Unexpected Hero, page 4
She shook her head.
He sighed and touched his forehead to hers. “Maybe in time.”
“I don’t want you to know that.”
Kekkari grinned. “He will eventually know anything he wants to know. You may as well tell him.”
“He doesn’t want to know this.” She pressed her hands together. “I don’t want to know this.”
Mekked stroked her hair and wrapped an arm around her waist. “I have seen that look before. It was not your fault. Nothing that transpired was your fault.”
“You have had to say that a lot.” She understood at that moment that he knew what her expression entailed.
“Yours is not the only world with an occurrence of sexual assault. The victims always have that look of terror, shame, and anger.” He squeezed her ribs lightly. “It often happens on the worlds visited by the station. Some can glide through, and others barely make it out alive. I, for one, am very glad you made it out alive.”
Kekkari blinked. “I am sorry. I had no idea.”
Misty shrugged. “I am fine. I survive. I might not like how, but I did.”
“You won’t survive if you don’t eat. He has a big mouth, but he’s a good cook.”
Misty chuckled and picked up the two-pronged fork and started tasting things that she had only eaten cold at the café. She nibbled at something, and then, Kekkari removed the prong from her fingers and put a spoon in them.
“Start with soup. You need to line your stomach.” He put the bowl in front of her.
She dipped the bowl of the spoon in and tasted the soup. She quickly took another spoonful and then another.
Kekkari chuckled. “Mekked, you might have a problem controlling her appetite. Once she gets started, she gets fixated.”
Mekked snorted. “I am not worried.” He whispered in her ear, “You don’t have to use the spoon.”
She licked the spoon clean, picked up the bowl, and drank the soup. It was a cream of vegetables, and it settled her stomach nicely. She resumed her nibbling at the course that resembled stir fry. It was crunchy, sweet, savoury, and meaty. It tasted so good.
Kekkari brought in a dessert, and she smiled but said, “Thank you, but I don’t have room.”
Mekked rubbed her stomach lightly. “Are you sure? I think there is a little more room in here.”
She blinked. “On my world, they did that with children.”
He chuckled. “Here, too. I am working at building trust between us and trying to keep my mind off your curves, so treating you like a child is a suitable distraction. Also, you are small, so if I can keep my focus there, it will distract me from the stem of your neck.”
She tensed and tried to ease out of his lap. “No, I am really good. I am full.”
Mekked kept his grip on her. “What is the real problem?”
She bunched up her face.
“Truth is best.”
“I ate so many leftover desserts at the café, and some days, they were all I had to eat, so sweet stuff makes me a little ill.”
Kekkari stared. “You had to eat... you weren’t given food rations or vouchers?”
“No. It was a pretty rough few years.”
Mekked looked at his cook. “Misty, I think you made him cry.”
Misty looked over, and Kekkari looked stricken. She felt his waves of pity and anger. She knew the anger wasn’t aimed at her, but she said, “I didn’t mean to upset you. I am adjusting. This is enough for now.”
He nodded and disappeared with the dessert.
She drank the glass of water and slumped back against Mekked. “What now?”
“Now, we go to my study and negotiate.”
He set her on her feet, stood up, and offered his hand. She slid her hand into his, and he walked with her through the house. There was a combination of Vecchin servants and bots humming around. She tried to ignore the looks she was getting and just looked around. The house was big.
“The house belonged to the original overseer?”
“Yes. I grew up here. It was a little strange when my father handed things over, but I got used to it, set up the government, and spent all my free time trying to rein it in.” He chuckled.
“So, why defenders?”
“We have a lot of valuable mines and asteroid fields in the system. There are frequent incursions, so we need folk who can intercept and discourage that event. Aldrun and Soith are descendants of other Hmrain from other systems.” He opened a door and walked inside.
His study was light, bright, and had a set of couches, a desk, and some chairs. It was all scaled up for Mekked’s size. She walked toward a chair, but he sighed and pulled her around his desk, and a data terminal rose from the desk.
“I want you here so you can read it directly, so we can make alterations to it.”
“Why do I need one?”
“So that no one tries to send you into a bond auction or simply have you deported if I am summoned off-world before everything is ratified.”
She thought about her luck. “Fine. Please. Bring up the contract.”
He looked at her and kissed her temple. “I am not going to hurt you. It will be my honour to care for you.”
She nodded. “I know, but there are going to be a few problems. I am not... stable.”
“I know. I can help with that. Contact with me will help you gain control. I have instructed psychics before.”
Misty blinked. “You have?”
“Sure. The sea folk have always used mental communication for long-distance. We use the manual language up here if they haven’t been through speech classes yet, but psychic communication is our default. We don’t usually touch mainlanders, but I could feel the openness of your mind. I knew part of your troubles the moment you walked up to the table. So did Hazda.”
She swallowed. “Yeah, I have passed out a few times at work when there were deep-sea folk at the café. There was no malice, so I think it was just a reflex for them to try and get my attention that way.”
He frowned. “How many times?”
