Laura Jo Phillips (14 page)

He met his brothers’ eyes, but none of them could speak.  They removed the remainder of her clothing in silence, finally discovering why it was that Berta wore long sleeves all of the time.  The scars ran across her shoulders and down her arms to her wrists.  When they rolled her over to unclasp her bra, they found that her back was even more heavily scarred than her front. 

Her body was so perfectly beautiful.  She had full breasts tipped with coral nipples, a tiny waist and full hips, her skin pale and silky soft, her feet and hands so small and dainty to their eyes.  But she had suffered so much more than they ever could have imagined. 

Merrick began picking the debris out of Berta’s hair, ignoring the tears that streamed down his face and dripped onto the pillow beside her.  When he turned for the brush, he saw that Tor and Jerri had tears on their faces as they carefully and gently washed her skin with warm cloths. 

When they were finished, Berta’s hair lay in a thick, glossy braid over the pillow, her body covered with the blue satin nightgown, the sheet pulled up to her waist.  The Falcorans stood at the foot of the bed and watched her, each lost in his own thoughts.

“Why did she ever even agree to talk to us, let alone accept us?” Tor asked.

“How much courage did it take for her to remain in the Katres’ home with us, alone, that first time we visited?” Merrick asked. 

“I don’t think we can do it,” Jerri said finally.

“Do what?” Merrick asked.

“We cannot do the soul-link triad with her,” Jerri said.  “What if it hurts her somehow?  She has been hurt too much.”

“We will not hurt her,” Tor said flatly.  “I will kill anyone who ever even
thinks
to hurt her in any way.”

“As will we all,” Merrick agreed.  “But if we do not complete the triad, she will die.  We cannot let her die.”

 “I’m afraid, Merrick,” Jerri said in a low voice.  “What if I hurt her without meaning to?”

“She is not made of glass, Jerri,” Merrick said.  “If we treat her as though she is, we will hurt her spirit.”

“How can we see what has been done to her and not fear causing her further harm?” Jerri asked.

“Once the second phase is complete, she will no longer have those scars, Jerri,” Tor reminded him.  “This is why she was so happy when you told her that her body would be renewed.”

Jerri nodded.  “I am glad that the scars will be gone from her.  She deserves that much.  I am even more sure that we are unworthy of her.  She is braver than us by far.”

“I, too, doubt our worthiness,” Tor said. 

“If we are not worthy of her, we must strive to correct that,” Merrick said.  “We will grow.  Evolve.  Mature.  We will
become
worthy.  Right now, worthy or not, we are what she has, and we cannot fail her because we fear to harm her.”

Tor and Jerri nodded in agreement and turned their attention back to Berta.  She looked so beautiful lying there, the wisps of dark curly hair that was too short for the braid framing her face, her long lashes dark against her pale skin. 

“Dammit!” Tor exclaimed suddenly.  He hurried around to the side of the bed and reached for Berta’s right hand. 

“What?” Merrick demanded, seeing nothing wrong.

“She’s stopped breathing!” Tor shouted.  “We forgot to check her vital signs.”

Merrick ran around the other side of the bed and leaned over Berta, turning her head to the side and lowering his mouth to her neck.  He glanced up, relieved to see both Jerri and Tor in place.  He nodded curtly, then sank his fangs into her neck.  His heart raced in his chest with both fear and fury.  Fear that they were too late; fury at their incompetence.

Moments later they removed their fangs and Berta took a long, deep breath.  Merrick placed one hand gently at her neck and felt the strong pulse of her heart beating.  He closed his eyes and made a silent promise to himself. 

“Damn,” Jerri said, “that was....” but Merrick cut him off sharply. 

“Not now,” he said.  “We must put her into a deep sleep at once.”

Tor and Jerri sent their power to Merrick who used it to reach out to Berta.  He sensed that she was beginning to awaken, and pushed her gently back down into sleep.  She struggled for a moment, but he was stronger.  The deeper she went, the harder he pushed until she was far from consciousness.  He withdrew just as the fires within her body began to boil.  He shuddered.  He’d had but a glimpse of the first of the pain her body would suffer, and it made him ill.  He gritted his teeth and reached out to Berta again.  He had to be absolutely certain she was deeply asleep and unable to feel.

