Chapter 15
Welcome faithful readers. C15 already! I'm going to shoot for posting two chapters a week…we'll see if it pans out.
Meanwhile on Ekkamm, tensions – they are mounting!
###
"I don't understand what you're telling me to do!" Ettwanae snapped from her cross-legged position on the floor.
Phai was ready to end minutes earlier, but the ill-tempered Esha'Aru wouldn't hear of it. The Elder regretted caving to the young woman's insistence on continuing, and the training session was turning into a lesson on saintly patience.
"Ettwanae, for you to make progress, your mind must been calm. That is not the case right now."
"I'm fine." The words came with a dramatic crossing of the arms and scowl, almost comical in contradiction.
Phai sighed in her tranquility garden light-decades from Ekkamm. The serenity of surroundings juxtaposed the fuming holo-image of Ettwanae. "You are not fine. Trying to teach you such a delicate procedure in your current condition is unwise. I will comm Den-neer. Perhaps meditation will ease your agitation."
Suddenly, the Esha'Aru went into a full-blown emotional meltdown as the face twisted in wrath. "My 'current condition'?" flew the snarling question. "And what would that be? Molting?!" She jumped up from the floor mat, wings spread wide, and fire flashing in the blue eyes. "You're no different than the others. Oh, don't make her upset…she's molting. The molt makes Ettwanae bitchy – better tiptoe. Shouldn't you take a breath and calm down? Emotions are running away with you, Ettwanae. She's being illogical right now…it's 'that time' you know." The glare boring into Phai was searing. "I've heard it all! I expected better of you – your people created us. You should know what it's like!"
The winged woman started storming around the nearly empty room. From a detached perspective, the sight was actually quite impressive. Ettwanae resembled a winged predator ready to take down an entire herd of hapless prey.
"Warren is the only one who understands!" the younger woman continued her rant. "Should have known no one else would. The rest of you can go to the Pits of Pardian!"
"Since you've experience this before, then you understand why the training should wait."
Ettwanae whirled toward Phai, wings splayed to nearly their full expanse, fists clenched, the crystalline-blue eyes dark with rage. "NO! I said no before and I meant it! I want my Mother! Your Etagllot mudpuckers have had her long enough! You will teach me now!"
Liking the scientists to the creature that used its feces in which to wallow she easily shrugged off. But Phai's patience was running out, and she prided herself in having the commodity in abundance. She mentally instructed her attendant AI to send a message to the facility.
Perching on the edge of a raised planting bed, Phai would give it one more attempt if only to humor the hormonally discordant Esha'Aru. "Very well. Sit," she ordered sharply and pointed to the mat. To her surprise, Ettwanae quickly retook her position on the floor.
"Now, breath in deeply through the nose…hold…hold…exhale through the mouth. Again." She waited for her student to complete the simple task several times. Satisfied that the Esha'Aru was relaxing, she continued. "Calm. Steady. Reach down, open up. Feel your Aru – its vibration…power…"
When a soft glow formed around the Esha'Aru, Phai checked the scan readings broadcast to her location. She sighed. The channeler was still tapping into Source – not her own Aru.
"Ettwanae, shift your focus more…inward. You've opened to Source again."
Phai nearly became dislodged from her seat when Ettwanae exploded into a ball of fury and feathers as she rocketed from the floor.
"I CANT! You're teaching me wrong!"
In a blur of motion, Ettwanae was in Phai's face. She nearly forgot for a moment that her student wasn't actually in the garden. The Shozen collected herself.
"I know what I'm doing, Ettwanae," she said coolly to the holo projection's looming with menace.
"You're NOT! I healed Warren – my Aru knew what to do automatically. I need to be with my mother. I can't do this if there's no one to heal! It doesn't work that way!"
Phai shifted to a full standing position, causing the younger woman to back off reflexively. "It does, Ettwanae. You simply do not know how. That is what I'm attempting to teach you, but your emotional state is counterproductive."
"BITCH! Don't talk down to me!"
