The Chalice (32 page)

Score one for me!

She stood beneath the warm  spray, relaxing and enjoying the m oment whileshe made tentative plans. Tegan—the big boob— m ight think he had control of thesituation, but she hadn’t really been trying before. Time to let the macho alienknow just what a little old human fem ale was capable of. I may not be a ten but Iclean up well. She just needed to catch him  off balance and then let the chips fallas they m ay.

He really had no chance now that she’d made up her mind. Lord Tegan

belonged to her and it was about time she did something about it.

She took time with her hair, drying it until it fell in soft waves around her face.

Teeth were cleansed to a sparkling white. Armpits and legs dehaired and now as

smooth as satin. The basics com pleted.

She studied her reflection. Through trial and error, the women’d discoveredenhancing creams and perfum ed lotions in the storage compartments of females’chambers. Selecting several, she applied a rose-hued concoction to her lips andcheeks, darkened her eyelids with a light brush of a pearly sage-colored ointmentand added a touch of fragrance behind her ears, knees and between her breasts.

As a final touch, she clothed herself in an exotic lime-colored drape filched from

Dread’s meager stash.

Satisfied she looked as good as possible, she headed for the comm unal

chamber and the food line.

A large platter wiped clean of its contents sufficed as a serving tray. Sheloaded it up with a variety of edibles, adding those she liked and ignoring thoseshe hated, but on second thought, she added a few of the least detestable ones. He m ight have a preference for som e of those!

Drink! They needed something to drink! W hat I wouldn’t do for a nice Merlot or

Cabernet Sauvignon right now!

There just didn’t seem  to be any way to carry the platter and drinking vesselsas well. He had to have something in his quarters. Her insides cringed inremembrance. Hopefully not more of that supercharged alcohol stuff.

She marched down the long corridors, balancing the heavily laden tray againsther hip, m indful of the curious stares of the breeders as she passed by. Perhapsshe should’ve had one of the other girls carry the food— sort of in keeping withher station as Queen. Too late now! The panel to Tegan’s quarters cam e intoview.

All was ready. Let the gam es begin.

****

Adjusting the intensity of the illumination in his cham bers to the lowestsetting, Tegan undressed and dropped down on a reclining lounge, eager for som emuch needed rest. More than two rest times had passed since he’d last indulgedand his body craved the oblivion of slum ber. He welcom ed the quietude, revelingin being alone when so m uch [if/ of] his time was filled with the dem ands andconcerns of his position. Eyes closing, he forced himself to a m indless state,dismissing the tensions rife within his position. His breathing slowed. His bodydrifted in that peaceful realm  somewhere between awake and asleep.

The sy-com  system  buzzed. He jerked up, startled.

“May I enter?” A female voice inquired.

Half asleep, he rolled to his feet, wrapped a cloth around his loins andstum bled to the control panel. He pressed the com  button, disoriented andperturbed. The vid sprang to life displaying his Chalice peering up at the screen. She looked—delectable!

“ Do you need something?” he croaked, wondering if he’d forgotten a meeting.

She blinked and then smiled, lifting a plate laden with food. “I’ve brought

dinner. I thought we could share and perhaps later some…conversation.”

The sensual, husky quality of her tone of voice stirred his awareness. His tiredlibido surged to life, am plified by the casual invitation. Dinner with his Chalice! And   conversation?   He   was   instantly   wide   awake.   Alert.   Sleep   becam eunim portant. Undesirable.

“Can I come in?” she asked again, lips pursed in a small pout. “I won’t stay

long if you’re busy.”

He pressed the control. “Com e.”

The door slid open. The delicate fragrance of flowers heralded her entry. Shestepped through the door, hesitating as her eyes adjusted to the gloom . He drewin her scent, gauging the m any revolutions since he’d last sm elled perfume on abeautiful female. Too long, his m ind adm itted, aching for the past.

“W here can I put this?” she asked, jiggling the tray. “We should eat before it gets cold.” She laughed, warm  eyes sparkling with humor. “But maybe it’s supposed to be cold.”

