Lost Star (12 page)

“At last…” Seht pressed Aubrey up against the cliff side and took his mouth in a brutal kiss that left no question as to who was master.

Aubrey couldn’t stop from clinging to Seht’s shoulders and his kiss, any more than he could stop the rain or his tears.

* * * * *

Seht sighed against the back of his neck, and his hand slid along Aubrey’s belly in a light caress.

Aubrey shivered and felt a warm, sleepy curl of heat spill downward. His cock pulsed and swelled with rising heat. Warm waves of erotic excitement mixed with twinges from his tender abdominal muscles. He sucked in a breath.
What in hell?
His whole body ached and his ass hurt like hell, but here he was, getting excited yet again.

Seht’s long nails dug into his flanks lightly, and a rumbling growl vibrated against Aubrey’s back.

Aubrey’s whole body clenched in sudden and voracious anticipation.

Damn it!
What was it with his body? He’d never had a problem handling pain. All the beatings in the world hadn’t made a dent on him. But his libido was like a starving beast just begging to be fucked. He bit down on his lip, straining to calm himself. This had to stop. He had to gain control of himself before he became little more than a raging nymphomaniac. He did not want to be reduced to little more than a fuck toy.

Seht chuckled and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “And what, pray tell, is so terrible about being a nymphomaniac?”

70

Morgan Hawke

Aubrey jumped. “How did—”

Seht tapped a long nail against Aubrey’s collar. “Telepathic link.”

Aubrey stilled, and an icy sweat spread across his back. “You’re in my head?”

Like
Niobe
, and that insane nav-pilot?

Seht snorted. “No, not like those. I am not
in
your mind. I can feel some of your emotions and hear any clear thoughts you project. That is all.”

Aubrey cringed. “It’s still creepy.”

Seht chuckled. “You will become accustomed, over time.”

“Great”—Aubrey rubbed the raised hair on his arms—“I can hardly wait.”

“And you are
not
a mere fuck toy.” Seht’s arms tightened around him. “Your mind is too valuable to waste. I intend to have you properly trained.”

“Trained?” Aubrey curled his lip. “As what?”

“My personal pilot, at the very least.”

Aubrey blinked. “Oh…” That didn’t sound so bad. “I’m good with ships.” Really good, in fact, too good. That was how he’d ended up with a penal tracker in the back of his neck and Moribund hunting him.

Seht chuckled. “You will make an excellent pilot, in addition to being my personal fuck toy.” He swept a wet tongue along the ridge of Aubrey’s spine.

“Ah! Seht!” Aubrey shivered and squirmed.
Crap, not more sex!
“I can’t…do any more!” He twisted to look back at Seht. “Seriously, I can’t!”

Seht smiled. “Yes, yes, I know.” He slid a hand up Aubrey’s ribs. “You are severely undernourished, and your body is still processing. You have yet to reach your full strength.” He slid his fingers into Aubrey’s overgrown hair and watched the strands slip through. “I simply enjoy touching you.” His brow lifted, and his gaze focused. “You should go back to sleep. We leave for my ship at sunset.”

Aubrey groaned. “I don’t know if I
can
sleep.” He was dead tired, sure, but his thoughts were a snarled mess from all that had happened since he’d been pulled from the tank.

“Aubrey…” Seht caught Aubrey’s chin and stared hard into his eyes. “Sleep.

Now.”

Blackness crashed over Aubrey’s mind.

Interstellar Service & Discipline: Lost Star

71

Aubrey tugged on his ship-suit, watching Seht shove everything back into his backpack. He zipped the suit closed. The baggy thing seemed to fit better. Had it shrunk in the rain?
Must be really cheap material
. He turned to look over at Seht and frowned. “Seht, did you
make
me sleep?”

Seht turned around and shoved a squeeze bottle of protein drink into Aubrey’s hand. “Yes.”

Yes?
Aubrey set the bottle beside him and pulled on his boots. Seht just told him to sleep…and he slept? He rose to his feet and swallowed a mouthful of the protein drink.

He didn’t know what to think about that.

Seht shouldered his pack and the bolt rifle. “We need to move quickly. I do not know if Moribund is still searching for you.” He strode for the cave entrance.

Aubrey sighed and followed. “Hopefully, they think I dropped dead.”

Seht flashed a fanged smile over his shoulder. “One can hope.”

