Candidate (Selected Book 4) (85 page)

"Fuck you, too, Bay."

"Other than the guards who placed you here, no one who works here is involved. I brought my own technicians."

"Whatever."

"Do you agree to my terms?"

"You could ask me to pick a name."

"Ah. I will ask my question, or perhaps a few closely related questions. If you answer, and I believe you, then we will have an agreement. And for bonus points for completeness and honesty, I won't put this between your legs and fill you as well as I am able."

"Fuck you, Sugilite," I said. "Ask your damn questions."

"Did Jasmine Brighteyes put you up to this?"

"What?"

"You heard me."

"You want to know if Jasmine told me to let you put me out here like this?"

"I want to know if Jasmine encouraged you to defy the council. I want to know what Jasmine has offered you to accept what is happening."

"You think she bribed me somehow?"

"I don't know what she has done. You will tell me. If I believe you, then what happens next won't be as horrible as it could be."

I thought about refusing to answer, or about lying.

"You know what?" I said. "I'll answer, but I'm not answering because of your threats, so you go ahead and squirt me where ever you want. You know what Jasmine did? She was there when I needed her to be there. She was there when you put me into a panic about my mother. She was there when Cherish left. She gave me a job I enjoy. I enjoy her company. I enjoy her touch. It doesn't hurt that she's based here, so I could see my parents from time to time. But when I told her I wanted her, she was upset. She tried to get me to change my mind. She didn't do a thing to tell me to conspire against you. All she ever did was act like the woman I want."

Sugilite looked down on me for a minute. Finally I asked, "Do you have a follow up question?"

"Did she do anything to encourage your affections?"

"She was a friend. She offered respect. I know she likes looking at me. I know she likes holding me. She says I taste good, but so does every other Catseye who hugs me. But she doesn't want me, so what does it matter?"

She knelt down and lifted my head by the hair again. I could get tired of that. "If your parents suddenly receive alien largesse in any form, do you know what I am going to do?"

"I assume it involves poison."

"Probably not. I'll probably have them collected and torture them to death. Whatever agreement she made with you is void."

"There is no agreement," I said. "But please make sure she knows your threat. She might actually feel sorry for whatever you do to me and try to apologize through a gift to them. I'd rather she not do so."

"If you change your answers and tell me the truth, I'll give you whatever she was going to give you. But you have to pick a name for the rest of this to stop."

"I'll make a few more hours. I told you the truth. Believe me or not. I already told you to squirt wherever you want. But I sure dodged a bullet when I didn't marry your daughter. I wouldn't want a harridan like you as a mother-in-law. Tell me. Does she know you're doing this to me? Is there video? I wonder what she'll think. She'll probably love you for punishing me. I imagine she's feeling the sting of rejection. Is that why you're doing this? Are you punishing me because I didn't want to leave my planet, and so I dared to say 'no' to your precious daughter?"

"You can end this by picking a name."

"Well, when you finally do break me, sometime in the next few hours, I won't be mentioning her name or yours. Well, except I suppose I could spend the year making her miserable, but I imagine you intend to drug me out of my mind the rest of my life, so perhaps that's an empty threat."

She stood up, walked to her oversized Super Soaker, gave it a few pumps, and then grabbed the wand. I bowed my head, and she began squirting me down.

She was thorough. I tried to hide my face, but she got it, anyway.

"Open your mouth."

I turned away. "Fuck you."

"Open your mouth and I won't squirt lower."

"Fuck you."

"Open your mouth or I'll squirt lower then knock your teeth out to squirt your mouth."

I lifted my head and opened, and she gave me a good squirt. I wondered if it was bad for me. It sure tasted terrible. I tried to spit it out, but it was oily and clung tenaciously.

When the ants and spiders began moving towards me, I began pleading. I avoided screaming until they began crawling inside my mouth.

I screamed for a long, long time.

I knew I wouldn't last forever, but I lasted longer than I expected. She came out twice more with the big squirt bottle. Other than to demand I choose a name, we didn't talk. When I refused to open my mouth, she slipped the wand between my legs instead.

Yes, I screamed.

* * * *

I hung limply, staring ahead. Feet appeared in front of me. "Pick a name."

"Fuck you."

"Right now, there is a team outside your parent's home. They are both there. Your father just got home from golfing. Pick a name, or I have them picked up, brought here, and everything that has happened to you happens to both of them."

I stared straight ahead. "The Luxan," I said.

"What?"

"The Luxan. I don't remember her name. Give me to the Luxan."

Sugilite knelt down, interposing her face where I could see her.

"As I understood it, you didn't care for the Luxan. Why her?"

"You won. I picked a name. So now you have new demands?"

"Why the Luxan?"

"Because I don't want anyone I once cared for to do to me what's going to happen next. And in case you were wondering, you are the most evil woman I've ever had the displeasure to meet. But you seem to thrive on that."

"There are forces involved you don't understand."

"I'm sure there are, but that's because you wouldn't tell me about them, so whose fault is that? And the ends does not justify the means. You got what you want. Now go fuck yourself."

