Rebel Kato (Shifters of the Primus Book 1) (9 page)

“We have about one minute,” I say quickly.

“There was a leech ship back the way we came,” he says. “Go. I will catch up.”

“I’m not going without you.”

“You will.”

But I don’t let him go.

We duck around a corner and though we are moving directly toward the leech ship we saw, we are moving too slow to make it in time. My best guess is that the helium 2 will begin venting in about thirty seconds. The leech ship was at least a minute away.

“I am slowing you,” he says.

“The helium two won’t hurt me. It will hurt you. I’m not leaving you.”

He seems to realize that there is no point arguing with me about it. So he finally stops talking and focuses on moving as fast as he can. Two spears are still wedged in his body and it pains me to see them, as if they were stuck in my own body. Worse, I am imagining the pain he will feel if we don’t make it off the ship before the helium two starts flowing.

I can see the jagged opening in the hull where a leech ship burrowed in a few dozen yards ahead. I also see that there is only one air vent in the hallway. I quickly strip off my clothes and run ahead of Kato, who does not protest. Whether because he is enjoying the view or he hopes that I will get to safety, I don’t know. But I reach the vent and jump, stuffing my clothes inside. It’s not a perfect seal, but hopefully it will help.

Kato is about ten steps away from the opening when he grunts in pain.

I look at his skin and see blisters forming on the left side of his body. They grow and pop, more blisters appearing beneath in quick succession. I hug myself tightly to his side and try as hard as I can to push him forward toward the opening while also blocking the gas from touching his body.

I will
not
lose him.

We make it inside the shuttle and he roars with effort as he pulls the mechanical doors closed with his bare hands. It’s a good thing he does too, because I see the control panel was fried when the leechcraft dug its way into the ship.

Even though he is bleeding from countless wounds, spears jammed into his body, and now bloody blisters on the left side, he carries me to the co-pilots chair and makes sure I am strapped in tightly.

I can feel the first waves of relief washing over me. We may have actually made it. The plan really worked. Kato winces as he eases into his own chair. With a quick movement, he jerks both spears free of his body. I cry out, reaching to him but the straps of my chair keep me from him.

He smiles over at me, though the carelessness of his grin is slightly forced. “Do not fear, my
kouva
. It takes more than a few holes to kill Kato, Prince of the Umani.”

“Good. Because when this is all over I may make a few holes of my own in you.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Is this human dirty-talk?”

I laugh. “It depends what you’re into.”

“I am into you. At least I plan to be, soon. Is there a bed on this ship?” he mocks looking over his shoulder for one and then winces with the pain of twisting his torso.

“Does a big bad Umani warrior need a soft bed beneath him to take a woman?”

Kato laughs, but the humor quickly leaves his face. Something is still on his mind.

“I’m sorry I lied to you,” I say.

For several heartbeats, he says nothing. “This,” he says finally, gesturing to his gruesome injuries. “This does not pain me. When my
kouva
does not trust me. This pains me.”

I give him a sad smile. “Your
kouva
promises never to lie to you again. What can I do to prove it to you?”

“Proof? I do not need proof,” says Kato. “I need payment for your crimes. Show me you are sorry.”

I catch his meaning, feeling a weight lifting from my shoulders that I didn’t know was there. If he wants me to please him, he can’t still be angry with me. I’m desperate to make him feel better in any way I can. I try to unbuckle my straps and struggle until Kato reaches over with his free hands and pulls hard enough to rip the belts from the seat. I raise my eyebrows at him. “Someone is horny.”

“Battle, conquest, taking a woman. . . These are all similar.”

I give him a dangerous look. “Are you saying it doesn’t matter to you whether you’re stabbing people or fucking me?”

“Stabbing people? No. Stabbing you?” he smirks. “Yes.”

I slide between his legs while he pilots the ship. He is still naked from his shifting and his dick is fully erect. It is my first time seeing it in good lighting and. . . Wow. I think if dildos had minds, they would want to be his dick when they grew up. It is perfectly straight but has a slight curve toward his belly button—which explains why he was hitting my G-spot so well. It’s gold and smooth, flecked with small spots of reflective gold. I never really took much pleasure in the idea of giving a blowjob, but just looking at his cock makes me hungry to suck, lick, and kiss my way across every inch of it—and it’s a lot of inches to cover.

