
Dedication
This story is dedicated to editor Heidi Moore, who fearlessly stepped into the middle of the Zentarin-Cortierran galaxy and made it even more fun. Thanks, Heidi!
Bursting through the double doors that led from the grand hall to the cold night air, Mar-Tessa inhaled sharply, heedless of the pressure on her already-aching ribcage, desperate to clear her nostrils of the stench that had filled them. Behind her, the gathering of Zentarrs and Zentresses had reached a fever pitch of anticipation. Of excitement bordering on frenzy. Of pure, unadulterated lust.
For everyone but Tessa.
Helios save me.
Doubling over, she tried to vomit, but the revulsion could not be expelled so easily.
"Mar-Tessa? What's wrong?"
"Go away, Correne! I don't want you to see me this way. I'm so ashamed."
"Of being ill?" Her friend patted her on the shoulder. "Don't be foolish. Tell me what's wrong. I promise I won't judge you."
"I can't. It's too horrible. Too insane."
"Such melodrama. One would think you were Cortierran, not Zentarin." When Tessa didn't laugh, Correne added more sympathetically, "Tell me what's wrong. It can't be that bad, can it?"
Tessa struggled for another breath. Then she blurted out the truth. "I can't stand the smell of them. The fever builds inside me, but even here---at a lust gathering---I can't find relief. It just makes me sicker."
"You can't stand the smell of what? The candles?"
"No." Tessa straightened to stare into her friend's silver eyes. "The Zentarrs."
"What?"
She didn't blame Correne for taking a full step backward while gaping at her in horror. It was unheard of for a Zentress to feel such revulsion. And to feel this way during a bout of lust fever? When she should have been experiencing the euphoria of detecting the perfect mate?
To her credit, Correne recovered swiftly. "I'm sure there's a logical explanation. Some sort of allergy---"
"To Zentarrs? Do you hear how crazy that sounds?"
Correne laughed. "You have taken two lovers, have you not? Both of them Zentarrs. And you raved about how much you enjoyed the lust-play. So this is something different."
"That's true. It can't be the Zentarrs. I've always loved them. The sight of them. The feel of them. But it hasn't been the same since the fever started. And tonight, I actually felt like gagging."
"It's an allergy. To the fever-laced perspiration, perhaps? I'll admit it's bizarre, but the doctors will be able to help."
Tessa groaned. "That means Grandfather will find out. They report everything to him."
Correne's silver eyes darkened with annoyance at the mention of Elder Mar-Alberus. "He will bully you, as always. But you don't really have a choice. Now that your time has come, your lust will continue to grow. And at some point, it's either mate or die."
"If Grandfather hears about this, I'll die anyway. Of embarrassment." Tessa squared her shoulders in renewed determination. "Like you said, I've coupled before. I can do it again. I just need to walk back in there, grab the first Zentarr I see and let him have his way with me. If he's frenzied enough with fever, he might not even notice he's making me nauseous."
"That's the spirit." Correne gave her a mischievous smile. "It shouldn't be too hard to find the right male. Several of them were staring at you earlier. Big, strong ones---just the type you love."
"Right. Big, strong Zentarrs. I really do love them, so..." She sifted her fingers through her hair, fluffing the curls she had painstakingly designed for this erotic event. "Let's get back in there."
She strode ahead of Correne and threw open the double doors in a gesture of confidence and power. Immediately, the odor of the males assaulted her nostrils, and she forced herself to drink it in. After all, scent was the most important element in lust mating. With luck, it would overpower whatever had been ailing her, freeing her to enjoy her birthright in the arms of the biggest, strongest Zentarr this gathering had to offer.
Instead, to her horror, her sinuses exploded with pain so intense---so unnatural---she was actually grateful when consciousness slipped away and her body crumpled to the ground.
Her throat stung. Her stomach muscles ached. And her mouth tasted like Cruoogan ale. Definite signs that she had somehow managed to vomit, over and over, despite her unconscious state.
But now she was awake. Awake and alone in some sort of hospital. But there were no doctors or nurses fussing about. No flowers on the nearby tray table. No tubes or sensors---not even a heart monitor.
Using the bedside control to raise herself to a sitting position, she noted the crisp white sheets and blankets, all of which indicated this was a civilian facility. Had Correne actually been imprudent enough to call the domestic authorities rather than the military?
She must have been too worried to care. But I'll bet Grandfather was furious when he heard.
Tessa winced. Where was her grandfather? As one of five Grand Elders of Zentarus, he would have been informed immediately of his grandchild's location, even in the middle of the night.
The bright rays of Helios told her hours had passed. The comfortable but sturdy restraints tying her arms to the bed told her the authorities were taking this case seriously. And yet no sign of Elder Mar-Alberus?
Just as Tessa reached for the controls again, this time to push the assistance button, a tall Zentress in white surgical scrubs strolled into the room. "Good morning, Captain Mar-Tessa. I am Doctor Col-Benta."
Tessa eyed her, surprised by her young age and cheerful disposition. She was about to warn the doctor that Mar-Alberus would soon have her head on a plate, but the appearance of a male nurse in the doorway stopped her.
Her first instinct was to hold her breath, but maybe the physician needed to witness her reaction to this Zentarr's odor, so she steeled herself, then inhaled deeply.
Nothing. The Zentarr didn't emit a stench. In fact, there was no scent at all, which seemed even more bizarre.
Turning her attention back to the doctor, she requested, "Could you ask the nurse to step closer?"
To her surprise, the doctor did just the opposite, sending the Zentarr from the room. Then she gave Tessa a reassuring smile. "We have given you a lust-fever suppressant. It will allow you to move among the males without suffering ill effects."
Tessa sighed in defeat. "So it's official? I'm allergic to them? Which means I'm going to die alone and unloved?"
"Not at all. You have a very rare condition, but we're confident we have the correct remedy. It will take a few months to complete the treatment, so we will rely on suppressants until we're certain you're fully recovered."
"Praise Helios," Tessa murmured. "And thank you, Doctor."
"Call me Benta." The doctor pulled up a chair. Once seated, she loosened the restraint on Tessa's left arm and took her hand in her own. "It must have been so frightening for you."
"I've never heard of a Zentress reacting this way. It's a relief to hear it's a known condition. But rare, right?"
"You are the only case I have ever encountered, so yes, quite rare."
"What's it called?"
Benta cleared her throat. "Your grandfather wants to be present when I explain it to you. He had to step out. Official business. But he'll be back momentarily. He paced the hall outside your door all night."
Tessa flashed a sympathetic smile. "Was he furious?"
"Not at all. Concerned, I would say. About your health. And about negative publicity."
"That sounds like Grandfather," Tessa said, adding quickly, "Not that he cares about his own reputation. He just doesn't want to tarnish the position he holds."
Benta's silver eyes darkened for a moment, as though the remark had made her angry, but her smile remained constant. "You will understand shortly."
A loud voice interrupted them from the doorway. "That's enough, Doctor. Go on about your day. I will explain things to my granddaughter myself."
Mar-Alberus approached the bed, and there was no remaining doubt whether he was angry. The scowl on his face was so familiar, Tessa almost ducked under the sheets as she had done so many times during her childhood.
Instead, she returned her grandfather's glare. "Doctor Col-Benta has been very kind to me, even though she has refused to give me one bit of information. I'd like her to stay if you don't mind."
The Elder hesitated, then surprised her with a warm smile. "How are you feeling, Tessa? I've been worried sick over this incident."
"I'm fine, sir. Forgive me for causing you grief."
"Not at all." To Benta, he added, "Please stay. I apologize for my gruff manner, but Tessa is my only family. The only trace left in the world of my beloved dead son."
The doctor nodded, vacating the chair so that the Elder could sit. "It's a very trying situation, Your Honor. I honestly want to help, so thank you for allowing me to stay."
Alberus sat close to the bed and took Tessa's hand the way the doctor had done. "Did they tell you they administered a fever suppressant to prevent a recurrence of your symptoms?"
Tessa knew her grandfather well enough to know that this was a trap---a way to incriminate the well-intentioned doctor. So she answered in a lighthearted tone. "I figured it out myself when the male nurses didn't make my head explode."
Alberus studied her for a long moment. "Was it that painful? I'm sorry, Tessa. I have always tried to protect you. I hope you understand that." Before she could respond, he told her bluntly, "You're going to be upset soon, so I'm reminding you, for your own good, to behave like a proper Zentress. Keep your emotions under control. Is that clear?"
Oh no.
Tessa had heard these sorts of admonishments all her life, but this time, it seemed different. More ominous. And somehow more heartless, even though the Elder was still holding her hand.
"It's clear, sir."
"Fine. I will explain everything. Doctor Col-Benta can correct me if I make an error regarding the medical aspect. Otherwise, she will remain silent. She has given her word to keep all of this confidential, and she knows she will lose her job, and her family will suffer great financial and social hardship, if she betrays us."
Tessa pulled her hand free. "Just tell me what's wrong. You're scaring me to death. And please stop insulting my doctor. She has been discreet and professional."
Alberus leaned closer. "You know how much I cherish you."
"Because I'm the last remnant of my father, the only person you ever really loved?" Tessa drawled.
Her grandfather nodded. "Exactly. He was an extraordinary Zentarr, and an amazing son. In his whole life, he only made one serious mistake."
She rolled her eyes. "Marrying my mother?"
"No. His wife may not have been perfect, but he had his reasons for choosing her."
She felt a twinge of foreboding. This was something of a reversal of history, given the way Alberus had treated her mother. Perhaps time had mellowed his opinion. After all, it had been more than fifteen years since the fiery crash that had taken both of her parents' lives.
"Okay, Grandfather. If that wasn't Dad's great mistake, what was?"
"Having you," Alberus replied in an even, almost absent tone.
"Really, sir!" Benta strode over to the bed. "I won't allow my patient to be treated this way. Tessa, don't listen to him."
Tessa turned her face away from them, struggling to react like a perfect Zentress despite the unexpected confirmation of his true feelings about her. As much as he had always been critical, and strict, and unloving, she had never realized the depths of his disappointment. Not until now.
You're not a child anymore, so don't react like one. Don't give him the satisfaction. You are a perfectly fine Zentress. He's just disgusted because you reacted poorly to the lust fever. He can't wait for you to produce a baby Zentarr for him---to replace Dad. You've always known that's the only reason he ever tolerated you, so pull yourself together.
When she turned back to face them, she managed a cool smile. "I'm fine, Doctor. Could we just proceed to the medical discussion? I'd like to know if there's a cure for my condition. Then I can decide whether I wish to pursue it, or just resign myself to a celibate existence."
"A true Zentress would never even consider such a thing." Alberus sneered. "You will recover. You will mate and have children. Above all, you will obey me. Is that clear?" Without waiting for her to react, he leaned toward her again. "The time for emotional nonsense is gone. You need to deal with the truth. The woman who raised you until her untimely death was not your biological mother. She pretended to love you out of love for your father. That is why I say you are a mistake. You were the product of an abominable affair between your father and a woman he met after his first wife---his true lust-mate---died."
"An affair?" Tessa shook her head. "I don't believe you. And my mother didn't pretend to love me. She was the most devoted and affirming parent---" She stopped herself, remembering with dismay where she had first heard this litany of praise for the female who had raised her. Hadn't her father said it? More than once, in fact.
As much as I loved my first wife, he would tell Tessa, I love your mother even more. She is a perfect Zentress, not only beautiful and intelligent, but generous and nonjudgmental. And completely devoted to you. I praise Helios every day for sending her to me. To us.
And now Tessa understood what he had meant. Her mother---her adoptive mother---had been willing to raise another woman's child.
It doesn't matter, she told herself unhappily. Mom loved you. Really loved you. As much as if she'd borne you herself. And Dad loved you too. It's this monster who should be ashamed, not you. Feel sorry for him, not yourself.
She fixed a cold stare on Alberus. "Dad always said Mom was a perfect Zentress because she was nonjudgmental. And I must be more like her than I ever realized, because I don't judge her. Not now, not ever. And I don't judge Dad. They were wonderful parents, and I was lucky to have them. And as for you? You're not even worth---"
"Mar-Tessa! You will be silent now. There is more to this story. Control your emotions and hear me out. Once you do..." He paused, almost seeming to choke back a sob. "Perhaps you won't judge me so harshly."
Truly speechless, she closed her eyes, unwilling to see him betray weakness. She had loved him, hated him, respected him, feared him---but never in her life had she felt sorry for him, not even when he wept over the loss of his only son, as he so often did.
"Councilmember?" Benta murmured. "Would you allow me the honor of explaining this last part to Mar-Tessa?"
"Yes, that might be best." Alberus stood and moved away from the bed.
Still confused, Tessa forced herself to smile when Benta sat beside her. "Don't worry, Doctor. You can't shock me anymore than I already am."
Benta cleared her throat. "First, let me say that you are a quintessential Zentress in my eyes. Intelligent. Poised. Beautiful. And brave. The fact that you joined the ZDS proves that. Nothing I'm about to say can change that. But it will in fact shock you. And if it upsets you, that is a natural reaction. Do you understand?"
"No." Tessa exhaled slowly. "You'd better just get it over with. Was my real mother a criminal? A traitor? A prostitute? Mated to another man when she coupled with Dad?"
Benta met her gaze directly. "After your father's lust-mate died, his grief was overwhelming. He volunteered for a dangerous mission to protect Cortierra---a faraway planet we barely knew existed. They had just discovered their fabulous pandium resources and had instantly become the target of greedy raiders."
"I know all that. He got a medal for his bravery."
"That's not all he got," Alberus muttered from across the room.
Tessa's heart sank. "You're saying that's when he had his affair? And that's why it's a disgrace? Because he didn't observe the full year of mourning before he coupled with one of our female pilots?"
Her grandfather's voice was soft when he responded. "He was distraught. Yes, he was in mourning---deep mourning. But in the meantime, he was on the far side of the galaxy, risking his life every day, never knowing when death would come, and come swiftly. Aberrant circumstances to say the least. Enough to make any Zentarr wish to cling to the nearest female, even an inferior one."
"Inferior?" Tessa fought against a rush of emotion and failed. "How can you dare call her that? She was in the very same circumstances as Dad, wasn't she? Fighting a war to defend a strange planet far from home? Why is her lapse so distasteful, and his so excusable?"
Benta intervened swiftly. "Inferior is a poor choice of words. What the Elder is saying is that she was...well, different."
"And she wasn't 'far from home'," Alberus said with evident contempt. "She was on her home planet. And she wasn't fighting either. She was too busy seducing my son."
"Her home planet? But I thought you said..." Tessa's bravado collapsed as the true meaning of her grandfather's tirade began to sink in. "Oh no. Doctor? Please tell me it's not true."
Benta gave her a warm hug. "Cortierrans are not inferior to Zentarins, Tessa. If anything, it's the other way around." Her wide smile seemed forced. "I know we like to view our silver eyes, our lust-mating and our stoic natures as superior, but we all learned the truth in biology class, did we not? Those supposed improvements were simply responses to our hostile environment. The life-threatening radiation from our sun. In the meantime, Cortierrans flourished in a more nurturing environment---one that allowed them to evolve without undue hardships. To explore the arts and music in a way we never did. In that sense, they are closer to the prototypical human form than we could ever hope to be."
The soothing statements barely registered with Tessa. They were buried under a one-word avalanche: Cortierran.
"Helios save me..."
"Tessa, look at me." Benta grasped her patient's hand. "Listen to me. There is no shame in this. In an evolutionary and genetic sense, there is cause for optimism. Yes, you are half Cortierran---"
"No!" She wanted to cover her ears, but one arm was still restrained, and now she knew the real reason why. They had feared she would leap out of bed, grab a surgical implement and end her primitive, barbarian, humiliating existence on the spot.
Turning her gaze toward Alberus, she murmured unhappily, "I'm so sorry, Grandfather. No wonder you always despised me. I despise myself. How could you bear to look at me all these years? What will we do now?"
"Mar-Tessa!" He locked gazes with her. "Listen to the doctor. There is no shame in this. Not for you, not for me, not for my son. It is tragic, but we have survived. And thanks to my watchfulness and tutelage, you have overcome your nature to an admirable extent. I have taken great pride in that."
He exhaled loudly. "You need to focus on why you are here. You have done an amazing job of approximating a full-blooded Zentress. Until last night, that is. I had actually begun to relax and enjoy your existence, seeing that you were intelligent and brave. A bit emotional, but you were beginning to master even that. And your beautiful silver eyes---those have been the light of my life." He choked back a sob. "When I heard you had entered your lust cycle, I was the happiest Zentarr alive. The final hurdle, or so I thought---"
"The lust fever." Tears began to flow from Tessa's eyes, and she wiped them away with her free hand, barely bothering to despise herself for such an outrageous display of emotion. Tears were the least of her humiliation. It was possible she would never find a lust mate. Never bear young, strong Zentarrs and Zentresses.
"Tessa?" Benta patted her cheek. "Do you remember what I told you? That we believe there is a remedy? A way for you to experience the joy of lust bonding? I am confident about that. And your grandfather is correct. It is the last hurdle. I verified that last night with a full panel of tests. Anatomically speaking, you are a perfect Zentress. When you find your lust mate---and you will---your physiology is perfect for bearing Zentarin children."
Tessa shook her head. "What does that matter? How can I bond with a Zentarr without first confessing my inferior origins? After that, why would any decent Zentarr mate with me? They will be repulsed---"
"Were they repulsed last night?" Benta arched a teasing eyebrow. "Your friend Correne told me they found you provocative. That will not change, Tessa. Once your problem is controlled, we will take you off the suppressants, and the Zentarrs will crave you. And even better, you will crave them. And as has happened for thousands of years, the perfect mate will discover you, and vice versa, and a chemical bond will form that overrides any other emotion or obstacle. That is the way of our world---the most amazing of our adaptations. He will worship you, and if you tell him of your Cortierran mother, he will worship her too. You will be perfect in his eyes."
"How can I be perfect to him when I despise myself? How can I bring children into this world, knowing that they are inferior---"
"Tessa!" Benta's voice was rich with rebuke. "They will not be inferior. They will be three-quarters Zentarin, which will make them wonderfully suited to this world of ours. And as for their Cortierran part...well, as I said, Cortierrans are closer to the prototypical human---"
"I don't want to be prototypical. I want to be a Zentress. I've tried so hard, every day of my life to be a perfect one." She was weeping again, and again she didn't care. "Just leave me alone. Both of you. And untie my hand. I promise I won't escape. Where would I go?" she added mournfully. "Cortierra? I'd rather kill myself than set foot on that barbaric planet."
"That's enough!" Alberus thundered. "Self-pity is the basest of emotions, Mar-Tessa. You are one-half Zentarin, and you are my granddaughter. You are better than this despite your heritage, so stop crying."
Stop crying.
He had said these words to her dozens of times during her childhood. Now at last she understood the blend of embarrassment and fury that had always infused them. He had accused her of being an inferior Zentress, but it was so much worse.
She wasn't a Zentress at all.
"Councilmember?" Benta gave Alberus a stern look. "Your granddaughter needs time to process this before we discuss the remedy. Shall we give her some privacy?"
"Wait!" Tessa grabbed the doctor's wrist. "Tell me about the woman. The one who birthed me. Was she a prostitute?"
"Of course not. From what your grandfather tells me, she was a highly regarded performer. A vocalist with the lovely name of Jerielle. Recently widowed, just like your father. They found brief comfort in one another's arms. Then lust fever struck him and he returned to the battle cruiser in hopes of finding a mate. He bonded almost immediately with a beautiful young doctor named Evv-Lazal."
Mom...
Benta sighed. "They were married for only a few weeks when Jerielle contacted him. To tell him she had conceived his child. She had heard about his new bride and wished them well. She planned to terminate the pregnancy but felt obliged to consult with him first. Lazal interceded, insisting that she wanted to raise the baby. Jerielle agreed to retreat to a country estate and have you in private. Lazal took a leave of absence and joined her there. The hope was that the baby would be able to pass as Zentarin. If so, Lazal would pretend she had borne the child herself. If not, well..."
Tessa nodded. "Without silver eyes, an infant couldn't survive the rays of Helios."
"Exactly. But Lazal was convinced your Zentarin half would dominate, and she was correct. You were born healthy---and a Zentress---and your arrival brought great joy to your father and his bride. But no one realized---until it was too late---how deeply Jerielle was affected."
Tessa moistened her lips, concerned in spite of herself. "What do you mean?"
"She insisted on keeping you for the first month. To breast-feed you. Lazal supported that decision, and stayed with you and your mother while your father returned to his duties. After a few weeks had passed, Jerielle admitted she couldn't bear the thought of giving you up. Lazal was crushed, but she understood. She sent for your father so that they could make a new plan. Some sort of shared custody. And of course, the truth would have to be told---scandalous though it was."
"Then Dad arrived and convinced her to let me go with him?"
"In a way." Benta's sliver eyes glistened. "It was only the second time your father had seen you---held you---but apparently he was a natural. Cradling you against his chest, murmuring stories, making you laugh with delight. Jerielle offered to give him some privacy and went to her room to take a nap. What she actually took was an overdose of sleep medication."
"What?"
Benta nodded. "She left a note saying she couldn't live without you, but couldn't deprive you of your father. Your heritage."
"So cowardly," Tessa whispered. "So weak."
"Or so brave?" Benta arched a disapproving eyebrow. "You admired Lazal for being nonjudgmental. Perhaps you could give your birth mother the courtesy of not judging her."
Tessa winced and nodded. "You are correct, of course. It is unfair of me to hold her to Zentarin standards."
"She did all of us a favor," Alberus interjected. "Otherwise, you would have been the ruin of our family."
Benta glared at the Elder, then turned back to Tessa and began loosening the remaining restraint. "Feel free to get up. Walk around. Splash water on your pretty face. Then ask yourself why you are feeling so frightened. You know what you are---an intelligent female and an excellent pilot. Any Zentarr would be lucky to have you. Any child would thrive under your loving care. Nothing has changed. You are a Zentress both by anatomy and upbringing. Come to terms with this quickly so that we can discontinue the suppressants."
As Tessa watched---dazed and curiously detached---her grandfather and her doctor left the room. When the door closed, she could hear the sound of a lock turning, which made perfect sense. Alberus was protecting himself by preventing her from running into the street and proclaiming her shame and the shame of her father.
And of her grandfather.
Pacing the floor, Tessa forced herself to concentrate on Col-Benta's encouraging observations. Anatomically, she was a Zentress. The Zentarrs found her attractive. This Cortierran blood running through her veins, while inconvenient, could not be allowed to ruin her life.
"You have silver eyes. Two of them---not one silver, one glassy. That alone proves that your superior half overcame the inferior part. And your equilibrium is highly evolved. It's what makes you such an awesome pilot. You passed every test to join ZDS, and you're already a captain at the age of twenty-two. Although..."
She winced, knowing that her grandfather's connections could have had something to do with that. Still, the military had run a battery of tests, and surely if a Cortierran female had been uncovered, nothing---not even Alberus's influence---could have kept the truth from getting out.
The real question was: would she reveal the truth? If not to the world, then at least to her lust mate?
First things first, she reminded herself. You need to find out if you can even have a mate. Benta seems confident about that, so---
She strode to the closet, expecting to see the loose white tunic she had worn to the lust gathering. Instead, her beloved uniform was hanging there, and the sight of it made her chest swell with pride. She had worked so hard for the honor of wearing this black leather. The thought of even touching its Cortierran equivalent, which she knew from photographs was made of cheerful blue fabric, made her shudder.
Wasn't that further proof that she had successfully overcome her inferior tendencies?
Donning the uniform, she took a moment to splash more water on her face. Then she studied her reflection in the mirror. Silver eyes, black hair, high cheekbones---a classic Zentarin. The elaborate curls of her mating ritual had relaxed, but only so much, given her hair's natural waviness---a coveted trait among Zentresses.
"And maybe a Cortierran trait as well?" If so, she wasn't about to complain in this particular instance.
Amused for the first time by her predicament, she brushed her teeth, and then walked over to the door. Pounding her fists against it, she imagined her grandfather jumping out of his skin on the other side.
With any luck, he was more upset---more emotional---than she.
With one glance at her patient's leather uniform, Benta seemed to understand that Tessa was under control, so she quickly led her and Alberus to a conference room where they seated themselves at a square table. Granddaughter and grandfather across from each other, and the doctor on the third side---as referee.
Tessa spoke first. "I'm ready for the cure."
"Like a true Zentress," her grandfather murmured. "Direct and confident. Nicely done."
Benta didn't seem nearly as impressed. "You might want to hear the details before you agree to it."
"How bad can it be?" Tessa quipped. Then she remembered the series of horrendous revelations about her heritage, and added more humbly, "How invasive can it be?"
Benta and Alberus exchanged sheepish looks, but the doctor's expression was encouraging when she addressed Tessa. "As I've said, we can't find any physiological problems. Your hormonal and glandular levels appear normal. But there's something going on. Some quirk that interferes with your lust fever. It can't be serious, since your fever struck at precisely the right time, given your age and physical maturity. And several Zentarrs who are in their own lust cycles have found you attractive, so that's promising too. But something is interfering---"
"I think it's psychological," Alberus interrupted.
Benta frowned. "That seems unlikely, since Mar-Tessa didn't know until today she was half-Cortierran. My guess is she has some primal need to couple with a Cortierran, and that urge is interfering-"
"What?" Tessa stared in disbelief. "Is that possible? Am I that primitive?"
"I said primal, not primitive." Benta laughed lightly. "Remember, Cortierrans do not experience lust fever in any form. They couple, they mate, they marry, they divorce and marry again---all of it indiscriminately. They have a culture of something called 'romance' that guides their choices, but does not ensure the kind of permanency we embrace and admire. Our anthropologists believe Cortierrans---and other prototypical humanoids---can engage in that sort of fickle conduct because their life expectancies, and the duration of their childbearing years, are quite long. On Zentarus, the extreme radiation limits the optimal time for childbearing. Thus we developed our chemical lust-bonding to ensure efficient use of that time."
