Chapter 9

Late the following day Krestar carefully piloted the Seren towards the massive bulk of the space station, the ship slow and unresponsive, while Lauren peered doubtfully through the view screen.

"That's the space station?"

"It is."

"That's not a space station, that's a moon," she muttered to herself, and he gave her a confused look.

"I assure you it is a space station."

His heart did an odd little flip when she shook her head and smiled at him.

"I'm sure it is. It's an Earth joke."

He wanted to know more, wanted to know all the stories hidden behind those dark eyes. The time they had spent together on the ship had only increased his attraction to her. Her assistance had proven invaluable and he was pleased with the amount of progress that they had made, but it wasn't her assistance that he valued. He valued her quick mind and her willingness to work at whatever task he suggested.

She was perhaps a little too willing. He'd been the one to notice that she was moving restlessly and pressing her hand against her lower back and insist that she rest. She somewhat reluctantly agreed, but when he checked in on her a short time later, she was sleeping peacefully, her dark curls spread across his pillow.

The sight of her in his bed had pleased him far too much, and it had been a struggle to walk away.

The rest of the day passed busily enough, working through the seemingly endless list of repairs. By the time he prepared a simple evening meal, they were both tired. Not long after they finished she yawned and announced it was time for bed. He helped her to her feet, but he didn't follow her, unwilling to assume that she wanted his company. She gave him an odd look when he didn't join her but left without saying anything. He busied himself by reading everything he could find about childbirth and trying not to think of her luscious little body curled in his bed.

An hour passed before he looked up to find her in the entrance to the lounge.

"Aren't you coming to bed?"

"I did not know if you wanted me to join you."

She gave a little shrug, her lashes fluttering down to cover her eyes.

"I slept better last night. Unless you'd rather not…"

"There is nothing I would enjoy more."

That isn't entirely true, he thought as he joined her and tugged her gently back against him. He would have enjoyed cupping the heavy weight of her breasts and testing the sensitivity of those tempting nipples, enjoyed exploring her body with his hands and his tail and his tongue… His cock jerked against the soft curve of her ass and he heard her breath catch.

He waited for her to object, to push him away, but she only gave a little sigh and settled back against him, his shaft nestled delightfully - tormentingly - between her luscious buttocks. He could scent her arousal but she rapidly succumbed to sleep. It took him a lot longer, in part because he wanted to imprint every moment of this experience on his memory.

Perhaps because he'd been concentrating on her so intensely, he woke to find his hand curved around her breast just as he'd imagined, her nipple a stiff point against his palm. From her breathing he was sure she was awake but she didn't make any attempt to move away. Indeed she seemed to be leaning into his touch. Unable to resist, he brushed his thumb across the tempting peak. The tip of his tail had worked its way under her clothing as they slept, and now it circled her other nipple. Her breathing changed, deepening, and her hips moved restlessly against him.

The movement was a torment, rubbing against his already aching cock. It was becoming increasingly difficult to remember his duty to honor her and protect her, no matter how much he desired her. The tip of his tail teased her other nipple, and her soft gasp sent a jolt straight to his groin. His hips bucked involuntarily and she made a little mewling noise that nearly undid him.

His cock surged, straining urgently against his pants, and he gritted his teeth as his hand moved restlessly over her swollen breast. His body craved her with a ferocity that was almost frightening. He tried to remind himself that he wouldn't be able to achieve full satisfaction - that she was not Cire, not his mate - but the words felt hollow. He was sure that anything they did together would be far more pleasurable than anything he had ever experienced.

No. He needed to maintain his discipline. With a deep breath, he forced his hand and tail away from her, even as his hips shifted, trying to put some distance between them. It would have been easier if his cock wasn't nestled in the valley of her ass.

"I am sorry," he murmured.

"Don't be." She turned her head to look at him, her dark eyes wide and slightly glazed. "it's only natural when we've been so close all night."

He swallowed, his fingers curling.

"It is not natural for Cire male. To respond so intensely to a female from another species…"

"It's never happened before?"

"Not to me, no. Or any Cire male as far as I know -" He hesitated, his words triggering a memory. "There were rumors, around the time I was leaving Ciresia, of a Cire warrior finding a non-Cire mate. I know the Council dismissed the possibility because they were determined not to let our species die out."

"Half-breeds not welcome?" she asked, an odd trace of bitterness in her voice.

"I would not have put it that way, but perhaps you are correct."

She made a restless movement, trying to sit up, and he helped her into a sitting position.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that prejudice occurs everywhere. There's enough of it on Earth."

"Are there different species on your planet?"

