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  Her breasts were firm and silky, globes peaked with nipples in a dusky rose. A growl rose in his throat as he held himself back from tasting them and she shifted, muttering in her sleep. He lightened his touch on her mind, letting her wake slowly as he lay between her thighs, making room for his shoulders with light caresses of his paws. She parted easily for him, opening her cunt to his view. The slick petals of her sex parted with the spreading of her thighs and Tiern dug his claws into the bedding at the heady aroma greeting him. She would be in heat within the day.

  There was no more time. He released her mind completely, reaching forward to taste her.

  chapter three

  Don’t scream. Don’t scream. He’ll bite if you scream. Lora kept that as a chant while she slowly sat up, eyeing the large silver lion between her thighs. When his tongue flicked out to lap at her again, she held perfectly still.

  Her legs were spread wide, the skin on the inside of her thighs delighting in the smooth texture of the liquid silver fur. His silver eyes met hers as he returned a third time to lap at her, this time keeping his head fixed and his tongue moving steadily.

  Lora had no idea what to do. Hami had left her and this lion had an intelligence in his eyes that reminded her of her buyer. No one had said that the Seth-Ari were shapeshifters, but they had not really been discussed by either of the two creatures that had spoken to her.

  Her mind blanked as the tongue began to work inside her a little with every stroke. She was still sensitive from the SRT, so the roughness of his tongue woke nerves and sensations that she would not normally have in the presence of a predator. Her arousal was spiking fast and hard.

  A rumbling purr rattled her bones while driving her heat to a new level. The wet noises coming from his mouth combined with that purr had her shaking in seconds. The coil of sensation in her sex was drawn tighter, tighter, until it snapped. She gasped as she shook with the spasms of her channel frantically trying to clamp down on his tongue. He continued his attentions as she moaned and twitched with every scrape of his tongue across her clit.

  She was too sore, too sensitive for any more. Taking her courage into her hands, she placed both palms on his forehead and pushed him away. Surprisingly, he went.

  He crawled out from between her thighs and up near her shoulder, then he flopped down and laid his enormous head on her belly and closed his eyes. Lora let out a relieved breath and tentatively ran her fingers into his silky silver mane. The purr began again.

  “I am guessing that you are to be my lover, but if this is your only form, it will take some doing to get inside me.”

  Her boyfriend made a chuffing noise. His tail lashed until it wrapped around her calf, then it moved restlessly up and down her leg.

  Hami came forward and the lion looked up in surprise. “He is trying to remain in a form with physical limitations so as not to force himself on you. That is Tiern of the Seth-Ari. Third-generation clone of the progenitor.”

  “Clone?”

  “If they can prove that they can reproduce outside of a lab, they will be granted the rights to the minerals of the planet we are on.” Hami bowed and walked over to an alcove where she plugged her back onto a prong on the wall.

  “I guess that answers that. In case you wondered, I already knew that Hami was a robot.”

  Comforted by confirmation that he was a sentient creature, Lora resumed her examination of the lion on her belly.

  “I am Lora by the way. Interesting first meeting, Tiern. You could have woken me up first.” She chuckled and kept up her one-sided conversation. “It’s a little presumptuous to go down on a girl on the first date. But I guess you don’t get many seconds.”

  The lion stopped purring and looked at her. This close, she could only look into one of his eyes or go cross-eyed. “What? I know about the other women and I can assure you that I am not going quietly into death. It is one of my personality flaws.”

  The lion kept a view of her face for several long moments, then got up and left the bed. He prowled around the room for a moment before gathering speed and bolting out an archway that she hadn’t noticed.

  She could hear the clatter of claws for a few seconds before he was gone. Shaking with relief, she lay back against the pillows. Seven years ago, before she had volunteered to leave the Earth with one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine others, she had never conceived of clones, shapeshifters or robots that could almost pass for living beings. Creatures of that sort had never occurred to her.

  Once she passed the volunteer entry exam, she had gone on to specialize in seven alien forms of hand-to-hand combat. None of them did her any good when she was overwhelmed by gas and a multitude of attackers. If she was a television heroine, she would have fought her way out of the slave pens and stolen a shuttle, but practicality had reared its ugly head.

  Basic training in the Alliance for this kind of thing dictated that she wait until she could send for help and then send out a distress call. At this time, there was no way for her to send such a signal and so she would bide her time.

  Aside from the vague threat that she had been given regarding a savage mating process, she was in no danger. Having settled that little matter in her mind, she arranged her limbs and started to meditate. A calm mind rarely gave in to fear. It was time to calm down.

  The patter of claws woke her from her trance. Tiern was back.

  “Hey, fuzzy butt. How has your day been going?” Her chipper tone froze him in his tracks.

  The enormous lion strode toward the little nest she had made on the bed and he elongated as he walked, shifting to two legs when he reached the dais that supported the round mattress.

  As a man, he was extremely tall. Over six and a half feet if she didn’t miss her guess and all taut skin and rippling muscle. One appendage caught her gaze and it was definitely taut, but not a muscle. A deep silver cock seeped a liquid that was reminiscent of mercury as he approached.