“Over the years, about a dozen.”
“What did your boss do?”
“Nothing. I was always on the floor when I came around. It only lasted a few seconds.” She shrugged. “Most folks were really concerned and made sure that I got a glass of water to help my dizziness. I got up and got back to work.”
He sighed. “No sense getting tense over it.”
“I am not.”
Mekked chuckled. “I am talking to myself. I want to grab your boss’s arms and pull.”
“Grab the arms and make a wish.” She caught his look. “Terran saying. It usually refers to the keel bone of a chicken. Each party holds one arm, and the one that gets the majority of the bone makes a wish. It isn’t legally binding.” She chuckled.
“Interesting. I will use the reference the next time I am out on a mission.”
The contract appeared, and they sat together as he went through the list of requirements. “So, my portion of the contract is fairly blunt. There is a three million-credit trust set up for you if you meet the contract stipulations and the standard hundred-year or first offspring timespan. I will be responsible for your housing, upkeep, and an allowance for personal spending will be set at around three thousand credits per month. Your clothing, jewellery, and makeup will be provided, as will your food and lodgings.”
“What do I need the allowance for?”
“Entertainment, items that are outside the norm. Luxury goods like a favourite pillow or books.”
She had a thought. “A unit?”
He chuckled. “I will provide you with one.”
She felt a flip of excitement.
“What do you want to purchase?”
“There is a Terran archive of music, and I know it is available as a data block. That would be the first thing I got, I think. I could get it after three or four months.” She smiled.
“Music?”
She nodded. “I like music. My house growing up was... very quiet. I got to listen to music from other worlds while on the Education Station, and I loved it, but the music of home is just that.”
“Right. Noted. Well, now for your portion of the agreement.”
Misty watched as he typed in a mention of her being given psychic reconstruction and shield counselling, therapy for the traumas that occurred in her past, and the proviso that the requirements would only activate when she was aware and consenting.
She frowned. “That isn’t in the standard contract.”
“You and I are not standard. You need time, and I am not in a hurry. Having you here is enough, and we can get used to each other.” He smiled. “Plus, it will be best that you go through therapy, and my work often takes me off-world. Getting you safe and settled into your new position will be good. As for more demands, if I have a need, you are not to refuse me without a very good reason. If a Hmrain is in rut, it is implacable.”
She swallowed. “Right.”
“You must be in my bed every night once we begin sexual interaction.”
She nodded.
“If you bear my child, the contract value will be provided to you, and you can leave Vecchin at your will from that point on. If we are still getting along by then, we can switch to a partner contract.”
“A partner contract?”
“A permanent contract will have me maintaining you and any children we have in perpetuity.”
“Can I ask something else?”
“Certainly.”
“So, you are a defender. What happens if something... unpleasant happens to you while you are on a mission.”
He blinked. “Ah. Good point. In case of my death, the contract will be paid out, and my father will be responsible for finding you a good match in another Hmrain or descendant.”
“What? Why?”
He smiled and stroked her cheek. “Once you and I have been intimate with the marks and such that go along with that will leave a certain... hunger in you. Another Hmrain will be able to enjoy that hunger and feed off it.”
“Oh. I keep forgetting about that part. How do you know you can even... feed off me?”
He stroked her cheek again. “I can feel it. Right now, you are broadcasting every ripple of fear and enjoyment along the frequency where we feed. Soith and Aldrun can feel it, but it doesn’t make them hungry. They are a few generations removed.” He sighed. “However, it makes me want to follow you around and catch every stray mental emission. The psychic nature of my mother’s people makes it more intense.”
“Oh.”
He nodded. “Indeed. Do you have any other addenda that you would like added to the contract?”
“Um, no. That covers anything I could think of.” She shrugged. “This is more than I need to survive. Oh, is my therapy coming out of my allowance?”
He looked surprised. “No. It will be on Vecchin or myself.”
“How will I get to therapy?”
“The therapist will come to you, or a transport will be arranged.”
“Oh, that’s it for... How will we know if I am ready to fully cohabit?”
“Ah, you may approach me at any time and see how you feel. If I feel fear or panic, I will cease.” He nodded, and then, he put that in the contract.
He finished it on the terminal and sent it to the tablet and signed it, pressed his thumb, and scanned his iris. He handed her the tablet. She read the contract, her mind spinning at the money he threw around so casually. When it read exactly what they had discussed, she pressed her thumb to the pad, signed, and scanned.
Just like that, she was companion to Mekked.
He smiled and sent the signed file off to the archive, and then, he turned her head. “And now, we seal the contract.”
She watched him get closer, and the kiss was politely dry, and the curl of pleasure that ran up her spine made his lips smile against hers.
He leaned back. “I could feel that.”
“So, Vecchin don’t kiss?”
“Not usually. I can see the attraction to it. You taste sweet.”
“So, it doesn’t offend you?”
He frowned and shook his head. “No. I enjoyed it.”
“Can I try something?”
He shrugged and nodded. “Sure.”
