Wicked Beloved (11 page)

She grabbed fistfuls of
the sheet.
So close
. The outside world, reality, everything outside her flesh
started to slip away—unimportant compared to the need that
blossomed inside her, embarrassment and all conscious thought
banished.

She writhed beneath his
mouth, thrusting against him, and he was right there with her,
pressing and licking and giving the energy back. He triggered a
rhythm inside her that built on itself until there was too much to
contain. Something tremendous and huge and painful and wonderful
was going to happen and she repeated breathless entreaties
of
please-don’t-stop-don’t-stop-don’t-stop-don’t-stop
.

Suddenly she was floating while a tingling
flood filled her. It started in her belly and crackled, swarming
outward, racing for the edges. An ominous pleasure, like her entire
body was just about to sneeze.

Her lungs seized. She
couldn’t breathe. Muscles locked, vibrating, contracting,
everything stopped yet ran wild at the same time. He was still
licking her, and it was too
too
much, painful almost; he was killing her, and yet
it was glorious. He didn't let her rest, urging her from one peak
to the next, until high-pitched gasps fell from her parted lips,
gasps that probably would have been screams if she'd had breath
enough to put behind them.

Her orgasm lasted forever, and he wrung
every last spasm and aftershock out of her humming flesh. She
wasn’t even sure when it ended. She vaguely became aware of his
lips softly kissing the inside of her leg, slowly…again…and again,
while a flood of wet heat radiated from her heart, like she’d burst
something, spreading out to her limbs and across her spent body.
She tried to reconnect her fuzzy brain and heavy limbs but
exhaustion appeared at the edge of her consciousness wanting to
blanket her in cozy folds.

“
How was that?” he
murmured against her thigh, his gravelly voice sending shivers
through her skin.

She tried to think of an
adjective for something so indescribably perfect.
Nothing
. She tried to
think of
any
adjectives.
Still
nothing
. She sighed blissfully. “You broke
my brain.”

He chuckled.

And then he did it again.

* * *

Dzer-Jin lay by her side, petting her hair,
stroking little circles on her belly, just touching her randomly,
gently, soothing her back into reality.

She exhaled, feeling like
a melted puddle of euphoric goo. “That was fantastic.
You
are fantastic. I’m
just going to lie here for the next…century. If that’s okay with
you.”

He snorted, amused. “Don’t the males of your
planet service you regularly like this?”

“
Uh, no. No, I haven’t
been that lucky.”

He was still caressing her, lightly, just
enough to demonstrate his continued presence. She had never felt so
loved. It was…wrong.

She had to get that emotion out of her
brain. It wasn’t real. In their situation, it never could be.

If only the whole slavery thing hadn’t
happened. If only she’d met him on Earth. Of course, if he had come
to Earth, he’d probably never have chosen her. He could have had
his pick of stunning, glamorous women. And that thought upset
her.

She wanted him for herself. How could she
feel this way? Her brain was farther gone than she’d thought.

This all was an illusion. He couldn’t be
hers. She was literally his. He owned her. She had to recover some
distance between them.

“
I’d just like to say that
if you demonstrated your skill set on Earth, you’d have
women
lining up
to be your slave,” she announced, aiming for a lighthearted
but impersonal mood. “For free. No purchase necessary. And no need
for this kidnapping thing.”

He grunted an acknowledgement of the
compliment. “However, I prefer quality over quantity.”

“
Oh?”

“
Yes. One female is
enough, if it’s the right one.”

She laughed. “You’re a romantic.”

“
What? Say that again.” He
didn’t sound offended, just perplexed.

She did, wondering if her collar would
translate the word better the second time around.

He rolled his eyes and snorted. “I am merely
practical.”

“
Rom
aaa
ntic,” she teased in a sing-song
voice.

He made a face. “I’m getting the distinct
impression that my perfect slave does not have proper respect for
my magisterial authority.”

