Then she had glided away, leaving Cassie feeling baffled and somehow cheated when she thought of her substandard marriage to Keith.
It was honestly the talk with Madam Electra that had opened her eyes and let her know it was time to end things with her ex, Cassie admitted to herself now. She had realized that Keith wasn’t worthy of her respect—that he was just a bully who had somehow convinced her that she deserved to be bullied and made to feel bad about herself. It was only after she had left him that she had begun to rebuild her self-esteem and self-respect.
Stone had been a big part of that rebuilding process, she remembered. Her partner had always shown her deference and respect, right from the beginning. He didn’t treat her like she was less than him because she was a woman or because she was smaller and physically weaker. Instead, he deferred to her greater knowledge of Earth customs and laws, telling Cassie he wanted to learn from her. It was after her marriage ended that their friendship really began to grow.
And now I’m learning from him, Cassie thought. Though what, exactly she was learning, she wasn’t sure. Maybe that her partner was much kinkier than she’d ever given him credit for? Or maybe she was finally learning to be submissive—at least when the situation called for it. Whatever the lesson was, Cassie had to admit she was enjoying learning it.
Realizing she was still just sitting there naked, except for her boots, she rose from the couch and looked around for their luggage. They had given it to their pig-man contact, Pocker, who had promised to have it delivered to their rooms if they got the job with Gozeriam.
Sure enough, she spotted the red carry-all cube Kat had packed for her. It was small but there were plenty of clothes and toiletries inside—all minimized using Kindred shrinking technology. There was also a bottle and a dropper with re-sizing liquid. A few drops on any item would return it to its normal size.
Cassie found and re-sized the nightgown Kat had packed her—a long, silky sheer black one that emphasized her curves while minimizing her hips. It was also very comfortable.
“Thanks, Kat,” she murmured, as she slipped it on and looked at herself in the 3-D viewer at the far end of the room, opposite the floating gold beanbag bed.
Speaking of the bed, how in the world was she supposed to get into it? Looking around, Cassie spotted a three-step stool with railings on either side and wheels on the bottom. It reminded her a little of a fancy miniature staircase—the kind you saw in private libraries where all the books were leather-bound first editions on high shelves that were hard to reach.
She was just pushing the rolling staircase against the side of the floating bed, when Stone said from behind her,
“You had better let me hold the bed for you so that you don’t fall when you attempt to get in. It might not be stabilized adequately.”
“Stone?” Cassie turned to him at once. He had changed as well. He was still bare-chested but instead of his tight leather trousers, he was wearing long black pajama bottoms made of some thick, satiny material. She had to admit he looked mouthwatering in his sleepwear, but then, he always looked hot. She had just tried really hard not to notice it until now.
“Stone,” she said again. “Are you all right? You disappeared pretty fast, there.” She reached out to touch him but stopped right before her hand made contact with his broad, bare chest. She wasn’t sure if he wanted her to touch him or not.
To her relief, her partner took her hand and put it on his chest himself. He squeezed gently.
“I’m all right,” he assured her.
“It’s just…you left in kind of a hurry.” Cassie bit her lip. “I thought maybe…maybe you were upset over…over what we did.”
“Why would it upset me to finally get to touch your beautiful body?” Stone looked genuinely confused.
“Well, I mean…the way you ran off when I asked if you were going to bite me. I just thought—”
“Cassandra, you think too much sometimes,” he murmured. “Forgive me for making you worry. I just had to leave before I did something we would both regret—before I bit you.”
“But why?” Cassie shook her head, not understanding. “Why would we both regret it if you bit me, Stone?”
“Because…” He sighed and ran a hand through his thick hair. “Because biting is an act of possession among my kind. If I bit you and injected you with my essence, it would be extremely difficult for us to go back to being just friends after this mission is over.”
“I see…” Cassie nodded. “So you feel about biting the same way I feel about kissing—it’s too intimate. Is that right?”
Stone nodded thoughtfully.
“Yes, I think that is a good analogy. Although biting is more extreme. If I bit you, I would then have a biological need to Claim you as well—to bond you to me. And that would be wrong if we want to maintain our friendship.”
“Yes, I guess it would.” Cassie looked away.
She wished, in a way, that Stone wanted to Claim her and bond her—which was the ultimate step for a Kindred warrior. But she understood that her partner just wanted to remain friends.
“Well…” She cleared her throat and pulled her hand away from his broad, bare chest reluctantly. “I was about to go to bed. Are, uh, you coming?” She nodded to the floating gold beanbag, which was certainly big enough for the two of them.
Stone frowned.
“Do you want me to come to bed with you, Cassandra?”
“Well, I mean, not to, uh, practice anymore or anything like that…” Cassie could feel her cheeks heating. “But this is a strange place—hell, a strange planet— and I’ve never been off Earth before. So, it might be nice to have someone I trust close by.”
One side of Stone’s mouth rose in a rare smile.
“And that someone could be me, I take it?”
