Chapter 15

Sandy

Rane did amazing in practice. And she knew that wasn’t usual. From where she sat on the ground, beside the exit that led to the locker rooms, she could hear the rest of his team congratulating him like they’d won an actual game as they came down. They were bruised, covered in sweat, their golden and bronze skin all extra shiny, smiling as they surrounded him.

Sandy said nothing. She just stood back as she watched him go into the clinic with the others. Trikball was a violent game, and the medical care was a requirement after each game and practice. When she considered how much effort was put into maintaining safety in Earth bound sports, their flippancy about injuries was kind of funny.

But she wasn’t feeling very amused right now.

The last few days had been… tense. To say the least.

Not knowing where Rane had been taken was bad enough. But to see the state of him when he finally came back had been alarming. How had no one tried to help him before? How was he still in this situation? It was sick and wrong.

Part of her could understand, and even appreciate, on some level, the concept of making sure people could take care of themselves before they were made an adult. It was not only a way to keep people from ruining their own lives through irresponsibility, but it was also a way to make sure that they were ready for the world beyond childhood. From what she had seen in looking it up, the tribunal was practically a formality. Very few were denied, and those that were had extenuating circumstances. Most people even looked forward to it, seeing it as this big milestone in life – like how a human would see getting a driver’s license.

At the same time, seeing how it could be exploited, seeing how someone could have their freedom ripped away by the whim of a terrible parent, made her furious. Rane would never have needed to go through all this if it weren’t for that damn tribunal.

And now, she learned through Drevor, he couldn’t even appeal anymore. The only person who could appeal for him was Elffa. Because she’d ruined all his other chances. The world saw Elffa as a devoted, long-suffering mother, and Rane as her errant, hapless son.

Sandy needed a plan. Having Lisra on her side bought time. She had no doubt that Elffa would be searching for some way to close that hole and get them both back under her control. This reprieve would be temporary if she didn’t think of something.

First step: She wasn’t going to leave Rane’s side again.

Seeing the state he’d been brought back in, it had taken everything in her to not take her heel off and drive it into Blue or Green’s eye. The casual way he accepted it told her this wasn’t even the first time. She couldn’t leave him alone for fear of what would happen, so she would be following him everywhere.

Second step: Put on their best goodie two shoes.

Absolutely no more rule breaking. No more deviance at all. Rane had to be seen as having turned things completely around. She needed him to have a chance at passing the tribunal if they ever managed to get his case heard again, so they had to clean up his act – publicly and loudly.

Third step: Become his foil.

She could go back to wearing brown. To being muted and quiet – to try to emulate what was considered a proper telfay lady. But that was a losing battle. Her species alone made that impossible. And if she looked like she was trying so hard, she would contrast with him. He’d look worse by association. So, she was going to embrace her new look.

As much as her humanity was a weakness, it was also a strength. Instead of trying and failing to hide the inherent sensuality and sexuality they saw in her, if she accentuated it in a human way, she’d be confident, she’d look appropriate for her species, and she wouldn’t make Rane look worse. If anything, it would make his sudden change more believable because there was still part of him – her – that was considered wild.

She hadn’t worn her belly button piercing in years. She’d stopped sometime after college. She considered herself lucky it hadn’t healed shut. To her delight, it took the little piece of bling easily. The new clothes she ordered felt so not her , but also so right. Like she had been waiting her whole life to change up her wardrobe like this. It was wild and crazy, the kind of things others wouldn’t wear, and especially wouldn’t wear together. But she still didn’t know how to coordinate her colors or match fabrics or patterns or whatever else people did in fashion. So, she was treating it more like quilting. She might have a theme, but each piece was different and individual.

The effect was one that had already earned her looks and questions. But she enjoyed the fun things she wore, even if others thought her tacky and mismatched.

She was still Sandy. Of course. She was herself whether she was wearing stripper heels or orthopedic sandals. She just broadcasted a different side of herself now. One she hadn’t really indulged since she’d been a child. One that she hadn’t really repressed but hadn’t indulged either.

