Chapter 13

Dakkan

Ilooked at Sabine at the same moment she looked at me. "Young ones?"

Lukan smiled enigmatically and picked up a bowl. He ladled some of whatever was in the pot into it. "The soup is warm," he said. "It's very good, if I do say so. I'm curious what you think of the marinade."

I looked down at the bowl he put in my hands. I was hungry, but not for food at the moment. And for once, not for Sabine. I wanted information. "Who are the young ones, Lukan?"

He shook his head. "This place appears to be a nursery for a certain species of alien. I'm not going to be able to give you more information. I simply don't have it. The mechanical beasts are their guardians. Their only purpose is to keep them safe from potential threats. That would be why you were attacked."

"Why haven't they continued to attack?"

"You eliminated one, didn't you?" Lukan tipped the bowl towards his lips and took a deep drink. "You've really got to try the soup."

I did so to be polite. It was actually delicious. Then again, most Mitran males were excellent cooks. At least the ones at my Thail were. "So they gave up after we killed one?"

"There are only a certain number of them, you see. It stands to reason they can't afford to lose too many. There are no replacements. Not as long as I've been here, anyway. So the fact that you defeated one, put the rest into observation mode." He waved a hand. "I've seen it before. Well, with me."

"Are you saying they try to kill everyone who comes in here?"

"Oh, yes." Lukan drank soup from the bowl. "Usually, they succeed. I can't speak for everyone who has found themselves trapped here, but the majority are injured or disoriented and the guardians easily dispatch them. But you survived, so now you're being observed."

"Observed for what?" Sabine asked.

"The likelihood of being a threat to the young ones." Lukan refilled his bowl. "I live because I was deemed not a threat. They leave me alone, now. If you're lucky, they will leave you alone, too."

"Okay, back up." Sabine held up a hand and closed her eyes. "Tell us more about these young ones, please. Have you seen them?"

"Yes. They're…hard to explain without seeing them for yourself. Their species uses this planet as a nursery. That's my theory. I have searched every part of this place and that's the only explanation that makes sense.

"There is a heart of this—forgive me, I call this place my Thrail now, as I have no other word for it—this Thrail. I found it once and witnessed creatures unlike any I have ever seen before. I received a communication in my mind that warned me to stay away from the young ones and leave them alone. If I did that, I would be permitted to live." Lukan's eyes were sad as he gazed into the fire. "What else could I do but agree? Whatever the beings I saw were, they were clearly children. I agreed and left them. I never returned to the heart and I've not been bothered by the guardians since."

"They spoke in your mind?" Sabine asked. "Like telepathy?"

"That's right, but I don't think it was the young ones speaking to me." He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "I don't know. It was a long time ago, but their force was powerful. I had no interest in being their enemy, considering I was trapped here."

"I can understand how you feel that way," said Sabine. "I'd have done the same, even if it meant condemning myself to this lonely life."

Lukan's eyes lit up. "But I'm not alone any longer. Now I have the two of you."

Sabine looked at me. We shared a knowing glance. Neither of us were ready to accept this as our fate. Not now. Not ever. Sabine placed her empty bowl on the ground and smiled at our host. "Thank you very much for the delicious meal. We're grateful for your hospitality."

It was a gracious response, but I couldn't help but think she was treating Lukan like a patient and not as a friend. It was nice to feel like we were on the same side instead of arguing.

"You must be tired after your long day," said Lukan. "Come inside. I will show you where you can rest."

We followed him inside. The cabin of this vessel had been completely transformed. It was actually charming, homey and warm. Herbs hung in clumps from a string across the ceiling. Cups and pots that had been fashioned out of various items were neatly stacked on shelves. A carpet that appeared lush and ornate covered much of the floor. I couldn't say for sure, but some things looked like they had been scavenged from other ships, like fabrics and designs that didn't look Mitran. If Lukan had been around this habitat for so long, he had probably been through all the wrecks. He'd probably seen what the guardians had done to the travelers. That wasn't something I was going to demand an accounting of.

At the back of the craft was an area curtained off. Lukan pulled back the thick fabric. Behind it was a large, cushioned bed. It looked as if it had been fashioned from the seats of many spacecrafts and pieced together to form a mattress.

"You may sleep here," said Lukan.

"We can't take your bed. Where would you sleep?" Sabine asked.

"In my hammock with my friends," he said with a smile. "I have a little camp up in the trees that I enjoy staying at. You two must make yourselves at home."

"Thank you," said Sabine with a smile. "You're very generous."

"Nonsense," he replied. "It's wonderful to have neighbors again. It's all I wanted all these years."

"It must've been very lonely for you," she said.