Care had been taken with her appearance. She looked fresh, dewy, inviting. Hestudied her as an artist would study a beautiful object, adm iring the way thegossamer material clung to her distinctive hum an curves, cupping the fullnourishment glands, sweeping down over flaring hips and well-shaped buttocks. Dainty bare feet peeked from  beneath the draping hem , a subtle reminder of thefemales’ need for shoes.

She arched a knowing look at him  and crossed to the low table, hips swayingbeneath the diaphanous material. She leaned over, placing the tray on the table,affording him  a closer look of her shapely backside. The room  grew warmer. Bloodrushed to his hardening loins. His hands itched to explore the mysteries hidden bythe soft folds.

“Sit,” she said, taking a seat across from  him . “Eat.”

She picked up a ripe berry, nibbling at the purple tidbit, pink tongue licking thesweet juices, all the while gazing with rapt concentration into his eyes. Sensual. Deliciously tempting.

She is here to seduce me! He m ight be untried, but he was not unaware of the

precursors to the mating ritual. With that realization, desire flamed unleashed.

She tilted her head, the lush hair sliding off her shoulders, falling in a longsweep to brush the floor cushions. “Do you have som ething to drink?” Herforehead creased. “Not the crazy stuff.”

He nodded, punching the sy-com . “Bring Ta’aran Nectar,” he ordered.

“Ta’aran Nectar?”

He bit back a spurt of laughter. “Not the crazy drink— but tiny bit of crazy.”

She grinned, one eyebrow lifted. “Tiny bit is good.”

She took another tidbit, exam ined it and dropped it back on the plate. “Ick,”

she said with a grimace. “Not good.”

She just doesn’t know. He picked up the discarded morsel, wrapped it with

another scrap from  the foodstuffs and handed it to her. “Try now.”

Wary but curious, she took the piece, exam ined it and then popped it in hermouth. Surprise registered on her features. “Uuumm m mm,” she crooned, lickingher lips. “This is wonderful.”

“The two need to be eaten together to make the whole,” he explained, hoping he used the right words. The extended timeframes he spent listening to Kormak’s language tapes and the incessant repetition of the awkward phrasing seemed to be paying off. They were understanding each other.

She repeated his actions and lifted the piece to his mouth, wiggling it

tem ptingly. “Your turn.”

He opened his lips, accepting the morsel, then captured her finger with his

teeth, rolling his tongue around the slim  digit, sucking and tasting.

Sparkling eyes flared, the smooth cheeks pinked. “You’ve done this before,”

she m urm ured low, eyes sliding away.

He reached up, cupped her hand and pressing a light kiss to the soft palm . “Notexactly this.” His lips trailed down her wrist, nipping the tender flesh. “But closeenough.”

The com  buzzed. “Lord Tegan,” an excited voice called. “I have the Nectar.”

He waved his wrist over a nearby control panel and the entrance opened. Ayoung breeder rushed in, waving an opaque urn-like container and several cups. “I found it!” he exclaim ed, crowing with excitem ent. “Shagal hid the lot!”

It was then he caught sight of her and stum bled, catching himself before hefell. Flushing beet red, he bowed low, chattering. “My apologies, Lord Tegan. Ididn’t know you were occupied. I should have waited before entering. Forgive

me.”

“Your actions were correct,” Tegan assured the younger m ale. “Put the Nectar

on the table.”

The breeder edged towards the twosome, plunked the goods down, and backed

towards the door. “If you need anything more…”

“I’ll call you.” Tegan laughed. “Go back to your duties.”

The young m ale needed no further urging. He scurried out, glancing over his

shoulder as he ran, seeming relieved to have survived the encounter.

“I think you scared him,” Kara chuckled. “Or maybe it was me.”

Tegan opened the bottle, poured a cup and handed it to her. “He was expecting

me to be alone—as I usually am .”

She took the proffered cup, sipping with concentrated care. “It’s good. Sweet

with a m ild hint of a spice I can’t identify.”

