Feral Series IV: Feral Fallout (2 page)

And I did. First one step. And then another. Albeit, I was in space and anything but an astronaut. I knew what Earth had on the line. Freedom. Although so many earthlings had yet to evolve into the earliest levels of psychic awareness, and, grant it, the Blood Wars were over, I still considered my stint in space as a Marshal a unique duty to humanity. I lived for duty. Even though the emperor no longer subjugated entire populations through mind control. Earth may not seem vulnerable now. But something told me I needed to do this. To become a were-assassin and serve humanity somewhere in space. And have a cute little baby Lord.

Looking at the short tidy whiskers of Wrank's beard sketching out the faint black stripes beneath the hairs by reflecting the colors of his beard's stripes, I knew I could fulfill my obligations to my species. I knew I could mate an alien and create the were-bond.

And I
wanted
to.

With Wrank.

The serious mask he wore really made me think he knew I did.

My knees bumped his closest leg, the leather of our pants rubbing the other's leg with a soft caress, jarring my thoughts back to his gentle grasp on my hand.

"Mate with me, Theone. We Lords have little here on Luvk. All that I want is a mate. A family of my own. With it comes duty with you. But I will love and protect you above all else. Regardless of where they send us.” He lifted his hand to gently place his knuckles against my cheek. “Mate with me, Theone."

My heart fluttered.

Such a determined choice of his words. He rarely used my full name since I'd told him only my friends call me Theo. His immediate response afterward had been to adopt the title and fancy me familiar. I hadn't fought against his little attempt to make himself my companion with nothing more than using the word. Why? Because he'd always been so damned helpful and absolutely polite. I stared at his insistent gaze.

My heart choked into melting.

He squeezed my hand. “You haven't answered."

"Alright.” What a horrible answer.

He froze for a second then pulled my lower back, shrinking the distance between our gazes with his intensely possessive stare.

Oh, those lips. We're right there. I could do nothing but step between his knees cloaked in hot leather pants, until my thighs bumped against a solid sensation in his groin.

Message received.

He sighed, gazing down the few inches into my eyes.

The man smelled like clean spicy aftershave, his nose but an inch from mine. “What are you thinking?” He rubbed his finger along my jaw before his black palm rose to press against my cheek as if he adored me.

By the look on his face, he had to. But was his adoration born of the woman trapped inside me or the coloring of my skin, hair, and eyes that high-caste nobles of his world possessed? Was I just the semblance of a perfect woman to him? Nothing more than a white-haired, pale-skinned, blue-eyed female?

"I have waited forty-two years to mate, Theone. Many thoughts whirl inside my head.” The gentle giant's hand lifted my hand to his mouth where his scratchy whiskers and velvet lips planted a tender kiss into my palm. “Speak to me."

Oh. My. God.

Everything inside my chest bottomed out in an insane effort to fall into his lap. Even though I already leaned into the heat of his throbbing iron chest.

Need.

Can I say
need
?

His hand settled my palm against the iron of his thigh.

He was there. So wanting me. So close. Finally touching his body, I struggled not to slide said palm to his steely shaft or ass. Somehow I managed to retain a shred of my dignity. But who cared about dignity after a Luvk walked into the room?

Both of his palms slid across my cheeks, tilting my head up, lifting my mouth to where he pressed his opening lips over mine.

So velvety soft.

So seductive.

Mouth-to-mouth took on a whole new meaning. Life never blazed so hot before. Air. Scorching air was everywhere. His mouth fanned the flames in my chest into a roaring fire, melting everything I thought I knew about my life into nothing but an awareness of his astounding presence.

He became air, everywhere.

Pressing his essence into me. Where his hand slid down to draw my lower back firmly against his steely arousal. Where my breasts pressed against the bare supple muscles of his chest. Where my hands slid up that pliant musculature covering his caged thumping heart until I could snake my arms around his neck and hold his attentive tongue there to perform its self-serving duty. I tucked my fingers beneath the queue he always wore his black hair tied into...

Duty?

Yes.

