Shadowed Read online

  Reddix didn’t even want to think about it.

  Don’t think about it then, he told himself sternly. Think about the cure you were promised. About what the witch can do for you.

  He didn’t know why he was so certain she could help—maybe because of the tiny pinpoint of pain in his wrist that was the lthss, maybe because of all the things she had known, which she had no business knowing. Or maybe you’re just too stubborn and too scared to give up your last hope, whispered a little voice in his brain. Science and technology had failed him. There was no medicine for RTS, because there was no way to treat the Touch Sense. It was an inherent part of a Touch Kindred’s soul. If the witch couldn’t heal him, Reddix might as well just lie down and die.

  Well, I might do that anyway, if that doctor is right, he thought numbly. Better get some rest so I don’t black out and never wake up again.

  The draining viewscreen conversation and all the emotions he had to feel as he made his way through the Mother Ship combined to take their toll. Reddix was so tired he could barely walk by the time he got back to his guest suite. He was so exhausted, so drained from feeling everyone’s emotions all the time. It was good to retreat into a dark corner alone and lick his wounds like a hurt animal for a while.

  He staggered into the suite’s bathroom and shed his protective hood at last. Looking in the viewer showed a male with a wild mane of black hair and stubble so long it was almost a beard. Reddix contemplated a shave but decided against it. A shower was all he had strength for—he would deal with his ragged appearance after he slept a good eight hours. Or maybe twenty-eight—that would be nice.

  After a shower so hot it left him feeling nearly boneless, he stumbled into the bedroom and fell across the bed. Tired, he was so damn tired…

  He started dreaming before his head hit the pillow.

  Chapter Five

  “There you are.” Saber came up behind his bride and put his hands on her shoulders. He was glad to have found her at last—he’d been searching for hours, and now, here she was, back at their suite.

  But Lissa pulled away from him.

  “Don’t.” She stood up and paced to the other side of the living area. “Please don’t.”

  “Don’t what—don’t touch the woman I love?” “The woman I’m bonded to?” he added, through the mental link they shared.

  “We shouldn’t be bonded,” Lissa burst out. “We shouldn’t be together at all. You know it, and I do too.”

  “What? What are you talking about?” Saber came toward her, trying to take her in his arms. But she moved away from him, putting the couch between them.

  “I’m talking about that.” She pointed at the vid screen Reddix had brought, which was lying half unrolled on one of the cushions. “I watched it,” she told Saber, her voice breaking a little. “I knew I shouldn’t but…but I couldn’t help it.”

  “What did you see?” Without waiting for an answer, he unrolled the viewscreen and watched as a hologram of his mother appeared above its flexible surface.

  “Saber, my son,” the holo said. “I hardly know what to say or where to start. Receiving your message that you intended to stay on the Kindred Mother Ship and bond yourself to a female of your own clan is almost more than your father or I can take…”

  Saber watched the message, his thoughts growing grimmer and grimmer. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore and turned it off. The flickering blue image of his sobbing mother faded, but somehow the crying didn’t stop. Looking up, he saw that Lissa was staring at him with tears in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, shaking her head. “So sorry—I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to take you away from your responsibilities, your family.”

  Saber sighed heavily and went to her. This time, to his relief, she let him hold her.

  “Amalla,” he murmured softly into her hair. “I didn’t mean for it to happen either—but it did. I love you. I can’t stop just because a few people think it’s wrong.”

  “More than just a few people,” she protested, pulling away. “All our people—even your parents. Especially your parents. They hate me, Saber. And that’s going to be so hard when we go back.”

  “When we go back?” He frowned at her. “To Tarsia?”

  “You know we have to.” Lissa swiped at her eyes. “I know you wanted to ask me, but you didn’t know how.”

  He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Especially not after watching my mother rant and rave like that.”

  “She won’t be the only one ranting and raving about us,” Lissa said bleakly. “And you know it.”