Tessa's gut had begun to clench almost as violently as it had at the lust gathering. "Please don't send me to Cortierra to couple with one of their males. I'd rather die."
"It won't come to that," her grandfather assured her. "Your dominant instinct is to mate with a Zentarr. Doctor Col-Benta is just saying that a vestigial urge to mate with a Cortierran might be interfering with the natural progression of your lust fever."
Tessa winced. "And?"
"And if you were exposed to a Cortierran male, your body would immediately sense his inferiority and would be redirected to Zentarrs."
"That makes sense," Tessa admitted. "But do I actually have to go to Cortierra? Isn't there a closer planet that has a diplomatic relationship with them? That way I'd only be subjected to a few of them, not a whole horde."
Benta waved a hand in the air. "May I interject my medical opinion? Tessa, I basically agree with your grandfather, but with some caveats. For one thing, simple exposure may not be enough. Coupling might be required---"
"What?"
Alberus reached for her hand. "That is definitely the worst-case scenario. We are confident that your body---while temporarily craving a Cortierran---will sense the inferiority almost upon impact. Isn't that true, Doctor?"
Benta shrugged. "There is no precedent for this. And so we cannot know for sure. But physiologically speaking, I don't think a female can be repulsed by a male without engaging with him on some level---"
"That's not true," Tessa retorted. "I was repulsed by the Zentarrs last night even though I never came into physical contact with them. So..." She smiled with relief. "Just put me in contact with a healthy, unattached Cortierran male. I predict that my body will reject him so quickly, I'll collapse into a pool of vomit.
"And when I wake up," she added mischievously, "I'll be more than ready to jump the nearest Zentarr and have my way with him. So please make sure the nearest one is a hunk."
The Zentarins had just probed him, injected him and microscopically studied him. They had even placed an implant in his brain. Yet Captain Ryandus Brill of the Cortierran space service was walking on air because his lifelong dream was about to be fulfilled.
To fly like a Zentarr...
He couldn't really do that, of course. Not ever. Any illusions to the contrary had been crushed during his orientation that morning, when he had learned more details about these mysterious Zentarins. He had known that their eyes offered added protection in high-radiation quadrants, but apparently their peripheral vision was also enhanced. And they had a remarkably evolved sense of balance, enabling them to maintain course in almost any turbulence.
But Ryan had also learned that his score on hand-eye coordination tests had surpassed the highest ever achieved by a Zentarin. Apparently their fancy mercury-pool eyes---so effective in shielding them from radiation---hadn't brought the rest of their bodies along for the ride. He never would have suspected that, having always secretly regarded the silver eyes with great awe.
Poor bastards.
His mood was euphoric. After endlessly petitioning their Elder Council for the privilege of training with Zentarin pilots, he had suddenly---almost magically---been granted permission, thanks to the patronage of a councilmember named Alberus.
You're my hero, he assured his benefactor silently. I hope you're at this reception, because I can't wait to shake your hand.
"Captain Ryandus Brill! Wait up."
Ryan turned to see a huge Zentarr in full-leather uniform bearing down on him. Hoping that the guy wasn't going to deport him for some infraction of their inscrutable penal code, he planted his feet firmly. "Can I help you?"
The Zentarr grinned. "It is I who can help you. You are headed for the reception, are you not?"
Ryan couldn't help but smile at the guy's friendly attitude, so different from the aloof efficiency he had encountered thus far. "That's the plan."
"The plan." The Zentarr nodded. "I am Lieutenant Sol-Nagurri. You will be training with my squad tomorrow and I always look out for my comrades. So I am willing to attend the reception with you. To watch your back."
"Yeah?" Ryan chuckled. "Sounds good. I can't afford to make any mistakes. It took me a year to get this posting."
Nagurri laughed too. "We could not believe our ears when we heard they were allowing a Cortierran to step foot on Zentarus. And to train with us? It is shocking. You must be the most skillful pilot on your planet."
"Hardly," Ryan drawled. Then he added quickly, "But I'm one of the best. Lucky for me, Elder Alberus recognized that."
"Do not waste too much gratitude on him. He was also the one who blocked you for many, many months."
"Huh?"
Nagurri shrugged. "If it means anything, Zentarin pilots aren't usually up to his standards either. So it makes sense that he'd see you as inferior. But the GES doesn't care about any of that. We embrace all pilots as brethren."
Ryan scowled. He had been subjected to these backhanded compliments since the moment his fighter had touched down on this crazy planet. These silver-eyed elitists really believed they were superior to Cortierrans.
He was willing to admit they had some advanced piloting techniques. But socially? Cortierra could at least match if not exceed them. Didn't the Zentarrs succumb to some sort of freakishly primal mating ritual? Thank God Cortierra had evolved past that. And what about music? Literature? Imagination?
Stop thinking that way, he commanded himself. If they want to believe they're far above you on the evolutionary track, just indulge them. It's a small price to pay for training with pilots that leave Cortierra in their space dust.
As the two pilots fell into step with each other, Nagurri provided a quick overview of the Galactic Exploration Service, or GES---the branch of the Zentarin military with which Ryan would be training. According to Nagurri, all military applicants were screened, and the best went to GES.
"And by best," he hastened to add, "I mean the most adventurous. And the most tolerant of offworlders. We actually want to interact with other cultures---not exactly a common Zentarin trait, believe me."
"So non-adventurous candidates go into the Zentarin Defense Service?" Ryan guessed, remembering the quick rundown of the various branches of service he had gotten during orientation.
"Correct. ZDS pilots are brave and talented, but more paranoid. Almost xenophobic, and definitely heliocentric. Of course, they claim they are the true patriots, and they label GES pilots, like you and me, as reckless."
Nagurri interrupted himself to point to an ornately columned building looming in their path. "The Council chambers. Where the Elders legislate and provide judicial remedies. And where your reception is being held." He eyed Ryan's blue Cortierran uniform. "They should have issued you a GES outfit. It would make a stronger impression."
Ryan bristled. "I'm proud to wear this one. And they gave me this GES insignia to wear on my sleeve, right? Seems like a good compromise to me." Regretting the sharp tone, he was about to apologize---or at least make a joke at his own expense---when a shapely young Zentress in a revealing red dress appeared on the steps of the Council building.
"Wow. That's one Zentarin who really is superior." He greedily studied her long, bare legs and bare shoulders. And from the look of things, he'd be getting an eyeful of full breasts as soon as they got closer, given the plunging design of the dress's neckline. Even her long black hair---thick with dramatic curls and red ribbons---wouldn't be enough to obscure her chest from his probing gaze.
She's like the Red Vixen, he decided, recalling Cortierra's most famous myth. Or at least, it was Ryan's favorite. As a boy, he had been enthralled by visions of battles between the mythical Storm King and the Star Prince, made more exciting---not to mention more provocative---by the playful beauty who kept the war going by luring warriors from both sides into deadly traps, right up until the day when she fell in love with the Prince and gave up her naughty ways.
"Don't get any ideas," Nagurri said, interrupting the fantasy. "When you want companionship, you can choose any unattached female who hasn't entered her lust cycle. Any female but that one. She does look good though, doesn't she? I wonder why she's out of uniform."
"Who is she?"
"Captain Mar-Tessa. A ZDS pilot. And Councilmember Mar-Alberus's granddaughter. She's out of your reach, trust me."
Ryan shrugged. "They all are. I'm inferior, right? Plus, I want to concentrate on piloting for the six months I'm here, so I already decided to give up girls. They're too distracting."
Especially her.
Nagurri smiled. "Casual coupling helps us concentrate. I will take you to a lust gathering soon. Some of the younger Zentresses attend them, to see what it's like before their cycle starts. It's the perfect place for someone like you."
The girl in the red dress disappeared into the building, and Ryan unconsciously quickened his pace, all the while reminding himself that his decision to stay celibate on Zentarus had been a sound one. And even if he did eventually weaken, Nagurri was absolutely right. It couldn't be with this particular female.
Mar-Tessa---a modern-day Red Vixen. But Ryan wasn't about to fall into her trap. Not after all he'd gone through to secure this posting.
Forget about her, he told himself sternly. You're about to meet Alberus---the man who can make or break you. So get your head back in the game or you'll be on your way home before you've even set foot inside a Zentarin glider, much less flown one.
Back inside the Council building, Tessa hurried down a deserted hallway and found a dark corner where she could rest her cheek against a cold marble pillar. She had tried to prepare herself over the last five weeks, from the moment the doctor had first described this bizarre "cure" to now---the arrival of the Cortierran pilot with the odd name of Ryandus Brill. She had pored over his file, trying not to gag at the prospect of coming into contact with him, but nothing in those official pages had prepared her for what she'd just seen in the distance.
He had been laughing and chatting, completely at ease, clearly oblivious to his status. In fact, he had almost seemed cocky. As though he were the superior one. The file had prepared her for his excellent physique, but not for such an outlandish demeanor. On Zentarus for less than a day, and already insufferably at home? It was an insult to every true Zentarin on the planet.
And the worst was yet to come. She knew that from photographs and vids. He had been wearing dark glasses outdoors, but he'd probably be enough of a barbarian to take them off as soon as he was safe from the Zentarin sun, and then---
His glassy eyes were brown in color, but she still couldn't imagine how they'd seem in person. Nothing could convince her that such fragile, watery organs could function at the level needed by an expert pilot. Of all the weaknesses of these so-called prototypical humans, their eyes seemed the most damning.
She almost gagged again, and---as if on cue---the Cortierran and the GES pilot chose that moment to stride into the hall. Fortunately, they headed directly toward the banquet room without noticing Tessa in the corner.
Thanks be to Helios.
She wanted to hide here forever, but knew her grandfather would be furious. This whole farce---allowing an offworlder to train with Zentarins---had been designed for this moment. And so she reminded herself that with any luck, it would be just a moment. A blip in her life. She would be repulsed by the Cortierran, and ready to resume her lust cycle and find her lifelong mate.
So get in there and get it over with. And don't be so tough on the barbarian. He worked hard to get here, and has no idea that as soon as he serves his purpose, Grandfather will send him straight back to his primitive planet where he belongs.
Removing his dark sunglasses, Ryan scanned the throng in the banquet room. Mostly military, he noted, with the majority wearing their trademark black leather pants and jacket, while a few sported bright white uniforms that were the equivalent of Cortierran dress whites.
Even the civilians wore basically the same outfits, with the Zentarrs in sharply tailored black suits and the Zentresses in fancy gowns of black or white.
Not a hint of red in sight.
Still, the silver eyes were everywhere, and while Ryan had met one Zentarr officer on Cortierra, he still couldn't get used to the gleaming metallic stares. Even when they were laughing, Zentarins could apparently intimidate the hell out of him.
"There's Mar-Alberus," Nagurri whispered, inclining his head toward the left side of the room. "You should go to him. And go alone. I'm not in favor at the moment because of a minor indiscretion." When Ryan arched an eyebrow, the Zentarr added with a mischievous smile, "Remind me to tell you about it sometime. Suffice it to say no one was hurt, although there was some property damage involved."
Torn between curiosity about Nagurri's gaffe and the need to meet the infamous Alberus, Ryan decided to put his career first. Peering through the crowd, he saw that indeed there was another group. Not military, not civilian. Five elderly Zentarrs and Zentresses in black robes seated in throne-like chairs along the wall. Judge and jury---more particularly, Ryan's judge and jury.
Striding over to them, he saluted crisply, impressed by the dark tinge to their silver eyes. Was it a sign of aging? Or solemnity? He'd have to remember to ask his new friend later.
One of them, a gray-haired Zentarr, stood and extended his hand. "Welcome, Captain Ryandus Brill. I am Councilmember Alberus and these are my associates. We are pleased you were able to qualify for the honor of training with our pilots."
There's that backhanded compliment again. These guys are unbelievable.
Forcing a humble smile, Ryan shook Alberus's hand. "I hope I prove worthy of your trust, sir."
"I am quite certain you can play your role admirably. Are you able to understand me? Are there any painful side effects from the translation chip we implanted in your brain?"
Ryan shrugged. "It doesn't hurt, but it wasn't really necessary. I've spent more than a year studying your language, sir."
"Nonsense. Offworlders cannot master Zentarin. It is far more complex---more nuanced---than Cortierran."
The evident disdain was almost the last straw, and Ryan was about to offer a passionate defense of his native tongue when Alberus's dark-silver stare fixed on a spot behind Ryan's head.
"Ah, Mar-Tessa, there you are. Come and meet our guest."
Ryan took a deep breath before turning around, yet he was still unprepared for the sight of his Red Vixen close up.
As hoped, her firm breasts were perfectly showcased by the provocative dress, but he didn't dare stare at them. Instead he focused on her face, which was so unexpectedly innocent---so gently beautiful---that it rendered him speechless.
Until now, the silver eyes all around him had been an oddity. Now, he finally understood why these Zentarins were so proud of them. Mar-Tessa's were huge, bright and fringed by thick, dark lashes.
And she had the prettiest mouth, dark red and inviting. If only she had been smiling, he had a feeling he would have fallen to his knees and declared his allegiance on the spot.
No wonder these Zentarrs get lust fever.
Realizing that she was waiting for him to do or say something, he gave a slight bow, and was about to reach for her hand when she not-so-subtly put it behind her back and said coolly, "Welcome to Zentarus, Captain. I pray your visit is a success."
And just like that, the spell was broken. This pretty little bitch was just like the rest of them---so sure she was superior, she couldn't stand the thought of touching him. Luckily, the feeling was suddenly mutual.
"Nice to meet you, Captain," he drawled. "That's a great dress. Thanks for wearing it in my honor."
Her eyes darkened so that they now matched those of the Elders, and Ryan almost laughed out loud.
So that's what that means. You're officially an idiot, Brill.
Turning back to the Council members, he gave another salute, this one with more flair and less respect. Then he told Alberus, "I don't want to be rude to the other guests, so I'll go mingle if that's okay with you."
"Wait one moment, Captain." Alberus took him by the arm and led him away from the others. Then he gave Ryan an apologetic smile. "Forgive us if we seem aloof. It is a part of our culture that is difficult for offworlders---even highly evolved ones---to understand. That is the very reason I have chosen a cultural liaison for you. Someone to explain our customs and to soften the sting of our sometimes-baffling manners."
Ryan suspected Cortierrans didn't fit into Alberus's category of "highly evolved" offworlders. Still, the old guy seemed to be trying, so he decided to play along. "That's a great idea, sir. If you don't mind, I have a suggestion. One of the pilots in my new squad accompanied me here, and he's a great guy. Maybe he could be the liaison? He's already taught me a lot."
Alberus scowled. "As I said, I have already chosen a liaison. You just met her---my granddaughter, Mar-Tessa. Unless of course you find her objectionable."
"Objectionable?" Ryan glanced toward the Zentress and admitted silent defeat. She was a snob, and if he had any pride, he'd stay far away from her. But she was so damned hot, his body was begging him to give her another chance. "No, sir. I don't think anyone could object to her."
"Then it's settled." Alberus gave him an encouraging smile. "Go and mingle, as you said. Mar-Tessa will seek you out later and arrange to spend some time together. I have a feeling you two have a lot to learn from each other."
Ryan looked over at the Red Vixen again, but she had turned her back on him, so he saluted Alberus one last time, then hurried away to find Nagurri, who had commandeered a spot next to the banquet table.
"Are they sending you home, comrade?" he asked Ryan with a grin.
"Not yet, but I'm definitely on probation. Did you see who joined us?"
"Mar-Tessa? Yes, that was a surprise. You should have seen the way you looked at her. Like she was one of these pastries, and you're a starving man."
Ryan chuckled. "Was it that obvious?"
"You're a fool, you know. I'll admit she is well-structured, but there is something oddly frigid about her. Choose another female."
"Frigid? I must be supplying enough heat for both of us then, because I thought she was hot. Bitchy but hot."
Nagurri shrugged. "There was a rumor that her lust cycle had begun, but that can't possibly be true. She is barely fragrant."
"Fragrant?" Ryan winced. "I don't really know a lot about the lust cycle thing. It hits you like a fever, and you find someone else who has the fever, and if a bond forms, you're mated for life. Is that it?"
Nagurri laughed. "Not even a Zentarin can really understand it until he goes through it. So just try to understand how dangerous she is. You need to stay away from her."
"That's gonna be difficult, since Alberus just made her my cultural liaison." Ryan grinned at the shock on his friend's face. "Yeah, I know. I'm pretty sure she doesn't like the idea. And I guess I don't either, but..."
"Like I said, you're a fool." Shoving a plate of delicacies into Ryan's hand, Nagurri advised dryly, "Have some food. This could be your only chance to try our cuisine before your ignorant Cortierran libido gets you kicked back to your side of the galaxy in record time."
To Ryan's relief, the mingling went well, revealing that even though the majority of Zentarins were elitist snobs, there were dozens in the room who, like Nagurri, wished the offworlder success in this unprecedented endeavor, and were even willing to offer advice and friendship. Every one of these well-wishers was in the GES, confirming the fact that these were the most tolerant, least xenophobic, and most naturally curious members of the population.
He enjoyed the conversations immensely, but always had one eye on the red-dressed vixen as she moved around the room, chatting and nodding, but never really seeming to connect with anyone. Maybe being an Elder's granddaughter was more isolating than Ryan had suspected. Maybe she wasn't such a snob after all---
Don't kid yourself, Brill. She wouldn't shake your hand, remember? Like you had some sort of primitive disease. Take Nagurri's advice and spend as little time with her as possible. Remember the vow of celibacy? It was a good idea when you embarked on this mission, and it's an even better idea now.
Of course, when he'd made that vow, he had believed the Zentresses wouldn't have anything to do with him anyway, so it had been relatively easy. Now that he'd seen these fit, attractive females up close, and had noticed how a handful of them were sending him flirtatious signals, he was beginning to agree with Nagurri---maybe an occasional bout of casual sex would help him concentrate on his training.
"Captain Ryandus Brill?"
He turned toward the soft voice and couldn't help but smile. "Hey, Captain Mar-Tessa. I was beginning to think you were going to stand me up."
She looked him up and down, but before he could take offense, she surprised him by proffering her hand. He didn't hesitate to take her up on the offer.
She pulled free immediately, but also smiled to soften the possible insult. "My grandfather tells me I was unfriendly to you. Can you forgive me? I've never met an offworlder before, but that's no excuse."
"Yeah, well I never met a girl like you either. So maybe we really can learn something from each other."
"That is Alberus's plan," she agreed.
Something in her voice warned him she still didn't like the idea, and he was tempted to let her off the hook. But apparently Nagurri had been correct about his "ignorant Cortierran libido" because he couldn't bring himself to make the offer. Instead he decided on a compromise. "How about we give it a try? Just once. And if it makes either of us uncomfortable---for any reason---I'll ask Alberus to assign someone from GES."
"GES?" Her nose wrinkled with apparent disapproval. "Do you mean someone like Nagurri? He is a bad influence, Captain Ryandus Brill. His irreverent attitude has prevented him from being promoted despite his many successful missions. You do not want to learn about our exalted culture from someone like him."
Ryan had a feeling it would be a mistake, but he couldn't stop himself from reaching for her hand again, this time holding it more firmly. To her credit, she didn't pull away. Didn't even react.
She just waited, as though knowing this was only the first part of his plan.
It was a soft, warm hand, connected to a long, slender arm, connected to the hottest body he had ever gotten so close to. And there was that innocence on her face again, even though she was trying to look tough. Older. Unaffected by the contact.
"So here's the deal," he murmured. "You'll call me Ryan. Or Captain Brill. That's your first lesson in Cortierran culture---we don't use the full name in casual conversation."
"And we do not touch each other without permission. That is your first lesson."
Ryan scowled and dropped her hand. "You should tell that to the other Zentresses I met tonight. At least five of them touched me without my permission. Not that I minded. But those were GES pilots, so maybe that's the difference. They are more adventurous than you ZDS babes."
Her eyes darkened. "You're an ungrateful barbarian, just like I suspected."
"And you're a frigid xenophobe, just like I suspected," he retorted. "And that's the final lesson."
"Wait!" She shocked him by grabbing him by both shoulders. "Frigid? That's how you perceive me?"
He wanted to assure her that that was how everyone perceived her, but the blast of heat shooting down his torso would have made that statement a lie.
And he was pretty sure she felt it too. Not that he had a chance to ask, because before he could speak, she spun away from him and ran out of the room, her sexy red skirts swirling around her gorgeous legs all the way.
Not a Red Vixen after all, he realized in a daze. More like a virgin. Man, is that what's going on here? Alberus's virginal granddaughter? It's got nothing to do with Zentarin culture, you idiot. And everything to do with human nature, female style. So just treat her like any politically forbidden virgin and abort.
"Dr. Benta?" Tessa smiled in apology as she approached the lone figure seated at a desk in the corner of the hospital's admitting room.
Benta stood and smiled. "This is a surprise."
"I'm sorry to bother you at this hour, but---"
"Don't apologize. I've been curious about your first encounter with him." She eyed the red dress pointedly. "I assume you wore that to excite his lust. Did it work?"
Tessa sighed. Then she pulled a straight-back chair over to the desk. "The good news is he's remarkably easy to excite. But you're correct that much credit goes to this dress. I chose it because of an old Cortierran myth I encountered during my research. About a manipulative female who lured warriors into deadly traps. I thought it fit the situation, and given the erotic nature of the story, I had a feeling he'd like it."
"And it worked. He is easily aroused. So?" Benta smiled encouragingly. "What is the bad news?"
"The bad news is, I'm so repulsed I don't think I can go through with it."
"Repulsed?" The doctor's voice was hopeful. "That's a good sign."
"Not sexually repulsed. More like---well, he called me a xenophobe. And after tonight, I think it's true. I couldn't bear the thought of being touched by him, even just to shake my hand like any normal officer would do." She rubbed her eyes, fighting a wave of exhaustion. "Do you think it's the medication? Or am I really this judgmental? I mean, he's inferior, yes, but hardly a monster, which is how I treated him. And at a reception to honor him, no less."
Benta laughed. "It's perfectly normal, Tessa. I'm sure if you didn't have so much at stake---if you were just meeting a distinguished offworlder at a social affair---you would have reacted with charm and respect. Right?"
Tessa nodded, relieved. There was a lot at stake, so much that it was turning her into a nervous wreck. And Benta was correct. Any Zentress would have been repulsed if she believed a seemingly casual handshake was actually a prelude to some bizarre sexual ritual that could confirm the very worst about her ancestry.
"So?" The doctor cleared her throat. "You say he didn't repulse you sexually?"
"It's difficult to say. He's built like a Zentarr, you know. Tall, broad-shouldered, lean muscles. Thick black hair."
"What about his eyes?"
"I barely looked at them. I was too busy looking away. Except when I grabbed him," she added with a rueful laugh.
"Pardon?"
"He called me frigid. What do you think that means? I tried to get him to admit that he found me unappealing---which would be a good sign, correct? But when I grabbed him, just to get his attention, I could sense that he was...hmmm, let's just say, intrigued by my closeness."
"And you were intrigued too?"
"Well, I didn't vomit, if that's what you mean." Tessa rubbed her eyes again, then looked into the doctor's laughing face. "I know, I know. You want me to kiss him or touch him in a lustful manner. I was just hoping this was enough. Do you think that's possible? Could we discontinue the suppressants for a few days and see if I'm attracted to Zentarrs again?"
Benta stood again and walked a short distance away. When she turned, her arms were folded high on her chest. "Your grandfather hoped this brief contact would result in a cure, but I never really believed it. You need something more definitive. Either you will engage with him---a kiss and some elementary lust play---and you will find it distasteful or otherwise off-putting. Or you will find it pleasant but unremarkable. Then your true nature---the strong attraction for Zentarrs that we know is present in your body---can flow back naturally. Not an urge to lust-bond, since the suppressant will prevent that. But the healthy urges of your pre-fever youth. Those are the possibilities. I am fully confident that you will overcome this condition naturally if you follow my instructions. But I'm concerned that you are too fearful to even try."
"Fearful?" Tessa licked her lips, hurt by the suggestion. "Because I'm half-Cortierran? You think I'm weak, like my birth mother?"
"Tessa!"
"You would never accuse a real Zentress of being afraid." Tessa jumped to her feet. "But I have a surprise for you, Doctor. I am a real Zentress. And I'm not afraid. Confused, yes, but never scared. And there's something else you don't know. I am absolutely confident now, as you are, that I will defeat this. Do you want to know why?"
Benta nodded.
"Because I didn't want to mate with him. He's strong and masculine and bold. But all I could think about was finding a Zentarr---my true lust mate. If I had some primal urge inside me for Cortierran males, wouldn't I want to mate with him? But I don't. That's why I asked if it was possible I was already cured. Because I feel so ready to bond with a Zentarr now, if only I could stop the medication."
Benta walked over to her and gave her a quick embrace. "Do you think I'm a real Zentress, Tessa?" she murmured.
"Of course."
"Then you should know how fearful I've been these last five weeks."
Tessa stared in confusion. "You? Why?"
"I was terrified that I would fail you. That I wouldn't find the words to help you overcome this ridiculous vestige of your mother's heritage so that you could find the lust mate I know is waiting for you. There's so much at stake, Tessa, it would be foolish not to be afraid, at least just a little. We are Zentresses, not robots. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes. Yes, I do. Thank you, Doctor." Tessa returned the hug Benta had given her. "I'll go right now and kiss him. I promise."
Benta laughed. "It's a little late---"
"I don't care. I want this over, and for that, I need to be brave. Correct?"
"Correct."
Tessa headed for the doorway, but Benta called out, "Tessa, one more thing."
"More?" she asked teasingly.
The doctor sighed. "Do not feel shame if you enjoy the foreplay. We know from his physical examination that he is handsomely endowed. Enjoying it would be a good sign---a sign that you're satisfying vestigial urges so that the dominant ones can proceed without confusion. Remember that."
"But if I'm repulsed, that's a good sign too. Correct?"
"Yes, but---"
"Then wish me luck. I'll give you a full report in the morning."
