* * * * *
“We want to thank you again, Commander Hail, for bringing us this valuable information.” Commander Sylvan nodded at him gravely. “And I understand you went through a lot to get it.”
“Well…” Hail coughed into his fist. “It was not…our intention to get this information. It’s probably more accurate to say we lucked into it.”
“There is no such thing as luck where the Goddess is concerned,” Commander Terex, who was also on the High Council, said gravely. “She had a reason for sending us this knowledge.”
“But all the Chalombs really told us is what we already know from speaking to our new brother, Varin, the Vision Kindred,” another Council Member protested, nodding at a tall, silent Kindred with dark hair and pale bronze eyes.
“Brothers,” Varin said, speaking up. “I know what I learned from talking to one who had studied the Hive and from invading their colony myself to rescue my mate, the Princess Brynn. But I was focused on getting her back and getting out safely—I can’t tell you how to defeat them if they attack again. Indeed—I don’t know if they will attack again. Brynn and I believed that Sovereign X'izith, their leader, was dead or as good as dead when we left him in his temporary camp on the Earth’s moon. But who knows what he or any of the Hive may be capable of?”
“I believe them to be capable of anything if they get a chance,” Sylvan said, frowning. “And I say, we don’t give them that chance. They appear to be gone now but they may just be regrouping. Now, aside from what we already knew, the Chalombs gave us another valuable piece of information—the location of a repository of knowledge where everything known about the innermost workings of the Hive is collected.”
“Yes, but that repository—the Library of All Knowledge—is located on Yonnie Six,” Commander Terex pointed out. “And we know from past encounters that the Yonnites will never willingly share information with us. They consider males to be inferior beings, useful only as menial workers and sex slaves to feed their sensual appetites.”
“Yes…” Commander Sylvan took a deep breath. “Which is why I propose we infiltrate the highest echelon of Yonnie Six society with one of our own and get the information we need any way we can.”
“You can’t be serious,” objected the head Priestess of the Sacred Grove, who also held a position on the Council. “I know in the past you have sent females to pretend they were part of Yonnite society but I must protest it in this instance. The Library of All Knowledge would be inaccessible to any female spy you sent—even if she played her part as a Yonnie Six Mistress perfectly. There are only seven key-holders to the place—the Sacred Seven they are called—who can even access the Library at all.”
“Which is why we are not sending a female spy in this instance,” Sylvan said steadily. “Instead, we must send a male.”
“How is that helpful?” asked Commander Terex. “When males are less to the Yonnites than the dirt beneath their feet? A male would be even less likely to be admitted to the Library of All Knowledge than a female.”
“Unless he was intimately connected with one of the seven key-holders of the Library,” Sylvan said, frowning. “Unless he was the personal body-slave to one of the Sacred Seven.”
“Are you proposing that we sell one of our own into slavery?” asked another Council Member. “Into a situation where he might be tortured, raped, or even killed at his Mistress’s whim?”
“Though I am not truly a member of this Council, I must speak. As a former slave myself, I am reluctant to agree with such an idea,” Varin said, speaking up again. “The life of a slave even under a tender and considered mistress, as my mate Brynn was to me, can be nothing less than the torment of the Seven Hells.”
“Nevertheless, if anyone has a better idea speak up now,” Sylvan said steadily. “I do not like the idea of sending one of our own Brothers into danger but I don’t see another way.”
“Whoever he is, he must be unmated,” Commander Terex said thoughtfully. “Since his mistress will undoubtedly demand sexual favors of him.”
“What if he is forced to have bonding sex with her—whoever his mistress turns out to be?” objected the High Priestess. “The Goddess would frown on such a thing, surely.”
“You need not be uneasy on that account, Priestess.” Sylvan bowed his head to her respectfully. “The Yonnites do not believe in allowing a male to penetrate them. Although, from what I have heard…” He cleared his throat and shifted uneasily in his seat at the head of the council table, “whoever we send might well expect to be penetrated himself.”
“Then whoever we send will have to be steadfast and strong—completely confident in his maleness to submit to such treatment without breaking,” the High Priestess said, frowning. “Though the Kindred are more enlightened than their male counterparts on Earth, I do not know of many who fit that description.”
“I still want to know how you’re going to get our spy—whoever he is—into the service of one of the Sacred Seven in the first place,” Commander Terex said.
“We know one of the Seven who is planning to be at an elite sale of Druvian artifacts at the end of this solar week,” Sylvan said. “We intend to plant our spy in her company there and have her leave with him.”
“Druvians?” Terex frowned. “Weren’t those the ancient people who claimed to be able to travel from place to place in the universe in the blink of an eye using their magical E’lo stones?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Sylvan answered. "But now that they have died out, only their E’lo stones remain. Though many scholars have studied them, they have been unable to unlock the secrets of the stones—apparently they won’t work for any but the Druvians. So they are considered nothing more than rare and valuable collector’s items.”
“Items which this Mistress you are targeting wishes to acquire?” Terex asked. “But if she’s going to the elite sale looking for artifacts, how do we make certain she leaves with whoever we send to pose as a body-slave?”
