Finite (7 page)

The bulge of his erection didn’t require much coaxing, it sprang free of the fabric, and she restlessly stroked the length and breadth of him. She heard him groan again as she leaned down to embrace him in the heat of her mouth. His fingers slid through her hair and caressed her back as she flicked the narrow tip and swirled her tongue down the length of his shaft.

“Please, Cera.” His voice was a harsh growl.

She gently scraped him with her teeth. “Please what?”

He groaned and pulled her away from her investigation of his responses.

She quickly looked around and picked a likely spot.

With one hand held out and beckoning to him, she climbed up on a raised, flat rock and stood with her feet apart. She turned her back to him and slowly lifted her skirt up until it was waist high and exposed her channel to him from behind.

He caught on quickly, and his hands pushed the fabric the rest of the way until he tucked it in the bottom of the vest. “If I take you like this, it will be hard, it will be fast and I will use my teeth.”

She shivered, the ache in her belly brought slick moisture to her channel, and in an effort to control herself, she pressed her palms to the rock wall in front of her. “I am still here, Renn.”

He grunted and pressed the head of his cock to her heat. He hissed and groaned as her body welcomed his.

Cera concentrated on keeping her balance as he did exactly what he had said he was going to do. He thrust deep, hard, fast, in pounding strokes that rubbed the interior of her sex until she was whimpering and hoping for the next inward slide.

Her climb toward release was fast, and when she screamed her triumph, the crystals in the room vibrated with energy and a riotous pulse wasn’t just inside her but everywhere around her.

Renn moved faster, and she gasped as he leaned forward, pulling her back against him and moving her hair aside. When he bit down, she screamed again, her channel clenching around him, holding him tight as he bucked against her.

Endless shudders took her over as she waited for her body to finish its spasms. Dazed, with light around her, she sighed in disappointment when Renn slipped from her. He lifted her and the light played on her eyelids in a soothing repetition.

Cera felt a surface under her and the warmth of Renn next to her. She rolled and moved until he was providing her with body heat.

He lifted her hair and played with a few strands. “That was unexpected.”

She chuckled. “Why?”

“I have never brought anyone here, let alone had sex in the home of my life force.”

She chuckled. “Afraid your parents are going to catch you?”

“No, I am afraid that the other minds here will want some of the energy that you give so freely. If we have to have sex in every landing site on Haloth, we are going to be tired.” He smiled. “I am not saying that I am not willing to try, but it is quite a burden to lay on you. You may never walk in a straight line again.”

Cera blushed and laughed. “Can we just keep it between ourselves?” She knew it was a stupid question. She could feel the multitude of minds that had grown stronger with just that little bit of feeding from her pleasure. “Maybe they didn’t notice.”

Renn’s shoulders started to shake, and he burst out laughing. “Oh, I am fairly sure they noticed. I am fairly sure that the entire brotherhood noticed. When you cum, you light up all of Haloth on every spectrum, sound and light.”

Mortified didn’t even cover it. “You mean that everyone on Haloth knows when I…”

“Yes. The brotherhood is circumspect, but there is no record for a woman who does what you do, in or out of the bedroom.” He gently patted her backside. “Or crystal cavern for that matter.”

She sighed. “Is there a chance that I can pretend that it didn’t happen?”

Renn laughed, “No. I intend to persuade you into this sort of activity at every opportunity. I will even let you seduce me if you are so inclined. It is a sacrifice I make for the betterment of Haloth.”

Cera’s eyes widened, and she slapped the bare plain of his stomach with as much force as she could muster in her limp and sated condition. “Sacrifice?”

“Burden? Job requirement? Ah, I know. Duty.” He beamed at her, and she smacked him again before she got to her feet.

She stalked back toward the entrance, but it disappeared in a shift of stone before she could exit. “You had better be kidding.”

