“It’s my fault—it’s the feral side of me that’s to blame.” He shrugged. “When you washed me, I must have thought we were doing the bathing part of the Claiming period.” He frowned. “Come to think of it, I seem to have memories of Scenting and Holding too. Or is that another dream?”
“No, uh…that really happened.” Imani was feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable again. “Tell me about this ‘Claiming period,’” she said, hoping he wouldn’t remember everything they’d done the night before. “You talked about it last night but I found it kind of confusing.”
J’are frowned. “I thought you said you worked with the Kindred.”
“I do but I’ve been with them less than a month,” Imani said. “So I’m still learning—especially about your kind of Kindred—about the Nightwalkers.”
“There aren’t many of us,” J’are said grimly. “And we Claim differently from other kinds of Kindred. With us, the female Claims the male instead of the other way around.”
“Doesn’t the male have any choice in the matter?” Imani asked curiously.
He shook his head.
“Not a conscious choice, since the Claiming is done at night when the male’s feral side is dominant. But there’s always an attraction—a kind of magnetism between two who are right for each other. A feral male Nightwalker won’t come to the call of his name if the female who is calling him isn’t one he wants to belong to.”
“Oh,” Imani said softly. She couldn’t help remembering how J’are had calmed down almost at once when she had called his name and told him she was Claiming him. As for the attraction, well, that was there as well, she had to admit. At least, she certainly felt attracted to the big Kindred and from the way he was looking at her, the feeling was mutual.
But of course, she had to ignore the sexual sizzle between them because he was her client, she reminded herself firmly.
J’are cleared his throat.
“So the Claiming itself is different, but I believe we do the Claiming period itself about like the other Kindred.”
“Claiming period?” Imani frowned.
“Oh, you don’t know that either? They really should have briefed you better,” he remarked. “Essentially, once the male has been Claimed, he has the right to do certain things at certain times with his female. With the other branches of the Kindred, they do a Holding week, where the warrior can hold his bride, a Bathing week, where he gets to bathe her…” He gave Imani a significant look. “Or where she bathes him, in some cases.”
“Cases like when he’s covered in black paint?” she asked, smiling a little.
“Exactly.” J’are grinned. “Anyway, after that is the Tasting week, where the warrior is allowed to taste his bride.”
Imani felt the smile fall off her face as her breath caught in her throat.
“Taste her…”
“Between her legs. Lap her soft little pussy.” J’are’s voice had dropped to a soft growl. “Though of course, we Nightwalker Kindred do the Scenting time before the Tasting.”
“Ah yes, scenting.” Imani swore her face was so hot her hair was about to catch on fire. She couldn’t forget the way he’d marked her the night before with his own scent, rubbing the long, thick length of his shaft against her open pussy until she came…came so hard…
“Speaking of Scenting…” J’are leaned over and inhaled deeply. “It seems that I scent marked you last night, Councilor. I can smell myself all over you and damn does it smell good.” His eyes were half-lidded and his voice had dropped to a soft growl.
“Oh, I…you…” Imani stuttered and stumbled, not sure what to say. “It wasn’t my idea,” she finally blurted out. “I mean, I did…other things, but the scent marking, that was all you. Or, your feral side, at least.”
“I can believe that.” J’are nodded. “Even now I can feel that side of me wanting to mark you as my own and bond you to me.”
“What…what does bonding entail?” Imani asked.
“Breeding,” J’are said at once, his eyes flashing. “For the Nightwalker Kindred, anyway. I know it’s different for other branches of the Kindred, but once a Nightwalker male goes into the breeding frenzy, his only object is to get the female who has Claimed him pregnant with his child.”
“Really?” Imani felt her eyes getting wider.
J’are nodded seriously.
“That way there’s no chance that she can Claim another male and leave him.”
“But… what is the ‘breeding frenzy?’” Imani asked, shaking her head. There was so much about Nightwalker Kindred that she didn’t know!
“A kind of…point of no return,” J’are said, frowning, as though trying to think how to explain. “It’s the time when a male goes completely feral—the conscious part of his mind is utterly gone and only animal instincts remain. That’s when he’s intent on bonding and breeding his female at all costs and nothing will deter or stop him.”
“Nothing at all?” Imani whispered, putting a hand to her throat.
“Nothing.” J’are shook his head. “He’s determined to breed his child into her. It’s one reason why a male Nightwalker’s shaft swells to fill a female’s channel at the moment of ejaculation.”
“It does?” Imani couldn’t help thinking this just got stranger and stranger. But strange or not, it gave her a sexual thrill to hear him talk to her about the way his species bonded in such an open and direct way.
“Oh, yes,” J’are murmured. “It ties the two of them together and ensures she can’t escape when he fills her with his seed. He can’t pull out immediately, either. It takes quite some time for his shaft to go down so he can withdraw. That way he can be sure she’s carrying his child.”
“But surely a woman who, uh, gets with a Nightwalker Kindred doesn’t get pregnant every time,” Imani objected. “I mean, a woman’s cycle—”
But J’are was shaking his head.
