Fallen Star (13 page)

Khan jabbed a finger at Sobehk. “Only you would have something like this!” He turned away, set his hands on his hips, and sighed. “I swear Fate and Chaos share a bed whenever you’re involved!” He strode for the communicator on the wall and punched it. “
‘Syr
Tah! Where’s that mattress?”

“On its way.”

Sobehk sat up in the hospital bed. “I’ll do it ...”

Khan curled his lip at Sobehk. “You barely have enough strength to sit up on your own. Do you honestly think you’re strong enough to stop her when she goes to rip your heart out during
rahyt?
”

Fallon jerked. “No!” She moaned under the pressure building in her body and mind, but turned to look back at Sobehk. “No, I would never ...!”

Sobehk pressed his hand over her heart. “
Rahyt
is not something you can control.”

Fallon bared her teeth. “Watch me.”

Sobehk’s hand closed on her arm. “You can’t. No
rehkyt
can; that’s why you wear a control collar.”

Fallon glared at him. “Then use it.”

Khan shook his head. “We can’t. The collar’s signal will stop the probe and we’ll only have to do it again. And you will still go into rage.”

Fallon turned to glare at Khan. “Then wait until he can handle it.”

“No.” Khan’s gaze hardened. “Other lives may be at stake. We need answers now.”

The door opened. Tah and someone Fallon didn’t recognize in dark gray sleeveless robes carried a mattress roll between them. They dropped it on the floor. Tah held what looked like an antique syringe, while the other Skeldhi unrolled the mattress and set a pale gray blanket to one side.

Khan strode to the side of Sobehk’s bed. “Sobehk?”

Sobehk pulled his arms free. “Take her.”

Fallon turned to look at Sobehk. “Sobehk, I don’t want ... anyone but you.”

Sobehk’s face was pale and drawn, but he smiled. “It’ll be all right. You can trust him.” He leaned over to brush his lips across her brow. “Go to him, and be good.”

Khan slid his arms around Fallon and lifted her against his heart.

Fallon flinched back. He smelled ... wrong. She shifted uncomfortably, but his arms were hard and his hold firm

Tah looked at Sobehk then Khan. “Sobehk, if you let
‘Syr
Khan take her on the fourth dose, it will change the DNA imprint from yours to his.”

Sobehk folded his arms across his chest. “I know.” He turned away.

Khan turned with Fallon in his arms, took four steps to the mattress spread out on the deck, then knelt, setting her down on the mattress. He pulled up the skirts of his kilt and stepped over her, straddling her hips. He sank down on his heels. The black silk draped over her thighs. He held up his hand.

Tah slapped the syringe into his palm. His mouth was tight.

Khan checked the syringe then focused on her gaze. “Put your hands over your head.”

Fallon hesitated. She didn’t want to do this with him.

Tah frowned. “Did you tell her what this means?”

Khan scowled. “No.”

The medic moved to stare down at the lord-officer. “
‘Syr
Khan, she needs to know.”

Khan’s jaw tightened and his gaze chilled as he stared up at the medic.

Tah set his jaw as well. “This is a
rehkyt
that killed to save her master with only two doses in her, before she hit Prime. That cyborg killed two fully armed Skeldhi and severely wounded two more, and she took it down with only a knife.” He folded his arms. “If you force this, how do you think she’s going to react after the fact?”

Khan turned away and closed his eyes. “Fine. Bring me one of my knives. They’re on my robe, over on the chair.”

Tah nodded and went.

Khan turned back to stare at Fallon with burning copper eyes.

Fallon stared up at him, panting through the heat that rolled through her body while shivering from the cold sweat that drenched her. She could feel her body soaking the mattress under her back. She could also feel pressure building in a corner of her mind that nothing should be in.

Khan held up his hand for the curved, black-handled knife in Tah’s hand. He bared his teeth at the medic and the other Skeldhi. “Out! Now!”

Tah nodded and they left, the door spiraling closed behind them.

‘Syr
Khan licked his lips and focused on Fallon. “Isabeau, what is happening to you will kill you. If I dose you and mount you, you will live, but my DNA will overpower Sobehk’s. You will bear my mark on your body, not his. Do you understand what this means?”

Fallon’s mouth fell open. “Are you saying that I won’t be Sobehk’s anymore?”

