from the big parliament Command far away, and they would defeat the little parliament enemy in the city.

  Tora did not have to fight the parliament enemy. She had to fight the disease enemy and the black-uniforms at the same time. She ran simulations in her head. Her simulations were mostly for on a ship, but she could think about how Murrayville was like a ship and make her simulations work that way.

  Then the sounds from the humans behind her changed. No more chanting words like "Free forever," or "No, no, we won't go." First the chanting stopped, then voices started, voices that sounded confused and surprised, then angry, then the voices got louder, and Tora heard the word "Firebombs."

  Mr. Ventor said, "That's not good." He turned around to look at the mob.

  Tora had told Dess and Ms. Stamos about the firebombs enemy, but she had not told her other lieutenants. She had not wanted the humans to know about them. Now Lize said, "Are they going to firebomb us?"

  "No." Tora used the giving-orders voice so all her lieutenants would know it was true and would not waste time thinking about enemies that would not come.

  Now she heard humans saying things about running away from Murrayville before the firebombs came. That was bad. Simulations said if the humans ran away, then the parliament enemy would not wait for orders for the big parliament Command. They would send the firebombs before the big parliament Command found out and told them to stop. Running away was bad tactics. She must hold position and wait for reinforcements from the big parliament Command.

  She waved her hand so her lieutenants would come with her, and signaled Liam to stay and watch the black-uniforms. He would send the runner, Fist, to tell her if the black-uniforms moved.

  Tora marched toward the humans with long, hard steps so they would know she was angry. The humans in the front saw her coming. They pushed forward and started to ask her questions. "What are they doing out there? Are they going to try to take over Murrayville again? Where is General Baldwin? Is Cyrion sending police back into the town? Is it true they are going to firebomb us?"

  Tora glared at them with the don't-make-me-fight-you face that made Maycee laugh.

  The humans at the front of the crowd didn't laugh. They got very quiet and tried to back away from her, but they could not because the humans behind them had not seen Tora yet. Tora made the face Maycee called, working-my-last-nerve, and the humans stopped trying to back away and became very, very still.

  Then more humans turned to see what made the other ones so still and quiet, and they saw Tora and the don't-make-me-fight-you face with the working-my-last-nerve face, and they got very still, and forgot about the firebomb enemies.

  Mr. Ventnor rested his stick on his shoulder and his other hand on the stunner on his belt and said to the humans, "Something wrong here?"

  Then the humans stopped being afraid of Tora, and many of them asked, "Are they really going to firebomb us?"

  "No," Tora said.

  All the humans looked at her like she should say more, but Tora had used the giving-orders voice. Now she added the don't-make-me-fight-you face, and she expected everybody to not argue or ask questions.

  Mr. Ventnor said, "You heard the Colonel. Nothing you can do to help out here, and plenty of things you can do to get in our way. Best thing is to go home. Worst thing is to try to leave Murrayville right now and get everybody panicking."

  Tora felt proud of Mr. Ventnor. He made the face that meant not-worried-about-anything, and the humans felt calmer. All Tora's lieutenants made the not-worried faces even though some of them had not heard about the firebomb enemies before and they were a little worried. They were very good lieutenants.

  A male human made a maybe-I-fight-you face at Tora. "What about those police? What are they doing out there? And there are police riot cars circling us."

  Some humans, especially male humans, thought they were lieutenants. Mostly, they we
re very bad lieutenants. If they were good lieutenants, they would be in the militia like Mr. Ventnor or doing useful things like Mr. Hollin and not shouting and making the other humans afraid and angry.

  Tora made the face that Maycee called setting-them-in-their-place. Maycee had names for all the faces Tora used. Tora said, "I deal with police. You don't get in my way." Then she made the mother-werecat face. That one made Maycee laugh, too, but it made humans calm down and feel safe.

  Tora said more softly, "I protect you. I will not let soldiers hurt you."

  Some of Tora's lieutenants made the funny-but-don't-laugh face. Tora did not know why. It was her job to protect humans. If the humans were not here, Tora would give her lieutenants the not-funny look.

  Mr. Ventnor didn't look like laughing. He shrugged. "Colonel's right; the police are our job. Yours is to give us room to work."