“
Oh, no, I love you and
your magisterial authority.” The moment she said the words her
heart constricted. Not because she had just voiced a sentence
including the three words “I love you” to the alien who
freaking
owned
her, which was very uncool. But because she suddenly feared
that her bantering words might be true. And that was even more
messed up.

Luckily he took her words in the playful
spirit they were originally meant and didn’t bat an eye.

The front door chimed. With an annoyed
scowl, Dzer-Jin climbed out of bed. He stood and she watched the
play of his muscles beneath toned skin as he strode across the room
to grab his robe off a hook by the bedroom door.

This was the first time she had seen him,
full body, completely naked and out in the light. He was gorgeous.
Museum quality, pin-up quality, drool-worthy gorgeous.

“
You’re beautiful,” she
said, admiration getting the better of her common sense.

He laughed but the tips of his ears turned
red.

“
You’re
blushing.”

He shrugged into his robe. “Perhaps. Not
sure I deserve a compliment for something my parents’ genetics did,
not me.”

“
You’re beautiful on the
inside, too. That’s you.”

He turned and looked at her. The darkness
was back in his eyes. He smiled, but it was a smile of terrible
sadness and regret. “No. I’m not. I’m really not.”

He headed off to the front door and was gone
only a few moments. When he returned he held a messenger-delivered
golden envelope. He did not look happy.

CHAPTER
TWELVE

“
I must go on a hunt. I’ll
return in a few days.” Tossing the envelope on the bed, he stripped
off his robe. It joined the envelope in a heap. Then he was
rummaging through his closet for clothes.

Climbing out of bed, she picked up his robe.
The envelope glinted at her but, much as she wanted to, she didn’t
touch it. It wasn’t her place to open his mail. She wished she knew
what it said, though. Who sent such invitations—or orders—for a
hunting party?

She padded across the room to hang his robe
up on its hook by the door. Why wasn’t she pleased he was going? If
he left her unsupervised, she might make her escape. She stroked
the robe’s soft fabric as it hung in empty folds from its hook. A
golden cage was still a cage. She shouldn’t have to remind herself
she wanted freedom.

When she turned around, Dzer-Jin had donned
black trousers and was stepping into his heavy boots.

“
Are you leaving right
now?”

“
Yes.” He pulled a thick,
grey tunic over his head.

“
So, it’s like…a hunting
emergency?”

He finished dressing and picked up the
envelope. “I’ve an assignment.” He gestured with the golden
envelope before stalking out toward the kitchen.

“
Wait, what?” She followed
him.

“
Now, remember, purple
opens doors. Yellow operates locks.” Tucking the envelope under his
arm, he grabbed the stylus and tablet from the kitchen counter and
started scribbling. “There’s supplies enough in the kitchen, but if
you want something different I have credit at the shop on the
corner.”

“
That’s okay, I’m sure
I’ll be fine with what’s here. What—”

“
You have an emergency,
you call Lagi.” He finished writing, tore off the page and stuck it
to the kitchen wall. “Can you read this?” He indicated his
note.

She analyzed his scrawl. A series of glyphs
matched those found on what passed for a telephone here. “I input
those symbols in the voicebox thingie and I’ll get Lagi.”

“
Yes.” Her dislike must
have shown on her face, because he continued, “I know you don’t
like him, but he’ll help you. He knows I’d kill him if he failed.”
She was struck by how serious he sounded.

“
I’ll be all
right.”

He looked her up and down, frowning. “Do you
want a weapon?”

“
Pardon?”

“
I can give you a weapon
if you want. To defend yourself. Just make sure it’s concealed.
Slaves aren’t supposed to possess weapons. And don’t injure
yourself with it, either.” He strode through the main living space,
over to the wall beside her closet, and made a gesture in the air.
Suddenly what had been a blank space was now a panel that slid open
as quietly as a whisper. “What would you like? Knife? Blaster? I
have mini-grenades, but they require practice. I don’t suppose you
have practice? No, of course not.”