When he withdrew again his forehead was beaded with sweat and he was sick to his stomach.  Tor and Jerri looked only slightly better.  They had joined him, but from a distance, so had not felt or seen as clearly as he had.  It had been enough, though.

“Get some cool cloths,” Merrick said as Berta’s body arched sharply, then fell back to the bed.  Jerri raced to the bathroom, and Berta’s body arched again, nearly folding in half with the convulsion that seized hold of her and shook her like a doll.  And that was only the beginning.

Throughout the long day the Falcorans took turns checking to be sure that Berta was still deeply asleep, that she felt none of the horrific pain her body experienced.  They kept her clean, held her body as gently as they could to keep her bones from snapping from the strong convulsions that ripped and tore through her, and they made a promise to each other.  Never again would they forget even the smallest thing about their Arima. 

By the time the convulsions began to ease, Merrick, Tor and Jerri were convinced that there could be no worse torture in all of the Thousand Worlds that would ever come close to what they had just been through.  The only good thing about it was that all of Berta’s scars were gone.  There was not a single scar, mark, or blemish of any kind on her body now. 

Tor came out of the bathroom with a fresh set of warm cloths just as Berta opened her eyes and smiled.  “Hi guys,” she said, her voice soft, but clear.

“Hello beautiful,” Jerri said.  “How are you feeling?”

“I feel fine,” Berta said.  She looked down at herself, her eyes widening when she realized her arms were bare.  She automatically moved to cover them with the sheet, then froze.  “How?” she asked in a whisper.

“I told you, brand new body,” Jerri said.  “Didn’t you believe me?”

“Yes, I believed you,” Berta said, stroking the smooth skin of her arm with hesitant fingers.  “I just didn’t believe it this much.”  She looked up at Merrick, then Tor.  “Are all of them gone?”

“Yes,
valedar
,” Merrick said.  “They are all gone.  Every single one.”

 “I know it seems vain,” Berta began, but Merrick leaned over and pressed one finger lightly against her lips. 

“Not vain,
valedar
,” he said.  “They were reminders of events you do not need reminding of.  Now they are gone.”

“
Valedar
?” she asked.

“
Darling one
,” Merrick said, reaching up to brush a curl from her cheek.  “Berta, the mating fever will hit soon.  We want you to know that we will not hurt you.”

“You’re worried about something,” Berta guessed, feeling their tension.  She glanced at Tor, then Jerri, and noted that they all looked tense.  “What is it?”

“We are so afraid of making you afraid of us,” Merrick said.  “You have suffered so much.  We could not live with ourselves if we caused you more pain.”

“Don’t worry about my past,” Berta said.  “I have never been afraid of you guys, and I don’t plan to start now.”

“Thank you, Berta,” Merrick said, smiling.  “That helps.”

A sudden wave of heat rolled through Berta’s body, leaving her nipples hard, her skin so sensitive that the satin of her gown almost hurt, and her pussy spasming so hard it made her entire body shudder.  Never, in all of her long life, had she felt anything like this.  “What is happening to me?”.

“The mating fever has begun,” Merrick said, glancing at Tor and Jerri.  “Does it hurt?”

“Hurt?” Berta asked as another wave rolled through her.  “No, not hurt,” she gasped.  “I feel...needy...but it doesn’t hurt.”

“Promise that you will tell us if it begins to hurt,” Tor said as he and Jerri climbed off the bed and began to undress.

“I promise,” she gasped as her body shuddered again.  “How do we stop it?”

“We must perform the soul-link triad and give you the third injection,” Merrick replied, watching her carefully.”

“Can we do that soon?” Berta asked.  “This feeling is growing very fast.”

Merrick got off the bed and began removing his clothes, not taking his eyes off of Berta.  “Do you want us to explain to you what will happen?”