She touched his face and pulled his head to hers, kissing him softly, and then, she began to tease him with her tongue. He jolted in surprise and made a happy growling sound as her tongue parted his lips. She flicked his mouth open, and his arms tightened on her. When her tongue slid along his, he froze, and she slowly withdrew from him. She looked at his stunned expression. “So, was that repulsive?”
He cupped her head and repeated the kiss, going through the same stages that she did before sliding his tongue into her mouth. She clutched his wrists and moved her head to entice him deeper. The slick throbbing started between her thighs, and he shifted his grip to hold her carefully as she gasped and met him with every caress of his mouth.
She gripped his hands tightly, and he slowed and pulled back, his chest heaving, which was gratifying. She thought she was the only one who had gone from low idle into gear with that kiss.
He was looking at her, nostrils flaring. “I can get you hot just like that?”
“It’s a pretty solid start, and it isn’t something that I confuse with any other event in my life, so practicing that is always safe. No freakouts associated with kissing.”
Understanding lit his eyes. “Thank you, Misty.”
She swallowed and nodded. “You are welcome, Master Mekked.”
His eyes narrowed, but he smiled. “Mekked is fine.”
“If you get hungry and I am not able to... accept you, kissing and me rocking myself against your thigh should get you something to consume.”
Mekked smiled. “I have already gotten quite a bit just from that kiss. Interesting to be wired for mimicking food exchange.”
She shrugged. “I just know it works. As long as the folk involved aren’t eating, it doesn’t get weird.”
He laughed. “I am going to enjoy getting to know you better, Misty.”
She ducked her head and locked her fingers together.
He patted her hip. “Come on, let’s give you a tour.”
She straightened and got to her feet. “Can we start with where I can sleep?”
“Of course. You have a choice when I am not home, but when I am and after you are through your therapy, you will be expected to share my room. You can enter and remain there anytime.”
He took her hand and walked with her out of his study, and she smiled and waved at Aldrun, who was carrying a plate and heading down the wide hall.
“Hello, Misty. Are you all wrapped up?”
“I have a few things to do first, but the paperwork is complete.”
He nodded. “Good. You two look... energized.”
Misty went pink, and Mekked grinned.
“We will be incandescent when we finally complete our connection.” Mekked smiled. “I am just giving her a tour.”
“Starting with your room?”
“Of course. Then hers.” He grinned. “Then yours and Sioth’s, so she knows what to avoid.”
He walked with her to a hidden staircase and up the steps. The tour of the overseer’s home was extensive, but she had all the time in the world.
Chapter Five
It was surreal to be sitting with superheroes at dinner, but they chatted easily with her and asked her questions about her world and how it had been destroyed.
Her stomach wasn’t sure what to do with the extra meal, but she ate politely. She kept in mind that she would eventually be burning calories in a few new ways.
Misty set her eating utensil down and smiled with her hands in her lap.
Soith blinked. “That’s it? Mekked’s going to wear you out if you keep eating like that.”
“My capacity will grow with time.”
Mekked smiled.
She scowled at him. “I meant for food.”
He started laughing.
Aldrun chuckled and then perked up as dessert arrived. Kekkari looked at her with a raised brow, but she shook her head, and he sighed.
Mekked said, “Misty, come here.”
She got up and walked over to his chair, standing next to him. “Yes?”
“Sit.” He patted his thighs.
She settled on his lap, and he kept her seated sideways.
“Now, you don’t have to finish it, but you need to try it. Kekkari works hard on dessert. He loves making them, and since it is hard to find a cook willing to work with our schedules, we need to make him feel wanted.”
She sighed and nodded. “All right.”
Kekkari put two desserts down, and he smiled. “Just try what you can.”
Mekked picked up a long spoon, and he scooped up a spoonful of whipped fluff with fragments of fruit. “Open.”
She opened her mouth, and he flew the spoon in. She closed her mouth, and he pulled out. Her blush was scalding.
“Don’t worry, Misty, I am thinking it as well.” He smiled and got a larger scoop and ate it. “Oh, nice one, Kekkari.”
The feline male grinned. “Oh, look, she swallowed.”
She just wanted a giant hole to open up that she could drop into. She opened her mouth, and Mekked fed her a second scoop. It was really good, but she was too tense to properly enjoy it.
Mekked started a slow massage on her back, and she gradually relaxed. A third mouthful came and went, and she was able to enjoy it as the conversation flowed around her but didn’t involve her. When the two desserts were empty, he kept rubbing her back, and she scooted closer to him and leaned against him. She hadn’t been completely full in a few years going back before the asteroid.
He stroked her arm and ran his fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp. She was out in under a minute.
* * * *
Mekked chuckled. She was a little over-full but warm and sleepy.
“Aldrun, what was the name of that therapist you saw for trauma?”
“Dr. Ledeen. Why?”
“Misty and I aren’t going to settle things until she has gone through therapy to the point where she doesn’t cry in her sleep or flinch when I touch her.”
