Quiver (3 page)

“I can almost hear your mind spinning around and around.”

She felt her skin heat and pressed her lips to his chest. She whispered, “This is not how I imagined my first day away from Earth.”

“It is not how I imagined meeting my mate, but you are here and I am here and the rest will sort itself out.”

He continued to stroke her, and the rough skin of his hands was making definite progress down her spine. The sheet was moving.

He spoke softly. “The first time is always awkward, especially if there has been no previous contact. I will not harm you; you can injure me all you like and there will be no consequences.”

“Are you expecting injuries?” She let her hands roam over his skin. Moving her arms let the sheet slip downward.

She had to admit that her body was enjoying his touch. Days of frustration and moisture seeping from her were the last things she remembered before she went under, and now, that sensory overload was coming back in a rush.

Anna could fight it or just give in to what her body was demanding with this man who appeared prepared to give her what she needed without strings or begging.

She licked at his skin and continued moving her hands over his sides and back as the sheet struck the floor. The taste of his skin defied description, but every small taste of him ratcheted her need.

He seemed to be waiting for something, and when she lightly raked her nails down his back, it seemed to be the signal he wanted. He knelt in front of her, and her stomach shimmied nervously when his head was still even with her collarbone.

He kissed her neck, and she twisted her head to let him continue. She held onto his shoulders as he licked and sucked at her skin, finding little pockets of active nerves that she didn’t know she had.

Her breath came faster, and she dug her nails into his shoulders when his lips closed over her left nipple and he pulled gently.

She heard a mewling sound from her throat and held onto him for dear life as he switched from one side to another. Her fingers locked in his hair, and she let her head drop back as her blood coursed faster and her thighs felt slick.

The silken strands were thick in her grip, but the cool caress on her wrists was another sensation that her body clung to.

When he slipped a hand between her thighs, widening her stance, she complied and then gasped when he slid his fingers into her. Her breath sawed in and out of her lungs as she got dangerously close to an orgasm.

He moved two fingers into her and then worked the third in, turning his hand slowly while she let out a soft sob and a whimper.

Quake released her breast, and she heard a low sucking sound. Her mind filled in the details, as he tasted the honey that was on his hand.

He coaxed her toward him and eased her onto his lap, nudging his cock into her opening and supporting her hips.

The throbbing heat of him was a taunting promise, but she waited until he lowered her as he thrust upward.

She cried out as the girth of him pushed at her walls and slowly forged inside her. Her own weight worked against her as she sank down and impaled herself.

Her body shuddered as it adjusted to the thick invader, but he soon cupped her buttocks and started to lift and drop her in a determined rhythm.

The seduction had been under her control. The sex was not. He pounded into her and let out low, guttural growls. If she could see his face, she would have been terrified, but since she couldn’t, she merely held on with her arousal spiking higher and higher.

He grunted, and she clutched at him, holding tight as he lifted her and laid her at the edge of the bed. He resumed his rapid, deep thrusts, and she clutched at him for a moment before she reached over her head and clutched at the sheets.

He stroked his thumb over her clit, and she screamed and came after his digit vibrated rapidly.

Anna bucked against him, and he groaned, snarled again and buried himself in her to the hilt as he shuddered.

He pulled her toward him and held her against his body, still impaling her as he knelt on the floor next to the bed.

Musk filled the air between them, and to her horror, her body started waking again. He nuzzled her cheek and jaw, finally brushing his lips across hers.

She tasted her own tang, but as he deepened the kiss, his flavour took over. If he kissed her in the dark, she would know it was he and she would probably jump him. The taste of him was chocolate, cinnamon and honey.

Inside her, he swelled to fill her again, and she shivered with anticipation.

Her body knew what it wanted, and it wanted him.

He broke the kiss and gave attention to those sensitive spots on her neck. She squirmed against him for a moment and then squeaked when he pulled her off him and laid her down on the bed with her belly to the mattress and her butt and legs hanging off the edge.

He stroked her back and cupped her hips before rubbing his cock against her, entering her again with a slick surge that drove her forward.

Her breasts scraped the sheet, and she tried to brace herself, but she was along for the ride as he lost control.

Quake drove into her relentlessly, and she was a witness to her body accepting the rough handling and speeding toward release on its own.

When her orgasm hit, she gasped out a short cry, and he answered with a flurry of thrusts while her body tried to grip his cock tight and milk it.

He grunted, and his hands slammed to the bedding on either side of her head while he pumped into her.

Anna fought for breath, and as he dropped onto her with care to take most of his weight on his arms, she worked to keep filling her lungs.

He kissed the back of her neck, licking her slowly.

She shivered as he scraped away some of her sweat.

His voice was low and raspy when he murmured, “That went well. How are you feeling?”

She took a moment and assessed her body. “I feel... better. More in control.”

He chuckled and kissed her neck again. “Good. Whenever you need me, I shall rise to the occasion.”

She groaned and pressed her forehead to the sheets. “This is so strange. It isn’t socially acceptable at all.”

He chuckled and slowly pulled out of her. “Perhaps not for your birth species, but it is precisely what the Nyal need to continue their lines. When your body has a need, mine will respond. It is our way and what we were born to do.”

He shifted, stood up and arranged her on the bed. She felt that he left her for a moment, but when he returned, he pressed a cool cloth between her thighs.

Her skin felt hot again. He took care with her and made sure that he got all external slick traces left on her body.

She quivered softly as he left her again. She rolled to her side and groped blindly for the sheet on the floor. When she found it, she pulled it up and around her while her body continued to shake.

Quake came back and sighed as he lay next to her. “Come here. Your body is cooling itself to force you to find a warm male body.”

She scooted toward the heat source that was talking to her. “Is this weird? Explaining Nyal biology, I mean?”

