Sloan's Heart

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Sloan’s Heart ISBN # 1-4199-0632-1 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Sloan’s Heart Copyright© 2006 Arianna Hart Edited by Briana St. James. Cover art by Willo. Electronic book Publication: May 2006

This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 443103502. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

Warning: The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. This book has been rated E–rotic by a minimum of three independent reviewers. Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (Erotic), and X (X-treme). S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination. E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as “fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature. X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

SLOAN’S HEART Arianna Hart

Dedication This book is dedicated to my mom, fabulous nurse and medical expert extraordinaire. Thanks for giving me all the information I needed to make Mary accurate. Any mistakes are my own. You’re the best! Now don’t turn the page! Thanks also go to my writing buddies Lori Armstrong, Kathy Love, Jewell Mason, Kate Rothwell and Leigh Wyndfield who listened to me whine incessantly about this. And to Jen Martin who asked for Sloan’s story. I hope you’re not disappointed. And last but not least, to my fabulous publicists Dorine and Angie, thanks for everything you do for me. I couldn’t survive without you.

Sloan’s Heart

Chapter One

Somewhere in uncharted space “Mayday, mayday, this is Rafferty Sloan of the Imperial Cruiser The Federation. We’re caught in an unknown planet’s orbit at the following coordinates.” Sloan rattled off the coordinates and launched the emergency beacon. Feck, he hoped at least one beacon escaped the gravitational pull and made it into open space. He pushed that thought aside and focused on keeping his escape pod in one piece. The murky blue planet on the vid screen grew larger and larger by the second and Sloan was afraid they were going to get up close and personal with it very soon. “Life support systems on,” he barked to his passenger behind him. “Prepare for a crash.” The control stick shook in his hands as he tried to keep the ship from going into a spin. Hundreds of sensors fed him information about his rapidly declining altitude but he already knew that. What he didn’t know was how he was going to pull out of it without smearing the pod across the planet ahead of him. “I’m breaking up! I’m breaking up!” the pilot of one of the other escape pods screamed on the radio. Sloan pushed the panicked voice out of his head and focused on keeping his pod in one piece. There’d be time to mourn later. If there was a later. “Approaching reentry!” he shouted to his passenger. The vid screen darkened as the shields came down to protect him and his passenger from the heat of entering the planet’s atmosphere. The pod shook harder and alarms blared in his ears. The escape pods weren’t built to take this much abuse. The tiny craft rocked side to side and smoke billowed from the control panel. Damn it! They weren’t going to make it. It was too much for the pod to handle! No! He hadn’t made it this far to give up now. Straining against the harness that held him strapped to his seat, Sloan stretched his fingers out until he could activate the emergency landing gear. If they could hold on a little longer they’d make it. The heat vanished in an instant as they shot through the final atmospheric layer. Swirling winds tossed them around like a child’s toy in a zero-grav tube. “Oxygen masks on. Prepare for emergency foam.” The control stick was completely useless now. Wires popped, and smoke rolled all around him. Sloan prayed the foam would activate before they crashed into a mountain. Relief flowed through him as he heard the hiss of it filling the ship.

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His last sight before falling unconscious was of an enormous cave yawning in front of him like a gaping maw ready to devour them whole.

***** Mary woke with a start as strong hands pulled her through freezing cold water. She struggled against her assailant as she blinked away the fog clouding her vision. “Damn it, Mary! Stop fighting me! The pod’s sinking. We have to get out.” Mary recognized Sloan’s voice and stopped prying at the fingers gripping her shoulders. When her vision finally cleared, she saw the tail end of the escape pod sinking below the surface of an alien ocean. Sloan managed to pull her to shore without much help on her part. Wet red sand clung to her legs as she stood up. Her knees shook from the near miss. If Sloan hadn’t been conscious they both could have drowned. Wouldn’t that be ironic? “Shit, that was close.” Sloan’s chocolate-brown eyes stared at the spot where the pod went down. “What about the others?” Fifty two-man escape pods had fled The Federation as its fuel supply and life support systems ran out. One hundred crewmembers were all that were left of the thousands that had originally manned the Imperial Cruiser. “I don’t know. I lost contact with the rest of the squadron during reentry.” “What about Drog and Lucy?” Mary bit her lip with worry. Lucy, the chief medical officer aboard The Federation, was her best friend. She didn’t know what she’d do if Lucy hadn’t made it. “They made it through reentry, I heard Drog’s voice on my wrist com before it stopped functioning.” Relief flowed through her. If Drog was alive, Lucy would be too. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Sloan’s words put a quick end to her relief though. “Stopped functioning? Our coms don’t work?” Mary looked at the blank display screen on her wrist com and pressed the buttons uselessly. What? Did she think if she pressed the buttons harder it would suddenly work? “How are we going to communicate if our coms aren’t working?” Her stomach clenched with anxiety. They couldn’t be lost on some unknown planet with no way to talk to the other survivors from The Federation. After everything they’d already been through, fate couldn’t have stranded them on some deserted ocean planet. That just wasn’t fair. “Honey, that’s the least of our worries. Take a look over there.” Sloan pointed to the horizon where a line of storm clouds rolled. “That’s moving faster than any storm I’ve ever seen. If it keeps up that pace we could be facing a waterspout. Trust me, we don’t want to be this close to the water if that happens.”

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“I know that,” she snapped as fear chased the panic bubbling inside her. “We need to find shelter, quickly.” Mary turned away from the ominous sight of the coming storm and searched for protection. “The only thing I can see is that cave.” Sloan picked up an emergency pack off the ground. Good thing he had sense enough to grab it before the pod sank. “Hopefully it’s deep enough to protect us from the waves.” Mary didn’t want to find shelter from the waterspout only to get bashed against the back of the cave by the violent waves the storm would create. “Doesn’t look like we have many other options. Come on.” Sloan shouldered the pack and headed towards the dark cave in the distance. Mary tried not to notice how the muscles in his legs and ass bunched and rolled with every step he took. This was not the time to get distracted by Sloan’s obvious good looks. But it was hard not to notice since their skintight uniforms left nothing to the imagination. Every sinew was visible in these things. Focus on finding shelter, not Sloan’s backside! Swirling winds kicked sand into her face and made her hasten her steps. That storm was moving damn fast. Mary risked a look over her shoulder. Shit! A funnel had already started to form. The cave was still a kilometer away. “Run!” she shouted, grabbing Sloan’s hand and taking the lead. Deep sand sucked at her feet. It took all her effort to push forward over the treacherous beach. Her legs burned with the effort to lift one foot in front of the other. With each passing second the wind picked up, tearing at her hair and pushing her back. Sloan moved in front of her and protected her from some of the wind but nothing could block it all. Her heart raced with exertion and fear as they struggled to reach the protection of the cave. Mary could barely stand up, never mind run. It was more like controlled falling than walking but still she trudged on. Tears streamed out of her eyes from the grains of sand in them and she couldn’t see a damn thing. The howling wind was so loud she couldn’t understand what Sloan shouted at her. Her focus narrowed to putting one foot in front of the other and not giving up. Easier said than done. “Come on! Just a little farther!” Sloan’s words somehow made it through the screaming storm swallowing them up. Mary didn’t know if she could make it. Her lungs strained to get air and her muscles burned from the unaccustomed exercise. Suddenly, the wind died and silence surrounded her. No, not silence, but the scream of the wind had lessened. They’d made it inside the cave. Mary blinked rapidly and waited for her eyes to become adjusted to the gloomy light.

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“Come on, let’s see how far back this goes.” Sloan tugged her hand and pulled her deeper into the darkness. “Is there a light in the pack? I’d kind of like to see what I’m going into.” “Give yourself a minute and it won’t seem so dark. I’d like to save the light for as long as we can. We have no idea what else is in store.” “Yeah, like big animals with a taste for human flesh.” Mary shuddered. She hated nature. That was the whole reason she’d signed on as a medical officer on board The Federation. If she had wanted to live by the ocean and explore caves she could have stayed on Emeraldia. After a few seconds her eyes adjusted and she was able to see again. She almost wished she couldn’t. More of the odd red sand filled the floor of the cavern and a watermark stood out clearly on the wall. Very high up on the wall. “Look, there’s a ledge. We can set up camp there and wait out the storm.” Mary followed Sloan’s gaze to the tiny shelf in the back of the cave. It might be far enough back to keep them safe from the deadly waves. Might being the operative word. “I don’t know. That ledge doesn’t look wide enough for two and when the waves come in we could get swamped.” “Do you see any other options? If we camp on the ground we’ll definitely get washed out to sea. At least up there we have a fifty-fifty chance.” Sloan headed towards the back of the cave leaving Mary alone in the gloom. “Wait up. I’m coming.” Mary hurried after him. Stars, how she hated caves. The grit of the sand against her skin and the smell of brine reminded her how much she hated her homeland. Her thin-soled flight boots were no protection against the jagged rocks and shells hidden in the sand. Knife-sharp stones dug into her tender feet. Muttering under her breath she hobbled after Sloan’s long-legged form. “Why couldn’t we have crashed on a fecking desert planet?” She should be grateful just to be alive but she was cold, sore, and scared. “Did you say something?” Sloan asked, one jet-black eyebrow lifted in question. “Just wondering how we managed to land here. Wherever here is.” “Your guess is as good as mine. Hang on, I’ll give you a boost.” He went down on one knee and formed a cup with his hands. Mary took a shuddering breath and closed the distance between them. Stepping carefully into his hands, she used his shoulder for balance. The rock-hard muscles didn’t budge a millimeter as she held on. His scent wafted towards her, musk and spice and a hint of something else she couldn’t name. A slippery feeling tugged low in her stomach but she pushed it away. This was no time to go soft in the head over a man. Before she could gather herself, Sloan lifted her straight up. Mary practically flew through the air with the force of his “boost”. 8

Sloan’s Heart

“Sparks! Are you trying to smash my head against the ceiling?” She scrambled the rest of the way onto the ledge, scraping her palms in the process. Lying flat on the rough surface, she slid her upper torso over the edge to pull up the pack and offer Sloan a hand up. “Sorry, you’re lighter than I expected.” In the dim light of the cave she could see his gleaming eyes dip down to her breasts. A smile of approval glittered in the murky darkness. Mary forgot about helping him up and scooted away from the edge. With her back against the wall, she wrapped her arms around her bent knees and hid her chest from his appreciative gaze. These damn uniforms left nothing to the imagination. In the skintight material her curvy figure looked like a sausage crammed into a too small casing. “Coming up,” Sloan announced just before his head and shoulders popped above the ledge. Every muscle in his arms bulged with the effort to lift himself. The cords of his neck stood out as he powered his way up. His pecs and abs came into view next before he managed to find purchase on the narrow ledge. Maybe the uniforms weren’t all bad. Heat blossomed in her face as Sloan caught her staring at his chest. She shouldn’t be embarrassed he’d done the same thing to her. And he obviously didn’t seem to mind. Hell, if the smug smile on his face was any indication he probably expected her to ogle him. More than likely he figured she’d jump at the chance to screw him. After her experience with Artman, he probably thought she’d be easy pickings. Well, he had another think coming. She wouldn’t be so stupid to fall into bed with another soldier. Being used and humiliated once was enough for a lifetime. “If you move over some I can spread out the blanket.” Mary slid over to the very edge. The shelf was close to a meter and a half wide and three meters long. It was so high up that Sloan couldn’t stand fully upright without hitting his head on the top of the cave. With an economy of movement, Sloan shook out the metallic space blanket and draped it over the ledge. “There are some protein bars in here too. Would you like one?” “Sure. Is there any water? We’re going to need some to choke down the bars.” “They’re not that bad. Compared to what I had to eat in basic training, they’re downright gourmet fare.” He smiled and handed her a bar and a pouch of water. Their hands brushed and an electric charge shot straight to her pussy. She almost jumped at the force of her reaction. Sloan’s eyes widened like he too felt the connection.

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Mary pulled her hand away and scrambled back against the wall. This was so not what she needed right now. Her body didn’t realize that this was a really bad time to wake up. After Artman’s betrayal she’d thought her libido had died completely. Her heart sure as hell had turned to dust. It was bad enough to be dumped after she did some very intimate things with him but to find out he was using her just to get into the drug safe. Well, that sounded the death knell on her dreams of everlasting love. It had been a hard lesson but she’d learned it. Her libido be damned, she wasn’t putting her self-esteem on the line for any man ever again. And if that meant she had to ignore the tingles Sloan sent dancing through her body, so be it. “So, what’s the plan?” Mary asked, trying to stay focused on business. “We ride out the storm up here. When it’s blown itself out we can set up the emergency homing device on the beach. Hopefully someone will come across the beacon and search farther.” “What about Drog and Lucy? Shouldn’t we look for them?” Having Lucy around would be a godsend. “Where do you propose to start? We don’t know anything about this planet, we have no way of contacting them and we could very well get ourselves killed wandering around out there for days. I say we sit tight and wait for help to arrive.” “But they could be in trouble!” “True. But how would getting ourselves killed help them out of it? By sending up the homing signal we can help them more.” “What are we supposed to do in the meantime? Fish?” Mary knew she sounded bitchy but the idea of being stranded here with only Sloan as company scared the bejesus out of her. There had to be something they could do to rescue themselves instead of waiting passively for help to arrive. “Maybe. Do you know how?” Sloan’s eyes glittered with amusement. So glad she was entertaining him. “As a matter of fact, I do. I grew up on the coast of Diamondia.” “Excellent. Then you know all about living on the ocean.” “I know too much about living on the ocean. That’s why I joined the Imperial Army. To get away from the fecking ocean.” “Hey, I know how you feel. I grew up in a mining village near Onyxil. I don’t really enjoy being back in a cave. At least there’s some light and fresh air in here though.” “True. But I still don’t like it.” Sloan threw his head back as he laughed. “At least we’re alive. Considering all we’ve been through over the last month, I think that’s pretty damn impressive.” “Maybe. I can’t help but think someone wants the entire crew of The Federation dead. How else do you explain the food poisoning, the attack and the failure of our life support systems?” 10

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“I don’t know. Someone wanted the Emperor and didn’t have any problem killing all of us to get to him. I just hope Major McDaniel is okay.” Mary’s heart ached for all the people who’d died just so someone could capture Emperor Thomelt. The gross loss of life went against everything she believed in as a healer. The Federation had been in battles where soldiers under her care had been injured and even killed but that had been in the line of duty. This was a vicious attack on the entire crew—support personnel as well as soldiers. “How long do you think we wandered in space before the life support systems failed?” Mary asked. “I have no idea. I was puking my guts out for what seemed like eons.” Sloan grimaced and pulled the tiny space heater out of the pack. “You and everyone else. Thank the stars I don’t eat red meat.” A shipment of fresh protein had been sent to The Federation supposedly from Empress Lissandra. The meat was bad and everyone who’d eaten it had come down with food poisoning. While the crew was incapacitated, an enemy strike team had attacked the ship and kidnapped the Emperor, sending The Federation off course. The life-support systems had been sabotaged, endangering the remaining survivors. “We made it. Now we just need to get back to Emeraldia so we can make sure whoever did this pays.” Sloan’s brown eyes lost their amusement and took on a ferocious gleam. “That’ll be a neat trick. We’re at the back end of nowhere, with no ship, no working com units and we’re caught in a storm. At this rate we’ll be lucky to see the next sunrise.” “Are you always this optimistic?” “I just call ‘em like I see ‘em.” “Here’s what I see. We’ve already made it through several potentially lifethreatening situations and we’re still alive. That has to count for something. We’re reasonably safe from the storm outside and in a few minutes we’ll be warm and dry. That sounds pretty good to me.” “I think you’re easily pleased.” His eyes roved over her face and body and Mary felt the heat from his stare like a laser beam. “Not that easily. I have high standards.” What was that supposed to mean? Was he insinuating that she didn’t meet his standards? Screw him, she didn’t want to meet his fecking high criteria anyway. “Good for you.” A chill shook her frame. Their uniforms were supposed to regulate their body temperature but they were probably malfunctioning too. “Do you have that heater set up yet? I’m freezing. These stupid suits aren’t working.” “Almost done. I’ll have you warm in a nano.”

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Mary rubbed her hands against her arms then frowned as the rough sand cut through the cloth. “Fah! I thought these things were indestructible. It’s not keeping me warm or dry.” “The composition of the material probably broke down on reentry. I’m sure the homing devices implanted in them don’t work anymore either. They’re now just expensive, skintight leisure suits.” The amusement was back in his chocolate-brown eyes. “Great.” “It could be worse. They could be expensive, baggy leisure suits.” She wouldn’t mind baggy right about now. In fact, wearing an old fishing sack sounded pretty good to her. The hum of the heater turning on was music to her ears and she crawled closer to the promised warmth—even if it did mean coming within touching distance of Sloan’s far too tempting form. Just remember, he thinks you’re either easy or desperate. Don’t be stupid just because he’s the only man here. The only man and an incredibly sexy one at that. Suddenly she felt warmer than could be explained by the slight glow of the heater. “That’s better, isn’t it? Now you’re warm, fed and have good company. What more could you ask for?” Mary yawned as the warmth spread through her body. “How about a nice soft bunk? Is there another blanket in there?” “Yup.” His eyes shone with anticipation. “Do you want the first watch or second?” There was no way she was sharing the other blanket with him. They could take turns sleeping. That would keep her out of trouble. “I’ll take the first watch since you’re obviously beat. Why don’t you curl up over here by me and you can use me as a pillow?” Riiight. “That’s okay. You don’t look like a very comfortable bed. Just give me the blanket and I’ll be fine over here.” Away from that all those inviting muscles. Sloan heaved a melodramatic sigh and passed her the blanket. Again his hand brushed hers and once again that electric tingle shot straight to her pussy. Quickly, Mary snatched the blanket to her chest to hide the telltale hardening of her nipples. “Wake me in two hours and I’ll relieve you.” “Is that a promise?” He wiggled his eyebrows salaciously. “I promise to take over guard duty. That’s all.” She tried to sound stern but his good humor was infectious. “A guy can dream, can’t he?”

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“Sure. As long as he’s not on guard duty. Nighty-night.” Mary wrapped the blanket around her and rolled into a ball facing the wall. Little stones dug into her side and she could feel Sloan’s eyes on her. There was no way she was getting any sleep tonight. She forced herself to remember why it would be a bad idea to fall for Sloan’s charm. Artman had seemed charming at first too but he’d only been out to get her password to the drug safe. Having kinky sex with her was just a bonus. Shame filled her as she remembered him holding her hostage with a laser scalpel to her throat. He’d bragged about using her while he threatened her life. She still had the scar on her hip from where he’d sliced her during his escape attempt. That was the smallest scar he’d given her. The ones on her heart and selfesteem went much deeper. Remember this feeling. Remember how many tears you cried over him after he dumped you. Maybe that will keep you from jumping in bed with Sloan. Mary forced away the heat Sloan stirred in her chest and pulled up the anger and pain from deep in her heart. So what if Sloan was nice to her now? That would only last as long as he wanted something from her. Once he got it he’d treat her just as bad as Artman had. He might treat her decently for a while—after all, she was the only woman here. Once they got rescued and he had his pick of women again the teasing would stop and she’d be just another woman fawning over him. Not this time. This time she’d be smart and not listen to her body’s pleading. That’s what got her into trouble before. But right now her body needed rest and with Sloan’s scent drifting through her head she found it.

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Chapter Two Sloan knew the second Mary had fallen asleep. His senses were so attuned to her every movement he’d probably know if she had a bad dream. He drank in the sight of her lovely form so close to him. Her body might be in touching distance but her heart was still light-years away. Fecking Artman! Sloan had wanted Mary ever since she’d patched him up in the infirmary. Her beautiful blue eyes had held a world of kindness in them and he’d been hooked from the first look. The fact that she had a body made for sin hadn’t dampened his enthusiasm any either. It had almost killed him when he’d found out she was with that scumbag Artman. Couldn’t she see what a loser he was? The bastard had bragged about what he was going to do to her in bed every night. Artman hadn’t loved her, he’d only wanted to play with her like a shiny new toy. Much later Sloan had learned how badly Artman had used Mary but it was too late by then. Innocent men had died from drug overdoses and Mary had taken each death to heart. She blamed herself for enabling Artman to get the painkillers he’d doctored and sold to the soldiers. Sloan blamed Artman for much more. The bastard had made Mary hide her head in imagined shame. Before Artman got his hands on her she’d always had a smile on her face and a kind word for everyone. Not anymore. In a sick way, Sloan wished Artman hadn’t been sent off the ship to stand trial for his crimes. He’d have loved to see the piece of toradal shit get food poisoning and puke his guts out for a week too. If fate were kind, he’d get beaten to a pulp on a prison planet somewhere. Making himself more comfortable on the rocky shelf, Sloan took in his surroundings. Luckily he’d avoided the claustrophobia that several of his family members suffered from or he’d be a mess stuck in this cavern. This wasn’t so bad, really. Not like the caves in Onyxil. Mining caves didn’t have cool breezes blowing in or walls smoothed by constant erosion. No, he’d grown up with jagged tunnels lit only by dim glow bulbs. Dark holes that were hot as an oven from the superheated magma below. When his fellow soldiers complained of the cramped crew quarters on board The Federation, he’d just laughed. They had no idea what close quarters were. By the age of eight, Sloan had been in tunnels so tight he’d had to back out in order to unload his cache. The best gems always seemed to be the farthest away and only the

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skinniest boys could reach them. Unfortunately, those tunnels also were the most unstable. He’d lost more than one childhood friend to cave-ins. A shudder ran down his spine and he took another look at the thick rock above him. Maybe he hadn’t completely escaped claustrophobia. Mary moaned in her sleep and threw her arm over her face as if warding off an attack. Sloan slid closer to her—that was a great hardship—and ran a soothing hand over her hair. “Shh, sweetie. You’re safe now. I’m here and no one will ever hurt you again.” His words must have penetrated her subconscious because the worried look on her face eased and she snuggled down into the blanket. Sloan continued to stroke her silky hair as he watched her sleep. The dark circles under her eyes stood out against her pale skin and her cheekbones looked much sharper than he remembered. More evidence of heartbreak. Damn it, it had been months since that episode. When would she stop punishing herself? “My darlin’ Mary, it’s time you stopped beating yourself up. I’ll get you to trust again. Better yet, I’ll get you to love again or die trying.” As Mary rolled away from him, Sloan thought winning Mary’s heart might just be the hardest task he’d ever set for himself.

***** “Sloan, wake up!” Mary shook his shoulder roughly. She hated to wake him up but the water was rising rapidly and she was afraid they’d be swamped soon. “Huh? What?” He blinked his eyes a few times and looked around. “Sorry to wake you but the water is coming up fast. If we get a good wave in here we could be in trouble.” “Let’s pack up our stuff then we’ll figure out what to do.” “I’m way ahead of you. I’ve got everything up except the blankets.” “How long was I out?” “As near as I can guess, a little over three hours. The water only started rising in the last hour or so.” “Why didn’t you wake me after two hours?” he asked, handing her the blanket. “Why didn’t you wake me?” she shot back at him. “You gave me an extra hour of sleep so I thought I’d return the favor. We’re equals in this mission, Sloan. I’m an officer in the Imperial Army, I can carry my fair share of the load.” His eyes looked her over for a long minute. She had to stand up to him now or he’d walk all over her in the name of “protecting” her. No way. “I know you’re an officer but you’re medical, not combat.”

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“Doesn’t matter. I had to go through basic training just like you. If you can’t treat me as a partner then you’re risking both our lives.” He appeared to mull over her words for a while before heaving a sigh. “I know you’re right but that doesn’t mean I won’t slip up from time to time. I’ll try not to treat you like a…” “Like a girl?” she asked with an arched brow. “Honey, there’s no chance in hell I’ll stop treating you like a girl.” His look was hot enough to scorch the clothes right off her body. “But I will stop treating you like a civilian. How about that?” His eyes glittered with amusement. “If that’s the best you can do, I’ll take it.” Simmering arousal bubbled in her veins. Damn it, how was she going to protect herself from him when he looked at her like that? A loud splash pulled her attention away from her dancing libido. “What was that?” Sloan turned and scanned the encroaching water. “I don’t know. Maybe a fish?” “That’d be a pretty big fish.” Mary moved as far away from the edge as she could. Apprehension shivered through her. There was something big in that water and she didn’t know if it was hungry or not. “Look! Over there, something’s moving.” Mary pointed to the shadow creeping in the murky water. “How can you tell? The water’s so cloudy I can’t see anything.” “I just know, okay? I didn’t see a laser in the pack. Do you have one?” She didn’t know if a laser would work but at this point she’d take any form of protection she could get. “I had one but I must have lost it when we landed. I was so worried about getting us out of the pod before it sank I didn’t secure it.” “Hell, with our luck it probably wouldn’t work anyway. Do we have anything we can use for a weapon?” “There are plenty of rocks up here.” “Very funny.” Mary stared at the place she’d last seen the shadow but there was nothing there now. A huge wave slammed against the walls of the cave, high enough to wet their feet. As the wave receded an enormous shell briefly appeared. Two black eyes stared right at her from the recesses of that shell. “Holy fecking cosmos! Did you see that?” Sloan shouted. “Uh-huh.” Mary was speechless. “What the hell is it?” “It looked like a hermit crab’s shell. But bigger than any hermit crab I’ve ever seen.” “What’s a hermit crab?”

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“At home they’re small crustaceans with little tiny pincers. They live in the sand under the sea.” Mary remembered collecting them when she was small. The shell she just saw was easily bigger than their escape pod. If the crab it housed was just as big, she didn’t want to see the size of its claws. “Are they aggressive?” Sloan asked. He’d picked up one of the larger rocks on the shelf and looked around for more. “Not generally. But I’ve never seen one this big either.” The water covered the shell again but Mary could still see its shadow moving closer. A man-sized claw shot out of the water and scraped against the wall below their ledge. Sloan fired a rock at the claw but it bounced off harmlessly. Mary’s legs went weak as she watched another claw scrabble for leverage on the wall. “It’s trying to climb up here!” A chittering cry answered her and the crab’s head poked above the water. Wicked black eyes stared hungrily at them out of a slimy green head. Deadly pointed teeth clicked together and the noise sent chills down her spine. Sloan threw another rock towards its head but the crab pulled back into the shelter of its shell and avoided the missile. Mary scrambled around looking for more ammunition for Sloan. Maybe the rocks wouldn’t hurt the crab but at least they would keep it too busy to find a way up to their ledge. She could only find a handful of medium-size stones. “I can’t find any more rocks. What are we going to do?” “I’ll hold him off as long as I can. Start looking for loose rocks. If we can get a sharp enough piece I’ll use it as a knife.” “A knife only works if he’s close enough for you to touch him.” “No kidding,” Sloan grunted as he fired another shot at the crab. “Are you out of your ever-loving mind? That thing isn’t going to let you get close enough to his head to stab him. He’ll cut you in half with those big sparking claws of his and eat you like a protein bar!” “You got any better ideas?” Before she could answer, the tip of a claw grabbed hold of the ledge. Sloan stomped on it and pushed it off before it could tear down the shelf. “Stay behind me. I don’t want it grabbing you,” Sloan shouted over his shoulder. Mary didn’t want it grabbing her either. Her hands bled and she dug into the wall looking for any loose rocks they could use. Nothing shook free and tears of fear and frustration ran down her face. She risked a glance over her shoulder and saw Sloan hammering away at another claw. The crab wasn’t budging. Frantically Mary pulled at an outcropping of stone praying for a sharp piece to come off. Her chest heaved with the effort but still nothing moved. 17

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Another claw found purchase on the shelf and Mary ran over to kick at it. A fetid stench slammed into her as she reached the claw. “Get back!” Sloan shouted at her. “No! You can’t fight both claws. If we don’t get them off, it’ll pull itself up here!” Mary’s soft boots didn’t faze the crab one bit and it reached higher up on the shelf. Sloan jumped up and pulled her back against the wall, putting his body between her and the enormous claws. The screech of shearing rock echoed through the cavern. Mary couldn’t hold back a scream of fear as the claws scratched their way closer. Suddenly the rock wall at her back moved. She and Sloan tumbled into pitchblackness. Hands tugged at their arms and pulled them deeper into a tunnel of some sort. “What the—” Sloan’s words were cut off by the grinding of rock against rock. A tiny flare of light made Mary wince. Several men surrounded them. The first thing Mary noticed was that they had a slightly blue cast to their very pale skin. The second thing she noticed was they all carried spears. And they were pointed right at her and Sloan. Sloan’s training immediately kicked in and he assessed his options. There weren’t many. He lay on the ground with multiple weapons pointed inches from his face. The men around him looked frail but had a wiry strength to them. Sloan might be bigger but he was outnumbered, weaponless and had Mary to worry about. One of the men made an odd clicking noise and gestured for them to get up. “We mean no harm,” Sloan said. Moving slowly, he stood and raised his hands over his head to show he was unarmed. Mary moved closer to him and they waited to see what their captors wanted them to do next. Two men darted off and the one who addressed them first motioned for them to follow him. They must be very well trained because other than that single clicking noise, Sloan hadn’t seen them communicate at all. A well-trained troop meant civilization of some sort. He just hoped they were peaceful. As they marched down kilometer after kilometer of twisting, turning tunnels, Sloan completely lost his bearings. Even if he managed to get away he wouldn’t know where the hell he was or where he should go. His best bet was staying with the local militia and trying to find a way to communicate with them. Not that he had much choice at this point. Eventually the tunnels they marched through widened. They came to a room carved out of rock. The walls glittered with minerals and light from an unseen source made the room as bright as daylight.

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Before Sloan could do more than gape at his surroundings, the soldiers pushed them into a cage built right into the rock. Without a word they slammed the door and walked away. “I guess that answers the question ‘what are they going to do with us’,” Mary said, sitting down with her back against the wall. “For now anyway.” Sloan sat down next to her and clasped her hand. She didn’t pull it away. That had to be a good sign. “Why would they save us from the crab if they only meant to kill us? I think maybe they’re just trying to get our measure now before they decide what to do with us.” “Maybe,” he said. He didn’t want to tell her that he knew several reasons they’d keep prisoners alive—none of them good. Sloan took a better look at his surroundings. Something wasn’t quite right but he couldn’t place it. The scene looked like a typical rural town setting. A small market had been set up opposite the town “square”. Women milled about with woven baskets on their arms and children ran around underfoot. Every once in a while one of the children would dare to sneak close to the cage and take a peek at the strangers but then he’d dart back to the safety of his parents. If it weren’t for their oddly angular features and blue skin, he’d have thought they were in any town in Emeraldia. “It’s awfully quiet, don’t you think?” Mary said with a shiver. “That’s it!” “What’s it?” “The quiet. That’s what’s wrong with this picture. No one is talking,” he said excitedly. “Look, even the kids are silent. Have you ever known kids to be quiet this long? I haven’t.” Mary cocked her head to the side as if considering his revelation. “Now that you mention it, you’re right. It’s like watching a vid with the sound turned off. I wonder if they can talk? Maybe they use a different type of communication?” “When they first captured us the leader made an odd clicking sound.” “He did? I don’t remember that.” “Trust me. I was paying very close attention to the man holding the spear aimed at my heart.” “You know what else? I don’t see any signs of technology here. There’s no computers, no glow bulbs, no electricity even.” “We’re past the far end of nowhere. I’m surprised they’ve even discovered fire this far away from civilized space,” Sloan scoffed. “They aren’t uncivilized. They just aren’t technologically advanced,” Mary said. “Huh? Isn’t that the same thing?”