“It doesn’t matter where she is in her cycle,” he said. “The Nightwalker’s seed has a hormonal compound in it which, when introduced into a female’s body, will cause her to ovulate immediately.” He gave Imani a level look. “If you bond with a Nightwalker Kindred, you will get pregnant. That’s something to remember, Councilor.”
“I…I’ll remember,” Imani said softly.
“I’m sorry if I’m scaring you.” He sighed and ran a hand over his short hair. “It’s just…I can feel the feral half of myself wanting to bond you even now. So I thought it was important for you to understand how my people work.”
“You…you can?” Imani looked at him with wide eyes. “But I mean, that side of you isn’t in control right now, right? I mean—”
“Don’t worry.” J’are raised his hands in a “calm down” gesture. “I’m not going to hurt you. And…” His voice dropped. “And I’m sorry if I did last night. Apparently my feral half thought you had Claimed me as your own and he was eager to seal the deal.”
“No apologies necessary,” Imani said quickly. “We both, er, made mistakes. But now that we know who we are, well…” She took a deep breath. “We can start over and have a professional relationship, like we ought to.”
“Of course.” J’are nodded. “That’s proper. You’re my Defender, after all—not the female the Goddess sent to Claim me.”
“I still find it fascinating that the females Claim the males in your branch of the Kindred,” Imani said, looking away. “Especially when it’s the other way around in all the other branches—at least the ones I know of.”
J’are nodded.
“Well, we’re also some of the only Kindred who live two whole different existences. “During the day, the males of my kind are in their ‘thinking mind’ as we call it. But when the light fades, the feral side or ‘animal mind’ takes over— unless we exert a great effort to hold it a bay.”
“So you can hold back the feral part of yourself?” Imani asked. “Even at night?”
“It’s difficult but we can do it—unless something triggers our fe
ral half,” J’are told her. “We’re not meant to be in our thinking mind during the dark hours. On my home world, males spend their nights in the jungle, running free and wild, hunting prey.”
“And you said the women have to come and find them to Claim them?” Imani asked.
J’are nodded again.
“One night a year, when all three moons converge, the young women who are ready to call mates go into the jungle and search for the male they want. They can tell him by his k’dra—his markings—which are unique.”
“So you’re born with those?” Imani nodded to the thick black markings. “I thought they were some kind of tattoo.”
J’are shook his head.
“No—every Nightwalker male is born with a different pattern. So every female has an easy time finding the male she wants to Claim. When she finds him, she calls him by name.”
Just like I called J’are, Imani thought and her heart started beating hard again as she remembered the way she had tamed the big Kindred and called him by name in the courtroom. No wonder he thought I was there to Claim him if that’s the way his people mate!
“So when she calls him, he comes with her?” she asked hesitantly.
“Yes.” J’are nodded. “If she’s the right one for him, of course.” He gave Imani a direct look. “I must have thought you were the right one for me.”
“I…I may have had something to do with that,” Imani confessed. “You were so upset and I was trying to calm you down so I called you by your name. I thought it would help you calm down and come back to yourself.”
“It certainly calmed me down.” J’are sighed. “And I’m back in my right mind—my thinking mind—again, so that’s good.” He shook his head. “Please don’t apologize, Councilor Imani. You were doing your best to save my life and you succeeded.”
“For now, I did.” Imani bit her lip. “I’m afraid, though, that we have to appear in court again. We have to prove to the judge that you’re safe and sane and not a threat to society.”
To her relief, J’are didn’t seem upset or angry about going back to court.
“I can imagine how antisocial I was acting yesterday,” he said dryly. “I have memories of being surrounded by Horvath guards with pain prods. Not to mention seeing Mistress Bittlebum—who was Mother Hownow’s niece.”
“I understand she was the one who had your aunt’s will overturned and first put you in a pain collar,” Imani said quietly. “I’m sorry you had to see the woman who stole your inheritance and hurt you so badly.”
He shook his head.
“I was never going to inherit what Mother Hownow left me. As I said before, she was hoping that a kind and understanding Mistress would Claim me before she died. Then she could have inherited the property along with me. Her hope was that I would live as a mate to my new Mistress, not just a helpless bodyslave. But…” He shook his head. “That was never going to happen—not here on Yonnie Six. But Mother Hownow was an optimist and extremely eccentric.”
“It was nice of her to try, I guess,” Imani ventured. “It sounds like she loved you a lot—I can understand her wanting to make plans for your future.”
J’are barked a short, unhappy laugh.
“Well, I’m damn sure her plans didn’t include me being framed for murder and thrown in the hole to rot.” He looked at Imani. “If you hadn’t come along…”
“I came because the Kindred sent me,” she said quickly, feeling her heart begin to flutter again under his intense gaze. “And because one of your fellow Kindred warriors found that vid-clip and passed it on to me.”
“Who was it?” J’are asked. “I’d like to be able to thank him.”
Imani shook her head.
“I don’t know him—he’s just an undercover operative working here on Yonnie Six. I, uh, think he’s pretending to be a bodyslave.”
“Lucky bastard—he’s only pretending,” J’are growled. “I didn’t truly understand how bad it could be until after Mother Hownow died and I ended up with Mistress Bittlebum and then, after she sold me, Lady Zangelo.”
