“Oh!” she groaned aloud, unable to help herself. “Oh Goddess…Saber, please…”
“Lissa? Lissa, are you all right?” A large warm hand on her shoulder woke her and she gasped, sitting bolt upright in the darkness.
“Saber?” She reached for him and felt him by touch, standing by the side of the bed. “Lights, dim,” she said, just as she had in her dream. For it had been a dream, hadn’t it? Frantically she examined the front of her gown but the myriad of tiny round buttons were all still firmly in place. So then why did her nipples throb as though someone had been sucking them? Why was her pussy so wet and hot and swollen that she nearly cried out when she shifted her legs under the covers?
“Lissa?” He was peering at her anxiously now. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. Yes, I think so. I just had the strangest dream that you were…were…” She trailed off, feeling her cheeks heat.
“That I was what?” He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her.
“That you were…were examining me to make sure you got all the, uh, all the elixir off my…off me,” she stuttered, twisting her fingers in her lap.
“That’s strange.” Saber frowned. “I was having the exact same dream. Did I…had I unbuttoned your gown? And was I…” He cleared his throat. “Was I tasting you again?”
Heart pounding, Lissa nodded. “Yes. Yes, you were. I was…it felt so…” She shook her head. “But it was only a dream, right?”
“Right,” Saber assured her but he looked troubled too. “I just wonder why we’re having the same dream at the same time. It’s so strange. I would almost say we were dream sharing but—”
“But that can’t be,” Lissa said quickly. “I mean, we’re of the same clan. We couldn’t form a bond like that—it isn’t possible.”
“It shouldn’t be possible for us to touch each other without disgust and revulsion, either,” Saber pointed out quietly. “But I feel nothing but pleasure when I touch your soft skin, when I taste you, amalla.”
“Moch Daer…” she whispered, giving him the old, cherished nickname before she thought about it. Then, somehow, she got hold of herself. If they weren’t careful, the dream was going to turn into reality and Lissa knew she couldn’t have that on her conscience. “I mean, Saber,” she corrected herself. “That…anyway, that’s not how dream sharing works, is it?”
“I don’t know.” He still looked troubled. “I didn’t think so.” With a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair. “Go back to sleep, Lissa. I’m sure it was just a dream and everything will seem better in the morning.”
“All right.” She allowed him to tuck her securely back under the covers. When he was done, Saber leaned down and gave her a soft, chaste kiss on the forehead.
“Sweet dreams, amalla.”
“You, too,” Lissa whispered. But she wasn’t sure if she meant it or not. After all, the dream they had somehow been sharing was the sweetest she had ever had but it was also forbidden. Forbidden and so very, very wrong…
Chapter Ten
“You’re looking lovely, as always, L,” Draven drawled, smiling up at her from the plush fur covered sofa he was sitting on.
“Thank you.” L returned the smile with no warmth in her eyes. She’d been here only a day and already she was ready to leave. It wasn’t just that Hrakaz was a bitter, barren world peopled almost entirely by idiot trolls and sniveling imps—it was Draven. He…bothered her.
Oh, he was handsome enough, she had to admit. With those broad shoulders and that lean, muscular body, he was enough to tempt any female. She even liked the neatly clipped goatee and mustache that matched his black hair. As far as she was concerned, not many men could get away with facial hair. But Draven wore his with style and élan—it made him look slightly sinister and emphasized his strong jaw.
But though his face was handsome and his body was mouthwatering, there was something missing in his eyes. And it wasn’t just that they were pure silver disks with no pupil, it was something else. Some fundamental warmth that all living creatures possess—or should possess, anyway. It was lacking in Draven and the resulting emptiness behind those silver eyes made her nervous—she, who was never nervous around anyone!
I can always just kill him if he bothers me too much, she told herself. But after being here for a while, she wasn’t so sure. When he looked at her with those empty eyes, she felt frozen inside. Frightened and yet also somehow…intrigued. Was that the right word? She wasn’t sure. Why should a man who scared her also turn her on? He doesn’t, she told herself fiercely. I’m just reacting to his strength. His presence. And she had to admit that Draven had more presence about him than any other male she’d ever met. There was something inside him…something she sensed but couldn’t name. Some kind of past tragedy perhaps? But no, that couldn’t be right. Well then, maybe—
“Who are you wearing tonight?” Draven asked, breaking her train of thought. L knew he was talking about the outward appearance of her body, not the clothing she had on.
“I’m an exotic dancing girl from Julo.” L twirled slowly in front of him, showing off her pale pink hair, vivid blue eyes and lavender freckles. The shape of her body was slender but full in the breasts and hips, which was basically the same as her original form.
“I like it.” Draven nodded thoughtfully. “But not as much as the form with black hair and light brown skin. You know the one I mean—with the amber eyes.”
L couldn’t keep the surprise from her face. He was speaking of her original form, the one she almost never wore. As far as she could remember, she’d only showed it to him once. Why would he pick that out from all her myriad of disguises as his favorite?
“I…don’t wear that one much,” she said, turning away and pouring herself a glass of some eye-wateringly strong alcohol. She wasn’t sure what it was but it was blue and fermented—good enough for L.
