Sister Katherine (15 page)

He looked at the too-thin but still desirable body next to his.  By the ancestors, she was grace personified, a precious wisp next to his hulking frame.  No wonder she trembled at his nearness.  How could she not be afraid of a scarred beast like himself?  Perhaps it was too much to ask that she would someday invite him to give her enjoyment, to share her body without reservation.  Yet Miv could not have her any other way, not after what happened to his sister Ensab.

The fresh, musky scent of feminine arousal came from Katherine.  The clan’s careful play had awoken something in her, something that drove back her fears enough for her to have found at least a little excitement.  Yet she was still too much afraid of Miv to succumb to such urges.  So though renewed ardor made his cocks twitch in hopeful interest, he ignored it.  

He concentrated on her reaction to being kissed by his clanmates.  “Of course they felt different.  Those kisses were between men and the woman they are devoted to.  My kiss would not feel like those of your family and little ones either for the same reason.”

Katherine’s brow creased with suspicion.  “How can you be devoted to me?  We don’t know each other.”

Miv smiled.  Had he ever known anyone so innocent of the interactions between men and women?  “It does not matter.  You are now the center of our world.  I have accepted you as my Matara, the woman I devote my life to protecting.”

Her frown deepened.  “You would protect me from yourself?  Kalquor is my only enemy, you know.”

“You do not need protection from me.  I would never see you harmed.”  Miv restrained the urge to stroke the frown from her face.  Until she wished or required it, he would not touch her. 

Instead, he invited, “Tell me how it feels different from the others when you kiss one of us.”

She swallowed.  Katherine looked at him worriedly, as if expecting his anger, but she answered.  “Well, it – it – quite honestly, it makes me feel sick.”

Miv’s heart plummeted to hear her words.  Dismay filled him to know they disgusted her that much.

Apparently his consternation showed and touched the gentle Earther’s heart, because she suddenly became eager to soothe him.  “I’m sure it’s not all to do with you as people.  It’s probably more a symptom of the stress of my situation.  Or maybe it’s just whatever is wrong with my stomach.”

He had to force himself to not reach for her again.  It was difficult to not try to physically comfort her.  “Is it hurting you right now?”

Katherine shook her head.  “No.  It usually hurts right after I eat.  Right now I just feel all squirmy and hot low in my guts.  Even a little ticklish.  Like my stomach is trying to twist itself around or something.  I can’t explain it.  I’ve never felt it before.”

Squirmy and hot down low?  Miv blinked at the description.  It almost sounded like arousal, which would match the scent coming off her. 

Could she really be that naive to not know what sexual excitement felt like?  Miv looked into the guileless blue eyes peering up at him.  Mother of All, he thought she might.

He tried for a reassuring smile.  “Perhaps it is nothing to be concerned with.  It sounds a little like nerves, so you may be right that you are simply responding to the situation you find yourself in.”

Katherine nodded.  “A stress reaction makes the most sense.  Darci – that’s one of my girls – vomits sometimes when she gets around Sister Bernadette in a bad mood.”  She sighed.  “I hope Simdow will be able to allow me to com them.  I miss them so much.”

“I have no doubt he will do his best.  He realizes how important it is to you.  Shall I have breakfast sent to us?  Something soft that might not irritate your stomach so much?”

She folded her legs tight to her chest, her arms hugging herself.  “I suppose I should try to eat.  May I put my gown on?”

Miv hated the thought of her lovely body enclosed in that terrible swath of cloth she’d worn yesterday, but he could understand how it might put her at more ease around him.  Especially since his cocks were becoming lively once more.  Seeing her naked and enjoying her scent was making him an aroused Nobek. 

He nodded and asked, “Would you like me to dress as well?”

Katherine looked at him without answering right away, her lips parting a little to let her tongue wet them.  She seemed to catch herself and turned pink once more.  She looked away.  “I suppose that would be best, if you would.”

Miv kept a pleased grin from taking over his face.  It was good to know she at least liked to look at him.  He rose, located her gown, and handed it to her.  He paused long enough to contact the ship’s kitchen and gave them their breakfast order before putting on a non-armored formsuit.  He was sure he wouldn’t be going back down to the colony for at least the next few hours, if ever.