"Yes. It was." Lukan waved a hand, as if to shake off the pain he must've felt. It had to have been excruciating. "You'll find a washroom for your bodily needs through there." He pointed down a little hallway that I had mistaken for an alcove. "It has running water. Believe it or not, I was able to rig up a pneumatic system appropriated from a different shuttlecraft. No power needed. Just gravity." He looked very pleased with himself. "Some of the comforts of home."

He left us with an enthusiastic bow. Sabine watched him go and frowned at the singular bed. "We're not going to make this awkward. It's a bed. We'll sleep in it."

"Fine," I said, since she looked at me expectantly. "No awkwardness."

"Good." She looked around, almost forlorn. "Dakkan, he really means for us to stay here."

"That is not the plan." I stripped off my backpack and boots.

Sabine had taken her backpack off outside and I had carried it in for her. Still, she rolled her shoulders, and I saw deep red grooves where the heavy pack had sat. "I don't want to stay here," she said. "But what if he's right? What if there really is no way out?"

I removed the leather harness and dropped it, along with the set of sheathed blades, to the floor. "While I respect Lukan's experiences, I would rather find out for myself if there is no way out."

"Me too. There are two of us and only one of him." She sat on the edge of the mattress. "Maybe he missed something."

I shrugged. "If there are intelligent beings in the heart of this habitat, or nursery for alien young ones, perhaps they can be reasoned with. After all, we aren't the only ones to have fallen into this trap."

"We won't be the last," she added. "And if they really are running out of mechanical guardians, they need a solution. Do you think they would be willing to make a deal with us?"

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. "Trying would be better than doing nothing."

"That was my thought," said Sabine. "Then again, they could just kill us."

I looked around the small cramped space, noticing spots where Lukan had patched the ceiling to prevent leaks. Everything was sewn together, makeshift, and stunk with the air of loneliness. "Not much of a life if we're trapped here for the rest of it."

Sabine shook her head and stood up. "I'm going to use that bathroom. I'm sticky and covered in bug bites."

"I'll be here," I said, as I sat down and leaned back on the bed.

Her gaze moved over me from head to foot. I liked her eyes on me. She couldn't hide the glint of interest in them. Sabine liked what she saw when she looked at me and that knowledge felt like a small victory in itself.

She said nothing and rummaged through her bag, removing a fresh tank top and an instrument called a toothbrush. Odd little things, they were. I'd learned that while advancements had delayed problems, humans could still lose their teeth if the gums weren't tended to with things like those little brushes. It was unlike Mitran teeth, which were strong enough to bite through raw wood if we had to.

I watched her walk down the narrow arch into whatever Lukan had fashioned into a bathroom. Sweet Skrah, she had a perfect ass.

I wouldn't bother her in there. Human females liked privacy when practicing hygiene and didn't like to walk around naked. Mitrans had less issues with privacy and nakedness, but we had adjusted to make them comfortable and feel unthreatened. I stretched out on the bed, feeling the lumps and bumps of the various seats that had been used to fashion this bed. It wasn't conventional, but I would rest well tonight. And I was very grateful that Lukan allowed us to stay here. He would be disappointed when we left.

Sabine returned a little while later in a fresh shirt. Her skin looked a little damp and she held her toothbrush like a trophy. "I didn't have any toothpaste or floss, but it felt good to brush." She slicked her tongue over her teeth and tucked the brush back in her bag. "There's a foot pedal in there that you pump and it draws up water," she said. "Felt good to rinse off a little bit."

"I'm looking forward to doing the same." I was wearing only my pants. They were uncomfortable, but I left them on so I didn't offend her sensibilities. "I might take a swim in that stream tomorrow, if Lukan says it's safe."

She sat down beside me. "How long are we staying here?"

I sighed. "I'm not sure. But not long."

"I need to take a look at Lukan's knee," she said with a frown. "He's limping."

"Is there enough power in the device that could treat him?"

"It's a bio-regenerator I'd be using. It repairs tissue, bone, muscle, and all that. I didn't use it on you, so it should be at full power. There should be a few uses on it."

"He would appreciate your help, I'm sure." I pushed down the pinch of defensiveness. "And he is from a Thrail that uses the same methods as you. He won't resist."

"Like you would?"

I didn't know what I would do anymore. On one hand, there were the proud traits of the elders. They carried their walking sticks with pride. They bore their pain with pride, like a mark of honor of one who had lived long and well. On the other hand, I had trouble seeing the point of enduring pain when a remedy was available. Was there that much honor in suffering? I used to think so.

"This isn't about me," I said. "He's been out here alone with no healers for many years."