He caught up to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “I apologize. I am just giddy with delight. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

She let him turn her around, and he rubbed at her spine until she relaxed against him. He tugged sharply at her clothing, and she felt the cascade of fabric down her legs again. Her cheeks burned. “So, I was mooning you?”

“It was a lovely view. Something about the combination of partial nudity and clothing is quite the turn on.” His voice was soothing but the bulge of his erection was pressed between them.

“Turn on or not, I am not going to have sex in here again. Well, not today. The light, sound and heat are a little much.” She chuckled and bit his chest lightly. “Add you to the mix and I was a little over-stimulated.”

He sighed. “I suppose we can pace ourselves. It isn’t like we don’t have time.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that we can record your imprint here over time, and when we are called, we can answer, together.” He caressed her cheek. “I will show you the archives. There has always been a theory that it could be done, but I have never met a woman that I wanted at my side and in my mind for eternity. Well, until now.”

She shivered in his arms. “That is a discussion for another day. For now, you are enough and learning how to live on a planet full of men is what I will focus on dealing with.”

He sighed. “Fine, but you only have two decades to make up your mind. After that, I am going to do it for you.”

“I stand warned. Now, can we get a shower and a meal, not necessarily in that order? I think I missed dinner again.”

The wall slid back to show the hallway once again, and they made their way to the dining room. They were indeed too late for dinner, but they were right on time for breakfast.

Chapter Nine

Cera was looking at her monitors and making notes.

Pulse wandered in with a tension that showed he was trying to keep himself under control. “Cera, can we talk?”

She got to her feet and left the control room, closing the shielded room so that it was protected against Pulse’s talent for technological havoc.

“Come with me.” She took his hand and led him to her private office. She sat on the couch, and he sat next to her.

“Can I stay? I mean really stay?” Pulse’s normally cheerful gaze was serious and intense.

“Of course. Why do you think I asked you to come here? I need you here. There is nowhere else I think you would fit in as well as on Haloth.” She cupped his cheek, and he rested his head in her palm for a moment.

“Good, because I was just called.”

He said it like she was supposed to know what he meant.

“Called where?”

“Called to be a member of the brotherhood. Orvi says that I am a perfect match, but since you and I are friends, I wanted to make sure it was okay with you before I join the minds of the brotherhood.”

“It is fine with me. Join the song, embrace the frequency.” She chuckled. “See, I knew there was a reason that you were the perfect person to join us on Haloth.”

He lunged forward and hugged her. “Thank you so much.”

She tried not to tear up, but it was hard. Since his activation, Rhassoul had found himself
persona non grata
on every world with tech. In between assignments, he had spent his life in various forms of stasis. His home had been gone for decades, and he hadn’t aged a day.

She sat back and grinned, “Now, are you prepared to have that many guys running through your mind all day every day?”

“Hmm. Having an endless amount of men inside me. Be still my beating heart.” He laughed.

“Tramp.” She grinned and all was suddenly right with the world.

The ceremony was touching, but Cera and Renn were outsiders. They were conduits, not participants.

Rhassoul stood in the centre of a spiral, stripped to the waist. The brothers walked up to him and pressed forehead to forehead over and over until each one had had contact with him. Rhassoul swayed dramatically, but his eyes remained open wide.

His brightly coloured orbs drained of pigment while Cera watched. She made to get to her feet, but Renn held her back with a light touch on her hand.

Rhassoul was smiling, the colour change did not seem to indicate blindness. Four brothers on either side gripped his arms while Cera felt the hum of another voice added to her frequency.

When the brothers let Rhassoul go, he was marked with the ancient glyphs for harmony and service. The brotherhood dressed him, completing his clothing with the cowl.

A brother took Rhassoul’s arm and led him to Cera. “Lady, your newest servant. We will guide him and train him until the frequency alone guides his moves.”

“What do you mean, Brother Ysu?” How their names kept coming to her mind was something she had ceased to question. She did know that they all felt a small thrill when she spoke to them.

“The frequency has taken his sight. He knew it would. Now comes the time for him to learn to see the world around him with the harmony Lord Renn provides.”