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“Snob. No, it isn’t. Look, their clothing is finely made with intricate designs and they’re wearing elaborate jewelry. They’re shopping so they must have a system of trade. I’ll bet they even have a government with a set of laws. This is probably their local jail cell. Those are all signs of civilization. Just because they don’t do everything by computer doesn’t mean they’re savages.” How the hell had she figured all that out? Sloan took another look at the villagers, this time looking at the things she’d mentioned instead of looking for weapons. Son-of-a-limfa she was right. The women wore dresses of filmy material with multicolored designs stitched into them. Many of them wore clunky armbands and bracelets as well as a plethora of beaded necklaces. Sloan looked closer and saw that their black hair—which also had a blue tinge to it—was done in an elaborate style of swirls and curls atop their heads. Shit, he was a trained observer who’d been on dozens of foreign planets and he hadn’t noticed any of it. Granted, he’d been looking to their defenses not their fashion trends but still. “Did you notice there are no men here? Other than the ones who captured us? The only males I see look to be under the age of ten.” Sloan looked closer at the merchants and saw even they were women. “They could be out hunting or working or something.” “Maybe. But if you captured two aliens, wouldn’t you put a guard on them to keep them from harming your womenfolk?” “I guess. I don’t think there’s a heck of a lot we can do locked in a cage,” Mary said with a yawn. Their adventures and lack of sleep must be getting to her. She probably wasn’t used to fighting monster crabs on only three hours of sleep. “Why don’t you take a little nap? There’s nothing we can do now but wait. We might as well take advantage of the quiet and catch a few Zs.” She stifled a yawn behind her hand. “I’m fine, really. You got even less sleep than I did, why don’t you get some rest.” Sloan stretched out and pulled Mary onto his chest. “Why don’t we both sleep? I’m sure our hosts will wake us if they need anything.” Stars, it felt so good to have her weight on him. His cock stirred to life against his will and he fought to keep his erection hidden. Too bad the first time he got her luscious form on top of him they had to be in a cage in full sight of an alien village. Mary lay stiffly against him but didn’t pull away. After a few minutes she relaxed into his chest and settled down. He could feel her breath breezing over his nipples and more blood shot to his dick. If someone came to get them now they’d get an eyeful, that’s for sure. Eventually, his breathing matched Mary’s and he slipped into a light doze. He couldn’t relax completely in this situation but he could get some rest.

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“Do you think they’re dangerous?” B’rn asked in mind-speak. “How should I know? We need to wait for Mother to test them,” Ht’r answered. “What is she waiting for?” B’rn fiddled nervously with her bracelets and snuck another look at the sleeping couple in the jail. They were so oddly colored, without a hint of blue to their skin. And the female’s hair was the hue of sea kelp. She’d never seen anything like it in her life. “She’ll come in her own good time. The men are still arguing over what to do with them. When they finish their discussion, Mother will test them and weigh in with her opinion.” B’rn wished they’d make a decision soon. She didn’t like seeing anyone in a cage. Would these strangers be the answers to their prayers? Shells, she hoped so. “Why do men have to argue so long about everything?” B’rn said irritably. It was getting close to her mating time and if her mate M’rk didn’t come out soon she was going to be in severe pain. “Because they’re men. They have to boast and argue and think their way is the only way. That’s why Mother has the final say. Look. Here she comes now.” Ht’r grabbed B’rn’s arm and pulled her closer to the cage where the strangers lay. Mother’s wizened form strode proudly through the crowded streets until she reached the jail. Pulling a handful of dust out of the pouch by her side she sprinkled it over the strangers and began chanting. B’rn’s hair stood on end as she felt the power surround Mother. Without a word all the women formed a half-circle around her and added their strength to the spell. As the dust settled on the strangers, clouds billowed up around them. Images B’rn couldn’t comprehend flickered faster than lightning on the clouds. The pictures made no sense to her but Mother obviously understood them because she nodded several times. When the clouds flared out with a sizzle, Mother stepped back and released the power circle. “They will help us. The female is a powerful healer. The male is a warrior and can teach us many things about warfare. Let them sleep now. When they awaken provide food and clothing and bring them to the baths. They are both in need of care.” “But Mother—” B’sk, an elder male, protested. “Do you doubt my judgment, B’sk? Would you care to be tested to see if your motives are for the good of the tribe?” Mother’s silver eyes glowed with power as she faced down B’sk. “No, Mother.” He backed down. Mother nodded once and turned back to the strangers. Reaching back into her pouch she dug out another handful of dust and sprinkled it over the strangers. This time her chant rang inside B’rn’s head as well as in the air. When the strangers awoke they would be able to communicate with mind-speech.

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“Let us prepare, we have much to do before they awake. I want the finest spinners making clothes to fit them. Ht’r, gather soap-weed and bring it to the baths. Rl’n, take what help you need for the kitchens. Let us fete our guests before we ask them for help.” Mother handed out orders left and right as she made her way through the crowd. B’rn tried to avoid her silver gaze. She didn’t mind helping normally but if she didn’t mate soon the stomach cramps would incapacitate her. Suddenly Mother’s eyes found her and zeroed in. B’rn tried to stand up straight but the mating sickness had begun to settle in. Mother’s eyes widened in surprise. “M’rk! Get to your mate now! Before it’s too late!” Thank the tides!

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Chapter Three Sloan stretched his arms over his head as he woke from a deep sleep. Immediately he noticed two things. One, he’d slept on a rock that was now digging painfully into his back. Two, Mary’s sexy body was cuddled up against him and his body had reacted in its typical fashion with a hard-on. Taking deep breaths, he tried to shove aside the rampant desire pounding through his body. He’d managed to get his cock to only semi-rigidity when Mary groaned and rubbed her face against his chest. So much for control. Almost against his will, Sloan’s hand crept up to stroke Mary’s back. She snuggled deeper into his chest and he couldn’t hold back a groan of mixed agony and pleasure. “Oh! Sloan!” Mary’s eyes popped open and she sat up like she’d been burned. “I’m sorry. I was half asleep and didn’t realize…” “No harm done. I was asleep too,” he lied. “I had the strangest dreams. I dreamt someone was in my head, sifting through my memories like you’d flip through the pages of an old-fashioned book. I could see everything that happened to me in my life and all the feelings that went along with the memories. It was strange.” Her face took on a thoughtful expression. “I slept like a rock. In fact, I slept on a rock.” Sloan stood and massaged his back, focusing on the ache to help distract him from Mary’s delicious body just millimeters from him. “Lucky you. It was so odd. I kept hearing voices in my head, like I was eavesdropping on someone’s conversation.” She shook herself and stood also. “How long do you think we were out?” “Long enough for them to close up shop for the day. Look, there’s no one here.” Sloan searched the deserted square for signs of a guard but didn’t see anyone. “I hope they don’t mean to starve us to death.” Mary rubbed her stomach. “Seems like an awful slow way to kill someone.” Sloan moved to the door of the cage and tested the strength of the bars. To his surprise the door swung open with a squeak. “It isn’t locked?” Mary asked in surprise. “Apparently not.” “Why would they put us in a cage and then unlock it?” “Maybe it’s a test. As soon as we set foot outside they’ll fire those spears down on us.” Sloan scanned the area looking for hidden enemies.

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“That doesn’t make sense. If they had wanted to kill us they could have done it while we slept. Heck, they could have just let the crab get us. I don’t think they mean us any harm.” Her face took on a look of concentration and before he could stop her she walked out the door. “Wait! Damn it, Mary, get back here!” Sloan reached for her arm but she slipped past him. “Come on. I think they want us to come to them.” She seemed to be listening to something. “Who wants us to go where?” Sloan hurried to catch up with her. “The villagers. They want us to join them. Can’t you hear it?” Oh no, Mary was losing it. “Hear what?” “The voices. They’re inviting us to join them.” Great. Just great. Now she was hearing voices in her head. He did not need her to fall apart on him right now. “Mary, maybe you better lie down for a minute. I think you might be dehydrated…” “I’m not dehydrated and I’m not insane.” She turned around and planted her hands on her hips. “If you’d stop looking for the next attack to come and listen with something besides your muscles maybe you’d hear them too.” Sloan stopped in his tracks. “One of us has to think about defense. Since you’re running off half-cocked it obviously isn’t going to be you.” “I’m not going off half-cocked. Would you just stop trying to take control for a minute and listen? Please?” Her blue eyes beseeched him and he caved. “If I promise to listen, will you let me take the lead?” Mary searched his eyes for a minute but eventually relented. “Deal. Just give it a chance.” “What exactly am I supposed to listen for?” “Close your eyes and try to relax. Take a few deep breaths. I think if you quiet your mind you’ll hear them.” Sloan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I feel ridiculous.” “There’s no one here to see you but me. Try to open yourself up to them. They want us to come to them.” “Come. We have a meal prepared for you and fresh water to bathe in. Join us.” “What the fuck was that?” Sloan jumped and spun around looking for the person behind the voice. It had a definite feminine feel to it. “Come. We are waiting for you. Through the waterfall at the end of the path.” “See. They want us to come,” Mary said smugly. “But—”

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“Don’t you get it? That’s why it was so quiet. They mind-speak. And now they’re speaking to us.” Feck. Giant crabs, blue men and now mind-speech. They didn’t cover this in basic training. Sloan stepped in front of Mary and led the way down a path. He didn’t have Mary’s blind faith that the villagers meant them no harm but he couldn’t deny hearing the voices. He’d go along with it for now but be ready for an attack just in case. The voices had stopped speaking as soon as he started on the path. How did they know he was following directions? Could they see inside his head too? The thought sent chills down his back. He didn’t want anyone poking around in his mind. Less than a kilometer away they came to a waterfall, easily three meters wide and ten meters tall. “What do we do now?” he asked. “They said through the waterfall so I guess we go through it.” Mary looked at the pounding water dubiously. “I’ll go first. Wait here and if you hear me screaming run back to the cage.” Sloan stepped into the swirling pool of water at the base of the falls. “Wait. Why don’t we go in together?” Mary grabbed his hand and clutched it to her chest. “Because if something’s going to attack us, it’s going to have to go through me to get to you.” There was no way Sloan was letting her set foot into the unknown. “But—” “No buts. Wait here. If it’s safe I’ll come back for you.” “Wait.” She tugged him close then pulled his head down for a quick, hard kiss. “For luck. Be careful.” Sloan rubbed his thumb along her porcelain-smooth cheek. “You better believe it.” With the tingle of her kiss still on his lips he slogged through the pool into the driving water. Mary watched the pounding falls swallow up Sloan’s form. Damn, why had she kissed him? That was a stupid thing to do. Her lips hummed with pleasure from the brief contact. And her pussy lips wanted some contact of their own. What the hell was wrong with her? Mary kicked at the water swirling around her feet and sent a splash of frustration towards the falls. She should be looking for signs of trouble and instead she was mooning over a man. What an idiot. She took a deep breath and then another one. When her chaotic thoughts were slightly more under control she listened for the voices to come to her again. They were silent now. Why had they stopped calling? Were they waiting for her and Sloan to follow directions? Could they be leading them into a trap?

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No. Sloan thought that but she knew the villagers didn’t mean them any harm. Her gut told her they were peaceful and wouldn’t hurt her or Sloan. But if they weren’t hurting Sloan, why hadn’t he come back for her yet? What if he couldn’t? What if they captured him as soon as he stepped through the water? What if he tripped on a rock on the way in and was even now lying on the ground waiting for help? What if he hit his head and fell in the water and was drowning? Mary wrung her hands harder with every “what-if”. Should she go in after him? He had told her to wait and he’d come back for her. But what if he couldn’t? She bit her lip in indecision. She’d wait five more minutes and if he hadn’t come back by then she was going in after him. There was no way in hell she was running back to the cage like a frightened little girl. With her wrist com broken she had no way of knowing how much time had passed. Mary tried counting off the seconds in her head but her worries kept distracting her. “Screw it.” It was close enough to five minutes. Offering up a quick prayer for luck she stepped under the pounding spray of the falls. Thunderous sheets of cold water slammed down on her, soaking her instantly. It didn’t taste like salt water. Maybe it came from an underground spring? It was cold enough to come from a glacier. She pushed her way through the water until she reached a tunnel behind the waterfall. It was dimly lit with more of the odd glowing lichen that lined the cavern where they’d been held. The rock beneath her feet was smooth and slick from the spitting water and Mary made a mental note to watch her step. She wasn’t exactly the most graceful person. With her luck she’d slip and twist an ankle. Maybe that had been what happened to Sloan? She quickened her pace a little bit more. The farther she traveled along the path the brighter and warmer it got. She’d gone less than a kilometer when the tunnel began to open up. Fresh air wafted over her face and she hastened her steps. Just as she was about to reach a curve in the path, a hand snaked out around her leg and pulled her down. Mary bit back a scream and raised her foot up to lash out at her captor. “Damn it, Mary, why are you always attacking me?” Sloan’s voice stopped her kick in mid-swing. “And why can’t you follow directions?” “Sloan! Oh my stars, I was so worried. What took you so long?” Mary crawled over to where he hid behind an outcropping of rock. “I was watching them interact before I jumped out so they could capture me. Now that you’re here you can tell me what you think.” He moved over so she could squeeze next to him and get a look. Mary tried to concentrate on the scene in front of her and not on the feel of Sloan’s chest and thighs pressing against her backside.

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Fat chance. Using what was left of her brain she forced herself to look where Sloan indicated. The rocks they hid behind were on the edge of where the tunnel opened up at the end of the path. If she peered over the top of the boulders she could see a wide pool of water with steam rising up from it. Several people splashed around in the pool and frolicked uninhibitedly. It took Mary a few seconds to realize that they were all naked and some of them were quite obviously male. “I guess we found where the rest of the men went,” Mary said, squirming a bit. It felt a little naughty to watch their captors skinny-dipping. Naughty, and very arousing. “I don’t think they’re waiting to ambush us.” “I don’t think so either but watching for a few more minutes won’t hurt. They could be using the pool as a distraction since it’s the only thing you can see from the path.” Pretty damn effective distraction if you asked her. Trying to ignore the heat coursing through her, Mary attempted to observe the villagers in a clinical fashion. After all, she was a medical officer, she’d seen naked bodies before. The villagers’ bodies were very different from anything she’d ever seen. Both men and women were completely hairless from the neck down. They appeared very frail with thin, angular arms and legs. The women had almost no breasts but very pronounced nipples. The men’s penises looked normal to her—not that she had much experience to base it on. They were definitely smaller than the rock-hard cock pressing against her backside right now. Mary looked up to see Sloan staring open-mouthed at the far side of the pool. She followed his gaze and let out a gasp of surprise. In the shallow end of the pool a woman sat on a man’s lap with her back against his chest. His hands massaged her small breasts as she arched in pleasure. Mary’s nipples tightened as the man pinched the woman’s nipples. Another woman swam up to them and must have said something because the man opened his knees, which caused the woman on his lap to spread her legs wide. Her naked pussy lay open and the second woman leaned her head in. Liquid heat gushed between Mary’s legs as she watched one woman pleasure another while the man stroked and caressed her breasts. Her clit grew and swelled as her pussy lips filled with blood. It was all she could do to keep her hand from straying to her own breasts and pussy. Sloan’s chest rose and fell rapidly with his breathing and Mary knew he was just as turned on by the sight as she was. Almost against her will, she rubbed her ass against his rigid cock. A low moan came from his mouth and his hands drifted down to hold her hips against his length.

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It was Mary’s turn to breathe heavily now. His fingers stroked ever-widening circles over her pelvis. With each pass he came a little closer to her waiting clit. Her slit had grown so wet cream dripped down her thighs. Tiny alarm bells rang in her head but she ignored them. Mary was too caught up by the sight of the ménage in front of her and the feel of Sloan behind her to heed any warnings from her common sense. The woman on the receiving end of the threesome threw her head back against the man’s shoulder and arched her back in ecstasy. Almost unconsciously, Mary mimicked the movement, rolling her head against Sloan’s muscled chest. With a groan Sloan slid his lips down the column of her throat. The heat from his mouth shot through her body like wildfire. Her nipples throbbed painfully and a deep, ferocious need pulled at her core. Mary squeezed her legs together to ease the ache that bloomed there. The feel of Sloan’s breath breezing over her neck set every nerve ending on red alert. His hands slowly crept up to cup her breasts through her uniform. The thin material of the suit was no protection from the heat of his hands. Her breath caught as he gently kneaded her breasts. Stars above, how she wanted him to stroke her nipples like the man in the pool was doing to his lover. Almost as if he could read her mind, Sloan unlocked her suit and let it fall to her waist. Her bare breasts fell out into his waiting hands. The feel of those hard, calloused fingers skimming over her sensitized skin sent goose bumps down her spine. Soft lips pressed kisses up her neck to her ear. Sloan bit her earlobe gently as he pinched both her nipples. The double assault shot through her like an ion cannon. Mary thrust her chest out for more. Sloan seemed happy to oblige. Mary rocked against his erection, loving the feel of his hardness against the cleft of her ass. Their suits only heightened the stimulation—and the frustration—of the contact. She wanted to feel his hands on her naked body, wanted to touch his naked body in the worst possible way but the damn uniform was interfering. One of Sloan’s hands drifted lower and parted the bottom of her suit. Mary’s breath caught as she waited for those long fingers to reach her waiting pussy. Eons seemed to pass before he wove through her curls and grazed her clit. Biting back a cry, Mary lifted her hips higher to give him better access to her slit. Stars, she was so close to coming her head was going to explode! The woman in the pool appeared to be on the edge too. Her hips thrust against the mouth licking her pussy and Mary felt a desperate envy for the release the other woman was getting. Part of her wanted to beg Sloan to touch her but something held her back. She almost feared that if she spoke she’d break the spell that held them both in its grasp. Sloan didn’t need her words anyway. He cupped her pussy and slid one thick finger inside her dripping core. Every atom of her being felt that finger pierce her center and welcomed it. Her inner muscles gripped him and sucked him deeper. As he drove 28

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in and out, his knuckle rasped over nerve endings, sending her closer and closer to the edge of oblivion. His free hand pressed low on her abdomen as his thumb stroked her clit. Mary’s world exploded into a billion shooting stars as a shock wave of release tore through her. Her entire body shuddered and quivered as the orgasm rolled on and on. She vaguely felt Sloan thrust his cock against her ass as he too found release but was too caught up in her own orgasm to pay attention. “Now that you two have found your pleasure, come join us in the baths.” Mary opened her eyes at the mental voice and saw an elderly woman treading water in the steaming pool. Her long, gray hair floated around her shoulders and she waved a welcoming hand at them. “What should we do?” Mary asked. Her voice was thick and husky with spent desire. Ever so slowly her senses came back. Her face flamed with mortification as she looked down and saw Sloan’s large hand still cupping her pussy and his finger still in her body. “I guess we should take a bath. Stars know I need to clean up.” His chest pressed rapidly against her back with his ragged breathing. Obviously he wasn’t as unaffected by the situation as his calm words indicated. He rubbed his finger inside her before pulling it out with a wet slurp. Mary’s body spasmed one more time as she stood up on shaking legs. What the hell had gotten into her? How could she have let Sloan touch her like that? Let? If she’d been capable of speaking she would have begged him to touch her. Who was she kidding? Damn it. She’d thought she’d buried all her perverted leanings after Artman. Had he turned her into some sex addict? “Are you okay?” Sloan stood behind her and reached out to her with a slightly shaking hand but she avoided his touch. She couldn’t look him in the face. He must think all the rumors about her were true. Feck, maybe they were true. Maybe she really was a sex-starved pervert. “I-I’m fine. Let’s go down and see what they want.” Mary pulled her suit up and reattached the locking mechanism. Without another word she moved out from behind the rocks and stepped back onto the path that led to the pool. The air grew noticeably warmer and moister as she approached the bath. She could smell a heavy metallic odor. An underground spring? Maybe. That would explain the warm water. She tried to focus on the older woman who beckoned her closer and ignore the stares of the surrounding people. It wasn’t easy. Sloan was right behind her and she could feel his eyes burning through her back almost as strongly as the curious looks of the villagers. She ignored him too.

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Sweat dripped down her back the closer she got to the water. The air felt thick and humid and hard to breathe. Once she reached the edge of the pool she stopped. What was she supposed to do now? She longed to strip down like the rest but felt selfconscious with all these people looking at her. “Don’t be afraid, the water is warm and soothing.” “How can I hear you in my mind?” Mary asked, unsure how to talk back with mind-speech. “While you and your mate slept I opened your mind to us. All you have to do is project your mental ‘voice’ and we will hear you.” “Are you saying you can read our minds?” Sloan asked somewhat aggressively. “Be at ease, warrior. We can only hear what you project. You choose what thoughts you wish to share and with whom you wish to share them. Your private thoughts are your own. Now come and renew yourselves in the waters before we sup.” Sloan cocked an eyebrow at Mary and she shrugged her shoulders. If she continued to huddle on the shore like a sacrificial virgin she could very well insult their hosts. She might as well get over her hang-ups and join them in the water. Besides, everyone else was naked and Sloan had already seen her all but naked. With a deep breath she unlocked her uniform and let it drop to the ground. Quickly, she stepped into the water and sank down until it covered her completely. “Spoilsport,” Sloan called softly behind her. She turned to see him strip off his suit and wade into the water slowly. His cock was still semi-erect, surrounded by a nest of dark black hair. Heat blossomed out from her pussy as she watched him move through the water. Dear stars in the cosmos! He was one good-looking specimen of male perfection. And he knew it too. The rat. A smug smile graced his too handsome face as he caught her staring at him. Mary turned around quickly and swam over to their hostess. Okay, how did she do this mind-speaking thing again? Just project what she was thinking. How hard could it be? “Thank you for saving us from the giant crab.” It couldn’t hurt to start off with thanks instead of peppering her with questions. “We have lost several warriors to the crustomorphs. It was only good fortune that B’rn heard your calls and alerted the guards.” “Then I must thank B’rn as well,” Mary said, looking around. “She is with her mate right now but I will pass on your thanks. If you wish to wash there is soap-weed on the ledge over there.” She pointed to the far end of the pool where several women splashed and laughed. “If your muscles ache after your battle with the crustomorphs, there are low benches built into the wall where the current is stronger. I invite you to sit and relax for a while before our evening meal.”

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“But—” Mary started. She had a million questions to ask. “All will be answered in good time. For now rest and renew yourselves. The others will leave you alone to ease your mind.” Mary looked away in embarrassment. Was it that obvious that she was uncomfortable with all the strangers looking at her? It probably was since she’d stayed submerged up to her neck the whole time. “Cloths for drying are heating on the rocks over there and clothes have been provided for your comfort. When you are through, follow that path and join us.” The older woman pointed to a path across the pool then swam towards shore. “Wait! What is your name?” “I am called Mother,” she mind-spoke without turning around. With a great deal of dignity, Mother strode naked out of the pool and accepted a robe and a staff from a young girl. It didn’t escape Mary’s notice that the girl couldn’t keep her eyes off Sloan. Mary didn’t blame her. She was having a hard time keeping her eyes off him herself. Mother let out a piercing whistle followed by a multitude of clicks and clacks and everyone exited the pool in a rush. “Now that’s power. I’d like to put her in a room with Major McDaniel and see who comes out alive,” Sloan said, swimming towards Mary. “That would be a battle of wills for sure,” Mary babbled. Sloan moved in on her with a very determined look on his face. She felt like a limfa under the eyes of an angry toradal. “I-I think I’ll wash up a bit.” Mary pushed off the smooth floor of the pool and away from Sloan. “Good idea. I’ll wash your back.” Sloan followed her. Somehow Mary didn’t think Sloan was going to let her forget about their encounter by the rocks.

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Chapter Four Sloan hid a smile as he watched Mary try to stay below the surface of the shallow water. He didn’t know why she was so bashful now, he’d already seen her breasts. Seen them, touched them, hell, he’d worshiped them like the heaven-sent bounty they were. And he wanted more. One touch of her satin-smooth skin wasn’t nearly enough. Especially since he’d still had his uniform on. Oh no, now that she’d let him caress her he wasn’t going to let her hold him at arm’s length again. Like she obviously wanted to. She was backpedaling away from their moment by the rocks as fast as she could. Too bad he didn’t plan on letting her get away with it. “It’s not going to go away just because you’re pretending it didn’t happen,” he said as she reached for a huge sponge lying on the rocks. The curve of one creamy breast became briefly visible as she leaned over but she quickly submerged herself again. Sloan’s cock came to its full and upright position at just the hint of her breasts. Feck, who knew he could recover that fast? Considering how long he’d wanted Mary it shouldn’t really be that much of a surprise to him but he’d never managed to have another erection ten minutes after coming before. He’d never watched group sex while holding Mary before either. There were a lot of firsts today. “I’m not pretending anything. I just don’t see the need to discuss it.” She scrubbed her chest furiously. A blush spread over her face and she looked away from him. “You’re right. We don’t need to discuss it but I fully plan on repeating it. And more.” He planted himself in front of her, boxing her in against the ledge and his aroused body. His cock bobbed on the surface of the water. He wasn’t the least bit embarrassed by his body’s reaction to her. She should know what she did to him. Startled blue eyes flew up to his face. “Look, I don’t care what you might have heard about me but I’m not a slut. I don’t go around doing…that…with every soldier that crosses my path.” Her jaw clenched and he saw pain and humiliation in her eyes before she looked away from him. Damn it. That wasn’t what he wanted. The last thing he wanted was for her to think of Artman right now. Sloan knelt down on the smooth stone bottom until he was eye level with Mary. Slowly, so he wouldn’t startle her, he grasped her chin and turned her face to his.

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“I have never considered you as anything less than a beautiful woman with a generous heart. Your very kindness is what attracted me to you first. Long before you got wrapped up with Artman.” She flinched at the mention of that bastard but he wouldn’t let her turn away again. “I’m not going to let what that asshole did ruin your life or prevent me from being part of it. You were meant for me, Miss Mary, and I’m not going to let you go.” “I belong to myself, no one else.” Her chin quavered and her voice shook but she didn’t pull away. “It isn’t up to you to decide whether or not I’ll let Artman ruin my life. I can take care of myself.” She pulled her chin out of his hand and tried to move away but Sloan quickly put his arms on either side of her, caging her in. “Let me go.” “I will but not quite yet. Maybe I need to clarify things.” He’d better do some quick talking before she started screaming and the locals came to investigate. “I didn’t mean to imply that I wanted to control you. I only meant that what Artman said and did has no bearing on how I feel about you. How I’ve always felt about you.” He stared into her wary eyes and prayed she believed him. She looked skeptical for a minute but eventually gave him a slight nod. Thank the stars. Sloan backed away from her and gave her a little space. If he tried to touch her now she’d think he’d only said that to get in bed with her. He was a soldier, he knew when to stage a tactical retreat. “I don’t think we should leave our hosts waiting too long. Let’s wash up and go see what they have to eat in this place.” “Sure.” Mary gave him a puzzled look and quickly moved away from him. Probably didn’t know what to make of him backing off. Good. If she didn’t know what he’d do next she couldn’t put up barriers against him. He turned his back on her delicious body to give her some privacy. Trying to distract himself from her presence just centimeters away from him, Sloan took in the surroundings. The water he stood in was pleasantly warm and had a slight metallic odor to it. There must be some volcanic activity around to cause a thermal spring like this underground. The vaulted ceiling above him was rough stone but the rock walls and floor were worn as smooth as glass. None of the tunnels on his planet looked anything like this. Little flecks of bright minerals gleamed out from the gray rock making it shimmer. It was almost like a billion twinkling lights danced just under the surface. The effect was pretty but very odd. A splash sounded behind him and Sloan had to tense every muscle in his body to resist turning around. If he saw Mary’s naked body as she climbed out of the pool he’d never give her the space she needed. He sank a little lower in the water to hide his raging hard-on. His balls were so full and his cock so hard, all it would take was one stroke of her hand to shoot him over the

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edge. If he didn’t want to announce his condition to the entire gathering of locals he’d better take care of this not-so-little problem himself. It didn’t look like Mary was going to volunteer to relieve him again. Sloan wrapped his hand around his cock and imagined it was Mary’s. Closing his eyes he pictured her luscious body sprawled out and waiting for him. In his fantasy she had her eyes half closed and moaned out his name. Her perfect breasts lay waiting for his touch and her nipples stood at attention begging for his mouth. His hand stroked faster as he remembered the feel of her hot, wet pussy surrounding his finger. Only, in his mind her tight walls squeezed his cock as he drove into her repeatedly. He could hear her calling his name as he gushed out his orgasm. “Sloan? Are you coming?” Oh yeah. His hips jerked a few more times as he stroked his spasming cock. As his body shuddered back to normal he realized he wasn’t imagining Mary’s voice, she was really talking to him. “Huh? Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.” He turned around to see her standing on the edge of the pool looking at him with an eyebrow raised in question. She wore one of the filmy dresses he’d seen the local women wearing only they didn’t look like that in them. The light green material clung to every lush curve of her sexy little body. Unlike their skintight uniforms, this outfit softened her form and made his mouth water to see what was underneath it. His cock twitched again. Down, boy! Cripes, there must be something in this water. He’d never recovered that fast before. If he could bottle the water from the pool it would put half the pharmaceutical companies out of business. And make lots of old men really happy. “Are you done washing? Weren’t you the one who didn’t want to keep them waiting?” “Yeah, I’m coming.” In more ways than one. Mary turned her back as Sloan climbed out of the pool. She didn’t want to see any more of his naked flesh than she already had. Ha! Liar! Okay, she didn’t need to see any more of his naked flesh. Just the memory of steely muscles rippling inches from her face made her pussy gush. She’d barely recovered from the latest assault on her senses and already her body was gearing up to go another round with him. No! If he didn’t think she was a slut yet there was no sense in proving it to him. Just because she’d let him touch her once didn’t mean she had to do it again.