  The male-human who thought he was a lieutenant said, "I'm not going to sit down and let them drag my family to the detention camps without a fight."

  "I wouldn't either," Mr. Ventnor said in a not-fighting voice. "Good reason to go home and make sure your families are safe."

  That left the male-human angry with no-one to fight. The humans looked at each other, and at the sky to see if there were firebombs, and at the police far away on the perimeter, and they did not know what to do.

  Tora folded her arms and gave them the well-done-and-go-to-barracks look.

  Then a different male human said, "I'm going home. My wife's there alone."

  Then the other humans agreed they should all secure their barracks, and most of the humans started to go away. The rest backed away from Tora's perimeter, but they didn't go home. Tora glared at them so they would not interfere with her, but they did not want to fight with her. She would find a way to make them useful so they were not in the way.

  When she went back to the place where Liam watched the black-uniforms, Liam said, "Enemy movements changed. Flanked, no reinforcements."

  Tora knew what he meant. The black-uniforms had thought the firebomb enemy was behind them so no one could get to the black-uniforms from behind, but their rearguard had collapsed. She said, "No firebombs."

  Her lieutenants made soft noises that meant they were relieved. Tora frowned at them but did not use a face. They should trust her, but she remembered they were human, and sometimes humans wasted time thinking about things that lieutenants told them would not happen.

  Even Mr. Ventnor took a deep breath and whistled, meaning he had been worried. He saw how she looked at him. "Sorry, Colonel. I'd back you in any fight, but I wasn't so sure about Ms. Maycee's cousin."

  Lize said, "Colonel, you mind if I go back and let the civilians know we don't have to worry about firebombs at least?"

  Tora nodded. "Good. You tell them. Then you pick..." She nudged Liam. "Lieutenants for drone support." Drones didn't really have lieutenants. They were clone series that followed orders from Command but were stupid and useless for fighting. They ran machinery and delivered supplies and equipment where soldiers needed it. But there was no Command for drones here, so Tora had to be flexible and adapt.

  "Four," Liam said. "New situation. Enemy is advancing soon. Maintaining perimeter, full force boards at this point."

  He meant that the fliers on the perimeter would keep humans and the disease enemy inside Murrayville which was good because Tora did not want the disease enemy to get out. The black-uniforms could do half her job for her and not know they were making it easier to keep all her force here where the black-uniforms would all come and try to get in by the main road into Murrayville.

  "Four," Tora said to Lize. "Bring them here. How long?" she asked Liam.

  "Not long. Fifty minutes?"

  Tora was pleased with Liam. Since Maycee had become the lieutenant for him almost as much as Tora, Liam had sometimes seemed to be actually a very little bit human. If the other lieutenant had been anyone but Maycee, Tora would have been angry and taken him back before he was ruined, but Maycee was not like the Cerise. It was all right for Liam to be soldier for her. Still, Tora felt happy to see he continued to perform according to his design. She had one perfect soldier to rely on.

  Now the black-uniforms had to get orders for the new situation. Fall back, or advance? Tora used her longest sight, but she could not make out the faces of the black-uniforms. Liam could tell her when their new orders came and how they would deploy, but Tora needed to see their faces to see their loyalties and their relationships. Could Tora talk-fight them, or would it have to be real fighting?

  Mr. Ventnor put something hard and heavy in her hand. "Try these," he said.

  He had found her a distance viewer. Tora put it to her eyes. Now the black-uniforms' faces became clear. They made confusion faces. Tora turned the viewer so she could see more black-uniform soldiers. She wanted to find the lieutenant...the captain. He was the one Tora had to fight.

  Mr. Ventnor jogged her elbow. "Give me a look?" he said.

  Tora passed the viewer back to Mr. Ventnor, and he scanned the line of black-uniforms. He stopped and looked at one place. He grunted, meaning he had found what he expected to see. "It's Special Commander Marduk. Good tactician; not as good as Baldwin, but good. Sound leader, burns the flaming skin off any of his people who hurt a civilian by mistake. Very law-and-order. Doesn't like the shanty-towns on principle." He set the location control on the viewer and gave it back to Tora. "It wasn't Marduk last night," he added. "That was Captain Carubba; prides himself on keeping control and getting the job done fast and efficient and the Black Man take anybody who gets in his way. Motto is stun first, detention after."