“Of course. But, I mean, only if you want to sleep together. Not that we’d be actually sleeping together,” Cassie said quickly. “I mean—”
“I know what you mean,” Stone interrupted—which was a good thing because she’d been starting to babble, Cassie thought. “I know what you mean,” he repeated, reaching out to sweep a strand of hair out of her face and tuck it behind her ear. “And I would love to sleep with you tonight, Cassandra.”
“Oh, well good.” She smiled up at him. God, he was so tall. Now that she had taken off the high heeled boots, she had to tilt her chin back just to look into his eyes. “Just as long as I get to be the big spoon,” she added, joking.
Stone frowned.
“The big spoon?”
“You know—when you sleep with someone else and you lay on your sides together—like spoons in a drawer?” Cassie asked. “The person in back is the big spoon and the person in front is the little spoon.”
“Ah.” Her partner nodded. “If you wish, you can be the big spoon.” He walked to the foot of the bed and held it steady. “Now you can get in.”
Cassie climbed the little 3-foot staircase again and crawled carefully into the floating beanbag. The gold material it was covered with was warm and soft and the bed itself was much firmer than a beanbag. In fact, it felt like a really expensive memory-foam mattress to Cassie, though it did sink down in the middle a bit when she laid down on it.
“Come on in,” she told Stone, once she was settled. “It’s really nice.”
Stone didn’t need the staircase. He was so tall he was able to easily get into the bed without it. When he settled beside Cassie, the bed sank in the middle some more, pushing the two of them together.
“Well, this certainly isn’t a good bed for people who want personal space,” Cassie remarked, trying not to elbow her partner as they attempted to sort themselves out and get comfortable.
“Do you want personal space? I can sleep on the couch,” Stone offered.
“No, no!” Cassie assured him hastily. “I was just saying, that’s all. Look,” she added, wiggling around. “I was joking about the spooning before, but now I think it might be the only way we can sleep on thi
s bed without squishing each other.”
“All right. I will be the ‘little spoon’ as you requested to be the ‘big spoon.’” Stone turned on his side, putting his broad, bare back to her.
Cassie turned on her side as well and tried to get comfortable, but to be honest, it wasn’t working. Stone was way too big for her to spoon him comfortably and the position just felt wrong.
“This isn’t working, Stone,” she said at last, after shifting restlessly to try and get to a better position. “You’re too big—I feel like a flea on a dog’s back!”
“It does not work for me, either. Let’s try it the other way.” And Stone turned over to face her.
Cassie gave a little gasp as his hard, muscular chest brushed against her breasts and their bodies connected front-to-front. She was naked under her thin nightgown and she felt the heat of her partner’s big, muscular body like a brand against her own.
For a long moment, they looked into each other’s eyes and Cassie thought he was going to kiss her. In that moment, she knew she would have let him—in fact, she wanted him to. But finally, Stone spoke, breaking the breathless silence between them.
“Turn over, Cassandra,” he murmured, his voice hoarse and low. “Let us see if it works for me to be the ‘big spoon’.”
Biting her lip, Cassie did as he said. At once, Stone pulled her close, cradling her body with his own, surrounding her completely. His size and strength made her feel like a child again but in a good way. She felt protected…cared for…loved.
No, don’t be stupid, Cassie. Don’t make this into something it’s not, she lectured herself. Stone is just spooning with you because it’s your first night on a weird new planet and he’s trying to make you feel safe and comfortable. He’s being a gentleman, like always. So don’t start catching feelings—remember what happened with Gil when you let yourself love him.
But she couldn’t help liking the way her partner’s big body surrounded hers. His warm, dark scent filled her senses and his muscular arms held her close, making her feel safe and secure as she never had while sleeping with any other man.
“Mmm, this is better,” Stone murmured in her ear. “I think I should always be the ‘big spoon’.”
“I think you’re right,” Cassie murmured. “I mean, as long as we’re here, anyway.”
“Yes…” He sighed softly in her ear. “After this mission, we will never have a reason to be spoons together again.”
His awkward phrasing made Cassie smile but his words made her sad. He was right—they were going back to plain friendship once they got back to Earth. What excuse would they ever have to sleep together entwined again?
Well, then you’d better make the most of it now, whispered a little voice in her head. Enjoy it while you can, Cassie.
“We should get some sleep,” she said aloud. “Got a big day tomorrow.”
“You’re correct. We should sleep,” Stone rumbled in her ear. “Lights, very dim,” he added and the glows in the corners of the room slowly dimmed themselves in response, until the room was in almost total darkness. “Goodnight, Cassandra,” he murmured.
“Good night, Stone,” Cassie whispered back.
And settling herself more comfortably against her partner’s broad chest, she allowed herself to sink into darkness.
Thirty-Two
A persistent knocking on the door woke Stone and he frowned as he realized there was someone in bed with him. Someone small and soft who had a sweet, familiar scent.
Cassandra! he realized, looking down at his partner, who was cradled against him.
How many times had he dreamed of sleeping with her in his arms? How many times had he longed to touch her, to bring her pleasure? To taste her sweet juices? Many of his dreams had come true the night before—so many that he almost feared he was still dreaming.
