The Chalice (19 page)

saddened him . Their human roots must lie with an inhospitable culture indeed.

By their immobility, they were awaiting a sign from  him . He would have to

make the first move— com mence the meeting.

He formed the human words. “Ka-Ra,” he began. “Umm m m …hehwo ert goos,”

he added.

Such a silly grouping of sounds. Even uttering the awkward dialogue left him

feeling inept and gauche.

The females’ expressions changed, grew less wary. Two even had theeffrontery to giggle. Dim ples flashed in his Chalice’s smooth cheeks. Her eyessparkled with laughter.

“Hello,” she grinned, bobbing her head. “Chiagan-Se Tegan.”

“They’re laughing at us,” Shagal m uttered crossly, his bearing stiff and

affronted. “They’ve no reason to laugh.”

“Better their laughter than their anger,” he m urm ured. The female Ka-Ra’s heartening response triggered deep pangs of throbbing need. The im pulse to crush her to his chest was disturbing and provocative. Would that he had Mordaq’s temerity! Perhaps he should give in to the inclination. Slake his passion. But would this female react as pleasurably as had Mordaq’s? His tongue wet his lower lip. He could alm ost taste the lush ripeness of her sm iling m outh. His eyes slid lower, focusing on the female’s nourishment glands. Though not as opulent as those of Mordaq’s woman, they were nonetheless full and inviting. Fascinated, his hands itched to cup them, m assage and roll the tips between his fingers. He inhaled, drawing in her scent. Like a warm  breeze drifting across the Phrizara blossoms of ¬¬¬¬Aron-Ta. Rich and heady.

“Tegan?” she tilted her head, questioning.

He jerked, startled. Behind her, the females whispered, touching Ka-Ra with

what he supposed was comfort. Her face flushed, eyes rounded.

Uncomfortable, he shifted his stance. He’d made a fool of him self—again! W hydid her nearness fill him  with such blatant desire, inflam ing his senses androbbing him  of his customary control? It was beyond his com prehension. Maybeuse of the men’s pleasure toys would ease som e of the ache he’d experiencedsince first catching sight of her.

Chagrined, he consulted the portable reader, expending extra tim e allowing his

mind—and lower extrem ity—to focus on the matter at hand.

W hat words did he need? These seemed to fit. He cleared his throat. “Go.

Back,” he said.

“No,” she said, shaking her head and sm iling.

A growl rumbled in his chest. The meaning of her response was obvious

without the reader’s aid!

“The female is defying you,” Shagal exclaimed, aghast. “Does she have no idea

who you are?”

“I suspect she doesn’t care.”

He heaved a sigh, glaring at the female. Unafraid, she gazed back, chin up, lips

curved in a slight sm ile, almost daring him .

He reached for her arm, intending to drag her back if necessary to the

communal room s.

The dark one’s fist knocked his hand away. She yelled something, throwing

herself in front of Ka-Ra.

Reacting in kind, Shagal jum ped in front of Tegan, shielding him  from  the darkfemale’s presupposed attack. She bared her white teeth in a snarl, black eyesflashing with fury. Lunging at the hapless m ale, she landed a solid punch to hisnose. Blood spurted in crim son arcs from  the battered nostrils. She crowed intrium ph, following with a hard jab to his chest.

Tegan gasped, disbelieving.

The dark one attacked again, following up with a knee to the Artisan’s private

parts. Shagal folded with a woof, dropping to his knees in pain.

“Enough,” he roared, furious now. That she’d attacked his guard was

unforgivable.

Ignoring his shout, the dark female threw herself on the smaller breeder,ripping out great tufts of silver hair and gouging at his eyes. Shagal ducked,covering his head and cursing.

“W hat do I do?” he yelped. “Must I fight her?”

Shocked from  their stupor, the other females rushed forward, tackling the darkone and dragging her back. They huddled in a tight circle, protecting her from  hisexpected punishment.

Gods give me peace!