“And why, may I ask? It suits you very well.” Draven was suddenly right behind her, purring in her ear. L felt a shiver run up her back as the heat from his big body branded her spine.
“I don’t like it,” she said, moving pointedly away and taking a sip of her drink. It burned like fire going down and she had to fight not to choke.
“But I do.” He moved up behind her again, refusing to take the hint, and brushed the long pale pink hair from the side of her neck. “You’re beautiful,” he breathed, nipping lightly at the side of her slender throat. “In all your forms, darling.”
L tried not to shiver as his hot breath bathed her throat and his warm, spicy masculine scent enveloped her. Between her thighs, her pussy was getting hot and wet. Gods, for being such a bastard he certainly seemed to know what he was doing when it came to sex! Not that she would ever let him finish what he was trying to start.
She waited until he was sliding one large, capable hand down the inside of her thigh and then quickly morphed into one of his own trolls, complete with thick, wrinkled gray skin and appalling body odor. As an afterthought, she added a huge, erect penis, which jutted out from between her thighs and thrust into Draven’s seeking hand.
With a low cry, he jumped away and L turned to face him, grinning from a face that had a wide, drooping mouth and six inch tusks. “Not so pretty now, am I?” She leered at him and made a few obscene thrusts with the immense phallus. Of course it was fake—a mere extension of her skin. L was fundamentally female and could only project the outward appearance of a male, but Draven didn’t know that.
At first he looked disgusted but then, to L’s surprise, he threw back his head and laughed. Against her will, she found herself liking the sound. It was a low, pleasant chuckle that sounded more real than anything she’d heard from him yet.
“No, you’re not pretty in that form,” he said at last, grinning at her. “But you are formidable. And smart. Which is extremely sexy, no matter how you may try to disguise it.”
L frowned and let herself melt into her usual form—that of a curvy female with pale skin and dark blue hair. “I appre
ciate the compliment but what I most want is my orders to be gone from this rock.”
“You want to leave me so soon?” Draven put a hand to his chest. “My darling, I’m hurt.”
“I’m not here to keep you company, you said you had a job for me,” L reminded him tightly. “A job we would both benefit from aboard the Kindred Mother Ship. You said we wanted the same thing—bloody revenge.”
Draven frowned. “Well, as it happens, I’ve been rethinking the ‘bloody’ part.”
“What?” L stared at him in disbelief. “You’re supposed to be this ruthless killer. Your Hoard has wiped out entire planets and you don’t blink an eye. But now you want to spare the bastards who—” She stopped short, biting her tongue.
“Who what?” Draven looked at her intently. “What did they do to you, L? Why do you hate the Kindred so much?”
“None of your business,” L snapped, looking away. “I have my reasons to want them all dead—I thought you did to.”
“I did—at first.” Draven began to pace, his hands folded behind his back in an almost meditative way. “I’ve had my share of problems with them. Hell, one of their leaders put me out of commission for almost a thousand years. When I woke up, I wanted to kill them all. Slowly.” The blank silver disks of his eyes turned on L, making her shiver.
“So what changed your mind?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
He shrugged. “I guess over the last thousand years I’ve developed something new—let’s call it a sense of humor. So I began to plan something a little more devastating.”
L glared at him. “What could be more devastating than death?”
“That, my dear, is what you’re going to find out.” Draven rubbed his hands together. “Oh, I do envy you, getting to witness it all first hand. What I wouldn’t give to see their pain and confusion…”
“Witness what?” L was running out of patience. “What am I going to be doing once I get aboard the Mother Ship?”
He frowned. “Not to change the subject but how are you going to manage that? The Kindred have tripled their security measures lately. I doubt they’ll let a stray craft anywhere near their orbit, let alone invite the pretty lady who’s flying it aboard. No matter how tempting your many disguises, I don’t see how you’re going to manage it.”
“I managed to get onto Hrakaz without any of your people being the wiser, didn’t I?” L raised an eyebrow at him. “Besides, why would I be fool enough to approach them from space?”
“Where else are you planning to approach them from?” Draven sounded irritated. “The fifth dimension?”
“Of course not. Think about it—where are they getting their brides from? Earth. That miserable little nothing of a planet is their only weakness. They’re constantly importing new brides from its surface up to the Mother Ship.”
“I see.” Draven’s eyes gleamed and he laughed again. “My dear, you’re quite diabolical.”
“I know.” L smiled modestly, then glared at him. “And I thought once I got up there, aboard the ship, I was going to have something special to use—a weapon of mass destruction that would blow them out of the sky.”
“Of course. But that’s a very crude solution, don’t you think?”
L gritted her teeth. “I don’t care if it’s crude—it’s final. It’s satisfying. Now are you going to give me something to blow the fuckers up or aren’t you?”
Draven made a tsking noise. “Such language. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”
“I don’t have a mother—or a father.” L lifted her chin. “I make my own way. And I’m about to make my way out of here unless you give me a reason to stay.”
“All right then. Here.” Draven held out his hand. In his palm was a tiny silver device no bigger than the tip of L’s thumb. “Don’t lose it,” he said as she picked it up carefully and examined it. “It’s taken me ages to make. And it’s tied to my will—I’m the only one who can reverse its effects.”