It was a dream he never wanted to end.
But then the knocking on the door, which had woken him up, came again and someone called from outside,
“Wake up! By order of his Slimefullness, Xempi Gozeriam, come to the door!”
“What?” Cassandra stirred in his arms. “Who is it, Stone?” she murmured sleepily. “Tell them to go ‘way.”
Stone was inclined to do exactly that. But he couldn’t ignore the knocker’s use of their new employer’s name. He was certain that here on Bachanalius, whatever Xempi Gozeriam wanted, Xempi Gozeriam got—and right now he apparently wanted them to get up for some reason.
With a frustrated growl, he left his half-asleep partner in the warm bed and went to the door. Whoever it was had better have a very good reason to wake them and interrupt the few precious moments he had to cradle Cassandra in his arms. He was well aware that this would be his only opportunity to be so physically close with the woman he loved.
“Whoever you are, you’d better have a Goddess-damned good reason to wake us up,” he growled as he opened the door. “You—”
The words died on his lips.
Standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face was none other than The Beast.
Thirty-Three
The low, menacing growl coming from the vicinity of the doorway woke Cassie up completely.
It’s Stone, she realized sleepily. And he sounds really pissed off. What the hell is going on?
Then she heard her partner speak.
“You,” he snarled in a deep, angry voice. “You dare to come here and—”
“Stone?” Cassie scrambled out of the gold beanbag bed, which dipped and wobbled alarmingly, and ran for the door.
All she could see for the moment was Stone. Her partner seemed to have grown to twice his size and was blocking the doorway with his menacing bulk.
As if he wasn’t big enough already! Cassie thought impatiently.
“Stone?” She put a hand on his arm, which felt like warm, flexible steel. His muscles were tensed and his entire body was thrumming with fury.
Cassie began to be really alarmed. Whoever was on the other side of the door, her partner was about two seconds from attacking them!
“Stone!” she insisted, tugging at him. “Who is it? Move over some and let me see.”
Very reluctantly, Stone took a step back. Though he kept himself between her and the door, Cassie could at least peer around him to see who it was. When she did, she gave a little gasp.
The Beast himself was standing there, an uneasy smile on his darkly handsome face. He had the same golden eyes and black, wild hair of any Beast Kindred and the same living tattoo flowed just under his skin she had seen on all the vids he’d made—including the snuff film. It was easy to see since he was wearing a sleeveless leather vest which showed off his muscular arms and most of his chest.
“Mistress Cassandra?” he asked, frowning at Cassie. “Call off your body-slave, all right?”
“Oh, uh…” Cassie forced herself to get over her shock and remember their mission. Just because Stone had gone into overprotective male mode was no reason for her to blow their cover.
“I’m just here to deliver your script.” The Beast held up a transparent sheet with printed lines flowing across it. “His Slimefullness stayed up all night writing it and he wants you to be ready to perform it soon.”
“Thank you.” Cassie pushed past her partner, who was still growling menacingly, and reached to take the script from The Beast who offered it at arm’s length.
“He’s really fucking protective of you,” he remarked, nodding at Stone.
“Yes, as a body-slave should be,” Cassie said. She waved a hand at her angry partner. “You’ll have to excuse him—he doesn’t like strange males getting near me. The last time one tried to touch me, Stone, here, ripped his head off.”
There—that ought to make the bastard keep his distance!
“I see.” The Beast nodded and took a step back. “Well, maybe I should go then.”
Cassie wanted to tell him that yes, he should go, but it occurred to her that she would be wasting a golden opportunity if she did. If they we
re going to grab The Beast or lure him back to their ship where they could arrest him and take him back to Earth for trial, she needed to befriend him—or at least pretend to. It was the only way to make the bastard trust her.
“Wait, please,” she said quickly as The Beast turned away. “What’s your name?”
He turned back and flashed her a cocky grin.
“They just call me ‘The Beast’ or Beast for short.”
“Is that because you’re a Beast Kindred?” Cassie asked innocently. “I know about Kindred because my body-slave is a Blood Kindred,” she added.
“Ha!” The Beast lifted his chin proudly, an arrogant gleam in his golden eyes. “You’d think so to look at me but no, I don’t even have a drop of Kindred blood in my veins.”
“Where are you from then?” Cassie asked, pretending to be interested and impressed. “I have never heard of any other race of males that looked so like the Kindred before.”
“I can look like anything I want to.”
In an instant, his strong features blurred, becoming softer and more feminine. At the same time, his body shrank, losing its impressive height and coming down to Cassie’s level. While all this was happening, he grew curves and his hair, which had been a wild tangle, smoothed itself into a long, black waterfall.
Cassie blinked when she realized she was looking at herself. And it wasn’t just her face and hair and body The Beast had replicated—he was also wearing her clothes. The long, black nightgown she had on looked a lot more revealing now that she could see it on someone else. Her breasts were nearly visible through the thin, silky material, her nipples poking prominently against the fabric.
This time she didn’t have to pretend to be impressed or surprised.
Playing Their Parts: A Kindred Tales Novel Page 18
