Charlotte Boyett-Compo- WIND VERSE- Prisoners of the Wind (10 page)

“Aye, well, I tell you a lot of things,” Taegin told him.
“I’m really not the ogre you think me.”

“Nah, you’re just a pussy cat,” McGregor chuckled.

“Even pussy cats have claws,” Taegin warned.

“Well, annoy the mother all you like,” Kale said, “but keep
your hands off the daughter!”

Taegin grinned. “A little too late for that suggestion,
McGregor.”

McGregor groaned. “You took her maidenhead,” he complained.

“Not yet, but I will. I’ve got to court her first.”

Shock flashed across the Contúirtian’s face. “You’ve got to
what?”

“Court her,” Taegin replied. “You know—mince around like a
besotted fool, bring her flowers and candy, escort her to the image deck on a
sweet stroll around some moonlit lake.” He cocked one shoulder. “The usual shit
women expect a man to do when he’s trying to get into their pants.”

Such a prospect was so out of character for the Tiogar,
McGregor couldn’t think of anything to say for a few moments. He simply stared
at his friend and tried to gauge the sincerity of what Taegin was proposing.
With his gaze locked on his captain’s, McGregor realized the Tiogar was
serious.

“You’re attracted to her,” McGregor accused.

“Never said I wasn’t,” was the reply.

“Tarnes told me that you mentioned retiring.”

“It’s getting about that time, Kale. I’m tired of
gallivanting all over the megaverse, and I’m sick to death of the intrigues
going on within the different alliances. I intend to build a home on that land
on Contúirtia I was given and settle down.”

“With this woman?” McGregor asked.

“Maybe,” the Tiogar agreed. “We seem to mesh fairly well.”

“Like you meshed with Kali?” Kale inquired.

At the mention of the Contúirtian woman who had warmed his
bedroll on the many cold nights trekking through the Alps, Taegin winced. “That
was different,” he responded. “She was there.”

“Aye, you’re right. It was different. Kali was a camp
follower and her cunt had been stretched by enough cocks to fit it over a hay
bale, but as I remember, you two were inseparable. She believes when you get
ready to settle down, you’re going to look her up and ask her to share your
abode with her.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Or did I mishear you say to her that
you would be taking her as your hut mate when you returned to Contúirtia?”

Taegin squirmed in his chair. The time he had spent with
Kali had made his days of running and hiding from the fury of the Madras less
desolate in the icy climes of the Contúirtian Alps. With a wealth of
cinnamon-colored hair that swung to the crease of her shapely ass, violet eyes
and a lush mouth, overly abundant breasts bullseyed by succulent nipples, long
legs that could wrap around his hips like a vise, Kali could be any warrior’s
wet dream. To have her pressed against him on the cold, cold nights or her
supple mouth drawing upon his cock with an expertise that made his shaft leap
just thinking of it, or lie there as she slid her hot, wet cunt down him—the
smell of her sexual scent so intoxicating it still made his mouth water
remembering it—had seemed all he had needed at the time. Conversation? Who
needed it? Her mouth was best applied in other endeavors than talking.
Intellect? Not of any importance when all a warrior needed from her could be
achieved in the grasp of a firm, little hand. Companionship? Compatibility?
Caring? None of that mattered when the wench was more than willing to bend over
backward to please her man. But looking back on it now, all there had been
between him and Kali had been their private parts—and hers she’d shared with
more men than he cared to imagine. He’d never respected her, just used her and
realizing that now made him acutely uncomfortable.

“Men of my clan have been known to screw a lot of women, but
we only take one true mate and I’ve chosen Marin as that mate,” he stated,
trying to justify his actions to himself.

“All right, but did you hear what I asked?” McGregor
pressed.

“Aye,” Taegin growled, looking down at the tabletop. “I
heard you.”

“So what are you going to do about Kali?”

The Tiogar drew in a long breath then exhaled slowly. “I’ll
handle that situation when the time comes. There’s a hell of a big difference
between taking a woman to share your hut as your
hut
mate,” he
emphasized, “and the one and only woman you want to spend your life with as your
sole mate.” He thought about that. “Your
soul
mate.”

“I know Kali is a lusty woman and she’s known her share of
men, but I’ve got to tell you, I think she loves you.”

