Shattered Stars (5 page)

“Not to be
indelicate, Lord Mero, but how long are you planning on keeping
her?” Grem-sah’s black eyes were suddenly serious.

Mero looked
into the face of one of his oldest friends. “Why, Grem-sah, you
have never asked that before.”

“Ryno has never
enjoyed the company of any of your intimate bonds before. He does
not attach easily, and I think it would pain him if she were to be
treated ill.”

“I am not
planning to treat her ill, but you know as well as I that many do
not suit the life I offer them. Her species is untried, and the
eyes of the Hmrain are watching her success or failure.”

Grem-sah looked
at the woman who was making faces at his husband. “Is she
mature?”

“By her
people’s standards, yes, and that is what matters. She was a
full-voting citizen of her world.”

“She acts so
young.”

Mero smiled
slightly. “She is finding joy again. It is a good sign. Many races
go into shock during education. She is coming out of that lockdown.
Her files indicate that she was disciplined on a few occasions.
That locks down the senses and spontaneity. I need her whole, so
this is an excellent start.”

Hannah was
asking Ryno about his life before the ship, and she was leaning
forward to listen. She might not have noticed that Ryno had
switched languages three times, but she was laughing along and
commenting, so she obviously understood more than was in her file.
It was definitely something for him to keep in mind.

As she laughed,
her hair slid back and exposed the smooth curve of her neck. There
was a small red scratch on her skin, and he was reminded of the
attack on her earlier that day. She had stated that she wasn’t
injured, but he now suspected that it wasn’t the case.

He turned to
Grem-sah. “Thank you for the dinner and the conversation.”

He got to his
feet, and Hannah’s head snapped toward him. She turned and smiled
slightly at Ryno in farewell then got to her feet.

He gathered her
under his wing and walked her back to their quarters. He was going
to examine every inch of her.

There was a weird
tension in him, so Hannah kept her comments to herself while they
walked back to his quarters. Well, their quarters. Finding another
place to sleep hadn’t been an option.

When they were
inside his quarters, he guided her to the centre of the room.
“Remove your dress.”

She paused, and
then, her shoulders drooped. She had almost forgotten why she was
with him.

Hannah undid
the laces in the centre of the bodice, and when she was confident
she could get it up and over her head, she did.

He stood in
front of her, and his metallic eyes were furious. “You said you
weren’t injured.”

He eased her
hair aside and looked at her neck.

“It doesn’t
hurt.” She shivered as he stroked the scratches left behind by the
guy in the oxygen farm.

He touched
them, and she flinched.

“They do not
hurt?”

“Fine, they
hurt a little.”

Mero lowered
his head to her neck, and he licked the long stripes that he found
on her skin.

She shivered as
heat replaced the prickles of pain as he continued to lick her. He
lapped at her neck like he was cleaning her. Her toes curled at the
interest that was flaring up at the stroke of his tongue.

He whispered
against her neck. “Did he hurt you anywhere else?”

“He clawed at
my thigh trying to get the skirt up.”

Mero gripped
her by the waist and carried her to the bed. He laid her back, and
to her shock, he knelt on the floor and pried her legs apart.

His hiss was
deep. “He tore your skin.”

“I thought as
much.”

“We are going
to discuss this later. Your body is not your property while I own
your bond.”

He bent his
head, and his tongue lashed out again, starting an inch above the
knee and working upward.

Whatever was in
his saliva was helping with the burning pain of the scratches, so
she didn’t complain.

His tongue had
the same twisting pattern as his cock, and she shivered as the wet,
slick appendage moved closer to her sex.

She held her
breath while he covered each scrape and gouge in detail. She was
aroused and panting when he lifted his head. She boosted herself up
on her elbows and met his golden gaze.

He licked his
lips and smiled. “Would you like me to continue?”

“Yes.”

He sighed. “I
would as well, but I would like to discuss the terms of your
service in a little more detail. Mainly, your
responsibilities.”

She scooted
into a better sitting position, but he remained on his knees. They
were still face to face.

“In your
duties, you must be clean, well groomed and dressed appropriately
for the events.”

Hannah nodded.
“Yes, sir.”

“In addition to
that, you must continue to stimulate your mind and exercise your
body. Stagnation causes dissatisfaction.”

“Yes, sir.”

“If you suffer
an injury, no matter how slight, you are to notify me
immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

He gripped her
thighs and held on. “I am going to reiterate because I don’t think
you understand. I purchased the use of your body until the end of
your bond. I cannot have my property being damaged. If I need to
assign a guard to accompany you everywhere, I will.”

“Yes, sir.
Sir?”

“Yes?” He
raised his brows slightly.

“What forms of
exercise are acceptable?”

He blinked.
“Walking, swimming. That sort of thing. Why?”

“I would like
to be trained to defend myself, but the act of learning to fight
would injure me, so it would contravene your orders.”

Mero chuckled.
“That it would. I will ask Grem-sah for a crewmember that you can
fight with, providing that medical assist you with the bruising.
“

“You will?”

He smiled. “It
is a reasonable request. I can also provide you with non-projectile
weaponry if you like. Training for that can be arranged as
well.”

“Like
knives?”

“Yes.” He got
to his feet and walked over to the lounge area. He touched the
surface of a table, and a small screen popped up.

When the
captain’s face appeared, Mero spoke rapidly in the language that he
and the captain had spoken in during dinner.

The entire
exchange took less than three minutes. Hannah pulled her legs up
with her feet to one side and leaned on one arm as she waited.

She bit her lip
before it was over and asked, “Sir?”

“Yes,
Hannah?”

“Can the
instructor be larger than I am and male? I have never been attacked
by a female of my own size.”

Mero blinked
and turned back to the screen where the captain was smiling. “Is
that possible?”