Khan glanced down then focused on her. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Physically and legally, you will be my
rehkyt
.”

Fallon shivered hard and shook her head. “I don’t want you. I want Sobehk.”

Khan held her gaze. “He’s not physically strong enough to mount you and control you during
rahyt
. That’s what I have to do to save your life. The only other option is to kill you, now, before you fall into rage madness and kill us both.”

Fallon shook her head and dug her fingers into the mattress. It was an impossible choice. Live and lose Sobehk or ... die.

“Isabeau.” Sobehk’s voice was hoarse. “Khan is a good man. He’ll be a good master. You can trust him to look after you; I swear it.”

Khan looked up at Sobehk, his eyes wide then turned away and swallowed.

Fallon could barely draw breath past the ache in her heart. “But I don’t know if I want to live without you.”

‘Syr
Khan pressed his hand over his eyes. “Isabeau, I know you don’t want me, and I’m not a particularly kind man, but ...” He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. “I swear I will do my utmost to be a good master to you.”

Fallon closed her eyes and turned her head, but the tears fell anyway. Fate and blood, it already hurt so much, maybe death would be easier. At the very least all the pain would stop.

‘Syr
Khan sighed and set his hands on his hips. His left hand held the syringe and his right the dagger. “If you want to live, put your hands over your head so I can dose you. If you’d rather die, put your hands under your back so I can ... cut your throat.”

“Isabeau, you stubborn little pain in my ass!” Sobehk’s voice was tight. “Don’t you dare give up and die on me!”

Give up?
Fallon felt shock rock through her. Was that was she was planning? To just give up? She took a deep breath and scrubbed a hand across her wet cheeks. “I don’t give up. I never have; I never will.” She raised her hands over her head and clenched her teeth, glaring at the Skeldhi sitting on top of her. “Do it.”

Khan arched his brow. “You’re quite sure?”

Fallon loosed a growl. “Do you want me or don’t you?”

Sobehk choked out a laugh. “This is your last chance to escape, Khan.”

Khan smiled, displaying his long teeth. “Oh, I want you.” He set the knife down at his side and caught her jaw, tilting her head back. He raised the syringe in his right hand.

Fallon had only a moment to realize that her hands were not locked into place by her augmentations, then something long and sharp stabbed into her chest. She sucked in a breath but held still. Her heart stuttered painfully. The needle was withdrawn and her heart began to beat twice as hard. A fist of light seemed to close around her heart then expanded and exploded in a blaze of lightning that rushed through her. Her spine arched. Her nipples tightened and her core clenched with sudden urgency.

Khan rose to his feet and his hands went to the ties of his kilt. His eyes had expanded from feline slits to wide pits of darkness surrounded by bright copper. The kilt dropped to his feet, and he stepped out of it. His cocks were only half aroused and oddly shaped. Pronounced bumps marched from the flared edge of his cockhead to the root in a line along the top and the base of both cocks.

Fallon raised her brows. His cocks were not only ridged with small metal balls that had been invested under the skin, his cockheads were both pierced. Black metal balls the size of the tip of her pinky finger sat on the top and the bottom of both cockheads, marking a bar that had been thrust through them. “Kinky bastard, are you?”

“You have no idea.” Sobehk snorted behind them. “Khan is a big-time pain junkie.”

Khan raised his chin and set his hands on his hips as he looked over at Sobehk. “You would know.”

Fallon’s breath stopped in shock. Sobehk ... and
Khan?

Khan dropped to a crouch and focused on Fallon. “I happen to enjoy both taking and delivering pain.”

Fallon eyed his cocks. Oh, yeah, he liked delivering pain, all right.

He licked his lips. “Come up on your heels and spread for me.”

Fallon lifted her knees, digging her heels into the mattress, and opened.

Khan nodded and reached for his fallen kilt. He pulled a small tube from a pocket and squeezed a dollop of clear gel onto his hand. He grasped his lower cock and smeared gel along its length.

Fallon swallowed. That ridged and pierced cock in his hand was getting shoved into her ass. All those bumps and that big hunk of metal at the end were going to be sawing in and out of her. And Sobehk had been a snug fit.
Shit, shit, shit ...

Khan’s brow rose. “I am suddenly under the impression that you are not exactly looking forward to being fucked.” His full mouth spread in a smile that was decadently sinful.