Ryan needed to sleep so he'd be sharp for his first day of training, but instead he tossed and turned in his narrow cot, thinking about the silver-eyed virgin who could insult him one minute and drive him crazy the next, all the while laying a trap worthy of the Red Vixen.
A trap that would get him expelled from Zentarus.
He couldn't allow that to happen. Not after all these months of petitioning, learning the language, combing through the meager research available on this bizarre culture---more or less giving up a year of his life for this unprecedented opportunity.
And then you hit on the one female who can get you bounced. Plus, she's a virgin. And even if she weren't, she's young and impressionable...
On Cortierra, the difference in their ages wouldn't have raised an eyebrow, especially not when they were both pilots. And even here on Zentarus, he knew for a fact that the lust fever usually struck the females at age twenty-two or three, but didn't hit the Zentarrs until at least thirty. Meaning an age gap was virtually hardwired into their psyches.
But tonight, at the reception, she had seemed so vulnerable. So innocent. Just for a second, but still, it had made him wonder how protected she had been up until now. Having an elder statesman for a grandfather---had it opened some doors but kept others shut for far too long?
He felt sorry for her, but even sorrier for himself because he needed to get some sleep and she was keeping him awake.
When a knock sounded at his door, he actually welcomed it. At home, it would have been some buddies with a keg of Cruoogan ale, ready to make jokes about the most recent conquest gone wrong in their love lives, unwilling to let Ryan suffer through this transgression alone. They'd want to help, mostly by being so obnoxious that he'd forget about Captain Mar-Tessa at least for a few hours.
Since the Zentarins didn't generally drink alcohol, he assumed this was Nagurri with another plate of food and a couple of the thick, sweet drinks he'd been served several times during the day.
"Good enough for me," he muttered as he shrugged out of bed and threw a thin, GES-issued robe over his underwear-clad body. Then he called out, "On my way!" and headed for the door.
He opened it, then stared, barely able to trust his eyes.
Mar-Tessa?
"I apologize for the late visit, Captain Brill." She smiled sweetly. "May I come in?"
Ryan's gaze shifted from her pretty face to the sexy red dress, more to confirm that she was actually there than to get an eyeful of perfectly framed breasts. But that eyeful did him in, and his voice was husky when he answered her. "Sure. I was just thinking about you, actually."
"About my bad behavior?" She slipped past him and walked to the middle of the one-room apartment. "You must think I'm the rudest female in the galaxy."
He decided to leave the door open. "The truth is, I've been feeling like crap for calling you a bitch."
"Why? I behaved like one."
"True. But you're sweet underneath it all. Which is why you should go home. Now."
"I have an assignment from the Elder Council, Captain Brill. To complete it, I need your full cooperation. I'm sure they'll appreciate that when they read my report."
"You're talking about the cultural liaison thing?" He took a deep breath, wondering why he was picking up an erotic signal. Wishful thinking? Maybe. But she was still wearing the dress, and her lips were moist, and her eyes brilliant---
Until you piss her off again and they go dark, he reminded himself, but it didn't really matter. He wanted to see how this played out, so he closed the door, then motioned to the only chair in the room. "Have a seat. I'll stand---no problem."
"You should sit too." Taking him by the hand, she led him toward the bed. "This won't take long, I promise. There's so much we don't know about your culture. And surely you're curious too?"
"Yeah."
"Then sit down."
For just a moment, it seemed like a trap---a way to get him to behave inappropriately around her so Alberus would have an excuse to send him home.
Sexy red dress...long, dark curls...erotic trap...
Despite the parallel to his childhood fantasy, or maybe because of it, he didn't even try to resist. Because if memory served, those warriors in the Storm King saga had died happy.
In fact, they had died very happy.
After gathering his robe carefully so as not to flash the Elder's granddaughter, he sat down on the bed, then motioned again toward the chair.
But Tessa had other ideas, and with a playful smile, she slipped onto his lap and wrapped one silky bare arm around his neck.
"Hey!" He flashed a nervous grin. "What's this?"
"You are repulsed?"
"Hardly." Adopting a more serious tone, he murmured, "What are you doing, Tessa?"
"We both just admitted we were curious. I thought we should kiss. As part of our cultural exchange."
He stared into her shining eyes, wishing he could get a clue to her real agenda. But all he could see was his own reflection, which for some reason made him feel outrageously special. Before he could stop himself, he asked in a hoarse, desire-laden tone, "What if your grandfather finds out?"
She wriggled closer, clearly intending to awaken every part of him. "You mustn't tell anyone. Not ever. It would be the ruin of me." Brushing her lips across his, she added softly, "And it would be the ruin of Grandfather as well. Everyone knows how he feels about Cortierrans and other un-evolved offworlders---"
"Un-evolved?" He glared as he lifted her off his lap. "At least you're honest about it. I guess that's something. Not like him."
"Forgive me." Tessa backed away. "All I meant was your planet did not challenge your ancestors to grow stronger."
"Yeah, I got it." He shook his head, annoyed with himself for having become ensnared in the first place. "Sit down. Over there this time. And ask me something else. About our history. Our food. Anything but sex. Got it?"
Her smile was sheepish. "I'm not interested in your food, Captain. And I've read your history. It is stirring. Much more sentimental than ours."
"Yeah, I've read yours too. Interesting but dry."
"Dry? Oh..." She laughed. "Did I insult you again? When I said the stories were sentimental, it was not a criticism. I found them inspiring."
Ryan suppressed a grin, wondering how she'd feel if she knew she had unwittingly dressed like a mythological Cortierran vixen, thereby inspiring him.
Her expression grew pensive. "You are a romantic people, are you not? Perhaps that's what I found so...well, so fascinating. Zentarins have no need for romance, as you know. But it suits your culture."
He had lost track of the insults, and in any case was beginning to realize that she honestly didn't mean them as criticisms. Except for the barbarian-type epithets, of course. Otherwise, she was beginning to fit the profile Nagurri had described for ZDS pilots---mildly afraid of anything different, and neurotically proud of their adaptations to what was in fact a rather unfortunate natural phenomenon in the form of massive radiation.
Standing, he walked across the room---away from temptation---and leaned against the wall. "I actually think your lust-bond thing is pretty romantic."
Tessa's eyes widened. "Pardon?"
"Sure. You find the one mate in the whole universe who is perfect for you. You have crazy-good sex with that mate, and you stay together for life. Tell me what's not romantic about it."
To his amusement, he now seemed to have insulted her. "Our attraction is scientific," she retorted. "Chemical. Logical. Your romance is based in emotion, which can make it subjective. It changes with your whim, and with no consequences." She walked over to confront him. "A Zentarr never feels jealousy. He knows his Zentress will never be attracted to another male once the bond has formed. He can trust her completely, and she can trust him. On your planet, you fear separation because a rival might step in to take your place. You even fear familiarity, do you not? The idea that the relationship might become placid---lose its excitement. But for us, the fever never ends. It matures, yes, but it is always there. Can you imagine that, Captain Brill?"
"Yeah. Hearing you describe it that way, it sounds pretty amazing." Surprised by his own words, he amended them hastily. "The problem is you don't have a choice in it. On Cortierra, when a man promises to stay faithful to a woman, it means something special, because yeah, there's temptation out there. It's not easy---not like it is for a Zentarr. But we do it because we're in love."
"Until you fall out of love. Then you break your promise, do you not?" She stared into his eyes. "Have you done that, Brill? Proclaimed your love, only to have it fade so that another female can catch your heart, and the cycle begins again?"
"Huh?"
She placed her palms on either side of his face and smiled shyly. "Your eyes are very handsome. Did you know that?"
Brill just stared, not sure whether she was trying to seduce him again, or just giving him an actual compliment for the first time. Either way, he loved her gentle caress and the soft warmth that beamed from her metallic gaze.
"I thought they would be so fragile," she whispered. "And glassy. But there is strength in them. And they aren't brown. They're more like bronze, with a backlight shining through them."
Just when he was ready to throw caution out the door and drag her back to the bed, she broke the spell by asking him in all innocence, "Do you cry tears very often? I've heard that's common on your planet, even among the males."
"Only when beautiful girls come to my room to torment me," he said with a grin.
"Torment you?" She stepped back, clearly shocked. "Forgive me, Captain. It seems I can do nothing right in your eyes."
"I'm sure we can find something," he drawled, pulling her into a loose embrace and lowering his mouth to hers. He didn't care if she was innocent, or even if he was taking advantage. She was the goddamned sexiest female he'd ever met, and he was going to make sure she'd remember him when he went back to Cortierra.
Which will probably be tomorrow, jackass.
She felt even better than he'd expected, and she wasn't pulling away, even when his tongue gently sought out hers. Still, he knew he had gotten more than he deserved, so he pulled her close to him where it counted, and then---reluctantly---he released her.
Her eyes were shining so wildly, they almost blinded him, but he managed to ask her with a teasing smile, "So? Did that satisfy you?"
Her pink cheeks turned scarlet. "I beg your pardon?"
"You said you were curious. Did that tell you what you wanted to know? Because if it didn't---" he arched a playful eyebrow, "---there's a lot more where that came from."
He expected her to run away, but instead, she flashed a brilliant smile. "I believe I am fully satisfied, Captain. But just to be absolutely sure..." She stepped into him again and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Why don't you take off your clothes and join me on the bed."
Tingling with anticipation, Tessa took a moment to enjoy the stunned expression on Brill's handsome face. Their kiss had been so pleasurable, so decadent, she was certain she was cured. But hadn't the doctor insisted that a round of judicious foreplay was in order? Tessa wasn't about to disagree. Not when Brill had demonstrated so much talent.
And didn't she owe him this lustful bonus? She had apparently offended him even when trying to be complimentary. But he had liked the kiss. A lot. And if she wanted him to keep quiet about this tryst, wouldn't it be better to fully satisfy him rather than leave him disgruntled?
She had a feeling it wouldn't be too difficult to satiate him, given that he was halfway there already.
"Think about what you're doing," he advised her, his voice thick with desire.
"I am not proposing that we couple. I just want us to fully experience each other's naked bodies. Is that so wrong?" she added with a teasing pout.
"Wrong, right... I've lost track," he admitted, pulling her hard against himself again. "Naked, huh?"
"Unless you find it insulting."
"No, I'm a firm believer in naked."
Shocking her by hoisting her up in his arms, he carried her across the room and sat her down on the bed. Then he unbelted his robe and discarded it, leaving only the thin fabric of his GES-issue shorts between her and his full arousal.
What was it Benta had said? Handsomely endowed...
"What are you wearing under the dress?" he asked her, his voice husky.
"Nothing."
"Perfect. Leave it on for a minute." He joined her on the bed and slipped his hand under her skirt, caressing her inner thigh. "Tell me to stop if I go too far."
Thrilled, she took his wrist and encouraged him to move higher until his fingers made contact with the folds he had caused to gush. Then she shoved her own hand under his waistband, making contact with his long, hard, magnificent erection.
"Fuck," he whispered. "That feels great."
"I like it," she admitted. "Shall I satisfy you first?"
"Man, you really are perfect. The perfect Zentress."
"What a wonderful thing to say." Inspired, she pulled down his shorts and brought her mouth into play, running her tongue along the engorged length of him, then sucking gently at the sensitive tip. She could hear him groaning her name and she wanted to bring him to climax, but her own throbbing had grown too intense to waste another a minute.
So she scampered up beside him, using her hand once again to keep his passion engaged but not spent. Smiling into his amazing bronze eyes, she suggested in a throaty whisper, "Do me now."
"Sure, whatever you say." He kissed her so deeply, they were practically inhaling one another. Then he reached under her skirt again so that his finger could gently probe the pulsating entrance to her vagina.
"Fuck, you're so hot. You don't have lust fever, do you?"
"No. It's just you, Brill. You're so talented. I need your tongue in there. Now..."
"In a second, beautiful. Fuck, I wish we could fuck."
Tessa felt a surge of panic. "You cannot penetrate me, Captain. Not with your Cortierran penis. Promise me you won't try."
"I won't. Just relax, beautiful." His fingers probed her skillfully, lulling her back to her erotic haze. "You're the perfect Zentress, remember?
Tessa sighed in decadent surrender. "Deeper."
"Whatever you say." His voice began to croon. "Just tell me what to do, Tessa. You feel so good. You're so close, and goddammit so am I. This is gonna be the greatest night...it already is."
"Do whatever you want, Brill. As long as we don't... Oh Brill..." She shuddered as he caressed the epicenter of her lust.
"Don't worry, Tess, I won't even try. We can't have any half-Cortierran babies running around, right?"
"What?"
"Shhh... We're so close, baby---"
"Why did you say that?" She pulled away, completely disoriented by the crude suggestion.
"Huh?" Brill licked his lips, still in a visible daze. "What did I say? You mean about the babies? Geez, Tessa, it was a joke. Come here---"
She scurried out of the bed and then stared down at him in disbelief. Half-Cortierran babies? How could he joke about that? About her?
"Hey!" He jumped up and grasped her gently by her forearms, then gave her a brilliant smile. "You're a little skittish, and I don't blame you. You just felt so goddamned good. But I get it that you're scared---"
"Scared?" She shook her head. "A Zentress is never scared."
"Bullshit," he said with a laugh. "A virgin is a virgin on any planet, so give yourself a break. We're gonna take this slow---"
"Virgin?" She backed away, so confused now it was actually calming her down. "You think that's the problem?"
Brill winced. "You're not?"
"Don't be absurd. I am a fully matured female."
"Yeah." He cleared his throat. "That's good news, isn't it? So...do you take a cycle disrupter? For contraception, I mean? Not that I'm suggesting anything for tonight," he added hastily. "Just eventually, assuming...well..." He squared his naked shoulders and asked more forcefully, "What's going on, Tessa? Are we fighting?"
"Fighting?" For the first time, she truly sympathized with his situation. "No, Brill. That would be a shame after the pleasure we've given each other."
"There's more to give, right?"
"I certainly hope so. But not for us." Touching his jaw, she murmured, "You should find another Zentress. She will adore coupling with you. And do not worry about fathering half-Cortierran babies. All sexually active Zentresses wear a patch to immobilize the male's sperm, so we are free to couple whenever and wherever we please."
Brill grimaced. "Poor little guys."
"What?"
"The sperm," he explained with a weak smile. Then he grabbed her by the hand. "Come on, Tess. Let's go back to bed."
She stared in frustration. "You are too irreverent, Brill. Too mocking."
"Mocking? It was a joke."
"Never mind." She pulled her hand free. "You are an amazingly attractive specimen. And you aroused me to a frenzy. But now it is over.
"If it means anything," she added softly, "I've never felt so calm---so satiated---in my life. Not even when I coupled with Zentarrs. This is just what I needed. Now I'm ready to go forward with my life."
Brill glared. "I'm a specimen? Performing a service? I thought we were making love."
"Don't be angry," she pleaded. "I'm so grateful to you---"
"Yeah, well it's not mutual."
"And maybe that's for the best," she told him, her gratitude fading into annoyance. "Our cultures are so different---"
"There you go again with the culture crap. We were pretty compatible when I was getting you off, weren't we? But don't worry," he added with a contemptuous wave of his hand. "Like you said, it's all over now."
Ryan had expected to seethe indefinitely, but there just wasn't any time. GES training proved so completely demanding, not to mention exhausting, his only thoughts of Tessa were to be glad he didn't need to satisfy her during his meager breaks---one hour midday, five hours for nighttime sleep. He found himself wondering how any of these Zentarrs could keep a girlfriend or wife happy during training, but Nagurri cleared up the mystery by explaining that trainees simply didn't have those sorts of relationships. Rather, they relied on casual coupling as their only outlet, knowing that this stage of their military service would be completed before the fever-cycle arrived. After that, while long missions away could also present challenges, the lust-bond would be strong enough to withstand any pressure military life could present.
His first few days of training were provided in his own spacecraft---a compact, powerful Cortierran fighter---which of course made sense. Still, his enthusiasm was stoked when on the fourth day he was temporarily assigned to pilot a Zentarin glider, easily the sleekest and most maneuverable ship known to the galaxy.
His immediate superior, a huge, craggy-faced colonel named Bel-Gantus, went over the various controls and gadgets with him. Something in his tone assured Ryan that he didn't think much of Cortierrans.
Big surprise.
Unfazed, Ryan silently nicknamed him Gigantus, and made it his new mission in life to prove the big guy wrong.
"When you think you're ready, you can take the glider out for a run. But you must not feel shame if that day never arrives. Even for Zentarrs, this is the most difficult stage of piloting."
"Sure, I'll take her for a spin. Is now a good time?" Ryan tried not to grin at the shock on the big man's face. "Or should I wait until after lunch?"
Gantus scowled. "Perhaps in a month or so---"
"Why wait? The sooner I finish my training, the sooner you can send me home. Right?"
A sneer replaced the colonel's frown. "If you crash, there will be nothing left to send. And one of my pilots would be forced to fly your primitive fighter back to Cortierra, which would be an insult to them. Wait a month---"
"Why?" Ryan eyed him coolly. "Even then, I won't be up to it. Remember? So let's just get it over with."
Ryan suspected that the giant was tempted to just let him fail. But if an offworlder actually crashed on Gantus's watch, wouldn't that cause diplomatic or political complications?
So which was worse for a hard-ass like this? Putting up with a barbarian's bravado for a full month or facing a firing squad?
Finally, Gantus spoke. "You may take her up after lunch. But you must follow my orders completely or we will send you home today. Is that clear?"
Ryan's pulse began to race. "Sure, Colonel. Whatever you say."
"Indeed." He pointed toward the sky. "A battlecruiser will be arriving shortly. You may fly directly toward her. No deviations. When you have had enough, turn around and come back. If you run into trouble up there, the cruiser can grab you with a tensor beam and pull you aboard. Or if you're close enough, she can translocate you. Our big ships have that capacity---"
"No, thanks. I don't like the idea of being dissolved and reassembled. I like my guts just the way they are."
Gantus glared but continued. "If you have trouble with the landing on your return, we can take control remotely from the watchtower. Are my instructions clear?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Colonel."
"Very well. And Captain Brill?"
"Yes, sir?"
"It is an expensive glider. I want it back in one piece."
On edge with anticipation, Ryan gulped down a milkshake at the cafeteria then went for a walk alone. There was no point in studying the glider manual since it was written in Zentarin, and his studies of the language had been confined to speaking and listening given the insurmountable differences in their alphabets. Plus, he had already memorized the schematics. He just needed to relax. To put aside the conflict with Gantus. After all, the guy was his superior officer, and even though Ryan had no delusions about winning him over, he needed to keep him happy, at least to a point, if he wanted to score even better assignments in the future.
When he absentmindedly strolled toward the Council chambers, he was surprised to see a familiar figure in the distance. No red dress this time, but he'd know that body anywhere, even in full black leather.
"Hey, Tess!"
She spun toward him, clearly horrified, and he laughed out loud.
Yeah, I'm surprised too, beautiful. But I don't believe in grudges. And I've got a good track record for keeping it cordial with old girlfriends, so...
He probably would have avoided her if Gantus hadn't sprung this opportunity on him. But he was going to pilot a Zentarin glider in less than one hour, and in the face of that, a few insults and a rudely interrupted climax just didn't seem so important.
Striding up to her, he patted her on the arm. "I'm glad I ran into you."
"What are you doing?" she demanded in a whisper. "What will people think?"
"You're my cultural liaison, remember? Everything else is our secret." He gave her a sympathetic smile. "Things got a little rough the other night. I apologize. So let's be friends, okay?"
"You are humiliating me, Captain. Why can't you understand that?" She licked her lips. "I can't be associated with a Cortierran. It's... Well, it's complicated. Please try to understand."
A Cortierran.
Apparently, that was all he was to her.
"You know what, Tess? Never mind. I won't bother you again. Go find the perfect mate, and by perfect," he added dryly, "I mean a masochist."
Before she could frustrate him further, he hurried back to the base, angry with himself for giving her another whack at him. He was even tempted to swear off sex---again---for the rest of his stint on Zentarus, but he knew he was probably fooling himself.
This last fiasco being proof of that.
So just find a nicer Zentress.
He nodded, impressed with his own brilliance. That was the way he had always handled tough break-ups on Cortierra, wasn't it? Find someone else. And there were at least three, possibly four, GES Zentresses who had flirted with him already. Adventurous females with minimal xenophobia and an unabashed fondness for casual coupling.
A fast glider and a friendly Zentress? This just might turn out to be the best goddamned day of your life, you effing barbarian.
Tessa watched from a safe distance as the Cortierran pilot strode off in a huff. It wouldn't last, she knew. There was something about him---some inexplicable optimism---that didn't allow him to stay down for long.
She honestly admired that, and regretted having treated him so shabbily. But wasn't it for the best? Now that she had discontinued the suppressants, her lust-fever was returning. It simply wasn't appropriate for any male to treat her with intimacy unless he too was in his cycle. Captain Brill needed to stay away from her---to give her a chance to resume the life she had always been meant to have.
And he needed to do the same. To throw himself into his training so that he could return home a hero---the only Zentarin-trained pilot on his planet. Surely the females would flock to him then, even more so than before. He would fall in love with one, then another, as was their culture. Tessa no longer found it abhorrent, even though in her heart she could not conceive of having more than one true mate. Not ever.
The doctor had advised her to take her recovery in stages---to discontinue the medication slowly so that she could experiment with casual lust play before taking on a Zentarr in full heat. But she had already wasted too much time, and she felt so wonderful---so cured---she couldn't bear to wait one extra minute. She would find her true love tonight.
And whether Captain Ryandus Brill knew it or not, she would always be grateful to him for making that possible.
When Tessa arrived at the double doors that would lead her to her second---and hopefully more successful---lust-gathering, she paused for a deep, soul-cleansing breath. This was it.
She was wearing the traditional garb of a Zentress in fever---a soft dress of white fabric, secured only by a simple belt, tied in the front. She had curled her already-wavy hair and painted her already-red lips with a deep scarlet concoction guaranteed to drive males wild.
She no longer doubted whether she was ready. All vestigial cravings for a strong, muscular Cortierran lover had been banished. Thanks to Brill.
In the last four days since she'd discontinued her medication, she had flirted with four Zentarrs, and in each case she could easily have succumbed to sex play. But she had resisted, knowing it would get those males into trouble. Apparently, her scent hadn't become strong enough---lusty enough---to warn them away, but from their obvious interest, she knew she was fragrant again, which meant more to her than she had realized during these last torturous months.
So just open the doors and go in.
She realized now that she should have swallowed her pride and invited Correne along for moral support. So far, she had avoided telling her friend about her Cortierran ancestry, even though she knew she'd be supportive. But the thought of seeing pity in her eyes---in anyone's eyes---had stopped her.
Summoning her courage, she opened one door and ventured into the dark, boisterous gathering. It had been raging for hours and most of the attendees had probably found partners---for the night at least, if not for the rest of their lives. But that didn't really matter. Tessa knew that the attraction would be noticeably stronger---almost irresistible---with the perfect mate, so even if her perfect lust mate had planned on leaving with someone else, he would detect Tessa, and no one would blame him if he decided to leave with her.
Weaving her way into the center of the room, she was acutely conscious of her fever. It had been growing at a strong, steady pace since she discontinued the medication, but now it was burgeoning, and soon it would flare.
So stop holding your breath, she chided herself. Drink it in! What are you waiting for?
This was it---the moment she had waited for her whole life. She tried for a gulp of air, but her heart was pounding so hard, she could scarcely manage. All around her, Zentarrs shifted to the wild, primal beat of drums. She could sense them---adore them from afar---but until she inhaled them, she wouldn't know who was destined to make frenzied love to her that very night.
Closing her eyes, she commanded herself to take control of her foolish anxiety. She even managed to laugh at herself, just a little, for behaving so melodramatically. What was it Correne had said?
Like a Cortierran, not a Zentarin.
It wasn't such an insult anymore, now that she'd met Brill. But it was a challenge, and a real Zentress didn't let that sort of thing go unanswered. So she slowly calmed herself, then opened her eyes again and inhaled the thick, lust-filled air.
The stench---so unexpected, so overwhelming---almost knocked her off her feet.
Helios, no! Please, no.
She knew what would come next. The pain, the vomit. She had to get out of here---now.
Backing away from the throng of Zentarrs, she struggled not to panic. Except they were everywhere. Her only hope was to get outside, but she was so deep in the thick of them.
Just hold your breath and run!
Bracing herself, she spun and sprinted toward the door, only to crash into a small group---two Zentarrs, three Zentresses. They stared at her, but she didn't care. Bile was rising in her throat from the nearness of the males, and the impact had knocked her breath away, forcing her to inhale again despite the pain.
She backed away again, this time coming up against a tall, hard body in black leather. Expecting the contact to finish her off, she felt a surge of strength instead, as though the fever were suddenly working with her body rather than against it.
Daring to believe her luck had changed, she turned to face him, then gasped in horror. "Brill!"
"Tessa?" His bronze eyes blazed with concern. "Are you okay?"
Too weak to be mortified by the stares of the young Zentresses who had apparently been flirting with him, she whispered, "Get me out of here."
"Sure. Come on." Looping his arm around her waist, he half carried her toward the doors, never breaking his stride until the brisk night air blasted them in the face.
"Thank Helios..." She inhaled greedily, then doubled over, racked by the pressure against her already battered ribs. She had completely forgotten about that particular misery.
Brill knelt beside her, stroking her hair. "Should I call a doctor?"
"No, no." She grabbed his forearm. "Don't tell anyone."
"I can't just watch you suffer."
The feel of his dense muscles distracted her for a moment, and in that moment, she realized the truth. She wasn't yet cured.
Hadn't Benta warned her?
"The fever is killing me, Brill."
"Huh?"
"I need you. More than I've ever needed anyone, ever."
"Okay, okay. Just tell me what to do."
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I need you to penetrate me."
"Huh?"
She stood, pulling him up with her. Then she backed him against a tree trunk. Relieved that he was wearing his fabric Cortierran uniform under his GES jacket, she mindlessly caressed his chest. "It's lust fever. And you are the cure. Can you forgive me? Can you penetrate me?"