I
take
my eyes from flying long enough to see the hunger in Liandra’s eyes. She kneels between my thighs, face inches from my manhood. Her eyes are wide and her pupils are dilated. She actually licks her lips! Hah! This female! I am forced to look back to my flight, as there is the chance of being intercepted by any lingering Umani forces at any moment.

I feel a warm wetness blossom where my cock sprouts from my skin. The smooth warmth of her tongue caresses the base of my cock, working its way down to my balls. She takes one of my balls in her mouth and jolts of pleasure rush up my body. My cock throbs with need. I want to cum—to see my seed run from the corners of her mouth.

She kisses my cock, the sounds moist and slow as she works her way up its length, having to stand from her crouching position to reach the top. Now she stands, hands on my knees, and she works her head up and down my length. She teases me, using only her mouth and working the sensitive areas around the ridge of my cock’s head. Somehow her teeth do not scrape against my skin despite my width. The only sensation is of heat and envelopment. Her mouth is a warm, wet, embrace that slides against me.

Gradually, the icy fire of my wounds fades into the back of my awareness and all I know is the pleasure of her touch.

Then one of her small hands slithers around the base of my cock, slipping up and down. She lets the spit run from her mouth, dripping down my cock and making her hand feel as if it is another mouth, gripping me. Then her other hand rubs up my thigh and cups my balls. I roar with pleasure, fighting the urge to close my eyes and let the sensations overcome me. Something deep within me, the panther, fights to shift and take her. But I fight it. She is my
kouva
. My jungle kitten. I would not disrespect her like some of the Umani shifters disrespect their women. She deserves better.

She moans against me and the vibrations of her voice send fresh waves of pleasure through me. The thought of her arousal at my pleasure lights something inside me, something hungry and powerful. I feel the need to cum rising, threatening to make me burst. But I fight it. I am my own master. I will cum when I wish to come and no sooner.

Her body is rocking with the motion, her hips gyrating as she moans against me. Her hand slips from my balls and reaches to play with her exposed breasts. She lifts her head and spits thickly on my length, grinning. Then she pulls her breasts together around my cock and begins using them to stroke its length, her mouth still sucking on the tip. I roar again, this time the need to cum like a torrent of water behind a dam.

“I am cumming,” I growl.

My balls tense, the skin clutching tight. My cock throbs with each expulsion of my seed. She moans with each wave of cum that fills her mouth. I see her throat work as she swallows as much as she can, but some of my seed spills from the corners of her mouth. She slows, using my cum and her spit still to slide her tits along my cock, slowing more until she finally stops, sitting back on her heels and smiling. My cum is still on her face.

I raise my eyebrows and sigh. “You make a strong case. I forgive you.”

“You better,” she says, her tongue flicking out and finding the cum that was still on her face. “Next time, it’s your turn.”

“You are lucky I must pilot this ship,” I say. “I would take you in every way imaginable. I would bring you so much pleasure that you would forget your own name. You would be my slave, knowing only hunger for the power of my cock.”

“You mean I wouldn’t hunger for these?” she asks, her small hands stroking my chest and my abs. Or this?” she asks, sliding her hands beneath me to squeeze my ass. “Or this?” she asks, stroking my face. “I doubt it.”

Liandra moves to take her seat and then holds up the broken straps. “Um?” she says.

“I will not crash the ship. You will be safe.”

“If you’re so confident, why did you always go to so much trouble to get me strapped in?”

“To feel your breasts, and breathe your scent.”

“You—oh. That’s perverted and sweet at the same time.”

“
Sweet
,” I say, still trying to puzzle the meaning of the word.

W
e make
landfall on Umani a few hours later. We set down in a small village built upon a single disc-shaped platform. According to Kato, the village is only an hour or so south of the capital of Jektan. When we land, it is near nightfall.

“You will wait here. It will not do for the males of this village to see the beauty of your naked body.”

I mock salute him. “Yes sir.”

He pauses, turning to take me in. “Yes. You are beginning to learn.” Then he laughs as he jumps down from the shuttle, his firm ass flexing with the motion.

