Harbinger, page 2
“All thanks to you,” Mysha said. Her luminescent eyes regained their focus and shifted back down to him. “I almost regret shooting you the first time we met.”
Dorian snorted. “Almost?”
“I don’t trust people easily,” she said. “Especially humans.”
“And men in particular.”
She nodded and gave a brief smile. “I guess you noticed.”
“I don’t blame you,” Dorian said soberly. “I can’t even imagine all you must have gone through over the years. Kaya mentioned how she found you on Cira Narn.”
Mysha’s eyes seemed to lose focus again. “I’m some ways, I’m probably the luckiest girl in the galaxy.”
Dorian raised an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”
“Most Velothi have it much worse. My first master treated me well. I didn’t even consciously realize I was a slave until I was almost fourteen.”
She paused, lost in a memory. Dorian watched her, almost scared to breathe in case it disrupted her. He hoped that she would continue—he knew practically nothing about her, and he hungered to learn.
But her reverie seemed to break with a sudden swish of her tendrils.
“What I meant was that I was fortunate to meet Kaya,” she went on. “She was there to save me when I desperately needed a savior…and now, a few years later, when things were just as bad, you appeared and did the same. That all seems pretty lucky to me.”
He cast his gaze down at his lap, flushing. “I’m just glad it worked,” he said. “There’s nothing quite like being asked to perform psionic surgery while your patient is getting shocked and pulse weapons are pointed at you…”
Mysha smiled again. Like usual, it was so infectious he couldn’t help but shyly return it. “I knew you could handle it. After seeing what you did in that hangar bay…honestly, I wasn’t even convinced that magnokinesis was real until then.”
“It has its uses,” Dorian conceded. “But all things considered, I think I would have gotten a lot more use out of your invisibility as a kid.”
“It’s not really invisibility, you know. I can just bend the light around me.”
“Oh, that’s all. Just casually warping the laws of physics with your brain, no big deal.”
He was reasonably certain he saw her cheeks darken in embarrassment, but it only lasted a moment. “It does come in handy when you’re a criminal, I’ll admit.”
“You don’t actually need a special suit, either, right?” he asked. “I know Kali can almost turn invisible, too, but only their scales—they have to wear special clothing or run around naked.”
Her grin suddenly turned impish. “You tell me.”
Dorian watched, spellbound, as her entire body began to fade out like she had been overlaid with a holographic filter. In the span of three blinks, she had vanished entirely, and he glanced around the cramped infirmary and whistled softly through his teeth.
“Throwing around chunks of scrap metal is neat and all, but that is awesome,” he said. “What about thermal sensors? I assume they can still find you?”
When she didn’t reply, he narrowed his eyes and scanned the room. He didn’t see anything, not even a shimmer anywhere. A telepath might have been able to locate her, but he didn’t have any tricks up his sleeve short of creating a magnetic singularity that would also trash all the sensitive equipment around him.
Unless…
Excited by the challenge, Dorian sat up and swung his legs off the bed. The numbing agent must have kicked in, because he hardly felt a twinge from his ribs. He stretched out with his mind and followed the faint magnetic currents in the close room. He could feel every piece of metal, from the frame of the medical bed to the surfaces and handles on the cabinets to the housings of the diagnostic machines.
And he could sense a small plate seemingly floating in the middle of nothing. He grinned when he realized it was Mysha’s belt buckle. She was currently stalking around to the other side of the medical bed, probably with the intention of trying to startle him—or worse, tickle him.
“Well, I can’t test with thermal scanners,” he said. “But I can do this.”
He shifted the polarity of the metal in her belt, yanking her toward him with sudden force. She yelped in surprise as she was launched off the deck, and Dorian opened his arms and caught her.
“What the…?” he heard her gasp when his arms wrapped around her slender waist and held her tight. The bare skin of her lower back was as warm and smooth under his palms as he had imagined, and he felt the heat of her breath on his face even though he couldn’t see her.