"Absolutely. Hey!" He chuckled in good-natured confusion when she shoved her hand down the front of his pants. "Give me a minute. I'm not a machine."
Frustrated, she tore open the front of her dress, exposing her naked breasts. "Look at me."
"Wow." He licked his lips. "That'll definitely do it." Bracing his hand behind her back, he pulled her toward him while his mouth latched onto her left nipple, sucking and tugging expertly.
"Brill..." She groaned in delight, but still dared to criticize. "I need more---"
"Yeah, I'm on it." Hoisting her up, he carried her into the bushes, to a patch of carefully tended, deep-blue foliage dotted with yellow flowers. Lowering her to the ground, he shoved her thighs apart and planted his mouth between her legs, continuing to drag out every bit of pleasure imaginable.
If she'd been standing, she would have swooned. Instead, she wrapped her legs around his neck, imprisoning him.
But he had other ideas. "We're at full power, beautiful." Raising his head and flashing a cocky smile, he stretched his long, lean body over hers. Then he entered her with thrusts so deep and sure, she knew he finally understood exactly what she needed.
"Brill..."
Ryan stared down at Tessa, amazed that they had found their way back to each other. He still didn't understand it, and in his heart, he knew it wasn't about him, at least not completely. It had something to do with the goddamned lust-fever, so it wasn't really personal.
Or was it?
She chose you. Out of a roomful of horny Zentarrs. Doesn't that count for something? Of course, she was also sick to her stomach and in pain. So...
"Hey, Tess?"
"I love it when you call me that," she said, virtually purring.
Ryan touched her cheek. "Are you feeling better?"
"I feel wonderful. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Thanks to you."
"My pleasure." He cleared the lust from his throat. "Let's find a hospital. Just to be sure you're okay."
"Mmmm..." She cradled the back of his neck with her hand. Then she drew him toward her for a long, sensuous kiss.
Finally, she pronounced, "I'm definitely all better."
"Great. So..." He tried not to notice that her erect pink nipples were beckoning to him. "Shouldn't we get out of here before we get arrested for indecent exposure?"
Tessa smiled. "It's so close to the gathering hall. So convenient. I'm sure it's used this way frequently."
He couldn't help but grimace at the thought of so many Zentarin couples polluting this spot. "Let's hope they wash it down in between lust bouts, right?"
"What? Oh! A joke." She dissolved into helpless laughter. "Oh Brill, that's so funny."
He had never seen her laugh before, at least not beyond a tolerant chuckle. In fact, he'd never seen any of these Zentarins laugh like this.
Grinning, he agreed, "Yeah, it's a riot. But I'm a little worried. You seem...well, manic. No offense."
"You could never offend me." Pulling his head down, she planted another long, passionate kiss on him, her tongue sparring with his. "You're perfect. Especially when you make me laugh. It's like that other joke. The one about...about...about the poor little guys." Screaming with delight, she collapsed back to the ground.
"Little guys?"
"Your poor, paralyzed sperm." Another gale of hilarity ensued. "Tell them I'm so sorry."
Honestly concerned, Ryan pulled her up to a seated position, then sandwiched her face between his hands. "Okay, Tess, time to focus. You're scaring the shit out of me."
"I love your eyes," she replied, her tone dreamy. "I thought they'd be weak. Or glassy. Or watery. But they're so beautiful."
"Yeah, I love your eyes too."
"I wish we could make love again, but you need some rest. You must be exhausted from your combat training. I remember how grueling it was."
"Yeah." He hesitated, but only for a second. "Guess what, Tess. I flew a glider today. Solo."
"Hmmm..." Her forehead wrinkled, as though his statement made no sense. "What do you mean?"
"Not bad for a barbarian, right? I flew up to a battlecruiser and landed right in the middle of their loading bay---clean and smooth. Believe it or not, they invited me to eat with them---a bunch of great officers. Called me comrade, talked about all the missions we'd be flying together. It was great."
"I'm so proud of you." She gave him a full-breasted hug.
"Thanks." Taking a deep breath, he decided just to be blunt. "So? What now?"
"Hmmm?"
"Do you have lust fever? I mean, you're at a lust gathering, right?"
"So are you." Her silver eyes teased him. "I apologize for interrupting your flirtations."
"Believe it or not, I was just about to leave. Not that those Zentresses weren't nice, but I wasn't ready. I was still hung up on you. Obviously."
Tessa sighed, then began re-belting her dress. "To answer your question, I entered my fever cycle weeks ago. But a medical condition interfered, so my doctor gave me medication to suppress it. As soon as I recover, I will discontinue the suppressants, and then I will find my lust mate."
"I guess that makes sense." Ryan quirked an eyebrow. "Will it bother him? That you were with me?"
"Of course not. All is permitted until the bond forms. After that, there is no infidelity. Not ever. Not unless..." Her smiled faded. "Well, never mind."
"Come on, Tess. What were you going to say?"
She studied him for a moment before replying. "When one loses one's lust mate to death, it becomes complicated. There is a period of mourning---a time that is strictly celibate under our customs. After that, it is possible for a new lust bond to form. But that is very individual. My father---" She hesitated then smiled, almost apologetically. "My mother was not his first lust mate."
"Wow." Ryan knew enough from her tone not to pursue the subject.
But Tessa seemed determined. "It is a difficult position for a Zentress. To be the second mate. But my mother was an amazing person."
"Hey." He touched her cheek. "You don't need to tell me that. I know she was amazing. She couldn't have produced you if she wasn't."
To his dismay, Tessa's eyes began to fill with tears. He hadn't even realized Zentresses could cry.
Wanting to distract her, he decided to share too. "I never met my real mother. But my stepmom was amazing. So I'm the first guy to understand that every family has its---well, its idiosyncrasies, right?"
He had meant his words to be comforting, but Tessa seemed even more upset when she responded. "She died in childbirth? Your biological mother? You have no memory of her?"
"None at all. But like I said, my dad remarried. And I have great memories of my stepmom. She was the best. And then she and my dad had another baby---my sister Sashara."
"A sister?" Tessa seemed to relax. "And brothers?"
Ryan winced. He never discussed Neel. Not with anyone, and definitely not with a girlfriend. "I had one, but he's gone. We lost him when we lost Dad."
"Oh?"
"There was an explosion. An air tank. We were camping on Gleii---that's Cortierra's far moon. Do you know about it? The atmosphere doesn't support human life without some sort of supplement. We were camping. The tank exploded. It was---well, it was---"
"Shhh..." She pulled him into a soft embrace. "That's enough."
"Yeah." He nodded in quiet gratitude. Then he stood and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, beautiful. Time for you to go to bed."
A smile lit her face. "With you?"
"I wish. But Gigantus would have my ass on a plate."
"Gigantus?" She stared for a moment, then began to scream with laughter again, so intense this time she sunk back to the ground. "Because he is so large? Oh Brill!"
Grinning in spite of himself, he knelt beside her, charmed and aroused. "You're crazy, you know that?"
"I'm a Zentress. We may not know how to laugh, but we know how to couple. So---" She pushed him down and straddled him, her eyes glowing with lust. "Prepare yourself, irreverent barbarian."
The next few days were a blur for Ryan. Soaring in the glider by day, making love to Tessa by night.
She accused him of being irreverent, but he knew it wasn't true because he had infinite reverence---for her. She called him an optimist, but again, she was wrong. The future held nothing for him. This was the best part of his life. Right here, right now. And it would be over soon. She had made that crystal clear.
Once her medical condition had been corrected, she would dump him---reluctantly and fondly, but still, it was going to kill him.
Part of him wanted to fight back---to accuse her of being a bigot who wasn't giving their relationship a chance. But she had such a beautiful glow every time she talked about finding her lust mate, he couldn't bring himself to ruin it. In fact, he sometimes felt vaguely guilty about continuing the affair, as though somehow, in some absurd way, he was sleeping with some other guy's girl.
When he told her about that, she assured him he needn't worry. "My lust mate will never be jealous of my time with you. He will know that---once our bond forms---I'll have little memory of my nights together with you."
"You always make me feel so special."
"Brill..." She sighed. "Are you angry?"
He shook his head. "Just frustrated. But I get it. Even if you weren't already in love with your Zentarr---which is nuts by the way, considering you've never even met him---we'd be crazy to think this could lead to something. I mean, where would we live? Who would I fight for? I'm a soldier. A Cortierran soldier. So yeah..." He grimaced. "I get it. I just wish---"
"Shhh." She cradled his chin in her hand. "Have I ever told you how much I love your eyes? They are like the bronze shields of our ancient warriors. Strong and pure and noble. Your Cortierran bride will love them one day." Sitting up, she gathered the bed sheets around her naked body. "I lied a moment ago, you know."
"Huh?"
"I said I would forget you, but I don't believe it's true. You are unforgettable."
Touched by the sentiment, even though she had long since convinced him that lust fever would indeed erase all memory of prior lovers, he kissed her mouth, then urged her back against the pillow. He loved kissing her like this. As much fun as it was to arrive at her apartment and be overwhelmed by their shared lust, these quiet moments when they had been sated were almost more perfect. They would make love again now, and it would be gentle and innocent and sweet.
And while she might forget about it some day soon, he never would.
Pulling back the sheets, he gazed with admiration at her full breasts, then lowered his mouth to a dark pink nipple. To his surprise, she seemed to flinch, just for a moment.
When he looked up at her, she gave him a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry. I'm a little tired, I guess. Do you mind?"
"Are you kidding?" He brushed his lips across hers. "I could use some sleep myself. Gigantus was a slave driver today. And I always forget you're a pilot too. You never talk about it, but I'm guessing your days are as intense as mine. What's it like? In the ZDS, I mean."
She smiled, clearly relieved that he wasn't offended. "It's exhausting, but I love it. We went on maneuvers today. But not in gliders, of course. Only the GES has those, although we cross-trained in them when we were cadets. We have coursers---tiny but fast, and extremely maneuverable. Have you seen them?"
"Yeah, they're cool. A lot like my fighter."
"Except much more advanced," she reminded him.
Ryan laughed. "There's that Zentarin elitism I love so much. Some day we'll have to skirmish---courser versus fighter. If you dare."
He expected her to respond in kind, and when she seemed not to have heard him, he realized she really was exhausted. "So? Maybe I should just head out?"
She nodded.
"Are you okay? Have you been taking your medication?"
Her smile returned, but it seemed halfhearted. "Worry about yourself. You have to face Colonel Gantus in just a few hours. Go and get some sleep. But come back to me tomorrow night. I will be anxiously waiting for you."
"It's a date." He studied her warily, but she seemed fine. Just tired, like she'd said.
He was tired too. So he climbed out of the bed with great reluctance, dressed himself in his Cortierran uniform, and headed for the door.
This time, when Tessa's eyes swam with tears, she didn't even try to stop. Nor did she berate herself for such un-Zentress-like behavior. Her heart was broken by the knowledge that their magical, unbelievable affair was ending. Not because he was an offworlder. Not because they had grown tired of one another. If anything, their passion had grown stronger.
Still she knew in her heart that this part of her life was over.
She was cured.
She had suspected it earlier, thanks to the nausea, vague but definite, that had started in the pit of her stomach right after they'd made love. He had brought her favorite pink berry drink, made with creamy votter milk, and she had barely been able to face it. And just now, when he'd played with her breasts---a technique that until tonight had made her wild with desire---it had sent unpleasant shivers down her spine.
This can't be happening. Not now. We need more time together.
Which of course made no sense. Every night they spent together brought them closer, and for what? So that it would hurt even more when they finally parted?
She needed to find her lust mate as soon as possible. Fortunately, she hadn't resumed taking the fever suppressant after that last lust gathering, since being with Brill had effectively kept all symptoms at bay. But now that he repulsed her, it made sense that her primal need for a Zentarr would re-emerge, this time with no vestigial Cortierran urges to cause confusion.
There was nothing stopping her now, and yet she found herself wandering into the bathroom, where she picked up the bottle of suppressants and studied it curiously.
What would happen if she started taking them again? With the fever suppressed, could she find renewed pleasure in Brill's arms? And if she took the pills forever---
That's insane! You're a Zentress! And didn't Brill speak the truth when he asked where you'd live? Who you'd fight for?
And what would Grandfather do?
She visualized the apoplexy that would manifest itself on Alberus's face should she refuse to give him a great-grandson who was mostly Zentarin---one to replace her father in his eyes. It was almost a comical concept, yet she couldn't laugh. Not anymore. She was a real Zentress now. No laughter. No romance.
No Brill.
A sob erupted from deep in her chest. Then another. At first she welcomed them, hoping that they would provide catharsis. A bridge between this innocent love affair and the realities of lust bonding. But to her horror, the cries grew sharper and more painful, coming quickly, one upon the other, almost blinding in their intensity as they knocked her to her knees, forcing her to crawl on shaky arms toward the comm-link on her bedside table.
She wanted to believe this was just withdrawal---her body's way of dealing with the loss of her Cortierran lover. But she knew it was more than that.
Something was terribly, terribly wrong.
To Tessa's relief, Benta came right away, armed with a mild sedative to end the shuddering. Then the doctor led her to a small shuttle equipped with a narrow but comfortable cot. Within seconds, a blissful sleep washed over her.
She expected to awaken in the hospital, hopefully unrestrained this time. Instead, she found herself tucked under a brightly colored quilt in what appeared to be someone's private residence. The bed was oversized, there were fragrant flowers growing outside the half-open window, and the walls were painted a cheery shade of yellow. Beside the bed, Benta was dozing in an overstuff rocking chair.
Tessa was tempted to get up and test her legs, but her doctor intervened.
"How are you feeling, Mar-Tessa?"
Surprised by the formal address, Tessa murmured, "I feel fine. Am I back on the suppressants?"
"No." Benta sat up, stretched, then stood and stared down at her. "They are completely unnecessary now."
"Unnecessary? In other words, I no longer have vestigial urges for a Cortierran lover?" Tessa took a deep breath, willing herself not to fall apart. This was good news, was it not? Or at least, it was for the best.
She forced herself to smile at the doctor. "Is this your home? It's lovely."
"You are in a private clinic outside the city. I had to bring you here. There would have been too many questions at the hospital."
"So, no one knows? Not Grandfather? Not Captain Brill?"
Benta winced. "Mar-Alberus was informed immediately. He is on his way, and he is furious. I know you're still groggy, Tessa, but we need to talk. Now, before he arrives."
"Furious? I thought he'd be deliriously happy. I'm cured---"
"You're not cured. You're pregnant." Benta's cheeks flushed and she sat back down, then leaned forwarded and patted Tessa's cheek. "You're pregnant, Tessa. Can you ever forgive me? It never occurred to me that this could happen."
"Pregnant?"
"I never gave it a thought. It's been decades since we've had an unplanned pregnancy on Zentarus, thanks to the effectiveness of our drugs. You were unplanned, of course, but that resulted from inferior Cortierran methods." Benta's grip tightened. "I should have thought of it. Run some tests on his sperm---"
"You're saying I'm carrying Brill's baby? Is it healthy?" Tessa's mind began to race. "We could be endangering it with the sedatives!"
"I discontinued them the minute I realized what was going on. I'm so sorry, Tessa."
Confused, Tessa still couldn't help but smile. "His poor little guys. They weren't paralyzed after all."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. It's just something Brill joked about." Her smile faded. "What do we do now? It's so unexpected. Almost a miracle, don't you think? I mean, I know it doesn't make sense to keep it. But still..."
"It's a miracle," Benta agreed softly.
"Can you send for Brill? He and I need to make this decision together---"
"There's nothing to decide!" a stern voice corrected her from the doorway. "We're going to terminate it, and pray it's the end of this nightmare."
Tessa stared at Alberus, shocked at the naked contempt on his face. It had been years since she'd seen that expression.
But she definitely remembered it.
He strode to the foot of her bed. "Doctor Benta believes your lust fever will return once this---this abomination---had been disposed of. She assures me you can have other children. Healthy Zentarin children. No permanent damage has been done, praise Helios."
"Zentarin children?" Tessa glared in disgust. "All of my babies will have Cortierran blood. My blood. There's nothing you can do about that, you...you hypocritical bastard."
Alberus drew back, clearly shocked. "You're upset. I don't blame you. None of this is your fault. Your father made a mistake, and you've paid the price. But it's almost over, don't you see? You are half Zentarin. With a Zentarr as your mate, your children will be three-quarters Zentarin. In another generation, the Cortierran part will be virtually eradicated---"
"Stop!" Tessa covered her ears. "Not another word." Turning to Benta, she forced herself to speak calmly. "I need to talk to Brill. You see that, don't you?"
Alberus snorted. "That watery-eyed primitive has no say in this. I'm sending him home today---"
"Oh no! Grandfather, please don't do that." Tessa's heart broke at the thought. "He worked so hard to get here. None of this is his fault. We don't need to tell him. Just let him stay."
"He will hound you---"
"That's not true. I've always told him our affair was temporary. He understands that the fever will burn away all memory of him. Once we tell him I've moved on, he'll accept it. He'll be sad for a while," she admitted, mostly to herself, "but he'll leave me alone. I promise you that."
"And then you will cooperate? So that this incompetent doctor can terminate this abomination?"
"I didn't say that---"
"Enough!" Alberus spun on Benta, who was cringing. "Take care of this. Now! Or your family will pay the price. I will ruin them. Is that clear?" Striding to the door, he added over his shoulder, "Don't even think of trying to fight me, Mar-Tessa. There are guards at the door and on the grounds. I've told them I'd rather have you shot to death than escape from here."
"Grandfather! Please! I just need time to think. Can't you at least give me that?" Steadying her voice, she added sternly, "I may decide to terminate the pregnancy. For everyone's sake. I'm a Zentress, no matter what you think, and I'll do what's logical. But if you force it on me, you'll never see any of my children. Not ever. Your dreams of re-creating my father will be gone, and so will your family line. Is that what you want?"
He was silent for a long moment. Then he said in a cold voice, "Get it done, Benta," and disappeared into the hall.
Colonel Gantus's office was huge, which suited Ryan just fine, since he needed room to pace. He had been alone here since they'd dragged him out of bed before dawn and ordered him to skip breakfast and report for new orders. Gantus had been there to greet him, surprising him by being almost civil. But rather than giving Ryan new orders, the colonel had mumbled an excuse about a meeting, then left in a hurry, instructing Ryan to wait.
And so he had waited. And waited. And slowly, it had dawned on him that something was wrong. Something serious. He had come up with a list of possibilities, ranging from bad news about Sashara---his next of kin and the only real family he had in the world---to something larger in scale. A war, perhaps, which would mean the "new orders" were from his Cortierran superiors, calling him back home to fight.
Better a war than finding out Sashi's sick. Or worse.
He was just about to stride into the hall and demand that someone---anyone---tell him what was going on, when the door opened and Councilmember Mar-Alberus stepped into the room, an unreadable expression on his face.
Ryan saluted with respect. "What's going on, sir?"
"You dare ask me that? After what you've done?"
"What I've done? Oh..." Ryan grimaced, annoyed with himself for not having guessed this possibility. Hadn't Nagurri warned him?
Any female but that one.
"Listen, sir---"
"No." A sneer spread across the Elder's face. "You will listen, and listen well. I want you off this planet. Today. You defiled the only thing in the universe I love. I would execute you if I could, and if you're still on Zentarin soil by nightfall, I will execute you."
Ryan exhaled slowly, trying to imagine what to say. He didn't blame the guy for being upset. Tessa was special, and it probably killed him to picture her with some lowly offworlder. If Ryan was ever lucky enough to have a granddaughter, he'd probably feel the same way. "If it means anything, sir, I really care about her. And the truth is, I think it's almost over---"
"It's over," Alberus agreed. "She has made that clear. She never wants to see you again, and I'm going to make sure she gets her wish."
"Huh?" Ryan shook his head, confused. He had assumed someone from the lust gathering had reported their affair. "You're saying Tess told you about us herself?"
"There is no us. There never was. She was curious. That's all. She wanted to find out what it was like to couple with an offworlder before the lust bond formed. She tells me she prepared you for the fact that she'd forget you as soon as she meets her lust mate. But now she doesn't think you'll leave her alone."
"She said that?" He was desperately struggling to catch up. To remember exactly how they'd left things the night before. Sure he had joked about being jealous of her future mate. And yeah, he hadn't really been joking at all.
Was she really concerned he'd do something crazy once she recovered from her medical condition and re-entered her lust cycle?
Pay attention, idiot. She is recovered. That's why she sent in the big guns. To make sure you get the message and stay away from her.
"Listen, sir." Ryan squared his shoulders and tried for a convincing tone. "If it's over, it's over. I respect that. I won't make any attempt to contact her---"
"You won't have the chance." Alberus flashed a malevolent grin. "I almost wish you would, so I'd have an excuse to eradicate you like the vermin you are."
Ryan leveled a glare into the old man's dark silver eyes. "She's your granddaughter. I respect that---"
"She's a Zentress. The thought of you daring to touch her---it's an abomination to me. To any self-respecting Zentarr. We tolerated your presence here, even though it offended us. All of us, especially the brave warriors who have been forced to train with you. To eat with you. But to watch you defile our females?"
"You know what, Alberus? Fuck you. And fuck your whole planet. I'll pack my stuff and be out of here before nightfall---"
"Your belongings have already been moved to your primitive aircraft---"
"Even better." He strode past the Elder, bumping him with his shoulder just enough to revoke any show of respect he'd been crazy enough to make.
"Captain Brill!" Alberus's tone was imperious. "Shall I give my granddaughter a message from you?"
Ryan spun toward the old man, but caught himself before suggesting that Tessa should fuck off too. "Tell her not to worry. I'm not jealous of her lust-mate anymore. I just feel goddamned sorry for him."
With every stride toward his fighter, Ryan's rage grew wilder. An abomination? Vermin to be eradicated? Was that how they all saw him?
Even Tess?
Maybe not so strongly, but hadn't she called him a barbarian? Primitive? Inferior? Nagurri had said it too---cheerfully, as though it were an accepted fact throughout the galaxy that Cortierrans were lower forms of life.
And what about Gantus?
Fuck him too. Fuck 'em all.
Climbing into his trim fighting vessel, he could see that the Zentarins had indeed thrown all his gear in a heap on the floor of the cockpit. Ordinarily he would have forced himself to stow it all carefully before taking off, no matter how much of a hurry he was in. But he was too anxious to put this over-radiated rock behind him, so he slammed the main hatch, locked it, then powered up the engine, all the while seething. He didn't even bother to check the gauges or lay in a course for home. He'd do all that once he'd left the atmosphere. Right now, getting away---far away---was all that mattered.
As the fighter lifted off, he welcomed the vibrations that coursed through the piloting seat. The familiar sensations calmed his anger, allowing another emotion to bubble to the surface.
A sense of betrayal.
He tried to picture her, running to her powerful grandfather, begging him to send her offworld lover packing. Claiming Ryan would harass her if she tried to break off their affair face-to-face.
But it didn't ring true, making him believe he'd been right the first time. It had been someone else who'd broken the bad news to Alberus. Someone from the lust gathering maybe? Or some heliocentric malcontent who'd seen Ryan leaving her apartment late at night and been offended by the thought of a Zentress coupling with a barbarian.
Except Alberus knew details only Tess could tell him. About you being jealous of her future mate. Remember?
Still, he began to worry on her behalf. Alberus had been so judgmental---so insulting about the affair. What if he'd treated Tess that way too? As though she actually had been defiled, and was less valuable because of it.
When an irrational urge to turn the spacecraft around hit him, he quelled it firmly. Even if Tess did need someone to speak up for her against her grandfather's harsh accusations, it couldn't be Ryan. That was her lust mate's job now. The very fact that she had ended things with Ryan meant she was ready to enter her lust cycle. For all he knew, she was preparing at that very moment to head back to the lust gathering and find the Zentarr she'd been dreaming about her whole life.
A faint swoosh sounded behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder, curious because it could only be the secondary hatch---the one that led to his ejection-pod. It didn't usually malfunction, even on a bumpy take off.
And it hadn't malfunctioned this time either. It had been opened from the inside.
By Tessa.
Disbelieving, Ryan stood but didn't move toward her. He was too busy loving the sight of her, safe and sound aboard his fighter. Not cowering back on Zentarus, afraid that Ryan would stalk her. Or afraid of Alberus's wrath.
She was here, her silver eyes red-rimmed but shining, her smile tentative but loving.
"Tess..."
She walked into his arms and hugged him as though she were afraid he could still get away. "I had to see you, Ryan. One last time at least. I don't know what Grandfather said---"
"It doesn't matter," he murmured into her lush black hair, charmed that she had called him by his first name. "I can't believe you're here. It's incredible."
She felt so soft. So warm.
But not hot. Wouldn't she feel hot if her fever cycle had begun?
Her grip tightened. "Tell me what he said. Please?"
"It doesn't matter anymore." He tilted her face up toward his own. "You're crazy, you know that? Coming after me like this? Just to make sure he didn't hurt my feelings?"
Tessa bit her lip. "Did he?"
"He was an asshole, but he can't hurt me. I'm more worried about what he can do to you. Especially now. Won't this make him even madder?"
"Yes, but..." She brushed her fingertips along his jaw. "He can't hurt me anymore either."
"You're sure?" When she nodded, he kissed her lightly. "It means a lot that you came after me. That we can say goodbye like this."
She licked her lips. "We have more than goodbye to say. Things have changed now, Ryan. I'm not sure how much, but---well, I can't let you leave unless we're sure..."
He studied her face as she struggled to find words. Then he realized what she was trying to say, and he groaned. She was actually considering a future with him. The one possibility that had always been off-limits.
"You'd do that? For me?" He cupped her face in his hands. "What about your lust mate? He's back there on Zentarus, waiting for you. I can't compete with that, Tess. I don't even want to. I'd always wonder. And so would you."
She moistened her lips again. "Is it because you don't want half-Cortierran babies?"