While he dressed, Katherine wandered the small cabin, studying the vids suspended on the walls.  She hesitated at a couple that showed him fighting in the circle.  Miv felt a rush of pride as she studied the stills.  One showed him in action, taking a swing at his opponent.  The next was with his arms raised in victory as the ceremonial title crown was placed upon his sweaty, bloodied head.  His moment of glory.

Sounding genuinely interested, Katherine asked, “Is this a sport?  It looks similar to our boxing, except without gloves.”

Miv came around the sleeping mat to join her.  “Yes.  Full-contact hand-to-hand combat.  That was the punch that made me junior champion of the Empire.”

Katherine looked up at him, her eyes wide as she smiled.  “A champion?  How exciting.”

“I hope to go back to it once I’m done with my military service.  I try to train every day for my return to the fighting circle.”

“Is that why you have so many scars?  Why your nose is a bit off?”

Miv tried not to swell with pride and succeeded for the most part.  “All of them, except for half a dozen, were earned in my matches.  I hope to collect a great many more marks of honor.”

“Why did you stop?  Was it because you joined the military?  Is service compulsory?”

“It became so when the war started.”  Miv debated whether or not he should tell her all of it.  Simdow and Vadef had been able to look past his conviction, but the Nobek wasn’t sure how an Earther female would feel about being the mate to a felon.  Still, it would be a poor start to their clanship if he didn’t share the whole truth.

“Actually, my service in the fleet is part of my sentence for the crime I committed.”

Katherine’s expression turned wary.  “You’re a criminal?  What did you do?”

Miv met her eyes.  He knew he must not waver, not in front of her.  She might be innocent, but she was no fool.  Any sign of irresoluteness would be seen as a sign of dishonor.

Quietly but firmly he admitted, “I killed the man who hurt my sister.”

Katherine stared at him.  He waited in silence as she digested the information, letting her turn it over in her head.  As the long seconds spun out, Miv wondered if she would fear him more than ever.  The thought sickened him.

At last Katherine asked, “How did he hurt her?”

Miv’s hands wanted to tighten into fists.  Eight years later, the thought of what had happened still possessed the power to enrage him.  He made himself stay calm, taking even breaths.  “He forced himself on her.  He stalked her and when he saw his opportunity, he grabbed her and sexually assaulted her.”

Katherine’s eyes widened.  “You came upon him doing this to her?”

Miv shook his head, still not faltering from her gaze.  “I hunted him down.  I found out who he was and went to his friends.  Then I beat his friends until I was either convinced they didn’t know his whereabouts or they told me what I wanted to know.  I finally caught up to him, hiding in an abandoned mine on the outskirts of town.  I beat him to death and then gave myself up to the authorities.”

She watched him carefully.  “You were given military service as a sentence?”

“After I served four years in a prison.  The court was lenient because the man had hurt my sister in such a profound way.  He had done an unspeakable thing to her that would have earned him a death sentence anyway.” 

“What happened to her?”

Miv started to calm.  “Her physical injuries, though terrible, were not life-threatening, thank the Mother of All.  She has undergone counseling for the emotional trauma and is doing very well.  She is happily clanned now to good men who keep her safe.”

Katherine’s expression turned wondering.  “She was not punished?  Not accused of inviting her attacker’s attentions?”

Horror engulfed Miv.  “Ancestors, no!  Why would anyone punish – oh.  That is the practice of your government.”  His stomach lurched, and he was glad he hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.  He’d be ill right now if he had.

He stared at Katherine grimly.  “I was told about that happening on Earth, but I thought the intelligence must be faulty.  Surely no one would blame a woman for being hurt so.  It is true then?  They really blame the woman as much as the man when she is raped?”

Katherine nodded.  “I’m afraid so.  I don’t agree with it myself.”

“Of course you would not.  No one with sense would!”

By the ancestors, he thought he might choke on his revulsion.  Had anyone dared to assign the blame of his sister’s rape on her, Miv would have killed them as well.  Yet this was exactly the kind of situation the women of Katherine’s world were faced with.  He stared at the nun, thinking how things would have been for her had she suffered the outrage Ensab had.  Instead of cared for by a virtual army of loved ones and medical and psychiatric personnel, she would have suffered even more, made to take the blame of her attacker’s crime. 

