“Captain Rigel of Orion wasn’t allowed a mate,” he returned calmly, as if he hadn’t just had the breath knocked out of him. “But S’sorrokan and Captain Kane thinks it’s a grand idea,” he added with the faintest hint of a smile. “Believe me, Kass, I not only want you as a woman, but I need a companion—someone I can talk to—”
“Even if we argue?”
“Even then.” He took her chin in his hand and tilted her face up until they were eye to eye. “Stay with me, Kass. I’ll send for your things. From this moment you are mine.”
She’d practically thrown herself at him, so why should his sudden declaration take her breath away?
Kass studied him with exaggerated intensity, moving her gaze from his waves of blond hair to the tips of his boots. Truth was, he’d left a few things out of his declaration. Including love. Perhaps, after all, there were certain topics a woman had to take into her own hands.
“I trust you’re planning to seal the bargain in time-honored fashion?” Kass asked. When he frowned, looking puzzled, she added, “My virginity has become a burden, Captain. Is that clear enough for you?”
In a move so fast she never saw it coming, Tal pulled her close, his lips hovering just above hers, an odd mix of emotions gleaming from blue eyes gone stormy. “I ought to spank you instead of kiss you.”
“Try it and you’ll find yourself pinned to the wall!”
“Like the krall?” he challenged, bending his head until their lips were nearly touching.
Kass blinked at him, her mind gone blank. She couldn’t have transported a dust mote. L’ira didn’t exist. Nor K’kadi, Jagan, Astarte, Blue Moon, Psyclid itself. Anger, fear, country, duty echoed faintly, then fell away, as if swallowed by a black hole. Tal Rigel filled her world, there was nothing else. Tal Rigel—the real one—was about to kiss her. Tal Rigel, soulmate—
Kass gasped. Just as his lips touched hers, she jerked away. “There’s something I have to explain—”
“One more word and I swear I’ll—” Tal groaned, baring his gleaming white teeth. “Damn it, Kass, will you shut up? You’ve been talking us to death since the day we met!”
“But we’re sou—”
He pressed her back into the cushions, silenced her with his lips, his kiss almost savage, an angry, thirsty man demanding water from a well only she could provide. A comfort she would never again withhold, Kass thought. Whatever she could give him, she would. They were soulmates . . . even if he didn’t know it yet.
Never taking his lips from hers, Tal scooped her legs up onto the couch and settled himself on top of her, his surrender-now kiss gradually softening into something more tender. Joy surged as Kass felt him harden against her. Not that she wasn’t aware men could get worked up over just about anything, but this time she knew Tal’s driving emotion was more than lust. She could sense it.
More than sense it. Touching him, kissing him revealed a torrent of passion that nearly overwhelmed her. She’d had no idea he cared so much. Needed her so badly.
Kass ran her fingers through his golden hair, pulled him even closer, answering his moan of pleasure with one of her own. At last . . . at long last, fantasy was laid to rest. This was real. Any moment now, she might burst with the wonder of it. If she were K’kadi, she’d cast a rainbow from wall to wall.
Tal ran a hand down to her waist, tugging at her tightly fitted knit shirt, fumbling with her belt. With a sharp expletive, he pulled his lips from hers and braced his hands on either side of her shoulders to relieve her of his weight. “Obviously,” he said, gazing down at her with chagrin and a hint of amusement, “I am considerably more successful at maneuvering Astarte than I am at seduction. I can only plead an attack of overeagerness.”
Kass nearly groaned out loud. Fleet Captain Tal Rigel when she wanted someone a tad less logical. “How did you know,” she asked, “that you were too heavy for me?”
“Hmm?”
“Tal, how did you know I was hurting?”
He frowned. “You said so.”
“No, I didn’t.”
Tal sat up. Perched on the edge of the sofa, he looked down at her. “What are you saying, Kass?”
“Exactly what I was trying to say when you told me to shut up. What I should have told you before today but it was too . . . well, it sounded so unlikely, as if I’d made it up.”
“Ka-ass?”
“You have begun to catch my thoughts from time to time, haven’t you, Tal? And my feelings. As I have yours. It’s common on Psyclid between soulmates, but between a Psyclid and a Regulon, never.”
