“Because of biology,” Emily whispered. Her heart was pounding for some reason but she didn’t know why.
“Exactly.” He nodded. “I think that must have given you the idea that I didn’t care about you as a person.”
“Well, you didn’t know me as a person,” Emily pointed out.
“True.” He nodded again. “But even from the first—even before I smelled your sweet, hot scent—I knew something was different about you.” He frowned. “I watched you for over ten of your Earth days, you know, trying to understand what it was…why I was so reluctant to kill you.”
“You…you did?” She’d known he was hunting her…stalking like a predator stalks prey. But she’d had no idea that he had spent so long just watching and wondering about her.
“I did.” Gravely, he nodded. “I saw how patient and tender you were with the young ones in your care. And it made me think of…”
“Of…?” Emily urged gently, because the big Kindred had paused and seemed to be having a hard time continuing.
“Of my mate,” he said at last, heavily. “My mate and my son.”
“You’re married?” Emily drew back from him. “Or what do the Kindred call it—joined? You’re joined?”
“No longer.” His deep voice was harsh and there was a pain in his golden eyes that made her heart ache.
“Tragar…” she began but he shook his head.
“No more. I do not wish…I cannot speak of them.”
“Okay,” Emily said softly. Clearly something really bad had happened. Maybe he and his wife had gone through a bitter divorce and she’d taken his son away to someplace Tragar couldn’t see him?
“The past is irrelevant,” he said and cleared his throat. “The only reason I bring it up is to say that I saw a gentleness in you—a beauty I could not bear to wipe out of existence. And since then, since I have come to know you, I…” He cleared his throat again, clearly having difficulty choosing his words. “What I’m trying to say is that while the biological imperative to protect a Khalla is incredibly strong, it is not the only reason I am helping you.” He met her eyes. “I also…care for you. Far more than I ever expected I would.”
“Well…thank you. I, um, care for you too. When we’re not shouting at each other.” Emily smiled, finding herself unexpectedly touched by his stilted little speech. Clearly he wasn’t a guy used to dealing with emotions so making himself open enough to talk to her about what he was feeling—even a little bit—was a significant effort on his part.
“You are welcome.” He gave her a small sardonic smile. “Also, being a male, I do like ‘boobs.’”
“Tragar!” She slapped him on one broad shoulder but the sudden motion jiggled her overfull breasts and she gasped.
“Let us turn our attention to getting your nectar flowing.” He was suddenly serious. “I would not see you in pain, my Khalla.”
“All right.” Emily wished her voice didn’t sound quite so breathy. “Do…do what you have to do.”
“I shall. Though the Elders of the Holy Council would consider it blasphemy, I must attempt to suck the nectar from your breasts.”
Lifting her right breast to his mouth, he drew her swollen nipple between his lips and began to suck.
Emily gasped at the hot, wet sensation of being enveloped in his mouth. Just as she’d expected, she felt the pleasure building inside her almost at once. Her pussy was suddenly slippery and swollen and her clit was throbbing.
But to her surprise, the intense pleasure didn’t reach a peak. In the past, every time the big Kindred had touched or played with her nipples, she’d had a series of short, sharp orgasms almost like electric shocks running through her body. This time it was as though an electrical charge was building up inside her but it couldn’t find a way out. After a moment, she moaned in frustration—God, why couldn’t she come?
Tragar pulled back, a worried look on his face. “Am I hurting you?”
“No, not exactly.” Emily bit her lip, unwilling to say what the real problem was. After all, she shouldn’t want to come in his arms, should she? Hadn’t she just been thinking about how embarrassing it was going to be?
Ought to be glad it didn’t happen, she told herself sternly. But she couldn’t help feeling put on edge, like the pleasure or the charge or whatever it was, was building up inside her with no outlet…nowhere to go. She wondered if Tragar was going to go on but he was looking at her full breast and frowning.
“Nothing,” he muttered. “Not a drop. What can be the problem?”