“Because there is a slave auction attached to the artifact sale. It’s held in the Toloth System and our target has already made a formal commitment to be there. Look…”
Commander Sylvan made a motion with one hand. The lights in the large council room dimmed and a hologramatic image of a proud-looking female suddenly appeared in the center of the table. She had a waterfall of long, wavy black hair that fell to the small of her back, skin the color of caramel, and wide, almond shaped eyes of liquid black. Though she was petite, she kept her chin high and carried herself with an air of self-assurance and mastery that spoke of compete confidence in her own abilities.
But it was not her face—which was lovely but stern—that drew a murmur of protest from the members of the Council—it was the way the female was dressed. She had on a tight-fitting black leather suit which covered her arms and legs completely and high black boots which reached above her knees. In the front, the suit’s collar opened and dipped low, almost to her naval, revealing the full curves of her breasts. In one hand she held a whip and in the other, a long, black cane with a wickedly sharp point.
However, the one item of dress that drew all eyes was what the Yonnite Mistress wore strapped between her legs. A black leather phallus jutted up from between her thighs, long and thick and daunting. Hail, who was still watching quietly, thought it was at least as large as his own phallus when he became the beast. What male would willingly allow himself to be penetrated with such a contraption?
“This is Mistress Neh’sanna,” Sylvan said, gesturing at the hologram. “She is one of the Sacred Seven. She is also revered in Yonnite high society as one of the foremost trainers of male slaves. She picks only the largest and the strongest males and breaks them down until they are completely loyal to her. Some say she doesn’t even use pain collars on them—though she has been known to use other…ahem, devices. She expects complete and unquestioning submission and obedience from her body-slaves at all times.”
“You’ve studied her thoroughly,
” the High Priestess said—it wasn’t a question.
“I have,” Commander Sylvan said quietly. “I would not ask another Kindred Brother to go into this dangerous situation without knowing exactly what I was sending him into.”
“But who are you sending?” Terex demanded. “I hope he has been briefed on this female as thoroughly as we have so that he can make the decision to risk himself in such a manner.”
“Commander Sylvan is sending me.”
A large male who had been sitting quietly in the back of the room rose suddenly and strode forward to stand before the Council. He was larger than the average Kindred— well over seven feet—and had the square jaw and hard face of a career warrior. Spiky brown hair that showed glints of gold under the dimmed lights sat atop some of the strangest eyes Hail had ever seen, for one was a brilliant green and the other a deep blue. Both, however, had golden flecks that seemed to shoot through their swirling depths like sparks in a fire. The mismatched eyes gave the male’s face, which was otherwise hard and knowing, a strange vulnerability.
“This is Commander Thornex,” Sylvan said. “He knows all about Mistress Neh’sanna and her ways and has volunteered to go on this mission to gain access through her to the Library of All Knowledge.” He gestured at the male. “We believe she will choose him at the slave auction because of his greater than average size and strength, as well as his unusual eyes. From what we know of her, she greatly enjoys owning rare and valuable one-of-a-kind items.”
“You volunteered for this mission, Commander Thornex? Really?” one of the other Councilors asked, sounding incredulous.
“I did.” The warrior nodded firmly.
“Do you see what that female is wearing between her legs?” another Councilor asked. “And are you aware you might have to take it between yours?”
“I doubt it will come to that, Councilor," Thonex replied. "I plan to make this a short mission and gain the necessary knowledge as quickly as possible."
"Yes, but what if you can't? What if you're forced to, uh, submit?" the other male demanded.
Commander Thornex gave the Councilor a level stare.
"If you’re asking if I fear penetration, the answer is no, Councilor. Nor do I fear subjugation, submission, or any kind of persecution or pain, which I have endured many times before. I will do whatever is necessary to bring back all available information on the Hive—no matter what that is.”
“Commander Thornex has been on many secret missions,” Sylvan explained to the rest of the Council. “He has infiltrated other enemy organizations and has never faltered in his duty or given away information, even under the most extreme torture. I feel that his judgment is to be trusted. If he says he can handle this mission, I believe him.”
“You’re a braver male than I am, Commander Thornex,” remarked another Councilor, eyeing the rigid, black leather phallus rising from between the thighs of Mistress Neh’sanna’s hologram.
“As to that, Councilor, I cannot comment. I do only what is necessary to get the job done. I’m walking into this with my eyes open.”
“And your legs spread if you’re not careful,” someone quipped. There was some uneasy laughter but Commander Thornex frowned and raised his chin.
“If I have to,” he said simply. "As I told you, I do not break under torture."
Still watching quietly, Hail couldn’t help but admire the male’s courage in the face of what was certain to be a harrowing and humbling ordeal. Did he really not fear becoming a slave and all the degradation and subjugation that it entailed?
Apparently not for he kept his head high and refused to look ashamed though he had admitted he would willingly submit to his new female mistress in any and every way necessary to get the information the Council was so desperate to have.
I wonder what kind of Kindred he is? Hail thought. The male was huge and his mismatched eyes were strange—he might be a hybrid of some kind or possibly just a branch of the Kindred family Hail had never heard of.