As if to punctuate the order, the door slid open to reveal a neutral-faced Warren. Phai looked over at the periphery holo-projection in relief. Perhaps 'the only one who understands' could calm the raging female.
"Here you are, Ettwanae. I've been looking-"
He never finished the sentence. Ettwanae had hurled herself at Phai with an outraged cry sounding very much like a bird screech. For her effort, she ended up on hands and knees as she passed through the avatar. Pounding fists to the floor accompanied a string of extraordinarily colorful Imperial Standard metaphors.
Phai barely contained the amused smirk as she looked backward to the Esha'Aru on the floor.
"Ettwanae!" Warren yelled, racing toward his mate-to-be. "What is going on?"
A venomous look shot his way over the top of a wing. "She called you in here, didn't she?!"
The man stopped dead in his tracks, the face giving away comprehension of what he'd been summoned to deal with. Phai felt it was going to be an interesting show. As she watched, Warren appeared to gather his courage.
"I came because I was told you were upset."
"Bitch!" Ettwanae spat the word at Phai as she got to her feet. Then a withering look in Warren's direction would have sent any sensible person scurrying. Phai was impressed when the man didn't flinch.
"Get out!"
"What did she do to upset you?"
Well played, Phai commented silently.
"Get out!" The order was more forceful the second time.
"If Phai's treating you badly, I want to know. I won't tolerate it."
As Warren gave Phai a hard visual shot, her admiration grew.
"She doesn't know what she's talking about!" The swipe of an arm toward Phai was quite dismissive. "I healed you because I was with you. Aru comes naturally then – it knows what needs to be done. She is telling me to manifest it without even touching anyone. It doesn't work that way!" Plaintive and anger mixed. "I keep telling her that, but she won't listen. She's not Esha'Aru – what does she know?"
Warren glanced at Phai, but she carefully avoided any physical sign of agreement or disagreement – that would only inflame Ettwanae further. It would be so much easier if Phai were on Ekkamm where she could use her mental abilities to guide the Esha'Aru. Den-neer couldn't teach as he had not been taught Ura'maalei – his Aru was incapable of the procedure.
"Would it help if she had a partner – someone to practice on?" he asked to Phai hopefully.
"Unfortunately, no. Your Aru is healthy."
Ettwanae huffed. "We're wasting time while my mother is dying. Let me heal her and you can tell me what to do while I'm doing it."
"And risk her life because you are learning while trying?!" Phai shot back incredulously. The young woman was definitely not thinking logically.
"No..."
Warren took a couple steps in Ettwanae's direction. "I have an idea. Why don't you and I get some fresh air? That always clears my mind…maybe it will help." He closed the gap and raised a hand to stroke her arm. The Esha'Aru stiffened for a moment, but relaxed with his soothing touch. Then he looked over.
"Phai, is it possible for us to take a flight?"
She offered him a slight smile, not wanting to display too much emotion – likely the molting Esha'Aru's emotional calm was tenuous. "Of course. You will need to wear a cloaking device to guard against scan detection. Your signature will read as dust particles."
Quick instructions to her AI sent word to the facility's security staff to bring the devices to the room. Minutes later, with the small units securely attached to the pair, she sent them to romp in Ekkamm's skies. Perhaps afterward, a more tranquil Esha'Aru would return for another attempt at the delicate procedure she so desperately wanted to learn.
As the couple exited, Phai allowed herself to smile broadly at Warren's skill in dousing Ettwanae's angry flames. She understood what it meant for intended soulbounds to be together yet unable to mate. Sadness rippled through her at the thought of how stressful and painful it must be for them to want…correction, need each other so intensely, but unable to join physically. The drive to mate would be constant, gnawing, insistent, yet the pair seemed to be handling it well. Most intendeds would on each other like animals in heat – it was how the Esha'Aru were genetically designed. Intuition said it was Warren holding the two in check – his strength and determination.
While she did not know the details of the Earthling's relationship with Ztar, she knew of the atypical Turzent/Earth Accord. Given Ztar's reputation regarding companions, it didn't take great intelligence to put the pieces together. Warren likely did not willingly leave Earth. Given that, it made what he accomplished with Ztar even more amazing. The Emperor was not the same man he was before taking Warren. That same strength of spirit was likely guiding the young Ettwanae.
