by A. C. Ellas
So, you think you’re in love with an Astrogator.
Captain Nick Steele discovers that being married to an Astrogator isn’t as easy as he’d thought it would be. Not that Astrogator Cai was an issue, for they remained deeply, passionately in love with one another, but everyone else seems to have an issue with it, especially the administrators of the Psionics Guild.
To what lengths will the Guild go to separate Nick from their Astrogator? What price is Nick willing to pay to keep Cai? What will Cai give up to keep Nick?
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The Psionics Guild
Copyright © 2015 A.C. Ellas
ISBN: 978-1-4874-0327-0
Cover art by Carmen Waters
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
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The Psionics Guild
Astrogator Book Five
By
A.C. Ellas
Chapter One
Cai stared at the station morosely. This would be his view for the next three months, at a minimum. The structural damage from his last mission would take that long to repair, if he were lucky. If he wasn’t...Cai sighed.
Strong hands caressed his shoulders, and he permitted himself to lean back against Nick’s muscular frame. His husband was a deep source of comfort to him, as well as the captain of his ship. “I tried, Cai. We’re not the only ship in line for repairs, and I don’t have the seniority or the leverage to bump us up the line.”–
“Neither do I,” Cai replied, disgruntled, but not at Nick. At them. The nebulous them who thwarted his desire to leave this place and sail through the void once more. He tried to focus on the station and not the planet below. The planet he’d never set foot on, because he couldn’t. No Astrogator was allowed off his ship–the neurologic circuits would die without him to keep them functioning. The Guild had set deep inhibitions in his psyche about that. Just the thought of leaving the Laughing Owl had Cai in a cold sweat.
“Try not to think about it,” Nick murmured, giving his shoulders a squeeze.
Lately, it seemed as if Nick could read his thoughts despite his lack of psi. “It’s hard not to. Most of my...our crew is down there.”
“You aren’t missing much.”
Cai turned and rested his forehead on Nick’s bare, muscular chest. “But I can’t know that.” As was usually the case when Nick was in Cai’s chambers these days, Nick was naked but for his leather collar and ball-cuff. Cai admired the hard, muscular body even as he accepted comfort from it. He was fully clothed, of course, but Nick didn’t seem to mind.
Nick’s hands slid up under Cai’s uniform shirt and caressed their way up his back soothingly as Cai found himself snuggled into Nick’s embrace. “If it would help, I’ll let you tag along when I go down.”
Confusion swirled in Cai’s mind, and he tried to scan Nick’s surface thoughts to see what his spouse meant by that, but Nick’s mind was stubbornly opaque at the moment. Nick’s natural defenses against telepathy were formidable, enough so that he could make love to Cai without risking mental burnout. Even though Cai had a full telepathic bond to him, the Astrogator often wasn’t able to see his thoughts, like now. “What do you mean?” Cai was forced to ask. “I can’t leave Laughing Owl.”
“I was thinking I could open a channel to you through my implant—you could see and hear what I do.” Nick’s hands massaged the tension from Cai’s back, and when he finished speaking, he dropped a kiss on the side of Cai’s neck, below the ear.
“I’d like that.” Cai closed his fingers around the handful of Nick’s outstretched nuts, his lips curving into a smile when Nick gasped softly. A locked leather cuff held the balls away from Nick’s body and provided enough tension to constantly remind Nick that he was Cai’s. Nick had given himself to Cai as a wedding present. On the night of their wedding, he’d presented Cai with a locking collar, leash and whip. The collar had been embossed with the words, “This slave is the property of Cai.” Cai had gifted Nick the locking ball-cuff in turn, because the captain couldn’t wear the collar under his uniform, it was too obvious. The two-inch wide ball-cuff, on the other hand, could be worn continuously, in or out of uniform.
Already coming erect, Nick widened his stance to give Cai better access to his privates. “Do you want to use the cushion?” He was referring to the bondage cushion Cai had designed and built for him; it had been molded to the contours of his body and provided excellent support as well as giving Cai several options for restraining him.
“Yes, why not?” Cai rolled the nuts in his hand, enjoying the strange combination of soft skin over hard lumps. He tugged, causing Nick to gasp again and the man’s cock to fully engorge. It was a beautiful sight, and Cai went down on one knee to taste it. Behind them, one of Cai’s six had brought the cushion out and was in the process of setting it on the coffee table. Some day, I’m going to take him publically, Cai mused as he rolled his tongue over his spouse’s long, thick cock. He fantasized how to do it, perhaps over a table in the officer’s mess or, better, in the captain’s chair on the bridge.
Still holding onto Nick’s balls with one hand, he set his other hand around the base of Nick’s pole and sucked the shaft into his mouth. Nick’s groan of pleasure was rewarded with another sharp tug of the balls. Cai worked more of the cock into his mouth, playing his tongue over the sensitive skin and bobbing his head to stimulate it with his lips, but he continued to go down on the cock until his nose was against his stabilizing hand.