“A Ta’aran specialty—or it was a Ta’aran specialty.” A brief surge of sorrow caused him  instant pain. “The Ta’aran civilization perished as well when the Deg’Nara attacked.”

He downed the contents of his cup, poured another and leaned back. “I hadmany friends am ong the Ta’arans. They were m uch like the Chiagan-Se, sharing acommon ancestry. When the Deg’Nara attacked Ta’ara, I was in com m and of asector of the fleet sent to aid in their defense. We were engaged in battle whenthe Deg’Nara raided m y home planet. We arrived too late to stop the carnage.”

He wiped a hand across his chin, reliving those terrible times. Grief robbed theair from  his lungs. “All we found was death and destruction, and then we werecaptured, forced to watch as they m urdered millions.”

She slid around the table, snuggling against his shoulder, comforting him  withher nearness. He couldn’t find the words to speak, but the anguish eased a slightdegree.

“Some things are better left unsaid.” Taking his cup, she sat it on the table. “Now where were we?” she whispered, moistening her lips. He felt her fingers thread through his hair, light and caressing, settling at the nape of his neck.

She rose to her knees. “Lean forward,” she m urm ured, propped against his

upper arm .

Unwilling to deny her, he did as she asked. Clever fingers worked at the tired

muscles of his neck and shoulders, finding pressure points that dissolved as she kneaded and molded the stressed tissue. “Just relax,” she whispered. “You’ll feel better.”

His eyes closed, responding to the gentle massage. She slid between him  andthe back rest, straddling his lower hips, the heat of her lower body warm ing himin ways too many to count. She continued the rubdown, m anipulating the tense

muscles of his upper back and shoulders. His pulse surged when she brushed hair

from  his neck, soft lips grazing his sensitized skin.

Sweat beaded his upper lip. Loins ached with need. He struggled to maintaincontrol, persuading himself he was content to let her take the lead. He’d heard itsaid that Chiagan-Se fem ales were neither subm issive nor aggressive, simplyjoint partners in their sexual endeavors. But I know so little of human females!

Being in command wasn’t always a good thing and for all he knew, human

females preferred their men subm issive. The idea bore watching.

The soft kiss turned into an undeniable nuzzle, followed by gentle bites andlicks. The pebbled tips of her nourishm ent glands teased the heated flesh of hisshoulder blades. She pressed full against him , winding her arms around his neckand licking his ear, m urm uring soft unintelligible words.

He turned, meeting her slum berous gaze. “Unless you’re willing to let this go

further, I suggest you stop.”

Her answer was to lick his inner ear. Shards of intense pleasure radiated intohis central core, igniting heretofore suppressed passions. He growled, a lowrumble em anating from  the depths of his torso. His teeth gnashed together, thesharp edges of his eyeteeth grazing the inside of his lips. Every nerve ignited,sparked by his growing hunger. But he was not the only one affected by hermachinations. The tangy scent of her arousal floated around him, hot and spicy,inflam ing his secret yearnings as no female had before.

He whirled, ensnaring her within his em brace, lips fusing with the tantalizingwarmth of her willing mouth. The outside world receded into the shadows. He wasascending, spinning in a vortex of need and burgeoning desire. His hands roamed,molding and caressing, discovering the firm  globes of her nourishment glands, aperfect fit. Frenzied, he ripped at the delicate material, wanting nothing but thesilken texture of her skin to come between them .

“Slow down, big guy,” she gasped, catching at his hands. “This is Dread’s and

she’ll kill m e if it gets ruined.”

Remorse-stricken, he froze, shocked by the intensity of his unrestrainedcravings. He had offended her! Taken what should have been freely given. Hishands fell.

“I’m…sorry,” he groaned, shamed by the ardent display. “I should have…”

She laughed, slipping the drape over her head. Beneath the cover, she woreonly the brief loincloth of the fem ales. “Nothing to be sorry about. Just don’t wantnasty ole Dread to have a fit if her dress gets m essed up.”