In his eyes she saw denial, followed by reluctant admission of the truth. “You’re saying we have some special kind of bond? Something you don’t even share with K’kadi or Mondragon?”
“I have some empathy with them, yes, but not the flashes of telepathy or soul merger I have with you.”
“Soul merger,” Tal murmured. “That’s scary, Kass, particularly with two people as strong-minded as we are.”
Kass allowed heat to fill her eyes, nicely tinged with mischief. “Of course I have only the last few minutes of personal experience,” she confided, “but Psyclid literature is filled with fascinating tales of the power of—ah—interaction between soulmates. Supposedly, the relationship greatly enhances . . . intimacy.”
A rare smile spread across Tal’s face. “On your feet, Kiolani,” he ordered. “Time for a new training session. You teach me about soulmates, and I’ll teach you . . . other things.”
As he pulled her to her feet and lifted her into his arms as if she weighed no more than one of K’kadi’s illusions, Kass wanted to shout with triumph, but her throat closed up, and no sound came.
Waves of passion, Jagan had said, coming from both. And now she knew what he meant. Waves of passion that swept them both away the moment Tal laid her on his bed. Passion that sent hands tearing at clothing, boots thumping to the floor, flesh to flesh on a bedcover no one took the time to turn down. No foreplay, just a murmured, “Omni, Kass, forgive me,” as Tal hesitated, panting, the rock hardness of him pressing against her most private place.
Kass hiccuped a breath. “Do it. I’ll be fine.”
“This isn’t the way to treat a virgin, but . . .”
“Think I’m afraid of you, Captain?” Kass taunted. “Stop being an idiot and do it!”
She tried not to stiffen as he inched inside her, but mind over matter wasn’t working. She whimpered. Passion wavered, and she felt him cringe. “Kass,” he gasped, “I can’t stop now, don’t ask it.”
“I’m not!” she snapped, “but virgins are allowed to be wary. Just get this over with and—oh!” Kass gulped and swallowed the rest of her pain. How very strange to feel him inside her, filling the space she could have sworn would never hold anything swollen to such a size.
“Unfortunately,” Tal returned, “this soulmate thing works both ways, so don’t try to tell me that didn’t hurt. I’m truly sorry.”
“Yes, it does work both ways, and you are imagining pain far worse than I experienced. It’s already going away.”
Tal nuzzled her neck. “Kass Kiolani, sacrificial virgin,” he murmured into her ear. “The Empire doesn’t stand a chance against us both.” Two strong thrusts and he spilled himself into her while Kass hung on, hands tight around his back. And smiled. They’d do better next time.
Chapter 26
Bless the goddess, Zee-Zee was at breakfast when Kass returned to her quarters the next morning. Though her own stomach was rumbling, not even a phalanx of Falangi firedragons could get her into the mess hall this morning, where word was undoubtedly leaping from table to table that Kass Kiolani had spent the entire night in the captain’s quarters.
Jagan, of course, already knew. Or would, as soon as he woke from his sleep of exhaustion. Breaking a betrothal vow between the two most gifted talents on Psyclid was enough to set off psychic shock waves even K’kadi would recognize.
A grimace twisted Kass’s face, her shoulders slumped. She had no regrets be
yond those four lonely years spent in the Archives—and even that had expanded her knowledge, made her stronger. But what her parents were going to say . . .
She honored them, loved them, truly she did. But supreme in her heart was Tal Rigel. There could never be anyone else.
But now the moment had come. With fantasies blown away and reality looming before her, she could clearly see the chasm she was stepping across. For all the help she, K’kadi, and Jagan were providing, this was a rebellion of Regulon against Regulon. Accepting Tal’s invitation to move into his quarters was the final step in allying herself to the rebel cause.
When all Regulons—both sides of the rebellion—were the enemies of Psyclid.
Well, pok, dimi, and fyd! She should be floating on air this morning. Instead, she was sitting on her bunk, scowling at the unoffending bathing room door.
Reality. Last night she had rung the bell that could not be unrung. In giving Tal Rigel her virginity, she had not only broken her betrothal to the Sorcerer Prime, she had broken faith with her heritage. Her birthright. Her country. There was no going back. For better or for worse, she was now truly Tal Rigel’s woman.