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But stars above, how she wanted to. Her knees turned to water as she remembered the feel of his thick finger in her channel. She’d never come so hard in her life and he hadn’t even put his cock inside her. Put those thoughts out of your head right now, missy! Just because she’d slipped up once didn’t give her permission to throw in the towel and jump him again. She was not a slave to her body, damn it. If she had sex with him it would only validate everything Artman had said about her. She could still hear his hateful voice whispering in her ear, calling her a horny bitch when she initiated sex. He’d accused her of being a nymphomaniac because she wasn’t satisfied. Maybe if she came as quickly as he had she wouldn’t have wanted sex so often. The thought put a little steel in her spine. Lucy had told her that having a healthy sex drive didn’t make her a pervert and Mary believed her. But Lucy didn’t know about the other things Artman had done to her. Things Mary’d only heard about in whispers. Things she’d liked too much. A fresh surge of embarrassment washed over her. Sloan’s hot eyes would look at her in disgust if he knew what she’d done. He wouldn’t want to touch her again if he knew what kinky things Artman had introduced to her. She couldn’t let him find out. It would be better to never let him touch her again than for him to find out what fantasies played out in her mind. Fantasies that had him playing a starring role now that she’d had a taste of his magic touch. Stars, she had to get her head on straight. This wasn’t the time to think about her messed-up hormones, they needed to focus on the villagers waiting for them. Focus on the mission. Find Lucy and Drog and get off this planet. “Okay, I’m decent. Are you ready to go?” Sloan looked at her with his sexy grin firmly in place. She was more than ready to go. Far away from him.

***** As they walked up the path Mother had directed them to, delicious odors of cooking food wafted towards them. Mary heard more of the strange clicking noises like Mother had made and some high-pitched laughter. “That must be how they talk,” she muttered. “What? That clacking noise?” Sloan asked. He wore a pair of pants and a shortsleeved shirt made out of the same material as her dress. His dark hair and skin stood out distinctly in the light-colored clothes. They fit him so well she was sure they’d been made especially for him. And damn if he didn’t look so good she had to fight to keep her eyes off his tightly muscled ass.

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Mary cleared her throat and forced her attention back on their conversation. “It makes sense. The high-pitched clicks would carry well in these tunnels and over the water. Our speech patterns would get lost in the echoes in these caverns.” “You’re probably right. Back home we used our wrist coms to talk because you couldn’t understand the guy in the tunnel next to you. If we knew how to chatter or use mind-speech like they do we could have avoided a lot of confusion.” He stopped walking and looked at her for a minute. “I think we’re going to have to practice this mind-speech thing a bit. I don’t want to accidentally slip up and broadcast what I’m thinking to everyone. There’s going to be times I want to only communicate with you and if I can do that with this mind-speech business that will be a bonus.” “It sure would but only if we get it right. Why don’t we try it now? Think of something you don’t want me to ‘hear’ and I’ll tell you if it leaks through.” “Sure,” he said. A sexy smile crossed his face. “You’re thinking about sex,” she said wryly. “Did I project that or were you just guessing?” “You didn’t have to project that, I could tell by the look on your face.” “Okay, I’ll try again.” His face scrunched up in concentration. A minute later he asked, “Well? Did you ‘hear’ me?” “Not a peep. What were you saying?” “I’ll never tell.” He winked at her. “I think I see how it works. I imagined a wrist com in my head. When I wanted to mind-speak to you I ‘pressed’ the switch. When I wanted to think without you hearing me I didn’t press it.” “That makes sense. Mother said we just had to project what we were thinking to let other people understand. When we talked to her at the baths we must have been unconsciously ‘pressing’ that button. Now that we know what’s going on we can control it better. Let me try.” Mary tried to think of something innocent just in case she slipped up. She didn’t want him knowing any more of her chaotic thoughts than he did already. In her head she pictured a wrist com and thought about her surroundings without pressing the switch. “Hear anything?” “Nope. Now try to mind-speak to me.” She “pressed” the switch on the imaginary wrist com and said, “We should get moving again. They’re waiting for us.” “Figures you’d nag in mind-speak,” he teased. “But you’re right. I want to see what the rest of this place looks like anyway. Let me tell you, none of the caves I crawled through were like this.” “I’d forgotten you came from a mining sector. What was it like?” She lengthened her stride to keep up with him and her leg muscles burned as the path grew steep. The tunnel seemed to climb up and around. 36

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“Not like this, that’s for sure. These tunnels are bigger than the halls on The Federation. On Onyxil we had to slide on our bellies to get through some of the passageways. We didn’t have hot springs either, although I’d heard some of the other mining towns did.” A shudder ran down her spine at the thought of moving through a space so small she couldn’t even crawl through it. The cavern they were in now was bigger than some ships she’d served on and a fresh breeze blew in from somewhere. It was well lit and warm, not dark and dank like she would have thought. “I’m glad we’re not marooned on Onyxil then. I don’t think I’d do well in such confined spaces.” “You and me both. I couldn’t wait to get off that hunk of rock.” Mary was about to ask him more but stopped in surprise as they rounded a corner. The path ended at a plateau but that wasn’t what made her gape in shock. A deep canyon complete with an underground stream ran below the ridge where they stood. Across the canyon was a cliff with hundreds of cave-type dwellings carved out of it. A twisting staircase ran down the wall to the stream. A narrow rock bridge spanned the stream. The noises they’d heard on the way up came from the people gathered at the base of the cliff. Mary could only marvel at the effort it must have taken to create such elaborate homes from rock. She’d never seen anything like this in her entire life and doubted she ever would again. “And it’s all underground. Amazing,” Sloan said, echoing her thoughts. “Did you have anything like this on Onyxil?” “We had plenty of caves but nothing like this. We must be kilometers below sea level but you’d never know it.” Sloan started down the steep stairs. Mary followed, stepping carefully on the smooth steps. It was a long way down and she didn’t really want to take the quicker but infinitely more painful route. Sloan strode down as sure-footed as if he was on a people-mover back home. Once he reached the bridge he waited for her to catch up to him so they could cross at the same time. She did her best to hide her gasps for air as they walked over the little stream trickling below the bridge. Sweat dripped down her face from the descent and she discreetly wiped it off with the sleeve of her dress. Sloan wasn’t even breathing heavy. The bastard. She pushed aside her venomous thoughts as they reached the opposite shore where Mother waited for them. “Welcome! Did you enjoy your bath?” Mother asked. The old woman handed them two roughly carved wooden cups containing a clear drink. Sloan raised an eyebrow at Mary and she shrugged her shoulders. If the locals had meant to kill them they could have done so long ago. It didn’t make sense to poison them now.

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Mary took a sip of the beverage and let the flavor roll over her tongue. It tasted vaguely like tea. A little unusual but not bad. “Thank you for the clothes, Mother. We feel much better now that we are clean.” Mary gave a nod. “Good, good. You’ll feel even better once you’ve eaten something. Come join our meal.” She turned and walked towards the heavily laden tables without bothering to see if they followed her. Mary looked over at Sloan who smiled and stepped behind the petite Mother. It wasn’t like they had many options open to them at this point. Mary trailed Sloan and tried to look around without staring openly. She didn’t want to give offense but everything was just so unusual she couldn’t help gawking. If anyone had asked her what the inside of a cave looked like, she wouldn’t have described this place in a million years. For one thing, it was much brighter than she’d expected. For another it was very open. It didn’t make any sense to her. They had to be deep underground, yet there was still a breeze. The fresh air had to come from somewhere, but where? “We have several chimneys and air vents that lead to the surface. The weather on Bochnax makes living aboveground hazardous but provides plenty of fresh air for us down here,” Mother answered her unspoken question. “Have your people always lived underground?” Mary asked, accepting a plate of food. Sloan stood next to her and poked at his meal with one of the two-tined forks they’d been given. “For as long as we’ve had recorded memories the Seoenx have lived in these caverns. Although we go to the surface to hunt, the rest of our needs are provided for without ever leaving our caves.” Incredible. A planet-bound race who never saw the sun. Could that be why their skin was blue? Maybe they didn’t need the sun’s nutrients? Humans couldn’t survive without exposure to either the sun or the Vitamin D lights on the space cruisers. “Is the weather always so…violent…on the surface?” Sloan asked. “Yes, to one degree or another.” She’d move underground too if she had to worry about water spouts on a regular basis. Mary’s skirt floated around her legs as she sat on a flat rock and picked at her food. The odd fork took some getting used to before she could spear any of the morsels on her plate but she managed to get a bite in her mouth. The first thing she tried was light and flaky and tasted like whitefish from back home. Next she tried something that looked like pale seaweed. It had the same rubbery texture and Mary wasn’t real sure she wanted to put it in her mouth. Following Sloan’s lead she bit off a tiny piece and chewed. It must be a vegetable of some sort, she decided. There wasn’t much taste to it but she could eat it.

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“Are these all your people?” Sloan asked. “Friends of ours landed somewhere else on the planet but we don’t know where and we have no way of getting in touch with them.” “You are the first strangers we’ve seen but there are other tribes on Bochnax. I shall send a dream message to the other Mothers tonight. If your friends are still alive we shall find them.” Mary’s stomach clenched with fear for Lucy and Drog. What if they hadn’t found shelter from the storm? What if they got attacked by those crustomorph things and weren’t lucky enough to get rescued? Sloan reached over and grasped her hand. “It’ll be okay, sweetie. We’ll find them.” Warmth radiated from his fingers to her entire body. Mary knew she should pull her hand away but right now she needed his strength to lean on. She wasn’t sure at all that they’d find Lucy and Drog. “Enjoy your meal, I must see to my children.” Mother glided away from them, her long dress trailing behind her. “But—” Sloan called after her, dropping Mary’s hand. She had a brief flash of regret at the loss of his touch but pushed it away. “Later, my warrior, later,” Mother answered. “Damn it. I have questions for that woman and she keeps taking off before I get a chance to ask them.” “You’ll have a chance to talk to her,” Mary replied, poking at the seaweed again. It probably had nutrients in it but it wasn’t very appealing. “When? She disappears before I can get my head together.” Sloan finished off the rest of the food on his plate without a qualm about its possible origins. “Didn’t you hear her? She’ll answer you later.” Mary laughed. It felt good to see him frazzled for a change. “You think this is funny?” His intense brown eyes turned on her. “No, I think seeing you get outmaneuvered by a woman twice your age and a quarter of your size is funny.” She gave up trying to choke down the seaweed and put her plate aside. “I’m always abused by women. It’s my lot in life to be at the mercy of heartless wenches.” He grasped her hand and lifted her fingers to his mouth. Heat shot through her, as strong and sudden as a lightning strike at the feel of his soft lips on her hand. His warm breath teased her knuckles as he drew the tip of one finger inside the moist cavern of his mouth. Her laughter died as lust took over. Tingles danced through her bloodstream and brought her nerve endings alive. Sparks! One freaking touch of his lips and she was aroused down to her toes. The glimmer of amusement in his chocolate-brown eyes told her he knew it too. The rat. “Pardon me. I don’t wish to interrupt,” a hesitant voice broke the sensual spell Sloan had cast on her.

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Mary pulled her hand away from Sloan and turned to face the newcomer. “You’re not interrupting, we’re all finished here.” “I’m B’rn, I’ll show you to your dwelling.” B’rn held a pair of blankets. “Thank you.” Dwelling. Singular. She was going to have to share a room with Sloan. Again. A private room. Shit. The tingles that had briefly subsided rushed back in full force. “Did Mother say one room or two?” Mary asked, standing up next to the slender girl. B’rn gave her a puzzled look. “Only one but it is a large space. You and your mate will have plenty of room.” Her mate? They thought Sloan was her mate? She opened her mouth to correct the misunderstanding but Sloan pulled her against his rugged frame. The feel of his chest against her back struck her dumb. “I’m sure whatever you provide will be just fine. My mate and I thank you.” He shot Mary a quelling look and she bit back what she was going to say. Obviously he had some reason for wanting them to keep up this charade. Of course he does. He wants to get in your pants. Mary thought about asking B’rn for another room but a warning glance from Sloan kept her quiet. No matter. Just because they were in the same room together didn’t mean she had to give in to him—or her hormones. Right? Suurrre. Her thoughts were interrupted when B’rn stopped at a ladder leading up to one of the caves carved into the cliff face. “You will stay here. Mother will join you tomorrow but if you need anything you have only to ask.” “What about answers to our questions? When will she give us those?” Sloan asked. “This I do not know. Mother does things in her own time and there is no rushing her. If you’ll excuse me I need to return to my mate.” B’rn handed Sloan the blankets and fled. “Nice going, slick. Nothing like interrogating our hosts to show appreciation for saving our lives.” Mary reached for the rungs on the ladder and started to climb up. “I’m getting a little sick and tired of being dicked around. I’d like to know what their plans are for us. So far all they’ve done is put us off and I don’t like it.” “I don’t think they give a toradal turd whether you like it or not. They have an agenda and we just have to wait and see what it is. End of story.” She could feel his eyes staring at her ass as he climbed up behind her. Feck! He was looking at her naked ass. She didn’t have anything on under the dress they’d given her. Mary slipped on the rung of the ladder as she tried to scurry up it. Sloan steadied her with a hand on her bare cheeks.

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“Slow down there, darlin’. Wouldn’t want you to fall and break something,” amusement colored his voice as he gave her butt a squeeze. “Don’t distract me, if I drop I’ll take you with me. With my weight I could very well crush you.” Her face flamed as she thought about him seeing her rear end jiggle as she climbed. This was mortifying. “I doubt a tiny thing like you could take me down. But don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.” His deep voice rolled over her in a reassuring wave. Mary scrambled the rest of the way up the ladder, dislodging his hand in her haste. She could take care of herself and she’d make damn sure she didn’t fall on him or for him.

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Chapter Five Sloan slumped against the wall of the cave and watched Mary prowl the room. Her beautiful blonde hair flew out behind her and her skirt flared up around her thighs with every turn she made. The breath caught in his throat with each flip of that damn skirt as he waited for another glimpse of bare thigh. His cock throbbed with agony as he remembered the feel of her creamy skin. He wanted more than a brief groping of her on the ladder. Damn it, he wanted to touch and taste every inch of her for hours and hours. Hell, he wanted to caress her for the rest of his life. That wasn’t going to happen if she thought he only wanted her for her body. But oh, what a body it was. The filmy dress the Seoenx had given her accented her womanly contours. The way it slid over her curves made him long to strip it off her and see every one of those slopes and valleys without any covering. Better be careful not to project that thought. Hell, he’d better just put it out of his mind completely. Thoughts like those weren’t going to help him prove to Mary he didn’t want her only for sex. Somehow he had to wrestle control from his libido and act like a gentleman. Not that he was one but he could fake it for a little while anyway. “What do you think they’re doing over there?” Mary called from the entrance of the cave. Sloan stood and crossed over to her. Her scent drifted through his nostrils and desire slammed into him with the force of a fist in the gut. Feck. He was like a limfa smelling its mate in heat. One whiff of her and all he wanted to do was lift her skirt and drive into her from behind. Control, man! You’re going to prove to her you want her for more than sex, remember? Yeah, right. Easier said than done. “I can see them gathered around that strange glowing light over there but I can’t tell what they’re doing.” Mary pointed to a spot on the edge of the stream that ran through the canyon. A greenish glow lit up the area and an eerie melody drifted on the air. Lithe bodies gyrated to the music. “They’re dancing. Can’t you hear the music?” “Music? What music?” Mary leaned out of the entrance. “That strange banging and clinking is music?” “Sure. Can’t you hear the beat? It’s reverberating through the rocks.” He took her hand and placed it against the wall of the cave. The tempo of the music thudded through their joined hands in a measured counterpoint to the rapid beat of his heart. 42

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“It looks like they’re having some sort of celebration by the stream. Guess they didn’t want us to join them.” Mary’s voice was husky and shot another bolt of lust to his cock. “Maybe it’s supposed to be private.” Sloan squinted his eyes and focused on the gathering instead of the enticing view of Mary’s cleavage. His eyes widened when he caught on to what the Seoenx were doing. “I can see why they wouldn’t want spectators.” “Why? What can you see? What’s happening?” Mary leaned out even farther and would have fallen out if he didn’t wrap an arm around her waist and pull her back. Her delicious ass pressed against his thighs and he had to bite back a groan of frustration. Neither one of them wore underwear. It wouldn’t take much for him to bend her over his arm and sink his aching cock into her pussy. “They aren’t doing what I think they’re doing, are they?” Mary asked, amazement coloring her voice. “That depends. What do you think they’re doing?” Sloan answered, wondering what she’d say. “It looks like the women are dancing around the light, stripping for the men.” “That’s what it looks like to me too.” “Are these people sex-starved? First the threesome in the bath and now this. Did we fall into the Long-Lost Land of Orgies or something?” She tried to sound prim but Sloan noticed she didn’t look away. A quick glance down showed her nipples had pebbled up into hard little points and her breasts heaved with her heavy breathing. Sloan’s hands ached to slide up and cup those luscious mounds. Her nipples just begged for his touch and his mouth watered to taste them. Damn it! Stay in control. Prove to her you’re not a slave to your hormones. Sloan dropped the arm around her waist and stepped back a bit so she wouldn’t feel his erection pressing into her back. “There’s nothing wrong with sex, you know. You’ve been on enough worlds to know that making love is an important part of every culture. Obviously it’s a huge part of this one.” “That isn’t making love. That’s group sex, for stars’ sake.” She stepped back from the edge and began to pace again. With a last longing look over his shoulder, Sloan turned away from the titillating scene playing out by the stream and focused on Mary. She paced the confines of their room like a tiger in a cage. Could she be struggling with her desire as much as he was? Stars, he hoped so. Somehow he’d have to show her that sex wasn’t something dirty but a natural, beautiful part of being human. “I don’t understand why you’re so upset about this,” Sloan said. “Why? Because I’m easy?” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

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“No, because you’re a medical officer. You know sex is a basic bodily need as necessary as eating or drinking.” “You’re just saying that to get in my pants. If it’s a ‘basic bodily need’ then I should do it with you. Sorry, slick, I’m not that stupid, no matter what you might have heard.” She wrapped her arms around her stomach and looked down, hiding her face behind her hair. She really believed he thought her cheap. Breaking through her defenses wasn’t going to be easy. “No, I’m saying that because it’s true. I’m not going to lie to you and say I’m not attracted to you. Making love with you is just an extension of that attraction. I’ve wanted you since the minute I laid eyes on you in the infirmary.” “Right. And I’m sure the stories Artman told had nothing to do with that,” she scoffed. Anger churned in his gut like fire. “Don’t compare me to that asshole. The only thing Artman’s words did was piss me off. I didn’t want to hear that he got to touch you when I’d been dreaming about it for months. Don’t think for a single second I listened to him any longer than I had to.” Before she could utter another word he pulled her against him and captured her mouth in a kiss. This wasn’t a kiss of gentle persuasion. Oh no, he poured all his frustration and anger into the meeting of mouths to give her a taste of what she was doing to him. Just in case she didn’t get the message, Sloan clapped his hands over her ass and lifted her until his cock pressed against her slit through her dress. His knees almost buckled when she wrapped her legs around his waist and rocked against him. A wildness seemed to possess her and she bit at his lip before sucking it into her mouth. Lust torched any remaining anger and set his body aflame with need. He kneaded the globes of her behind as he thrust his hips towards her waiting pussy. The only thing separating them was the thin material of his pants and he cursed the barrier. He felt her total surrender to his kiss and a surge of triumph shot through him. As he reached for the hem of her skirt, common sense pushed through the iron grip of lust surrounding him. If he had sex with her now it would just prove her right and make her think he saw her as an easy lay. Sweat poured down his back as he unwrapped her legs from around his waist and pulled away from her with one last nipping kiss. “Huh? What?” she asked, looking dazed. “Why did you stop?” Her lips were berryred and bruised from the force of his kiss. “Because I have more respect for you than to fuck you against a wall?” The image slammed into his gut and made his hands shake with need. “I don’t get you. I wasn’t exactly pushing you away.”

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“Don’t get me wrong. I want you so badly right now it hurts but I’m willing to put off immediate pleasure for long-term gratification. When we make love—and it’ll be making love, not fucking—I want you as emotionally involved as I am. I don’t want to take advantage of you because you’re turned on by our surroundings.” “You’re pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?” Her blue eyes sparkled with temper. “I’m sure of you. You were meant for me. I can wait until you’re ready to admit it.” “Then you’re in for a long wait.” She turned on her heel and stalked to the back of the cave. Wrapping herself up in a blanket, she lay down and turned her face to the wall. That didn’t exactly work out according to plan. His balls were so full he couldn’t cross his legs and it would take hours for his cock to soften. He could have been pounding away inside her willing body if it wasn’t for his big mouth. Hell, if he hadn’t come earlier today he probably would have been inside her. And if he had it would have taken him twice as long to get to her heart. It would have only shown her that all men were like the bastard that used her. No, he did the right thing by stopping. Even if he’d pay for it for hours to come. He could just barely make out her huddled form in the dimness in the back of the cave. She lay curled up on her side with one of the blankets B’rn had given them tucked under her chin. He didn’t dare ask her for a blanket of his own. Instead he stretched out at the mouth of the cave. If anyone tried to get inside they’d trip over him first. The Seoenx appeared friendly but he didn’t trust them completely. He’d just stay on guard until he knew what they wanted. Right about now he’d welcome an intruder just for the excuse to vent some of the testosterone flooding his system. Delayed gratification sucked. Mary pulled her knees tighter to her chest and prayed for the ache between her legs to ease. She was so fecking horny right now she wanted to cry. Her pussy lips were still wet and swollen and her nipples were so sensitive every time she moved sparks shot through her body. Damn him! Was it just yesterday that she was so sure she had to stay away from him? She’d berated herself for ogling his butt and had told herself to remember the pain she’d already been through. How could she go from self-preservation to self-serving so quickly? Where were her morals? First she’d let him touch her on the path behind the waterfall, then a few minutes ago she’d almost let him fuck her. If he hadn’t stopped them, she sure as hell wouldn’t have. But stop them he did.

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She should thank him for saving her from her overwhelming libido but she didn’t feel very grateful at the moment. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to curl into a ball of abject humiliation at her behavior or follow her raging sex drive and attack him. Wait, she already tried that and he’d turned her down. Why did he have to complicate things? She wasn’t ready to risk herself again but maybe, just maybe, she could divorce her emotions from sex and get rid of this hunger. Except he wouldn’t do it. And wasn’t that a switch? She’d been so worried that he’d think she was cheap, then ten seconds later she almost proved it. And he’d been the one to stop. Stars in the cosmos, she was so mixed up she didn’t know what to do. Ever since they’d gotten here it felt like she’d been possessed a demon—a horny demon. She was so confused. Did she want to sleep with Sloan and ease this ache or did she want him to see her as something more than Artman’s stupid plaything? Mary rolled over and looked at Sloan through slitted eyelids. He had propped himself against the wall of the cave and was staring at her with a pained expression on his face. “Why are you looking at me? And why do you look like you’ve been kicked in the teeth?” she asked, abandoning the ruse that she was asleep. “Because I have a masochistic streak I never knew about?” he answered with a wry grin on his face. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Mary sat up and let the blanket fall. “It means that I want you so badly it hurts but I can’t stop looking at you.” His hot eyes ran over every curve of her frame and lingered on her breasts. Mary’s blood pounded in her veins. Her nipples pebbled up and her pussy throbbed in need. Even though he sat across the cave from her, her body responded as if he were touching her with his fingers instead of just watching her with those smoldering eyes. Stars, how she wanted him to touch her. She shook off the spell he spun around her and cleared the huskiness out of her throat. “You’ll have to forgive me if I find that hard to believe. As I recall you were the one that put a halt to things.” Her eyes challenged his. Maybe if she pushed him enough he would give up his insistence that they had to make love and they could get down to business. “Just because I don’t want to use your body for a cheap thrill doesn’t mean I don’t want you.” “What’s wrong with cheap thrills?” Was she really saying this? Watching the open way the Seoenx dealt with sexuality must have scrambled her mind. Or maybe it had just opened it?

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Sloan shifted his position against the wall and Mary could see his cock bulging between his legs. Her mouth watered at the thought of that rock-hard erection filling her to the brim. He was a hell of a lot bigger than anyone she’d ever slept with before. Oh yeah, there was nothing whatsoever wrong with cheap thrills. “You’re not going to change my mind on this, honey. I’ve waited too long for the chance to be with you, I’m not going to blow it for a quick coupling on the floor. However good it might be.” Her heart skipped a beat at the certainty in his eyes but she pushed the excitement away. “You really think so?” Her pussy gushed with fluid. She’d heard of men who were mouthwateringly sexy but never realized it extended to both sets of lips. “Oh I’m sure of it. When I make you mine there’ll be no turning back. If I didn’t believe that I’d go stark raving mad. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to walk away from your luscious body?” The power of speech deserted her so she shook her head. “Fecking hard. There’s nothing I want more than to strip you bare and run my hands over every millimeter of your silky skin. I want to taste every secret spot you have and bring you over the edge over and over again. I want to make you scream out your pleasure until you’re hoarse and then do it again.” Mary’s body trembled at the intensity in his eyes. His words flowed over her like melted chocolate and seduced her mind as surely as if his hands were actually on her body. “When the time comes I’m going to spend hours touching your incredible breasts. I want to feel the weight of those delicious mounds in my hands and bury my face between them.” Fire. She was on fire with longing. Her nipples had turned into hard points of needy nerve endings and her breasts had grown full and heavy. Mary squirmed where she sat. Her bones had turned to water and she dissolved into a puddle of hot, aching desire. “And don’t even get me started on your pussy. I want to feel those slick lips plump up for my touch. After feeling how hot you were today I’m dying to sink my cock into your heat and feel you milk me of every last ounce of come in my body.” Oh stars, he was killing her! Her breath came in pants and sweat dripped down her back. “But that will have to wait until you’re ready.” Oh, she was ready all right. She was so damn ready her clit was practically shooting flames. But that wasn’t what he wanted. He didn’t just want her body, he wanted her heart and soul too. And wasn’t that a cosmic case of irony? Now that she wanted someone to use her for her body he wanted her love. But Mary wasn’t sure if she had any love left to give.

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“Goodnight, honey. Sweet dreams.” He lay flat on the ground and turned his back to her. “I’ll have sweet dreams. They’ll all involve me dismembering you limb from limb!”

***** B’rn lay back in the comfort of M’rk’s arms and breathed in his special scent. Her body felt loose and relaxed now after their second round of mating. The first was fast and furious, they’d waited too long for finesse. Almost before his sepn had left her body Mother had called for them to gather for dinner. The joining had eased the cramps of withdrawal but hadn’t come close to their usual mating. Once the strangers had retired and the dancing had begun, M’rk quickly pulled her from the circle. The second time was much more to her liking. Maybe this time would be the one that put a babe in her belly. Her hand drifted to her flat stomach and she offered a quick prayer of hope. “Don’t think about it,” M’rk whispered in her ear. He pulled her hand away from her abdomen and brought it to his lips. “The Goddess will bless us when She is ready.” “But how long must we wait?” B’rn asked with a sigh. “We’ve been mated for twelve moons. Isn’t that enough time to wait?” “She works in Her own time. Just be patient.” “I’m sick of being patient. I want to have your baby.” B’rn rolled over and snuggled against his chest. Her legs slipped around his sinewy thigh and renewed heat rushed to her fewlr. How she loved this man. Sometimes she thought she’d explode with the ferocity of her feelings for him. “Then I think we should try some more,” he said, biting her fingertip. His sepn grew and pressed against her fewlr. B’rn pushed him to his back and straddled his hips without allowing him entrance to her body. “Are you using my need for a baby as an excuse to mate with me again?” She rubbed her slit over him, wetting his length then moving out of reach. “Like I need an excuse,” he scoffed, plucking at her nipples. “You want me as much as I want you.” The love he felt for her shone in his silver eyes, warming her to her toes. “Maybe I just want your seed to make a baby.” She hovered over the tip of his sepn and her lips quivered in need. “I feel so used.” He thrust his hips up and impaled her on his shaft. His thumbs twirled a circle over her sensitive nub as he filled her. B’rn let out a moan of pleasure and rocked forward. She wanted him to fill her to the brim. Her inner muscles squeezed his sepn tightly. M’rk’s hands gripped her hips as she moved over him. The surge built faster and faster. Waves of pleasure grew inside her until she thought she’d surely drown in them. How much more could she take?

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“Not yet, mauven. Wait for me.” He rolled her over onto her back and slowed their pace. He drew her legs up over his shoulders and kissed the hollow of her ankle. She was completely at his mercy and the thought excited her to no end. His fingers drifted down her legs until they reached her fewlr where he gathered some of her fluid. The slight touch sent bubbles of need through her bloodstream. “Do you know how much you pleasure me?” he asked as his finger pressed against the opening of her behind. Gently he pushed past the tight ring of muscle and stroked nerve endings there. “No. But if you don’t catch up I’ll crest without you!” The force of her pleasure assaulted her from all angles. She was caught in a tidal wave and holding on for dear life. “Now!” he cried, driving deeply into her. His finger pushed all the way in as his sepn reached her very womb. The wave of desire surged impossibly high then pulled her under its weight. Her heart beat furiously in her chest and she couldn’t catch her breath. M’rk let her legs fall to the sleeping mat and collapsed on top of her, his sepn still hard inside her. Sweat made his skin slippery against her. She licked his salty shoulder and shuddered again at the taste of him. “Are you never satisfied, woman?” M’rk looked at her with slumberous eyes. “No. Not with a man like you as my mate.” She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close to her. Love and contentment flowed from her heart to her very fingertips. “Good. Because I can never have enough of you either.” He kissed her brow and held her close. He slipped out of her and rolled to the side. Mere seconds later B’rn heard his deep, even breathing and knew he was asleep. Her mate was an incredible lover but he wasn’t much for small talk afterwards. Slowly, so as not to wake him, B’rn got up and moved to the back of the cave. She washed and grabbed a flat-cake to nibble on. Please Goddess, let this joining make a baby. M’rk wasn’t worried about their bad luck conceiving but it bothered her to no end. Ever since the crustomorphs came, very few of the women had been able to get pregnant. Mother thought it had something to do with the lack of minerals in their food supply. They could only go so long without the essential nutrients found only in the deep-sea fish. And they could only get to those fish by leaving the safety of the caverns. A feat that was impossible with the enormous crustomorphs guarding the exit caves. Which was why they needed a warrior.