Emily shifted uncomfortably in his lap. She knew exactly what the problem was—what was keeping her breasts from releasing their amber nectar. But the voice in the back of her head, the voice that sounded like Grandy See-er, wouldn’t let her tell him.
It must remain a secret, little Mistress! No one must know, especially not him! You must not tell, hissed the voice and Emily found she was powerless to disobey it, even though she was beginning to want to.
“I’ll try the other one,” Tragar decided. He looked at Emily. “With your permission, Khalla?”
“Oh, um…sure, go ahead.” Emily nodded, feeling her heart speed up again. She wondered if she would come this time, if the building sexual tension would finally be released.
But though Tragar took her pink nipple deep in his mouth and sucked as hard as he could, nothing happened. Well, not exactly nothing, Emily thought. The sexual pleasure continued to grow until she was writhing all over his lap, almost unable to sit still anymore. But still she couldn’t come, though her clit was throbbing and she felt like she was right on the edge. And still her nectar didn’t flow.
At last the big Kindred released her nipple and sat back, panting a little and looking worried.
“Nothing,” he growled. “I cannot taste even a hint of your nectar but I know it is there—your breasts are so full of it they must ache.”
“They do,” Emily admitted. In fact, the longer this went on, the worse her breasts hurt. Even the feel of his big, warm hands on her swollen globes wasn’t helping her much now. “What are we going to do?” she asked, feeling desperate. “Is there any kind of medicine or surgery…”
“No, nothing like that.” Tragar looked at her, frowning. “There is one more thing I can try but I do not know how you will feel about it.”
“About what?” Emily looked at him uncertainly.
“Pleasure.” He took a deep breath. “I believe that if I could bring you pleasure—bring you to sexual release—that might free your nectar and allow it to flow.”
“Oh, uh…” Emily could feel her cheeks getting red. “I mean, how would you…how do you want to do that? I mean, most of the time when you just, you know, pinch and squeeze my nipples, I, uh, come just from that. But this time…”
“This time nipple play isn’t bringing you to the peak,” he said, nodding. “I know.”
“You can tell?” Emily demanded.
“Of course I can, my Khalla,” Tragar rumbled. “The soft noises of pleasure you make when you come are unmistakable.”
“They…they are?”
He nodded. “There is also the way your pale skin flushes a rosy pink, your rapid breathing, and most of all, your scent. It gets so sweet and hot when you come I can barely resist dropping to my knees to taste your desire right from the source.”
“You mean…you want to…Oh, but I couldn’t let you do that. I mean, I don’t…”
“Peace, my Khalla.” Tragar stroked her hot cheek gently, as though to soothe her. “I never meant to say that is how I would bring you to the peak of pleasure now.”
“No? You wouldn’t? I mean you won’t?” Emily tried to still her pounding heart. Just the thought of him between her legs, kissing and tasting her there, made her feel breathless and frightened and uncertain all at once.
“No,” he shook his head. “All I want to do is to touch you…to stroke and caress your soft little pussy until you come for me…come on my fingers as I trace your swollen clit and
explore your secret depths.”
His golden eyes were half-lidded and his voice dropped to a soft, deep murmur that sent a hot rush of need and desire sparking through Emily’s entire body. God, hearing him talk like that…it made her ache inside her, made the building charge of pleasure with no outlet, even harder to bear. He was right—she needed to come.
“Yes,” she whispered, without thinking about it. “Yes, do…do that. I want you to.” Then she realized how shameless she sounded. “I…I mean, I think it would help.”
“I hope it will.” Lifting the hem of her nighty, he started to reach between her legs. But then he stopped, frowning. “What’s this?”
“What’s what?” Emily had been so caught up in the rush of pleasure and need she’d completely forgotten about the secret of the star-silver shaft inside her. Now she suddenly remembered and a spike of shame and fear nearly stopped her heart. She started to close her legs but Tragar was holding them open, looking between her thighs with a stern frown growing on his face.