Sabine sat stiffly on the mattress beside me. "I suspect he has deterioration of that knee joint and some arthritis. I can fix those things for him."

I grunted and closed my eyes.

I could feel her gaze moving over me. "Why don't you want me at your Thrail?"

I snapped my eyes open. "I invited you, didn't I?"

"Because your females demanded it."

I leaned up and braced myself on one elbow. "Yes. They wanted you. I had to override the entire council of elders, who ruled against allowing a practitioner of advance medicine in our Thrail."

"You did that to keep the women from leaving," she said. "Not because you wanted a doctor there."

"That's where you're wrong." I sat all the way up. "Yes, I wanted you there because the human females wanted you there. I agreed because I was—am—open to the likelihood that I don't know everything. That the way I was raised and taught might not be the best way for everyone. I followed the advice of the Thrail's females—the women, as you call them. That is what warlords do. My decision wasn't popular with the elders. They voted to have me exiled."

Her eyes went wide. "They did?"

"Yes. But my warriors overruled them." I grinned. "They trust their mates and me. So, you were brought in and I wasn't exiled."

"I had no idea it was that contentious."

"We don't advertise discord," I said. "But as for you, here's what I see. You practice medicine, but it seems sometimes medicine practices you."

She didn't get mad like I expected. Maybe she was just too tired. "What do you mean?"

"I haven't known you long enough and seen you around enough people, but speaking for Lukan and me, it's fair to say that you look at everyone and evaluate them as patients instead of people."

"I don't see you as a patient."

I raised one eyebrow. "Don't you? At least some of the time?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I was treating you for a potentially lethal snakebite."

"This is true. But I'm willing to bet that you have spent more time seeing people as patients than as friends, acquaintances, lovers. You cling to those devices. There are other effective methods."

Her eyes flickered. Those long, black lashes swept low over her eyes as she furrowed her brow and thought. "You mean your powders and pastes. I told you, I'm going to—"

"Analyze them. I know." I'd just made my point and she knew it.

She let out a long sigh. "I never thought of it that way. Everyone in my family is in medicine. Both my parents, my brother. But I wanted to set myself apart. I worked harder than everyone. Longer than everyone."

I reached out and slid my fingers under her smooth chin, tilted her face to mine. "It's admirable," I murmured. "It sounds as if you're very accomplished. Remember that the people around you are not just bodies with potential illnesses. And you are not a machine required to treat them."

She didn't say anything to that. Her gaze stayed fixed on mine. I dropped my hand away from her skin, knowing that if I touched her too long, I'd be swept away in her. It happened too easily. As it was, we were in a bed together.

"Good night." I made to lie down and roll over with my back to her, but then her hand touched my arm and I couldn't move.

"Thank you, Dakkan."

I looked back at her. "Thank you for what?"

"For saying those things. No one's ever said anything like that to me before, but I don't think you're wrong."

"Of course, I'm not wrong." I raised my brows. "I'm a Mitran warlord."

She smacked my shoulder, but did so with a grin. "My god, you're arrogant."

I turned and scooped her into my arms in one movement. She was sprawled breathless over my chest. My hands splayed on her back. "I changed my mind. Let's make it awkward."

Her dark eyes glittered down at me. "We are in Lukan's bed. He's right outside."

"I'm not saying we make it that awkward." I cupped the back of her neck and pulled her head down. "Just a little." But she had a point.

I kissed her hard and full on the mouth, drinking in the taste of her. Breathing in the scent of her. She was intoxicating. Everything I had ever desired in a female was here in my arms. She moaned quietly into my mouth, kissing me back. Curious hands moved over my chest, over my cheeks. She felt the length of my horns. They were not an erogenous body part, but her hands felt amazing on them. Like she was accepting the differences between our species and reveling in them.

I wanted to feel her, all of her. My hand slid a path over her ribs, to cup a breast. It swelled in my hand. Her nipple hardened against my palm. The spikes on my arms and spine lifted slightly. And my claws…those perplexed me. They would not serve me here. Human skin was much more delicate than Mitran skin. Need raked through me like the claws I forced to stay sheathed.

I picked her up and took her off the bed, which was for sleeping, and brought her to the wall, where I lifted her up and put her thighs on my shoulders and rested her back against the wall. My face was level with her sex. I leaned forward, breathing against her cloth-covered flesh and watching her shiver.

Sabine moaned. "We can't do this."

I slid my fingers over her heat. "Let me give you pleasure."

Her eyes widened on mine. "What about you—?"

I grinned and shook my head. "I'm here for you, Sabine. Just let yourself go."