Phai marveled all over again at Ozshi'wanae's wisdom as she wandered back into her home while the pair shed tensions in the sky.
###
Flint went looking for Gatebi. Something was bugging the Alcab the past couple days, and he wanted to know what it was. If he could get the usually close-mouthed woman to talk, maybe he'd even ask her about her brother – the little incident still stung. What had that been all about?
He'd searched Volu, but nothing. The Eshaar'ne had been no help, saying Gatebi apparently didn't want to be found. That did not deter him, but did give him a clue. Or was it what Vo had intended? He knew she could be sneaky that way.
Hint or hunch, he found her. There she sat cross-legged on the grass, PI in hand, looking very much like she was not reading, but pretending to be. The bright orange tussle of hair was almost neon in the strong Ekkamm sun; her brown skin a nice contrast to its intensity.
"Hey, Gabby, what's happenin'?"
The large, slightly elongated eyes snapped to his. Those orbs could unnerve Flint when Gatebi wanted – deep brown irises where his were vibrant green and tan where white should be. The lack of white made them seem even larger and more penetrating.
"That should be obvious, Flint. And I probably should give up on you ever calling me by my true name."
He grinned mischievously. "Probably." He quickly sank to the ground. "I'm bored."
She jerked in feigned surprise. "How is that possible? LanicWorld needs defending."
"Nay," he said with a vigorous headshake. "The lines are holdin' and we've got plenty of firepower. Sometimes, you have ta come up for air, ya know."
She pursed her lips before speaking. "Volu got tired of playing."
He dipped his head in admission. "Well, sorta."
Silence fell between them, and her eyes returned to the PI. As he watched, the alien words did not scroll. He'd been right, she wasn't really reading. Flint kept watching her. She wasn't gorgeous like Ettwanae, but the Alcab was good looking in a more ordinary way. Her roundish face sported a small nose, a Human-sized mouth, and no eyebrows. Moving his gaze to her chest, she was smaller there than Ettwanae, but still curvy enough. Trailing eyes down to the hands and their short, nailless fingers, he wondered what it'd be like for those hands to…
He jerked. 'What the hell?!'
At that instant, her face came up with a miffed expression. "So bored as to sit and watch me read?"
Heat swept across his cheeks. "Well, I…I was actually wondering…" he stumbled, not knowing how to go about getting her to talk. Teenage boys aren't supposed to be good at that stuff, he gave himself. "You seem…I don't know – worried 'bout somethin'. Was wonderin' if there's anything I can do?"
The brown eyes narrowed as they scanned his face. Then the head tilted and a tiny smile turned up the corners of her mouth. "Lanic Reilly, are you saying you've discerned someone else's state of mind that wasn't blatantly obvious?"
Sometimes the translators weren't perfect, but he was pretty sure a putdown was in there somewhere. "Hey, I can be a sensitive guy, too. War isn't the only one, ya know!"
"The answer is no."
"The answer to what?" Then he cringed. How stupid was he? "Oh, yeah. Sorry. Are ya sure? I mean, I can listen." At her incredulous look, he continued quickly. "I can! Really. I'll just shut up and listen. If there's something bothering you, that is. Cuz if there's not, then there's really nothing to talk about, but if there is, then-" He stopped abruptly at her 'told ya so' expression. "Oh, yeah. Shut up. Right."
She sighed loudly and set the PI on the grass. "Flint, I appreciate the offer, but there is nothing to discuss. Yes, I've been distracted the past couple days about something that you can't help with. Thank you, though, for being concerned. It was very…adult of you."
He wasn't quite certain of whether he should take that as a compliment or a very nice, backhanded slight.
"Well, if you're sure, cuz we're friends and friends take care of each other, right? Even if that means just listening when ya can't really help."