“Gotcha,” he snickered. “Next time, you might have to—”
He was cut off when soft lips suddenly pressed to his. Her invisible tongue slid effortlessly into his open mouth, tasting and exploring, and her cranial tendrils began to caress his jaw and chin. His tongue curled around hers, welcoming her flavor. When Dorian caught a glimpse of his reflection in the shiny metal of one of the wall cabinets, he looked every bit as ridiculous as he expected to while making out with an imperceptible partner.
But he didn’t care in the slightest. As he closed his eyes to focus on the sensations, he let his touch slip lower to seize handfuls of her firm ass. Mysha melted into his embrace so completely she might have been made of liquid. She began to grind against him hard enough that his sore ribs growled in protest, but he was far more aware of his rapidly swelling manhood pressing into her hip…
“Oh…” Mysha breathed when she finally broke their kiss. “Next time, I’ll have to remember not to wear a belt.”
Dorian smiled as she slowly reappeared in front of his eyes. Her blue face was so beautiful it didn’t seem real, and she didn’t have a single feature he didn’t find utterly intoxicating, from her tendrils to her eyes to the curved horns poking up from her white hair.
“There’s a bit of metal in your boots, too,” he said, his smile turning crooked. “And the rings.”
“Hmm,” she murmured as she gently dragged her fingers across the decorative golden bands around her tendrils. “Maybe I’ll just have to run around naked to escape your attention.”
“I doubt you being naked would escape anyone’s attention for long.”
She giggled and kissed him. Once again, he was utterly blown away by the change in her personality; she barely seemed anything like the cold, jaded woman who had spent most of their first conversation glaring at him. But then he remembered something Kaya had said about her: “The two of you have a lot in common. If circumstances were different, you’d probably get along. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised to find her calves up on your shoulders if you stuck around here for a few days…”
The thought compelled Dorian to kiss the Velothi even harder. His hands left her ass to slide up along her back, mapping her muscles through the thin fabric of her shirt. He tightened his embrace until her chest pushed into his…
“Ah!” he yelped, wincing when a fresh spike of pain burst through his ribs. “Shit…”
“Careful,” Mysha panted, silver brows furrowing as she leaned away and gently placed her fingertips atop his bandages. “You really should rest until the gel starts to work.”
Dorian clamped down on his lip in frustration as he relaxed his grip. He almost wished she had just stuck him with a simple painkiller stim instead. If anything was worth aggravating an injury, making out with a beautiful alien girl had to be near the top of the list…
“We don’t have much extra space on board, but you could lie down in my bed for a while,” Mysha suggested. “I should probably help Kaya figure out where we want to go, anyway.”
“I suppose so,” he murmured, not bothering to hide his disappointment. He could barely stop himself from kissing her again, and his hands refused to leave her back. Her faintly glowing eyes were practically hypnotizing from this close…
“You want to hear something really crazy?” she asked as she threaded her fingers through his unruly dark hair.
Dorian swallowed. “What’s that?”
“You’re the first man I’ve ever kissed.”
He felt both of his eyebrows shoot up. “Really?”
Mysha nodded, and her luminescent eyes dimmed. “My owners were very insistent on keeping me ‘unspoiled.’ Velothi girls are treated like delicate flowers—everyone is terrified we’ll accidentally Imprint ourselves on the wrong person. And once we’re bonded, our value plummets. There’s no market for used females.”
Dorian’s mind unwittingly flashed with images from all the salacious vids he had seen over the years. Velothi females becoming Imprinted upon their lovers was, unsurprisingly, a very popular search query on the Holosphere. He had watched and enjoyed plenty of those vids himself…
“I, uh,” he mumbled, “I thought Velothi only Imprinted themselves after sex?”
“We do,” she confirmed. “But there are a lot of common misconceptions. My owners were worried I’d get bonded just by looking at someone.”
Dorian swallowed again, suddenly and keenly aware of just how hot her skin felt against his. “Forgive me for asking if this is too personal, but…can Velothi Imprint themselves on other females?”