L started to give it back. “Damn it, I don’t want to use anything reversible on them. I want something lethal.”
Draven sighed. “Yes, but when you blow your enemy up, they’re gone and you can’t toy with them anymore. You can’t laugh at them.”
L looked at him blankly. “I don’t understand.”
“Nor will you until you detonate the device. Just place it in the middle of the Kindred ship, in their sacred grove, and be certain you’re alone at the very edge of the ship before you set it off with this detonator.” He handed another, equally tiny silver device.
“But—”
“Then wait and see all the fun.” Draven grinned. “After it goes off, you can go around killing them at will if that’s what suits you. That is, if you can find the right people to kill. I guarantee there will be plenty of confusion to cover your tracks.”
L frowned. “You’re not making sense. Why can’t you just tell me what this damn thing does?”
“Because that would take all the fun out of it, now wouldn’t it?” Draven gave her a slow grin that sent another shiver down her spine. Gods, how could anyone be so sexy and so frightening at the same time?
“Fine.” She sighed and pocketed the device. “But I want all my pay up front. If you’re planning on blowing me up along with the entire Kindred ship, I want to be sure your money goes up with me.”
Draven frowned but finally nodded. “Agreed. All I ask is that you wear a little recording device when you set it off. I really want to see the results.”
“Me being wired will cost you more,” L warned. “I don’t like to work with surveillance on me.”
“It won’t be on you—it will be on whatever you see and hear.” He produced something else from his pocket and held it out—a sparkling crystal stud. “Wear it in your ear, your eyebrow—wherever you’re pierced. Just put it somewhere on or near your face so I can see what you see.”
Reluctantly, L took the crystal stud. “All right but like I said, it’s going to cost you extra.”
“My darling, I would expect nothing less.” Draven gave her a charming smile. “Now, I know you’re anxious to be on your way but would you do me the honor of staying one more night?”
“I’m not sleeping with you, if that’s what you’re thinking,” L said flatly. “I’d like to think I have better taste in males.”
“Again, you wound me.” He put a hand to his heart melodramatically. “But though it would be my very great pleasure to bed you, that wasn’t what I had in mind. I just wanted a little company for my evening meal. And I thought you could use a good night’s sleep before you started.” He cleared his throat. “It’s rather cramped quarters, sleeping in a space ship—don’t you think?”
L frowned and shook her head. “Discomfort isn’t a good enough reason to delay. I should be on my way to Earth—I’m going to be looking for a very specific situation to get aboard the Kindred Mother Ship.”
A look of frustration passed over Draven’s sharp features. “I have space folding technology, remember? I can have you there in a matter of minutes.”
L spread her hands. “Then send me. Let’s go.”
Draven sighed and dragged a hand over his face. “Look, L, how can I put this…I’m lonely.”
L raised one dark blue eyebrow at him. “Excuse me?”
“That’s the real reason I want you to stay one more night.” Draven frowned. “You see how I live—my only companions are soulless idiots and sniveling sycophants. I am bound to this planet and the only company I get are people I have to torture.” He sighed. “I can, of course, project my likeness across time and space but it’s an exhausting effort that takes a lot out of me. All I want is one quiet, relaxing evening chatting with a beautiful, intelligent woman who’s my intellectual equal.”
L crossed her arms over her breasts. “You don’t really think I’m your equal—you don’t think anyone is. You’re an arrogant bastard.”
“Guilty as charged.” Draven gave her a hint of a smile. “But that doe
sn’t lessen my admiration for your intellect, my darling. Just grant me a single evening of stimulating conversation, please?”
“And how do I know that conversation is the only “stimulating” thing you have planned?” L demanded.
“I was out of line earlier, I admit it. But tonight I promise to be strictly hands off.” Draven held up his hands, palm up as though to illustrate his point. “If you like, you can put on your troll identity again to make yourself feel safe.” He wrinkled his nose. “Although if you do, I must insist on having my dinner upwind of you, I’m afraid.”
L laughed and felt her determination to go wavering despite herself. “All right,” she said at last. “I’ll stay. But only for the conversation and the soft bed, which I will occupy alone.”
“Certainly. Come, let’s go to the dining room and see what the chef has prepared tonight.” Draven gave her a courtly nod and held out his arm for her.
After some consideration, L took it.
“All right. Let’s go.”
Chapter Eleven
“If you’re not ashamed of us, why do you refuse to introduce us to your mother’s mother?” Deep demanded.
“I…I…” Kat looked at Lock appealingly. This was the first really big argument she’d had with Deep since the three of them had fully consummated their relationship and sealed the three-way bond between them. Usually when they had minor tiffs, the light twin was right there to help her. But this time he simply stood there, leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms folded over his chest. When Kat shot him an appealing look, he simply shrugged.
“Don’t look to my brother for help, Kat.” Deep, who was the dark twin of the pair, looked genuinely angry. “He feels the same way I do. He’s just too kindhearted to say it.” He took a step toward Kat, his black eyes blazing. “Now I’ll ask you again, why are you ashamed of us?”