Star Fire (8 page)

His woman. Kiev rose to his knees, jerking her hips snug against him. She climaxed again, clamping down as he fought for a pattern. The feeling built in his balls, drawing them up, shuddering out and up through his body in a feral yell as he pounded into her.

Limp, out of breath, he hunched over her. Sasha’s breath rasped under him, her breasts rising and falling with exertion. Then he sat on his knees and touched the faint finger bruises on her hips. “These, I did not intend to make,” he said by way of apology.

Gently, reverently, he unwrapped the scarf from her wrists, awed that she had allowed him to restrain her.

Her satisfied, glazed expression focused on him. She shrugged, the hicky on her neck sending a thrill of possession through him. Her smirk lifted the corner of her lips as she trailed a finger down a matching mark on his chest. “Hmmm. What a shame, because I made that one on purpose.”

* * * *

A soft snore woke Kiev. They hadn’t napped long and the time difference transition from Aros to Atmos played havoc with his internal clock. He had to piss, but did not want to wake Sasha. Instead, he shifted so that he could watch her sleep. He shook his head in wonder. She was such a contradiction of things—alien and Arosan, fierce determination and sweet vulnerability. Though he imagined she’d threaten to gut him for thinking her weak. For a brief moment when he’d first brought out the scarf, he hadn’t known how she’d react.

“Stalker,” Sasha murmured sleepily.

Amusement bubbled in his chest. “As in a hunter stalking his prey?” He leant down and nibbled on a delicious breast. As perfect and pink as a blush-pear.

She snorted and pushed away. “Tick-tock. Time to go.” Kiev fell back on the bunk, throwing an arm over his eyes as he tried to think of a plan of attack. When he’d scanned himself into the transmogrification system, he had been a wreck. His planet had been crumbling around him, and the woman he loved had dismissed him from her life and disappeared. Seeing her profile in the system, he had not thought beyond the moment. He’d imagined spending eternity with his love in some sort of digital fantasia.

The reality was that the male and female essences were stored in two separate databases. For two thousand years he’d been waiting for Tasha. Perhaps even ‘stalking’ her. He did not like the imagery the word evoked.

His thoughts halted as hot breath teased his cock.

Meeting her eyes down the line of his body, his lover looked positively predatory. Apparently, he was not the only stalker in the shuttle. Kiev slid his fingers through the fiery halo of hair on her head as she settled between his legs. Slowly she lowered her mouth, open so that he watched the descent with tortured anticipation. His cock rose to meet her.

Briefly he let go of her, fisting his hands beside him to gain a measure of control. Otherwise he’d flip her over like he’d suggested before and ram his cock deep into her pussy while he smoothed his hands over her ass. The fantasy had merit. A lot of merit. This time, though, he’d let her have her way.

Sasha smiled devilishly. Oh, yes. She was going to enjoy this. Sasha slid both hands around his erection, enjoying the feeling of silk over steel and bent, tracing the blunt head with the tip of her tongue. Kiev grasped her hair, the raw feeling in his body sent a rush of goosebumps over her flesh. Closing her lips, she suckled, enjoying the taste and smell of man all over her senses. Tasha’s experience brought fresh awareness and a new pleasure to the act of sucking a man’s cock. She licked the underside of his shaft, marvelling at the rigid thickness throbbing in her hands, at the power she had. To make him come or make him wait?

She shifted away when Kiev sneaked his hand across her leg, stealthily aiming it for her crotch. No. she wanted him to concentrate on this, to feel her mouth on his body without distraction.

Sasha danced her fingers over his scrotum, delighting in the tight draw of his sac. His muscles tensed, energy stored as he obviously fought the urge to finish things his way. The idea made her hum against his skin. A primitive sound rumbled in his chest, and he fisted both hands in her hair as he thrust his hips forward. She tasted salty pre-cum and slowed down, sliding her hands to grip his perfect tight ass. Sasha appreciated a good ass on a man. So few had them. She bit her nails into his flesh as she struggled to take as much of him as she could without swallowing.

Circling her fingers around the shaft, she worked her mouth up and down, enjoying each moan and grunt as she orally rode him.

Finally, Kiev tore her away with a ragged breath. “Enough. My turn.”

“I wasn’t finished.” She reached for his cock, only to be flipped over on her back and pressed to the floor.

“My apologies.” He didn’t look apologetic. He looked intense. Hot. Like a conquering warrior.