"Huh?" He scowled in frustration. "Another stupid joke I never should have made. Especially because if you and I ever had babies together, they'd be amazing."
Her face relaxed into a smile. "Do you really think so?"
"Absolutely. And it's even cooler that you'd consider it. But let's face facts. We couldn't raise them on Zentarus, because they'd be considered inferior. And frankly, I hate that effing place, no offense. So we'd have to live on Cortierra. And then what happens if they grow up with a raging case of lust fever, and no one to bond with?"
Tessa gulped. "I never thought of that."
"You're so sweet." He winced as an alarm sounded from the control panel, reminding him he needed to lay in a proper course. "Give me a minute, okay? Then we really do need to talk. I didn't think this was a possibility, and I'm still not sure it is. You've been so hung up on your lust mate. But if you honestly think we could---Damn that effing thing!" He spun toward the control panel and punched the alarm button. Then he told Tess, "I've gotta take care of that, then we'll talk. Right?"
"Right."
He smiled and pulled her close. "I can't believe we're even having this conversation."
She brushed her lips across his. "Take care of your business first."
"Right." He turned to the panel and pulled up the star maps, forcing himself to focus. As anxious as he was to get home, he was now even more anxious to have this discussion. It was crazy---almost literally insane---and yet they owed it to themselves, didn't they? Their chemistry was so perfect, and she was so sweet and hot and sincere.
The soft swoosh from behind him caught him completely off-guard. As he spun back toward her, he heard the hatch being secured from inside the escape pod, and in the same instant, the pod's engine roared to life.
"Tessa!" He pounded on the hatch leading to the pod, knowing all the while it was too late. She was on her way back to Zentarus.
As furious as he was with himself, he understood what had happened. She was a Zentress, fueled by biology, imagination and culture to seek out a Zentarr as her mate. She had been swept up in her romance with Ryan, and he'd always be grateful for that, but it had been doomed from the start.
Go after her. If there's even a chance...
Leaning his face against the cold steel surface, he forced himself to be practical. Alberus would have given orders to shoot the barbarian out of the sky if he and his fighter dared reappear. In fact, the ZDS had standing orders to vaporize any non-Zentarin aircraft that hadn't been pre-cleared.
More importantly, she had made her decision. Didn't he owe it to her to respect it? She had prepared him for this moment from the start, and they both knew what would come next.
She would be confused for a while. Perhaps even heartbroken. But it wouldn't last. The fever---so primal, so inescapable---would drive her into the arms of a Zentarr. Then the long-awaited lust-bond would form and she would lose all memory of her previous lovers.
All of them.
But Ryan would never forget.
The first dragon-styled warship that appeared on Ryan's view-screen didn't really bother him. It was a safe distance away, for one thing. And even if it hadn't been, he was too busy pondering the riddle of Tess. Should he go back? Stay away? Shoot himself in the kneecap just to distract himself from this obnoxious and apparently endless debate?
He'd been second-guessing himself for six Cortierran days and nights, sometimes to the point of actually turning his fighter back toward Zentarus. Each time, reason won out, and not just because he knew Alberus would be waiting to blast him into space dust.
Tess had made her choice. She could have waited---just for a few minutes---to talk it through with him. But she hadn't. She had returned to her own world, knowing Ryan would return to his.
And if she changed her mind again? There were dozens of ways a Zentarin could send a message to an offworlder. Unfortunately, the reverse was not true. Not only were all regular channels between Ryan's fighter and the Zentarin military blocked, but such channels barely existed in any event. There was one diplomatic frequency, to be used in the event of crisis or catastrophe. He could just imagine what his superiors would think---or do---if he dared use that one to stalk a Zentress.
So far, his Cortierran superiors had been nonjudgmental in the face of his expulsion. In fact, they had been downright understanding, almost as if they had suspected from the start that a Cortierran wouldn't last on Zentarus.
And they had probably been right. Even if he hadn't defiled an Elder's granddaughter, he couldn't have survived that bizarre culture for six long months. As much as he regretted telling Tess that he hated the effing place, it was more or less true, wasn't it?
No wonder she dumped you. You didn't give her much of a chance, did you?
This was the point in the debate when he usually plotted a course back to Zentarus, but at that moment, a second Cruoog dragon sailed into view, and Ryan's military senses went into reluctant alert. These obnoxious raiders were the bane of the galaxy, and had caused grief for Cortierra more than once. Fortunately, those days were over. The Cruoog preyed on helpless planets, and Cortierra had grown from a fledgling economy to a formidable foe over the last few decades, thanks in large part to the assistance of the Zentarins.
Ryan didn't welcome this reminder of the debt his planet owed the Zentarin Elder Council. If they hadn't sent their magnificent gliders to the rescue when pandium had first been discovered on Cortierra, the Cruoog would have enslaved and plundered the humble little planet without mercy. Instead, with a fleet of brave Zentarin pilots filling the skies, and with Zentarin scientists sharing tidbits of military technology, Cortierra had managed to build a space force that could stave off the cowardly Cruoog pirates who'd threatened their humble existence.
And in exchange, Zentarus got enough pandium to fill six freighters. So don't make them sounds like effing saints, Ryan chided himself. They're as greedy and predatory as the Cruoog. Just with more finesse.
It wasn't true, of course. No culture in the galaxy was as despicable as the Cruoog. These privateers didn't venture into space on missions of mercy. They wanted pandium or other precious resources. And if they could kill, maim and destroy in the process, so much the better.
Ryan was just reaching for his comm-link, prepared to report the sighting to his Cortierran superiors, when a third ship appeared. Cruoog again, but this one was larger. Clumsier. A hulking eyesore compared to the ornate dragons.
Exhaling sharply, Ryan opened a channel to Cortierra.
When a voice commanded him to identify himself, he responded with his military identifier. "XGX57."
"Captain Brill? Wait a moment."
A new speaker came on the channel. "Brill? Don't tell me you're headed back to Zentarus again. You must be a glutton for punishment."
"Not in this lifetime, Colonel Serrig," Ryan said with a sheepish chuckle. "I'll be home in three days, right on schedule. But meanwhile, there's some Cruoog activity out here. I thought you'd want to know."
"Those bastards are everywhere these days," Serrig complained. "They haven't approached you, have they?"
"Nah. I'm sure they saw me, but a lone Cortierran fighter doesn't hold much interest for pirates."
"Be glad of it. You've never tangled with them, have you?"
"No, sir."
"Well, I have. They aren't the best pilots in the universe, but they're the meanest. And they never get tired. You can beat them to a pulp, and they still keep coming." Serrig cleared his throat. "Give 'em a wide berth, Ryan. That's an order. And send us their coordinates, just in case. You never know when we'll get a distress call from an ally. It always helps to have a fix on their latest raiding outpost."
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. I'll let you know what I see. And if there is a distress call, let me know. Maybe I can help. I could use a good fight," he added, mostly to himself.
"Still burns, does it? The way those Zentarin bastards treated you?"
"Sir?"
Serrig snorted. "They never gave you a chance, right? If they had, they'd know what I know. You're the best."
Ryan rubbed his eyes. "It's a little more complicated than that, sir. When I file my full report, you'll see. I mean..." His tone grew defensive. "Yeah, they never gave me a chance. But I screwed up socially---"
"Socially? You mean with a female? A Zentress?" Serrig roared with laughter. "That's one report I can't wait to read."
"I'm hoping we can keep it quiet, sir."
"Don't worry, son. It'll be our little secret." Serrig was still chuckling. "Did you break her heart?"
"More like the other way around," Ryan admitted. "But I'll get over it. I'd like to keep it confidential, sir. For her sake, not mine. Those elitist bastards would shun her if they knew."
Serrig was quiet for a moment. "I suppose you needed to go there. You're our best, and you wanted to see if you could be even more. So? Lesson learned?"
"Definitely. I'll be home in three days, ready for duty. And like I said, if there's some action I can join, that's even better."
"With a broken heart?" Serrig was laughing again. "Take a break, son. Find a shoulder to cry on. How about that pretty sister of yours? Shouldn't you pay her a visit? Tell her your tale of woe?"
"That's not necessary, Colonel."
"It wasn't necessary for you to go to Zentarus and get your heart broken by a silver-eyed she-witch either, was it? But you did it. Now you're gonna visit your sister. That's an order."
Ryan grinned. "Sounds good, sir. I haven't seen her in over a year, and she could use a hand on that broken-down ranch of hers. At least for a week or two."
"Take a month. File your prelims by sub-space comm, and we'll handle the rest of the details---privately---when you get back. And Captain?"
"Yes, sir?"
"It was never a good idea, you know."
Ryan nodded in weary agreement. "You warned me, sir."
"You needed to go. I respect that. Now it's over. Put it behind you. Understood?"
"Yes, sir. See you in a month. Brill out."
As Ryan approached Cortierra's far moon---a tiny rock with an atmosphere so thin it had been necessary to build a clear dome over most of the land mass before it could be settled---he wondered anew at his sister's decision to take a teaching position here rather than on the mother planet. Not only was Gleii isolated and sparse, it was the site of their father's death, a horrific event that had taken place on a camping trip when Ryan was just ten years old.
"I don't know how you can stand to live here, knowing his guts are strewn all over the place," he would sometimes grumble.
"That's why I have to live here," Sashara always replied.
It made about as much sense to Ryan as anything his sister said. She was certifiably sentimental, and as he steered his fighter toward the entry point in the dome, he found himself feeling good for the first time since his clash with Alberus.
Colonel Serrig was a genius to send you here. It's just what you need.
He still hadn't decided whether to tell Sashi about Tess. For one thing, his sister---an obnoxious romantic---would want him to go straight back to Zentarus, abduct Tess and carry her off to worlds unknown. The idea that the Zentress might have found a lust-mate by now wouldn't deter Sashi. In fact, she'd probably enjoy that part even more, imagining Ryan in a fight to the death with a fever-crazed, hulking Zentarr, all for the woman who owned his heart.
And she did own it. Somewhere between Zentarus and Gleii, he had managed to figure that part out, at least. His feelings weren't just infatuation. He was crazy in love. So much in love that he knew he had to let her go, even if she was still willing to consider running off with him.
She could take the suppressant medicine forever, thus staving off the lust fever. That would take care of her physical need for a Zentarr. But what about the psychological symptoms? He could still see the stars in her silver eyes when she'd spoken of that moment when the bond would form. In her own way, she was as romantic as Sashi. But for Tess, it was all about the lust bond, not about love.
Hadn't she said it that first night? That a romantic culture had one flaw---unlike Zentarins, who mated for life, Cortierrans could fall madly in love more than once. The lust-bond promised absolute trust and fidelity---the two elements to which romantic love aspired, but from which it often fell short.
Could they live like that? With him always wondering if a part of her still yearned for a Zentarr? And with Tess always half-expecting him to fall out of love with her and into love with someone else?
Whatever you do, don't tell Sashi, he decided as the dome's entry portal slid open, allowing his entry into Gleii. The only way to get over Tess is to stop thinking about her. So concentrate on something else. Like prying your only sister off this stupid rock and bringing her back to Cortierra where she belongs.
His good mood soured a bit when he parked his military transport in front of his sister's house and surveyed the state of her so-called ranch. The house itself was worse than he remembered it, right down to the planks of wood nailed haphazardly over the basement windows.
Some vacation. It'll take a month just to get this place into condition for the damned votters to live here.
As if in answer, one of the miniature bovines grazing in a herd a few feet from the transport lifted its head and brayed at him.
Ryan grinned as he headed for Sashi's front door. He knew she had bought these ugly creatures as a way to supplement her income, but he couldn't imagine they were producing much milk, given the stringy nature of the vegetation here on Gleii.
Tess would get a kick out of it, though. She always loved it when you brought her shakes made from votter milk---
"Ryan? Oh my God! It's you!" Sashi sprang into view and raced over to him, throwing herself into his arms. "You're here, you're here! Why are you here?"
"To rescue you from this hellhole, obviously."
She pulled away enough to smile up at him. "Look at you. There's something different. Tell me what it is." Her nose wrinkled slightly. "Aren't you supposed to be on Zentarus?"
"You're a genius," he drawled. "Yeah, I'm supposed to be there. But it didn't work out. Suffice it to say, they're all assholes. So, are you gonna feed me or not? I'm starving."
Sashi linked her arm through his and dragged him toward the house. "Just wait until you hear my news. But I can't tell you out here. So shhh...come with me."
"News?"
She eyed him expectantly. "Do you want to go first? I can see there's something you want to tell me, and usually I'd be dying of curiosity. But guess what, Ryan?" She led him into the house, then closed the door firmly behind him. "For once, I think my news is more exciting than yours."
He scowled, noticing for the first time that she looked sweeter, and...well, slightly crazier than usual. Pretty too. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was wearing lipstick. Maybe even mascara.
"Since when do you wear makeup?"
"I've been practicing. That's part of my news."
"Oh no." He scowled again, wondering how he had missed the signs. He'd been so sure Sashi would sense that he'd fallen in love, he hadn't bothered to see that she apparently had too. "Who is he? And what makes him think he's good enough for my only sister? Because he's not."
"It isn't a guy, silly. Or at least, he's only part of it. But there's much more. Come over here and see."
He eyed her suspiciously, but followed her to a narrow doorway. "The cellar? Oh, by the way, I'll fix those windows for you tomorrow. Just remind me."
"You don't need to do chores, believe me." Her eyes twinkled. "Remember my last letter? I told you I was having trouble with rats in the basement?"
"So you boarded them in? Brilliant."
"Stop teasing me." She pulled a key ring from her pocket and unlocked the door. "Take a look. But be careful. Just go halfway down the steps. And take this too," she added, pulling an old-style blaster from a nearby cabinet. "You shouldn't need it but you never know."
He opened his mouth, ready to ask a dozen derisive questions, then decided against it. She wanted him to look, so he'd look. Maybe he'd even kill a rat or two. Then hopefully she'd be grateful enough to feed him.
Pulling the door open, he stepped into the stairwell, then hesitated as an unfamiliar odor greeted him. Not dead rodent, or musty air, or any other scent he'd ever encountered. It was almost metallic.
When he flipped the light switch and descended a few steps, he was even more confused. There was some sort of mist covering the basement floor, and the odor was stronger, more like fumes now.
What the hell?
"Come back up," Sashi whispered. "Hurry!"
As soon as he rejoined her, she slammed the door shut and then smiled triumphantly. "See?"
Ryan grinned. "I knew you were a lousy housekeeper, but it's actually getting rank down there."
"Foggy, right?" Her green eyes twinkled. "It's a pandium deposit, Ryan. Right under my very own house."
"Pandium?"
"You've heard of pandium fog, right? That's what attracted the rats, but now they're gone. I'm afraid we'll get bloodbats next, but for now, it's just creepy. But exciting too, right? I'm going to be rich! And since I'm your sister, you're going to be rich too." Throwing her arms around his neck, she added happily, "I'm so glad you're here. I've been dying to tell you."
Ryan eyed her warily. "Who else knows?"
"No one. But wait until the scientists start fighting about it, right? They always said Gleii was just a piece of junk left over when an asteroid hit the Big Moon, but obviously, we're a piece of the mother planet, right? Can't you just see the finger pointing? The geologists will blame the astrophysicists, and the astrophysicists will blame the astro-geologists---"
"Sashi?" Ryan cupped her face in his hand. "Does the military know?"
"What?" She frowned. "It's a secret, Rye. As soon as I saw the fog, I knew what was happening. But I hired a consultant---a chemical engineer---to confirm it. He told me not to tell anyone until he figured out how to perfect my claim."
"A consultant?" Ryan's spine tightened. "Where did you find him?"
"His niece is in my class. He came to career day last year---all the way from Cortierra." Sashi beamed. "I remembered him because he was so smart. And adorable. And single. And he remembered me too. It's not love or anything, but---"
"Did you tell Neel?"
She arched a disapproving eyebrow. "Not yet. But I'm going to share the money with him too, Ryan. He's my brother---almost as much as you are---and there'll be plenty to go around. This might be our chance to put all the ugliness behind us."
Ryan was barely listening anymore. Instead, his mind was swimming with images of dragon-shaped pirate ships.
"Sashi?"
"Yes?"
"Listen to me carefully. We have to get out of here. Now."
"But Rye---"
"You have two minutes to pack a bag. But first---" he exhaled sharply, "---show me where you keep the O2 tanks."
"I won't do it. Not without my students. And their families."
Ryan glared at his sister, frustrated that she was still putting up obstacles. He had explained the danger, over and over, during their ride from the ranch to Gleii's modest military base. Yet still she was being impossible. "Are you crazy? Get in that bunker! Your students will be fine. Right, Colonel?"
The commanding officer nodded. "Every house on this planet is equipped with enough oxygen to support a family for two full days. It's part of the building code, and we enforce it strictly." Adopting a reassuring voice, he told Sashi, "We'll visit each of your students personally, just in case."
"Sashi, please?" Ryan took her by the shoulders and stared into her confused but stubborn face. "I've got to get up there. To run interference until help arrives from Cortierra. I won't be able to concentrate unless I know you're safe."
She bit her lip. "Promise me you'll be careful?"
"Hey, what did I tell you? Those Cruoog ships are clumsy compared to my fighter. I'll run circles around them. And I'll stay out of shooting range, I promise."
"Liar." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're all I've got, Rye. Please don't do anything crazy."
"That's your department. Speaking of which..." He cleared his throat before repeating the question he had asked at the house. "Are you sure you didn't say anything to Neel about the pandium?"
"Not a word. I promise." Her green eyes filled with tears. "You can't honestly think he'd put me in danger. He was just a boy---"
"He killed our father. You can't trust him, Sashi. I need your word on that."
"You two are supposed to be closer than regular brothers," she whispered. "I wish..."
"Yeah, I know." He pulled her into an apologetic embrace. Then he pushed her toward the colonel. "Take care of her, sir."
"Will do. And we'll send some fighters to help you."
"Negative. Your guys aren't battle trained. I'm better off on my own. Just protect the civilians, especially my sister. And track down that effing consultant---"
The colonel interrupted him with a growl. "He checked into a resort on the Big Moon last night. They've already arrested his traitorous ass."
"Well then..." Ryan glanced up at the fragile dome that had turned this wasteland into a habitable colony. A few well-placed blasts from a Cruoog laser cannon could change that in the blink of an eye. "Looks like it's time to earn my pay for the month."
Ryan had barely cleared the portal when blips started appearing on his detection screen. Four small, rapidly blinking dots. One large one.
Four dragons.
Bad odds, but not impossible. Unless of course the freighter was carrying additional warcraft.
He knew little about Cruoog battle tactics, mostly because they weren't warriors in any true sense of the word. They preferred to mount raids on unprotected civilians and underdeveloped planets, and were known to cheerfully turn tail and run when surprised by any formidable show of resistance.
Ryan was pretty sure they wouldn't consider a lone Cortierran fighter formidable, especially since they had probably scouted this situation---or had had their ally do it for them---and knew this rock had minimal defenses. And why not? It was hardly considered a prize. No atmosphere, and until now, no known mineral deposits or other natural resources. Just hardworking pioneers who enjoyed dragging a living out of its sun-baked crust.
And campers...
Ryan knew better than to dwell on such thoughts. It had been almost twenty years since his father's oxygen tank had mysteriously malfunctioned while they were scavenging for meteorites outside the safety of the artificial atmosphere that provided breathable air to the moon's population.
And now if the Cruoog succeeded in punching holes in the dome, that population would be relying on O2 tanks for survival. And how many of those tanks would fail?
"Pay attention, Brill," he ordered himself. "You've got company."
The first dragon had appeared on his view screen, followed closely by a second. They were about three times the size of his Cortierran fighter, and reputedly loaded with firepower. The intricate metal sculptures of fire-breathing monsters that adorned the vessels were intended to arouse fear in their victims, but to an experienced, battle-trained pilot like Ryan, the decorations were a welcome sight. He knew that the additional weight, not to mention the aerodynamic inefficiency, would make the warcraft less maneuverable.
Steeling his nerves, he fired his boosters and raced toward the Cruoog with forward-guns blazing. He needed a dramatic hit to set the mood, so he concentrated his aim at the dragon heads on their bows. When one giant monster broke off at the neck and flew into space, leaving a gaping hole in the doomed vessel, Ryan crowed with pride and fired again, pulverizing the already dead hulk to prevent debris from damaging Gleii's dome.
Two of the remaining warbirds fell back toward the freighter, but the fourth Cruoog pilot adjusted by altering course and building speed. He had no intention of engaging with Ryan. He was simply making an end run around him, using the brute power of his larger vessel to bring himself into firing range of the dome.
Pumped with excitement, Ryan laughed aloud. Apparently this fellow thought---or at least, was praying---that first hit had been a fluke.
Sorry to disappoint you.
Pursuing the warbird, Ryan peppered him with small-laser fire while simultaneously powering up his modified reactor guns, just in case he needed them. Within seconds he had inflicted lethal damage on the vessel, but it was still possible the Cruoog would come close enough to the dome to get one clean shot with its powerful cannons before it spiraled into oblivion. Ryan couldn't take that chance, and while he knew he had to conserve reactor power, he still opted to blast the dragon into space dust right there on the spot.
It was the shot of a lifetime, but his lusty cry of victory was drowned out by an alarm from his control panel, drawing his shocked attention back to the detection screen, where three new blips had joined the remaining dragons and the freighter.
"What now?" Turning the fighter, he studied the enemy group cautiously. The newcomers were dragons, but smaller. Presumably they had less firepower, which was good news for Gleii's dome, at least in the short run.
But Ryan knew these pilots would take him on directly, rather than try to outrun him. Their job was to get him out of the way. Then the larger dragons could punch through the artificial atmosphere and terrorize the population while Cruoog crews loaded pandium onto the freighter.
"Three against one. Better odds than before," he told himself with a sarcastic grin. "You just need to outfly them. Good thing they're Cruoog, right? And good thing you had a whole nine days of Zentarin flight training. This should be a piece of cake."
By the time reinforcements arrived from Cortierra, the three nimble dragons had been blown to space dust, along with another of its full-sized brethren, and the remaining two Cruoog vessels were retreating. Exhausted, Ryan still wasn't ready to stand down. Instead, he settled for a quick return to Gleii for food and refueling, then convinced his Cortierran commanders that he and four of his fellow pilots needed to pursue the Cruoog. To teach them a grander lesson.
That lesson morphed into a campaign that would last a full year. Ryan's squad---dubbed Brill's Raiders by the press---was joined by pilots representing three other systems that had been recently plagued by the irascible dragon pirates. The image of Gleii---so helpless under its dome---became a rallying point that resonated across cultures, across space, as did the image of the resourceful pilot who had backed eight attackers down single-handedly.
Ryan didn't spend much time questioning his own motives. He just ferreted out Cruoog wherever he could find them, destroying their ships and their bases, sending them one simple message, over and over again: their tyranny of this quadrant of the galaxy had ended. They needed to find another line of work, because there were new and better raiders in town that would kick the ass of any pirates that dared show their fire-breathing faces again.
They had threatened his sister. Worse, they had threatened to subject her to the same fate their father had suffered---death by suffocation. He now hated them in a way that dwarfed his anger toward the Zentarins. In fact, he gave the Zentarins grudging credit for his success, at least partially. If Alberus hadn't kicked him off that planet, he wouldn't have spotted the Cruoog pirates, wouldn't have visited Gleii, wouldn't have saved his sister's life.
He would never regret going there. Never regret his love affair with Tessa. Instead of picturing her in the arms of the Zentarr she had been destined to choose, he always imagined her in the red dress, her silver eyes shining, her wild spirit soaring. He even dedicated his battle-scarred fighter to her by emblazoning the words The Red Vixen on its side. The Cortierran pilots loved it, believing it a reference to the mythical beauty they had all fantasized over at one time or another. Even the offworld allies loved it, insisting that the story of the Storm King and the Sky Prince be told, again and again, in the outpost bars they invaded.
One full year passed between the time Ryan was ejected from Zentarus to the time he actually returned home to Cortierra proper. One full year to ensure that every Cruoog pirate and every Cruoog warship had either been destroyed or sent packing to their main stronghold a safe distance away. Brill's Raiders were disbanded and Ryan---now Major Brill---was summoned back to Cortierra for a medal ceremony. His request for immediate reassignment to another mission---hopefully as dangerous as the one he'd just completed---had been summarily denied.
He grudgingly admitted his superiors had made a wise decision. Their planet needed these displays of patriotic fervor.
And Ryan needed it too, not just to attain closure on his hatred for the Cruoog, but to force himself to confront the rest of his life. The campaign had been a perfect distraction from thoughts of Tess and the romance he'd never be able to have with her. He couldn't imagine being with any other female, but he also knew he was at a crossroads. Did he want to be a husband and father one day? Or did he honestly intend to become one of those hardened military types who devoted themselves completely to the service? If it was the latter, then he knew he'd better get used to medal ceremonies as the center of his otherwise non-existence social life.
And if it was the former?
You need to let her go.
He had told himself this so many times, especially during those first few months when he had jumped each time a message arrived, hoping it was from Tess. Given his fame, it would have been easy for her to find him if she had wanted to do so. He had imagined her diligently taking the suppressant medication while weighing and re-weighing her options. Her feelings. Her limits.
But as months passed, he had given up hope of receiving a message. She had found a way to move on without him. And now that a full year had passed, he needed to do likewise.
And so, as he stood in the lobby of his hotel and stared at a man in a white suit on the far side of the room on the day of the medal ceremony, he realized there was something else he needed to do. The man hadn't noticed him yet, and Ryan could have slipped out the back door, avoiding him completely.
Or he could face him, for Sashi's sake, and maybe even for his own. So he walked over to the white-suited man and tapped him on the shoulder. "Neel?"
His brother turned, his eyes wide behind blue-tinted sun shades. "Rye? Well..." He flashed a cold smile. "The hero returns. I was hoping you'd get a few scars during all those battles. But I see you still have my face."
"And you still have mine." Ryan cleared his throat. "I thought you were living on the Big Moon these days. You're not in town for the medal ceremony, are you?"