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B’rn put down the flat-cake and thought about the strangers. Mother had said the arousing vegra mists in the air had affected the two of them as potently as it affected the Seoenx. The newcomers couldn’t be that different from the Seoenx if the mists aroused them too, right? Ht’r had said they didn’t mate in the baths afterwards—she’d spied on them despite Mother’s order to leave the strangers in peace. Perhaps they had different customs that prevented them from mating? The mists could only augment a person’s natural arousal, they couldn’t overcome his or her inhibitions. Although, why someone wouldn’t want to mate was a mystery to her. The halfmoons M’rk was in seclusion were the longest days of her life. She’d be so happy when his testing was completed and he was a full scholar. Maybe by then she’d be pregnant. If they didn’t do something about the crustomorphs, they could be dead by then. Her stomach twisted in anxious knots. How much longer could they survive underground? Their food supplies dwindled daily. The feast they’d had today for the strangers’ benefit had all but wiped them out. Mother had said the male stranger, Sloan, was a warrior. Goddess save them, she hoped he was a better one than their hunters. They’d lost so many lives to the brutal claws of the crustomorphs. B’rn said a prayer of thanks that M’rk was a scholar and not a soldier. She couldn’t bear to lose him. Better the stranger fight the crustomorphs than they lose any more men. He looked strong enough to take on those claws single-handedly. Perhaps Mother was right and the strangers’ coming was a good omen. The male would free the entry caves so they could fish again. The female was a healer. Maybe she could fix what was wrong with B’rn so she could get pregnant. Only time would tell whether the strangers would solve their problems or cause more.

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Chapter Six Mary woke up frustrated and cranky. Her sleep had been filled with erotic dreams starring Sloan. And each and every one of them had ended before she’d been able to come. Even in her sleep he was a teasing bastard. “Greetings, my children,” Mother called from the entrance of the cave. “Good morning, Mother.” Mary sat up and ran her hand through the tangles in her hair. She took a quick glance around the room and saw that Sloan had been up long enough to wash up a bit. Just one more reason to hate him. He looked clean and tidy and she felt like a rumpled mess. “Come. You must break your fast.” “Were you able to find word of our friends?” Sloan asked, offering a hand to help Mary rise. She ignored it and got up on her own. “Yes. I will tell you about it after you eat. There is much to do today, no time to tarry.” She scampered down the ladder and away from the cliff faster than Mary thought possible for someone that old. “Just once I want her to answer a question the first time I ask. Just once.” Sloan kicked at a rock at the entrance of the cave. Somehow his irritation made Mary feel much better. Maybe he wasn’t as calm and together as he appeared to be. Good. Misery loved company. Mary quickly cleaned up and headed for the ladder. “Why don’t you let me go first?” Sloan asked with an innocent smile on his face. “Do I look like I have ‘idiot’ tattooed on my forehead?” He’d gotten a peep show the entire way up the ladder last night. She wasn’t going to give him a peep show all the way down this morning. “Spoilsport.” “Hey, you could have had all the ‘sport’ you could handle last night but you had to be noble.” Six months ago she would have fallen for his gesture hook, line and sinker but not anymore. She didn’t need any more complications in her life. “I wasn’t being noble, I was holding out for the whole package. I don’t just want your body, I want all of you and I’m willing to suffer until I get it all.”

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Her stomach did a funny little flip but she ignored it and climbed down the ladder. “I hope you’re prepared to suffer for a long, long time. I’m no longer willing to give up all of myself. It took me too long to get it back.” Sparks. She hadn’t meant to say that. Now he’d tell her she had to get over Artman and move on with her life. Right, move on into his bed and trust him her heart. No thank you. Sloan jumped off the ladder and landed beside her with a quiet thump. He opened his mouth as if to say something but snapped it shut instead. “Over here. Come eat.” Mother waved them over to a communal table by the stream. “After you,” Sloan said, holding his arm out in front of him. Mary felt vaguely disappointed with the interruption. She pushed the feeling away and headed to the breakfast table. The morning meal consisted of hard little biscuits and water. Mary picked up one of the cakes and tried a small bite. It was dry and bland but edible. Everything they’d eaten so far had been pretty tasteless but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She smiled her thanks and downed a cup of water. “I heard from the Mother of the Leonex. Your friends are there and safe. The one called Lucy is helping their healer until it is safe to travel.” A huge weight lifted off Mary’s shoulders at Mother’s words. Lucy and Drog were alive and doing well! “Who are the Leonex? How far away are they? When can we go there?” Sloan asked. His dark eyes looked intense but Mary could tell that some of the strain had left his face. “The Leonex are our cousins. They live many days’ journey from here.” “Do you travel overland or through tunnels? How can we get to our friends?” Mary asked. “That is what we need to talk to you about. If you are done eating, the Council of Elders will meet and we can discuss the situation.” Mary finished off the last bite of biscuit and drank down the rest of her water. She had a feeling she wasn’t going to like what this Council had to say. Sloan had finished his breakfast too and laid his arm over Mary’s shoulders. She tried to ignore the tingles his light touch sent through her system but it was impossible. His spicy scent drifted through her nostrils and her body reacted to his closeness immediately. “Don’t believe everything they tell us in there. These guys want something and I want to know what it is before we agree to anything,” Sloan murmured in her ear. Chills shot down her spine as his warm breath caressed her neck. She mentally shook herself and pushed the tingles away. “What do you mean? They’ve been nothing but nice to us.” “I know. It makes me nervous. No people are this nice out of the kindness of their hearts. They’re hiding something, I’m sure of it.” “Let’s see what they have to say before we jump to any conclusions.”

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“Agreed.” They had to hurry to keep up with Mother as she glided over the stone bridge and up the steep stairway. Mary was slightly out of breath by the time they caught up with her. Mother waited for them in front of a building close to where they’d been locked up yesterday. Had it only been yesterday that they fought the giant crab? With no visible sun or moon Mary had completely lost track of time. They could have been underground for three days or barely twelve hours. Without her wrist com to give her the accurate time she had no idea how long they’d been here. Sloan held out his arm and Mary followed Mother into the circular building. Like the cage they’d been in, the room was built into the cavern wall. Arched beams containing more of the glowing rock and lichen formed a vaulted ceiling above them and made the room bright and airy. An enormous slab of rock in the middle of the room acted as a conference table. Several older men and a handful of women sat around it. All eyes focused on Mother and the two of them as they entered the room. “Looks like they started without us,” Sloan said as he held out a chair for her. Mother moved to an open chair at the head of the table. “What’s going on here?” Sloan asked once he took his seat. “We’d like to know when we can see our friends.” “It’s a long story.” “I’ve got all day.” Sloan laced his hands together behind his head and made himself comfortable. Some of the elders at the table passed uneasy glances and clicked at one another. Mother let out a deep sigh before speaking. “The Seoenx have lived off the bounty of the ocean for as long as time has been recorded. We’ve lived in the protection of the caves and hunted the sea creatures for food when the weather permitted. Once a twelve-moon, the tribes would gather for celebration and trade.” “That’s fascinating but what does it have to do with our friends?” Sloan dropped his hands on the table in front of him. “Patience, young one. Up until six moons ago our hunters would slip outside through sheltered caves such as the one where you were found.” “What happened six moons ago?” Mary asked. A sick feeling of foreboding churned in her stomach. “The crustomorphs came.” “They’d never been here before?” Sloan asked in surprise. “Crustomorphs make their homes in the depths of the ocean. Rarely had anyone seen more than the tip of a dead one’s shell. They feed on fish far too large for us to catch. They are shy creatures who avoid people when at all possible,” a man on Mother’s right answered. “The one we saw wasn’t shy, that’s for sure,” Sloan said. 53

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“That’s the problem. Six moons ago the crustomorphs moved into the caves and attacked the hunting parties as they left the safety of the tunnels. The same has happened to our cousins the Leonex and the Reonex. Our food supplies have dwindled and we’ve been unable to replenish our medicines.” “Hasn’t anyone tried to get past them?” Sloan’s brows furrowed in concentration. “We’ve lost several hunting parties to the claws of the crustomorphs. Something has turned these gentle creatures into vicious monsters.” “So are you telling me that we’re stuck here? And our friends are stuck with your cousins? That’s toradal shit.” “You must understand we are not warriors. We have little training and few weapons capable of fighting the crustomorphs. That is where you come in.” “I knew it,” Sloan said just loud enough for Mary to hear. “What do you want from us?” “You are a warrior, you can teach our men how to make weapons and fight the crustomorphs.” Mary’s heart lurched at their words. What the feck did Sloan know about making weapons? They didn’t have the technology here to make lasers. What were they supposed to use to kill the giant crabs? Giant slingshots? “Maybe. I’ll need to find out more about these crusties before I can form a plan of action though.” He tapped one finger against his chin and appeared to think about possible attacks. “Are you insane? You can’t fight those monsters. We don’t have anything powerful enough to dent their claw, never mind kill them. It’ll be suicide!” “I’ll think of something. What choice do we have? It’s either get rid of the crabs or stay here for the rest of our lives.” “At least you’d still be alive.” Fear tied her stomach in knots. He couldn’t really be considering this, could he? “I’d rather die trying than hide away for the rest of my life.” His words carried a world of meaning. “Do not fret, healer. We will not put you or your mate in danger.” “You’re damn right you won’t put Mary in danger.” “She is far too valuable to us as a healer to put in harm’s way.” Mother faced Mary. “We need your skills to help our people. Without the herbs we gather from the ocean, several of our people have succumbed to sickness.” “Sure, I’m glad to help— Wait a minute! How do you know I’m a healer?” Mary didn’t think she’d mentioned her job on The Federation before. “Mother knows many things.” An older woman smiled slyly.

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Mary let that slide. She must have mentioned something about being a medical officer and just didn’t remember it. That was better than thinking about the old woman reading her mind. “Well, if this is the plan then let’s get started,” Sloan said as he pushed to his feet. “I need to meet with your hunters and talk to whoever has had encounters with the crusties. I can’t do a damn thing without more information.” “T’rk, will you take Warrior Sloan and give him the information he seeks?” It was more of an order than a request. An athletic-looking older man stood and motioned to Sloan. “I shall take Mary with me to the place of healing. We shall meet again for the night meal.” The gathering split up, clicking and clacking excitedly as they filed out the doorway. Mary moved to follow Mother but Sloan stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Keep your eyes open around Mother. She isn’t telling everything she knows. Be careful.” His eyes captured hers and sent her stomach flipping. “I’m not the one trying to fight mutant crabs with nothing but some rocks. You be careful too.” Sloan leaned down and brushed her lips with his. Mary’s breath caught at the tenderness of the kiss and her stomach redoubled its gymnastics. “Don’t worry. I’ll be on my guard. I have a lot to live for.” One calloused finger ran down her cheek and over her mouth. A trail of fire followed in its wake, inflaming every nerve in her body. How could he devastate her with just the touch of his finger? Before she could do more than gasp he turned and walked out. Stars above, she was in big trouble. T’rk waited for Sloan just outside the doorway of the meeting room. A few younger guys stood near him and Sloan thought he recognized some of the men from the party that rescued them from the crustie. “If you would follow me, Warrior Sloan, I will take you to where we keep our weapons,” he said with a slight bow. “Sure. After that I’d like to do a recon of your entrance caves. Maybe there are some clues there that could help explain why the crusties are attacking all of a sudden.” He doubted it but it was worth a shot. Basically he was flying blind. He had no idea how to mobilize a group of fishermen into a fighting force that could take out a crab the size of a space flitter. It wasn’t like he was even an officer, for crying out loud. Still, he didn’t have too many options in front of him. If he wanted to find Drog and Lucy then he’d have to get past the crusties. First he’d have to assess the Seoenx’s arsenal then he could figure out how to attack an animal underwater. And maybe after that he could solve galactic hunger and create inter-cosmic peace too. 55

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T’rk led the group into a new tunnel and Sloan forced a shiver of claustrophobia down. For the most part he hadn’t thought about the tons of rock that must be over his head. Pressing down on him. Just waiting for a weak spot to collapse on him. “How many exit tunnels do you have?” Sloan asked as calmly as possible. Cold sweat dripped down his back and unease twisted his gut in knots. “We have several tunnels that lead to three different entrance caves. The one where you were found is one of our most distant. You were very lucky B’rn heard your distress call.” “You’re not kidding. I don’t know what we would have done if that thing had climbed up on the ledge.” “Be glad you didn’t find out. We’ve lost several men to those claws.” “And you said every time someone tried to get out of the caves they were met by the crustomorphs?” Sloan turned the problem over in his head. If they had three exits, how could the crusties know which one they were leaving from? “Yes. Every time whether day or night they’ve been there.” “Do they normally work together? I mean, how do they communicate?” From what he could remember of the ocean survival courses he’d taken, he knew many sea creatures communicated across long distances. Usually it concerned the location of food and safe resting places though, not when a bunch of fishermen were leaving a cave. “I do not know if they communicate. Until they began attacking us we’d never seen them this closely before. From what the grandfathers remember, the crustomorphs eat the large fish that dwell in the depths of the ocean. They are solitary creatures not given to traveling in groups. None of our recorded memories have ever mentioned seeing even two crustomorphs together when not mating.” T’rk shook his head and looked puzzled. Sloan might not be a scientist but he knew when animals started acting this grossly out of character something was wrong. Something he read once nibbled at the edges of his memory but he couldn’t pull it into focus. Think, man! What was it? He tried to remember what it was as he followed T’rk and his group through the tunnels. It had something to do animals attacking. What the feck was it? A herd of toradal had charged a village on Emeraldia. Several zoologists had flocked to the location to see why the normally placid animals had gone ballistic. Damn it, the answer was there, he knew it. What the hell had the scientists found out? “This is where we store our weapons, such as they are. We’re a peaceful people and have no need for weapons of war like our ancestors.” The storeroom contained some spears, a few things that looked like slingshots, some knives that would probably be better used for boning fish than fighting and piles of large nets.

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“I guess you’re right. It’s a good thing you don’t have many enemies with a pitiful arsenal like this.” Enemies! That was it! “What are the crustomorph’s enemies? What would scare them enough that they would move out of their natural habitat?” That had to be it. Something invaded their normal feeding grounds so they’d moved. T’rk looked startled then thoughtful. “I would have to consult the memories again but I didn’t think they had any enemies. With their claws they can defend themselves against almost anything. If they felt endangered they could simply hide inside their shells until the threat passed. Nothing is strong enough or big enough to pull them out of their shells.” “There has to be something. That’s the only reason for their irrational behavior. Could they have lost their food supply?” Maybe if they didn’t have any food they’d come into shallow water to look for more? That didn’t make any sense. If they ate the big fish they’d have to move deeper to find them. No, it had to be an enemy of some sort. Shit, he didn’t even want to think about what could scare a creature as big as a crustomorph into irrational behavior. “Do you have an observation tower? A place where you can see outside without going out?” Sloan had an idea but he needed more information before he said anything. Right now they were treating him and Mary well but that could be because they wanted something. If he started raving like a lunatic they may decide they didn’t need help that badly. “We have a weather station but it is very small. Only one person at a time can fit there. We use it mainly to assess the severity of the wind.” “That’s fine. I just need to get a look out over the ocean without letting the crusties know I can see them.” T’rk left the other men in the storeroom and led Sloan up a narrow, winding tunnel. The light grew brighter the higher they climbed. It was all Sloan could do to stay calm and not run towards the light. The caverns were well illuminated but there was something about seeing actual sunlight that called to him. It must come from too many years where he’d worried that he’d never see the sun again. Sloan had thought he’d buried the demons of his past long ago but apparently they were just hiding under the surface. A short time underground and he was getting twitchy. He’d make damn sure they found a way to help the Seoenx, if only to get the hell off this planet and back into space where he belonged. The “weather station” was a tiny closet-like room with a device that looked similar to periscopes Sloan had seen in old-time vids. The scope was made of large reeds and poked through a chute at the top of the room. Weak sunlight trickled in through the opening and made him squint against the glare.

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Violent winds shrieked overhead. This really was an inhospitable planet. Sloan wedged his shoulders into the narrow space and winced as sharp rocks dug into his back. This place wasn’t made for someone of his size. He had to bend over awkwardly to look into the periscope. Damn, he was going to be sore after this. Maybe Mary would give him a massage if he asked her nicely? Get your mind out of your pants and on the problem at hand. It took some maneuvering before Sloan got the hang of looking through the reed periscope. Eventually he managed to get a good view of the ocean from the safety of the station. The waves frothed up in furious whitecaps from the blustering winds. Did these guys really fish in this weather? His respect rose a notch or two at their bravery. You wouldn’t catch him in a boat on that water. Just the thought made his stomach heave. Through his narrow field of vision Sloan saw enormous red fish with mammoth fins leaping in the water. No way was he ever going fishing for those suckers. “Hey T’rk, would the crusties eat those flying fish if they couldn’t get the ones at the bottom of the ocean?” he asked. “Flying fish? Let me see.” Sloan moved out of the room so T’rk could look through the periscope. There was no way the two of them would fit in the station at the same time. T’rk adjusted the ‘scope and let out a low whistle then some excited clacks. “The blood fish shouldn’t be up that high. They are deep-water fish and the crustomorph’s natural prey.” “So whatever is bothering the crusties is also stirring up those fish. I knew it!” He pumped his fist in the air then grimaced as his knuckles smashed against the low ceiling. “It appears you are right. I have never seen blood fish jump like that. There is something under the water that is frightening them.” “What the hell could scare fish like that and crustomorphs?” “This I do not know. I have never seen… What is that? Warrior Sloan, please look at this.” T’rk slipped out of the room and let Sloan back in. Squatting down so he wouldn’t jostle the periscope, Sloan looked for what had sent T’rk into a tizzy. “Holy shit!” Sloan’s breath caught in his throat as he saw the nose of a space flitter break the surface of the water. He searched for any distinctive markings but the waves cresting over the ship distorted his view. All he knew was that was definitely not an animal. That had to be what was scaring the crustomorphs. But who was in there? And how were they controlling the crusties? “What is it? Do you recognize the beast?” T’rk asked from behind him.

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“I sure do. That’s a space flitter but I can’t tell its galaxy of origin. It could be anyone but I’d put my money on space pirates.” As Sloan ran through the possible reasons for a space flitter to be in the middle of an unknown ocean, the ship sped further out into the ocean and sank below the surface again. “Can you leave someone here to man the station? I want to know if that ship comes back to the surface. We need to track its movements. That flitter is the reason the crusties are attacking you. I feel it in my gut.” “I will schedule watchers. If this is the reason for our sorrow then I myself will lead a team of hunters to attack it.” The old man’s face looked fierce. “You can’t attack it with spears and nets, you need lasers and ion cannons to blast through that shell. Once I know more of its maneuvers I can form an attack plan. Don’t you worry, T’rk, now that we know the problem we can come up with a solution.” He hoped. Without any firepower there was no way they could take on an armed space flitter and win. And that was if they could get past the crustomorphs and if they could find the ship again. Solving galactic hunger was looking like a walk in the park.

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Chapter Seven Mary watched Sloan disappear in one of the tunnels and felt her stomach bottom out. Something about the way he carried himself, as if nothing could hurt him, made her worry. What the hell did he know about fighting sea creatures? He was from a fecking mining town! “Do not fret so. Your mate is perfectly safe. The hunters will not take him out to fight the beasts. We’ve lost too many men already to risk another attack,” Mother said, laying a consoling hand on Mary’s arm. “It’s not your hunters’ intentions that worry me. Sloan’s a soldier, he’s been trained to fight so that’s his first reaction. I’m afraid he won’t examine all the options before he goes charging in.” She didn’t bother telling Mother that Sloan wasn’t her mate. If that’s what everyone on this planet wanted to believe then she’d go along with it for now. Jumping up and down and screaming that they weren’t a couple seemed a bit childish when Mother knew they’d been fooling around by the rocks. “I think you don’t give him enough credit. Warrior Sloan doesn’t seem impetuous to me. I think he’s mostly worried about your safety and so will not put himself at risk. He wishes to protect you.” “I don’t need his protection,” Mary said. Mother raised one wispy eyebrow but didn’t say anything. They traveled silently down the main street until they reached another building built into the wall of the cave. This one was much larger than the meetinghouse they had just left. Pallets were spread out across the length of it and a strange scent hung in the air. “This is our house of healing.” Mother led her through the open doorway. The medic in her immediately snapped to attention. Where was the ion-sterilizer? Where did they perform surgery? The patients lay on thin cushions on a stone floor, for stars’ sake. And was that incense they were burning? “The medicines are kept in the drying room over here.” Mother led her to a room off to the left. As soon as Mary stepped foot into the room the bitter odor of crushed herbs assailed her nostrils. Her nose twitched under the assault and it was all she could do to keep from sneezing her head off. “Our supplies are very low. We’ve almost run out of fever-weed and ache-root. We still have some of the fungi we use for chest congestion but not much.” Mother pointed out each herb as she mentioned them.

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Mary was stunned. How had they survived this long without the basic immunizations and even mediocre medicine? She didn’t see any antiseptic spray or quick-wrap for broken bones. “Where is your healer? I-I need to talk to her and get some information before I can be of any help,” Mary stalled. What help could she be? All her training had been with modern equipment and medicines. She could diagnose diseases and ailments but there was no way she could treat them in these primitive conditions. Stars, how she wished she could talk to Lucy right now and find out what she was doing. “Our healer passed many moons ago. I have been doing what I can but nothing seems to work. That is why we were so happy to find a healer had dropped practically in our laps.” Mary didn’t know how happy they’d be when they found out she didn’t have a clue what to do without an infirmary full of medical machines and antibiotics. “Mother, I-I don’t know what to do.” “You’re a healer, aren’t you? Visit our sick and treat them,” she said as if speaking to a child. “Sure, I’ve been trained as a medic but that was for treating people on a galactic space cruiser with modern machines. I don’t know what to do with herbs and roots. I could very well make things worse instead of better!” “No you won’t. You’re only unfamiliar with our ways. Go, talk to the sick and let your heart guide you.” Oh great. Her heart hadn’t been all that great a leader so far. Anxiety churned in her gut as they approached the first patient. A young woman lay on her pallet clutching her side and rolling on the floor in pain. Mother spoke in clicks and clacks to an older woman sitting next to the patient. Mary squatted down next to the young woman and felt her wrist for a pulse. It was rapid but strong. Her skin felt clammy but not feverish. She was obviously in excruciating pain. “Can she describe the pain? Where did it start and what does it feel like? Cramps or a stabbing pain?” Mother spoke to the older woman, who turned out to be the patient’s mother. “She says the pain is stabbing not cramping, and started late last night. It was originally in her back but has since moved along her side. She worries because S’ln is pregnant with her first baby.” “Has she voided…urinated at all?” Mary mentally crossed her fingers while she waited for Mother to pass on the question. For some reason this woman didn’t use mind-speech, which made things a bit more complicated. “F’ln says yes she has urinated and it was bloody.”

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Yes! “Okay, this is good.” Mother’s eyebrows rose. Mary noted she didn’t pass that on to the anxious mother. “Can S’ln hear me if I mind-speak to her?” She still wasn’t sure how this worked. “Yes but she won’t be able to respond. It takes a lot of concentration for her and she is in too much pain for that now.” “As long as she can understand me, I don’t need her to answer me. I need someone to get me water and something to drink it with. A lot of water. Buckets of it.” Mother clacked out an order and a girl scampered to obey. “S’ln, my name is Mary and I’m a healer. I’m here to help you.” She hoped. “Your baby is going to be fine. You have a kidney stone and we need to flush it out.” The good news was the stone wasn’t blocking her urethra. The bad news was, it was going to hurt like a bitch coming out. “I want you to drink everything I give you. We have to push the stone out of your body. Squeeze my hand if you understand me.” S’ln squeezed her hand hard enough to form bruises. Mary ran her fingers over S’ln’s pinched face and offered a prayer that she was doing the right thing. If they were on The Federation she would take S’ln into an ionic chamber and blast the stones away with a laser. Then the stones would be so small the poor girl wouldn’t even feel them coming out. Unfortunately there wasn’t an ionic laser handy so they were going to have to do this the old-fashioned—and infinitely more painful—way. The child came running back with a bucket of water and a carved stone cup. Mary directed F’ln to sit behind S’ln and keep her upright. Poor S’ln was out of her mind in pain but she managed to choke down the first cup of water. “More. You must finish the whole bucket.” That might be overkill but better to flush it out completely than let it fester in there and chance getting stuck on the way out of the bladder. S’ln drank the water in between gasping breaths. Half of each cup ended up spilt down the front of her from her writhing but Mary wouldn’t let up. Sweat poured down Mary’s face as the seconds ticked by. What if she was wrong? What if this was an ectopic pregnancy and not a kidney stone? No, damn it, she knew this was a kidney stone. The symptoms all pointed to a stone. A million things could still go wrong but this was the right treatment. Mary’s back and legs ached from bending down on the stone floor for so long. She wished her wrist com worked because she couldn’t judge how much time had passed since they first started forcing the water on S’ln. It had to be close to an hour or maybe it just felt that way. S’ln’s stomach looked distended from the amount of water she’d consumed so rapidly. F’ln clacked anxiously at Mother but Mother smiled serenely and laid a gentle hand on the woman’s forehead. 62

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Suddenly S’ln let out an excited burst of clicks and F’ln reached for a pot off to the side of the mat. Was that what they used for a bedpan? Sure enough, S’ln squatted over the top of it with the help of Mother and F’ln. She clutched her lower stomach and cried as she urinated. “It’ll be okay, trust me. The stone is moving out. We did it!” They weren’t out of the woods yet but the pain moving lower was a good sign. Mary made her drink even more water until, with a piercing scream that was highpitched enough to break glass, S’ln passed the stone. “Gotcha!” Mary shouted triumphantly. Mother and F’ln stared at the rough, tiny stone that had caused so much pain. It didn’t look very impressive. “With rest and more fluids she should be right as rain in a couple days. You can tell her the worst is over and her baby will be just fine.” A look passed between Mother and F’ln. What was that about? Before Mary could worry about what was going on F’ln clasped her hand and clicked rapidly at her. Mary looked to Mother for a translation. “She says thank you for saving her daughter’s life and her dwelling is always open to you.” “Can you tell her she is welcome? And that I’ll be back to check on S’ln later today.” Her legs shook as she stood up and stretched. A look around the room showed a dozen pairs of curious eyes staring at her. Mary crossed her arms over her chest. She didn’t like being the center of attention. After everything that had happened with Artman she really didn’t like having people stare at her. “Come, there are others who need your help,” Mother said as she rose. When she noticed the small crowd gathered around and gawking she let out a sharp clack and everyone scattered. “What’s going on? Why is everyone looking at me?” Old insecurities battered her and she wanted to hide behind Mother’s tiny frame. “They are amazed at your healing skills. They’ve never seen someone accomplish what you just did without a healing circle.” “What’s a healing circle?” “When the women gather power and funnel it into the sick person. We were afraid to do that with S’ln because of the baby.” What the hell was she talking about? “What power?” “Why, female power. What other power is there?” “I have no idea what you’re talking about. What do you mean ‘female power’?” “All women hold power in their hearts. When they join together and focus on the same purpose there is nothing they can’t accomplish.” Oh, that. For a second there Mary thought she meant some sort of hoodoo power. This sounded more like the power of prayer. Considering the primitive culture of the Seoenx, they probably did have a deity they prayed to. She knew most of the galaxy

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considered religion a crutch but if she lived on a planet battered by constant storms and had enormous attacking crabs she’d take up praying too. Mary went from pallet to pallet and examined the sick. Many of them had easily diagnosed illness and even without her meds she could help them. Some of them were beyond her limited ability to heal without more modern resources. As she looked at her patients she realized there were far too many of them who looked anemic. She couldn’t tell for sure without doing blood work but the symptoms were there. Something about this many cases of anemia bothered her. Before she could ask Mother about it a cacophony of clacks sounded outside the infirmary doorway. What was going on? “The hunters have returned with food. Your Sloan is with them. T’rk is very excited about something— I can’t read his thoughts. Come, let’s find out what has him in such a state.” Most of the village had gathered around the hunting party. Sloan stood head and shoulders over the shorter Seoenx. His dark hair and olive skin contrasted sharply with the pale blue of the men around him. Mary’s heart did a little somersault at the sight of him. It took some serious powers of concentration for her to focus on what T’rk said instead of admiring how Sloan’s muscles bunched and rolled. He smiled ruefully at T’rk and Mary’s breath caught. It wasn’t fair that he could rattle her without even trying. Even though she and Mother were at the back of the crowd surrounding the hunting party she had no trouble following T’rk’s animated story. There were definitely some pluses to mind-speech. “As Warrior Sloan jumped from rock to rock, distracting the crustomorph, C’rq slipped out of the cave and threw the nets. He hauled in such a load he needed all of us to help him pull them in.” “How were you able to get the fish into the cave with the crustomorph there?” someone asked. “Now that is where things get exciting. Warrior Sloan climbed the rock face farthest away from the entrance of the cave and kept the beast busy while we carried what we could to the tunnels.” Fear made Mary’s knees weak as she listened to Sloan’s antics. What was wrong with him? How could he climb the damn wall acting as bait for a crab? Did he have a death wish? The Seoenx clustered around Sloan clicking and clacking in what must be admiration for his bravery. Several older women carried huge buckets of fish down the tunnel. The hunting party basked in the glow of the townspeople, looking pleased as punch.

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The thought of Sloan clinging to the rock wall while razor-sharp claws reached for him sent bolts of terror through her. It was all Mary could do to keep standing. How could he risk his life like that for people he barely knew? A shiver chased down Mary’s spine. She looked up to see Sloan staring at her. He smiled at her with that bone-melting grin of his. She couldn’t smile back, she was still too caught up in the thought of him getting cut in two by a giant crab. The rest of the town might admire him for his bravery but she hated it. What if he had died? What would she do then? Sloan pushed away from the attentive crowd and walk towards her with a puzzled look on his face. With each step he took Mary’s heart raced with conflicting emotions. She was pissed at him for risking his life yet she was so happy he was alive. The relief that washed over her scared her silly. How could she care so much about him? Was she actually starting to believe his sweet words and fall for him? She refused to move from the spot where she stood. Mother had left to talk to a group of women so Mary was alone. Well, as alone as she could be with a bunch of clicking, clacking villagers ten meters away. “Hey, honey, how was your day?” he asked like he was coming home from a day at the office. “Much less exciting than yours, apparently.” “Less painful too, I hope.” He held out his hands and Mary saw that they were cut and bleeding in a number of places. At least four of his fingernails had been ripped completely off and the heel of one hand had a deep gouge in it. “What happened? You’ve been standing up there soaking up everyone’s praise while your hands look like raw protein? Idiot. Come on. You’re coming with me to the house of healing.” Mary grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him down the street. “If those cuts get infected I don’t have a medi-unit to fix them up. I don’t even have any fecking antibiotics! You probably have a million germs swimming in your bloodstream already.” “They’re not that bad. T’rk cleaned them up a bit in the tunnels.” “Right. And did he use hot water and bandage them so no germs could get in until they healed?” Mary stared pointedly at his bare hands. “I didn’t think so.” She almost breathed a sigh of relief when they got to the house of healing. This was something she could handle. Tending injuries didn’t require her to explore her feelings. And right now her emotions were so jumbled she didn’t have the guts to figure them out. “Sit here and don’t touch anything. I’ll be back with hot water and bandages in a minute.” Mary mind-spoke her needs to one of the young girls who had stayed behind to watch the sick while everyone else left. In less than a minute she had a bowl of steaming water, ointment of some kind and rolls of cloth for bandages.