  “Yes.” He sighed. “I know.” He hugged her silently for a moment, breathing in the delicate feminine scent of her hair and skin. “We don’t have to,” he said at last. “I was thinking about asking you but now…”

  “Now more than ever.” Lissa looked up at him, her green eyes fierce despite her tears. “We can’t do this to your friend—it’s not honorable or right. We have to at least try to go back and do the right thing. I can’t take you away from your responsibilities just because I’m selfish.”

  “Oh, amalla…” He kissed her damp cheeks gently, feeling a great surge of love for her. “You’re not selfish,” he said tenderly. “In fact, you’re the most selfless person I’ve ever met. Is it any wonder I love you so much?”

  “Moch Daer…” she whispered, giving him the old, cherished nickname. “I love you too. I’m just afraid.”

  “You have every right to be,” Saber said grimly. “But I promise you this—if it comes to a choice between you and the whole rest of the Touch Kindred race, I’ll choose you, Lissa. We’ll go back and offer to stay, together. If my parents and our people can’t handle that, then we’re coming back here, and I’ll swear them all off forever.”

  “You mean it?” She looked at him hopefully. “I just…part of me still feels guilty, like they’re right. Like what we’re doing is wrong.”

  “Is this wrong?” Saber murmured. Tilting her chin, he took her mouth in a sweet, gentle kiss, savoring the taste of her soft lips.

  Lissa moaned softly and opened her mouth to him, granting him access without reservation. When he pulled back at last, her eyes were half-lidded with desire.

  “It doesn’t feel wrong,” she admitted softly. “In fact it feels right. Incredibly right.”

  “That’s because it is incredibly right.” Saber kissed her again and let his hands wander down the curve of her hips to cup her bottom. “Gods, I can never get enough of your sweet body.”

  “Saber!” she protested breathlessly. “It’s the middle of the night, and you know how this metal the ship is made of conducts our…activities.”

  “So?” he growled softly, kissing the side of her throat.

  “So we’ll wake everyone up.” Lissa moaned softly as he nipped the vulnerable side of her neck. “That…that would be so rude.”

  “I don’t give a damn about being rude,” he murmured, pulling her even closer. “All I care about is showing you exactly how I feel.”

  “But—” The single word of protest had barely left her mouth when Saber swung her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He laid her on the bed carefully, making sure her lower legs were hanging over the side.

  “Tell me again how we shouldn’t be doing this,” he murmured as he lifted the little black skirt she was wearing. What he saw under it made him groan as his cock came to sudden attention. Lissa was wearing a tiny pair of bright red panties trimmed with lace that barely covered her sweet little pussy. Already the slender panel of fabric that ran between her legs was dark with her juices, making him want her even more.

  “We…we really shouldn’t,” she protested, but at the same time she was spreading her legs for him, inviting him in.

  Saber was quick to take her up on the unspoken invitation.

  “Yes, we should,” he murmured softly. Dropping to his knees before her, he leaned forward to kiss her pussy. The silky panties felt soft against his
lips, and Lissa bucked and moaned when he traced the cleft between her pussy lips with his tongue. “Gods you taste good, amalla,” he muttered hoarsely. “Can’t wait to feel you coming against my tongue.”

  “Saber!” she protested, but she was already lifting her hips, helping him slip the little red panties off so he could bare her pussy completely.

  Saber pressed his cheek against the silky skin of her exposed mound. Gods, he loved her scent, the warm, secret, feminine aroma that signaled her desire for him. And he loved her taste too—the sweet, slippery honey that welled up from her core was so delicious, so completely and utterly Lissa.

  “You don’t know how often I fantasized about doing this,” he told her hoarsely, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her pussy slit. “How badly I wanted you, even back when we thought it was wrong.”

  “You…you did? You thought about this? About…tasting me?” Her eyes were wide with shock.

  “Constantly,” Saber assured her. “Even back before we knew the Kinship Compounds didn’t take with us, I thought about it. Even though I wasn’t sure we’d be able to ever touch physically at all.”