"Not exactly. Different colors." She ran a hand over her smooth golden skin. "My father is white. My mother was black. There were a lot of people who didn't approve."

"Because of your skin color? But it is such a delightful shade." He followed her hand with his own, relishing the softness.

"I didn't say it was logical."

"I would like to say that such a thing would never occur amongst the Cire," he said slowly. "The colors and markings of our skin are of no consequence; however, as much as we value honor and duty, we are - we were - a very traditional society. There was an expectation that people would perform their traditional roles."

"Like becoming a tailor instead of a warrior?"

"Exactly. I was not ill-treated but I always felt… distant from the others."

She put her hand over his where it still rested on her arm and patted it gently.

"Believe me, I understand."

"I think that is why the Council is so focused on trying to restore our previous way of life. Perhaps they need to accept that it is gone."

That harsh realization was why he'd left Ciresia, but here with Lauren he suddenly found himself wondering if the future had to be as bleak as he'd assumed.

"Maybe so." Then she shook her head and smiled. "But enough about the past. You should check and see how close we are to the space station."

He nodded, but as soon as she rose from the bed, he felt bereft even though his honor could not permit him to act on his feelings.

They had not made as much progress as he'd hoped so they'd had time to perform some additional maintenance, readying the ship for what he hoped to achieve at the space station.

Eyeing it now, he hoped he had not been overly optimistic. The closer they came, the more damage he could see, the huge spherical hull pockmarked by asteroid strikes. Part of the lower section appeared to have buckled and the docking bays were dark and empty. But as he maneuvered the ship closer, a faint strip of lights flickered on in one of the docking bays. Half of the lights weren't functioning but their existence indicated that some power source remained active.

The ship shuddered as he guided it along the lighted path, but he successfully directed it to an awkward landing in the indicated slot. As he did, more lights flickered on. A few of them burned out immediately and many of them were missing but there was enough light for them to see two other ships in the large hangar.

"Who do those belong to?" she whispered. "Is someone else here?"

"I do not think so. They are trading ships but they appear to have been abandoned long ago." He hesitated, unsure of how much to tell her, but he wanted to prepare her. "As I said, the station was abandoned due to the Red Death. Conditions may not have been… optimal at the end."

A flash of understanding crossed her face.

"You mean there might be bodies?"

"I am afraid so. If you would rather remain on the ship…"

"Remain on the ship alone while you go off to explore the creepy old space station?" She shook her head vigorously. "I don't think so. I've seen enough horror movies to know that bad things happen when you get separated."

"Horror movies?"

"Fictionalized videos where bad things happen. And this is just the kind of place that would be in one."

He frowned at her.

"I do not understand. The fact that bad things happen is considered entertainment?"

"I suppose it's a way to have the thrill of being scared while still being safe."

It still seemed odd to him, but he let the subject drop.

"But it is acceptable for us to explore together?"

"Absolutely. That is…" She bit her lip. "I won't slow you down too much, will I?"

"No," he said firmly. "I will be much happier with you at my side."

For as long as possible.

He retrieved his weapons belt and buckled it around his waist. She eyed it nervously, but didn't comment as he led her back down the stairs to the cargo bay. A quick check revealed that the atmosphere outside was breathable so he lowered the ramp, his hand on his blaster.

He'd been afraid that the air would smell of death and decay but it was simply stale and musty. Even his sensitive olfactory senses didn't detect any lingering of the tragedy that had occurred there.

"Shall we go see what we can find?"

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded, taking a firm grasp on his tail where it was once again wrapped around her waist. The feel of her fingers wrapped around the sensitive area sent a jolt of arousal straight to his cock but he did his best to ignore it. He was grateful that he could provide comfort, even at the expense of his own desire.

Despite his question, he paused a moment longer, his gaze sweeping the large hangar for any signs of trouble, his ears alert for any sounds. One of the ships at the far end of the hangar was a small freighter. It looked to be in poor shape but he might be able to scan some supplies if the station's resources had been depleted.

The other ship was an old trading vessel, one of the multi-terrain legs that supported the spherical body crumpled and the brightly colored designs that had once covered it now faded and worn. Based on the patterns he suspected that it had been a Corlonian ship. Like the Vedeckians, they were traders but while they did not always operate in a strictly fashion, as far as he knew they had never trafficked in living beings.

But if a Corlonian ship had been welcome here, he suspected that the station had not always followed the strict letter of the law either. No wonder it had been in the Patrol database. However a shady history meant that any number of things could be concealed on the station and hopefully some of them would be of use. Time to explore.