At least, before now.

And maybe this was what grandmother had been talking about.

Pushing off the wall, she walked into the hall leading to the locker room. The stadium was empty but for the staff that worked here. The team had completed practice early since there was going to be a concert here later, so they had to prepare the field. All the security was dealing with that, however. No one stopped her as she came to a halt outside the locker room and waited, leaning against the wall, trying to think of the next step of her plan.

She wasn’t leaving this planet until Rane was free. Whatever happened next, no matter what waited in her future, that was a certainty.

The only question was what she was going to do next. She couldn’t submit an appeal for him. She had no proof of Elffa’s crimes. Realistically, even claiming she had been kidnapped wasn’t something she could prove easily since she hadn’t fought a single thing that happened to her. She didn’t know how the legal system worked here, but her word alone wouldn’t be enough on Earth.

If she mated Rane, she could get his guardianship, and she could appeal for him. But she couldn’t mate him without losing her adult status herself. And while she hadn’t done anything like Rane had to lose her responsibility privileges, Elffa could argue that, as an alien, she still needed help. And then she would be trapped as surely as Rane.

No. That wasn’t an option. Not unless she had a way out of it.

“Huh?”

She opened her eyes, not even realizing she had closed them as she stood there thinking. There were three males coming out of the locker room. All of them staring at her, confused. One of them, a male with a hot pink crest, was lifting said crest as if interested.

She smiled at them. “Don’t mind me. I’m waiting for Rane.”

“What?” One of the others asked, confused. “Rane?”

“Yeah?”

There was her blue crested mate. He peered around the door, having heard his name, but the moment he caught sight of her, he smiled, stepping past the others.

“I thought you were going to wait in my private box?” He asked, reaching for her.

She immediately took his hands, smiling back. “I wanted to see you sooner.”

Her candor earned a pleased, proud smile as his crest rose. The team gathered behind him, their eyes darting between the two, eyes wide with realization and joy . Like there was nothing better than seeing Rane so happy with her.

“Let me introduce you to my team,” he said, turning with a hand on her lower back.

The other guys were quick to descend on her. Like a pack of overgrown puppies eager for attention, tails wagging, ears perked. Which was extra funny because they were all so much bigger than her. She was surrounded on all sides by huge walls of bulging muscles, but it didn’t seem at all intimidating when they were approaching her with flattened crests and hunched shoulders – as though they were all trying to make themselves as small and non-threatening as possible.

And Rane stayed right by her side, one hand resting possessively on her lower back, as he introduced her to everyone. The other two strikers on the team – Louve and Arus. The three beaters – Cole, Zell, and Tarou. And, of course, the rigger and team captain – Sal.

He was the most composed of the lot. He greeted her with a lowered crest, but proud, pulled back shoulders. He inclined his head respectfully, much in the same way Drevor did. He also didn’t look the least surprised to see her there.

“I understand you’ve made friends with my mate,” he said calmly, something knowledgeable in his gaze.

He knew. Of course, he did. Sandy had requested secrecy from Lisra, but it wasn’t unexpected that she’d divulge what Sandy had requested to her own mate.

But where Lisra had looked confused but determined to help, Sal was giving her a very searching look. Like he understood already, without needing to be told, that there was something more to her request than just simple fear, but he didn’t know what it was yet.

Sandy met the unasked question with a smile. A silent agreement that there was indeed. But she couldn’t tell him anything else. That would go against her deal with Elffa, and until Rane was free from her, she had to play nice.

However, he said nothing as Rane bragged about her fashion sense – how all beautiful humans dressed the way she did – and that he loved how different she looked from other ladies. Sandy wasn’t sure how much of what she was wearing was fashionable. She had only picked her wardrobe because she liked how pretty everything looked, not really for how well it would look together. Because of that, she was sure it wasn’t fashionable at all, but Rane looked so proud and confident, she couldn’t bring herself to correct the mistake.