  His chiselled features and high cheekbones flattered his dark brows, aquiline nose and full lips. An intricate design of tattoos marked him on face and body. Tiern was meant to be seen as a whole and not divided into parts. He was beautiful.

  “Wow. You’re pretty.” It slipped out of her mouth before she could say anything intelligent.

  He preened. There was no other word for it as he flipped his waist-length hair behind him and bowed formally to her. “And you have a beauty like no other I have seen. You glow from within, Lora of Terra.”

  “You looked me up. Was it the tattoos?” She glanced down at her belly and grimaced. The solar system that she had grown up in was stylized on her abdomen.

  “That and there is a bulletin out for your safe return. A reward has been offered and all Alliance outposts have been alerted. You Terrans are quite the commodity.” He was coming to her slowly, stalking her.

  She couldn’t help but respond by backing away from him until she was against the headboard and he was crawling toward her with disturbing feline grace.

  “I am guessing that you are not going to be in a hurry to collect the reward.”

  He was slowly moving until he was hovering over her. His hands in the sheets at her side and his knees between hers. How she had let him get the better of her, she didn’t know, but she was not upset about it. Her body was reacting to him, she wanted him and judging by the heat and hardness pressed against her, he was reacting to her as well.

  “You have guessed correctly. I have never tasted a woman like you before.”

  She was instantly suspicious, it didn’t sound flattering. His mouth was hovering over hers when she asked, “Why, what do I taste like?”

  He leaned back and his eyes glowed dark silver in the light of the dome, “Mine.”

  Chapter Four

  Tiern’s kiss was as possessive as his statement. His lips teased hers until she sighed and the instant her lips parted, his tongue flicked out to lap at hers. The rough tongue of his lion form translated to his bipedal one and she moaned as he learned ea
ch texture of her mouth in turn. The instant that she moaned, he began to purr.

  She jumped when he took one of her hands and placed it against his chest. He was hot to the touch, but feeling the vibration in his chest at the source made up for any discomfort. Her belly clenched and she felt moisture dampen her sex in anticipation.

  Lora pulled a shuddering breath into her lungs, breaking his kiss and forcing him to explore her neck and shoulder. She squeaked when he traced her skin with his teeth and in turn with his tongue. As he moved down her body, his cock left a trail of damp heat on the inside of her thigh. The trace of his arousal radiated warmth, causing her to wonder if his cum would feel as hot.

  All thought fled her mind as she relaxed into the feel of his mouth and hands on her. He stroked her core with two fingers, working them inside her to the sound of her groans. His purr got louder as she parted her legs to let him shift his head between her thighs. The vibration had her mindless in seconds. Lora’s heart pounded as her senses were over-stimulated to release and she squealed as he backed away and flipped her to her knees the instant before she came.

  His cock rubbed against her wet slit for a few seconds before he sank his teeth into her shoulder and thrust into her in one move. A scream rose in her throat and she throttled it back when his growl made it to her consciousness. This was what had caused the women to fight, so she held her instinct to flee and tilted her head to the side in acceptance.

  Nature shows featuring large felines flickered through her thoughts until the slide of his cock inside her pushed aside her analytical assessments. His satin hardness was stroking against her g-spot repetitively as he pumped into her. With the bursts of sensations coursing through her, her arms buckled so she braced herself on her elbows and leaned her forehead on the pillow. The unintentional act of presenting herself started him snarling non-stop as he pounded into her with abandon.

  Her scream was silent, but her body locked around him in an effort to hold the scalding rod within her. His roar followed hers, the spurt of his seed warming her from within. As his body relaxed over hers, he bore her down to the mattress in a sprawl of silver limbs.

  Lora turned her head to get air and she was almost overwhelmed by the scent of their mating. Her pheromones rode the air side by side with his and the scent was enough to start a gush of wet warmth in her slit once again. His purr was vibrating her from head to toe. His cock was now smaller, but still firm within her.

  “I was right.”

  The husky tone of his voice was so low that she felt it more than heard it. “About what?” Her voice was hoarse from her screams and groans.

  “You being a match for me and my getting you acclimated to my touch. You didn’t fight like the others.” He rubbed his chin against her shoulder and licked the marks that he had left behind.

  “They triggered your aggression response?”

  “Exactly.” He rubbed her with his head again. “We don’t have enough experience with other races. It took me until now to figure out what to do.”

  “You did it very well. Can I get up now?”

  “I like you where you are, but I suppose you are not up for another round yet. The computer was over zealous with your calibration. Dell said you were sore.”

  He moved off her, but kept her close to his body as he rolled to his side. Now that he mentioned it, there was a throbbing ache between her thighs that wasn’t all his doing. As they spooned, she took a mental inventory. Her psyche was not traumatized. She had fallen into bed with men she had hardly met before. The confinement that she was currently subjected to had not yet been tested, but she had no doubt that it was there. She had never seen a species like the Seth-Ari before and the heat still generated by his semen was not endemic to any species she had ever slept with.