“Yes. I will
just have to adjust my selections. I will contact you
tomorrow.”

“Thank you,
Grem-sah.”

Mero shut down
the screen.

He got to his
feet and looked at her. “You are truly a lovely creature.”

“I am the only
one of my kind you have gotten close to. Of course I look
exotic.”

Mero walked
over with long strides. “Do not contradict the compliment. I don’t
make them often.”

She blushed.
“The only thing I am is taller than the average human female or
even the males.”

“So, when you
spoke of being overpowered...” he waited for her response.

“It was an
administrator at the settlement my family and I went to. I was near
starving, and he offered extra rations if I had sex with him. I
said no, so he took what he was after and left me in the cold hall,
bruised and bloody.”

“Was he
punished?”

“No. He had a
skill set that was not duplicated in the settlement, so I was
advised to forget what had happened.”

“Did you?”

She shrugged.
“Mostly. When I left, I gave him something to remember me by. A
punch to the groin and a kick to the face.”

He chuckled.
“It seems you have defense handled.”

“I didn’t know
I was allowed to, and the guy in the oxygen factory was way larger
than Taylor. Don’t pick a fight you can’t win.”

“You are no
longer on the education station. You are allowed to defend
yourself. In defending yourself, you are defending my investment
and that goes for any male or female of any species, even my
own.”

She blinked.
That was news. “Very well.”

He cleared his
throat. “Just to make sure, know that I am the sole exception to
that rule.”

She laughed.
“Exception understood.”

She waited a
moment and then asked him, “Sir?”

“Yes,
Hannah?”

“How did you
heal my leg?”

“Regenerative
properties. My body contains radiation with regenerative
properties. It stimulated your cells into repair and
replacement.”

She shivered at
the look he was giving to the juncture of her thighs.

His tone
shifted. “Stand up.”

She moved to
get off the bed, but he stopped her.

“Stand up on
the bed.”

She stood on
the yielding surface but had to widen her stance for balance.

Mero extended
his left wing, and it stroked the wall. A moment later, a panel
came out, and one of the struts moved like a finger to enter a
code.

A set of loops
descended from the ceiling.

“Put your hands
through the loops.”

She reached up
and settled the soft loops around her wrists. Hannah guessed at
what was going to happen next, and when he lifted her legs and
draped them over his shoulders, she gave herself a mental
prize.

His wings were
silky and smooth with the resilience of thick leather. She rubbed
the soles of her feet on his back while his proximity to her sex
became unbearable.

His breathing
was soft against her skin, and when he was still a few inches away,
he extended his tongue. Her body resisted him for a moment before
he slid inside. A few slow strokes and then he leaned forward to
devour her.

She tensed and
pulled herself up while trying to get away. The twisting tongue and
pressure of his teeth spun her to a climax that had her clenching
her thighs around his head and feeling the outline of his ears.

She screamed
and pulled on the straps, but he cupped her ass in both hands and
held her to his mouth as he fed. He didn’t let her breathe. She was
rocketed from one orgasm to the next, and still, he licked, sucked
and twisted his exceptionally long tongue inside her.

Her arms ached
when Mero stopped. He lifted her away from the straps, prying her
hands open. Her legs were still around his neck when he laid her on
the sheets.

He smiled and
stroked her thighs. “You taste better than honey.”

She blushed and
focused on relaxing her legs. She had been locked by her body’s
reaction to release, and it was taking a lot of effort to get
herself back to normal.

Hannah finally
relaxed enough to unlock her ankles, and from there, she was able
to move her legs off his shoulders.

“Pity; I was
rather enjoying the view.”

He looked her
over and frowned. “How easily do you bruise?”

She blinked.
“Normal for a human. I think that is just a bit of an abrasion
from... well you know.”

He took her
right arm and pulled it over her breasts, looking at the red bands
around her wrists.

“We will simply
have to do something else.” He laughed.

“Sir?”

“I thought you
were to call me Mero.”

“You seemed
irritated before, so sir is more appropriate.” She twitched her
lips.

“What do you
wish to know?”

“What are you
consuming?”

“It is a
combination of brainwaves and pheromones. I have a gland that
processed the pheromones and a segment of my central cortex takes
the brainwaves. It is transferred from the waves into radiation.
Nothing is wasted.”

“So, when you
said you could consume pain, you would consume those same events
and use them.”

“Yes, but pain
is fleeting. The body forgets pain as quickly as it can. There is
no lingering effect. Having you with me is the equivalent of having
a banquet when I touch your body and a snack when you are simply
walking with me.”

“The absorption
is increased by proximity.”

He smiled
slowly. “Indeed. You are quite clever, Hannah.”

He stripped out
of his boots and trousers before returning his attention to her. It
was hard to take the compliment when he was moving to cover
her.

“Proximity is
definitely beneficial.” He nudged his cock between her folds and
slid into her.

She was shocked
at how easily he went in when it had been such a struggle for her,
but he was working with a lot more help from her body. He simply
lowered his torso to hers and didn’t move an inch.

She was pinned
under him, and her inner muscles began clasping and releasing him.
The rhythm that she took up grew faster and faster until an
agonizing spasm ripped through her, and she fainted.

Hannah woke in
the shower as Mero held her up and cleansed her inner thighs. She
spluttered and coughed, standing up under her own power with a
tremendous ache between her thighs.

“If you are
awake, it is time for the sleep period. I have work to do, but you
can rest.”

He stroked her
hair, telling her without words that their separation was not
anything that she had done.

She breathed
easier and finished her shower, wrapping herself in a drying cloth
before she towelled her hair dry. He wasn’t wrong. She was
exhausted. The tension of the last few days combined with the sex
had turned her normal, boring schedule upside-down. Her nerves were
all jumbled.