He removed the hand to take in the last inch of Nick’s length then glanced up to meet his mate’s passion-filled gaze. He squeezed or tugged on Nick’s balls with each forward bob of his head.
His free hand slipped between Nick’s thighs, and he pressed a finger against Nick’s tight orifice. Meeting resistance, Cai withdrew the hand and held his fingers up to Nick’s mouth. Nick sucked and slobbered on Cai’s fingers until they were dripping with saliva.
Cai returned the hand to Nick’s ass, and this time, he was able to slide first one, then another, finger into him. He worked his fingers around the rim of Nick’s opening, massaging the anal ring until it was loose and supple. He let Nick’s cock fall out of his mouth just as he drove those two fingers as deeply into Nick as he could. At the same time, he gave the captive balls a hard squeeze and tugged them down hard. Nick cried out, throwing his head back as his body arched like a bow, his ass clenching tightly around Cai’s fingers as he came, shooting thick streams of creamy spunk from his throbbing cock.
Not a drop of it hit the ground or Cai. He caught it all using his psionic abilities, holding it in midair where it formed a spherical shape, just like it would in a vacuum. He released Nick’s balls and pulled h
is fingers out of Nick’s ass then floated the orb of semen up to Nick’s lips. Cai smiled again as Nick drank of it, but he pulled it away before his captain could finish it. Cai stood and wrapped a hand around Nick’s flaccid cock and used it as a leash to lead Nick over to the table where the cushion had been set up. His adjunct had long since returned to its area of the suite, leaving the two men alone.
Nick climbed onto the table without hesitation, going down on all fours over the cushion. Cai buckled his wrists in place first then ran a hand along Nick’s back. The shape of the cushion lowered Nick’s chest and pushed his ass upward, and once Cai had buckled him in at knee and ankle, it was an effort for Nick to raise his chest up, though that little freedom of movement did remain. Cai stroked Nick’s soft cheeks, admiring the way the cushion parted his legs to expose the rosebud prize in the center.
He pushed his fingers back in and pulled the sphincter open. He used his telekinesis to push the remainder of Nick’s discharge up into Nick’s ass, along with enough oil to coat the man with a decent layer of lubrication. Then, he opened his pants to release his own raging erection and thrust directly into the waiting hole without removing his fingers first. He groaned in pleasure himself as his cock sank into Nick’s velvety, tight warmth.
“Ohhh, I like that,” Nick told him.
“Good, ‘cause I got a lot more of that.” Cai withdrew his fingers and massaged Nick’s cheeks while he thrust himself progressively deeper into Nick until his entire length was encased by Nick’s body. “Fast or slow, my love?”
Nick writhed beneath him, clenching his ass around Cai’s shaft in a way that felt very nice indeed. “Slow, I want it slow and deep.”
Cai bent over Nick and kissed the base of his neck. He pulled out slowly, savoring each millimeter of exquisite travel as he withdrew until the head of his cock tugged on Nick’s anal ring. He reversed himself and pushed back in just as slowly, as Nick moaned, “Oooh, yeah.” Once Cai bottomed out, Nick squeezed his insides again.
It’s like sinking into a hot, velvet-lined vise grip. Cai repeated the cycle of the slow withdrawal followed by the equally slow entry, but now, he started to stroke Nick’s back, just to feel the smooth, firm flesh of his husband’s body. He pumped languidly, in no hurry to reach completion, because he was reaping a great deal of pleasure just from the tactile contact of their bodies.
He could also sense how Nick felt—the slow pace was driving him wild, in a good way. Nick was rock hard and every slow, inward thrust had him that much closer to shooting off his own wad. Cai shifted his position a little, changing the angle of his inward thrust just enough so that the corona of his head would rub hard against Nick’s prostate.
That first inward thrust at the new angle proved his hunch correct. Nick’ body stiffened, and he cried out as his orgasm overtook him. Cai shifted to shallow thrusts, rocking back and forth over Nick’s erogenous spot. He also closed his eyes, enjoying the ride of Nick’s waves of intense pleasure, which his action served to prolong greatly.
When the climax passed and Nick lay limp and panting against the cushion, Cai resumed his slow thrusting, but now, his focus shifted to what he needed, and the pace picked up inexorably until he reached his own sweet spot and wrapped himself around Nick as he experienced and shared a glorious orgasm. Cai continued to cuddle with Nick long after he’d softened and slipped out, even after he’d released Nick from the bondage cushion. It just felt good to be with his husband, and Nick seemed to feel the same way.
* * * *
Nick strode through the station unimpeded, his uniform and captain’s bars giving him the right of way. He could sense Cai lurking in the back of his mind, connected via the Gator’s psi and the military-grade neural implant he carried. Through it, Cai could see what he saw, hear what he heard and they could converse mind to mind, without a comlink, so long as Nick remained within the range of Cai’s psionic abilities—and the Gator had a very impressive telepathic range, able to sense the thoughts of any intelligence within a hundred kilometers.