“It is understandable. I run into many races in the course of my daily duties. Sometimes, the basics are the best place to start.”

She snuggled against him, and a yawn broke from her. “Sorry.”

He chuckled and touched the back of her head. The mask came loose. She looked up at his kind and amused expression, reading the possessive satisfaction in his gaze.

“The mask was keyed to my DNA. You could put it on, but only I could take it off.”

She felt her skin warm and buried her face against his chest, rather than look at him. “That is weird.”

“The Nyal are not a very socially developed species. Very powerful, but they like their social traditions very much. The masks go back to organized kidnappings of breeding partners. The nobles just decided that gems were more ostentatious.”

She nodded, and he rubbed one huge hand down her spine. She wasn’t petite by human standards, but here, she felt tiny. With her eyes open, she had to admit that if he had come at her with her able to see him, she would have freaked out.

Chapter Four

After an hour of naked cuddle time, she jolted upright when a loud alarm rang through the room.

Quake chuckled and pulled her back down to him. “Don’t worry. You will get used to it. That is the mission alarm. We head out at the call and cruise around the world to defend the population.”

She looked at him and wrinkled her nose. “Missions?”

“Yes, me and the team of Guardians head out and rescue those who need rescuing.”

“Like superheroes?” Anna was surprised.

“I don’t know what that is. The Guardians all have a paranormal talent that they use for the defense of their people.”

“What is yours?”

He grinned and put a hand on her breast, vibrating it rapidly. “Quake is my code name.”

She blinked and heat flared in her bloodstream again. “So, you are... you can... ohhh.” She closed her eyes as the need she had felt was finally dormant, woke again.

“Do not worry about it. It will wake and roar, driving you to acts you would never imagine. When it subsides, you with be embarrassed to think about what you have done, but it is part of you, part of us.”

She licked her lips slowly. “How long will this last?”

“Two more active days, unless you get pregnant. In that case, it will cease suddenly.”

She jerked her head to stare at him and squeaked. “Pregnant?”

“That is what your body demands. It is the Nyal survival instinct.”

“If there is an alarm, don’t you have to go?”

He sighed and stopped moving his vibrating hand over her body. “No. I am on leave until your heat is over. It is a serious matter, and our kind treats it as such.”

She shifted and squirmed a little. “I think I need a bathroom.”

Quake nodded and gestured toward a flat panel on the wall. “Press at waist level and the door will open. If you need help working out anything, call me.”

She was relieved that he was going to let her figure out the lavatory on her own. If she were confused, she would just muddle through.

Getting out of his embrace was awkward, and getting her legs together enough to walk was even worse, but she stood slowly and walked with careful steps to the panel he had pointed out. The door whisked open at her touch, and to her relief, it closed behind her.

The toilet equivalent was easy enough to manage. Even the flushing mechanism was just a lit cube on the wall. A slight touch and it did its job.

Her shower took a bit of fiddling. Finding the hot water was a joy, and she took her sore body into the shower, letting the water pound and relax her aches and pains. There were surprisingly few of them.

She smoothed her hand up her thighs, removing the cum that had eased out of her over time. Pregnant. So, this wasn’t going to stop until she was pregnant.

Being a mom had not really been looming large in her thoughts. She was setting up her career and moving her way up the corporate ladder, one bland office at a time.

Every job she had taken had left her working through prejudice and low expectations. She had attacked her master plan and worked her way up, inch by inch. It wasn’t the trajectory of someone with a more standard appearance, and since she couldn’t win being a black woman in the world of high finance, she was herself. She dyed her hair purple and wore clothing that flattered her skin tones, even if they weren’t the subdued blues and greys of the investment bank.

Now, she was in a world where she didn’t stand out, and she had to start all over again.

When Quake had ceased to attend to her situation, she would be on her own again. She got the feeling that he wouldn’t push the issue once the duty had been done. She was—apparently—technically his wife, but she had no idea what that meant out here.

She finished her shower and looked around for a towel. She was out of luck. A few knobs and levers later, she was blasted with warm air from all angles.

Anna wished for a towel as she stepped out of the lavatory.

Small robots were making the bed with precise movements. A desk had emerged from somewhere, and Quake was sitting at it and watching some kind of video stream.

A slight bump into her legs got her attention, and a bot held its arms up, whistling softly as it offered her a fold of fabric.

“Thank you.” She took the rich pink fabric and opened it. It was a wide, open robe with thick gold embroidery along the open edges. There were no sashes or closures. The robe was designed to be open.

It was better than nothing, so she slipped it on and walked up next to Quake to see what he was watching.

The video was obviously being worn as a body cam. The owner of the camera was fighting with other men, his arms outstretched and a weird blur around one of his fists. When he struck an opponent, the shaking transferred and the man on the ground clutched his ears.

Quake didn’t look up. “That is Reverb. He is my second in command. Also, my little brother. On his left is Titan and on his right is Nimbus.”

A coiling of vapour ran along the ground and engulfed several of the attackers.

“Where is this taking place?”

“The spaceport. They were attempting to remove a citizen without proper clearance. We were called immediately.”

“So, you have to charge out to beat them up?” She leaned on his shoulder as she watched.

“They are talented. They were in search of a young woman and a few young men who had been in distance correspondence with one of their members. It was a baiting situation.”

“What does that mean?”

“They were being taken as slaves. If they had managed to lift off, there would have been no getting them back. They would have disappeared without any trace.” Quake ran a hand over his face. “They are lucky that they were found out. The children of Hemcorl are in high demand the moment that their talents are found out.”

“In demand?”

“Of course. Many species can’t develop psychic or physiological talents. Having talented breeding stock could give a population a leg up as far as becoming a power in the sector. There are species that will simply not develop them because they are not ready.”