  “Oh…” Lissa whispered, squirming a little. “I never dreamed this kind of thing was going on in your head.”

  “What did you think I was thinking of?” Saber laughed. “I am male, you know.” With a little concentration, he sent two gentle whisper-tendrils to tease apart the swollen lips of her pussy. Lissa moaned out loud as they parted her, baring her slippery inner folds and the pink pearl of her clit.

  “Saber…” she whispered longingly. He knew what she was asking for, but he wanted to hear her say it.

  “Ask me,” he sent through their link. “Ask me for what you want, amalla.”

  “Do I have to?” She looked down at him, biting her lip in consternation.

  “You do.” Saber made his mental voice stern. “I need to hear you ask me for what you want. And you need to admit that it’s not wrong to want it.”

  “I guess…” She looked at him uncertainly.

  “It’s not hard, sweetheart,” Saber said gently. He kissed the inside of her thigh, making her jump and moan breathlessly. “All you have to do is say, ‘Saber, I want you to taste my pussy.’ See? Easy.”

  Lissa’s cheeks were bright pink, and her breath was coming fast, her breasts heaving. “I…but I…”

  “Do you want me to do it?” Saber growled softly. “Do you want me to lick your sweet juices and put my tongue deep in your sweet little cunt?”

  His dirty words seemed to have quite an effect on Lissa. “Yes,” she whispered, almost panting. “Yes, Moch Daer. You know I do.”

  “Then say it. Ask for it,” Saber demanded in a low voice. “Do it, Lissa. I want to hear you say it out loud.”

  “Saber,” she whispered and then cleared her throat and spoke louder. “Saber, please,” she continued in a trembling voice. “Please, I…I want you to taste me. To taste my…my pussy.”

  “Good girl.” Leaning down, he gave her the promised reward—a long, slow lick with the flat of his tongue, starting at the bottom of her slit and ending at the top.

  “Oh, Saber,” she nearly wailed, and he felt her slender fingers slip into his hair, tugging urgently, begging for more.

  He was more than happy to answer her silent plea. Sending more whisper-tendrils up to slide under her blouse and circle her tight pink nipples, he leaned forward and lapped her again, savoring her rich, delicious taste, getting as much of her honey as he could.

  Lissa moaned and bucked up to meet him, her fingers tightening in his hair. She was tugging hard now, but Saber didn’t care, just as he didn’t care when she sometimes left long red scratches on his back during their lovemaking. He wanted to be marked by her love, to see the evidence of their passion the next day. It was a visual affirmation of their commitment, and it also made him damn hot to realize how out of control she could get—how crazy he could make her.

  He set to work making her crazy and out of control now. Spreading her thighs even wider, he pressed forward and went to work, thrusting his tongue deep into her tight, wet well, going as deep as he could, showing her exactly how he was going to fuck her later.

  Lissa went wild as he worshipped her pussy with his tongue. She cried and called on the Goddess, gripped his hair and scratched at his shoulders. Gone was the demure little priestess who was too shy to stand up for herself. Once they were in the bedroom, she let loose completely, much to Saber’s intense delight.

  At last, he tasted fresh wetness and felt her coming against his tongue. He lapped it away eagerly, sucking her sweet folds to get it all, determined not to waste a drop.

  And then Lissa was clawing at his shoulder again, whispering urgently through their link that she wanted him, that she needed him inside her.

  “Please, Moch Daer,” she sent, her mental voice thick with urgency. “Please, I need you so much.”

  “And you’ll have me. But not like this.” Standing up, he flipped her over so that she was face down and then patted her ass. “Get up, amalla,” he muttered hoarsely. “On your hands and knees.”

  “Saber?” She looked behind her uncertainly.

  Saber stroked her bare ass gently and gave her a reassuring nod. “It’s all right, sweetheart. You know I’d never hurt you.”

  “I know.” Lissa pressed back against him, rubbing her soft, naked bottom against the hard bulge in his black trousers until Saber groaned. “I just…don’t think we’ve done it like this before.”