When they’d finally limped into dock, Cai had, per regulations, dumped their mission data into the station computers. This log included all star charts for the systems they’d flown through, as well as the combat log and the captain’s log. Nick had expected that he’d be called to the station to debrief in person; the only surprise was that it had taken admiralty this long to summon him. They’d been docked for three days already, three long days of silence from admiralty as the repair teams scurried over and under and through Laughing Owl assessing the damage, itemizing repairs, estimating labor and time, and driving Cai to near tears with impatience.
I wasn’t in tears, Cai told him with a hint of amused exasperation coloring his mental voice.
I said near tears. There’s a difference. Nick barely managed to control his expression. He wanted to grin, but that would look odd, given the circumstances. He entered the restricted section of the station and presented himself to the non-com at the duty desk. “Captain Nick Steele, reporting as ordered.”
“Yes, sir. Admiral Nbuntu is expecting you; you can go right in. First hatch on the right.”
Nick returned the woman’s salute and headed for the indicated hatch, which silently opened as he approached.
Admiral Nbuntu’s office was large and elegant. There was an informal seating area to Nick’s left, consisting of black faux-leather couches and overstuffed chairs centered around a low black and chrome table. There was a fully stocked bar on the wall closest to this seating area. To Nick’s right was an elaborate state-of-the-art 3D holo tank display currently showing the Hevetich system. Directly ahead was the admiral’s workstation, done in black and chrome that matched the rest of the décor. The carpet was a dark gray plush that absorbed the sound of Nick’s boots as he entered.
“Ah, Nick! Come on in, have a seat. Do you want something to drink?” Admiral Nbuntu was an average-looking man of average height. His skin was a medium brown, his hair and eyes dark brown, and his facial features were unmemorable to the point where, in a crowd of three, he’d be all but invisible. He’d been, according to rumor, one of the Corps top intelligence field agents until advancing age forced him into a desk job. Nick believed that Nbuntu had been a field agent, but he didn’t think for a minute that age had anything to do with Nbuntu’s current post. Nbuntu was also Nick’s boss; he was the flag officer and commander of Fourth Fleet.
“Coffee?” Nick asked in return, his eyes flicking from the admiral to the young aide standing beside the desk. He was handsome enough that Nick might have been interested, assuming he’d never met Cai. Nick hadn’t seriously considered another lover since he’d first met his Gator, back when he was still a cadet at the Academy.
“A coffee for the captain; I’ll have my usual.” Nbuntu paused. “Cream and sugar?”
“Just cream, thank you.”
“A coffee with cream,” Nbuntu said, as if his aide couldn’t hear Nick. “Get something for yourself as well. No rush.” As soon as the aide had left the room, Nbuntu’s face settled into an expression of seriousness. “Your report has caused a furor over here, you know.”
“I would have been surprised if it hadn’t, sir.”
“Oh? And why is that?”
“The Rels occupy a large chunk of space. We jumped into at least a dozen systems with Rel colonies, perhaps more. That means they might be our equal in terms of tech. Or worse, superior.”
“You’re a perceptive one,” Nbuntu mused. “Exactly right, Captain. Now, I’ve read all the pertinent reports, and I’ve reviewed the battle footage and the jump logs—son, you’ve got a very remarkable Gator—but I need to know more than the data and reports can tell me. I send out live crews instead of skip drones because I want human eyes and human minds out there. I need to know what you thought. What you felt. What your gut instincts had to say.”
Nick felt his brow furrowing as he processed this unusual request. He wanted to say that everything was in the
report he’d penned, but the admiral had just said it wasn’t enough.
Before Nick could wrap his head around it, Nbuntu said, “I can see you’re confused. Not to worry, Captain, I go through this with every new commander. So, I’ll tell you what I tell everyone. I command the smallest, most elite section of the fleet. We serve a vital role in gathering the information we need to protect ourselves from the threats out there. The only way I can do that effectively is if I understand what my people are thinking and why.”
Nick filed it all under trying to get to know me better, and armed with a full mug of hot coffee laced with a liberal dose of fresh cream, he began to talk.
Chapter Two
Cai watched the approaching shuttle half in anticipation and half in dread. He hadn’t told Nick that the local guild chief, one Perad, would be here to speak to Cai today. At the moment, Nick was off the ship anyhow, meeting with admiralty about their last mission yet again. Cai was fairly certain he knew why the guild chief wanted to speak to him–Nick.
The shuttle docked smoothly with Cai monitoring more out of habit than out of any real necessity. He allowed the extendable docking tube to seal itself to the matching ring around his airlock and pressurized it before sending the unlock code to the airlock hatch itself. The hatch opened, and Cai watched as Perad moved easily from the zero-G environment of the shuttle to the full-G deck of the airlock. Once the guild chief was aboard, Cai closed the outer airlock hatch before he opened the inner hatch. This was just standard operating procedure, Cai never permitted both airlock doors to be open at once unless the lock was hard sealed to a fully shielded, space-rated station tube, and even then, he kept one of the two doors closed most of the time, unless a lot of cargo or personnel were moving in or out through the lock.
