Entranced Read online

  Her nails dug into him as she began to move, each impalement bringing her closer and closer to the orgasm that lurked just beneath her surface. She rode him restlessly, moving faster and faster on him, leaning her head against his chest as her muscle tension failed her. Lora screamed as his hands dug into her hips and pulled her onto him hard, slamming her against him. Her orgasm hit her hard, freezing her on his cock as her body clenched and locked.

  It didn’t slow Tiern down. He merely waited a moment and then continued to move her body on his until he snarled his own release, throwing his head back as it ripped through him.

  The instant he recovered, he took her mouth in a savage kiss. “I knew the theory of coupling like that, but thank you for proving it.”

  Her breath was still sawing in her lungs, her lips swollen from his kiss. “Terrans have entire books and treatises on the subject. As do some of the other races I have visited. Being a Bio Tactics Specialist means that I have to understand all aspects of a race’s biology. Not just the fighting specifications. Tiern, you said you and the rest of your hand were altered for mating. What did you do before?”

  “The answer should be clear to you. We created relationships with those we felt an attraction to.”

  “So, you had boyfriends?”

  “Male lovers. Yes. They were a misleading training tool for dealing with females. You have an entirely different set of responses to stimuli. Since we have the feline form as primary much of the time, running away only drives our instincts from mating to hunting in seconds. Your response was perfect.”

  She was still astride him with his cock buried inside her, softer, but still there. The semen he had given up was humming with the warmth she was coming to expect.

  “Lora, why were you not more hesitant to mate with me? The others have been terrified.”

  “It is a long story. Are you sure you want to hear it?”

  “Until I am at full strength and can fuck you again, sure.”

  At that mention of him taking her again, she flushed. Her body readied itself for round two of the day. “Fine. When I was back on Terran and had just been offered my contract to be a volunteer, they explained the offspring clause. Terrans were not being invited to simply show up and die out. We were to become a part of the Alliance in everyway. That meant children. Mating with our own kind was forbidden right off the bat. So, that meant we were going to have to find our sperm donors in the people we worked with, met, socialized with and eventually, we would have to provide an heir to our own talents or be penalized half to all of our earnings since we left our world. It’s a hard choice and occasionally, the Alliance will make the choice for us, but we have to ask. I had written the request for assistance before I was abducted, but hadn’t gotten around to sending it. This little sojourn will let me fulfil my contract and possibly become a piece of your race’s history. Heady stuff.”

  “Will you not miss the life that you had before?” He was genuinely curious. It showed in his pewter eyes.

  “The life that I had ceased the instant that I left my home world knowing that I would not be able to return. Everything after that moment has been one adventure after another. This will just be a new one.” She knew that she should be more upset, frustrated or desiring of her personal freedoms, but she couldn’t make herself care at the moment. She had life support, she had pleasure and she had food. It was all she needed for her survival and they had drilled survival into them during basic training—stay alive, stay healthy and contact the Alliance for a pickup as soon as you were able. With most of the volunteers unable to fly a shuttle, having them escape into the blackness of space was akin to ordering them to death. With only two thousand humans in space, the Alliance wanted to keep them alive, if only to see what would be produced with the next generation.

  “I will need to confirm with my Representative that I have been handed over to you.” She hoped that her voice was firm and not wavering, his increased girth within her proved that he was quite firm.

  “In ninety minutes. There is a shift change in process and waving you in front of those not yet authorized to breed is a tad cruel.”

  Absently, she started to rise and fall on him again. “A mining shift? Or your brothers?”

  “Both, probably. Their females have not been as receptive as we had hoped, but now the bots have been programmed to protect the females so no harm was done.” Tiern placed his hands on her hips and kept her to a slow and even pace when she would have sped herself into orgasm.

  “That is a mercy at least. Why didn’t we have a problem?” Her question ended on a squeak as he nuzzled at the side of her neck, causing her to clench around him.

  “I took pains to touch your mind and introduce myself to you while you slept. I told you that you could trust me and eventually you will see that you can.” He was pumping her faster on him, his teeth lengthening as he dropped his head back an instant before he struck. His mouth held her in place as he pounded upward with bruising force.

  The confining pain in her shoulder distracted her for almost a minute, but by the time her orgasm was rippling through her, she had watched his transformation from companion to ferocious lover. His mane was fluffed out, his teeth longer, his eyes took on a severe feline slant and his nose flattened. The feline aspect was unmistakable, but he groaned his own release and freed her shoulder to roar his satisfaction while her body milked his cock of its payload.

  As soon as her breath came back to her, she moved off him and sat across the pool from him. “You touched my mind? How?”

  “There is little to no atmosphere here, not enough oxygen for speech outside the domes. It was necessary that we have mental communications so that we could get our work done. Until you, I had never touched one who wasn’t Seth-Ari.”

  Lora had a ton of questions, but a harsh chime coming out of the bedchamber got her attention.

  Tiern sighed and pushed free of the water, leaving the liquid sheeting off him as he walked to answer the summons.

  She could hear his voice, but not make out the words and in mere seconds, he was returning to pull her free of the water. “We have been summoned to medical. Dell wants to do a complete workup on you for the after-mating check.”