He growled, “As if the horror of such an attack isn’t bad enough!  I can’t even comprehend—”  Miv broke off to stare at Katherine in confused anger.

As shocked as he was about the situation on Earth, Katherine seemed equally so about his attitude.  Her voice soft with disbelief, she said, “It really is unthinkable to you, isn’t it?”

Miv couldn’t stand it.  To know Katherine had been unprotected in the face of such madness was more than he could bear.  He stepped forward and gathered her in his arms, holding her close to shelter her against his body.  Katherine stiffened for only an instant before relaxing in his grip.  She stood unmoving against him, but there was no resistance.  No sense of alarm.

That she allowed him the liberty to reassure himself of her safety calmed Miv.  The tension that had built in his muscles ebbed.  He had her now.  She was not on Earth.  She was with him, and she would remain safe.

He whispered, “You must know I would not allow such a thing to happen to you.  My life will end before any man would hurt you that way or accuse you of inviting such.”

Unable to help himself, Miv grasped Katherine’s chin and tilted her head back.  He kissed her with fierce passion, consumed with the need to show her how much she was to him.  For a moment, his warrior heart forgot she might take his near-violent need to reassure as an attack.

Increasing his momentary amnesia, Katherine responded.  Her soft lips moved against his for an instant, and her body softened in his arms.  Then she jerked back, gasping in surprise.

Miv’s senses returned and he stepped back, letting her go.  What had he done?

They stared at each other in shock for a moment.  Katherine seemed to try to speak, but all she got out was, “Oh.  Oh.”

Miv could have punched himself for his rashness and stupidity.  As misery filled his heart, he asked with desperation, “Are you all right?  I didn’t mean to frighten you.  I only wanted to – to–”

Before he could make things worse with a stumbling apology, the room’s com connection went off.  “Simdow to Miv.”

The Nobek swallowed to steady his voice.  “Miv here, my Dramok.”

“I have set up a vid link between the younglings and the ship.  Katherine may speak to them, but only for a few minutes.”

At last Katherine’s startled stare wavered from Miv’s face.  Feeling as if he’d been rescued from a pack of murdering Tragooms, the Nobek went to the computer to put the vid through.

“I have the frequency,” he reported to Simdow.

Katherine appeared at his side, her eyes shining with gratitude at the small box where the Dramok’s voice emitted from.  “Thank you, Simdow.”

“My pleasure, Katherine.  Simdow out.”

Miv tapped into the frequency and turned towards the room where the connection would be beamed.  A group of young girls suddenly appeared in place of the sleeping mat.  As soon as they did so, they excitedly called out Katherine’s name in bright voices.

Katherine squealed like a child herself.  Her arms opened up to them, and Miv had the idea she had almost forgotten this was a vid transmission.  She’d appeared ready to run forward and embrace the younglings.

She was forced to settle for clasping her hands in front of her chest.  “My girls!  How are you?”

There was a chorus of ‘okay’.  The smallest one stepped forward.  It was fierce little Marci who’d braved Miv’s savage countenance to hit him the day before.  She clutched a soft, furry stuffed creature with bright button eyes and a smile. 

There was no smile on the child’s face however.  She glared at Miv.  “Kalquorian man!  You better not be making Sister Katherine sad!  You be nice to her.”

Another child who looked like an older version of the little spitfire whispered loudly.  “Marci!  Be quiet!  Don’t make him mad!”

Miv found himself enchanted by the tiny creature’s challenge.  Her dark eyes sparked.  Her jaw jutted out aggressively.  She was a tiny Earther Nobek even if she was female, and he had the urge to sweep her up in his arms and hug her until she liked him.

Since that was not an option, Miv went down on one knee and bowed his head in subservience.  “Katherine’s comfort and happiness are my only goals, little sister warrior.”

He peeked up at her.  She continued to glare for a moment and then she relaxed.  Marci seemed mollified to be recognized as a fellow warrior.

Her tone as sweet as a singing dril’s on a summer’s day, she told him, “Okay, Mr. Kalquorian.  Don’t let nobody else hurt her either.”

Miv glanced up at Katherine, who stood at his side.  He could tell she was biting her lips together.  Her eyes danced with laughter to see Marci lording over the big, ferocious Nobek.  He suppressed a grin of his own.