Her expression softened and the brown eyes studied him for more moments than he felt comfortable with. He felt his cheeks blush under the scrutiny, which only added to his discomfort. Why did she affect him like that lately?
Then a change came over her, and she looked away suddenly. "The Etagllot made me an offer I'm struggling over whether or not to accept."
Flint was stunned. "You're not thinkin' of going to work for them?!"
She burst out in laughter, but it quickly dissipated. "No, Flint – nothing like that, though I'm surprised you think I might."
He realized how absurd the notion and grew embarrassed at having even thought it. "You're smart enough. I thought maybe they asked. Didn't think you'd really do it."
"Though things are different now that we know what they've been working toward, even if it is unknowing of the true goal," she said softly with a quick glance around as if someone could be watching or listening. Phai and Den-neer had warned them not to reveal anything about the Dark Coming to the Etagllot – the scientists needed to focus on their work, not be distracted by that knowledge.
He leaned in slightly. "What did they offer then?"
Her face turned downward and hands curled into fists, something Flint couldn't remember seeing her do before, even when she was angry. Silence drew out, until he was certain she would not reply, but then her face popped back up, and she locked eyes with him.
"A chance to know why they took me from Alcab. That has haunted me. On Hydeera, they never said what they were looking for – what the experiments were about. It made it so much more frightening not knowing why I was there."
Flint was shocked. All this time he'd figured Gatebi simply refused to say why the Etagllot scientists had snatched her, and saying she didn't know was a way to dodge answering.
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you before 'bout that."
"No one believed me, and that was okay. It worked to my advantage. I didn't want to face the possibility that I may be…different. I was tired of being different – different is unacceptable to my parents, my family…my people. I didn't want to follow my parents' life steps. My dreams are elsewhere, and I always felt disconnected with everyone around me. People I thought were friends were often only wanting to be associated with my parents through me. They were successful, well paid, catered to by the government…associating with them was good career and social strategy."
Disgust coated the words. Flint was taken aback. He had learned more about the Alcab's background in the past few seconds than he'd discovered in more than two years as shipmates.
"So you were like an outcast, huh?"
"In a way, but they cloaked me in a guise of eccentricity they said I'd eventually grow out of. They hoped I would grow out of being what I was – who I was. The Etagllot taking me was actually a good thing in the end. I met you and Ettwanae and have my own life now, not the one that my parents were trying to force upon me."
Everything was becoming so much clearer. "So that's why you didn't wanna go back home after Twae and Vo rescued us! I could never get that cuz from the little you said, home was a good place – money, nice house, both parents there…all the good stuff."
She shook her head. "All that good stuff was superficial, Flint. My parents' disappointment in me was becoming more than I could bear, but I was too afraid to leave on my own. What would I do? The only thing I knew was what I was trying so hard to avoid."
"What about your brother?" The question came out without Flint thinking about it. He froze, eyes widening – it wasn't the way he intended to bring up the touchy subject. The air chilled as Gatebi jerked. He watched her fearfully – had he just stupidly ruined everything?
Her head went down, and she seemed to shrink by inches. "Andfe."
"Huh?"
"His name was Andfe."
"Was? Did he die?" Flint asked quietly.
Gatebi gestured affirmative.
"I'm sorry, Gabby." He placed a hand hesitantly over hers. "Didn't mean to bring up bad memories."
She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. "The memories of his life are not bad ones. Not having him anymore is what hurts. We were very close. He was quite a bit older than me and loved science. Andfe was brilliant, just like our parents, but he understood me so much better than they do. Then there was the skimmer accident when we were on a family trip. It was bad, Flint," she looked up to meet his eyes. "Andfe was very seriously injured – more so than the rest of us. I held his hand while we waited for the emergency vehicles. We tried to tell him to hold on, but…" The brown eyes filled with tears. "He couldn't. His last words were to me. He said, "Be you." I tried to honor that, but as the years went by, my parents pressured me more and more to be like him."
"When did he die?"