She gripped Renn’s hand as she finally came to grips with why the brotherhood wore the hoods. Their eyes would be alarming to any number of races, and since they did not need their eyes to see the environment, they were the ideal operatives.

“Brother Rhassoul, you surrendered your love of fashion for this? You must have a true calling.”

Rhassoul’s hood twitched as he laughed. “It is a strong calling, lady, or I would be dead by now.”

Cera looked to Renn, and he gave her the nod that said he would explain later.

“Welcome to the brotherhood, Rhassoul. May my mind be a connection to greater things.” The words had been whispered to her before the event started so that she could repeat them now.

“Thank you, lady. I look forward to many years in your service.”

“Boy, are you optimistic. Go now, Brother. Learn how to live with the new senses that have been gained.”

Rhassoul executed a graceful bow before he walked off with Brother Ysu.

Cera sighed and sat back. She looked at Renn with curiosity. “They are all blind?”

“Every one of them. It was decided that voluntary blindness enabled the brotherhood to function without the madness that came with overstimulation. Remove one sense and you can allow the extra input from the signal.” Renn lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss in her palm. “Have you never removed one stimulus in order to heighten others?”

She blinked. “What do you mean?”

He chuckled. “Please, allow me to show you.”

With that peculiar turn of phrase, she let him lead her up to their chambers.

She touched the silk covering her eyes. “Why am I doing this again?”

His whisper came to her from all around. “Because you want to know what the brothers give up and what they get in return.”

She stood, her gown whispering around her legs as she turned from side to side in an effort to track him. Cera saw a flare of light through the mask and closed her eyes tight to make sure that she wasn’t cheating.

The light remained. It was all around her, and a cascade of light was moving toward her.

“Are you seeing it yet?” Renn’s hands were on her shoulders, easing her gown off to pin her arms to her sides.

Her breasts felt the cool air and then the heat of his body an instant before his mouth was on her flesh. She shuddered and reached out to him, but he was gone.

His hands teased her, slowly inching her clothing from her until she was only wearing her favourite pair of boots.

She heard his dark whisper, “Have I ever told you how much I enjoy your lack of undergarments?”

She shivered, her nipples were hard, aching points, and he lapped slowly at one while cupping the other breast. “I don’t…ah…have any. It seems to have been omitted from my clothing selection.”

He nibbled on her ribcage, and she could feel the sharp points of his teeth as they traced across her skin.

The scent of her own arousal struck her hard, buckling her knees. The light caress of pain mixed with pleasure, and she wasn’t sure that she was going to make it until he was inside her before she came.

He parted her legs, widening her stance. “Well, well, it seems you respond well to a little sensory deprivation.”

Two fingers slid into her without warning, sparks flew behind her eyes and her knees collapsed, leaving Renn supporting her.

He laughed and lifted her, his cock parting her folds, his hands cupping her ass as he moved her up and down, bouncing her hard until her second orgasm overtook her and he groaned as he held her tight to him.

She was still wearing her boots when she was tilted back onto the bed.

“Sorry about the speed, but your reactions are so lovely. You hold nothing back.” He licked at her neck and slowly worked his way down her body once again.

“Can’t I take the blindfold off?”

“No. This will be an all-night event.”

She chuckled and gasped as his teeth grazed her inner thigh. “Fine, but only all night. I don’t want to come to in a few days with chafed skin and bruises. Promise me. This time, only one night. Ten hours, tops.”

He sighed, and his exhalation warmed her skin. “Fine. No more than ten hours, this time. I reserve the right to try to do this again.”

“Fine.” She was grinning, and the grin turned to a gasp when he used his tongue in a very creative way. Who knew that you could actually spell words on a person’s skin and then make them guess what you had written with your tongue?

Ten hours and five minutes later, Renn pulled off her blindfold. She blinked as light returned, smiling and cuddling up to him. “I admit that there are advantages of being not able to see.”