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When she got back to the seat where she had parked Sloan he was surrounded again. This time by a group of young girls who obviously wanted to get closer to the “hero”. The way they giggled and fawned over him made her skin crawl. It was like he emitted some pheromone that attracted women of every species to him. “Excuse me, ladies, but I need to tend to Warrior Sloan’s injuries now. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to give you the entire story later on tonight.” She made a shooing motion with her free hand. The girls trickled out of the room giggling and giving him shy looks over their shoulders. “They were just interested in hearing the story, they weren’t hurting anything,” Sloan said with a smug grin on his face. Mary very carefully placed her supplies on the table. What she really wanted to do was throw the bowl of water in Sloan’s lap but she refrained. “I know, but I don’t like people looking over my shoulder while I’m working.” Especially fawning girls who would feed his already inflated ego. She pulled up a short stool and sat in front of him. The position put her far too close to his body but she didn’t have much of a choice. If she wanted to treat his hands she had to touch him. His scent drifted through her nostrils as she inspected his injuries. The spicy, musky smell of him blended with the smell of salt air and seawater. It was a potent combination. Tingles spread out from her stomach to her breasts and her pussy. His breath caressed her cheek as she bent over his hand and chills ran down her spine. Her breasts felt shivery with anticipation and her heart rate shot through the roof. This is ridiculous! She was supposed to be treating his injuries, not getting off on the feel of him so close to her. Disgusted with herself, Mary pushed aside the disturbing feelings his nearness caused and focused on cleaning out his cuts. T’rk had done a pretty good job cleaning the wounds of major debris but there was still dirt and grit in some of them. Sloan’s breath came out in a rush when she scrubbed one of his battered fingertips. “Sorry, I don’t mean to hurt you but I have to get everything out of the cut before I bandage it.” “I know. I’m fine,” he said with a weak smile on his face. “What a trooper,” she snickered. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” “Me?” she asked, eyes wide with innocence. “Don’t give me that good-little-medic look. I know you’re a closet sadist.” He grinned as he said it but the words made her stomach bottom out. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked sharply. What had he heard? “Ouch! Hey, leave some skin intact, will ya? I was just teasing you, that’s all.”

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Mary flushed and dropped her eyes from his inquisitive gaze. Embarrassment made her face heat. She’d overreacted to his innocent teasing and hurt his hand in the process. Blast it, she owed him an apology now. “I’m sorry. Your words brought back a bad memory. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Sloan looked at the pain on Mary’s face and could have kicked himself for teasing her. He’d been enjoying her fussing over him and didn’t want anything to ruin the mood. Now she blushed like a schoolgirl and wouldn’t meet his eyes. He lifted her chin with the back of one bandaged hand so she had no choice but to look at him. “I’m the one who should apologize. I didn’t mean to remind you of anything painful. Sometimes I’m not as funny as I think I am.” “Only sometimes?” she said with a small smile. “Okay, most of the time I’m not as funny as I think I am.” He liked how she rubbed her cheek against his hand, even though he suspected it was an unconscious reaction. “It’s not your fault, it’s mine. The word sadist hit a hot button for me and I overreacted.” A memory of Artman describing how Mary liked sex a little rough flashed through Sloan’s mind. Oh damn, how could he be so stupid? What should he do now? Did he act like he hadn’t heard Artman’s bragging? Or did he admit he’d heard it but didn’t believe it? Or did he try to tell her it was okay? He was in an emotional asteroid field. Mary’s face flushed again and she moved away from his touch. “You don’t have to pretend you didn’t hear. I had plenty of guys in your troop come up afterwards and offer to take Artman’s place. I know he told everyone what we did together.” She looked so humiliated Sloan’s heart almost broke right there. Sweat broke out on his brow. What he said and did right now would have a lasting impact on their future together and he didn’t want to fuck it up. Holding her hand between his battered ones, he brought it to his lips and kissed her delicate fingers. He waited until she shyly looked up at him before he spoke. “You know I’m not the most articulate of guys. I’m a soldier who grew up in the mines, not some courtier from the Emperor’s court, so this is very hard for me. I’d love to tell you I never heard what Artman said about you but that would be a lie.” Mary tried to pull away from him but he held on. “Only you know how much of what Artman said about you is true or false. And your version is the only one I care to hear.” “Even if it’s all true? Even if I liked getting tied up and spanked?” Her eyes filled with humiliation and a touch of defiance. “Honey, the thought of tying you up and touching your lovely body to my heart’s content is one of my deepest fantasies. Right next to getting tied up and being at your mercy. Sexual play between consenting adults is nothing to be ashamed of.”

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“But you don’t understand. It was more than that.” She broke his hold and moved out of his reach. “It’s not just what we did. I-it’s how much I enjoyed it.” She looked sick at her own words. “You’re supposed to enjoy sex.” “Not this type. He used…things on me,” she whispered. “What types of things?” Sloan’s cock jumped to complete attention at the pictures dancing in his mind. A vivid image of Mary spread out on a bed with her hands tied while he used a vibra-cock on her and licked her clit sent blood rushing painfully south. “Floggers…and…toys and cuffs.” She looked like she was waiting for him to run screaming from the room in disgust. “And you’re embarrassed because you liked it? Honey, I love that. I’m so damn hard right now thinking of you tied up and waiting for me, I could burst. None of that is wrong or bad as long as you enjoy it and no one gets hurt.” “But it did hurt…” she couldn’t finish the sentence. “And you liked that too?” She bit her lip and nodded. “Pleasure and pain are closely linked. That’s not unusual, sweetie. That’s the whole point of holding out so long it hurts.” “Normal people can’t like getting hurt.” “Mary, what lasted longer, the pain or the pleasure?” This conversation was causing him a great deal of pain. And there wasn’t much chance of any pleasure coming afterwards if he screwed it up. “The pleasure, obviously.” She looked at him like he was an idiot. “Exactly. Normal people like orgasms so therefore having a little kink in your sex doesn’t make you abnormal.” “But Eliz said—” Sloan cut her off before she could finish telling him what that freaking prude said. “Eliz comes from Pearlion. They only have sex there to procreate. They think all recreational sex is wrong. You can’t believe a word she says. And so help me if I find out she’s the one who made you feel like what you did was wrong I’ll wring her scrawny neck.” “You can’t, she died from food poisoning.” He felt a moment of guilt for wanting to strangle a dead woman but got over it. “Whatever. You get my point. Most men would crawl over jagged moon rock to have you tie them up. What you did isn’t bad or abnormal or sick. Believe me. I’d be first in line. Just talking about it has me so worked up I could burst.” He gestured to his erection.

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Mary’s beautiful blue eyes shot up to his then slowly drifted lower until they reached his cock. Her eyes widened even more at the sight of his dick tenting the front of his pants. “I don’t understand you. Last night you gave me this speech about how we couldn’t just have sex, it had to mean something but now, talking about kinky stuff has you hard as a rock. Do you want to make love or fuck?” “Both. I want to worship every inch of your skin for hours on end and I want to tie you up and fuck your brains out. They’re not mutually exclusive. Whether I’m softly caressing you or spanking your curvy little ass I still want it to mean something. I have hundreds of fantasies involving you and all of them end the same way. With you feeling the same way I do.” “And how’s that?” Sloan’s mouth dried up with nerves. Did he dare tell her he wanted her to love him as much as he loved her? Would the depth of his feelings send her running and screaming from him? His heart beat furiously in his chest. Just tell her how you feel. She needs to know. “It sure as hell isn’t you thanking me for a good time and going our separate ways.” He chickened out. It was too soon to tell her what was in his heart. She didn’t trust him enough yet. He couldn’t risk it. “Ah, there you are, Warrior Sloan.” T’rk strode into the room and clapped Sloan on the shoulder. “We’re having a feast tonight in your honor. We haven’t had this much kel fish since the crustomorphs came.” “Great.” “I’ll meet you at the baths once your mate finishes caring for your wounds. We have much to celebrate today.” T’rk slapped him on the back and waved to Mary who’d scurried to the far corner of the room when he came in. “Why don’t you go on ahead and I’ll finish cleaning up here? I’d hate for you to leave your fans waiting.” She fiddled with the spare bandages on the table. “I’ll wait until you’re done. It would look funny if I went to the pool without my mate.” Oh how he wished that was true. “You know I’m not your mate. Maybe if you hurry you can get a threesome too. I’m sure there’d be plenty of takers for a hero like you.” “No thanks. I’ll pass.” Sloan looked at her for a minute then relented. She probably needed a little space to think about what he’d said. He’d give her a little breathing room but not too much. If he left her alone too long she’d twist everything he’d said around and he’d be back to square one. An idea began to form in his mind. A delicious plan that would either draw her to him or push her away forever. He’d have to think a bit more on it before he did anything. “Go on, I’ll be along in a bit,” she said again, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

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“Fine. You win, for now,” he said but his brain spun with ideas for her imminent surrender.

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Chapter Eight Mary watched Sloan walk out the doorway. Immediately excited villagers—most of them women—surrounded him. Figures. Doesn’t matter what species they are, all women lust after Sloan. She hadn’t had much contact with him on board The Federation. Other than the time she’d patched up his broken arm when he’d been hurt in the Gladiator games she really hadn’t seen all that much of him. A wry grin pulled up the corners of her mouth. Her hands had shaken so badly when she’d wrapped his arm she was surprised it had healed. Even though she had been “in love” with Artman she’d still been affected by Sloan’s magnetic presence. He’d flirted harmlessly, which had thrilled her, then made her feel guilty for betraying her boyfriend. “If I had known better I’d have dumped Artman and jumped at the chance to date Sloan. Idiot.” Artman had been screwing around on her and trashing her reputation. It wasn’t enough to use her to steal drugs from the infirmary, oh no, he had to destroy her in the process. Oh yeah, she should have jumped Sloan at the slightest hint he was interested in her. “Mary, are you coming? We shall feast in your honor tonight, too,” Mother asked her from the doorway. “Yes, I’m just cleaning up. Sloan’s hands were a mess from climbing the walls of the cave.” “I imagine they were. He was very brave. None of our hunters could have climbed so high or held on for so long. He is strong in body as well as spirit.” “What do you mean? And how do you know how high he climbed?” “I saw the pictures in T’rk’s head,” she said matter-of-factly. “Your warrior has saved us for a while longer.” She saw the pictures in T’rk’s head? Mother continued, “I knew the moment I read your dreams that the two of you would be our salvation. Sloan will rescue us from the crustomorphs and you shall heal our bodies.” Mary gave up trying to figure out what Mother was talking about. Some things were just too weird to decipher. “I’m all set here, can you lead me back to the baths?” Mary wasn’t sure she could find the way through the tunnels by herself. Hopefully by the time she got there Sloan would be done bathing—or doing whatever else he was doing in the warm pool. “What troubles you? You look sad all of a sudden,” Mother asked, taking Mary’s hand.

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“Nothing. I was just thinking of something.” She finished putting away her supplies and washed her hands in a bowl of clean water. “I’m all set here. Let’s go.” She plastered on a fake smile and headed for the doorway. When she reached Mother, the old woman reached up and clasped Mary’s face in her hands. Her silver eyes stared deeply into Mary’s, as if searching for something. Mary could practically feel the old woman reading her thoughts. She wanted to pull away from the intrusion but something held her still. Finally Mother dropped her hands and smiled. The corners of her eyes crinkled up and she practically giggled. “I don’t see what’s so funny.” Mary pushed out the doorway. She’d have stalked down the street if she knew which tunnel to take. “Oh my dear child, don’t be upset with me. I find your jealousy amusing. Warrior Sloan is your mate, no other women will try to offer him pleasure without your permission.” “I’m not jealous. He’s a grown man, he can do what he wants.” But she’d hate it. Did that mean she really was jealous? She shied away from the thought. If she were jealous that would mean that she had feelings for him. That was ridiculous, of course she didn’t have feelings for him. She just wanted to have sex with him and if he screwed some other female after telling her how sex had to “mean” something it would piss her off. That was it. She wasn’t jealous, she just didn’t want him to be a hypocrite. “I’m sorry we let this…misunderstanding…go on for so long. Sloan isn’t really my mate.” The words caused a jab of pain in the region of her heart but she ignored it. “Silly girl, why do you deny what is plain to all around you? Warrior Sloan is your lifemate. He watches over you, protects you and loves you. If that isn’t a mate then what is?” “I’m not ready to have a mate. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to have a mate.” “Warrior Sloan is a good man. You will find no better than him. I have seen into his soul and it is pure.” Mary’s heart squeezed again. His soul might be pure but hers sure as hell wasn’t. “There are circumstances you don’t know about. Sloan is a good man and when we finish here and go back to our military jobs he’ll find someone else. Someone who matches him strength for strength.” Just the thought made her eyes burn. Damn it, she would not cry over him. “Why are the young so insistent on doing things the hard way? Come, they will not start the feast without us and my children are hungry for meat.” Mary shook her head and followed Mother’s quick strides. She wasn’t doing things the hard way. She was protecting herself. And Sloan. He was a good man and he should have someone who was strong enough to trust him. Good stars in the cosmos, what the hell was she talking about? This place was seriously getting to her. She was actually starting to believe Sloan’s sweet words. Did she really think he was different from any other man? That he wouldn’t move on as soon as he could? Hadn’t Artman given her sweet words too? 72

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But if that was the case, why hadn’t he taken her up on her offer last night? a tiny voice asked. Her heart raced. Did she dare believe him? And if she did and let go, would he turn away from her when he found out what turned her on? Her brain spun in circles and her knees went weak at the thoughts churning in her head. “Be careful here, the rocks get slippery,” Mother warned, interrupting Mary’s chaotic thoughts. They’d reached the waterfall entrance and Mary had no idea how they’d gotten there. Her attention had been on the dilemma of Sloan, not on her surroundings. Blast, she’d never find her way around here if she didn’t start focusing on the tunnels and not on her emotions. The cold water dousing her helped to shake her out of her musings. “Refreshing, isn’t it?” Mother asked as she stepped through the pounding liquid curtain. “That’s one way to look at it.” By the time they got to the pool of steaming water most of the Seoenx had left and were making their way up the path to the tables. Sloan was nowhere in sight. Mother stripped off her robes and waded into the water without a thought to her nudity. It took Mary a little bit longer to let go of her inhibitions. Her hands trembled a bit as she stripped off the filmy dress and walked into the bath. The warm water felt good to her aching muscles. She’d done more walking and climbing in the last two days than she’d done since she joined The Federation. A splash behind her made her sink low in the water. Sloan, in all his hunky glory, strode naked into the bath. “Mind if I join you?” He’d taken the bandages off his hands and swished them in the water in front of him. Mary noticed more scrapes on his chest and arms—she didn’t dare look lower. Just the sight of all those muscles laid bare to her gaze made her pussy lips swell and her slit grow wet. “Ah, sure. I’d have thought you’d be done bathing by now.” Had hoped he’d been done. “I had a few things to set up in our cave first so that took a little time. Are you okay? You look…funny.” “Why is everyone asking me that? I’m fine, just a little sore from the unaccustomed exercise.” She sank lower in the water and backed towards the area that held the soap. “Sorry, didn’t mean to insult you. I just wanted to make sure you were all right. You’re holding up well, you know. I don’t know how many other women would be able to adapt to such different surroundings so quickly. And I heard you were able to save T’rk’s daughter and her baby. That’s pretty impressive.”

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His praise warmed her. “It wasn’t a big deal. S’ln had a kidney stone. Luckily it hadn’t blocked her urethra yet so we were able to flush it out. She did the hard part.” Mary ducked under the water and swam to the shallow end where Mother rested. She’d barely settled down in one of the hollows carved out by the currents of hot water when Mother got up. “I didn’t mean to disturb you, Mother. I can leave.” Mary stood. “Do not worry, my child. I am simply done now. You rest and refresh yourself. When you feel at peace come join us for the evening meal.” If she waited until she was at peace with herself to get out of the water she might as well grow fins and gills. She hadn’t been at peace in so long she’d forgotten what it felt like. Would she ever trust herself again? The pulsing water relaxed her tense shoulders and she sank down lower. Why did she have to complicate things so much? Lucy had accused her of overanalyzing everything ever since she and Artman broke up. Stars, how she missed Lucy. If she only had her friend around to talk to that would make things so much better. Well, probably not but it would be nice to hear another woman’s opinion. Mary sighed and turned to reach for the soap. Lucy would tell her to let go of the past and grab the future with both hands. But was Sloan her future? She was so caught up in her conflicting thoughts, she didn’t hear Sloan approach until she felt his chest pressed against her back. Immediately her heartbeat shot through the roof. Adrenaline flew through her bloodstream making her knees weak. “Why don’t you let me wash your back? I can help ease some of those sore muscles Mother told me you had.” “M-Mother told you I was sore?” What else had the old woman said? “She told me you needed tending to because of all the extra activity you’d been doing. I can see the tension in your shoulders. If you don’t let me knead some of it out you’ll end up with a headache.” His low voice flowed over her like melted chocolate. Any tension she had now was his fault. She’d been relaxing a minute ago. Sort of. Mary could feel him lathering up his hands behind her. Her breath hitched as she waited to feel his hands on her body. Her naked body. With his naked body right behind her. His naked, aroused body right behind her. Touching her. Cream gushed between her thighs stronger than the current flowing into the baths. Her nipples had perked up into tight little nubs and her breasts were heavy with need—and he hadn’t even laid a hand on her yet! What was taking him so long, anyway?

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His muscled chest rubbed against her back as he took a deep breath, then he backed away so he no longer brushed against her. Mary felt bereft at the loss of contact. “Lift your hair up so I don’t get it all tangled,” he whispered against her ear. “O-okay.” The feel of his lips so close to her made her stomach flip. A healthy dose of lust swam through her bloodstream. Every cell of her body stood up at attention. Especially the cells between her legs. Mary twisted her hair into a bun and held it at the back of her head. If she had a clip she could drop her arms but she was out of luck. The position made her breasts jut forward. The sensation of Sloan’s large calloused hands on her shoulders drove all thought out of her brain. Hell, it turned her entire brain to mush. All she could do was feel. Those wide, long-fingered hands pressed and squeezed her aching muscles and tendons until they were as pliable as jelly. “There, that’s better isn’t it?” Sloan said. “Uh-huh.” She’d lost the power of speech. Giving an intelligent response involved brain cells and hers were on strike. Those wonderful, magical hands rubbed over her back and neck, dissolving tension wherever they went. With every stroke her muscles turned to water. It was all she could do to keep her hair off her neck and not drop her arms. Sloan must have noticed her struggles because soon she felt warm water trickle down her back. “You can let your hair down, I’ve rinsed off all the soap.” “T-thank you.” Her arms flopped down as if they were made of lead instead of flesh and bone. He kneaded her shoulders, pulling them back to stretch the ligaments. The motion pushed out her chest and she felt a groan rumble through Sloan’s chest. Mary couldn’t resist rubbing her ass against him. His cock stood up hard and strong. She wet her lips at the thought of it slipping inside her dripping wet pussy. He was so close, so very close to her entrance. If she just bent a little and pushed back she could— “Don’t do it,” he growled in her ear. His hands gripped her hips and pressed her tightly against his pelvis. “I’m not going to start something I don’t have time to finish.” “Trust me, at this point it wouldn’t take me long to finish,” Mary practically squeaked. He was so big and hard against her ass it killed her to hold still. “Me either, darlin’. But once I start I’m not stopping for anything less than a natural disaster. And only then if death is imminent.” One hand reached up and cupped her breast. His thumb flicked her nipple and her knees buckled.

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“After this party they’re throwing for us I’m going to take you back to the cave and fuck your brains out. I’m going to have you over and over again in so many ways you’ll lose count.” “W-what happened to ‘I only want to make love to you’?” Mary couldn’t believe she was giving him an out! Why couldn’t she shut her damn mouth? “Oh, I’m going to make love to you too. I realized something today.” “Really?” she asked breathlessly. “Yeah. I figured out that no matter how I touch you it’s going to mean something to me. I’ve wanted you for so very long, whether I slam you against a wall and fuck your brains out or drive into you so slowly you beg for mercy, it’ll be special.” Mary almost whimpered at the images his words brought forth. Her pussy lips were so wet and swollen she wanted to scream. “But that will have to wait for tonight. Eat well, you’re going to need your strength.” Sloan squeezed her breast gently and bit her lightly on the neck before gliding away. Cool air rushed over her back at the loss of his heat behind her. Mary collapsed into the water in a boneless heap. He’d gotten rid of any tension in her muscles all right. Now it was all between her legs. Sloan’s hands shook as he dried off and pulled on his clothes. Feck, he was so horny his balls felt like they were going to explode. Mary’s creamy body was so lush and ripe for the taking it was all he could do to walk away and get ready for the feast. Right now he hated every one of the Seoenx and their damn party. All he wanted to do was drag Mary into the cave and feast on her body. But that would have to wait. It was probably a good thing. He knew she was just as needy as he was. By the end of the celebration he’d have her in the palm of his hand—hopefully literally. It had taken a while but he’d finally figured her out. Well, as much as any man could figure a woman out. Mary might talk big about just wanting to have sex for a release with no strings attached but she’d never be able to go through with it. Maybe if he were just a one-night stand that she’d never see again she might be able to fuck him and forget him, but he doubted it. What worked in his favor was their constant proximity. She wouldn’t be able to get away from him so she wouldn’t be able to stop her feelings from coming around. At least that’s what he counted on. This had to work because he couldn’t stand it if she walked away from him. Sloan had finally set his heart on one woman and by stars he wasn’t going to let her past keep them apart. Shortly before his bath, he’d scrambled around with T’rk’s help and gotten some supplies for a private party after dinner. T’rk had given him a sly grin when he’d asked for the bindings and other things but hadn’t said a word. The Seoenx apparently didn’t 76

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see anything wrong with a little bondage between mates because he’d produced the items on Sloan’s list in about ten minutes. From what Sloan could gather, after dinner there’d be some dancing and then everyone would go back to their dwellings. T’rk had assured him that no one would pay one bit of attention to them even though there wasn’t a door on the cave for privacy. “You need to put the bandages back on so your hands don’t get infected. Do we have any more?” Mary asked as she waded out of the bath. Sloan made himself look only at her face and not at the tempting hills and valleys of her delicious body. “I brought spares with me.” He reached for them but as he did he caught a look at his hands. Blinking his eyes to clear his vision he looked again. “You’re not going to believe this but I don’t think I’m going to need them. Look.” He held out his hands for her perusal. They were almost completely healed. The skin was pink and shiny and the open wounds were gone. His nail beds, which had been ripped to shreds, were tenderlooking but repaired. He opened and closed his hands and sure enough, the pain was gone. “Let me see,” Mary ordered and pulled her hand close to get a better look. “That’s amazing. If I hadn’t treated them myself I’d think you’d injured them a week ago.” She twisted and turned first one hand then the other. Her little fingers poked and prodded at the tender skin and he yelped. “Hey, take it easy. Just because they aren’t bleeding anymore doesn’t mean they don’t still hurt a little.” “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to understand what happened. This makes no sense. I bandaged them myself. Blast, I wish I had my equipment. I bet there’s something in the water that aids in healing.” She bit her lip between pearly white teeth. Sloan bit back a groan. He wanted those teeth to bite his lips. Wanted to feel her mouth over his entire body and surrounding his cock. The mystery of his quick-healing hands was pushed to the background as he fought to control his overwhelming lust. Damn, this woman would be the death of him. “I want to take some samples of this water back with us when we leave. I bet the minerals from the hot springs have something in them. That must be why the Seoenx don’t have many medicines. They don’t need them. Incredible.” She shook her head in amazement. “You’ll have to ask Mother. She’ll know. Maybe you should get dressed so we can go to dinner and see her.” Mary dropped his hand as if he burned her and clutched her clothes to her chest. Her pale face filled with color and Sloan almost laughed at her embarrassment. She’d been so wrapped up in the medical miracle of his hands she’d forgotten that she was butt naked.

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He sure as hell hadn’t. This supper better not take too long or his cock would be so big he wouldn’t be able to walk straight. The only thing making this even slightly bearable was knowing he’d have relief tonight. Over and over again. Many, many times over again. In as many positions possible. If the lotion T’rk had given him didn’t work Mary would be the one unable to walk tomorrow. The thought sobered him some. He didn’t want to hurt Mary. Just the opposite actually. He wanted to bring her so much pleasure she screamed herself hoarse. He’d have to keep himself under control and not lose himself in the glory of her body to the point where she ended up hurt. “I’m ready to go if you are,” Mary called from behind him. “Lead the way.” He only hoped she was ready for what he had planned for after dinner. By the time they got to where the food tables were set up the party was in full swing. A chorus of piercing whistles and clacks echoed around the cavern when Sloan and Mary made their appearance. Several people came over and slapped them on their backs. Everyone carried a plate of food and offered some to “the heroes”. Sloan couldn’t believe how excited they all were. When he’d suggested distracting the crustomorph so they could go fishing T’rk had shot him down immediately. Apparently they’d tried that before with fatal results. Sloan had argued with the leader until he’d finally given in. With his larger muscle mass and experience rock climbing Sloan was sure he could stay out of the crustomorph’s range long enough for the others to fish. Plus, it gave him a chance to check out the monster and do a better recon of the cave. He had found a perfect place to set up the homing beacon near the entrance to the cave above the water line. All he needed to do was find the emergency pack and the beacon. Sloan hadn’t realized how long the Seoenx had gone without their main staple of food until now. There were at least five different dishes made out of the fish they’d hauled down the kilometers of tunnels. Apparently the dinner they’d had last night had used up most of the stores and was a pretty sad feast by their standards. He had to admit, the food tonight was much more colorful and flavorful than what they’d had up to this point. Spiciness burst over his tongue from one dish. Another one had a hint of dill and still another one was vaguely smoky tasting. The women offered him so many different dishes he couldn’t keep track of them all. They plied him with food until he had so much on his plate he’d never be able to eat it all.

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“You’d better share this with me,” he said to Mary. “I don’t want to insult anyone but I’ll never be able to finish everything.” He pulled her down next to him and popped a forkful into her mouth. Her eyes widened then watered. “H-h-hot!” She waved her hand in front of her mouth. “Sorry.” He handed her a cup of water and she gulped it down. “I didn’t realize I’d given you the spicy one. Here, try this.” He gave her another forkful when she’d swallowed the water. “It’s not so hot and really good.” “Oh, I like that one. Who knew you could do so much with one type of fish?” “I thought you were from an ocean town?” He took a bite of the spicy one and saved the dill one for her. A smile crossed his face as she moved closer to him to share his plate. Many other couples did the same, feeding each other choice bits of food and sharing kisses. “I am but we never had this much variety. I think you get spoiled when you have automatic chefs. They’re awfully convenient but they don’t think independently so they can’t create new dishes.” “You’re probably right. Synthetic cooks can only do what they’re programmed to do with the materials they have. The machines don’t taste their own food so they don’t get bored with it. I guess technology isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” Sloan was all for a little primitive living if it kept Mary close to him. “Bite your tongue.” She gave him a pointed look. “Oh come on. It’s not that bad.” He’d rather bite her tongue. “Okay, it’s not quite as awful as I thought it would be. Although I would have given my left arm for a medi-tech unit today.” “From what I hear you did just fine without it.” A smile lit up her face and Sloan felt the impact like a punch in the gut. She was so beautiful, like his own personal angel. “Thanks, I guess I did.” Her eyes glowed as they looked at him and Sloan felt himself harden yet again. How did she manage to twist him inside out with just one look? “Mary. You must join the dancing tonight!” B’rn grabbed her arm and pulled her towards a circle of clicking females. She tossed a helpless look over her shoulder and Sloan laughed. Even as short as she was she stood at least a head taller than B’rn. An older woman collected his now empty plate and handed him a mug of something warm to drink. Slowly, the other men came to sit in a loose circle next to Sloan. They seemed to be waiting for something or someone. Mother strode to the middle of the circle and reached into the pouch tied to her waist. She pulled out a handful of dirt and threw it into the air with a flourish. A bright green glow shone in the middle of the circle where she’d stood.

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Someone banged out a beat on a drum. The tempo throbbed through Sloan’s veins and anticipation churned in his gut. He didn’t recognize the music but something about it made him think of the rhythm he made when he thrust into a woman. Only he wasn’t thinking about just any woman. He imagined sinking his cock deep inside Mary to the beat of the drum thudding in the background. His balls filled painfully between his legs and he was hard as a rock. How much torture could one man take? Hopefully a lot because it wasn’t over yet. At a clap from Mother, the women came into the circle the men created and began to gyrate and spin around the green glow. It reminded Sloan of vids of old rituals around campfires. The green glow didn’t give off any heat but they didn’t need it underground with hot springs around every corner. They didn’t need the light either because the lichen and minerals lit the place up adequately. This glow must be used more for ceremony than for a tool. And what a ceremony it was. The glow silhouetted the women’s dancing bodies seductively. Men whistled and stomped their feet as the women skipped around and swayed their bodies to the beat. He wondered if they were going to strip off their clothes tonight like they had last night. His mouth watered at the thought of Mary pulling her clothes off for him. Sloan had no trouble picking Mary’s curvy form out amongst the stick-thin forms of the Seoenx. His cock pulsed every time she spun by him. Damn, he wanted her so badly. The rhythm of the music egged on his desire until he practically swam in testosterone. The tempo grew faster and faster reminding him of the pace right before he climaxed. As the music grew frenzied, the women pulled up men to join them. He strained his eyes looking for Mary’s form but too many couples blocked his view. Where had she gone? His blood pounded in his veins with need for her. Could she have slipped away when he wasn’t looking? Suddenly he caught sight of the hourglass figure of Mary and reached out for her. She tumbled into his lap with a laugh. Sloan wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. There was no way he was letting her up to dance some more. He couldn’t handle it. “Are you ready to go?” he all but growled. “It looks like the party’s over,” she said, breathless from her exertions. The Seoenx had scattered, heading for their caves in couples and threesomes. Discarded clothes lay along the path. Apparently they couldn’t wait until they got home to get naked. Sloan didn’t give a toradal shit what anyone else was doing. All he cared about was getting Mary back to the cave so he could touch her to his heart’s content. “That’s where you’re wrong. The party’s only just beginning.” He stood with her in his arms and carried her towards the cave. This was one celebration he was going to make sure continued long into the wee hours of the morning.