"About 8 standard years ago when I was 16." Tears were on the brink of escape. "I adored him. He was so like my parents, but understood me as they never will. He was their perfect offspring, while I was the difficult one." Bitterness slipped out. She blinked, the face softened, and she looked at Flint squarely. "But he never made me feel I was less than him. Andfe loved me as I am. My world shattered when he died." A tear finally relented to gravity and traveled down her brown-skinned cheek.
Flint was surprised to find his hand was still on hers, and he gently squeezed it. The sight of Gatebi's pain constricted his throat to where he couldn't speak. He wondered if Ettwanae knew the story; or Volu, but it didn't matter, he realized in a sudden wash of maturity. She was sharing something very personal, a rarity for the Alcab, and he was privileged to hear it.
"Do you want me to go?" he finally choked out. A shake of her head, and he remained rooted to the spot.
They sat quietly on the grass as Gatebi's tears fell one after another, but she did not sob or even whimper. Flint thought it was the most amazing, and saddest thing he'd seen. Without thinking, he leaned over and kissed her cheek; tear trails wetting his lips. Then he sat back quickly, shocked at what he'd done. What would she think? Would she be mad? Slap him?
The Alcab merely blinked in surprise.
"I- I didn't mean to do that! I just…hell, I don't know what came over me. But you looked so sad. No excuse, though. Forget what I did – never happened-" A hand on his arm stilled the ramblings.
"It's alright, Flint. That was very sweet."
He blushed again. What did that make, three times? He thought it might be some kind of record.
"Uh, okay."
"I think I'm done reading for today. And I've made my decision," she announced, uncrossing her legs and preparing to stand.
"About the Etagllot offer?"
She rose gracefully as he watched. Gatebi was quite an amazing person, Flint told himself as he got up. "Yes or no?"
The woman started toward the entrance of the facility. Was she going to leave him hanging like that? Then she cast a coy look over her shoulder. "If you want to know, you must follow me."
Flint grinned and sprinted to catch up.
###
Warren wasn't entirely certain how it happened. He had coaxed an emotionally volatile Ettwanae out of the facility to work out molt-induced ire and next thing he knew, they were making out high above the Etagllot facility. In an abrupt switch of emotion, she had aerially tackled him, mouth and hands everywhere. Unfortunately, testosterone saw no reason not to encourage the wanton gropes and kisses. He was returning the hunger feverishly.
With swiftness that left his head swimming, they were in way too deep and doing their best to have sex with clothes on while pinned to the sky. Her legs wrapped around his waist, she'd had stopped flapping; wings drawn tightly to his shoulders, making it challenging to take full strokes with his own. Didn't matter.
She torn at clothing, wild and desperate as their vertical position rotated more horizontal. Spiraling above the alien planet, he ravished the soft mouth…sucking, biting, and tongues dancing; her mewling stoking the fire in his groin. He was fully aroused in moments, rubbing hard against her through his pants.
'God, I want her!'
Maybe sex with clothes on would fool Ura.
'R-r-right.'
At that moment, he didn't care about Ura. Ettwanae smelled of sexual readiness. Animal heat coursed through his veins. Using her strong legs as leverage, she pumped against his sheathed cock, and his groan spilled into her mouth. Head-to-toe shudders threatened to disrupt the already unsteady rhythm of wing beats.
'Keep flapping, flyboy,' he reminded himself. He tangled a hand into the wild, golden locks to hold her head tightly, wanting to draw the breath from her; make her gasp in bliss and cry out his name. The other hand found its way to her wing base and skilled fingers kneaded the perfect spot. Her reaction was instantaneous – a long, bliss-filled moan, arching of the back, head pressed back, and legs squeezing her groin even more tightly into his already aching shaft.
The world whirled and Warren found himself uncertain of up and down.
'Got to land.'
As he eased them lower in the sky, likewise went her hand on his body; trailing down his spine to cup a buttock. Then it migrated around his hips toward…there! Wings splayed full and stopped beating when he nearly came as she massaged. Trying not to drop her and remember how to fly, he pulled himself back from the brink.
'The ground – get to the ground!'