"You're kidding, right?" Neel laughed. "I'm sure you'll do fine without me. I'm here on business."
Investing the money you got from Sashi? Greedy bastard.
Neel glanced around. "Is Sashara here to witness your glory?"
"She planned on coming, but one of her students was in an accident and she's on bedside duty with the parents."
"Let's hope she doesn't offer to help them out financially," Neel said with a sneer. "She's too softhearted to be rich."
Ryan bit back a retort. "If you don't mind, I'm going to tell her we talked. It'll cheer her up."
"You want to be her hero too? Sure, go ahead. Tell her we hugged for all I care."
"Right." Ryan forced himself to extend a hand in acknowledgment of their superficial reunion. "Take it easy, Neel. Good luck with the investments."
Clearly surprised again, Neel accepted the handshake. "Thanks. And thanks for what you did up there. Defending Gleii. Those Cruoog bastards would've stolen all our pandium if you hadn't been there to protect it."
What an ass.
"See you around, Neel." Ryan spun away and strode toward the convention complex where the ceremony was scheduled to take place. According to Colonel Serrig, there had been so many requests for admission from politicians and dignitaries, it had turned into a major social event, so Ryan braced himself as he approached the lush garden walkway that led to the main entrance.
As expected, several groups of civilians were already pointing and smiling at him, but he pretended not to see them. Then out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a lone figure on the steps of a lumia-covered gazebo, and his heart began to pound.
Tess?
It didn't seem possible---and the woman was wearing dark glasses that covered a third of her face, so he couldn't be sure. But those legs...the long, lustrous black hair dotted with red ribbons...
And the red dress.
As he stared, not daring to believe, she darted into the gazebo.
"Major Brill!" A lavishly dressed couple approached him, the wife in the lead. "It's an honor to meet you, sir. Our daughter lives on Gleii, and if it weren't for you... Well, we can never repay you."
"My sister was there too, ma'am. We're all lucky things worked out the way they did." He exhaled sharply. "There's something I have to do. Right away. So excuse me. And give my best to your daughter."
He looks so good...
Tessa had second-guessed herself so many times, she was giddy now, knowing she had made the right choice. Ryan's expression had confirmed it. This was the right day. The right time.
The right dress.
She had been so frightened during the early months of her pregnancy, certain that Ryan's exploits against the Cruoog would get him killed before she could decide, once and for all, whether to share her news---and possibly her life---with him. She could only guess at what was driving him during those raids. He didn't lack for bravery, of course, but to go so far for so long. Was it frustration? Anger? Hatred for her grandfather? For her?
Was he picturing her with a Zentarr and believing she had already forgotten him? Those were the worst thoughts of all, that she had underestimated the effect of a broken heart on a romantic like Ryan to the point where he was now possessed by a subconscious death wish.
Then six months into her pregnancy, she had heard a media report that made her smile with relief. Major Ryandus Brill had named his fighter The Red Vixen. She had whispered the news to her unborn, and a resounding kick had assured her Ryan's child approved.
That had been the moment she had known for certain she'd see him again. She couldn't predict more than that about their future, but somehow it had been enough to get her through the rest of her seclusion at Correne's vacation home.
She had been patient in those days, mostly by necessity. Now, as she waited for him to join her, she was driven by a need to take action that was so strong, she had to remind herself that this was already a shock for him.
And when he heard the details of why she had stayed away, he'd be more than shocked. He'd be literally stunned.
Just as she was promising herself to break the news to him slowly, he walked into the gazebo with an expression so adorably cocky, she was tempted to blurt out her secret just to witness the expression on his face. Laughing out loud from the sheer joy of seeing him again, she kicked off her high-heeled shoes, threw her sunglasses to the side and sprinted into his waiting arms.
Hugging her close, Ryan buried his face in Tess's hair and inhaled deeply. He needed to confirm in every possible way that this was really happening. She was really here. "You feel so good."
"And you feel so strong, Major Brill." She pulled free enough to smile up at him, her silver eyes shining. "Do you notice I'm speaking Cortierran?"
"You learned it for me? My God, Tess, what's been going on? Why did you wait so long? Did Alberus lock you up or something?" Before she could answer, he pulled her against himself again. "Never mind. You're here now. That's all that matters."
"Aren't you going to kiss me?"
He grinned and tilted her face upward. Then he licked his lips and tasted her, gently at first, then with a full year's worth of hunger. She wrapped her arms around his neck and responded so eagerly, he considered carrying her to a bench and making love to her right there. But this wasn't a secluded garden outside a lust gathering. There were dignitaries and reporters, not to mention generals, roaming these grounds.
So he settled for kissing and petting, savoring her soft, warm skin, her full, firm breasts. They felt so good, he teased by asking, "Did you have these enlarged? I swear they feel bigger."
"It's milk."
He laughed. "We're gonna have to work on your Cortierran, beautiful."
She looked into his eyes as she spoke to him in Zentarin. "My breasts are full of milk, Ryan."
He tried to clear his throat but couldn't. His body had gone numb, as though it had re-routed all available energy to his brain. Yet still he couldn't fathom this news. "You had a baby?"
"Your baby."
"My God..." He exhaled sharply. "That's why you followed me that day? And I said something stupid---"
"No, you said something wise." She sandwiched his face between her palms. "It was exactly what I needed to hear, Ryan."
"It scared you away---"
"And then it brought me back to you." She brushed her lips across his. "You need to sit down. Please?"
"I have a kid? Boy or girl?"
"Boy."
He couldn't help but grin. "What does he look like?"
"Just like you," she said. Then she added with a tentative smile, "Except, of course, for the silver eyes."
"Silver?" Ryan nodded slowly. "That's so amazingly cool. Does he have a name?"
"My father's name was Mar-Zakkar, so..."
"Zakkar Brill? Zak..." A lump formed in his throat, and for a moment, he felt a sting of tears behind his eyes. Fighting the impulse, he took Tess by the hand and led her to an iron bench. When they were seated, he murmured, "Tell me everything. Don't leave anything out."
"The ceremony will begin in a few moments. The story can wait until we're on our way to Leere."
"Leere?" He cocked his head to the side, disbelieving again. "That's where you've been? All this time? Less than a day from Cortierra?"
"While you were running all over the galaxy," she agreed with a smile. Then she explained. "My friend's family vacations on Leere, so she was able to help me secure lodging. I couldn't stay on Zentarus. My grandfather was intent on ending the pregnancy by any means possible."
Ryan's fists clenched, remembering how the old man had accused him of defiling Tess. If only Ryan had paid closer attention. Thought it through...
"I wanted to be with you," she was assuring him. "But I also wanted to be logical. The pregnancy was forestalling the return of my fever, but that was only temporary. I'd need to rely on the medication for the rest of my life if I wanted to be with you. To raise children with you that were part-Zentarin. Only one-quarter though, Ryan. That's another of my many secrets." She touched his cheek. "It's so complicated."
"One quarter?"
"I'm half-Cortierran. My mother---the biological one---wasn't Zentarin at all. I didn't know that until recently. And when I first heard..." Her silver eyes filled with tears. "I hated her, Ryan. I was so arrogant, so ungrateful. Then a miracle happened. I found myself in the same circumstances she had once been in. Pregnant by an offworlder, unmarried, living in seclusion, waiting to see the color of her child's eyes before deciding how it would be raised. I learned first-hand how strong she was. How brave. And I grew to love her."
"Wow."
Tess wiped her eyes. "I thought about you all the time. I was so proud, but also so worried that you'd get yourself killed before I had a chance to---well, to decide whether to contact you again."
"You were waiting to see the eye color? But then you still contacted me? Thank God for that."
She smiled with gentle mischief. "I debated it endlessly. Then one day, I heard a story. About a dashing warrior so hopelessly romantic he painted his true love's name on the side of his fighter. That's when I knew we were destined to see each other again."
Ryan's heart pounded in his chest. "You knew about the vixen myth?"
"Why do you think I wore this dress for our first meeting?" She arched an eyebrow in warning. "They must be looking everywhere for you, Major Brill. Go and accept your medal. Give them a wonderful show. Then come back to me."
"I want them to meet you---"
"No. Not yet." She kissed him lightly. "There's so much more to say before we can be sure that we should make our love affair permanent. Please?"
When she stood and smiled down at him, he got to his feet as well and placed his hands on her hips. "I'll do whatever you say, as long as you promise not to disappear again."
"Never." She wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him so tightly he knew she really meant it. Then she stepped back and pulled a slender red-satin ribbon from her hair.
Tucking it into the pocket of his uniform jacket, she said, "Now I'll be with you."
The gesture touched him. "I won't be long, I promise. Stay right here. Put the glasses back on. And don't talk to strangers." He felt a burst of happiness. "Zak, huh? And he looks like me?"
"You won't believe your eyes."
He nodded, mesmerized by the thought. Then he took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and kissed her again, this time with gratitude and reverence.
The mother of my children...
His grin returned, along with a healthy dose of euphoria. Striding toward the gazebo steps, he glanced back at her, not once but twice, before he was finally able to tear himself away.
Tessa watched until he had disappeared from view. Then she buried her face in her hands, happy but also shaky. There had been so many things that could have gone wrong. It had been such a long, eventful year for both of them. She had been so worried that he might have changed. After all, she had changed, hadn't she? Quite a bit, in fact.
But Ryan was still Ryan---brimming with optimism and confidence. Any other male---certainly any Zentarr---would have been conflicted by news of a child, particularly a child who was part-offworlder, delivered by a female he thought was out of his life forever.
Of course, even Ryan had his limits, so she was still glad she hadn't told him the whole story: that he was actually the father of twins. There would be time enough for that on the trip to Leere. But first, they would set the aircraft on autopilot and make love with wild abandon.
Then you'll tell him about Zarruss, and this time, he'll definitely be shocked. Not even Ryandus Brill is bold enough to handle that sort of news.
She laughed lightly, remembering how much it had shocked her. She hadn't had any medical care during her pregnancy, but had read every available book on the subject. Still, the thought of twins had never once occurred to her, mostly because no Zentress had ever delivered more than one child at a time, at least, not to Tessa's knowledge. Multi-births were simply not a Zentarin phenomenon.
But then again, Tessa was not just a Zentress. And as she had explained to Ryan, her pregnancy had been a miracle in more ways than one, bringing her closer to the mother she had never met. A mother who, among other secrets, had apparently had twins in her genetic make-up.
Steadying herself, she located her shoes and slipped them back on her feet. Then she began a search for her sunglasses, which she finally located behind a pot filled with bright blue lumia blossoms. The scent reminded her of home, where the luminaries were equally fragrant, although usually orange in color. Inhaling deeply, she wondered if she would ever see her home planet again. Not that it really mattered. Home could be Leere, or Cortierra, or anywhere she could safely raise her sons.
When the gazebo steps creaked, she spun around while quickly donning the sunglasses. Then a familiar figure appeared and she laughed in frustrated delight. "You're back so soon?" Walking over to him, she removed his blue sunglasses, kissed his cheek and then fingered the lapel of his white suit. "Why did you change into civilian clothes?"
"You don't like this outfit? I'm crushed."
"It's very handsome. But I prefer your uniform. And I'm certain your generals would too. They can't very well pin a medal on this." She eyed him sternly. "I know you're anxious to meet your son, but you really need to let them honor you first."
"My son?" he murmured.
"You still can't get used to the idea?" she said teasingly. "Well, guess what? There are two of them, Ryan. Twins." Before he could answer, she hugged him and admitted, "I know I shouldn't shock you with so much so fast, but I couldn't keep it to myself for one more second. Can you believe it? Isn't it amazing?"
When he didn't respond, she pulled back and was alarmed by his pale, almost ashen, face. "Oh Ryan! I'm sorry. Here, let's sit down again."
"No." He coughed as though getting his bearings. Then he flashed a brilliant smile. "Any other secrets?"
"Isn't this enough for one day?" She stroked his cheek with her fingertips. "Two wonderful little boys. They can't wait to meet their father. I've told them so much about you."
"Yeah, I'll bet you have. The famous Major Brill, right? He's got it all now. A beautiful girl, fame, fortune." He took a deep breath. "So? Shall we get out of here? I want to meet my sons."
"You're sure? I don't mind waiting a few more minutes." She took off her sunglasses. "Will your superiors understand?"
His eyes widened. "My God..."
"What is it?" She patted his cheek again, this time with concern. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Delayed shock," he whispered. "Like you said, it's a lot to take in at one time."
"But it's all good news, isn't it?"
"Amazingly good. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world."
Relief washed over her. "I borrowed a sports-prop from my landlord for the trip here. It's really fast and fun to fly. But it also has a comfortable bed and autopilot, so..." She slipped a hand behind his neck and kissed his mouth impishly. "Shall we go?"
It didn't take long for Tessa to realize that Ryan had in fact changed during their separation. She had been foolish to think otherwise, especially given his dangerous adventures against the Cruoog. He could still be gentle and affectionate, but there was an underlying edge that simply hadn't been there before.
He pictured you in the arms of a Zentarr for a whole year. He thought you had forgotten all about him. So he threw himself into daredevil missions. You can't blame him for being a little jaded. It will take time...
She had expected this trip to be romantic. Instead, it was downright awkward, mostly because he kept surprising her, first by declining a chance to fly the sports-prop, then by scowling every time she lapsed into Zentarin, and finally, by kissing her so roughly after she activated the autopilot that she actually pulled away from him, insisting that her post-pregnancy hormones were acting up, making physical contact uncomfortable. He was visibly furious, although he cheered up enough to leer at her when she pulled out the breast pump and emptied her uncomfortably full breasts.
Now he was lounging on the bed. Meanwhile, she sat at the controls, pretending to be absorbed by the detection screen. Occasionally, he asked a question about the babies, which made her relax a little. She missed them so much, and despite this rough patch with Ryan, she still couldn't wait to see them in his strong, loving arms for the first time.
Finally he dozed off and she decided to do likewise. Stretching out beside him, she rested her arm gently across his chest, promising herself that by this time tomorrow, things would be better. He might have changed a little---or maybe even a lot---but he was still Ryandus Brill. Once he'd gotten over the shock of being a father, that amazing optimism would return, and together they'd find a way to make their family work.
"It seems to bother you when I speak Zentarin. Is there something wrong with your translation chip?"
"It makes my head hurt, actually."
"Oh, you should have said something earlier. I'm sorry, Ryan. I'll speak Cortierran from now on."
They were walking the short distance from the landing strip to her apartment building, and to her relief, he seemed more rested and cheerful. And anxious to see the boys---that was obvious from his quick pace and endless questions.
When they reached the front door, she put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a hopeful smile. "This is it. You'll love them, I know. And they'll love you too. So...that just leaves us. You and me. Do you still love me? A little at least?"
"You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."
She winced but persisted. "I know it was a rough year for you. Maybe I should have told you about the pregnancy right away. I wanted to, Ryan. I just needed to be sure I was doing the right thing. For you. For me. And especially for our sons."
"I'm actually glad you waited."
She drew back, surprised. "You are?"
"Sure. It's working out perfectly from my perspective." He winked and added slyly, "Have I thanked you yet?"
"That's not necessary."
"Nevertheless..." He took her hand and raised it to his lips. "Thank you, Miss Zentress, for making all my dreams come true."
Miss Zentress?
She didn't want to ruin what he apparently intended to be a lovely moment. Still, it was annoying, especially because the playful nickname reminded her that he hadn't used her real name since they'd left Cortierra. And maybe even before that.
"You haven't called me Tess. Or Tessa. Not once."
He quirked an eyebrow. "And you didn't speak to me for a long, lonely year. So we're even. Right?" Before she could respond, he turned away from her and pushed open the door. Then he walked into her living room and straight over to the bassinets.
"Ryan, wait!"
Ignoring her, he scooped up an infant and grinned down into its face. "So, which one are you?"
Alarmed by his rough behavior, so reminiscent of that awful kiss aboard the sports-prop, Tess ran over to them and stroked the child's cheek. "This is Zakkar. Zakkar Brill. Isn't he perfect?"
"Priceless," he agreed. "Of course, if I had to, I could come up with a figure. Maybe 500,000 cruoogars."
"What?"
Correne walked into the room and immediately squealed with delight. "You're home! And this is your famous lover? He's just as handsome as you claimed." Hurrying over to them, she said with a smile, "It's nice to meet you, Major. Congratulations on your healthy sons."
He scowled and said to Tessa, "Tell her it hurts my head to listen to that babble. Can't she speak Cortierran?"
"No." Tessa glared. "Just say something nice. You know enough Zentarin to be polite, so use it."
He laughed. "Apparently I've forgotten it all. So humor me."
"Give me the baby."
"Only if I can hold the other one," he said, gathering little Zakkar more tightly against his chest.
When the infant whimpered, Tessa's patience snapped. "It's not a game, Ryan. You're upsetting him. Give him to me now."
"I've got a better idea. Why don't I just take him and go?" His face contorted with anger. "One for each of us. Doesn't that sound convenient?"
A knot twisted in Tessa's stomach, and apparently Correne felt the tension too, because she scooped up Zarruss and moved a safe distance away from the warring couple. Then she told Tessa in whispered Zentarin, "You should feed the children. There is soup for their father if he'd like some."
Tessa nodded. "Ryan? Correne's offering to serve you some lunch while I nurse the boys. Let's do that, shall we?"
"Your Cortierran isn't very sharp, is it?" he said with a chuckle. "I just told you I'm taking your son. The only question is, are you coming with us or not?"
I'm taking your son...
Forcing herself to breathe normally, she struggled to understand what was happening. Why was he referring to Zakkar as your son rather than as our son?
Why didn't he remember even a few words of Zentarin? Why didn't his chip work? Why didn't he call her Tess?
And why did his familiar bronze eyes seem so unfamiliar? So eerily foreign and cruel, with no light emitting from their depths?
"Oh no..."
He burst into laughter. "Well, it took you long enough. I'm Neel by the way. And I take it your name is Tess? Or Tessa? Or whatever?"
"Please..." She exhaled sharply and adopted a more formidable tone. "I don't know what game you think you're playing, but I want you out of my house. Now. And give me that child or I'll call the authorities."
"Don't be an idiot. I may not be a warrior like Rye, but I can snap this kid's neck with ease." Glaring toward Correne, who had been backing toward the kitchen, he growled. "Get back in here. No sudden movements. Tessie, translate for me. Tell your silver-eyed friend that I'll kill this kid if she doesn't cooperate."
Tessa spoke rapidly in Zentarin, explaining the situation even though she didn't quite understand it herself.
"I'll need some supplies," Neel interrupted. "What about that bag over there? Is it for the kid? Hand it over. Slowly."
"Neel, please. Listen to me. You can't just take my child."
"Sure I can. Like I said, he's worth a lot. Especially to the Cruoog---"
"What?"
Neel's expression hardened. "We need to go. Now. We'll take that glider I saw on the runway. It's faster than the sports-prop, right?" Resting his free hand on baby Zakkar's throat, he locked eyes with Tessa, silently repeating the threat to break the infant's neck.
She gave a quick nod. "I'll go with you if you let me carry him."
"Not a chance. Grab the bag and go ahead of me. And make sure your friend knows not to call the police. Any sign that we're being followed and the kid stops breathing."
"She won't call anyone. But she won't be able to stop Ryan. That's what you want, isn't it? You're leading him into a trap?"
"I'm conducting a business transaction. It's as simple as that. If Rye's smart, he'll settle for the other kid. And maybe even for the other Zentress. But if he's stupid enough to follow us, then yeah. He'll definitely be walking into a trap."
Correne's glider was a beautiful machine, but Tessa took no joy in piloting it. Not with a madman nearby, holding Zakkar, who innocently gurgled up at him, seemingly mesmerized by the bronze eyes.
She had tried to stall, knowing Ryan couldn't be too far behind them. But Neel---who knew nothing about flying---apparently knew a lot about other things, such as how long the trip to Cruoog should take and the speed at which they should be progressing. He even knew the glider could hyper-jump if Tessa built up enough speed, and while she offered myriad reasons why she couldn't possibly do that, his fingers on Zakkar's throat had long since convinced her to make the jump.
Even though Ryan's fighter didn't have jump capabilities.
At least Neel hadn't made any further sexual advances. Not that she wouldn't indulge him in a heartbeat, in exchange for her baby's safety. But he was truly obsessed, and with one thing only---revenge against Ryan. He honestly felt his brother had driven him to this moment. Given him no choice.
In Neel's mind, Neel himself was the victim. The only victim.
When he finally allowed Tessa to nurse her baby, she almost wept with relief. Cooing over the infant, she forced herself to memorize every detail of his smiling face and silver eyes. Just in case. And in the softest voice she could muster, she told him stories---stories he'd never have a chance to remember, but still, they were his heritage. About her father Mar-Zakkar---his grandfather. The most loving male who had ever lived. About Lazal, the adoptive mother who had raised Tessa---self-sacrificing beyond belief, and loving to the point of absurdity. And about Jerielle, the ill-fated woman who had borne Tess. If only she could see her grandsons.
And Ryan. His sons would never know him, and he deserved to be known. All of Cortierra would remember him---sing his praises. But Ryan wouldn't care about that. All that mattered to him was Tessa and their two sons. And his sister---the one for whom Zarruss had been named.
Even when Tessa's breasts were empty, she pretended to nurse Zakkar. Eventually, the child's demented uncle demanded his return, brandishing the laser-knife he had been holding near the baby's throat. Her Zentarin reflexes might have been enough for her to disarm him, but with Zakkar's life at stake, she forced herself to cooperate.
Then an odd thing happened. She wondered at first if her imagination were playing tricks on her, making her see what she wanted to see. But it was more than that. Neel was falling for his nephew, succumbing to the gurgles, the wriggles, the trusting smiles.
My secret weapon.
She wanted to believe it would make a difference, but every word out of Neel's mouth proved her wrong, especially when he talked about his vendetta against Ryan.
"He thinks I killed our father, you know," Neel confided to her.
She stared in dismay, but it made an odd sort of sense. Hadn't Ryan said he'd lost his brother when he lost his father? Since Neel wasn't dead, didn't that mean the relationship had been severed at that moment?
She tried for an even tone. "How did your father die?"
"We were scavenging for meteorites on Gleii. Outside the dome. So obviously we were dependent on O2 tanks. Dad's malfunctioned. He turned blue and suffocated to death."
Tessa's gut twisted at the lack of emotion in Neel's monotone, but she forced herself to sigh. "That must have been awful for you. For both of you."
"Yeah." Neel's bronze eyes grew misty. "Why would I kill my own father? All I ever wanted was some attention from him. You know the story, don't you?" When Tessa bit her lip, Neel snarled. "Of course you don't. Why should you? Ryan had the perfect childhood. No need to cry on your shoulder about it. For me, it was different."
"Tell me about it."
He studied her carefully. "Did you know our parents were divorced? That's more or less a crime to you Zentarins, right?"
"It is unthinkable."
"Well, think about it, because it happens. A lot. They divorced, then mom found out she was pregnant. She kept it secret---like you did. And when she had us, and saw that there were two of us, she shipped one off to Dad without telling him I even existed."
"Oh no." Tessa's heart genuinely ached for them. "Poor babies."
Neel glared. "Ryan got the better deal. A big strong father. I got a sick mother who died within a year, leaving me with a grandfather who quite frankly was a raving psychopath. Luckily, he died in a fire when I was eight, and I was reunited with my twin and my dad."
Tessa put the glider on autopilot and crossed the cabin to stand before him. "I'm so sorry, Neel. No child deserves that sort of misery."
His eyes were damp with tears. "She chose me. Not him. Like I was the special one. Then she deserted me, the bitch."
"Neel!"
He grinned. "Just like you, right? You could have stayed with little what's-his-name, but you chose this one."
"That's not true! You forced me to choose Zakkar. And I knew Zarruss would be fine with Correne..." Her voice trailed away in acknowledgment of the truth. She had chosen Zakkar. Not because she valued him more, but because he needed her most.
They were silent for a moment. Then she admitted, "Ryan was the lucky one. I can see how that bothered you, and I'm so sorry. But if it matters, I think your mother was trying to protect you both. Just in different ways."
"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter. Boys need their father."
She bit her lip, then dared to make her own case. "I agree. They need their father. But my sons will never have one. Doesn't that bother you? The Cruoog will kill Ryan. And they'll kill Zakkar too."
"Huh?" Neel shifted the baby so that he was closer to his chest. "They won't kill this kid. Don't you know anything about them? They don't just raid for pandium and gold. They steal children---especially boys---and raise them as pirates. This kid will be a prize to them, not just because he's Ryandus Brill's son, but because of his silver eyes. I'm guessing they've never abducted a Zentarr. He'll be such a prize, I'm thinking of raising my price."
Tessa nodded, relieved that they had come to the same conclusion: Zakkar would not be killed. But that was only part of the equation.
"The Cruoog will torture him, Neel. Abuse him. Don't you see that? Don't you care? You're his uncle---"
"I was tortured. I was abused. No one cared about me, did they?"
She sighed, touched by his plight. Sinking to one knee, she assured him, "If your mother had lived, she would have cared. And I'm sure your father cared. A lot."
Neel nodded. "He cared. If he had lived, he would have protected me. Loved me. Fixed me."
Relief flowed through her. "You didn't sabotage his O2 tank then?"
Neel's sad eyes narrowed. "It was supposed to be Rye's tank. Dad took the wrong one. I'll never ever forgive Rye for that. He killed Dad, not me. And now I'm going to make him pay."
Cruooglenn was a lot like its citizenry---huge, dirty and clad in armor. From the moment Tessa landed Correne's glider between turrets on the roof of the city's main palace, she knew she and Zakkar were doomed. Guards---who seemed more like giant hulks in metal helmets---swarmed and then dragged the prisoners into the throne room of their main chieftain, an unsightly ogre named Gorr.
One look at him and she realized things were going to get even worse.
Gorr welcomed her with a salacious grin. Then he literally drooled over Zakkar's silver eyes. Clearly he had never dreamed of such easy bounty, and while he negotiated with Neel, he fantasized aloud about the misery he would soon inflict on anyone who had dared love Brill, the despicable enemy of every Cruoog, living and dead.