“Emily,” he said in a quiet, dangerous voice. “Is this what I think it is?”
“I don’t know—what do you think it is?” The minute the words left her mouth she wished she hadn’t been quite so flippant. The look on the big Kindred’s face was now terrible to behold and his grip on her thighs was so tight she feared he might leave marks there. She wished she could move but there was no way to get free of him.
“That’s star-silver, isn’t it?” he demanded, his voice a low growl as he examined the round silver disk which covered her entrance and half her pussy.
Emily knew she couldn’t lie.
“Yes,” she said in a small voice.
“That fucking poisonous metal I took off your nipples because of what it did to you? And now I see you’ve got more of it inside you? In your sacred channel?”
“Well, I’ve never heard lady parts called a ‘sacred channel’ but—”
“You know what I mean.” His golden eyes were blazing. “You are a Khalla—a Goddess in mortal form. How can you defile and poison yourself with this filth?”
“Because I don’t want to be a Goddess in mortal form, okay?” Emily flared at him. “And I don’t want the other taking over my body. I just want to go back to being plain old Emily the kindergarten teacher from Tampa.”
He looked at her steadily.
“Even at the cost of your life? For that is the price you will pay if you keep the star-silver inside you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I won’t really die just from stopping the Tenrah.” She looked at him uncertainly. “Will I?”
The big Kindred just looked at her until Emily finally dropped her eyes, unable to bear the intensity of his golden gaze.
“All right, fine,” she muttered. “I’ll take it out.” She got off his lap and turned her back, not wanting him to see her groping between her legs. This was embarrassing enough as it was—she didn’t need an audience. Don’t do it, whispered Grandy See-er’s voice in the back of her head. I have to, she argued. I have no choice.
But when she grasped the star-silver disk at the base of the shaft, she found she couldn’t pull it out. In fact, it hurt to even try.
“Ouch!” she gasped involuntarily.
“What is it? Are you unable to get it out?” Tragar sounded concerned but Emily wasn’t willing to admit defeat.
“It’s fine. I’ll be…fine,” she said. But her voice came out high and tight and the metal rod inside her refused to budge. Her pussy felt horribly sensitive—even painful. And every time she touched it, it hurt even more but she didn’t feel like she had a choice. She had to get this damn thing out of her, no matter what the little voice in the back of her head was saying.
After several more tense minutes of trying, she felt like screaming! The damn shaft was wedged inside her like someone had coated it in super-glue or something. What the hell was she going to do?
“Emily…” Tragar’s deep voice was worried and impatient.
“I’m fine,” she insisted again. “I just need to get a good look at it…maybe it’ll help if I look in the mirror…uh, the viewer.”
She started to get off the bed but Tragar stopped her.
“Hey, what are you doing? Let me go!” Emily demanded.
“No.” Holding her firmly by the arm, he drew her back to him. “Clearly you cannot remove the star-silver on your own, just as you could not remove the nipple clamps.”
“I told you, I just need to get a good look at it!” Emily protested weakly. But deep down, she knew getting a better view of the star-silver shaft wouldn’t make any difference. The damn thing was lodged inside her like a cork in a bottle and clearly it didn’t want to come out.
“Relax.” Tragar was positioning her on the side of the bed with her legs hanging over the sides. Emily was willing to let him examine her but when he got down on his knees in front of her, she started to close her thighs.
“Tragar—”
“What is it?” There was a look of worry on his face as he put his hands on her knees.
“I just don’t want you to…to put your mouth…” She trailed off, feeling her cheeks go hot.
He sighed and some of the impatience left his face.
“Did I not tell you I would not taste you tonight, no matter how much I may wish to?”
“I…um…” Emily bit her lip. “I guess, in this position…I just thought…never mind.”
“I’m trying to get a better look at you so that I can remove this damn star-silver,” he said patiently. “Look, Emily, I know the voice witch probably bespelled you to keep this device inside you and not tell me about it, so I don’t blame you.”