Berta moaned as she shook her head.  Over the past couple of days she’d felt a bit aroused when she was with the Falcorans, a sensation that was completely new to her.  She had never experienced sexual excitement, or even an orgasm before.  What her body was feeling at the moment was totally foreign, and it was beginning to frighten her.  “No explanations, please, just hurry,” she gasped.  “Whatever you need to do, do it now.”

Merrick tossed his clothes aside, still watching Berta.  He noticed her brushing over and over again at the nightgown, and sensed that her skin was too sensitive even for the light, silky fabric.  He reached over and removed the garment with one quick motion, pleased when she offered him a quick smile of thanks.

He shivered with his own arousal when he saw that her coral nipples were hard little points and her thighs were soaked with her fluids.  He climbed onto the bed beside and her lowered his mouth to hers in a hard, deep kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, claiming it for his own.  She moaned into his mouth, urging him on, her body shuddering against his when he pulled her close against him.  He slowly lowered her back down to the bed as he kissed her, reaching down with one hand to stroke the hot wetness between her legs.  She broke the kiss, gasping for air as her hips bucked against his hand in her first ever climax.

“What was that?” she gasped.

“Just a little climax to hold you over for a moment,” Merrick said, struggling to control the heat rising within his own body.  The scent, sight and feel of Berta was rapidly driving him to the edge of his control.  Until he heard her whimper.

His eyes went to hers at once, and he saw the desperation there as her need ramped up even higher than before. 

“Jerri, get the ointment,” he ordered.  “Tor, take your place.  Hurry.  We have no time.”

Tor laid down on the bed, his hips at the edge, feet on the floor.

Berta’s need was growing fast.  Too fast, Merrick feared.  He lifted her up and lowered her slowly over Tor.  All of Berta’s fear on the subject of sex had vanished.  There was nothing about the current situation or the way she felt that was remotely like anything she’d ever experienced before.  Her need was so deep and so big that it was a little frightening, but it wasn’t painful.  Or degrading. 

When Merrick lifted her over Tor she realized what he wanted and spread her legs wide, one knee on either side of him on the bed.  Tor grasped her hips and guided her hot, swollen sheath over his cock. 

Berta wanted to slam herself down on him.  She’d never felt anything so deeply exciting and erotic and she wanted more.  Much more.  Now.  But Tor held her firmly, forcing her to go slowly.  “Trust me, love,” he said, “if you go too fast, you might hurt yourself.  Besides, we need to wait for Merrick and Jerri.”

Berta nodded, but the fever was growing and, where her mind was willing to wait, her body wasn’t.  She began to shake and shiver uncontrollably.  “Hurry,” she whispered.

Merrick took the jar of cream from Jerri and scooped up a large dollop.  He applied it to Berta’s rear opening,  relieved that she felt relaxed there, knowing that the mating fever had everything to do with that.  After testing her carefully and making sure she was liberally lubricated, he placed the head of his cock at the tender entrance and paused one moment to calm himself. 

This was an enormous moment for all of them, one they hadn’t expected to experience so soon.  He allowed himself a moment of pure joy.  Then Berta’s soft, panicked whimper brought him back to the moment.  He began pressing slowly into her, refusing to allow her to speed his entry for fear he would cause her pain.  He groaned helplessly at the heat engulfing his cock as he seated himself fully into her tight passage. 

“Now, Tor,” he gasped.  Tor lowered Berta the rest of the way, releasing a deep groan of his own when he was buried completely within her slick, hot pussy.  Jerri was on the bed, positioned so that Berta could easily take his cock into her mouth by turning her head. 

“Berta,” Merrick said, gasping as he struggled with his own raging desire.  “I’m sorry about this, but it must be done.”

“Please, tell me what to do,” she gasped, her body shuddering relentlessly, her fluids soaking Tor’s groin.

“Lift your right wrist to Tor’s mouth, your left to Jerri’s,” he said.  She immediately complied and both men took her wrists, kissed them tenderly and held them, waiting. 

 “Berta, you must take Jerri’s cock deep into your throat and hold it,” he said.  “Do you think you can do that?”