Kass’s scowl faded into a secret little smile as she recalled discovering her captain had a weakness—its name, Kass Kiolani. How perfectly delicious to know she had the power to turn S’sorrokan into an overeager schoolboy, fumbling and incoherent.
Not that he hadn’t made up for it later—yet looking back, Kass found she had a special fondness for the stoic celibate who had gone so long without that he’d lost control when his goal was finally within his grasp. Tal Rigel at his most vulnerable and endearing.
Kass drew a deep breath, stood, and walked with determined steps to her storage unit. Time to pack.
The outer door slid open and Zee-Zee burst in, words spilling nonstop from the moment she caught sight of her roommate. “Omni be blessed, you did it! The ship’s buzzing from one end to the other. Oh! Ka-ass.” Zee-Zee collapsed onto her bed, blue eyes wide. “You’re leaving . . . moving in with the captain?” Kass managed a tiny nod as she felt her cheeks flush hot pink.
“Well, dimi,” Zee-Zee wheezed, “I’ll miss you.”
“He said he’d have my things packed up,” Kass confided, “but can you imagine? He’d probably have sent the marines.”
Zee-Zee flopped flat on her bed, hands over her eyes, suddenly howling with laughter. “Men can be so strange,” she got out between guffaws. “Can’t you just picture Anton or Joss pawing through your undies?”
A giggle bubbled up through Kass’s embarrassment. “I don’t know who would have been more red-faced, them or me.”
“So you sneaked out to do it yourself.”
“Mmm.”
“It’s not like we didn’t all know it was coming,” Zee-Zee said more quietly. “But, frankly, I’d just about given up on the two of you. Like you were going to drag your feet until someone blew us out of the sky and it was way too late.”
“That’s what did it, I think. Tal said there’s nothing like the whiff of death to clarify the mind.”
Zee-Zee rolled over and looked Kass in the eye. “He thinks we’re not going to make it?”
“I think he did what he always does,” Kass returned carefully, “weighed the odds and decided he’d better grab a little pleasure while he could.”
“Things are that bad?”
Kass made a face. “Dorn can tell you the whole, but in simplest form, Tal insists on making the rendezvous with Tegge, and I’m convinced we’ll be flying straight into another Reg battle group.”
“So morituri te salutamus, or more appropriately, fydamus.”
“Zee-Zee!”
“Sorry, but the “we who are about to die” part fits, and last night you were doing a hell of lot more than saluting!”
Kass managed a wan smile. “We are rather like gladiators, aren’t we? Warriors trapped in a sector filled with Regs out for blood, sacrificing ourselves with no real hope of ever breaking the cycle of fight, win, or die. And if we’re lucky, a few will limp home, living to fight another day.”
“We have a far better chance of escaping than the Roman gladiators ever did,” Zee-Zee declared. “Or the Greeks at Thermopylae.”
“Marginally,” Kass conceded. “But is that what it’s come to? Rebels as mere entertainment for the Empire? Just another battle exercise for Fleet?”
Zee-Zee swung her legs off the bed, sitting upright, glaring. “It was just a quip, Kass. Forget I ever said it. I’ve followed the captain into hell a dozen times over. It will come right in the end, it always does. Now cheer up, smile. Go make him happy. He deserves it.”
But do I deserve this joy, Kass wondered, when all I do, when we’re not in bed, is argue?
With Zee-Zee’s help, she finished packing, and after a brief bout of hugs and tears, Kass headed for the lift and the spacious quarters of Captain Tal Rigel. Where hopefully he stocked enough supplies so she could assuage her growling stomach.
The strident clang of the ship’s alarms woke Kass in the wee hours of morning. By the time she realized what was happening, Tal was half-dressed and pulling on his boots. Four days of blissful peace, almost a honeymoon, and now, just short of Renner’s Gate, the one she recommended, the call for battle stations. If she’d ever been a pampered princess with all the rough edges smoothed out of her world, it must have been in an alternate universe. But there were times when she wished she were gifted with enough magic to put her life back the way it once was.
But not if it meant giving up Tal.
Abruptly, the alarms ceased. In the act of buckling on his weapons belt, Tal paused, obviously attempting to analyze the profound silence. He tapped his comm unit. “Rigel to bridge.”
