Shattered Stars (7 page)

“You are
looking forward to your new home?”

She turned and
smiled at him. “I am excited to see a living world again. This
means a lot.”

She wanted to
tell him that seeing a living world was going to heal part of her
soul, but Hannah figured that he already knew that.

She wanted to
hold his hand as the excitement of nearly being in breathable,
natural air overwhelmed her.

She could see
cities, wide agrarian spaces, and finally, the shuttle approached
the landing site.

There wasn’t a
spaceport, which was a bit of a shock. “Just a landing site?”

“No one lands
on Kiiba without my permission.”

“Or else?”

“Or, I will
hunt them down and destroy their entire ship. It has happened
before. Most folk out here know not to interfere with Hmrain
planets.”

“How can a
person own an entire planet?”

Mero chuckled.
“They pay for it when it is nothing but dust and howling winds and
build it up. Kiiba is the work of years of effort, and I will
defend what I have built.”

The shuttle
settled down, and her heart started racing. Mero got to his feet
and waited for her to stand. When she was tucked under his wing, he
shepherded her out of the shuttle through the wide hatch built to
his specifications.

Hannah stepped
forward into the sunlight, and she held her hand out as the rays
caressed her face. She was about to step further from Mero when he
wrapped his hands around her and propelled them upward with enough
force to smack her head against his collarbone. She saw stars for a
moment, and then, the rush of air around her boosted her
exhilaration.

Laughter
spilled out of her at the sight of a living and flourishing world.
Since the impact, she had never thought that she would see another
open sky or taste incoming rain in the air.

All the
possibilities in life had died with her atmosphere, and now, a
distance away that she couldn’t even calculate, she was finding
marks of a future again.

The world was
so wondrous that she neglected to focus on the one thing that
wasn’t possible. Mero was flying, and he was holding her.

The rush of air
was pulling at her skirt, and icy fingers worked their way up her
inner thighs. The downside of no underwear meant she was vulnerable
to the breezes, and here, it was gale force.

They flew over
the farms, over rivers and up the hillside to a town with a huge
compound and a palace with a high tower.

Instead of
heading to the tower, he landed in the courtyard with a heavy back
beat of his wings. He straightened and set Hannah on her feet.

There had to be
forty or more servants standing to greet them, and eight different
species were represented.

Instead of the
smocks used by the education station, the bondservants were all
attired in comfortable clothing in blue and silver. Tunics and
trousers for both males and females, with adaptations for any
spikes, scales or horns that needed more room.

He inclined his
head, and a woman glided forward, her grey marble skin gleaming in
the light.

“Welcome home,
Lord Mero. All is ready.”

“Dk’ket, this
is Hannah.”

The woman
inclined her head. “Welcome, Lady Hannah.”

“Thank you,
Dk’ket.” To pronounce the name, Hannah had to swallow, but the
woman smiled at her effort.

“It will get
easier with practice, lady. My lord, would you like me to show your
companion to her chamber?”

“She will be in
my chambers, Dk’ket. She will need a full wardrobe from casual to
formal as well as anything she chooses for her own comfort. No
trousers and only a few bodysuits.”

Hannah
grimaced.

Dk’ket smiled
slightly. “Refreshments have been prepared and can be served out
back if you wish, my lord.”

Hannah looked
at him with what she hoped was a hopeful expression.

He smiled.
“Yes, that sounds nice. Are the gardens in bloom?”

“Many of the
flowers are, and the hedges are alive with colour and scent.” The
butler smiled.

“Have the
refreshments brought to us.”

He walked her
through the hall, past a sitting room, formal dining room and a
ballroom that looked like it could hold a thousand people. Walking
was never the time to quiz him, or it wasn’t when he was walking at
this speed. He would slow down if he wanted to talk.

The urge to
explore could wait. It wasn’t like she was going to go
anywhere.

