Victorious Star (20 page)

Seht blinked then gave her a half-hearted smile. “That was not particularly respectful, pet.”

Victoria grinned briefly. “I know.” Her smile faded. “I want… I need you too.”

Seht snorted. “There is no way in hell I’m not going to mark you.” He raised a brow at Ravnos. “Captain?”

Ravnos climbed higher until he straddled her breasts. He sat up and stared at Seht. “Take me in your mouth, Victoria. Make me good and hard.”

Victoria stretched out her tongue and took his cock eagerly into her mouth. Her lips closed and she tasted his excitement with a shiver of anticipation. She lashed her tongue around the flared edge of his cock-head with hungry enthusiasm. Her mouth full of cock, she looked up at his body.

Ravnos took Seht’s face and kissed him with violent and possessive appetite. Their eyes closed and their throats worked as Seht kissed him back just as adamantly. He pressed deeper into her throat, then pulled back, then pressed deep again, fucking her mouth slowly and deliberately.

She watched in fascination as they kissed. They were in love. How had she missed it? She thought back on every instance and realized that as tempestuous and antagonistic as they were to each other, they were very much in love.

She closed her eyes and swirled her tongue around Ravnos’s cock, feeling the hard length as it thrust into her throat. Her heart gave a hard thump.
Bloody fucking Fate…
She was in love with both of them.

And she had to leave.

Ravnos gasped and pulled from her mouth. His cock slid free of her lips with a wet pop. He moved back to straddle her hips and grabbed for himself. Groaning, he leaned over her and pumped his cock aggressively.

Victoria eyed the bulbous and swollen cock-head with hungry fascination and writhed in anticipation. He was going to cum on her. He was going to cum all over her, bathing her in his lust and marking her with his possession.

Ravnos groaned. “Close your eyes, I’m going to cum on your tits.”

Victoria did not want to close her eyes but did as ordered. Her throat emitted soft sounds of desperate hunger.

Ravnos gasped.

She felt the first hot spat on her breast and caught the rich feral scent of his cum. She moaned and arched as he sprayed her breasts and stomach with his thick masculine cream, wrapping her in the unique perfume of his lust.

Ravnos dropped back and slid between her thighs, spearing into her cunt in one strong surge.

Victoria opened her eyes in shock. He was still hard.

He rammed in and fell over her. His chest brushed her cum-splattered nipples and his eyes were flint hard as he fucked her without mercy. “Cum, now.”

Victoria’ throat closed. Her belly clenched then released with hideous strength. Climax slammed through her with incredible force. She screamed and bucked under him.

Seht gasped. “Lean back, Aubrey, lean back…”

Ravnos rose on his knees, still wedged in her pulsing cunt.

Seht released Victoria’s wrists and straddled her shoulders with his knees. He leaned forward to take Ravnos’s mouth in a ferocious kiss and stroked furiously at both cocks. He moaned and his cum pumped onto Victoria’s breasts and stomach in two thick streams, mixing Ravnos’s scent with his. Spatters covered her belly and coated where her body was joined with Ravnos’s, marking them both.

Victoria felt the tears of relief run down her cheeks as the last of her orgasm shuddered through her.

Seht raised his coffee mug and nodded at Victoria. “We leave for our mission as soon as the
Raptor
is ready for launch.”

Victoria frowned. “How are you planning to sneak past their warning systems?”

“Sneak?” Seht grinned broadly. “I have a personal invitation, thanks to my cousin, who is already docked, by the way. I contacted him from my
barque
while you were out yesterday. We’ll be staying with his household.”

“Staying? As in overnight?” Victoria clasped her coffee mug in both hands. “When is the auction?”

“Zero-hundred hours, station time, tomorrow night.” Ravnos sipped at his coffee then raised his eyes to Seht. “I expect the both of you to be on your way back here before the auction ends.”

Victoria nearly choked on her coffee. “We’re going in a day early?”

Seht nodded. “Our entrance time is during planet sunset today. That gives us a four-hour arrival window. There’s a small banquet for the guests tonight then we have all day tomorrow to accomplish our mission. If all goes according to plan, we may be able to leave before the auction begins.”

Victoria frowned. “How the hell are we going to leave without causing suspicion? Once they find the
Arcane’s
sentience missing, they’re going to know it was us if we’re the only ones gone.”

Seht grinned. “I happen to know the station master. He’ll cover our tracks. They’ll never know we left without a manual count.”

Victoria raised a suspicious brow. “He’s that good a friend?”

Seht smiled with heat. “I have that good a bribe.”

Victoria nibbled carefully on her bottom lip. She’d already stabbed herself with her new teeth twice during breakfast.
“‘Syr,
I’ve never flown a ship like yours. It appears to be designed for both space and atmospheric flight. Does it have an inter-neural connection?”