  “So that’s it, we just have to go immediately?”

  “Dell would not summon us if it was not necessary for the progress of our project.” Tiern wrapped her in a towel and then stepped aside to let Hami dress her mistress.

  Dress was a little bit of an exaggeration. A dark brown bikini was tied into place, the straps almost invisible, they were so thin.

  “This is charming. Is there a stripper pole nearby for me to grind on?” She was only a little sullen—the scant clothing looked good against her skin.

  “I don’t know what that is, but we can probably arrange something.” Tiern looked her up and down, the surprise in his face making her turn to the mirror.

  Her face still bore the marks that she had noted when she woke, but now lines and designs were beginning to appear on her torso. Black and white sweeps of fine lines were moving under her skin, settling into intricate patterns that took her breath away.

  “Is this part of your grand plan as well?”

  Tiern was wrapping a short black sarong around his hips. He looked amazing with the contrast to his silver skin. “Yes. You are taking the markings faster than anyone had guessed. Let’s get going.”

  “Is there any footwear?”

  Hami jumped in surprise. “Of course, Mistress. I was busy recording the progress of your designs.” The servant quickly gave her some soft boots that laced tightly to her calves. In seconds, she was dressed, so to speak.

  “Alright, Tiern. Take me on a tour of the facility while we head to medical. I can see other domes in the distance.”

  “Follow me and do not stray into any unmarked hallways. The last thing you would want is to end up in the clutches of one of my brothers. They are not as keen on this project as I am.”

  They slowly walked t
ogether down the quiet and empty halls. Occasionally, she heard something moving in the dark spaces, but no one ever intercepted them, so they made it safely to medical.

  She only grabbed Tiern’s hand twice. He let go once, she didn’t fight for her freedom and had the sinking feeling that it was a sign of things to come.

  Chapter Five

  “You seem to be in the peak of health considering the sudden onset of your pregnancy.” Dell was moving efficiently, taking samples while monitoring her blood pressure and other vital signs. Tiern had already had his check up and had been pronounced fit and healthy.

  “Whoa. Pregnancy?” Startled, Lora looked over at Tiern. “It isn’t possible, is it?”

  Dell answered, “You were in heat when you arrived. It was likely that you would get pregnant rapidly. The emergence of the markings confirm it. Tiern’s biology and yours are now both existing within your system. The gestation should run its course in three months or so.”

  Lora was stunned. “You have to be joking. I can’t be pregnant. Not this soon and my species has a nine-month gestation, not three.” She placed her hand over her womb and pressed gently.

  Tiern came forward and pressed his hand over Lora’s. “Amazing. I thought I felt a new mind, but since I have never seen your species before, I did not know it wasn’t you.”

  Dell looked surprised, but pleased. “You can sense the mind already? That is excellent. It bodes well for the remainder of the gestation. As for the speed, the Seth-Ari develop quickly and then cease to age. It stands to reason that the children will develop at an accelerated rate from their mothers.”

  “So, three months? Do you have something for stretch marks?”

  “Your servant does. It is the reason for the daily massages. She also has midwifery programming in case something untoward occurs.”

  Lora looked at her and frowned. “You mean a miscarriage? What are the odds of that happening?”

  “There is a twenty-five percent chance of a prematurely terminated pregnancy in the first thirty days. That percentage goes up considerably if you are physically stressed or under emotional strain.”

  Tiern looked at the doctor. “How often should I bring her in for checkups?”

  “Once a week should be fine. If Hami detects any abnormalities, she will let me know.” Dell smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Congratulations, you look to be the first Seth-Ari father.”

  Bemused, Lora watched her lover change colour in what she had to guess was a blush, a deep grey flushed his cheeks, ran down his throat and across his chest. His response to Dell’s comment was to pick Lora up and leave medical.

  “I am sorry that it happened so quickly. It was my hope that we could enjoy our relationship for a week or so before your egg welcomed me.” His lips were against her cheek and the heat of his breath brushed down her neck to set off a wave of gooseflesh down her arms and across her chest.

  “I thought that that was your plan the whole time. Why be sorry?”

  He nuzzled her neck and drew his lips in soft kisses against her skin. “I had hoped to have a few more acrobatic adventures with you in bed, the bath, up against the wall. With the child growing inside you, I don’t want to take any chances.”

  “It is perfectly fine to have sex all the way through the pregnancy according to what I know about my species’ gestation. Just, maybe, tone down the biting?”

  She caught a glimpse of silver skin as they passed a doorway, but it disappeared the instant she focussed on it.

  “But I like the biting, so do you.” His warm chuckle brought a smile to her lips.

  “True, but it makes me want to bite back. I don’t know if your blood would be good for me to ingest.”

  “I will check with Dell. I don’t think the possibility of you biting me occurred to her. Most of the others are cowering away from any of the Seth-Ari who come near them.”

  “They aren’t with their…uh…assigned males?” She didn’t know what to call them. Owner was a little inaccurate if the women were to be birthing citizens, the first of a new race.