“Sorry, Captain. You’ll want to take a look, but it seems to be a trader vessel, also bound for Renner’s. She’s showing nothing beyond the usual defensive weapons. None hot.”
“Stay here,” Tal ordered, waving Kass back to bed. “Looks like nothing more than jumpy nerves on the bridge. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He swooped down for a kiss and then he was gone, leaving lingering essence of Tal Rigel tickling her nose and parts considerably lower.
Kass sighed. Evidently, she and Zee-Zee weren’t the only crew members thinking “we who are about to die.” And at the far end of Renner’s—provided no ambush waited for them there—they had to get through five or six more days to Tat, worrying all the way. Was Scorpio waiting for them, as planned? Or would Tegge’s be one of the Fleet ships lying in wait for Astarte?
Kass must have dozed, for the next thing she knew Tal was slipping in beside her, overwhelming her senses with the feel of him, the scent of him, the wonder of questing lips and roving hands. Of touching and being touched. Of knowing that for a few moments she could make him forget everything but her.
Until his comm unit squawked or the next alarm bell rang.
But she knew that, accepted it. As much as she hated it, Kass now faced the reality head-on. That was the difference between loving the fantasy Tal and the real one. And now that she knew the reality of Tal Rigel, her fantasy lover from the Archives didn’t stand a chance.
Tal groaned as Kass stroked the velvet hardness of him, then guided him home.
They exited Renner’s with nothing more exciting on Astarte’s long-range scanners than the now solidly identified trader ship, also obviously heading for Tatarus. Tal struggled not to feel smug, not to broadcast “I told you so” to all the skeptics, including his very special little Psyclid. But rebel captains indulging in the euphoria of sexual bliss had to struggle all the harder to remain realistic. “So far so good” didn’t mean Fleet wasn’t waiting for him at Tat.
But Tatarus, and a thousand marks out in every direction, was a neutral zone, and so far the Empire hadn’t violated neutral space. Therefore . . .
There was always a first time.
Mallick! Kass’s fears were catching. For all his assertions, Tal was almost as surprised as she when they f
ound Scorpio the only Fleet ship in orbit around Tat. Waiting, exactly as planned. Tal swore he could hear Kass’s teeth grinding when Jordana Tegge popped onto the bridge’s viewscreen. “Captain, good to see you.”
“And you.” She smiled. “That was a long side trip, Rigel. My crew is itching for some action.”
“Sorry about that. As it turns out, we’ve had a bit too much of it.”
Tegge’s brows rose sharply. “I look forward to hearing all about it,” she returned. “Do you need to replenish supplies, Captain?”
“We’ll make do. How soon can you get underway? We’re in a bit of a hurry.”
Jordana Tegge offered a smug smile. “We’ve been ready since our scanners picked you up four hours out.”
“Then let’s do it, Captain. Follow at a distance of thirty marks.”
“Will do. Tegge out.” The viewscreen went blank.
“Mondragon?” Tal turned to Jagan, who was seated beside Kass at Tactical. He might be determined to add Scorpio to the rebellion, but, by Omni, he wasn’t so stupid he failed to hedge his bets.
“Perhaps if I could touch her . . .” Jagan mused. “Betrayal of the Empire should be such a massive emotional upheaval, I expected to feel something. Truth is, reading Tegge was almost like trying to read a robot. There was . . . nothing. Pardon the mixed metaphor, but that woman’s one cold son of a bitch.”
“I agree,” Kass murmured.
Of course she did. Tal stifled a wince.
“I’m beginning to think not all the witches are on Psyclid,” Jagan said. “Some of the Empire’s outer limits may be getting up to tricks of their own. Tegge is from off-world, is she not?”
“Epsilon 3, one of Regula’s more recent conquests.”
Jagan nodded. “Either they have acquired talents of their own, or they have indulged in a bit of racial mixing,” he offered. “Off-hand, I would guess Tegge has her own set of talents, including a mental curtain strong enough to cover her entire crew. And just to make it more interesting, this could go both ways. She could be the best non-Psyclid ally you’ve yet acquired, or she could be out to slit your throat. And none of us the wiser until the moment comes. “Sorry,” Jagan added, but Tal noted the sorcerer didn’t bother to hide his grin as he became aware that every pair of eyes on the bridge was staring at him.
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