Whatever he is, he has courage—he won’t even have an emotion damper to help shut out whatever negative emotions come from this encounter.
It was a sobering idea.
“Well.” Sylvan clapped his hands. “If there are no objections, then I move we adjourn this meeting so that Commander Thornex can get ready for his mission.”
There were some murmurs of uncertainty from the Council but as no one else seemed to have any better ideas, the meeting was at last declared closed. The Councilors began clearing the room but Commander Thornex just stood there silently with his arms crossed over his massive chest, staring at the hologram of the female who would soon, if the Goddess willed it, be his Mistress.
She was so tiny compared with him that the top of her head would just barely reach his elbow. Was he really willing to be mastered by such a diminutive female? Apparently, he was. There was an impassive look on his face that said he neither dreaded nor anticipated his coming assignment—it was simply another mission to be fulfilled.
Hail couldn’t help himself, he had to meet this fearless male. He strode up to the other male and held out his arm for a warrior’s clasp.
“Commander Thornex,” he said, “I salute you. Any male can go into a dangerous situation knowing he will be the master of his fate but you are prepared to give over mastery to another. Surely that is by far the more difficult task.”
Thornex appeared startled at first but then he took Hail’s arm and clasped firmly.
“Call me Thorn. And don’t you mean I’m brave to be giving my fate and mastery into the hands of a female?” he asked dryly. “Though we Kindred worship the Goddess and revere all things to do with the fairer sex, we still cherish the idea that we can be in charge sexually, don’t we?”
“I suppose so.” Hail had a brief image of Isobel wearing a thick phallus like the woman in the hologram and demanding that he submit himself to her. The idea gave him a strange quiver—he didn’t know if he would like such a thing. But Thorn didn’t appear to be bothered by it at all.
“You’re wondering how I can be so calm about the whole idea,” Thorn said. “But think of it this way—we each of us submit ourselves to the will of the Goddess every day. Why should submitting to another female bother me?”
"Submitting is one thing. But being penetrated…" Hail gestured to the phallus Mistress Neh'sanna wore. "That is something else again."
"Is it?" Thorn narrowed those strange, mismatched eyes at Hail and the sparks in their blue and green depths seemed to grow to flames. “I can bend and not break, even under the most severe torture. What can this female to do me that is worse than the fire-whips of Rigel Seven or the blood-snails of Tantor Prime?” He stared at the image of his soon-to-be Mistress coolly. "I do not fear her. I can give up control of my body without surrendering my heart and soul. I have done it before."
“Then…you have, er, submitted sexually to a female in the past?” Hail could hardly believe he was asking such a thing. But Thorn was already shaking his head.
“Not sexually, no. But I have no problem in taking orders from a female and I don’t fear any kind of pain.” He shrugged. “This is just another mission, although a very important one. The Hive is a great danger to us. I would do anything—anything to be certain our leaders have the information they need to defeat them.”
“May the Goddess go with you then,” Hail told him.
“Thank you, Brother.” Thorn nodded gravely and then turned away.
Hail was again filled with admiration as he watched the huge male leave the Council room. He wondered if Commander Thornex could truly withstand everything he was about to go through on Yonnie Six in order to get the necessary information.
But if he doesn’t, we may all be in grave danger, he thought. Goddess go with him and grant him strength.
Still, there was something about the huge male that made him wonder about his claim that he could submit without breaking. Thorn simply didn't seem like the submissive type. Hail bet himself that he
might start out submitting, but then end up dominating instead. The mistress who held the other end of his leash would have to be strong--extraordinarily strong--to keep the upper hand.
There was something inside Thorn--some caged energy or fire that seemed dangerous--deadly--like Hail's own beast, trying to get out. It shone in the other male's mismatched eyes with their dancing sparks of fire and radiated from him like heat.
He has a secret, Hail thought. But what?
He had no answers.
With a last look at the diminutive figure of Mistress Neh'sanna, Hail left the Council room and went to find Isobel and Brandon. His new family needed him and he needed them. No matter what threat the Hive posed, Hail swore to himself, they would never be parted and he would keep them safe.
The End?
Of course not. Look for Brides of the Kindred 20, Surrendered, in July of 2017
**If you've enjoyed Bonding with the Beast, please take a minute to leave a review HERE. Good reviews are like gold for an author. They let other readers know it's okay to take a chance on a new series. Plus they give me the warm fuzzies. : ) Or, if you don't have time to write your own review, you can also upvote a positive review that you think sums up what you feel HERE. Hugs and thanks for being such an awesome reader!
Evangeline : )
And now, take a little taste of Cougar Bait, the second book in my brand new Cougarville Shifter series coming this June.
Cougar Bait
Evangeline Anderson
Chapter One
“You’re going where?” Liam Keller looked at the curvy blonde surgeon who had saved his life in disbelief.
Well, he tried to look at her, anyway. After his fight with Mathis Blackwell the night before, he was in piss-poor shape, one eye swollen completely shut and the other barely a slit. The rest of him ached like holy hell too—that damn Buck had really done a number on him. Still, he tried to focus because what Samantha Becker was telling him was more than a little troubling.