“You’re not a bodyslave anymore,” Imani told him fiercely. “I’m getting you out of here. All we have to do is make a good showing in court today and I’m certain Judge Thoughtgood will let you go.”
“You really think so?” J’are looked at her hopefully.
“I do.” Imani nodded firmly. “All we have to do is stay out of trouble until this afternoon and then impress the judge with your calm attitude.”
“I can do that.” J’are nodded. “As long as the court date is during the daylight hours. It gets…more difficult to control my feral side when it gets dark outside.”
“I understand,” Imani said. “And luckily, our court time is during the daylight. I promise you, J’are…” She leaned across the bed and put a hand on his knee. “I’m going to get you off this awful planet and take you home. And I won’t let anyone hurt you again—I swear it!”
He twitched a little but didn’t try to brush away her hand. Instead, he covered it with his own and looked into her eyes.
“You’re fiercely protective, aren’t you, Councilor Imani? Or should I call you my Defender?”
“Just call me Imani,” she whispered, feeling hot all over. “But yes, I am protective of my clients. If someone wants to hurt you, they’ll have to go through me first!”
He rumbled laughter but there was genuine appreciation as well as amusement in his face.
“Gods, you’re gorgeous when you’re fierce,” he murmured. “No wonder my feral side fell so hard for you. Any male would be lucky to have such a brave, beautiful female Claim him.”
Imani wasn’t sure what to say about that. She found she was looking into his pale, intense eyes and she couldn’t look away.
J’are reached up and cupped her cheek, just as he had the night before when he’d wanted to “scent” her. He was leaning towards her and, even though she knew she shouldn’t, Imani leaned towards him too.
Their lips met and she thought she could still taste the faint flavor of the cinnamon-like light pik from the night before. J’are growled low in his throat and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Oh God, she really, really shouldn’t be doing this. She—
A sharp rapping on the outer door of the suite made her jerk her head back, breaking the kiss.
“Who is it?” she called, feeling like she’d been saved at the last minute from doing something very foolish. Foolish but extremely pleasurable. She could still taste the big Nightwalker’s lips on hers.
“Room zervise,” buzzed an insectile voice from the other side of the door. “Complimentzz of the houze.”
Nineteen
“I guess I’d better get that,” Imani said. She started to get off the bed, but J’are was already there, in front of her.
“Let me get it.” His voice was a low, protective growl. “I don’t like the sound of whoever’s on the other side of that door.”
“I think it might be one of those giant pink praying mantises you have all over the place here,” Imani said anxiously. “Why—do you know something I don’t about them?”
“Praying mantises?” He threw a frown over his shoulder. “What are those?”
“Oh, it’s a kind of insect on my home world—on Earth,” Imani explained. “Except on my planet the mantises aren’t usually much bigger than your finger and they can’t talk. Here, they’re huge.” She shivered in disgust.
“I think you mean the morphids,” J’are said. “They’re an alien race from another star system, not far from Yonnie Six. But they’re really not that common.”
“They’re not?” Imani raised her eyebrows. “But I’ve seen so many of them since I came here yesterday! There was one at the front desk, checking me in and then several of them driving the transport cars when I was trying to get to the courthouse. Oh, and I think there was one last night!”
She put a hand to her mouth. So much had happened, she’d almost forgotten the attack on the bridge.
>
J’are frowned.
“What do you mean, one last night?”
“One came after me last night when we were leaving the courthouse—at least, I think it did. You were in your feral state and you fought it off. You ripped off one of its limbs but then you threw it away.”
“Fucking morphids,” J’are growled. “I never liked them. Mistress Bittlebum always used to have them working for her—cheaper than buying more bodyslaves. Though of course, after she ‘inherited’ Mother Hownow’s estate, she didn’t need to cut corners anymore.”
“Well—” Imani began.
The loud rapping on the door of the suite interrupted her.
“Room zervice!” the buzzing voice insisted impatiently. “For Mizz Williamszz.”
“Leave it,” J’are bellowed. “We’ll get it in a minute.”
“I cannot leave it until I am zertain that Mizz Imani Williamzz has rezieved it!” the voice insisted.
“Fine.” Imani frowned impatiently. Striding past the big Kindred, she flung open the door and saw another one of those hovering room service trays. This time it had a silver domed plate in the center.
“I didn’t order this,” she said…but realized she was talking to no one—there was nobody pushing the cart.
Looking up and down the long hallway, she thought she caught a glimpse of a shiny pink serrated leg disappearing around the corner.
“That’s weird,” she muttered. “Why would it just run away like that?”
“It what?” J’are pushed past her and looked out into the hall. Then he looked down at the silver-domed plate on the table and Imani saw his nostrils flare.
“J’are?” she asked—or started to ask because before she could quite get his name out, the big Nightwalker had shoved the hovering cart as hard as he could. It went careening madly down the long hallway, spinning as it went.
Before Imani could ask what he was doing, he grabbed her and dove to the ground.
Twenty
Unleashed by the Defender: A Kindred Tales Novel Page 10