“Rane,” she interrupted regretfully. “We should get going. Curfew is soon.”

“Oh,” he deflated immediately. The reminder of his leash depressing him in a way that was noticeable to the entire team. They all stared as she took his hand. “You’re right. Of course.”

“Come on,” she smiled, like she might be pulling him somewhere nice. “I’ll show you something good when we get back home.”

He perked up a bit. “Something good?”

Just like a puppy, she giggled silently to herself.

***

The bedroom was still largely empty, though Sandy had moved Rane’s clothing into piles along the wall next to her stuff. But it was all tossed everywhere. A result of Sandy having gone through and rejecting everything.

His mother really was a cold-hearted bitch. Now that Sandy knew beige and browns were considered feminine colors to the telfay, seeing those being the only colors in Rane’s wardrobe made her realize that she had been emasculating him this entire time. Which was why all his old clothing was spread haphazardly on the ground and why she had ordered him new stuff to wear.

Which Drevor had messaged her had been delivered while they were at practice. She had been using Rane’s combot since he got taken from her, and she was getting pretty good at it. Of course, it still had all the child locks on it, but at least it was some connection to the outside world.

So, when the two of them walked in, it was to find the boxes of all their new stuff waiting for him.

“What’s this?” Rane asked, picking up the first one.

“A surprise,” Sandy smiled. “Open it.”

He did so without question. Then stared in wide eyed surprise when the bright, silky orange pants unfolded with a fluttering flash of color. Those were the sleeping pants she’d picked for him. Soft and comfortable, breathable and beautiful.

“This…” He looked from the pants to her.

She smiled. “I updated your wardrobe. I tried to get a bit of everything, and Drevor filled in the gaps where I didn’t know what to buy. Do you like it?”

“It’s… so bright.”

“I know, right?” She beamed. “Go on. Open the others.”

After hesitating a moment, he threw the box to the side. Just another piece of trash to add to the growing pile. Sandy didn’t give a fuck about this room right now, and so she didn’t care about making a mess of it. And it was therapeutic for Rane since she doubted his shitty mom had never allowed him to have fun messes as a kid.

Rane ripped through the boxes. Tearing them open with increasing eagerness and joy as he found more and more clothes. Nothing by any fancy brands – Sandy still thought that was stupid – but all of it bright and colorful. Manly.

She’d encourage him to pick his own clothes later, by his own preference. But she was pretty sure if she had just told him to buy new things, he’d have bought whatever his mother had bought him in the past, and that was exactly what she didn’t want.

This was just to get him started. To remind him that he was his own person, and that he was allowed to like things his mother didn’t approve of. Everything he had was based on her, and while that was something that brought Sandy joy when it came to her grandmother, it was a prison for Rane and his wicked mother.

“Want to try them on?” Sandy asked, smiling brightly. She hadn’t been able to model her new clothes for him like they wanted, but there was no reason for him not to do it now.

And she knew it was the right thing to ask when his eyes darkened with desire. Because telfay males liked to pose and show off for their females. She was doing it exactly right.

Beaming, she went to sit on the bed, tossing aside her oversized jacket. Then froze, staring in awe. She had expected Rane to go to the bathroom to change. To seek some privacy. But he hadn’t even waited for her to sit before he started stripping.

His buckles – brown – were tossed aside to join the rest of the trash on the floor. They were followed by his brown boots and tan pants. Leaving him clad in nothing. Absolutely nothing blocked her view of that amazing physique.

He had his back to her, but she didn’t really mind that. The sudden urge to grab that sexy, muscular tushy and bite it choked her as he picked up the pleated, yellow pants that she was pretty sure were the telfay equivalent of semi-formal wear. His back was nothing to ignore either. That long plane of hard muscle with that tempting dip at his spine, serving no other purpose but to highlight how thick those muscles were, was beckoning her forward. It led right up into those broad shoulders, those thick arms. Golden skin, like a gilded statue, just begging for her touch.