She smiled. Incredible as it seemed… “You’re
worried about me.”

“
I am not. I just…want you
to have a weapon.”

“
That’s so sweet. I’ll be
fine. Without a weapon.”

“
You’re
certain?”

“
Yeah. I’d probably just
hurt myself. I’ve never handled something like that in my
life.”

“
Not even a
knife?”

“
Only for
eating.”

“
You come from a strange
planet.”

“
So I gather.”

He closed the panel and it disappeared into
the wall.

“
Wait, don’t you need a
rifle or something? For hunting?”

“
No, I’ll pick up a drop
weapon at the Guild.”

She didn’t really get what he meant, what
any of this meant, but she decided not to ask for further
explanation. It was neither her business nor her place, and the
problem might just have been her translator. “So…this is it?”

Her eyes had started to water. She always
cried at partings, but this was ridiculous.

He nodded. “Yes. Sure you’ll be safe?”

“
Yep.” She cleared her
throat. “Good luck.”

His head tilted to the side as he regarded
her. “Thank you.” Again, he sounded so serious.

An apprehensive shiver struck her.
“Dzer-Jin, this…this isn’t dangerous, is it?”

He gave her a wan smile. “Not to me.”

The hard yet haunted look in his eyes pained
her. “Must you go?”

“
Yes.”

“
Make sure you come back.”
The words spilled from her, along with a tear or two. She couldn’t
help it.

She thought she heard him snarl or swear,
then he threw the envelope to the floor and was moving, long
strides, crossing the room to her so fast she hadn’t time to react.
He took her in his arms, his grip like steel, and bent her
backwards. His embrace was all that kept her from falling to the
floor.

His mouth attacked hers, his lips brutal and
his tongue demanding entrance, to which she immediately
surrendered. Again she was reminded of how strong he was. He could
easily hurt her any time he put a hand to her, but he didn’t. Even
if he secretly wanted to, he didn’t. He always held himself in
check, until now. This was the first time she knew he wasn’t
holding back.

It was a savage, frenzied kiss. She couldn’t
keep up with him, couldn’t breathe. She just took it, allowing him
to plunder her mouth, submitting to his desire to bruise her lips
and take her breath away.

When he finally tore his mouth from hers, he
bowed to press their foreheads together. “If I have to climb out of
my own grave, I shall come back to you.”

Suddenly he set her upright and was striding
to the front door, while she was still adjusting to standing on her
own two feet. Her lips burned and stung. She watched him snatch up
the envelope on his way, not even pausing, but at the door, he
glanced back.

“
Keep safe, Ahno’ee,” he
ordered. Then the front door whooshed and he was gone.

* * *

For the first day she plotted her
escape.

Using her big picture map, she planned the
easiest route to the spaceport. She stalked around the flat,
considering what she could pawn and wondering if this city even had
pawnshops. She pondered how to ask about ticket prices to Earth
without arousing suspicion.

That evening when she sipped her cup of bala
and looked at the stars, she attempted to ignore the empty chair
beside her and instead visualize getting a bunch of money, finding
a spaceship heading for Earth or Telluria or whatever they called
it, and riding off home.

If she still had a home. What would have
happened to her stuff, with the rent not paid on her apartment for
months? How many bills and late fees would have accrued? And what
would she use to pay them, since her job was undoubtedly gone by
now?

She shook her head. She wouldn’t think about
that. The important thing was just to get back to her own
planet.

The second day, she wandered down to the
spaceport. She hadn’t truly appreciated the scale of what she was
up against until she saw the mass of shuttles with her own eyes. It
was like Grand Central Station plus Victoria Station plus the
Atlanta International Airport, or whatever Earth’s busiest airport
was now, combined and magnified by ten. And the sea of
creatures—most of them humanoid, but some…not—there were so many of
them. The place was mind-boggling.