Mysha nodded. “The process is usually a little different, but it can definitely happen. With Kaya’s particular gifts, it was…well, it was pretty easy.”
“So you are bonded with her, then,” he said. He couldn’t quite tell if he was crestfallen or aroused. Maybe some of both…
“Yes,” she replied with another infectious smile. “But my owners never realized that I’m a yazchathi.”
Dorian blinked when his implant failed to translate the word. “A what?”
“I have a rare genetic condition that allows me to Imprint upon multiple mates,” Mysha explained. A trace of bitterness crossed her face. “My owners weren’t aware of it, otherwise they probably would have gotten rid of me. Imprinting is the reason we’re so valuable. Buyers like knowing that their little slave girl will behave because her body literally needs them—and only them—to survive.”
Dorian’s cheek twitched, voice lowering in sympathy. “I’m sorry.”
“Why? It’s not your fault.”
“I just mean…I’m sorry you had to go through that at all,” he told her. “Even in my darkest moments as a kid, my dad was always there to protect me. We didn’t have much, but I was still luckier than most.”
Her breath fanned his lips. “At least you understand a little. That’s more than I ever expected from a rich boy.”
“Apparently, I’m full of surprises.”
“You really are,” Mysha whispered. Her voice was surprisingly serious, and she started to lean in to kiss him again, only to turn her face aside at the last instant. “I should check up on K, and you really do need to rest.”
Dorian didn’t nod or speak. He refused to give her a reason to leave when she was this close…
“I just…” she continued softly, her lips drifting within a millimeter of his cheek. “I just can’t thank you enough for what you did for me.”
He took a slow, steady breath, savoring her dark, rich scent. “I know you’ll return the favor someday. We psychics need to stick together, right?”
“Yeah,” Mysha breathed. “We really do…”
Her mouth met his, and this time her tongue plunged through his lips so fiercely he couldn’t have stopped her if he tried. She pushed him all the way flat against the bed, swinging her leg over his waist to straddle him. Dorian’s ribs twinged again at the sudden movement, but it was easy to ignore the pain. A knife through the gut wouldn’t have stopped him now.
Working his fingers and hands beneath her shirt, he explored the smooth, taut contours of her slender waist and arching back. He became keenly, painfully aware of the thin layers of fabric separating his cock from her quim, especially when she rolled her hips and ground her pelvis against him. He was so hard he felt ready to burst. Lost in a haze of desire, he was sorely tempted to use his magnokinesis to rip open his zipper just to relieve the pressure…
And then, as if on cue, he felt something press against his belt buckle and pull it open. For an instant, he wondered if he was so desperate that he had simply imagined it. His own hands had just found the straps of her bra beneath her shirt, and Mysha’s were busy madly clutching the sides of his face as if she were afraid he might try to escape. But then what—?
Oh, stars!
He only realized what was happening a split second before he felt the silky skin of her long tail plunge through his opened zipper, thread through his briefs, and curl around his throbbing, turgid manhood. He gasped into her mouth, shocked and thrilled, as her warm flesh began stroking him in earnest.
[Fascinating,] Ghost interjected. [I was not aware that Velothi females possessed such dexterity with their vestigial appendages. I estimate that you will reach sexual climax in less than sixty seconds.]
Dorian groaned in exasperation at the interruption, but the AI wasn’t wrong—if anything, Ghost was probably overestimating his master’s restraint. Whether by instinct, training, or however-the-hell-else, Mysha very clearly knew what she was doing; every tug, twist, and squeeze seemed precisely calibrated to maximize his pleasure. He wondered how she could possibly be this skilled if she had never been with a man before. Were Velothi instincts really that good? He wouldn’t have been able to hold out for long even if her body weren’t pressed so tightly against his…
Kaya wasn’t exaggerating for once, Mysha said. You really are big.