Ettwanae had apparently lost herself to lust; uncaring as he struggled to maintain aerial control long enough to avoid a crash landing. He vaguely heard shirt fabric ripping, followed by a hand sliding inside his jeans.
"Ett-wanae," he panted. "Just wait – please!" Her mouth clamped down on his to silence the protests.
He landed too hard; she didn't seem to notice the jarring impact. He lost balance and her weight pulled him forward. Just before her backside hit the ground, she buried her face into his shoulder sparing them a nasty tooth-to-tooth collision. Without losing a beat, she grabbed one of the openings in the back of his t-shirt and yanked until the fabric gave way. Then she dug fingers into feathers in exactly the right way.
Electricity skittled down nerves from wing to groin chasing away his slim hold on control. He dove in to snare her open mouth and snaked a hand beneath her top to find another of her delights – a soft, full breast to massage and squeeze. Moans and eyes squeezing tightly shut signaled her approval, while the quivers tracing her body drove his own crazy with lust.
The alien landscape melted from awareness. Sex in the open wasn't something that had ever appealed to Warren – the desire for privacy and feral wariness joining forces to make it uncomfortable. Somehow though, with Ettwanae, the openness around them mattered not. Mutual need to join was all there was and concerns about seclusion and Ura reprimands were forgotten.
Mate! The command echoed within his lust-fogged mind and permeated his body. As she clawed and torn at his clothes, biting and kissing simultaneously, his hand moved from breast, down her taut abdomen, and then slid down the front of her pants. She wantonly spread her legs as he reached his destination. Ettwanae shuddered and groaned as his fingers explored her nether regions. So hot and wet – she was more than ready, the point emphasized when she thrust against his hand to drive him deeper.
His cock throbbed to be where fingers were. He wanted to be one with her…in her – absorb her into himself and he into her. The heady scent of her readiness, the smell of dirt, alien grasses, whistles and soft cries of unknown animals called to his feral nature. It wanted to rise up; he felt the pressure building in his head. 'Take her,' instinct urged. He felt himself slipping on the slope of animalistic drives.
Warren fought for control. Danger loomed. Already, he could feel the first indications of pain curling up somewhere deep within. Last shreds of reason reminded him they could not complete the act – horrible pain would be their only reward for the attempt. Warren snarled as carnal and feral drives threatened to overpower logic. 'Hold on, Worthington – for her sake!'
Panting from the effort to hold back, Warren managed to ease away from the feverish make-out session, turning savageness into sensuality. At first Ettwanae resisted the change of pace, but soon she was calming and her groping and kissing became less frantic.
While they couldn't have intercourse, Warren could relieve her need in another way. And so with one leg looped over hers, he shifted off her body slightly to the side, and braced himself on the ground. With his mouth, he worshipped her upper body placing kisses and nips in all right places; then suckling the rest. Meanwhile, his hand stoked the fire further down – titillating her cilt and roaming in and out of her recess. She wiggled and groaned and fumbled at his crotch, managing to free him from the confines of the jeans, but he deftly redirected her hand as she attempted to convince his shaft to replace fingers.
Control was coming more easily as he focused completely on bringing Ettwanae to climax. It happened more quickly than he would have guessed. Her body tensed, muscles clamped down hard on his deeply sunk finger, and a feral cry escaped her lips to be snatched by Ekkamm's winds.
What he wouldn't do to have been truly within her at that moment. Pain in his groin grew sharp with her climax, and he nearly whimpered into her chest. The supple body beneath him then relaxed and suddenly, a soft hand was caressing his cock. He jerked his head up and a beautiful, knowing smile greeted him.
He'd been so close to the brink that within moments of her attentions, euphoria exploded and rippled through him and seed shot out. As his shaft softened with release, he drew her close to bask together in the afterglow, but it was shallow and unfinished. When could they do it right? Would they ever be able to?
They lay in silence for many minutes, neither wishing to speak the heartache of what was missing from their encounter. Warren wondered about a continued tension deep within him. Orgasm should have relieved much of it, yet had not. However, as he considered it, the tension wasn't sexual in nature.