He lifted a foot to put them into the leg, and something was swinging .

Sandy’s eyes widened. He did it again, and there was definitely some swinging action – much lower than it had any right to be. He bent over and that bitable ass tempted her again, but she was doing some quick anatomical math, trying to figure out how big it had to be to swing like that. That low .

She’d seen him naked on the subnet plenty of times by now. But those photos had his, er, bits all blurred out. She’d been keeping track of talk about him online even now. She peeked around to get a general feeling for how the public felt about him.

There hadn’t been any salacious scandals about him lately, but that in and of itself was a scandal. She’d seen rumors about rehab, his mother confining him to his house, even some that said the government was stepping in to punish him – though, technically, he hadn’t really done anything illegal. At least, nothing that could be proven.

Which, in her mind, just further solidified that Elffa had been doing all this on purpose. She wanted Rane walking the line between degenerate and actual criminal, and she did it flawlessly. But without anything else to talk about, people were just making things up now or, in some cases, bringing back old favorite scandals. Including the times he’d been dragged, naked, out of places.

There were promises of unblurred photos whenever those stories popped up, but she hadn’t gone looking. She wasn’t going to violate his privacy like that. Not when everyone else already had. She wanted to keep that one thing, if nothing else, a secret.

She was almost regretting the decision now, because the numbers her malfunctioning brain was spitting out were frightening.

Rane picked some new buckles – white – and attached them to his arms, strapped them around his waist. He adorned himself with no small amount of pride and eagerness, damaged crest fully up. A peacock excited to unveil his feathers.

As he should, she thought when he finally turned, facing her properly.

He posed for her. As a proper telfay male would. Fists on his hips, chest out, muscles clenching, crest raised, huge bulge in his pants threatening. The flowing pants highlighted the bulge, the buckles strained against his muscles, his gleaming skin shined in the artificial lights.

Sandy’s brain completely short circuited. He was gorgeous. She wanted to lick the lines formed between each well-defined muscle. She wanted to ride him while his crest was at full mast. She wanted to figure out why that bulge looked so intimidating!

She stared, open mouthed, as he lifted an arm, flexing for her. A smirk on his face. That was… confidence. He was being confident. She hadn’t seen that on him before, but it was a good look. It made him seem untouchable.

He changed poses again, this time coming down onto one knee. Slowly crawling towards her, she realized, salivating even as it seemed like her mouth was too dry to swallow. Her heart was pounding as he reached one hand for her.

Rane touched her ankle. He pulled her leg towards him, off the cushion that was serving as her mattress now. Their mattress, since she wasn’t letting him get away from her. But she had been so focused on freeing him, she hadn’t considered what it would mean to share a bed with this alien male. She knew he could do everything short of giving her a mating bite, but she just now realized that list was extensive .

But it started slow. Just him kneeling there, pulling off her heels. His thumb pressed into the pad of her foot, massaging it as he used his other hand to grasp the top of her sock and pull. She was acutely aware of the slide of the fabric against her leg, his fingers very carefully not touching her as he revealed her foot. He then placed it on his chest, letting her use him as a stool, as he repeated the process with the other foot.

Only once he had both feet in his hands, stroking them gently, did he focus his eyes back on her. And it was more than just confidence blazing in them now. It was needy desire and heated passion. A hunger for her that was so different from all his other expressions in the past.

“The way you stare at me,” he purred, running his lips along her inner ankle. “It’s like there’s no one else in the world but me.”

She shuddered. Had he always sounded that masculine? That deep and strong? Was a change of clothes powerful enough to bring this out in him? Or maybe, this was who he had always been, he just finally had the space to express it now.

“Did you know that, Sandy?” He asked, spreading her legs as he trailed his hands up, the cold of his nail caps contrasting with the warmth of his palms. “When we’re together, you rarely ever let your gaze stray from me. And even when you do, it’s not for long.”

She shivered. It had been too long since she had been touched intimately like this. She was too sensitive. Even this was overwhelming her senses. It made her acutely aware of just how short her shorts and shirt were.