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Chapter Nine Mary’s heart fluttered in her chest as Sloan carried her up the ladder to their cave. His strength amazed her. She could feel the muscles in his chest bunch as he shifted her weight around to manage the uneven rungs. Soon she’d feel those ropy muscles under her bare hands. She’d be able to touch them and dig her nails into them as he drove into her. Her pulse raced with excitement and she had trouble catching her breath. Any other thought that dared to enter her mind was immediately overcome by the lust that swam through her bloodstream. All thoughts of backing away from Sloan ended when she agreed to dance with the other women. B’rn had said the dance was part of the celebration but Mary had known it was just another form of foreplay. The music had throbbed through her system, lodging deep in her core. At first she’d been shy about gyrating and flaunting her body in front of Sloan and so many strange men. Once the music grabbed hold of her, she’d let go of her inhibitions. Let go? She’d practically flung them to the cosmos. With the drumbeat spurring her on she’d gyrated like a wanton for Sloan. His hot eyes had burned through her dress and encouraged her to shake and shimmy like a Pleasure Planet stripper. It had made her hotter than rocket fire. She was still hotter than rocket fire. Her breath caught as they entered the cave. Sloan let her slide down his rock-hard chest and over his equally hard cock. It was dimmer in here than it had been by the stream and it took Mary a few moments for her eyes to adjust. “I want to make sure there’s no misunderstandings, darlin’. I’m going to have you tonight. Multiple times. In many, many different ways. Do you have a problem with that?” His words sent cream flooding between her thighs. The look in his eyes told her plainly that he meant every word. It excited the absolute hell out of her. She wanted to be dominated, to be overwhelmed with the power of his desire for her. Anticipation bubbled through her and made her lightheaded. She realized he waited for her answer. “I have no problem with that,” she said, her voice thick with desire. “Thank the stars. I don’t think I could have stopped now if you held a laser to my head but I’d have tried.” “No, don’t. Please.” 81

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The time for stopping had long since passed. Slowly, gently, he cupped her face between his hands and drew her mouth up for a kiss. His lips lightly grazed hers and sent shivers down her spine. She’d rather have him be a little rougher but this was nice too. He pulled back from her before she could even get a good taste of him and led her deeper into the cave. Mary’s eyes widened when she saw what he’d set up in there. “You certainly were busy while I was gone. You did all of this with your injured hands?” His hands hadn’t healed until they’d gone into the baths and she’d been with him every minute since. “I had some help. Apparently the Seoenx enjoy all forms of sexual pleasure. T’rk didn’t even raise an eyebrow when I asked him for restraints.” She hadn’t noticed those. Mary took in the erotic setting Sloan had created for them. Red and blue cushions covered the floor in a silky pile. Metal rings had been hammered into the rock wall and the floor of the cave. Filmy scarves had already been tied to the rings and Mary’s pussy swelled at the thought of what those scarves were for. And they weren’t for making love, that was for damn sure. Sloan had stripped off his shirt and reclined against the pillows in just his pants. His chest gleamed in the reflection of the glowing minerals on one of the walls. He’d hung up material on the other walls to darken the room. What a picture he presented laying there half naked, drawing a scarf through his fingers. Mary couldn’t pull her eyes away from those big hands as they fondled the filmy strip of cloth. What would they feel like fondling her body? “Well?” he asked, breaking the spell. “Well what?” Her eyes snapped up to his. The heat from his gaze scorched her to her toes. “I’m waiting.” Mary looked at him questioningly. What was he waiting for? “Are you going to stand there all night or are you going to take off your clothes and join me?” The shift from gentle lover to demanding master surprised and excited her. She lowered her eyes so he couldn’t see how much this turned her on. A part of her still shied away from her need to be dominated like this. The rest of her jumped for joy. Keeping her eyes lowered, Mary slipped out of the dress as slowly as she could. There really wasn’t a way to draw it out. It was one piece and she had no underwear on so she couldn’t do a striptease for him. “Come here,” he ordered. His voice slid through her like warm honey.

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She walked towards him and knelt by his side. Heat poured off him and his cock stood out stiffly under his pants. Mary had to bite her lip to keep from groaning in need. Being this close to him and not touching him was torture. But a very pleasurable torture. “Scratch my back, slave.” Sloan’s eyes twinkled at her in humor before he rolled onto his stomach. He might be playing the dominant but his look assured her it was just a game. “Yes, master,” she answered as she straddled his back. His firm ass supported her as she held his bare waist between her thighs. The contact sent waves of heat straight to her weeping pussy. Sloan must have felt the effects too because he groaned and pushed the pillows farther under his hips. Not for the first time Mary thanked the stars her arousal didn’t poke out between her legs. She snickered at the thought as she leaned over to scratch her short nails down his broad back. “Are you laughing?” “No, master. I wouldn’t dare.” She bit back another chuckle. “It’s your fault I’m in this state. If you hadn’t flaunted your body down by the stream I’d be able to lay down without breaking something.” “I’m so sorry, master.” She pressed her breasts against his naked skin. Fire blazed through her. Mary’s head swam from the onslaught of superheated lust engulfing every atom of her being. She squeezed her thighs tight to ease the ache there but that only pressed his hard body closer to her needy clit and made matters worse. “You’re so hot. So wet. I can feel your pussy dripping over me.” She knew she’d probably be embarrassed by her body’s reaction later but there was no room for it now. Every emotion was tied up in the feel of Sloan under her hands, pressed against her swollen breasts and between her legs. “Do you want me to move, master?” She bit his shoulder lightly and sucked on the salty taste of his flesh in her mouth. “I don’t think you’re showing the proper deference for your master, missy. It’s time I taught you a lesson.” “I’m a bad girl. I need to be punished.” More fluid gushed over her at the thought of being completely at Sloan’s mercy. “You certainly do. Get off me and assume the position!” Mary slid off his back and knelt down with her legs spread and her ass in the air. A cool breeze blew across her exposed slit and her whole body quivered in reaction. Her nipples rubbed against the filmy material of the cushions and sent tiny explosions of sensation over her heavy breasts. “What a sight you make. Your beautiful blonde hair is spread out over the blue cushions and your delicious ass is just waiting for me,” Sloan said from behind her.

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She couldn’t see him but she knew he was looking at her naked butt. A quiver of uneasiness rippled through the fog of lust encompassing her. She wasn’t exactly skinny. Would he find her big behind repulsive? The feel of his open mouth pressed against the lower curve of her cheek dispelled that notion immediately. His hot, wet tongue ran over the delicate skin of her ass. Mary almost wept in pleasure. “You have the most delicious derrière I’ve ever seen. I want to eat it up.” He bit her lightly to affirm his point. Fresh heat pierced her core at the touch of his teeth so close to her aching pussy. “There’s only one problem with your ass. It’s far too pale.” And without warning his hand came down with a resounding smack. The pain lasted barely a second before the pleasure took over. Sloan slapped her other cheek with stinging accuracy. His wide-palmed hand hit her ass in a different spot each time, spreading the pain and pleasure along every millimeter of her behind. He was good at this. Too good to not have done it before. She was in the hands of someone well versed in balancing pleasure and pain. The way he placed his hands so his fingers practically grazed her pussy lips with each stroke made her want to cry in frustration. The heat from each slap spread through her slit and tore over her body. Soon her entire ass radiated fire from his spanks and her cream dripped freely down her thighs. “Now that’s a nice pink color. Much better,” Sloan said as he caressed her behind. One finger slid lightly over her engorged lips and she let out a moan at the touch. “Not yet, darlin’. You’re not nearly ready for an orgasm.” “Trust me, I’m ready,” she moaned as she rubbed her ass against his hand. “I’m in charge and I say it’s not time yet. I think maybe you need a little reminder of who’s the master. Lie on your back and spread your legs,” he ordered. Mary did as he said. Excitement stirred her hormones into a fevered froth. Her nipples were hardened points and her clit had turned into a swollen ball of nerve endings screaming for his touch. Sloan slid his upper body along her over-sensitized breasts as he tied her arms with the filmy scarves attached to the rings in the wall. His fingers trailed down her legs as he secured her ankles to the floor. Her legs were spread wide but she had enough give to bend her knees. She felt exposed but not uncomfortable. Oh no, far from uncomfortable. He sat back on his heels between her feet and just looked at her. “Do you know how tempting you look like that? It would be so easy to peel these pants down and drive right into your waiting pussy. It’s so wet and ready for me I’d be in deep in seconds.” Sparks of anticipation exploded in her slit at his words. Would he do it? Would he push inside her pussy now and end this torment?

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“But I don’t think you’ve been properly prepared.” He eased up and shed his pants quickly, throwing them aside. “I’m a big man. I wouldn’t want you to complain I didn’t stretch you adequately first.” He stroked himself in front of her. Mary’s mouth watered at the sight of his fully aroused cock so close to her slit. A drop of pre-come gleamed at the darkened head and she licked her lips. She wanted to taste that salty tear. Wanted to suck his length into her mouth as deeply as she possibly could. Unconsciously she pulled at the ties holding her. “See something you want?” He crawled over her, trailing his cock up her leg and over her torso but not touching her pussy. “Y-yes,” she stammered, keeping her eyes glued to his approaching penis. He kept crawling over her, rubbing his chest over hers and up to her head. Mary couldn’t resist licking at the skin that was so close to her face. It was salty with sweat and whetted her taste buds for the rest of him. When he straddled her face he stopped just out of reach of her salivating mouth. “Do you want a taste of my cock?” he asked, dipping the tip of it close to her lips. “Yes, master.” “You can touch the tip but only the tip.” She had to lift her head up awkwardly to reach him but she didn’t care. The feel of that soft skin in her mouth was worth any strain. Her lips wrapped around his glans and she sucked on the seeping head. With her tongue she speared the tiny hole that dripped fluid. His sweet taste rolled over her like the finest wine. “More. I want you to take more.” His voice was harsh with desire. Mary opened her eyes to look up at Sloan. His face was scrunched up in concentration. The tendons on his neck strained with the effort it cost him to hold back. Sweat dripped down his face and his body shook with strain. How much could he handle? Power surged through her as she pulled him deeper into her mouth. She used to believe the submissive had no choice but now she realized she was the one in control. It was up to him to set the pace and make sure both of them received the utmost pleasure. She was going to make him work for it. Using her teeth and tongue, Mary sucked him as hard as she could. She had to relax her throat muscles to pull him deeper into her mouth. Without using her hands she could only pleasure him with the pressure of her mouth. Mary fought to keep her throat relaxed so she could take all of him without gagging. His sac bumped her chin and her nose brushed against the base of his cock. The smell of him filled her and enflamed her senses. The sound of Sloan’s harsh breathing echoed against the walls.

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“Enough.” He pulled back and Mary strained to keep him in her mouth. “You’re a naughty girl. I told you only the tip. You almost ended things before they really began.” Sloan moved back down until he was sitting between her legs again. She waited breathlessly for what he’d do next. His chest heaved as he fought for air. She’d done that to him. This strong warrior had been brought low by her. A delicious thrill shimmied through her at her power. “You look awfully smug for someone tied to the wall.” Sloan’s hot eyes caressed every millimeter of her body. “That won’t do.” Sloan trailed fingers over her ankles. Ever so slowly he brushed his fingers higher over her calves. Tendrils of desire followed in the wake of his hands. “Look at me. I don’t want you taking your eyes off me for a nano.” Mary forced her heavy lids to stay open and watch Sloan as he touched her. In miniscule increments he traveled up her legs. Just when she thought he’d brush her inner thighs and her waiting slit, he’d slide lower and start the process all over again. The need he had created in her core bubbled through her veins until every part of her cried out for his touch. Her thighs quivered as his breath blew over them. When his lips sucked on the curve of her hip she almost shot up off the floor. “Not so smug now, are you?” he asked, his brow arched. “N-no, master,” she whispered. His silky hair brushed against her thighs. His gaze captured hers as he moved his mouth closer to her pussy. Infinitesimally closer he came. All the while he watched her with those blazing eyes. He slipped his hands under her ass and lifted her hips higher until she could see only his eyes over her pelvis. Warm air blew over her clit and a cry slipped out of her mouth. His breath felt like laser-fire on her swollen nub. “Open your eyes,” he ordered. She didn’t even realize she had closed them. It was near impossible to watch him nuzzle her pussy and not throw her head back in ecstasy. With every beat of her heart she got hotter and needier. Her breath came in halting gasps as his mouth drew closer to her clitoris. He stopped for a second and looked at her. A wealth of emotion was in his eyes. Passion, excitement, anticipation and something else she couldn’t—or wouldn’t—name swirled within those bottomless depths. “Mary,” he breathed before stabbing her clit with his tongue. A cry escaped her mouth and she gave up the fight to keep watching him. Sloan stroked and sucked on her nubbin, overwhelming her with lust. Waves of pleasure swamped her worse than any tide from the ocean. She thrashed against his mouth as the climax ripped through her. Still he licked her, slipping a finger deep into her sheath to stroke her inside and out. Another orgasm rolled over her and stars burst behind her eyelids. 86

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“I knew you’d taste sweet,” he whispered against her quivering pussy. With one last slow lick he drew his finger out of her channel, rasping his knuckles along every nerve ending in her pussy. “But it wasn’t time for you to come. Now we’ll have to start all over again.” Every bone in her body had dissolved into warm puddles of sated pleasure. He could start over if he wanted but she didn’t think she’d be able to come again. It was an effort just to open her eyes to look at him. If she weren’t tied up she’d happily curl into a happy little ball and go to sleep. Sloan slid his cock along her pussy as he crawled over her to get something. The head of his penis grazed her clit and sent another storm of spasms spiraling through her. Maybe she could work up some more energy after all. “When I told T’rk I wanted to plan a special night with you he gave me this stuff. He said the Seoenx use this to increase the sensations of touch and warmth.” He took a cup of something and dipped his fingers into it. “I don’t think my nerves could handle any more sensations,” she protested but anticipation made her heart pick up its pace. “You don’t have a choice, remember?” He smeared the lotion over her nipples and heat immediately shot through her. The scent of vanilla filled the air as Sloan coated her breasts. Carefully, he wiped his hands off and reached for something else hidden behind a rock. What exactly did he have behind there anyway? Sloan came back with a stalk of sea grass. It was as long as her forearm and had a fuzzy tip. “Have I mentioned that I’m extremely ticklish?” she asked. “No. But don’t worry, I’m not planning on tickling you with this.” He ran the tip of the stalk over her nipple and molten heat boiled in her breast. The feathery touch of the plant caressed her like a million tiny fingers. The lotion intensified everything and made her writhe against the cushions in agonized need. The trail of pleasure ran in circles around her breasts and down to her bellybutton. Sloan playfully dipped the stalk into her navel and back out again. He leaned over and nuzzled her breasts while stroking her inner thigh with the sea grass. Mary arched her back in supplication. She wanted to feel his mouth on her nipple. At the same time she wanted him to touch her pussy again. Her hips rocked from side to side and she bit her lip in frustration. “Ah, sweet, you’re so flushed with desire for me. Just for me.” “Only for you,” she echoed. He drew her nipple into the warm cavern of his mouth and suckled it fiercely. Mary let out a cry of joy at his touch. The lotion magnified his heat until she thought she’d

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burn to a crisp from the contact. She whimpered at the pleasure coursing through her body. Her head whipped back and forth and her breath came in little gasping pants. She’d almost forgotten about the stalk of sea grass but Sloan hadn’t. As she pressed her breast against his mouth, Sloan stroked the fuzzy tip of the plant against her clit. A scream burst from her lips before she could stop it. Her hips bucked and she sobbed in frustration. The soft brushing of the sea grass wasn’t firm enough to put her over the edge. The texture of it kept her right at the verge of orgasm but couldn’t finish it. “No. This time you’ll come with me.” Sloan pulled away from her and quickly untied her bonds. As soon as her hands were free, Mary reached for him. She couldn’t wait a second longer to feel him deep inside her. Sloan positioned himself over her and held his weight off her with his arms. She was surrounded by his strength, his scent and his desire. “Look at me. Look at us.” She watched in fascination as his thick cock pushed inside her swollen pussy. He stretched her as he pressed inside but she was so wet and ready for him he slid in to the hilt with no trouble at all. Stars above, he felt good inside her. She squeezed him tightly with her inner muscles and held him close for a minute. He was hot and full in her channel and it felt like heaven. Slowly he drew out of her then thrust back in. He rolled his hips, which made his cock stroke all her hot spots with every thrust. Mary ran her hands up his back until she clutched his face in her hands. There were no words for what she was feeling. Joy, passion, relief—it was all of them rolled into one. She wanted to share the storm of emotions spinning inside her with him but she couldn’t explain it. Instead she pulled his head down for a kiss. Maybe she couldn’t tell him what this meant to her but her kiss could show him. Her tongue tangled with his and she drew it into her mouth. Sloan wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. His hips continued their deliberate thrusting, pressing his cock deeply into her. Swirling stars spun Mary along in their path, pulling her free of the bonds of her body. She clawed at Sloan’s back, trying to find an anchor in the chaos of her passion. He let out a growl and clutched her hips. Their tempo increased and Mary pushed her feet into the ground so she could thrust her hips higher. “Yes!” Sloan threw back his head as he drove into her faster and harder. The slap of their bodies reverberated through the cave as their cries of pleasure echoed around them. Mary could feel a sunburst growing inside her, just out of reach. Sweat dripped off Sloan’s face onto her as he tried to hold back.

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“Come with me, baby.” He rubbed his pelvic bone over her clit as he drove into her. Once, twice, on the third stroke she flew over the cliff with a climax that put a supernova to shame. She vaguely heard Sloan’s cry of fulfillment as he too found release but she was too caught up in her own pleasure to be sure. He collapsed on top of her, his weight pressing her into the pillows below. His musky scent filled her brain as the aftershocks of her orgasm quivered through her. Sloan buried his face in her neck and licked her. “I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,” he said. She knew she had.

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Chapter Ten Sloan thought his heart would burst out of his chest it beat so hard. A million feelings coursed through him as he lay on top of Mary. Satisfaction, joy, anticipation and a tiny bit of anxiousness jumbled around inside his head as the sweat dried on his body. What if she was disappointed? He knew she came at the end but he was a bit quick on the trigger. The lack of control bothered him, but feeling Mary’s warmth surrounding him had been too much for his sex-starved body to handle. She’d looked so delicious in her pleasure he’d almost come twice before he even entered her tight channel. One of the pillows had shifted and a rock stabbed his knee. It took mammoth amounts of effort but he managed to roll off Mary and pull her close to his side. He wanted to feel every millimeter of her skin against his. If he could absorb her into his pores he would. “Holy fecking cosmos,” Mary said on a sigh, her eyes still closed. “Does that mean you’re not disappointed?” Sloan brushed the hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “If I could work up the effort to move I’d slap you. That was amazing. Incredible. I think my toenails came, for stars’ sake.” Relief made Sloan chuckle. “Glad you were satisfied.” “If I was any more satisfied I’d slip into a pleasure coma.” Her blue eyes opened into lazy slits and she stretched her arms over her head. The movement made her breasts jiggle and rub against his chest. His limp cock stirred slightly. Sloan’s breath caught as a fresh wave of lust snaked through him. Mary immediately stopped moving and looked at him. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” “No, it’s just the insatiable monster between my legs making himself known.” Sloan shifted his legs uncomfortably. Talking about it was just making it grow bigger. “Didn’t you—” “I sure as hell did. But I’ve wanted you for so long once wasn’t nearly enough. Although I’d have thought it wouldn’t wake up this soon.” Her eyes dropped to his cock and widened. “Wow.” Tentatively, she reached out her hand and stroked his now rock-hard penis. “That was quick.” “You’re telling me,” he gasped as she wrapped her hands around him. “That isn’t going to calm it down either.”

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“Who said anything about calming down? I believe you said many different times and many different ways? We’ve got plenty of night left.” She leaned over his chest and sucked his nipple into her warm mouth. Sloan wanted to say something equally as witty but his brain had turned to mush at the touch of her lips against his bare skin. It was probably better if he didn’t say anything anyway. If he spoke to her she might feel compelled to answer him and that would take her mouth away from his body. Silence was a good thing. Mary trailed nipping kisses from one nipple to the other and drew that one into her mouth. She’d moved so that she knelt next to his torso and her breasts pressed against him. That curvy ass of hers stuck up so temptingly next to him. Without conscious thought, his hand trailed up her calves to her thighs. She widened her stance a bit which give him better access to her slit. But that was not where he was headed. As she teased his pecs, Sloan ran his fingers over the cleft of her ass. Her womanly form had driven him to distraction since the first time he clapped eyes on her. He wanted to explore every nook and cranny of her body. Especially this nook. She jumped as his finger probed the sweet rosebud between her creamy cheeks. As he teased the sensitive nerve endings there she moaned and spread her legs even farther apart. He could smell her desire as she leaned into him. Damn, she was so responsive it stirred him to even greater heights of arousal. Sloan pulled her until she lay face first on top of his upper chest. Her skin slid over him like silk as he maneuvered her until her thighs straddled his head. Her beautiful pink pussy glistened for him and he couldn’t stop himself from blowing a stream of air over it. Mary gasped and shuddered, making him smile. Turning her on could become a full-time job for him. His smugness stopped short when he felt her mouth on his cock. Heat slammed through him as her teeth grazed his length and her lips sucked hard on his tip. Her delicate hands cradled his balls, gently cupping their weight. The urge to drive his cock into her mouth almost overwhelmed him but he held back. He didn’t want to hurt her or—stars forbid—make her stop. Just because he couldn’t thrust his dick into her mouth didn’t mean he couldn’t thrust something else between other lips. Sloan pushed her legs apart and lifted his head so he could spear her sweet pussy with his tongue. He pushed a finger into her ass while he made love to her slit. Her cry of pleasure vibrated through his cock and almost pushed him over the edge.

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Mary let go of his sac and wrapped a hand around the base of his cock. The pressure of her fist and her mouth made the fight for control almost a losing battle but he struggled on. There was no way he was stopping this too soon. It felt too damn good. The taste of her juices flooded his senses as he lapped at her pussy. She aroused him on so many levels. Her touch, her taste, her smell, the sounds she made as she reached her pleasure, wrapped him in a multi-sensory cocoon of desire. His entire existence felt encompassed by Mary and he never wanted it to end. He sucked her clit hard and drove two fingers of his other hand into her weeping channel. At the same time he pressed a little deeper into her sensitive ass. Her nails dug into his thighs as she screamed out her pleasure around him. More cream gushed into his mouth as her climax hit and Sloan drank it all. He loved the feel of her inner muscles squeezing his fingers. But not nearly as much as he loved them clutching his cock. His fingers slid out of her with a wet slurp and he quickly rolled her over. The silky pillows helped him slide over her and into the wet haven of her pussy. Mary screamed as he drove in deeply and her hips bucked against him. Sloan had to stop moving before he came. He gritted his teeth and fought for control. This time he’d draw it out until she begged him to stop. There was no way he’d come too soon again. He looked down at her writhing body and almost lost it that instant. Her face was flushed with desire and her stunning blue eyes glittered up at him with the aftereffects of her pleasure. She looked at him like he held the sun, the moon, and the stars in his hands just for her. And stars, how he wished he did. More than anything he wanted to give her all he had. Shit, he wanted to give her the world on a platter. Most of all he wanted to give her his heart. The words waited to be spilled out but she wouldn’t believe him now. Even though he’d loved her for so long, if he told her that in the heat of passion she’d always wonder if he meant them. No, as much as he burned to utter those three little words he’d bide his time. Some of his feelings must have showed in his eyes because Mary looked at him questioningly. To distract her he pulled his cock out until only the tip brushed her inner lips. With a grin at her look of distress he slammed home again. Her cry of pleasure was almost as satisfying as the feel of her pussy swallowing him up. “I think it’s time I took a little more active role,” Mary said as she rolled him onto his back. “I like the way you think,” he replied. Her ripe breasts were just out of reach so he raised himself up to capture one in his mouth. He’d barely gotten a taste when she pulled away. 92

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“Oh no, I’m not coming again until you do. Now it’s my turn to drive you crazy.” She leaned back and rocked against his hips, pushing him deeper inside her tight sheath. “What fun is that? Don’t you like multiple orgasms?” His eyes locked with hers as she rolled her pelvis forward and back. “Oh I like them all right but I like simultaneous ones more.” A sly smile crossed her face and a lock of hair fell over one eye. Sloan’s heart raced at the look in her eye. It was a look that said, “I know what you want and I’m going to make you work for it.” She reached for the cup of lotion that had long since lain forgotten on the floor. Scooping up a dab, she rubbed it over first one of her nipples then the other. Heat slammed through him so hard he thought his head might explode. Mary’s eyes simmered with desire as she pinched and tugged at her nipples. Her hands caressed her breasts and roamed over all the milky-white places he wanted to touch. All moisture in his mouth dried up. It was probably because his jaw had dropped open and he couldn’t quite manage to close it. She leaned forward and rubbed her slick nipples against his chest, smearing the lotion onto him. Red-hot fire scorched him to the core. The feel of her soft breasts pressed against him teased him as completely as the lotion stimulating his sensitive nerve endings. His body swam with desire for her. An out-of-control conflagration of lust enveloped him in its grip and he couldn’t escape. Not that he wanted to. Sloan clutched her hips in his hands and squeezed as she controlled the pace. His hips rose up to thrust his cock into her according to rhythm she set. Her fecking slow rhythm. Every time she moved her chest, the lotion sent renewed bursts of flame through his bloodstream. When she bit his earlobe another blast seared his soul and burnt his control to a crisp. “I hope you’re close because I’m not going to make it much longer,” he grunted as he pushed into her. He tried to angle himself so he’d hit her G-spot and send her over the edge before him. “Too bad, I’m enjoying myself.” She licked a sizzling line down his neck and lightly bit his shoulder. The slight, stinging pain prodded his shaky restraint to the breaking point. With one last-ditch effort at survival he slid one hand between their bodies to stroke her clit. The other hand pressed into her anus again and pushed on the nerve bundle there. Her vaginal muscles tightened around him like a silken fist and he felt the eruption burst from the base of his cock until it exploded into her womb. Mary’s cry of completion at the same time was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.

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***** Sloan’s kiss still tingled on her lips as he strode down the street to the tunnels that led to the entrance cave. Mary’s heart flipped over a few hundred times as she watched his sexy ass disappear from view. His sexy ass that she’d thoroughly explored last night. A wave of desire made her knees weak and brought a smile to her face. She still couldn’t believe what she’d done with him last night. And this morning. Hell, what she’d do with him right this very second if T’rk hadn’t called him away to look at something the watch had spotted. Her body ached pleasurably from their exertions and an excited flutter tingled in her belly, driving away any tiredness she might be feeling from her lack of sleep. She’d managed to catch a few naps in between bouts of incredible sex but not much. Not that she minded one little bit. Sloan couldn’t seem to stop touching her, even when he wasn’t trying to drive her insane with passion. The few times they’d stopped to rest he’d pulled her against his muscular frame and wrapped his arms and legs around her like a sinewy blanket. She’d never felt so protected before. Or so loved. And that scared the spit out of her. Could she be reading more into things than was there? It wouldn’t be the first time she’d mistaken passion for love. Even though she knew deep in her heart Sloan was worlds above Artman, her insecurities wouldn’t stop pestering her. What if he was only better at hiding his true feelings? What if he acted like this with all his lovers? Oh stars in the cosmos, what if he actually took her up on the sex-with-no-stringsattached offer she’d given him before? Fear made her shake and she had to sit down. When had she gone from just wanting a release to wanting Sloan by her side? Probably around the third orgasm last night. No, that wasn’t it. Sure, the sex had been great. Incredible. Mind-blowing even, but there was something more to it. She’d had good sex before—okay, maybe not that good—and she’d never felt quite this connection before. It was as if when he touched her body he touched all of her, inside and out. Her body, her heart and her soul. Damn it, that’s exactly what he said he’d do too. “What’s that look for, young healer? After the night you had I’d think you’d be smiling all day,” Mother asked as she came into the small kitchen area of the infirmary. Mary jumped, slightly startled. She hadn’t heard Mother coming. There really weren’t any doors in the caverns, only arched doorways, so the old woman couldn’t 94

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have knocked. Apparently the Seoenx didn’t see the need for privacy. Mary would rather have dealt with her emotional crisis by herself but that didn’t look like an option. “I was just thinking of something…unpleasant. And how do you know how I spent last night?” “You young people think you invented mating.” Mother shook her head. “I heard your cries echo through the dwellings all night long and you have a love bite on your neck, that’s how.” Mary reached up and clapped a hand over her neck. She didn’t remember Sloan leaving a love bite on her last night. “Ha ha!” the old woman cackled. Heat filled her face and she dropped her head in embarrassment. “Don’t be upset, my child, I was merely teasing you. It pleases me that the tension between you and Warrior Sloan has been sated. Now he can focus better on the crustomorphs. Truly, your joining will give him new strength and energy to do his job, if only so he can come back to you more quickly.” “But what if he doesn’t want to come back?” Mary said. “Don’t be foolish. Warrior Sloan loves you, it has been you who have held him back all this time,” Mother scolded. “But what if he changes his mind now that we’ve joined?” Anxiety churned in her gut making her feel sick to her stomach. All her old demons pounced on her and stabbed at her happiness with sharp knives of insecurity. “Only the wind changes so fast. Warrior Sloan is like the stream that flows through our caverns, strong and steady. Has not his gentle erosion of your stubbornness taught you that? His course runs true and strong, just like his heart.” “How do you know all this? We’ve only been here a few days, yet you act like you’ve known us our whole lives.” Mary suddenly remembered the dream she had when they were in the cage where it felt like someone had flipped through her memories. Could Mother have actually seen inside her head? A shiver of apprehension chased down her back. “Do you think you are the only woman who has ever feared for her heart? The only one who has been hurt?” Mary flushed with embarrassment. “The path of love takes many turns on the way to its destination. Some twists are good and some are not but they all have a purpose.” She couldn’t imagine what purpose being used and humiliated had accomplished but she held her tongue. “Perhaps, had you not taken one of those dead ends you would not have had the strength to be Warrior Sloan’s true mate. Surviving adversity toughens you.” Mother’s hand cupped Mary’s cheek and she clicked something in her native tongue.