Ravnos cleared his throat. “It is and it does. You won’t have any difficulty once you assimilate the language.”

Seht shot Ravnos an amused glance and nodded. “Once we’re onboard, I’ll introduce you and set the language downloads for you.”

Victoria nodded. “Good. So what do I wear for the mission?”

Seht winced. “Hellfire and damnation, I didn’t even think of that!”

Ravnos shook his head. “I don’t have a damn thing that will fit her, not that will pass for
skeldhi.”

Seht groaned. “Nor do I.”

Victoria reached for the coffee. “Well, what do
rehkyt
normally wear?”

Ravnos let a small chuckle escape. “Skin.”

Victoria scowled. “Tell me you’re joking.”

Seht leaned back and gave her a sly smile. “I’m afraid not.”

Victoria worked to restrain her growl, but not her glare. “I am not flying a ship in the nude.”

Both men burst into laughter.

Seht wiped at his eyes. “Can you imagine the station guards’ faces when she disembarked?”

Ravnos snorted and rubbed his temples. “All those mercenaries and here comes Victoria with a sword and a smile.” He raised his brows. “You’d have a riot on your hands before you even got out of the dock port.”

“Gentlemen?” Victoria glared at one then the other. “I can feel a severe case of temper just waiting to happen.”

Seht choked back his laughter and raised his hand. “Black, they wear black.”

Ravnos nodded. “Preferably leather or latex.”

Oh…
Victoria raised a brow. “Will a black flight-suit do? It’s treated leather and form-fitting.”

Both men stared at her.

Seht’s brows shot up. “How form-fitting?”

Victoria felt her cheeks heat. “Pretty damn…”

Ravnos shrugged at Seht.

Seht waved his hand. “Let’s see it, go put it on.”

Victoria opened her closet and pulled out the black leather flight suit. Sometime in the past day or so, it had been cleaned. The blood was gone from her collar. She dropped the robe, and stepped into the form-fitting suit. Standing in front of the full-length mirror inside her closet door, she fastened the silver clasps up the outside of her thighs and across the center. The tall collar completely hid the metal band around her throat. It was a bit more than snug, but it was specially treated to wear under a full atmospheric suit, so it was quite supple. Given time, her body heat would soon make the suit more pliable.

She dragged her brush through her mane then laboriously braided it back into the long tail Seht seemed to prefer. It was still odd to see her skin so golden and her eyes so large and black. She shook her head. At least her hair was still the same color; well, except for the broad white streaks.

She stomped into her civilian boots and buckled the sides up past her knees, then grabbed her matching gloves.
Two more days…
She closed the closet door with a sigh and shrugged into her long black coat.

Seht turned, caught sight of Victoria and frowned. “Take off the coat.”

Victoria shrugged out of her coat and tossed it over her arm.

“Great Mother…” Seht stared. “Where the hell did you get that suit?”

Victoria shrugged. “I had it made.”

Ravnos came from around a corner. His brows rose and a slight smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “I see you weren’t exaggerating about your suit being snug.”

Victoria had to drag her eyes from Seht. “I was wearing it when you grabbed me.”

“You had that on under the coat?” Ravnos shook his head. “Good thing I didn’t see it, or I would have taken you right there on the floor. It doesn’t hide a thing.”

Victoria raised her brow. “That’s why I wear the coat.”

Seht stalked closer. “You had this made?”

Victoria nodded. “I saw one like it a long time ago. I sketched it out for the designer.”

Seht raised a brow and glanced at Ravnos. “I’d dearly like to know where you saw something like this.”

Victoria shrugged. “I was a kid at the time, maybe eight or nine. I was on my way to the academy. It was something I saw someone wearing at one of the spaceports. I have no idea which one.”

Seht raised a sarcastic brow at Ravnos. “It’s very close to the uniform of a
mahfdhyt
enforcer.”

Victoria winced. “Does that mean I have to take it off?”

Seht shook his head. “No, but it does mean that they will expect you to be proficient with blades and hand-to-hand combat.”

“Blades?” Victoria’s brows shot up. “As in swords?”

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” Ravnos said dryly.

Victoria turned to Ravnos. “Does this mean I get my sword back?”

Seht snorted.
“Rehkyt
do not wear weapons.”

Ravnos nearly smiled. “The
upuaht,
bodyguards, do.”

Seht frowned at Ravnos. “They’ll know she’s not
upuaht-
trained.” He turned to point at Victoria. “No sword.”

Victoria seriously considered pouting, decided it was beneath her dignity, and sighed instead. “You never let me have any fun.”

Ravnos raised his brow. “Why not? She’s good.”

“I know; that’s the problem.” Seht clenched his jaw. “I’m going to have enough difficulties when my cousin gets a good look at her. I don’t need the
mahfeht
enforcers trying to claim her too.” He turned away. “Victoria, follow me. You need to learn how to dress me in my armor.”