I mimic his words in as deep a voice as I can manage when he leaves,
“fragile woman learn good,”
half annoyed and half amused. It seems to be my normal resting state around him. When he returns a few minutes later, he carries an outfit of green and white material. It fits me well, though it is tight around the chest and ass. I don’t know how Kato managed it, but somehow I’m sure this is on purpose.

He watches me dress, nodding in approval at every stage of the process. When I finish, he slips a hand inside and cups my breast.

“They have been out for this entire shuttle ride and you only now decide to cop a feel?”

He shrugs. “I like when my prey tries to hide.”

I roll my eyes, pulling down my dress to flash him.

He laughs with delight, ducking to rub his face against them and lick my nipple until it is fully erect.

“See?” I say. “You don’t care if your prey hides or comes running to you with a white flag.”

He waves a finger at me knowingly. “Ah, my jungle kitten. But what if my words were only a hunter’s trick to get my prey out of hiding?” He taps his head.

I’m not sure whether to laugh or hit him over the head. Instead, I just cover my tits back up and grin.

Once I’m off the stolen leech ship, I can see that the entire town is bathed in a luminescent blue light. I gasp, taken aback by how beautiful it is. “What is that?”

“We call it
Lumensong
. In your tongue it might be called the moon’s dance.” He points to a jellyfish-like creature that floats upward, long tendrils trailing beneath. “They normally live within The Dead Sea, but when the moon is in alignment with our planet and our sun, they rise to the tops of the trees to mate. The males are blue and the females are nearly transparent. It is by the strength of their glow that the males attract a mate.”

The creatures float wraithlike everywhere I can see, each letting off a blue light that washes over the trees and the village. I rest my head against Kato’s side, taking in the sight. Even on the vids aboard the ship or looking out the viewports, I have never seen such beauty in nature. Kato looks down at my expression and an idea appears to strike him.

“Come with me,” he says.

“Wait,” I say. “I can tell by the look on your face that you’re not planning on going to get those injuries looked at. We’re not doing anything until we get you patched up.”

He takes my hand and presses it to his wound. What was a hole through his body is now nothing more than a hard scab. “I am well. Come.”

I take his word for it, distracted by the drifting creatures and feeling as if I am miles deep in Earth’s ocean, looking up at a swarm of jellyfish rising to the surface to see the moon for the first time.

We enter a lift and Kato punches in our destination. My stomach lurches as we are hurled upwards at what must be unimaginable speeds. I feel like I am ten times heavier and it is only Kato’s strength that keeps me from collapsing.

When the lift doors open, I take an involuntary step back, clutching Kato for safety. We are at the very top of what appears to be one of the tallest trees for miles. The mushroomed heads of thousands of trees spread out in every direction, like a vast landscape of hills. Above each tree, thousands upon thousands of blue motes of light float. Behind them, the sapphire moon hangs, impossibly large.

I drink in the sight of Kato. The blue light reflects off his golden skin, casting his muscles in sharp relief. I can see his six-pack, which is really more like an eight-pack. I study his toned but massive chest and shoulder muscles, and the sharp v-like taper leading to his waist. But when I look at his face, I see the same distant sadness I have seen before.

“What is it?” I ask.

Before he responds, he pulls me close to his body, hugging me as we both look out over the blue lights. “I will not lose you.”

I crane my head to look up at him, putting a hand to his face. “You won’t. Not ever.”

“I will not fail you.”

“I know you won’t. You could never fail. You are too strong.”

“I have failed before,” he says slowly.

I sense that he is reaching a point in the conversation that he dreaded, a point that he knew he needed to reach. It is the reason for his distant stares and moments of sadness at unexpected times.

“I carry it with me every day,” he says. “When I was a young, unblooded warrior, I lived with my father, my mother, my brother, and my two sisters. Primus women were originally a species known as the Kotoss—a highly technological race of intelligent males and females. We conquered them through brute strength and deceit over two thousand years prior. After that, their males gradually moved on, leaving our star systems for places where they could live in peace without the fear of their females mating with Primus men.

“But one day, nearly two hundred years ago, my father received news that a deadly force was spreading through the South, killing every female it touched. My father wanted to move our whole family off-planet until the threat was dealt with. But my pride would not allow it. I thought that we would die in spirit if we ran. I said it would be suited to die facing the enemy than to let it see our backs.