Duty was simple for a Marshal. Lesser-evolved psychics like myself, those with powers of telekinesis, intuition, healing, remote viewing, etc., mated with highly-evolved psychics wielding telepathy to form a lifelong were-bond through blood exchange. And I'd gladly give a pint or two to Wrank's massaging lips. Anything to keep him breathing for me. Who cared if I could shape shift into a were-wolf afterward?

Somebody cleared his throat behind me.

Christ. I shoved away from Wrank's pinched blue gaze that rolled to lock on our company, and I spun on my boot's heel.

The commander.

Holy shit. I wasn't studying the ship's electrical system with Wrank's biological system regardless of how electrifying the Luvk Lord was.

Goro's massive build was as intimidating as his deep voice that barely rated a whisper when he spoke. So was his quasi-frown. “Have you finished studying the ship's electrical system?"

He accused me of shirking my duty. “No, sir.” I whirled like an idiot, skirted Wrank's knee, and searched the space for a tool. Anything to look busy without big gorgeous sexy legs in my way.

Damn my non-existent sex life. It had me panting over an alien, looking the fool to my commanding officer.

"Lord Wrank, shouldn't you be sitting through Interspecies Ethics?"

Every cell in my body cringed.

Not good. My fault. I shouldn't have stopped working to snuggle up to the big Tiger. What was wrong with me?

Wrank grabbed my toolbox, hefted it, offering me a place to focus, and I blindly snatched something hard and long, Gods
phallic
, from the tools to appear as if my mind returned to my duty.

"Yes, commander.” Wrank set the box on the console and left.

The squeaking leather of his boots quickly faded into silence.

"I need you to finish, Theone. It's imperative you understand the inner workings of this ship. One day, it just might save your life."

"Yes, sir.” I stabbed my wrench underneath the open console to appear to have my mind back on track. Although, getting reamed for wasting time kissing pretty much would consume my thoughts for the rest of the day.

Just focus on
save my life
.

What in the hell am I doing with this wrench?

M'yote could have thrown his head back and laughed with absolute joy when his student finally focused her Handler power through her fingertips into the red leaf she touched.

Cassie peered sideways at me. “Wow. It worked. The wilt just vanished. Crazy. I'm beyond amazed."

She'd have to just accept she could alter the natural state of substances at the molecular level without dissecting the matter or placing it inside high-tech equipment for computer analysis. “You'll grow accustomed to the sensation as time passes. Practice as often as you can here on the plants. Because the day quickly approaches when you will face laying your hand upon a person. Or altering the operation of a space vessel. I've even altered energy beams to save myself from injury. You don't want to be caught off guard."

"Alright.” She rose and faced me squarely. “How long did it take you to feel comfortable reigning over the elements?"

A Handler couldn't allow himself to grow weak where temptation would outweigh the best choice for the greater good. “One day, you will find invoking the power within yourself is like breathing. Simple. But never allow yourself to find comfort and drop your guard, Cassie. This power you and I have is an extremely rare form of psychic healing. We must protect all life from using this power against others for personal gain."

"How many Handlers are out there now?"

Sadly, almost three-thousand years of the Blood Wars forced them into hiding. Voldon would have used them to increase the size of his holdings on the universe with mind control. “No one truly knows. My mentor is the only one I have met during my four-hundred years of existence. It is rumored there are a handful in the universe at any given moment."

She practically sputtered an exhalation and wagged her head.

What thoughts brought her to such an open display of disrespect? “What's wrong?"

She locked her shocked gaze on me. “This is insane. I'm just a biologist. I don't understand how I woke up to learn I was something so unique."

That's just the way things are. She'd digest the shock and move on to embrace Destiny. Especially now that I'd finished her training. My portion of the bargain was complete. It was time the commander came through on his end. “Well, then, I leave you to your practice.” I bowed slightly and turned.

"We're finished today?"

Noting we were completely finished and I would be leaving tomorrow with my personal pilot wouldn't win me any congratulations from Cassie who obviously still felt intimidated by her Handler powers. But she was strong. Determined by her morals. Just in the passion she exuded when speaking of her work with genetics made me hope there was something she could do with her knowledge to make the universe a better place. “You won't see me again for awhile."