Taegin waved away his friend’s words. “She lusts after me,
McGregor. There is a difference.”

“Are you deliberately trying to avoid the situation, or do
you really not understand that woman is obsessed with you?” Kale asked. “How
many women would follow a man up into the frigid climes of the Contúirtian
Alps, stay at his side through the kind of hardships we endured in that frozen
wasteland?”

Drae clamped his teeth together, a muscle working in his jaw
as he looked at his friend.

McGregor folded his arms over his chest. “Are you serious
about taking Deringnoe to Contúirtia with you?”

“Aye, I’m serious. I wouldn’t have told you if I wasn’t!”

“Then you’d better think about what the situation might be
like when you get back. Kali isn’t going to just give you a peck on the cheek
and go away like a minor headache, Taegin. She’s going to cling on like a
vicious hangover and you’re going to have to fight to get her off you.”

“Stop borrowing trouble before I ever have it, McGregor,”
the Tiogar snapped. “I’ll make it clear to her that I want nothing more to do
with her, and that will be that. I’m not going to allow Kali to dictate to me
how I’m going to live my life.”

“And what of the Deringnoe woman?” Kale pressed. “Will she
leave your new love alone or will she come after that woman with dagger drawn?”

“I’ll take care of Marin,” Taegin said.

The lady in question took that moment to enter the rec room.
Now allowed to go wherever she liked upon the ship, she had been exploring and
had finally made her way to the last place she had expected to find Taegin
Drae.

“Speaking of the temptress,” McGregor said, unfolding his
arms and coming to his feet as she approached their table.

Taegin turned his head and drew in a quick breath. His eyes
widened, for his lady prisoner was no longer dressed in the jumpsuit of a
prisoner but clad in a flowing, wispy gown that made him swallow like a green
youth. As she headed for his table, he watched her hips swaying beneath the
gossamer green fabric and his cock went as rigid as steel.

“Sweet Merciful Alel,” McGregor said, accompanied by a low
whistle. “No wonder you want to rape her.”

His stare going from the top of her honey-blonde hair that
was hanging free to flow down her shapely back to the tips of her sexy little
toes strapped into gold lamé sandals, Taegin felt his body clench with pure,
unadulterated lust. He wanted nothing more than to grab Marin, fling her over
his shoulder and take her to the nearest cot to be ravished until she was
hoarse from crying out his name.

“Am I interrupting?” Marin asked, smiling at McGregor.

“You could never be an interruption, milady,” McGregor said
as he pulled a chair out for her. “A distraction, aye, but never an
interruption.”

Taegin grunted. He and McGregor had been friends for a very
long time—their friendship having been brewed in the cauldron of adversity—but
he didn’t like the man flirting with the woman he had chosen for his own.

Marin sat down and almost immediately four crewmen were
crowding around her, asking if they could help her in any way. She heard the
low warning growl coming from the man sitting to her left and watched with
amazement as the crewmen scattered as though the hounds of Hell were close on
their young heels.

“Shame on you,” Marin said, giving Taegin a stern look.
“They were only trying to help.”

“If you need anything, wench,” the Tiogar said, “you’ll be
getting it from me!”

“Fine,” she said in a cheerful tone. “Fetch me a grape and
orange punch then.”

Grumbling, Taegin got obediently to his feet and headed
toward the duplicator.

“By the gods, milady, but I believe you’ve tamed the
Tiogar!” McGregor said in a low, conspiratorial voice as he took his seat.

“I have not yet begun to teach that old cat new tricks,”
Marin responded with a wink.

Taegin returned with a cloudy purple beverage and placed it
before Marin. “Those were two tastes I’d not thought to ever blend,” he groused
as he sat.

“Did you taste it?” she asked.

The Tiogar shrugged negligently. “Only to make sure it was
palatable,” he replied. He swept his eyes over her. “From whence did that
garment come, wench?”

Marin batted her eyes. “Oh, this old thing?” She smoothed
her hand down the bodice. “One of your yeomen was kind enough to sell it to
me,” she answered.

Taegin’s eyes lowered to thin slits. “And from whence came
the payment for the garment?”