She stood and walked away. A minute later the visor dimmed. The stone released me, and I cried out as I toppled onto my face.

The world went black.

* * * *

When I next woke, I was in the medical bay, and Sugilite was standing over me. I stared up at her for a minute, my brain barely working. "Come to torture me some more?"

"You will meet your challenger in the arena in two hours."

"Ah. I'm sure I'll put up a good fight. When do you drug me?"

"I guess you'll find out. What would it take to convince you to accept this willingly?"

"You're not serious, are you?"

"What would it take?"

"It would take my original choice, but she's not interested, and you wouldn't let her have me if she were. You're too vested in beating me, as if I'm that big a challenge to you. What's the matter? Did you lose a PTA election and needed to feel powerful?"

My visor dimmed, and she walked away.

* * * *

I didn't see who the guards were. I spent the entire time still locked in the chair, the visor dimmed, until I felt hands on me. I was shackled, this time with my hands in front. And my ankles weren't so tight I couldn't walk.

Then I was led out onto the sands. The sun was hot. The sand was hot. They locked my hands into the pillar, but at least it was in front of me. Then I stood there a while. But finally the visor brightened. Sugilite was there. I looked around. There were people in the stands, although they were being quiet.

I didn't see the Luxan. I didn't see anyone else in the arena.

"Where's my challenger?"

"You don't get to see her. Your visor is hiding her from you."

"Oh, because the Luxan needs an advantage. Whatever."

"You may need some time to recover emotionally from what I have done to you. If after a reasonable period to heal you are then able to fully embrace your new mate, I will find some way to pay reparations for what I did."

"Fuck you and your reparations, too. I don't want anything from you. Oh wait, yes. I'll take a promise that I never have to see or hear from you or your daughter again. I'll take that."

"Maybe you'll change your mind."

"You torture harmless, innocent women. I'm sure you could have done worse. You didn't actually pull teeth. But that's just a matter of degrees. You're right down there. The only people worse than you are the ones who do it to little girls instead of women. Congratulations. You're as bad as the worst humanity has to offer. I hope you're proud. Fuck off. There's a Luxan around here who is so afraid of me she has to hide. I guess she saw my challenge with the Implac. I wonder how she feels that you had to torture me to give you her name. What kind of woman would want me after that? That tells me I was right to dislike her in the first place."

"Enjoy your challenge. Once the pillar releases you, you may select a weapon. They are all blunt. Your challenger will give you the opportunity to do so before she begins to stalk you. You lose when you land in the cage. There will not be an exit."

"Maybe I'll get lucky and manage to kill one of us."

She said nothing but walked away. I stayed locked in place until she arrived at Jasmine's usual seat.

Then the pillar released me.

I pulled away, looking around. I didn't see anyone in the arena with me, and the crowd was quiet. I tried following gazes to see if they'd give away where the Luxan was, but if anyone was looking at her, I couldn't tell.

I moved to one of the weapons racks. I didn't know how to use any of them, and I was sure I wouldn't be holding it very long. But I grabbed one of the staffs. Then I moved back into the center.

"Well, I'm here," I called out. "A big strong Luxan shouldn't have any trouble handling me. Or maybe Sugilite did a replacement. Maybe it's really Charoite out here, and that's why you need a handicap."

I spun around with the staff, right at waist level. I did that a few times then stilled, listening.

"Come to think of it," I said, "The Luxan wouldn't want such an uneven fight." I spun the staff again. "So if it's you, Charo, just know you're going to have to drug me." Spin. I still didn't connect. I spun again, lower, in case she was ducking.

I looked for footprints. Maybe the visor wasn't hiding them.

I stopped taunting. I just turned in slow circles and tried to be unpredictable with the staff.

And then I did connect on something! It was a meaty thunk, and a lot more solid than a Kitsune. An instant later, I felt myself wrapped in arms.

And tentacles.

"It's me," said Jasmine's voice in my ear. She tightened all her tentacles. "It's me, Andromeda."

I froze. "Just you?"

"Just me."

I dropped the staff. I didn't struggle. I didn't struggle when she picked me up. I didn't struggle when she walked me to the cage. I didn't struggle when she tossed me in.

She came visible. I stared at her. I think the crowd began making noise, but if they did, I didn't notice. I stared at Jasmine.

"I caught you."

"You did."

"I won this challenge."

"You did."

"That means until morning, you belong to me."

"No."

"Oh, I think it does."

"Either I belong to you for a lot longer than that, or not at all."

"Well, maybe you'll win the next challenge, and then I'll belong to you," she said.

"And in between?"

"Perhaps we could discuss belonging to each other."

I bowed my head. "Please take me home."

She pulled me out of the cage and carried me.

* * * *

I was emotionally overwhelmed and numb at the same time. She carried me to her apartment and straight to her bathtub. She set me down, pulled my clothes from me, then helped me in. Another minute later, she was in the tub with me.

"Hold me," I whispered.

So she did.

"Is this a dream?"

"No, Andromeda."

"Is this real?"

"Yes."

"A trick."

"No tricks. Are you all right?"

"No. Hold me. I don't want to talk about any of it tonight. Are we mated?"