"Oh?” There was a nervous twinge to her question.

I spun back to her furrowed brow. “You can handle your gift now. Practice. Prepare yourself for whatever the future holds."

"That deep crap isn't going to work on me, M'yote. Maybe you should take me along and continue my training?"

I choked down a laugh at her insecurity. She would be fine given she had enough time to accept her powers. “No. You aren't the right type of warrior for tomorrow's mission.” Commander Goro swore Captain Kemble was with her formal education, common sense in working with nobility, and fighting skills. I had to believe the commander had the best judgment. The only way my mission would be successful was if I won the cooperation of The Order of the Marshals.

It had taken everything in me to finish memorizing the ship's electrical system by late afternoon. Just in time to join the Marshals for dinner. A feat that had me blessing Goro's holiest sun, Devros. But Wrank was on my menu. And I was so damned famished after a day's forced fasting without him. I stepped through the shadowy corridor into the large great hall's electric atmosphere and found the crowd of Marshal's milling around a sea of tables.

Some lords wore the traditional Luvk masks princes used to protect themselves before Marshal Aisling came to power as Luvk Marshal two years ago. Lucky damned earthling. She got five Luvk mates. One being the King! Although, I was just starting to wrap my mind around having one husband.

What was wrong with me having one Luvk mate all for my own, universe? I really needed to stop thinking about Wrank. Dinner. Food. I scanned the scene.

Looking for my Tiger. Geesh. So much for changing the subject, brain.

Other princes had opted to forego the tradition and interact with the rest of the universe like the rest of us, their faces unveiled to the world. Thank goodness. Because I had a heck of a time putting stripe patterns to males given they all wore the same black leather pants slitted up the sides and tabbed together with small tabs of leather. The same o-ring and leather strap harness making their chest muscles bulge out like they'd burst if they drew a breath. Oh boy. And the same knee-high black boots.

Whoever came up with the standard Luvk prince uniform deserved sainthood.

Wrank stepped through the crowd of tall Tiger males and shorter extraterrestrial cadets. With an arched black eyebrow. His conspiratorial gaze noted he had the same thing on his mind.

Mating. Yes. Let's go there before I die of celibacy. Or stroke. Damn my brain. Did these Tiger males have some sort of pheromones? Maybe in their kiss? I so needed to just calm down and get my act together.

He turned his body sideways and thrust his chin toward the far side of the enormous room where tables were set up with the serving dishes.

Sexy.

Yes. Eat first. Think later. I quickly stepped beneath his nose.

He waved a hand for me to take the lead through the crowd and followed me like my personal guard.

The last thing I needed was a guard. But only Goro knew that. I'd wondered if the commander hid me out on his personal ship to keep my history and abilities a secret. After all, most cadets were computer geeks, nurses, cops, and even florists in the case of Goro's mate. I'd yet to meet another mercenary spy like myself. Especially a female. Goro probably wanted all my abilities aboard his ship on his Marshal business traveling through the universe. After all, his Crellon ship had special technology that didn't run by psychic power. That sweet nature meant very few pilots could operate his spacecraft. Hence, my significance here. Crystals fueled his ship instead of psychokinetics. He could manually use the secret Crellon technology to manipulate wormholes beyond standard sliding through space from location to location. Which is where I came into play. The personal pilot. An electrical engineer. He had to be using me as back up on his missions.
His missions
.

Just what really did the commander have in store for me?

Cassie stepped across my path from the throng of leather-cloaked cadet bodies. “Hey. Didn't expect to see you here."

"It's possible for me to dine with the other cadets if I complete my assignments.” Why did I suddenly feel like Cinderella? At least Cassie wasn't still acting strangely. “Long day. And it's time to eat."

She eyed my towering shadow. “Good.” She shot me a smile. “Sit with me?"

Of course. I could feel her out to see if she'd lost the sensible aspect of being brunette and was thrusting her large breasts at my Tiger. Bad idea on her part. I was trained to kill.