“I had Yeoman Schultz charge it to your pay account,” she told
him, smiling into his lethally dangerous gaze. “I knew you would want me to be
properly dressed.”

McGregor had to hide a smile behind his hand, for the
Tiogar’s only comment to Marin daring such a thing was a humph of sound.

“Have you nowhere to be, McGregor?” Taegin asked, turning to
stare at his friend.

“No.”

Marin saw Taegin’s hands clench into fists.

“Then I suggest you
find
somewhere else to be other
than here,” Taegin ordered.

Sighing as though he had been much put upon, McGregor nodded
and got up. He bid Marin a good evening, flicked an amused glance over the
Tiogar and took his leave.

“One of these days that Contúirtian is going to step over
the line and I’m going to put his ass in the brig,” Taegin complained.

“No you won’t,” Marin told him. “You like him too much.”

Another humph was Taegin’s reply.

“He’s your friend,” she said. “I can tell.” She took a sip
of her punch. “Am I right?”

“Unfortunately for him, I guess he is,” Taegin admitted.

“Are you free this evening?” Marin asked. She was nervously
running the tip of her index finger around the rim of her glass. For all her
amusing banter, she was unsure of this new relationship between her and the
mighty Tiogar.

“Why?” he asked. “What is it you wish to do?” He ground his
teeth. “Take a walk on the image deck along a moonlit lake?”

“Let’s take the runabout out again,” she suggested, and when
his eyes met hers, she watched the most determined, possessive smile tug at his
chiseled lips.

“And all that that conveys?” he said in a low voice.

Marin had spent the day thinking about what had almost
happened on the
Folaithe,
Taegin’s personal runabout. She could not keep
the erotic image of him naked from slipping unbidden across her mind.

“You like the way I look nude,” he stated.

Marin’s jaw tightened. “Don’t do that,” she warned. “I don’t
like you reading my thoughts.”

He shrugged. “Get used to it.”

Not liking that remark, Marin lifted her chin. “On second
thought, I believe a moonlit walk along Lake Ursherly would be even better than
taking the runabout. I’m glad you mentioned it.”

“I’d prefer the runabout,” he said firmly.

“Too bad,” she countered. “It’s the lake or nothing, milord
Tiogar.”

Blowing out an angry breath, Drae pushed his chair back and
stood. “Then let’s go walking.” He held out his hand almost as an afterthought.

Marin slipped her fingers between his and got to her feet.
The electricity was arcing between them and neither seemed to be able to look
at the other. He led her out of the rec room amid hushed whispers from among
the few crewmen assembled.

Those the couple passed as they made their way to the
elevator stopped dead still in their tracks and stared as though what they were
seeing did not fully register. As they waited for the cage to come down to the
rec room level, Drae kept his eyes on the polished titanium doors.

“I believe we are going to be the subject of much
speculation, milord,” Marin said nervously.

“Do you think I care?” he snapped, and felt like kicking
himself because the lady beside him tried to remove her hand from his grip, but
he tightened it, bringing her knuckles to his lips. “I am on edge, wench,” he
admitted.

Marin heard a gasp from someone who was passing them. She
felt the man standing next to her stiffen and just as he started to open his
mouth to berate the person, she leaned into him. “I, too, am nervous, milord,”
she divulged.

He looked down at her. “Truly?” he asked, searching her
beautiful face.

“Truly.”

“There is no need,” he said gently.

The doors to the elevator slid open and Taegin ushered her
inside, not releasing her hand as he did so. “Image deck,” he ordered the
onboard computer.

“Aye, Captain,” the vid com responded.

They rode up to the image deck hand in hand, standing close
to one another. When the cage stopped, he led her out of the elevator and up to
the desk of the concierge who took the reservations for image deck use.

The concierge snapped to attention. “Good evening, Captain!
How may I serve you?” His shocked eyes flicked quickly over Marin then away.

“Is there a room available?” Taegin inquired.

Marin watched the concierge’s face pucker with fear. “I’m
sorry, sir, but—”

“When
will
one be available?” the Tiogar cut him off.

Looking as though he was about to wet himself, the concierge
raised a trembling hand then slammed it down again. “N-not for several hours,
sir. I could—”

“Well, we tried,” Taegin pronounced. “The runabout it is.”