Himiko: Warrior (3 page)

They all are.
He was losing his optimism. If this was the way the humans were going to treat him, then he felt less and less interested in them.

You are human, Matt.

Yeah?
Matt pulled back.
Define human.

Matt, come on.
The worry was clear in Pietr's mind, but Matt didn't have the energy to deal with it at the moment.

He was sick and tired of this. When he went out with Pietr, the people around him looked at him with pity at first when they assumed that he was a prisoner of the Himiko next to him. When they realized that wasn't the case, their compassion turned into disgust. His former friends and acquaintances refused to even talk to him, and his business was suffering.

It was exhausting, and Matt found himself pulling more and more into himself. It was unhealthy to say the least, but he didn't know how to get through the day if he didn't.

At least he was home now. That was all he longed for during the day in the office: to be able to close the door behind him and be alone with Pietr. Pietr sometimes half-heartedly suggested that they go to the movies or something like that, but Matt couldn't bear the thought of the stares and the disgust they would encounter if they did.

Matt, we have to talk about this. You can't keep on this way.

To Matt's relief, the doorbell sounded.

Who the fuck is that?
They hadn't exactly had many visitors since they moved in, only their Himika friends, Robbie and Aki. And they always called before coming over.

Matt opened the door.

"I have a delivery."

Oh, yes, the groceries.
Matt signed for the delivery, and the guy handed over the bags and was on his way again.

You ordered our groceries online?
Pietr was surprised as he followed Matt into the kitchen.

Yes.

But why?

I don't want to go out.

There was sadness in Pietr's mind when his mate realized what Matt had done.

Come on, Matt. You shouldn't isolate yourself like this.
Pietr came over and hugged him from behind. Matt leaned back for a moment; then he went on with unpacking their groceries.

It's better than the alternative.

Matt could tell that Pietr wanted to say something, the worry clear in his mind.

Pietr really was concerned and had tried helping. It turned out that Robbie lived pretty close to Matt's apartment when he didn't stay at the clinic, and he visited them regularly. Matt knew that Pietr was talking to him about their situation. But neither of them could change the way humans felt toward the Himika, and the constant hostility was taking its toll on Matt.

Even Robbie's easy-going temper and the Himiko's obvious happiness with Aki weren't enough to tear Matt's barricades down entirely. He guarded himself carefully these days, and he didn't let anybody but Pietr close. Matt knew that Robbie worried almost as much as Pietr, but he couldn't find a way to reassure them that he was okay. Mostly because he wasn't so sure about it himself.

Instead of speaking, his mate gently took the cans out of his hands, put them down on the kitchen counter, and turned him around.

It's going to be fine, Matt. I know everything sucks at the moment, but things are going to change soon. I promise you.

There was a shadow of something Matt didn't quite register flowing through Pietr's mind. Then Pietr leaned in and kissed him.

Matt closed his eyes, the feeling of Pietr's lips against his own chasing away his worries, and he desperately needed that. He reveled in it, opening his mouth and gently licking Pietr's bottom lip. He felt the flash of excitement in Pietr's mind, but his mate stubbornly pushed it down.

Matt frowned and wanted to pull back.

Pietr laughed in his mind.
Just want it to last, stupid.

Oh. Well. He guessed he could go for that. He opened his mouth a little more, and Pietr's tongue pushed in, softly probing as if asking for permission.

Matt moaned and pushed closer, and his stupid alien laughed at him again.

Will you shut up?

When do you learn that you can't shut up a mind read… Oh, that's nice.

Yeah, Matt knew. The heavy need pooled low in Pietr's stomach when Matt let his hands run over the small of his back.

More.

Matt wanted to grin, but he was busy kissing and fondling and rubbing. Keeping one hand on Pietr's ass, he reached down and grabbed Pietr's dick.

Ohh…

That was more like it. Listen to Pietr shut up.

You're not making sense, honey.

Jesus. Would the man never...

"Oh, shit." Matt let his head fall back as Pietr kissed his neck and ground into him, hard. Then there was a nip, right under his ear where it always made his knees turn into jelly, and he held Pietr's head close and ground right back.

"Mmm…" God, this was good.

Completely lost in the feeling, Matt protested when Pietr pulled back. But his mate showed him a mental image of a nice, soft bed, and then Matt went straight into their bedroom.

Very cooperative.

Matt tried to scowl, but the fact that he was hastily undressing did ruin his attempt at being offended. Then he got lost in watching Pietr undress.