Aubrey stepped out among the tall rocks and stared up at a puke green and rancid orange sky. “At least it’s not raining.”

Seht looked at his wristband. “Not at the moment, but we should hurry if we wish to arrive dry.”

The march out of the ravine was steep but not particularly difficult. Aubrey’s boots pinched his toes. At first it was merely an annoyance, but the farther they walked, the worse it got.

Seht stopped in the middle of the brush-lined path. “Take off your boots.”

Aubrey stopped and stared at Seht’s back. “Huh?”

Seht turned around and scowled. “Your boots are hurting your feet. Take them off.”

72

Morgan Hawke

Aubrey frowned.
How?
Oh yeah, the damned telepathic collar. “You think going barefoot is going to be any easier?”

“For you, yes.” Seht sighed. “Your feet will callus very quickly; you heal that fast.

For the same reason, leaving your feet in those undersized boots could cause your bones to form improperly.”

Aubrey frowned. “Cause my
bones
to form improperly?”

Seht rolled his eyes. “You are developing under the influence of the injections. The nanites are still active in your body.”

“Oh…” Aubrey sat on the path to pull off his boots.

Seht folded his arms. “Haven’t you noticed? You have already gained in height.”

Aubrey stilled. “I have?” He was taller? No, he hadn’t noticed.

Seht snorted. “Quickly. I must get to my
barque
and return to the warship before Lord Syrhus sends out a search party.” He looked back up the path. “If he has not already.”

Aubrey tossed his boots into the bushes and rose to his feet. He wriggled his toes.

They felt better already. “Who’s this Lord Syrhus?”

Seht turned away and continued up the near-invisible path. “Lord Syrhus is the captain of the warship, my cousin, and the husband of my exalted sister.”

Aubrey frowned. His cousin had married his sister? “So that makes him, your…brother-in-law?” Or was he an uncle? Aubrey trotted after Seht. The ground wasn’t exactly comfortable to walk on, but at least his toes weren’t being pinched.

Seht sighed. “My sister is
Hedjhyt
, the crown princess and heir to the throne.

Syrhus is her
Atehf
, prince consort.” He looked back over his shoulder at Aubrey. “And someone you do not speak to or make eye contact with.” He looked forward. “In fact, if you are addressed by any Skeldhi, it would be best if you did not speak at all, merely bow to acknowledge their attention; it’s polite.”

“Bow to be polite, I can do that.” Aubrey shook his head. “Wait a minute… Your sister is the crown princess? What does that make you?”

Seht shoved a bush out of his way. “It makes me
Deshryt
, a blood-prince.”

Aubrey tripped over nothing in particular. “You’re a…
prince
?”

Seht shrugged. “It does not amount to much more than a small palace by the sea.

The females rule our government and control commerce, so a male is only as good as the battles he can win and the daughters he can produce.”

Aubrey frowned. “That sounds kind of…crappy.”

Seht chuckled. “It is not so bad.” He adjusted the pack slung over his shoulders. “I am serving on my brother-in-law’s warship in preparation to become captain of my own.”

“Oh…” Aubrey puzzled over what else Seht had mentioned. “And I’m not supposed to talk to Lord Syrhus or look him in the eye?”

Interstellar Service & Discipline: Lost Star

73

“Do not look any Skeldhis directly in the eye; they’ll take it as a direct challenge.

Do not show your teeth for exactly the same reason, even in a smile.”

Aubrey snorted. “What if I
want
to challenge them?”

Seht turned sharply and snarled. “Do you want to end up in a muzzle?”

Aubrey jerked to a startled halt. “A…what?”

Seht’s gaze narrowed. “Rehkyt that bite are kept bound and in muzzles, in the same fashion as a canine that bites.”

A chill raised the small hairs on the back of Aubrey’s neck. “You’re shitting me.”

Seht’s jaw tightened. “No, I am not.”

Crap!
Aubrey swallowed. “Okay, all right… No biting.”

Seht nodded. “Good.” He turned and started up the path. “Hands above the waist are also a sign of aggression, so keep your hands below your waist, unless ordered to do otherwise. Your place is one step back and only on my left side, so as not to interfere with my sword-draw.”

Aubrey frowned. “You wear a sword?”

Seht smiled briefly. “Normally, yes. I wished to travel light, so most of my weapons, and my armor, are still in my barque.”

Aubrey blinked. Swords and armor? “Will I get to use a sword?”