A bolt of lightning struck within her mind, and burned. She sucked in a breath and writhed. A hammer of heat slammed through her and she arched up from the mattress. A second bolt struck. She screamed.

Sobehk lunged up. “What the fuck ...?”

“The probes.” Khan dropped on top of her to hold her bucking body down and wrapped her in his arms. “They’ve begun to work their way into her trapdoor.”

Gasping and whimpering, Fallon wrapped her arms and legs around him. It burned! Oh, bloody fate ... her mind
burned!
She dug her fingers into him, and her claws cut into his back.

Khan hissed. “Oh, yes ...” He pressed her mouth to his shoulder. “Bite me, Isabeau. Bite hard.”

Fallon opened her mouth wide, baring her teeth. Lightning struck again, and she tore into his shoulder with her long teeth, biting down to keep the screams at bay.

Khan groaned and shuddered. “Chaos ... Her venom is potent!” He opened his mouth and closed his long teeth on her shoulder. He bit down with merciless strength.

Fallon groaned as the pain in her body overwhelmed and eased the burning in her mind.

Khan moaned and released her shoulder. “Yes, that’s it, pay attention to your body.” He licked the jagged wounds he’d made in the meat of her shoulder.

Fallon released his shoulder and licked at the blood seeping from the tears she’d made. Urgent carnal warmth curled through her. She pressed up against him. His cocks were hot, hard and exciting lengths against her belly. She had a moment to savor the feel of his arousal, and then he reared back.

Khan stared into her eyes as he fit his upper cock to the slippery mouth of her body. He thrust and the bar in his cock head became a brutally hard pressure just within her.

Fallon gasped softly and arched upward only to feel his second cockhead pressing for entry into her ass.

He came down on one elbow over her. “This one is going to hurt.”

Fallon swallowed. “I know.”

He smiled briefly, and pushed.

She moaned as her anus began to spread, catching on the unforgiving metal bar lodged through it.

He groaned and pressed, hard. “Take me.”

Fallon took a deep breath and pushed outward. Her body opened and the bar surged within. She groaned as the ridges along the top and bottom of his cock followed, scouring viciously past her abused anus and then within the interior of her ass.

He grunted and shoved, sheathing both cocks within her.

She whimpered as her body closed tight around him. She could clearly feel both metal bars within her and writhed.

Khan held perfectly still and brushed the hair from her brow. “Are you all right?”

Fallon took a panting breath. “Yeah ...”

“You’re very tight.” He smiled briefly. “Might I assume Sobehk has been the only one in your ass?”

Fallon felt heat flood her cheeks. “You might.”

His brows rose. “Oh?” An unholy smile wreathed his lips. “Then my pierced cock is probably going to be quite an experience.”

Fallon scowled at him, but a smile danced at the corner of her mouth. “Looking forward to it?”

“I think you are looking forward to it as much as I.” Khan leaned over to look up at the display above Sobehk’s bed. His smile faltered. “Isabeau, it’s coming.” He focused on her face and closed her tight in his arms. “When the pain comes, don’t try to hold it back, and don’t think; just let it wash through you.”

Fallon shivered. “How bad is it going to be?”

“Very.” He flashed a brief smile. “But we’ll get through this, I promise.” He focused on her mouth. “Isabeau ...” His hot mouth covered hers and his tongue swept in to lay claim to hers. His clawed fingers dug into her ass.

She arched up, moaning -- and lightning exploded at the back of her head, leaving a trail of fire. She closed her eyes and howled into his mouth, raking her claws down his back.

He pulled back and thrust his ridged cocks into her with horrific strength.

The ferocity of his stroke jarred her from what was going on in her mind, but the sensation was fleeting, and the fire in the back of her skull still burned. She arched up, writhing to feel more of his ruthless cocks, desperate to drive her searing thoughts away.

He grunted and drove into her.

She arched up to meet his thrust and snarled for more.

He groaned and his claws dug into her, cutting her skin as he thrust again, and then again.

She twisted under him. More, she needed more ... Her mouth closed on his other shoulder, biting down.

He shouted and shuddered, then grabbed the back of her hair and pulled her away, arching her throat back. His mouth brushed her throat and then his teeth closed on her. The canines sank in.