Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

T he temperature in Va'rik'at'char's tank switched suddenly from hot to cold and he frowned. Frowned? He actually felt as if the expression had crossed his face—and he had no real face. The form that he and his fellow scientist La'tok'at'bron had chosen to preserve their intellects contained only minimal sensory inputs.

But he was no longer in his tank. He had a… body.

He had chosen this, he remembered now. Chosen to have his consciousness implanted in a lab-grown body so he could participate in their experiment. But what was the experiment? His memories of the lab were already fading… A warning about not corrupting the data flickered through his mind and disappeared.

He opened his eyes, blinking at the blindingly colorful vista of pinks and golds beneath an endless expanse of blue sky. Everything was so clear and vivid that he feasted on each detail, from the tiny sparkling grains of sand to a colorful avian soaring far overhead.

Then all of the other sensations started to rush in—the warm roughness of the sand beneath him, the heat of the sun on his skin and the contrasting coolness of the breeze, the feel of blood pumping through his veins. He stretched out his arm in wonder, the strong muscles responding to his thoughts as easily as he had once used his neural network to control his instruments. Sunlight gleamed on smooth purple skin as he cautiously touched his own arm, then shuddered at the sensation.

And the scents that filled the air… He found he could identify each subtle note from the dry powderiness of sunbaked rock to the faint salty tang of a distant ocean to the freshness of a young plant. Then a new scent wafted past—something sweet and delicious that he couldn't identify. All he knew was that he wanted to find the source.

His unfamiliar body responded as well, his shaft jerking and starting to stiffen. He stared down at it in shock, even as more of that tantalizing fragrance filled his head, and it became fully erect. Feeling pulsed through it, throbbing, aching, demanding . He ordered it to subside, but it refused to obey. Why couldn't he control it?

He started to climb to his feet, but even though those muscles at least obeyed his silent command, the unfamiliar process made him reel dizzily. His brain tried to cope with the influx of new information, and he could feel even more of his memories slipping away. Small colored dots danced in front of his eyes and he collapsed back down to his knees.

"Oh my God."

The low, sweet voice seemed to dance across his skin, but his head was still spinning. He tried to focus on the source of the sound as he realized he was no longer alone.

There was someone on the far side of the clearing. A female. Completely different from him, but perfect. Smooth golden skin covered a body with lushly curved hips, a rounded waistline, and full, heavy breasts. Short, dark curls topped her head and were repeated in a small patch between those luscious thighs.

Mine.

The word appeared in his mind with utter certainty. How could he know such a thing?

She was too far away from him, but weakness still controlled his limbs and he couldn't go to meet her.

"Come here," he said.

Her eyes widened when he spoke, and she raised an arm in a vain attempt to cover those marvelous breasts. Why was she hiding herself from him?

"Are you crazy? I don't—" She stopped and frowned at him. He watched in fascination as her small brows pulled together. "How come you speak English?"

A flash of memory. "To remedy the communication gap."

"What do you mean?"

The words had emerged from somewhere in his mind, but they had faded again almost immediately. "I do not know. I am sorry."

He shook his head in frustration, then groaned as the world started to spin again.

"Are you all right?"

"No. My body is not behaving correctly and my memories are… uncertain."

She took a cautious step towards him. "Do you need a doctor? Or know how to call for one?"

"I am afraid not."

A small furred creature—a levet, his mind prompted—hopped towards him and jumped up on his knee.

"Hammy, no!" She came closer still, twisting her hands together, and glared at him. "Don't you hurt him."

"Why would I hurt him? Levets are peaceful creatures." He ran a finger down the soft fur on the creature's back. "He is very soft."

"A levet? Is that what he is?"

"Yes."

She looked skeptical. "You remember that, but not how to get help? Do you at least know why you're here?"

"No. Do you?"

She sighed, and knelt down next to him. "No. Are you wounded anywhere?"

"I do not think so. I am not in pain. Except for my cock. It aches."

Her gaze dropped between his legs, and her eyes widened—dark eyes, he saw now, deep and mysterious. Her delectable fragrance increased.

"Well, I have no intention of helping you with that," she said breathlessly.

Could she help him? A feeling of certainty rushed over him, but perhaps…

"You are female, are you not?"

"If you don't know that, then your memories really are messed up," she muttered. "But just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I'm going to help you with your… problem."

"Are all females like you? With these large, round breasts…" Fascinated, he reached out his hand to touch the silky skin that seemed to beg for his touch.

"Stop that," she hissed, jumping away from him. "You can't just touch me whenever you want."

"Why not? Are you not here for me?" Some part of his mind was quite, quite sure that he spoke the truth.

"Hell no—at least I hope not. No one asked me if I wanted to come."

"Oh." What she said made sense—to the best of his recollection, no one had asked him either - but he couldn't escape the feeling that she was his. "You are sure?"

"Quite sure."

"And I cannot touch you?"

"No!"