Victoria followed him to the far side of the chamber.
Armor?

A smile curved Seht’s lips as he held his arms out and told her which piece to put where.

Well, it’s certainly pretty…. and it’s so damned light! What the hell is it made out of--titanium alloy?
It was also a royal pain in the ass. There seemed to be a million pieces to the damned thing. Shin-covering grieves went over his boots, back and front, and they interconnected with the articulated knee to the leg pieces over his outer thighs. And damnation save her, but both leg pieces fastened to a wide kidney belt.

Victoria’s fingers started to seriously cramp as she held up each shimmering piece and fastened it.
Damn
skeldhi
clasps…
The connectors hooked and twisted, then hooked again, before they would stay attached.
Need to be a fucking nuclear mechanic to get the damn things to lock into place properly.
She refastened a strap under his arm and seriously thought about biting something pale and soft, if she could get to it.

The molded ornate chest plate was a completely separate piece from the back plate, and then each shoulder piece had to be fitted and fastened just so… There were upper arm casings, elbow guards, arm bracers and articulated clawed gloves too.

Victoria fastened the last clasp on his armored glove and sighed in relief.
Finally…
She stepped back to see the whole completed outfit. She sucked in a sharp breath and felt a small shiver. Seht’s armor was obviously designed to intimidate. Each piece gleamed in midnight rainbow hues. Fully assembled, he was covered in sharp points and overlapping edges that gleamed. He looked truly deadly.

On second thought…
She bit back a smile.
He looks like a barbarian hero from the cover of one my fantasy fictions.
She had a bunch stashed back in her personal cases.
And I thought the Imperial uniforms were archaic?

Seht flexed a hand in his clawed glove then looked up and grinned. “Don’t forget the cape.”

Victoria stared up at him in shock. “A cape? Over all this?”

“I have it.” Ravnos came up behind them and held out a floor-sweeping, full-circle cape with a huge silver fur for a collar.

Victoria backed away.

Ravnos tossed it over Seht’s left shoulder and pulled the strap up under the arm then across his chest to his shoulder, leaving his right arm entirely free. He caught Seht’s gaze. “You could return…?” His voice was nearly a whisper. He reached to fasten the ornate clasp.

Seht caught his hand, stopping him. “I made my decision.” His blue stare was hot and hard. “If you would not come, I would stay.” His gaze flickered to Victoria. “And I have your nav-pilot to return.”

“There is that.” Ravnos’s mouth lifted slightly. He fastened the clasp with a practiced twist.

Victoria turned away and closed her eyes. The depth of intimate history between them was too hard to watch. She felt a hand clasp her shoulder and turned.

Ravnos tugged absently at one of her buckles. “Get in, get the
Arcane,
and get out. That’s your mission, nothing else. If Seht gives you an order, obey it without question, and avoid any Imperials you find.”

Seht nodded. “Especially with Moraine loose on that station.”

Ravnos’s gaze hardened to steel. “Avoid Moraine at all costs. He’s absolutely not to be trusted. Hopefully, you’ve been changed enough to pass casual inspection, but don’t count on not being recognized.” He gripped both of her shoulders tightly. “Don’t think for a moment that they won’t kill you if they discover what you are: an Imperial nav-pilot capable of stealing their ship’s sentience.”

Victoria nodded. “Yes, sir.” She was far past doubting his word on Admiral Moraine. The fact that Moraine was here, far away from Imperial space and obviously not on Imperial business, was damning enough.

Ravnos nodded. “One more thing…” He glanced from one to the other. “You both mean more to me than that damned ship. If you cannot get it -- leave it, and get back here.”

Victoria narrowed her eyes. She had not gone through all this just to leave the
Arcane
behind. “I will get the
Arcane.”

Ravnos turned to Seht but his grip tightened on Victoria’s shoulders. “If she won’t leave the
Arcane,
use whatever means necessary to secure compliance.”

Seht nodded and raised a brow. “Count on it.”

Ravnos and Seht moved toward the door. It was time to leave.

Victoria went back to get her coat.

“No coat,” Seht called out.

Victoria turned with the coat in her arms. “What?”

Seht shook his head. “Leave it.”

Victoria glared at him. “I’m practically naked without it.”

Ravnos lifted his chin. “You’re supposed to be.”

Victoria jerked as though slapped. “What?”

Seht held out his gloved hand. “Come, pet. Where we’re going you won’t need it.”

Ravnos escorted Victoria and Seht through hallways utterly devoid of crewmen.

Victoria wondered at the empty hallways. She was acutely glad, seeing as the suit hugged her tighter than her own skin. Out of sheer curiosity, she queried the ship. Her suspicions were correct. All the passages leading to the halls they traveled were on lock-down, at least until they passed, by order of the captain. Ravnos was diverting foot-traffic away from their route. She then wondered if he had been doing it all along.