It just never got old. Looking at the smooth skin and knowing exactly how it would feel to touch it, how the muscles in Pietr's stomach would jump when he ran a hand too lightly down the sensitive skin, how Pietr's cock would swell at the same time. And then there was Pietr's arousal, growing as his mate felt Matt's thoughts. It was a heady feeling.

Yeah? Then do something about it, will you?

Matt smiled and reached out a hand. When Pietr took it, he pulled his mate with him, and they landed in an unorganized heap on the bed.

Goal-oriented. I like it.

Matt laughed, but then he got busy with the amount of naked skin within his reach. Pietr stretched up a little when he let a hand slide over Pietr's belly, like a cat being caressed.

Come on, Matt. I want you.

Matt pulled Pietr close, taking his mouth. The lightness rapidly gave way to a frantic need of sooner, closer, harder. More. He needed more.

I have you, Matt. I have you.

Matt could hear the lube, and then he felt the wet sensation of Pietr rubbing it around his hole and pushing in. It was good, but he didn't want just good. He wanted to be filled and owned and safe.

Matt whimpered against his will when he revealed that; he had been hell bent on being strong.

I don't need you strong. I just need you.

With those words, Pietr pushed into him.

Oh, God.
It was too soon, and his muscles burned in protest. And yet, it wasn't soon enough, simply not enough, and Matt reached down and pulled Pietr deeper until he was full. Completely.

Complete.

Pietr moaned when he heard that thought and wrapped his arms around Matt, slowly sliding out and pushing back in.

Matt wrapped his legs around Pietr, holding on tightly and kissing Pietr.

I love you, Matt.

Matt knew, could feel it surrounding them and flowing through every one of their movements. Pietr set up a steady rhythm, and each thrust drove the feeling of belonging, of being one, to a new height. The boundaries between them blurred, and their pleasure grew and grew until Matt -- or was it Pietr? -- cried out, and the climax took them and shut out everything else, encompassing them in a burning, cleansing fire of pure satisfaction.

Matt kept holding on for a long, long time, the close contact with Pietr everything he needed. Everything that made him whole.

Thank you.
Pietr's inner voice was quiet, grateful.

Matt just nodded and gently kissed the side of Pietr's neck. He would be okay. As long as he had Pietr, he would be okay.

Matt was deep in thought when he left work that evening. It was Friday, and he had given his employees the afternoon off, leaving him a blessedly empty office in which to get some work done. He still relished the work; something as simple as an extension to a school or an administration building thrilled him. It wasn't just the aesthetic side of it, even though that was important. He also loved adjusting all the technical specifications to make one coherent, well-working building. It was like a giant puzzle, the pieces consisting of the demands made by the owner of the building, the future users, and his own aesthetic ambitions.

He was still thinking about the possibility of incorporating an extra entrance for his current project when he saw two men. They were walking toward him in the shadows along the pathway to the parking lot. The men were clad almost identically in black trousers and shirts, and he guessed it was their outfits that had caught his attention. Just before they got into the light from the lamppost, they pulled on black ski masks.

Matt turned around to run, but there were two men behind him as well, dressed like the other two. He halted, reaching his arms out to the sides in a gesture that was meant to be appeasing.

"I don't have anything worth stealing," he said. He had a feeling that they weren't there for his wallet, though. You didn't dress up like that and call three of your friends to rob random people of their spare cash.

One of the men stepped closer, and with a shock, Matt realized that he knew the figure. Jones and Matt had dressed up as robbers for a costume party once when they couldn't come up with a better idea for a costume, and Jones had even worn the ski mask one very memorable night in bed.

"Don't do this to me. Fuck, Jo--" Matt felt a hard punch in his back, making the pain soar through him. He tried to turn around, but the man next to Jones was too quick, and he got a blow to his head that almost knocked him over.

Matt shook his head to clear it. He tried to use his mental powers to defend himself, but the blow to his head made his mind sluggish. All he could think to do was lifting up his bag to protect himself. It did block a punch from Jones, but Matt got another in the side, making him lose his breath. He fought hard to stay upright, knowing that it would get really bad when he couldn't keep standing anymore. Then the blows started raining down, and it was only a matter of time before his knees gave out and he sank to the ground. It didn't stop there; the punches turned into kicks, one of them making a horrible crunching sound as the boot hit his ribs. He cried out, and it was only then he realized that he had been quiet until now.

"Yes, make the fucker scream."

It was Jones' voice, and it was Jones who kicked him in the head, making the world go gray and quiet. The only thing he registered were the flagstones under him, hard and cool where he rested his face, but there was no sound, no pain anymore.