Shagal rose to his feet, cupping his m aleness, his face a mask of pain, blood

dribbling into his mouth. “She injured me,” he groaned. “My Chalice injured me.”

“She’s not your Chalice. She’s no one’s Chalice.” He scrubbed his face,

conscious of the females’ worried looks. “The hurt will ease in time.”

“You can’t be sure. What if I’m  no longer able to breed? W hat then?” Shagal scowled at his dark adversary. “I was chosen to live because I could breed. She could’ve ruined me.”

“The fem ale’s assault cannot go unpunished. That I agree. But what do I do? I understand the need to protect her sovereign, but her irrational behavior goes beyond what is acceptable.”

“I say we kill her,” Shagal grum bled, rubbing his crotch. “W ith large amounts

of torture before we end her putrid existence.”

“Killing her wouldn’t produce the desired result. We want these fem ales as life

mates, not enemies.”

The Artisan scowled, unconvinced.

Ka-Ra stepped from  the clustered females, rested a delicate hand on his

forearm  and squeezed gently.

“Sorry,” she whispered, the m uscles of her throat working.

Sorree? What is sorree?

“Go. Back,” he repeated, heat rising at the slight touch. He shuddered, drowning in her beseeching gaze, confused by his warring emotions. The dark female deserved to be punished but by her facial expression and gestures, his Chalice was pleading for forgiveness.

“That big boy’s got it bad for you,” Anne m uttered. “He’s hanging on by a mere

thread. I wouldn’t push him .”

Kara increased the pressure on Tegan’s arm . “If we don’t do som ething,

Dread’s toast.”

“Sex is an acceptable distraction,” Ume com mented. “At least for the larger

man. I doubt the smaller one would be interested at the moment.”

She swallowed hard, nerves failing. How’d she get in this piece of shit situationanyway? And why her—again? Why not Ume? Or Anne? Or even Dread? It wasdum bass’s fault for getting nasty. She should be the one.

Her chest constricted, causing her breath to come in pants. Negotiating for

Dread’s life? Sex should be so m uch more than a mere bartering tool!

“So it’s up to me to take one for the team ?”

Ume patted her back. “You’re the one he wants.”

“Yeah,” Dread m uttered from  behind. “And this team  mem ber could use the

help.”

“If you’d have m inded your business, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” Anne

snapped. “You just couldn’t let it go.”

The sm aller breeder jabbered som ething to Tegan. By the sound of his voice

and the intensity of his glaring scowl, he wasn’t advocating happy thoughts.

“So what do I do?” The breeder’s sizzling gaze scorched her brain, destroying

her thought processes. Probably fried what few brain cells I have left!

“Distract him . I’d start with a simple kiss,” Anne said. “Keep it light and

unemotional. No tongue. Show him  you’re a lady.”

Dread sorted. “Yeah. Sure. That’ll work.”

“W hat if he goes crazy or something?”

“Just get it over with.”

She moistened her lips. Can I do this? It wasn’t as if he was ugly or disgusting. Quite the contrary. He was so m uch more than merely gorgeous. Tall, broadshouldered, m uscular in all the right places and devastatingly handsom e—if youcould get past the fangs. So what’s the holdup? It’s just a kiss and I’m  a goodkisser. That’s what all her former boyfriends said—at least that’s what they toldher. And this guy acted like he could use some m ajor fem ale exposure. They alldid for that m atter.

Hold my nose and jum p in! She reached up, winding her hands around thenape of his strong neck, feeling the muscles bunch beneath her fingertips. Shegave a gentle tug. He stiffened, eyes flaring to heated orbs of sparkling blue ice.

“Act sexy,” Dread hissed.

She focused all her attention on Tegan. How does a tem ptress act? She leanedforward, beguiling and enticing, exuding—she hoped— surging swells of hot femalepheromones. At least enough to dim  his raging anger. “What if I end up like Hanna?” she whispered.

“She looked like she was enjoying it,” Ume chuckled.