Tessa was still wearing her red dress, and she forced herself not to cringe every time one of the guards looked at her. Not that she could see their expressions. Their bowl-shaped helmets covered their entire heads with only a narrow band of darkened lens for viewing purposes. She knew that these clumsy contraptions contained breathing systems---a necessity given the Cruoog penchant for raiding mining planets with little or no atmospheres. But the collateral effect was to scare their victims with the lack of personality or human compassion, and it was working.
As for Gorr, he had no helmet to obscure the combination of greed and loathing in his eyes. Was there lust as well? She couldn't be sure. And while she would have preferred to kick his wart-covered ass, she didn't dare close off the possibility of seduction. She had to be smart if she wanted to stall long enough for Ryan to save them.
Assuming of course that he could.
He'll bring his squadron. Brill's Raiders, she assured herself, but in her heart, she knew that wasn't so. There just hadn't been time for that. Ryan would have suffered through the medal ceremony, then returned to the gazebo only to find that she had deserted him again. But this time, it wasn't just about his love for Tessa. He'd be determined to see his son too, so he'd head off to Leere in The Red Vixen, ready to plead his cause through charm and finesse, never suspecting that his family was in actual danger.
No, he'd assume it was just another case of cold feet on Tessa's part. And by the time he found Correne---if he found Correne---it would be too late. But still he'd come after them.
He'd cradle Zarruss to his chest first, though. Tessa's throat tightened with misery as she imagined it. Ryan would think the baby was Zakkar, and when Correne told him the truth, he'd go out of his mind with the need to see his other son.
To save his other son. And to save Tessa.
"One million cruoogars," Gorr announced finally. "Take the money and leave. My people are grateful to you for delivering the Zentress and Brill's spawn to us. You are truly a Cruoog at heart. Selling your own brother. And your own nephew. Not even I could do that."
Neel grinned, then glanced pointedly at the baby in his arms. "Didn't I mention that this kid has a twin? I plan on raising the other one like my own son. So this one's all yours. Just don't be too hard on him. He didn't do anything wrong, other than being born. He'll grow up to be a great pirate for you, so...well, keep that in mind."
"Brill's spawn? Don't worry about his childhood. He won't have one," Gorr said with a laugh. "I will personally slit his tiny throat in front of all Cruooglenn. They have thirsted for this blood, and tomorrow morning it will finally flow."
'No!" Tessa jumped between Gorr and the baby, heedless of the metal cuffs on her ankles and wrists. "You have me. And you'll have Brill himself soon. Isn't that enough?"
Gorr glared at her. "Do you know how much humiliation he inflicted on us? He didn't care about his son then, did he? So why should I care now?"
Her heart began to pound. "He didn't know about the baby. I didn't tell him. For the love of Helios, don't punish an innocent child for the sins of his father."
Neel stepped forward as well. "The kid's a Zentarr, Gorr. Doesn't that make him more valuable alive? Can't you just see it? A Zentarr pirate on the side of the Cruoog. It's priceless."
"Not priceless. We settled that a few minutes ago, didn't we? You have your payment. Let me decide the best use of this bounty." Gorr motioned to a nearby guard. "Take the child from Brill's brother."
Neel drew a long, audible breath. Then he chuckled. "This is your lucky day, Gorr. No need to pay me for the kid. Just take the Zentress---my brother's true love. It'll kill him to know she's here with you. You can have her for 250,000 cruoogars. It's a bargain. And I'll take the baby---"
"You sold him to us. It's over." Gorr's eyes narrowed. "My minister has programmed a shuttle to take you back to Cortierra, since I'm told you have no piloting skills. In fact," he added with a laugh, "I'm told you have no skills at all, other than cowardice and treachery. That little brat is probably braver than you, which of course is another reason he must die. Otherwise, he'll follow in his father's footsteps one day."
To Tessa's surprise, Neel was undeterred. "With my brother out of the way, I can easily get custody of this kid. And I promise you, I'll raise him to be a businessman, not a soldier. So no danger there." Stepping closer to the giant Cruoog, he told him coolly, "It's a good deal, Gorr. Take it. You'll save 750,000 cruoogars, and still get all the satisfaction you ever wanted."
Gorr stood, and while he wasn't taller than Neel, his bulky, muscular tree-trunk of a body dwarfed the Cortierran merchant. "You have nothing to bargain with, sniveling insect. Go now. Let your miserable life be your bounty, because I won't pay you one single cruoogar. Not even for the bitch."
"What?" Neel shook his head. "We had a deal---"
"Brill is on his way. We can kill him without your help. Be glad we're letting you escape with your life. Now go or I'll change my mind about that as well."
Neel stared for a moment. Then he thrust baby Zakkar into the guard's waiting hands and sprinted out of the throne room.
"No!" Tessa threw herself toward her child, but two guards grabbed her and hauled her back toward Gorr, who sneered in disgust.
"All this commotion over an infant? That's what makes your people weak, Zentress. Not as weak as the sniveling Cortierran who sold you to me, but still, I am disgusted."
"You think Zentresses are weak?" she demanded. Then she reconsidered her fierce tone and smiled instead. "You are misinformed, Gorr. We have strengths that could bring you to your knees with pleasure. Brill experienced such bliss, but he wasn't enough man for me. Maybe you are? I'd gladly serve you in exchange for my son's safety."
Gorr moved closer, so close she could smell his sour breath. "You think you can please me in ways our women cannot?"
"Absolutely. It's not your women's fault," she added with a seductive sigh. "It's the lust fever. You've heard of it, haven't you? It makes us so wild. So aroused. We'll do anything for a big, strong male like you."
Gorr shrugged. Then he turned to the guards. "Take this Zentarin whore to the tower. I'm curious to see if she can offer us some pleasure before she dies."
Tessa swallowed the lump of disgust in her throat. "And my son?"
Gorr nodded, instructing the guards, "Uncuff her and give her Brill's brat. For now."
"Thank you," Tessa whispered.
"Do not thank me," the giant told her bluntly. "Soon you will be pleading for a quick death. For yourself and for your spawn."
There were bars on the window of her prison cell, but even if she could manage to pry them loose, the drop from the tower would be too far for her to dare with Zakkar in her arms. It was a shame though, since the glider was still parked on the roof of the fortress within view of the tower. If she could just find a way...
Even if she'd wanted to work on the bars, there were no usable implements in the room. The simple furnishings---a narrow bed and two lightweight bins, one filled with water and one for use as a makeshift toilet---had been supplemented only by the garish costume Gorr had sent along for her to wear for the upcoming seduction.
The outfit was ludicrously skimpy. Just a collection of three pink scarves for her to position as she chose over her otherwise naked body. There was no mirror, which didn't really matter. She had a feeling Gorr would be aroused by any arrangement of the sheer fabric.
If only she could guess what else he'd enjoy. Despite her boasts, she had no idea how to seduce a brute. Her Zentarr lovers had been excellent teachers, and Ryan had been playful and adventurous, but they had all been too gentlemanly to prepare her for this.
Maybe it's a good thing, she told herself as she nursed Zakkar to sleep on the cot. You think Gorr wants something elaborate and imaginative, but he probably just wants to brutalize you. Let him have his fun. And please, try not to look disgusted.
A sound from outside the window---like pebbles being flung against the stone wall---caught her ear at that moment. Intrigued, she disengaged her nipple from the baby and moved cautiously across the room, not daring to believe it could be Ryan. Surely he was still six or seven hours away at best.
Peering down, she saw a man in a mechanic's flight suit below the window, staring up at her. For one perfect instant she was sure it was Ryan. Everything about him was correct---size, hair, face...
"Neel?"
"Throw me the baby," he instructed in a raspy whisper. "Hurry, before they realize I haven't left yet."
"For the love of Helios." She scanned the roof, but there were no guards to interfere. "Listen to me. You have to get me out of here. Then I can fly us out in the glider."
"I've got a shuttle. It'll get me where I need to go. Maybe not fast, but once I'm out of this dump, I won't care." He glared at Tessa. "I'm not here to save you, but I'm willing to take my nephew. Throw him down. I promise to catch him."
My baby...
She shook her head. "There has to be another way."
"Don't be selfish," he said with a sneer. "You're just like my mother. Thinking the kid's better off with you. Meanwhile, Gorr will slit his effing throat. You heard him."
Tessa bit her lip. Wasn't he right? It would be awful for her son to be raised by this twisted devil, but at least he'd be alive. And maybe the sister on Gleii would intervene.
Or maybe Ryan will surprise you. Maybe he'll get here faster---
Neel surprised her by reading her mind. "Expecting your hero? Don't make me laugh. His fighter can't jump like a glider, so it's gonna take hours. Even if Zak's still alive when Ryan hits Cruoog airspace, they're waiting for him. I'll bet they already have dozens of those dragons up there. He may've been able to outfly six or seven, but not the entire fleet. Rye's a dead man, Tessie. I'm all you've got. And---" he paused for a menacing glare, "---I'm leaving in thirty seconds, with or without the brat."
Gorr will slit Zakkar's throat. Even if you manage to thrill him in bed, the novelty will wear off before Ryan can arrive. You know what you have to do, Mar-Tessa.
"Wait! I'll drop him into your arms." Hurrying to the cot, she took the baby in her arms, then gathered him close and nuzzled him, her grief spiraling out of control. Then a new handful of pebbles reminded her that Neel wasn't really much of a hero. If she didn't hurry, he'd leave without his nephew and never regret it.
"I love you so much, Zakkar. Lead a full and happy life. And forgive me for this." Kissing him a final time, she returned to the window, then realized the baby's head was ever-so-slightly larger than the spacing between the bars.
"Neel! He won't fit. His head's too big. Please find another way. Maybe if you offer the Cruoog your family's pandium. Or better still, overpower a guard and steal his blaster---"
"Are you insane? Just force his head through the bars."
Tessa cuddled Zakkar against her chest. "I told you, it won't fit."
"So he gets some bruises, or a few cracks. I'll find a doctor as soon as possible. At least he'll be alive."
She stroked the baby's soft hair. It was so dark, just like his father's. And just like her father's. He was so precious. So beautiful---
"You're out of time. I'm going," Neel proclaimed in disgust. "His blood is on your hands now, not mine."
"Neel, please! There must be another way---"
"I was a fool to risk my life for this. Have fun with Gorr, Zentress."
"Neel!" She stared in dismay as he skirted the side of the tower and began sneaking along the rampart. Never once did he look back. Instead, he made quick progress, and then, glancing around to make sure he was alone, he dashed across the roof toward an opening in the wall.
"Coward," she murmured unhappily. "How can you possibly be Brill's twin? Oh!" A burly guard had stepped through the opening, his blaster trained on Neel, who immediately raised his hands and dropped to his knees in abject surrender.
"You didn't even try to overpower him," Tessa chided him softly.
As disgusted as she was, she still couldn't bear what happened next. The guard walked right up to Neel and blasted two quick shots into his head.
"No!" She cradled Zakkar against her chest, holding her breath while the guard kicked Neel's lifeless body a few times. Then he then holstered his blaster, grabbed the corpse by the foot, and cheerfully dragged it through the opening in the wall.
"I'm so sorry," Tessa whispered to the baby. "He was a coward, but in his way, he tried to save you."
She sighed, reminding herself that it was Neel who had sold Zakkar into slavery in the first place. She couldn't afford to mourn him. She needed all her strength to keep the baby alive.
Someone pounded in warning on the huge wooden door to her cell, then a key turned in the lock. Tessa quickly grabbed the red dress she had discarded earlier and made a nest for Zakkar under the window, as far from the entrance as possible. Fluffing her hair, she moved to the center of the cell just as Gorr entered the room followed by five male guards and one statuesque woman.
Tessa had never seen a Cruoog female, and from the disdainful grin on the newcomer's face, she guessed she had never seen a Zentress. They could not have been more different. The Cruoog was a head taller than Tessa and fully twice her size in the weight department. Muscular yet stunningly curvaceous, she had long, silky blonde hair that had been brushed to a sheen.
There was no doubt that she considered herself the most beautiful woman in the room, and Tessa silently agreed with the assessment. She tried to straighten up---to look more impressive---but her silly outfit of scarves just made her seem weaker and more vulnerable than she'd already become. The Cruoog female was wearing tall leather boots covered with nasty-looking studs, along with a chain mail vest and short leather pants, also covered with sharp metal fixtures that clearly were designed for utility as well as decoration.
Around her waist was a belt that held an assortment of small knives. Suspended at her side was a gleaming short-handled scythe.
Tessa gulped but forced herself to stand her ground. At best, this was going to be an extremely painful three-way romp. At worst?
A massacre.
Gorr was grinning from ear to ear. "Allow me to present Sallelle, my beloved bride. She was quite annoyed when I told her of your boast. That you could pleasure me in ways she could never hope to do."
Tessa winced. "That's not exactly what I said. I just mentioned that the fever---the lust fever---makes us different. Not better. Just exotic, I guess you'd say."
Sallelle snorted. "You want my man? You'll need to fight me for him."
"Don't be silly. Now that I see how happy you two are together..." Tessa spread her hands in front of herself, palms up. "I wouldn't think of interfering. Plus, you're ten times more gorgeous than me. But I guess you know that. Do you have any children?"
"We have slaves for that. But I do love the taste of them. Gorr has promised me I can roast yours and eat him if I entertain him enough in this bout."
Helios, no...
Tessa dared to peek at Zakkar out of the corner of her eye and saw that one of the guards was standing dangerously close to him. "Hey! Get away from my son."
The guard didn't budge, but at least he was looking at her now, not at the baby. She couldn't see the hulk's expression due to the helmet, but she suspected he was laughing at her---a slender, naked woman threatening a wart-covered warrior.
Still, if she needed to, she could take this one. He was big, but not nearly as big as Gorr. Maybe not even as big as Gorr's blushing bride.
It occurred to her that this was actually a good idea. She couldn't hope to defeat the heavily armed Sallelle, but this creep only had brute strength to combat her quick Zentarin reflexes. He'd never be able to get his single weapon---a blaster---out of its holster in time to thwart a surprise attack.
She was just about to spring at him when she noticed something fall from his gloved hand and float down toward the baby. It was so slender she almost missed it, but so scarlet in color, she recognized it instantly.
A twisted strand of silk ribbon.
Ryan!
She didn't know how he'd gotten here so quickly, or how he'd managed to infiltrate the Cruoogan guards, but it didn't matter. He was going to save their son.
And she was going to help.
Turning back to Gorr, she arched a playful eyebrow. "Are you sure you want me to fight Sallelle? She's so beautiful. So arousing. My loins explode with fever when I look at her. Can't you think of another way we could entertain you?"
His expression didn't change, but she was sure she detected a spark of interest behind his murky green eyes, so she gave him a coquettish smile and removed one of her scarves, revealing her naked breasts. When the guard standing next to him groaned out loud, she knew she was making progress, so she turned her back to the giant leader, removed the scarf that covered her behind, and wiggled provocatively.
"Bitch!" Sallelle shrieked, drawing her scythe and rushing toward Tessa, clearly intending to decapitate her. And she probably would have succeeded had a white-hot blast from Ryan's weapon not blown her head off instead.
Grabbing the scythe, Tessa used it to sever the hand of the closest guard just as he was drawing his weapon. The blaster fell free and she scooped it up, firing straight between Gorr's eyes while Ryan decimated the remaining guards.
Then he pulled off his helmet, strode over to her and pulled her to her feet. Neither of them seemed capable of speech, so they just clung to one another until he finally said reverently, "You're amazing."
Looking up at him, she shook her head. "It's you who's amazing. I didn't think you could possibly get here in time. I was so afraid they'd kill Zakkar."
"Yeah." Releasing her, he walked back to the baby and held him in outstretched arms. "Hey, buddy. Guess who I am?"
To Tessa he added, "This kid's tough. Never cried once."
She nodded. "What do you think of his eyes?"
"They're amazing. Just like yours."
"And...? Did you see your other son?"
"You mean Russ? Yeah, he's amazingly cool too. He actually winked at me when I told him who I was."
"Russ?" She bit back a smile. "You are so disrespectful."
"Civilize me later, Zentress. We've gotta get out of here now."
She nodded. "The glider is close to the tower. Here---" she pulled the remaining scarf from her waist, "---help me bind our son to my chest so my hands are free for fighting."
"Let me carry him."
Pleased, she helped him secure Zakkar into place. When the baby craned his neck to stare up at his father, then rested his cheek against the broad, muscular expanse of his chest as though he knew now he was safe, she felt a wave of pure happiness followed by another more ominous sensation.
They still had to fight through other guards, and even if they reached the glider, the chances of outrunning, outfighting or outmaneuvering the entire Cruoog fleet were a million to one.
But they were together now, and they needed to believe success was possible.
"Wait." She reached for the red dress and shook it until the scarlet thread fell free. Then she attached the memento to the baby's sling. "For luck."
"Nice touch."
After putting her dress back on, she yanked Sallelle's boots free and donned those as well. Then she borrowed a holster with a fresh blaster from one of the dead guards. Ryan apparently approved of the armed version of the Red Vixen as he pulled her into his arms for another quick kiss.
After that, he was all business. "Follow me. And stay close. We'll run into goons all the way down the stairs, so be ready. If they're wearing helmets, aim for their throats. Got it?"
Without waiting for a response, he put his helmet back on, then ventured into the outer hall and proceeded down the narrow, circular staircase.
Ryan made some excellent shots on the way down the stairs, but Tess outdid him. Not that he was surprised. From the moment he'd seen her drill a hole in Gorr's forehead, he'd known who the real star of the family was.
She was relentless in her vengeance against the Cruoog. They had threatened her baby. Now they were going to pay.
He knew the feeling, and enjoyed watching her in action almost as much as he enjoyed the feel of his infant son against his heart.
Unbelievable.
With no more guards in sight, they paused in the rooftop doorway within view of the glider to catch their breaths.
"Here's the plan," he told her tersely. "You'll fly us out in the glider. Bring it low over the airfield, so I can jump out and commandeer one of their dragons. Then you'll head home with Zak while I run interference."
"No, Ryan! I want to help!"
"Sorry, beautiful, that's not going to happen. I'm rescuing you, remember? And the boys need their mother. For love. Guidance. Milk."
Tessa's silver eyes rebuked him. "They need their father too. I won't be separated from you. Not ever again." She interrupted herself to ask, "Where's your Vixen?"
"I had to abandon her outside Cruoog airspace."
"Oh no."
Ryan shrugged. "I programmed her to fly in circles, then used the escape pod to drift into Cruooglenn. It was so small, they didn't detect me."
"Maybe we could find her---"
"She's probably not salvageable," he explained. "The hyper-jump fried half her circuits."
Tessa cocked her head to the side. "She jumped?"
"It wasn't a regulation device. One of my allies from the Xonan system rigged it up for me months ago. But for emergency use only, because we weren't sure a Cortierran fighter could stand the stress. Anyway---" he adopted a sterner tone, "---forget about the Vixen. We've got the whole Cruoog fleet to worry about."
"They just lost their leader---"
"No doubt they have a bigger, uglier one waiting in the wings. The good news is, once they realize I'm in a dragon, they'll focus on me, and you two can build up enough speed to hyper-jump out of here."
Tessa stroked his jaw with her fingertips. "We're not leaving you, so please don't ask us to. I want to fight by your side. And if we're all killed---well, at least it will be quick. And we'll all be together when it happens." She lowered her voice to a gentle whisper. "I learned something today, Ryan. There are fates worse than death. For us and for our sons. Whatever happens now, Zakkar and I will be with you."
Scowling, Ryan had no choice but to relent. "Okay, new plan. We stay together in the glider. And all of us survive. Understood?"
He gave the controls to Tess, who had more experience with gliders, and once again she amazed him, this time with her finesse as she angled the craft so that its presence was virtually undetectable from the ground. It would be a different story once they were outside the atmosphere, but for the moment, they had an unexpected advantage.
Through it all, Zak didn't whimper, not even once. Ryan knew he should strap his son into one of the cots, but having him close like this, with his wide eyes shining up at him, was too intoxicating, so he decided to wait until it was time to start fighting again. Then he'd need to secure the child so he could take the controls from Tess and power up the glider's laser cannons.
"Ryan?" Tess nodded toward the detection screen. "They're straight ahead of us. And lots of them."
He had seen---and heard---the blips too. It was time. So he loosened the sling, kissed his child's warm, ruddy cheek, and handed him to his mother. "Belt him down, then hop into the turret and get a feel for those precision-blasters."
"Okay." She cuddled the baby for a moment and then looked at Ryan, her silver eyes brimming with tears. "Whatever happens---"
"I already know what's gonna happen. We're gonna kick their Cruoogan asses. Right?"
A laugh bubbled up from her throat, making his heart wrench with regret for the time they'd never have together.
"Ryan..."
"Yeah." He focused on the detection screen, horrified by the countless beeps erupting there, this time from behind them. Dozens upon dozens of blinking dots, so many that not even his bravado could withstand the thought of them.
"No surrender," he murmured, half to himself.
"I agree."
The onslaught of new blips---each one representing a fighting craft---continued, and Ryan took the controls, turning the glider to face the newcomers. If they were going to shoot him down along with his precious family, at least he wanted to look them in their dragon-headed eyes.
What appeared was so unexpected, Tess gasped out loud, causing Zakkar to yelp in mirrored surprise.
And Ryan would have shouted a war-whoop of his own, but his throat had closed with amazement as he stared at an endless array of spaceships. Stunningly brilliant, aerodynamically perfect---and not a dragon's head in sight.
Zentarin gliders.
They filled the sky, with more joining them every second, bursting into view like gifts from heaven itself.
Perfect pinpoints of silver.
"Helios be praised."
Still dazzled, Ryan tore his eyes away long enough to beam down at his beautiful Zentress. "Yeah, that's just what I was thinking too."
"You there in the glider. Identify yourselves."
Ryan chuckled. "Hey, Colonel Gantus! Is that you?"
"Major Brill? Greetings! We are pleased you are alive. Is the Zentress Mar-Tessa with you? And the child?"
"Yeah, we're all in one piece. Thanks for showing up." Switching his viewing screen, he confirmed what he was now sure would happen next. "Looks like the Cruoog are scurrying back to their airfield without a fight. Can't say I blame them. You put on quite a show."
That was our intent," Gantus admitted. "We're just glad we arrived in time. Or did you have the situation under control?" Before Ryan could respond, the huge colonel laughed as though he'd just made a hilarious joke.
Ryan laughed too. "Yeah, my limit must be six, 'cause we were just about to go down in flames. Help from Cortierra---including my Raiders---is on the way, but they wouldn't have made it in time. So I owe you my life, and the lives of my family. We're in your debt forever."
"It was our pleasure. Take your family home, Major. We'll handle it from here."
Take your family home...
Ryan couldn't think of anything he'd rather do. But there was one last detail. "I abandoned my fighter at the edge of Cruoog's airspace. I need to go look for her---"
"The Red Vixen?" Gantus's tone was reverent. "We'll find her and ship her back to Cortierra. After that, we have orders to destroy the entire Cruoog fleet, unless you have some objection."
"Hell no. In fact, I'd love to help crush them, but---"
"But your other son---the offworld twin with the silver eyes---waits for you on Leere?"
"Exactly."
"You must return to him immediately. Our Council wishes you the best and invites you to visit Zentarus soon. We are all curious. And the Zentress is sorely missed."
Ryan glanced at Tessa in time to see the wave of emotions crossing her face. Amazement and gratitude, certainly. But also relief at knowing her people hadn't turned their backs on her.
Mixed in with all that was a tinge of stubbornness, and he knew she was thinking about Alberus. He didn't envy her the confusion she was feeling, but he could definitely relate to it. Not that Alberus had ever done anything to match Neel's treachery.
Shaking off the troubling mood, Ryan signed off with Gantus, then turned back to Tess. "What a day."
"Did you hear what he called me? The Zentress. Next to the Red Vixen, it is my favorite title."
"Yeah, well, Mrs. Brill has a nice ring to it too."
"As does Mar-Ryandus for you," she quipped.
I hope you're kidding." Taking Zak from her, he led her to a cot where they sat together, his arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him, and he knew she was even more exhausted than he was.
But happy too.
Finally she murmured, "When I thought we were about to die, I still had no regrets."
"Because we were together? Yeah, you were right about that."
She sighed. "It would have been toughest on poor Zarruss. But your sister and Correne would have raised him well."
"Twins." Ryan grinned at her. "Good job, by the way. Sorry I wasn't around to help. Did it hurt?"
"The delivery? Yes. I had murderous thoughts about you at one point. But when I saw Zakkar's adorable face, I forgave you. And when I saw Zarruss's face, I fell hopelessly in love with you all over again."
He kissed her, then kissed the child in his arms. "Zak's named after your father. Where'd you get Zarruss?"
"It honors your sister." Tess winced. "Doesn't it?"
"You mean, Sashara?"
"Oh!" Tess shook her head. "I misremembered her name. Shall we change Zarruss to Sharuss?"
"Nah, we'll just make my sister change hers to Zarri," he said mischievously, his energy returning. "She won't be too thrilled about it, so I hope you weren't planning on being friends."
Tess laughed. "Stop teasing me."
"It's a shame too, because she raises votters. You know how you love their milk---"
"Speaking of milk." Tess pretended to glare. "I'm filling up again, so I need my baby back."
"Perfect! Nurse him into a stupor while I make the jump. After that," he warned, "I want you all to myself."
Bending down to grab her discarded scarf from the floor, he added with an impish grin, "And just so you don't catch a cold, I'm gonna let you wear this."
About the Author Kate Donovan is an unapologetic escapist who is committed to helping fellow readers escape as well. Other galaxies, other times, other lands---anything but here and now, right?
Surprisingly, Kate's here-and-now is pretty darned nice. She's married to her college love, has two wonderful children, and practices law in Northern California. She adores that life---really she does. Nevertheless, she can't resist sneaking up to her office to write time-travels, paranormals, adventures and romantic suspense at all hours of the day and night. It's clearly an illness, but she's not looking for a cure.