His head eventually cleared, though, and he saw that the men were gone. Only Jones was still there, mask off. His former friend pulled roughly at Matt's hair, forcing his head up.

"See, that's what happens to people who fuck aliens. Fucking freak!" Jones spat, most of it hitting Matt in the face. Then he slammed Matt's head into the ground and walked away.

Matt couldn't move, his brain not remembering how to make his limbs work. The only sound he heard was his own labored breathing; something in his chest wasn't functioning as it should, and he wasn't getting enough air. It felt horribly wrong. He finally managed to move an arm, trying to get it under him to get up. The pain in his chest and shoulder was overwhelming, tearing through him, and he was lost in pain, was nothing but pain.

Help me! Pietr, help me. It hurts so much!
He cried out for his mate with all of his mental powers, desperately hoping that Pietr was near enough to hear him. Then he faded, all energy spent.

***

"Lie still, now. Don't try to move." Matt could feel the worry pouring out of the woman next to him. He groaned, the pain too bad to keep quiet.

"You'll be fine." Matt could sense that she was lying to calm him down. "I've already called an ambulance; just lie still."

"No ambulance. Pietr." It hurt to speak and it hurt to breathe, and the thought of humans close to him, poking him and staring at him, was intolerable. "Don't let them get me." He managed to open his eyes.

The woman was kneeling next to him, dressed like a corporate something. Someone else working late.

Please, Pietr.
There wasn't much force behind his cry, and he doubted that it would have any effect. He was all alone.

"No, you're not. I'm here, and the ambulance will be here in a minute." The woman was worried, and it took Matt several moments to figure out that he must have spoken out loud. It took real effort to turn his head toward her.

"Pietr." His mind was sluggish, and he couldn't put the words together to ask her to call his mate.

"They'll get in touch with your emergency contact at the hospital. Don't worry."

With a shock, Matt's dazed mind remembered that he had long ago put down Jones as his emergency contact. He struggled to get up, the pain shooting through him. The woman tried to keep him down without hurting him, and her gentle hold was enough to hold him still. He couldn't breathe, couldn't fight the way he wanted to.

Don't move!

Pietr wasn't quite here yet, but the knowledge that his mate was close was enough to make Matt cry out in relief. The woman mistook it for pain, and she tried to calm him down again. Matt was oblivious to her efforts, though, the feeling of his mate all he could concentrate on.

"You can't go near him! Not now, he's hurt!"

The woman was frightened, but she still stood up, trying to block Pietr's way. Matt briefly thought that she must be quite brave to get in the way of a Himiko; then he had Pietr's arms around his head and the pain was no longer his alone to carry.

It hurts so much. I can't breathe.
Matt wanted to tell Pietr what had happened, but he couldn't collect his muddled thoughts.

I know, baby, I know. Don't move; just lie here while I hold you.

Pietr was angry and worried, and Matt just let go and did as Pietr told him to, letting his eyes slide shut. The pain was almost bearable when he didn't have to hold it together all by himself.

There was a piercing noise somewhere close to him, and the sound tore into his pain, the feeling excruciating. It finally stopped, but then there were foreign hands on him, human hands, and it was unbearable. Matt cried out, trying to avoid being touched, and he could hear agitated voices around him. The pain and the confusion were overwhelming, and he felt himself drifting away.

***

When he came to again, he was in the hospital, being wheeled into a bright white room.

"Male, in his thirties, unconscious, multiple fractures to ribs, clavicle, and cheek. BP low, showing signs of shock."

"Pietr?"

Matt tried to sit up, and cried out when the pain tore through him. He gasped, trying to force enough air into his lungs, but they didn't work properly. The tube in his nose didn't help at all.

"Don't try to move. Lie still, Matt." There was a woman pressing him down. It hurt, and the contact was too close, humans all around him.

He fought harder, desperate to get to his mate.

"You're making it worse! I only need to touch him while you examine him."

Pietr's voice was somewhere outside the room, and Matt reached out for him. It made his head hurt even worse, and he heard Pietr cursing out loud. Then Pietr was at his side, holding his hand, and Matt clung to the contact.

There were loud voices all around him, and he groaned.

Shh, please?
He couldn't find the right words, couldn't get past the fog in his brain.

"I'm his doctor. Please let me through." The voice was familiar, and then he felt Robbie's careful hands on him.

"He needs you to be quiet!" Robbie's voice carried through the room, and finally, the noise let up. "He's to be treated like a Himiko; he's got special needs."