  Now when Tora put the viewer to her eyes, the focus made a circle on the left side of the field. She turned the viewer until the circle came to the center of the field, and she looked at the face of the black-uniform captain. He had a light face. Not as light as Maycee or Liam, but lighter than Mr. Ventnor. He had hair on his face, black and short, growing around his mouth and down his chin in a stripe to his neck.

  He moved easily among his soldiers, listened to them when they spoke, gave orders calmly with no anger or aggression. His soldiers did not fear him like the Solante's soldiers feared the Solante. The Special Commander Marduk was not a lieutenant who could only follow orders from Command. He was like Tora. He could adapt. He could give orders, and Command would listen to him.

  The Special Commander Marduk would not word-fight like the Solante. He would negotiate the way Mr. Hollin did with the humans who traded with him for things they wanted. Tora had thought hard about that kind of fighting. She said to Mr. Ventnor, "What does he want?"

  "Marduk? I'm guessing his orders are to keep Murrayville quiet and locked down and keep the plague from getting out. From last night, I'd guess Cyrion expects him to go at it the way Captain Carubba did before—round everyone up and lock them in their houses. They've got a detention center set up between here and the spaceport, but I don't guess they want to use it if they don't have to."

  Lize came back from talking with the humans and brought four drone lieutenants. No, Tora had to remember humans were smarter and less reliable than drones.

  Lize said, "Colonel, this is Mr. Manso, Mr. Twardowski, Mr. Gampert, and Ms. Bucki."

  Tora studied the three humans. Two of the men were young and healthy and thought maybe they were lieutenants, but male humans like the bad lieutenant in the crowd before would like to take orders from male humans like that. Maybe Tora would have to make Mr. Bracxs watch them to make sure they followed orders correctly. These young males would respect Mr. Bracxs because he was too big and strong for them to fight.

  Mr. Twardowski was very dark and very old with many wrinkles and some hair that was grey, but he was steady and alert. The smarter, more flexible humans would agree that his orders were good, and they would do what he said.

  The woman, Ms. Bucki, had golden skin like Annia but darker, with light-colored hair. She had lines around her eyes from being older than Annia. Only th
e very best lieutenants became old enough to have lines on their faces. Ms. Stamos had lines like that, and she was almost as good a lieutenant as Mr. Ventnor.

  Tora thought maybe even General Baldwin would follow orders from Ms. Bucki. General Baldwin liked best to follow orders from women who looked young like the Cerise, but Ms. Bucki would be able to make him follow orders from her. Tora made a smile face she had never made before when she thought about Ms. Bucki making General Baldwin follow orders. It was a kind of fighting-smile, but a kind of fighting she had not done before. She wondered what Maycee would call that face.

  The woman said, "What can we do to help, Ms. Miraz?"

  Tora began to tell the humans what to do.

  #

  Annia lay sweaty and limp against Mr. Hollin's side with her head tilted at an uncomfortable angle on his shoulder and her arm falling asleep under her. Mr. Hollin had recovered from his first exertion, and the rest of their clothes had come off before they were done. Sometime in the middle of the second round, Mr. Hollin had told her his given name, Fereolus. Among Yetfurther natives, only family used another adult's given name. Even casual lovers and close friends used the formal address. When her tongue had tripped somewhere between the third and fourth syllables, he had assured her only his mother ever used the long version; everyone else called him Ferus.

  Ferus snored, snorted, and woke himself up. Annia raised her head so he could adjust his shoulder, then she dropped it back down on him, too bone-limp to be disturbed. He relaxed and snored again, then he sat up, letting her head fall to the gel cushion under them. "Ms. Annia, I think we're in the clear."

  She inhaled to let him know she heard him even though she hadn't been listening.

  He bent over her and nuzzled her ear, but she refused to be disturbed. "Annia," he murmured. "We're still here."

  Yes, they were. She inhaled again and ignored him.