She sucked in a breath, her attention trapped by Kiev’s desire. He shifted and thrust inside her body. Sasha shuddered, gasping at the tight delicious fit of him inside her. Rolling her hips upward she met him thrust for thrust. Civility disappeared as she wrapped her arms across Kiev’s back. Cheek against his shoulder, she kissed the ridge of his clavicle. The taut salty flesh quivered as she nibbled. Kiev bucked against her harder as she nipped and sucked at his pectorals.

The carpeted floor resisted her slide across its surface as he pounded into her, taking her willing body. Each thrust of his thick shaft rubbed the sensitive walls of her labia. Sasha wanted more. She couldn’t get close enough even though her hands slipped over the sweat slicked muscular crevices over his back. When she gripped him hard, nails biting into flesh, Kiev growled. Sasha gasped. God! His shaft swelled inside her.

He responded by shifting out of her grasp, gripping her right leg and sliding the limb over one shoulder. Standing on his knees, with her exposed, he stared down at her. Meeting his eyes, she felt connected to him in a primal way. Sasha licked her lips as he wet the pad of his thumb, slowly reaching down to her quivering clitoris. Anticipation built. She moaned.

Finally, brushing over the nub, he slowly withdrew his cock, easing in with every caress of her pussy as he held her leg captive. Back and forth, in and out. Sasha was mindless with the building pleasure. The rushing wave rose up to sweep her away. “Ohhhhh!”

He held on to on her ankle, speeding up the furious pace of their love making. Flesh smacking flesh in rhythm.

“Ohhh!” Her cry was drowned out by the roar of his orgasm, their pleasure exploded outward like a supernova. He collapsed, dragging her still tingling body over his as he rolled to his back. After shocks shuddered through her body as he thrust a leg between hers. Sasha revelled in the strong comfort of his body beneath her. His breath stirred her hair, gently rocking her with each exhale, while he trailed his hands down her spine.

If they died, she and Kiev would be sent back to their respective crystal databases. Her heart contracted at the thought of losing him a second time. Damn, damn, damn.

Before, as Tasha she’d accepted her death. She’d thought she was done with broken hearts and planetary destruction. She sighed. Fate was a demanding mistress. Soon they’d have to go and save Aros…maybe even the rest of the known universe. Failure was not an option.

His ego took a bashing as Sasha’s emotional armour visibly fell into place. It was shades of Tasha, he was certain. Before he could stop her, she grabbed the old, high-necked, black Arosan uniform. Wordlessly, she dashed into the facilities closet.

“Come on, Spartacus.” Sasha strode out like a fiery star goddess in her Arosan uniform. The unrelieved black, armoured unitard made her pale skin and the red flame of her hair glow. She gestured to the clothing strewn about the floor. “Time’s ticking, but I’d pick the unitard over the skirt.” She waved her hand about while moving to pick up the assorted tools and antique weapons before dividing them between the two packs she’d confiscated. “I’d hate for your…ahhh…equipment to get tangled in something.”

Kiev shocked himself by laughing and then pulled her into his embrace. He’d forgotten what ‘happy and in love’ felt like. Her flustered blush made him laugh again and he bent to capture her lips in a kiss. “I’ll wear the uniform, since you are so concerned about my ‘equipment’.”

Allowing her to escape, he eyed the uniform warily. He had not worn anything like it in more than twelve hundred years. While he scoffed at the notion of his warrior’s wrap being anything close to a woman’s skirt, he knew the uniform would provide better protection if they were attacked with more sophisticated weaponry than a sword or spear. He wondered what going to the surface of the other planet would bring.

He stepped into the male version of the armoured uniform and picked up his equipment belt and sword. Whatever was guarding the device on Atmos would have the advantage of home ground. Kiev intended to have trustworthy weapons he knew how to operate at hand. He slung the pack crosswise over his shoulders, eerily his mind was transported to the past and the few hiking expeditions Tasha had invited him on. Dirrel had been woefully out of his element, but he’d jumped at the chance to share her interests. If he hadn’t loved her so much, it would have been pathetic.

Shaking off the feeling, Kiev decided to strap himself into the co-pilot’s seat. With the mood Sasha was in, he imagined himself in for a wild ride.