“I like it,” he continued, resting between her legs, arms around her hips, smiling up at her. “I love feeling your gaze on me. I like knowing you see me. Never look away from me, Sandy. I want to be the only thing you see.”

She smiled, stroking her hand over his feathers. They wouldn’t go down, not with how excited he was, but she loved feeling them. They weren’t really as soft as they looked. The broken feathers had to be cut away since they would regrow. But the effect was that it looked like he had shaved the side of his head, giving him a more punk rock look.

She liked it. She wondered if she could convince him to do it permanently.

Maybe she should do it herself…

Her gaze traveled back down, catching on his. He smirked, teasing at the hem of her shorts.

“Will you keep looking at me?” He asked. “No matter what. Don’t turn your eyes away.”

What was he…

Sandy’s eyes widened as he brought his fingers to his lips. There was a latch at the top of his claw caps, and with a surprisingly dexterous flick of his tongue, it popped open. Not much, just enough to allow his finger to pull free. His pinkie finger, his ring, his thumb. One by one, he took them off until only the two longest remained.

“There,” he smiled, flexing his white claws in the bright light. “Hold still. And don’t look away.”

She couldn’t. She was hypnotized by the way he moved. Heart pounding hard against her ribs, she stared as he put the claw of his ring finger against her hem. The fabric hissed as it ripped under the pressure. Falling apart. Exposing her body. The panties underneath met the same fate. So carefully and lovingly shredded as he bared her to his hungry gaze.

“Watch me,” he ordered again, needlessly, with his tongue rolling from his mouth. She couldn’t even think about turning away.

As he leaned in, she leaned back. Giving him space. Giving him access. Canting her hips up as he pushed her legs apart.

The sweet, almost chaste, kiss he pressed to her pussy was followed by a long lick up her slit, ending with a deliberate, harsh flick against her clit that made her gasp, head dropping back.

A sharp, tiny pain made her jump. She jerked her head back up as Rane released his bite against her inner thigh.

“Watch me,” he repeated. A threat. A plea.

Sandy shivered as he closed his mouth over her clit and sucked. She let out a cry, her eyes trying to close. But she kept them open, teeth gritted, staring as he sucked eagerly. Cold pressure at her entrance preceded the two fingers he still had capped entering her. Both fingers shoved deep achingly slowly as he twirled his tongue around her clit.

The claw caps were rounded, the chain holding them to his bracelet were smooth. They didn’t hurt, but she was highly aware of them. Spreading her open. Stretching muscles that hadn’t been properly touched in years. Even when she played with herself, she rarely focused off her clit – she was more of a get there quick kind of girl. So, nothing had been inside there in years. And now his huge fingers were forcing their way inside as his mouth molested her clit.

Sandy struggled to stay upright, to keep her eyes on him, as her toes curled into tight knots against his sides. He certainly didn’t look away from her. He feasted like a starving man, fucking her increasingly juicy pussy with thick fingers, completely unblinking. Staring at her reactions, making sure she was watching him as he brought her to the brink.

No. She didn’t want to come this soon. Not this fast.

But it was too good. His fingers squelching inside her, his tongue rapidly stroking at her clit, the look of absolute devotion in his eyes as he devoured her. He was so perfect, settled between her thighs like that. Eyes shining, crest raised. He moved his lips back. Not much. Just enough so she could see the way his tongue was circling and tasting her.

She snapped, falling back, breaking eye contact, as the rush of pleasure broke her down. He hummed in delight, his fingers still moving, still sucking at her clit. Prolonging the orgasm as she thrashed against him. He wouldn’t be moved until her whimpers turned pained from the overstimulation.

Only then did he break free with a satisfied ‘pop’. Sandy’s hips dropped back, legs falling open, as Rane climbed over her. Smirking so smugly. As she watched, he slowly licked his lips. Savoring the flavor of her juices that she could see smeared across his face.