  “Not until they are in heat. All of the selected women are from species which have oestrus. The males will be more conscientious if there is a chance to immediately impregnate their female.”

  The halls were smooth, made of a glass-like substance that branched into rooms of large bubbled domes. She could get lost easily in the maze of hallways and bubbles. Finding her way out or to a launch area with a shuttle was becoming a remote possibility. The only doors she had seen were for their quarters and for medical. The rest of the domes were all connected by open doors. It was weird—most facilities would not have pumped in that much atmosphere into unoccupied areas.

  “Change of subject. Why is there atmosphere in these empty domes? Isn’t it wasteful?”

  They were almost to their rooms, but he answered her. “The rooms aren’t empty, Dell merely sent a notice that I was bringing you to medical and all of the occupants moved out of your sight.”

  That baffled her. “Why?”

  “Because they are not conditioned to take a form that will be pleasing to the eye. They are in their mining forms. They have strong claws and impenetrable hides. It takes a few days to take a form similar to this one the first time. No one wants to scare you.”

  She blinked for several moments. “That is very thoughtful. Now, what am I going to do for the next three months?”

  They were at the door to their quarters. Funny how she already thought of them as their quarters.

  “What would you like to do?” Carrying her inside, he put her down on the bed and unlaced her boots. He left her miniscule bikini intact.

  “Grow a garden, study the Seth-Ari. Those are the two things on my mind right now.”

  “Study us? How?” His quirked brow over his pewter eyes, a cheeky grin lighting his features.

  Moving suddenly, she grabbed the short sarong he was wearing and yanked it off with a few quick tugs. His cock sprang erect in a matter of seconds, bobbing invitingly in a rhythm that made her giggle.

  She quieted the instant before she leaned forward to take him in her mouth. The taste of him sparked on her tongue. He didn’t taste human, but it wasn’t unpleasant, more musk than she was used to, but a delightful undertone of citrus. His heat seemed to increase as she drew him deeply into her mouth and then sucked as she retreated. He was groaning and growling above her as she sucked relentlessly. Feeling a little wicked, she cupped his sac and rolled his balls gently as she worked. His hands fisted in her hair and held her tightly to him as he snarled his release, the spurt of his cum splattering in her mouth in a stream that she fought to contain.

  Lora wiped her mouth and leaned back, out of the way, as Tiern buckled to his knees.

  “What was that?”

  “A blowjob. A dating tradition amongst some humans.” She ran a surreptitious finger around the outside of her lips, catching any drips that escaped.

  “I do love learning about new species’ traditions.” He shook his head and looked up at her.

  “Do you really?” The sceptical tone in her voice escaped without her willing it.

  His grin was wicked. “I do now.”

  She grinned back and then broke into giggles. “Nothing like a little interspecies cooperation and communication.”

  Chapter Six

  The hands holding her down skimmed across her breasts, careful of the sensitive tissue. Lora’s nipples had darkened as her pregnancy had advanced and Hami had insisted on daily heavy-cream massages. Occasionally, Tiern helped, but today he was updating his correspondence while Hami gave her a rub down.

  Yesterday, Dell had given her a clean bill of health and pronounced both mother and baby in excellent shape.

  “Lora, the Empress of Haldis wishes to have you contact her at your earliest convenience. Do you know her?”

  Tiern wandered into her line of sight as he read the communications tablet. He intently watched Hami’s ministrations across Lora’s belly. She
had just started to show a little and he was fascinated by the changes. Her tattoos were now firmly in place—markings on her arms, legs, feet, chest and belly complimented her permanent eye makeup.

  “I know of her. She’s another Terran, one of our five Champions. She is also our species’ Representative. I was wondering when she would get around to contacting me. The Alliance Representative said that since we were closer to Haldis space, Amy would be handling anything I need.”

  He frowned. “I have asked you if you need anything, your workshop and greenhouse are available whenever you wish, as am I. What does she want?”

  “Calm down, clone-boy. I am sure it’s fine. I will check in and she will be content. Too many Terrans have gone missing in the last few years. They want to keep an eye on all of us.”

  He blushed. “You may have a point. The rumours about Terrans drove me to the slave market when I heard that they had one in stock.”

  “How flattering.”

  “Well, since you are still the first and only pregnancy to date, I think I was proved I was correct in my instincts.” He seemed miffed.

  Hami finished the massage, helped her stand and patted Lora’s skin dry. When she was done, Lora tied a sarong around her hips and another sash of fabric around her breasts. With her body changing, she needed the extra support.

  Barefoot, she padded to her mate and pulled his head down for a searing kiss. “Your instincts are infallible, Tiern. However, I am Terran and need to keep in touch with others of my kind. The Seth-Ari are all around us. You have your people. Let me have mine.” Although she phrased it as a plea, she would simply make contact when he wasn’t looking if he said no.

  “Fine. I am attending a hand meeting today. We are discussing letting you meet the other women to convince them to join us without struggling. Two of them will be in heat within the week and time is of the essence.”

  “Okay, you do that and I will make the call. It will be nice to see a pink face for a change.” She winked and slapped his ass as he wandered out the door.