Walking out
back, the air left her lungs in a rush. The servants, who must have
rushed ahead of them via some side passage, pulled the large double
doors open. The servants were Lorkeval, the same as Dk’ket. They
were solid stone in appearance and very fast.

Once outside,
she fought the urge to spin with her arms wide open.

“You have a few
minutes to explore. Go ahead.”

Hannah looked
up at him, and he nodded. She took a step and paused. “Will any of
the plants hurt me?”

He chuckled.
“No. They are all fairly benign.”

“Can I pick
anything?”

“Whatever you
like. Now go on, Dk’ket will be here soon.”

Hannah nodded,
and she lifted the hem of her skirt so she could sprint off to see
the flowers.

The purple
undertone was in everything. She touched the flowers with her hand
and smiled as some of them closed. She wished her sisters were here
to see this. They needed to know that not all worlds had died when
Earth did.

She plucked a
blossom with a familiar scent and tucked it behind her ear. A quick
glance around told her she was alone, so she held her arms out and
gave in to the urge to twirl. A few dance steps and skips later and
she was ready to button down and return to Mero’s side.

“Don’t stop
dancing now. You are really very graceful.”

She looked up,
and Mero was on one of the stone pillars scattered around the
gardens. He had been watching.

“I always
considered organized dance more of a punishment.” As she spoke, she
stepped and spun, bringing her arms out and twisting her hands as
she moved.

He leaped
soundlessly off the pillar and landed next to her. “That is good to
know. I was going to use muschka veg as a punishment.”

She made a face
and kept slowly moving to the music in her head.

“So, now I have
a punishment and will have to think of a reward.”

She
chuckled.

“No, sex is
your job. Your reward... what would you like more than
anything?”

“What you can’t
give me.”

“Tell me.”

She lowered her
arms and looked at him. “I want my sisters.”

“Aren’t they
with your parent?”

“They are in a
closed-in space with men and women vying for a higher place in the
pecking order. I want them to see the sky again, even if it isn’t
their own. I want them free, even if it isn’t possible to have them
with me.”

His brow
furrowed, and for the first time, she saw him unsure.

“I do not know
if this is possible.”

She smiled and
touched his arm. “It is all right. You just asked what I wanted
more than anything. I want them free and whole with enough to eat
and a good education. That is my ultimate wish. For something more
attainable, I would like to design some of my own clothing. These
dresses are pretty, but I would like a little more freedom of
movement.”

He exhaled in
relief. “That is easy enough.”

She chuckled
and walked forward until her breasts touched his chest. “That is my
middle name.”

“What is?”

“Easy.”

He smiled and
lifted his fingers to the bloom she had put behind her ear. “You
are not easy, but you are honourable and dutiful. I appreciate your
adhesion to your bond.”

She wrinkled
her nose. “You are making me sound like medical tape. Boring
medical tape.”

He stroked her
hair. “Well, now that the fear is gone, I can see the feral being
you used to be. I think Kiiba will be good for you.”

Hannah grinned.
“It already is. One year indoors with the very air thick with ash
and smoke, barely breathable... If I had attacked everyone who
irritated or insulted me, I would have been kicked out of the
settlement. I had to learn to contain everything that I was in
order to live. If the signal hadn’t come through when it did, I was
going to do some very bad things and run out into the world without
water or rations.”

He stiffened.
“You would have ended your life?”

“I would have
pursued the only freedom available. There is a difference.”

He gripped her
by the arms and lifted her off her feet. For the first time since
she had met him, he kissed her.

The feel of his
lips on hers was oddly intimate considering all that had come
before. She couldn’t wrap her arms around his neck, so she hooked
her heels behind his thighs. To her amusement, he kept most of his
tongue to himself.

The amusement
faded as heat sparked between them. She moaned and stroked his
tongue with her own.

She felt him
walking and admired his sense of balance. The wings must help with
it.

He sat and
helped her settle across his lap. He slid a hand into her hair and
kept her mouth pressed to his while he reached between them, freed
himself and moved her to straddle him.