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A rush of power rolled over her. Warmth flowed from Mother’s hand down to Mary’s toes. She felt connected to every living person in the caverns from the smallest baby to the oldest woman. It was as if she were in the middle of a web that ran through all the Seoenx. A special cord connected her to Sloan and she could briefly see him crammed into a crevice of rock. His head jerked up and he looked around as if searching for her. Then Mother dropped her hand and the vision was gone. “You have the power of all women inside you. Use it to heal yourself and you will be ready for your heart’s desire. Now come, B’rn wishes to speak with you.” Mary walked out of the kitchen area and shook her head to clear it. This was just too weird to process on so little sleep. When she got a minute to herself she’d try and make sense of what Mother had said. B’rn clattered the bracelets on her wrists nervously as Mary approached her. She looked both anxious and hopeful at the same time. “Talk to her, B’rn, she will help you where I can’t,” Mother encouraged the younger woman. “I’m sorry to bother you, healer, but I have nowhere else to turn.” Her hands shook so badly her bracelets sounded like castanets. “Please, tell me what’s wrong. I can’t promise to help but I can listen.” Mary wished for the millionth time she had her medi-tech unit with her. B’rn looked fine but she was obviously nervous about something. “I wish to carry M’rk’s baby and I can’t get pregnant,” she wailed. Mary rubbed the girl’s back as she sobbed. Sparks, she was so out of her depth here. Sure, she’d learned about infertility in med school but she’d never had to treat anyone for it. Most of the patients she saw on The Federation had been male. The few females had contraception devices implanted before they left Emeraldia. “Ah, how long have you been trying to conceive?” Mary asked lamely. “We’ve been joined for twelve moons.” “Have your menses been regular?” She searched her memory for anything that could help. If there were something wrong internally there’d be no way for Mary to find it or fix it. “Yes.” “Do you have a great deal of pain with them?” “Not really. I have some cramps for the first day but that is all.” Mary bit her lip in concentration. It probably wasn’t endometriosis then but she wouldn’t know without doing a pelvic exam—and that wasn’t going to happen. “How often do you have sex—er, mate?” “At least twice a day, unless M’rk is in seclusion.”

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Twice a day! Sparks! Mary would have to meet this M’rk. Wait a minute. “What do you mean ‘in seclusion’?” “M’rk is a scholar. He must go into seclusion before his tests to cleanse his mind and prepare,” Mother explained. “How often does he have these tests?” “Every moon for twelve moons.” Stars, how many tests does he need to take anyway? “And how long must he stay in seclusion?” “Half a moon, sometimes more. We try not to let it go that long or the mating sickness comes on.” An idea started to form but something B’rn said distracted her. “What is the mating sickness?” “When a woman goes too long without joining with her life-mate the mating sickness comes upon her. It is very painful for her and can be fatal if she doesn’t find relief soon after onset,” Mother said, nodding her head. Interesting. And very scary too. How would she feel if she had to have sex with Sloan regularly or get sick? Her pulse jumped in her veins. Regular sex with Sloan wouldn’t exactly be a hardship. Mary shook her head to clear her thoughts. “I think I see your problem. It isn’t how much sex—mating—you’re doing, it’s when. I’m not positive but I’ll bet your fertile times have come when M’rk has been in seclusion.” “I thought I was fertile the half moon after the bleeding stopped.” B’rn looked at Mother for confirmation. Mother shrugged her shoulders and looked at Mary. “All women are different. You could ovulate earlier, which would mean M’rk is away when you’re fertile. I don’t know for sure but that could be a good place to start.” At least she hoped it was. She knew human women’s menstrual cycles varied widely. Could the Seoenx be that much different? From what she could see except for their coloring they were as human as she was. “M’rk always schedules his seclusion for my bleeding times so he won’t pester me. I shall change that immediately. Thank you.” “You’re welcome. Try not to get discouraged if it takes a while. Making babies isn’t an exact science.” B’rn bobbed her head in agreement but Mary could tell she wasn’t listening to a word she said. The girl’s excitement radiated from her face and she practically skipped from the room. “I did not even think about the seclusion being part of the problem. You are not the only one who can’t see what is in front of her face,” Mother chuckled. “It may not work. I can’t know if that’s her only problem without my instruments.”

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“Do not doubt yourself so. You have given her hope which her mate and I have been unable to do.” “Let’s pray it’s not a false hope. So, who else needs tending?” Mary made the rounds of her patients, doing what she could to ease their fears more than treating them in the way she was accustomed to. Considering their lack of medical knowledge, they were a very healthy people. Having regular baths in water that healed skin almost instantly probably didn’t hurt. She was leaning over the sink to wash her hands in a bowl of water when a feeling of triumph shot through her. Mother dropped the herbs she carried and her eyes rolled back in her head. Before Mary could dry her hands on her dress and cross the kitchen to her, Mother had already recovered from her spell. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Mary asked. “The men return. And they have news.”

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Chapter Eleven No matter how many times Mary pestered her, Mother wouldn’t reveal what she knew. It drove Mary insane. Something had happened, something big, and it had to do with Sloan. She’d felt an almost savage feeling of exultation. The feeling had been so strong she could almost hear Sloan shout “Yes!” in her head. It must have to do with the flitter he’d spotted in the ocean yesterday. Could he have seen a recognizable marking? That didn’t quite fit but she didn’t know what else it could be. A crowd had begun to assemble near the entrance to the tunnel the men had taken. How did they know Sloan had found something? Maybe they could mind-speak over farther distances than she could? Heck, she had no idea what the range was on her mind-speaking abilities. Until two days ago she didn’t even have any abilities. Almost silently, the men jogged into the opening. The Seoenx moved gracefully, as if gliding through the water. Sloan was equally quiet but his movements reminded her more of a large cat moving through a primitive jungle. His muscular frame radiated power and strength yet he moved as stealthily as the smaller men next to him. His eyes searched the square and stopped when he spotted her in the back. A nervous flutter jumped in her stomach as his warm brown eyes crinkled up with a smile just for her. Her heart raced in her chest and heat spread out from it filling her from head to toe. She licked lips that had gone dry as she watched him walk to her with that sexy strut of his. Her nipples tightened instantly and her breasts grew heavy with desire. A tingle had lodged in her pussy at the first sight of him and by the look in his eye he knew he’d affected her. Memories from last night flashed through her mind and her slit grew damp. His gaze had dropped to her chest so she looked down to see what he found so interesting. It wasn’t like the dress showed a lot of cleavage. But it did show her nipples standing to attention like a pair of proud little soldiers. She wanted to cross her arms in front of her to hide her traitorous body’s reactions but that would only make it worse. Even though it cost her, Mary clasped her hands behind her back slightly. The movement pushed her chest out a little bit farther. If he was going to ogle her in front of everyone she’d damn well give him something to look at. His long legs ate up the distance between them. Three meters, then two then he was right in front of her, pulling her to him and drawing her mouth up for his kiss. Mary felt his erection rub against her stomach as he held her in a crushing embrace.

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Obviously she wasn’t the only one thinking about last night. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly to her. His lips devoured hers in a mind-numbingly intense kiss. Their tongues dueled in a battle that had no loser. She drew him into her mouth as if to swallow him whole. His taste filled her. She wanted to climb him like a tree so she could wrap herself completely around him and get as close as physically possible to his body. High-pitched whistles and clacks sounded around them, snapping the spell and bringing Mary back to reality. “I missed you,” Sloan whispered against her lips, giving her one last little nip. “Me too.” She didn’t want to think about the fact that they’d only been separated for about two hours. “Now that Warrior Sloan has greeted his mate,” T’rk said wryly, “I’ll let him tell you our news.” Sloan pulled Mary with him as he walked back to where T’rk and the other men waited. He’d wrapped an arm around her and held her against his side as if afraid that if he stopped touching her she’d disappear. A warm glow of pleasure suffused her entire being. Even though she hated being the center of attention, it was worth it to have Sloan hold her this close. He wasn’t ashamed to be seen with her. It was almost like he wanted everyone to know they were together. Artman had ridiculed her in front of his friends the one time she tried to touch him in public. The only attention he’d given her had been in the bedroom. Hell, even her other non-dysfunctional lovers hadn’t been into public displays of affection. Never had anyone sought her out in front of his peers and laid his claim for all to see. It should disturb her, this barbaric possessiveness. It didn’t. Oh stars in the cosmos, it most certainly didn’t. “And while I distracted the crustie, C’rq was able to pull that off its neck,” Sloan said, pointing to an object in the younger man’s hand. Mary’s attention snapped back to what was going on around her. She’d been so wrapped up in Sloan’s behavior she’d missed hearing what had happened! C’rq held a tiny black box about the size of a wrist com. His hair and clothes dripped water on the ground but his face held a smile from ear to ear. Several women clucked over him and stroked his back and arms. Apparently his status with the ladies just rose a couple notches. “But what is it, Warrior Sloan?” someone asked. “I’m not positive but I think it’s a device that was used to control the crustomorphs from a distance.” Excited clicks ran through the crowd as they processed the news. “But who could have put it on the crustomorphs? And what is their purpose for forcing them to keep us prisoner in our caverns?” someone asked. 100

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“I don’t know why, yet, but I believe the pilot of the craft I saw in the ocean didn’t want you coming out of your caves. He used this device to force the crustomorphs to attack you. Once C’rq removed the controller, the crustie stopped fighting and slunk away.” “But who would do such a thing?” Mother asked. “That’s what I intend to find out.” Sloan’s face hardened and a shiver shook Mary’s frame. It hit her right then that no matter how gently he’d pursued her, he was still a soldier with a warrior’s ability to kill. The men began to break off into groups. Sloan pulled her away from the crowd into a tiny alcove. “Are you okay? You look worried.” He held her against her chest and his heart beat in her ear. Some of her apprehension thawed at the feel of his muscular frame wrapped around her. “I am fine, I just don’t understand why someone would deliberately starve out an entire community like this. They have next to nothing of value. At least value as we see it.” “I don’t know either. But they’re sitting ducks. T’rk said they have no army because they don’t need one. The weather keeps most folks away. The only weapons they have are for hunting the big fish in the ocean. They don’t even have any military experience or training.” He shook his head as if this was the most amazing thing he’d ever heard. “Why should they waste time learning the arts of war? They’re so peaceful it’s weird,” Mary said with a touch of awe. “Do you know they don’t even have a real hierarchy of power? They have a Council of Elders who makes most of the decisions then they go to Mother for a final ruling. Why would someone want to destroy people who obviously mean no harm?” “I’d say slavery but the Seoenx aren’t being captured, they’re being starved. Someone wants them dead.” “And not just the Seoenx, either. Mother said the other two clans have been trapped in their caverns by the crustomorphs too.” Fear made Mary shake again. Those enormous beasts had scared her half to death. “Then maybe this guy isn’t working alone. We have to find that space flitter again and capture the pilot.” “But how? Even though you chased the crustomorph away, it doesn’t mean you can just charge out into the ocean. The Seoenx are no match for an armed flitter.” Mary’s knees turned to water as she thought about Sloan doing just that. “We’ll think of something. We have to. Removing the controller from the crustie was only half the battle. Unless we stop the one holding the remote we might as well give up now. He can always tag another crustie and then we’re back to square one.” He held Mary away from him and looked into her eyes. “It’s time we took the fight to this bastard and made him pay for the lives he’s destroyed.” Mary nodded her head mutely. She knew he was right. The intruder must be stopped. But at what cost?

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Sloan felt a tremor go through Mary’s body so he held her even closer. He knew she was worried about him and the thought made his heart turn over in his chest. She might not love him yet but she’d definitely developed feelings for him. His plan had worked. Now he just needed to push her one step further into loving him. Unease churned in his gut. What if he couldn’t convince her to make that next move? She’d been hurt badly. There was a chance she wouldn’t recover from it. Maybe her clinging to him had only been because he was the only other human male around and she was afraid? No, damn it. She’d been afraid when they landed on the planet and she hadn’t clung to him then. They’d made a connection last night. He felt it in every cell of his body. Mary might deny it a little longer but she was his. “Sloan, you’re crushing me!” Mary yelped. “Sorry.” He loosened his hold on her but didn’t let her go. “I was thinking of the crustomorph.” “It’s okay.” She rubbed her face against his chest and heat radiated out from his heart. When she touched him like this he felt like he could climb mountains, hurdle moons and maybe, just maybe, win the heart of a stubborn medical officer. The pilot of the space flitter didn’t stand a chance when he felt like this. “What are you going to do now? I have some more patients I need to see before I can go back to the cave.” Her eyes held a spark of desire that ignited a flame in his cock. The smug look on her angelic face told him she knew it too. He couldn’t stop himself from rubbing his erection against her softness. It was a big mistake but one he couldn’t seem to regret. Mary’s eyes widened and her mouth formed a tiny O of surprise before her tongue came out to wet her lips. “I should probably hook up with T’rk and start developing a plan of action for later,” he said softly even as he leaned down to nuzzle the curve of her neck. He took a quick look around and saw they were protected from prying eyes in their little alcove. Not that the Seoenx seemed to mind public coupling. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed two women leading C’rq away. He didn’t think they were going to talk about the weather. His attention was snared completely when the trio stopped not two meters away from where he and Mary stood shielded by the curve of the wall. “What is it?” Mary asked, craning her neck to see around him. “Shh, look. I think the ladies are going to show C’rq how much they appreciate his death-defying actions today.” Sloan pulled Mary in front of him and rubbed his cock against her tender ass. He wasn’t opposed to voyeurism if the people involved didn’t mind an audience.

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“We should let them know we’re here before they do anything…embarrassing,” she said, although she didn’t make any effort to move. Her breathing had become more rapid and her face was flushed. “There are plenty of places they could have gone that were private. I don’t think they much care if anyone watches. It’s a different culture. Besides, we wouldn’t want to interrupt their pleasure,” he breathed the last word into her ear. Her body shook with a sexy little tremor. Sloan looked away from the ménage around the corner and saw Mary’s nipples had hardened into tight little points that poked through her dress. Her face was flushed with desire and her curvy little ass rubbed against his erection in invitation. The last time they witnessed a Seoenx threesome she’d been turned on enough to let him touch her all over. Would she be willing to try a little public sex of her own this time? He pulled up the skirt of her dress and let his hands roam over her naked skin. “I guess we can’t put our values on another race. It would be embarrassing to announce our presence now anyway.” Her eyes stayed glued to C’rq but her hands reached behind her to rub his cock through his pants. Sloan groaned low in his throat as she rubbed the head of his dick. He retaliated by cupping her breasts and pinching her nipples. Gently he licked at the mark he’d made on her neck last night—or maybe it was this morning? He couldn’t remember. In front of them one of the women pulled off her dress and laid it on the ground by their feet. C’rq and the other woman quickly followed suit until all three were naked and a blanket of clothes lay spread out on the cold stone. The first woman drew C’rq to her and kissed him passionately. The other woman wrapped her arms around him from the back and rubbed against him. Mary slipped Sloan’s pants off his hips until they pooled around his ankles. The feel of her hot little hand wrapped around his length almost brought him to his knees. Molten lava had replaced the blood in his veins and heat scorched him from the inside out. He let one hand slide down over the curve of Mary’s hip to tease the top of her clit. She thrust her hips against his hand, trying to get him to touch the sensitive tip but he resisted the temptation. He was going to tease the hell out of her until she wept with need. After all, he didn’t want to be the only one crying. C’rq pressed the woman in front of him onto the pile of clothes and began caressing her tiny breasts. The woman behind him licked her way down his ass until she reached his balls. C’rq let out a hissing click as she sucked his sac into her mouth. The woman on the ground took advantage of his distraction and wrapped her hands around his rather large cock. Mary’s hand cupped Sloan’s sensitive sac, imitating the scene in front of them. She made a move to turn around but Sloan held her still. “You don’t want to miss this, do you?” he whispered in her ear. “But I want to taste you too.” 103

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Her words added fuel to an already raging fire but he resisted the urge to let her do what she wanted. If she put her mouth on him right now he’d explode and it would be all over. He wanted it to last a little longer if at all possible. “Not this time. I’ll let you have your wicked way with me later,” he growled into her ear and bit her lobe. At the same time he drove his middle finger inside her warm, wet pussy and let his thumb stroke the pearl of her clit. She gasped in pleasure and Sloan pressed his free hand over her mouth. He didn’t want to C’rq to hear them and stop what he was doing. “Shhh. Not a sound or I’ll stop touching you.” He slid his finger out almost all the way and she squeezed him tightly with her inner muscles. “Do you understand?” The tip of his finger swirled the cream over her pussy lips and brushed against her opening. Her head bobbed rapidly up and down and she pressed against his hand. “Good. Now watch them and enjoy.” Sloan was so ready to come his balls hurt but he forced himself to remain in control. He wanted to make this the most explosive orgasm Mary had ever had and to do that he needed to raise her to a fevered pitch first. He didn’t think coming prematurely would do that. To distract himself from the feel of her hands on his cock he looked at C’rq again. There was no help from that quarter though. Both women lay on their backs now, one woman between the legs of the other one. The one in the middle sucked on C’rq’s dick like it was the sweetest candy she’d ever eaten. C’rq licked at the pussy of the other woman while thrusting into the mouth of the first. The woman C’rq ate out began to buck and thrust under his mouth and let out a piercing scream before she collapsed. Even as Sloan thought he’d never last with that much pleasure assaulting him, C’rq pulled out and pushed his length into the pussy of the woman who was making love to his cock. She arched her back up and wrapped her legs around C’rq’s waist. The second woman must have recovered from her orgasm because she crawled behind C’rq and stuck her head between his spread knees to get access to his balls again. Sloan’s balls tightened in anticipation as he watched the woman suck on C’rq’s sac as he drove in and out of the other woman’s pussy. Almost unconsciously, Sloan drove his hand inside Mary faster and harder as she rubbed back against his cock and bit her lip in obvious pleasure. How could C’rq last so long? Just watching him get that much pleasure had Sloan on the razor edge of coming and C’rq was still going strong. The woman on his balls reached a hand around until she stuck a finger into C’rq’s ass. That was finally too much for the Seoenx to handle and he bucked furiously. The second woman let out a cry of pleasure as she too came.

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Sloan couldn’t keep his eyes on them any longer. Mary bent over and her wet pussy pressed against the head of his cock. Her hand urged him to enter her. He didn’t need any more encouragement to take what she offered. With one final stroke of her hot clit, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pushed her into position. She whimpered slightly as he adjusted his cock to fit inside her and slowly slipped inside her welcoming warmth. While he still had a working brain cell, he turned them around so she could brace her hands along the wall. Once she was positioned safely he grabbed her hips and drove into her furiously. The curves of her ass gleamed in the dim light and felt like satin against his pelvis as he pushed into her. His overfull balls slapped against her with each thrust and added another layer of pleasure. He knew he wouldn’t last much longer, it felt too good. Her pussy dripped cream around him and her inner muscles wrapped around his cock like a fist. It was too much for him to resist but he didn’t want to go over the edge without her. With the last measure of willpower he possessed, Sloan reached to stroke her clit. He wanted to feel her explode around him before he let go himself. Thank the stars she only needed a few touches of his finger before she climaxed. At the first tremor his needy body broke through his iron control and erupted inside her. Their bodies slapped together as they both flew through the stars and Sloan had to bite back a cry of release. He’d forgotten that a few meters away lay C’rq and his women recovering from their own love play. Looking over his shoulder, Sloan spotted the three of them watching him and Mary with rapt looks on their faces. C’rq flashed him a smirk and clicked something to his partners. The three of them stood slowly and stretched. With another sideways look at Sloan, they got dressed and slipped away. Sloan shook his head. If he ever told anyone about this little adventure they wouldn’t believe it. “Are they gone?” Mary asked, still pressed against the wall. “Yes. How did you know they were watching?” Sloan asked, pulling out of her body with a shudder. Stars, she felt so good around him. She pulled her dress down over her ass and turned to face him. Her eyes were half closed and her face was flushed with sated desire. He was so wrapped up in her satisfied expression he almost forgot his pants were still around his ankles. “Well, if we could see them, it probably wouldn’t take much for them to move around and see us. We weren’t exactly silent.” “Are you embarrassed?” He didn’t want her to return to the shell of a woman she was on board The Federation when she found out Artman had told half the squad about their bedroom adventures. “Oddly enough, no. I probably should be but I’m not. The Seoenx are so open about their sexuality that I just can’t act like an offended virgin.” She wrapped her arms

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around his neck and pulled him close for a kiss. “We got off watching them have sex, it’s only fair that we return the favor. But I’m not sharing you with another woman so don’t try to talk me into a threesome.” “Darlin’, I can barely handle you alone, there’s no way I could survive you and a friend. I’m not going to say I didn’t enjoy watching it but I’ll stick to enjoying your body as much as I can instead of adding anyone else to the mix.” “That sounds like a promise,” she whispered, sucking his lower lip into her mouth and biting it gently. “It is. You’d better go back to your patients. I need to check in with T’rk and C’rq, now that he’s done pleasuring his girls. I’ll meet you at dinner tonight.” “I’ll look forward to it.” She flashed him a sexy grin and sashayed out of their little alcove. “Not nearly as much as I will.” Sloan’s heart caught at the look she shot over her shoulder. He loved her so much. If anything happened to take her from him he’d never survive it. The thought of losing her made his knees buckle. A feeling of unease disturbed his post-coital satisfaction and made him straighten up. Things were going so well between them now but what would happen when they were rescued? Once they took care of the bastard out in the ocean and the Seoenx were saved they could meet up with Drog and Lucy and any other survivors from The Federation. They couldn’t stay here forever. And when they got back to civilization would she still be his? Yes, damn it, she would be. This wasn’t just about the sex. He could see her beginning to trust him and as long as he didn’t betray her she’d be his. There was no power in the galaxy that would make him hurt her. It was just a matter of time before she realized they were meant to be together, whether it was here on Bochnax or flying through space. A little voice in his head whispered that Mary wasn’t the only one with trust issues. He’d loved her for so long and she’d resisted him. Could he believe her feelings were real? Or would he spend the rest of his life worried that if he messed up once she’d be gone? That wasn’t fair to either of them. Just because he was the pursuer didn’t mean that she wouldn’t develop the same depth of feelings for him that he had for her. Right? Sloan banged a fist against the stone wall and growled to himself. He hated this emotional crap. Why did those stupid doubts have to crop up? He’d been enjoying the look Mary gave him and his subconscious had to go and ruin it. He kicked at a loose chunk of rock and immediately regretted it when pain shot through his foot. This was stupid. There was nothing he could do about their relationship except let it run its course.

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And if that meant he had to let her go when they returned to space, so be it. He’d give it his all while he could and the rest was up to Mary. Either she’d take a chance on the two of them or she wouldn’t, he couldn’t make her do anything. He could only live or die with the results. If she chose to hide from her feelings, from their love then he surely would die.

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Chapter Twelve Mary couldn’t look C’rq in the face as he followed Sloan to the meetinghouse. Watching him have sex with two women had turned her on beyond all belief so she didn’t regret doing it but getting caught at it was a tad embarrassing. Knowing that he’d seen her and Sloan having sex too evened the score but was even more disconcerting. Oh well, there wasn’t much she could do about it now and he didn’t seem to mind in the least. The only thing to do was brazen it out and act like she regularly watched threesomes and had sex in public. A surge of heat shot to her pussy as she remembered how it had felt to have Sloan take her against the wall. She’d come so hard her legs were still weak. Maybe having sex in public regularly wasn’t such a bad idea… “I think C’rq isn’t the only one who found his pleasure this afternoon,” Mother cackled as she walked into the house of healing and caught Mary daydreaming. “Sometimes the mood strikes and you have to just go with it.” Mary lifted her chin and dared the old woman to say anything else. As long as she could keep from blushing she’d be fine. “Oh there’s going to be babies aplenty around the caves soon. These old walls will echo with the sounds of crying little ones nine moons hence, you’ll see.” Mother clapped her hands together and smiled brightly. Mary didn’t have the heart to tell her that there’d be no babies between her and Sloan. She had at least another month to go on her contraceptive implant. By then they’d be back in space and who knew what would happen. A pang of longing rang in her heart at the idea of carrying Sloan’s child beneath her heart. She pushed away the pleasure that image brought. There was no room for a pregnant woman on an Imperial Cruiser. Just the thought of what she’d look like wearing a skintight spacesuit nine months’ pregnant made her laugh out loud. Mother must have thought she was laughing at her because the old woman wagged a finger under Mary’s nose. “Mark my words, healer, there will be growing bellies all around in a few moons.” “I believe you, I believe you!” Mary held up her hands in surrender and headed into the kitchen. She wanted to examine some more of the herbs Mother had shown her yesterday. They’d proved to be amazingly effective in treating some of the minor illnesses. A young girl was coming out of the kitchen area as they walked in. She clicked something at Mother. Mother answered her with a series of sharp clicks and the girl

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scurried off. The exchange reminded Mary of something that had been bothering her for a while. “Mother, I have a question for you but I don’t know if it’s considered rude or not.” “Go ahead, my child, and I’ll answer you the best I can without taking offense.” “How come when Sloan and I first arrived in the caves no one spoke at all? I know you use mind-speech but since we’ve been here I’ve heard more and more of you communicating verbally. How come you didn’t speak in your language when we first got here?” The inconsistency with which they used mind-speech had bothered her for a while. “Our language came from many eons ago when we emerged from the arms of the sea. Our spoken language works well in the echoing tunnels and caves of our home as well. Every one of the Seoenx has the ability to speak mind to mind to a greater or lesser degree. For some it is as natural as breathing, for others it takes effort and concentration.” That made sense. There were varying levels of psychic talent amongst the paranormals she knew too. But that still didn’t answer why it was so quiet when they were first captured. She asked Mother about that. “T’rk gave the order to remain silent until we knew your intentions. Silly man, he is overcautious in my opinion but the safety of the clan is his responsibility and he takes it seriously.” “And how did you know our intentions?” Mary wasn’t sure she really wanted to know the answer to this. “I listened to your dreaming, my child. Once I knew of Warrior Sloan’s love for you and your healing powers, I knew you belonged with us.” Damn. She knew she didn’t want to know the answer to that. It made her feel slightly violated to know that Mother had invaded her dreams but she guessed she couldn’t blame her too much. If she had been in charge of a clan of people as helpless as the Seoenx she’d go to any lengths to protect them from strangers too. “If that is all, I must go now. The Council of Elders is meeting to discuss how to attack the spaceship and I need to mediate. Men and their pride.” She shook her head ruefully as she said it. “That’s the truth. Go, I think I can find my way back to the baths now. Thank you.” Mother held Mary’s face in her hands again and clicked out something Mary thought might be a blessing and left. In some ways the Seoenx were so different from any people she’d ever met before. And in some ways they were very much the same. She thought about it as she puttered around in the kitchen. What did any race want but love, friendship, food and safety? Despite their ways, were they any different in their desires than the Emeraldians? Maybe the Seoenx were more content in their simple lives than her people but when you boiled it down they wanted the same things. And when she looked at it that way, isn’t that what she wanted too? Despite all the levels of protection and denial she’d buried her heart under, didn’t she just want to love and be loved in return?

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Mary felt the last of her defenses crumble and fall away as she faced the truth. She didn’t just want to love Sloan, she did. It felt so right to admit that. Warmth spread through her like a sunbeam and a smile crossed her face. She loved Sloan with her entire heart. She couldn’t wait to tell him. Hell, she wanted to tell the whole world how she felt. She’d actually taken two steps towards the doorway before she stopped herself. Sloan was in a meeting with the elders planning how to attack the space flitter. It really wasn’t the right time to go barging in and declare her feelings. Tonight. After dinner when they went back to their cave she’d tell him she loved him. She’d tell him before they had sex so that he didn’t think it was her body talking. Then she’d seduce him for a change. Her heart raced and her pussy lips grew wet just thinking about it. Her head spun with plans for teasing Sloan until he cried out for mercy. Did they still have some of that lotion left? If she put it on his cock it would drive him insane. As she finished her rounds and cleaned up her minimal equipment she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Now she knew why Sloan wouldn’t accept anything less than her heart before. He’d somehow known they were fated to be together. She’d just been too dense to figure it out. Mary forced herself to focus enough to tell her replacement what to do for her remaining patients before she left for the tunnels. She’d gotten no more than two steps into the street when a shrieking whistle echoed through the cavern. Men raced out from all directions grabbing spears as they swarmed towards the tunnel leading outside. Sloan led the way, his face a mask of violent determination. “What’s happening? What’s going on?” Mary asked him, grabbing at his arm as he ran past her. “The lookout spotted the flitter coming close to the entrance cave with the tide. We think he’s looking for the crustomorph to see why it’s not obeying the controller. Now’s our chance. We know where he is and don’t have to go searching for him in the ocean. If we can get him into the cave we can trap him.” He was all business now. No warmth or tenderness graced the harsh planes of his face. “B-be careful.” Mary bit back what she really wanted to say and let him go. Fear for his safety battered her mercilessly, sapping her strength and chilling her to the core. Her eyes swelled with tears but she refused to let them go. “I will be. I have a lot to come back for.” He yanked her against him with one hand and planted a hard kiss on her lips before running off to join the rest of the men. Several of the other women had joined her as she said goodbye to Sloan. She saw tears on more than one face. Shaking off her own foreboding, Mary clapped her hands together and turned to them. “If there is a battle we must be prepared for injuries. I need bandages made, pallets prepared and I think we should rig up some sort of carriers to take men to the baths. I’ll move the least

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injured of the patients out of the house of healing and organize the medicines there. I want every woman not tending a child or elder available to me. Any questions?” No one so much as moved from where they stood. “Then let’s get busy. B’rn, organize work groups amongst your peers. I don’t want anyone in the infirmary who can’t handle the sight of blood. I’ll have my hands full with tending the men, I don’t need anyone fainting or having hysterics on me. Let’s move!” She clapped her hands together and the women scurried to obey. She had no idea what injuries they’d come back with but she wanted to be prepared. There was no way she was losing Sloan before she told him how she felt about him. Hell, there was no way she was losing him period.