Seht shoved his way into a clump of spiny brush. “I can arrange for training. In fact, I probably should arrange for
upuaht
training, though you might not like it.”

Aubrey followed him into the bushes. “Why not?”

“Rehkyt training is done by
nehkyx
. The word means ‘whip.’ You would remain with them and be under their complete control until they decide you have mastered what they have to teach you. Normally that would be for several months, at the very least. Some training takes years to master.”

Aubrey shrugged. “Sounds like any other school.”

Seht turned and frowned at Aubrey. “Do you normally service your instructors?”

“Service?” Aubrey blinked. “You mean have sex with them?” A sour smile curled his lip. “From what I hear, it’s not unusual for an Academy instructor to bend a student over their desk.”

Seht’s brows lifted. “Is that so?”

Aubrey shook his head. “It’s not something I ever had to deal with. I didn’t go to the military academy.”
Dad wasn’t that rich
. He’d had public school all the way.

“I see…” Seht pursed his lips. “If I turn you over to a nehkyx, sexual service is not only expected, it is required.”

“Required?” Aubrey tripped. He’d
have to
have sex with somebody other than Seht? He could barely deal with having sex with Seht. He wasn’t sure he could deal with anybody else. He swallowed. “Seriously?”

74

Morgan Hawke

Seht shrugged. “A rehkyt’s mental and physical health depends on regular sexual release. The nehkyx is expected to handle those needs in place of the absent master.”

Aubrey groaned. “Oh, come on, I can always just jerk off.”

Seht snorted. “Not anymore. Your body will no longer achieve orgasm that way.”

Aubrey froze in midstep. “Say what?” He stared at Seht.

Seht shrugged. “You are rehkyt. You need more stimuli to achieve orgasm than that.”

Aubrey frowned. That sounded like a load of crap if ever he’d heard one. “So what kind of…stimuli are we talking about here?”

Seht smiled, showing fangs. “I will take great pleasure in showing you.”

Aubrey snorted. “Now you’re just teasing me.”

“Which reminds me…” Seht held up a finger. “No one touches you without my express permission. Not even Lord Syrhus.” He turned to look at Aubrey. “You are mine, and mine alone.”

Aubrey lifted a brow. “Okay…” Was he supposed to be happy or scared?

Seht shoved farther into the brush. “This means that if you prove troublesome to others, I will bear the brunt of your disgrace.” He turned and shot a narrow look at Aubrey. “After which I will take my ire out on your skin.”

Aubrey couldn’t help but smile. “What are you going to do, beat me?”

“Yes.” Seht smiled right back, showing his complete set of fangs. “I did not wear my whip, as I did not have a personal rehkyt, but I will be sure to introduce you to it at our first convenient moment.”

Aubrey’s smile evaporated. “What, are you actually looking forward to beating me?”

Seht’s evil smile widened. “I am quite sure that you will look spectacular dancing under my whip.” He frowned. “As soon as you gain a bit more muscle.”

“Uh…” The hair on Aubrey’s neck rose, and yet a small curl of heat spilled downward. He frowned. If he didn’t know better, he’d think his body wanted to be whipped.

Seht chuckled and moved up the path. “I assure you, you will enjoy it.”

Aubrey jerked back. “Enjoy what? Being whipped?”

Seht slid between two tall rocks. “Rehkyt are designed to need extreme stimuli as much as they need sex.”

Aubrey followed after him frowning. Extreme stimuli and sex? “You’re saying I’m designed to be…kinky?”

“Yes.” Seht turned sharply to scowl at Aubrey. “And obedient.”

Aubrey jerked to an abrupt halt. “Yes,
Syr
!” He froze, shocked. That had come out of his mouth purely by reflex.
Crap… He’s deeper in my head than I thought
.

Seht smiled sweetly and reached out to pat Aubrey on the head. “Good, pet.”

Interstellar Service & Discipline: Lost Star

75

Aubrey scowled and glared at Seht’s back.
Fine, rub it in.

Two steps ahead of him, Seht chuckled.

Aubrey plucked a leaf from a nearby bush. “So what am I supposed to do, as your pet?” He tossed the leaf and scowled after it.

Seht shoved a branch out of his way. “What is expected of you is very much like any pet you might have had.”

“Oh, really?” Aubrey snorted and followed him. “Does this mean I have to stay off the furniture?”