“You don’t?” She felt a rush of relief. She didn’t like it when he was angry—even for her own good.
“No.” He shook his head. “But it must come out. Please understand me—I’m only trying to help and protect you. Until this device comes out neither your nectar nor your honey can flow.”
“All right.” Emily let her thighs drift apart. “You can try to get it out. But I don’t know how you can—I swear it’s like somebody used superglue on me to keep it in or something.”
“That is probably more of the witch’s magic,” he said grimly. “Come, my Khalla, relax and let me see if I can help you.”
Emily let herself lay back on the bed as he spread her thighs even wider. She felt intensely vulnerable in this position but she knew Tragar wouldn’t hurt her. She couldn’t help biting her lip, however, when she felt his large, gentle fingers spreading her pussy lips wide.
“Hmm…” she heard him murmur and then the blunt tips of his fingers were sliding delicately around her swollen folds, tracing the cruel edges of the star-silver metal which had somehow embedded itself in her flesh. Emily would have expected this to hurt as her own touch had but, as before, the big Kindred’s hands on her felt gentle and soothing…healing and not painful at all.
She gave a soft sigh and felt some of the tension slipping from her as she relaxed under his hands. She felt certain he could help her…although she still didn’t know how, exactly.
“You’re correct,” he said after what seemed like a long time. “It seems almost glued inside you.”
“It does?” Emily looked up, frowning.
He nodded, his eyes never leaving the spot between her thighs. “But every glue has a solvent.”
“What solvent?” Emily asked warily.
Tragar looked up at her at last.
“I don’t know how much you know about Beast Kindred anatomy…”
Emily shook her head. “Not much. Are you, uh, different from other guys?”
“We are. We have a swelling at the base of our shafts called a ‘mating fist.’”
“You do?” Emily wondered where he was going with this.
“We do.” He nodded. “Anyway, in order for bonding sex to occur the mating fist must be all the way inside our female’s sacred passage. It is…quite large. No female could be open enough to receive i
t without help.”
“What kind of help?” Emily asked. She was beginning to feel distinctly nervous. What exactly did the big Kindred intend to do with her?
“The help of a chemical made by a Beast Kindred’s body— a compound which is present in all of our fluids.” He clearly saw the uncertainty growing on her face, but continued anyway. “It allows the female to open up and take her mate’s shaft fully inside her pussy.”
“Okay, so what does that have to do with me?” Emily was afraid she knew but she didn’t want to jump to any embarrassing conclusions.
He sighed. “I think if I could just lick—”
“No!” she said immediately, sitting up and closing her thighs. “No, I’m not comfortable with that at all.”
“You didn’t let me finish.” He sat back on his heels, frowning. “I was going to say, perhaps if I lick and suck my fingers and then trace around the edges of the base of the phallus, I might be able to loosen the seal.”
“You think that could work?” Emily looked at him, her eyes wide.
There was a grim look on Tragar’s face.
“If it doesn’t, I’m not certain what will. I have the chemical compounds needed to open you in my other fluids but I do not think you would enjoy allowing me to—”
“Allowing you to what?” Emily insisted.
“Never mind.” He shook his head. “Here, lie back and let me try to help you.”
Emily did as he said, her heart pounding as she watched him suck two long fingers into his mouth. He brought them out, slippery and wet and reached between her legs. She gasped when she felt his blunt fingertips stroking her pussy gently, tracing the circle of alien metal while somehow avoiding her throbbing clit.
“Is it helping?” she asked after a moment.
“Possibly.” He withdrew his fingers and put them back in his mouth. He gave a low groan and Emily saw him swallow convulsively—did he really enjoy her taste that much?
“Delicious,” he murmured hoarsely as he began stroking around the star-silver disk again. “So fucking delicious, my Khalla.”
“Umm…” Emily didn’t know what to say but knowing that he liked the way she tasted made her heart give a strange little leap in her chest. Not that she really wanted any man tasting her with his tongue or anything but still…