***** Adrenaline coursed through Sloan’s veins as he crouched behind an outcropping of rock. The wet, red sand shifted between his feet as he fought to maintain his position. The tide came in quickly and pretty soon he’d have to move back into the cave but he wanted to get another look at the craft before they tried to trap it inside. Wind whipped him from all sides and the sky was gray with an approaching storm. Dim as the light was, his eyes still hurt. It hadn’t taken very long for him to grow accustomed to living underground again. He had to squint his lids almost shut to see anything without severe pain. T’rk waited inside the cave with a team of men ready to attack on Sloan’s signal. C’rq stood by with another team prepared to cut off the flitter’s exit from the cave. It was up to Sloan to get the flitter into the cave. Something about the craft had tugged at his memory until he finally figured it out. He’d been listening to the men discuss how they’d find the ship in the middle of the ocean amidst the storms that constantly battered the planet when it suddenly hit him. T’rk had described the lookout’s observations of the ship’s behavior when Sloan realized the formation was familiar. After talking to the lookouts he’d realized the flitter had used a patrol pattern taught to Imperial soldiers. If The Federation’s escape pods had found their way to Bochnax it only stood to reason that other Imperial flitters might have found their way here too. A disturbing thought nagged at him and wouldn’t let go. Could an Emeraldian be responsible for starving out the Seoenx and their cousins? If one of his comrades was doing this, Sloan would make sure he didn’t live to repeat it. He couldn’t imagine who could be behind this atrocity but he was damn sure going to find out. And if that meant he had to act as bait, so be it. Sloan forced himself to think like a bastard. If he were looking for the reason his pet monster didn’t respond to the controller anymore and saw a fellow Imperial soldier,

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he’d attack him. At least that was what Sloan hoped the asshole would do. He counted on the flitter giving chase inside the cave where the others could trap him. It would be up to Sloan to disarm the lasers to minimize the casualties. He hadn’t told T’rk that part of the plan. There was no way he would put the peaceful Seoenx in that danger. They had no fighting skills or training but he did. And it was past time he put it to use. The craft continued to move in a typical search pattern he’d learned in basic training, confirming his hunch. The tide had come in quickly and water now lapped at Sloan’s shins. Here was where things would get tricky. The rising water would restrict his mobility and increase the flitter’s. He wanted the ship to be able to come into the cave but to do that the water had to be high enough, which would make running almost impossible. But, if he moved too soon the flitter could shoot at him from outside the cave and get away. The timing had to be just right and everyone had to be in place for it to work. Galactic peace had to be easier. Sloan’s teeth chattered as the water reached his thighs. He’d wait until he was sure the craft could see him run into the cave before he made a move though. There! “Get ready, everyone. Here we go.” The flitter turned and Sloan broke from his position. He flailed through the waves towards the entrance of the cave and fought not to look over his shoulder. Twice he was knocked off his feet by the pounding water. The third time saved his life. Sloan lifted his head and dragged in a breath of air and saw a smoking hole in the rock above his head that could only come from laser fire. He dove back under the water and swam for all he was worth. “Just a little farther, Warrior Sloan. Go to your right and you’ll reach the handholds,” C’rq directed him. There were definitely advantages to mind-speech. Sloan’s lungs screamed for air but he pushed on. With one final stroke of his arms he felt the roughness of the cave wall and gratefully surfaced. This time the laser fire was close enough to graze his side. He stole a look over his shoulder as he hauled himself up the wall. The flitter was following him into the cave at full speed. Sloan ignored the pain in his side and climbed faster. Adrenaline shot through him as the craft surged into the opening with the next wave. Gotcha, bastard. With a war cry that echoed wildly, Sloan dropped on top of the flitter. He pulled a stone blade from the sheath on his leg and hacked away at the laser-gun on top of the craft. His thighs clung to the slippery dome of ship as he fought to stay on. Laser fire shot wildly as he pounded on the gun. 112

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Enraged shrieks reverberated off the walls as T’rk’s team descended from their hiding places. Sloan spared a glance to see that C’rq’s team had strung the big nets over the entrance to the cave. He didn’t think that would stop a fully functional space flitter but it might slow down a disabled one. The Seoenx warriors drove their specially enhanced spears into the body of the craft as if they were fighting an enormous fish. Their normally placid features had transformed into fierce masks of fury. These were men protecting their home and no one was going to stop them. Sparks flew as one warrior pierced the side of the ship. The flitter bucked violently and threw Sloan into the water. Hopefully he’d done enough damage to the gun to keep it from bringing the ceiling of the cave down on top of them. He found an abandoned spear and grabbed it. The fuselage was in the rear. If he could damage that, the pilot would be a sitting duck. Sloan coiled his powerful legs beneath him and waited for an opening. If he struck at the fuselage through the water the impact would be decreased. He wanted to make sure he did as much damage as he possibly could. The ship rolled from the weight of the attack and several men fell off the side. Sloan pushed off the wall with the spear in front of him and jammed it into his target. Electricity shot through him on impact and blew him up and away. His back slammed against rough rock and knocked the wind out of his lungs. “Clear out! Clear out! It’s going down!” Sloan mind-shouted as he held on to a stalagmite to keep above the water. His body hurt too much to tread water but he wanted to see what emerged from the smoking, sinking ship. “Man your positions. Something is coming out of the beast,” T’rk ordered. The Seoenx clung to the walls like monkeys and held their spears ready. Slowly the hatch of the flitter lifted and a head broke through the water. Sloan couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the identity of the pilot. “Artman! I should have known it was you,” he shouted. “Yeah, you should have,” he sneered, raising a laser and aiming it at Sloan. “Hold your spears,” T’rk ordered. Sloan let go of his spear and waited to see what Artman would do next. C’rq’s team waited by the entrance to the cave. If Sloan could keep Artman distracted they could move in and nail the bastard. “How did you escape? Last I knew you were headed to a prison planet.” “Thanks to you and that asshole, Drog. Fecking officers and their high-and-mighty rules. He had no problem sending us out to battle to die but I accidentally kill someone and I’m a criminal. I hope he rots in hell.” “Sorry, he’s alive and happy,” Sloan said. “Not for long. Once I get the money coming to me I’ll take out a contract on him and his fecking girlfriend. Speaking of girlfriends, how’s my little Mary doing? Does she

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miss me?” He leered evilly. “Did she ever give you a chance? I know you wanted to get into her pants. And what a pair of pants they were.” He licked his lips as if savoring the memory. “If she wasn’t such a goody-goody I would have kept her.” “She wouldn’t have stayed with you. Mary’s much too smart for that.” Sloan forced down the anger strumming through his system. Artman had known how much he cared for Mary and was using it to goad him into doing something stupid. That wasn’t going to happen. “So you did fuck her. Told you she was a good piece of ass.” “What are you doing here, Artman? Why are you starving out the Seoenx? They don’t have anything you could want.” “Are you kidding me? These sea-monkeys are sitting on the biggest deposit of maganore in the galaxy. The rocks are riddled with it. With the money I can get from mining and selling that I can buy my own damn planet. I just need to get rid of the natives and my buddies and I can open up our own operation.” Maganore. Sloan couldn’t believe it. The raw material could be melted down and used for a fuel so powerful a liter could power a space flitter for light-years. Only minor deposits had been found before. If Bochnax really contained maganore the Seoenx could become a galactic power. “You didn’t have to starve them out to get it. The Seoenx have no need of maganore, I’m sure they would have traded with you to get medical supplies or other raw materials.” He was beginning to feel lightheaded. Shivers shook his body and he realized he was going into shock. He must have lost more blood than he thought from the shot to his side. If he didn’t end this soon he could very well die of blood loss and hypothermia while listening to Artman brag. No fecking way. “Only wimps trade for things they can get for free. I’m no wimp. Just ask Mary,” he twisted the knife a little more. “Funny, the only thing Mary has said about you is what a waste of time you were. I guess after being with a real man you pale in comparison.” Sloan saw C’rq’s team approaching and struggled not to let it show on his face. “What do you wish us to do?” T’rk asked. “It is not our way to kill humans but he is holding a weapon on you.” “He’s mine. I won’t ask you to do anything that goes against your beliefs. If you can disarm him I’ll take care of the rest.” It would be his pleasure. Unlike T’rk, Sloan had no problem ridding the world of this piece of shit. Something of the exchange must have shown on his face because Artman turned and saw C’rq’s spear heading towards him. He fired off a shot from his laser before the spear slammed into his wrist. The force knocked him into the water and Sloan dove for him. Artman wasn’t anywhere near as strong as he was but the bastard hadn’t been bleeding in frigid water for the last ten minutes either.

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Artman broke the surface of the water with a scream of rage. Sloan pounced on him, wrapping his hands around his throat. They sank underwater in a tangle of arms and legs. Sloan kicked his legs hard to push up for a needed breath of air. He tried to hold Artman under the water but he broke Sloan’s hold on his throat. Sloan speared him in the chest with his stiffened fingers. The water was too high for him to get much power behind the blow and Artman was barely fazed. The pilot came back with a jab to Sloan’s nose that made him see stars. Before he could recover Artman hit him in the temple with a rock. Blood ran from Sloan’s nose, choking him, and his head spun from the impact of the blow. His disorientation gave Artman time to pull a laser-scalpel from his suit. “How much do you think Miss Mary will want you after I carve your face with this?” Artman switched on the blade with a hiss. “Not that it’ll matter because you’re not going to make it out of here alive.” “That’s what you think.” Sloan sank under the water and pulled his knife from the sheath. He could see Artman kicking out, looking for him but Sloan had no intention of getting caught. With his lungs burning from exertion, he swam lower until he was under Artman’s flailing legs. Spots danced before his eyes as he fought to last a little longer. Finally he saw his chance. Sloan pushed straight up off the floor of the cave with the stone knife held over his head. The force of his strike pushed the knife straight through Artman’s scrotum. As Sloan drew life-giving oxygen into his lungs, Artman convulsed in agony next to him. “Help me get him out of the water. My blow didn’t kill him, yet.” Sloan had been aiming for Artman’s kidneys but the man had moved before he could reach him. This injury was probably more fitting but it left him alive. Would Mary try to save him or let him die? He didn’t like the uneasiness he felt at the thought of Mary’s reaction to seeing Artman again. “Look out!” C’rq cried. Sloan twisted just as Artman sliced at him with the scalpel. Pain exploded in his face as the laser cut him from chin to scalp. He couldn’t see anything but the blood gushing from his injury. Hands pulled him from the water and dragged him to the tunnel. All the while he heard Artman’s screams echoing through the caves. “Find Mary. I need Mary,” Sloan begged. “We’ll bring your mate, don’t worry.”

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Sloan prayed that they were telling the truth. He fought to stay awake through the torturous journey in the tunnels. Finally he saw his sweet Mary coming to him. Her face wavered in front of him but he swore he saw tears in her eyes. “I’ll be okay,” he tried to tell her but wasn’t sure if he made any sense. He was so tired. “Yes, you will, my love,” she said. Her delicate hand caressed his bloody cheek. His eyes slipped closed even though he fought against it. He wanted to ask if she really meant to call him her love but speaking was too hard. The feel of her lips pressed against his hand was the last thing he felt before unconsciousness claimed him.

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Chapter Thirteen “Someone shut him up,” Mary ordered as the prisoner’s screams bounced around the cavern. Her hands were covered in blood, Sloan’s blood, and she couldn’t afford to be distracted. She fought back panic as the wound in his temple continued to swell. Most of his injuries were superficial but the rapidly growing lump on his head worried her. Without a medi-tech she couldn’t see if he had internal bleeding. He could very well die from a brain hemorrhage while she looked on helplessly. Rage tore through her. No! She wouldn’t let him die because she didn’t have the tools to heal him. Damn it, she’d figure out something. “Mary, the last of the men have come back from the baths, they’d like to know if you wish to treat the prisoner,” B’rn asked, laying a gentle hand on Mary’s shoulder. “Let him rot,” Mary replied. She didn’t want to take him out of the cage long enough for him to go to the baths to get his wounds healed… Wait a minute. The baths had healed Sloan’s hands, maybe they could heal all of him now. “Get me a litter. I need some men to carry Sloan to the baths. It’s our only chance.” She hadn’t wanted to put him in water and risk drowning him but if there was a chance the water could heal him she’d do it. It was better than watching him die in front of her. Instantly four men rushed forward and slipped one of the carriers under Sloan’s back. “Be careful, don’t jar his head.” The men carried him through the tunnels as Mary hovered around them. As they went along the rest of the people dropped what they were doing and followed them. By the time they got to the heated pools, all the ambulatory Seoenx had gathered to watch over Sloan anxiously. Without removing their clothes, the men walked right into the pool and held Sloan’s head above the water. Mary waded in and dribbled handfuls of the miracle water over his mangled face, making sure it ran over his bruised temple as well. The slice on his face began to knit before her eyes and his nose stopped bleeding. Hope sprang up in her chest and she cupped more water in her hands to splash on his head. This had to work. She didn’t know what she’d do without Sloan in her life. Time passed in a blur. Her fingers had turned into raisins long ago but still she poured water over Sloan’s injury. His cuts had healed as if they’d never been there but the swelling hadn’t gone down and he hadn’t regained consciousness.

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Tears streamed down Mary’s face. She didn’t know what else to do. If he had swelling in his brain he’d die before her eyes. “Don’t you dare die on me. Do you hear me? I love you,” Mary cried in anguish. Mother wrapped her arms around her and pulled her away from the stretcher. “Come, my child. You’ve done all you can. Now it’s time to appeal to a higher power.” “What? What do you mean?” Mary looked at the woman without understanding. Mother clacked out orders and the men carried Sloan back to shore. Mary followed, wringing her hands together. She had no idea what was going on and didn’t know what else to do to help Sloan. “Come!” Mother ordered and all the women joined hands in a circle around Sloan. F’ln pulled Mary into the circle and she went without resistance. If they were going to pray she’d join them. She had nothing else left to offer at this point. A chant rose through the circle and Mary jumped as heat flowed from F’ln’s hand to hers. A glow surrounded Sloan and seemed to go through his body. Mother continued to lead the chant and the glow grew brighter and brighter. The light around Sloan hurt to look at but she forced herself to look at it anyway. Sloan was in there somewhere and needed her. The chanting rose to a powerful crescendo, gathering all the light and heat in the cavern and pouring it over Sloan’s inert form. With a rush of energy it climaxed through them and exploded over Sloan. The glow dissipated and seemed to spread through the cavern. For one moment everything was silent and still. A ring of power hovered in the air then slowly melted into the stones like the glow had. It left Mary feeling vaguely empty and very weak. She held her breath as she watched Sloan for any signs of life. Her legs had turned to water and she stumbled as she crossed to him. Was the swelling gone? She couldn’t tell from here. Mary fell to her hands and knees and crawled the rest of the way to Sloan. Her breath caught in her throat as she reached out to touch him. He was completely healed. There wasn’t a mark on him but his eyes were still closed. Her hand shook with nerves as she reached out to caress his cheek. At the first touch of her fingers against his skin another burst of power flared between them and his eyes blinked open. Tears dripped unashamedly down her face as his gaze steadied and focused on her. “What are you crying for? I’m all right,” he whispered and held his hand against hers. “I know. That’s why I’m crying. I love you.” It wasn’t the way she’d planned on telling him but she didn’t dare wait another second. “Now I’m going to cry,” he teased but a glimmer of moisture glinted in his eyes.

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She bent over and kissed his precious face, thankful to all the powers that be that he was alive. Sloan wrapped his hands around her neck and pulled her down on top of him. A roar of clattering laughter arose from crowd surrounding them and Mary tumbled off Sloan’s chest. Giggles bubbled in her chest and she let them loose. Sloan was alive. Mother helped her to her feet and T’rk lifted Sloan with a heave. “I knew that cowardly piece of filth wouldn’t be the end of you,” T’rk said, patting Sloan on the back. “Shit! I’d forgotten about Artman. Where is he?” “Artman? What are you talking about?” Just the name sent a shiver of revulsion through her. “That’s who was driving the flitter. Don’t tell me he got away.” Sloan grabbed her shoulders. “I didn’t realize…I was so worried about you I didn’t even look at who they captured. B’rn asked me what to do with the prisoner and I told her to let him rot.” Oh stars, what the hell was Artman doing alive? She wouldn’t let him ruin her life again. “The prisoner is in the holding cell. We left him there when Mother called to us to form the power circle,” B’rn said. “We’d better go check on him. I injured him but it wasn’t fatal.” “Too bad,” Mary muttered. Sloan led the way back to the town square at a jog. For someone who’d just been unconscious for an hour or more he sure had a lot of energy now. They pelted through the tunnels to the market area only to find the cage empty. “He’s in the entrance cave,” Mother said. Her eyes had rolled back in her head until all Mary could see were the whites. “Our power circle healed him as well and he is running for the beach.” “He probably has a communicator stashed somewhere and he’s going to try to contact his buddies. We have to stop him.” Sloan’s face looked violently determined. Mary was right behind him as he ran for the entrance cave. She wasn’t taking any chance that Artman might succeed in killing him this time around. The trip through the tunnel seemed to take forever and Mary gasped for breath by the time they reached the end. Sloan didn’t slow down even slightly when they reached the hidden door. He rammed it open and bolted through. “Wait! It could be a trap.” Mary reached out to grab Sloan’s shirt but it was too late. “How right you are, Miss Mary. Fancy seeing you again.” Artman held an abandoned spear at Sloan’s throat. Rage distorted his features until he looked like a monster.

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Had she ever found him attractive? She looked at Sloan and panic gripped her heart. “What do you want?” Maybe if she stalled him for long enough Sloan could disarm him. The water had risen up to the lip of the ledge that they stood on. With any luck at all Artman would fall in and drown. “Just what’s coming to me. I’ve been stuck on this stars-forsaken hellhole for months waiting for these sea-monkeys to die off so I could start drilling. Now I guess I’ll have to take a more active approach. You tell your buddies in there they have two days to find a new home.” “Or what? You’ll spear them all?” Sloan taunted. “Or I’ll blow their caves to smithereens. I’ve seen how they get around now. I can have charges in place faster than you can spit.” “You bastard. You’d kill all these innocent people for your own gain?” Mary felt sick to her stomach. How could she ever have let him touch her? “In a heartbeat. I’ll use anyone or anything to get my way. Haven’t you figured that out yet?” “I figured it out long ago. But you’ve forgotten one thing. To be a victim one has to allow it.” “Oh really? Is that so?” “Yup, and I won’t allow it.” Mary dropped to the ground and lashed out at his knees with a snapping kick. The force of it sent him over the edge and into the water. “No!” he screamed. Mary scrambled up and reached for Sloan, who pulled her in close. They were looking over the edge for Artman’s whereabouts when a roar split the air. An enormous claw erupted from the depths of the water and held Artman in its grasp. The pilot let out an agonized wail before the claw clamped down and split him in two. A string of entrails floated on the surface of the water for a moment as the crustomorph rose up and looked at them with its beady eyes. Sloan pulled her back against the wall but he didn’t need to worry. The crustomorph snagged the two halves of Artman and pulled them below the water before lumbering off. A shiver shook Mary’s frame all the way down to her toes. She fell in a heap against the doorway to the Seoenx’s tunnel. “A fitting end. Come, let us retire to the baths and cleanse this from our minds.” Mother tugged on Sloan’s sleeve but he wouldn’t move. “No, Mother. I need to go outside and check for his partners. If they came to his rescue we’ll have to be prepared to fight again.” “Sloan, no. The crustomorph is still out there. Can’t you wait for a little bit?” She couldn’t stand the thought of losing him after all this. It was too much to deal with after everything she’d been through today. 120

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“Once we are sure the crustomorph is gone we can go out one of the other entrances. With the water this high you won’t be able to go out but you should be able to see anyone approaching. Come, I’ll show you,” T’rk said, pulling them away from the ledge. Mary didn’t think anyone wanted to go back into that water for a while. Sloan seemed to agree because he followed T’rk without an argument. The tunnel led to a point higher up on the cliff above the cave. Mary’s eyes watered from the brightness of the natural light. The sun was much weaker than the one in her home world but it still burned her eyes. Wind whipped at her hair and tugged at her dress but no storm clouds rolled in the distance. It was Mary’s first real look at the outside world and all she could see was water. She liked the caves better. “Do you hear that?” Sloan asked. His head was cocked to one side. “What? I don’t hear anything—” The rumble of a ship’s engine cut her off. Panic flared once again as she shielded her eyes to catch a glimpse of the approaching ship. “Stay back until I tell you it’s safe,” Sloan ordered the people behind him. “We will stay by your side in case you need us,” C’rq answered, raising his spear. Sloan smiled quickly and turned back to watch the ship. “It’s not an Imperial ship. It’s not Traminian either. I can’t place its planet of origin or markings at all.” Worry made her stomach roll with nausea. Could the ship belong to Artman’s accomplices? Wind and water sprayed out in all directions as the ship came down to hover near their perch on the cliff. Sloan stepped in front of Mary to protect her but she slipped next to him instead. She wasn’t going to hide behind him and watch him get killed. A hatch on the side of the ship opened and a figure stepped into view. “Mary, is that you?” the figure called out. “Lucy!” Mary screamed and took an involuntary step forward. She’d have ended up in the water if Sloan hadn’t hauled her back to safety. “Sloan. It’s Lucy! She’s alive.” “I gathered that,” Sloan said, holding her close. “Stay there. When the tide recedes we’ll land,” she shouted over the noise of the engine and wind. The hatch closed and the ship zoomed away, wetting them all from the backwash of its flight. “Shall we prepare for guests?” Mother asked.

***** “Once we learned that Bagwell was using a controller to make the crustomorphs act so bizarrely we were able to trap him and free the Leonex. We were on our way here

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when Riley and Major McDaniel landed on the beach to rescue us,” Drog took a sip of his drink and nodded towards where the major sat. Mary still couldn’t believe the soft, sexy woman sitting practically on top of a scruffy-looking man was the major. She didn’t look like the buttoned-up Major McDaniel she remembered from The Federation that was for sure. The man, Riley, picked up the story from Drog. “We’d been following your distress call around the galaxy for weeks. We’d intercepted the beacon Drog launched from The Federation before you had to abandon the ship. I still don’t know how you all managed to survive so long drifting around in uncharted space with damaged life-support systems. Anyway, once we found that beacon, we followed more signals from the other escape pods. When we’d find survivors, we’d have to ferry them back to the nearest station before we could keep searching, which is why it took us a while to find you all the way out here.” “Do you know how many other pods managed to survive?” Sloan asked. “Including the four of you, we were able to recover seventy-six crewmembers.” A flash of pain crossed Major McDaniel’s face. Mary’s heart ached at the gross loss of life. So many people gone. Sloan wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close, reminding her that she was one of the lucky ones. “I still can’t believe you found us. So much has happened, I don’t even know where to start,” she said, trying to break the somber mood that fell over the group. Sloan kissed the top of her head but didn’t remove his arms from around her. He hadn’t let her out of touching distance since they got back in the caves. They hadn’t had a chance to talk yet and she was a little nervous about it. With effort she pushed the nervousness away. Everything would be all right now. Lucy and Drog were okay and Major McDaniel would take them back to Emeraldia so they could give their statements about what happened after she left to chase the Emperor’s kidnappers. “How about we start after a good night’s sleep?” Sloan suggested. “We’ve had a rather busy day today and I think we could all use the rest.” “After that fabulous meal I could deal with a nice relaxing bath and a bed,” Lucy said. Her eyes shone at Drog and Mary thought relaxing in the bath wasn’t what her friend had in mind. “Works for me. We can’t take off until low tide tomorrow anyway, might as well get some sleep,” Major McDaniel said. Riley whispered something in her ear and the major actually blushed. A lot had happened since she left The Federation apparently. “I will show our guests to their dwellings. You and Warrior Sloan can retire now.” Mother shooed them off. “We’ll talk more tomorrow,” Lucy called over her shoulder as she pulled Drog to the pools.

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Mary nodded her head and followed Sloan to their cave. A platoon of butterflies took flight in her stomach as they were finally alone but Sloan didn’t give her time to fret. As soon as she climbed off the top of the ladder he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. His mouth devoured hers and left no doubt he was alive and fully recovered from his near-death experience. “I’ve been wanting to do that since I woke up. I didn’t think Drog would ever shut up.” Mary laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, her fear no match for the passion he fired up in her. “I’d think you’d be a little more excited to see your captain after all this time.” “Normally I would be but the woman I love more than life itself told me she loved me today and I hadn’t had a chance to tell her how I felt yet.” Her heart did a triple flip in her chest. “What’s stopping you now?” “Fear.” “Fear? What are you afraid of?” Just tell me already! “I’m afraid she said it in the heat of the moment and now regrets it.” Tears pricked her eyes as love filled her body. He’d always seemed so confident of her feelings, so sure of himself that he’d win her. His insecurity touched her straight down to her soul. “I love you, Sloan. I knew it before you were hurt but I didn’t get the chance to say it. I only told you when you woke up because I was afraid to wait any longer.” He pulled her close for another bone-melting kiss. “I love you too. So much it scares me. So many things raced through my mind when I saw Artman get out of the flitter with a laser in his hand.” “You can’t think for a second I ever wanted to see him again?” Mary asked, incredulous. “Of course not. Okay, maybe for a second I thought it but then I was more worried that he’d kill me and I’d never see you again.” “Shh.” She put her finger against his lips to silence him. “You’re alive and we’re together and about to go home. That’s all that matters.” She drew him down to the silken cushions and lay on top of him. “I can think of much better things to do to enjoy being alive than talk.” His cock pressed tight and hard against her pussy and a gush of fluid wet her legs and dripped onto his pants. She’d wanted to take things slow and tease him until he begged but the feel of his erection so close to her needy slit made her want to beg instead. Mary straddled his hips and pulled her dress over her head. Her hands slid up under his shirt and kneaded the muscles of his rock-hard chest. Heat flowed through

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her and made her pussy swell with need. She rocked her aching pelvis against him to ease the desire growing there but it only made it worse. “My pants, take off my pants,” he groaned, writhing beneath her. She scooted down his legs to do as he asked and gasped as his cock sprang free, hot and heavy. Her mouth watered at the sight. “What if we do slow and tender next time?” she asked as she climbed on top of him and positioned his erection at her opening. “Works for me. I don’t think I’m going to last much longer anyway. I want to feel you around me. Loving me.” He thrust up into her welcoming warmth as he said the last two words. Fire blazed through her veins instead of blood. Her entire body was attuned to his every movement and pleasure grew with each touch. Mary sprawled over his chest to feel as much of him against her as she could. The hair on his chest tickled her nipples and added to her torment. “I do love you, Sloan, so much,” she whispered against the column of his neck. “And I love you. More than I can say, more than I can show you. It’ll take a lifetime for me to express how I feel about you.” He gripped her hips tightly and thrust up into her. Mary whimpered and tried to increase the pace. His words, his touch, his love had pushed her to the breaking point and she couldn’t hold on much longer. “Come with me, Sloan. Now.” “Yes!” Sloan rolled her over and drove his cock deep into her womb. He lifted her legs so he could get even deeper and Mary thought she’d explode with pleasure. His sac slapped against her as he drove inside and his pelvis stroked her clit with each thrust. She wrapped her legs around his waist and clung to him as the world supernovaed around her. Stars flashed behind her eyes and in her pussy as she spasmed around his thick cock. Sloan let out a cry of triumph as he too reached his pleasure and then collapsed on top of her. Mary fell asleep still connected to Sloan.

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Chapter Fourteen “What do you mean, you don’t want to leave?” Major McDaniel demanded, her hands on her hips. “I told you that you wouldn’t have to return to Imperial service. You can do anything, go anywhere you want. Why would you want to stay on this stormtossed rock?” “Major McDaniel, if we leave Bochnax what’s to stop some other unscrupulous pirate from trying to kill the Seoenx and their cousins for the maganore? They are a peaceful people. They need someone to protect them.” Mary’s hand shook but Sloan gave her a squeeze of encouragement. They’d talked about this for a long time and realized they couldn’t leave the Seoenx to be abused by the next pirate that stumbled into their corner of the galaxy. Lucy and Drog had agreed with them and they came up with a plan. Now they just had to convince Riley and Major McDaniel of its value. “Just listen to what we have to say for a second. This could be a mutually beneficial arrangement,” Drog said. “I’m listening,” Riley replied. His eyes had a gleam in them that gave Mary hope. “Mary, Sloan, Lucy and I will stay on Bochnax and establish a mining station for maganore using environmentally friendly drilling so as not to disturb the local ecology too much. The money from the ore will be used to provide medical equipment and raw materials.” “How are you going to come up with the money for the mining equipment and get it way out here?” the major asked. “That’s where you and Riley come in. If you’ll offer us an advance to cover the cost of the equipment, we’ll promise to ship the maganore exclusively through you and Riley.” “We’re a protection company, not a cargo company!” she barked out. “Wait a second there, sweet cheeks. They could be on to something. It’s possible no one but the now-deceased Artman and Bagwell and maybe a couple other easily disposable lowlifes knew about the maganore on here. If we work through some of my former associates, we could have a mining operation set up and producing before the monopolies even know where we are. We’ll be rolling in credits in no time!” Riley rubbed his hands together in glee. “Once a scavenger, always a scavenger,” the major muttered out loud. “Do your, ah, associates have the right kind of mining equipment? The deal’s off if you think we’re going to strip-mine this planet. I’ve seen it happen too many times before to let it happen here,” Sloan said, stepping forward. 125

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“Stand down, private. He’ll get the right stuff or I won’t ship it.” Major McDaniel’s eyes flashed at Sloan. “So you agree?” Lucy asked. “I think we may need to do a little more negotiating to nail down the details but it just could work. I can’t say as I’d be too unhappy to give up hauling rich assholes around space.” Riley gave a wry smile. Mary jumped for joy and wrapped her arms around Sloan. She’d make sure one of the first things they did with the money was buy a medi-tech unit and some meds. Forming a circle of power was great but she’d much rather rely on science for everyday healing. “I’ll snoop around discreetly for some equipment when we get back into civilized space. I have a good feeling about this venture.” He spit in his hand and stuck it out. Sloan immediately did the same and shook Riley’s hand, as did Drog. Lucy looked at Mary and then at Major McDaniel. “I think we can just agree verbally, don’t you?” “Agreed!” Mary said quickly. “Squeamish healers,” the major muttered with a smile. “Agreed.” “I’ll tell Mother and she can tell the other clans,” Mary said with a smile. She almost skipped as she ran off to the town square to tell Mother what they were going to do. The old woman had looked so sad last night whenever Major McDaniel talked about leaving it had gotten Mary thinking. Well, she had started thinking after she and Sloan made love for half the night. The more she thought about leaving the Seoenx the worse it felt. She’d made friends here and had a purpose here. The Seoenx needed her healing skills. When she’d brought up the subject to Sloan he’d looked at her with surprise. “I was thinking the same thing,” he’d said. “The Seoenx are sitting ducks out here. They have no way to defend themselves. I could train some of them, I’m sure of it. C’rq shows a great deal of leadership potential. But would you be happy so far away from Emeraldia.” Mary had had to really think about that. Could she be happy without the modern conveniences she was so used to? Damn right she could. With Sloan by her side she could be happy anywhere. But it wouldn’t hurt to have some modern medical equipment. By the time Drog and Lucy had met up with them at breakfast a plan had formed. Mary was a little shocked that her chief medical officer felt the same way but she was glad of the support. She certainly hadn’t wanted to tell the major they weren’t leaving with her after all the trouble she’d gone through to find them. “Mother! Mother! We’re staying!” Mary called, skidding into the town square.

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An earsplitting cheer deafened her. The entire clan had gathered to hear the news. Mother walked forward and a smile split her face in two. “I knew you wouldn’t leave us. Once your heart finds its home it is hard to abandon it.” “I know where my heart belongs, now,” Mary said, hugging Mother tightly. “It belongs with me,” Sloan said, wrapping his arms around them both.

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About the Author Arianna Hart lives on the East Coast with her husband and three daughters. When not teaching, writing, or chasing after her children and the dog, Ari likes to practice her karate, go for long walks, and read by the pool. She thinks heaven is having a good book, warm sun, and a drink in her hand. Until she can sit down long enough to enjoy all three, she'll settle for the occasional hour of peace and quiet. Arianna welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Also by Arianna Hart Behind the Enchanted Door By Honor Bound anthology Ellora’s Cavemen: Legendary Tails III anthology Lucy’s Lover Pleasure Raiders anthology Rebel Lust Sable Flame Silver Fire

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