Knowing what
came next, she shifted until he was nudging against her. His hand
on her buttocks urged her down, and she slid onto him with
delicious slowness.

Through the
roaring in her ears as he started to move inside her, she heard the
clink of dishware. It was soft, but she didn’t really care if they
were seen or not.

He broke their
kiss and pressed his lips to her neck. She felt the scrape of his
teeth against her skin, and she shuddered at the burn that seemed
to enter her bloodstream from those few inches of skin. As his cock
rubbed at her inner walls, she gasped and moaned. When he moved his
head to the other side of her neck, she whimpered.

Her tension
built, and she let out a low, rattling cry when her climax struck.
Her pussy clenched around him tight, and he continued the slow,
methodical twist inside her. Her body jerked rhythmically until she
was completely spent.

Mero lazily
licked her neck and moved her dress off her shoulder until her left
breast was exposed. She ran her hands through his hair, the cool
metal of the bands pressed against her inner wrists. His mouth on
her breast, drawing at her nipple, sucking it between his deadly
teeth, had her letting out a deep, slow sigh. Tension built inside
her, but it was slower, more deliberate.

When he gripped
the other side of her dress, the fabric tore. Hannah leaned back
and offered her newly exposed skin to him. He didn’t hesitate.

She moaned and
rocked against him as sweat beaded on her skin and ran down her
spine. His hand on her hip tried to minimize her movements, but the
sucking at her breast took her over.

Lightning
shards of sensation ran from her nipples to her clit, and Mero’s
ferocity took over. The first bite made her cry out, and when he
swirled the tongue over the bite, she started to shake.

The second bite
was accompanied by a growl deep in his throat, and she gritted her
teeth at the sharp pain. He licked the wound closed, but it was too
late, her shaking turned into a climax spurred by the penetration
of his teeth and the churning of his cock.

Hannah breathed
in and out with deliberate focus. Mero tucked her head against his
shoulder and murmured soothing words to her in the liquid language
of the Hmrain.

He moved her
carefully, tucked himself back into his trousers and shifted her
until she was sitting across his lap, leaning against his
chest.

He pressed a
glass to her lips, and she sipped at the sweet, cold juice.

She paused and
drank again. This was going to take some serious hydration.

When her hands
had stopped shaking, she took possession of her glass and drained
it.

She finally
managed to whisper. “That was intense.”

“It is why I
tried not to engage in hand or mouth contact. I feel or taste your
skin and I go a little mad.”

She chuckled.
“I hadn’t noticed.”

He smoothed a
hand down her back. “If you are going to remain as enticing as you
are today, a new wardrobe is definitely in order.”

She laughed as
the mood went from sex to the mundane side effects of tearing her
dress nearly in half.

When she turned
to fill her glass, Dk’ket was there to pour for her. How long she
had been there, Hannah didn’t know, but there was no look of
surprise on her face, only polite control and a tiny bit of
pity.

If Hannah was
honest, that last expression was a bit of a buzz kill.

His quarters were five
times as large as his space on the
Shattered Star.

Hannah walked
in the shadow of his wing and looked around. The huge balcony gave
her the idea that Mero’s preferred recreation was flying. The
height of the tower they were in would give him plenty of gliding
time.

His wings were
flexing with eagerness.

“Hannah, I need
to fly. The desk has a data screen, and you can explore the palace
at will. This is your home now.”

She nodded.
“Yes, Mero.”

He left her and
walked to the balcony, balancing on the railing with two feet and
one hand, in a gargoyle-like crouch, before he glanced back at her
and launched himself into the winds of his home.

Hannah looked
around and found a wardrobe with clothing that would fit her.

A simple dress
dropped over her head, and she twisted as the slim black number
swirled lightly around her.

A trip to the
bathroom cleaned her up and gave her a look at an Olympic-sized
bathtub. She smiled at the thought of a hot bath and headed down
the spiralling stairs to check out her new home.