To learn more about Kate Donovan, please visit www.katedonovan.com or katedonovan.livejournal.com. Send an email to KateDonovan@hotmail.com.
Look for these titles by Kate Donovan
Now Available:
The Fever Series
Space Fever
Star Fever
Is he the hero of her childhood dreams...or the death of them---and her?
Prophesied
© 2008 Liz Craven
On the day of her birth, Lia fulfilled a prophecy that ended a 5,000-year war, and became a wife. But being the fulfillment of a sacred prophecy makes for a stifling childhood---not to mention a dangerous one. When an assassination attempt goes wrong, Lia takes the opportunity and runs from her destiny---as well as from her absent husband.
Talon isn't sure what to expect when he rescues his bride from a mining colony on a barren moon. What he doesn't anticipate is her lack of gratitude and her repeated escape attempts. Determined to convince his wife to accept her duties, Talon knows he also needs to keep her safe, even if he has to lock her up in his own quarters to do it.
As they get closer to their planet and Lia's coronation, the danger around them increases, and so does the tension between them. For their growing attraction to turn into something more, they need to stay alive and learn to trust each other---a tall order when Lia's experience in life has taught her that trusting people can get you killed.
Warning: Contains adult language, sexual content, and as always, reading anything by Liz Craven may be hazardous to your sanity.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Prophesied:
Lia's eyes, accustomed to the dark mines, burned under the harsh office light. Blinking the tears back, the face of the speaking soldier wavered briefly, before coming into focus.
Her heart stuttered, and she managed to keep her jaw from dropping. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse---or any better, she wasn't sure which.
His face was leaner than she remembered, giving his cheekbones a sharp edge. He had lost the soft features of a young man. The roundness of his cheeks had faded, making his square jaw more pronounced and giving him a determined look. He regarded the rep with gray eyes, the color of melted xyreon ore when light struck it. Unlike the ore, however, his flinty eyes were ice cold. The world "ruthless" flitted across her mind and a shiver danced down her spine.
His body had been long and lanky when she had last seen him, but the man before her was not the awkward boy she once knew. His chest had filled out, making him easily three times her width. His upper torso tapered to a lean waist. Body armor hugged trim hips and strong legs. The red emblem of an elected planetary official gleamed on his shoulders.
He barely glanced at her, and the feeling of disappointment that swept over Lia surprised her. She hadn't wanted him to recognize her and had no business feeling hurt because she had gotten her wish.
As she studied him, he glanced at a soldier behind him and jerked his chin in her direction. A man with blond hair and the flush of youth still in his cheeks stepped towards her. He smiled at her---the first courtesy ever offered to her in the rep's office---and extended his arm.
"This will only take a moment," the young soldier assured her.
Staring at the device he was holding, Lia took a cautious step back. The rep still had a death grip on her arm---her fingers were going numb---so the step was small, but it was enough for the soldier to hesitate.
"What is that?" she demanded, relieved she sounded angry rather than panicked.
"It won't hurt." His tone was polite, if condescending, but he didn't lower the device.
"What 'won't hurt'?" Lia snapped out.
The young man actually blushed. "It's a simple DNA scan. It will take less than five seconds, and you won't feel a thing."
This time Lia wrenched her arm free from the rep as she leaped backwards. "Absolutely not."
"I promise it won't hurt," the youth reassured her.
"I said no."
Then he spoke, and he had the audacity to sound amused. "Madam, we are looking for someone. The DNA scan will help narrow our search by eliminating you. We will compensate you for your time."
She snorted. Even if they gave her money, the rep would be the one "compensated" for her time. "I still refuse."
"We must insist."
Ignoring the furious glare of the rep, she stood her ground. "Under League privacy laws, a DNA scan cannot be compelled unless an individual is under arrest. Am I under arrest?"
He lifted an eyebrow. She resisted the urge to reach up and yank it back down.
"You are not under arrest---" he conceded.
"Then I am free to refuse the scan."
"Neither are you in League territory," he continued. He gestured towards the youth. "Caden."
Lia's stomach sank. They had her. League laws meant nothing on Tmesis. The only thing she could do was endure the scan with dignity.
The young soldier stepped forward, pointing the scanner at her.
Dignity be damned. With fury fueled by fear, Lia kicked out, knocking the scanner from the unsuspecting soldier's hand. She spun and darted for the door.
She didn't make it three meters, before slamming into another one of the soldiers who had circled around to block her path with inhuman speed. Her breathing hitched when she took in his glowing red eyes, wide-spread jaw, and sharp pointed teeth. An Inderian. A proud and fierce race of warriors steeped in tradition, blood feuds, and honor. If their inherent skills weren't enough to inspire fear in those they met, the rumors of ritual sacrifice and cannibalism were. They rarely left their home system, but those who did usually hired out as assassins.
Were the soldiers seeking her out to ensure her death?
The Inderian turned Lia to face the others, lifting her completely off her feet to do so, and she hated that her face was flushed. The impromptu flight embarrassed her. Where did she think she was going? There weren't a lot of hiding places on a barren moon. Especially when you needed pesky little luxuries like water. Fortunately, the dirt and grime smearing her face hid her blush. At least she hoped they did.
He stood in the same place, his arms crossed and that infuriating eyebrow still cocked, making no effort to hide his amusement.
Caden held the scanner again, his gaze flicking back and forth between Lia and his commander who met Lia's narrowed eyes for a brief moment before nodding.
Caden approached her cautiously, like drawing near a nest of vipers. Lia felt a crazy urge to laugh. The Inderian held her immobilized. She could barely turn her head, much less attack a trained soldier. She wasn't fooling herself. The only reason she'd succeeded in kicking him before was the element of surprise.
No miner in their right mind would attack a League soldier. Lia supposed that meant she was no longer in her right mind. Not that it mattered, seeing how they were probably going to kill her.
She had feared for her life for as long as she could remember and had half-expected to feel relief at finally facing death. She didn't. She was pissed-off, plain and simple. And under the anger, her heart ached that the one good thing she remembered from childhood---this cold and amused man---was an illusion.
An illusion that was probably going to kill her.
Caden pressed a button and a beam of orange light moved over her. The crucial procedure took mere seconds. The light disappeared, and Caden began inputting data into the scanner.
Scrapping together what little dignity she had left, Lia addressed the Inderian. "You can release me now."
A nod from their leader, and she found herself standing on her own two feet. The Inderian shifted behind her and she knew he prepared to catch her if she bolted. He needn't have bothered. With the scan completed, she felt oddly resigned and drained of energy. With her anger gone, the long day, the cave-in and her injury finally caught up with her. Not to mention the strain of the last five minutes. She wanted to sit down. Actually, she wanted to curl into fetal position. She did neither.
A pair of boots stepped into her field of vision and she looked up into the face of the man from her past.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" The brisk tone lacked warmth, but Lia sensed he was trying to be kind. Her anger had amused him. She wondered if her dejection bothered him.
She decided to answer his question honestly. "Yes, it was."
He blinked, and she realized she had surprised him. Instinctively, she knew very little surprised this man.
He inclined his head politely. "I apologize for the inconvenience." He hesitated before dropping his voice to prevent the rep from overhearing. "We only seek to find a missing person. The scan will be used to eliminate your DNA as a match for hers. Once done, you will be free to go. We will not be passing scan results on to authorities or storing them in any public database. Your privacy and secrets will remain intact."
He thought her a criminal afraid of being caught. She was about to surprise him again.
He turned away from her, dismissing her. "Caden, I believe we have taken up enough of this young lady's time. Record her as a non-match and reset the scanner for the next subject."
"I can't," Caden sounded nervous.
"You can't? The scanner is malfunctioning?"
"No, sir. I just ran and reran a diagnostic on it. I also ran the results four times," Caden rushed to assure him.
"Then what seems to be the problem?"
"There's no problem. It's just that..." He hesitated.
"That what?" the commander barked.
"I'm a match," Lia said wearily. "I'm your wife."
He can save her planet, but only if she saves him first.
Space Fever
© 2010 Kate Donovan
Cabrielle is glad her father never lived to see his defraction technology in the hands of the rebels. Now the only hope for her planet's survival is Torr, the Zentarin who's training Cortierra's pilots.
Except Torr is suffering from an untimely case of lust fever---two years ahead of schedule. He must return home to mate with a Zentarin female, or die... Unless by some miracle a Cortierran female exists who might satisfy him.
Sleeping with the hunky offworlder isn't exactly the way Cabbie planned to redeem the family name, but she'll do anything to defend her home. Even use her body rather than her crack sharpshooting skills. One feverish night later, Torr has his cure, and Cabbie finds herself lust-bonded for life. She willingly gives him her heart---until the truth behind his motives flings it back at her in pieces.
As Torr's lust-mate, Cabbie makes an irresistible target for the rebels. When they kidnap her, intent on using her as a pawn, one thing is certain. Her frayed bond with Torr is Cortierra's only hope.
Warning: This story contains non-FDA-approved home remedies for lust fever.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Space Fever:
Delivering a top-secret message from the president...
In times past, this assignment would have carried enormous prestige on Cortierra. Now that the presidency was mostly ceremonial, the honor had paled as well. Still, Lieutenant Cabrielle Lent could remember when their democracy had flourished---before the discovery of pandium, before the rebellion, before the death of her infamous father---and so, as she approached the headquarters of Supreme General Berritt Veesayloren, she carried the presidential missive proudly.
Unfortunately, the two burly captains-at-arms guarding the doors seemed equally intent on performing their duties. "No one gets in. Orders of General Vee himself," the larger of the two men informed her.
"You guys must be new," Cabbie told them coolly. "I'm Vee's stepdaughter."
"And Jensen Lent's daughter. Don't forget that."
The other guard flashed an apologetic smile. "You've got orders from President Arcos. We respect that. But Vee's word is law around here."
"And if Arcos himself were standing here? Would you bar his entry?"
The guard hesitated. "Are you taking full responsibility for this?"
She nodded, acknowledging to herself that if this turned out to be a miscalculation, it might not be simply embarrassing. It could be career-ending, despite her well-placed connections and sharpshooting prowess. Still, she couldn't back down now, so she pasted a confident smile on her lips, pushed open the double doors and strode into General Veesayloren's office.
Immediately, she knew she had made a mistake.
There were two people in the room. The first was her stepdad---a powerful man who had showered her with affection, publicly as well as privately.
Unfortunately the other person was an offworlder. Arguably a superior one in terms of genetics. Definitely a superior one in terms of military might. And assuredly not the sort of fellow one wanted to surprise, let alone offend.
Commander Denn-Torr. The silver-eyed savior of them all.
Not that Cabbie could actually see his famed Zentarin irises---they were hidden behind black lenses. But her imagination was supplying the details, and she was sure those pools of liquid steel were regarding her with disdain, if not outright contempt.
She wanted to despise him in return but simply could not. His tall, leather-clad physique, blue-black hair, square jaw and regal bearing prompted only awe. He was a picture-perfect Zentarr---powerful and disciplined, advanced beyond the wildest dreams of humans on Cortierra, and the only hope for Cabbie's planet in the war against the rebels.
And he was staring right at her.
Her stepfather broke the silence. "What's the meaning of this?"
She licked her lips, still distracted by Denn-Torr. "I'm sorry, General. I have a message from President Arcos. But it can wait. Obviously." Turning to the offworlder, she added carefully, "I didn't know you were here, Commander. Please forgive the intrusion."
"It's fine," he told her, his voice an unreadable monotone. "No one but the general and myself knew of this meeting. Finish your business and leave."
"Yes, sir." She turned back to her stepfather. "My orders were to place this message into your hands. No intermediaries. I couldn't have known---"
"It's fine, Lieutenant," her stepfather said, echoing Denn-Torr's words, but arching an eyebrow to clarify that it wasn't "fine" at all. Then he took the green envelope and slid his finger under the seal.
Should I stay? Go? What? she asked him silently. Her instinct was to run, but what if there was a return message? Hadn't the president mentioned that possibility?
General Vee was staring at the sheet of paper he had pulled from the envelope, his eyes flickering up and down as though reading and then re-reading. She noted the tension in the corners of his mouth and recognized it immediately as a symptom of smoldering rage.
But was it directed at the message? Or at her?
Even in her misery, she couldn't resist stealing a second look at the Zentarr. To her surprise, he was staring back at her again, although he returned his gaze to the general immediately.
He's as curious as you are, she realized. He's heard all about Dad---the good and the bad. He wonders what you inherited from him. Brilliance? Treachery?
Wasn't that what everyone wondered? Not that Cabbie saw her father as a traitor. More like a self-destructive genius who had placed his own needs above the needs of his planet.
In his own way, hadn't Denn-Torr had done the same? He was here, even though his planet's Elder Council had decreed Cortierra to be too warlike to merit any further military assistance from the mighty Zentarus. They had recalled all their consultants, making it clear they would remain neutral in the struggle between Cortierra proper and the rebels who had broken away, regrouped and now mounted regular attacks on the mother planet.
Then you showed up...
Cabbie eyed the commander intently. She knew his government had refused his request to officially aid Cortierra. However, in deference to his many military honors---and to the fact that his own father had died protecting Cortierra from space pirates---they had granted him a leave of absence and permission to become a flight instructor on Cortierra for one year, but only on the condition that he not become directly involved in the planet's civil war.
Her memory flashed back to the moment of his arrival in his magnificent Zentarin glider. He had stepped into view, his lean muscles clad in the black leather uniform of his native land, his fabled eyes hidden by darkened goggles. Throngs of reporters and soldiers had mobbed the area, anxious for a glimpse of him. Cabbie's vantage point---in the control tower of the launch strip---had given her the best view possible, and while she had tried to remain cool, the image had been seared into her brain.
Her stepfather interrupted her reverie. "The rebels have successfully deployed a defraction device."
"Huh?" It took her a full second to react. Then she whispered, "It's not possible. That technology is still years away---"
"Apparently not." Vee's tone was icy, and she knew exactly why. He blamed her father, and by extension, her. It was irrational, and it would fade quickly, but it had happened often enough for her to know the signs, and not just from her stepfather. She had even seen such accusations erupt in her own mother's eyes.
Guilt by association.
The general turned away from her and addressed Denn-Torr. "This complicates our situation even further, Commander. The rebels are no longer just a nuisance---they're a full-fledged threat."
"Actually, it doesn't complicate my situation at all," the Zentarr reminded him. "I am neutral in these skirmishes."
"Oh... Quite right." The general's face reddened. "No disrespect intended. We would never embroil you in our rebellion." Visibly flustered, he told Cabbie, "Take a message to the president. Tell him...well, tell him things are even worse than he knows. I'll arrange a full briefing within the hour."
"I'll tell him, sir. Anything else?"
"Just go. And Lieutenant Lent?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Not a word to anyone. About any of this. And no mention of Commander Denn-Torr being here. Is that clear?"
Not even to the president? she wanted to ask, but instead she just saluted and hurried out of the room, anxious for time alone to deal with the shock of the rebels' unexpected advantage.
Not to mention the shock of coming face to face with a tall, dark, hard-bodied Zentarr.
Hours later, as she stared into the fog-shrouded canyon that formed the northern boundary of her family's estate, Cabbie wondered what her father would think if he knew his beloved research---some of which had been conducted on this very spot---had fallen into the hands of the rebels. In some ways, it was a blessing he had died before such a terrible thing happened.
Bzzt! Bzzt!
Instinctively, she drew her blaster and fended off the swarm of blood bats that had zoomed out of the mist. Thirteen direct hits this time---the most she had ever managed during a single attack. The remaining rodents dove back to their chemical lair, and, despite her hard-won confidence, she exhaled in relief, knowing how much they wanted to latch on to her carotid artery for a nice, warm meal.
Her days of practicing on blood bats were coming to an end. Soon it would be real humans---Cortierrans by blood and culture, despite their rebellion. Although Cabbie had specialized as a sharpshooter, there would be little need for that skill now that the rebels had the ability to shield their presence with ADT. No longer would they be limited to surprise attacks on the three moons of Cortierra. With Ambient Defraction Technology, they could bring carriers and battleships right into the atmosphere of the mother planet without advanced detection.
Fortunately, Cabbie had cross-trained as a turret gunner. Her unit would be deployed now, and she would go with them. She had dreamed of this day, but without this nightmarish tinge to it. Enemy vessels appearing out of nowhere? With no warning? Even a crack shot couldn't hope to compete with that.
"Cabbie?"
She whirled to face her stepfather. "Hi, Vee. What a day, right?"
"I knew I'd find you here. Practicing. And thinking about him."
She winced at the reference to her father, who had died in this canyon during an escape attempt. Vee believed, as did many others, that Jensen Lent had intended to join the rebellion and to share his research with them. Cabbie knew differently. Yes, he had decided to abandon Cortierra, but only to find a neutral location where he could continue his work. He was a scientist, not a soldier, and he was tired of watching his beloved planet being torn in two. So he had packed up his lab and loaded it onto a research ship. Then he had come one last time to this canyon to fill the ship's hull with pandium---a necessary component for building an ADT device. Ironically, it was the pandium that had killed him, igniting during takeoff and blowing him and his life's work into space dust.
"Watch out, Cabbie," her stepfather warned, pointing toward the fog.
She pivoted in time to fire six quick bursts from her blaster, then grinned. "Thanks, Vee. The little scuzzards are hungry today."
"Nice shooting."
"I just hope I'm half as good when my unit gets deployed. It should be any minute, right?" When he didn't respond, she groaned. "You're not going to interfere, are you? They need me. And they've just begun to respect me. But most of them think I'll back out when the orders finally arrive. Please, please let me go."
"The orders have already been issued."
"Really?" She pulled her mobile screen from her jacket pocket, confirming that she hadn't been contacted. Then she eyed her stepfather sternly. "I know Mom's been nagging you, but you know I'm right. If you shield me from battle, I'm not the only one who'll lose the respect of the troops. They'll think you're playing favorites."
"Trust me," he said with a drawl, "I'm not protecting anyone. I just need you for another mission."
"Really?" She pursed her lips, intrigued. "As a sharpshooter?"
"No, it's something else."
She couldn't read his expression, which was usually a bad sign. "Is it dangerous?"
He hesitated before saying, "In its own way, it's the most demanding assignment I've ever had to make. Unfortunately, it's also the most degrading. If there were any other soldier who could do this, I would never ask you---"
"Degrading? Oh no! Propaganda against Dad? Please don't blame this ADT mess on him. He never wanted the rebels to get his technology. I know that for a fact." She folded her arms high on her chest. "I won't do it. You'll have to put me in the brig. And then you'll really have to answer to Mom."
"Blood bats," Vee murmured.
"Huh? Oh!" She spun and fired just in time. The rodents had gotten so close this round, she could actually feel the heat as she vaporized them.
Vee's eyes shone with admiration. "You're a phenomenon. But maybe we should move away from the canyon."
She nodded, trailing him to a nearby grove of trees---a picnic spot from her childhood. She could picture her father sitting on one of the iron benches, scribbling calculations on a mobile screen while Cabbie and her mother Jesslyn lounged on a blanket, snacking while weaving wreaths of wildflowers.
Vee surprised her by changing the subject. "Didn't you wonder why Commander Denn-Torr was in my office today?"
"Oh! I completely forgot." She laughed. "You know things are grim when a gorgeous hunk of offworld flesh---with silver eyes, no less---slips your mind."
Vee grimaced. "You find him attractive?"
"Are you kidding? Did you see those muscles?" When her stepfather didn't laugh, she licked her lips, subdued. "Did I embarrass you in front of him? I swear I didn't know he was there. I thought he confined his activities to his quarters and the top-secret training facility."
"That's usually true. But this was an emergency. He was telling me he needs to return to Zentarus. Immediately."
"What?" Cabbie shook her head, refusing to believe such bad luck. "He made a commitment to stay for a year, and it's only been two months. Less than that, even. Is there trouble on Zentarus? Or something with his family? I thought he didn't have any family," she added in frustration. "That's why he felt free to come here."
Vee gave a weary shrug. "Have you heard of Zentarin lust fever?"
"Of course. But that can't be it, can it? He's too young. The news stories were very clear about that. They said he timed his commitment so he'd be back home before his cycle began."
"Apparently it's not an exact science."
She glared in disgust. "So he's leaving? Doesn't he know he's our last hope now that the rebels have ADT? He's our secret weapon. We're doomed without him."
"He's well aware of that." Vee's tone softened. "He tells me there's a possible solution to his dilemma."
"Really? I thought the fever drove them mad---as in clinically insane---if they didn't bond right away. Oh!" She interrupted herself to nod in approval. "You're saying his ruling council can send a female here? A Zentarina, or whatever they call them?"
"It's Zentress," Vee said with a laugh. "And that won't work. They'd need to send a ship full of females so that he could detect the ones that could satisfy him. And who would reciprocate his feelings."
"Are they willing to do that? I thought the council was reluctant even for him to come here."
"You're missing my point." Her stepfather cleared his throat. "The commander has detected a Cortierran female who could possibly suit his needs."
Cabbie almost laughed at the thought. "I never heard of a Zentarr mating with one of us."
"No one has."
"Who is she?"
Vee cleared his throat again. "Let me just say first, it's not definite. It was a momentary sensation on his part---"
"Wait!" She stared in disbelief. "You're saying it's me?"
Vee's jaw had hardened with obvious discomfort. "He found you provocative. His word, not mine. It's possible that if he spends more time with you, he'll change his mind. As your stepfather, I sincerely pray for that. But as the Supreme General of the Cortierran military---" His tone turned defensive. "Don't look at me that way. And don't tell your mother. Not until we know for sure."
"Me?" Cabbie wandered to the nearest bench, stunned by the bizarre turn of events. Once she had settled down, she gave her stepfather a feeble smile. "He called me provocative?"
"I wanted to strangle him," Vee admitted. "For anyone, let alone an offworlder, to speak about my daughter that way---"
"No, no, Vee. Don't be upset. I'm flattered, actually."
"Flattered?"
Forcing herself to be strong for his sake, she jumped up and hugged him. "I was afraid you were going to make me go on the vid-com and denounce Dad. This is strange, that's for sure. But it's better than the alternative."
"I would never ask you to betray your father. And as for this outrageous request, it's possible it will come to nothing."
Cabbie bit her lip. "When will we know? How will we know?"
"He wants to spend some time with you. See you. Talk to you."
"See me naked, you mean?" she asked, rolling her eyes.
It was Vee's turn to sink onto the bench, his face buried in his hands. "I honestly don't know."
"Hey." She sat back down and gave him another hug. "It's fine. And I have a nice body, right? Like Mom's, only shorter."
"Cabrielle..."
"I'm kidding. I'll try to look hideous. How's that?"
Vee chuckled. "You could never look hideous. You have her amazing green eyes. Her beguiling smile."
"But not her height. Or her hair. I always wanted that at least." Cabbie paused as she pictured her mother's waist-length auburn tresses. Even her father's golden hair would have been fine. Instead, she had inherited a mixture---
"Commander Denn-Torr said your hair was sprinkled with stardust."
"Huh?"
Vee shrugged. "He didn't mean it romantically. More factually. Apparently, it's a rare and highly prized Zentarin attribute."
The thought pleased her. "I thought they all had black hair."
"Apparently not." Vee closed his eyes and admitted, "I am physically ill over this."
"Why? If it makes you feel any better, it won't be my first---"
"Cabbie!" He glared in warning. "There are some things I'd rather not know. In any case, I'm sure you've heard the rumors about Zentarin lust-bonding. Even assuming you've been intimate with a Cortierran male---which I'm sure you have not---this could be arduous. Assuming it takes place. Which is only a ten percent possibility according to the commander."
"Ten percent? With this hair?" she said teasingly.
Vee's eyes warmed. "Thank you for being so brave, Lieutenant Lent. You're a credit to your unit."
"Thanks, Vee." She looked down at her hands, wistful at the mention of her colleagues. Then she dared to ask, "So? If Commander Denn-Torr rejects me, can I go with them?"
Vee didn't hesitate. "Yes, you deserve that, although I'll be terrified you might be killed."
"No, you'll be terrified Mom might kill you."
He laughed. "That's true. Of course, she won't be pleased about the fever-bonding either."
"Like you said, we won't tell her until we're sure." A tingle of confusion ran through Cabbie, and she realized she wasn't yet sure what she hoped would happen. A fever bond with a Zentarr was indeed a daunting prospect. She didn't know a lot about it, but as Vee had said, it was reputedly arduous.
Not to mention permanent.
Lust-bonded for life...
Hardly the way she'd planned to serve her planet. Or to rehabilitate her family name for that matter.
Star Fever
Kate Donovan
Biology fueled her desires. Then chemistry took over...
Fever, Book 2
When Mar-Tessa's lust fever strikes right on schedule, she's proud, thrilled...and unexpectedly allergic to the presence of Zentarin males. The horrifying cause: she's half Cortierran, a fact her powerful grandfather hid from her. The distasteful cure: exposure to a Cortierran male. After all, when given the choice, what Zentress would choose a Cortierran over a Zentarr?
Self-image wavering, she prepares to meet the "antidote". But she doesn't expect the remedy to set her body on fire.
No offworlder has ever set foot on Zentarus, let alone trained with the best pilots in the galaxy. Captain Ryandrus Brill is so pumped he doesn't even notice their disdain. When a sexy vixen in red approaches him, he unexpectedly finds himself promising anything to get into her bed---even if the temptress reminds him of an old Cortierran myth about a woman who lures warriors to their deaths.
Even after the Zentarins turn on him and throw him on an outbound ship, his body hungers for the bond he feels down to his bones. He is sure she felt it too. And he intends to battle his way across the galaxy, if necessary, to find his mate.
Warning: This book extols the virtues of lust-bonding, an activity that is illegal in three galaxies.
eBooks are not transferable.
They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Star Fever
Copyright © 2010 by Kate Donovan ISBN: 978-1-60928-272-1
Edited by Heidi Moore
Cover by Kanaxa
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: December 2010