“Can I have you?” He asked, voice rough, but controlled. Like he really might stop if she didn’t give him permission.

“Yes,” she breathed, reaching for him.

He smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a slow, deep kiss as he used his newly freed claws to slice off her shirt and bra. She shivered at the brush of air followed by the warmth of his heavy body pressing her into the bed. Still kissing her so hungrily, like he was trying to consume her, as she dug her nails into his back.

She grasped for the hem of his pants, but she couldn’t reach his belts and didn’t have his handy claws to rip them off. It frustrated her to the point that she just grabbed and tugged in a fruitless attempt to rip them off.

Rane chuckled, reaching down to help her. She thought he’d treat his clothing with the same reckless care as he had hers, but no. He broke the kiss, making her whine, as he sat up to remove them the proper way.

It was disappointing, but this angle of him, on his knees between her legs, towering over her, she got a perfect view of his marvelous chest. Rippling pectorals, washboard abs, those amazing lines that led right to his groin. What were those? God’s gift to women might be true, but it did seem a bit too long. But her brain couldn’t think of a better name as she was tracing her middle fingers up them, practically purring as his eyes burned with approval.

Then, his pants, now loosened, dropped. The belts were tossed away allowing the soft fabric to pool around his knees. But she wasn’t paying attention. The breath was caught in her throat as she stared at the monster facing her.

The only good news was that, judging from the flaccid shadow and comparing it to the club proudly standing now, Rane was a shower, not a grower. The bad news was that still meant that she was being faced with a log.

His cock was thick, and heavily ridged. It also lacked a distinctive head, coming to a slightly rounded, flattened, blunt end with a long hole in the middle. The very sight of it sent shivers down her spine. Partly from excitement, partly from concern.

Rane leaned on his hand, letting him lift his knees so he could pull his pants down. First one leg, then the other. He tossed them away, then held himself over her on both hands. That monster resting on her belly. Hot and heavy and threatening. It reached up past her belly button.

Sandy shivered. His fingers suddenly seemed a lot smaller than they had just moments ago.

“I’ll go easy on you,” Rane promised, moving his legs between hers. Pushing them apart and reaching between to grasp his cock. His hands, which had seemed so huge just moments ago, grasped the hard shaft and stroked slowly up and down.

He tapped it against her belly. Making her gasp and whimper. She was dripping down her ass crack, wanting it even as she was afraid of it.

“I’ll go slow,” Rane promised, shifting his hips so he could drag the top of his cock up and down her slit. Soaking it in her wetness.

“Fuck,” Sandy gasped, grabbing onto his torso.

But she didn’t try to stop him as he lined himself up. He pushed, but the head just slid upwards, making his dick stroke across her clit. She whimpered.

“It’s okay,” he purred, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Relax your muscles. Let me in.”

Much easier said than done. Doing a reverse Kegel wasn’t anything close to relaxing, but she tensed her belly, trying to will herself into opening for him. She wasn’t sure that she succeeded, however, when his cock slipped off a second time.

“Rane,” she begged, shaking at the drag of those ridges across her clit.

He just chuckled. He adjusted his grip, holding the shaft closer to the head. This time, when he pushed, it couldn’t slide. It had nowhere to go but forward.

With a grunt, he forced himself in just a couple inches while Sandy cried out. The stretch was incredible, dancing on a line between burning agony and consuming pleasure. Her thighs shook as they clenched against him. Her pussy spasmed and rippled, trying to force out the huge invader, as every nerve in her body screamed.

“There you are,” Rane groaned, releasing his cock to grab her by the hip instead, holding her in place as he began to slowly rock his hips. Barely moving his cock. But it was so huge, it was carving out a place inside her, and she couldn’t fight it.

“Rane, wait…” She gasped, head falling back.

“No, no,” he tsked, grabbing her by the hair and forcing her to look down. To stare at the connection between them. The obscene way he spread her pussy lips. The sheer length of him that was still sticking out of her. “I told you to watch .”