"Do you still want to be?"

"Yes."

"Yes, we're mated."

"I want a wedding."

"Here or home?"

"I don't know. We're getting married?"

"We're doing anything you want, Andromeda."

"Why aren't you calling me Andie? Why aren't you holding me more tightly? Why haven't you let me kiss a tentacle?"

"Oh, Andie," she said. She squirmed around, wrapping more completely around me, and then a tentacle came across my face. I kissed it as soon as it was in place, and it slipped inside. I was waiting.

She teased with it, just a little, and it may have been the best thing I'd ever tasted. I reached up and grabbed it, holding it in place, not letting her pull away, and I sucked lightly. So did she.

Although not all her sucking was quite so light.

She bathed me and let me bath her. Then I turned around and climbed into her lap, and she wrapped around me some more.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No. You can explain tomorrow. Do you really want me?"

"I've wanted you from the beginning, Andie. I wanted you from that very first day."

"No lying. You aren't doing this out of pity."

"I've sent a few thousand women off to be married to people they thought they were going to hate. Do you think I am motivated by pity?"

"Do you want to ... have me?"

"Oh, yes."

"Take me to bed."

It wasn't that easy, of course. We had to climb from the tub. And then we dried. She brushed my hair and dried it as well. And then she took my hand and pulled me to her bed, then onto her bed. She pulled the visor from me, setting it aside. "I want to watch your eyes."

She pulled me into her embrace, offering her tentacle again. I accepted, and then we held each other like that for a long, long time. Her tentacles moved on my back, across my shoulders. I could feel them tasting. They snuffled, too. They snuffled a great deal. But then she rolled us over, laying me amongst the pillows and withdrawing her tentacle.

"I won our challenge."

"Yes," I agreed.

"And thus, you must obey me."

"For now."

"For now," she agreed. "Tonight, I take what I want, I give what I want. You will allow me to do as I please and do as I demand."

"Yes," I whispered.

"These are now mine," she said, and she began to touch my chest with her tentacles. It took very little time until I was squirming.

"Yours," I whispered.

"This is mine," and a tentacle slid down between us, sliding down, and down, and I gasped as she began to tease me.

"You don't waste time," I said.

"I wasted six months. I'm not wasting more. Catseye do not kiss, and I hear that trying to kiss us is like kissing a sister." But she had a remaining tentacle, and she used it to tease my lips, sliding lightly, and I knew she was using her oil as she did so. I closed my eyes, but I reached for her. Her hands caught mine, and she pressed them back.

"I will take what I want. Your hands remain down."

"All right, Jasmine."

She teased me; she touched me. It felt amazing, and I couldn't help the squirms.

But then she withdrew her tentacle, and she was pressing her center to mine. She moved, and we both gasped. My eyes flew open. Jasmine carried an expression of bliss. Then a tentacle reached underneath my hips, and she used it to adjust our position, my legs spreading wider, our centers touching more firmly. She began moving, up and down, up and down, and it felt amazing.

Like that, she brought me to the edge, and I was whimpering for release, but then it happened together, both together. And we cried out, both together, our centers pressed together, locked together. I felt her contractions, but they pressed against me, and I came a second time, just like that.

"Jasmine!" I cried out. "Ohhhh...."

And then she stilled.

* * * *

We lay together afterwards, entirely wrapped in each other, the stress of the previous weeks forgotten.

"Andie, are you sure?"

"Yes," I said. "If you are."

"I am."

"There are things you must know, and then I am going to ask again. There are changes I wish to make to your body."

"I know. You told me."

She told me about a potion, and about being sick. She told me about surgery that would change my voice so I could speak Catseye with less of an accent. I agreed to it all and only asked when.

"Our wedding night," she said. "Will you take the potion during our wedding celebration? You won't become sick right away. A few days. I will take care of you."

"Yes, Jasmine. Hold me tighter."

A while later I asked, "How many children will you give me?"

"Two, but do you mind if we wait a few years? Two, maybe three years. Then two. When they grow up, maybe we'll have more. Maybe we won't."

"We'll decide together?"

"Yes, we'll decide together."

I snuggled closer.

Some minutes later I asked, "Do I have a job?"

"Oh, I surely do hope so. We've missed your help." And then she snuffled. "You're the one who told me to treat you like a mating candidate around the other women. I'm left wondering how you're going to feel about that in the future."

"Wouldn't you love that," I said.

"You will decide whether I continue to treat you like a mating candidate."

"Oh, I think we know the answer to that."

"You're the one who told me to take you out onto the arena in chains. That wasn't my idea."

"My decision."

"Yes, but then I won't entertain complaints."

I thought about it and smiled, although my back was to her, so she wouldn't see. "So, are you going to still ask me to swim naked at the start of each batch cycle?"

She didn't answer, so I rolled over until we were nose to nose. "Jasmine, there's something I haven't told you. I think this is a good opportunity."

She caressed my cheek with a tentacle.

"I love you, Jasmine Brighteyes."

"I love you, too, Andromeda Brighteyes."

I laughed. "We'll see about that one, too."