'Likely, all the shit we've been dealing with,' he concluded and nuzzled into Ettwanae's sweet-smelling hair. 'God, I love this woman.'
###
They'd managed to slip back inside the Etagllot facility without anyone noticing. Ettwanae giggled when he pointed out the state of their clothing, wondering how they'd explain it if questioned. She'd suggested far-fetched excuses of really powerful updrafts or animal attack. They laughed and joked quietly, playing various ideas out as they stealthy made their way deeper into the complex while most residents were working diligently in their labs.
Rounding the last corner to the hangar and Volu, they saw him. Simultaneously coming to an abrupt halt, they exchanged pained glances. The teen had seen them – no escaping back down the hall.
"This will be enjoyable," Warren whispered sarcastically to Ettwanae. He noticed a blush already coloring her cheeks.
Sighing in unison, the winged twosome braced for the inevitable. Flint's broad smile disappeared as he got closer, soon followed by a narrowing of eyes as he scanned them. Brows rose. Finally, riotous laughter erupted as he bent over, arms holding his stomach.
Warren put on a perturbed expression and sighed loudly, tightening his grip on Ettwanae's hand.
"It's okay, Warren – Flint is rather immature," she chastised over the snorts and cackles echoing throughout the corridor. Ettwanae's chin rose in an unmistakable attempt to hold onto dignity.
Flint straightened as he regained some control and an arm shot out to point at them, as if there was doubt as to the source of his amusement. "I know what you two've been up to! God, War – I'da thought you'd have enough sense to ditch the clothes first. Jesus, man!"
Another round of cachinnation.
Pulling her hand, Warren led them around the chuckling Flint toward the hangar entrance, shooting the teen a scathing stare. He felt heat rising on his own face, despite his worldliness and past lusty relationships. There was just something about being caught with telltale 'hay in the hair.'
As they approached Volu, the Eshaar'ne dilated open the bay door.
"Hello, Volu," he greeted as they entered, wincing when his voice sounded guilty.
"Warren." The tone was tight. "My Poda." Warm, with strong undertones of sympathy.
Warren clenched his jaw.
Ettwanae gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "She's overly protective at times," his would-be lover whispered in an ear before pulling away.
To the lift, up to the living level, and their hands finally separated. "We better shower," he said with a lopsided smile, and a tilt of head. Then impulsively, he dove in for less than chaste kiss, loving the immediate response he felt in her body. After steeling her breath away, with hands on her shoulders, he gently backed off.
Ettwanae was silent and serious for several moments, as she combed fingers through his hair to tame their disheveled state. "I'm sorry about being so difficult. I know Phai is only trying to make sure I'm as prepared as possible. It just seems to be taking so long, and I get frustrated, and…"
"The molt."
The head bobbed as her face communicated embarrassment. "I'm better now. You have a way of calming me down."
A chuckle burst out. "Ettwanae, if what we did was calming, then I'm not the lover I thought I was!"
Her eyes went wide, and she gave him a slap to the shoulder. "I didn't mean it that way!" The tone was appalled, but mirth twinkled in the crystalline-blue depths. "You're amazing," she cooed, leaning close. "One day, we'll be able to test your skill completely," she added with a tempting stroke down the front of his pants. His arousal threatened to reignite.
"Ah, I think it's shower time."
Suddenly, Gatebi stepped from the lounge, gave them the once over, then produced a smirk worthy of the Mona Lisa. "Training with Phai is far more physical than I had imagined." The woman turned heel, and disappeared back into the gathering room.
With a shared groan, Warren and Ettwanae parted to hit separate showers.
As Warren cleansed, he thought the hot shower would release the persistent tension, but instead it still gripped him somewhere – everywhere – that wasn't physical. It was like a pressing or pushing or…something. Worries of nannites and feralness rushed in.
Asking Volu to turn up the heat and add massaging effects, Warren tried to relax body and mind. He failed miserably on both counts.
###
Next time, Volu makes a personal decision, Hercjell is up to her old tricks, and it's story time in the gathering room once again.
See you for C16 in a few days.