“I was a fool. My father’s pride would not let him flee when his own son so publicly challenged his courage. So my family and all of the city of Jektan stayed. Our warriors wore full battle-regalia, those gifted with shifting among us waited in our beastial forms. But no force came. All that came was the wind, but with it an enemy smaller than the eye could see. It passed straight through all our might and strength and into our city where our females hid. In two days, every last female was dead. In a week, the entire planet was barren of females.

“I could have saved the females of our planet by getting the females of Jektan off-world, but my pride blinded me. Their death and the plight of my people is my doing.”

I let him hold me for a long moment before speaking, careful to choose the right words. “You had no way of knowing. If it really had been some physical force, you would have been protecting everything your people have worked to build. Who would you be if you just ran and let it take your planet? Yes, you are prideful. But you are strong and powerful and that pride is part of what draws me to you. The plague was probably carried by the man who brought you the news from the South anyway, and even if you had fled, it would have followed you wherever you went.”

He gently pushes me away from his embrace to look in my eyes. There is a fire of passion in his own eyes that tells me I have reached through to him. Though he thinks he does not need help to heal, I know I have delved within him and helped to cure something that his own strength and power could not. He pulls me toward him and kisses me.

For I don’t know how long, we kiss. We kiss with the glow of millions of the blue creatures floating around us, with the hopes of an entire race in the balance below us and above. His hand slides through my hair. I breathe in the deep, wood-smoke smell of his scent, musty and faint but overwhelming. It is a drug to me, inciting my passion. I feel myself losing control, sliding in his lap to straddle him, my hips grinding into his crotch. I take his hand and press it hard to my breast. I slide his other hand down my pants and against my clit.

He does not need any more directions. He toys with my nipple, pulling and rubbing just at the right moments. When it becomes too sensitive, he seems to know, moving his finger away from the nipple and stroking the skin of my breast. When I crave more, he is back, teasing and rubbing. His finger works my clit in the same way. Rubbing and stroking until the stimulation is almost too much and then he drives me wild by using each of his fingers independently across the lips of my pussy. One slides into my opening and caresses my G-spot. One slowly traces the lips of my pussy. Another two toy with my clit, sending jolts of pleasure through me until my knees threaten to give out. And somehow, one of his fingers slides behind my opening and to my ass.

He begins slowly, using the cream from my pussy to gently slide the tip of his finger inside. I blush deeply, tensing slightly in surprise. But between his tongue in my mouth, his finger at my nipple, and the sensation of five fingers working as if they each have a brain of their own between my legs. . . I decide to go with it.

His finger slides deeper into my ass. At the same time, he presses against my G-spot, beginning to use more pressure with each motion. He slips from my mouth and whispers in my ear. “My
kouva.
” His voice is a purr, the vibrations running through his body and into his hands. My eyes squeeze shut and I moan into his neck, kissing and licking wherever I can reach. My hips thrust against his hand and the hardness of his cock. I press my chest against his hand, humping and moaning with each movement. His finger goes deeper still into my ass and my pussy. His other finger is vibrating against my clit and my body begins to spasm as I climax. I feel my pussy and my ass clench against his fingers and I bite down on his shoulder. I think I taste blood but my mind is too wrapped in pleasure to dwell on it. My fingers dig into the broadness of his back, scraping against him.

He brings me to climax after climax until I slump into him, feeling more drained that I have ever felt in my life. The juices of my pussy drip from his hand when he is done and he brings the finger to his mouth and licks it clean, smirking. He glances down at the red teeth marks in his shoulder. “I will wear this with pride,” he says.

“I’m so sorry,” I say, flushing. “I—”

“Your fire pleases me. Do not apologize.”

We sit down and I cuddle into him. Every few minutes, my body spasms briefly and I feel my pussy throb and clench, blasting me with what I can only think must be like the after-shocks caused by extreme earthquakes back on earth. Did he actually make me cum so hard that I’m having after-cums?

I let out a deep sigh and close my eyes, content to sleep forever with my head in his lap and my hands on the warmth of his skin.

But we are interrupted too soon. An explosion sounds from somewhere deep below in the trees.