Dorian grunted and pulled free of her kiss when he realized that her voice had been inside his head. She grinned devilishly, and her glowing blue eyes flickered.
I forgot to mention the other reason Velothi are so coveted. We’re quite skilled with our hands—and without them, if necessary.
She leaned forward to cover his mouth with hers again. Her tail kept up a steady rhythm on his cock, with the tip periodically massaging the swollen head as if it were a tongue. He couldn’t even concentrate well enough to unclasp her bra. All he could do was pull her body tighter against him and try to hold out for as long as possible…
“Shit!” he cried out against her lips when his will finally broke. “I’m going to—”
I know.
Mysha giggled breathlessly as she withdrew her tail, swung her leg off of him, and then practically lunged down at his cock with her lips already parted. The sudden warm wetness of her mouth enveloped the tip of his manhood…and then Dorian exploded. He pumped his gratitude into her mouth with half a dozen powerful spurts, his hands reflexively gripping her horns to brace himself and hold her in place. His ribs twinged in rhythm with his climax, but his ecstasy completely drowned out the pain.
He panted for breath once he finally came down, and he watched, transfixed, as Mysha delicately removed her mouth from his stem and visibly gulped down everything he had given her, her throat bobbing with every swallow. Her tongue then flashed over her lips, and it only took a moment for her smile to return.
“Freedom tastes even better than I thought,” she said playfully.
Dorian blinked in surprise, then chuckled. “I’m glad you think so,” he breathed. “That was…thank you.”
“I know you’ll return the favor someday,” Mysha said with a wink, echoing his own words. “But you really should get some rest.”
He laughed and shook his head. The absolute last thing he wanted to do right now was rest. He didn’t care how badly his body hurt or how much he might injure himself further—he wanted to pull her onto the bed, tear off her hip-hugging pants, and explore every millimeter of her azure folds. He wanted to feel her perfect body wrap around him; he wanted to hear her cry out in bliss.
And then he wanted to hold her down and fuck her with everything he had.
“Go on and head to my room and lie down,” Mysha told him as she straightened and stepped away from the bed, her pink tongue sliding across her lips in search of any stray drops she had missed. “I’ll come check on you later, okay?”
She flashed him a sweet, almost embarrassed smile before she darted out of the infirmary. Dorian stared at the empty doorway, still panting, even as he felt his manhood already swelling back to life.
[I appear to have significantly overestimated your capacity for restraint,] Ghost said. [I shall update the appropriate algorithms.]
“Shut up,” Dorian growled, wincing as he leaned up and saw his cock still glistening with Mysha’s saliva. If he closed his eyes, he swore he could still feel the wet heat of her mouth around the swollen crown…and it was glorious.
[Based on your current breathing patterns and lingering erection, you do not appear to be satisfied sexually,] Ghost said. [Does that mean the Velothi female was not as skilled as you had hoped?]
“It means the opposite, you idiot,” Dorian grumbled. He stuffed himself back inside his pants as best he could before hopping off the bed.
[Interesting. Now that she has departed, shall I instruct you on proper medical techniques?]
“No. I’m going to lie down and try to rest like she said.” Better to delay his talk with Ghost until after he’d slept and cleared his head.
[Of course, master,] the AI said in a tone that suggested he was patting the head of a foolish child. [I notice that you once again did not inform her of my existence.]
Dorian scowled as he stood and stumbled out of the infirmary. “I’ll have to tell them sooner or later.”
[I agree. To borrow a colloquialism, I would prefer to remain in the shadows, but concealing my nature from your crewmates will severely limit my capacity to aid you in the long term. I also calculate a high likelihood that the females will be more upset the longer you delay the revelation.]
“No shit,” Dorian murmured, still unable to get Mysha out of his head. The beneficial effects of the numbing agent seemed to have been mostly undone by their activities. Walking was difficult enough with his sore ribs, let alone a raging hard-on. He just couldn’t stop thinking of all the things she could do to him with her exotic blue body…
[Perhaps we should come up with a plan, then.]