Her face changed color until it was almost the same shade as the sand. Fascinating. Although, perhaps not as fascinating as those tempting breasts. He gave them a regretful look, watching as they quivered gently and the small tips—nipples, his uncertain memory prompted—also turned a deeper rose, furling into tight little buds. His fingers ached with the need to touch, but she had said that it wasn't allowed.

He sighed and returned to his visual inspection.

"Part your legs," he told her.

"What? No!"

"But I cannot see your female parts," he explained. "If I cannot touch you, how else can I identify the differences?"

"Look, buddy. I'm not going to give you a lecture on the birds and the bees?—"

"The what?"

She rubbed the area between her small, furry brows. "I mean, I'm not going to provide you with a real life demonstration of the differences in the sexes. We are built differently. That's all you need to know."

"But if I do not understand the differences, how can we mate?"

Her mouth dropped open, forming a perfect little circle. An image sprang into his mind, of his cock entering that small mouth. His shaft jerked eagerly at the idea, but he decided it must be a false memory as he glanced down at the enthusiastic organ. The size difference was much too great.

"Look, buddy?—"

"Why do you keep calling me that? It is not my name."

"What is your name?"

"It's Va… rik…" He was sure there was more, but he couldn't drag it up.

"Va'rik?"

"Yes." He liked the way it sounded on her lips and instantly abandoned his quest to recall more of his name.

"I'm Amanda. I am not here for you, and we are not going to mate."

The disappointment that filled him was entirely illogical. If only he could remember more, perhaps then he would have some answers.

"But you do not know why you are here?" he asked.

"No, I just woke up here. But I know this isn't where I belong."

"I am not sure if I do or not."

Perhaps he sounded as frustrated as he felt because some of the tension seemed to leave her body. She sat back on her heels and pulled out a sheet of flex plas from a woven bag.

"I found this—I think it's a map—and there's a location marked on it with a symbol that looks like my planet. That's where I was heading. Did you have a map?"

He frowned, trying to remember, then noticed that there was a different texture to the rock beneath him. "I think perhaps I am sitting on it."

"Can you move?"

"Only a little." It was mostly true. He was beginning to regain some control over his muscles, but he could no more have moved away from her than he could have stopped breathing.

She sighed. "Try and lift up a bit, and I'll see if I can grab it."

He obligingly raised one hip. Her cheeks darkened again as the movement thrust his cock into greater prominence, but she bit her lip and reached beneath him.

"Got it."

Her small fingers brushed against him as she pulled the bag free, and he almost exploded. She was as soft as he had anticipated. He wanted to demand—beg—that she touch him again. Instead, he closed his eyes and fought to bring his troublesome body under control.

"Did I hurt you?"

She sounded anxious, and he forced his eyes open, trying to give her a reassuring smile.

"My, what big teeth you have," she whispered as her eyes widened again.

"Yours are much smaller," he agreed.

"And I don't have fangs. Why do I suddenly feel as if I'm Little Red Riding Hood and you're the Big Bad Wolf?"

"I do not understand your reference."

"It's a story. Of a… predator who tries to appear innocent in order to trick a little girl."

"You think I am a predator?" The thought was unexpectedly pleasing. Perhaps he did not seem as helpless as he felt.

"That's not exactly my point. Are you really injured?"

"I never said I was injured," he pointed out. "I just said my body wasn't behaving correctly."

"I'll say," she muttered, glancing at his cock again.

He fought the urge to raise his hips so she could inspect him more thoroughly, but she jerked her eyes away and focused on the bag.

"This looks just like mine. Can I look inside?"

"Of course."

She reached in and pulled out a long blade, regarding it thoughtfully. "Now that's a knife."

"It is," he agreed. "But I do not understand why it is necessary."

"Maybe you have enemies you don't remember?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps. I suppose it might be useful."

She placed the knife on the ground and triumphantly pulled out another sheet of flex plas. "And another map."

"Is it like yours?"

Together, they bent over the two maps. He was so distracted by the warmth of her body and the scent of her hair, that he couldn't focus on them. The levet hopped down and came over to investigate as well.

"There." She pointed to the same location on both sheets. "I'm sure that's the same place, but I have a planet and you have a symbol. It's the same symbol you have on your chest."

"My chest?"

"Your tattoo. Don't you remember that either?"

He looked down at the symbol that covered his left pectoral—an intricate set of lines that joined together to form a four-pointed star around a central circular symbol. A distant memory nudged him, but it refused to come clear.

"We have the same destination," he said slowly. He had the strangest feeling that the answers he was seeking were at the end of the journey—but he wasn't sure he wanted to find them. Nonsense. Of course he wanted answers.

"Why did you come this way?" he asked, forcing his attention back to the map. "There is a gap in the hills, here, which I suspect would be an easier route."

"But a longer one." She traced her proposed path with a small finger. "Assuming this is to scale, this will be much faster."

"Are you in a hurry?"

"Of course. I have to get back to Earth. I have a house and a job and people who need me."

What if I need you? The words almost escaped before he realized they made no sense. He had just met this female. How could he need her?

"We should travel together," he said firmly, and rose to his feet.