  “But we have,” he assured her. “‘I promise I’ll be gentle. Just try to relax.’ Do you remember saying that to me?”

  “Oh.” Lissa bit her lip, obviously understanding what he meant. Those had been the words she had used the first time they'd made love, when she had been forced to take him with a silver phallus. The experience had shaken both of them to their foundation and caused some misunderstandings as well, but later they had agreed they wanted to repeat the experience…eventually.

  “Remember how you took me?” Saber murmured, getting into position behind her and rubbing the head of his cock against her wet, open pussy. “Remember how you pushed inside me and filled me up?”

  “Goddess, Saber!” she whispered, spreading her thighs for him. “That was…it was amazing.”

  “I thought so too,” he murmured. Teasingly, he sent a whisper-finger to circle her clit as he pressed just an inch of his cock inside her. “I never felt more open in my life,” he told her. “More fucking vulnerable. And this was part of it—being taken from behind.”

  “I…I like it,” Lissa admitted in a broken whisper. “I like feeling this way—feeling vulnerable with you.”

  “Because you know I’ll never hurt you.” Gently, he nudged another thick inch into her tight pussy. “Because you know I’ll love you no matter what happens, no matter where we are or what anyone else says.”

  “Oh Saber…” She looked over her shoulder, and he saw mingled desire and love in her eyes and felt the same emotions through their link. For a moment, he almost felt in danger of being overcome by the strong feelings of unity and trust tying them together.

  “Open yourself for me, Lissa,” he commanded hoarsely. “Give yourself to me completely tonight. I don’t want you to hold anything back—just open yourself and let me fuck you.”

  “Yes,” she whispered, lowering her head and spreading her thighs even wider. “Yes, Moch Daer. Take me. Fuck me—I want you to.”

  Hearing her beg like that was too much for Saber. With a low groan, he pulled back and pressed all the way into her, entering her pussy completely with one long, deep thrust.

  Lissa cried out when he hit bottom inside her and tilted her hips back, obviously trying to get him even deeper—to feel even more.

  Gripping her hips, Saber gave her more—gave her all that was in him. He could tell by the lust coming through their link that she wanted him, and when he was sure he wasn’t hurting her, he pounded into her, thrusting as deep and hard as he coul
d, claiming her, owning her in a way that no one else could.

  Lissa moaned with each thrust and swayed in the rhythm he had created. Her eyes were clenched shut, and her long hair hung in her face as she gripped the bedspread, trying to keep her balance while Saber fucked into her.

  “Moch Daer,” she sent through their link. "Oh Goddess, Saber please…so close…so close…”

  “Come for me, then.” Using his Touch sense, he concentrated on caressing her body. His whisper-fingers tugged at her tight nipples, which hung down like ripe fruit as her breasts swayed with the force of his fucking, and his whisper-lips encircled her clit, sucking hard at her sweet, swollen bud, teasing her, pressing her to the edge and beyond.

  “Goddess,” Lissa gasped, and Saber felt her pleasure cresting, felt her sweet wet pussy squeezing his shaft like a velvet fist and knew she was coming.

  Tightening his grip on her rounded hips, he pressed forward hard, trying to get as deeply into her as he could before shooting his seed. Moaning, Lissa pressed back against him, tilting her hips, offering herself completely to be filled with his cum.

  This perfect act of submission was almost too much for Saber. He never wanted to stop, wanted to fill her up until his seed ran out of her well-fucked pussy and slid down her inner thighs, proving that she was his, claiming her again once and for all.

  It’s all right, he thought as the pleasure went on and on, stretching out in that golden, glowing, perfect moment of bliss. No matter what happens when we go back to Tarsia, everything is going to be all right between us.

  “Yes,” he heard Lissa whisper back and realized that she must have heard his thoughts. “Yes, because I love you. And you love me. And we’re together.”

  “Together forever, amalla,” he promised. “No matter what anyone says.”