I smiled at the wary, complicated look that crossed her face. Ah, my lovely human was so used to taking care of everyone around her, she seemed to be unsure how to let herself be taken care of by someone else. Tonight, she would learn how.

I traced kisses over her thighs. "Take off your shirt."

She pulled up her shirt and tossed it on the floor. I leaned up, pulled one taut nipple into my mouth and circled it with my tongue. I suckled gently, teasing her until her breathing was ragged, shallow. "Shall I stop?"

She shook her head. I grinned and continued kissing my way down. Over her belly, the curve of her hip. At the fastening of her pants, I ran my tongue along the skin there, then pulled open the button with my teeth. I glanced up and grinned at her dumbfounded expression.

She swallowed hard. "I'm so glad I changed my underwear."

I didn't care about her underwear, only the female beneath them. I set her down briefly. I moved to my knees and pulled her pants down slowly, taking the small briefs with them. She let out a little squeal when my mouth lowered over her sex and I reached up and placed a hand on her lips. "Shh," I said. "Be quiet or I won't do this."

Her eyes gleamed and she nodded. I lifted her up, placing her thighs on my shoulders, and lowered my head. I ran my tongue down her slit, delving into her sweet cunt with a shaky groan of my own. It looked as if she'd had her hair growth altered. Aside from a trim strip of short hair, the skin was smooth. It didn't grow like that naturally, but there was something sexy about it. I was beginning to find everything about Sabine sexy.

I spread her legs, giving myself better access to her. She let out a shuddering sigh. It was a beautiful sound and one of pleasure, release, and submission—not to me, but to herself. "Yes, Sabine," I growled against her wet folds. "You will come for me."

My mouth worked her over, finding the spots that drove her body tight and gasping. I didn't know what, exactly, I was doing. There were no lessons on how to please a female. Mitran males had been given information on the physical and cultural differences between our species, but this was new to me. Everything I did was instinctive. She arched and writhed and I knew she liked what I was doing. She grasped my horns and pulled my brakas, all the while releasing more liquid from her cunt.

"Yes," she whispered. "More."

My tongue delved deeper. My lips moved rhythmically over her clit. My cock was a hard, painful rock in my pants. I ignored it. Another time, another night, I would be inside of her. But this was for Sabine. I wanted her to feel good without having to give anything of herself. I wanted her to know how good we would be together.

Her muscles clenched. She gripped my horns hard, like she was riding me. Her body arched and I met her there as her sex pulsed, throbbed against my tongue. She drew in a ragged breath but clamped her teeth together and didn't cry out. I knew she wanted to.

I took in her waves of release with wonder. Each twitch of muscle, clench of her hands, hungry gasp, was agony and pleasure. This female was mine. The knowledge was powerful and true. There was no doubt in my mind. I had claimed her as surely as if I'd filled her with my seed. My brand was seared on her. She just didn't know it yet.

Her body relaxed and I shifted her down, so her legs were around my waist. She draped over me. Her breasts rested against my face, which was absolutely glorious. A fine sheen of sweat covered her. I kissed her breasts and rose up, taking her with me. She tightened her legs around my waist. I gazed up at my female, feeling inordinately pleased with myself.

Her eyes were soft as they moved over my face. "You look smug."

"You look well-fucked."

She rubbed her eyes and stretched. "I suppose I just was."

I brushed a springy curl from her forehead. "How do you feel?"

"Amazing." She blinked, as if surprised to admit it.

"Good." I nodded. "Next time, it will be my cock that makes you come."

She gave me a long look. "This isn't going to work."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to have a dozen children with you—with anyone," she said. "And that's why women are on Mitra. To have children. Lots of them."

"That is the reason," I said. "But I don't want you for the babies you could bear. I just want you."

"I have a pregnancy-inhibiter implant currently. I can't get pregnant with it in."

"Okay."

Her eyes turned suspicious. "What if I decide I never want children?"

"My feelings for you will not change," I replied. "I know nothing of childrearing. I would learn, with you, if you desired offspring and would welcome our children. But they are not a condition for our joining."

She looked away. "To clarify, I'm not saying I don't want them. I don't…want to raise them like I was raised. I worry that I'm not very maternal. Neither was my mother."

"You would make a wonderful mother, if you chose to be one." I smiled and ran my fingers down her cheek as I carried her to the bed and laid her on it. "Go to sleep, Sabine. We'll discuss babies another day."

She sighed and curled against my side. "Fine. Good night, Dakkan."

I pulled a blanket over us and tucked her close. "Good night, Sabine."

Somehow, she had become my world. My Skrah. And nothing, not even an alien nursery with robotic guardians, would stop me from claiming my female and bringing her back to my Thrail as my mate.