  “I suppose I am sore. It has been quite a day.” Rocking her hips against him, her lips curved in a smile at his growl.

  “Don’t do that unless you want me buried inside you again. I don’t want you injured.” He swept his hand over her breast and belly repeatedly, petting her more than caressing.

  “I don’t want me injured either, but I want to know what is going on here. This situation is a little odd to my way of thinking.”

  “The short history of the Seth-Ari can wait until you have had some genuine rest. Now sleep, Lora. I will still be here when you wake.”

  “How comforting.” She knew he would be around in some form when she woke and she did find it comforting. Something in her was responding to him and the primal reaction had her sleeping in his arms. He would watch her until she woke.

  “What the hell did this?” Dark rims surrounded her eyes, a permanent stain that no amount of scrubbing would remove. Elegant lines moved from the outside corner of her eyes to sweep along her cheekbones.

  Tiern chuckled from his position in the bath. “It’s a chemical reaction to one of the supplements that Dell gave you when she did the first physical.”

  “What triggered it?”

  “It is a reaction to the seminal fluid of the Seth-Ari. Each of us causes a specific set of marks to surface in their female. This is the first time I have seen my marks. They are quite beautiful.”

  His hair was longer than it had been last night. It flowed into a silver curtain on the water’s surface.

  “Are you lengthening your hair?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “You prefer it.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I read your file. I can make cosmetic shifts to my personal appearance beyond hair length if it would make me more attractive to you.” He had a certain eagerness in his tone.

  That managed to distract her from her reflection in the glass. “Your physical appearance is fine. You read my file? Seriously?”

  “Yes. I also received formal authorization to claim your first offspring. The Alliance now knows you are here and will take no measures to retrieve you. You will only be required to make quarterly updates as to your status and health.”

  She knew her mouth was hanging open. “You contacted the Alliance while I slept? And they just handed me over?”

  “On a trial basis. They are eager to see if the characteristics of my people will be inherited in the offspring. If we succeed in bringing a child to term, it will be the first ever born to the Seth-Ari.”

  “Is there a doubt about my ability to carry a child? Wait. The first?”

  “We are a clone species designed for deep mineral excavation in little to no atmosphere. We desire status as a separate species in the Alliance of Federated and Sentient Planets. With only males designed into our race, we have a need to obtain females from other species.”

  “Wait. Say that again, slowly.” Lora moved to sit on the edge of the pool, her hair surprisingly smooth for the activities that preceded her nap. She suspected, but could not prove, that he had untangled her strands with his fingers.

  “I am a clone, as are my four brothers in my hand. A hand is the set of five clones that are grown at the same time from the same original cells. The Seth-Ari were originally designed by colonists from Admar when they could not mine the minerals to create their cities on a nearby planet. Against Alliance regulations, their scientists designed our people and once the miners were in place, they needed only to create enough replacements for those who died in the mines.”

  Lora joined him in the bath when Hami shooed her in. “So, how long has your race been in existence?”

  “Fourteen hundred and eighty-six years. We have a population of three hundred and twelve and a lifespan of one hundred and fifty years by your reckoning. My line is one of the original progenitors, strong genetics to pass on to our child.” His pride was unmistakable.

  “You are sure that you can get me pregnant?”

  “My entire hand has been altered to assure fertility. We have endured rounds of testing, but have not been able to practice with fertile females until recently. Our bots were used for training purposes so that we would
have a basic knowledge of the female body.”

  “Basic? Oh boy.” She got warm just thinking about his basics. Her body was recovered from its workout the day before and with the pounding of the water mixing with the remembered warmth of his touch, she was feeling fantastic. “If that was basic, I think advanced might just make my head explode.”

  He laughed. The sound was rusty, but genuine. “Thank you for the flattery, but once the burn of your heat is over, I will have time to explore what gives you pleasure.”

  Am I in heat? It was possible, likely even. The timing seemed right and the slave pens made sure to not interrupt her normal functions. That sparked a thought in her mind. She floated toward him and straddled his lap. He looked surprised. “Good. Then I can explore now.”

  His cock was hotter than the water surrounding him and it sprang to firmness the instant that she caressed the silken length. “Are you sure that you want to do that? My research shows that most human females want the male to be the aggressor.” He seemed pleased but confused.

  “Aggression can come with security or trust. Aside from our differences of species, you have offered me no injury or insult to my senses. You have offered me food, comfort and a certain amount of freedom in time. If I am going to get pregnant, I may as well take a hand in the process. It will give me the illusion of control.” His proximity had her more than wet. It would have been enough to be audible above the water. She wanted him and she wanted him now.

  She braced herself on his shoulders and moved over his cock. Lora rocked against him until the tip slipped inside her. He grunted in reaction, so she sank on him as fast as she could. It took her three lifts and plunges for him to be firmly seated, but once he was, she smiled up at him, enjoying the look of blissful lust on his face.