* * * *

The gold and blue planet filled the cockpit video screen, sending his senses into overdrive with the same rush as riding a squirren before it found the updraft. His stomach lurched in anticipation as his world tilted at Sasha’s command. He imagined the wind in his face, the insane chittering of the animal protesting or simply screaming in glee—Kiev never knew which.

He clenched his hands on the armrests of his seat as the ship twirled around to face inland. Behind them, the ocean—the same colour as Sasha’s eyes—stretched into the horizon. The door opened, bringing the salty tang of the surf to them.

Kiev strode out, one hand on his sword, and paused to take in the scenery, the atmosphere. An alien planet. Amazing, he thought, that it had taken this long for him to finally take to the stars.

Sasha slapped his shoulder and sauntered past, her hips swaying provocatively—another non-Tasha attribute. “Keep up the good work, big guy. Those scary gulls are eyeballing us. I’m particularly worried about that one.” She pointed at the white-crested bird a metre or so away that was alternately scratching at the grey dirt and watching them.

He ignored her needling and stared down the beach, then fell into step beside her. “The coastline has an odd mixture of volcanic and oceanic sand.” He pointed out the black and gold striations, trying to remember what he’d learnt about Atmos.

“Laser cannon scoring.” Her words were quiet as she deliberately led the way. Quite a bit of the ground was a combination of black volcanic sand, ash, and golden oceanic sand. “The Arosan retaliation. Too little, too late,” Sasha said.

Or too much
, he decided,
depending on whether you were Arosan or Atmosan.

The weariness in her expression told him she’d fully bonded with Tasha. Their memories and reactions to them were one. Sorting through the mental clutter took time.

They travelled in silence, the beach giving way to rocky terrain and scraggly shrubs. Centuries of accusation pointed a finger at him. Kiev paused, rubbing a hand down his chin. A clatter of pebbles made him jerk his sword out.

He jumped, shoving Sasha out of the way just as a furred head darted out of the rocks. Sharp teeth snapped closed where her head had been, then the head darted back into the almost invisible cave. The pointed nose peeked out again. The creature fixed its large, black eyes on him as it chattered in its own language.

It growled, easing out of the cave. It was twice as long as a full-grown squirren.

“A squirren,” Sasha breathed. “I didn’t see one in the scans.”

“It is not a squirren,” he contradicted, eying the wild creature on the chance it attacked.

It probably was a squirren, simply a different variety. There were stories of different breeds, strange squirren from the other continents and keepers who bred them for desired traits. The creature’s striped body was long, ending in a black tail about half the length of its body. It dodged around Kiev, but pulled away again when his sword cut the air close to its whiskers.

Sasha smacked him away.

“Are you crazy, woman? It is trying to eat you.”

“No, it’s not. You frightened her.” She turned to the creature, her manner softening. “Hey, there. You’re a good weaselen, aren’t you?” she called, trying to push past Kiev. When he grabbed her she resisted, freeing her hand.

The creature laid its rounded ears against its head and hissed at him.

“Will you stop? You’re scaring her.” Sasha returned to cooing at the thing. She dug out a nutrition bar that she had brought with her from the ship, and he wondered if she was going to save him the trouble and poison the overgrown rodent. “See, good weaselen. See the cookie?”

“Cookie?” Kiev held his sword ready to lop off its nose. ”What is a weaselen?”

Sasha rolled her eyes. “What else would you call a giant weasel?”

He refrained from asking what a weasel was. Obviously, the woman delighted in taunting him. The creature snatched the unwrapped bar away from her, hunched over, and turned the shiny bar over and over before stuffing it in a pouch in its belly. Its ears perked forward and it accepted another bar, its eyes widening as Sasha unwrapped this one. With barely a sniff, it ate the bar and filched the shiny wrapper, depositing the trash in its pocket.

“Come on.” Sasha ducked under his arm and touched the thing’s nose.

Kiev and the striped creature locked gazes. It curled a lip at him and he growled back.

All the while, Sasha rubbed the side of the creature’s head. “Slinky’s harmless. Someone’s taken a lot of time to domesticate you, haven’t they?” She glanced at Kiev. “I wonder where they are?”

That was a question he’d like the answer to, as well.

* * * *

An hour later, Kiev was debating the definition of ‘harmless’ in terms of Sasha’s new pet, Slinky. The damned thing darted all over the place, leaving them and reappearing, only to ‘accidentally’ trip him or attempt to steal his sword. Kiev growled at the creature and received a glare from Sasha.