Someone in the background said something, and Robbie answered, sounding irritated.

"He's recently undergone brain surgery, and he still suffers some aftereffects from it."

The effect of a Himiko lying was dizzying. What Matt heard with his mind and with his ears didn't match, and it made his head spin. He got a clear feeling why it was difficult for a Himiko to lie to another Himiko.

Matt felt Robbie carefully ease his way into Matt's mind, so cautiously.

"Oh, your head hurts, doesn't it?" There was compassion in Robbie's voice. "Can you open your eyes, Matt?"

Matt hadn't realized that he had closed them again. He opened them, groaning when the glaring light made the pain flare.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but I have to see something. This is the best way." There was more light, and Matt squeezed his eyes shut again. Robbie let him.

"Help him like this while I examine him." Matt felt Robbie show Pietr how to wrap himself around Matt's sore mind, soothing some of the pain and confusion.

Then Robbie did a strange thing, almost like he was going inside Matt's body. Matt started, trying to get away both mentally and physically, but Pietr was there right away.

It's okay, baby. Robbie's helping you. Healing you.

The place in Matt's side where the pain had been excruciating suddenly got warm, then very hot, and it felt as if something inside his body was moving on its own accord. The feeling was strange, and he tried to fight it. However, Pietr kept him from struggling, and slowly, the pain faded. He could suddenly get real breaths into his lungs, and the air felt so good.

"That will help him a bit." Robbie's voice sounded weak, and Matt opened his eyes.

"There you are." Robbie swayed a bit, his eyes looking unfocused for a moment, but he smiled when Matt looked at him. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. That was your worst injury. Just try not to use your mind too much, okay?"

Matt was going to nod, but his eyes fell shut again. Robbie patted his arm, and Matt could hear the Himiko talking to the nurses and doctors around him. The sounds got blurry, though, his ability to focus on any one sentence gone. It was enough to almost make him panic.

I have you. Don't worry.
Pietr wrapped himself closely around Matt's mind, gently protecting him from the sounds and sights of the room and easing him.

"His pulse is slowing down." The woman was too close to him, and he frowned, trying to turn away and gasping when it tore at his collarbone.

"He's calming down; it's a good thing. As long as his mate keeps close to him, he'll be fine. If you separate them, you run the risk that he'll go into shock," Robbie said.

"His mate?" The woman's voice sounded skeptical.

"Yes. Big guy there. I need to sit down."

Matt opened his eyes just in time to see his doctor sway and stumble before two of the people in the room caught Robbie and helped the Himiko into a chair.

Robbie?
Matt tried to reach out, but his energy kept slipping out between his fingers, and Robbie's mind was only a vague blur of fatigue.

He needs Aki.

"I know, baby, and he'll get him. Just lie still, don't worry." Pietr's voice was firm.

Is this like when I overdid it? Can't I use my mind?
Matt's thoughts were all over the place.

"You should just relax. Stay with me, like this." Matt felt how Pietr gently cradled his mind, keeping him still and safe without demanding anything of him. He relaxed a little; this he could do.

"Yes, like that." Pietr held on to his hand.

"Still hurts." It did; now that he could breathe again, his collarbone hurt like hell, and there was something not right about his face.

"It probably does. I'll get you something for the pain in a second," the nurse responded.

Matt could feel this nurse very clearly; she was scared because of the presence of Himika, but she stubbornly refused to show it.

"How's your breathing?"

"Fine. But my shoulder hurts, and my face..." Matt reached up to get the tube out of his nose.

"No, don't remove it, your oxygen levels are..." Her voice faded as she looked at one of the monitors surrounding his gurney. She looked back at him, confused. "I thought you had broken ribs? Your oxygen levels were very low when you came in. I don't understand..."

"He's got a broken cheekbone and collarbone, the EMT said. But his ribs are just sore from the beating." Pietr warned him to keep quiet, and Matt did as he was told. It was easier, anyway.

The confusion was clear in the nurse's mind, but she shook her head. "I must have misheard him. Now, we'll get you something for the pain right after we've looked at you. Dr. Wilson, if you could come over here?"

The doctor reluctantly got closer, eyes filled with unease as he looked from Matt to Pietr. His professionalism got the better of him, though, and he started carefully examining Matt.

It hurt when the doctor touched his chest, and Matt couldn't keep back his groan when the pain tore through his shoulder. Pietr growled when his mate sensed Matt's pain. The doctor pulled back, hands up as if to defend himself.