Tegan’s total focal point was on her mouth. She pressed against him , rubbingher breasts against his bare torso. The guy was seriously aroused judging by theiron shaft prodding her stomach but he remained motionless. Gentle andinsistent, she pulled his face down until his mouth was bare centimeters fromhers. She exhaled, a soft m isting of breath, just enough to warm  his lips. Shearched up, nibbling and tasting the spicy contours. His great body trembled, chestexpanding as he drew in air. A smoldering mass of restrained tension, tendonsand muscles bulged as he fought for control. She deepened the kiss, feeling hislips soften, opening to her assault. He moaned, an anguished surrender of rigiddiscipline.

Time stopped, hung on the edge. The world faded into the background as theirmouths fused together, tongues licking and caressing, drawn into each other’sheat. Large hands cupped her buttocks, kneading and massaging, m olding her

against his grinding hips. She sighed against his lips. Never had a kiss affected her so strongly or so com pletely. Molten lava spread through her lim bs, converging at the apex of her thighs. She felt liquid, without form  or foundation. Nothing existed for her except this whirling vortex of turbulent emotions. She was on fire, burning up inside and craving more.

“Makes me want to gouge my dam n eyes out with a plastic spoon,” Dread

huffed.

Reality surfaced with a booming crash. Kara broke off the kiss, stunned andmortified. From  the circle of Tegan’s em brace, she glanced at the other women. Arms akim bo, Dread glared. Anne looked shocked and Um e…Ume was grinning,giving the thum bs up.

“I said no tongue,” Anne croaked, brushing a shaking hand across her

forehead.

The smaller breeder chattered a string of accusatory nonsense, appearing

horrified. He pointed at Dread, his m eaning clear.

“Please,” Kara begged. “Let her go.”

Tegan stepped back, his intense gaze searching her face. His lips firmed into a

thin line.

“Please,” she repeated, praying for his understanding. “It won’t happen again.”

His wristband crackled and an excited voice came over the com . At the sam etime, the ship’s alarm  system  went crazy. Tegan pivoted and ran for the door with Shagal two steps behind.

Dread sped past, grabbing her shoulder in the process and dragging her along.

“W hat’s with these guys?”

“Beats me,” she gasped. “But I don’t think it’s good.”

They raced behind the breeders, throwing themselves into a small tubularshaft where the m ales disappeared just before the panel slid shut. She felt thefloor lift. An elevator! Okay, I can deal with this!

The four women crowded together, staring at the floor. Kara’s eyes slidsideways. Across the sm all enclosure, Tegan and the bodyguard both lookedfurious, glaring lightning bolts and m uttering am ongst themselves. Couldn’t blam e ‘em . The women’d invited them selves on this little excursion without thought tothe consequences and none had any idea what awaited them  when the lift cam eto a halt. For all she knew, it could open up into nothingness—or worse.

She inched closer to Ume. If the breeders attacked, she was betting her m oney

on the little Ninja.

The elevator slid to a stop, the panel opened and Tegan and the sm aller male

barreled out. The wom en wasted no tim e following on their heels. The alarm system  whooped and clanged, lending an alm ost surreal quality to the scene before her. Clapping her hands over her ears, she raced forward and stumbled, staggered by her first glim pse of what she supposed was the main control room for the entire ship. Workers rushed from  station to station, checking com puter screens and making adjustments. Her eyes were drawn to the far wall. A huge glassed-in window opened into the vast reaches of the galaxy. Astounded, her mouth fell open. Here was the first real proof they weren’t in Kansas anymore. Space— the final frontier. These are the voyages. . . Anxiety hit with an earthshattering slam . Her knees began shaking. She could feel consciousness slipping.

“Don’t you dare faint on us now,” Dread cried, giving her a shake. “We ain’t got

time for that shit.”

“I think we’re under attack,” Anne shouted over the din. “Look at the central

video screen.”

****

“W hy are the fem ales on the bridge?” Askance, Vaux peered at the Chalices.